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TRAVELS 
 
 THROUGH THE STATES 
 
 O F 
 
 NORTH AMERICA, 
 
 AND THE 
 
 PROVINCES OF 
 UPPER AND LOWER CANADA, 
 
 DURING 
 
 THE YEARS 1795, I796, AND I797. 
 
 By ISAAC WELD, Junior. 
 THIRD EDITION, 
 
 ILLUSTRATED AND iMBiitisntu WITH SIXTEEN PLATES. 
 
 IN TWO VOLUMES. 
 VOL; Ii 
 
 LONDON: 
 PRINTED FOR. JOHN STOCKD ALE, PICCADILLY. 
 
 1 8 c o«i 
 
kake Hanftrd, Printer, Great Tumftile, Lincoln's Inn Fields, 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 AT a period when War was fpreading defola- 
 tion over the faired; parts of Europe, when 
 anarchy feemed to be extending its frightful pro- 
 grefs from nation to nation, and when the ftorms 
 that were gathering over his native Country 
 * in particular, rendered it impoffible to fay 
 how foon any one of its inhabitants might be 
 forced to feek for refuge in a foreign land ; the 
 Author of the following pages was induced to 
 crofs the Atlantic, for the purpofe of examin- 
 ing with his own eyes into the truth of the 
 various accounts which had been given of the 
 fiouriihing and happy condition of the United 
 States of America, and of afcertaining whether, 
 in cafe of future emergency, any part of thofe 
 territories might be looked forward to, as an 
 eligible and agreeable place of abode. Arrived 
 in America, he travelled pretty generally through 
 the ftates of Pennfylvania, Delaware, Maryland, 
 Virginia, New Jerfey, and New York ; he af- 
 terwards paffed into the Canadas, defirous of 
 obtaining equal information as to the ftate of 
 thofe provinces, and of determining from his 
 own immediate obfervations, how far the pre- 
 fent condition of the inhabitants of the Britifh 
 dominions in America might be inferior, or 
 otherwife, to that of the people of the States, 
 who had now indeed thrown off the yoke, but 
 were formerly common members of the fame 
 extenfive empire. 
 
 * Ireland 
 
 A ?. When 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 When abroad, he had not the mod diftant 
 intention of publifhing his travels ; but finding 
 on his return home, that much of the matter 
 contained in the following letters was quite ' 
 new to his friends, and being induced to think 
 that it might prove equally new, and not wholly 
 unacceptable to the Public, he came to the re- 
 folution of committing them to print : accord- 
 ingly the prefent volume * is now offered to the 
 world, in an humble hope, that if not enter- 
 taining to all readers, it will at lean: be fo to 
 fome, as well as ufeful to future travellers. 
 
 If it (hall appear to any one, that he has 
 fpoken with too much afperity of American 
 men and American manners, the Author begs 
 that fuch language may not be afcribed to hafty 
 prejudice, and a blind partiality for every thing 
 that is European. He crofTed the Atlantic 
 ftrongly prepofleffed in favour of the People 
 and the Country, which he was about to vilit ; 
 and if he returned with fentiments of a dif- 
 ferent tendency, they refulted folely from a cool 
 and difpaffionate obfervation of what chance 
 prefented to his view when abroad. 
 
 x4.N enthufiaftic admirer of the beauties of 
 Nature, the fcenery of the countries through 
 which he paffed did not fail to attract a great 
 part of his attention ; and interfperfed through 
 the book will be found views of what he thought 
 would be moft in tere fling to his readers ; they 
 are what he himfelf fketched upon the lpot, that 
 
 of 
 
 * The firft edition was printed in one quarto volume. 
 
PREFACE. V 
 
 of Mount Vernon, the Seat of General Wash- 
 ington, indeed, excepted, for which he is in- 
 debted to an ingenious friend that he met in 
 America, and the View of Bethlehem. He has 
 many more views in his pofleffion ; but he 
 thought it better to furnifh his Publifher with a 
 few only, in hopes that the engraving from 
 them would be well executed, rather than with 
 a great many, which, had they* been given, 
 muft either have been in a ftyle unworthy of the 
 Public eye, or elfe have fwelled the price of the 
 volume beyond the reach of many that may 
 now read it. Of the refemblance which thefe 
 views bear to their refpedtive archetypes, thofe 
 alone can be judges, who have been fpedtators of 
 the original fcenes. With regard to the Cata- 
 raft of Niagara, however, it muft be obferved, 
 that in views on fo fmall a fcale, no one muft 
 expedt to find a lively reprefentation of its won- 
 derful arid terrific vaftnefs, even were they ex- 
 ecuted by artifts of far fuperior merit ; the in- 
 ferring of the three in the prefent work is done 
 merely in the hope that they may help, toge- 
 ther with the ground plan of the precipice, if 
 it may be fo called, to give a general idea of 
 the pofition and appearance of that ftupendous 
 Cataradt. Thofe who are defirous of becoming 
 more intimately acquainted with it, will foon be 
 gratified, at leaft fo he has been given to under- 
 ftand by the artift in whofe hands they at pre- 
 fent are, with a fet of views from the mafterly 
 pencil of Captain Fifher, of the Royal Britifh 
 Artillery, which are allowed by all thofe who 
 have vifited the Falls of Niagara, to convey a 
 
 A 3 more 
 
Yi 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 more perfect idea of that wonderful natural 
 curioiity, than any paintings or engravings that 
 are extant. 
 
 Finally, before the Reader proceeds to 
 the perufal of the enfuing pages, the Author 
 will juft beg leave to apprize him, that they 
 are the production of a very youthful pen, un- 
 accuftomed to write a great deal, far lefs to write 
 for the prefs. It is now for the firft time that 
 one of its productions is ventured to be laid 
 before the Public eye. As a firft attempt, 
 therefore, it is humbly hoped that the prefent 
 wcrk may meet with a generous indulgence, 
 and not be too feverely criticifed on account of 
 its numerous imperfections. 
 
 Dublin, 
 20th Decemher, 1798. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 To VOLU M E I. 
 
 LETTER L 
 
 Arrival on the Coajl of America. — Threes the fir ji 
 Object vifibie* — Defcription of the Bay and River 
 of Delaware, — Pajfengers bound for Philadel- 
 phia, not fuffered to land till examined by the 
 Health Officers. — Arrival at Philadelphia. — 
 Poor Appearance of the City from the Water. — 
 Plan of the City. — Wharfs. — Public and private 
 Buildings. — Some Account of the Hofpital, and 
 of the Gaol - P a g e I 
 
 LETTER IL 
 
 Population of Philadelphia. — Some Accoimt of the? 
 Inhabitants? their Charadlerand Manners — Pr/- 
 vate Amufements. — Americans lofe their 'Teeth 
 prematurely. — Theatrical Amufements only per- 
 mitted of late. — Quakers. — Prefidenfs Levee and 
 Drawing Room. — Places of Puhlic V/orJliip. — 
 Carriages, what Sort of, ufed in Philadelphia. — 
 Taverns, how conducted in America. — Difficulty 
 of procuring Servants. — Character of the lower 
 Claffes of People in America - - P a g e 20 
 
 LETTER III. 
 
 Journey to Baltimore. — Defcription of the Country 
 about Philadelphia. —Floating Bridges over the 
 
 Schuylkill^ 
 
vlli CONTENTS. 
 
 Schuylkill, how confiruSed. — Mills in Brandy- 
 wine Creek. — Improvement in the Machinery of 
 Flour Mills in America.— Town of Wilming- 
 ton. — Log Houfes. — Bad Roads. — Fine Pro- 
 fpecls. — How relified by Americans — Taverns. 
 « — Sufquehannah River. — Town of Baltimore. — 
 Plan of the Town. — Harbour. — Public and 
 private Buildings. — Inhabitants. — Country be- 
 tween Baltimore and Washington — Execrable 
 Roads - page 31 
 
 LETTER IV. 
 
 Foundation of the City of Waflnngton. — Not readily 
 agreed to by different States. — Choice of the 
 Ground left to General Wajhington. — Circum- 
 ftances to be confidered in chufng the Ground. — 
 "The Spot fixed upon, central to all the States. — 
 Alfo remarkably advantageoufly fituated for 
 Trade. — Nature of the Back Country Trade. — 
 Summary View -of the principal Trading Towns 
 in the United States. — Their Profperity Jhewn to 
 depend on the Back Country Trade. — Defcrip- 
 tion of the Patowmac River. — Its Conneclion 
 with other Rivers pointed out. — Prodigious Ex- 
 tent of the Water Communication from Waflnng- 
 tcn City in all Directions. — Country likely to 
 trade immediately with Wafhington. — Situation 
 of Wafhington. — Plan of the City. — Public 
 Buildings. — Some begun, others projected. — Ca- 
 pital Prefidenfs Houfe. — Hotel. — Stone and 
 fther building Materials found in tlie Neighbour- 
 hood. — - 
 
CONTENTS. ix 
 
 hood. — Private Houfes and Inhabitants at pre- 
 fent in the City. — Different Opinions refpecling 
 the future Greatnefs of the City. — Impediments 
 thrown in the Way of its Improvement. — What 
 has given rife to this - - page 49 
 
 LETTER V. 
 
 Some Account of Alexandria. — Mount Vernon the 
 Seat of General Wafhington. — Difficulty of find- 
 ing the Way thither through the Woods. — De- 
 fcription of the Mount, and of the Views from it. 
 — Defer iption of the Houfeand Grounds. — Slaves 
 at Mount Vernon. — Thoughts thereon. — A Per- 
 fon at Mount Vernon to attend to Strangers.—' 
 Return to WaJhi?tgton - - page 90 
 LETTER VI. 
 
 Arrival at Philadelphia. — Some Obfervations on 
 the Climate of the Middle States. — Public Car- 
 riages prevented from plying between Baltimore 
 and Philadelphia , by theBadnefs of the Roads.— 
 Left Baltimore during Froft. — Met with Ame- 
 rican Travellers on the Road. — Their Behaviour 
 preparatory to fetting off from aii Inn. — Arrival 
 on the Banks of the Sufquehannah. — Paffage of 
 that River when frozen over. — Dangerous Situ- 
 ation of the Paffengers. — American Travellers 
 at the Tavern on the oppofite Side of the River. — 
 Their noify Difputations - - - page 96 
 
 LETTER VII. 
 
 Philadelphia gayer in the Winter than at any other 
 Seafon. — Celebration in that City of General 
 
 JVafi:ingtons 
 
CONTENTS, 
 
 Wafoington s Birth Day. — Some Account of Ge- 
 neral Wajhington s Per/on and of his Character. 
 — Americans diffatisfied with his Conduct as Pre- 
 fident. — A Spirit of Dijfatisfaclion commo?t 
 amongjl them - P a g e 104 
 
 LETTER VIII. 
 
 Singular Mildnefs of the Winter of 1795-6. — Set 
 out for LancaJIer. — Turnpike Road between that 
 Place and Philadelphia. — Summary View of the 
 State of Pennfylvania. — Defcription of theFarms 
 between LancaJIer and Philadelphia. — The 
 Farmers live in a penurious Style. — Greatly in- 
 ferior to Engliflj Farmers. — Bad Taverns on this 
 Road. — Waggons and Waggoners. — Cufioms of 
 ihe latter. — Defcription of LancaJIer .—Lately 
 made the Seat of the State Government. — Ma- 
 nufactures carried on there. — Rifle Guns. — Great 
 Dexterity with which the Americans ufe them. — 
 Anecdote of Two Virginian Soldiers belonging to 
 a Rifle Regiment - page 109 
 
 LETTER IX. 
 
 Number of Germans in the Neighbourhood of York 
 and Lancafier. — How brought over.— White 
 Slave Trade. — Cruelty frequently pradlifed in 
 the carrying it on. — Character of the German 
 Settlers contrajled with that of the Americans. — 
 Pajjage of the Sufquehannah between York and 
 LancaJIer. — Great Beauty of the Pro (he as along 
 the River. — Defcription of York. — Courts of 
 Juftice there. — Of the Pennfylvanian Syjlem of 
 "Judicature - page 120 
 
CONTENTS. xi 
 
 LETTER X. 
 
 Of the Country near York. — Of the Soil of the 
 Country on each Side of the Blue Mountains. — - 
 Frederic-town. — Change in the Inhabitants ajid 
 in the Country as you proceed towards the Sea. — 
 Numbers of Slaves. — Tobacco chief y cultivated, 
 — Inquiftivenefs of thePeople at the Taverns. — 
 Observations thereon. — Defcription of the Great 
 Falls of the Patowmac River. — Georgetown. — 
 Of the Country between that Place and Hoe's 
 Ferry. — Poifonous Vines. — Port Tobacco. — 
 Wretched Appearance of the Country bordering 
 upon the Ferry. — Slaves neglected. — Pajfage 
 of the Patowmac very dangerous. — FreJJo Wa- 
 ter Oyjlers.— Landed on a defer ted Part of the 
 Virginian Shore. — Great Hofpitality of the Vir- 
 ginians ----- page 131 
 
 LETTER XI. 
 
 Of the Northern Neck of Virginia. — Firji fettled 
 by the Englijh. — Houfes built by them remaining. 
 —Difparity of Condition among ft the Inhabitants. 
 — EJlates worked by Negroes. — Condition of the 
 Slaves. — Worfe in the Carolinas. — Lands worn 
 out by Cultivation of Tobacco. — Mode of culti- 
 vating and curing Tobacco. — Houfes in Virginia. 
 —Thofe of Wood preferred.— Lower Clajjes of 
 People in Virginia. — Their unhealthy Appear- 
 ance ----- page 145 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 LETTER XII. 
 Town of Rappahannock*— Rappahannock River. 
 — Sharks found in it. — Country bordering upon 
 TJrbanna. — Fires common in the Woods. — Man- 
 ner of flopping their dreadful Progrefs.—Mode 
 of getting Turpentine from Trees. — Gloucefter* 
 — Tork Town. — Remains of the Fortifications 
 ereBed here during the American War. — Houfes 
 jhattered by Balls, fill remaining. — Cave in the 
 Bank of the River. — Williamfburgh. — State 
 Houfe in Ruins. — Statue of Lord Bottetourt. — 
 College of William and Mary. — Condition of the 
 Students - P a g e *58 
 
 LETTER XIII. 
 
 Hampton. — Ferry to Norfolk. — Danger in crofing 
 the numerous Ferries in Virginia. — ^Norfolk. — 
 haws ofVirginiainjuriousto the Trading Inter efl, 
 — Streets narrow and dirty in Norfolk. — Yellow 
 Fever there. — Obfervations on this Diforder. — 
 Violent Party Spirit among ft the Inhabitants. — 
 Few Churches in Virginia. — Several in Ruins. — 
 Private Grave Tards - - page 169 
 
 LETTER XIV. 
 
 Defcription of Difmal Swamp. — Wild Men found 
 in it. — Bears , Wolves 9 &c. — Country between 
 Swamp and Richmond. — Mode of making Tar 
 and Pitch.— Poor Soil. — Wretched Taverns. — 
 Corn Bread. — Difficulty of getting Food for 
 Horfes. — Peterfburgh. — Horfe Races there. — 
 
 Defcription 
 
CONTENTS. xiii 
 
 Defcription of Virginian Horfes. — Style of Rid- 
 ing in America. — Defcription of Richmond, 
 Capital of Virginia.— Singular Bridge acrofs 
 James River.— State Houfe.— Falls of James 
 Riv er . — Gambling common in Richmond. — Low- 
 er Clajfes of People very quarrelfome.— Their 
 Mode of Fighting. — Gouging - - page 178 
 
 LETTER XV. 
 
 Defcription of Virginia between Richmond and the 
 Mountains. — Fragrance of Flowers and Shrubs 
 In the Woods —Melody of the Birds.— Of the 
 Birds of Virginia.— Mocking Bird.— Blue Bird. 
 —Red Bird, &c— Singular Noifes of the Frogs. 
 — Columbia. — Magazine there. — Fire Flies in 
 the Woods. — Green Springs. — Wretchednefs of 
 the Accommodation there. — Difficulty of jinding 
 the Way through the Woods. — Serpents. — Rat* 
 ttle-Snake. — Copper-Snake. — Black Snake.— 
 South-weft, or Green Mountains. — Soil of them. 
 —Mountain Torrents do great Damage. — Sa- 
 lubrity of the Climate. — Great Beauty of the 
 Peafzntry. — Many Gentlemen of Property living 
 here. — Monticello, the Seat of Mr. Jefferfon. — • 
 Vineyards. — Obfervatious on the Culture of the 
 Grape, and the Manufacture of Wine - page 193 
 
 LETTER XVI. 
 
 Of the Country between the South-weft and Blue 
 Mountains. — Copper and Iron Mines.* — Lynch- 
 burgh. — New London. — Armoury here. — De- 
 fcription ej the Road over the Blue Moun- 
 VouL b tains. — 
 
xiv CONTENTS. 
 
 tains. — Peaks of Otter, bigheji of the Mountains, 
 — Suppofed Height -Much over -rated. — Ger- 
 man Settlers numerous beyond the Blue Moun- 
 tains. — -Singular Contrajl between the Country 
 and the Inhabitants on each Side of the Moun- 
 tains,— Of the Weevil— Of the Hcfjian Fly.— 
 Bottetourt County. — Its Soil.— Salubrity of the 
 Climate. — Medicinal Springs here. — Much fre- 
 quented - P a g e 209 
 LETTER XVIL 
 
 Description of the celebrate a Rock Bridge, and of 
 an immenfe Cavern. — Defcription of the She- 
 nandoah Valley. — Inhabitants mojily Germans. — • 
 Soil and Climate.— Obfervations on American 
 JLandf capes. — Mode of cutting down Trees. — 
 High Road to Kentucky, behind Blue Mou?itains. 
 — Much frequented. — Uncouth, inquifitive Peo- 
 ple. — Lexington. — Staunton. — Military Titles 
 very common in America. — Caufes thereof. — 
 Winchejler - page 220 
 
 LETTER XVIII. 
 
 Defcription of the Pajfage of Patowmac and 
 Shenandoah Rivers through a Break in the Blue 
 Mountains. — Some Obfervations on Mr. feffer- 
 jons Account of the Scene. — Summary Account 
 of Maryland. — Arrival at Philadelphia. — Re- 
 marks on the Climate of the United States. — 
 State of the City of Philadelphia during the 
 Heat of Summer. — Difficulty of preferving But- 
 ter, Milk, Meat, Fijh, &c. — General Ufe of 
 
 Ice.—* 
 
CONTENTS. xv 
 
 J ce , — Of the Winds. — State of Weather in 
 America depends greatly upon them - page 239 
 LETTER XIX. 
 
 Travelling in America without a Companion, 
 not pleafant. — Meet two Englijh Gentlemen. 
 r — Set cut together for Canada. — Defcription 
 of the Country between Philadelphia and New 
 York. — Brijlol. — Trenton. — Princeton. — 
 College there. — Some Account of it. — Brunf 
 wick. — -Pofaik Waterfall. — Copper Mine. — 
 Singular Dfcovery thereof. — New York. — 
 Defcription of the City. — Character and Man- 
 ners of the Inhabitants. — Leave it abruptly 
 on Account of the Fevers. — Paffage up North 
 River from New York to Albany. — Great 
 Beauty of the North River, — Weft Point. — 
 Highlands .-^Gufts of Wind common in pafjing 
 them. — Albany. — Defcription of the City and 
 Inhabitants. — Calibration of the ^th of 
 July ; anniverfary of American Ind e 
 ence. - - - page 256 
 
 LETTER XX. 
 
 Departure from Albany. — Difficulty of hiring 
 a Carriage. — Arrival at Cohoz. — Defcription 
 of the curious Fall there of the Mohawk 
 River. — Still-water. — Saratoga. — Few of 
 the W orks remaining there. — Singular Mine- 
 ral Springs near Saratoga. — Fort Edward. 
 — Mifs MCrea cruelly murdered there by 
 Indians. — Fort Ann, wretched Road thither. 
 — Some Obfervations on the American Woods. 
 
 b 2 —Hor/h 
 
xvi CONTENT S. 
 
 —Horfes jaded. — Difficulty of getting for-* 
 ward. — Arrive at Skenef borough. — Dread- 
 fully infejled by Muf quit oes.— Particular De- 
 fcriptlon of that Infect. — Great Danger 
 enfues fometimes from their Bite. — Beji 
 Remedy - page 274 
 
 LETTER XXI. 
 
 Embark on Lake Champ lain.— Difficulty of 
 procuring Provifions at Farms bordering upon 
 it. — Ticonderoga. — Crown Point. — Great 
 Beauty of the Scenery. — General Defcription 
 of Lake Champlain and the adjacent Country. 
 Captain Thomas and his Indians arrive at 
 Crown Point. — Character of Thomas. — 
 Peach St. Johns — Defcription of that Place. 
 « — Great Difference objervable in the Face of 
 the Country, Inhabitants, &c. in Canada and 
 in the States. — Chambly Cajile.- — Calaffjes — 
 Bons Dieux. — Town of La Prarie. — Great 
 Rabidity of the River Saint Lawrence. — 
 Crojs it to Montreal. — AJionifrment on feeing 
 large Ships at Montreal. — Great Depth of the 
 River - page 288 
 
 LETTER XXII. 
 
 Defcription of the Town of Montreal. — Of the 
 public Buildings. — Churches. — Funeral Ce- 
 remonies .—Convents . — Barracks. — Fortifi- 
 cations.— Inhabitants moflly French. — Their 
 Charadler and Manners. — Charming Pro- 
 Jpecls in the Neighbourhood of the Town.—* 
 Amufements during Summer. — Parties of 
 
 Pleafure 
 
CONTENTS. xvii 
 
 up the Mountain. — Of the Fur Trade. — The 
 Manner in which it is carried on. — Great En- 
 terprise of the North Wefl Company of Mer- 
 chants. — Sketch of Mr. M'Kenzie's Expeditions 
 over Land to the Pacific Ocean. — Differences 
 between the North Weft and Hudfons Bay 
 Companies - - - P a g e 3°9 
 LETTER XXIII. * 
 Voyage to Quebec down the St. Lawrence. — A 
 Bateau preferable to a Keel Boat. — Town of 
 Sorelle. — Ship -building there. — Defcripiion of 
 Lake St. Pierre. — Balifcon. — Charming Scen- 
 ery along the Banks of St. Lawrence.— hi what 
 refpeclsit differs fro??t the Scenery along any other 
 River in America. — Canadian Houfes. — Sketch 
 of the Character and Manners of the lower 
 Clajfes of Canadians. — Their Supcrftition. — 
 Anecdote. — St. Augujlin C ah aire. — Arrive at 
 Quebec - ~ - page 331 
 
 LETTER XXIV. 
 
 Situation of the City of Quebec. — Divided in to Up- 
 per and Lower Town. — Defcripiion of each. — 
 Great Strength of the Upper Town. — Some Ob- 
 fervations on the Capture of Quebec by the Eng- 
 lifh Army under General Wolfe. — Qbferva- 
 tions on Montgomery s and Arnold's Attack dur- 
 ing the American War. — Cenfus of Inhabitants 
 of Quebec. — The Chateau. — The Refidence oj 
 the Governor. — Monajlery of the Recollecls. — 
 College of the Jefuits. — One Jefuit remaining of 
 great Age.— r His great Wealth. — His Character. 
 
 — Nun- 
 
xviii CONTENTS. 
 
 — Nunneries. — Engineer s Drawing Room.— 
 State Houfe. — Armoury. — Barracks. — Mar- 
 ket-place. — Dogs ufed in Carts. — Grandeur of 
 the ProfpeBs from Farts of the Upper 1l own. — 
 Charming Scenery of the Environs. — Defcrip- 
 iion of Montmorenci Water Fall. — Of La 
 Chaudiere Water Fall - - page 341 
 
 LETTER XXV. 
 
 Of the Confiitution, Government , Laws, and Re- 
 ligion of the Provinces of Upper and Lower Ca- 
 nada. — Eftimate of the Expences of the Civil 
 Lijly of the Military Eilablifjment, and the 
 Prefents to the Indians. — -Salaries of certain 
 Officers of the Crown. — Imports and Exports. — 
 *Taxes. * page 361 
 
 LETTER XXVI. 
 
 Of the Soil and Productions of Lower Canada — - 
 Obfervations on the Manufacture of Sugar from 
 the Maple- tree. — Of the Climate of Lower 
 Canada. — Amufements of People of all De- 
 fcriptions during Winter. — Ca?*ioles .—Manner 
 of guarding againjl the Cold. — Great Hardinefs 
 of the Horfes. — State of the River St. Law- 
 rence on the Difolution of Winter. — Rapid 
 Progrefs of Vegetation during Spring. — 
 Agreeablenefs of the Summer and Autumn 
 1 Seajbns - P a g e ^79 
 
contents. 
 
 xix 
 
 LETTER XXVIL 
 
 Inhabitants of Lower Canada, — Of the Tenures 
 by which Lands are held, — Not favourable to 
 the Improvement of the Country, — Some Gbfr- 
 vat im s thereon,— Advantages of fettling in Ca~ 
 nada and the United States compared, — Why 
 Emigrations to the latter Country are more ge- 
 neral. — Defcription of a Journey to Stoneham 
 T nonjhip near Quebec . — Defcription of the River 
 St, Charles.— Of Lake St. Charles— Of Stone- 
 ham Townfip - P a g e ? 99 
 
LIST of PLATES 
 
 VOL. I. 
 
 MAP of the NORTHERN STATES of Ame- 
 
 rica ----- Page I 
 Plan of the CITY of WASHINGTON - * 81 
 
 MOUNT VERNON, the Seat of General 
 
 WaiTiington - - - - - 92 
 American STAGE WAGGON - - - 27 
 View of the Natural ROCK BRIDGE in Vir- 
 ginia - - - - - 221 
 View on the HUDSON RIVER - - -268 
 View of the COHOZ FALL - - -275 
 Map of Upper and Lower CANADA - - 305 
 Plan of the CITY of QUEBEC - - - 342 
 
 View of CAPE DIAMOND, from Wolfe's Cove, 
 near Quebec - - 346 
 
 CANADIAN CALASH cr Marche-donc - 306 
 
 VOL. II. 
 
 An Eye Sketch of the FALLS of Niagara - 118 
 View of the HORSE SHOE FALL of Niagara - 1 18 
 
 ■ - LefTer FALLS of NIAGARA - - nS 
 
 General View of the FALLS of Niagara - - 121 
 View of BETHLEHEM, a Moravian Settle- 
 
 ment 
 
 TRAVELS 
 
TRAVELS 
 
 THROUGH THE STATES OF 
 
 NORTH AMERICA. 
 
 LETTER I. 
 
 Arrival on the Co aft of America. — Trees the 
 jirji Object vijible. — Defcription of the Bay 
 and River of Delaware. — Pafjengers bound 
 for Philadelphia not fuffered to land till ex- 
 amined by the Health Officers. — Arrival at 
 Philadelphia. — Poor Appearance of the City 
 from the Water. — Plan of the City. — 
 Wharfs. — Public and private Buildings. — 
 Some Account of the Hojpital, and of the Gaol. 
 
 MY DEAR SIR, Philadelphia, November, 1795. 
 
 /^\UR paflage acrofs the Atlantic was dif- 
 agreeable in the extreme. The wea- 
 ther for the moft part was bad, and cslms 
 and heavy adverfe gales fo frequently retarded 
 our progrefs to the we ft ward, that it was 
 not until the fifty-ninth day from that on 
 which we left Ireland, that we difcovered the 
 American coaft. I mail not attempt to de- 
 fcribe the joy which the fight of land, a fight * 
 Vol. I. B that 
 
z TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 that at once relieved the eye from the unin- 
 terefting and wearifome view of fky and water, 
 and that afforded to each individual a fpeedy 
 profpedt of delivery from the narrow confines 
 of a fmall trading veffel, diffufed amongft the 
 paffengers. You, who have yourfelf made 
 a long voyage, can bell: imagine what it muft 
 have been. 
 
 The firft objects which meet the eye on 
 approaching the American coaft, fouth of 
 New York, are the tops of trees, with which 
 the more is thickly covered to the very edge 
 of the water* Thefe, at a diftance, have' the 
 appearance of fmall iflands ; but as you draw 
 nearer thev are feen to unite : and the tall 
 foreft rifing gradually out of the ocean, at la ft 
 prefents itfelf in all its majefty to your view. 
 The land which we made was fituated very 
 near to the bay of Delaware, and before noon 
 we paffed between the capes Henlopen and 
 May, which guard the entrance of the bay. 
 The capes are only eighteen miles apart, but 
 within them the bay expands to the breadth 
 of thirty miles. It afterwards becomes gra- 
 dually narrower, until it is loft in the river 
 of the fame name, at Bombay Hook, feven 
 leagues diftant from the Atlantic. The river 
 Delaware, at this place, is about fix miles 
 wide ; at Reedy Ifland, twenty miles higher 
 up, it is three miles wide; and at Philadelphia, 
 * one 
 
SHORES OF THE DELAWARE. 3 
 one hundred and twenty miles from the fea, 
 one mile wide. 
 
 The fhores of the bay and of the river De- 
 laware, for a very confiderable diftance up- 
 wards, are low -> and they are covered, like 
 the coaft, with one vail foreft, excepting 
 merely in a few places, where extenfive mar- 
 fhes intervene. Nothing, however, could be 
 more pleafmg than the views with which we 
 were entertained as we failed up to Philadel- 
 phia. The trees had not yet quite loft their 
 foliage, and the rich red and yellow tints which 
 autumn had fuffufed over the leaves of the 
 oaks and poplars appeared beautifully blended 
 with the fombre green of the lofty pines ; 
 whilft the river, winding flowly and fmoothiy 
 along under the banks, reflected in its glafly 
 furface the varied colours of the obi eels on 
 ihore, as well as the images of multitudes 
 of vefTels of various fizes, which, as far as 
 the eye could reach, were feen gliding filently 
 along with the tide. As you approach to- 
 wards Philadelphia the banks of the river be- 
 come more elevated ; and on the left hand 
 tide, where they are much cleared, they are 
 interiperled with numberlefsneatfarm-houfes, 
 with villages and towns ; and are in fome 
 parts cultivated down to the very edge of the 
 water. The New jerfey Ihore, on the. right 
 
 B 2 hand 
 
4 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 
 hand fide, remains thickly wooded, even as far 
 as the city. 
 
 Veflels very commonly afcend to Philadel- 
 phia, when the wind is favourable, in twenty- 
 four hours; but unfortunately, as our (hip en- 
 tered the river, the wind died away, and lhe 
 had to depend folely upon the tide, which 
 flows at the rate of about three miles only in 
 the hour. Finding that the paflage up to the 
 city was likely therefore to become tedious, 
 I would fain have gene on (here far below it > 
 but this the captain would not permit me to 
 do. By the laws of Pennfylvania, enacted in 
 confequence of the dreadful peftilence which 
 raged in the capital in the year 1793, the 
 mafter of any veflel bound for that port is made 
 fubject to a very heavy fine, if he fuffers any 
 perfon from on board her, whether mariner or 
 paffenger, to go on fhore in any part of the 
 Hate, before his vefTel is examined by the 
 health officer: and any perfon that goes on 
 fhore, contrary to the will of the mafter of the 
 vefTel, is liable to be imprifoned for a Gonii- 
 derable length of time. In cafe the exiftence 
 of this law mould not be known on board a 
 vefTel bound for a port in Penniyivania, it is 
 the bufmefs of the pilot to furniih the mafter 
 and the paffengers on board with copies of it, 
 with which he always comes provided. The 
 
 health 
 
PHILADELPHIA. 5 
 
 health officer, who is a regular bred phyfician, 
 refides at Mifflin Fort, four miles below the 
 city, where there is a fmall garrifon kept. A 
 boat is always ferit on more for him from the 
 (hip. After having been tcITed about on the 
 ocean for nine weeks nearly, nothing could be 
 more tantalizing than to be kept thus clofe to 
 the fhore without being permitted to land. 
 
 Philadelphia, as you approach by the river, 
 is not feen farther off than three miles, a point 
 of land covered with trees concealing it from 
 the view. On weathering this point it fud- 
 denly opens upon you, and at that diftance 
 it looks extremely well ; but on a nearer ap- 
 proach,' the city makes a poor appearance, as 
 nothing is vi'Ible from the water but confuted 
 heaps of wooden ftorehoufes, crowde 1 upon 
 each other, the chief of which are built upon 
 platforms of artificial ground, and wharfs 
 which project a conhderable way into the river. 
 The wharfs are of a rectangular form, and 
 built of wood; they jut out in every direction, 
 
 and are well adaoted for the accommodation 
 j. 
 
 of (hipping, the largeft merchant veifels being 
 able to He clofe alongfiae them. Behind thefe 
 wharfs, and parallel to the river, runs Water- 
 ftreet. This is the firft ftreet which you una- 
 ally enter after landing, and it does not ferve 
 to give a ftranger a very favourable opinion, 
 either of the neatnefs or commodioufnefs of 
 
 B 3 the 
 
6 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 the public ways of Philadelphia. It is no 
 more than thirty feet wide ; and immediately 
 behind the houfes, which ftand on the fide far- 
 theft from the water, a high bank, fuppofed 
 to be the old bank of the river, rifes, which 
 renders the air very confined. Added to this, 
 fuch ftenches at times prevail in it, owing in 
 part to the quantity of filth and dirt that is 
 fuffered to remain on the pavement, and in 
 part to what is depofited in wafte houfes, of 
 which there are feveral in the ftreet, that it is 
 really dreadfbi to pais through it. It was here 
 that the malignant yellow fever broke out in 
 the year 1793, which made fuch terrible ra- 
 vages ; and in the fummer feafon, in general, 
 the ftreet is found extremely unhealthy. That 
 the inhabitants, after fu fieri ng fo much from 
 the .ficknefs that originated in it, mould re- 
 main thus inattentive to the cleanlinefs of 
 Water- ftreet is truly furprifing ; more efpe- 
 cially fo, when it is confidered, that the ftreets 
 in the other parts of the town are as much 
 diftinguilhed for the neatnefs that prevails 
 throughout them, as this one is for its dirty- 
 condition. 
 
 On the level plot of ground on the top of 
 the bank which rifes behind Waier-ftreet, the 
 city of Philadelphia was originally laid out, 
 and it was intended by the founder that no 
 houfes fhould have been ere&ed at the bottom 
 
 of 
 
PHILADELPHIA. 7 
 
 of it; however, as there was no pofitive law 
 to this effect, the convenience of the iituation 
 foon tempted numbers to build there, and they 
 are now encroaching, annually, on the river, 
 by throwing wharfs farther out into the 
 ftream. In another refpedt alfo the original 
 plan of the city was not adhered to. The 
 ground allotted for it was in the form of an 
 oblong fquare, two miles in length, reaching 
 from the river Schuylkill to the Delaware, and 
 one mile in breadth. Purfuant to this fcheme, 
 the houfes were begun on the Delaware fide ; 
 but in Mead of having been carried on towards 
 the Schuylkill, the current of building has kept 
 entirely on one fide. The houfes extend for 
 two miles nearly along the Delaware, but, on 
 an average, not more than half a mile to- 
 wards the Schuylkill : this is to be attributed 
 to the great fuperiority of the one river over 
 the other. All the houfes built beyond the 
 boundary line of the oblong fquare are faid to 
 be in the " Liberties/' as the jurifdiclion of 
 the corporation does not extend to that part 
 of the town. Here the ftreets are very ir- 
 regularly built; but in the city they all in- 
 terfedt each other at right angles, according 
 to the original plan. The principal ftreet is 
 one hundred feet wide; the others vary from 
 eighty to fifty. They are all tolerably well 
 paved with pebble {tones in the middle ; and 
 
 B 4 on 
 
S TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA : 
 on each fide, for the convenience of paflen- 
 gers, there is a footway paved with red brick. 
 
 The houfes within the limits of the city are 
 for the moft part built of brick ; a few, and 
 a few only, are of wood. 
 
 In the old parts of the town they are in 
 general fmall, heavy, and inconvenient ; but 
 amongft thofe which have been lately erected, 
 many are to be found that are light, airy, and 
 commodious. In the whole city, however, 
 there are only two or three houfes that parti- 
 cularly attract the attention, on account of 
 their fize and architecture, and but little beauty 
 is ob fen able in the deftgns of any of thefe. 
 The moft fpacious and the moft remarkable 
 one amongft them ftands in Chefnut-ftreet, 
 but it is not yet quite finifiied. At prefent 
 it appears a huge mafs of red brick and pale 
 blue marble, which bids defiance to limplicity 
 and elegance. This fuperb manfion, according 
 to report, has already coft upwards of fifty 
 thou; and guineas, and ftands as a monument 
 of the increafing luxury of the city of Phila- 
 delphia. 
 
 As for the public buildings, they are all 
 heavy taftelefs piles of red brick, ornamented 
 with the fame fort of blue marble as that al- 
 ready mentioned, and which but ill accord 
 together, unlefs indeed we except the new 
 Bank of the United States, and the prefby- 
 
 terian. 
 
PHILADELPHIA. 9 
 
 terian church in High-ftreet. The latter 
 building is ornamented with a handfomc por- 
 tico in front, fupported by fix pillars in the 
 Corinthian order ; but it is feen to great difad^ 
 vantage on account of the market houfe, which 
 occupies the center of the ftreet before it. The 
 buildings next to thefe, that are mo ft deferring 
 of notice, are the State Houfe, the Prefident's 
 Houfe, the Hofpital, the Bettering Houfe, and 
 the Gaol. 
 
 The State Houfe is fituated in Chefnut- 
 ftreet; and, confidering that no more than 
 fifty- three years eiapfed from the time the 
 firft cabin was built on the fpot marked out 
 tor the city, until it was eredred, the archie 
 teclure calls' forth both our furprife and ad- 
 miration. The State Houfe is appropriated 
 to the ufe of the legiflative bodies of the ftate. 
 Attached to this edifice are the conerefs and 
 
 o 
 
 the city-halls. In the former, the congrefs 
 of the United States meets to tranfacl bu- 
 finefs. The room allotted to the represen- 
 tatives of the lower houfe is about fixty feet 
 in length, and fitted up in the plaineft manner. 
 At one end of it is a gallery, open to every 
 perfon that chufes to enter it ; the flair-cafe 
 leading to which runs direclly from the pub- 
 lic ftreet. The fenate chamber is in the 
 ftory above this, and it is furnilhed and fitted 
 up in a much fuperior ftyle to that of the 
 
 lower 
 
io TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 
 lower houfe. In the city-hall the courts of 
 juftiee are held, the fupreme court of the 
 United States, as well as that of the ftate of 
 Pennfylvania, and thole of the city. 
 
 The preilden&s houfe, as it is called, was 
 erected for the refidence of the prefident, before 
 the removal of the feat of the federal govern- 
 ment from Philadelphia was agitated, The 
 original plan of this building was drawn by a 
 private gentleman, refident in the neighbour- 
 hood of Philadelphia, and was pofleffed, it is 
 laid, of no fmall fhare of merit ; but the com- 
 mittee of citizens, that was appointed to take 
 the plan into confideration, and to direct the 
 building, conceiving that it could be im- 
 proved upon, reverfed the pofitioris of the up- 
 per and lower ftories, placing the latter at tup, 
 fo that the pilallers, with which it is orna- 
 mented, appear fufpended in the air. The 
 committee alfo contrived, that the windows of 
 the principal apartments, inftead of opening 
 into a fpacious area in front of the houfe, as 
 was defigned at firftj mould face towards the 
 confined back yards of the adjoining houfes. 
 This building is not yet finiflied, and as the 
 removal of the feat of government to the fe- 
 deral city of Wafhington is fo fhortly to take 
 place, it is mo ft probable that it will never 
 be occupied by the prefident. To what pur- 
 pofe it will be now applied is yet undeter- 
 mined. 
 
PHILADELPHIA. 11 
 
 mined. Some imagine, that it v/ill be con- 
 verted into a city hotel; others, that it will be 
 deftined for the refidence of the governor of 
 the ftate. For the latter purpofe, it would be 
 unfit in the extreme, the falary of the governor 
 being fo inconfiderable, that it would not en- 
 able him to keep up an eftablifhment fuitable 
 to a dwelling of one-fourth part the hze 
 of it. 
 
 The hofpital, for its airinefs, for its conve- 
 nient accommodation for the fick and infirm, 
 and for the neatnefs exhibited throughout 
 every part of it, cannot be furpaffed by any 
 institution of the kind in the world. The 
 plan of the building is in the form of the let- 
 ter H. At prefent but one wing and a part 
 of the center are finished £ but the reft of the 
 building is in a ftate of forwardnefs. It is Mvo 
 ftories high, and underneath the whole are 
 cells for lunatics. Perfons labouring under 
 any diforder of body or mind are received into 
 this hofpital, excepting fuch as have difeafes 
 that are contagious, and of a malignant na- 
 ture ; fuch patients, however, have the advice 
 of the attending phyficians gratis, and are 1 up- 
 plied with medicine from the hofpital dif- 
 penfary. 
 
 The productive ftock of this hofpital, in the 
 year 1793, was eftimated £.17,065 currency; 
 befides which there are eftates belonging to it 
 
 that 
 
12 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 that as yet produce nothing. The fame year, 
 the leghlature granted £. 10,000 for enlarging 
 the building, and adding thereto a Lying-in 
 and Foundling hofpital. The annual private 
 donations are very confiderable. Thofe that 
 contribute a certain fum have the power of 
 eledting the directors, who are twelve in num- 
 ber, and chofen yearly. The directors appoint 
 fix of the moft fkilful furgeons and phyiicians 
 in the city to attend ; there is alfo a furgeon 
 and apothecary reiident in the houfe. From 
 the year 17*56, when it was built, to the year 
 1 793 inclusive, nearly 9,000 patients were ad- 
 mitted into this hofpital, upw r ards of 6,000 
 of whom were relieved or cured. The hof- 
 pital ftands within the limits of the city, but 
 it is more than a quarter of a mile removed 
 from any of the other buildings. There are 
 fpacious walks within the inclofure for fuch 
 of the parents as are |n a ftate of convales- 
 cence. 
 
 The Bettering Houfe, which is under the 
 care of the overfeers of the poor, ftands in -the 
 fame neighbourhood, fomewhat farther re- 
 moved from the houfes of the city. It is a 
 fpacious building of brick, with extenlive 
 walks and gardens. The poor of the city and 
 neighbourhood are here furnimed with em- 
 ployment, and comfortably lodged and dieted. 
 During the fe verity of the winter feafon, many 
 
 aged 
 
PHILADELPHIA. 23 
 
 £ged and reduced perfons feek refuge in this 
 place, and leave it again on the return of 
 fpring. Whilft they flay there, they are un- 
 der very little reftraint, and go in and out when 
 they pleafe ; they mull, however, behave or- 
 derly. This inltitution is fupported by a tax 
 on the town. 
 
 The gaol is a fpacious building of common 
 ftone, one hundred feet in front. It is fitted 
 up with folitary cells, on the new plan, and 
 the apartments are all arched, to prevent the 
 communication of fire. Behind the building 
 are extenfive yards, which are fecured by lofty 
 walls. This gaol is better regulated, perhaps, 
 than any other on the face of the globe. By the 
 new penal laws of Pennfylvania, lately enacted, 
 no .crime is punifhable with death, excepting 
 murder of the firft degree, by which is meant, 
 murder that is perpetrated by wilful preme- 
 ditated intention, or in attempts to commit 
 rape, robbery, or the like. Every other of- 
 fence, according to its enormity, is punifhed 
 by folitary imprifonment of a determined du- 
 ration. Objections may be made to this mode 
 of punifhment, as not being fufficiently fevere 
 en the individual to atone for an atrocious 
 crime; nor capable, becaufe not inflicted in 
 public, of deterring evil-minded perfons in the 
 community from the commiflion of offences 
 which incur the rigour of the law; but on a 
 
 clofe 
 
i| TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 clofe examination, it will be found to be very 
 Tevere ; and as far as an opinion can be formed 
 from the trial that has been hitherto made by 
 the ftate of Pennfylvania, it feems better cal- 
 culated to re (train the exceiTes of the people 
 than any other. If any public puniftiment 
 could ftrike terror into the lawlefs part of the 
 multitude, it is as likely that the infliction of 
 death would do it as any whatfoever : but 
 death is diverted of many of his terrors, after 
 being often prefented to our view ; fo that 
 we find in countries, for inftance in England, 
 where it occurs often as pumfhment, the fa- 
 lutary effects that might be expected from it 
 are in a great meafure loft. The unfortunate 
 wretch, who is doomed to forfeit his life 1 in 
 expiation of the crimes he has committed in 
 numberlefs inftances, looks forward with ap- 
 parent unconcern to the moment in which he 
 is to be launched into eternity ; his compa- 
 nions around him only condole with him, be- 
 cauie his career of iniquity has fo fuddenly 
 been impeded by the courfe of juftice: or, if 
 he is not too much hardened in the paths of 
 vice, but falls a prey to remorfe, and fees all 
 the horrors of his impending fate, they endea- 
 vour to rally his broken fpirits by the cou- 
 fcling remembrance, that the pangs he has to 
 endure are but the pangs of a moment, which 
 they illultrate by the fpecdy exit of one whofe 
 
 death 
 
PHILADELPHIA. i 5 
 
 death he was perhaps himfeJf witnefs to but 
 a few weeks before. A month does not pals 
 over in England without repeated executions; 
 and there is fcarcely a vagabond to be met 
 with in the country, who has not feen a fellow 
 creature fufpended from the gallows. We all 
 know what little good effect fuch fpe&acles 
 produce. But immured in darknefs and fo- 
 litude, the priibner fuffers pangs worfe than 
 death a hundred times in the day : he is left 
 to his own bitter reflections ; there is no one 
 thing to divert his attention, and he endeavours 
 in vain to efcape from the horrors which con- 
 tinually haunt his imagination. In fuch a iitu- 
 ation the moft hardened offender is foon re- 
 duced to a flate of repentance." 
 
 But punifhment by imprifonment, according 
 to the laws of Pennlylvama, is impaled, not 
 only as an expiation of pail offences, and an 
 example to the guilty part of fociety, but 
 for another purpofe, regarded by few penal 
 codes in the world, the reform of the criminal. 
 The regulations of the gaol, are calculated to 
 promote this effect as foon as poffible, fo that 
 the building, indeed, deferves the name of 
 a penitentiary houfe more than that of a gaol. 
 As foon as a criminal is committed to the pri- 
 fon he is made to wafn ; his hair is (horn, and 
 if not decently clothed, he is furnilhed with 
 clean apparel; then he is thrown into a fo T 
 
 litary 
 
1 6 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 litary cell, about nine feet long and four wide, 
 where he remains debarred from the fight of 
 every living being excepting his gaoler, whofe 
 duty it is to attend to the bare neceffities of 
 his nature, but who is forbidden, cn any ac- 
 count, to fpeak to him without there is ab- 
 solute occafion. If a prifoner is at all refrac- 
 tory, or if the offence for which he is impri- 
 foned is of a very atrocious nature, he is then 
 confined in a cell fecluded even from the light 
 of heaven. This is the worft that can be in- 
 flicted uoon him. 
 
 The gaol is infpecled twice every week by 
 twelve perfons appointed for that purpofe, 
 who are chofen annually from amongft the 
 citizens of Philadelphia. Nor is it a difficult 
 matter to procure thefe men, who readily and 
 voluntarily take it upon them to go through 
 the troublefome functions of the office with- 
 out any fee or emolument whatever. They 
 divide themfelves into committees; each of 
 thefe takes it in turn, for a ftated period, to 
 vifit every part of the prifon ; and a report is 
 made to the infpectors at large, who meet to- 
 gether at times regularly appointed. From 
 the report of the committee an opinion is 
 formed by the infpedtors, who, with the con- 
 fent of the judges, regulate the treatment of 
 each individual prifoner during his confi la- 
 ment. This is varied according to his crime, 
 
 and 
 
PHIL ADELPHI A. 17 
 and according to his fubfequent repentance. 
 Solitary confinement in a dark cell is looked 
 upon as the fevereft ttfage ; next, folitary con- 
 finement in a cell with the admifiion of light ; 
 next, confinement in a cell where the prifoner 
 is allowed to do feme fort of work ; laftly, 
 labour in company with others, The pri- 
 foners are obliged to bathe twice every week, 
 proper conveniences for that purpofe being 
 provided within the walls of the prifon ; and 
 alfo to change their linen, with which they 
 are regularly provided. Thofe in folitary 
 confinement are kept upon bread and water; 
 but thofe who labour are allowed broth, por- 
 ridge, puddings, and the like : meat is dif- 
 penfed only in fmall quantities, twice in the 
 week. Their drink is water 5 on no pretence 
 is any other beverage differed to be brought 
 into the pri/bn. This diet is found, by ex- 
 perience, to afford the prifoners fcrength fuffi- 
 cient to perform the kbour that is impofed 
 upon them ; whereas a mere generous one 
 would only ferve to render their minds lefs 
 humble and fuBmiffive. Thofe who labour, 
 are employed in the particular trade to which 
 they have been accuftomed, provided it can 
 be carried on in the prifon ; if not acquainted 
 with any, fomething is foori found that they 
 can do. One room is fet apart for fhoe- 
 makers, another for taylors, a third for car- 
 Vol. I. C Renters, 
 
1 5 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 
 penters, and fo on and in the yards are ft one- 
 cutters, fmiths, nailers, &c. &c. 
 
 Excepting, the cells, which are at a remote 
 part of the building, the prifon has the ap- 
 pearance of a large manufactory. Good order 
 and decency prevail throughout, and the eye of 
 a fpecxator is never aflailed by the fight of fuch 
 ghaftly and fqualid figures as are continually to 
 be met with in cur prifons ; fo far, alfo, is a 
 vifitor from being infulted, that he is fcarceiy 
 noticed as he paffes through the different wards. 
 The prifoners are forbidden to fpeak to each 
 other without there is neceflity > they are alfo 
 forbidden to laugh, or to fing, or to make the 
 fmalleii difturbance. An overfeer attends 
 continually to fee that every one performs his 
 work diligently - 7 and in cafe of the fmalleft 
 refinance to any of the regulations, the offender 
 is immediately caft into a folitary cell, to fub- 
 liit on bread and water till he returns to a 
 proper fenfe of his behaviour ; but the dread 
 all thofe have of this treatment, who have 
 once experienced it, is fuch, that it is feldom 
 found neceffary to repeat it. The women 
 are kept totally apart from the men, and arc 
 employed in a manner fuitable to their fex. 
 The labourers all eat together in one large 
 apartment ; and regularly every Sunday there 
 is divine fervice, at wbich all attend. It is 
 the duty of the chaplain to converfe at times 
 3 with 
 
PHILADELPHIA. 19 
 
 with the prifoners, and endeavour to reform 
 their minds and principles. The infpectors, 
 when they vilit the prifon, alio do the fame ; 
 fo that when a prifoner is liberated, he goes 
 out, as it were, a new man ; he has been ha- 
 bituated to employment, and has received good 
 inftructions. The greateft care is alio taken 
 to find him employment the moment he 
 quits the place of his confinement. Accord- 
 ing to the regulations, no perfon is allowed 
 to viilt the prifon without permiffion of the 
 infpectors. The greateft care is alfo taken 
 to preferve the health of the prifoners, and 
 for thofe who are fick there are proper apart- 
 ments and good advice provided. The longeft 
 period of confinement is for a rape, which 
 is not to be lefs than ten years, but not to 
 exceed twenty-one. For high treafon, the 
 length of confinement is not to be lefs than 
 fix nor more than twelve years. There are 
 prifons in every county throughout Penniyl- 
 vania, but none as yet are eftablifhed on the 
 fame plan as that which has been defcribed. 
 Criminals are frequently fent from other parts 
 of the ftate to receive punimmerit in the pri- 
 fon of Philadelphia. 
 
 So well is this gaol conducted that, inftead 
 of being an expenfe, it now annually pro- 
 duces a confiderable revenue to the ftate. 
 
 C 2 
 
20 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 
 LETTER II. 
 
 Population of Philadelphia.— Some Account of 
 the Inhabitants, their Character and Man ~ 
 ners. — Private Amufeme?2ts. — Americans lofe 
 their "Teeth prematurely. — Theatrical Amufe- 
 i?ients only permitted of late. — Quakers. — . 
 Prefidenfs Levee and Drawing Room. — 
 Places of public Worfhip.— Carriages, what 
 fort of, ufed in Philadelphia. — Taverns, how 
 cojiducled in America. — Difficulty of procur- 
 ing Servants. — Character of the lower Clajfes 
 of People in America. 
 
 MY DEAR SIR,. Philadelphia, November. 
 
 PHILADELPHIA, according to the cenfus 
 taken in the year 1790, contained 42,000 
 people. From the natural increafe, however, 
 of population, and the influx of ftrangers, the 
 number is fuppofed now to be near 50,000, 
 notwithftanding the ravages of the yellow 
 fever in 1793? which fwept off 4,000 people. 
 The inhabitants eonfift of Englim, Iriih ? 
 Scotch, Germans, French, and of American 
 born citizens, defcended from people of thefe 
 different nations, who are of courfe by far the 
 moft numerous clafs-. The inhabitants are 
 for the mod: part engaged in fome fort of 
 bufmds ; a few, and a few only, live with- 
 out 
 
PHILADELPHIA. 21 
 •out any oftenMble profefficns, en the fortunes 
 which they themfelves have raifed ; but thefe 
 men are not idle or inattentive to the increafe 
 -of their property, being ever on the watch to 
 profit by the faie of lands, which they have 
 purchafed, and to buy more on advantageous 
 terms. It would be a difficult matter to find 
 a man of any property in the country, who is 
 not concerned in the buying or felling of land, 
 which may be confidered in America as an 
 article of trade* 
 
 In a large city, like Philadelphia, where 
 people are affembled together from fo many 
 different quarters, there cannot fail to be a 
 great diversity in the manners of the inhabi- 
 tants. It is a remark, however, very generally 
 made, not only by foreigners, but alfo by peri- 
 lous from other parts of the United States, 
 that the PHiladelpHiafis are extremely defi- 
 cient in hofpitality and politenefs towards 
 ft rangers. Amongft the uppermoft circles in 
 Philadelphia, pride, haughtinefs, and oftenta- 
 tion are confpicucus - y and it feems as if nothing 
 could make them happier than that an order 
 of nobility mould be eftabliflied, by which 
 they might be exalted above their fellow ci- 
 tizens, as much as they are in their own con- 
 ceit. In the manners of the people in general 
 there is a coldnefs and referve, as if they were 
 fufpicious of fome defigns again ft them, which 
 
 C 3 chills 
 
22 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 chills to the very heart thofe who come to 
 vifit them. In their private focieties a trijlejje 
 is apparent, hear which mirth and gaiety can 
 never approach. It is no unufual thing, in the 
 gejpjteeleft houfes, to fee a large party of from 
 twenty to thirty perfons afTembled, andfeated 
 round a room, without partaking of any other 
 amufement than what arifes from the conver- 
 fation, moft frequently in whifpers, that paffes 
 between the two perfons who are feated next 
 to each other. The party meets between fix 
 and feven in the evening ; tea is ferved with 
 much form ; and at ten, by which time mod 
 of the company are wearied with having re- 
 mained fo long flationary, they return to their 
 own homes. Still, however, they are not 
 ftrangers to mufic, cards, or dancing ; their 
 knowledge of mulic, indeed, is at a very low 
 ebb ; but in dancing, which appears to be 
 their moft favourite amufement, they cer- 
 tainly excel. 
 
 The women, in general, whilft young, are 
 very pretty ; but by the time they become mo- 
 thers of.a little family they lofe all their beauty, 
 their complexions fade away, their teeth begin 
 to decay, and they hardly appear like the fame 
 creatures. In a few inftances only it would be 
 poffible to find a fine woman of the age of 
 forty, who has had a large family. The fud- 
 
 den decav of the teeth is a circumftance which 
 * 
 
 has 
 
PHILADELPHIA. 23 
 lias engaged the attention of the faculty; both 
 men and women, American born, lofing them 
 very generally at an early age. Some afcribe 
 it to the great and fuddea changes in the wea- 
 ther, from heat to cold ; but negroes, who are 
 expofed to the fame tranfuion of climate, are 
 diftingulflied for the whitenefs and beauty of 
 their teeth ; and the Indians alio, who are 
 mere expofed than either, prefcrve their teeth 
 in p-ood order. Others attribute it to the im- 
 
 o 
 
 moderate ufe of confectionary. Or confection- 
 ary, the Americans in the towns certainly 
 make an inordinate ufe ; but in the country, 
 where the people have not an opportunity of 
 getting fuch things, the men, hut more ge- 
 nerally the women, alio lofe their teeth very 
 prematurely. Mo ft probably it is 6 vying to 
 the very general life they make of felted pro- 
 vifions. In the country parts of America in 
 particular, the people live upon falted pork and 
 falted fi£h nearly the whMe year round. 
 
 It is only within a few years pa ft, fi nee 
 1779, that any public amufements have been 
 fuftered in this city j the old corporation, 
 which confifted moftly of the Quakers, and 
 not of the moft liberal minded people in the 
 city, having always oppofed the eftabiifhment 
 of any place for the purpoie, Now, howe , r, 
 ther^ are two threatres and an amphitheatre. 
 Little or no ufe is made of the old theatre, 
 C 4 which 
 
24. TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 which is of wood, and a very indifferent build- 
 ing. The new one is built of brick, and 
 neatly fitted up within ; but it is hardly large 
 enough for the town, A fhocking cuftorn 
 obtains here of fmoking tobacco in the houfe, 
 which at times is carried to fuch an excefs, 
 that thofe to whom it is difagreeahle are 
 under the neceffity of going away. To the 
 people in the pit, wine and porter are brought 
 between the acts, precifely as if they were 
 in a tavern. The actors are procured, with 
 a very few exceptions, from Great Britain 
 and Ireland ; none of them are very emi- 
 nent performers^ but they are equal to what 
 are ufually met with in the country towns 
 of England. The amphitheatre is built of 
 wood; equeftrian and other exercifes are per- 
 formed there, fimilar to thole at Auley's.. 
 Dancing aiiemblics are held regularly every 
 fortnight through the winter, and occaiionally 
 there are public concerts. 
 
 During fummer, the people that can make 
 it convenient retire to country houfes in the 
 neighbourhood of the town, and all public 
 and private amufements ceafe ; winter is the 
 feafon for them, the Congrefs being then af~ 
 fembled, and trade not being fo clofely at- 
 tended to, as the navigation of the river is then 
 commonly im ceded bv ice. 
 The prefident finds it neceffary, in general, 
 
 tq 
 
PHILADELPHIA. 25 
 to come to Philadelphia preparatory to the 
 meeting of congrefs, and refides there during 
 the whole of the feflion. Once in the week, 
 daring his flay in the city, he has levees, be- 
 tween the hours of three and four in the af- 
 ternoon. At thefe he always appears himfelf 
 in a court drefs, and it is expected that the 
 foreign minifters mould always attend in the 
 fame flyle ; this they conftantly do, excepting 
 the French minifter, who makes a point of 
 going in a diihabille, not to fay worfe of it. 
 Other perfons are at liberty to go as they think 
 proper. Mrs. Wafhington, alio, his a draw- 
 ing room once every week. On this occaficn 
 the ladies are feated in great form round the 
 apartment, and tea, coffee, &c. ferved f m 
 
 Philadelphia is the grand residence of the 
 Quakers in America, but their number does 
 not bear the fame proportion now to that of 
 the other citizens which it did formerly. At 
 prefent they form about one fourth only of the 
 inhabitants. This does not arife from any di- 
 minution of the number of Quakers, on the 
 contrary they have confiderably increafed, but 
 
 * Whether the levee is kept up by the prefent prefulent, or 
 not, I have not heard. Many objections were made to it by 
 the democratic party during the administration of General 
 Wafhington, as being inconfi.lent with the fptrit of a republican 
 government, and deftrucYive of that equality which Ought to 
 reign amongft the citizens of every clafs. 
 
 from 
 
25 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 from the great influx into the city of perfons 
 of a different perfuafion. Belonging to the 
 Quakers there are five places for public wor- 
 fhipi to the Prefbyterians and Seceders fix; 
 to the Englifh Epifcopalians three ; to Ger- 
 man Lutherans two * p to the Roman Catholics 
 four; and one refpeclively to the Swedifh 
 Lutherans, Moravians, Baptifts, Univerfal 
 Baptifts, Methodifts, and Jews. On a Sun- 
 day every citizen appears well di-effed ; the 
 lower claffes of the people in particular are 
 remarkably well clothed. This is a great 
 day alfo for little excurfions into the coun- 
 try. 
 
 The carriages made ufe of in Philadelphia 
 confift of coaches, chariots, chaifes, coachees, 
 and light waggons, the greater part of which 
 are built in Philadelphia. The equipages of a 
 few individuals are extremely oftentatious ; 
 nor does there appear in any that neatnefs 
 and elegance which might be expeded 
 amongft a fet of people that are defirous of 
 imitating the fafhions of England, and that 
 are continually getting models over from that 
 country. The coachee is a carriage peculiar, 
 I believe, to America; the body of it is rather 
 longer than that of a coach, but of the fame 
 fhape. In the front it is left quite open down 
 to the bottom, and the driver fits on a bench 
 under the roof of the carriage. There are 
 
 two 
 
AMER I C AJN" S TA GE VA G G 0JN" . 
 
PHILADELPHIA. 27 
 two feats in it for the pailengers, who fit with 
 their faces towards the horfes. The roof is 
 fupported by fmall props, which are placed at 
 the corners. On each fide of the doors, 
 above the paniiels, it is quite open, and to 
 £uard againft bad weather there are curtains, 
 w 7 hich are made to let down from the roof, and 
 faften to buttons placed for the purpofe on the 
 outilde. There is alio a leathern curtain to 
 hang occafionaliy between the driver and 
 pafiengers. 
 
 The light waggons are on the fame con- 
 ftruclion, and are calculated to accommodate 
 from four to twelve people. The only dif- 
 ference between a frnall waggon and a coachee 
 is, that the latter is better finiihed, has var- 
 milled pannels, and doors at the fide. The 
 .former has no doors, but the paiTengers 
 fcramble in the beft way they can, over the 
 feat of the driver. The waggons are ufed uni- 
 -verfaliy for ftage carriages. 
 
 The accommodations at the taverns, by 
 which name they call ail inns, &c. are very 
 indifferent in Philadelphia, as indeed they are, 
 wi-h a very few exceptions, throughout the 
 country. The mode of conducting them is 
 nearly the fame every where. The traveller 
 is (hewn, on arrival, into a room which is 
 common to every perfon in the houfe, and 
 which is generally the one let apart for 
 
 breakfaft/ 
 
TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 breakfaft, dinner, and fupper. All the ftrangers 
 that happen to be in the houfe fit down to 
 thefe meals promifcuoafly, and, excepting in 
 the large towns, the family of the houfe alfo 
 forms a part of the company. It is feldom 
 that a private parlour or drawing room can be 
 procured at any of the taverns, even in the 
 towns ; and it is always with reluctance that 
 breakfaft or dinner is ferved up feparately to 
 any individual. If a Imgle bed room can be 
 procured, more ought not to be looked for.; 
 but it is not always that even this is to be 
 had, and thofe who travel through the coun- 
 try muft often fubmifc to be crammed into 
 rooms where there is fcarcely fufficient fpace 
 to walk between the beds *i Strangers who 
 remain for any length of time in the large 
 towns moft ufually go to private boarding 
 houfes, of which great numbers are to be met 
 with. It is always a difficult matter to pro- 
 cure furniilied lodgings without paying for 
 board. 
 
 * Having flopped one night at Elkton, on my journey to 
 Baltimore in the public carriage, my firft enquiries from the 
 landlord, on alighting, as there were many paffengers in the 
 Hage, were to know what accommodation his houfe afforded. 
 He feemed much furprized that any enquiries mould be made 
 on fuch a fubject, and with much confequence told me, I need 
 not give myfdf any trouble about the exrent of his accommo- 
 dations, as he had no lefs than eleven beds in ens of his rooms. 
 
 At 
 
PHILADELPHIA. 29 
 At all the taverns, both in town and coun- 
 try, but particularly in the latter, the attend- 
 ance is very bad; indeed, excepting in the 
 fouthern ftates, where there are fuch great 
 numbers of negroes, it is a matter of the utuioft 
 difficulty to procure domeflic fervants of any 
 defcription. The generality of fervants that 
 are met with in Philadelphia are emigrant 
 Europeans; they, however, for the moft part, 
 only remain in fervice until they can fave a 
 little money, when they conftantly quit their 
 matters, being led to do fo by that defire for 
 independence which is fo natural to the mind 
 of man, and which every perfon in America 
 may enjoy that will be induftriou?. The few 
 that remain fteady to thofe who have hired 
 them are retained at moft exorbitant wages. 
 As for the Americans, none but thofe of the 
 moft indifferent characters ever enter into fer- 
 vice, which they coniider as fuitable only to 
 negroes ; the negroes again, in Pennlylvania 
 and in the other ftates where fteps have been 
 taken for the gradual abolition of flavery, are 
 taught by the Quakers to look upon them- 
 jfelves in every refpect as equal to their white 
 brethren, and they endeavour to imitate them 
 by being faucy. It is the fame both with males 
 and female:. I muft here obferve, that amcn^ft 
 the generality of the lower fort of people in 
 the United States, and particularly amongft 
 
 thofe . 
 
30 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 
 thofc of Philadelphia, there is a want of good 
 manners which excites the furprize of almoft 
 every foreigner; I wife alfo that it may not 
 be thought that this remark has been made, 
 merely becaufe the fame deference and the 
 fame refpectful attention, which we fee fo 
 commonly paid by the lower orders of people 
 in Great Britain and Ireland to thofe who are 
 in 2 fituation fomewhat fuperior to them- 
 felves, is not alfo paid in America to perfons 
 in the fame Ration ; it is the want of com- 
 mon civility I complain of, which it is always 
 defirable to behold between man and man, let 
 their fituations in life be what they may, and 
 which is not contrary to the dictates of na- 
 ture, or to the fpirit of genuine liberty, as it 
 is obfervable in the benaviour of the wild 
 Indians that wander through the forefts of this 
 vafc continent, the mofl free and independent 
 of all human beings. In the United States, 
 however, the lower claries of people will re- 
 turn rude and impertinent anfwers to queftions 
 couched in the moft civil terms, and will infult 
 a perfon that bears the appearance of a gen- 
 tleman, on purpofe to ihew how much they 
 con rider themfelves upon an equality with 
 him. Civility cannot be purchafed from them 
 on any terms; they feem to think that it is 
 incompatible with freedom, and that there is 
 no other way of convincing a firanger that he 
 
 is 
 
JOURNEY TO BALTIMORE. $ 
 is really in a land of liberty, but by being furly 
 and ill mannered in his prefence* 
 
 LETTER IIL 
 
 Journey to Baltimore. — Defcription of the Coun~ 
 try about Philadelphia. — Floating Bridges 
 over the Schuylkill, how conftrufted. — Mills 
 in Brandy -wine Creek. — Improvement in the 
 Machinery of Flour Mills in America.— 
 'Town of Wilmington. — Log Floufs. — Bad 
 Roads. — Fine Profpecls. — How relifhed by 
 Americans. — Taverns. — Sufqueha?mah 2?/- 
 ver. — Town of Baltimore.'— Plan of the 
 Town. — Harbour. — Public and private 
 Buildings . — Inhabitants. — Country between 
 Baltimore and W afiington. — Execrable Roads* 
 
 MY DEAR SIR, Wamington, November. 
 
 jT^N the 1 6th of November I left Philadel- 
 phia for Baltimore. The only mode of 
 conveyance which offers for a traveller, who 
 is not provided with his own horfes or car- 
 riage, is the public frage waggon - ? it is pof- 
 fible, indeed, to procure a private carnage at 
 Philadelphia to go on to Baltimore, for which 
 a great price is- always demanded ; but there 
 is no fuch thin 9* as hiring; a carriage or horfes 
 from ftage to ftage. The country about Phi- 
 ladelphia is well cultivated, and it abounds with 
 
3* TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 neat country houfes ; but it has a bare appear- 
 ance, being aimed totally dripped of the trees, 
 which have been cut down without mercy 
 for firing, and to make way for the plough ; 
 neither are there any hedges, an idea prevail- 
 ing that they impoverim the land wherever 
 they are planted. The fences are all of the 
 common poft and rail, or of the angular kind. 
 Thefe laft are made of rails about eight or 
 nine feet long, roughly fplit out of trees, and 
 placed horizontally above one another, as the 
 bars of a gate; but each tier of rails, or gate as 
 it were, inftead of being on a ftraight line with 
 the one next to it, is put in a different di- 
 rection, fo as to form an angle fufficient to per- 
 mit the ends of the rails of one tier to reft 
 fteadily on thofe of the next. As thefe fences, 
 from their ferpentine courfe occupy at lead 
 fix times as much ground as a common poft 
 and rail fence, and require alfo a great deal 
 more wood, they are modly laid afide when- 
 ever land and timber become objects of im- 
 portance, as they icon do in the neighbour- 
 hood of large towns. 
 
 The road to Baltimore is over the lowed of 
 three floating bridges, which have been thrown 
 acrofs the river Schuylkdl, in the neighbour- 
 hood of Philadelphia. The view on padlng 
 this river, which is about two hundred and 
 fifty yards wide, is beautiful. The banks on 
 
 each 
 
FLOATING BRIDGES. 33 
 
 each fide are high, and for many miles above 
 afford the moil: delightful fituations for villas. 
 A very elegant one, laid out in the Englifh 
 tafte, is feen on pafling the river juft above the 
 bridge. Adjoining to it are public gardens, 
 and a houfe of entertainment, with feveral 
 good rooms, to which the citizens of Phila- 
 delphia refort in great numbers during the » 
 fummer feafon. 
 
 The floating bridges are formed of large 
 trees, which are placed in the water tranf- 
 verfely, and chained together ; beams are thea 
 laid lengthways upon thefe, and the whole 
 boarded over, to render the way convenient 
 for paffengers. On each fide there is a railing. 
 When very heavy carriages go acrofs thefe 
 bridges, they fink a few inches below the fur- 
 face of the water; but the paffage is by no 
 means dangerous. They are kept in an even 
 dire&ion acrofs the river, by means of chains 
 and anchors in different parts, and are alfo 
 ilrongly fecured on both mores. Over that 
 part of the river where the channel lies, they 
 are fo contrived that a piece can be removed 
 to allow veffels to pafs through. Thefe bridges 
 are frequently damaged, and fometimes en- 
 tirely carried away, during floods, at the break- 
 ing up of winter, efpecially if there happens 
 to be much ice floating in the river. To guard 
 againft this, when danger is apprehended and 
 
 Vol. I. D the 
 
34- TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 the flood does not come on too rapidly, they 
 unfaften all the chains by which the bridge is 
 confined in its proper place, and then let the 
 whole float down with the ftream to a conve- 
 nient part of the (here, where it can be hauled 
 up and fecured. 
 
 The country, after paffing the Schuylkill,, 
 is pleaiingly diverfified with rifing grounds and 
 woods, and appears to be in a good ftate of 
 cultivation. The firft town of any note which 
 you come to is Chefter, fifteen miles from 
 Philadelphia ; this town contains about fixty 
 dwellings, and is remarkable for being the 
 place where the firft colonian affembly fat. 
 From the neighbourhood of this town there is 
 a very grand view of the river Delaware. 
 
 About half a mile before you come to 
 Wilmington is Brandy-wine River, remark- 
 able for its mills, no lefs than thirteen being 
 built almcft clofe to each other upon it. 
 The water, juft above the bridge which is 
 thrown over it, comes tumbling down with 
 great violence over a bed of rocks - y and feats, 
 rt a very trifling expenfe, could be made for 
 three times the number of mills already built. 
 VeiTels carrying 1,000 bufhels of wheat can 
 come clofe up to them, and by means of 
 machinery their cargoes are received from, 
 or delivered to them in a very expeditious 
 manner. Among the mills, fome are for flour, 
 
 fome. 
 
FLOUR MILLS. 35 
 
 fome for fa wing of wood, and others for ftone. 
 The improvements which have been made in 
 the machinery of the flour mills in America 
 are very great. The chief of thefe confift 
 in a new application of the fcrew, and the 
 introduction of what are called elevators, the 
 idea of which was evidently borrowed from 
 the chain pump. The fcrew is made by 
 (ticking fmall thin pieces of board, about 
 three inches long and two wide, into a cy- 
 linder, fo as to form the fpiral line. This fcrew 
 is placed in a horizontal pofition, and by turn- 
 ing on its axis it forces wheat or flour from 
 one end of a trough to the other. For in- 
 fiance, in the trough which receives the meal 
 immediately coming from the ftones, a fcrew 
 of this kind is placed, by which the meal is 
 forced on, to the drftancc of fix or eight feet 
 perhaps, into a refervoir; from thence, with- 
 out any manual labour, it is conveyed to the 
 very top of the mil! by the elevators, which 
 confift of a number of fmall buckets of the 
 iize of tea-cups, attached to a long band that 
 goes round a wheel at the top, and another 
 at the bottom of the mill. As the band re- 
 volves round the wheels, thefe buckets dip 
 into th* refervoir of wheat or flour below, 
 and take their loads up to the top, where 
 they empty themfelves as they turn round the 
 upper wheel. The elevators are inclofed in 
 D 2 fquare- 
 
5 6 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA r 
 fquare wooden tubes, to prevent them from 
 catching in any thing, and alfo to prevent 
 duft. By means of thefe two fimple con- 
 trivances no manual labour is required from 
 the moment the wheat is taken to the mill 
 till it is converted into flour, and ready to be 
 packed, during the various procefTes of fcreen- 
 ing, grinding, fitting, &c. 
 
 Wilmington is the capital of the ftate of 
 Delaware, and contains about fix hundred 
 houfes, which are chiefly of brick. The 
 ftreetsare laid out on a plan fomewhat fimilar 
 to that of Philadelphia. There is nothing 
 very interefting in this town, and the country 
 round about it is flat and iniipid. Elkton, 
 twenty-one miles diftant from Wilmington, 
 and the firft town in Maryland, contains about 
 ninety indifferent houfes, which are built 
 without any regularity ; it is a dirty difagree- 
 able place. In this neighbourhood I firft 
 took notice of log-houfes ; thofe which I 
 had hitherto feen having been built either of 
 brick or ftone, or elfe conftrncted with wooden 
 frames, fheathed on the outfide with boards. 
 The log-houfes are cheaper than any others 
 in a country where there is abundance of 
 wood, and generally are the firft that are 
 ere&ed on a new fettlement in America. The 
 fides confift of trees juft fquared, and placed 
 horizontally one upon the other; the ends 
 
MARYLAND. 37 
 
 of the logs of one fide refting alternately on 
 the ends of thole of the adjoining fides, in 
 notches ; the interfaces between the logs are 
 flopped with clay ; and the roof is covered 
 with boards or with mingles, which are fmall 
 pieces of wood in the fhape of flates or tiles, 
 and which are ufed for that purpofe, with a 
 few exceptions, throughout America. Thefe 
 habitations are not very lightly, but when 
 well built thev are warm and comfortable, 
 and laft for a long time. 
 
 A confiderable quantitv of wheat and In- 
 dian corn is raifed in this neighbourhood, to 
 the production of which the foil is favourable ; 
 but the beft cultivated parts of the country 
 are not feen from the road, which pafles 
 chiefly over barren and hilly trails, called 
 " ridges." The reafon for carrying the road 
 over thefe is, becaufe it is found to laft longer 
 than if carried over the flat part of the country, 
 where the foil is deep, a circumftance which 
 the people of Maryland always take into 
 consideration ; for after a road is once cut* they 
 never take pains to keep it in good repair. 
 The roads in this ftate are worfe than in 
 any one in the Union - y indeed fo very bad 
 are they, that on going from Elkton to the 
 Sufquehannah ferry, the driver frequently had 
 to call to the pallengers in the Stage, to lean 
 out of the carriage firft at one fide, then at 
 D 3 the. 
 
3 3 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA : 
 the other, to prevent it from overfetting in 
 the deep ruts with which the road abounds : 
 " Now, gentlemen, to the right;" upon 
 which the paffengers ali ftretched their bodies 
 half way out of the carriage to balance it on 
 that fide : " Now, gentlemen, to the left," 
 and fo on. This was found abfolutely ne- 
 Geffary at leaf! a dozen times in half the num- 
 ber of miles. Whenever they attempt to 
 mend thefe roads, it is always by rilling the 
 ruts with fapiings or bu flies, and covering 
 them over with earth. This, however, is done 
 only when there are fields on each fide of the 
 road. If the road runs contiguous to a wood, 
 then, inftead of mending it where it is bad, they 
 open a new paffage through the trees, which 
 they call making a road. It is very common 
 in Maryland to fee fix or feven different roads 
 branching out from one, which all lead to 
 the fame place. A frranger, before he is ac- 
 quainted with this circumftance, is frequently 
 puzzled to know r which he ought to take. 
 The dexterity with which the drivers of the 
 ftages guide their horfbs along thefe^ new 
 roads, which are full of frumps of trees, is 
 aftonifliing, yet to appearance they are the 
 moft awkward drivers poffible ; it is more by 
 the different noifes which they make, than by 
 their reins, that they manage their horfes. 
 
 Charleston 
 

 
 ROADS. 39 
 Charlefton ftands at a few miles diftance 
 from Elkton; there are about twenty houfes 
 only in it, which are inhabited chiefly by peo- 
 ple who carry on a herring fifhe r y. Beyond 
 it the country is much (Jiverfifi hiljl 
 and dale, and the foil being but of an 
 ferent quality, the lands are lb little cleared, 
 that in many parts the road winds through 
 uninterrupted woods for four or five miles to- 
 gether. The fcenery in this neighbourhood is 
 extremely interefting. From the top of the 
 hills you meet with numberlefs bold and ex- 
 tenfive profpedts of the Chefapeak Bay and of 
 the river Sufquehannah; and fearcely do you 
 crofs a valley without beholding in the depths 
 of the wood the watets of fome little creek or 
 rivulet rufhing over lodges of rock in a beau- 
 tiful cafcade. The generality of Americans 
 ftare with aftoniihment at a perfon who can 
 feel any delight atpafiing through fuch a coun- 
 try as this. To them the fight of a wheat 
 field or a cabbage garden would convey plea- 
 fure far greater than that of the moft romantic 
 woodland views. They have an unconquerable 
 averfion to trees; and whenever a fettlerhent 
 is made, they cut away ail before them with- ' 
 out mercy ; not one is fpared ; all (hare the 
 fame fate, and are involved in the general 
 havoc. It appears ftrange, that in a country 
 where the rays of the fun ail with fuch pro- 
 
 D 4. digious 
 
40 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA : 
 digious power, fome few trees near the habita- 
 tions mould not be fpared, whofe foilage might 
 afford a cooling fhade during the parching heats 
 of fummer; and I have oftentimes exprelfed 
 my aftonifhment that none were ever left for 
 that purpofe. In anfwer I have generally been 
 told, that they could not be left ftanding near 
 a houfe without danger. The trees it feems 
 in the American forefts have but a very flen- 
 der hold in the ground, confidering their im- 
 menfe height, lb that when two or three fully 
 grown are deprived of (belter in confequence 
 of the others which flood around them being 
 cut down, they are very apt to be levelled by 
 the firft ftorm that chances to blow. This, 
 however, would not be the cafe with trees of 
 a fmall growth, which might fafely be fpared, 
 and which w T ould foon afford an agreeaole 
 fhade if the Americans thought proper to leave 
 them ftanding: but the fad: of the matter is, 
 that from the face of the country being en- 
 tirely overfpread with trees, the eyes of the 
 people become fatiated with the fight of them. 
 The ground cannot be tilled, nor can v the 
 inhabitants fupport themfelves, till they are 
 removed ; they are looked upon as a nuifance, 
 and the man that can cut down the largeft 
 number, and have the fields about his houfe 
 mod clear of them,* is looked upon as the 
 rnoft induftrious citizen, and the one that is 
 
 making 
 
TAVERNS,' 4t 
 making the greateft improvements * in the 
 country. 
 
 Every ten or twelve miles upon this road 
 there are taverns, which are all built of wood, 
 and much in the fame ftile, with a porch in 
 front the entire length of the houfe. Few of 
 thefe taverns have any figiis, and they are 
 only to be distinguished from the other houfes 
 by the number of handbills pafled up on the 
 walls near the door. They take their name, 
 not from the fign, but from the perfon who 
 keeps them, as Jones's, Brown's, &c. &c. All 
 of them are kept nearly in the fame manner. 
 At each houfe there are regular hours for 
 breakfaft, dinner, and fupper, and if a traveller 
 arrives fomewhat before the time appointed for 
 any one of thefe, it is in vain to call for a fe- 
 parate meal for himfelf ; he muft wait pa- 
 tiently till the appointed hour, and then lit 
 down with the other guefls that may happen 
 to be in the houfe. Breakfafts are generally 
 plentifully ferved ; there is tea, coffee, and 
 different forts of bread, cold fait meat, and, 
 very commonly befides, beef fteaks, fried fifh, 
 
 * I have heard of Americans landing on barren parts of the 
 north weft coaft of Ireland, and evincing the greateft furprife 
 and pleafureat the beauty and improved ftate of the country, 
 M fo clear of trees ! 1" 
 
 fcc. 
 
42 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA 
 &c. &cc -f. The charge made for breakfafi is 
 nearly the fame as that for dinner. 
 
 This part of Maryland abounds with iron 
 ore, which is of a quality particularly well 
 adapted for calling. The ore is found in banks 
 fo near the furface of the earth that there is 
 never occafion to fink a fhaft to get at it. 
 Near Charlefton there is a fmall foundery for 
 cannon. The cannon are bored by water. As 
 I paffed by, they were making twenty-four- 
 pounders, two of which I was informed they 
 finifhed every week. The iron is extremely 
 tough ; very few of the guns burft on being 
 proved. 
 
 The Sufquehannah river is croffed, on the 
 way to Baltimore, at a ferry five miles above 
 its entrance into the Chefapeak. The river 
 Is here about a mile and a quarter wide-, and 
 deep enough for any veffels ; the banks are 
 high and thickly 'wooded, and the fcenery is 
 grand and picturefque. A fmall town called 
 Havre de Grace, which contains about forty 
 'homes, ftands on this river at the ferry. A 
 petition was prefented to congrefs the lalt year 
 to have it made a port of entry > butafprefent 
 
 f The landlady always prefides at the head of the table to 
 make the tea, or a female fervant attends for that purpofe at 
 breakfall and in the evening ; and at many taverns in che 
 country the whole of the family fit dcwn to dinner with 
 th.2 guelis. 
 
 there 
 
BALTIMORE. 43 
 
 there is very little trade carried on there. A 
 few fhips are annually built in the neighbour- 
 hood. From hence to Baltimore the coun- 
 try is extremeiy poor 3 the foil is of a yellow 
 gravel mixed with clay, and the roads exe- 
 crable. 
 
 Baltimore is fuppofed to contain about fix- 
 teen thoufand inhabitants, and though not the 
 capital of the ftate, is the largeft town in Mary- 
 land, and the moft confiderable place of trade 
 in North America, after Philadelphia and New 
 York. The plan of the town is fomewhat 
 fimilar to that of Philadelphia, moll of the 
 ftreets crofling each other at right angles. 
 The main ftreet, which runs eaft and weft 
 nearly, is about eighty feet wide; the others are 
 from forty to fixty feet. The ftreets are not 
 all paved, fo that when it rains heavily they 
 are rendered almoft impaffable, the foil being 
 a ftiff yellow clay, which retains the water a 
 long time. On the fouth fide of the town is 
 a harbour commonly called the Bafon, which 
 affords about nine feet water, and is large 
 enough to contain two 'thoufand fail of mer- 
 chant veffels. There are wharfs and ftcres 
 along it, the whole length of the town ; but 
 as a particular wind is neceffaryto enable fhips 
 to get out of this bafon, by far the greater 
 number of thofe which enter the port of Bal- 
 timore flop at a harbour which is formed by 
 
 a neck. 
 
44 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA i 
 a neck of land near the mouth of the bafon, 
 called Fell's Point. Here alfo wharfs have 
 been built, alongfide which veffels of fix hun - 
 dred tons burthen can lie with perfect, fafety. 
 Numbers of perfons have been induced to fet- 
 tle on this Point, in order to be contiguous to 
 the (hipping. Upwards of feven hundred 
 noufes have already been built there, and re- 
 gular ftreets laid out, with a large marketplace. 
 Thefe houfes, generally fpeaking, are con- 
 iidered as a part of Baltimore, but to all ap- 
 pearance they form a feparate town, being 
 upwards of a mile diftant from the other part 
 of the town. In the neighbourhood, Fell's 
 Point and Baltimore are fpoken of as diftinct 
 and feparate places. Fell's Point is chiefly the 
 refidence of feafaring people, and of the 
 younger partners of mercantile houfes, who 
 are ftationed there to attend to the {hipping. 
 
 The greater number of private houfes in 
 Baltimore are of brick, but many, particularly 
 in the fkirts of the town, are of wood. In 
 ibme cf the new ftreets a few appear to be 
 well built, but in general the houfes are Yma]], 
 heavy, and inconvenient. As for the public 
 buildings, there are none worthy of being men- 
 tioned. The churches and places for public 
 worfhip are ten in number ; one refpectively 
 for Epifcopalians, Prelbyterians, German Lu- 
 therans, German "Calvinifts, Reformed Ger- 
 mans, 
 
BALTIMORE. 45 
 mans, Nicolitcs or New Quakers, Baptifts, 
 Roman Catholics, and two for Methodifts. 
 The Preubyterian church, which has lately 
 been erected, is the beft buiiding among them, 
 and indeed the handfomeft building in town. 
 It is of brick, with a portico in front fup- 
 ported by fix pillars of (tone. 
 
 They have no lefs than three incorporated 
 banks in this town, and the number of notes 
 iffued from them is lb great, as almoft to pre- 
 clude the circulation of fpecie. Some of the 
 notes are for as fmali a fum as a (ingle dollar, 
 and being much more portable than lilver, 
 are generally preferred. As for gold, it is 
 very fcarce ; I hardly ever met with it during 
 two months that I remained in Maryland. 
 
 Amongft the inhabitants of Baltimore are 
 to be found English, Irifh, Scotch, and French. 
 The Irifh appear to be moil numerous ; and 
 many of the principal merchants in town are 
 in the number. Since the war, a great many 
 French have arrived both from France and 
 from the Weft India Iflaijds. With a few- 
 exceptions the inhabitants are all engaged in 
 trade, which is clofely attended . to. They 
 are moftly plain people, fociable however 
 amongft themfelves, and very friendly and 
 hofpitable towards ftrangers. Cards and dan- 
 cing are favourite amufements, both in pri- 
 vate and at public affemblies, which are held 
 
 every . 
 
46 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 
 every fortnight. There are two theatres here, 
 in which there are performances occafionally. 
 The oldeft of them, which ftands in the road id 
 Fell's Point, is moll wretched, and appears little 
 better than a heap of loofe boards; for a long 
 time it lay quite neglected, but has lately 
 been fitted up for a company of French actors, 
 the only one I ever heard of in the country. 
 Baltimore, like Philadelphia, has fuffered from 
 the ravages of the yellow fever. During the 
 autumn it is generally unhealthy, and thole 
 who can afford it retire to country feats in the 
 neighbourhood, of which fome are molt de- 
 lightfully fituated. 
 
 From Baltimore to Wafhington, which is 
 forty miles diftant, the country wears but a 
 poor appearance. The foil in fome parts con- 
 fifts of a yellow clay mixed with gravel; in 
 other parts it is very Tandy. In the neighbour- 
 hood of the creeks and between the hills are 
 patches of rich black earth, called Bottoms, 
 the trees upon which grow to a large fize"; 
 but where there is gravel they are very fmall. 
 The roads paffing over thefe bottoms are 
 v/orfe than any I ever met with elfewhere. In 
 driving over one of them, near the head wa- 
 ters of a branch of Patuxent river, a few days 
 after a heavy fall of rain, the wheels of a fu&y 
 which I was in funk up to the very boxes. 
 9 For 
 
ROADS AND BRIDGES. 47 
 
 For a moment I defpaired of being able to 
 get out without affiftance, when my horfe, 
 which was very powerful, finding himfelf im- 
 peded, threw himfelf upon his haunches, and 
 difengaging his fore-feet, made a vigorous 
 plunge forwards, which luckily difengaged 
 both himfelf and the fulky, and freed me 
 from my embarraffment. I was afterwards in- 
 formed that General Washington, as he was 
 going to meet congrefs a fliort time before, was 
 ltopped in the very fame place, his carriage 
 linking fo deep in the mud that it was found 
 neceflary to fend to a neighbouring houfe for 
 ropes and poles to extricate it. O rT er fome of 
 the bottoms, which were abfolutely impaflable 
 in their natural ftate, caufeways have been 
 thrown, which are made with large trees laid 
 iide by fide acrofs the road. For a time thefe 
 caufeways afford a commodious paflage ; but 
 they do not laft long, as many of the trees 
 fink into the foft foil, and other?, expofed 
 to the continual attrition of waggon wheels 
 in a particular part, breaking afander. In this 
 fltate, full of unieen obftacles, it is abfolutely 
 a matter of danger for a perfon unacquainted 
 with the road to attempt to drive a carriage 
 along it. The bridges over the creeks, co- 
 vered with loofe boards, are as bad as the 
 caufeways, and totter as a carnage paffes over. 
 
 ' That 
 
4S TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 
 That the legiilature of Maryland can be fo 
 inactive, and not take fome fteps to repair 
 this, which is one of the principal roads in the 
 ftate, the great road from north to fouth, and 
 the high road to the City of Washington, is 
 moft wonderful ! 
 
[ 49 ] 
 
 LETTER IV. 
 
 Foundation of the City of Wafington — Not 
 readily agreed to by differ 'ent States. — Choice 
 of the Ground left to General Washington. 
 — Girciunftanccs to be confidered in chujing the 
 Ground .—The Spot fixed upon, central to all 
 the States. — Alfo re?narkably advantageoufly 
 fituated for 'Trade. — Nature of the Back 
 Country Trade. — Summary View of the prin- 
 cipal Trading Towns in the United States.— 
 Their profperity fnewn to depe?id on the Back 
 Country Trade. — Defcription of the Pa- 
 towmac River — Its Connection with other 
 Rivers pointed out. — Prodigious Extent of 
 the Water Communication from Wafhington 
 City in all T)ireblions. — Country likely to 
 trade immediately with Wafiington. — Situa- 
 tion of Wafiington. — Plan cf the City. — 
 Public Buildings. — Some begun, others pro- 
 jected. — Capital Prefulenfs^ Houfe. —Hotel. 
 — Stone and other building Materials found 
 in the Neighbourhood. — Private Houfe s a?id 
 Inhabitants at prefent in the City.' — Dif- 
 ferent Opinions refpefting the future Great- 
 nefs of the City. — Impediments thrown in the 
 Way of its Improvement. — What has given 
 rife to this. 
 
 MY DEAR SIR, Wafhington, November. 
 
 ^pHE City of Wafliington, or The Fe- 
 deral City, as it is indilcriminately called, 
 was laid out in the year 1792, and is ex- 
 Vol. I. E prefsly 
 
So TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 prefsly defigned for being the metropolis of 
 the United States, and the feat of the federal 
 government. In the year 1800 the congrefs 
 is to meet there for the firft time. As the 
 foundation of this city has attracted the at- 
 tention of fo many people in Europe, and as 
 fuch very different opinions are entertained 
 about it, I mall, in the following pages, give 
 you a brief account of its rife and progrefs. 
 
 Shortly after the clofe of the American 
 war, considerable numbers of the Pennfylva- 
 nian line, or of the militia, with arms in 
 their hands, furrounded the hall in which the 
 congrefs was affembled at Philadelphia, and 
 with vehement menaces infilled upon imme- 
 diate appropriations of money being made to 
 difcharge the large arrears due to them for 
 their paft fer vices. The members, alarmed 
 at fuch an outrage, refolved to quit a ftate 
 in which they met with infult inftead of pro- 
 tection, and quickly adjourned to New York, 
 where the femon was terminated. A fhort 
 time afterwards, the propriety was ftrongly 
 urged in congrefs, of fixing upon fome place 
 for the meeting of the legiflature, and for the 
 feat of the general government, which fhould 
 be fobjedl to the laws and regulations of the 
 congrefs alone, in order that the members, in 
 future, might not have to depend for thejr per- 
 fonal fafety, and for their freedom of delibe- 
 ration, upon the good or bad police of any in- 
 
 n dividual - 
 
CITY OF WASHINGTON. 51 
 
 dividual ftate. This idea of making the 
 place, which fhould be chofen for the meeting 
 of the legislature, independent of the parti- 
 cular ftate to which it might belong, was fur- 
 ther corroborated by the following argument : 
 That as the feveral ftates in the union were 
 in fome meafure rivals to each other, although 
 connected together by certain ties, if any one 
 of them was fixed upon for the feat of the ge- 
 neral government in preference, and thus railed 
 to a ftate of pre-eminence, it might perhaps 
 be the occafion of great jealoufy amongft the 
 others. Every perfon was convinced of the 
 expediency of preferving the union of the 
 ftates entire ; it was apparent, therefore, that 
 the greateft precautions ought to be taken to 
 remove every fource of jealoufy from amongft 
 them, which might tend, though remotely, to 
 produce a feparation. In fine, it was abfo- 
 futely neceflary that the feat of government 
 fhould be made permanent, as the removal of 
 the public offices and the archives from place 
 to place could not but be attended with many 
 and very great inconveniences. 
 
 However, notwithstanding this meafure ap- 
 peared to be beneficial to the intereft of the 
 union at large, it was not until after the re* 
 volution, by which the prefent federal con- 
 ftitution was eftablifhed, that it was acceded 
 to on the part of all the ftates. Pennfyl- 
 E 2 vania, 
 
52 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA : 
 vania in particular, confcious of her being a 
 principal and central ftate, and therefore likely 
 to be made the feat of government if this 
 new project was not carried into execution, 
 was fcremoft in the oppofition. At laft me 
 complied ; but it was only on condition that 
 the congrefs mould meet at Philadelphia until 
 the new city was ready for its reception, flat- 
 tering herfelf that there would be fo many ob- 
 jections afterwards to the removal of the feat 
 of government, and fo many difficulties in 
 putting the project into execution, that it 
 would finally be relinquished. To the difcri- 
 minating judgment of General Wafhington, 
 then prefident, it was left to determine upon 
 the fpot beft calculated for the federal city. 
 After mature deliberation he fixed upon ,a 
 fituation on the banks of the Patowmac River* 
 a fituation which feems to be marked out by 
 nature, not only for a large city, but ex- 
 prefsly for the feat of the metropolis of the 
 United States. 
 
 In the choice of the fpot, there were two 
 principal confiderations : Firft, that it fliould 
 be as central as poffible in refpedt to every 
 ftate in the union ; fecondly, that it fhould be 
 advantageoufly fituated for commerce, without 
 which it could not be expected that the city 
 would ever be diftinguifhed for fize or for 
 fplendour; and it was to be fuppofed, that 
 9 the 
 
VIEW OF THE TRADING TOWNS. 53 
 
 the people of the United States would be de- 
 firous of having the metropolis of the coun- 
 try as magnificent as it poflibly could be. 
 Thefe two efTential points are mo ft happily 
 combined in the fpot which has been 
 chofen. 
 
 The northern and fouthern extremities of 
 the United States are in 46 and 31 north la- 
 titude. The latitude of the new city is 3 8° 53' 
 north; fo that it is within twenty-three minutes 
 of being exactly between the two extremities. 
 In no part of North America either is there a 
 port fituated fo far up the country to the weft- 
 ward, excepting what belongs to Great Britain 
 on the river St. Lawrence, its diftance from 
 the ocean being no lefs than two hundred and 
 eighty miles. A more central fituation could 
 certainly have been fixed upon, by going fur- 
 ther to the weftward ; but had this been done, 
 it muft have been an inland one, which would 
 have been very unfavourable for trade. The 
 fize of all towns in America has hitherto been 
 proportionate to their trade, and particularly 
 to that carried on with the back fettlements. 
 This trade confifts in fupplying the people of 
 the weftern parts of the United States, or the 
 back fettlemencs, with certain articles of fo- 
 reign manufacture, which they do not find any 
 intereft in fabricating for themfelves at pre- 
 fent ; nor is it to be fuppofed that they will, 
 E 3 for * 
 
54 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 
 for many years to come, while land remains 
 cheap, and thefe articles can be imported and 
 fent to them on reafonable terms. The articles 
 chiefly in demand confift of hardware, woollen 
 cloths, figured cottons, hofiery, haberdafhery, 
 earthen ware, &c. &c. from England; coffee, 
 rum, fugar*, from the Weft Indies ; tea, coarfe 
 muflins, and calicoes, from the Eaft Indies. 
 In return for thefe articles, the people of the 
 back fettlements fend down for exportation 
 the various kinds of produce which the coun- 
 try affords ; wheat and flour, furs, fkins, rice, 
 indigo, tobacco, pitch, tar, &c. &c. It is very 
 evident, therefore, that the bed fituation for a 
 trading town muft be upon a long navigable 
 river, fo that the town may be open to the fea, 
 and thus enabled to carry on a foreign trade, 
 and at the fame time be enabled, by means of 
 an extenfive water communication in an op- 
 polite direction, to trade with the diftant parts 
 of the country. None of the inland towns 
 have as yet increafed to a great fize. Lan- 
 cafter, which is the largeft in all America, con- 
 tains only nine hundred houfes, and it is nearly 
 double the fize of any other inland one. 
 Neither do the fea- port towns flouriih, which 
 •are not well fituated for carrying on an inland 
 
 trade 
 
 * Sugar is not fent very far back into tfte country, as it i$ 
 procured at much lefs expence from the maple- tree. 
 
VIEW OF THE TRADING TOWNS. 55 
 trade at the fame time. The truth of this 
 pofition mufl appear obvious, on taking furvey 
 of the principal towns in the United States. 
 
 To begin with Bofton, the largeft town 
 north of New York, and one of the oldeft in 
 the United States. Though it has a mod ex- 
 cellent harbour, and has alwavs been inhabited 
 by an enterprizing induftrious let of people, yet 
 it is now inferior, both in fize and commerce, 
 to Baltimore, which was little more than the 
 refidence of a few fifliermen thirty years ago ; 
 and this, becaufe there is no river in the neigh- 
 bourhood navigable for more than feven miles, 
 and the weftern parts of the ftate of Maf- 
 fachufets, of which it is the capital, can be 
 fupplied with commodities, carried up the 
 North River, on much better terms than if 
 the fame commodities were fent by land car- 
 riage from Bofton. Neither does Bofton in- 
 creafe by any means in the fame proportion 
 as the other towns, which have an extenfive 
 trade with the people of the back fettlements. 
 For the fame caufe we do not find that any 
 of the fea-port or other towns in Rhode Ifland 
 and Connecticut are increafmg very faft ; on 
 the contrary, Newport, the capital of the ftate 
 of Rhode Ifland, and which has a harbour that 
 is boafted of as being one of the beft through- 
 out the United States, is now falling to decay. 
 Newport contains about one thou fan d houfes ; 
 
 E 4 none. 
 
56 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA : 
 
 none of the other towns between Bofton and 
 New York contain more than five hundred. 
 
 We now come to New York, which enjoys 
 the double advantages of an excellent harbour 
 and a large navigable river, which opens a com- 
 munication with the interior parts of the 
 country - 9 and here we find a flouriming city, 
 containing forty thoufand * inhabitants, and 
 increufing beyond every calculation. The 
 North or Hudfon River, at the mouth of which 
 New York ftands, is navigable from thence for 
 one hundred and thirty miles in large velTels, 
 and in floops of eighty tons burthen as far 
 as Albany; fmaller ones go ftill higher. About 
 nine miles above Albany, the Mohawk River 
 falls into the Hudfon, by means of which, 
 Wood Creek, Lake Oneida, and Ofwego River, 
 a communication is opened with Lake Ontario. 
 In this route there are feveral portages, but it 
 is a route which is much frequented, and 
 numbers of boats are kept employed upon it, 
 in carrying goods whenever the feafon is not 
 too dry. in long droughts the waters fall fo 
 much, that oftentimes there is not fufficient 
 to float an empty boat. All thefe obftru&ions 
 however may, and will one day or other, be 
 remedied by the hand of art. Ofwego river, 
 before it falls into Lake Ontario, communi- 
 cates 
 
 * Six inhabitants may be reckoned for every houfe in the 
 Uniced States. 
 
VIEW OF THE TRADING TOWNS. 57 
 cates with the Seneka river, which affords in 
 fucceffion an entrance into the lakes Cayuga, 
 Seneka, ami Canadaqua. Lake Seneka, the 
 largeft, is about forty miles in length ; upon 
 it there is a fchconer- rigged veffel of feventy 
 tons burthen conftantly employed. The fhores 
 of thefe lakes are more thickly fettled than 
 the other part of the adjacent country, but the 
 population of the whole track lying between 
 the rivers Genefee and Hudfon, which are 
 about two hundred and fifty miles apart, is ra- 
 pidly increafmg. All this country weft of the 
 Hudfon River, together with that to the eaft, 
 comprehending the back parts of the ftates of 
 Maflachufets and Connecticut, and alfo the 
 entire of the ftate of Vermont, are fupplied 
 with European manufactures and Weft Indian 
 produce, &c. &c. by way of New York ; not 
 directly from that city, but from Albany, 
 Hudfon, and other towns on the North River, 
 which trade with New York, and which are 
 intermediate places for the depofit of goods 
 paffing to, and coming from the back country. 
 Albany, indeed, is now beginning herfelf to 
 import goods from the Weft Indies ; but ftill 
 the bulk of her trade is with New York. 
 Nothing can ferve more to Chew the advan- 
 tages which accrue to any town, from an in- 
 tercourfe with the back country, than the fud- 
 den progrefs of thefe fecondary places of trade 
 
 upon 
 
5 S TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA : 
 
 upon the North River. At Albany, the num- 
 ber of houfes is increafing as faft as at New 
 York ; at prefect there are upwards of eleven 
 hundred ; and in Hudfon city, which was only 
 laid out in the year 1783, there are now more 
 than three hundred and twenty dwellings. 
 This city is on the eaft fide of the North River, 
 one hundred and thirty miles above its mouth. 
 By means alfo of the North River and Lake 
 Champlain, a trade is carried on with Montreal 
 in Canada. 
 
 But to go on with the furvey of the towns 
 to the fouthward. In New Jerfey, we find 
 Amboy, fituated at the head of Raritan Bay, 
 a bay not inferior to any throughout the United 
 States. The greateft encouragements alfo 
 have been held out by the ftate legiflature, to 
 merchants who would fettle there ; but the 
 town, not withftan ding, remains nearly in the 
 ftate it was in at the time of the revolution ; 
 fixty houfes are all that it contains. New 
 Brunfwick, which is built on Raritan River 3 
 about fifteen miles above its entrance into the 
 bay, carries on a fmall inland trade with the ad- 
 jacent country ; but the principal part of New 
 Jerfey is naturally fuppiied with foreign ma- 
 nufactures, by New York on the one fide, and 
 by Philadelphia on the other, the towns moll: 
 happily fituated for the purpofe. There are 
 about two hundred houfes in New Brunfwick a 
 
 and 
 
VIEW OF THE TRADING TOWNS. 5$ 
 and about the fame number in Trenton on 
 Delaware, the capital of the ftate. 
 
 Philadelphia, the largeft town in the union, 
 has evidently been raifed to that ftate of pre- 
 eminence by her extenfive inland commerce. 
 On one fide is the river Delaware, which is 
 navigable in floops for thirty-five miles above 
 the town, and in boats carrying eight or nine 
 tons one hundred, miles further. On the 
 other fide is the Schuylkill, navigable, except- 
 ing at the falls, for ninety miles. But the 
 country bordering upon thefe rivers, is but a 
 trifling part of that which Philadelphia trades 
 with. Goods are forwarded to Harrifburgh, 
 a town fituated on the Sufquehannah, and 
 from thence fent up that river, and difperfed 
 throughout the adjoining country. The 
 eaftern branch of Sufquehannah is navigable 
 for two hundred and fifty miles above Har- 
 rifburgh. . This place, which in 1786 fcarcely 
 deferved the name of a village, now contains 
 upwards of three hundred houfes. By land car- 
 riage Philadelphia alfo trades with the wefiern 
 parts of Pennfylvania, as far as Pittfburg it- 
 felf, which is on the Ohio, with the back of 
 Virginia, and, ftrange to tell, with Kentucky, 
 feven hundred miles diftant. 
 
 Philadelphia, however, does not enjoy the 
 ^xclufive trade to Virginia and Kentucky; 
 Baltimore, which lies more to the fouth, 
 
 comes * 
 
60 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 comes in for a confiderable fhare, if not fof 
 the greateft part of it, and to that is in- 
 debted for her Hidden rife, and her great fu- 
 periority over Annapolis, the capital of Mary- 
 land. Annapolis, although it has a good 
 harbour, and was made a port of entry as 
 long ago as the year 1694, has fcarcely any 
 trade now. Baltimore, fituated more in the 
 ' heart of the country, has gradually drawn it 
 all away from her. From Baltimore nearly 
 the entire of Maryland is furnifhed with Eu- 
 ropean manufactures. The very flourishing 
 ftate of this place has already been men- 
 tioned. 
 
 As the Patowmac river, and the towns 
 upon it, are to come more particularly under 
 notice afterwards, we may from hence pafs 
 on to the other towns in Virginia. With re- 
 gard to Virginia, however, it is to be ob- 
 ferved, that the impolitic laws * which have 
 been ena&ed in that ftate have thrown a 
 great damp upon trade ; the Virginians too 
 have always been more difpofed towards agri- 
 culture than trade, fo that the towns in that 
 ftate, fome of which are moft advantageoufly 
 lituated, have never increafed as they would 
 have done, had the country been inhabited by 
 a different kind of people, and had different 
 
 laws 
 
 * For fome account of them fee Letter XIII, 
 
VIEW OF THE TRADING TOWNS. 6x 
 laws confeqaently exifted ; ftill however we 
 fliall find that the moft flourifliing towns in 
 the ftate, are thofe which are open to the fea, 
 and fituated moft conveniently at the fame 
 time for trading with the people of the back 
 country. On Rappahannock River, for in- 
 ftance, Tappahannock or Hobb's Hole was 
 laid out at the fame time that Philadelphia 
 was. Frederickfburgh was built many years 
 afterwards on the fame river, but thirty miles 
 higher up, and at the head of that part of it 
 which was navigable for fea veflels ; the con- 
 fequence of this has been, that Frederickf- 
 burgh, from being fituated more in the heart 
 of the country, is now four times as large a 
 town as Hobb's Hole. 
 
 York River, from running fo clofely to 
 James River on the one fide, and the Rap- 
 pahannock on the other, does not afford a 
 good fituation for a large town. The largefl 
 town upon it, which is York, only contains 
 feventy houfes. 
 
 Williamfburgh was formerly the capital 
 of the ftate, and contains about four hundred 
 houfes ; but inftead of increafing, this town is 
 going to ruin, and numbers of the houfes at 
 prefent are uninhabited, which is evidently 
 on account of its inland fituation. There 
 is no navigable ftream nearer to it than one 
 mile and a half, and this is only a fmall 
 
 creek,- 
 
6z TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA i 
 creek, which runs into James River. Rich- 
 mond, on the contrary, which is the prefent 
 capital of the ftate, has increafed very faft, be- 
 caufe it ftands on a large navigable river ; yet 
 Richmond is no more than an intermediate 
 place for the depofit of goods paffing to and 
 from the back country, veflels drawing more 
 than feven feet water being unable to come 
 up to the town. 
 
 The principal place of trade in Virginia 
 is Norfolk. This town has a good harbour, 
 and is enabled to trade with the upper parts 
 of the country, by means of James River, 
 near the mouth of which it ftands. By land 
 alfo a brifk trade is carried on with the back 
 parts of North Carolina, for in that ftate there 
 are no towns of any importance. The en- 
 trance from the fea into the rivers in that 
 ftate, are all impeded by fhoals and fand banks, 
 none of which afford more than eleven feet 
 water, and the paflage over fome of them is 
 very dangerous from the fand fhifting. Wil- 
 mington, which is the greateft place of trade 
 in it, contains only two hundred and fifty 
 houfes. In order to carry on their trade to 
 North Carolina to more advantage, a canal is 
 now cutting acrofs the Difmal Swamp, from 
 Norfolk into Albemarle Sound, by means of 
 the rivers that empty into which, a water 
 communication will be opened to the remote 
 
 parts 
 
VIEW OF THE TRADING TOWNS. 63 
 parts of that ftate. Added to this, Norfolk, 
 from its contiguity to the Difmal Swamp, is 
 enabled to fupply the Weft Indian market 
 with lumber on better terms than any other 
 town in the United States. It is in con- 
 fequence increafing with wonderful rapidity, 
 notwithstanding the difadvantages it labours 
 under from the laws, which are fo inimical to 
 commerce. At prefent it contains upwards 
 of five hundred houfes, which have all been 
 I built within the laft twenty years, for in the 
 year 1776 the town was totally deftroyed by 
 orders of Lord Dunmore, then regal governor 
 of Virginia. 
 
 Moil of the rivers in South Carolina are 
 obftrucled at their mouths, much in the fame 
 manner as thofe in North Carolina; atCharlef- 
 ton, however, there is a fafe and commo- 
 dious harbour. From having fuch an ad- 
 vantage, this town commands nearly the en- 
 tire trade of the ftate in which it is fituated, 
 as well as a confiderable portion of that of 
 North Carolina. The confequence is, that 
 Charlefton ranks as the fourth commercial 
 town in the union. There are two rivers 
 which difembogue on each fide of the town, 
 Cooper, and Afhley ; thefe are navigable, but 
 not for a very great diftance ; however, from 
 Cooper River a canal is to be cut to the 
 Santee, a large navigable river which runs 
 
 a con- . 
 
64 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 a considerable way up the country, Charlef- 
 ton has unfortunately been almoft totally de- 
 ft royed by fire of late, but it is rebuilding very 
 faff, and will moft probably in a few years be 
 krger than ever. 
 
 The view that has been taken fo far is fuffi- 
 cient to demonftrate, that the profperity of 
 the towns in the United States is dependant 
 upon their trade, and principally upon that 
 which is carried on with the interior parts of 
 the country ; and alfo, that thofe towns which 
 are moft conveniently fituated for the pur- 
 pofe of carrying on this inland trade, are thofe 
 which enjoy the greateft fhare of it. It is 
 now time to examine more particularly how 
 far the fituation of the federal city is favour-* 
 able, or otherwife, for commerce : to do fo, 
 it will be neceflary, in the firft place, to trace 
 the courfe of the Patowmac River, on which 
 it ftands, and alfo that of the rivers with which 
 it is connected. 
 
 The Patowmac takes its rife on the north- 
 weft fide of Alleghany Mountains, and after 
 running in a meandering direction for upwards 
 of four hundred miles, falls into the Chefapeak 
 Bay. At its confluence with the bay it is 
 feven miles and a half wide; about thirty miles 
 higher, at Nominy Bay, four and a half ; 
 at Aquia, three ; at Hallowing Point, one and 
 a half i and at Alexandria, and from thence to 
 
 the 
 
PATOWMAC RIVER. 65 
 
 the federal city, it is one mile. and quarter wide. 
 The depth of water at its mouth is feven fa- 
 thoms y at St. George's Ifland, five ; at Alex- 
 andria, four ; and from thence to Wafhington, 
 feven miles diftant, three fathoms. The na- 
 vigation of the Patowmac, from the Chefapeak 
 Bay to the city, one hundred and forty miles 
 diftant, is remarkable fafe, and fo plain that, 
 any navigator of common abilities, that has 
 once failed up the river* might venture to 
 take ud a velTel drawing twelve feet water 
 without a pilot. This could not be faid of 
 any other river on the continent, from the 
 St. Lawrence to the Mifiililppi. In its courfe 
 it receives kveral large ftreams, the principal 
 one of which fills in at the federal city* 
 This river is called the Eaftern Branch of 
 the Patowmac ; but it fcarcely deferves that 
 name, as it extends no more than thirty miles 
 r ap the country. At its mouth it is nearly 
 as wide as the main branch of the river, and 
 clofe to the city the water is in many places 
 thirty feet deep. Thoufands of veffels might 
 lie here, and ilieltered from all danger, arifing 
 either from frefhes, or from ice upon the break- 
 ing up of a fevere winter. Thus it appears 
 that the federal city is poffefled of one effential 
 •qualification for making it a place of impor- 
 tance, namely, a good harbour, from which 
 there is a ready piiffage to the ocean ; it will 
 Vol. L F all© 
 
c6 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA : 
 alfo appear that it is well fituated for trading 
 with the interior parts of the country. 
 
 The water in the Patowmac continues 
 nearly the fame depth that it is oppofite to the 
 city for one mile higher, where a large rock 
 rifes up in the middle of the river, on each 
 lide of which there are fand-banks. It is faid 
 that there is a deep channel between this rock 
 and the more, but it is fo intricate that it 
 would be dangerous to attempt to take a large 
 veffel through it. The navigation, however, 
 is fafe to the little falls for river craft, five 
 miles-further on; here a canal, which extends 
 two miles and a half, the length of thefe falls 
 or rapids, has been cut and perfected, which 
 opens a free paffage for boats as far as the 
 great falls, which are feven miles from the 
 others. The defcent of the river at thefe is 
 feventy-fix feet in a mile and a quarter; but 
 it is intended to make another eanal here 
 alfo ; a part of it is already cut, and every exer- 
 tion is making to have the whole completed 
 with expedition*. From hence to Fort Cum- 
 berland, one hundred and ninety- one miles 
 above the federal city, there is a free" naviga- 
 tion, and boats are continually paffing up and 
 down. Beyond this, the paffage in the river 
 is obflruited in numerous places; but there is 
 
 a poffU 
 
 * For a further defcription of thefe Falls fee Letter XXXI, 
 
WATER COMMUNICATIONS, % 
 
 a poffibllity of opening it, and as foon as the 
 company formed for the purpofe have fuffi- 
 cient funds, it will certainly be done. Prom 
 the place up to which it is afferted the paf- 
 fage of the Patowmac can be opened, the 
 distance aerofs land to Cheat River is only 
 thirty-feven miles. This laft river is not at 
 prefent navigable for more than fifty miles 
 *ibove its mouth ; but it can be rendered fo 
 for boats, and fo far up that there will only be 
 the fliort portage that I have mentioned be- 
 tween the navigable waters of the two rivers. 
 Things are only great or fmall by comparifon* 
 and a portage of thirty-feven miles will 
 be thought a very fliort one, when found 
 to be the only interruption to an inland navi- 
 gation 'of upwards of two thoufand feven hun- 
 dred miles, of which two thoufand one hun- 
 dred and eighty-three are down ftream. Cheat 
 River is two hundred yards wide at its mouth, 
 and falls into the Monongahela, which runs 
 on to Pittsburgh, and there receives the Al- 
 leghany River ; united they form the Ohio, 
 which after a courfe of one thoufand one 
 hundred and eighty-three miles, during which 
 it receives twenty-four other considerable 
 rivers, fome of them fix hundred yards wide at 
 the mouth* and navigable for hundreds of 
 miles up the country, empties itfelf into the. 
 Miffiffinoi. 
 
 Fa . I f . 
 
TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 If we trace the water communication in 
 an oppofite direction, its prodigious extent will 
 be a ftill greater fubjecl of aftoniQiment. 
 By afcending the Alleghany River from Pitts- 
 burgh as far as French Creek, and afterwards 
 this latter ftream, you come to Fort le Bceuf. 
 This place is within fifteen miles of Prefqu' 
 Ifle, a town fituated upon Lake Erie, which 
 has a harbour capable of admitting veffels 
 drawing nine feet water. Or you may get 
 upon the lake by afcending the Great Miami 
 River, which falls into the Ohio five hundred 
 and fifty miles below Pittsburgh. From the 
 Great Miami there is a portage of nine miles 
 only to Sandufky River, which runs into 
 Lake Erie. It is mod: probable, however, 
 that whatever intercourfe there may be be- 
 tween the lakes and the federal city, it will 
 be kept up by means of the Alleghany River 
 and French Creek, rather than by the Miami, 
 as in the laft cafe it would be necefTary to 
 combat again ft the ftream of the Ohio for 
 five hundred and fifty miles, a very ferious ob- 
 ject of confidcration. 
 
 Lake Erie is three hundred miles in length, 
 and ninety in breadth, and there is a free com- 
 munication between it, Lake Huron, and 
 Lake Michigan. Lake Huron is upwards of 
 one thoufand miles in circumference ; Michi- 
 gan is fomewhat fmaller. Numbers of large 
 
RIVERS AND LAKES. 69 
 
 rivers fall into thefe lakes, after having 
 watered immenfe tracts of country in various 
 directions. Some of thefe rivers too are con* 
 nected in a mod lingular manner with others, 
 which run in a courfe totally different. For 
 inftance, after palling over the Lakes Erie, St. 
 Clair, and Michigan, to the head of Puan's 
 Bay, you come to Fox River; from hence 
 there is a portage of three miles only to 
 Ouifconfmg River, which empties itfelf into 
 the Miffiliippi; and in the fall of theyear,when 
 the waters are high, and the rivers overflow, 
 it is oftentimes poffible to pafs from Fox River 
 to Ouifconfmg River without ever getting out 
 of a canoe. Thus, excepting a portage of 
 three miles only at the molt, it is porlible to 
 go the whole way by water from Prefqu' Ifle, 
 on Lake Erie, to New Orleans, at the mouth 
 of the MiffilTippi, a diftance of near four thou- 
 iand miles. It would be an endlefs talk to 
 trace the water communication in every di- 
 rection. By a portage of nine miles at the 
 Falls of Niagara, the navigation of Lake On- 
 tario and the St. Lawrence is opened on 
 one fide, and at the other that of Lake Su- 
 perior, by a (till fhorter portage at the Falls 
 of St. Mary. This laft lake, which is at leaft 
 fifteen hundred miles in circumference, is fup- 
 plied by no lefs than forty rivers; and be- 
 yond it the water communication extends for 
 F 3 hundreds ' 
 
|f TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 hundreds of miles farther on, through the 
 Lake of the Woods to Lake Winnipeg, which 
 is ftil.1 larger than that of Superior. 
 
 But fuppofing that the immenfe regions 
 bordering upon thefe lakes and rivers were 
 already peopled, it is not to be concluded, that 
 becaufe they are connected by water with, the 
 Patowmac, the federal city muft neceffarily be 
 the mart for the various productions of the 
 whole country. There are different fea ports 
 to which the inhabitants will trade, according 
 to the fituation of each particular part of the 
 country. Quebec, on the river St. Lawrence, 
 will be one $ New York, connected as has 
 been (hewn with Lake Ontario, another; and 
 New Orleans at the mouth of the Miffiffippi, 
 which by the late treaty with Spain has been 
 made a free port, a third. The federal city 
 will come in alfo for its (hare, and what this 
 (hare will be it now remains toafcertain. 
 
 Situated upon the banks of the Patowmac, 
 there are already two towns, and both in the 
 vicinity of the federal city. George Town, 
 • which contains about two hundred #nd fifty 
 houfes 1 and Alexandria, with double the num- 
 ber : The former of thefe ftands about one 
 mile above the city, nearly oppolite the large 
 rock in the river, which has been fpoken of; 
 the latter, feven miles below it. Confiderable 
 quantities of produce are already fent down the 
 
 Patowmac 
 
NATIONAL BANK. yz 
 
 Patowmac to each of thefe towns, and the 
 people in the country are beginning to look 
 thither in return for a part of their fupply of 
 foreign manufactures. It has been maintained, 
 therefore, that thefe two places, already in 
 the practice of trading with the back fettlers, 
 will draw the greater part of the country 
 trade to themfelves, to the prejudice of the 
 federal city. Both thefe towns have as great 
 advantages in point of lituation as the city ; 
 the interefts of the three places therefore mud 
 unqueftionably for a time clam, together. It 
 can hardly be doubted, however, but that the 
 federal city will in a few years completely 
 eclipfe the other two. George Town can fur- 
 nifli the people of the back country with fo- 
 reign manufactures, at fecond hand only, from 
 Baltimore and Philadelphia ; Alexandria im- 
 ports directly from Europe, but on a very con- 
 tracted fcale : more than two thirds of the 
 goods which are fent from thence to the back 
 country are procured in the fame manner as 
 at George Town. In neither place are there 
 merchants with large capitals ; nor have the 
 banks, of which there is one in each town, 
 furncient funds to afford them much affiftance; 
 but merchants with large capitals are pre- 
 paring to move to the city. As foon alfo as 
 the feat of government is fixed there, the na- 
 tional bank, or at leaft a large branch of it, 
 F4 will- 
 
;3 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA:- 
 will be eftabliftied at the fame time; this cir- 
 cumftance alone will afford the people of the* 
 city a decided advantage over thofe of Alex- 
 andria and George Town. Added to all, 
 both thefe towns are in the territory of Co- 
 lumbia, that is, in the di ft rift of ten miles 
 round the city which is to be fubjeft to the 
 laws and regulations of congrefs alone j it may 
 be, therefore, that encouragements will be 
 held out by congrefs to thofe who fettle in the 
 city, which will be refufed to fuch as go to 
 any other part of the territory. Although 
 Alexandria and George Town, then, may rival 
 the city while it is in its infancy, yet it cannot 
 be imagined that either of them will be able 
 to cope with it in the end. The probable 
 trade of the city may for this reafon be fpoken 
 of as if neither of the other places exifted. 
 
 It may be taken for granted, in the firft 
 place, that the whole of the country bordering 
 upon the Patowmac river, and upon thofe rivers 
 which fall into it, will trade with the city of 
 Waftungton. In tracing the courfe of the 
 Patowmac all thefe rivers were not enumerated 
 a better idea of them may be had from an in- 
 spection of the map. Shenandoah, which is 
 the longer!, is not navigable at prefent ; but 
 it has been furveyed, and the company for 
 improving the navigation of the Patowmac 
 have ftated that it can be made fq for one hun- 
 dred 
 
PROBABLE TRADE OF WASHINGTON. 73 
 dred miles. This would be coming very near 
 to Staunton, behind the Blue Mountains, and 
 which is on the high road from Kentucky, 
 and from the new ftate of Teneffee, to the 
 city of Philadelphia. Frankfort, the capital of 
 the former of thefe ftate s, is nearly eight hun- 
 dred miles from Philadelphia ; Knoxville, 
 that of the other, leven hundred and twenty- 
 eight. Both theie towns draw their fupplies 
 of foreign manufactures from Philadelphia, and 
 by land carriage, buppoiing then that the na- 
 vigation of the Shenandoah mould be per- 
 fected, there would be a faving of four hundred 
 and thirty-fix miles of land carriage from goin^ 
 to Wamington by the Shenandoah and Pa- 
 towmac inftead of going to Philadelphia; foeh 
 a faving, it might be imagined, would draw 
 the whole of this trade to Warn in? ton. Whe- 
 ther the two weftern ftates, Kentucky and 
 Teneffee, will trade to New Orleans or net, 
 at a future day, in preference to any of thefe 
 places, will be mveftigated prefently. 
 
 By means of Cheat and Monongahela rivers 
 it lias been ihewn, that an opening may bfc 
 obtained to Pittsburgh. This will be a route 
 of about four hundred and fifty miles from 
 Washington, and in it there will be one pc 
 age, from the Patowmac to Cheat River, of 
 thirty-feven miles, and perhaps two or thfet 
 others; but thefe will be all very final], it 
 
 has' 
 
U TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 
 has been afcertained beyond doubt, that the 
 Pittfburgh merchant can have his goods con- 
 veyed from New York, by means of the Hud- 
 ion and Mohawk rivers, to Ofwego, and from 
 thence by the lakes Ontario and Erie, and the 
 Alleghany River, to Pittfburgh, for one third 
 of the fum which it cofts him to tranfportthem 
 fay land from Philadelphia. He prefers getting 
 them by land, becaufe the route from New 
 York is uncertain; his goods may be loft, or 
 damaged, or delayed months beyond the time 
 he expects them. From Hudfon River to the 
 Mohawk is a portage of ten miles, or there- 
 abouts ; and before they can get to Ofwego are 
 two or three more. At Ofwego the goods 
 muft be (hipped on board a veffel fuitable for 
 navigating the lakes, where they are expofed 
 to tempefts and contrary winds. At the Falls 
 of Niagara is a portage of nine miles more ; 
 the goods muft here be (hipped again on board 
 a vefiel on Lake Erie, and after arriving at 
 Prefqu' Ifle muft be conveyed over another 
 portage preparatory to their being laden in a 
 boat upon the Alleghany River. The" whole 
 of this route, from New York to Pittfburgh, 
 is about eight hundred miles ; that from the 
 federal city not much more than half the dis- 
 tance i if therefore the merchant at Pittfburgh 
 can get his goods conveyed from New York 
 for one third of what he pays for the carriage 
 
WATER CARRIAGE. 7| 
 pf them by land from Philadelphia, he QUghj: 
 liot to pay more than one fixth of the fum fox 
 their carriage from the federal city ^ it is to 
 be concluded, therefore, that he will avail 
 himfejf of the latter route, as there win be no 
 objection to it on account of any uncertainty 
 in the mode of conveyance, arifing from florms 
 and contrary winds. 
 
 The people in Pittsburgh, and the weft era 
 country along the waters of the Ohio, draw 
 their fupplies from Philadelphia and Balti- 
 more; but they fend the productions of the 
 country, which would be too bulky for land 
 carriage, down the Ohio and Miffiffippi to 
 New Orleans. From Pittfburgh to. New Or- 
 leans the diftance is two thouland one hun- 
 dred and eighty-three miles. On an average 
 it takes about twenty-eight days to go down 
 there with the ftream; but to return by water 
 it takes from fixty days to three months. Ths 
 paffage back is very laborious as well as tedi- 
 ous; on which account they feldom think of 
 bringing back boats which are lent down from 
 Pittfburgh, but on arriving at New Orleans 
 they are broken up, and the plank fold. Thefe 
 boats are built on the cheapeft conftrudtion, 
 and exprefsly for the purpofe of going down 
 ftream. The men get back the belt way 
 they can, generally in fhips bound from New 
 Orleans to the fouthcrn ftates ; and from thence 
 
 home 
 
7 5 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 
 home by land. Now, if the paffage from the 
 Ohio to the Patowmac is opened, it cannot be 
 fuppofed that the people in Pittlburgh and the 
 vicinity will continue thus to fend the produce 
 down to Orleans, from whence they cannot 
 bring any thing in return • they will naturally 
 fend to the federal city, from whence they can 
 draw the fupplies they are in want of, and 
 which is fo much nearer to them, that when 
 the navigation is perfected it will be poffible 
 to go there and back again in the fame time- 
 that it requires merely to go down to New 
 Orleans. 
 
 But although the people of that country 
 which borders upon the Ohio and its waters, 
 in the vicinage of Pittlburgh, may have an in- 
 tereft in trading to the federal city, yet thofe 
 who live towards the mouth of that river will 
 find an intereft equally great in trading to New 
 Orleans, for the Ohio River is no lefs than 
 elevenhundred and eighty-three miles inlength. 
 How far down upon the Ohio a commercial 
 intercourse will be kept up with the city, will 
 mod probably be determined by other cir* 
 cumftances than that of diftance alone ; -it may 
 depend upon the demand there may be at one 
 or other port for particular articles, &c. &c. ; 
 it may alfo depend upon the feafon ; for at re- 
 gular periods there are floods in the Miffif- 
 iippi, and alfp in the Ohio, which make a 
 
 great 
 
FLOODS AND EDDIES. 77 
 
 great difference in the time of afcending and 
 defcending thefe rivers. The floods in the 
 Miffiffippi are occafioned by the difiblution of 
 the immenfe bodies of fnow and ice accumu- 
 lated during winter in thofe northern regions 
 through which the river paffes •> they are alio 
 very regular, beginning in the month of March 
 and fubiiding in July. Thofe in the Ohio 
 take place between Chriftmas and May; but 
 they are not regular and fteady like thofe of 
 the MiffifTippi, for the water rifes and falls 
 many times in the courfe of the feafon. Thefe 
 floods are occafioned by heavy falls of rain in 
 the beginning of winter, as well as by the 
 thawing of the ice. 
 
 The Mifliflippi has a very winding courfe*, 
 and at every bend there is an eddy in the 
 water. Thefe eddies are always ftrongeft 
 during the inundations^ confequently it is then 
 a much lefs difficult tafk to afcend the river. 
 With the Ohio, however, it is directly the re- 
 
 verfe 
 
 • In the year 1722, as a party of Canadians were going 
 down the river, they found at one place fuch a bend in it, that 
 although the diftance acrofs land, from one part of the river to 
 the other, was not more perhaps than two hundred yards, yet 
 by water it was no lefs than forty miles— The Canadians cut 
 a trench acrofs the land for curiofity — The foil bordering upon 
 the Mifiiffippi is remarkably rich and feft, and the current 
 being ftrong, the river in a mort time forced a new pafiage tor 
 itfelf, and the Canadians took their boat through it. T.his 
 flace is called Pointe Coupee. There are many fimilar bends 
 m the river at preterit, but none fo great, 
 
fi TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 
 verfe ; there are no eddies in the river ; where- 
 fore floods are found to facilitate the paifage 
 downwards, but to render that againft the 
 ftream difficult, 
 
 Suppofmg, however, the feafon favourable 
 for the navigation of the Mifliffippi, and alfo 
 for the navigation of the Ohio, which it might 
 well be at the fame time, then Louifville, in 
 Kentucky, is the place through which the line 
 may be drawn that will feparate as nearly as 
 poffible the country naturally connected with 
 Wafhington from that appertaining to New 
 Orleans. It takes twenty days, on an average, 
 #t the moil favourable feafon, to go from 
 Louifville to New Orleans, and to return* 
 forty ; which in the whole makes fixty days* 
 From the rapids in the Ohio, clofe to which 
 Louifville isf:tuated,to Pittlburgb, thediftance 
 is feven hundred and three miles ; fo that at 
 the rate of thirty miles a day, which is a mo- 
 derate computation, it would require twenty- 
 four days to go there. From Pittfburgh to the 
 Patowmac the diftance is one hundred and 
 fixty miles againft the ftream, which ^it the 
 fame rate, and allowing time for the portages* 
 would take feven days more, and two hundred 
 and ninety miles down the Patowmac, at fixty 
 miles per day, would require five days : this 
 is allowing thirty-five days for going, and com- 
 puting the time for returning at the fame rate* 
 
 that 
 
NAVIGATION S. # 
 that is thirty miles againft the ftream, and 
 iixtv miles with the ftream, each day, it would 
 amount to twenty-five days, which, added to 
 the time of going, makes in the whole fifty- 
 nine days ; if the odd day be allowed for con- 
 tingencies, the baflkge to and from the two 
 places would then be exactly alike. It is fail- 
 then to conclude, that if the demand at the 
 federal city for country produce be equally- 
 great as at New Orleans, and there is no rea- 
 fon to fay why it fliould not, the whole of the 
 produce of that country, which lies contigu- 
 ous to the Ohio, and the rivers falling into it 9 
 as far down as Louifviile in Kentucky, will be 
 lent to the former of thefe places. This tract 
 is feven hundred miles in length, and from 
 one hundred to two hundred miles in breadth. 
 Added to this, the whole of that country lying 
 near the Alleghany River, and the ftreams 
 that run into it, mull naturally be fupplied 
 from the city ; a great part of the country bor- 
 . dering upon Lake Erie, near Prefqu' Ifle, 
 may like wife be included. 
 
 Conlidering the vaftnefs of the territory, 
 which is thus opened to the federal city by 
 means of a water communication ; considering 
 that it is capable, from the fertility of its foil, 
 of maintaining three times the number of in- 
 habitants that are to be found at prefent in all 
 the United States ; and that it is advancing at 
 
So TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA* 
 the pre fen t time more rapidly in population 
 than any other part of the whole continent j 
 there is a good foundation for thinking that the 
 federal city, as foon as the navigation is per- 
 fected, will increafe moft rapidly ; and that at 
 a future day, if the affairs of the United States 
 go on as profperoufly as they have done, it 
 will become the grand emporium of the well, 
 and rival in magnitude and fplendor the cities 
 of the old world. 
 
 The city is laid out on a neck of land be- 
 tween the forks formed by the eaftern and 
 weftern or main branch of Patowmac River, 
 This neck cf land, together with an adjacent 
 territory, which is in the whole ten miles fquare, 
 was ceded to congrefs by the ftates of Mary- 
 land and Virginia. The ground on which the 
 city immediately ftands was the properly of 
 private individuals, who readily relinquimed 
 their claim to one half of it in favour of con- 
 grefs, confeious that the value of what was 
 left to them would increafe, and amply com- 
 penlate them for their lofs. The profits 
 anting from the fale of that part which has 
 thus been ceded to congrefs will be fuffir- 
 cient, it is expected, to pay for the public 
 buildings, for the watering of the city, and 
 alio for paving and lighting of the ftreets. 
 The plan of the city was drawn by a French- 
 man of the name of L'Enfant, and is on a 
 
 leak 
 
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 i 
 
CITY OF WASHINGTON. ' f t 
 
 icale well faited to the extent of the country, 
 one thoufand two hundred miles in length, 
 and one thoufand in breadth, of which it is 
 to be the metropolis ; for the ground already 
 marked out for it is no lefs than fourteen 
 miles in circumference. The ftreetc run 
 north, fouth, eaft, and yeft ; but to prevent 
 that famenefs necsfiarlly eniuing from the 
 ftreets all eroding each other at right angles, 
 a number of avenues are laid out in different 
 parts of the city, which run tranfverfely; 
 and in feveral places, where thefe avenues in- 
 terfect each other, are to be hollow fquares. 
 The ftreets, which crofs each other at rio;ht' 
 angles, are from ninety to one hundred feet 
 wide, the avenues one hundred and iixty feet. 
 One of thefe is named after each ftate, and a 
 hollow fquare alfo allotted to each, as a 
 fuitable place for ftatues, columns, &c. which, 
 at a future period, the people of any one of 
 thefe ftates may wim to erect to the me- 
 mory of great men that may appear in the 
 country. On a lmall eminence, due weft of 
 the capitol, is to be an equeftrian ftatue of 
 General Wafhington. 
 
 The capitol is now building upon the molt 
 elevated fpot of ground in the city, which 
 happens to he in a very central fituation. 
 From this fpot there is a complete view of 
 every part of the city, and alfo of the ad- 
 
 Vol, I. G jacent 
 
Si TRAVFXS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 
 jacent country. In the capitol are to be 
 fpacious apartments for the accommodation 
 of congrefs; in it alfo are to be the princi- 
 pal public offices in the executive department 
 of the government, together with the courts 
 of juftice. The plan on which this building 
 is begun is grand and extenfive ; the expenfe 
 of building it is eftimated at a million of dol- 
 lars, equal to two hundred and twenty-five 
 thoufand pounds fterling. 
 
 The houfe for the refidence of the prefident 
 flands north -weft of the capitol, at the diftance 
 of about one mile and a half. It is fituated 
 upon a riling ground net far from the Pa- 
 towmac, and commands a moft beautiful prof- 
 peel of the river, and of the rich country be- 
 yond it. One hundred acres of ground, to- 
 wards the river, are left adjoining to the 
 houfe for pleafure grounds. South of this 
 there is to be a large park or mall, which is 
 to run in an eafterly direction from the river 
 to the capitol. The buildings on either fide 
 of this mail are all to be elegant in their 
 kind j amongft the number it is propofed to 
 have houfes built at the public expenfe for 
 the accommodation of the foreign minifters, 
 &c. On the eaftern branch a large fpot is laid 
 out for a marine hofpital and gardens. Va- 
 ' rious other parts are appointed for churches, 
 . theatres, colleges, &ci The ground in £e~ 
 
 ; a'erd, 
 
ERECTIONS. $3 
 neral, within the limits of the city, is agree- 
 ably undulated ; but none of the rifings are 
 fo o-reat as to become objects of inconvenience 
 in a town. The foil is chiefly of a yellowifli 
 clay mixed with gravel. There are numbers 
 of excellent fprings in the city, and water is 
 readily had in mo ft places by digging well's. 
 Here are two ftreams like wife, which run 
 through the city, Reedy Branch and Tiber 
 Creek. * The perpendicular height of the 
 fource of the latter, above the level of the tide, 
 is two hundred and thirty-fix feet. 
 
 By the regulations publiihed, it was fettled 
 that all the houfes mould be built of brick 
 or ilone ; the walls to be thirty feet high, 
 and to be built parallel to the line of the 
 ftreer, but either upon it or withdrawn from 
 it, as fuited the tafte of the builder. How- 
 ever, numbers of wooden habitations have been 
 built; but the different owners have all been 
 cautioned again ft confiderin'g them as perma- 
 nent. They are to be allowed for a certain 
 term only, and then deftroyed. Three com- 
 
 miliion- 
 
 * Upon the granting pclTeffion of wafte lands to any perfon, 
 commonly called the location of lands, it is ufual to give par- 
 ticular names to different fpots, and alfo to the creeks and 
 rivers. " On the original location of the ground now 'allotted 
 for the feat of the federal city, this creek received the name of 
 Tiber Creek, and the identical fpot of ground on which the 
 capitol now ftands was called Rome. Th ; s anecdote is related 
 by many as a certain pr6grid8fc of the fat are rriagnificer.ee of 
 this city, which is to be, as it were, a fecond P*ome. 
 
?4 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA : 
 
 miffioners, who refide on the fpot, are ap- 
 pointed by the prefident, with a falary, for the 
 purpofe of fuperintending the public and 
 other buildings, and regulating every thing, 
 pertaining to the city. 
 
 The only public buildings carrying on as 
 yet, are the president's houfe, the capitol, and 
 a large hqtel. The prefrdent's houfe, which 
 is nearly completed on the outfide, is two 
 (lories high, and built of free (lone. The 
 principal room m it is of an oval form. This- 
 is undoubtedly the handfomeft building in the 
 country, and the architecture of it is much 
 extolled by the people, who have never feen 
 any thing fuperior; but it will not bear a cri- 
 tical examination. Many perfons find fault 
 with it, as being too large and too fplendid for 
 the reiidence of any one perfon in a republi- 
 can country; and certainly it is a ridiculous 
 habitation for a man who receives a falary 
 that amounts to no more than £. 5,625 fter- 
 ling per annum, and in a country where the 
 expences of living are far greater than they 
 are even in London. 
 
 The hotel is a large building of brick, or- 
 namented with ftone; it (lands between the 
 president's houfe and the capitol. In the be- 
 ginning of the year 1796, when I lad faw it,, 
 it was roofed in, and every exertion making to 
 have it finiflied with the utmoft expedition. 
 
 It 
 
BUILDINGS. »5 
 It is any thing but beautiful. The capitol, 
 it the fame period, was railed only a very 
 Jitde way above the foundation. 
 
 The ftone, which the present's houfe is 
 built with, and fuch as will be ufed for all the 
 public buildings, is very fiffritar in appearance 
 to that found at Portland in England; but I 
 was informed by one of the fculptors, who 
 had frequently worked the Portland ftone in 
 England, that it is of a much fuperior qua- 
 iityi as k will bear to be cut as fine as mar- 
 bie, and is not liable to be injured by rain or 
 froft. On the banks of the Patowmac they 
 have inexhauftible quarries of this ftone; good 
 fpecimens of common marble have alfo been 
 found; and there is in various parts of the 
 river abundance of excellent (late, paving ftone, 
 and lime ftone. Good coal may alfo be had. 
 
 The private houfes are all plain buildings; 
 mod of them have been built on fpeculati?n, 
 and ftill remain empty. The greateft num- 
 ber, at any one place, is at Green Leafs 
 Point, on the main river, juft above the en- 
 trance of the eafte/n branch. This fpot has 
 been looked upon by many as the moil con- 
 venient one for trade ; but others prefer the 
 fliore of the eaftern branch, on account of the 
 fuperiority of the harbour, and the great depth 
 of the water near the (bore. There are 
 fcveral other favourite fituations, the choice 
 G 3 of 
 
6<g TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA : 
 
 of any one of which is a mere matter of {"pe- 
 culation at prefer) t. Some build near the ca- 
 pitol as the moil convenient place for the 
 refidence of members of congrefs, fbme near 
 the prefident's houfej others again prefer the 
 weft end of the city, in the neighbourhood of 
 George Town, thinking that as trade is al- 
 ready eftabliflied in that place, it muft be from 
 thence that it will extend into the city. Were 
 the houfes that have been built fituated in one 
 place all together, they would make a very 
 refpeftable appearance, but fcattered about as 
 they are., a fpeclator can fcarcely perceive any 
 thing like a town. Excepting the ftreets and 
 avenues, and a fmall part of the ground ad- 
 joining the public buildings, the whole place 
 is covered with trees. • To be under the lie- 
 cefiity of going through a deep w ood lor one 
 or two miles, perhaps, in order to fee a next 
 door neighbour, and in the fame city, is a cu- 
 rious, and, I believe, a novel circumftance. 
 The number of inhabitants in the city, in the 
 fpring of 1796, amounted to about five thou- 
 fand, including artificers, who formed by far 
 the largeft part of that number. Numbers 
 of ftrangers are continually pafiing and re- 
 pa fling through a place which affords fuch an 
 exteniive field for fpeculation. 
 
 In addition to what has already been faid 
 upon the fubjedt, I have only to obferve, that 
 
 notwith- 
 
CITY OF WASHINGTON. 87 
 rsotwithftandina: all that has been done at the 
 city, and the large fumsof money which have 
 been expended, there are numbers of people 
 in the United States, living to the north of the 
 Patowmac, particularly in Philadelphia, who 
 are ftill very adverfe to the removal of the feat 
 of government thither, and are doing all in 
 their power to check the progrefs of the build- 
 ings in the city, and to prevent the congrefs 
 from meeting there at the appointed time. In 
 the fpringof 1796, when I was lift on the fpot, 
 the building of the capitol was absolutely at 
 a ftand for want of money; the public lots 
 were at a very lew price, and the commiffioners 
 were unwilling to'difpofe of them; in ccn- 
 fequence they made an application to con- 
 grefs., praying the houfe to guaranty a loan of 
 three hundred thoufand dollars, without which 
 they could not go on wim the public buildings, 
 except they diipofed of the lots to great dif- 
 advantage, and to the ultimate injury of the 
 city ; fo flrong, however, was the opposition, x 
 that the petition was fuffered to he on the 
 table unattended to for many weeks ; nor was 
 the prayer of it complied with until a number 
 of gentlemen, that were very deeply interefied 
 in the improvement of the city, went round 
 to the different members, and made intereft 
 with them in perfon to give their affent to the 
 mealure. Thole .people, who areoppofed to the 
 building of the city of Washington maintain/ 
 G 4 that 
 
88 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA : 
 
 that it can never become a town of any im- 
 portance, and that all fuch as think to the 
 contrary have been led aftray by the reprefen- 
 tations of a few enthufiaftic perfons ; they go 
 fo far even as to affert, that the people to the 
 eaftward will never fubmit to fee the feat of 
 government removed fo far from them, and 
 the eongrefs affembled in a place little better 
 than a fore ft, where it will be impoffible to 
 procure information upon commercial points ^ 
 finally, they infift, that if the removal from 
 Philadelphia mould take place, a feparation of 
 the ftates will inevitably follow. This is the 
 language held forth % but their oppofition m 
 reality arifes from that jeaioufy which narrow 
 minded people in trade are but too apt to en- 
 tertain of each other when their interefts dam 
 together. Thefe people wi£h to prufb the city 
 of Washington while it is yet in its infancy, 
 becaufe they know, that if the feat of govern- 
 ment is transferred thither, the place will 
 thrive, and enjoy a confiderable portion of that 
 trade which is centered at prefentin Philadel- 
 phia, Baltimore, and New York. It is idle, 
 however, to imagine that this will injure their 
 different towns 5 on the contrary, although a 
 portion of that trade which they enjoy at pre- 
 fent mould be drawn from them, yet the in- 
 creafe of population in that part of the coun- 
 try, which they muft naturally fuppiy, will be 
 3 fuch, 
 
DISCONTENTS. S9 
 
 fuch, that their trade on the whole will, in all 
 probability, be found far more extenfive after 
 the federal city is eftablifhed than it ever was 
 before. 
 
 A large majority, however, of the people in 
 the United States is defirous that the removal 
 of the feat of government mould take place ; 
 and there is little doubt that it will take place 
 at the appointed time. The difcontents in* 
 deed, which an oppolite meafure would give 
 rife to in the fouth could not but be alarming, 
 and if they did not occafion a total reparation 
 of the fouthern from the northern dates, yet 
 they would certainly materially deftroy that 
 harmony which has hitherto exifted between- 
 them. 
 
90 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMtHlCA; 
 
 LETTER V. 
 
 \5W#? Account of Alexandria,, — Mount Vernon, 
 the Seat of General Washington. — Difficulty 
 of finding the Way thither through the Woods. 
 —Defcription of the Mount, and of the Views 
 from it. — Defcription of the Houfe and 
 Grounds. — Slaves at Mount Vernon. — 
 Thoughts thereon. — A Perfon at Mount Ver- 
 non to attend to Strangers. — Return to TVafij- 
 ington. 
 
 MY DEAR SIR, Waftlngton, December, 
 
 T^ROM Wafhington I proceeded to Alex- 
 andria, feven miles lower down the river, 
 , which is one of the neateft towns in*the United 
 States. The houfe s are moftly brick, and 
 many of them are extremely well built. The 
 flreets interfect each other at right angles; 
 they are commodious and well paved. Nine 
 friiles below this place, on the banks of the 
 Patowmac, ftands Mount Vernon, the feat of 
 General Washington ; the way to it, however, 
 from Alexandria, by land, is considerably far- 
 ther, on account of the numerous creeks which 
 fall into the Patowmac, and the mouths of 
 which it is impofiible to pafs near to. 
 
 Very thick woods remain ftanding within 
 four or five miles of the place; the roads 
 
 through 
 
MOUNT VERNON. 9I 
 
 through them are very bad, and fo many of 
 them crofs one another in different directions, 
 that it is a matter of very great difficulty to 
 find out the right one. I fet out from Alex- 
 andria with a gentleman who thought himfelf 
 perfectly well acquainted with the way; had 
 he been fo, there was ample time to have 
 reached Mount Vernon before the clofe of the 
 day, but night overtook us wandering about 
 in the woods. We did not perceive the vef- 
 tige of a human being to fet us right, and we 
 were preparing to pafs the night in the car- 
 riage, when luckily a light appeared at fome 
 diftance through the trees ; it was from a fmall 
 farm-hcafe, the only one in the way for feveral 
 miles; and having made our way to it, partly 
 in the carriage, partly on foot, we hired a ne- 
 gro for a guide, who conducted us to the place 
 of our deftination in about an hour. The next 
 morning I heard of a gentleman, who> a day 
 or two preceding, had been from ten o'clock 
 in the morning till four in the afternoon on 
 horfe-back, unable to find out the place, al- 
 though within three or four miles of it the 
 whole time, 
 
 The Mount is a high part of the bank of 
 the river, which rifes very abruptly about two 
 hundred feet above the level of the water. 
 The river before it is three miles wide, and 
 on the oppciite fide it forms a bay about the 
 
 fame . 
 
92 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 
 fame breadth, which extends for a confiderable 
 diftance up the country. This, at fir ft 
 fight, appears to be a continuation of the 
 river; but the Patowmac takes a very fudden 
 turn to the left, two or three miles above the 
 houfe, and is quickly loft to the view. Down- 
 wards, to the right, there is a profpccl: of it 
 for twelve miles. The Maryland lhore, on 
 the oppofite fide, is beautifully diverfified with 
 hills, which are moftly covered with wood ; 
 in many places, however, little patches of cul- 
 tivated ground appear, ornamented with houfes. 
 The fcenery altogether is moft delightful. 
 The houfe, which ftands about fixty yards from 
 the edge of the Mount, is of wood, cut and 
 painted fo as to refemble hewn ftone. The 
 rear is towards the river, at which fide is a 
 portico of ninety-fix feet in length, fupported 
 by eight pillars. The front is uniform, and at 
 a diftance looks tolerably well. The dwell- 
 ing houfe is in the center, and communicates 
 with the wings on either fide, by means of 
 covered ways, running in a curved direction. 
 Behind thefe wings, on the one fide, are the 
 different offices belonging to the houfe, and 
 alfo to the farm, and on the other, the cabins 
 for the Slaves*. In front, the breadth of the 
 
 whole 
 
 * Thefe are amongft the firft of the buildings which are 
 fcen on coming to Mount Vernon; and it is not without 
 
 altonifhment 
 
Xmtd cur 
 
 VlEWg/MOUNT VEKKON, the seat of GEN". WASHINGTON. 
 
M O UN -f VERNON. 05 
 tvhole building, is a lawn with a gravel walk 
 found it, planted with trees, and feparated by 
 
 hedges 
 
 aftoniihmcnt and regret they are furveyed by the ftranger, 
 whofe mind has duck with admiration upon the ineftimable 
 blefiings of liberty, whilft approaching the refidence of that 
 man who has diftinguiflied himfelf fo glorioufly in its caufe. 
 Kappy would it have been, if the man who Hood forth the 
 champion of a nation contending for its freedom, and whofe de- 
 claration to the whole world was, M That all men were created 
 " equal, and that they were endowed by their Creator with cer- 
 " tain unalienable rights, amongft the firft of which were life, 
 " liberty, and the purfuit of happinefs j" happy would it have 
 been, if this man could have been the firft to wave all interefted 
 views, to liberate his own (laves, and thus convince the people 
 he had fought for, that it was their duty, when they had 
 eltabliihed their own independence, to give freedom to thofe 
 whom they had themfelves held in bondage ! ! 
 
 Cut material objections, we mull fuppofe, appeared againft 
 fuch a mealure, otherwife, doubtlefs, General Washington 
 would have (hewn the glorious example. Perhaps he thought 
 it more for the general good, that the firft ftep for the eman- 
 cipation of flaves mould be taken by the legiflative afiembly ; 
 cr perhaps there was reafon to apprehend, that the enfranchife- 
 ment of his own Haves might be the caufe of infurredions 
 amongft others who were not liberated, a matter which could 
 not but be attended with evil confequences in a country where 
 the number of {laves exceeded that of freemen; however, it 
 does not appear that any mcafures have been purfued, eithe v 
 by private individuals or by the legillature in Virginia, for the 
 abolition of flavery ; neither have any fteps been taken for the 
 purpofe in Maryland, much Iefs in the more fouthera ftates ; 
 but in Pennfylvania and the reft, laws have pafled for its gra- 
 dual abolition. In thefe ftates the number of Haver, it is true, 
 was very fmall, and the meafure was therefore cafdy carried 
 into effect ; in the others then it will require more coniMe ration. 
 The plan, however, which has been adopted for the liberation 
 of the few has fucceeded well; why then not try it with a 
 larger number? I;" it does not anfwer, lx ill I cannot bat; Tup- 
 
94 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA : 
 hedges on either fide from the farm yard and 
 garden. As for the garden, it wears exactly 
 the appearance of a nurfery, and with every 
 thing about the place indicates that more at- 
 tention is paid to profit than to pleafure. The 
 ground in the rear of the houfe is alfolaid out 
 in a lawn, and the declivity of the Mount, 
 towards the water, in a deer park. 
 
 The rooms in the houfe are very fmall, 
 excepting one, which has been built fince the 
 clofe of the war for the purpofe of entertain- 
 ments. All of thefe are very plainly furniihed, 
 and in many cf them the furniture is drop- 
 ping to pieces. Indeed, the clofe attention 
 which General Washington has ever paid to 
 public affairs having obliged him to re fide 
 principally at Philadelphia, Mount Vernon has 
 confequently fufTered very materially. The 
 houfe and offices, with every other part of the 
 place, are out of repair, and the old part of the 
 building is in fuch a perifhable ftate, that I 
 have been told he willies he had pulled it en- 
 tirely down at firft, and built a new houfe, in- 
 stead 
 
 pofe that it might be fo modified as to be rendered applicable 
 to the enfranchifement of the number of ill-fated beings who 
 are enflaved in the fouthem parts of the country, let it be 
 ever fo large However, that there will- be an end to flavery 
 in the United States, on feme day or other, cannot be doubted ; 
 negroes will not remain deaf to the inviting call of liberty for 
 ever ; and if their avaricious opprefTors do not free them from 
 the galling yoke, they will liberate themfslves with a vengeance. 
 
MOUNT VERNON. 93 
 
 flead of making any addition to the old one. 
 The grounds in the neighbourhood are cul- 
 tivated; but the principal farms are at the dis- 
 tance of two or three miles. 
 
 As almoit every ftranger going through the 
 country makes a point of vifiting Mount Ver- 
 non, a perfon is kept at the houie during 
 General Washington's abfence, whofe folc 
 buhnefs it is to attend to ftrangers. Imme- 
 diately on our arrival every care was taken of 
 our horfes, beds were prepared, and an ex- 
 cellent fupper provided for us, with claret and 
 other wine, &c. 
 
 As the feafon was now too far advanced to 
 fee the country to advantage, I proceeded no 
 farther in Virginia than Mount Vernon, but 
 returned again to the city of Wafhington. 
 
[ 96 ] 
 
 LETTER VI. 
 
 Arrival at Philadelphia. — Some Obfervations on 
 the Climate of the Middle States. — Public 
 Carriages prevented from plying between Bal- 
 timore and Philadelphia by the Badnefs of the 
 Roads**— Left Baltimore during Frojt. — Met 
 with American Travellers on the Road. — 
 Their Behaviour preparatory to fitting off 
 from an Inn. — Arrival on the Banks of the 
 Sufqteehannah. — Parage of that River when 
 frozen over. — Dangerous Situation of the 
 Pajfengers. — American Travellers at the 
 T avern on the oppofite Side of the River. — 
 Their notfy Deputations* 
 
 MY DEAR SIR, Philadelphia, February. 
 
 A FTER having fpent fome weeks in 
 Washington, George Town, and Balti- 
 more, I fet out for this city, where I arrived 
 four days ago. 
 
 The months of October and November are 
 the moft agreeable, in the middle and fouth- 
 ern ftates, of any in the year - y the changes 
 in the weather are then lefs frequent, and 
 tor the moft part the air is temperate and the 
 fky ferene. During this year the air was fo 
 mild, that when I was at George Town, even 
 as late as the fecond week in December, it 
 
 was 
 
W I N D S. 27 
 was found pleaiant to keep the windows up 
 during dinner time. This, however, was an 
 unuiual circumftance. 
 
 In Maryland, before December was over, 
 there were a few cold days, and during Janu- 
 ary we had two or three different falls of 
 fnow| but for the moft part the weather re- 
 mained very mild until the latter end of Janu- 
 ary, when a fharp north-weft wind let in. 
 The keennefs cf this wind in winter is pro- 
 digious, and furpafTes every thing of the kind 
 which we have an idea of in England. When- 
 ever it blows, during the winter months, a 
 froft immediately takes place. In the courfe 
 of three days, in the pre lent inftance, the 
 Sufquehannah and Delaware rivers were frozen 
 over ; a fall of fnow took place, which re- 
 mained on the ground about two feet deep*, 
 and there was every appearance of a fevere 
 and tedious winter. Before five days, how- 
 ever, were over, the wind again changed, and 
 fo fudden was the thaw that the fnow difap- 
 peared entirely on the fecond day, and not a 
 veftige of the froft was to be feen, except- 
 ing in the rivers, where large pieces of ice re- 
 mained floating about. 
 
 It was about the middle cf December when 
 I reached Baltimore ; but I was deterred from 
 going on to Philadelphia, until the frofty 
 weather fhould fet in, by the badnefs of the 
 
 Vol, I. H roads; 
 
$8 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 roads; for they were in fuch a ftate, that even 
 the public ftages were prevented from plying 
 for the fpace of ten or twelve days. The 
 froft foon dried them, and rendered them as 
 good as in fummer. I fet out when it was 
 mo ft fevere. At day break, the morning after 
 I left Baltimore, the thermometer, according 
 to Farenheit, ftood at 7*. I never obferved it 
 fo low during any other part of the winter* 
 
 Several travellers had flopped at the fame 
 houfe that I did the firft night I was on the 
 road, and we all breakfafted together prepa- 
 ratory to fetting out the next morning. The 
 American travellers, before they purfued their 
 journey, took a hearty draught each, according 
 to cuflom, of egg-nog, a mixture compofed of 
 new milk, eggs, rum, and fugar, beat up to- 
 gether; they appeared to be at no fmali pains 
 alfo in fortifying themfelves againft the fe- 
 verity of the weather with great coats and 
 wrappers over each other, woollen focks and 
 trowfers over their boots, woollen mittens 
 over their gloves, and filk handkerchiefs tied 
 over their ears and mouths, &c. fo that no- 
 thing could be feen excepting their nofes and 
 their eyes. It was abfolutely a fubjedt of di- 
 verfion to me, and to a young gentleman ju-ft 
 arrived from the Weft Indies, who accom- 
 panied me from Baltimore, to fee the great 
 care with which they wrapped themfelves up, 
 
 for 
 
INTENSE COLD. 99 
 for we both found ourfelves fufficiently warm 
 in common clothing. It feems, however, to 
 be a matter generally allowed, that ftrangers, 
 even from the Weft Indies, unaccuftomed to 
 intenfe cold, do not fuffer fo much from the 
 feverity of the winter, the firft year of their, 
 arrival in America, as the white people who 
 have been born in the country. Every per- 
 fon that we met upon the road was wrapped 
 up much in the fame manner as the travel- 
 lers who breakfafted- with us, and had filk 
 handkerchiefs tied round their heads, fo as to 
 cover their mouths and ears. 
 
 About the middle of the day we arrived at 
 the Sufquehannah, and, as we expected to 
 find it, the riv^er was frozen entirely over. 
 In what manner we were to get acrofs was 
 now the queftion. The people at the ferry- 
 houfe were of opinion that the ice was not fuf- 
 ficiently ftrong to bear in every part of the 
 river ; at the fame time they laid, it was fo 
 very thick near the £hores, that it would be 
 impracticable to cut a paifage through it be- 
 fore the day was over ; however, as a great 
 number of travellers defirous of getting acrofs 
 was collected together, and as all of them 
 were much averfe to remaining at the ferry - 
 houfe till the next morning, by which time 
 it was fuppofed that the ice would be ftrong 
 enough to bear in every part, the people were 
 H 2 at 
 
i«© TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 
 at lafl over-ruled, and every thing was pre- 
 pared for cutting a way acrofs the river. 
 
 The paffengers were about twelve in num- 
 ber, with four horfes; the boat's crew con- 
 fined of feven blacks ; three of whom, with 
 large clubs, flood upon the bow of the boat* 
 and broke the ice, whilft the others, with 
 iron-headed poles, pufhed the boat forwards, 
 So very laborious was the tafk which the 
 men at the bow had to perform, that it was 
 necefTary for the others to relieve them every 
 ten minutes. At the end of half an hour 
 their hands, arms, faces, and hats, were glazed 
 entirely over with a thick coat of ice, formed 
 from the water which was dafhed up by the 
 reiterated -ftrokes of their clubs. Two hours 
 elapfed before one half of the way was broken ; 
 the ice was found much thicker than had been 
 imagined ; the clubs were fhivered to pieces ; 
 the men were quite exhaufted; and having 
 fuffcred the boat to remain ftationary for a 
 minute or two in a part where the ice was 
 remarkably thick, it was frozen up, fo that 
 the utmoft exertions of the crew and paffen- 
 gers united were unable to extricate it. In 
 this predicament a council was held ; it was 
 impoffible to move either backward or for- 
 ward ; the boat was half a mile from the 
 fhorej no one .would attempt to walk there 
 on the ice; to remain all night in the boat 
 
 would 
 
THE S US QU EH ANN AH. " 10! 
 
 would be death. Luckily I had a pair of piftols 
 in my holfters, and having fired a few fignals, 
 the attention of the people on more was at- 
 tracted towards us, and a fmall batteau, which 
 is a light boat with a flat bottom, was dif- 
 patched for our relief. This was not fent, 
 however, for the purpofe of bringing a fingle 
 perfon back again, but to afflfl us in getting 
 to the oppofite more. It was flipped along 
 a-head of the large boat, and two or three 
 men having flepped into it, rooked it about 
 from fide to fide until the ice was fuffkientlv 
 broken for the large boat to follow. The bat- 
 teau was now in the w r ater, and the men feat- 
 ing thenifelves as much as poflible towards 
 the ftern, by fo doing raifed the bow of it 
 confiderably above the ice ; by means of boat 
 hooks it was then pulled on the ice again, and 
 by rocking it about as before a paflage w r as 
 as ealily opened. In this manner we got on, 
 and at the end of three hours and ten minutes 
 found ourfelves again upon dry land, fully pre- 
 pared for enjoying the pleafures of a bright 
 firefide and a good dinner. The people at the 
 tavern had feen us coming acrofs, and had 
 accordingly prepared for our reception ; and as 
 each individual thought he had travelled quite 
 far enough that day, the paflengers remained 
 together till the next morning. 
 
 H 3 At 
 
i02 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 
 At the American taverns, as I before men- 
 tioned, all forts of people, juft as they happen 
 to arrive, are crammed together into the one 
 room 3 where they muft reconcile themfelves 
 to each other the belt way they can. On the 
 prefent occafion, the company confided of 
 about thirteen people, amongft whom were 
 fome eminent lawyers from Virginia and the 
 fouthward, together with a judge of the fu- 
 preme court, who were going to Philadel- 
 phia againft the approaching ieffions : it was 
 not, however, till after I quitted their com- 
 pany that I heard who they were ; for thefe 
 kind of gentlemen in America are fo very 
 plain, both in their appearance and manners, 
 that a ftranger would not fufpecl that they 
 were perfons of the confequence which they 
 really are in the country. There were alfo 
 in the company two or three of the neigh- 
 bouring farmers, booriih, ignorant, and oh-- 
 trulive fellows. It is fcarcely pofiible for a 
 dozen Americans to fit together without 
 quarrelling about politics ; and the Britifh 
 treaty, which had juft been ratified, now 
 gave rife to a long and acrimonious debate. 
 The farmers were of one opinion, and gab- 
 hied away for a long time ; the lawyers and 
 the judge were of another, and in turns they 
 rofe to anfwer their opponents with all the 
 power of rhetoric which they poffefled. 
 
 Neither 
 
DISPUTATIONS. 
 
 Neither party could fay any thing to change 
 the fentiments of the other one ; the noify con- 
 teft lafted till late at night, when getting 
 heartily tired they withdrew, not to their re- 
 fpe&ive chambers, but to the general one that 
 held five or fix beds, and in which they laid 
 down in pairs. Here the converfation was 
 again revived, and purfued with as much noife 
 as below, till at laft fleep clofed their eyes, and 
 happily their mouths at the fame time ; for 
 could they have talked in their fleep, I verily 
 believe they would have prated on until morn- 
 ing. Thanks to our ftars ! my friend and 
 I got the only two-bedded room in the houfe 
 to ourfelves. The next morning I left the 
 banks of the Sufquehannah; and the fucceed- 
 ing day reached Philadelphia. 
 
 H 4 
 
104 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 
 LETTER VII. 
 
 Philadelphia gayer in the Winter than at any 
 other Seafon.— Celebration in that City of 
 General JVafiingto?2 s Birth Day. — Some 
 Account of General Waflnngton s Per/on and 
 of his Characler. — Americans dijjatisfied "with 
 his Conduct as Prejident. — if Spirit of Dif- 
 fatisfac~lion common amongjl them. 
 
 MY DEAR SIR, Philadelphia, February. 
 
 PHILADELPHIA now wears a very 
 different afpecl: to what it did when I 
 landed there in the month of November. 
 Both congrefs and the ftate aflembly are fit- 
 ting, as well as the fupreme federal court. 
 The city is full of Grangers y the theatres are 
 open ; and a variety of public and private 
 amufements are going forward. On General 
 Wafhington's birth day, which was a few days 
 ago, this city was unufually gay * - y every per- 
 
 foil 
 
 # On this day General Walhington terminated liis fixty- 
 fourth year ; but though not an unhealthy man, he Teemed 
 confiderably older. The innumerable vexations he has met 
 with in his different public capacities have very fenfibly im- 
 paired the vigour of his conftitution,and given him an aged ap- 
 pearance. There is a very material difference, however, in his 
 looks when feen in private and when he appears in public full 
 
GENERAL WASHINGTON. iq$ 
 ton of confequence in it, Quakers alone ex- 
 cepted, made it a point to vifit the General ou 
 
 this 
 
 dreft; in the latter cafe the hand of art makes up for the ra- 
 vages of time, and he feems many years younger. 
 
 T'ew perfons find themfelves for the firft ii«ie in the pre- 
 fence of General Wamington, a man fo renowned in the pre- 
 ient day for his wifdom and moderation, and whole name will 
 be tranfmitted with fuch honour topofterity, without being im ■ 
 prefled with a certain degree of veneration and awe; nor do 
 thefe emotions fubfide on a closer acquaintance; on the con- 
 trary, his perfon and deportment are fuch as rather tend to 
 augment them. There is fomething very aultere in his conn* 
 tenance, and in his manners he is uncommonly referved. I 
 have heard fome officers* that ferved immediately under his com- 
 mand during the American war, fay, that they never faw him 
 fmile during ail the time that they were with him. No man has 
 ever yet been connected with him by the reciprocal and un- 
 constrained ties 0:" friendship; and but a few can boalL even of 
 having been on an eafv and familiar footing with him. 
 
 The height of his perfon is about five feet eleven; his chefc 
 is full ; and his limbs, though rather flender, well fhaped, and 
 jnufcular. His head is fmall, in which refpeel he refembles the 
 make of a great number of his countrymen. His eyes are of a 
 light grey colour; and, in proportion to the length of his face, 
 his noie is long. Mr. Stewart, the eminent portrait painter, 
 told me, that there are features in his face totally diifere^tt 
 from what he ever obferved in that of any other human being; 
 the fockets for the eyes, for inilance, are larger than what ne 
 ever met with before, and the upper part of the nofe broader* 
 All his features, he obferved, were indicative of the ftrongeft 
 and moll ungovernable pafllons, and had he been born in the 
 forelb, it was his opinion that he would have been the hercei 
 man amongft the favage tribes. In this, Mr. Stewart has given 
 a proof of his great difcernment and intimate knowledge of 
 the human countenance; for although Genera] Washington 
 has been extolled for his great moderation and calmnefs, during 
 the very trying fituatioris in which he has fo often been placed, 
 yet thofe who have been acquainted with him the longed and 
 
 mcii . 
 
!C 6 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA : 
 
 this day. As early as eleven o'clock in the 
 morning he was prepared to receive them, 
 
 and 
 
 moft intimately, fay, that he is by nature a man of a fierce and 
 irritable difpofition, but that, like Socrates, his judgment and 
 great felf-command have always made him appear a man of a 
 different caft in the eyes of the world. He fpeaks with great 
 diffidence, and fometimes hefitates for a word ; but it is always 
 to find one particularly well adapted to his meaning. His 
 language is manly and expreflive. At levee, his difcourfe with 
 Grangers turns principally upon the fubject of America; and 
 if they have been through any remarkable places, his conver- 
 fation is free and particularly interefting, as he is intimately 
 acquainted with every part of the country. He is much more 
 open and nee in his behaviour at levee than in private, and in 
 the company of ladies Hill more fo than when folely with men. 
 
 General Waflungton gives no public dinners or other en- 
 tertainments, except to thofe who are in diplomatic capacities, 
 and to a few families on terms of intimacy with Mrs. Warning- 
 ton. Strangers, with whom he wifhes to have fome conver- 
 sation about agriculture, or any fuch fubjeft, are fometimes in- 
 vited to tea. This by many is attributed to his faving difpo- 
 fition; but it is more juft to afcribe it to his prudence r.nd fore- 
 fight; for as the falary of the prefident, as I have before ob- 
 ierved, is very fmall, and totally inadequate by itfelf to fupport 
 an expenfive flyle of life, were he to give numerous and fplen- 
 did entertainments, the fame might poffibly be expecled from 
 iubfequent prefidents, who, if their private fortunes were not 
 confiderable, would be unable to live in the fame ityle, and 
 might be expofed to many ill-natured obfervations, from the 
 relinquifhment of what the people had been accuftomed to; it 
 is moft likely alfo that General Wafhington has been actuated 
 by thefe motives, becaufe in his private capacity at Mount 
 Vernon every flranger meets with z hofpitable reception from 
 him. 
 
 General Washington's felf-moderation is well known to the 
 world already. It is a remarkable circumftance, which re- 
 4ounds to his eternal honour, that while prefident of the United 
 
 States 
 
GENERAL WASHINGTON. 107 
 and the audience lafted till three in the after- 
 noon. The fociety of the Cincinnati, the 
 clergy, the officers of the militia, and feveral 
 others, who formed a distinct body of citizens, 
 came by themfelvcs feparately. The foreign 
 minifters attended in their richefr. dreffes and 
 moft fplendid equipages. Two large parlours 
 were open for the reception of the gentlemen, 
 the windows of one of which towards the ftreec 
 were crowded with fpeclators on the outride. 
 The fideboard was furnifhed with cake and 
 wines, whereof the vifitors partook. I never 
 obferved fo much cheerfulnefs before in the 
 countenance of General Washington ; but it 
 was impoffible for him to remain infenfible to 
 the attention and the compliments paid to him 
 on this occafion. 
 
 The ladies of the city, equally attentive, 
 paid their refpects to Mrs. Washington, who 
 received them in the drawing room up itaits. 
 After having vifited the General, moll of the 
 gentlemen alfo waited upon her. A public 
 ball and fupper terminated the rejoicings of 
 the day. 
 
 Not one town of any importance was there 
 in the whole union, where fome meeting did 
 
 not 
 
 States he never appointed one of his own relations to any office 
 of truft or emolument, although he has feveral that are men 
 of abilities, and well qualified to fill the moll important Rations 
 in the government. 
 
JC3 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 not take place in honour of this day; yet 
 lingular as it may appear, there are people in 
 the country, Americans too, foremoft in boaft- 
 ing to other nations of that conftitution, which 
 has been raifed for them by his valour and 
 wifdom, who are either fo infenfible to his 
 merit, or fo totally devoid of every generous 
 fentiment, that they can refufe to join in com- 
 mendations of thofe talents to which they are 
 fo much indebted •> indeed to fuch a length 
 has this perverfe fpirit been carried, that I 
 have myfelf feen numbers of men, in all other 
 points men of re fpect ability, that have pe- 
 remptorily refufed even to pay him the fmall 
 compliment of drinking to his health after 
 dinner ; it is true indeed, that they qualify 
 their conduct partly by averting, that it is 
 only as prefident of the United States, and not 
 as General Washington, that they have a dif- 
 like to him; but this is only a mean fubter- 
 fugc, which they are forced to have recourfe 
 to, left their conduct fhould appear too 
 iirongly marked with ingratitude. During the 
 war there were many, and not loyalifls .either, 
 who were doing all in their power to remove 
 him from that command whereby he fo emi- 
 nently diftinguiihed himfelf. It is the fpirit of 
 diffatisfaction which forms a leading trait in 
 the character of the Americans as a people, 
 which produces this malevolence at prefent, 
 
 juft 
 
[ I0 9 ] 
 
 juft as it did formerly - y and if their public af- 
 fairs were regulated by a pc:rfon lent from 
 heaven, I firmly believe his acts, in (lead of 
 meeting with univerfal approbation, would 
 by many be considered as deceitful and flagi- 
 tious. 
 
 LETTER VIII. 
 
 Singular Mildncfs of the Winter of 1795-6. — 
 Set out for Lancafler. — Turnpike Road be- 
 tween that Place and Philadelphia. — Sum- 
 mary View of the State of Pennfyhania.— 
 Defcription of the Farms between Lancafter 
 and Philadelphia. — The Farmers live m a 
 penurious Style. — Greatly inferior* to Fngiif 
 Farmers* — Bad Taverns on this Road. — 
 Waggons and Waggoners. — Cujloms of the 
 latter. — Defcription of Lanca/ler.— Lately 
 made the Seat of the State Government. — - 
 Manufactures carried on there.* — Rifle Guns — 
 Great Dexterity with which the A??ier leans 
 ufe them. — Anecdote of two Virginian Sol- 
 diers belonging to a Rifle Regiment. 
 
 MY DEAR SIR, Lancafter, March. 
 
 ^jpHIS winter has proved one of the mildefc 
 that has ever been experienced in the 
 country. During the laft month there were 
 two or three (light tails of fhow, but in no 
 
 one * 
 
no TRAVELS THROUGH KORTH AMERICA; 
 
 one inftance did it remain two days on the 
 ground. A fmart froft fet in, the firft week 
 of this month, and fnow fell to the depth of 
 fix or feven inches; but on the third day a 
 fudden thaw came on, and it quickly difap- 
 peared : fince then the weather has remained 
 uncommonly mild. The feafon being fo fine, 
 and fo favourable for travelling, I was unwil- 
 ling to ftay at Philadelphia ; accordingly I fet 
 out for this place on horfeback, and arrived 
 here laft night, at the end of the fecond day's 
 journey. From hence I intend to proceed 
 towards the fouth, to meet the approaching 
 fpring. 
 
 The road between Philadelphia and Lan- 
 carter has lately undergone a thorough repair, 
 and tolls are levied upon it, to keep it in order, 
 under the direction of a company. When- 
 ever thefe tolls afford a profit of more than 
 fifteen per cent, on the ftock originally fub- 
 fcribed for making the road, the company is 
 bound, by an acl of affembly, to leffen them. 
 This is the firft attempt to have a turnpike 
 road in Pennfylvania, and it is by no- means 
 relifhed by the people at large, particularly by 
 the waggoners, who go in great numbers by 
 this route to Philadelphia from the back parts 
 of the ftate. 
 
 The ftate of Pennfylvania lies nearly in the 
 form of a parallelogram, whofe greateft length 
 
 is 
 
V 
 
 ROADS. in 
 is from eaft to weft. This parallelogram is 
 croffed diagonally from the north-eaft to the 
 fouth-wefl by feveral different ridges of 
 mountains, which are about one hundred miles 
 in breadth. The valleys between thefe ridges 
 contain a rich black foil, and in the fouth- 
 weft and north-eaft angles alio, at the outfide 
 of the mountains, the foil is very good. The 
 northern parts of this ftate are but very thinly 
 inhabited as yet, but towards the fouth, the 
 whole way from Philadelphia to Pittfburgh, it 
 is well fettled. The moft populous part of it 
 is the fouth-eaft corner, which lies between 
 the mountains and the river Delaware ; through 
 this part the turnpike road paries which leads 
 to Lancafter. The country on each fide of 
 the road is pleafingly diverfified with hill and 
 dale. Cultivation is chiefly confined to the 
 low lands, which are the richeft ; the hills are 
 all left covered with wood, and afford a pleaf- 
 ing variety to the eye. The further you go 
 from Philadelphia the more fertile is the coun- 
 try, and the more pi&urefque at the fame 
 time. 
 
 On the whole road from Philadelphia to 
 Lancafter, there are not any two dwellings 
 ftanding together, excepting at a fmall place 
 called Downing's Town, which lies about mid- 
 way; numbers of farm houfes, however, are 
 fcattered over the country as far as the eye- 
 can 
 
H2 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 
 can reach. Thefe houfes are moftly built of 
 {tone, and are about as good as thofe ufually 
 met with on an arable farm of fifty acres in 
 a well cultivated part of England. The 
 farms attached to thefe houfes contain about 
 two hundred acres each, and are, with a few 
 exceptions only, the property of the pcrfons 
 who cultivate them. In the cultivated parts 
 of Pennsylvania the farms rarely exceed three 
 hundred acres ; towards the north, however, 
 where the fettlements are but few, large tracls 
 of land are in the hands of individuals, who 
 are fpeculators and land jobbers. Adjoining 
 to the houfes there is generally a peach or an 
 apple orchard. With the fruit they make 
 cyder and brandy ; the people have a method 
 alfo of drying the peaches and apples, after 
 having fliced them, in the fun, and thu^ cured 
 : they laft all the year round. They are ufed 
 for pies and puddings, but they have a very 
 acrid tafte, and fcarcely any of the original 
 flavour of the fruit. The peaches in their beft 
 frate are but indifferent, being fmall and dry ; 
 I never eat any that were good, excepting fuch 
 as were raifed with care in gardens. It is faid 
 that the climate is fo much altered, that they 
 will not grow now as they formerly dido 
 In April and May nightly frofts are very com- 
 mon, which were totally unknown formerly* 
 and frequently the peaches are entirely blighted* 
 
 Gardens 
 
FARMS. 113 
 
 Gardens are very rare in the country parts of 
 Pennsylvania, for the farmers think the labour 
 which they require does not afford fufficient 
 profit; in the neighbourhood of towns, how- 
 ever, they are common, and the culinary ve- 
 getables raifed in them, are equal to any of 
 their refpective kinds in the world, potatoes 
 excepted, which generally have an earthy un- 
 pleafant tafte. 
 
 Though the fouth-eaft part of the ftate 
 of Pennfylvania is better cultivated than any 
 other part of America, yet the ftyle of farm- 
 ing is on the whole very flovenly, I venture, 
 indeed, to affert, that the farmers do not raife 
 more on their two hundred acres than a fkil * 
 ful farmer in Norfolk, Suffolk, or EfTex, or 
 in any well cultivated part of England, would 
 do on fifty acres of good land there. The far- 
 mer alfo, who rents fifty acres of arable land 
 in England, lives far more comfortably in 
 every refpeft than the farmer in Pennfylvania, 
 or in any other of the middle flates, who owns 
 two hundred acres of land; his houfe will be 
 found better furniflied, and his table more 
 plentifully covered. That the farmers do 
 not live better in America, I hardly know 
 whether to afcribe to their love of making 
 money, or to their real indifference about bet- 
 ter fare ; perhaps it may be owing, in fome 
 
 Vol. I. I - meafure, 
 
1X4 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA r 
 meafure, to both ; certain it is however, that 
 their mode of living is moft wretched. 
 
 The taverns throughout this part of the 
 country are kept by farmers, and they are all 
 very indifferent. If the traveller can procure 
 a few eggs with a little bacon, he ought to 
 reft fatisfied ; it is twenty to one that a bit of 
 frem meat is to be had, or any falted meat 
 except pork. Vegetables feem alfo to be very 
 fcarce, and when you do get any, they ge- 
 nerally confift of turnips, or turnip tops boiled 
 by way of greens. The bread is heavy and 
 four, though they have as fine flour as any in 
 the world ; this is owing to their method of 
 making it ; they raife it with what they call 
 Jots — hops and water boiled together. No 
 dependance is to be placed upon getting a 
 man at thefe taverns to rub down your horfe, 
 or even to give him his food ; frequently there- 
 fore you will have to do every thing of the 
 kind for yourfelf, if you do not travel with a 
 fervant j and indeed, even where men are kept 
 for the purpofe of attending to ' travellers, 
 which at fome of the taverns is the cafe, 
 they are lb fijllen and difobliging that you feel 
 inclined to do every thing with your own 
 hands, rather than be indebted to them for their 
 afliftance : they always appear doubtful whe- 
 ther they mould do any thing for you or not, 
 
 and 
 
WAGGONS. i!$ 
 
 iind to be reafoning within themfelves, whe- 
 ther it is not too great a departure from the 
 rules of equality to take the horie of another 
 man, and whether it would not be a pleating 
 fight to fee a gentleman ftrip off his coat, and 
 go to work for himfelf ; nor will money make 
 them alter their conduct; civility, as I before 
 faid, is not to be purchafed at any expence in 
 America ; neverthelefs the people will pocket 
 your money with the utmoft readinefs, though 
 without thanking you for it. Of all beings 
 on the earth, Americans are the moft interefted 
 and covetous. 
 
 It is fcarcely poffible to go one mile on 
 this road without meeting numbers of wag- 
 gons paffing and repairing between the back 
 parts of the ftate and Philadelphia. Thefe 
 waggons are commonly drawn by four or five 
 horfes, four of which are yoked in pairs. The, 
 waggons are heavy, the horfes final], and the 
 driver unmerciful ; the confequence of which 
 is, that in every team, nearly, there is a horie 
 either lame or blind. The Pennfylvanians are 
 notorious for the bad care which they take of 
 their horfes. Excepting the night be tempef- 
 tuous, the waggoners never put their horfes 
 under (helter, and then it is only under a llied ; 
 each tavern is ufually provided with a large 
 one for the purpofe. Market or High-ftreet, 
 in Philadelphia, the ftreet by which thefe peo- 
 
 I 2 pie 
 
n6 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA : 
 pie come into the town, is always crowded' 
 with waggons and horfes, that are left {land- 
 ing there all night. This is to fave money ; 
 the expence of putting them into a liable,, 
 would be too great, in the opinion of thefe 
 people. Food for the horfes is always carried 
 in the waggon, and the moment they ftop they 
 are unyoked, and fed whilft they are warm* 
 By this treatment, half the poor animals are 
 foundered. The horfes are fed out of a large- 
 trough carried for the purpofe, and fixed on 
 the pole of the waggon by means of iron 
 pins. 
 
 Lancafler is the largefl inland town in 
 North America, and contains about nine hun- 
 dred houfes, built chiefly of brick and flone,. 
 together with fix churches, a court houfe, and 
 gaol. Of the churches, there is one refpec- 
 tively for German Lutherans, German Cal- 
 vinifts, Moravians, Engliih Epifcopalians, and 
 Roman Catholics. The ftreets are laid out 
 regularly, and crofs each other at right 
 angles. 
 
 An act of affembly has been palled, for 
 making this town the feat of the flate govern- 
 ment inflead of Philadelphia, and the affembly 
 was to meet in the year 1797. This circum* 
 fiance is much in favour of the improvement 
 of the town. The Philadelphians, inimical to 
 the meafure, talked of it much in the fame 
 
 ftyla 
 
RIFLE GUNS. 117 
 ftyje that they do now of the removal of the 
 feat of the federal government, faying, that it 
 muft be again changed to Philadelphia ; but 
 the neceffity of having the feat of the le- 
 giflature as central as poffible in each ftate is 
 obvious, and if a change does take place again, 
 it is moft likely that it will only be to remove 
 the feat ftill farther from Philadelphia. On 
 •the fame principle, the aflembly of Virginia 
 meets now at Richmond inftead of Williamf- 
 burgh, and that of New York ftate, at Albany 
 inftead of the city of New York. 
 
 Several different kinds of articles are ma- 
 nufactured at Lancafter by German mecha- 
 nics, individually, principally for the people of 
 the town and the neighbourhood. Rifled bar- 
 rel guns however are to be excepted, which, 
 although not as handfome as thofe im- 
 ported from England, are more efteemed by 
 the hunters, and are lent to every part of the 
 country. 
 
 The rifled barrel guns, commonly ufed in 
 America, are nearly of the length of a mufket,, 
 and carry leaden bails from the fize of thirty 
 to fixty in the pound. Some hunters prefer 
 thofe of a fmall bore, becaufe they require but 
 little ammunition •> others prefer fuch as have 
 a wide bore, becaufe the wound which they 
 inflict is more certainly attended with death; 
 the wound, however, made by a ball dif- 
 
 1 3 charged 
 
nt TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 
 charged from one of thefe guns, is always very 
 dangerous. The infide of the barrel is fluted, 
 and the grooves run in a fpiral direction from 
 one end of the barrel to the other, confe- 
 duentiy when the ball comes out it has a 
 whirling motion round its own axis, at the 
 fame time that it moves forward, and when 
 it enters into the body of an animal, it tears up 
 the fle/h in a dreadful manner. The beft of 
 powder is chofen for a rifle barrel gun, and 
 after a proper portion of it is put down the 
 barrel, the ball is inclofed in a fmall bit of 
 linen rag, well greafed at the outfide, and 
 then forced down with a thick ramrod. The 
 greafe and the bits of rag, which are called 
 patches, are carried in a little box at the but- 
 end of the gun. The beft rifles are furnimed 
 with two triggers, one of which being firft 
 pulled fets the other, that is, alters the fpring, 
 fothat it will yield even to the flight touch of 
 a feather. They are alfo furnimed with dou- 
 ble fights along the barrel, as fine as thofe of 
 a furveying inftrument. An experienced 
 markfman, with one of thefe guns, will hit 
 an object not larger than a crown piece, to a 
 certainty, at the diftance of one hundred yards* 
 Two men belonging to the Virginia rifle re- 
 giment, a large divifion of which was quar- 
 tered in this town during the war, had fuch a 
 
 dependance 
 
RIFLE GUNS. , 119 
 
 dependance on each others dexterity, that the 
 one would hold a piece of board, not more 
 than nine inches fquare, between his knees, 
 whilft the other mot at it with a ball at the 
 diftance of one hundred paces. This they 
 ufed to do alternately, for the amufement of 
 the town's people, as often as they were cal- 
 led upon. Numbers of people in Lancafter 
 can vouch for the truth of this fact. Were 
 I, however, to tell you all the ftories I have 
 heard of the performances of riflemen, you 
 would think the people were moft abominably 
 addicted to lying. A rifle gun will not carry 
 ihot, nor will it carry a ball much farther than 
 one hundred yards with certainty. 
 
[ 120 ] 
 
 LETTER IX. 
 
 Number of Germans in the Neighbourhood of 
 
 York and Lane after.— How brought over.- 
 
 White Slave Trade. — Cruelty frequently prac- 
 tifed in the carrying it on. — Character of the 
 German Settlers contrajied with that of the 
 Americans. -^—PaJJage of the Sufquehannah 
 between York and Lane after .—Great Beauty 
 of the Pro/peels along the River.- — Defer ip- 
 tion of York, — Courts of Jufice there. — Of 
 the Pennfylvanian Syftem of Judicature. 
 
 MY DEAR SIR, York, March. 
 
 J Arrived at this place, which is about twenty 
 miles diftant from Lancafter, yefterday. 
 The inhabitants of this town, as well as thofe 
 of Lancafter and of the adjoining country, 
 confift principally of Dutch and German emi- 
 grants, and their defcendants. Great num- 
 bers of thefe people emigrate to America every 
 year, and the importation of them forms a 
 very confiderable branch of commerce. They 
 are for the moft part brought from rhe Hanfe 
 Towns and from Rotterdam. The veffels fail 
 thither from America, laden with different 
 kinds of produce, and the mafters of them, 
 on arriving there, entice on board as many of 
 thefe people as they can perfuade to leave 
 
 their 
 
WHITE SLAVE TRADE.* 121 
 
 their native country, without demanding any 
 money for their paffage. When the veflel 
 arrives in America, an advertifement is put 
 into the paper, mentioning the different kinds 
 of men on board, whether fmiths, tailors, 
 carpenters, labourers, or the like, and the peo- 
 ple that are in want of fuch men flock down 
 to the veflel ; thefe poor Germans are then fold 
 to the higheft bidder, and the captain of the 
 veflel, or the fhip holder, puts the money into 
 his pocket*. 
 
 There have been many very {hocking in- 
 ftances of cruelty in the carrying on of this 
 trade, vulgarly called " The white flave 
 " trade." I ftiall tell you but of one. While 
 the yellow fever was raging in Philadelphia in 
 the year 1793, at which time few veffels would 
 venture to approach nearer to the city than 
 Fort Mifflin, four miles below it, a captain in 
 the trade arrived in the river, and hearing that 
 fuch was the fatal nature of the infection, that 
 a fufficient number of nurfes could not be 
 procured to attend the fick for any fum what- 
 ever, he conceived the philanthropic idea of 
 fupplying this deficiency from amongft his 
 paflengers ; accordingly he boldly failed up to 
 the city, and advertifed his cargo for fale: 
 
 * A few 
 
 * Thoufands of people were brought from the north of Ire- 
 land in the fame way before the war with France. 
 
122 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 
 *' A few healthy fervants, generally between 
 M feventeen and eighteen years of age, are juft 
 
 ft arrived in the brig ~, their times will 
 
 " be difpofed of by applying on board." The 
 cargo, as you may fuppofe, did not remain 
 long unfold. This anecdote was communi- 
 cated to me by a gentleman, who has the ori- 
 ginal advertifement in his polTeffion. 
 
 When I tell you that people are fold in this 
 manner, it is not to be underftood that they 
 are fold for ever, but only for a certain num- 
 ber of years ; for two, three, four, or five years, 
 according to their refpedtive merits. A good 
 mechanic, that underftands a particular kind 
 of trade, for which men are much wanted in 
 America, has to ferve a fhorter time than a 
 mere labourer, as more money will be given 
 for his time, and the expence of his prifage 
 does not exceed that of any other man. Dur- 
 ing their fervitude, thefe people are liable to 
 be refold at the caprice of their matters ; they 
 are as much under dominion as negro flaves, 
 and if they attempt to run away, they may be 
 imprifoned like felons. The laws refpecling 
 " redemptioners," fo are the men called that 
 are brought over in this manner, were ground- 
 ed on thofe formed for the Englifh convicts 
 before the revolution, and they are very fevere. 
 
 The Germans are a quiet, fober, and induf- 
 trious fet of people, and are moft valuable 
 
 citizens, 
 
GERMAN SETTLERS. 123 
 citizens. They generally fettle a good many 
 together in one place, and, as may be fup- 
 pofed, in confequence keep up many of the 
 cuftoms of their native country as well as their 
 own language. In Lancafter and the neigh- 
 bourhood, German is the prevailing language, 
 and numbers of people living there are ig- 
 norant of any other. The Germans are fome 
 of the beft farmers in the United States, and 
 they feldom are to be found but where the 
 land is particularly good; wherever they fettle 
 they build churches, and are wonderfully at- 
 tentive to the duties of religion. In thefe and 
 many other refpedts the Germans and their 
 defcendants differ widely from the Americans, 
 that is, from the defcendants of the Englifh, 
 Scotch, Irifh, and other nations, who from 
 having lived in the country for many genera- 
 tions, and from having mingled together, now 
 form one people, whofe manners and habits 
 are very much the fame. 
 
 The Germans are a plodding race of men, 
 wholly intent upon their own bufinefs, and 
 indifferent about that of others : a ftranger is 
 never molefted as he paffes through their fet- 
 tlements with inquifitive and idle queftions. 
 On arriving amongft the Americans**, how- 
 ever, 
 
 * In fpeaking of the Americans here, and in the following 
 lines, it is thofe of the lower and middling claffes of the people 
 which I allude to, fuch as are met with in the country parts 
 of Pennfylvania. 
 
H\ TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA : 
 
 ever, a ftranger muft tell where he came from, 
 where he is going, what his name is, what his 
 bufinefs is; and until he gratifies their curiofity 
 on thefe points, and many others of equal im- 
 portance, he is never fuffered to remain quiet 
 for a moment. In a tavern, he rnuft fatisfy 
 every frefh fet that comes in, in the fame 
 manner, or involve himfelf in a quarrel, efpe- 
 cially if it is found out that he is not a native, 
 which it does not require much fagacity to 
 difcover. 
 
 The Germans give themfelves but little 
 trouble about politics ; they elect their repre- 
 fentatives to ferve in congrefs and the flate 
 aflemblies; and fatisfied that deferving men 
 have been chofen by the people at large, they 
 truft that thefe men do what is beft for the 
 public good, and therefore abide patiently by 
 their decifions : they revere the conftitution, 
 confcious that they live happily under it, and 
 exprefs no wifhes to have it altered. The 
 Americans, however, are for ever cavilling at 
 fome of the public meafures ; fome thing or 
 other is always wrong, and they never appear 
 perfectly fatisfied. If any great meafure is 
 before congrefs for difcuffion, feemingly dif- 
 truftful of the abilities or the integrity of the 
 men they have elected, they meet together in 
 their towns or diftrifts, canvafs the matter 
 themfelves, and then fend forward inftrudtions 
 I * to 
 
GERMAN SETTLERS. tzj 
 
 to their reprefentatives how to act. They 
 never confider that any important queftion is 
 more likely to meet with a fair difcuffion in aa 
 aflembly, where able men are collected toge- 
 ther from all parts of the ftates, than in an 
 obfcure corner, where a few individuals are 
 affembled, who have no opportunity of get- 
 ting general information on the fubjedt. Party 
 fpirit is for ever creating diffentions amongft 
 them, and one man is continually endeavour- 
 ing to obtrude his political creed upon another* 
 If it is found out that a flranger is from Great 
 Britain or Ireland, they immediately begin to 
 boaft of their own conftitution and freedom, 
 and give him to underfland, that they think 
 every Englifhman a Have, becaufe he fubmits 
 to be called a fubjedt. Their opinions are for 
 the moft part crude and dogmatical, and prin- 
 cipally borrowed from newfpapers, which are 
 wretchedly compiled from the pamphlets of 
 the day; having read a few of which, they 
 think themfelves arrived at the fummit of 
 intellectual excellence, and qualified for 
 making the deepeft political refearches. 
 
 The Germans, as I have faid, are fond of 
 fettling near each other : when the young men 
 of a family are grown up, they generally en- 
 deavour to get a piece of land in the neigh- 
 bourhood of their relations, and by their in- 
 duftry foon make it valuable; the American, 
 
 on 
 
i%6 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA f 
 
 on the contrary, is of a roving difpofition, and 
 wholly regardlefs of the ties of confanguinity ; 
 he takes his wife with him, goes to a diftant 
 part of the country, and buries himfelf in the 
 woods, hundreds of miles diftant from the reft 
 of his family, never perhaps to fee them again. 
 In the back parts of the country, you always 
 meet numbers of men prowling about to try 
 and buy cheap land ; having found what they 
 like, they immediately remove: nor having 
 once removed, are thefe people fatisfied ; reft- 
 lefs and difcontented with what they poffefs, 
 they are for ever changing. It is fcarcely pof- 
 fible in any part of the continent to find a 
 man, amongft the middling and lower clafies 
 of Americans, who has not changed his farm 
 and his refidence many different times. Thus 
 it is, that though there are not more than 
 four millions of people in the United States, 
 yet they are fcattered from the confines of 
 Canada to the fartheft extremity of Georgia, 
 and from the Atlantic to the banks of the 
 Miftiflippi. Thoufands of acres of wafte land 
 are annually taken up in unhealthy and un- 
 fruitful parts of the country, notwithftanding 
 that the beft fettled and healthy parts of the 
 middle ftates would maintain five times the 
 number of inhabitants that they do at prefent. 
 The American, however, does not change 
 about from place to place in this manner merely 
 
 to 
 
THE SUSQUEHANN A H. . tzf 
 to gratify a wandering difpofition ; in every 
 change he hopes to make money. By the 
 defire of making money, both the Germans 
 and Americans of every clafs and defcription, 
 are actuated in all their movements; felf- 
 intereft is always uppermoft in their thoughts; 
 it is the idol which they worfhip, and at iu 
 fhrine thoufands and thoufands would be 
 found, in all parts of the country, ready to 
 make a facrifice of every noble and generous 
 fentiment that can adorn the human mind. 
 
 In coming to this place from Lancafter, I 
 croffed the Sufquehannah River, which runs 
 nearly midway between the two towns, at the 
 fmall village of Columbia, as better boats are 
 kept there than at either of the ferries higher 
 up or lower down the river. The Sufque- 
 hannah is here fomewhat more than a quarter 
 of a mile wide ; and for a confiderable difiance, 
 both above and below the ferry, it abounds 
 with iflands and large rocks, over which laft 
 the water runs with prodigious velocity : the 
 roaring noife that it makes is heard a great 
 way off. The banks rife very boldly on each 
 fide, and are thickly wooded ; the iflands alfo 
 are covered with fmall trees, which, inter- 
 fperfed with the rocks, produce a very fine 
 effect. The fcenery in every point of view 
 is wild and romantic. In crofting the river 
 it is neceffary to row up againfi the ftream 
 
 under 
 
128 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA i 
 under the fhore, and then to ftrike over to 
 the oppofite fide, under the flicker of fome 
 of the largeft iflands. As thefe rapids con- 
 tinue for many miles, they totally impede the 
 navigation, excepting when there are floods 
 in the river, at which time large rafts may 
 be conduced down the ftream, carrying feve- 
 ral hundred barrels of flour. It is faid that the 
 river could be rendered navigable in this 
 neighbourhood, but the expence of fuch an 
 undertaking would be enormous, and there is 
 little likelihood indeed that it will ever be 
 attempted, as the Pennfylvanians are already 
 engaged in cutting a canal below Harrifburgh, 
 h will connect the navigable part of the 
 river with the Schuylkill, and alio another 
 canal from the Schuylkill to the Delaware, 
 by means of which a vent will be opened 
 for the produce of the country bordering upon 
 the Sufquehannah at Philadelphia. Thefe 
 canals would have been finifhed by this time, 
 if the fubfcribers had ail paid their refpe<ftive 
 lhares, but at prefent they are almofi: at a fland 
 for want of money. 
 
 The quantity of wild fowl that is feen on 
 every part of the Sufquehannah is immenfe. 
 Throughout America the w r ild fowl is excel- 
 lent and plentiful; but there is one duck in 
 particular found on this river, and alfo on Pa~ 
 towmac and James rivers, which furpaffes all 
 
 others : 
 
LAWYERS. 129 
 
 others : it is called the white or canvafs-back 
 duck, from the feathers between the wings 
 being fomewhat of the colour of canvafs. This 
 duck is held in fuch eftimation in America, that 
 k is fent frequently as a prefent for hundreds 
 of miles — indeed it would be a dainty morfel 
 for the greateft epicure in any country. 
 
 York contains about five hundred houfes 
 and fix churches, and is much fuch another 
 town as Laneafter. It is inhabited by Ger- 
 mans, by whom the fame manufactures are 
 carried on as at Lancaller. 
 
 The courts of common pleas, and thofe of 
 general quarter fefiions, were holding when I 
 reached this place ; I found it difficult, there- 
 fore, at firft, to procure accommodation, but 
 at la ft I got admiffion in a houfe principally 
 taken up by lawyers. To behold the ftrange 
 afiemblage of perfons that was brought toge- 
 ther this morning in the one poor apartment 
 which was allotted to all the lodgers, was really 
 a fubjecl of diverfion. Here one lawyer had 
 his clients in a corner of the room ; there 
 another had his; a third was fhaving ; a 
 fourth powdering his own hair ; a fifth not- 
 ing his brief .; and the table {landing in the, 
 middle of the room, between a clamorous fet 
 of old men on one fide, and three or four 
 women in tears on the other; I and the reft 
 af the company who were not lawyers, were 
 left to eat our breakfaft. 
 
 Vol. L X On 
 
130 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 
 On entering into the courts, a ftranger is apt 
 to fmile at the grotefque appearance of the 
 judges who prefide in them, and at their man- 
 ners on the bench; but this fmile mud. be fup- 
 vreiicd when it is recollected, that there is no 
 country, perhaps, in the world, where juftice 
 is more impartially adminiftered, or more eafily 
 obtained by thofe who have been injured. The 
 judges in the country parts of Pennfylvania 
 are no more than plain farmers, who from their 
 infancy have been accuftomed to little elfe 
 than following the plough. The laws ex- 
 prefsly declare that there muft be, at lea ft, 
 three judges refident in every county ; now as 
 the falary allowed is but a mere trifle, no law- 
 yer would accept, of the office, which of courfe 
 muft be filled from amongft the inhabitants % 
 who are all in a happy ftate of mediocrity, 
 and on a perfect equality with each other. The 
 diftrict judge, however, who prefides in the 
 diftricl: or circuit, has a larger falary, and is' 
 a man of a different caft e The diftricl: or cir- 
 cuit confifts of at leaft three* but not more than 
 fix counties. The county judges, which I 
 have mentioned, are "judges of the court of 
 common pleas, and by virtue of their offices 
 " alfo juftices of oyer and terminer, and ge- 
 2 " neral 
 
 * This is alfo the cafe in Philadelphia, where we find prac- 
 tifwg phyficians and furgeons fitting on the bench as judges in 
 a court of juftice. 
 
PENNSYLVANIA COURTS. 131 
 
 " neral gaol delivery, for the trial of capital 
 <f and other offenders therein. Any two 
 judges compofe the court of quarter feffions. 
 Under certain regulations, eftablifhed bylaw, 
 the accufed party has the power of removing 
 the proceedings into the fupreme court, which 
 has jurifdidtion over every part of the (late. 
 This fhort account of the courts relates only 
 to Pennfylvania : every flate in the union has 
 a feparate code of laws for itfelf, and a diftindt 
 judicature. 
 
 LETTER X. 
 
 Of the Country near York. — Of the Soil of the 
 Country on each Side of the Blue Mountains. 
 — Frederic-town. — Change in the Inhabi- 
 tants and in the Country as you proceed to- 
 wards the Sea. — Numbers of Slaves. — 75?- 
 bacco chiefly cultivated. — Inquifitivenefs of the 
 People at the Taverns — Obfervations thereon. 
 — Defcription of the Great Falls of the Pa- 
 towmac River. — George Town. — Of the 
 Country between that Place and Hoe's Ferry. 
 — Poifonous Vines. — Port Tobacco. — Wret~ 
 ched Appearance of the Country bordering 
 upon the Ferry. — Slaves neglected. — Pajfage 
 K 2 of 
 
13'2 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 of the Paiowmac very dangerous. — FreJJ: 
 Water Oyjiers — Landed on a deferted Part 
 of the Virginian Shore. — Great Hofpitality 
 of the Virginians. 
 
 Stratford, March. 
 
 JN the neighbourhood of York and Lanca- 
 fter, the foil confifts of a rich, brown, loamy- 
 earth ; and if you proceed in a fouth-wefterly 
 courfe, parallel to the Blue Mountains, you 
 meet with the fame kind of foil as far as Fre- 
 deric in Maryland. Here it changes gradually 
 to a deep reddifh colour, and continues much 
 the fame along the eaftern fide of the moun- 
 tains, all the way down to North Carolina. 
 On croffing over the mountains, however, di- 
 rectly from Frederic, the fame fertile brown 
 foil, which is common in the neighbourhood 
 of York and Lancafter, is again met with, and 
 it is found throughout the Shenandoah Valley, 
 and as far down as the Carolinas, on the weft 
 fide of the mountains. 
 
 Between York and Frederic in Maryland 
 there are two or three fmall towns ; viz. Han- 
 over, Peteriburgh, and Woodiburgh, but there 
 is nothing worthy of mention in any of them, 
 FrederiG contains about feven hundred houfes 
 and five churches, two of which are for Ger- 
 rj Lutherans, one for Prefbyterians, one for 
 Calvinifts, and one for Raptifts, It is a flourifh- 
 
 ing 
 
FACE OF THE COUNTRY. 133 
 ing town, and carries on a brifk inland trade, 
 The arfenal of the (late of Maryland is placed 
 here, thefituation bein? fecure and central. 
 
 From Frederic I proceeded in a foutherly 
 courfe through Montgomery county in Mary- 
 land. In this direction the foil changes to a 
 yellowiih fort of clay mixed with gravel, and 
 continues much the fame until you come to 
 the federal city, beyond which, as I have before 
 mentioned, it becomes more and more fandy 
 as you. approach the lea coaft. The change 
 in the face of the country after leaving Fre- 
 deric is gradual, but at the end of a day's jour- 
 ney aftriking difference is perceptible. Inftead 
 of w 7 ell cultivated fields, green with wheat, 
 fuch as are met with along that rich track 
 which runs contiguous to the mountains, large 
 pieces of land, which have been worn out with 
 the culture of tobacco, are here feen lying 
 wafte, with fcarcely an herb to cover them. 
 Inffead of the furrows of the plough, the 
 marks of the hoe appear on the ground ; the 
 fields are overfpread with little hillocks for 
 the reception of tobacco plants, and the eye is 
 aflailed in every direction with the unpleafant 
 fight of gangs of male and female flaves toil- 
 ing under the harih commands of the overfeer. 
 The difference in the manners of the inha- 
 bitants is alfo great. Inftead of being amongft 
 the phlegmatic Germans, a traveller finds him- 
 K 3 felf 
 
134 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA : 
 felf again in the midft of an inquifitive and 
 prying fet of Americans, to gratify whofe curi- 
 olity it is always neceffary to devote a certain 
 portion of time after alighting at a tavern. 
 
 A traveller on arriving in America may 
 poffibly imagine, that it is the defire of obtain- 
 ing ufeful information which leads the peo- 
 ple, wherever he ftops, to accoft him ; and 
 that the particular enquiries refpedting the ob- 
 ject of his purfuits, the place of his abode, and 
 that of his deftination, &c. are made to pre- 
 pare the way for quell ions of a more general 
 nature, and for conversion that may be at- 
 tended with fome amufement to him ; he 
 therefore readily anfwers them, hoping in re- 
 turn to gain information about the country 
 through which he pafTes; but when it is 
 found that thefe queilions are afked merely 
 through an idle and impertinent curiofity, and 
 that by far the greater part of the people who 
 alk them are ignorant, booriili fellows ; when 
 it is found that thofe who can keep up fome 
 little converfation immediately begin to talk 
 upon politics, and to abufe every country ex- 
 cepting their own ; when, laftly, it is found that 
 the people fcarcely ever give iatisfactory an- 
 fwers at firft to the enquiries which are made 
 by a ftranger refpecling their country, but 
 always hefitate, as if fufpicious that he was 
 afking thefe queftions to procure fome local 
 
 informations 
 
FALLS OF THE PATOWMAC. 135 
 
 information, in order to enable him to over- 
 reach them in a bargain, or to make fome 
 
 o 9 
 
 fpeculation in land to their injury; the tra- 
 veller then lofes all patience at this difagree- 
 able and prying difpofition, and feels diipoied 
 to turn from them with dilguft; ftill, how- 
 ever, if he wifhes to go through the country 
 peaceably, and' without quarrelling at every 
 place where he flops, it is abfolutely necef- 
 fary to anfwer fome few of their queftions. 
 
 Plaving followed the high way as far as 
 Montgomery court-houfe, which is about 
 thirty miles from Frederic, I turned off along 
 a bye road running through the woods, in or- 
 der to fee the great falls of Patowmac River. 
 The view of them from the Maryland more is 
 very pleafing, but not fo much fo as that from 
 the oppofite lide. Having reached the river 
 therefore clofe to the Falls, I rode along through 
 the woods, with which its banks are covered, 
 for fome diftance higher up, to a place where 
 there was a ferry, and where I croffed into 
 Virginia. From the place where I landed to 
 the Falls, which is a diftance of about three 
 miles, there is a wild romantic path running 
 along the margin of the river, and winding 
 at the fame time round the bafe of a high 
 hill covered with lofty trees and rocks. Near 
 to the fhore, almoft the whole way, there are 
 .clufters of fmall iflands covered with trees, 
 K 4 which 
 
2 3-6 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA : 
 which fuddenly oppofing the rapid courfe of 
 the ft ream, form very dangerous eddies, in 
 which boats are frequently loft when navigated 
 by men who are not active and careful. On 
 the fhore prodigious heaps of white fand are 
 warned up by the waves, and in many places 
 the path is rendered almoft impaffable by piles 
 of large trees, which have been brought down 
 from the upper country by floods, and drifted 
 together. 
 
 The river, at the ferry which I mentioned, 
 is about one mile and a quarter wide, and it 
 continues much the fame breadth as far as the 
 Falls, where it is confiderably contracted and 
 confined in its channel by immenfe rocks on 
 either fide, There alfo its courfe is very fud- 
 denly altered, fo much fo indeed, that below 
 the Falls for a fhort difrance it runs in an op- 
 pofite direction from what it did above, but 
 foon after it ref times its former courfe. The 
 water does not defcend perpendicularly, ex?- 
 cepting in one part clcfe to the Virginian 
 fhore, where the height is about thirty feet, 
 but comes milling down with tremendous im- 
 petuofity over a ledge of rocks in feveral dif- 
 ferent falls. The heft view of the cataract is 
 from the top of a pile of rocks about fixty 
 feet above the level of the water, and which, 
 owing to the bend in the river, is fituated nearly 
 oppofite to the Fall?. The river comes from 
 
 tha 
 
PORT TOBACCO. 137 
 
 the right, then gradually turning, precipitates 
 itfelf down the Falls, and winds along at the 
 foot of the rocks on which you Hand with 
 great velocity. The rocks are of a flate co- 
 lour, and lie in flrata ; the furface of them in 
 many places is glofiy and fparkling. 
 
 From hence I followed the courfe of the 
 river downwards " as far as George Town, 
 where I again croffed it ; and after paffing 
 through the federal city, proceeded along the 
 Maryland more of the river to Pifcatoway, 
 and afterwards to Port Tobacco, two imall 
 towns fituated on creeks of their own name, 
 which run into the Patowmac. In the neigh- 
 bourhood of Pifcatoway there are feveral very 
 fine views of the Virginian more ; Mount 
 Vernon in particular appears to great ad- 
 vantage. 
 
 I obferved here great numbers of the poi- 
 fonous vines which grow about the large 
 trees, and are extremely like the common 
 grape vines. If handled in the morning, 
 when the branches are moift with the dew, 
 they infallibly raife blifters on the hands, 
 which it is fometimes difficult to get rid of. 
 
 Port Tobacco contains about eighty houfes, 
 raoft of which are of wood, and very poor. 
 There is a large Engliih epifcopalian church 
 on the border of the town, built of ftone, 
 which formerly was an ornament to the place, 
 
 but ' 
 
i33 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA, 
 but it is now entirely out of repair ; the win- 
 dows are all broken, and the road is carried 
 through the church-yard over the graves, the 
 paling that furrounded it having been torn 
 down. Near the town is Mount Mifery, to- 
 wards the top of which is a medicinal fpring, 
 remarkable in fummer for the coldnefs of the 
 water. 
 
 From Port Tobacco to Hoe's Ferry, on the 
 Patowmac River, the country is flat and fandy, 
 and wears a moft dreary afpeft. Nothing 
 is to be feen here for miles together but ex- 
 tenfive plains, that have been worn out by 
 the culture of tobacco, overgrown with yel- 
 low ledge Pi and interfperfed with groves of 
 pine and cedar trees, the dark green colour 
 of which forms a curious contrail; with the 
 yellow of the fedge. In the midft of thefe 
 plains are the remains of feveral good houfes, 
 which (hew that the country was once very 
 different to what it is now. Thefe were the 
 houfes, moft probably, of people who ori- 
 ginally fettled in Maryland with Lord Bal- 
 timore, but which have now been fuftered 
 
 to 
 
 * This fedge, as it is called, is a fort of coarfe grafs, fohard 
 this cattle will not eat it, which fprings up fpontaneoufly, in 
 this part of the country, on the ground that has been left walte ; 
 it commonly grows about two feet high; towards winter it 
 turns yellow, and remains Handing until the enfuing fummer, 
 when a new growth difplaces that of the former year. At 
 its firft fpringing up it is of a bright green colour. 
 
HOE'S FERRY. 139 
 to go to decay, as the land around them is 
 worn out, and the people find it more to their 
 intereft to remove to another part of the 
 country, and clear a piece of rich land, than 
 to attempt to reclaim thefe exhaufted plains. 
 In confequence of this, the country in many 
 of the lower parts of Maryland appears as 
 if it had been deferted by one half of its in- 
 habitants. 
 
 Such a number of roads in different direc- 
 tions crofs over thefe flats, upon none of which 
 there is any thing like a direction poll, and the 
 face of a human being is lb rarely met with, 
 that it is fcarcely poflible for a traveller to 
 find out the direct way at once. Inftead of 
 twelve miles, the diftance by the ftraight road 
 from Port Tobacco to the ferry, my horfe had 
 certainly travelled twice the number before 
 we got there. The ferry-houie was one of 
 thofe old dilapidated maniions that formerly 
 was the refidence perhaps of fome wealthy 
 planter, and at the time when the fields yielded 
 their rich crops of tobacco would have af- 
 forded fome refrefhment to the weary travel- 
 ler ; but in the Irate I found it, it was the 
 picture of wretchednefs and poverty. After 
 having waited for two hours and a half for 
 my breakfaft, the moft I could procure was 
 two eggs, a pint of milk, and a bit of cake 
 bread, fcarcely as big as my hand, and but lit- 
 tle 
 
j 4 o TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA : 
 
 tie better than dough. This I had alfo to 
 divide with my fervant, who came to inform 
 me, that there was abfolutely nothing to eat 
 in the houfe but what had been brought to 
 me. I could not but mention this circum- 
 itance to feveral perfons when I got into Vir- 
 ginia, and many of the'm informed me, that 
 they had experienced the fame treatment 
 themfelves at this houfe ; yet this houfe had 
 the name of a tavern. What the white peo- 
 ple who inhabited it lived upon I could not 
 difcover, but it was evident that they took 
 care of themfelves. As for the poor flaves, 
 however, of which there were many in the 
 huts adjoining the tavern, they had a moil: 
 wretched appearance, and feemed to be half 
 ftarved. The men and women were covered 
 with rags, and the children were running 
 about fiark naked. 
 
 After having got into the ferry boat, the 
 man of the houfe, as if confeious that he had 
 given me very bad fire, told me that there 
 was a bank ofoyfters in the river, clofe to which 
 it was neceflary to pafs, and that if I chofe to 
 itop,the men would procure abundance of them 
 for me. The curiolity of getting oyfters in 
 frcfii water tempted me to flop, and the men got 
 near a bumel of them in a very few minutes. 
 Thefe oyfters are extremly good when cooked, 
 but very difagre cable eaten raw; indeed all the 
 
 oyfters 
 
EXCELLENT FISH. 147 
 
 oyfters found in America, not exceptiug what 
 are taken at New York, fo dole to the ocean, 
 are, in the opinion of moft Europeans, very in- 
 different and taftelefs when raw. The Ame- 
 ricans, on their part, rind ftill greater fault with 
 our oyfters, which they lay are not fit to be 
 eat in any ihape, becaufe they tulle of cop- 
 per. The Patowrnac, as well as the reft of 
 the rivers in Virginia, abounds with excellent 
 tiih of many different kinds, as fturgeon, fhad, 
 roach, herrings, &c. which form a very prin- 
 cipal part of the food of the people living in 
 the neighbourhood of them. 
 
 The river at the ferry is about three miles 
 wide, and with particular winds the waves rife 
 very high ; in thefe cafes they always tie the 
 horfes, for fear of accidents, before they fet 
 out ; indeed, with the fmall open boats which 
 they make ufe of, it is what ought always to 
 be done, for in this country gufts of wind rife 
 fuddenly, and frequently when they are not at 
 all expected : having omitted to take this pre- 
 caution, the boat was on the point of being 
 overfet two or three different times as I croff- 
 ed over. 
 
 On the Virginian (here, oppofite to the ferry 
 houfe from whence I failed, there are feveral 
 large creeks, which fall into the Patowrnac, 
 and it is impoffible to crofs thefe on horfeback, 
 without riding thirty or forty miles up a fandy 
 
 unin- 
 
142 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA : 
 uninterefting part of the country to the fords 
 or bridges. As I wifhed to go beyond thefe 
 creeks, I therefore hired the boatmen to carry 
 me ten miles down the Patowmac River in the 
 ferry boat, pair the mouths of them all ; this 
 they accordingly did, and in the afternoon I 
 landed on the beach, not a little pleafed at 
 finding that I had reached the more without 
 having been under the neceffity of fwimming 
 any part of the way, for during the laft hour 
 the horfes had not remained quiet for two mi- 
 nutes together, and on one or two occafions, 
 having got both to the fame fide of the boat, 
 the trim of it was very nearly deflroyed, and 
 it was with the utmoft difficulty that we pre- 
 vented it from being overfet. 
 
 The part of the country where I landed ap- 
 peared to be a perfedl wildernefs ; no traces of* 
 a road or pathway were vifible on the looie 
 white fand, and the cedar and pine trees grew 
 fo clofely together on all fides, that it was 
 fcarcely poffible to fee farther forward in any 
 direction than one hundred yards. Taking a 
 courfe, however, as nearly as I could guefs, in 
 a direct line from the river up the country, 
 at the end of an hour I came upon a narrow 
 road, which led to a large old brick houfe, 
 fomewhat fimilar to thofe I had met with on 
 the Maryland more. On enquiring here, from 
 
 two blacks, for a tavern, I was told there was 
 
 no 
 
VIRGINIANS. 143 
 
 no fuch thing in this part of the country; that 
 in the houfe before me no part of the family- 
 was at home; but that if I rode on a little 
 farther, I mould come to fome other gentle- 
 men's houfes, where 1 could readily get ac- 
 commodation. In the courfe of five or fix 
 miles I faw feveral more of the fame fort of 
 old brick houfes, and the evening now draw- 
 ing towards a clofe, I began to feel tbeneceflity 
 of going to fome one of them. I had feen no 
 perfon for feveral miles to tell me who any of 
 the owners were, and I was conlidering within 
 myfelf which houfe I mould vifit, when a lively 
 old negro, mounted on a little horfe, came gal- 
 loping after me. On applying to him for infor- 
 mation on the fubjed:, he took great pains to 
 allure me, that I mould be well received atany 
 one of the houfes I might flop at; he faid there 
 were no taverns in this part of the country, 
 andflrongly recommended me to proceed under 
 his guidance to his matter's houfe, which was 
 but a mile farther on ; " Maffer will be fo glad 
 " to fee to you/' added he, " nothing can be 
 like." Having been apprized beforehand, that 
 it was cuftomary in Virginia for a traveller to 
 go without ceremony to a gentleman's houfe, 
 when there was no tavern at hand, I accord- 
 ingly took the negro's advice, and rode to the 
 dwelling of his mafter, made him acquainted 
 with my fituation, and begged I might be 
 
 c allowed 
 
144 TRAVELS THROUGH" NORTH AMERICA : 
 allowed to put my horfes in his ftable for the 
 night. The reception, however, which this 
 gentleman gave me, differed fo materially from 
 what I had been led to expect, that I was 
 .happy at hearing from him, that there was a 
 good tavern at the diftance of two miles, I 
 apologized for the liberty I had taken, and 
 made the beft of my way to it. Infteadof two 
 miles, however, this tavern proved to be about 
 three times as far off, and when I came to it, I 
 found it to be a moft wretched hovel - y but any 
 place was preferable to the houfe of a man fo 
 thoroughly devoid of hofpitality. 
 
 The next day I arrived at this place, the 
 refidence of a gentleman, who, when at Phi- 
 ladelphia, had invited me to pafs fome time 
 with him whenever I vifited Virginia. Some 
 of the neighbouring gentlemen yefterday dined 
 here together, and having related to them my 
 adventures on arriving in Virginia, the whole 
 company expreffed the greater!: aftonifhme nt, 
 and affured me that it was never known be • 
 fore, in that part of Virginia, that a ftranger 
 had been fuffered to go away from a gentle- 
 man's houfe, where he flopped, to a tavern, al- 
 though it was clofe by. Every one feemed 
 eager to know the name of the perfon who 
 had given me fuch a reception, and begged 
 me to tell it. I did fo, and the Virginians were 
 fitisfied, for the perfon was a — Scotfman, 
 
VIRGINIA. MC 
 and had, it feems, removed from fome town or 
 other to the plantation on which I found him 
 but a lhort time before. The Virginians in the 
 lower parts of the ilate are celebrated for their 
 politenefs and hofpitality towards ftrangers; 
 beyond the mountains, there is a great differ- 
 ence in the manners of the inhabitants. 
 
 LETTER XL 
 
 Of the Northern Neck of Virginia. — Firji fettled 
 by the Englift. — Houfes built by them remain- 
 ing. — ~D if parity of Condition among ft the In- 
 habitants. — Ejiates worked by Negroes. — 
 Condition of the Slaves. — V/orfe in the Caro- 
 linas. — Lands worn out by Cultivation of To- 
 bacco. — Mode of cultivating and curing To- 
 bacco. — Houfes in Virginia. — Thofe of Wood 
 prefe?~red.— Lower Claffes of People i?i Vir- 
 ginia. — Their unhealthy Appearance. 
 
 Stratford, April. 
 
 fj V HIS part of Virginia, fituated between 
 the Patowmac and Rappahannock rivers, 
 is called the Northern Neck, and is remarka- 
 ble for having been the birth place of many 
 of the principal characters which diftinguifhed 
 themfelves in America, during the war, by 
 their great talents, General Wafhington at 
 Vol. L L their 
 
146 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 their head. It was here that numbers of 
 Englifh gentlemen, who migrated when Vir- 
 ginia was a young colony, fixed their refidence j 
 and feveral of the houfes which they built, ex- 
 actly fimilar to the old manor houfes in Eng- 
 land, are frill remaining, particularly in the 
 counties of Richmond and Weftmoreland. 
 Some of thefe, like the houfes in Maryland, 
 are quite in ruins \ others are kept in good 
 repair by the prefent occupiers, who live in 
 a ftyle, which approaches nearer to that of 
 Englifh country gentlemen, than what is to be 
 met with any where elfe on the continent, 
 feme other parts of Virginia alone excepted. 
 
 Amongft the inhabitants here, and in the 
 lower parts of Virginia, there is a difparity un- 
 known elfewhere in America, excepting in 
 the large towns. Inftead of the lands being 
 equally divided, immenfe eflates are held by a 
 few individuals, who derive large incomevS from 
 them, whilft the generality of the people are 
 but in a ftate of mediocrity. Mod: of the men 
 alfo, who poffefs thefe large eftates, having re- 
 ceived liberal educations, which the others have 
 not, the diftin&ion between them is ftill more 
 obfervable. I met with feveral in this neigh- 
 bourhood, who had been brought up at the 
 public fchools and univerfities in England, 
 where, until the unfortunate war which fepa- 
 rated the colonies from her, the young men 
 
 were 
 
MANUFACTURES. r.i* 
 were very generally educated ; and even ftill 
 a few are fent there, as the veneration for that 
 country from whence their anceftors came, 
 and with which they were themfelves for a 
 long time afterwards connected, is by no means 
 yet extinguished. 
 
 There is by no means fo great a difoarlty 
 now, however, aihbriglt the inhabitants of the 
 Northern Neck, as was formerly, and it is be- 
 coming Ids and lets perceptible every year, 
 many of the large eftates having been divided 
 in confequence of the removal of the proprie- 
 tors to other parts of the country that were 
 more healthy, and many more on account of 
 the prefent laws of Virginia, which do not per- 
 mit any one fon to inherit the landed eftates 
 of the father to the exclufion of his brothers. 
 
 The principal planters in Virginia have 
 nearly every thing they can want on their own 
 eftates. Amongft their flaves are found tav- 
 lors, fhoemakers, carpenters, fmiths, turners, 
 wheelwrights, weavers, tanners, &c. I have 
 feen patterns of excellent coarfe woollen cloth ? 
 made in the country by flaves, and a variety 
 of cotton manufactures, amongft the reft good 
 nankeen. Cotton grows here extremely well j 
 the plants are often killed by froft in winter, 
 but they always produce abundantly the fir ft 
 year in which they are fown. The cotton from 
 L z which 
 
H» % TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 which nankeen is made is of a particular kind, 
 naturally of a yellowHh colour. 
 
 The large eftates are managed by fte wards 
 and overfeers, the proprietors juft amufing 
 themfelves with feeing what is going forward. 
 The work is done wholly by- flaves, whofe 
 numbers are in this part of the country more 
 than double that of white perfons. The Oaves 
 on the large plantations are in general very 
 well provided for, and treated with mildneis. 
 During three months, nearly, that I was in 
 Virginia, but two or three inftances of ill treat- 
 ment towards them came under my obferva- 
 tion. Their quarters, the name whereby 
 their habitations are called, are ufually lituated 
 one or two hundred yards from the dwelling 
 houfe, which gives the appearance of a village 
 to the refidence of every planter in Virginia ; 
 when the eftate, however, is fo large as to be 
 divided into feveral farms, then feparate quar- 
 ters are attached to the houfe of the overfeer 
 on each farm. Adjoining their little habita- 
 tions* the flaves commonly have fmall gardens 
 and yards for poultry, which are all their own 
 property; they have ample time to attend to 
 their own concerns, and their gardens are ge- 
 nerally found well flocked, and their flocks of 
 poultry numerous. Befides the food they 
 raife for themfelves, they are allowed liberal 
 rations of falted pork and Indian corn. Many 
 
 of 
 
SLAVES. 149 
 
 of their little hues are comfortably furnhhed, 
 and they are themfelves, in general, extremely 
 well clothed. In fhort, their condition is by 
 no means fo wretched as might be imagined. 
 They are forced to work certain hours in the 
 day ; but in retain they are clothed, dieted, and 
 lodged comfortably, and faved all anxiety about 
 provifion for their offspring. Still, however, 
 let the condition of a Have be made ever fo 
 comfortable, as long as he is confeious of being 
 the property of another man, who has it in his 
 power to difpofe of him according to the 
 dictates of caprice ; as long as he hears people 
 around him talking of the bleflings of liberty, 
 and confiders that he is in a ftate of bondage, 
 it is not to be fuppofed that he can feel equally 
 h-.ppy with the freeman. It is immaterial 
 under what form flavery prefents itfelf, when- 
 ever it appears, there is ample caufe for hu- 
 manity to weep at the fight, and to lament that 
 men can be found fo forgetful of their own 
 jituations, as to live regardlefs of the feelings 
 of their fellow creatures. 
 
 With refpecl to the policy of holding flaves 
 in any country, on account of the depravity of 
 morals which it neceflarily occafions, be fides 
 the many other evil conlequences attendant 
 upon it, fo much has already been faid by 
 others, that it is needlefs here to make any 
 comments on the fubje£t. 
 
 L 3 The 
 
i$o TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA : 
 
 The number of the Haves increafes moft ra- 
 pidly, fo that there is fcarcely any eftate bat 
 what is overflocked. This is a circumftance 
 complained of by every planter, as the main- 
 tenance of more than are requifite for the cul- 
 ture of the eftate is attended with great ex- 
 pence. Motives of humanity deter them 
 from felling the poor creatures, or turning 
 them adrift from the fpot where they have 
 been born and brought up, in the midfl: of 
 friends and relations. 
 
 What I have here faid refpe&ing the condi- 
 tion and treatment of flaves, appertains, it 
 muft be remembered, to thofe only who are 
 upon the large plantations in Virginia ; the lot 
 of fitch as arc unfortunate enough to fall into 
 the hands of the lower clafs .of white people, 
 and of hard tafk- matters in the towns, is 
 very different. Jn the Carolinas and Georgia 
 again, flavery pre Tents irfelf in very different 
 colours, from what it does even in its worn: 
 form in Virginia. I am told, that it is no 
 uncommon thing there, to fee gangs of ne- 
 groes flaked at a horfe race, and to fee thefe 
 unfortunate beings bandied about from one fet 
 of drunken gamblers to another, for days to- 
 gether. How much to be deprecated are 
 the laws which fuffer fuch abufes to exift ! yet 
 thefe are the laws enacted by people 5 who 
 boafc of their love of liberty and indepen- 
 dence, 
 
CULTIVATION. 151 
 
 dence, and who prefume to fay, that it is in the 
 breaits of Americans alone that the bleffings 
 of freedom are held in juft eftimation ! 
 
 The Northern Neck, with the exception 
 of fome few fpots only, is flat and fandy, and 
 abounds with pine and cedar trees. Some 
 parts of it are well cultivated, and afford good 
 crops ; but thefe are lb intermixed with ex~ 
 tenfive tracts of wafte land, worn out by the 
 culture of tobacco, and which are almoft 
 deftitute of verdure, that on the whole the 
 country has the appearance of barrennefs. 
 
 This is the cafe wherever tobacco has been 
 made the principal object of cultivation. It 
 is not, however, fo much owing to the great 
 ihare of nutriment which the tobacco plant 
 requires, that the land is impoverifhed, as to 
 the particular mode of cultivating it, which 
 renders it necerTary for people to be continually 
 walking between the plants, from the moment 
 they are fet out, fo that the ground about each 
 plant is left expofed to the burning rays of the 
 fun all the fummer, and becomes at the end 
 of the feafon a hard beaten pathway. A ruin- 
 ous fyftem has prevailed alfo of working the 
 fame piece of land year after year, till it was 
 totally exhaufted ; after this it was left neg- 
 lected, and a frem piece of land was cleared, 
 that always produced good crops for one or two 
 feafonsjbut this in its turn was worn out, and 
 L 4 afterwards 
 
IS* TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA : 
 
 afterwards left wafte. Many of the planters 
 are at length beginning to fee the abfurdity of 
 wearing out their lands in this manner, and 
 now raife only one crop of tobacco upon a 
 piece of new land, then they fow wheat for 
 two years, and afterwards clover. They put 
 on from twelve to fifteen hundred bufhels of 
 manure per acre at firft, which is found to be 
 fufficient both for the tobacco and wheat; the 
 latter is produced at the rate of about twenty 
 bufhels per acre. 
 
 In fome parts of Virginia, the lands left 
 v/afte in this manner throw up, in a very 
 ftiort time, a fpontaneous growth of pines 
 and cedars; in which cafe, being (haded from 
 the powerful influence of the fun, they re- 
 cover their former fertility at the end of fif- 
 teen or twenty years; but in other parts 
 many years elapfe before any verdure appears- x 
 upon them. The trees fpringing up in this 
 fpontaneous manner, ufually grow very clofe 
 to each other; they attain the height of fif- 
 teen or twenty feet, perhaps, in the fame 
 number of years; there is, how T ever, but.very 
 little lap in them, and in a (hort time after 
 they are cut down they decay. 
 
 Tobacco is raife d and manufactured in the 
 following manner ; When the fpring is fo far 
 advanced that every apprehenlion of the re- 
 turn of froft is bammed, a convenient fpot of 
 
 ground 
 
/ 
 
 TOBACCO PLANTATIONS. i ? A 
 
 ground is chofen, from twenty to one hundred 
 feet fquare, whereon they burn prodigious 
 piles of wood, in order to deftroy the weeds 
 and infects. The warm afhes are then dug 
 in with the earth, and the feed, which is 
 black, and remarkably fmaJi, fown. The 
 whole is next covered over with bufhes, to 
 prevent birds and flies, if poflible, from get- 
 ting to it ; but this, in general, proves very 
 ineffectual ; for the plant fcarcely appears 
 above ground, when it is attacked by a large 
 black fly of the beetle kind, which deftroys 
 the leaves. Perfons are repeatedly fent to 
 pick off" thefe flies ; but fometimes, notwith- 
 ftanding all their attention, fo much mifchief 
 is done, that very few plants are left alive. 
 As I pafled through Virginia, I heard univer- 
 fal complaints of the depredations they had 
 committed ; the beds were almoft wholly de- 
 ftroyed. 
 
 As foon as the young plants are fufhciently 
 grown, which is generally in the beginning of 
 May, they are transplanted into fields, and 
 fet out in hillocks, at the diftance of three or 
 four feet from each other. Here again they 
 have other enemies to contend with; the 
 roots are attacked by worms, and between the 
 leaves and ftern different flies depofit their 
 eggs, to the infallible ruin of the plant, if not 
 quickly removed j it is abfolutely neceffary, 
 
 therefore, 
 
f54 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 
 therefore, as I have faid, for perfons to be 
 continually walking between the plants, in or- 
 der to watch, and alfo to trim them at the 
 proper periods. The tops are broken off at a 
 certain height ; and the fuckers, which fpring 
 out between the leaves, are removed as foon 
 as difcovered. According alfo to the parti- 
 cular kind of tobacco which the planter wimes 
 to have, the lower, the middle, or the upper 
 leaves are fuffered to remain. The lower 
 leaves grow the large ft ; they are alfo milder, 
 and more inclined to a yellow colour than thofe 
 growing towards the top of the plant. 
 
 When arrived at maturity, which is ge- 
 nerally about the month of Auguft. the plants 
 are cut down, pegs are driven into the ftems, 
 and they are hung up in large houfes, built 
 for the purpofe, to dry. If the weather is not 
 favourable for drying the leaves, fires are then 
 lighted, and the fmoke is fuffered to circulate 
 between the plants ; this is alfo fometimes 
 done, to give the leaves a browner colour than 
 what they have naturally. After this they 
 are tied up in bundles of fix or feven leaves 
 each, and thrown in heaps to fweat 5 then they 
 are again dried. When Sufficiently cured, 
 the bundles are packed, by means of prefics, 
 in hogfneads capable of containing eight hun- 
 dred or one thouland pounds weight. The 
 planters fend . the tobacco thus packed to 
 
 the 
 
TOBACCO WAREHOUSES. 
 
 the neareft (hipping town, where, before ex- 
 portation, it is examined by an kifpe&or ap- 
 pointed for the purpofe, who gives a certi- 
 ficate to warrant the (hipping of it, if it is 
 found and merchantable, if not, he fends it 
 back to the owner. Some of the warehou fes 
 to which the tobacco is fent for infpeftion 
 are very extenfive ; and fkilful merchants can 
 accurately tell the quality of the tobacco from 
 knowing the warehoufe at which it has been 
 infpected *• Where the roads are good and 
 dry, tobacco is fent to the warehou fes in a 
 fingular manner: Two large pins of wood 
 are driven into either end of the hogfhead, 
 by way of axles j a pair of (hafts, made for 
 the purpofe, are attached to thefe, and the 
 hogfhead is thus drawn along by one or two 
 horfes ; when this is done, great care is taken 
 to have the hoops very ftrong. 
 
 Tobacco is not near fo much cultivated now 
 as it was formerly, the great demand for wheat 
 having induced raoft of the planters to raife 
 that grain in preference, Thofe who raife to- 
 bacco 
 
 * By thsla\v3 of America, no produce which has undergone 
 any fort of manufacture, as flour, pocafh, tobacco, rice, &c. can 
 be exported without infpection, nor even put into a boat to be 
 conveyed down a river to a fea port. The infpeftors are all 
 f vorn, arc paid by the Mates, and not fufrered to take fees 
 from any individual. This is a moft politic meafure ; for as 
 none but the beft of each article can be fent oat of the 
 country, it enhances the price of American produce in fo- 
 reign markets, and increafes the demand. 
 
156 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 
 bacco and Indian corn are called planters, and 
 thofe who cultivate fmall grain, farmers. 
 
 Though many of the houfes in the Nor- 
 thern Neck are built, as I have faid, of brick 
 and ftone, in the ftyle of the old Englilh 
 manor houfes, yet the greater number there, 
 and throughout Virginia, are of wood ; a- 
 mongft which are all thofe that have been 
 built of late years. This is chiefly owing to 
 a prevailing, though abfurd opinion, that 
 wooden houfes are the healthieft, becaufe the 
 infide walls never appear damp, like thofe of 
 brick and ftone, in rainy weather. In front 
 of every houfe is a porch or pent- houfe, com- 
 monly extending the whole length of the build- 
 ing ; very often there is one alio in the rear, 
 and fome times all round. Thefe porches afford 
 an agreeable made from the fun during lum- 
 mer. The hall, or faloon as it is called, is 
 always a favourite apartment, during the hot 
 weather, in a Virginian houfe, on account of 
 the draught of air through it, and it is ufually 
 furnifhed iimilar to a parlour, with fofas, &c. 
 
 The common people in the lower parts of 
 Virginia have very fallow complexions, owing 
 to the burning rays of the fun in fummer, 
 and the bilious complaints to which they are 
 lu bj eel in the fall of the year. The women 
 are Far from being comely, and the dreffes, 
 which they wear out of doors to guard them 
 
 from 
 
"I 
 
 VIRGINIAN WOMEN. j^ 7 
 
 from the fun, make them appear ftill more 
 ugly than nature has formed them. There 
 is a kind of bonnet very commonly worn, 
 which, in particular, disfigures them ama- 
 zingly $ it is made with a caul, fitting clofe 
 on the back part of the head, and a front 
 ftiffened with fmall pieces of cane, which 
 projects nearly two feet from the head in a 
 horizontal direction. , To look at a perfon 
 at one fide, it is necelTary for a woman, wear- 
 ing a bonnet of this kind, to turn her whole 
 body round. 
 
 In the upper parts of the country, towards 
 the mountains, the women are totally dif- 
 ferent, having a healthy comely appearance. 
 
i$8 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA : 
 
 LETTER XII. 
 
 'Town of Tappahannocck. — Rappahannock Ri- 
 ver.— Sharks found in it. — Country border- 
 ing upon Urbanna. — Fires common in the 
 Woods.— Maimer of flopping their dreadful 
 Progrefs. — Mode of getting T urpentine from 
 Trees. — Gloucefer. — York Town.— Remains 
 of the Fortifications ere tied here during the 
 Jmerican JVar. — Houfes flattered by Balls 
 Jlill remaining. — Cave in the Bank of the Ri- 
 ver. — Williamfburgh. — State Houfe in Ruins. 
 Statue of Lord Bottetourt.—- College of Wil- 
 liam and Mary. — -Condition of the Students. 
 
 Williamfburgh,' April* 
 
 C^INCE I laft wrote, the greater part of my 
 time has been fpent at the houfes of dif- 
 ferent gentlemen in the Northern Neck. 
 Four days ago I crofted the Rappahannock 
 River, which bounds the Northern Neck on 
 one fide, to a fmall town called Tappa- 
 hannock, or Hobb's Hole, containing about 
 one hundred houfes. Before the war, this 
 town was in a much more flourilhing ftate 
 than at prefent $ that unfortunate conteft ru- 
 ined the trade of this little place, as it did 
 that of in oft of the fea-port towns in Virginia. 
 The Rappahannock is about three quarters of 
 
 a mile 
 
SNIPES. 199 
 
 a mile wide oppofite the town, which is fe- 
 ventv miles above its mouth. Sharks arc 
 very often feen in this river. What is very 
 remarkable, the fifli are all found on the fide 
 of the river next to the town. 
 
 From Tappahannock to Urbanna, another 
 fmall town on the Rappahannock River, fi- 
 tuated about twenty-five miles lower down, 
 the country wears but a poor afpecr. 
 
 The road, which is level and very fandy, 
 runs through woods for miles together. The 
 habitations that are feen from it are but few, 
 and they are of the pooreft defcription. The 
 woods chiefly confift of black oak, pine, and 
 cedar trees, which grow on land of the worft 
 quality only. 
 
 On this road there are many creeks to be 
 crofied, which empty themfelves into the Ra- 
 pahannock River; in the neighbourhood of 
 which there are extenfive marines, that ren- 
 der the adjacent country, as may be fuppofed, 
 very unhealthy. Such a quantity of fnipes 
 are feen in thefe marfhes continually, that it 
 would be hardly poffible to fire a gun, in a ho- 
 rizontal direction, and not kill many at one 
 lhot. 
 
 As I pafTed through this part of the country, 
 I obferved many traces of fires in the woods, 
 which are frequent, it feems, in the fpring 
 of the year. They ufually proceed from the- 
 
 negligence 
 
160 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA : 
 negligence of people who are burning brufh- 
 wood to clear the lands; and considering how 
 often they happen, it is wonderful that they 
 are not attended with more ferious confe- 
 quences than commonly follow. I was a wit- 
 nefs myfelf to one of thefe fires, that hap- 
 pened in the Northern Neck. The day had 
 been remarkably ferene, and appearing fa- 
 vourable for the purpofe, large quantities of 
 brufhwood had been fired at different places ; 
 ; in the afternoon, however, it became fultry, 
 and ft reams of hot air were perceptible, now 
 and then, the ufual tokens of a guft. About 
 five o'clock, the horizon towards the north 
 became dark, and a terrible whirlwind arofe. 
 I was {landing with fome gentlemen on an 
 eminence at the time, and perceived it gra- 
 dually advancing. It carried with it a cloud 
 of duft, dried leaves, and pieces of rotten 
 wood, and in many places, as it came along, it 
 level led the fence rails, and unroofed the feeds 
 for the cattle. We made every endeavour, 
 but in vain, to get to a place of fhelter; in 
 the courfe of two minutes the whirlwind 
 overtook us; the mock was violent ; it was 
 hardly pofiible to ft and, and difficult to 
 breath ; the whirlwind pafTed over in about 
 three minutes, but a ftorm, accompanied by 
 heavy thunder and lightning, fucceeded, which 
 lafixd for more than half an hour. On look- 
 
 4 in S 
 
FIRES. i6t 
 
 ing round immediately after the whirlwind 
 had pafled, a prodigious column of fire now 
 appeared in a part of the wood where 
 lbme brufhwood had been burning ; in many 
 places the flames rofe coniiderably above the 
 fummit of the trees, which were of a large 
 growth. It was a tremendous, and at the 
 fame time fublime fight. The negroes on 
 the furrounding plantations were all affembled 
 with their hoes, and watches were ftationed at 
 every corner to give the alarm if the fire ap- 
 peared elfewhere, left the conflagration fhould 
 become general. To one plantation a fpark 
 was carried by the wind more than half a mile ; 
 happily, however, a torrent of rain in a fiiort 
 time afterwards came pouring down, and en- 
 abled the people to extinguish the flames in 
 every quarter. 
 
 J i 
 
 When thefe fires do not receive a timely 
 check, they fometimes increafe to a mod 
 alarming height ; and if the grafs and dead, 
 leaves happen to be very dry, and the wind 
 brifk, proceed with fo great velocity that the 
 fwifteft runners are often overtaken in endea- 
 vouring to efcape from the flames. Indeed I 
 have met with people, on whofe veracity the 
 greateft dependance might be placed, that have 
 affured me they have found it a difficult tafk, 
 at times, to get out cf the reach of them, 
 though mounted on good horfes. 
 
 Vol. I. M There • 
 
s52 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 
 There is but one mode of flopping a fire 
 of this kind, which makes fuch a rapid pro- 
 grefs along the ground. A number of other 
 fires are kindled at fome di fiance a-head of 
 that which they wifh to extinguifh, fo as to 
 form a line acrofs the courfe, which, from the 
 direction of the wind, it is likely to take. 
 Thefe are carefully watched by a fufficient 
 number of men furnifhed with hoes and rakes, 
 and they are prevented from fpreading, except 
 on that fide which is towards the large fire, 
 a matter eafily accomplifhed when attended to 
 in the beginning. Thus the fires in a few 
 minutes meet, and of confequence they mud 
 ceafe, as there is nothing left to feed them, 
 the grafs and leaves being burnt on all fides. 
 In general there is but very little brufhwood 
 in the woods of America, fo that thele fires 
 chiefly run along the ground 3 the trees, how- 
 ever, are often fcorched, but it is very rare 
 for any of them to be entirely confumed. 
 
 The country between Urbanna and Glou- 
 cefter, a town fituated upon York River, is 
 neither fo fandy nor fo flat as that bordering 
 upon the Rappahannock. The trees, chiefly 
 pines, are of a very large fize, and afford 
 abundance of turpentine, which, is extracted 
 from them in great quantities by the inhabi- 
 bitants, principally, however, for home con- 
 fumption. The turpentine is got by cut- 
 8 ting 
 
GLOUCESTER AND YORK. 163 
 
 ting a large gafh in the tree, and fetting a 
 trough underneath to receive the refinous 
 matter diftilled from the wound. The trees 
 thus drained laft but a fhort time after they 
 are cut down. In this neighbourhood there 
 are numbers of ponds or fmall lakes, fur- 
 rounded by woods, along fome of which the 
 views are very pleafing. From moft of them 
 are falls of water into fome creek or river, 
 which afford excellent feats for mills. 
 
 Gloucefler contains only ten or twelve 
 houfes ; it is iituated on a neck of land nearly 
 oppofite to the town of York, which is at the 
 other fide of the river. There are remains 
 here of one or two redoubts thrown up during 
 the war. The river between the two places 
 is about one mile and a half wide, and affords 
 four fathom and a half of water. 
 
 The town of York confifts of about feventy 
 houfes, an epifcopalian church, and a gaol. 
 It is not now more than one third of the fize 
 it was before the war, and it dees not appear 
 likely foon to recover its former flburifhing 
 ftate. Great quantities of tobacco w T ere for- 
 merly infpecled here ; very little, however, is 
 now railed in the neighbourhood, the people 
 "having got into a habit of cultivating wheat 
 in preference. The little that is fent for in- 
 flection, is reckoned to be of the very befl 
 M 2 quality, 
 
*64 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA : 
 
 quality, and is all engaged for the London 
 market. 
 
 York is remarkable for having been the 
 place where Lord Cornwallis furrendered his 
 army to the combined forces of the Ameri- 
 cans and French. A few of the redoubts, 
 which were erected by each army, are full re- 
 maining, but the principal fortifications are 
 almoft quite obliterated ; the plough has paffed 
 over fome of them, and groves of pine trees 
 fprung up about others, though, during the 
 liege, every tree near the town was deftroyed. 
 The firft and fecond parallels can jufc be 
 traced, w 7 hen pointed out by a perfon ac- 
 quainted with them in a more perfect Rate. 
 
 In the town the houfes bear evident marks 
 of the fiege; and the inhabitants will not, on 
 any account, fufrer the holes perforated by the 
 cannon balls to be repaired on the outlde. 
 There is one houfe in particular, which {lands 
 in the fk.irt of the town, that is in a mod 
 mattered condition. It was the habitation 
 of a Mr. Neilfon, a fecretary under the regal 
 government, and was made the head quarters 
 of Lord Cornwallis when he firft came to 
 the town ; but it flood fo much expofed, and 
 afforded fo good a mark to the enemy, that 
 he was foon forced to quit it. Neilfon, how- 
 ever, it feemp, was determined to ftay there 
 
 till 
 
YORK TOWN. 16; 
 tHI the Iaft, and abfolutely remained till his 
 negro fervant, the only perlbn that would live 
 with him in fuch ahoufe, had his brains darned 
 out by a cannon mot while he ftood by his 
 lide ; he then thought it time to retire, but 
 the houfe was ftill continually fired at, as if 
 it had been head quarters. The walls and 
 roof are pierced in innumerable places, and at 
 one corner a large piece of the wall is torn 
 away; in this ftate, however, it is ftill in- 
 habited in one room by fome perfon or other 
 equally fanciful as the old fecretary. There 
 are trenches thrown up round it, and on every 
 fide are deep hollows made by the bombs 
 that fejl near it. Till within a year or two 
 the broken ihells themfelves remained; but 
 the New England men that traded to York 
 finding they would fell well as old iron, 
 dug them up, and carried them away in their 
 mips. 
 
 The banks of the river, where the town 
 ftands, are high and inacceffible, excepting in 
 a few places ; the principal part of the town 
 is built on the top of them ; a few fiming 
 huts and ftorehoufes merely ftand at the bot- 
 tom. A cave is Ihewn here in the banks, 
 defcribed by the people as having been the 
 place of head-quarters during the liege, after 
 the cannonade of the enemy became warm ; 
 but in reality it was formed and hung with 
 M 3 green 
 
i66 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 green baize for a lady, either the wife or ac- 
 quaintance of an officer, who was terrified with 
 the idea of remaining in the town, and died or 
 fright after her removal down to the cave. 
 
 Twelve miles from York, to the weftward, 
 (lands Williamfburgh, formerly the feat of go- 
 vernment in Virginia. Richmond was fixed 
 upon during the war as a more fecure place, 
 being farther removed from the fea coaft, and 
 not fo much expofed to depredations if an ene- 
 my were to land unexpectedly. Richmond 
 alfo had the advantage of being (ituated at the 
 head of a navigable river, and was therefore 
 likely toincreafe to a fize which the other never 
 could attain. It is wonderful, indeed, what 
 could have induced people to fix upon the 
 fpot where Williamfburgh (lands for a town; 
 in the middle of a plain, and one mile and a 
 half removed from any navigable dream, when 
 there were fo many noble rivers in the neigh- 
 bourhood. 
 
 The town confifls of one principal ftreet, 
 and two others which run parallel to it. At 
 one end of the main ftreet (lands the college, 
 and at the other end the old capitol or Hate- 
 houfe, a capacious building of brick, now 
 crumbling to pieces from negligence. The 
 houfes around it are moftly uninhabited, and 
 prefent a melancholy piclure. In the hall of 
 the cauitol (lands a maimed flatue of Lord 
 
 Botetourt^ 
 
WILLIAMSBURGH COLLEGE. 167 
 Botetourt, one of the regal governors of Vir- 
 ginia, erected at the public expence, in me- 
 mory of his lord (hip's equitable and popular 
 administration. During the war, when party 
 rage was at its higheft pitch, and every thing 
 pertaining to royalty obnoxious, the head and 
 one arm of the ftatue were knocked off ; it 
 now remains quite expofed, and is more and 
 more defaced every day. Whether the motto, 
 " Rcfurgo rege javente " infcribed under the 
 coat of arms, did or did not help to bring 
 upon it its prefent fate, I cannot pretend to 
 fay ; as it is, it certainly remains a monument 
 of the extinction of monarchial power in 
 America. 
 
 The college of William and Mary, as it is 
 flill called, ftands at the oppofite end of the 
 main ftreet ; it is a heavy pile, which bears, 
 as Mr. Jefferfon, I think, fays, " a very clofe 
 refemblance to a large brick kiln, excepting 
 that it has a roof." The ftudents were about 
 thirty in number when I was there: from 
 their appearance one would imagine that the 
 feminary ought rather to be termed a gram- 
 mar fchool than a college ; yet I underrland 
 the vifiters, fince the prefent revolution, find- 
 ing it full of young boys juft learning the ru- 
 diments of Greek and Latin, a circumftance 
 which consequently deterred others more ad- 
 M 4 vanced 
 
i68 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA; 
 vanced from going there, dropped the pro- 
 fefforfhips for thefe two languages, and efca- 
 blimed others in their place. The profe/Tor- 
 fhips, as they now ftand, are for law, medi- 
 cine, natural and moral philofophy, mathe- 
 matics, and modern languages. The bifhop 
 of Virginia is prefident of the college, and 
 has apartments in the buildings. Half a do- 
 zen or more of the ftudents, the eldeft about 
 twelve years old, dined at his table one day 
 that I was there ; fome were without flboes 
 or ftockings, others without coats. During 
 dinner they constantly rofe to help themfelves 
 at the fideboard. A couple of dimes of faked 
 meat, and fome oyfter foup, formed the whole 
 of the dinner. I only mention this, as it may 
 convey fome little idea of American colleges 
 and American dignitaries. 
 
 The epifcopalian church, the only one in 
 the place, jftands in the middle of the main 
 ftreet ; it is much out of repair. On either 
 fide of it, is an extenfive green, furrounded 
 with neat looking houfes, which bring to mind 
 an Englifh village. 
 
 The town contains about twelve hundred 
 inhabitants, and the fociety in it is thought to 
 be more extenfive and more genteel at the 
 fame time than what is to be met with in 
 other place of its fize in America. No 
 
 manufactures 
 
[ *H 3 
 
 manufactures are carried on here, and fcarcely 
 any trade. 
 
 There is an hofpital here for lunatics, but 
 It does not appear to be well regulated. 
 
 LETTER XIII. 
 
 JJ amp ton. — Ferry to Norfolk. — Danger in 
 cr ' offing the numerous Ferries in Virginia. — 
 Norfolk. — haws of Virginia injurious to the 
 'Trading Intereft. — Streets narrow and dirty 
 in Norfolk,, — Yellow Fever there.— Obfer na- 
 tions on this T) if order. — Violent Party Spirit 
 amongjl the Inhabitants. — Few Churches in 
 Virginia. — Several in Ruins. — Private 
 Grave Ygrds. 
 
 Norfolk, April. 
 
 T^ROM Wiliiamfburgh to Hampton the 
 country is flat and uninterefting. Hamp- 
 ton is a fmall town, fituated at the head of 
 a bay, near the mouth of James River, which 
 contains about thirty houfes and an epifcopa- 
 fian church. A few fea boats are annually 
 built here; and corn and lumber are exported 
 annually to the value of about forty- two thou- 
 fand dollars. It is a dirty difagreeable place, 
 
 always 
 
i;o TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 
 always infefted by a (hocking ftench from a 
 muddy Chore when the tide is out. 
 
 From this town thej;e is a regular ferry to 
 Norfolk,acrofs Hampton roads, eighteen miles 
 over. I was forced to leave my horfes here 
 behind me for feveral days, as all the flats 
 belonging to the place had been lent up a creek 
 fome miles for ftaves, &c. and they had no 
 other method of getting horfes into the ferry 
 boats, which were too- large to come clofe into 
 fhore, excepting by carrying them out in thefe 
 Hats, and then making them leap on board. 
 It is a mo ft irkfome piece of bufinefs to crofs 
 the ferries in Virginia ; there is not one in fix 
 where the boats are good and well manned, 
 and it is neceffary to employ great circum- 
 fpeclion in order to guard againft accidents, 
 which are but too common. As I palled alo ng 
 . I heard of numberlefs recent inftances of horfes 
 being drowned, killed, and having their legs 
 broken, by getting in and out of the boats. 
 
 Norfolk ftands nearly at the mouth of the 
 eaftern branch of Elizabeth River, the mod: 
 fouthern of thofe which empty themfelves into 
 the Chefapeak Bay. It is the largeft commer- 
 cial town in Virginia, and carries on a flou- 
 rfming tviae to the Weft Indies. The exports 
 con lift principally of tobacco, flour, and corn, 
 and various kinds of lumber , of the latter it 
 derives an incxhauftible fupply from the Dif- 
 
 mal 
 
NORFOLK. 174 
 
 snal Swamp, immediately in the neighbour- 
 hood. 
 
 Norfolk would he a place of much greater 
 trade than it is at prefent, were it not for the 
 impolicy of fome laws which have exifted in 
 the ftate of Virginia. One of thefe laws, fo 
 injurious to commerce, was pailed during the 
 war. By this law it was enacted, that all mer- 
 chants and planters in Virginia, who owed mo- 
 ney to Britiih merchants, fhould be exonerated 
 from their debts, if they paid the money due 
 into the public treafury inftead of fending it to 
 Great Britain ; and all fuch as flood indebted 
 were invited to come forward, and give their 
 money in this manner, towards the fupport of 
 the contefl in which America was then en- 
 gaged. 
 
 The treafury at fkft did not become much 
 richer in confequence of this law ; for the Vir- 
 ginian debtor, individually, could gain nothing, 
 by paying the money that he owed into the 
 treaiury, as he had to pay the full ium which 
 was due to the Britiih merchant on the con- 
 trary, he might lofe confiderably ; his credit 
 would be ruined in the eyes of the Britifa 
 merchant by fuch a meafure, and it would be 
 a great impediment to the renewal of a com- 
 mercial intercourfe between them after the 
 conclufion of the war. 
 
 However, 
 
tj2 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA : 
 
 However, when the continental paper mo- 
 ney became fo much depreciated, that one 
 hundred paper dollars were not worth one in 
 iiiver, many of the people, who flood deeply 
 indebted to the merchants in Great Britain, 
 began to look upon the ineafure in a different 
 point of view ; they now' faw a pofitive ad- 
 vantage in paying their debts into the treafury 
 in thefe paper dollars, which were a legal ten- 
 der; accordingly they did fo, and in confer 
 que nee were exonerated of their debts by the 
 laws of their country, though in reality they 
 had not paid more than one hundredth part of 
 them. In vain did the Britifh merchant fue 
 for his money when hoftilities were terminat- 
 ed ; he could obtain no redrefs in any court of 
 juflice in Virginia. Thus juggled out of his 
 property, he naturally became diftruftful of *"he 
 Virginians ; he refufed.to trade with them on 
 the fame terms as with the people of the other 
 ftates, and the Virginians have confequently 
 reaped the fruits of their very difhonourable 
 con duel: *. 
 
 Another law, baneful in the higher! degree 
 to the trading intereft, is one which renders 
 
 all 
 
 * In February 1 796, this nefarious bufmefs was at hft 
 broi^Ht before the fupreme ccurt of the United States in Phi- 
 ladelphia, by the agents of the Britifh merchants; and the d&- 
 cifion of the judges were fuch as redounded to their honour; for 
 they declared that thefe debts fhouid ail be paid over again* 
 bona fide, to the JJritiflh merchant. ' 
 
IMPOLITIC LAWS. IJ§ 
 all landed property inviolable. This law has 
 induced numbers to run into debt; and as long 
 as it exifts, foreigners will be cautious of giving 
 credit to a large amount to men who, if they 
 chute to purchafe a tradl of land with the goods 
 or money entrufted to their care, may fit down 
 upon it fecurely, out of the reach of all their 
 creditors, under protection of the laws of the 
 country. Owing to this law they have not yet 
 been enabled to get a bank eftablifhed in Nor- 
 folk, though it would be of the utmoft im- 
 portance to the traders. The directors of t s 
 bank of the United States have always pe- 
 remptorily refufed to let a branch of it be fixed 
 in any part of Virginia whilft this law remains. 
 In Bofton, New York, Baltimore, Charleston, 
 &fc. there are branches of the bank of the 
 United States, befides other banks, eftablifhed 
 under the fandtion of the ftate legislature. 
 
 Repeated attempts have been made in the 
 ftate aflembly to get this laft: mentioned law 
 repealed, but they have all proved ineffectual. 
 The debates have been very warm on the bu- 
 linefs ; and the names of the majority, who 
 voted for the continuation of it, have been pub- 
 lifhed, to expofe them if poffible to infamy ; 
 but fo many have Sheltered themfelves under 
 its ian&ion, and fo many full find an intereft 
 in its continuance, that it is not likely to be 
 ipeedilv repealed. 
 
 The 
 
if4 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 
 The houfes in Norfolk are about five hun^ 
 dred in number ; by far the greater part of 
 them are of wood, and but meanly built. 
 Thefe have all been erected fince the year 
 1776; when the town was totally deftroyed 
 by fire, by the order of Lord Dunmore, then 
 regal governor of Virginia. The lofles fuf- 
 tained on that occafion were eftimated at 
 jT. 300,000 Herling. Towards- the harbour 
 the ftreets are narrow and irregular; in the 
 other parts of the town they are tolerably 
 wide ; none of them are paved, and all are 
 filthy ; indeed, in the hot months of fummer, 
 the Itench that proceeds from fome of them 
 is horrid. That people can be thus inatten- 
 tive to cleanlinefs, which is fo conducive to 
 health, and in a town where a fixth part of 
 the people died in one year of a peftilential 
 diforder, is moil; wonderful ! ! * 
 
 Amon?fl 
 
 o 
 
 * The yellow fever, which has committed fuch dreadful ra - 
 vages of late years in America, is certainly to be confidered as a 
 fort of plague. It firft appeared at Philadelphia in the year 
 1 793 ; in 1794 it appeared at Baltimore ; in 1 79;, at New York 
 and Norfolk; and in 1796, though the matter was hu'hed up as 
 much as poflible, in order to prevent an alarm, fimilar to that 
 which had injured the city lb much the preceding year, yet in 
 New York a far greater number of deaths than ufual were 
 heard of during the furnmer and autumn, ftrongly fuppofed to 
 have been occaiioned by the fame malignant diforder. 
 
 The accounts given of the calamitous confequences atten- 
 dant upon it, in thefe different places, are all much alike, and 
 
 nearly 
 
YELLOW FEVER. 17; 
 
 Amongft; the inhabitants are great numbers 
 
 of Scotch and French. The latter are almoft 
 
 : entirelv 
 
 j 
 
 nearly fimilar to thofe given of the plague : — The people dying 
 fuddenly, and under the molt mocking circumltanccs — fucn as 
 were well, flying away — the fick abandoned, and periihiug for 
 want of common neceflafies — the dead buried in heaps together 
 without any ceremony — charity at an end — the ties of friendship 
 and confanguinicy disregarded by many — others, on the con- 
 trary, nobly coming forward, and at the hazard of their own 
 lives doing,all in their power to relieve their fellow citizens, 
 
 and avert the general woe. At Philadelphia, in the fpace 
 
 of about three months, no lefs than four thoufar.d inhabitants 
 were fwept off by this dreadful malady, a nutnber, at tkat 
 time, amounting to about one tenth of the whole. Baltimore 
 and New York did nocfufFer ib feverely ; but at Norfolk, which 
 is computed to contain about three thoufand people, no lefs 
 than five hundred fell victims to it. 
 
 The diforder has been treated very differently by different 
 phyhxians, and as fome few have furvived under each fyfkem 
 that has been tried, no general one has yet been adopted. I was 
 told, however, by feveral people in Norfolk, whorefidedin the 
 moil fickly part of the town during the whole time the fever 
 lalled, that as a preventative medicine, a ftrong mercurial purge 
 was very generally adminiilered, and afterwards peruvian bark ; 
 and that few of thofe who had taken this medicine were at- 
 tacked by the fever. All however that can be done by medi- 
 cine to Hop the prcgrefs of the diforder, when it has broke out 
 in a town, feems to be of no very great effect ; for as long as 
 the exceffive hot weather lafts the fever rages, but it regularly 
 difappears on the approach of cold weather. With regard to 
 its origin there have been alfo various opinions ; fome have 
 contended that it was imported into every place where it ap- 
 peared from the Well Indies; others, that it was generated in 
 the country. Thefe opinions have been ably fupported on 
 either fide of the queftion by medical men, who rehded at the 
 different places where the fever has appeared. There are a few 
 . notorious circumftar.ces, however, which lead me, as an indivi- 
 dual, 
 
176 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA ? 
 entirely from the Weft Indies, and principally 
 from St. Domingo. In fuch prodigious num- 
 bers did they flock over after the BritiGi 
 forces had got footing in the French iflands, 
 that between two and three thoufand were 
 in Norfolk at one time; mo ft of them, how- 
 ever, afterwards difperfed themfelves through- 
 out different parts of the country; thole who 
 ftaid in the town opened little fhops of dif- 
 ferent kinds, and amongft them I found many 
 who had been in affluent circumftances before 
 they were driven from their homes. 
 
 A ftrong party fpirit has always been pre- 
 valent amongft the American inhabitants of 
 this town ; fo much fo, that a few years ago, 
 
 when 
 
 dual, to think that the fiver hag been generated on the 
 American continent. In the firft place, the fever has always 
 broken out in thofe parts of towns which were moll clofely 
 built, and where the ftreets have been fuffered through neg- 
 ligence to remain foul- and nafty ; in the fecond place, it has 
 tegularly broken out during the hottefr. time of the year, in the 
 months of July and Auguft, when the air on the American 
 coafl is for the moll part flagnant and fultry, and when ve- 
 getable and animal matter becomes puurid in an incredible 
 fliort fpace of time ; thirdly, numbers of people died of the 
 diforder in New York, in the year 1796, notwithstanding 
 that every Weft Indian velTel which entered the port that fea- 
 fon was examined by the health officer, a regular bred phyfi- 
 cian, and that every one fufpecled was obliged to perform qua- 
 rantine. The people in New York are fo fully perfuaded that 
 the fever originates in America from putrid matter, that they 
 have Hopped up one or two docks, which were receptacles for 
 the filth of the neighbourhood, and which contaminated the air 
 when the tide was out. 
 
GRAVE YARDS. i 77 
 
 when fome Englifh and French vefiels of war 
 were lying in Hampton reads, and the Tailors, 
 from each, on more, the whole people were 
 up and ready to join them, on the one fide or 
 the other, in open conteft but the mayor drew 
 out the militia, and fent them to their refpec- 
 tive homes. 
 
 Here are two churches, one for epifcopa- 
 Hans, the other for methodi-ls. In the for- 
 mer, fervice is not performed more than once 
 in two or three weeks, and very little regard 
 is paid by the people in general to Sunday. In- 
 deed, throughout the lower parts of Virginia, 
 that is, between the mountains and the fea, 
 the, people have fcarcely any fenfe of religion, 
 and in the country parts the churches are all 
 falling into decay. As I rode along, I fcarcely 
 obferved one that was not in a ruinous con- 
 dition, with the windows broken, and doors 
 dropping off the hinges, and lying open to the 
 pigs and cattle wandering about the woods ; 
 yet many of thefe were not pail: repair. The 
 churches in Virginia, excepting fuch as are in 
 towns, ftand for the moft part in the woods, 
 retired from any houfes, and it does not appear 
 that any perfons are appointed to pay the 
 fmalleft attention to them. 
 
 A cuftom prevails in Norfolk, of private inn 
 dividuals holding grave yards, which are locked 
 upon as a very lucrative kind of property, the 
 
 Vol. I. N owners 
 
17S TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA. 
 
 owners receiving confiderable fees annually 
 for giving permi-ffion to people to bury their 
 dead in them. It is very common alfe to fee, 
 in the large plantations iiv Virginia, and not 
 far from the dwelling houfe, cemeteries walled 
 in, where the people of the family are all 
 buried. Thefe cemeteries are generally built 
 adjoining the garden. 
 
 LETTER XIV. 
 
 Defer iption of Difmal Swamp. — Wild Men 
 found in it. — Bears, Wolves, &c. — Country 
 between Swa?np and Richmond.— Mode of 
 making Tar and Pitch. — Poor Soil. — - 
 Wretched Taverns. — Corn Bread.- — Diffi- 
 culty of getting Food for Ilorfes. — Peterf- 
 burgh. — Horfe Races there.— Defcription of 
 Virginian Hcrfes. — Stile of Riding in Ameri- 
 cas — Defcription of Richmond, Capital of 
 Virginia. — Singular Bridge acrofs fames 
 River. — State Ploufe. — Falls of James 
 River. — Gambling common in Richmond. — • 
 Lower Clafes of People very quarrelfome.— 
 Their Mode of Fighting. — -Gouging. 
 
 Richmond, May. 
 
 *pROM Norfolk I went to look at the great 
 Difmal Swamp, which commences at the 
 diftance of nine miles from the town, and ex- 
 tends 
 
GREAT SWAMP. i $ 
 
 tends into North Carolina, occupying in the 
 whole about one hundred and fifty thoufand 
 acres. This great tract is entirely covered with 
 trees ; juniper and cyprefs trees grow where 
 there is moft moifture, and on the dry parts, 
 white and red oaks and a variety of pines. 
 
 Thefe trees grow to a moft enormous fize, 
 and between them* the bruihwood fprings up 
 fo thick that the Avamp in many parts is abfo- 
 lutely impervious. In this refpeft it differs to- 
 tally from the common woods in the country. 
 It abounds alfo with cane reeds, and with long 
 rich grafs, upon which cattle feed with great 
 avidity, and become fat in a very fnort fpace 
 of time ; the canes, indeed, are cenfidered to 
 be the very beft green food that can be 
 given to them. The people who live on the 
 borders of the Swamp drive all their cattle into 
 it to feed ; care however is taken to train them 
 to come back regularly to the farms every 
 night by themfelves, other wife it would be irti- 
 pofiible to find them. This is effected by 
 turning into the Swamp with them, for the firft 
 Few weeks they are fent thither to feed, two or 
 three old milch cows accuftomed to the place, 
 round whofe necks are faftened fmall bells . 
 The cows come back every evening to be 
 milked ; the reft of the cattle herd with thefe, 
 following the noife cf the bells, and when they 
 return to the farm a handful of folt, or fomc- 
 3N 2 thing 
 
i8o TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 thing of which they are equally fond, isgiven; 
 to each as an inducement for them to return 
 again. In a flier t time the cattle become fa- 
 miliar with the place, and having been accuf- 
 tomed from the firft day to return, they regu- 
 larly walk to the farms every evening. 
 
 In the interior parts of the Swamp large 
 herds of wild cattle are found, mod probably 
 originally loft: on being turned in to feed. 
 Bears, wolves, deer, and other wild indigenous 
 animals, are alfo met with there. Stories are 
 common in the neighbourhood of wild men 
 having been found in it, who were loft, it is 
 fuppofed, in the Swamp when children. 
 
 The Swamp varies very much in different 
 parts > in feme, the furface of it is quite dry, 
 and firm enough to bear a horfe ; in others it 
 is overflowed with water; and elie where fo 
 miry that a man would fink up to his neck 
 if he attempted to walk upon it in the 
 drier! part, if a trench is cut only a few feet 
 deep, the water gufhes in, and it is filled im- 
 mediately. Where the canal to conncdt the 
 water of Albemarle Sound with Norfolk is 
 cut, the water in many places flows in from 
 the fides, at the depth of three feet from the 
 furface, in large llreams, without intermiiiion 5 
 in its colour it exactly refeaiblcs brandy, 
 which is fuppofed to be occafioned by the 
 roots of the juniper trees ; it is perfectly clear 
 
 however, 
 
CANAL. i^ 1 
 however, and by no means unpalatable j it 
 is faid to poffefs a diuretic quality, and the 
 people in the neighbourhood, who think it 
 very wholefome, prefer it to any other. Cer- 
 tainly there is fomething very uncommon in 
 the nature of this Swamp, for the people 
 living upon the borders of it, do not fuffer by 
 fever and ague, or bilious complaints, as is 
 oenerallv the cafe with thofe refiderit in the 
 neighbourhood of other fwamps and marines. 
 Whether it is the medicinal quality of the 
 water, however, which keeps them in better 
 health or not, I do not pretend to determine. 
 
 As the Difmal Swamp lies fo very near to 
 Norfolk, where there is a conftant demand 
 for mingles, ftaves, &c. for exportation, and 
 as the very beft of thefe different articles are 
 made from the trees growing upon the fwamp, 
 it of courfe becomes a very valuable fpecies 
 of property. The canal which is now cutting 
 through it, will alfo enhance its value, as 
 when it is completed, lumber can then be 
 readily fent from the remoter!: part:. The 
 -more fouthern parts of it, when cleared, an- 
 fwer uncommonly well for the culture of rice : 
 but in the neighbourhood of Norfolk, as far 
 as ten feet deep from the furface, there feems 
 to be nothing but roots and fibres cf differ- 
 ent herbs mixed with a whitifh fand, which 
 would not an fwer for the purpoie, as rice 
 N 3 requires 
 
1 32 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 
 requires a very rich foil. The trees, however^ 
 that grow upon it, are a mod profitable crop, 
 and inftead of cutting them all down promif- 
 cuoufly, as commonly is done, they only fell 
 fuch as have attained a large fize, by which 
 means they have a continued fbcceffion for the 
 manufacture of thofe articles I mentioned. 
 Eighty thoufand acres of the Swamp are the 
 property of a company incorporated under the 
 title of " The Difmal Swamp Company." Be- 
 fore the war broke out a large number of ne- 
 groes was conftantly employed by the com- 
 pany in cutting and manufacturing ftaves,&c. 
 and their affairs were going on very profpe- 
 roufly; but at the time that Norfolk was burnt 
 they loft all their negroes, and very little has 
 been done by them fmce. The lumber that 
 is now fent to Norfolk, is taken principally 
 off thofe parts of the fwamp which are private 
 property. 
 
 From the Difmal Swamp to Richmond, a 
 diftance of about one hundred and fortv miles, 
 along the fouth-fide of James River, the coun- 
 try is flat and fandy, and for miles together 
 entirely covered with pine trees. In Nanfe- 
 monde county, bordering on the Swamp, the 
 foil is fo poor that but very little corn or 
 erain is railed : it anfvvers well however for 
 peach orchards, which are found to be very 
 profitable. From the peaches they make 
 
 brandy^ 
 
ACCOMMODATION. 1S5 
 
 brandy, and when properly matured it is an 
 excellent liquor, and much efteemed ; they 
 give it a very delicious flavour in this part 
 of the country, by infilling dried pears in it. 
 Spirit and water is the univerfal beverage 
 throughout Virginia. They alfo make conli- 
 derable quantities of tar and pitch from the 
 pine trees. For this purpofe a fort of pit is 
 dug, in which they burn large piles of the 
 trees. The tar runs out, and is depofited at 
 the bottom of the pit, from whence it is taken, 
 cleared of the bits of charcoal that may be 
 mixed with it, and put into barrels. The tar, 
 infpiffated by boiling, makes pitch. 
 
 The accommodation at the taverns along 
 •this road I found mod wretched ; nothing 
 was to be had but rancid fiih, fat fait pork, and 
 bread made of Indian corn. For this indiffe- 
 rent fare alfo I had to wait oftentimes an hour 
 or two. Indian corn bread, if well made, 
 is tolerably good, but very few people can 
 reli/h it on the fir ft trial ; it is a coarfe, ftrong 
 kind of bread, which has fomething of the 
 tafte of that made from oats. The beft way 
 of preparing it is in cakes ; the large loaves 
 made of it are always like dough in the 
 middle. There is a diih alio which they 
 make of Indian corn, very common in Vir- 
 ginia and Maryland, called " hominy/' It 
 cpnlifts of pounded Indian corn and beans 
 N 4 boiled 
 
jS.f TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA; 
 boiled together with milk till the whole mafs 
 becomes firm. This is eat, either hot or cold ? 
 with bacon, or with other meat. 
 
 As for my horfes, they were almoft ftarved. 
 Hay is fcarcely ever made ufe of in this part 
 of the country, but in place of it they feed 
 their cattle upon fodder, that is, the leaves of 
 the Indian corn plant. Not a bit of fodder, 
 however, was to be had on the whole road 
 from Norfolk to Richmond, excepting at two 
 places ; and the feafon having been remark- 
 ably dry, the little grafs that had fprung up 
 had been eat down every where by the cattle 
 in the country. Oats were not to be had on 
 any terms ; and Indian corn was fo fcarce, that 
 I had frequently to fend to one or two diffe- 
 rent houfes before I could get even fufficient 
 to give one feed each to my horfes. The 
 people in the country endeavoured to account 
 for this fcarcity, from the badnefs of the har- 
 veft the preceding year ; but the fact, I be- 
 lieve, was, that corn for exportation having 
 been in great demand, and a mod enormous 
 price offered for it, the people had been tempt- 
 ed to difpofe of a great deal more than -they 
 could well fpare. Each perfon was eager to 
 fell his own corn to fuch advantage, and de- 
 pended upon getting fupplied by his neigh- 
 bour, fo that they were all reduced to want. 
 
 Peterfburgh ftands at the head of the na- 
 vigable 
 
HORSE RACING. 1S5 
 vigable part of Appamatox River, and is the 
 only place of confequence fouth of James 
 River, between Norfolk and Richmond, 
 The reft: of the towns, which are but very 
 fmall, feem to be fkft on the decline, and 
 prefent a miferable and melancholy appear- 
 ance. The houfes in Peterfburgh amount to 
 about three hundred 3 they are built without 
 any regularity. The people who inhabit 
 them are moftly foreigners ; ten families are 
 not to be found in the town that have been 
 born in it. A very flourishing trade is car- 
 ried on in this place. About two thoufand 
 four hundred hogfheads of tobacco are in- 
 fpected annually at the warehoufes 5 and at 
 the Falls of the Appamatox River, at the 
 upper end of the town, are fome of the beft 
 flour mills in the ftate. 
 
 Great crowds were afiembled at this place, 
 as I palled through, attracted to it by the 
 horfe races, which take place four or five 
 times in the year. Horfe racing is a favourite 
 amufement in Virginia ; and it is carried on. 
 with fpirit in different parts of the ftate. The 
 beft bred horfes which they have are imported 
 from England ; but ftill fome of thofe railed 
 at home are very good. They ufually run for 
 purfes mace up by fubfcription. The only 
 particular circumftance in their mode of car- 
 rying on their races in Virginia is, that they 
 
 always 
 
lE6 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA : 
 
 always run to the left ; the horfes are com- 
 monly rode by negro boys, fome of whom 
 are really good jockies. 
 
 The horfes in common ufe in Virginia are 
 all of a light defcription, chiefly adapted for 
 the faddle; fome of them are handfome, but 
 they are for the moft part fpoiied by the falfe 
 gaits which they are taught. The Virginians 
 are wretched horfemen, as indeed are all the 
 Americans 1 ever met with, excepting fome 
 few in the neighbourhood of New York. 
 They fit with their toes juft under the horfe's 
 nofe, their ftirrups being left extremely long, 
 and the faddle put about three or four inches 
 forward on the mane. As for the manage - 
 merit of the reins, it is what they have no 
 conception of. A trot is odious to them, and 
 they exprefs the utrnoft aftonifhment at a 
 perfon who can like that uiieafy gait, as they 
 call it. The favourite gaits which all their 
 horfes are taught, are a pace and a wrack. In 
 the lirft, the animal moves his two feet on 
 one fide at the fame time, and gets on with 
 a fort of muffling motion, being unable to 
 ipring from the ground on thefe two feej: as 
 in a trot. We mould call this an unnatural 
 gait, as none pf our horfes would ever move 
 in that manner without a rider; but the Ame- 
 ricans in lift upon it that it is otherwife, be- 
 caufe many of their foals pace as foon as born. 
 % Thefe 
 
RICHMOND. i%j 
 
 Thefe kind of hones are called " natural 
 pacers, " and it is a matter of the utmoft diffi- 
 culty to make them move in any other man- 
 ner ; but it is not one horfe in five hundred, 
 that would pace without being taught. la 
 the wrack, the horfe gallops with his fore 
 feet, and trots with thofe behind. This is a 
 gait equally devoid of grace with the other, 
 and equally contrary to nature ; it is very fa- 
 tiguing alfb to the hcrfe ; but the Virginian 
 finds it more conducive to his eafe than a fair 
 gallop, and this circumfhmce banifhes every 
 other cenfidcration. 
 
 The people in this part of the country, bor- 
 dering upon James River, are extremely fond 
 of an entertainment which they call a bar- 
 bacue. It confiils in a large party meeting to- 
 gether, either under fome trees, or in a houfc, 
 to partake of a flurgeon or pig roafled in the 
 open air, on a fort of hurdle, over a How fire $ 
 this, however, is an entertainment chiefly 
 confined to the lower ranks, and, like rnoft 
 others of the fame nature, it general! v ends 
 in intoxication. 
 
 Richmond, the capital of Virginia, is f mated 
 immediately below the Falls of James Pviver, o;i 
 the north fide. The river oppofite to the town 
 is about four hundred yards wide, and is crofied 
 by means of two bridges, which are fe pa rated 
 by an ifland that lies nearly in the middle of 
 
 the 
 
*83 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA : 
 the river. The bridge, leading from the fouth 
 fhore to the ifland, is built upon fifteen large 
 fiat-bottomed boats, kept ftationary in the river 
 by ftrong chains and anchors. The bows of 
 them, which are very (harp, are put againft the 
 flream, and fore and aft there is a ftrong beam, 
 upon which the piers of the bridge reft. Be- 
 tween the ifland and the town, the water being - 
 fhallower, the bridge is built upon piers formed 
 of fquare cafements of logs filled with ftones. 
 To this there is no railing, and the boards with 
 which it is covered are fo loofe, that it is dan- 
 gerous to ride a horfe acrofs it that is not ac- 
 cuftomed to it. The bridges thrown acrofs this 
 river, oppoiite the town, have repeatedly been 
 carried away ; it is thought idle, therefore, to 
 go to the expence of a better one than what 
 exifts at prefent. The ftrongeft ftone bridge 
 could hardly refift the bodies of ice that are 
 hurried down the Falls by the floods on the 
 breaking up of a fevere winter. 
 
 Though the houfes in Richmond are not 
 more than feven hundred in number, yet they 
 extend nearly one mile and a half along the 
 banks of the river. The lower part of the 
 town, according to the courfe of the river, is 
 built clofe to the water, and oppofite to it lies 
 the ihipping; this is connected with the upper 
 town by a long ftreet, which runs parallel to the 
 courfe of the river, about fifty yards removed 
 
 from 
 
STATEHOUSE. 1S9 
 
 from the banks. The fituation of the upper 
 town is very pleafing ; it ftands on an elevated 
 fpot, and commands a fine profpecl: of the Falls 
 of the river, and of the adjacent country on the 
 oppoiite fide. The beft houfes (land here, and 
 alio the capitol or ftatehoufe. From the op- 
 pofite fide of the river this building appears 
 extremely well, as its defects cannot be ob- 
 ferved at that diftance, but on a clofer in- 
 fpeclion it proves to be a clumfy illfhapen pile. 
 The original plan was lent over from France 
 by Mr. Jefferfon, and had great merit ; but his 
 ingenious countrymen thought they could im- 
 prove it, and to do fo, placed what was in- 
 tended for the attic ftory, in the plan, at the 
 bottom, and put the columns on the top of it. 
 In many other refpecls, likewife, the plan was 
 inverted. This building is finhhed entirely with 
 red brick ; even the columns themfelves are 
 formed of brick ; but to make them, appear like 
 ilone, they have been partially whitened with 
 common whitewa(h. The inlide of the build- 
 ing is but very little better than its exterior 
 part. The principal room is for the home of 
 reprefentatives ; this is ufed alfo for divine 
 fervice, as there is no fuch thing as a church 
 in the town. The veftibule is circular, and very 
 dark ; it is to be ornamented with a ilatue of 
 General Waihington, executed by an emi- 
 nent ariill in France, which arrived while I 
 
 was 
 
rpo TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 was in the town. U^]y and ill contrived as" 
 this building is, a Arrange* muft not attempt to 
 find jfiaft with any part of it, for it is looked 
 upon by the inhabitants as a fiibfl elegant 
 fabric. 
 
 The Falls in the river, or the Rapids, as they 
 mould be called, extend fix miles above the 
 city, in the cdurfe of which there is a defcent 
 of about eighty feet. The river is here full 
 of larp-e rocks, an i the water ruihes over them 
 in ibme places with great impetuofity. A 
 canal is completed at the north lide of thefe 
 Falls, which renders the navigation complete 
 from Richmond to the Blue Mountains, and at 
 particular times of the year, boats with light 
 burthens can proceed ftill higher up. In the 
 river, oppoiite the town, are no more than 
 feven feet water, but ten miles lower down 
 about twelve feet. Moft of the vefiels trading 
 to Richmond unlade the greater part of their 
 cargoes at this place into river craft, and then 
 proceed up to the town Trade is carried on 
 here chiefly by foreigners, as the Virginians 
 have but little inclination for it, and are too 
 fond of amufement to purfue it with much 
 fuccefs. 
 
 Richmond contains about four thoufand in- 
 habitants, one half of whom are Haves. Amongft 
 the freemen are numbers of lawyers, who, with 
 the officers of the fiats government,and feveral 
 
 that 
 
GAMBLING. igi 
 that live retired on their fortunes, refitie in the 
 upper town ; the other part is inhabited prin- 
 cipally by the traders. 
 
 Perhaps in no place of the fame fize in the 
 world is there more gambling going forward 
 than in Richmond. I had £ arcely alighted 
 from my horfe at the tavern, when the landlord 
 came to afk what game I was mcft partial tc, 
 as in fuch a room there was rt- faro table, in 
 another a hazard table, in a third a billiard 
 table, to any one of which he was ready to 
 conduct me. Not the fmalleft fecrecy is em- 
 ployed in keeping thefe tables ; they are al- 
 ways crowded with people, and the doors of 
 the apartment are only (hut to prevent the rab- 
 ble from coming in. Indeed, throughout the 
 lower parts of the country in Virginia, andalfo 
 in that part of Maryland next to it, there is 
 fcarcely a petty tavern without a billiard room, 
 and this is always full of a fet of idle low-lived 
 fellows, drinking fpirits or playing card?, if not 
 engaged at the table. Cock-fighting is alio 
 another favourite diverfion. It is chiefly, how- 
 ever, the lower clafs of people that partake of 
 thefe amufements at the taverns ; in private 
 there is, perhaps, as little gambling in Virginia 
 as in any other part of America. The circum- 
 fiance of having- the taverns thus infelled bv 
 fuch a let of people, renders travelling ex- 
 tremely unpleafant. Many times I have been 
 
 forced. 
 
i92 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA : 
 forced to proceed much farther in a day than- 
 I have wiihed, in order to avoid the fcenes of 
 rioting and quarrelling that I have met with at 
 the taverns, which it is impoffible to efcape as 
 long as you remain in the fame houfe where 
 they are carried on, for every apartment is 
 confidered as common, and that room in 
 which a ftranger fits down is fure to be the 
 mod frequented. 
 
 Whenever thefe people come to blows, they 
 fight juft like wild beads, biting, kicking, and 
 endeavouring to tear each other's eyes out with 
 their nails. It is by no means uncommon to 
 meet with thofe who have loll an eye in a 
 combat, and there are men who pride them- 
 felves upon the dexterity with which they can 
 fcoop one out. This is called gouging. To 
 perform the horrid operation, the combatant 
 tvvifts his forefingers in the fide locks of his 
 adverfary's hair, and then applies his thumbs 
 to the bottom of the eye, to force it out of the 
 focket. If ever there is a battle, in which 
 neither of thofe engaged lofes an eye, their 
 faces are however generally cut in a mocking 
 manner with the thumb nails, in the » many 
 attempts which are made at gouging. But 
 what is worfe than all, thefe wretches in their 
 combat endeavour to their utmoft to tear out 
 each other's tefticles. Four or five inftances 
 came within my own obfervation, as I pafTed 
 
 - through 
 
f '93 ] 
 
 through Maryland and Virginia, of men being 
 confined in their beds from the injuries which 
 they had received of this nature in a fight. In 
 the Carolinas and Georgia, I have been credi- 
 bly a flu red, that the people are frill more de- 
 praved in this refoecl than in Virginia, and 
 that in fome particular parts of thefe ftates, 
 every third or fourth man appears with one 
 eye* 
 
 LETTER XV. 
 
 Defcription of Virginia between Richmond and 
 the Mountains. — Fragrance of F/oicers and 
 Shrubs in the Woods.' — Melody of the Birds. — - 
 Of the Birds of Virginia. — Mocking Bird — 
 Blue Bird— Red Bird, &c. — -Singular Noifes 
 of the Frogs . — Columbia.— Magazine there. 
 — Fire Flies in the Woods. — Green Springs.— 
 Wretchednefs of the Accommodation there. — 
 Difficulty of finding the Way through the 
 Woods. — Serpents — Rattle Snake — Copper 
 Snake — Black Snake. — South-zvef, or Green 
 Mountains. — Soil of them.— Mount ai?i 'Tor- 
 rents do great Damage. — Salubrity of the 
 Climate. — Great Beauty of the Peafantry. — 
 Many Gentlemen of Property living here. — 
 
 Vol. I, O Monticello, - 
 
194 Travels through north America : 
 
 Montkelhi the Seat of Mr. fefferfon. — Vine- 
 yards, — Qb fern at ions on the Culture of the 
 Grape, and the Manufacture cf rVine. 
 
 Monticello, May. 
 
 pjAVING ftaid at Richmond fomewhat 
 longer than a week, which I found ab- 
 folutely neceflary, if it had only been to recruit 
 the flrength of my horfes, that had been half 
 ilarved in coming from Norfolk, I proceeded 
 in a north- we fterly direction towards the 
 South-weft or Green Mountains. 
 
 The country about Richmond is fandy, but 
 not fo much fo, nor as flat as on the lbuth-fide 
 of James River towards the fea. It now wore 
 a molt plealing afpecl. The firft week in May 
 had arrived ; the trees had obtained a consi- 
 derable part of their foliage, and the air in the 
 woods was perfumed with the fragrant fmell 
 of numberlefs flowers and flowering fhrubs, 
 which fprang up on all fides. The mufic of 
 the birds was alfo delightful. It is thought 
 that in Virginia the finging birds are finer than 
 what are .to be met with on any other part of 
 the continent, as the climate is more congenial 
 to them, being neither fo intenfely hot in fum- 
 mer as that of the Carolinas, nor fo cold in 
 winter as that of the more northern ftates. 
 The notes of the mocking bird or Virginian 
 nightingale are in particular moll melodious. 
 
 This 
 
VIRGINIAN BIRDS. 19$ 
 Th's bird is of the colour and about the fifed 
 of a thrum, but more (lender; it imitates the 
 fong of every other bird, but with increafed 
 ftrength and fweetnefs. The bird whofe fong 
 it mocks generally fLes away, as if confciuus of 
 being excelled by the other, and diifacisfied 
 with its own powers. It is a remark, how- 
 ever, made by Catefby, and which appears to 
 be a very juft one, that the birds in America 
 are much inferior to thofe in Europe in the 
 melody of their notes, but that they are fupe- 
 rior in point of plumage. I know of no Ameri- 
 can bird that has the rich mellow note of our 
 black-bird, the fprightly note of the fky-lark, 
 or the fweet and plaintive one of the nightin- 
 gale. 
 
 After having liftened to the mocking bird, 
 there is no novelty in hearing the fong of any 
 other bird in the country ; and indeed their 
 fongs are for the moft part but very Ample in 
 themfelves, though combined they are plead- 
 ing. 
 
 The moft remarkable for their plumage of 
 thofe commonly met with, are, the blue bird 
 and the red bird. The firft is about the fize 
 of a linnet - y its back, head, and wings are of 
 dark yet bright blue ; when flying the plumage 
 appears to the greateft advantage. The red 
 bird is larger than a fky lark, though fmaller 
 than, a thrufh ; it is of a vermilion colour, and 
 O z hag * 
 
196 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA : 
 has a fmall tuft on its head. A few humming 
 birds make their appearance in fummer, but 
 their plumage is not fo beautiful as thofe found 
 more to the fouthward. 
 
 Of the other common birds there are but 
 few worth notice. Doves and quails, or par- 
 tridges as they are fomeiimes called, afford 
 good diverfion for the fportfman. Thcfe laft 
 birds in their habits are exactly fimilar to 
 European partridges, excepting that they alight 
 fometimes upon trees their fize is that of the 
 quail, but they are neither the fame as the Eng- 
 li(h quail or the Engliih partridge. It is the 
 fame with many other birds, as jays, robins, 
 larks, pheafants, &c. which were called by 
 the Englifh fettlers after the birds of the fame 
 name in England, becaufe they bore fome re- 
 femblance to them, though in fad: they are 
 materially different. In the lower parts of Vir- 
 ginia, and to the fouthward, are great numbers 
 of large birds, called turkey buzzards, which, 
 when mounted aloft on the wing, look like 
 eagles. In Carolina there is a law prohibiting 
 the killing thefe birds, as they feed upon 
 putrid carcafes, and therefore contribute to 
 keep the air wholefome. There is only one 
 bird more which I mail mention, the whipper- 
 will, or whip-poor-will, as it is fometimes 
 called, from the plaintive noife that it makes; 
 to my ear it founded wyp-o-Il. It begins to 
 
 make 
 
C O L U M B I A. 197 
 
 make this noife, which is heard a great way 
 off, about dufk, and continues it through the 
 greater part of the night. This bird is fo very 
 wary, and fo few in fiances have occurred of 
 its being feen, much lefs taken, that many 
 have imagined the noife does not proceed from 
 a bird, but from a frog, efpecially as it is heard 
 moll frequently in the neighbourhood of low 
 grounds. 
 
 . The frogs in America, it muft here be ob- 
 ferved, make a moil Angular noife, fome of 
 •them abfolutely whittling, whilft others croaic 
 fo loudly, that it is difficult at times to tell 
 whether the found proceeds from a calf or a 
 frog: I have more than once been deceived 
 by the noife when walking in a meadow. 
 Thefe laft frogs are called bull frogs ; they 
 moftly keep in pairs, and are never found but 
 where there is good water; their bodies are 
 from four to feven inches long, and their legs 
 are in proportion; they are extremely active, 
 and take prodigious leaps. 
 
 The iirft town I reached on going towards 
 the mountains was Columbia, or Point of Fork, 
 as it is called in the neighbourhood. It is 
 Situated about lixty miles above Richmond, at 
 the confluence of Rivanna and Fluvanna rivers, 
 which united form James River. This is a 
 flourishing little place, containing about fortv 
 houfes, and a warehoufe for the infpedtion of 
 O 3 tobacco.- 
 
i*G TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 
 tobacco. On the neck of land between the 
 two rivers, juft oppofite to the town, is tne 
 magazine of the ftate, in which are kept 
 twelve thoufand (land of arms, and about thirty 
 tons of powder. The low lands bordering 
 unon the river in this neighbourhood are ex- 
 tremely valuable. 
 
 From Columbia to the Green Springs, about 
 twenty miles farther on, the road runs almoft 
 wholly through a pine foreft, and is very lonely. 
 Night came on before I got to the end of it, 
 and, as very commonly happens with travellers 
 in this part of the world, I foon loft my way. 
 A light, however, feen through the trees, 
 feemed to indicate that a houfe was not far 
 off: my fervant eagerly rode up to it, but the 
 poor fellow's confirmation was great indeed 
 when he obferved it moving from him, pre- 
 fently coming back, and then with fwiftnefs 
 departing again into the woods. I was at a 
 lofs for a time myfelf to account for the ap- 
 pearance, but after proceeding a little farther, 
 I obferved the fame fort of light in many other 
 places, and difmounting from my horfe to ex- 
 amine a bum where one of thefe fparks ap- 
 peared to have fallen, I found it proceeded 
 from the fire fly. As the fummer came on, 
 thefe flies appeared every night: after a light 
 fliowVr in the afternoon, I have feen the woods 
 fparkjill^ with them in every quarter. The 
 
 light 
 
GREEN SPRINGS. 199 
 
 light is emitted from the tail, and the animal 
 has the power of emitting it or not at pleafure. 
 
 After wandering about till it was near 
 eleven o'clock, a plantation at laft appeared, 
 and having got frefh information respecting 
 the road from the negroes in the quarter, who 
 generally fit up half the night, and over a fire 
 in all feafons, I again fet out for the Green 
 Springs. With fome difficulty I at laft found 
 the way, and arrived there about midnight. 
 The hour was fo unfeafonable, that the people 
 at the tavern were very unwilling to open their 
 doors s and it was not till I had related the hif- 
 tory of my adventures from the laft ftage two 
 or three times that they could be prevailed 
 upon to let me in. At laft a tall fellow in his 
 fliirt came grumbling to the door, and told me 
 1 might come in if I would. I had now a par- 
 ley for another quarter of an hour toperfuade 
 him to give me fome corn for my horfes, which 
 he was very unwilling to do ; but at laft he 
 complied, though much againft his inclina- 
 tion, ami unlocked the ftable door. Returning 
 to the houfe, I was {hewn into a room about 
 ten feet fquare, in which were two filthy beds 
 f warming with bugs; the ceiling had moul- 
 dered away, and the walls admitted light in 
 various places ; it was a happy circumftance, 
 however, that thefe apertures were in the wall, 
 O 4 for 
 
, 200 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 for the window of the apartment was inef- 
 ficient in itfelf to admit either light or frelh 
 air. Here I would fain have got fomething to 
 eat, if poifible, but noteven fo much as a piece 
 of bread was to be had ; indeed, in this part 
 of the country they feidom think of keeping 
 bread ready made, but jutl prepare fufficient 
 for the meal about half an hour before it is 
 wanted, and then ferve it hot. Unable there- 
 fore to procure any food, and fatigued with a 
 long journey during a parching day, I threw 
 myfelf down on one of the beds in my clothes, 
 and enjoyed a profound repoie, notwithftand- 
 ing the repeated onfets of the bugs and other 
 vermin with which I was molefted. 
 
 Be rides the tavern and the quarters of the 
 Haves, there is but one more building at this 
 place. This is a large farm houfe, where peo-^ 
 pie that refort to the fprings are accommodated 
 with lodgings, about as good as thole at the 
 tavern, Thefe habitations ftand in the center 
 of a cleared fpot of iand of about fifty acres, 
 furronnded entirely with wood. The fprings 
 are | u ft on the margin of the wood, at the 
 bottom of .a (lope, which begins at the houfes, 
 and are covered with a few boards, merely to 
 keep the leaves from falling in. The waters 
 are chalybeate, i nd are drank chiefly by per- 
 fens from the "low country, whofe conilitu- 
 
 tions 
 
S N A K E S. sot 
 tlons have been relaxed by the heats of fum- 
 mer. 
 
 Having breakfafted in the morning at this 
 miferable little place, I proceeded on my jour- 
 ney up this South-weft Mountain, In the 
 courfe of the day's ride T obferved a great 
 number of fnakes, which were now beginning 
 to come forth from their holes. I killed a 
 black one, that I found fleeping, ftretched acrofs 
 the road; it was five feet in length. The black 
 fnake is more commonly met with than any 
 other in this part of America, and is ufualiy 
 from four to fix feet in length. In proportion 
 to the length it is extremely flender ; the back 
 is perfectly black, the belly lead colour, in- 
 clining to white towards the throat. The 
 bite of this fnake is not poifonous, and the 
 people in that country are not generally inclin- 
 ed to kill it, from its great utility in deftroying 
 rats and mice. It is wonderfully fond of milk, 
 and is frea^ently found in the dairies, which 
 in Virginia are for the moft part in low fitua- 
 tions, like cellars, as the milk could not other- 
 wife be kept fweet for two hours together in 
 fummer time. The black fnake, at the time 
 of copulation, immediately purines any perfon 
 who conies in fight, and with fuch fwiftnefs, 
 that the beft runner cannot efcape from him 
 upon even ground. Many other forts of harm- 
 Jefs fnakes are found here, feme of which are 
 
 beautifully 
 
zci TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 beautifully variegated, as the garter, the rib- 
 bon, the blueifh green fnake, &c. &c. Of 
 the venomous kind, the moft common are the 
 rattle fnake, and the copper or moccaffin fnake. 
 The former is found chiefly on the mountains ; 
 but although frequently met with, it is very 
 rarely that people are bitten by it ; fcarcely a 
 iummer, however, pafTes over without feveral 
 being bit by the copper fnake. The poifon of 
 the latter is not fo fubtile as that of the rattle 
 fnake, but it is very injurious, and if not at- 
 tended to in time, death will certainly enfue. 
 The rattle fnake is very dull, and never at- 
 tacks a perfon that does not moleft him - y but, 
 at the fame time, he will not turn out of the 
 way to avoid any one ; before he bites, he al- 
 ways gives notice by making his rattles, fo that 
 a perfon that hears them can readily get out of 
 his way. The copper fnake, on the contrary, 
 is more active and treacherous, and, it is faid, 
 will abfolutely put himfelf in the way of a per- 
 fon to bite him. Snakes are neither fo nu- 
 merous nor fo venomous in the northern as in 
 the fouthern flares, Horfes, cows, dogs, and 
 fowl, kern to have an innate fenfe of the Han- 
 ger they are expofed to from thefe poifonous 
 reptiles, and will fhew evident fymptoms of 
 fear on approaching near them, although they 
 are dead but what is remarkable, hogs, fo far 
 from being afraid cf them, purfue and devour 
 
 them 
 
MOUNTAINS. 253 
 
 them with the greateft avidity, totally regard - 
 lefs of their bites. It is fuppofed that the great 
 quantity of fat, with which they are furniihed, 
 prevents the poifon from operating on their 
 bodies as on thole of other animals. Hog's 
 lard, it might therefore reafonably be con- 
 jectured, would be a good remedy for the bite 
 of a fnake : however, I never heard of its being 
 tried ; the people generally apply herbs to the 
 wound, the fpecific qualities of which are 
 well known. It is a remarkable inftance of 
 the bounty of Providence, that in all thofe 
 parts of the country where thefe venomous 
 reptiles abound, thofe herbs which are the 
 moft certain antidote to the poifon are found 
 in the greateft plenty. 
 
 The South-weft Mountains run nearly pa- 
 rallel to the Blue Ridge, and are the firft 
 which you come to on going up the country 
 from the fea-coaft in Virginia. Thefe moun- 
 tains are not lofty, and ought indeed rather 
 to be called hills than mountains ; they are 
 not fcen till you come within a very few miles 
 * of them, and the afcent is fo gradual, that 
 you get upon their top almoft without per- 
 ceiving it. 
 
 The foil here changes to a deep argilaceous 
 earth, particularly well faited to the cul- 
 ture of final] grain and clover, and produces 
 abundant crops. As this earth, however, does 
 
 not 
 
TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA • 
 
 not abforb the water very quickly, the farmer 
 is expofed to great lories from heavy falls of 
 rain ; the feed is liable to be wafhed out of 
 the ground, fo that fome times it is found ne- 
 ceifary to fow a field two or three different 
 times before it becomes green % 'and if great 
 care be not taken to guard fach fields as lie 
 on a declivity by proper trenches, the crops 
 are fometimes entirely deftroyed, even after 
 they arrive at maturity \ indeed, very often, 
 notwithstanding the utmoft precautions, the 
 water departs from its ufual channel, and 
 fweeps away all before it. After heavy tor- 
 rents of rain, I have frequently feen all the 
 negroes in a farm difpatched with hoes and 
 fpades to different fields, to be ready to turn 
 the courfe of the water, in cafe it mould take 
 an improper direction. On the fides of :he 
 ■mountain, where the ground has been worn 
 out with the culture of tobacco, and left 
 wade, and the water has been fuffered to run 
 in the fame channel for a length of time, it is 
 lurpriling to fee the depth of the ravines or 
 gullies, as they are called, which it has formed. 
 They are juft like fo many precipices, and are 
 infurmountable barriers to the paffage from 
 one fide of the mountain to the other. 
 
 Notwithstanding fuch difad vantages, how- 
 ever, the country in the neighbourhood of 
 iheie mountains is far more populous than 
 
 that 
 
CLIMATE. sb| 
 that which lies towards Richmond - y and there 
 are many peribns that even coniider it to be 
 the garden of the United States. All the 
 productions of the lower part of Virginia may 
 be had here, at the lame time that the heat 
 is never found to be fo oppreliive \ for in the 
 hotteft months in the year, there is a freihnefs 
 and elafticity in the air unknown in the low- 
 country. The extremes of heat and cold 
 are found to be 90 9 and 6° above cipher, but 
 it is not often that the thermometer rifes 
 above 84 , and the winters are fo mild in ge- 
 neral, that it is a very rare circumftance for 
 the mow to lie for three days together upon 
 the ground. 
 
 The falubrity of the climate is equal alfo 
 to that of any part of the United States ; 
 and the inhabitants have in confequence 2. 
 healthy ruddy appearance. The female pa re 
 of the peafantry in particular is totally diffe- 
 rent from that in the low country. In (lead of 
 the pale, fickly, debilitated beings, whom ycu 
 meet with there, you find amongft thefe moun- 
 tains many a one that would be a fit fubjecl 
 to be painted for a Lavinia. It is really de- 
 lightful to behold the groups of females, af- 
 fembled here, at times, to gather the cherries 
 and other fruit?, which grow in the greatefl: 
 abundance in the neighbourhood of almoft 
 every habitation. Their fhapes and complex- 
 
 ions. 
 
206 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA J 
 ions are charming ; and the careleffnefs of 
 their dreiTes, which coniift of little more, in 
 common, than a fimple bodice and petticoat, 
 makes them appear even ftill more engaging. 
 
 The common people in this neighbourhood 
 appeared to me to be of a more frank and 
 open difpofition, more inclined to hofpita- 
 lity, and to live more contentedly on what 
 they poffeiTed, than the people of the fame 
 clafs in any other part of the United States I 
 paffed through. From being able, however, 
 to procure the neceffaries of life upon very 
 eafy terms, they are rather of an indolent ha- 
 bit, and inclined to diffipation. Intoxication 
 is very prevalent, and it is fcarcely poflible to 
 meet with a man who does not begin the day 
 with taking one, two, or more drams, as foon 
 as he rifes. Brandy is the liquor which they 
 principally ufe, and having the greatefl abun- 
 dance of peaches, they make it at a very 
 trifling expence. There is hardly a houfe to 
 be found with two rooms in it, but where the 
 inhabitants have a dill. The females do not 
 fall into the habit of intoxication like the men, 
 but in other refpects they are equally dif- 
 pofed to pleafure, and their morals are in like 
 manner relaxed. 
 
 Along thefe mountains live feveral gentle- 
 men of large landed property, who farm their 
 own eftates, as in the lower parts of Virginia ; 
 4 among 
 
M O Jf T I q E I L 0. 2:7 
 
 among the number is Mr. Jefferibn % from 
 whole feat I date this letter. His houfe is 
 about three miles diftant from Charlottefvilb 
 and two from Milton, which is on the head 
 waters of Rivanna River. It is moft Angularly 
 fituated, being built upon the top of a fmaii 
 mountain, the apex of which has been cutoff, 
 fo as to leave an area of about an acre and half. 
 At prefent it is in an unfinimed ftate ; but if 
 carried on according to the plan laid down, it will 
 be one of the moft elegant private habitations 
 in the United States. A large apartment is 
 laid out for a library and mufeum, meant to 
 extend the entire breadth of the houfe, the 
 windows of which are to open into an exten- 
 five green-houie and aviary. In the center is 
 another very fpacious apartment, of an octa- 
 gon form, reaching from the front to the rear 
 of the houfe, the large folding glafs doors of 
 which, at each end, open under a portico. An 
 apartment like this, extending from front to 
 back, is very common in a Virginian houfe ; 
 it is called the falcon, and duni^r rummer is the 
 one generally preferred by the family, on ac- 
 count cf its being more airy and fpacious than 
 any other. The houfe commands a magnifi- 
 cent profpect on one fide of the blue ridge of 
 mountains for nearly forty miles, and on the 
 
 oppofite 
 
 * -Yice-prefident of the United States, 
 
£08 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 
 oppofite one, of the low country, in appear- 
 ance like an extended heath covered with 
 trees, the tops alone of which are vifible. The 
 mifts and vapours arifing from the low grounds 
 give a continual variety to the fcene. The 
 mountain whereon the houfe ftands is thickly 
 wooded on one fide, and walks are carried 
 round it, with different degrees of obliquity, 
 running into each other. On the fouth fide 
 is the garden and a large vineyard, that pro- 
 duces abundance of fine fruit. 
 
 Several attempts have been made in this 
 neighbourhood to bring the manufacture of 
 wine to perfection ; none of them however 
 have fucceeded to the wifh of the parties. A 
 fet of gentlemen once went to the expence even 
 of getting fix Italians over for the purpofe, but 
 the vines which the Italians found growing 
 here, were different, as well as the foil, from 
 what they had been in the habit of cultivating, 
 and they were not much more fuccefsful in the 
 bufinefs than the people of the country. We 
 mufl not, however, from hence conclude that 
 good wine can never be manufactured upon 
 thefe mountains. It is well known that the 
 vines, and the mode of cultivating them, vary- 
 as much in different parts of Europe as the foil 
 in one country differs from that in another. 
 It will require fome time, therefore, and dif- 
 ferent experiments, to afcertain the particular 
 
 kind 
 
V I N E S. 209 
 kind of vine, and the mode of cultivating it, 
 beft adapted to the foil of thefe mountains. 
 This, however, having been once afcertained, 
 there is every reafon to fuppofe that the grape 
 may be cultivated to the greateft perfection, 
 as the climate is as favourable for the purpofe 
 as that of any country in Europe. By experi- 
 ments alfo it is by no means improbable, that 
 they will, in procefs cf time, learn the beft 
 method of converting the juice of the fruit 
 into wine. 
 
 LETTER XVI. 
 
 Of the Country between the South -weft and Blue 
 Mountains. — Copper and Iron Mines. — 
 Lynchburgh.- — New London.* — Armory here. 
 — Defcription of the Road over the Bine 
 ■Mountains.— Peaks of Otter > highefi of the 
 Mountains. — Suppofed Height.— Much over- 
 rated. — German Settlers numerous beyond the 
 Blue Mountains. — Singular Contra fl between 
 the Country and the Inhabitants on each Side 
 of the Mountains. — Of the Weevil. — Of the 
 Hfjian Fly.»—Bottetourt County. — lis Soil. 
 — Salubrity of the Climate. — Medicinal 
 Springs here. — Much frequented. 
 
 Fincaftle, May. 
 
 *JpIiE country between the South-weft 
 Mountains and the Blue Ridge is very 
 fertile, and it is much more thickly inhabited 
 Vol. f. P than * 
 
216 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA : 
 
 than the lower parts of Virginia. The cli- 
 mate is good, and the people have a healthy 
 and robuft appearance. Several valuable mines 
 of iron and copper have been difcovered here, 
 for the working of fome of which, works have 
 been eftablifhed; but till the country becomes 
 more populous it cannot be expected that they 
 will be carried on with much fpirit. 
 
 Having crofied the South-weft Mountains, 
 I paffed along through this county to Lynch- 
 burgh, a town fituated on the fouth-fide of 
 Fluvanna River, one hundred and fifty miles 
 above Richmond, This town contains about 
 one hundred houfes, and a warehoufe for the 
 infpection of tobacco, where about two thou- 
 fand hogfheads are annually infpefted. It 
 has been built entirely within the laft fifteen 
 years, and is rapidly increafing, from its ad- 
 vantageous fituation for carrying on trade with 
 the adjacent country. The boats, in which the 
 produce is conveyed down the river, are from 
 forty-eight to fifty-four feet long, but very 
 narrow in proportion to their breadth. Three 
 men are fufficientto navigate one of thefe boats; 
 and they can go to Richmond and back" again 
 in ten days. They fall down with the ftream, 
 but work their way back again with poles. 
 The cargo carried in thefe boats is always pro- 
 portionate to the depth of water in the river, 
 which varies very much. When I paffed it 
 
 to 
 
BLUE MOUNTAINS. 211 
 to Lynch burgh, there was no difficulty in 
 riding acrofs, yet when I got upon the oppose 
 banks, I obferved great quantities of weeds 
 hanging upon the trees, confiderably above 
 my head though on horfeback, evidently left 
 there by a flood. This flood happened in the 
 preceding September, when the waters rofe 
 fifteen feet above their ufual level. 
 
 A few miles from Lynchburgh, towards the 
 Blue Mountains, is a fmall town called New 
 London, in which there is a magazine, and 
 alfo an armory, erected during the war. 
 About fifteen men were here employed, as I 
 pafTed through, repairing old arms and fur- 
 bifhing up others and indeed, from the 
 flovenly manner in which they keep their 
 arms, I fhould imagine that the fame number 
 mult be conftantly employed all the year 
 round. At one end of the room lay the muf- 
 quets, to the amount of about five thoufand, 
 all together in a large heap, and at the oppo- 
 fite end lay a pile of leathern accoutrements, 
 abfolutely rotting for want of common atten- 
 tion. All the armories throughout the United 
 States are kept much in the fame ftyle. 
 
 Eetween this place and the Blue Mountains 
 the country is rough and hilly, and but very 
 thinly inhabited. The few inhabitants, how- 
 ever, met with here, are uncommonly robuft 
 
 P 2 and 
 
. in TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 and tall; it is rare to fee a man among ft 
 them who is not fix feet high. Thefe people 
 entertain a high opinio a of their own fuperio- 
 rity in point of bodily ftrength over the inhabi- 
 tants of the low country. A fimilar race of 
 men is found all along the Blue Mountains. 
 
 The Blue Ridge is thickly covered with 
 large trees to the very fummit ; fome of the 
 mountains are rugged and extremely ftony, 
 others are not fo, and on thefe laft the foil is 
 found to be rich and fertile. It is only in par- 
 ticular places that this ridge of mountains can 
 be crofied, and at fome of the gaps the afcent 
 is fteep and difficult; but at the place where 
 I crofTed it, which was near the Peak of Otter, 
 on the fouth-fide, inftead of one great moun- 
 tain to pafs over, as might be imagined from 
 an infpe&ion of the map, there is a fucceflion 
 of fmall hills, rifing imperceptibly one above 
 the other, fo that you get upon the top of the 
 Ridge before you are aware of it. 
 
 The Peaks of Otter are the higheft moun- 
 tains in the Blue Ridge, and, meafured from 
 their bafes, are fuppofed to be more lofty than 
 any others in North America. According to 
 Mr. JefFerfon, whofe authority has been 
 quoted nearly by every perfon that has written 
 on the fubjecl: fince the publication of his 
 Notes on Virginia, the principal peak is about 
 
 four 
 
PEAKS OF OTTER. 213 
 four thoufand feet in perpendicular height; 
 but it muft be obferved, that Mr. Jerferfon 
 does not fay that he meafured the height 
 himfelf; on the contrary, he acknowledges 
 that the height of the mountains in America 
 has never yet been afcertained with any de- 
 gree of exactnefs it is only from certain d,ata, 
 from which he fays a tolerable conjecture 
 may be formed, that he fuppofes this to be 
 the height of the loftieft peak* Pofitively to 
 affert that this peak is not fo high, without 
 having meafured it in any manner, would be 
 abfurd; as I did not meafure it, I do not 
 therefore pretend to contradict Mr. Jefferfon; 
 I have only to fay, that the moft elevated of 
 the peaks of Otter appeared to me but a very 
 infignificant mountain in comparifon with 
 Snowden, in Wales ; and every perfon that I 
 converfed with that had feen both, and I con- 
 verfed with many, made the fame remark. 
 Now the higheft peak of Snowden is found, 
 by triangular admeafurement, to be no more 
 than three thoufand five hundred and fixty- 
 eight feet high, reckoning from the quay at 
 Carnarvon. None of the other mountains in 
 the Blue Ridge are fuppofed, from the fame 
 data, to be more than two thoufand feet ia 
 perpendicular height. 
 
 Beyond the Blue Ridge, after croffing by 
 this route near the Peaks of Otter, I met with 
 P 3 but 
 
214 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA i 
 but very few fettlements till I drew near to 
 Fincaftle, in Bottetourt County. This town 
 /lands about twenty miles diftant from the 
 mountain, and about fifteen fouth of Fluvanna 
 River. It was only begun about the year 
 1790, yet it already contains fixty houfes, and 
 is mo ft rapidly increasing. The improvement 
 of the adjacent country has likewife been very 
 rapid, and land now bears nearly the fame 
 price that it does in the neighbourhood of 
 York and Lancafter, in Pennfylvania. The 
 inhabitants conlift principally of Germans, 
 who have extended their fettlements from 
 Pennfylvania along the whole of that rich 
 track of land which runs through the upper 
 part of Maryland,, and from thence behind 
 the Blue Mountains to the mo ft fouthern parts 
 of Virginia. Thefe people, as I before men- 
 tioned, keep very much together, and are 
 never to be found but where the land is re- 
 markably good. It is Angular, that although 
 they form three fourths of the inhabitants on 
 the weftern-fide of the Blue Ridge, yet not 
 one of them is to be met with on the eaflern 
 fide, notwithstanding that land is to be pur- 
 chafed in the neighbourhood of the South- 
 weft Mountains for one fourth of what is paid 
 for it in Bottetourt County. They have 
 many times, I am told, croffed the Blue Ridge 
 to examine the land, but the red foil which 
 
 they 
 
COTTON. 2T5 
 they found there was different from what 
 they had been accuftomed to, and the injury 
 it was expofed to from the mountain torrents, 
 always appeared to them an infuperable ob- 
 jection to fettling in that part of the country. 
 The difference indeed between the country 
 on the eaftern and on the weftern fide of the 
 Blue Ridge, in Bottetourt County, is aftonifiV 
 ing, when it is confidered that both are under 
 the fame latitude, and that this difference is 
 perceptible within the fhort diftance of thirty 
 miles. 
 
 On the eaftern fide of the Rid^e, cotton 
 grows extremely well j and in winter the 
 fnow fcarcely ever remains more than a day 
 or two upon the ground. On the other fide, 
 cotton never comes to perfection ; the winters 
 are fevere, and the fields covered with fnow 
 for weeks together. In every farm yard you 
 fee fleighs or fledges, carriages ufed to run 
 upon the fnow. Wherever thefe carriages 
 are met with, it may be taken for granted 
 that the winter lafts in that part of the coun- 
 try for a confiderable length of time, for the 
 people would never go to the expence of 
 building them, without being tolerably certain 
 that they would be ufeful. On the eaftern 
 fide of the Blue Ridge, in Virginia, not one 
 of thefe carriages is to be met with. 
 
 It has already been mentioned, that thp 
 P 4 pre- 
 
ai6 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA % 
 
 predominant foil to the ea ft ward of the Blue 
 Ridge is a red earth, and that it is always a 
 matter of fome difficulty to lay down a piece 
 of land in grafs, on account of the rains, 
 which are apt to wafh away the feeds, to- 
 gether with the mould on the furface. In 
 Bottetourt County, on the contrary, the foil 
 confifts chiefly of a rich brown mould, and 
 throws up white clover fpontaneoufly. To 
 have a rich meadow, it is only neceffary to 
 leave a piece of ground to the hand of nature 
 for one year. Again, on the eaftern fide of 
 the Blue Mountains, fcarcely any limeftone is 
 to be met with ; on the oppofite one, a bed 
 pf it runs entirely through the country, fo 
 that by forne.it is emphatically called The 
 Limeftone County. In linking wells, they 
 have always to dig fifteen or twenty fee: 
 through a folid rock to get at the water. 
 
 Another circumftance may alfo be men- 
 tioned, as making a material difference be- 
 tween the country on one fide of the Blue 
 Ridge and that on the other, namely, that be- 
 hind the mountains the weevil is unknown. 
 The weevil is a fmall infect of the moth 
 kind, which depofits its eggs in the cavity of 
 the grain, and particularly in that of wheat ; 
 and if the crops are ftacked or laid up in the 
 barn in flieav.es, thefe eggs are there hatched, 
 and the grain is in conference totally de- 
 2 ftroyedo 
 
INSECTS. <n 7 
 
 ftroyed. To guard againft this, in the lower 
 parts of Virginia, and the other ftates where 
 the weevil is common, they always threfh out 
 the grain as foon as the crops are brought in, 
 and leave it in the chaff, which creates a de- 
 gree of heat fufficient to deftvoy the infect, at 
 the fame time that it does not injurs the 
 wheat. This infect has been known in 
 America but a very few years ; according to 
 the general opinion, it originated on the eaftern 
 fhore of Maryland, where a perfon, in expec- 
 tation of a great rife in the price of wheat, 
 kept over all his crops for the fpace of fix 
 years, when they were found full of thefe 
 infects ; from thence they have fpread gra- 
 dually over different parts of the country. 
 For a confiderable time the Patowmac River 
 formed a barrier to their progrefs, and while 
 the crops were entirely deftxoyed in Mary- 
 land, they remained fecure in Virginia ; but 
 thefe infects at Lift found their way acrofs the 
 river. The Blue Mountains at prefent ferve 
 as a barrier, and fecure the country to the 
 weftward from their depredations *. 
 
 Botte- 
 
 * There is another infe£t, which in a fimilar manner made 
 its appearance, and afterwards fpread through a great part of 
 the country, very injurious alfo to the crops. It Is called 
 the Heflian Fly, from having been brought over, as is fuppoled, 
 in fome forage belonging to the Hefiian troops, during the war, 
 This in feci; lodges itfelf in different parts of the (talk, while 
 
 green, • 
 
2:3 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 
 Bottetourt County is entirely furrounded by 
 mountains ; it is alfo crolTed by various ridges 
 of mountains in different directions, a circum- 
 ftance which renders the climate particularly 
 agreeable. It appears to me, that there is no 
 part of America where the climate would be 
 more congenial to the conftitution of a native 
 of Great Britain or Ireland. The froft in 
 winter is more regular, but not feverer than 
 commonly takes place in thofe iflands. In 
 fumrner the heat is, perhaps, fomewhat 
 greater ; but there is not a night in the year 
 that a blanket is not found very comfortable. 
 Before ten o'clock in the morning the heat is 
 greateft; at that hour a breeze generally fprings 
 up from the mountains, and renders the air 
 agreeable the whole day. Fever and ague are 
 diforders unknown here, and the air is fo ±alu- 
 
 brious, 
 
 green, and makes fuch rapid devaftations, that ,a crop which 
 appears in the belt poffible ftate will, perhaps, be totally de- 
 frayed in the courfe of two or three days. In Maryland, they 
 fay, that if the land is very highly manured, the Heflian fly 
 never attacks the grain ; they alio fay, that crops raifed upon 
 land that has been worked for a long time are much lefs ex- 
 pofed to injury from thefe infecls than the crops raifed upon 
 new land. If this is really the cafe, the appearance of the 
 Heffian Fly mould be confidered as a circumfHnce rather bene- 
 ficial than otherwife to the country, as it will induce the in,- 
 habitants to relinquifh that ruinous practice of working the i 
 fame piece of ground year after year till it is entirely worn 
 out, and then leaving it wafte, inltead of taking fome pains to 
 improve it by manure. This fly is not known at prefent fouth 
 of the Patowmac River, nor behind the Blue Ridge. 
 
MEDICINAL SPRINGS. 2 j 9 
 
 brious, that perfons who come hither afflicted 
 with it from the low country, towards the 
 fea, get rid of it in a very Ihort time. 
 
 In the weftern part of the county are feveral 
 medicinal fprings, whereto numbers of people 
 refort towards the latter end of fummer, as 
 much for the fake of efcaping the heat in the 
 low country, as for drinking the waters. 
 Thofe moft frequented are called the Sweet 
 Springs, and are iituated at the foot of the 
 Alleghany Mountains. During the laft feafon 
 upwards of two hundred perfons reforted to 
 them, with fervants and horfes. The .accom- 
 modations at the fprings are moft wretched at 
 prefent ; but a fet of gentlemen from South 
 Carolina have, I underftand, fince I was there, 
 purchafed the place, and are going to erect 
 feveral commodious dwellings in the neigh- 
 bourhood, for the reception of company. Be- 
 lides thefe fprings there are others in Jackfon's 
 Mountains, a ridge w T hich runs between the 
 Blue Mountains and the Alleghany. One of 
 the fprings here is warm, and another quite 
 hot ; a few paces from the latter, a fpring of 
 common water iffues from the earth, but 
 which, from the contraft, is generally thought 
 to be as remarkable for its coldnefs as the water 
 of the adjoining one is for its heat : there is 
 alfo a fulphur fpring near thefe ; leaves of trees 
 falling into it become thickly incrufted with 
 
 fulphur 
 
220 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 fulphur in a very fhort time, and filver is turned 
 black almoft immediately. At a future pe- 
 riod, the medicinal qualities of all thefe fprings 
 will probably be accurately afcertained ; at 
 prefent they are but very little known. As 
 for the relief obtained by thole perfons that 
 frequent the Sweet Springs, in particular, it is 
 ftrongly conjectured that they are more in- 
 debted for it to the change of the climate 
 than to the rare qualities of the water. 
 
 LETTER XVII. 
 
 Dtjcription of the celebrated Rock Bridge, and 
 of an immenfe Cavern. — Defcription of the 
 Shcnandoa Valley. — Inhabitants mojlly Ger- 
 mans. — Soil and Climate. — Obfervations on 
 American L an df capes. —Mode of cutting down 
 5^ rees% — High Road to Kentucky, behind Blue 
 Mountains. — Much frequented. — Uncouth, 
 in q u fi t he Peop le. — L exington. — Staunton . — 
 Military ^Titles very common in America.—* 
 Caufes thereof— Winchefler. 
 
 Winchefler, May. 
 
 A FTER remaining a confiderable time in 
 Bottetourt County, I again croffcd Flu- 
 vanna River into the county of Rockbridge, 
 fo called from the remarkable natural bridge 
 
 of 
 
RO CK BRIDGE. azi 
 of rock that is in it. This bridge {lands about 
 ten miles from Fluvanna River, and nearly the 
 fame diftance from the Blue Ridge, It ex- 
 tends acrofs a deep cleft in a mountain, which, 
 by fome great convuifion of nature, has been, 
 fplit afunder from top to bottom, and it feen: s 
 to have been left there purpofely to afford a 
 paffage from one fide of the chafm to the 
 other. The cleft or chafm is about two miles 
 long, and is in fome places upwards of three 
 hundred feet deep ; the depth varies accord^- 
 ing to the height of the mountain, being deepeft 
 where the mountain is mod: lofty. The 
 breadth of the chafm alfo varies in different 
 places but in every part it is uniformly wider 
 at top than towards the bottom. That the 
 two fides of the chafm were once united ap- 
 pears very evident, not only from projecting 
 rocks on the one fide correfponding with 
 fuitable cavities on the other, but alfo from 
 the different ftrata of earth, land, clay, &c. 
 being exactly fimilar from top to bottom on 
 both fides but by what great agent they were 
 feparated, whether by fire or by water, re- 
 mains hidden amongft thofe arcana of nature 
 which we vainly endeavour to develope. 
 
 The arch confifts of a folid mafs of ftone, 
 or of feveral ftones cemented fo flrongly to- 
 gether, that they appear but as one. This 
 
 mafs, 
 
222 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 mafs, it is to be fuppofed, at the time that the 
 hill was rent afimder, was drawn acrofs the 
 fiffure, from adhering clofely to one fide, and 
 being loofened from its bed of earth at the 
 oppofite one. It feems as probable, I think, 
 that the mafs of ftone forming the arch was 
 thus forcibly plucked from one fide, and drawn 
 acrofs the filfure, as that the hill mould have 
 remained difunited at this one fpot from top to 
 bottom, and that a paffage mould afterwards 
 have been forced through it by water. The 
 road leading to the bridge runs through a 
 thick wood, and up a hill ; having afcended 
 which, nearly to the top, you paufe for a mo- 
 ment at rinding a fudden difcontinuance of 
 the trees at one fide ; but the amazement 
 which fills the mind is great indeed, when, on 
 going a few paces towards the part which ap- 
 pears thus open, you find yourfelf on the 
 brink of a tremendous precipice. You in- 
 voluntarily draw back, ftare around, then 
 again come forward to fatisfy yourfelf that 
 what you have feen is real, and not the illu- 
 lions of fancy. You now perceive, that you 
 are upon the top of the bridge; to the" very 
 edge of which, on one fide, you may approach 
 with fafety, and look down into the abyfs, 
 being protected from falling by a parapet of 
 fixed rocks. The walls, as it were, of the 
 bridge, at this fide, are fo perpendicular, that 
 
 a perfoa 
 
ROCK BRIDGE. 223 
 
 a perfon leaning over the parapet of rock, 
 might let fall a plummet from the hand to 
 the very bottom of the chafm. On the op- 
 pofite fide this is not the cafe, nor is there any 
 parapet ; but from the edge of the road, which 
 runs over the bridge, is a gradual Hope to the 
 brink of the chafm, upon which it is fome- 
 what dangerous to venture. This flope is 
 thickly covered with large trees, principally 
 cedars and pines. The oppofite fide was alfo 
 well furnimed with trees formerly, but all 
 thofe that grew near the edge of the bridge 
 have been cut down by different people, for 
 the fake of feeing them tumble to the bottom. 
 Before the trees were deftroyed in this manner, 
 you might have pafled over the bridge with- 
 out having had any idea of being upon it ; for 
 the breadth of it is no lefs than eighty feet. 
 The road runs nearly in the middle, and is 
 frequented daily by waggons. 
 
 At the diflance of a few yards from the 
 bridge, a narrow path appears, winding along 
 the fides of the filfure, amidft immenfe rocks 
 and trees, down to the bottom of the bridge. 
 Here the ftupendous arch appears in all its 
 glory, and feems to touch the very fkies. To 
 behold it without rapture, indeed, is impof- 
 fible ; and the more critically it is examined, 
 the more beautiful and the more furpriung 
 does it appear. The height of the bridge to 
 
 tbe 
 
22+ v TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 the top of the parapet is two hundred and 
 thirteen feet by admeasurement with a line ; 
 the thicknefs of the arch forty feet ; the fpan 
 of the arch at top ninety feet ; and the diftancer 
 between the abutments at bottom fifty feet. 
 The abutments confift of a folid mafs of lime- 
 ftone on either fide, and, together with the 
 arch, feem as if they had been chifeled out 
 by the hand of art. A fmall ftream, called 
 Cedar Creek, running at the bottom of the 
 fiflure, over bed of rocks, adds much to the 
 beauty of the fcene. 
 
 The fiflure takes a very fudden turn jufl 
 above the bridge, according to the courfe of 
 the ftream, fo that when you ftand below, and 
 look under the arch, the view is intercepted 
 at the diftance of about fifty yards from the 
 bridge. Mr. JefFerfon's ftatement, in his Notes, 
 that the fiflure continues ftrait, terminating 
 with a pleating view of the North Mountains, 
 is quite erroneous. The fides of the chafm 
 are thickly covered in every part with trees, 
 excepting where the huge rocks of limeftone 
 appear. 
 
 Befides this view from below, the bridge is 
 feen to very great advantage from a pinnacle 
 of rocks, about fifty feet below the top of the 
 fiflure ; for here not only the arch is feen In 
 all its beauty, but the Spectator is impreffed in 
 the mo ft forcible manner with ideas of its 
 
 grandeur 
 
M ADDISON'S CAVE. 225 
 
 grandeur, from being enabled at the fame 
 time to look down into the profound gulph 
 over which it pafles. 
 
 About fifty miles to the northward of the 
 Rock Bridge, and alfo behind the Blue Moun- 
 tains, there is another very remarkable natural 
 ourioiity j this is a large cavern, known in 
 the neighbourhood by the name of Maddifon's 
 Cave. It is in the heart of a mountain, 
 about two hundred feet high, and which is 
 fo fteep on one lide, that a perfon (landing 
 on the top of it, might eafily threw a peb- 
 ble into the river, which flows round the bafe ; 
 the oppofite fide of it is, however, very eafy 
 of afcent, and on this fide the path lead- 
 ing to the cavern runs, excepting for the iaft 
 twenty yards, when it fuddenly turns along 
 the fteep part of the mountain, which is ex- 
 tremely rugged, and covered with imrnenfe 
 rocks and trees from top to bottom. The 
 mouth of the cavern, on this fteep fide, about 
 two thirds of the way up, is guarded by a huge 
 pendent ftone, w r hich feems ready to drop 
 every inftant, and it is hardly poifibie to ftoop 
 under it, without reflecting with a certain de- 
 gree of awe, that were it to drop, nothing 
 could fave you from periming within the 
 dreary walls of that manfion to which it af- 
 fords an entrance. 
 
 Vol. I. Pre- 
 
226 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 
 Preparatory to entering, the guide, whom 
 I had procured from a neighbouring houfe, 
 lighted the ends of three or four fplij*ters of 
 pitch pine, a large bundle of which he had 
 brought with him : they burn out very fjrft, 
 but while they 1 aft are moft excellent torches. 
 The fire he brought along with him, by means 
 of a bit of green hiccory wood,, which, when 
 once lighted, will burn flowly without any 
 blaze till the whole is confumed. 
 
 The firft apartment you enter is about 
 1 .vsnt-five feet high, and fifteen broad, and 
 extends a considerable way to the risht and 
 left, the floor alcending towards the former ; 
 here it is very moiiV from the quantity of 
 water continually trickling from the roof. 
 Fahrenheit's thermometer, -which ftood at 67* 
 in the air, fell to 6i° in this room. A few 
 yards to the left, on the fide oppofite to you 
 on entering, a paflage prefents itfelf, which 
 leads to a. fort of anti-chamber as it were r 
 from whence you proceed into the found 
 room, fo named from the prodigious reverbe- 
 ration of the found of a voice or mufical in- 
 ftrument at the iniide. This room is -about 
 twenty feet fquare ; it is arched at top, and 
 the fides of it, as well as of that apartment 
 which you firft enter, are beautifully orna- 
 mented with ftaladtites. Returning from hence 
 
 into 
 
M ADDISON'S CAVE. 227 
 
 into the antichamber, and afterwards taking 
 two or three turns to the right and left, you 
 enter a long paflage about thirteen feet wide, 
 and perhaps about fifteen in height perpen- 
 dicularly ; but if it was ineafured from the 
 floor to the higheil part of the roof obliquely, 
 the diftance would be found much greater, 
 as the walls on both fides Hope very confider- 
 ably, and finally meet at top. This paflage 
 defcends very rapidly, and is, I mould fup- 
 pofe, about fixty yards long. Towards the 
 end it narrows considerably, and terminates in 
 a pool of clear water, about three or four feet 
 deep. How far this pool extends it is impofii- 
 ble to fay. A canoe was once brought down 
 by a party, for the purpofe of examination, 
 but they laid, that after proceeding a little 
 way upon the water the canoe would not float, 
 and they were forced to return. Their fears, 
 molt probably, led them to fancy it was fo. 
 I fired a piftol with a bail over the water, but 
 the report was echoed from the after part of 
 the cavern, and not from that part beyond the 
 water, fo that I fhould not fuppofe the paflage 
 extended much farther than could be traced 
 with the eye. The walls of this paffage con- 
 lift of a folid rock of limeftone on each fide, 
 which appears to have been feparated by 
 fome convulfion. The floor is of a deep fandy 
 earth, and it has repeatedly been dug up for 
 
 Q w 2 the 
 
• 228 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 
 the purpofe of getting falt-petre, with which' 
 the earth is ftrongly impregnated. The 
 earth, after being dug up, is mixed with wa- 
 ter, and when the groffer particles fall to the 
 bottom, the water is drawn off and evaporated y 
 from the refidue the falt-petre is procured. 
 There are many other caverns in this neigh- 
 bourhood, and alfo farther to the weft ward, 
 in Virginia ; from all of them great quantities 
 of falt-petre are thus obtained. The gun- 
 powder made with it, in the back country* 
 forms a principal article of commerce, and is 
 fent 'to Philadelphia in exchange for Euro- 
 pean manufactures. 
 
 About two thirds of the way down this 
 long paffage, juft defcribed, is a large aper- 
 ture in the wall on the right, leading to an- 
 other apartment, the bottom of which is about 
 ten feet below the floor of the paffage, and it 
 is no eafy matter to get down into it, as 
 the fides are very fteep and extremely flippery. 
 This is the largeft and moft beautiful room 
 in the whole cavern ; it is fomewhat of an oval 
 form, about fixty feet in length, thirty in 
 breadth, and in fome parts nearly fifty feet 
 high. The petrifactions formed by the water 
 dropping from above are moft beautiful, and 
 hang down from the ceiling in the form of 
 elegant drapery, the folds of which are limilar 
 to what thofe of large blankets or carpets 
 
 would 
 
M ADDISON'S CAVE. 229 
 
 •would be if fufpended by one corner in a lofty 
 ■room. If flruck with a flick, a deep hollow 
 found is produced, which echoes through the 
 -vaults of the cavern. In other parts of this 
 room the petrifactions have commenced at the 
 •bottom, and formed in pillars of different 
 heights 1 fome of them reach nearly to the 
 roof. If ypu go to a remote part of this apart- 
 ment, and leave a perfon with a lighted torch 
 moving about amidft thefe pillars, a thonfand 
 imaginary forms prefent themfelves, and you 
 might almoft hncy yourfelf in the infernal re- 
 gions, with fpeclres and monfters on every 
 fide. The floor of this room Hopes down gra- 
 dually from .one end to the other, and termi- 
 nates in a pool of water, which appears to be 
 on a level with that a-t the end of the long 
 paflage ; from their lituation it is moil pro- 
 bable that they communicate together. The 
 thermometer which I had with me flood, in 
 ■the remotest part of this chamber, at 55 . 
 From hence we returned to the mouth of the 
 cavern, and on coming into the light it ap- 
 peared as if we really had been in the infernal 
 regions, for our faces, hands, and clothes were 
 fmutted all over, every part of the cave being 
 covered with foot from the fmoke of the pine 
 torches which are fo often carried in. The 
 fmoke from the pitch pine is particularly 
 ihick and heavy. Before this cave was much 
 
 0^3 vifuedj 
 
230 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 
 vifited, and the walls blackened by the fmoke, 
 its beauty, I was told by fome of the old in- 
 habitants, was great indeed, for the petrifac- 
 tions on the roof and walls are all of the dead 
 white kind. 
 
 The country immediately behind the Blue 
 Mountains, between Bottetourr County and 
 the Patowmac River, is agreeably diverfified 
 with hill and dale, and abounds with exten- 
 iive tracts of rich land. The low grounds 
 bordering upon the Shenandoah Paver, which 
 runs contiguous to the Blue Ridge for up- 
 wards of one hundred miles, are in particular 
 diftinguifhed for their fertility. Thefe low 
 grounds are thofe which, ftriclly fpeaking, 
 conftitute the Shenandoah Valley, though in 
 general the country lying for feveral miles 
 diitant from the river, and in fome parts 
 very hilly, goes under that name. The natu - 
 ral herbage is not fo fine heje as in Bottetourt 
 County, but when clover is once fown it 
 grows moft luxuriantly \ wheat alio is pro- 
 duced in as plentiful crops as in any part of the 
 United States. Tobacco is not railed except- 
 ing for private ufe, and but little Indian corn 
 is fown, as it is liable to be injured by the 
 nightly frofts, which are common in the 
 fpring. 
 
 The climate here is net fo warm as in the 
 lower parts of the country, on the eaftern fide 
 
 of 
 
LANDSCAPES. 231 
 
 of the mountains ; but it is by no means fo 
 temperate as in Bottetourt County, which, 
 from beino; environed with ridges of moun- 
 tains, is conftantly refrefhed with cooling 
 .breezes during rummer, and in the winter is 
 fheitered from the keen blafts from the north 
 weft. 
 
 The whole of this country, to the weft of 
 the mountains, is increasing moft rapidly in 
 population. In the neighbourhood of Win- 
 chefter it is fo thickly fettled, and confequently 
 fo much, cleared, that wood is now beginning 
 to be thought valuable ; the farmers are obliged 
 frequently to fend ten or fifteen miles even for 
 their fence rails. It is only, however, in this 
 particular neighbourhood that the country is 
 fo much improved ; in other places there are 
 rimmenfe tracts of woodlands ftill remaining, 
 jmd in general the hills are all left uncleared. 
 The hills being thus left covered with trees is 
 a circumftance which adds much to the beauty 
 of the country, and intermixed with extenfive 
 fields clothed with the richeft verdure, and 
 •watered by the numerous branches of the She- 
 nandoah River, a variety of pleaiing landfcapes 
 are prefented to the eye in almoft every part of 
 the route from Bottetourt to the Patowmac, 
 many of which are conliderably heightened 
 ..by the appearance of the Blue Mountains in. 
 .the back ground. 
 
 .<L* Vvith 
 
232 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA : 
 
 With regard to the landfcapes however, and 
 to American landfcapes in general, it is to be 
 pbferved, that their beauty is much impaired 
 by the unpicturefque appearance of the angu- 
 lar fences, and of the ft iff wooden houfes, which 
 have at a little diftance a heavy, dull, and 
 glocmy afpedt. The ftumps of the trees alfo, 
 on land newly cleared, are molt difagreeable 
 objects, wherewith the eye is continually af- 
 failed. When trees are felled in America, they 
 are never cut down clofe to the ground, but 
 the trunks are left ftanding two or three feet 
 high ; for it is found that a woodman can cut 
 down many more in a day, ftanding with a 
 gentle inclination of the body, than if he were- 
 to ftoop fo as to apply his axe to the bottom 
 of the tree ; it does not make any difference 
 either to the farmer, whether the (lump is left 
 two or three feet high, or whether it is cut 
 down level with the ground, as in each cafe it 
 would equally be a hindrance to the plough. 
 Thefe ftumps ufually decay in the courfe of 
 feven or eight vears ; fometimes however 
 fooner, fometimes later, according to the qua- 
 lity of the timber. They never throw up 
 fuckers, as ftumps of trees would do in Eng- 
 land if left in that manner. 
 
 The cultivated lands in this countrv are 
 moftly parcelled out in fmall portions ; there 
 are no perfons here, as on the other fide of the 
 
 mountains^ 
 
TOWNS. 233 
 mountains, poffeaing large farms ; nor are 
 there any eminently difiinguiihed by their 
 education or knowledge from the reft of their 
 fellow citizens. Poverty alio is as much un- 
 known in this country as great wealth. Each 
 man owns the houfe he lives in and the land 
 which he cultivates, and every one appears to 
 be in a happy ftate of mediocrity, and unam- 
 bitious of a more elevated fituation than what 
 he himfelf enjoys. 
 
 The free inhabitants confift for the mofl 
 part of Germans, who here maintain the fame 
 character as in Pennfylvania and the other 
 ftates where they have fettled. About one 
 fixth of the people, on an average, are fiaves, 
 but in fome of the counties the proportion is 
 much lefsj in Rockbridge the flaves do not 
 amount to more than an eleventh, and in She- 
 nandoah County not to more than a twentieth 
 part of the whole. 
 
 Between Fincattle and the Patowmnc there 
 are feveral towns, as Lexington, Staunton, 
 Newmarket, Woodftock, Winchefter, Straf- 
 burgh, and fome others. Thefe towns all fland 
 on the great road, running north and fouth 
 behind the Blue Mountains, and which is the 
 high road from the northern ftates to Ken- 
 tucky. 
 
 As 1 paffed along it, I met with great num- 
 bers of people from Kentucky and the new 
 
 . ftate 
 
234 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA : ' 
 
 Rate of Tcnaflee going towards Philadelphia 
 and Baltimore, and with many others going 
 in a contrary direction, " to explore," as they 
 call it, that is, to fearch for lands conveniently 
 fittfsted for new fettlements in the weftern 
 country. Thefe people all travel on horfeback, 
 with piftols or f words, and a large blanket 
 folded up under their faddle, which laft they 
 ufe for ileeping in when obliged to pafs the 
 night in the woods. There is but little oc- 
 casion for arms now that peace has been made 
 with the Indians j but formerly it ufed to be 
 a very ferious undertaking to go by this route 
 to Kentucky, and travellers were always obliged 
 to go forty or fifty in a party, and well pre- 
 pared for defence. It would be ftill danger- 
 ous for any perfon to venture fingly ; but if 
 five or fix travel together, they are perfectly 
 fecure. There are houfes now fcattered along 
 nearly the whole way from Fincaftle to Lex- 
 ington in Kentucky, fo that it is not neceflary 
 to fieep more than two or three nights in the 
 woods in going there. Of all the uncouth hu- 
 man beings I met with in America, thefe ^peo- 
 ple from the weftern country were the mo ft 
 fo; their curiofity was boundlefs. Frequently 
 have I been flopped abruptly by one of them 
 in a folitary part of the road, and in fuch a 
 manner, that had it been in another country, 
 I fhould have imagined it was a highwayman 
 3 that 
 
L E X I N G T O N. 23- 
 
 that was going to demand my purfe, and 
 without any further preface, afked where I 
 came from ? if I was acquainted with any 
 news ? where bound to ? and finally, my name? 
 — " Stop, Mifter ! why I guefs now you be 
 " coming from the new date." " No, Sir," — 
 " Why then I guefs as how you be coming 
 H from Kentuc*/" " No, Sir/— 6( Oh ! why 
 fC then, pray now where might you be coming 
 66 from?" " From the low country." — u Why 
 " you muft have heard all the news then ; pray 
 
 now, Mifter, what might the price of bacon 
 cc be in thofe parts ?" " Upon my word, my 
 " friend, I can't inform you." — <£ Aye, aye: I 
 " fee, Mifter, you be'n't one of us 3 pray now, 
 M Mifter, what might your name be?" — A 
 ftranger going the fame way is fure of having 
 the company of thefe worthy people, fo de- 
 firous of information, as far as the next tavern, 
 where he is feldom furlered to remain for five 
 (minutes, till he is again affailed by a frefti fet 
 with the fame queftions. 
 
 The firft town you come to, going north- 
 ward from Bottetourt County, is Lexington, 
 a neat little place, that did contain about one 
 hundred houfes, a court-houfe, and gaol ; but 
 the greater part of it was deftroyed by fire juft 
 before I got there. Great numbers of Irifh are 
 
 * Kentucky. 
 
 fettled 
 
236 TRAVELS THROUCH NORTH AMERICA: 
 fettled m this place. Thirty miles farther on 
 ftands Staunton. This town carries on a con- 
 fiderable trade with the back country, and 
 contains nearly two hundred dwellings, moftly 
 built of ftone, together with a church. This 
 was the fir ft place on the entire road from 
 Lynchburgh, one hundred and fifty miles dif- 
 tant, and which I was about ten days in travel- 
 ling, where I was not able to get a bit of frefh 
 meat, excepting indeed on paffing the Blue 
 Mountains, where they brought me fome ve- 
 nifon that had been juft killed. 1 went on fifty 
 miles further, from Staunton, before I got any 
 again. Salted pork, boiled with turnip tops 
 by way of greens, or fried bacon, or fried faked 
 fifh, with warm fallad, drefied with vinegar and 
 the melted 'fat which remains in the frying- 
 pan after drefiing the bacon, is the only food 
 to be got at mod of the taverns in this coun- 
 try ; in fpring it is the conftant food of the 
 people in the country ; and indeed, throughout 
 the whole year, I am. told, faked meat is what 
 they molt generally ufe. 
 
 In 'every part of America a European is 
 furprifed at finding fo many men with military 
 titles, and (till more fo at feeing fuch num- 
 bers of them employed in capacities apparently 
 fo inconfiftent with their rank ; lor it i§ 
 nothing uncommon to fee a captain in the 
 /iiape of a waggoner, a colonel the driver of a 
 
STAUNTON. n: 7 
 
 flage coach, or a general dealing out penny 
 ribbon behind his counter ; bat no where, I 
 believe, is there Inch a fuperrluity of thefe 
 military perfomges as in the little town of 
 Staunton; there is hardly a decent perfon in it, 
 excepting lawyers and medical men, but what 
 is a colonel, a major, or a captain. This is to 
 be accounted for as follows: in An erica, every 
 freeman from the age of lixteen to fifty years, 
 whofe occupation does not absolutely forbid it, 
 mud enrol himfelf in the militia. In Virginia 
 alone, the militia amounts to about fixty-two 
 thoufani men, and it is divided into four di- 
 vilions and feventeen brigades, to each of which 
 there is a general and other officers. Were 
 there no officers therefore, excepting thofe 
 actually belonging to the militia, the number 
 mud: be very great; but independent of the 
 militia, there are alfo volunteer corps in moft 
 of the towns, which have like wife their re- 
 fpective officers. In Staunton there are two of 
 thefe corps, one of cavalry, the other of artil- 
 lery. Thefe are formed chiefly of men who 
 find a certain degree of amufement in exer- 
 cifing as foldiers, and w r ho are alfo induced 
 to affociate, by the vanity of appearing in re- 
 gimentals. The militia is not affemhled 
 oftener than once in two or three months, and 
 as it refts with every individual to provide 
 himfelf with arms and accoutrements, and no 
 
238 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA, 
 ftrefs being laid upon coming in uniform, the 
 appearance of the men is not very military. 
 Numbers alio of the officers of thefe volun- 
 teer corps, and of the militia, are refigning 
 every day ; and if a man has been a captain or 
 a colonel but one day either in the one body 
 or the other, it feems to be an eftablifhed rule 
 that he is to have nominal rank the reft of -his 
 life. Added to a*d, there are feveral officers of 
 the old continental army neither in the militia 
 nor in the volunteer corps. 
 
 Winchefter {lands one hundred miles to the 
 northward of Staunton, and is the largeft town 
 in the United States on the weftern fide of the: 
 Blue Mountains. The houfes are eftimated 
 at three hundred and fifty, and the inhabitants 
 at two thouiWd. There are four churches 
 in this town, which, as well as the houfes* are 
 plainly built. The ftreets are regular, but 
 very narrow. There is nothing particularly 
 deferving of attention in this place, nor indeed 
 in any of the other fmall towns which have 
 been mentioned, none of them containing more 
 than feventy houfes each. 
 
t 239 ] 
 
 LETTER XVIII. 
 
 Dfcription of the Taffage of Patorjmac and 
 Shenandoah Rivers through a Break in the 
 Blue Mountains. — Some Ohfer rations on Mr. 
 V ffirjbn x s Account of the Scene. — Summary 
 Account of Maryland. — Arrhal at Phila- 
 delphia. — Remarks on the Climate of the 
 Viiited States. — State of the City of Phila- 
 delphia during the Heat of Summer. — Diffi- 
 culty of preferring Butter, Milk, Meat, Fi/h, 
 &c< — General Uji of Ice.— Of the Winds. — 
 State of Weather in America depends greatly 
 upon them. 
 
 Philadelphia, feme, 
 
 J1JAVING traverfed, in various directions, 
 the country to the weft of the Blue Moun- 
 tains in Virginia, I came to the Patowmac, at 
 the place where that river pafles through the 
 Blue Pudge, which Mr, Jerferfon, in his Notes 
 upon Virginia, has reprefented as one of the 
 moil " ftupendous fcenes in nature, and worth 
 t£ a voyage acrofs the Atlantic.'' The ap- 
 proach towards the place is wild and romantic. 
 After crofiing a number of fmall hills, which 
 rife one above the other in fucceffion, you at 
 lad perceive the break in the Blue Ridge; at 
 the lame time the road fuddenly turning, winds 
 
 d~v.;:i 
 
2\o TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 down a long and fteep hill, fhaded with lofty- 
 trees, whofe branches unite over your head. 
 On one fide of the road there are large heaps 
 of rocks above you, which feem to threaten 
 deftruelion to any one that paffes under them ; 
 on the other, a deep precipice prefects itfelf, 
 at the bottom of which is heard the rearing 
 
 o 
 
 of the waters, that are concealed from the eye 
 by the thicknefs of the foliage. Towards the 
 end of this hill, about fixty feet above the 
 level of the water, frauds a tavern and a few 
 houfes, and from fome fields in the rear of 
 them the paffage of the river through the 
 mountain is, I think, feen to the bed advan- 
 tage. , 
 
 The Patowmac on the left comes winding 
 along through a fertile country towards the 
 mountain - y on the right flows the Shenandoah : 
 uniting together at the foot of the mountain, 
 they roll on through the gap ; then fuddenly 
 expanding to the breadth of about four hun- 
 dred yards, they pafs on towards the fea, and 
 are finally loft .to the view amidft furrounding 
 hills. The rugged appearance of the fides 
 of the mountain towards the river, and the 
 large rocks that lie fcattered about at the 
 bottom, many of which have evidently been 
 fplit afunder by fome great convulfion, " are 
 monuments,' ' as Mr. Jeffenfon obferves, of the 
 " war that has taken place at this fpot be- 
 
 " twee a 
 
PASSAGE OF RIVERS. 24.1 
 
 €X tween rivers and mountains ; and at find 
 f light they lead us into an opinion that 
 " mountains were created before rivers be- 
 " gan to flow ; that the waters of the Pa- 
 " tovvmac and Shenandoah were dammed up 
 " for a time by the Blue Ridge, but continu - 
 " ing to rife, that they at length broke through 
 " at this fpot, and tore the mountain afunder 
 " from its fummit to its bafe." Certain it is, 
 that if the Blue Ridge could be again made 
 
 o o 
 
 entire, an immenfe body of water would be 
 formed on the weftern fide of it, by the 
 Shenandoah and Patowmac rivers, and this 
 body of water would be deeper!, and confe- 
 quently would acl with more force in fap- 
 ping a paffage for itfelf through the mountain 
 at the identical fpot where the gap now is, 
 than at any other, for this is the loweft fpot in 
 a very extended trad; of country. A glance 
 at the map will be fufficient to fatisfy any 
 perfon on this point ; it will at once be feen, 
 that all the rivers of the adjacent country 
 bend their courfes hitherwards. Whether 
 the ridge, however, was left originally entire, 
 or whether a break was left in it for ths paf- 
 fage of the rivers, it is impofiile at this day 
 to afcertain 5 but it is very evident that the 
 fides of the gap have been reduced to their 
 prefent rugged ftate by fome great inunda- 
 tion. Indeed, fuppofmg that the Patowmac 
 Vol, L R and 
 
z\z TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA : 
 
 and Shenandoah ever rofe during a flood, a 
 common circumftance in fpring and autumn, 
 only equally high with what James River did 
 in 1795, that is fifteen feet above their ufual 
 level, fuch a circumftance might have occa- 
 iioned a very material alteration in the ap- 
 pearance of the gap. 
 
 The Blue Ridge, on each fide of the Pa- 
 towmac, is formed, from the foundation to the 
 fummit, of large rocks depofited in beds of 
 rich foft earth. This earth is very readily 
 wadied away, and in that cafe the rocks con- 
 fequently become loofe ; indeed, they are fre- 
 quently' loofened even by heavy mowers of 
 rain. A proof of this came within my own 
 obfefvation, which I fhall never forget. It 
 had been raining exceffively hard the whole 
 morning of that day on which I arrived at 
 this place; the evening however was very fine* 
 and being anxious to behold the fcene in every 
 point of view, I eroded the river, and afcend- 
 ed the mountain at a fteep part on the oppo- 
 lite fide, where there was no path, and many 
 large projecting rocks. I had walked up 
 about fifty yards, when a large ftone that I 
 fet my foot upon, and which appeared to me 
 perfectly firm, all at once gave way ; it had 
 been loofened by the rain, and brought down 
 fuch a heap of others with it in its fall, with 
 fuch a tremendous noife at the fame time, 
 
 that 
 
ROCKS LOOSENED. 243 
 
 that I thought the whole mountain was com- 
 ing upon me, and expected every moment to 
 he dafhed to pieces. I (lid down about twenty 
 feet, and then luckily caught hold of the 
 branch of a tree, by which I clung ; but- the 
 ftones ftill continued to roll down heap after 
 heap ; feveral times, likewife, after all had 
 been frill for a minute or two> they again began 
 to fall with increafed violence. In this ftate 
 of fufpenfe I was kept for a confiderable time* 
 not knowing but that fome ftone larger than 
 the reft might give way, and carry down 
 with it even the tree by which I held. Un- 
 acquainted alfo with the paths of the moun- 
 tain, there feemed to me to be no other way 
 of getting down, excepting over the fallen 
 ftones, a way which I contemplated with 
 horror. Night however was coming on very 
 faft ; it was abfolutely neceffary to quit the fi- 
 tuation I was in, and fortunately I got to the 
 bottom without receiving any further injury 
 than two or three flight contufions on my hips 
 and elbows. The people congratulated me 
 when I came back on my efcape, and inform- 
 ed me, that the ftones very commonly gave 
 way in this manner after heavy falls of rain; 
 but on the diftbliition of a large body of fnow, 
 immenfe rocks, they faid, would fometimes 
 roll down with a crafh tli3t mbht be heard 
 
 o 
 
 for miles. The confequences then of a large 
 
 II z rock 
 
244 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA : 
 rock towards the bottom of the mountain be- 
 ing undermined by a flood, and giving way* 
 may be very readily imagined : the rock above 
 it, robbed of its fupport, would alfo fail ; this 
 would bring down with it numbers of others 
 with which it was conne&ed, and thus a dis- 
 ruption would be produced from the bafe to 
 the very fummit of the mountain. 
 
 The paflage of the rivers through the ridge 
 at this place is certainly a curious fcene, and 
 deferving of attention ; but I am far from 
 thinking with Mr. Jefferfon, that it is " one 
 ** of the moft flupendous fcenes in nature, and 
 " worth a voyage acrofs the Atlantic nor 
 has it been my lot to meet with any perfon 
 that had been a Spectator of the fcene, after 
 reading his defcription of it, but what alfo 
 differed with him very materially in opinion. 
 To find numberlefs fcenes more flupendous, 
 it would be needlefs to go farther than Wales. 
 A river, it is true, is not to be met with in 
 that country, equal in fize to the Patowmac; 
 but many are to be feen there, milling over 
 their ftony beds with much more turbulence, 
 and impetuofity than either the Patowmac 
 or Shenandoah : the rocks, the precipices, and 
 the mountains of the Blue Ridge at this place 
 are diminutive and uninterefting alfo, com- 
 pared with thofe which abound in that coun- 
 try. Indeed, from every part of Mr. Jeffer- 
 
 fon's 
 
IRON. 245 
 
 fon's defcription, it appears as if he had be- 
 held the fcene, not in its prefent ftate, but at 
 the very moment when the difruption hap- 
 pened, and when every thing was in a ftate 
 of tumult and confufion. 
 
 After doffing the Patowmac, I paffed on 
 to Frederic in Maryland, which has already 
 been mentioned, and from thence to Baltimore. 
 The country between Frederic and Baltimore 
 is by no means fo rich as that weft of the 
 Blue Ridge, but it is tolerably well cultivated. 
 Iron and copper are found here in many 
 places. No works of any confequence have 
 as yet been eftablifhed for the manufadture of 
 copper, but there are feveral extenfive iron 
 works. The iron is of a remarkable tough 
 quality ; indeed, throughout the ftates of 
 Maryland, Virginia, and Pennfylvania, it is 
 generally fo ; and the utenfils made of it, as 
 pots, kettles, &c. though caft much thinner 
 than ufual in England, will admit of being 
 pitched into the carts, and thrown about, 
 without any danger of being broken. The 
 forges and furnaces are all worked by negroes, 
 who feern to be particularly fuited to fuch an 
 occupation, not only on account of their fable 
 complexions, but becaufe they can fuftain a 
 much greater degree of heat than white per- 
 fons, without any inconvenience. In the hot- 
 teft days in fummer they are never without 
 fires in their huts. 
 
 R 3 The 
 
246 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA : 
 
 The farms and plantations in Maryland 
 confift, in general, of from one hundred to one 
 thoufand acres. In the upper parts of the 
 ftate, towards the mountains, the land is di- 
 vided into fmall portions. Grain is what is 
 principally cultivated, and there are few flaves. 
 In the lower parts of the ftate, and in this 
 part of the country between Frederic and 
 Baltimore, the plantations are extenfive ; large 
 . quantities of tobacco are raifed, and the labour 
 is performed almoft: entirely by negroes. The 
 peffons refiding upon thefe large plantations 
 live very fimilar to the planters in Virginia: 
 all of them have their fte wards and overfeers, 
 and they give themfelves but little trouble 
 about the management of the lands. As in 
 Virginia, the clothing for the flaves, and moft 
 of the implements for hufbandry, are manu- 
 factured on each eiiate. The quarters of the 
 ilaves are fituated in the neighbourhood of 
 the principal dwelling-houfe, which gives 
 the refidence of every planter the appearance 
 of a little village, juft the fame as in Virginia. 
 The houfes are for the moil part buik of 
 wood, and painted with Spanim brown ; and 
 in front there is generally a long porch, paint- 
 ed white. 
 
 From Baltimore I returned to Philadelphia, 
 where I arrived on the fourteenth day of June, 
 after having be:n abfent abjut three months. 
 
 During 
 
WEATHER. 247 
 
 During the whole of that period the weather 
 had been extremely variable, fcarcely ever re- 
 maining alike four days together. As early 
 as the fourteenth of March, in- Pennfylvania, 
 Fahrenheit's thermometer ftood at 65° at noon 
 day, though not more than a week before, it 
 had been fo low as 14 . At the latter end 
 of the month, in Maryland, I fcarcely ever 
 obferved it higher than 50 at noon : the even- 
 ings were always cold, and the weather was 
 fquaily and wet. In the northern neck of 
 Virginia, for two or three days together, during 
 the fecond week in April, it rofe from 8o° to 
 S4 , in the middle of the day ; but on the wind 
 fuddenly ihifting, it fell again, and remained 
 below 70* for fome days. As I palled along 
 through the lower parts of Virginia, I fre- 
 quently afterwards obferved ic as high as 8o° 
 during the month of April ; but on no day in 
 the month of May, previous to the fourteenth, 
 did it again rife to the fame height ; indeed, 
 fo far from it, many of the days were too cold 
 to be without fires ; and on the night of the 
 ninth inftant, when I was in the neighbour- 
 hood of the South-weft Mountains, fofharp a 
 froft took place, that it deftroyed all the cher- 
 ries, and alfo moft of the early wheat, and of 
 the young moots of Indian corn ; in fome 
 particular places, for miles together, the young 
 leaves of the foreft trees even were all wither- 
 
 R 4 ed, 
 
24S TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA i 
 
 ed, and the country had exactly the appear- 
 ance of November. On the tenth inftant, the 
 day after the froft, the thermometer was as 
 low as 46° in the middle of the day ; yet four 
 days afterwards it flood at 8i\ - During the 
 remainder of the month, and during June, 
 until I reached Philadelphia, it fluctuated be- 
 tween 6o G and 8o° ; the weather was on the 
 whole fine, but frequently for a day or two 
 together the air felt extremely raw and dif- 
 agreeable. The changes in the ftate of the 
 atmofphere were alfo fometimes very fudden. 
 On the fixth day of June, when on my way 
 to Frederic Town, after pafling the Patowmac 
 River, the moft remarkable change of this 
 nature took place which I ever witneffed. 
 The morning had been oppreflively hot 5 the 
 thermometer at 81 °, and the wind S. S. W. 
 About one o'clock in the afternoon, a black 
 cloud appeared in the horizon, and a tremen- 
 dous guft came on, accompanied by thunder 
 and lightning ; feveral large trees were torn up 
 by the roots by the wind hail (tones, about 
 three times the fize of an ordinary pea, Jell 
 for a few minutes, and afterwards a torrent of 
 rain came pouring down, nearly as if a water- 
 fpout had broken over head. Juft before the 
 guft came on, I had fufpendedmy thermometer 
 from a window with a northern afpeft* when 
 it ftood at 8i°; but on looking at it at the 
 
 end 
 
CLIMATE. 249 
 end of twenty-three minutes, by which time 
 the guft was completely over, I found it down 
 to 59% a change of 22°. A north- weft wind 
 now fet in, the evening was moft delightful, 
 and the thermometer again rofe to 65 . In 
 Pennfylvania the thermometer has been knowrj 
 to vary fifty degrees in the fpace of twenty- 
 fix hours. 
 
 The climate of the middle and fouthern 
 ftates is extremely variable; the feafons of two 
 fucceeding years are feldom alike ; and it 
 fcarcely ever happens that a month paffes 
 over without very great viciffitudes in the 
 weather taking place. Doctor Rittenhoufe 
 remarked, that whilft he refided in Pennfyl- 
 vania, he difcovered nightly frofts in every 
 month of the year excepting July, and even in 
 that month, during which the heat is always 
 greater than at any other time of the year, a 
 cold day or two fometimes intervene, when a 
 fire is found very agreeable. 
 
 The climate of the ftate of New York is 
 very fimilar to that of Pennfylvania, excepting 
 that in the northern parts of that ftate, border- 
 ing upon Canada, the winters are always fevere 
 and long. The climate or New Jerfey, Dela- 
 ware, and the upper parts of Maryland, is alio 
 much the fame with that of Pennfylvania ; in 
 the lower parts of Maryland the climate does 
 not differ materially from that of Virginia to 
 
 the- 
 
-so TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA ; 
 the eaftward of the Blue Ridge, where it very 
 rarely happens that the thermometer is as low 
 as 6° above cipher. 
 
 In Pennfylvania, the range of the mercu ry in 
 Fahrenheit's thermometer has been oblerved 
 to be from 24° below cipher to 105° above it; 
 but it is an unufual occurrence for the mercury 
 to ftand at either of thefe extreme points; in 
 its approach towards them it commonly draws 
 much nearer to the extreme of heat than to 
 that of cold. During the winter of 1795, and 
 the three preceding years, it did not fink lower 
 than io° above cipher; a fummer however 
 feldom pafles over that it does not rife to 96 . 
 It was mentioned as a Angular circumftance, 
 that in 1789 the thermometer never role 
 higher than 90°. 
 
 Of the oppreffion that is felt from the fum- 
 mer heats in America, no accurate idea can be 
 formed without knowing the exact ftate of 
 the hygrometer as well as the height of the 
 thermometer. The moifture of the air varies 
 very much in different parts of the country ; 
 it alfo varies in all parts with the winds i and 
 it is furpriling to find what a much greater 
 degree of heat can be borne without incon- 
 venience when the air is dry than when it is 
 moift. In New England, in a remarkable dry 
 air, the heat is not found more infupportable 
 when the thermometer ftands at 1 oo°, than it 
 
 is 
 
CLIMATE. 251 
 is in the lower parts of the fouthern ftates, 
 where the air is moift, when the thermometer 
 Hands perhaps at 90% that is, fuppofing the 
 wind to be in the fame quarter in both places. 
 In fpeaking of Virginia ! have taken notice of 
 the great difference that is found between the 
 climate of the mountains and the climate of 
 the low country in that ftate. The cafe is the 
 fame in every other part of the country. From 
 the mountains in New England, along, the 
 different ridges which run through New York, 
 New Jerfey, Pennfylvania, Maryland, and the 
 fouthern ftates, even to the extremity of 
 Georgia, the heat is never found very oppref- 
 five ; whilfl as far north as Pennfylvania and 
 New York, the heat in the low parts of the 
 country, between the mountains and the ocean, 
 is frequently intolerable. 
 
 In the courfe of the few days that I have 
 fpent in Philadelphia, during this month, the 
 thermometer has rifen repeatedly to 86°, and 
 for two or three days it itood at 93 . During 
 thefe days no one itirred out of doors that was 
 not compelled to do lb ; thofe that could make 
 it convenient with their bufinefs always walk- 
 ed with umbrellas to made them from the 
 fun ; light white hats were universally worn, 
 and the young men appeared dreffed in cotton 
 or linen jackets and trowfers ; every gleam of 
 funfhine fecmed to be confidered as baneful 
 
 and- 
 
2^2 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA; 
 and deftrudlive ; the window mutters of each 
 houfe were clofed early in the morning, fo as 
 to admit no more light than what was abfo- 
 lutely nenefiary for domefcic bufmefs ? many 
 of the houfes, indeed, were kept lb dark, that 
 on going into them from the ftreet, it was im- 
 pofiible at firft entrance to perceive who was 
 prefent. The beft houfes in the city are fur- 
 nifhed with Venetian blinds, at the outfide, to 
 the windows and hall doors, which are made to 
 fold together like common window fhutters. 
 Where they had thefe, they conftantly kept 
 them clofed, and the windows and doors were 
 left open behind them to admit air. A very 
 different fcene was prefented in the city as 
 foon as the fun was fet ; every houfe was then 
 thrown open, and the inhabitants all crowded 
 into the ftreets, to take their evening walks, 
 and vilit their acquaintance. It appeared every 
 night as if fome grand fpeclacle was to be 
 exhibited, for not a ftreet or alley was there, 
 but what was in a ftate of Commotion. This 
 varied fcene ufually lafted till about ten o'clock; 
 at eleven there is no city in the world, perhaps, 
 fo quiet all the year round ; at that hour you 
 may walk over half the town without feeing 
 the face of a human being, except the watch- 
 men. Very heavy dews fometimcs fall after 
 thefe hot days, as foon as the fun is down, and 
 the nights are then found very cold j at other 
 
 times 
 
WEATHER. s£ ? 
 
 times there are no dews, and the air remains 
 hot all the night through. For days together 
 in Philadelphia, the thermometer has been 
 ohferved never to be lower than 8o° daring 
 any part of the twenty-four hours. 
 
 I obferve now that meat can never be 
 kept, but in an ice houie or a remarkable 
 cold cellar, for one day, without being tainted. 
 Milk generally turns four in the courfe of one 
 or two hours after it comes from the cow, 
 Fiih is never brought to market without being 
 covered with lumps of ice, and notwiths- 
 tanding that care, it frequently happens that 
 it is not fit to be eat. Butter is brought to- 
 market likewife in ice, -which they generally 
 have in great plenty at every farm houfe; 
 indeed it is almoft con fide red as a necefiary 
 of life, in thefe low parts of the country. 
 Poultry intended for dinner is never killed till 
 about four hours before the time it is wanted, 
 and then it is kept immerfed in water, without 
 which precaution it would be tainted. Not- 
 withftanding all this, I have been told, that 
 were I to Ray in Philadelphia till the latter 
 end of July or beginning of Augufi, I mould 
 find the heat much more intolerable than it 
 has been hitherto. Moil of the other large 
 fea port towns, fouth of Philadelphia, are 
 equally hot and difagreeable in fummer ; and 
 
 Baltimore, 
 
254. TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 Baltimore, Norfolk, and fome others, everi 
 more fo. 
 
 The winds in every part of the country 
 make a prodigious difference in the tempe- 
 rature of the air. When the north- weft wind 
 blows, the heat is always found more tolerable 
 than with any other, although the thermome- 
 ter mould be at the fame height. This wind 
 is uncommonly dry, and brings with it frefh 
 animation and vigour to every living thing. 
 Although this wind is fo very piercing in 
 winter, yet I think the people never complain 
 fo much of cold as when the north-eaft wind 
 blows ; for my own part I never found the air 
 fo agreeable, let the feafon of the year be what 
 it would, as with the north-weft wind. The 
 north-eaft wind is alfo cold, but it renders the 
 air raw and damp. That from the fouth- 
 eaft is damp but warm. Rain or fnow ufualiy 
 falls when the wind comes from any point 
 towards the call. The fouth-weft wind, like 
 the nor: h~ weft, is dry; but it is attended 
 generally with warm weather. When in a 
 foutherly point, gufts, as they are called, that 
 is, ftorms attended with thunder, lightning, 
 hail, and rain, are common. 
 
 It is a matter of no difficulty to account 
 for thefe various effects of the wind in Ame- 
 rica. The north-weft wind, from coming 
 6 over 
 
WINDS. 255 
 
 over fuch an immenfe tract of land, mull nc- 
 ceffarily be dry; and coming from regions 
 eternally covered with mounds of mow and 
 ice, it muft alfo be cold. The north-earl 
 wind, from traversing the frozen feas, muft be 
 cold likewife ; but from palling over fuch a 
 large portion of the watry main afterwards, it 
 brings damps and moiftures with it. Ali thofe 
 from the eaft are damp, and loaded with va- 
 pours, from the fame caufe. Southerly winds, 
 from croiling the warm regions between the 
 tropics, are attended with heat; and the fouth- 
 weft wind, from palling, like the north-weft, 
 over a great extent of land, is dry at the fame 
 time ; none however is fo dry as that from the 
 north-weft. It is laid, but with what truth I 
 cannot take upon me to fay, that weft of 
 the Alleghany and Appalachian mountains, 
 which are all in the fame range, the fouth- 
 weft winds arc cold and attended with rain. 
 Thofe great extremes of heat and cold, ob- 
 fervable on the eaftern fide of the mountains, 
 are unknown to the weft ward of them. 
 
256 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 
 LETTER XIX. 
 
 Travelling in America without a Companion 
 not plea [ant. — Meet tzvo EngliJJj Gentlemen, 
 — Set out together for Canada. — Defer iption 
 of the Country between Philadelphia aiid New 
 York.. — Brfiol. — Trenton. — Princeton. — 
 College there. — Some Account cfit. — Brw f- 
 wick. — Pofaik Waterfall. — Copper Mine.- — 
 Singular Difcovery thereof. — New York. — 
 Defer iption of the City. — Character and Man- 
 ners of the Inhabitants. — Leave it abruptly 
 on /Lccouni gJ the Fevers. — Pajfege up North 
 River from New York to Albany. — Great 
 Beauty of the North River. — Wejl Point. — 
 Highlands. — Gifts of Wind common in pafjing 
 them, — Albany, — Defer 'iption of the City and 
 Inhabitants. — Celebration of the \th of July. 
 — Anniverfary of American Independence. 
 
 MY DEAR SIR, Albany, July. 
 
 J Was on the point of leaving Philadelphia 
 for Mew York, intending from thence to 
 proceed to Canada, when chance brought me 
 into the company of two young gentlemen 
 from England, each of whom was feparately 
 preparing to fet off on a fimilar excursion. 
 A rational and agreeable companion, to whom 
 you might communicate the refult of your 
 
 obfer- 
 
PLEASURES OF A COMPANION. 257 
 
 obfervations, and with whom you might in- 
 terchange fentiments on all occafions, could 
 not but be deemed a pleafing acquisition, I 
 mould imagine, by a perfon on a journey 
 through a foreign land. Were any one to 
 be found, however, of a different opinion, I 
 fhould venture to affirm, that ere he travelled 
 far through the United States of America, 
 where there are fo few inhabitants in pro- 
 portion to the extent of the country ; where, 
 in going from one town to another, it is fre- 
 quently neceffary to pafs for many miles to- 
 gether through dreary woods ; and where, 
 even in the towns, a few of thofe fea- ports 
 indeed excepted which are open to the At- 
 lantic, there is fuch famenefs in the cuftoms, 
 manners, and converfation of the inhabitants, 
 and fo little amongft them that interefts either 
 the head or the heart ; he would not only be 
 induced to think that a companion mult add 
 to the pleafure of a journey, but were abso- 
 lutely neceffary to prevent its appearing infipid, 
 and at times highly irkfome to him. 
 
 For my own part, I had fully determined 
 in my own mind, upon returning from my tour 
 beyond the Blue Mountains, never again to 
 fet out on a journey alone through any part of 
 America, if I could poffibly procure an agree- 
 able companion. The gentlemen I met with 
 had, as well as myfelf, travelled widely through 
 
 Vol. I, S different. 
 
2<;8 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 different parts of the United States, and formed 
 nearly the fame refolution ; we accordingly 
 agreed to go forward to Canada together, and 
 having engaged a carriage for ourfelves as far 
 as New York, we quitted the clofe and difa- 
 greeable city of Philadelphia on the twentieth 
 cf June. 
 
 The road, for the firft twenty-five miles, 
 runs very near the River Delaware, which 
 appears to great advantage through openings 
 in the woods that are fcattered along its mores. 
 From the town of Briftol in particular, 
 which ftands on an elevated part of the banks, 
 twenty miles above Philadelphia, it is feen 
 in a mo ft pleafmg point of view. The river, 
 here about one mile wide, winds majefti- 
 cally round the point whereon the town is 
 built, and for many miles, both upwards and 
 downwards, it may be traced through a rich 
 country, flowing gently along : in general it 
 is covered with innumerable little Hoops and 
 fchooners. Oppofite to Briftol ftands the city 
 of Burlington, one of the largeft in New Jer- 
 fty, built partly upon an ifland and partly on 
 the main more. It makes a good appearance, 
 and adds ccnfiderably to the beauty of the 
 profpecT: from Briftol. 
 
 Ten miles farther on, oppofite to Trenton, 
 which ftands at the head of the floop navi- 
 gation, you crois the river. The falls or ra- 
 9 pids, 
 
PRINCETON. 259 
 
 pids, that prevent boats from afcending any 
 higher, appear in full view as you pafs, but 
 their profpecl is in no way pleafing ; beyond 
 them, the navigation may be purfued for 
 upwards of one hundred miles in fmall boats. 
 Trenton is the capital of New Jerfey, and 
 contains about two hundred houfes, together 
 with four churches. The ftreets are com- 
 modious, and the houfes neatly built. The 
 ftate-houfe, in which congrefs met for fome 
 time during the war, is a heavy clumfy edifice. 
 
 Twelve miles from Trenton, (lands Prince- 
 ton, a neat town, containing about eighty dwel- 
 lings in one long ftreet. Here is a large col- 
 lege, held in much repute by the neighbouring 
 ftates. The number of ftudents amounts to 
 upwards of feventy ; from their appearance, 
 however, and the courfe of ftudies they feem 
 to be engaged in, like all the other American 
 colleges I ever faw, it better deferves the title 
 of a grammar fchool than a college. The 
 library, which we were fhe wn, is moft wretched, 
 confiding, for the moft part, of old theolo- 
 gical books, not even arranged with any regu- 
 larity. An orrery, contrived by Mr. Rit- 
 tenhoufe, whofe talents are fo much bcafted 
 of by his countrymen, ftands at one end of 
 the apartment, but it is quite out of repair, as 
 well as a few detached parts of a philofophical 
 
 S 2 apparatus, 
 
260 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA ? 
 
 apparatus, enclofed in the fame glafs cafe. At 
 the oppofite end of the room, are two fmall 
 cupboards, which are {hewn as the mufeum. 
 Thefe contain a couple of fmall fluffed alli- 
 gators, and a few lingular fillies, in a miferable 
 ftate of prefervation, the {kins of them being 
 tattered in innumerable places, from their 
 being repeatedly toffed about. The building 
 is very plain, and of ftone \ it is one hundred 
 and eighty feet in front, and four {lories high. 
 
 The next ftage from Princeton is Brunf- 
 wick, containing about two hundred houfes ; 
 there is nothing very deferving of attention 
 in it, excepting it be the very neat and com- 
 modious wooden bridge that has been thrown 
 acrofs the Raritan River, which is about two 
 hundred paces over. The part over the chan- 
 nel is contrived to draw up, and on each fide 
 is a footway guarded by rails, and ornamented 
 with lamps. Elizabeth Town and Newark, 
 which you afterwards pafs through in fuccef- 
 fion, are both of them cheerful lively looking 
 ■ places : neither of them is paved. Newark is 
 built in a draggling manner, and has very 
 much the appearance of a large Englilh vil- 
 lage : there is agreeable fociety in this town. 
 Thefe two towns are only eight miles apart, 
 and each of them has one or two excellent 
 churches, whofe tall fpires appear very beau- 
 tiful 
 
NEW JERSEY. 261 
 
 tiiul as you approach at a diftance, peeping 
 up above the woods by which they are en- 
 circled. 
 
 The ftate of New Jerfey, meafured from 
 north to fouth, is about one hundred and fixty 
 miles in length ; it varies in breadth from forty 
 to eighty miles. The northern part of it is 
 croffed by the blue ridge of mountains, running 
 through Pennfylvania ; and (hooting off in 
 different directions from this ridge, there are 
 feveral other fmall mountains in the neigh- 
 bourhood. The fouthern part of the ftate, on 
 the contrary, which lies towards the fea, is 
 extremely flat and fandy; it is covered for 
 miles together with pine trees alone, ufually 
 called pine barrens, and is very little cultivated. 
 The middle part, which is croffed in going 
 from Philadelphia to New York, abounds 
 with extenfive trafls of good land ; the foil 
 varies, however, conliderably, in fome places 
 being fandy, in others ftoney, and in others 
 .confuting of a rich brown mould. This part 
 x>f the ftate, as far as Newark, is on the whole 
 well cultivated, and fcattered about in different 
 places are fome excellent farm houfes ; a good 
 deal of uncleared land, however, ftill remains. 
 Beyond Newark the country is extremely flat , 
 and marfliy. Between the town and the Po- 
 faick River there is one marfh, which alone 
 extends upwards of twenty miles, and is about 
 S 3 two 
 
zGz TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 
 two miles wide where you pafs over it. The 
 road is here formed with large logs of wood laid 
 clofe together, and on each fide are ditches to 
 keep it dry. This was the firft place where 
 we met with mufquitoes, and they annoyed us 
 not a little in paffing. Towards the latter 
 end of the fummer, Philadelphia is much in- 
 fefted with them ; but they had not made 
 their appearance when we left that city. The 
 Pofaick River runs clofe upon the borders of 
 this mar fli, and there is an excellent wooden 
 bridge acrofs it, fomewhat fimilar to that at 
 New Brunfwick over the Raritan River. 
 About fifteen miles above it there is a very re- 
 markable fall in the river. The river, at the 
 fall, is about forty yards wide, and flows with 
 a gentle current till it comes within a few per- 
 ches of the edge of the fall, when it fuddenly 
 precipitates itfelf, in one entire fheet, over a 
 ledge of rocks of nearly eighty feet in perpen- 
 dicular height; below, it runs on through a 
 chafm, formed of immenfe rocks on each fide ; 
 they are higher than the fall, and feem to have 
 been once united together. 
 
 In this neighbourhood there is a very rich 
 copper mine : repeated attempts have been 
 made to work it; but whether the price of 
 labour be too great for fuch an undertaking, 
 or the proprietors have not proceeded with 
 judgment, certain it is, that they have always 
 
 mifcarried, 
 
COPPER MINE. 263 
 
 mifcarried, and fuftained very confiderable 
 lories thereby. This mine was fir ft discovered 
 in 1751, by a perfon who, pafling along about 
 three o'clock in the morning, obierved 3 blue 
 flame, about the iize of a man, iffuing from 
 the earth, which afterwards loon died away: 
 he marked the place with a ftake ; and when 
 the hill was opened, feveral large lumps of vir- 
 gin copper were found. The vein of copper 
 in the mine is laid to be much richer now than 
 when firft opened. 
 
 . From the Pofaick to the North River the 
 country is hilly, barren, and uninterefting, till 
 you come very near the latter, w r hen a noble 
 view opens all at once of the city of New York 
 on the oppofite more, of the harbour, and 
 flapping. The river, which is very grand, 
 can be traced for feveral miles above the city ; 
 the banks are very ileep on the Jerfey fide, 
 and beautifully wooded, the trees almoft dip- 
 ping into the water : numbers of veflels plying 
 about in every part, render the fcene extremely 
 Uprightly and interefting. 
 
 New York is built on an ifland of its own 
 name, formed by the North and the Eaft 
 Rivers, and a creek or inlet connecting both of 
 thefe together. The ifland is fourteen miles 
 .long, and, on an average, about one mile in 
 . breadth ; at its fouthern extremity ftands the 
 city, which extends from one river to the other. 
 
 S 4 The 
 
264 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA : 
 The North, or Hudfon River, is nearly two 
 miles wide ; the Eaft, or the North-eaft one, ' 
 as it fhould rather be called, is not quite fo 
 broad. The depth of water in each, clofe to 
 the city, is fufficient for the largeft merchant 
 veffels. The principal feat of trade, however, 
 is on the Eaft River, and mod of the veffels 
 lie there, as during winter the navigation of 
 that river is not fo foon impeded by the ice. 
 At this fide of the town the houfes and ftores 
 are built as clofely as poffible. The ftreets are 
 narrow and inconvenient, and, as but too com- 
 monly is the cafe in feaport towns, very dirty, 
 and, confequently, during the fummer feafon, 
 dreadfully unhealthy. It was in this part of 
 the town that the yellow fever raged with fuch 
 violence in 1795; and during 1796, many per- 
 fons that remained very conftantly there, alfo 
 fell victims to a fever, which, if not the yellow 
 fever, w r as very like it. The ftreets near the 
 North River are much more airy; but the 
 mod agreeable part of the town is in the neigh- 
 bourhood of the battery, on the fouthern point 
 of the ifland, at the confluence of the two 
 rivers. When New York was in poffeffion of 
 the Englifh, this battery confifted of two or 
 more tiers of guns, one above the other ; but 
 it is now cut down, and affords a moft charm- 
 ing walk, and, on a fummer's evening, is 
 crowded with people, as it is open to the 
 
 breezes 
 
NEW YORK. 2b> 
 
 breezes from the fea, which render it particu- 
 larly agreeable at that feafon. There is a fine 
 view from it of the roads, Long and Statea 
 Iflands, and Jerfey fhore. At the time of high 
 water, the fcene is always intereftingon account 
 of the number of veffels failing in and out of 
 port ; fuch as go into the Eait River pafs within 
 a few yards of the walls of the battery* 
 
 From the battery a handfome ftreet, about 
 feventy feet wide, called Broadway, runs due 
 north through the town : between it and the 
 North River run feveral ftreets at right angles, 
 as you pafs which you catch a view of the wa- 
 ter, and boats plying up and down ; the diftant 
 fhore of the river alfo is feen to great advan- 
 tage. Had the ftreets on the oppofite fide of 
 Broadway been alfo carried down to the Eaft 
 River, the effect: would have been beautiful, for 
 Broadway runs along a ridge of high ground 
 between the two rivers ; it would have con- 
 tributed alfo very much to the health of the 
 place ; if, added to this, a fpacious quay had 
 been formed the entire length of the city, on 
 either fide, inftead of having the borders of the 
 rivers crow r ded with confufed heaps of wooden 
 itore houfes, built upon wharfs projecting one 
 beyond another in every direction, New York 
 would have been one of the moft beautiful fea- 
 ports in the world. All thefea-ports in America 
 appear to great difadvantage from the water, 
 
 when 
 
i.66 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 when you approach near to them, from the"* 
 fhores being crowded in this manner with ir- 
 regular maffes of wooden houfes, {landing as it 
 were in the water. The federal city, where 
 they have already begun to erect the fame kind 
 of wooden wharfs and ftore-houfes without 
 any regularity, will be juft the fame. It is 
 aftonifhing, that in laying out that city, a grand 
 quay was not thought of in the plan ; it would 
 certainly have afforded equal, if not greater 
 accommodation for the {hipping, aud it would 
 have added wonderfully to the embelliihment 
 of the city. 
 
 Many of the private houfes in New York 
 are very good, particularly thofe in Broadway. 
 Of the public- buildings, there are none which 
 are very {hiking. The churches and houfes 
 for public worihip, amount to no lefs than 
 twenty-two ; four of them are for Frefoyte- 
 fians, three for Epifcopalians of the church of 
 England, three for Dutch Reformifts, two for 
 German Lutherans and Calvinifts, two for 
 Quakers, two for Baptifts, two for Methodifts, 
 one for French Proteftants, one for Moravi- 
 ans, one for Roman Catholics, and one for 
 Jews. 
 
 According to the cenfus in 1790, the num- 
 ber of inhabitants in New York was found to 
 be thirty thoufand one hundred and forty- 
 eight free perfons, and two thoufand one hun- 
 dred 
 
INHABITANTS. 267 
 
 dred and eighty fiaves 5 but at prefent the 
 number is fuppofed to amount at leaft to forty 
 thoufand. The inhabitants have long been 
 diftinguifhed above thofeof all the other towns 
 in the United States, except it be the people 
 of Charleston, for their politenefs, gaiety, and 
 hofpitality ; and, indeed, in thefe points they 
 are more ftrikingly fuperior to the inhabitants 
 of the other large towns. Their public 
 amufements confift in dancing and card affem- 
 blies, and theatrical exhibitions ; for the for- 
 mer, a fpacious fuite of rooms has lately been 
 erected. The theatre is of wood, and a mo ft 
 miferable edifice it is ; but a new one is now 
 building on a grand fcale, which, it is thought, 
 will be as much too large for the town as the 
 other is too fmall. 
 
 Being anxious to proceed on our journey 
 before the feafon was too far advanced, and 
 alfo particularly defirous of quitting New 
 York on account of the fevers, which, it was 
 rumoured, were increafing very faft, we took 
 our paffage for Albany, in one of the floops 
 trading conftantly on the North River, be- 
 tween New York and that place, and em- 
 barked on the fecond day of July,, about two 
 o'clock in the afternoon. Scarcely a breath 
 of air was ftirring at the time } but the tide 
 carried us up at the rate of about two miles 
 and a half an hour. The fky remained all day 
 
 as 
 
a68 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 as ferene as poffible, and as the water was 
 perfectly fmooth, it reflected in a moil beauti- 
 ful manner the images of the various objefts 
 on the more, and of the numerous veffels 
 difperfed along the river at different dis- 
 tances, and which feemed to glide along, as 
 it were, by the power of magic, for the fails 
 all hung down loofe and motionlefs. The 
 fun, fetting in all his glory, added frefh beau- 
 ties to this calm and peaceable fcene, and per- 
 mitted us for the laft time to behold the 
 diftant fpires of New York, illumined by his 
 parting rays. To defcribe all the grand and 
 beautiful profpefts prefented to the view on 
 paffing along this noble river, would be an 
 endlefs tafk ; ail the various effe&s that can be 
 fuppofed to arife from a happy combination of 
 wood and water, of hill and dale, are here feen 
 in the greater!: perfe&ion. In fome places the 
 river expands to the breadth of five or fix 
 miles, in others it narrows to that of a few 
 hundred yards, and in various parts it is inter- 
 fperfed with iflands - 9 in fome places again its 
 courfe can be traced as far as the eye can 
 reach, whilft in others it is fuddenly loft to the 
 view, as it winds between its lofty banks ; 
 here mountains covered with rocks and trees 
 rife almoft perpendicularly out of the water ; 
 there a fine champaign country prefents itfelf, 
 cultivated to the very margin of the river, 
 
 whilft 
 
VrEW on o\s HI'DSOy RIVER 
 
PASSAGE TO ALBANY. 269 
 whilSt neat farm houfes and diftant towns 
 embelliSh the charming landfcapes. 
 
 After funfet, a briSk wind fprang up, which 
 carried us on at the rate of fix or feven miles 
 an hour for a considerable part of the night ; 
 but for fome hours we had to lie at anchor at 
 a place where the navigation of the river was 
 too difficult to proceed in the dark. Our floop 
 was no more than feventy tons burthen by 
 regifr.er ; but the accommodations She afforded 
 were mod excellent, and far Superior to what 
 might be expected on board fo fmall a veSTel ; 
 the cabin was equally large with that in a com- 
 mon merchant veSTel of three hundred tons, 
 built for eroding the ocean. This was owing 
 to the great breadth of her beam, which was 
 no lefs than twenty-tw r o feet and a half, al- 
 though her length was only fifty-five feet. All 
 the floops engaged in this trade are built nearly 
 on the fame conilruclion ; Short, broad, and 
 verv Shallow, few of them draw more than 
 five or fix feet water, fo that they are only 
 . calculated for failing upon Smooth water. 
 
 Early the next morning we found ourfelves 
 oppofite to Weft Point, a place rendered re- 
 markable in hiStory by the defertion of Gene- 
 ral Arnold, during the American war, and the 
 confequent death of the unfortunate Major 
 Andre. The fort Stands about one hundred 
 and fifty feet above the level of the water, on 
 
 the- 
 
270 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA : 
 the fide of a barren hill ; no human creature 
 appearing in it except the folitary centinel, 
 who marched backwards and forwards on the 
 ramparts overgrown with long grafs, it had a 
 moft melancholy afpeft, that perhaps was 
 heightened by the gloominefs of the morn- 
 ing, and the recollection of all the circum- 
 iranccs attending the unhappy fate of poor 
 Andre. 
 
 Near Weft Point there is alfo another poft, 
 called Fort Putnam, which, fince the peace, 
 has been fuffered to get verv much out of 
 repair ; however, fteps are now taking to have 
 it put in good order. Suppofing that a rup- 
 ture mould ever unfortunately again take place 
 between Great Britain and the United States 
 of America, thefe pofts would be of the 
 greateft confequence, as they form a link in 
 that chain of pofts which extend the whole 
 way along the navigable waters that conned: 
 the BfittHh fettlements with New York. 
 
 In this neighbourhood the highlands, as 
 they are called, commence, and extend along 
 the river on each fide for feveral miles. The 
 breadth of the river is here confiderably con- 
 tracted, and fuch fudden gufts of wind, com- 
 ing from between the mountains, fometimes 
 blow through the narrow paries, that veffels 
 frequently have their topmafts carried away. 
 The captain of the iloop we were in, faid, 
 
 that 
 
ALB AN Y. 271 
 that his mainfail was once blown into tatters 
 in an inftaint, and a part of it carried on more. 
 When the fky is lowering, they ufually take 
 in fail going along this part of the river. 
 
 About four o'clock in the morning of' the 
 fourth of July we reached Albany, the place 
 of our deftination, one hundred and lixty 
 miles diftant from New York. 
 
 Albany is a city, and contains about eleven 
 hundred houfes ; the number however is in- 
 creafingfaft, particularly fince the removal of 
 the ftate government from New York. In 
 the old part of the town the ftreets are very 
 narrow, and the houfes are frightful 3 they are 
 all built in the old Dutch tafle, with the gable 
 end towards the ftreet, and ornamented on 
 the top with large iron weather cocks ; but in 
 that part which has been lately erected, the 
 ftreets are commodious, and many of the 
 houfes are handfome. Great pains have been 
 taken to have the ftreets well paved and 
 lighted. ' Here are .four places for public 
 worihip, and an hofpital. Albany is in fum- 
 mcr time 2 very difagreeable place ; it ftands 
 in a low fituation, juft on the margin of the 
 river, which runs very flowly here, and to- 
 wards the evening often exhales clouds of va- 
 pours ; immediately behind the town, likewife, 
 I is a large fand bank, that prevents a free cir- 
 culation of air, while at the fame time it 
 
 powerfully 
 
272 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 
 powerfully reflects the rays of the fun, which 
 Ihines in full force upon it the whole day, 
 Notwithftanding all this, however, the cli- 
 mate is deemed very falubrious. 
 
 The inhabitants of this place, a few years 
 ago, were almoft entirely of Dutch extraction ; 
 but now flrangers are flocking to it from all 
 quarters, as there are few places in America 
 more advantageouily fituated for commerce. 
 The flourifhing ftate of its trade has already 
 been mentioned ; it bids fair to rival that of 
 New York in procefs of time. 
 
 The fourth of July, the day of our arrival 
 at Albany, was the anniverfary of the declara- 
 tion of American independance, and on our 
 arrival we were told that great preparations 
 were making for its celebration *. A drum 
 and trumpet, towards the middle of the day, 
 gave notice of the commencement of the re- 
 joicings, and on walking to a hill about a 
 
 quarter 
 
 * Our landlord, as Toon as he found out who we were, im- 
 mediately came to us, to requeft: that we would excufe the con- 
 fufed Hate in which his houfe was, as this was the anniverfary 
 day of " American Independence," or, as fome, indeed, more 
 properly called it, of" American Repentance." We-were all 
 of us not a little furprifed at this addrefs, and from fuch a 
 perfon ; inftances, however, are not wanting of people openly 
 declaring, that they have never enjoyed fo much quiet ancf 
 hr.ppinefs in their own homes fince the revolution, as they did 
 when the ftates were the colonies of Great Britain. Amongft 
 the planters in Virginia, I heard language of this fort more 
 than once. 
 
ALBANY. 273 
 
 quarter of a mile from the town, we faw 
 fixty men drawn up, partly militia, partly vo- 
 lunteers, partly infantry, partly cavalry ; the 
 latter were clothed in fcarlet, and mounted 011 
 horfes of various defcriptions. About three 
 hundred fpeclators attended. A few rounds 
 were fired from a three-pounder, and fome 
 volleys of fmall arms. The firing was finifhed 
 before one hour was expired, and then the 
 troops returned to town, a party of militia 
 officers in uniform marching in the rear, under 
 the fhade of umbrellas, as the day was ex- 
 ecutively hot. Having reached town, the 
 whole body immediately difperfed. The vo- 
 lunteers arid militia officers afterwards dined 
 together; and fo ended the rejoicings of the 
 day ; no public ball, no general entertainment 
 was there of any defcription. A day Hill frefh 
 in the memory of every American, and which 
 appears fo glorious in the annals of their 
 country, would, it might be expected, have 
 called forth more brilliant and more general 
 rejoicings ; but the downright phlegmatic 
 people in this neighbourhood, intent upon 
 making money, and enjoying the folid ad- 
 vantages of the revolution, are but little dif- 
 pofed to wafle their time in what they con- 
 lider idle demonftratiens of joy. 
 
 Vol. I. 
 
 T 
 
*74 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA 3 
 
 LETTER XX. 
 
 Departure from Albany. — Difficulty of hiring 
 a Carriage. — Arrival at Cohoz. — Defcription 
 of the curious Fall there of the Mohawk 
 River. — Still-water. — Saratoga. — Few of 
 the Works remaining there. — Singular Mine- 
 ral Springs near Saratoga. — Fort Edward. 
 — Mifs M ( Crea cruelly murdered there by 
 Indians ^ — Fort Ann, wretched Road thither. 
 —Some Obfe?*vations on the American Woods, 
 — Horfes jaded. — Difficulty of getting Jor- 
 ward. — Arrive at Skene] "borough. — Dread- 
 fully infejled by Mufquitoes. — Particular De- 
 fcription of that Infecl. — Great Danger 
 enfues fmetimes from their Bite. — Bejt 
 Remedy. 
 
 MY DEAR SIR, Skenefborough, July. 
 
 *^y 7 E remained in Albany for a few days, 
 and then fet off for Skenefborough, 
 upon Lake Champlain, in a carnage hired 
 for the purpofe. The hiring of this vehicle 
 was a matter attended with fome trouble, and 
 detained us longer in the town than we wifhed 
 to flay. There were only two carriages to be 
 had in the whole place, and the owners having 
 an under/landing with each other, and think- 
 ing 
 
COHOZ FALL. 275 
 
 ing that we mould be forced to give whatever 
 price they afked, pofitively refufed to let us 
 have either of them for lefs than feventy dol- 
 lars, equal to fifteen guineas. We on our part 
 as pofitively refufed to comply with a demand 
 which we knew to be exorbitant, and refolved 
 to wait patiently in Albany for fome other 
 conveyance, rather than fubmit to fuch an 
 impofition. The fellows held out for two 
 days, but at the end of that time, one of them 
 came to tell us we might have his carriage for 
 half the price, and accordingly we took it. 
 
 Early the next morning we fet oft, and in 
 about two hours arrived at the fmall village of 
 Cohoz, dole to which is the remarkable Fall 
 in the Mohawk River. This river takes its 
 rife to the north-eaft of Lake Oneida, and 
 after a courfe of one hundred and forty miles, 
 difembogues into the Hudfon or North Paver, 
 about ten miles above Albany. The Cohoz 
 Fall is about three miles diftant from its mouth* 
 The breadth of the river is three hundred 
 yards ; a ledge of rocks extends quite acrofs, 
 and from the top of them the water falls about 
 fifty feet perpendicular $ the line of the Fall 
 from one fide of the river to the other is 
 nearly ftraight. The appearance of this Fall 
 varies very much, according to the quantity of 
 water; when the river is full, the water de- 
 lcends in an unbroken jfheet from one bank 
 T z to 
 
2 7 6 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 to the other, whilft at other times- the greater 
 part of the rocks are left uncovered. The 
 rocks are of a remarkable dark colour, and fo 
 alfo is the earth in the banks, which rife to a 
 great height on either fide. There is a very 
 pleafing view of this cataract as you pafs over 
 the bridge acrofs the river, about three quarters 
 of a mile lower down. 
 
 From hence we proceeded along the banks 
 of the Hudfon River, through the town of 
 Stillwater, which receives its name from the 
 uncommon ftillnefs of the river oppofite to it, 
 and late in the evening reached Saratoga, 
 thirty-five miles from Albany. This place 
 contains about forty houfes,. and a Dutch re- 
 formed church, but they are fo fcattered about 
 that it has not the fmalleft appearance of a 
 town . 
 
 In this neighbourhood, upon the borders of 
 a marfh, are feveral very remarkable mineral 
 fprings ; one of them, in the crater of a rock, 
 of a pyramidieal form, about five feet in height, 
 is particularly curious.. This rock feems to 
 have been formed by the petrifaction of the 
 water: all the other fprings are likewife fur- 
 rounded with petrifactions of the fame- kind. 
 The water in the principal fpring, except at 
 the beginning of the fummer, when it regu- 
 larly overflows, remains about eight inches 
 below the rim of the crater, and bubbles up 
 
 as 
 
SARATOGA. 277 
 as if boiling. The crater is nine inches in 
 diameter. The various properties of the water 
 have not been yet afcertained with any great 
 accuracy; but it is faid to be impregnated 
 with a foffile acid and fome faline fubftance ; 
 there is alfo a great portion of fixed air in it. 
 An opportunity is here afforded for making 
 fome curious experiments. 
 
 If animals be put down into the crater, 
 they will be immediately fufFocated ; but if 
 not kept there too long, they recover again 
 upon being brought into the open air. 
 
 If a lighted candle be put down, the flame 
 will be extinguiflied in an inftant, and not 
 even thefmalleft fpark left in the wick. 
 
 If the water immediately taken from the 
 fpring be put into a bottle, clofely corked, and 
 then fhaken, either the cork will be forced 
 out with an explofion, or the bottle will be 
 broken ; but if left in an open veffel, it becomes 
 vapid in lefs than half an hour. The water 
 is very pungent to the tafte, and afts as a 
 cathartic on fome people, as an emetic on 
 others. 
 
 Of the works thrown up at Saratoga by 
 the Britifh and American armies during the 
 war, there are now fcarcely any remains. The 
 country round about is well cultivated, and the 
 trenches have been moftly levelled by the 
 plough. We here croffed the Hudfon River, 
 T 3 and 
 
278 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 and proceeded along its eaftern fhore as far as 
 Fort Edward, where it is loft to the view, for 
 the road ftill runs on towards the north, whilft 
 the river takes a fudden bend to the weft. 
 
 Fort Edward was difmantled prior to the 
 late American war; but the oppofite armies, 
 during that unhappy conteft, were both in 
 the neighbourhood. Many of the people, 
 whom we found living here, had ferved as 
 foldiers in the army, and told us a number of 
 interefting particulars relative to feveral events 
 which happened in this quarter. The landlord 
 of the tavern where we flopped, for one, re- 
 lated all the circumftances attending Mifs 
 M'Crea's death, and pointed out on a hill, not 
 far from, the houfe, the very fpot where fhe 
 was murdered by the Indians, and the place 
 of her interment. This beautiful young lady 
 had been eagaged to an officer in General 
 Burgoyne's army, who, anxious for her fafety, 
 as there were feveral marauding parties going 
 about in the neighbourhood where the lived, 
 fent a party of trufty Indians to efcort her to 
 the camp. Thefe Indians had partly executed 
 their commiffion, and were approaching with 
 their charge in fight of the Britifh camp, 
 when they were met by another fet of Indians 
 belonging to a different tribe, that was alfo 
 attending the Britifh army at this time. In 
 a few minutes it became a matter of difpute 
 
 between 
 
FORT EDWARD. 279 
 between them, which (hould have the honour 
 of conducting her to the camp ; from words 
 they came to blows, and blood was on the 
 point of being drawn, when one of their chiefs, 
 to fettle the matter without farther mifchief, 
 went up to Mifs M'Crea, and killed her on 
 the fpot with a blow of his tomahawk. The 
 object of contention being thus removed, the 
 Indians returned quietly to the camp. The 
 enormity of the crime, however, was too great 
 not to attract public notice, and it turned the 
 minds of every perfon againft the Indians, 
 who had not before witneffed their ferocity on 
 occafions equally {hocking to humanity. The 
 impolicy of employing fuch barbarians was 
 now ftrongly reprobated, and in a fhort time 
 afterwards moft of them were difmirled from 
 our army. 
 
 Fort Edward ftands near the river. The 
 town of the fame name, is at the diftance of 
 one or two hundred yards from it, and con- 
 tains about twenty houfes. Thus far we had 
 got on tolerably well; but from hence to 
 Fort Anne, which was alfo difmantled prior 
 to the late war, the road is moft wretched, 
 particularly over a long caufeway between the 
 two forts, formed originally for the tranfport- 
 ing of cannon, the foil here being extremely 
 moift and heavy. The caufeway confifts of 
 large trees laid fide by fide tranfverfejy, fome 
 T4 of; 
 
2$o TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 of which having decayed, great intervals are 
 left, wherein the wheels of the carriage were 
 fometimes locked fo fa ft that the horfes alone 
 could not poffibly extricate them. To have 
 remained in the carriage over this part of the 
 road would really have been a fevere punifh- 
 ment ; for although boafted of as being the 
 very be ft in Albany 9 it had no fort of fprings, 
 and was in fact little better than a common 
 waggon; we therefore alighted, took our guns, 
 and amufed ourfelves with ihooting as we 
 walked along through the woods. The woods 
 here had a much more majeftic appearance 
 than any that we had before met with on our 
 way from Philadelphia y this, however, was 
 owing more to the great height than to the 
 thicknefs of the trees, for I could not fee one 
 that appeared more than thirty inches in dia- 
 meter \ indeed, in general, the girt of the trees 
 in the woods of America is but very fmall in 
 proportion to their height, and trifling in com- 
 parifon of that of the fpreft trees in Great 
 Britain. The thickeft tree I ever faw in the 
 country was a fycamore, which grew upon the 
 banks of the Shenandoah River, juft at its 
 junction with the Patowmac, in a bed of rich 
 earth, clofe to the water ; yet this tree was no 
 more than about four feet four inches in dia- 
 meter. On the low grounds in Kentucky, 
 and on fome of the bottoms in the weftern 
 
 territory, 
 
WOOD S. 281 
 territory, it is faid that trees are commonly to 
 be met with feven and eight feet in diameter. 
 Where this is the cafe, the trees muft certainly 
 grow much farther apart than they do in the 
 woods in the middle ftates, towards the At- 
 lantic, for there they fpring up fo very clofe 
 to each other, that it is abfolutely impoffible 
 for them to attain to a great diameter. 
 
 The woods here were compdfed chiefly of 
 oaks *, hiccory, hemlock, and beech trees, 
 intermixed with which appeared great num- 
 bers of the fmooth bark or Weymouth pines* 
 as they are called, that feem almoft peculiar 
 to this part of the country. A profufion of 
 wild rafpberries were growing in the woods 
 here, really of a very good flavour : they are 
 commonly found in the woods to the north- 
 ward of this ; in Canada they abound every 
 where. 
 
 Beyond Fort Anne, which is fltuated at the 
 diftance of eight miles from Fort Edward, 
 the roads being better, we once more mounted 
 into our vehicle; but the miferable horfes, 
 quite jaded, now made a dead ftop ; in vain 
 the driver bawled, and ftamped, and fwore *, 
 his whip had been previoufly worn out fome 
 hoijrs, owing to the frequent ufe he had 
 made of it, and the animals no longer feeling 
 
 its 
 
 * There are upwards of twenty different kinds of oaks in 
 America. 
 
zSz TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 
 its heavy lafh, feemed as determined as the 
 males of the abbefs of Andouillets to go no 
 farther. In this fituation we could not help 
 bantering the fellow upon the excellence of 
 his cattle, which he had boafted fo much of at 
 fetting out, and he was ready to cry with vexa- 
 tion at what we faid ; but having accidentally 
 mentioned the fum we had paid for the car- 
 riage, his pafii'on could no longer be reftrained, 
 and it broke forth in all its fury. It ap- 
 peared that he was the owner of two of the 
 horfes, and for the ufe of them, and for driv- 
 ing the carriage, was to have had one half of 
 the hire ; but the man whom he had agreed 
 with, and paid at Albany, had given him only 
 ten dollars as his moiety, affuring him, at the 
 fame time, that it was exactly the half of 
 v/hat we had given, although in reality it fell 
 ihort of the fum by feven dollars and a half. 
 Thus cheated by his companion, and left in 
 the lurch by his horfes, he vowed vengeance 
 againft him on his return ; but as proteftations 
 of this nature would not bring us any fooner 
 to our journey's end, and as it was necelfary 
 that fomething mould be immediately done, if 
 we did not wifli to remain all night in the 
 woods, we fuggefted the idea, in the mean 
 time, of his conducting the foremoft horfes as 
 poftillion, whilft one of our fervants mould 
 drive the pair next to the wheel. This plan 
 
 was 
 
SKENESB OROUGH. 283 
 
 was not ftarted with any degree of feriouf- 
 nefs, for we could not have fuppofed that a 
 tall meagre fellow, upwards of fix feet high, 
 and clad in a pair of thin nankeen breeches, 
 would very readily beftride the raw boned 
 back of a horfe, covered with the profufe ex- 
 udations which the intenfe heat of the wea- 
 ther, and the labour of the animal had gone 
 through, neceflarily excited. As much tired, 
 however, of our pleafantries as we were of 
 his vehicle, and thinking of nothing, I believe, 
 but how he could beft get rid of us, he eagerly 
 embraced the propofal, and accordingly, hav- 
 ing furnimed himfelf with a fwitch from the 
 adjoining thicket, he mounted his harneffed 
 Rofinante. In this ftyle we proceeded ; but 
 more than once did our gigantic poftillion turn 
 round to bemoan the ibrry choice he had 
 made ; as often did we urge the neceffity of 
 getting out of the woods ; he could make no 
 anfwer; fo jogging flowly along, we at lad 
 reached the little town of Skenefborough* 
 much to the amufement of every one who 
 beheld our equipage, and much to our own 
 fatisfaclion ; for, owing to the various acci- 
 dents we had met with, fuch as traces break- 
 ing, bridles flipping off the heads of the 
 horfes, and the noble horfes themfelves fome- 
 times flipping down, &c. &c. we had been 
 
 no 
 
2S4 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 no lefs than five hours in travelling the laft 
 twelve miles. 
 
 Skenelborough ftands juft above the junc- 
 tion of Wood Creek with South River, as it 
 is called in the bell maps, but which, by the 
 people in the neighbourhood, is considered as 
 a part of Lake Champlain. At prefent there 
 are only about twelve houfes in the place ; 
 but if the navigation of Wood Creek is ever 
 opened, fo as to conned: Lake Champlain 
 with the North River, a fcheme which has 
 already been ferioufly thought of, it will, 
 doubtlefs, foon become a trading town of con- 
 fiderable importance, as all the various pro- 
 ductions of the fliores of the lake will then 
 be collected there for the New York and Al- 
 bany markets. Notwithstanding all the dis- 
 advantages of a land carriage of forty miles 
 to the North River, a fmall portion of flour 
 and pot-afh, the ftaple commodities of the 
 ftate of New York, is already fent to Skenef- 
 borough from different parts of the lake, to 
 be forwarded to Albany. A confiderable trade 
 alfo is carried on through this place, and over 
 Lake Champlain, between New York and Ca- 
 nady. Furs and horfes principally are fent 
 from Canada, and in return they get Eaft In- 
 dian goods and various manufacture s. Lake 
 Champlain opens a very ready communica- 
 i tion 
 
MUS Q^U I T O E S. 28s 
 tion between New York and the country bor- 
 dering on the St. Lawrence ; it is emphatically 
 called by the Indians, Caniad — Eri Guarunte, 
 the mouth or door of the country. 
 
 Skenefborough is moft dreadfully infefted 
 with mufquitoes ; fo many of them attacked 
 us the firft night of our fleeping there, that 
 when we arofe in the morning our faces and 
 hands were covered all over with large puf- 
 tules, precifely like thofe of a perfon in the 
 fmall pox. This happened too, notwithftand- 
 ing that the people of the houfe, before we 
 went to bed, had taken all the pains poffible to 
 clear the room of them, by fumigating it with 
 the frnoke of green wood, and afterwards fe- 
 curing the windows with gauze blinds ; and 
 even on the fecond night, although we de- 
 ftroyed many dozens of them on the walls, 
 after a fimilar fumigation had been made, yet 
 we fuffered nearly as much. Thefe infe&s 
 were of a much larger fize than any I ever 
 faw elfewhere, and their bite was uncommonly 
 venomous. General Wafhington told me, 
 that he never was fo much annoyed by muf T 
 quitoes in any part of America as in Skenefbo- 
 rough, for that they ufed to bite through the 
 thickeft boot. The fituation of the place is 
 indeed peculiarly favourable for them, being 
 juft on the margin of a piece of water, al- 
 moft ftagnant, and (haded with thick woods. 
 
 The 
 
a86 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA; 
 The mufquito is of the fame fpecies with the 
 common gnat in England, and refembles it 
 very clofely both in fize and fhape. Like 
 the gnat, it lays its eggs on the furface of 
 the water, where they are hatched in the 
 courfe of a few days, unlefs the water is 
 agitated, in which laffc cafe they are all de- 
 ftroyed. From the egg is produced a grub, 
 which changes to a chryfalis, and afterwards 
 to a mufquito ; this laft change takes place on 
 the furface of the water, and if at the mo- 
 ment that the infec~t firft fpreads its wings the 
 water is not perfectly ftiil and the air calm, 
 it will be inevitably deftroyed ; at thofe parts 
 of the lake, therefore, which are moll ex- 
 pofed, and where the water is often agitated, 
 no fuch thing as a mufquito is ever feen - y 
 neither are they ever found along a large and 
 rapid river, where the fhores are lofty and 
 dry ; but in the neighbourhood of marines, 
 low grounds, and ftagnant waters, they always 
 abound. Mufquitoes appear to be particularly 
 fond of the frefh blood of Europeans, who al- 
 ways fuffer much more the firft year of their 
 arrival in America than they do afterwards. 
 The people of the country feem quite to dis- 
 regard their attacks. Wherever they fix their 
 fting, a little tumor or puftule ufually arifes, 
 fuppofed to be occafioned by the fermentation, 
 when mixed with the blood, of a fmall quan- 
 tity 
 
MUS Q^U I T O E S. ag-7 
 
 tity of liquor which the infect always in- 
 jects into the wound it makes with its fpi- 
 cula, as may be feen through a microfcope, 
 and which it probably does to render the 
 blood more fluid. The difagreeable itching 
 this excites, is moil effectually allayed by the 
 application of volatile alkali ; or if the part 
 newly flung be fcratched and immediately 
 bathed in cold water, that alfo affords confider- 
 able relief ; but after the venom has been 
 lodged for any time, fcratching only increafes 
 the itching, and it may be attended with great 
 danger. Repeated inflances have occurred of 
 people having been laid up for months, and 
 narrowly efcaping the lofs of a limb, from 
 imprudently rubbing a part which had been 
 bitten for a long time. Great eafe is alfo de- 
 rived from opening the puftules on the fecond 
 day with a lancet, and letting out the bipod 
 and watery matter. 
 
288 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA; 
 
 LETTER XXI. 
 
 Embark on Lake Champlain. — Difficulty of 
 procuring Provifions at Farms bordering upon 
 it. — Ticonderoga. — Crown Point. — Great 
 Beauty of the Scenery. — General Defcription 
 of Lake Champlain and the adjacent Country. 
 Captain Thomas' and his Indians arrive at 
 Crown Point. — Character of Thomas. — 
 Reach St. Johns — Defcription of that Place. 
 — Great Difference obfervable in the Face of 
 the Country, Inhabitants y &c. in Ca?iada and 
 in the States. — Chambly Cajlle.—Galajhes — 
 Boris Dieux. — Town of La Prarie. — Great 
 Rapidity of the River Saint Lawrence. — 
 Crofs to Mo?itreaL — AJionifliment on feeing 
 large Ships at Montreal. — Great Depth of the 
 River. 
 
 Monti-eal, July. 
 
 gHORTLY .after our arrival in Skenefbo- 
 rough, we hired a fmall boat of about ten 
 tons for the purpole of croffing Lake Cham- 
 plain. It was our wifh to proceed on the 
 voyage immediately ; but the owner of the 
 boat afierting that it was impoflible to go out 
 with the wind then blowing, we were for 
 three days detained in Skenefoorough, a deli- 
 cious feaft for the hungry mufquitoes. The 
 
 wind 
 
LAKE CHAMPLAIN. 289 
 
 wind fhifted again and again, ftill it was not 
 fair in the opinion of our boatman. At laft, 
 being moft heartily tired of our quarters, and 
 fufpedting that he did not underfland his bu- 
 ll nefs as well as he ought to have done, we re- 
 folved not to abide by his opinion any longer, 
 but to make an attempt at beating out ; and 
 we had great reafon to be pleafed with having 
 done fo, as we arrived in Canada three days 
 before any of the other boats, that did not ven- 
 ture to move till the wind was quite aft. 
 
 We fet off about one o'clock ; but from the 
 channel being very narrow, it was impoffible 
 to make much way by tacking. We got no 
 farther than fix miles before fun-fet. We then 
 flopped* and having landed, walked up to fome 
 farm houfes, which appeared at a diftance, on 
 the Vermont more, to procure provilions; for 
 the boatman had told us it was quite unne- 
 ceflary to take in any at Skenelbcrough, as 
 there were excellent houfes clofe to the more 
 the whole way, where we could get whatever 
 we wifhed. At the fir ft we went to, which 
 was a comfortable log- houfe, neither bread, 
 nor meat, nor milk, nor eggs, were to be had; 
 the houfe was crowded with children of all 
 ages, and the people, I fuppofe, thought they 
 had but little enough for themfelves. At a 
 fecond houfe, we found a venerable old man at 
 the door, reading a news- paper, who civilly 
 Vol, I. U offered 
 
z$o TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA : 
 offered it to us for our perufal, and began to 
 talk upon the politics of the day ; we thanked 
 him for his offer, and gave him to underftand, 
 at the fame time, that a loaf would be much 
 more acceptable. Bread there was none ; we 
 got a new Vermont cheefe, however. A third 
 houfe now remained in fight, and we made a 
 third attempt at procuring fome thing to eat. 
 This one was nearly half a mile off, but, alas ! 
 it afforded ftill lefs than the laft ; the people 
 had nothing to difpoie of but a little milk. 
 With the milk and the cheefe, therefore, we 
 returned to our boat, and adding thereto fome 
 bifcuits and wine, which we had luckily on 
 board, the whole afforded us a frugal repaft. 
 
 The people at the American farm houfes 
 will cheerfully lie three in a bed, rather than 
 fuffer a ftranger to go away who comes to feek 
 for a lodging. As all thefe houfes, however, 
 which we had vifited, were crowded with in- 
 habitants, we felt no great inclination to afk 
 for accommodation at any of them, but deter- 
 mined to deep on board our little veffel. We 
 accordingly moored her at a convenient part 
 of the fliore,. and each of us having^wrapped 
 himfelf up in a blanket, which we had been 
 warned to provide on leaving New York, we 
 laid ourfelves down to fleep. The boat was 
 decked two thirds of her length forward, and 
 had a commodious hold ; we gave the pre- 
 ference. 
 
LAKE CHAMPLAIN. 291 
 Ference, however, becaufe more airy, to the 
 cabin or after part, fitted up with benches, and 
 covered with a wooden awning, under which 
 a man could juit fit upright, provided he was 
 not very tall. The benches, which went 
 lengthwife, accommodated two of us ; and the 
 third was obliged to put up with the cabin 
 floor ; but a blanket and a bare board, out of 
 the way of mufquitoes, were luxuries after 
 our accommodations at Skenefborough ; our 
 ears were not aflailed by the noife even of a 
 .{ingle one the whole night, and we enjoyed 
 founder repofe than we had done for many 
 nights preceding. 
 
 The wind remained nearly in the fame 
 point the next morning, but the lake being 
 wider, we were enabled to proceed fafter. We 
 ffopped at one houfe to breakfaft, and at an- 
 other to dine. At neither of thefe, although 
 they bore the name of taverns, were we able 
 to procure much more than at the houfes 
 where we had flopped the preceding evening. 
 At the firft we got a little milk, and about 
 two pounds of bread, abfolutely the whole of 
 what was in the houfe ; and at the fecond, a 
 few eggs and fome cold ialted fat pork ; but 
 not a morfel of bread was to be had. The 
 wretched appearance alio of this laft habita- 
 tion was very (Inking; it confifted of a wooden 
 frame, merely with a few boards nailed againft 
 
 U 2 it, 
 
2^2 TRAVFXS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA: 
 
 it, the crevices between which were the only 
 apertures for the admiffion of light, except the 
 door ; and the roof was fo leaky, that we were 
 iprinkled with the rain even as we fat at the 
 fire fide. That people can live in fuch a man- 
 ner, who have the neeeffaries and convenien- 
 cies of life within their reach, as much as any 
 others in the world, is really moft afloniming ! ! 
 It is, however, to be accounted for, by that de- 
 li re of making money, which is the predo- 
 minant feature in the character of the Ameri- 
 cans in general, and leads the petty farmer in 
 particular to fuffer numberlefsinconveniencies, 
 when he can gain by fo doing. If he can fell 
 the produce of his land to advantage, he keeps 
 as fmall a part of it as poffible for himfelf, and 
 lives the whole year round upon fait provi- 
 fions, bad bread, and the fifh he can catch in 
 the rivers or lakes in the neighbourhood \ if 
 he has built a comfortable houfe for himfelf, 
 he readily quits it, as foon as finifhed, for mo- 
 ney, and goes to live in a mere hovel in the 
 woods till he gets time to build another. Mo- 
 ney is his idol, and to procure it he gladly 
 foregoes every felf-gratirication. 
 
 From this miferable habitation, juft men- 
 tioned, we departed as foon as the rain was 
 over, and the wind coming round in our fa- 
 vour, we got as far as Ticonderoga that night. 
 The only dwelling here is the tavern, which 
 
 is 
 
TICONDEROGA. 293 
 
 is a large houfe built of (lone. On entering 
 it we were fhewn into a fpacious apartment, 
 crowded with boatmen and people that had 
 juft arrived from St. John's, in Canada. See- 
 ing fuch a number of guefts in the houfe, we 
 expected nothing lefs than to be kept an hour 
 or two till fufficient fupper was prepared for 
 the whole company, fo that all might fit down 
 at once together, which, as I have before laid, 
 is the cuftom in the country parts of the United 
 States. Our furprife therefore was great at 
 perceiving a neat table and a comfortable little 
 fupper fpeedily laid out for us, and no attempts 
 made at ferving the reft of the company till we 
 had quite finiihed. This was departing from 
 the fyftem of equality in a manner which we 
 had never witneffed before, and we were at a 
 lofs for fome time to account for it ; but we 
 prefently heard that the woman of the houfe 
 had kept a tavern for the greater part of her 
 life at Quebec, which refolved the knotty point. 
 The wife is generally the active perfon in ma- 
 naging a country tavern, and the hufband at- 
 tends to his farm, or has fome independent oc- 
 cupation. The man of this houfe was a judge, 
 a fullen demure old gentleman, who fat by the 
 fire *, with tattered clothes and diihevelled 
 
 U 3 locks, 
 
 * Though this was the 14th day of July, the weather was 
 to cold that we found a fire extremely agreeable. 
 
294 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA : 
 locks, reading a book, totally regardlefs of 
 every perfon in the room. 
 
 The old fort and barracks of Ticonderoga 
 are on the top of a riling ground, juft behind 
 the tavern ; they are quite in ruins, and it is not 
 likely that they will ever be rebuilt, for the 
 fituation is very infecure, being commanded by 
 a lofty hill called Mount Defiance. The 
 Britifh got poffeffion of the place the laft war 
 by dragging cannon and mortars up the hill, 
 and firing down upon the fort. 
 
 Early the next morning we left Ticon- 
 deroga, and purfued our voyage to Crown 
 Point, where we landed to look at the old fort. 
 Nothing is to be feen there, however, but a 
 heap of ruins ; for fhortly before it was given 
 up by the Britifh, the powder magazine blew 
 up, by which accident a great part of the works 
 was deftroyed ; lince the evacuation of it alfo, 
 the people in the neighbourhood have been 
 continually digging in different parts, in hopes 
 of procuring lead and iron (hot ; a confider- 
 able quantity was in oneinftance got out of the 
 ftores that had been buried by the explofion. 
 The vaults, which were bomb proof,, have 
 been demoliflhed for the fake of the bricks for 
 building chimneys. At the fouth fide alone 
 the ditches remain perfect ; they are wide and 
 deep, and cut through immenfe rocks of lime- 
 ftone ; and from being overgrown towards the 
 top with different kinds of fhrubs,haveagrand 
 
 and 
 
CROWN POINT. 29s 
 
 and piflurefque appearance. The view from 
 this fpot of the fort, and the old buildings in 
 it overgrown with ivy, of the lake, and of the 
 diftant mountains beyond it, is indeed altoge- 
 ther very fine. The fort, and feven hundred 
 acres of good cleared land adjoining to it, are 
 the property of the ftate of New York, and are 
 leafed out at the rate of one hundred and fifty 
 dollars, equal to £.33. 10 s. fterling per an- 
 num, which is appropriated for the ufe of a 
 college. The farmer who rented it told us, 
 heprincipally made ufe of the land for grazing 
 cattle ; thefe, in the winter feafon, when the 
 lake was frozen, he drove over the ice to Al- 
 bany, and there difpofed of. 
 
 Crown Point is the mo ft advantageous foot 
 on the mores of Lake Champlain for a mili- 
 tary poft, not being commanded by any rifing 
 grounds in the neighbourhood, asTiconderoga 
 is, and as the lake is fo narrow here, owing 
 to another point running out on the oppofite 
 fide, that it would be ablblutely impoffible for 
 a veffel to pafs, without being expofed to the 
 fire of the fort. The Indians call this place 
 Tek-ya-dough-nigarigee,that is, the two points 
 immediately oppofite to each other : the one 
 oppofite to Crown Point is called Chimney 
 Point ; upon it are a few houfes, one of which 
 is a tavern. While we ftaid there we were 
 very agreeably furprifed, for the firft time, with 
 
 U 4 the 
 
296 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA : 
 the fight of a large birch canoe upon the lake, 
 navigated by two or three Indians in the dreffes 
 of their nation. They made for the (Lore and 
 foon landed; and fhortly after another party, 
 amounting to fix or feven, arrived, that had 
 come by land. 
 
 On board our little veffel we had a poor 
 Canadian, whom we took in atSkenefborough, 
 Tempted by the accounts he had heard of the 
 United States, he quitted his own home in 
 Canada, where he lived under one of the 
 ieigniors, and had gone as far as Albany, in 
 the neighbourhood of which place he had 
 worked for fome time with a farmer ; but 
 finding, that although he got higher wages, 
 he had to pay much more for his pro- 
 visions than in Canada, and that he was alfo 
 mo ft egregioufly cheated by the people, and 
 particularly by his employer, from whom he 
 could not get even the money he had earned ; 
 finding likewife that he was unable to procure 
 any redrefs, from being ignorant of the Eng- 
 lish language, the poor fellow determined to 
 return to Canada, and on his way thither we 
 met him, without a milling in his pocket. 
 
 Having afked this little fellow, as we failed 
 along, fome queflions about the Indians, he 
 immediately gave us a long account of a Cap- 
 tain Thomas, a chief of the Cachenonaga na- 
 tion, in the neighbourhood of whofe village he 
 
 faid * 
 
CAPTAIN THOMAS. 297 
 U.ld he lived. Thomas, he told us, was a very 
 rich man, and had a mod excellent houfe, in 
 which he faid he lived as well as a feignior, 
 and he was fure we mould be well received if 
 we went to fee him ; he told us alio that he 
 had built a church, and was a chriftian ; that 
 he was very charitable, and that if he were ac- 
 quainted with his prefent diflrefs he would 
 certainly make him a prefent of four or five 
 dollars. u Ohje vous aflure, rnefiieurs, que 
 <f c'efc un bon feuvage." It was impoflible 
 not to fmile at the little Canadian, who, half 
 naked himfelf, and nearly as dark as a mulatto, 
 concluded his panegyric upon Thomas, by 
 alluring us, " he was a good favage;" at the 
 fame time we felt a ilrong defire to behold this 
 .chief, of whom we had heard fo much. It was 
 not long before we were gratified, for the party 
 of Indians that arrived whilft we were at Chim- 
 ney Point were from the Cachenonaga village, 
 and at their head was Captain Thomas. 
 
 Thomas appeared to be about forty-five 
 years of age ; he was nearly fix feet high, and 
 very bulky in proportion : this is a fort of make 
 uncommon among the Indians, who are gene- 
 rally (lender. He was dreffed like a white 
 man, in boots his hair untied, but cut fhort; 
 the people who attended him were all in the 
 Indian habit. Not one of his followers could 
 fpeak a word of Englifh or French ; Thomas, 
 
 however, 
 
2$$ TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH .AMERICA: 
 
 however, could himfelf fpeak both languages. 
 Englifh he fpoke with fome little hefitation, 
 and not correctly ; but French feemed as fa- 
 miliar to him as his native tongue. His prin- 
 cipal attention feemed to be dire&ed towards 
 trade, which he had purfued with great fuc- 
 cefs, fo much fo, indeed, that, as we after- 
 wards heard, he could get credit in any ftore in 
 Montreal for five hundred pounds. He had 
 along with him at Chimney Point thirty horfes, 
 and a quantity of furs in the canoe, which he 
 was taking for fale to Albany. His people, 
 he told us, had but very few wants; he took 
 care to have thefe always fuppiied; in return 
 they brought him furs, taken in hunting; they 
 attended his horfes, and voluntarily accom- 
 panied him when he went on a trading expe- 
 dition : his profits therefore muft be immenfe. 
 During the courfe of converfation he told us, 
 that if we came to fee him he would make us 
 very happy ; that there were fome very hand- 
 fome fquaws * in his village, and that each of 
 us mould have a wife: we promifed to vifit 
 him if it was in our power, and parted very 
 good friends. Thomas, as we afterwards found, 
 is not a man refpected among the Indians in ge- 
 neral, who think much more of a chief that is 
 a good warrior and hunter, and that retains the 
 
 * Female Indians. 
 
 m s I 
 
 habits 
 
L A K E C H A M PLAIN. 299 
 
 Iiablts of his nation, than of one that becomes 
 a trader, and aiiimilates his manners to thofe 
 of the whites. 
 
 Lake Champiain is about one hundred and 
 twenty miles in length, and is of various 
 breadths : for the firft thirty iniies, that is, from 
 South River to Crown Point, it is in no place 
 more than two miles wide ; beyond this, for 
 the di fiance of tw T elve miles, it is live or fix 
 miles acrofs, but then again it narrows, and 
 again at the end of a few miles expands. That 
 part called the Bread Lake, becaufe broader 
 than any other, commences about twenty-five 
 miles north of Crown Point, and is eighteen 
 miles acrofs in the wideft part. Here the lake 
 is interfperfed with a great number of illands, 
 the iargeft of which, formerly called Grande 
 I lie, now South Hero, is fifteen miles in length, 
 and, on an average, about four in breadth. 
 The foil of this ifland is fertile, and it is faid 
 that five hundred people are fettled upon it. 
 The Broad Lake is nearly fifty miles in length, 
 and gradually narrows till it terminates in a 
 large river called Chamhly, Richlieu, or So- 
 relle, which runs into the St. Lawrence. 
 
 The foundings of Lake Champiain, except 
 at the narrow parts at either end, are in general 
 very deep j in many places fixty and feventy, 
 and in fome even one hundred fathoms. In 
 proportion to its breadth and depth, the water 
 
 is 
 
goo TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA ■: 
 
 is more or lefs clear ; in the broad part it is as 
 pure and tranfparent as poflible. On the weft 
 fide, as far as Cumberland Bay, the lake is 
 bounded for the moil part by fteep mountains 
 clofe to the edsre of the water; at Cumberland 
 Bay the ridge of mountains runs off to the 
 north-weft, and the more farther on is low and 
 fwampy. The Eaft or Vermont more is not 
 much elevated, except in a few particular 
 places; at the diftance of twelve miles, how- 
 ever, from the lake is a confiderable mountain. 
 The mores on both fides are very rocky; where 
 there are mountains thefe rocks jut out very 
 boldly ; but at the eaft fide, where the land is 
 low, they appear but a little above the water. 
 The iflands alfo, for the moft part, are fur- 
 rounded with rocks, in fome parts, fhelving 
 down into the lake, fo that it is dangerous to 
 approach within one or two miles of them at 
 particular (ides. From fome parts of the eaftern 
 fhore the rocks alfo run out in the, fame man- 
 ner for a confiderable diftance. Sailing along 
 the more when a breeze is blowing, a hollow 
 murmuring noife is always heard from the wa- 
 ters fplafhing into the crannies of thefe, rocks. 
 There are many ftreams which fall into the 
 lake: the mouths of all thofe on the weftern 
 fide are obftructed by falls, fo that none of them 
 are navigable. Of thofe on the eaftern or 
 Vermont fide, a few only are navigable for 
 final! boats, and that for a fhort diftance. 
 
 The 
 
SCENERY. 301 
 
 The fcenery along various parts of the lake 
 is extremely grand and piclurefque, particularly 
 beyond Crown Point; the fhores are there 
 beautifully ornamented with hanging woods 
 and rocks, and the mountains on the weftern 
 fide rife up in ranges one behind the other in 
 the moft magnificent manner. It was on one 
 of the fined evenings pofiible that we pafled 
 along this part of the lake, and the fun fetting 
 in all his glory behind the mountains, fpread 
 the richeft tints over every part of the profpect ; 
 the moon alfo appearing nearly in the full, 
 fhortly after the day had clofed, afforded us an 
 opportunity of beholding the furrounding 
 fcenery in frefn though lefs brilliant colours. 
 Our little bark was now gliding fmoothly along, 
 whilft every one of us remained wrapt up in 
 filent contemplation of the folemn fcene, when 
 fuddenly fhe ftruck upon one of the lhelving 
 rocks: nothing but hurry and confution was 
 now vifible on board, every one lending his 
 afiiftancej however, at laft, with fome diffi- 
 culty, we got her off; but in a minute me 
 ftruck a fecond time, and after we had again 
 extricated her, even a third and a fourth time ; 
 at laft fhe ftuck fo faft, that for a fnort time we 
 delpaired of being able to move her. At the 
 end of a quarter of an hour, however, we again 
 fortunately got her into deep water. We had 
 before fufpeclcd that our boatman did not 
 
 know 
 
302 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA : 
 know a great deal about the navigation of the 
 lake, and on queftioning him now, it came out, 
 that he had been a cobler all his life, till within 
 the laft nine months, when he thought proper 
 to change his bufinefs, and turn failor. All the 
 knowledge he had of the ihores of the lake, 
 was what he had picked up during that time, 
 as he failed ftraight backward and forward be- 
 tween St. John's and Skenefborough. On the 
 prefent occafion he had miftaken one bay for 
 another, and had the waves been as high as 
 they fometimes are, the boat would inevitably 
 have been dallied to pieces. 
 
 The humble roof of another judge, a plain 
 Scotch labourer, afforded us fhelter for this 
 night. It was near eleven o'clock, however, 
 when we got there, and the family having 
 retired to reft, we had to remain rapping and 
 calling at the door for half an hour at leaf!:, 
 before we could get admittance. The people 
 at laft being roufed, opened their doors, cheer- 
 fully got us fome fupper, and prepared their 
 beft beds for us. In the morning, having 
 paid our reckoning to the judge, he returned 
 to his plough, and we to our boat to profecute 
 our voyage. 
 
 We fet off this day with a remarkable fine 
 breeze, and being defirous of terminating pur 
 voyage as foon as pofiible, of which we began 
 now to be fomewhat tired, we flopped but 
 5 once 
 
BOUNDARY. 303 
 
 once in the courfe of the day, and determined 
 to fail on all night. A fhorc time after fun- 
 fet we paffed the boundary between the Bri- 
 tifli dominions and the United States. Here 
 we were brought to by . an armed brig of 
 twenty guns, under Englifli colours, ftationed 
 for the purpofe of examining all boats paffing 
 up and down the lake : the anfwers which we 
 gave to the feveral queftions afked being fatis- 
 faclory, we were accordingly fuffered to pro- 
 ceed. Since the furrender of the polls, pur- 
 fuant to the late treaty with the United States, 
 this brig has been removed, and laid up at St. 
 John's. When night came on, we wrapped 
 ourfelves up in our blankets, as we had done 
 on the firft night of our voyage, and laid down 
 upon the cabin floor, where we might poffibly 
 have flept until we got to St. John's, had we 
 not been awakened at midnight by the loud 
 hollas of the fentinel at the Britifh fort on Ifle 
 aux Noix. On examining into the matter, it 
 appeared that the boat had been driven on 
 ihore, while cur ileepy pilot enjoyed his nap 
 at the helm; and the fentinel, unable to 
 imagine what we were about, feeing the boat 
 run up clofe under the fort, and fufpicious of 
 fome attack, I fuppofe, had turned out the 
 whole guard; by whom, after being examined 
 and re-examined, we were finally difmiffed. 
 We now took the command of the boat upon 
 
 our- 
 
304 TRAVELS THROUGH LOWEk CANADA ; 
 ourfelves, for the boatman, although he was? 
 more anxious to get to St. John's than any one 
 of us, and though he had himfelf in fome 
 meafure induced us to go on, was fo fleepy 
 that he could not keep his eyes open. Re- 
 lieving each other at the helm, we reached 
 St. John's by day-break ; one hundred and 
 Mty miles diftant from Skenefborough. 
 
 Immediately on our landing we were con- 
 ducted to the guard houfe, where we had to 
 deliver to the ferjeant on duty, to be by hirri 
 forwarded to the commanding officer, an ac- 
 count of our names, occupation, and place of 
 abode, the ftrifteft orders having been iffued 
 by the governor not to fuffer any Frenchmen 
 or other foreigners, or any people who could 
 not give an exact account of their bufinefs in 
 Canada, to enter into the country. 
 
 St. John's is a garrifon town ; it contains 
 about fifty miferablc wooden dwellings, and 
 barracks, in which a whole regiment is gene- 
 rally quartered. The fortifications are entirely 
 out of order, fo much fo that it would be 
 cheaper to erect frefh works than to attempt 
 to repair them. There is a king's dock yard 
 here, well ftored with timber, at leafk when 
 we faw it ; but in the courfe of the fummer, 
 after the armed brig which I mentioned was 
 laid up, all the timber was fold off. The old 
 hulks of feveral vefTels of force were lying 
 
 oppofite 
 
r„Mislic.t .T»i '»* iroS h .I.Sto.k.l.il.. TicaidUi) 
 
CHAMBLY. 305 
 oppofite the yard. In proportion to the in- 
 creafe of trade between New York and Lower 
 Canada, this town muft improve, as it is the 
 Britifh port of entry on Lake Champlain. 
 
 The country about St. John's is flat, and 
 very bare of trees, a dreadful fire in the year 
 1788 having done great mifchief, and destroyed 
 all the woods for feveral miles: in fome parts 
 of the neighbourhood the people fuffer ex- 
 tremely during winter from the want of fuel. 
 
 At St. John's we hired a light waggon, 
 fimilar to thole made ufe of in the United 
 States, and fef off about noon for La Prarie, 
 on the banks of the river St. Lawrence. By 
 the direct road, this is only eighteen miles 
 diftant ; but the moft agreeable w; v of going 
 thither is by Chambly, which is a few miles 
 farther, on account of feeing the old caftle built 
 there by the French. The caft-le ftands clofe 
 to the rapids in Chambly or Sorelle River, and 
 at a little diftancehas a grand appearance; the 
 adjacent country alfo being very beautiful, the 
 whole together forms a moft interefting fcene. 
 The caftle is in tolerably good repair, and a 
 garrifon is conftantly kept in it. 
 
 As you travel along this road to La Prarie, 
 after having juft arrived from the United States 
 over Lake Champlain, a variety of objects 
 forcibly remind you of your having got into a 
 new country. The Britifh flag, the foldiers 
 
 Vol. I. X on 
 
3o6 TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA : 
 oft duty, the French inhabitants running 
 about in their red nightcaps, the children 
 coming to the doors to fa lute you as you pafs, 
 a thing unknown in any part of the United 1 
 States ; the compact and neat exterior appear- 
 ance of the houfes, the calafhes,. the bons 
 dieux, the large Roman Catholic churches 
 and chapels, the convents, the priefts in their 
 robes, the nuns, the friars; all ferve to con- 
 vince yon, that you are no longer in any part 
 of the United States : the language alfo differs, 
 French being here univerfally fpoken. 
 
 The calam is- a carriage very generally ufed 
 in Lower Canada-; there is fcarcely a farmer 
 indeed in the country who does not poffefs 
 one : it is & fort of one horfe chaife, capable 
 of holding two people befides the driver, who 
 fits on a kind of box placed over the foot 
 board exprefsly for his accommodation. The 
 body of the calam is hung upon broad (traps 
 of leather, round iron rollers that are placed 
 behind,- by means of which they are mortened 
 or lengthened. On each fide of the carriage 
 is a little door about two feet high, whereby 
 you enter it, and which is ufeful when /hut, 
 in preventing any thing from flipping out. 
 The harnefs for the horfe is always made in 
 the old French tafte, extremely heavy ; it is 
 ftudded with brafs nails, and to particular parts 
 
 of' 
 
MONTREAL. 3©7 
 of it are attached fmall bells, of no ufe that I 
 could ever difcover but to annoy the paflenger. 
 
 The bons dieux are large wooden crucifixes, 
 fometimes upwards of twenty feet in height, 
 placed on the highway ; fome of them are 
 highly ornamented and painted: as the people 
 pals they pull off their hats, or in fome other 
 way make obeifance to them. 
 
 La Prarie de h Madelene contains about 
 one hundred houfes. After flopping an hour or 
 two there, we embarked in a bateau for Mon- 
 treal. 
 
 Montreal is fituated on an ifland of the 
 fame name, on the opponte fide of the River 
 St. Lawrence to that on which La Prarie 
 ftands, but fome what lower down. The two 
 towns are nine miles apart, and the river is 
 about two miles and a quarter wide. The 
 current here is prodigioufly ftrong, and in par- 
 ticular places as you crofs, the boats are hur- 
 ried down the ftream, in the midft of lar?e 
 rocks, with fuch impetuofity that it feems as 
 if nothing could fave them from being da (lied 
 to pieces; indeed this would certainly be the 
 cafe, if the men were not uncommonly expert ; 
 but the Canadians are the ttioft dexterous 
 people perhaps in the world at the manage- 
 ment of bateaux in rapid rivers. After fuch a 
 profpedt of the River St. Lawrence, it was 
 not without aftonifhment that on approaching 
 
 X2 the 
 
3o3 TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA*. 
 
 the town of Montreal, we beheld {hips of up- 
 wards of four hundred tons burthen lying c\o£fr 
 to the fhore. The difficulties which veffels 
 have to encounter in getting to Montreal, are 
 immenfe ; I have myfelf feen them with all 
 their fails fet* and with a fmart and favourable 
 breeze, ftationary for an hour together in the 
 itream, unable to item it, between the ifland 
 of St. Helene and the main land, juft below 
 the town : to Item the current at this place*, 
 it is almoft neceffary that the veffel fhould be 
 aided by a ftorm. The afcent is equally diffi- 
 cult in fever.al other parts of the river. Owing 
 to this it is, that the paffage from Quebec to 
 Montreal is generally more tedious than that 
 acrofs the Atlantic ; thofe fhips, therefore, 
 which trade between Europe and Montreal, 
 never attempt to make more than one voyage 
 during the year. Notwithftanding the rapidity 
 of the fiream, the channel of the river is very 
 deep, and in particular juft oppofite to the 
 town. The largeft merchant veffels can there 
 lie fo clofe to the banks, which are in their 
 natural flate, that you may nearly touch them 
 with your hand as you itand on the more. 
 
t 3^9 1 
 
 LETTER XXII. 
 
 Defcrifition of the Town of Montreal — Of the 
 public Buildings.— -Churches \ — Funeral Ce- 
 
 ■ remonies. — Convents. — Barracks. — Fortifi- 
 cations. — Inhabitants mofily French. — Their 
 Character and Manners. — Charming Pro- 
 f peels in the Neighbourhood of I he Town.— 
 Amufements during Summer. — Parties of 
 Pleafure up the Mountain. — Of the Fur 
 T rade. — The Manner in which it is carried 
 on. — Great Enterpnfe of the North Weji 
 Company of Merchants. — Sketch of Mr. 
 M'Kenzie's Expeditions over Land to the 
 Pacific Ocean. — Differences between the 
 North Wefi and Hudfons Bay Companies. 
 
 Montreal, July. 
 
 HPKE town of Montreal was laid out pur- 
 fuant to the orders of one of the kings 
 •of France ; which were, that a town mould be 
 built as high up on the St. Lawrence as it 
 were poffible for veflels to go by fea. In fixing 
 upon the fpot where it ftands, his commands 
 were complied with, in the ftridlen; fenfe. 
 The town at prefent contains about twelve 
 hundred houfes, whereof five hundred only 
 are within the w r alls ; the reft are in the 
 ifi.iburbs, which commence from the north, 
 
 X 3 eaft? 
 
310 TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA: 
 eaft, and weft gates. The houfes in the mburbs 
 are moftly built of wood, but the others are 
 all of ftone ; none of them are elegant, but 
 there are many very comfortable habitations. 
 In the lower part of the town, towards the 
 river, where moft of the (hops ftand, they 
 have a very gloomy appearance, and look like 
 fo many prifons, being all furnifhed at the 
 outfide with meet iron mutters to the doors 
 and windows, which are regularly clofed to- 
 wards evening, in order to guard againft fire. 
 The town has fuffered by fire very materially 
 at different times, and the inhabitants have 
 fuch a dread of it, that all who can afford it, 
 cover the roofs of their houfes with tin plates 
 inftead of fhingles. By law they are obliged 
 to have one or more ladders, in proportion to 
 the fize of the houfe, always ready on the 
 roofs. 
 
 The flreets are all very narrow; three of 
 them run parallel to the river, and thefe are 
 interfered by others at right angles, but not 
 at regular diftances. On the fide of the 
 town farther!: from the river, and nearly 
 between the northern and fouthern extremi- 
 ties, there is a fmall fquare, called La Place 
 d'Armes, which feems originally to have been 
 left open to the walls on one fide, and to 
 have been intended for the military to exercife 
 in; the troops, however, never make ufe of it 
 
 now, 
 
MONT R E A L. 9*1 
 •now, but parade on a long walk, behind the 
 walls, nearer to the barracks. On the oppofite 
 fide of the town, towards the water, is another 
 frnall fquare, where the market is he* Id. 
 
 There are £ix churchos in Montreal ; one 
 for Engliih Epifcopalians, one for Prefbyteri- 
 ,ans, and four for Roman Catholics. The 
 cathedral church belonging to the latter, 
 which occupies one fide of La Place d' Armes, 
 is a very fpacious building, and contains five 
 altars, all very richly decorated. The doors 
 of this cathedral are left open the greater part 
 of the day, and there are, generally, numbers 
 of old people in it at their prayers, even when 
 no regular fervice is going on. On a fine Sun- 
 day in the fu miner feafon, fuch multitudes 
 Hock to it, that even the fteps at the outnde 
 are covered with people, who, unable to get in, 
 •remain there kneeling with their hats ofFduring 
 the whole time of divine fervice. Nearly 
 all the chriftenings, marriages, and burials of 
 the Roman Catholic inhabitants of Montreal, 
 are performed in this church, on which oc- 
 cafions, as well as before and during the 
 malfes, they always ring the bells, to the great 
 annoyance of every perfon that is not a lover 
 ofdifcords; for inftead of pulling the bells, 
 which are five in number, and really well 
 toned, with regularity, they jingle them all at 
 .once, without any fort of cadence whatever. 
 
 X 4 Our 
 
312 TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA: 
 Our lodgings happened to be in La Place 
 d'Armes ; and during three weeks that we 
 remained there, I verily believe the bells were 
 never luffered to remain ftill for two hours 
 together, at any one time, except in the 
 night. 
 
 The funerals, as in other Roman Catholic 
 countries, are conducted with great ceremony ; 
 the corpfe is always attended to the church 
 by a number cf priefts chanting prayers, and 
 by little boys in white robes and black caps 
 carrying wax lights. A morning fcarcely 
 ever palled over, that one or more of thefe 
 proceffions did not pafs under our windows 
 whilft we were at breakfaft $ for on the op- 
 pofite fide of the fquare to that on which 
 the cathedral flood, was a fort of chapel, to 
 which the bodies of all thofe perfons, whofe 
 friends could not afford to pay for an expenfive 
 funeral, were brought, I fuppofe, in the night, 
 for we could never fee any carried in there, 
 and from thence conveyed in the morning to 
 the cathedral. If the priefts are paid for it, 
 they go to the houfe of the deceafed, though 
 k be ever fo far diflant, and efcort the corpfe 
 to the church. Until within a few years- paft, 
 it was cuflomary to bury all the bodies in the 
 vaults underneath the cathedral ; but now it 
 is prohibited, left fome putrid diforder fhould 
 fcreak out in the town in confequence of fuch 
 § numbers 
 
MONTREAL. 313 
 
 numbers being depofited there. The burying 
 grounds are ail without the walls at prefent. 
 
 There are in Montreal four convents, one 
 of which is of the order of St. Francis ; the 
 number of the friars, however, is reduced now 
 to two or three, and as by the laws of the 
 province men can no longer enter into anv 
 religious order, it will of courfe in a few years 
 dwindle entirely away. On the female orders 
 there is no reftriclion, and they are ftill well 
 filled. The Hotel Dieu, founded as early as 
 1644, for the relief of the fick poor, and 
 which is the oldeft of the convents, contains 
 thirty " religieuies" — nuns; La Congrega- 
 tion de Notre Dame, inftituted for the in- 
 ft ruction of young girls, contains fifty-feven 
 fceurs, another fort of nuns ; and L'Hofpital 
 Generale, for the accommodation of the infirm 
 poor, contains eighteen fceurs. 
 
 The barracks are agreeably fituated near the 
 river, at the lower end of the town ; they are 
 furrounded by .a lofty wall, and calculated to 
 contain about three hundred men. 
 
 The walls round the town are mouldering 
 away very faft, and in fome places are totally 
 in ruins ; the gates, however, remain quite 
 perfect. The walls were built principally as 
 a defence againft the Indians, by whom the 
 country was thickly inhabited when Montreal 
 \vas founded, and they were found neceflary, 
 
 to 
 
3 14 TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA: 
 to repel the open attacks of thefe people, as 
 late as the year 1736. When the large fairs 
 ufed to be held in Montreal, to which the 
 Indians from all parts reforted with their furs., 
 they were alfo found extremely ufeful, as the 
 inhabitants were thereby enabled to fhut out 
 the Indians at night, who, had they been fuf- 
 fered to remain in the town, addicted as they 
 are to drinking, might have been tempted to 
 commit great outrages, and would have kept 
 the inhabitants in a continual ftate of alarm. 
 In their beft Hate, the walls could not have 
 protedted the town againft cannon, not even 
 agairift a iix-pounder ; nor, indeed, would the 
 ilrongeft walls be of any ufe in defending it 
 againft artillery, as it is completely command- 
 ed by the eminences in the ifland of St. He- 
 lene*, in the River St. Lawrence. Montreal 
 has always been an eafy -conqueil to regular 
 troops. 
 
 By far the greater number of the inhabit- 
 ants of Montreal are of French extraction ; 
 all the eminent merchants, however, and 
 principal people in the town* are either Eng- 
 lilh, Scotch, Irifh, or their defendants, all of 
 whom pafs for Englifh with the French in- 
 habitants. The French retain, in a great 
 
 meafure, 
 
 * This ifland was the M place which the French furren* 
 ocred to the Britilh* 
 
MONTREAL. 315 
 meafure, the manners and cuftoms of their 
 anceftors, as well as the language; they have 
 an unconquerable averfion to learn Englifh, 
 and it is very rare to meet with any perfon 
 amongft them, that can fpeak it in any man- 
 ner; but the Englim inhabitants are, for the 
 moft part, well acquainted with the French 
 language. 
 
 The people of Montreal, in general, are re- 
 markably hofpitable and attentive to {bangers; 
 they are fociable alfo amongft themfelves, and 
 fond in the extreme of convivial amufements. 
 In winter, they keep up fuch a conftant and 
 friendly intercourfe with each other, that it 
 feems then as if the town were inhabited but 
 by one large family. During fummer they 
 live fomewhat more retired ; but throughout 
 that feafon a club, formed of all the principal 
 inhabitants, both male and female, meet every 
 week or fortnight, for the purpofe of dining at 
 fome agreeable fpot in the neighbourhood of 
 the town. 
 
 The ifland of Montreal is about twenty- 
 eight miles in length and ten in breadth ; it 
 is the largeft of ieveral iflands which are 
 fituated in the St. Lawrence, at the mouth of 
 the Utawa River. Its foil is luxuriant, and 
 in fome parts much cultivated and thickly in- 
 habited. It is agreeably diverfified with hill 
 and dale, and towards its center, in the neigh- 
 bourhood 
 
3i6 TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA: 
 bourhood of Montreal, there are two or three 
 confiderable mountains. The largeft of thefe 
 ftands at the diftance of about one mile from 
 the town, which is named from it. The bafe 
 of this mountain is furrojinded with neat 
 country houfes and gardens, and partial im- 
 provements have been made about one third 
 of the way up ; the remainder is entirely 
 covered with lofty trees. On that fide to- 
 wards the river is a large old monaftery, with 
 extenfive inclofures walled in, round which 
 the ground has been cleared for fome diftance. 
 This open part is covered with a rich verdure, 
 and the woods encircling it, inftead of being 
 •overrun with brumwood, are quite clear at 
 bottom, fo that you may here roam about at 
 pleafure for miles together, fhaded, by the 
 lofty trees, from the rays of the fun. 
 
 The view from hence is grand beyond de- 
 scription. A prodigious expanfe of country 
 is laid open to the eye, with the noble river St. 
 Lawrence winding through it, which may be 
 traced from the remoteft part of the horizon. 
 The river comes from the right, and flows 
 fmcothly on, after paffing down the tremen- 
 dous rapids above the town, where it is 
 hurried over huge rocks with a ncife that is 
 heard even up the mountain. On the left 
 below you, appears the town of Montreal, 
 with its churches, monafteries, glittering 
 
 fpires, 
 
FUR TRADE. 517 
 fpires, and the lhipping under its old walls > 
 feveral little iflands in the river near the town,, 
 partly improved, partly overgrown with wood, 
 add greatly to the beauty of the fcene. La 
 Prarie with its large church on the diftant fide 
 of the river, is feen to the greateit. advantage, 
 and beyond it, is a range of lofty mountains 
 which terminates the profpecl:. Such an 
 endlefs variety and fuch a grandeur is there in 
 the view from this part of the mountain, that 
 even thofe who are moft habituated to the 
 view, always find it a frefh fubjed: of admira- 
 tion whenever they contemplate it ; and on this 
 part of the mountain it is that the club which 
 I mentioned generally aflembles. Two ftew- 
 ards are appointed for the day, who always 
 chufe fome new fpot where there is a fpring 
 or rill of water, and an agreeable (hade : each 
 family brings cold proviiions, wine, &c. 3 the 
 whole is put together, and the company, often 
 amounting to one hundred perfons, fits down 
 to dinner. 
 
 The fur trade is what is chiefly carried on 
 at Montreal, and it is there that the greater 
 part of the furs are fhipped, which are lent 
 from Canada to England. 
 1 This very lucrative trade is carried on, partly 
 by what is called, the North Weft Company,, 
 and partly by private individuals on their own 
 account. The company does not poffefs any 
 
 particular 
 
jt9 TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA 3 
 particular privileges by law, but from its great 
 capital merely, it is enabled to trade to certain 
 remote parts of the continent, to the exclufion 
 of thofe who do not hold any (hares in it. It 
 was formed originally by the merchants of 
 Montreal themfelves, who wifely confidered 
 that the trade could be carried on to thofe 
 diftant parts of the continent, inhabited folely 
 by Indians, with more fecurity and greater 
 profit, if they joined together in a body, than 
 if they continued to trade feparately. The 
 frock of the company was divided into forty 
 fhares, and as the number of merchants in the 
 town at that time was not very great, this 
 arrangement afforded an opportunity to every 
 one of them to join in the company if he 
 thought proper. At prefent thefe (hares have 
 all fallen into the hands of a few perfons. 
 
 The company principally carries on its trade 
 by means of the Utawas or Grand River, that 
 lulls into the St. Lawrence about thirty miles 
 above Montreal, and which forms, by its con- 
 fluence with that river, " Le Lac de Deux 
 Montagnes et le Lac St. Louis/' — the lake of 
 the two mountains and the Lake of St. Louis ; 
 wherein are feveral large iflands. To convey 
 the furs down this river, they make ufe of 
 canoes, formed of the bark of the birch tree; 
 fome of which are upon fuch a large fcale, 
 that they are capable of containing two tons ; 
 
 but 
 
- CANOES. 3r9 
 but they feldom put fo much in them, efpe- 
 cially on this river, it being in many places 
 mallow, rapid, and full of rocks, and contains 
 no lefs than thirty-two portages. 
 
 The canoes are navigated by the French 
 Canadians, who are particularly fond of the 
 employment, preferring it in general to that 
 of cultivating the ground. A fleet of them 
 fets off from Montreal about the month of 
 May, laden with provifions, confiding chiefly 
 of bifcuit and fak pork, fufficient to laft the 
 crews till their return, and alfo with the articles 
 given in barter to the Indians. At fome of 
 the fhallow places in the river, it is fufficient 
 if the men merely get out of the canoes, and 
 pufh them on into the deep water \ but at 
 others, where there are dangerous rapids and 
 fharp rocks, it is neeeffary for the men to un- 
 lade the canoes, and carry both them and the 
 cargoes on their moulders, till they come 
 again to a fafe part of the river. At night, 
 they drag the canoes upon more, light a fire, 
 cook their provifions for the following day, and 
 fieep upon the ground wrapped up in their 
 blankets. If it happens to rain very hard, 
 they fometimes fhelter themfelves with boughs 
 of trees, but in general they remain under the 
 canopy of heaven, without any covering but 
 their blankets : they copy exactly the Indian 
 mode of life on thefe occafions, and many of 
 
 them 
 
320 TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA: 
 them even wear the Indian drefi.es, which they 
 find more convenient than their own. 
 
 Having afcended the Utavvas River for 
 about two hundred and eighty miles, which it 
 takes them about eighteen days to perform, 
 they then crofs by a portage into Lake Nif- 
 pifiing, and from this lake by another portage 
 they get upon French River, that falls into 
 Lake Huron on the north-eaft fide; then 
 coafting along this laft lake they pafs through 
 the Straits of St, Mary, where there is another 
 portage into Lake Superior; and coafting 
 afterwards along the fhores of Lake Superior, 
 they come to the Grand Portage on the north- 
 weft fide of it ; from hence by a chain of 
 fmall lakes and rivers they proceed on to the 
 Rainy Lake, to the Lake of the Woods, and 
 for hundreds of miles beyond it, through Lake 
 Winnipeg, &c. 
 
 The canoes, however, which go fo far up 
 the country, never return the fame year; 
 thofe intended to bring back cargoes imme- 
 diately, (top at the Grand Portage, where the 
 furs are collected ready for them by the agents 
 of the company. The furs are made up in 
 packs of a certain weight, and a particular 
 number is put into each canoe. By knowing 
 thus the exact weight of every pack, there can 
 be no embezzlement; and at the portages 
 there is no time wafted in allotting to each 
 
 man 
 
' M'KENZIE'S EXPEDITIONS. $21 
 
 nfran his load, everyone being obliged to carry 
 fo many packs. 
 
 At the Grand Portage, and along that im- 
 menfe chain of lakes and rivers, which extend 
 beyond Lake Superior, the company has re- 
 gular ports, where the agents reticle • and with 
 fuch ailonifiiing enterpnze and induftry have 
 the affairs of this company been carried on, 
 that trading polls are now eftablifhed within 
 five hundred miles of the Pacific Ocean. One 
 gentleman, indeed, a partner in the houfe at 
 Montreal, which now holds the greater!: part 
 of the (hares of the company, has even pene- 
 trated to the Pacific Ocean itfelf. The jour- 
 nal kept by this gentleman upon the expedi- 
 tion is, it is faid, replete with information of 
 the moPc interefting nature. That it has not 
 been laid before the public long ago, together 
 with an accurate map of his track, is to be 
 imputed folely to an unfortunate mifunder- 
 ftanding which took place between him and 
 a noble lord high in the confidence cf govern- 
 ment. 
 
 In the firft attempt which this adventurous 
 gentleman, a Mr. M'Kenzie, made to pene- 
 trate to the ocean, he fet out early in the 
 fpring from the remoter!: of the pofts belong- 
 ing to the company. He took with him a 
 fingle canoe, and a party of chofen men; and 
 after pafiing over prodigious tracts of land, 
 
 Vol. L Y never 
 
322 TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA: 
 never before traverfed by any white perfon, 
 at laft came to a large river. Here the canoe, 
 which was carried by the men on their 
 moulders, was launched, and having all em- 
 barked, they proceeded down the flream. 
 
 From the courfe this river took for a very 
 great diftance, Mr. M'Kenzie was led to 
 imagine that it was one of thofe rivers he was 
 in queft of ; namely, one which emptied itfelf 
 into the Pacific Ocean ; but at the end of 
 feveral weeks, during which they had worked 
 their way downward with great eagernefs, he 
 was convinced, from the gradual inclination of 
 the river towards another quarter, that he muft 
 have been miftaken ; and that it was one of 
 thofe immenfe rivers, fo numerous on the 
 continent of North America, that ran into 
 Baffin's Bay, or the Arclic Ocean. 
 
 The party was now in a very critical fitu- 
 ation ; the feafon was far advanced, and the 
 length of way which they had to return was 
 prodigious. If they attempted to go back, and 
 were overtaken by winter, they muft in all 
 probability perifli for want of provifions in an 
 uninhabited country ; if, on the contrary, they 
 made up their minds to fpend the winter 
 where they were, they had no time to lofe in 
 building huts, and going out to hunt and fim, 
 that they might have fufficient ftores to fup- 
 port them through that dreary feafon. Mr, 
 
 M'Kenzie 
 
M<KENZIE>S EXPEDITIONS. 323 
 
 M'Kenzie reprefented the matter, in the moft 
 open terms, to his men, and left it to them- 
 felves to determine the part they would take. 
 The men were for going back at all hazards ; 
 and the refult was, that they reached their 
 friends in fafety. The difficulties they had to 
 contend with, and the exertions they made in 
 returning, were almoft furpa fling belief. 
 
 The fecond expedition entered upon by 
 Mr. M'Kenzie, and which fucceeded to his 
 wilhes, was undertaken about three years ago. 
 He fet out in the fame manner, but well pro- 
 vided with feveral different things, which he 
 found the want of in the fir ft expedition. He 
 was extremely well furniihed this time with 
 aftronomical inftruments, and in particular 
 with a good time-piece, that he procured from 
 London. He took a courfe fomewhat dif- 
 ferent from the firft, and pafled through many 
 nations of Indians who had never before feen 
 the face of a white man, amongft fome of 
 whom he was for a time in imminent danger; 
 but he found means at laft to conciliate their 
 good will. From fome of thefe Indians he 
 learned, that there was a ridge of mountains 
 -at a little diftance, beyond which the rivers all 
 ran in 2 weftern direction. Having engaged 
 fome of them therefore for guides, he pro- 
 ceeded according to their directions until he 
 came to the mountains, and after afcending 
 Y 2 thera 
 
3H TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA: 
 them with prodigious labour, found, to his 
 great fatisfaclion, that the account the Indians 
 had given was true, and that the rivers on the 
 oppoiite fide did indeed all run to the weft. 
 He followed the courfe of one of them, and 
 finally came to the Pacific Ocean, not far 
 from Nootka Sound. 
 
 Here he was given to underftand by the na- 
 tives, and their account was confirmed by the 
 fight of fome little articles they had amongft 
 them, that an Engliftr vefTel had quitted the 
 coaft only fix weeks before. This was a great 
 mortification to Mr. M'Kenzie ; for had there 
 been a fliip on the coaft, he would moft gladly 
 have embarked in it rather than encounter the 
 fame difficulties, and be expofed to the fame 
 perils, which he had- experienced in getting 
 there $ however there was no alternative; he 
 fet out after a fhort time on his journey back 
 again, and having found his canoe quite fafe 
 under fome bufihes, near the head of the river, 
 where he had hid it, together with fome pro- 
 virions, left on going down to the coaft the 
 natives might have proved unfriendly, and 
 have cut off his retreat by feizing upon it, he 
 finally arrived at one of the trading ports in 
 fecurity. When I was at Montreal, Mr. 
 M'Kenzie was not there, and I never had an 
 opportunity of feeing him afterwards. What 
 I ijaye here related refpedting his two expe- 
 ditions 
 
HUDSON BAY. S*J 
 dltions is the fubftanoe, to the beft of my re- 
 collection, of what I heard from hfe partners. 
 
 Many other individuals belonging to the 
 North Weft Company, before Mr. M'Kenzie 
 let out, penetrated far into the country in dif- 
 ferent directions, and much beyond what any 
 perfon had done -before them, in order to 
 cftkbKfh pofts. In ibme of thefe excicrfions 
 they fell in with the agents of the Hudtbn 
 Bay Company, who were alfo extending their 
 pofts from another quarter: this unexpected 
 meeting between the two companies, at one 
 time gave rife to ibme very unpleaiant alter- 
 cations, and the Hudfon Bay Company threat- 
 ened the other with an immediate profecution 
 for an infringement of its charter. 
 
 By its charter, it feems, the Hudfon Bag 
 Company was allowed ,the exclnfive privilege 
 of trading to the Bay, and along all ,the rivers 
 and waters connected with it. This charter, 
 however, was granted at a time when the nor- 
 thern parts of the continent were much lets 
 known than they are now, for to have the ex- 
 clufive trade along all the waters connected 
 with Hudfon Bay was, literally fpeaking, to 
 have the exclufive trade of the greater part of 
 the continent of North America. Hudfon Bay 
 by a variety of rivers and lakes, is clofely con- 
 nected with Lake Superior, and frongi that 
 £hain of lakes, of which Lake Superior .is one, 
 . Y 3 there 
 
326 TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA: 
 there is a water communication throughout all 
 Canada, and a very great part of the United 
 States ; however, when the agents of the 
 North-weft Company were fixing trading 
 polls upon fome rivers which ran immediately 
 into Hudfon's Bay, it undoubtedly appeared to 
 be an infringement of the charter, and fo in- 
 deed it muft ftrictiy have been, had not the 
 Hudfon's Bay Company itfelf infringed its own 
 charter in the firft inftance, or at leaft neg- 
 lected to comply with all the ftipulations 
 contained therein. A claufe feems to have 
 been in the charter, which, at the fame time 
 that it granted to the company the exclufive 
 privilege of trading to Hudfon's Bay, and 
 along all the waters connected with it, bound 
 it to erect a new poll twelve miles farther to 
 the well ward every year, otherwife the char- 
 ter was to become void. This had not been 
 done 3 the North- weft Company therefore 
 refted perfectly eafy about the menaces of a 
 profecution, fatisfied that the other company 
 did not in fact legally poffefs tbofe privileges 
 to which it laid claim. 
 
 The Hudfon's Bay Company, though it 
 threatened, never indeed attempted to put its 
 threats into execution, well knowing the weak- 
 nefs of its caufe, but continued neverthelefs to 
 watch the motions of its rival with a mod 
 jealous eye ; and as in extending their refpec- 
 
 tive 
 
* TRADING COMPANIES. 327 
 
 tive trades, the pofts of the two companies 
 were approximating nearer and nearer to each 
 other every year, there was great reafon to 
 imagine that their differences, inftead of 
 abating, would become ftill greater than they 
 were, and finally, perhaps, lead to confequences 
 of the moft ferious nature. A circum fiance, 
 however, unexpectedly took place, at a time 
 when the greateft enmity fubfifted between the 
 parties, which happily reconciled them to each 
 other, and terminated all their difputes. 
 
 A very powerful nation of Indians, called 
 the Affiniboins, who inhabit an extended tract 
 of country to the fouth-weft of Lake Winni- 
 peg, conceiving that the Hudfon's Bay Com- 
 pany had encroached unreaibnably upon their 
 territories, and had otherwife maltreated a part 
 of their tribe, formed the refolution of inftantly 
 deftroying a poft eftablifhed by that company 
 in their neighbourhood. A large body of them 
 focn collected together, and breathing the 
 fierceft fpirit of revenge, marched unperceived 
 and unfufpected by the party again ft whom 
 their expedition was planned, till within aflhort 
 diftance of their poft. Here they halted ac- 
 cording to cuftom, waiting only for a favour- 
 able moment to pounce upon their prey. Some 
 of the agents of the North-weft Company, 
 however, who were fcattered about thic part of 
 the country, fortunately got intelligence of their 
 
 Y 4 defign, 
 
328 TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA: 
 
 delign. They knew the weaknefs of the place 
 about to be attacked, and forgetting the rival- 
 fhip fubfifting between them, and thinking 
 only how to fave their countrymen, they im- 
 mediately difpatched a meffenger to give the 
 party notice of the affault that was meditated 5 
 they at the fame time fent another meffenger 
 to one of their own pofts, deliring that inftant 
 fuccour might be fent to that belonging to the 
 Hudfon Bay Company, which the Indians 
 were about to plunder. The detachment 
 arrived before the attack commenced, and the 
 Indians were repulfed ; but had it not been foif 
 the timely affiftance their rivals had afforded, 
 the Hudfon Bay people were fully perfuaded 
 that they muft have fallen vi&ims to the fury 
 of the Indians. 
 
 This fignal piece of fervice was not under- 
 valued or forgotten by thofe who had been 
 faved; and as the North-weft Company was 
 fo much ftronger, and on fo much better terms 
 with the Indians in this part of the country 
 than its rivals, it now evidently appeared to be 
 the intereft of the latter to have the pofts of the 
 North-weft Company eftablifhed as near its 
 own as poffible. This is accordingly done for 
 their mutual fafety, and the two companies are 
 now on the molt friendly terms, and continue 
 to carry on their trade clofe to each other. 
 
 About two thoufand men are employed by 
 
 the 
 
FUR TRADE. 329 
 the North-weft Company in their ports in the 
 upper country. Thofe who are ftationed at 
 the remote trading pofts lead a very favage 
 life, but little betier indeed than that cf In- 
 dians : ibme of them remain far up in the 
 country for four or five years together. The 
 head clerk or principal agent generally marries 
 an Indian girl, the daughter of fome eminent 
 chief, by which he gains in a peculiar manner 
 the affections of the whole tribe, a matter of 
 great importance. Thefe marriages, as may be 
 fuppofed, are not considered as very binding 
 by the hulband ; but that is nothing in ihq 
 opinion of an Indian chief, who readityT brings 
 his lifter or daughter to you ; at the fame time 
 he can only be appeafed by blood if a perfoa 
 attempts to take any improper liberties with 
 his wife. Amongft no people are the wives 
 more chafte, or more devoted to their huf- 
 bands. 
 
 Befides the furs and pelts conveyed down 
 to Montreal from the north -weft era parts 
 of the continent, by means of the Utawas 
 River, there are large quantities alio brought 
 there acrofs the lakes, and down the River St. 
 Lawrence. Thefe are collected at the various 
 towns and pofts along the Lakes Huron, Erie, 
 and Ontario, where the trade is open to all 
 parties, the feveral pofts being protected hy 
 regular troops, at the expence of the govern- 
 ment. 
 
330 TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA. 
 
 ment # Added likewife to what are thus col- 
 lected by the agents of the company, and of 
 private merchants, there are confiderable quan- 
 tities brought down to Montreal for fale by 
 traders, on their own account. Some of thefe 
 traders come from parts as remote as the Illi- 
 nois Country, bordering on the Miffiflippi. 
 They afcend the Miffiflippi as far as Onifconf- 
 ing River, and from, that by a portage of three 
 miles get upon Fox River, which falls into 
 Lake Michigan. In the fall of the year, as I 
 have before mentioned, thefe two rivers over- 
 flow, and it is then fome times practicable to 
 pafsin a light canoe from one river to the other, 
 without any portage whatfoever. From Lake 
 Michigan they get upon Lake Huron, after- 
 wards upon L?.ke Erie, and fo on to the St. 
 Lawrence. Before the month of September is 
 over, the furs are all brought down to Mon- 
 treal; as they arrive they are immediately 
 fhipped, and the veflels difpatched in October, 
 beyond which month it would be dangerous 
 for them to remain in the river on account of 
 the letting in of winter. 
 
 Furs are alfo fhipped in considerable quan- 
 tities at Quebec, and at the town of Trois 
 Rivieres. Thefe furs are brought down the 
 rivers that fall into the St. Lawrence, on the 
 north-fide, by Indians. 
 3 
 
[ 33* ] 
 
 LETTER XXIII. 
 
 Voyage to Quebec down the St. Lawrence. — A 
 Bateau preferable to a Keel Boat. — Town of 
 Sorelle. — Ship-building there. — Description 
 of Lake St. Pierre. — Bali/con— -Charming 
 Scenery along the Banks of St. Lawrence. — 
 In what refpefts it differs from ike Sce?iery 
 along any ether River in America. — Canadian 
 Houfes. — Sketch of the Char after and Man- 
 ners of the lower Clajfes of Canadians. — I' heir 
 Superjlition. — Anecdote. — St. Augnjlin Gal- 
 vaire. — -Arrive at Quebec. 
 
 Quebec, Auguft. 
 
 remained in Montreal until the ficft 
 day of Auguft, when we let off in a ba- 
 teau for Quebec, about one hundred and fixty 
 miles lower down the St. Lawrence. A bateau 
 is a particular kind of boat, very generally uied 
 upon the large rivers and lakes in Canada. 
 The bottom of it is perfectly flat, and each e 
 is built very {harp, and exactly alike. The 
 fides are about four feet high, and for the con- 
 venience of the rowers, four or five benches are 
 laid acrofs, fometimes more, according to the 
 length of the bateau. It is a very heavy awk- 
 ward fort of vefTel; either for rowing or failing, 
 
 but 
 
332 TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA-, 
 but it is preferred to a boat with a keel for two 
 very obvious reafons ; firft, becaufe it draws 
 lefs water, at the fame time that it carries a larger 
 burthen ; and fecondly, becaufe it is much 
 fafer on lakes or wide risers, where ftorms are 
 frequent : a proof of this came under our qh- 
 fervation the day of our leaving Montreal. We 
 had reached a wide part of the river, and were 
 failing along with a favourable wind, when 
 fuddenly the horizon grew very dark, and a 
 dreadful ftorm arofe, accompanied with loud 
 peals of thunder and torrents of rain. Before 
 the fail could be taken in, the ropes which held 
 it were fnapped in pieces, and the waves began 
 to dam over the fides of the bateau, though 
 the water had been quite fmooth five minutes 
 before. It was impoffible now to counteract: 
 the force of the wind with oars, and the bateau 
 was confequently driven on fhore, but the bot- 
 tom of it being quite fiat, it was carried 
 imoothly upon the beach without fuftaining 
 any injury, and the men leaping out drew it 
 up on dry land, where we remained out of all 
 danger till the ftorm was over. A keel boat, 
 however, of the fame fize, could not have ap- 
 proached nearer to the fhore than thirty feet, 
 and there it would have ftuck faft in the fand, 
 and probably have been filled with water. From 
 being fitted up as it was, our bateau proved 
 to be a very pleafant conveyance : it was one of 
 
 a large 
 
S O R E L L L 3 u 
 
 a large fize, and over the widefl part of it an 
 oilcloth awning was thrown, fupported by 
 hoops fimilar to the roof of a waggon : thus a 
 rnoft excellent cabin was formed, large enough 
 to contain half a dozen chairs and a table, and 
 which, at the fame time that it afforded flielter 
 from the inclemency of the weather, was airy, 
 and fufficiently open to let us fee all the beau- 
 ties of the profpecl: on each fhbre to the 
 greateft advantage. 
 
 It was about eleven o'clock in the morning 
 when we left Montreal, and at five in the 
 afternoon we reached the town of Sorelle, 
 fifteen leagues diftant. The current is verv 
 
 o J 
 
 ftrong the whole way between the two places. 
 Sorelle ftands- at the mouth of the river of the 
 fame name, which runs from Lake Champlain 
 into the St. Lawrence. It was laid out about the 
 year 1787, and on an extend ve plan, with very 
 wide ftreets and a large fquare, but at prefent 
 it contains only one hundred houfes, are all 
 very indifferent, and ftanding widely afunder. 
 This is the only town on the St. Lawrence, 
 between Montreal and Quebec, wherein Eng- 
 lifti is the predominant language. The inha- 
 bitants confift principally of loyalifts from the 
 United States, who took refuge in Canada. 
 The chief bufinefs carried on here is that of 
 mip-building; there are feveral veffels annually 
 launched from fifty to two hundred tons bur- 
 then ; 
 
334 TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA: 
 then ; thefe are floated down to Quebec, and 
 there rigged. Ship-building is not carried on 
 to fo much advantage in Canada as might be 
 imagined, all the bolts and other articles of 
 iron, the blocks, and the cordage, being im- 
 ported ; lb that what is gained by having ex- 
 cellent timber on the fpot is loft: in bringing 
 over thefe different articles, which are fo 
 bulky, from Europe. The river of Sorelle is 
 deep at the mouth, and affords good fhelter for 
 mips from the ice, at the breaking up of win- 
 ter : it is not navigable fir beyond the town, 
 even in boats, on account of the rapids. 
 
 The next morning we left Sorelle, beyond 
 which place the St. Lawrence expands to a 
 great breadth. Here it abounds with fmall 
 iflands, fituated fo clofely to each other, that 
 it is impoilible to think without aftonifhment 
 of large veffels,like thofc that go to Montreal, 
 paffing between them : the channel through 
 them is very intricate. This wide part of 
 the river is called Lac St. Pierre > the greateft 
 breadth of it is about four leagues and a half, 
 and its length from the iflands at the head of 
 the lake downwards about eight leagues. 
 From hence to Quebec the river is in no place 
 more than two miles acrofs, and in fome parts 
 it narrows to the breadth of three quarters of 
 a mile. The tide ebbs and flows in the river 
 within a few leagues of Lac St. Pierre ; the 
 
 great 
 
SCENERY. 33; 
 
 great expanfion of the water at the lake, and 
 the ftrong current which fets out from it, pre- 
 vents its action higher up. 
 
 From Montreal as far as the town of Trois 
 Rivieres, which ftands about four leagues 
 below Lac St. Pierre, the mores on each fide 
 of the St. Lawrence are very flat ; the land 
 then begins to rife, and on the fouth eaft fide 
 it continues lofty the whole way down to 
 Quebec. On the oppofite fide, however, be- 
 low Trois Rivieres, the banks vary confider- 
 ably ; in fome places they are high, in others 
 very low, until you approach within a few 
 leagues of Quebec, when they affume a bold 
 and grand appearance on each fide. The fee- 
 nery along various parts of the river is very 
 fine : it is impoifihle, indeed, but that there 
 muft be a variety of pleafing views along a 
 noble river like the St. Lawrence, winding for 
 hundreds of miles through a rich country, di- 
 verfified with rifing grounds, woodlands, and 
 cultivated plains. What particularly attracts 
 the attention, however, in going down this 
 river, is, the beautiful difpofition of the towns 
 and villages on its banks. Nearly all the (ptr 
 dements in Lower Canada are fituated dole 
 upon the borders of the rivers, and from this 
 circumftance the fcenery along the St. La 
 rence and others differs materially from that 
 along the rivers in the United States. The 
 
 banks 
 
336 TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA: 
 
 banks of the Hudfon river, which are more 
 cultivated than thole of any of the other large 
 rivers there, are wild and defolate in compa- 
 rifon with thofe of the St. Lawrence. For 
 feveral leagues below Montreal the houfes 
 Hand fo clofely together, that it appears as 
 if it were bat one village, which extended 
 the whole way. All the houfes have a re- 
 markable neat appearance at a diftance ; and 
 in each village, though it be ever fo fmall, 
 there is a church. The churches are kept in 
 the neateft repair, and moft of them have 
 ipires, covered, according to the cuftom of 
 •the country, with tin, that, from being put 
 on in a particular manner, never becomes 
 rufly *. It is pie a ling beyond defcription to 
 behold one of thefe villages opening to the 
 view, as you fail round a point of land covered 
 with trees, the houfes in it overhanging the 
 river, and the fpires of the churches fparkling 
 through the groves with which they are en- 
 circled, before the rays of the fetting fun. 
 
 There is fcarcely any part of the river, 
 where you pafs along, for more than a league, 
 without feeing a village and church. 
 
 The fecond night of our voyage we landed 
 
 at 
 
 * The fquare plates of tin are nailed on diagonally, and the 
 corners are carefully folded over the heads of the nails, fo as 
 to prevent any moifture from getting to them. 
 
BATISCON. 337 
 
 at the'village of Batifcon. It ftands on the 
 north-weft fide of the river, about eighty 
 miles below Montreal. Here the more is 
 very flat and marfhy, and for a confiderable 
 diftance from it, the water is fo {hallow whea 
 the tide is out, that a bateau even, cannot at 
 that time come within one hundred yards of 
 the dry ground. Lower down the river the 
 more is in fome places extremely rocky. 
 
 The firft habitation we came to at Batifcon 
 was a farm-houfe, where we readily got ac- 
 commodation for the night. The people 
 were extremely civil, and did all in their power 
 to ferve us. A fmall table was quickly fet 
 out, covered with a neat white table-cloth, 
 and bread, milk, eggs> and butter, the beft 
 fare which the houfe afforded, were brought 
 to us. Thefe things may always be had in 
 abundance at every farm-houfe ; but it is not 
 often that you can procure meat of any fort; 
 in going through Canada, therefore, it is 
 cuftomary for travellers to carry a provifion 
 bafket with them. The houfes in Lower 
 Canada are in general well furniihed with 
 beds, all in the French ftyle, very large, and 
 raifed four or five feet high, with a paillafle, 
 a mattrafs, and a feather-bed. 
 
 The houfes for the moft part are built of 
 logs ; but they are much more compact and 
 better built than thofe in the United State*; 
 
 Vol. I. Z the 
 
33* TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CAN ADA V 
 the logs are made to fit more clofely toge- 
 ther, and inftead of being left rough and un- 
 even on the outfide, are planed and white 
 wafhed. At the infide alfo the walls are 
 generally lined with deal boards, whereas in 
 the United States the common log-houfes 
 are left as rough within as they are without. 
 One circumftance, however, renders the 
 Canadian houfes very difagreeable, and that 
 is the inattention of the inhabitants to air 
 them occasionally by opening the windows, in 
 confequenee of which they have a clofe 
 heavy fmell within doors. As we travelled by 
 land from Quebec to Montreal, we fcarcely 
 obferved ten houfes the whole way with the 
 windows open, notwithstanding that the wea- 
 ther was very warm. If you afk the people 
 why they don't let a little frefli air into their 
 houfes, their conftant anfwer is, as it is to all 
 queftions of a limilar tendency, <c Ce n'eft 
 " pas la maniere des habitans/'— It is not the 
 cuftom of the people of the country. 
 
 Some of the lower clafTes of the French 
 Canadians have all the gaiety and vivacity of 
 the people of France ; they dance, they fing, 
 and feem determined not to give way to care ; 
 others, to appearance, have a great deal of 
 that fullennefs and bluntnefs in their manners 
 chara&eriltic of the people of the United 
 Spates ; vanity, however, is the afcendant fea- 
 ture 
 
SUPERSTITION. 339 
 
 tureln the character of all of them, and by 
 working upon that you may make them do 
 what you pleafe. Few of the men can read 
 or write ; the little learning there is amongft 
 the inhabitants is confined to the women : 
 a Canadian never makes a bargain, or takes 
 any ftep of importance, without confulting 
 his wife, whofe opinion is generally abided 
 by. Both men and women are funk in igno- 
 rance and fuperftition, and blindly devoted to 
 their priefls. The following anecdote may 
 ferve to fliew how much they are fo. 
 
 On the evening before we reached Quebec, 
 we flopped at the village of St. Anguftin Cal- 
 vaire, and after having ftrolled about for fome 
 time, returned to the farm-houfe where we 
 had taken up our quarters for the night. The 
 people had cooked fome fim, that had been 
 juft caught, while we had been walking 
 about, and every thing being ready on our re- 
 turn, we fat down to fupper by the light of 
 a lamp, which was fufpended from the ceil- 
 ing. The glimmering light, however, that 
 it afforded, fcarcely enabled us to fee what 
 was on the table -> we complained of it to the 
 man of the houfe, and the lamp was in con- 
 fequence trimmed ; it was replenifhed with 
 oil ; taken down and fet on the table ; flili 
 the light was very bad. " Sacre Dieu \" ex- 
 claimed he, " but you mall not eat your Mi 
 
 Z 2 " in 
 
54© TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA: 
 " in the dark 5" fo faying, he ftepped afide to 
 a fmall cupboard, took out a candle, and hav- 
 ing lighted it, placed it befide us. All was 
 now going on well, when the wife, who had 
 been abfent for a few minutes, fuddenly re- 
 turning, poured forth a volley of the mod: 
 terrible execrations againft her poor hufband 
 for having prefumed to have a&ed as he had 
 done. Unable to anfwer a fmgle word, the 
 fellow ftood aghaft, ignorant of what he had 
 done to offend her ; we were quite at a lofs 
 alio to know what could have given rife to 
 fuch a fudden ftorm ; the wife, however, 
 matching up the candle, and haftily extin- 
 guishing it, addreffed us in a plaintive tone of 
 voice, and explained the whole affair. It was 
 the holy candle< — " La chandelle benite,"' 
 which her giddy huiband had fet on the table 
 it had been confecrated at a neighbouring 
 church, and fuppofing there mould be a tem- 
 peft at any time, with thunder and lightning 
 ever fo terrible, yet if the candle were but 
 kept burning while it laffed, the houfe, the 
 barn, and every thing elfe belonging to it, 
 were to be fecured from all danger. If any of 
 the family happened to be fick, the candle was 
 to be lighted, and they were inftantly to re- 
 cover. It had been given to her that morn- 
 ing by the prieft of the village, with an affur- 
 ance that it poffeffed the miraculous power of 
 
 preferving 
 
[ 34* 3 
 
 preferring the family from harm, and (he was 
 confident that what he told her was true.— 
 To have contradicted the poor woman would 
 have been ufelefs ; for the fake of our ears, 
 however, we endeavoured to pacify her, and 
 that being accomplimed, we fat down to iup- 
 per, and e'en made the moft of our fifli in the 
 dark. 
 
 The village of St. Auguftin Calvaire is 
 about five leagues from Quebec, at which laft 
 place we arrived early on the next morning, 
 the fourth of our voyage. When the wind 
 is fair, and the tide favourable alfo, it does not 
 take more than two days to go from Montreal 
 to Quebec. 
 
 LETTER XXIV. 
 
 Situation of the City of Quebec. — Divided into 
 Upper and Lower Town. — Defcription of 
 each. — Great Strength of the Upper Town. 
 — Some Obfervations on the Capture of Stye- 
 bee by the Englijh Army under General Wolfe. 
 — Obfervations on Montgomery s and Ar- 
 nold's Attack during the American War. — 
 Cenfus of Inhabitants of Quebec. — The Cha- 
 teau, the Rejidence of the Governor. — 
 Monajlery of the Recollets. — College of the 
 fefuits. — One fefuit remaining of great Age. 
 
 Z 3 ~-Hh 
 
342 TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA: 
 His great Wealth. — His Character.— 
 Nunneries, — Engineer s Drawing Room — 
 StateHoufe. — Armoury. — Barracks. — Mar- 
 ket-place. — Dogs iijed in Carts. — Grandeur 
 of the Profpecis from Parts of the Upper 
 Town. — Charming Scenery of the Envirotis. 
 — Defcription of Montmorenci Water Fall. 
 —Of La Chaudiere Water Fall. 
 
 Quebec, Augufl- 
 
 ^pHE city of Quebec is fituated on a very 
 lofty point of land, on the north-weft 
 fide of the River St. Lawrence. Nearly facing 
 it, on the oppofite more, there is another point, 
 and between the two the river is contracted to 
 the breadth of three quarters of a mile, but 
 after paffing through this ftrait it expands to 
 the breadth of five or fix miles, taking a great 
 fweep behind that point whereon Quebec 
 ftands. The city derives its name from the 
 word Quebec or Quebeio, which fignifies in 
 the Algonquin tongue, a fudden contraction 
 of a river. The wide part of the river, im- 
 mediately before the town, is called The 
 Bafon , and it is fufficiently deep and fpacious 
 to float upwards of one hundred fail of the 
 line, 
 
 Quebec is divided into two parts ; the 
 upper town, fituated on a rock of limeflone., 
 on the top of the point ; and the lower town, 
 
 built 
 
QJJ EBEC. 343 
 
 "built round the bottom of the point, clofe to 
 the water. The rock whereon the upper 
 town ftands, in fome places towards the water 
 rifes nearly perpendicularly, fo as to be totally 
 inacceffible ; in other places it is not fo fteep 
 but that there is a communication between 
 the two towns, by means of ftreets winding 
 up the fide of it, though even here the afcent 
 is fo great, that there are long flights of flairs 
 at one fide of the ftreets for the accommoda- 
 tion of foot paffengers. 
 
 The lower town lies very much expofed to 
 an enemy, being defended merely by a fmall 
 battery towards the bafon, which at the time 
 of high tides is nearly on a level with the 
 water, and by barriers towards the river, in 
 which guns may be planted when there is any 
 danger of an attack. 
 
 The upper town, however, is a place of 
 Immenfe ftrength. Towards the water it is lb 
 ftrongly guarded by nature, that it is found 
 unneceflary to have more than very flight 
 walls ; and in fome particular places, where 
 the rock is inacceffible, are no walls at all. 
 There are feveral redoubts and batteries how- 
 ever here. The principal battery, which 
 points towards the bafon, confifts of twenty- 
 two twenty-four pounders, two French 
 thirty-fix pounders, and two large iron mor- 
 tars } this battery is flanked by another of fix 
 Z 4 guns, . 
 
344 TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA : 
 
 guns, that commands the paflfes from the 
 lower town. 
 
 On the land fide, the town owes its ftrength 
 folely to the hand of art, and here the forti- 
 fications are ftupendous. Confiderable addi- 
 tions and improvements have been made to 
 them fince the place has been in the poflefiion 
 of Great Britain • but even at the time when 
 it belonged to France, the works were fo 
 ftrong, that had it not been for the conduct of 
 M. de Montcalm, the French general, it is 
 almoft doubtful whether the genius of the im- 
 mortal Wolfe himfelf would not have been 
 baffled in attempting to reduce it. 
 
 Had M. de Montcalm, when the firft in- 
 telligence of the Britifh army's having afcend- 
 ed the Heights of Abraham was carried to 
 him, inftead of disbelieving the account, and 
 laughing at it as a thing impoflible, marched 
 immediately to the attack, without giving 
 General Wolfe time to form his men ; or had 
 he, when the account was confirmed of the 
 enemy's procedure,and of their having formed 
 on the plain, waited for a large divifion of his 
 troops, v/hofe ftatioji was below the town; and 
 who might have joined him in two hours, 
 inftead of marching out to give General 
 Wolfe battle with the troops he had with 
 him at the time, the fate of the day might 
 have turned out very differently; or had he, 
 § inftead 
 
GENERAL WOLFE. 3+5 
 
 inftead of hazarding a battle at all, retired 
 within the walls of the city and defended it., 
 the place was fo ftrong that there is reafon to 
 think it might have held out until the ap- 
 proach of winter, when the Britifh mips mull 
 have quitted the river, and General Wolfe 
 would confequently have been under the ne- 
 ceflity of railing the liege. 
 
 General Wolfe thought it a vain attempt 
 to make an affault on the fide of the town 
 which lies towards the water, where the rock 
 is fo fteep, and fo eafily defended; his objed: 
 was to get behind it, and to carry on the at- 
 tack on the land fide, where there is an ex- 
 tenlive plain adjoining the town, and not a 
 great deal lower than the higheft part of the 
 point. In order to do fo, he firft of all at- 
 tempted to land his troops lbme miles below 
 the town, near the Falls of Montmorenci. 
 Here the banks of the river are by no means 
 fo difficult of afcent as above the town; but 
 they were defended by a large divifion of 
 the French forces, which had thrown up 
 feveral ftrong redoubts, and, in attempting to 
 land, Wolfe was repulfed with lofs. 
 
 Above Quebec, the banks of the river are 
 extremely high, and fo fteep at the fame time, 
 that by the French they were deemed inaccef- 
 fible. Foiled, however, in his firft attempt 
 to get on more, General Wolfe formed the 
 
 bold 
 
346 TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA : 
 
 bold defign of afcending to the top of thefe 
 banks, commonly called the Heights of Abra- 
 ham. To prepare the way for it, pofTeffion 
 was taken of Point Levi, the point lituated 
 oppcfite to that on which Quebec ftands, and 
 from thence a heavy bombardment was com- 
 menced on the town, in order to deceive the 
 enemy. In the mean time boats were pre- 
 pared 5 the troops embarked ; they paffed the 
 town with muffled oars, in the night, unob- 
 ferved, and landed at a cove, about two miles 
 above. The foldiers clambered up the heights 
 with- great difficulty, and the guns were 
 hauled up by means of ropes and pullies fixed 
 round the trees, with which the banks are 
 covered from top to bottom. At the top the 
 plain commences, and extends clofe under the 
 walls of the city: here it was that the memo- 
 rable battle was fought, in which General 
 Wolfe unhappily perifhed, at the very moment 
 when all his noble exertions w r ere about to be 
 crowned with that fuccefs which they fo emi- 
 nently deferved. The (pot where the il- 
 lustrious hero breathed his laft is marked with 
 a large ftone, on which a true meridional line 
 is drawn. 
 
 Notwithstanding that the great Wolfe 
 found it fuch a very difficult ta£k to get pof- 
 feffion of Quebec, and that it has been ren- 
 dered fo much ftronger fince his time, yet 
 
GENERAL ARNOLD. 347 
 
 the people of the United States confidently 
 imagine, at this day, that if there were a rup- 
 ture with Great Britain, they need only fend 
 an army thither, and the place mufh fall into 
 their hands immediately. Arnold, after his 
 return from the expedition againft the place, 
 under Montgomery, in the year 1775, ufed 
 frequently to declare, that if he had not been 
 wounded he mould certainly have carried it* 
 But however that expedition may be admired 
 for its great boldnefs, it was, in reality, far 
 from being fo nearly attended with fuccefs as 
 the vanity of Arnold has led his countrymen to 
 imagine. 
 
 All thoughts of taking the city by a regular 
 fiege were abandoned by the Americans, 
 when they came before it - y it was only by 
 attempting to ilorm it at an unexpected hour 
 that they favv any probability of wrefting it 
 from the Britifh. The night of the thirty- 
 firfr. of December was accordingly fixed upon, 
 and the city was attacked at the fame moment 
 in three places. But although the garrifon 
 were completely furprifed, and the greater 
 part of the rampart guns had been difmounted, 
 and laid up for the winter, during which fea- 
 fon it was thought impoflible for an army to 
 make an attack fo vigorous that cannon 
 would be wanting to repel it, yet the Ameri- 
 cans were at once baffled in their attempt. 
 
 Arnold, . 
 
348 TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA: 
 Arnold, in endeavouring to force St. John's 
 Gate, which leads out on the back part of 
 the town, not far from the plains of Abraham, 
 was wounded, and repulfed with great lofs. 
 Montgomery furprifed the guard of the firft 
 barrier, at one end of the lower town, and 
 paffed it; but at the fecond he was (hot, and 
 his men were driven back. The third di- 
 vifion of the Americans entered the lower 
 town in another quarter, which, as I have be- 
 fore faid, lies very much expofed, by paffing 
 over the ice : they remained there for a day or 
 two, and during that time they fet fire to fome 
 buildings, amongft which was one of the re- 
 ligious houfes ; but they were finally diflodged 
 without much difficulty. The two divifions 
 under Montgomery and Arnold were repulfed 
 with a mere handful of men : the different 
 detachments, fent down from the upper town 
 againft the former, did not altogether amount, 
 it is faid, to two hundred men. Arnold's 
 attack was the maddeft poffihle ; for St. John's 
 Gate, and the walls adjoining, are ftupendous, 
 and a perfon need but fee them to be con- 
 vinced that any^attempt to florm them muft 
 be fruitlefs without the aid of heavy artillery, 
 which the Americans had not. 
 
 Independent of what it owes to its fortifi- 
 cations, and fituation on the top of a rock, 
 
 Quebec 
 
CITADEL. 349 
 
 Quebec is indebted for much of its ftrength 
 to thefeverity and great length of the winter, 
 as in that feafon it is wholly impracticable for 
 a befieging army either to carry on any works 
 or blockade the town. 
 
 It requires about five thoufand foldiers to 
 man the works at Quebec completely. A 
 large garrifon is always kept in it, and abun- 
 dance of ftores of every defcription. The 
 troops are lodged partly in barracks, and 
 partly in block houfes near Cape Diamond, 
 which is the mod elevated part of the point, 
 and is reckoned to be upwards of one thoufand 
 feet above the level of the river. The Cape 
 is ftrongly fortified, and may be coniidered as 
 the citadel of Quebec ; it commands the town 
 in every direction, and alfo the plains at the 
 outfide of the walls. The evening and morn- 
 ing guns, and all falutes and fignals, are fired 
 from hence, Not\vithitandin°r the ^ reat height 
 of the rock above the river, water may readily 
 be had even at the very top of it, by finking 
 wells of a moderate depth, and in fome par- 
 ticular places, at the fides of the rock, it gullies 
 out in large ftreams. The water is of a -very 
 good quality. 
 
 No cenfus has been lately taken of the num- 
 ber of houfes and inhabitants in Quebec ; but 
 it is fuppofed that, including the upper and 
 lower towns and fuburbs, there are at leafl 
 
 two 
 
3$o TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA: 
 two thoufand dwellings : at the rate of fix 
 therefore to each houfe, the number of in- 
 habitants would amount to twelve thoufand. 
 About two thirds of the inhabitants are of 
 French extraction. The fociety in Quebec is 
 agreeable, and very extenfive for a place of the 
 fize, owing to its being the capital of the 
 lower province, and therefore the refidence of 
 the governor, different civil officers, principal 
 lawyers, &c. &c. The large garrifon con- 
 ftantly kept in it makes the place appear very 
 gay and lively. 
 
 The lower town of Quebec is mo/lly in- 
 habited by the traders who are concerned with 
 the (hipping, and it is a very difagreeahle place. 
 The ftreets are narrow and dirty, and owing to 
 the great heigh t of the hou fe s in mo ft of them, 
 the air is much confined ; in the ftreets next to 
 the water alfo, there is oftentimes an intolerable 
 flench from the fhore when the tide is out. 
 The upper town, on the contrary, is extremely 
 agreeable: from its elevated fituation the ait- 
 is as pure as poffible, and the inhabitants are 
 never oppreffed with heat in fummer; it is 
 far, 'however, from being well laid out, the 
 ftreets being narrow and very irregular. The 
 houfes are for the molt part built of ftone, and 
 except a few, erected of late years, fmall, ugly? 
 and inconvenient. 
 
 The 
 
GOVERNOR'S CHATEAU. 351 
 The chateau, wherein the governor refides, 
 is a plain building of common (tone, fituated 
 in an open place, the houfes round which, form 
 three fides of an oblong fquare. Itconfifts or 
 two parts. The old and the new are feparated 
 from each other by a fpacious court. The 
 former ftandsjuft on the verge of an inacceffible 
 part of the rock; behind it, on the outfide, 
 there is a long gallery, from whence, if a peb- 
 ble were let drop, it would fall at leaft fixty 
 feet perpendicularly. This old part is chiefly 
 taken up with the public oriices, and all the 
 apartments in it are fmall and ill contrived ; 
 but in the new part, which ftands in front of the 
 other, facing the fquare, they are fpacious, and 
 tolerably well finiihed, but none of them can 
 be called elegant. This part is inhabited by the 
 governor's family. The chateau is built with- 
 out any regularity of defign, neither the old 
 nor the new part having even an uniform front. 
 It is not a place of flrength, as commonly re- 
 prefented. In the garden adjoining to it is 
 merely a parapet wall along the edge of the 
 rock, with embrafures, in which a few r fmall 
 guns are planted, commanding a part of the 
 lower town. Every evening during fummer, 
 when the weather is fine, one of the regiments 
 of the garrifon parades in the open place before 
 the chateau, and the band plays for an hour or 
 two, at which time the place becomes the re- 
 fort 
 
352 TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA: 
 fort of numbers of the moft genteel people of 
 the town, and has a very gay appearance. 
 
 Oppofite to the chateau there is a monaftery 
 belonging to the Recollets or Francifcan friars j 
 a very few only of the order are now left. Con- 
 tiguous to this building is the college belongs 
 ing to the Jefuits, whofe numbers have dimi- 
 niflied even ftill fafter than that of the Recol- 
 lets ; one old man alone of the brotherhood is 
 left, and in him are centered the immenfe pof- 
 feffions of that once powerful body in Canada* 
 bringing in a yearly revenue of jT. 10,000 iter- 
 ling. This old man, whofe lot it has been to 
 outlive all the reft of the order, is by birth a 
 Swifs : in his youth he was no more than a 
 porter to the college, but having fome merit 
 he was taken notice of, promoted to a higher 
 iituation, and in the end created a lay brother. 
 Though a very old man he is extremely healthy $ 
 he poffeffes an amiable difpofition, and is much 
 beloved on account of the excellent ufe he 
 makes of his large fortune, which is chiefly 
 employed in charitable purpofes* On his 
 death the property falls to the crown. 
 
 The nunneries are three in number, v and a& 
 there is no reftriclion upon the female religious 
 orders, they are all well filled. The largeft of 
 them, called L'Hofpital General, ftands in the 
 fuburbs, outfide of the walls ; another, of the 
 order of St. Urfule, is not far diftant from the 
 chateau. 
 
 The 
 
QJJ EBEC MARKET, 353 
 
 The engineer's drawing room, in which are 
 Icept a variety of models, together with plans 
 of the fortifications of Quebec and other for- 
 trefles in Canada, is an old building, near the 
 principal battery. Adjoining thereto flands 
 the houfe where the legiflative council and 
 aflembly of reprefentatives meet, which is 
 alio an old building, that has been plainly fitted 
 up to accommodate the legiilature. 
 
 The armoury is fituated near the artillery 
 barrack, in another part of the town. About 
 ten thoufand ftand of arms are kept in it, ar- 
 ranged in a fimilar manner with the arms in 
 the Tower of London, but, if pofiible, with 
 greater neatnefs and more fancy. 
 
 The artillery, barracks are capable of con- 
 taini-ng about five hundred men, but the prin- 
 cipal barracks are calculated to contain a 
 much larger number ; they ftand in the market 
 place, not far diftant from the fquare in which 
 the chateau is fituated, but more in the heart 
 of the town. 
 
 The market of Quebec is extremely well 
 fupplied with provifions of every kind, which 
 may be purchafed at a much more moderate 
 price than in any town I vifited in the United 
 States. It is a matter of curiofity to a ftranger 
 to fee the number of dogs yoked in little carts, 
 that are brought into this market by the people 
 who attend it. The Canadian dogs are found ex- 
 
 Vol. L A a tremely 
 
 1 
 
55+ TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA t 
 tremely ufcful in drawing burthens, and there 
 is fcarcely a family in Quebec or Montreal, 
 that does not keep one or more of them for 
 that purpofe. They are fomewhat fimilar to 
 the Newfoundland breed, but broader acrofs 
 the loins, and have fhorter and thicker legs.; 
 in general they are handfome, and wonderfully 
 docile and fagacious ; their ftrength is prodi- 
 gious ; I have feen a Angle dog, in more than 
 one inftance, draw a man for a confiderable 
 diftance that could not weigh lefs than ten 
 ftone. People, during the winter feafon, fre- 
 quently perform long journeys on the fnow 
 with half a dozen or more of thefe animals 
 yoked in a cariole or fledge. 
 
 I muft not conclude this letter without 
 making mention of the fcenery that is exhibited 
 to the view, from various parts of the upper 
 town of Quebec, which, for its grandeur, its 
 beauty, and its diveriity, furpafTesall that I have 
 hitherto feen in America, or indeed in any other 
 part of the globe. In the variegated expanfe 
 that is laid open before you, ftupendous rocks, 
 immenfe rivers, tracldefs forefts and cultivated 
 plains, mountains, lakes, towns, and villages, 
 in turn ftrike the attention, and the fenfes are 
 almoft bewildered in contemplating the vaft- 
 nefs of the fcene. Nature is here feen on the 
 grander! fcalej and it is fcarcely poffible for the 
 imagination to paint to itfelf any thing more 
 
 fublime 
 
1 
 
 SUBLIME VIEWS. 355 
 jfublime than are the feveral profpefls prefented 
 to the fight of the delighted f Deflator. From 
 Cape Diamond, fituated one thoufand feet 
 above the level of the river, and the loftieft part 
 of the rock on which the city is built, the prof- 
 pefl is confidered by many as fuperior to that 
 from any other fpot. A greater extent of 
 country opens upon you, and the eye is here 
 enabled to take in more at once, than at any 
 other place 3 but to me it appears, that the view 
 from the cape is by no means fo fine as that* 
 for in fiance, from the battery ; for in furveying 
 the different objects below you from fuch a 
 ftupendous height, their magnitude is in a 
 great meafure loft, and it feems as if you were 
 looking at a draft of the country more that at 
 the country itfelf. It is the upper battery that 
 1 allude to, facing the bafon, and is about three 
 hundred feet above the level of the water- 
 Here, if you ftand but a fewyards from the edge 
 of the precipice, you may look down at once 
 upon the river, the veflels upon which, as they 
 fail up to the wharfs before the lower town, 
 appear as if they were coming under your very 
 feet. The river itfelf, which is between five 
 and fix miles wide, and vifible as far as the 
 diftant end of the ifland of Orleans, where it 
 lofes itfelf ainidft the mountains that bound 
 it on each fide, is one of the mod beautiful 
 objefls in nature, and on a fine ftiJl fumrner's 
 A a 2 evening 
 
g§4g TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA : 
 evening it often wears the appearance of a vaffc 
 mirror, where the varied rich tints of the iky, 
 as well as the images of the different objects of 
 the banks, are feen reflected with inconceivable 
 luftre. The fouthern bank of the river, in- 
 dented fancifully with bays and promontories, 
 remains nearly in a ftate of nature, cloathed 
 with lofty trees 5 but the oppofite fhore is 
 thickly covered with houfes, extending as 
 along other parts of the river already men- 
 tioned, in one uninterrupted village, feemingly, 
 as far as the eye can reach. On this fide the 
 profpect is terminated by an extenfive range of 
 mountains, the flat lands lituated between and 
 the villages on the banks not being vifible to 
 a fpectator at Quebec, it feems as if the moun- 
 tains rofe directly out of the water, and the 
 houfes were built on their fteep and rugged 
 iidcs. 
 
 Beautiful as the environs of the city appear 
 when feen at a diflance, they do not appear 
 kfs fo on a m re clofe inflection and in paf- 
 fmg through them the eye is entertained with 
 a moft pleafing variety of fine landfcapes, whilft 
 the mind is equally gratified with the appear- 
 ance of content and happinefs that reigns in 
 the countenances of the inhabitants. Indeed, 
 if a country as fruitful as it is picturefque, a 
 genial and healthy climate, and a tolerable 
 fhare of civil and religious liberty, can make 
 8 people 
 
BEAUTIFUL SCENERY. 357 
 people happy, none ought to appear more fo 
 than the Canadians, during this delightful lea- 
 ion of the year. 
 
 Before I difmifs this fubject entirely, I muft 
 give you a brief account of two fcenes in the 
 vicinity of Quebec, more particularly deferv- 
 ing of attention than any others. The one is 
 the Fail of the River Montmorenci \ the 
 other, that of the Chaudiere. The former 
 flream runs into the St. Lawrence, about feven 
 miles below Quebec 5 the latter joins the fame 
 river nearly at an equal diftance above the 
 city. 
 
 The Montmorenci River runs in a very ir- 
 regular courfe, through a wild and thickly 
 wooded country, over a bed of broken rocks, 
 till it comes to the brink of a precipice, down 
 which it defcends in one uninterrupted and 
 nearly perpendicular fall of two hundred and 
 forty feet. The flream of water in this river, 
 except at the time of floods, is but fcanty, but 
 being broken into foam by rufhing with fuch 
 rapidity as it does over the rocks at the top of 
 the precipice, it is thereby much dilated, and 
 in its fall appears to be a fheet of water of no 
 inconiiderable magnitude. The breadth of the 
 river at top, from bank to bank, is about fifty 
 feet only. In its fall, the water has the exadfc 
 appearance of fnow, as when thrown in heaps 
 from the roof of a houfe, and it feemingly de- 
 
 A a 3 fcends 
 
35S TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA s 
 
 fcends with a very flow motion. The fpray 
 at the bottom is conliderable, and when the fun 
 happens to fhine bright in the middle of the 
 day, the prifmatic colours are exhibited in it 
 in all their variety and luftre. At the bottom 
 of the precipice the water is confined in a fort 
 of bafon, as it were, by a mafs of rock, ex- 
 tending nearly acrofs the fall, and out of this 
 it flows with a gentle current to the St, Law- 
 rence, which is about three hundred yards 
 diftant. The banks of the Montmorenci, be - 
 low the precipice, are nearly perpendicular on 
 one fide, and on both inacceffible, fo that if a 
 perfpn be defirous of getting to the bottom of 
 the fall, he muft defcend down the banks of 
 the St. Lawrence, and walk along the margin 
 of that river till he comes to the chafm through 
 which the Montmorenci flows. To a perfon 
 failing along the St. Lawrence, part the mouth 
 of the chafm, the fall appears in great beauty. 
 
 General Haldimand, formerly governor of 
 Canada, was fo much delighted with this ca- 
 taract, that he built a dwelling houfe clofe to 
 it, from the parlour windows of which" it is 
 feen in a very advantageous point of view. In 
 front of the houfe is a neat lawn, that runs 
 down the whole way to the St. Lawrence, and 
 in various parts of it little fummer-houfes have 
 been erected, each of which commands 3 view 
 of the fall. There is alfo a fummer houfe, 
 
 fituated 
 
GRAND FALLS. 359 
 fituated nearly at the top of the fall, hanging 
 directly over the precipice, fo that if a bullet 
 were dropped from the window, it would de- 
 fcend in a perpendicular line at haft two hun- 
 dred feet. This houfe is fupported by large 
 beams of timber, fixed into the fides of the 
 chafm, and in order to get to it you have to 
 pafs over feveral flights of fteps, and one or two 
 wooden galleries, which are fupported in the 
 fame manner. The view from hence is tre- 
 mendoufly grand. It is laid, that the beams 
 whereon this little edifice is erected are in a 
 ftate of decay, and many perfons are fearful of 
 entering into it, left they fhould give way ; but 
 being ignorant of the danger, if indeed there 
 was any, our whole party ventured into it at 
 once, and ftaid there a considerable time, not- 
 withstanding its tremulous motion at every 
 ftep we trod. That the beams cannot laft for 
 ever is certain ; it would be a wife meafure, 
 therefore, to have them removed or repaired in 
 proper time, for as long as they remain {land- 
 ing, perfons will be found that will venture 
 into the unfteady fabrick they fupport, and 
 fhould they give way at a moment when any 
 perfons are in it, the cataftrophe mud inevi- 
 tably be fatal. 
 
 The fall in the River Chaudiere is not half 
 the height of that of the Montmorenci, but 
 then it is no lefs than two hundred and fifty 
 
 A a 4 feet 
 
360 TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA s 
 feet in breadth. The fcenery round this ca- 
 tara£t is much fuperior in every rcfpedt to that 
 in the neighbourhood of the MontmorencL 
 Contiguous to the latter there are few trees of 
 any great magnitude, and nothing is near it to 
 relieve the eye ; you have the fall, and nought 
 but the fall, to contemplate. The banks of 
 La Chaudiere, on the contrary, are covered 
 with trees of the large ft growth, and amidffc 
 the piles of broken rocks, which lie fcattered 
 about the place, you have fome of the wildeft 
 and moft romantic views imaginable. As for 
 the fall itfelf, its grandeur varies with the fea- 
 fon. When the river is full, a body of water 
 comes rufhing over the rocks of the preci- 
 pice that aftoniihes the beholder j but in dry 
 weather, and indeed during the greater part of 
 the fumrrier, we may fay, the quantity of wa- 
 ter is but trifling. At this feafon there are 
 few but what would prefer the falls of the 
 Montmorenci River, and I am tempted to 
 imagine that, upon the whole, the generality 
 of people would give it the preference at al} 
 times, 
 
t 361 3 
 
 LETTER XXV. 
 
 Of the Confthution % Government, La~vs, and 
 Religion of the Provinces of Upper and Lower 
 Canada. — Efiimate of the Expences of the 
 Civil Lift, of the Military EjlabHft:ment y and 
 the Prejbits to the Indians. — Salaries of cer- 
 tain Officers of the Cro*wn* — Imports and 
 Exp oris . — Taxes , 
 
 Quebec. 
 
 T7ROM the time that Canada was ceded to 
 Great Britain until the year 1774, the in- 
 ternal affairs of the province were regulated by 
 the ordinance of the governor alone. In pur- 
 fuance of the Quebec Bill, which was then 
 palled, a legiflative council was appointed by 
 his Majefty in the country ; the number of 
 members was limited to twenty-three. This 
 council had full power to make all fuch ordi- 
 nances and regulations as were thought expe- 
 dient for the welfare of the province ; but it 
 was prohibited from levying any taxes, except 
 for the purpofe of making roads, repairing 
 public buildings, or the like. Every ordinance 
 was to be laid before the governor, for his 
 Majefty's approbation, within fix months from 
 the time it was pafied, and no ordinance, im- 
 pofing a greater punifhment on any perion or 
 
 perfons 
 
TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA: 
 
 perfons than a fine, or imprifonment for three 
 months, was valid without hisMajefty's aflent, 
 fignified to the council by the governor. 
 
 Thus were the affairs of the province regu- 
 lated until the year 1791, when an acl; was 
 paffed in the Britifh parliament, repealing fo 
 much of the Quebec Bill as related to the ap- 
 pointment of a council, and to the powers that 
 had been granted to it ; and which eftablifbed 
 the prefent form of government. 
 
 The country, at the fame time, was divided 
 into two diftincl provinces j the province of 
 Lower Canada, and the province of Upper 
 Canada. The former is the eaftern part of the 
 eld province of Canada ; the latter, the weftern 
 part, fituated on the northern fides of the great 
 lakes and rivers through which the boundary 
 line runs that feparates the Britifh territories 
 from thofe of the United States. The two 
 provinces are divided from each other by a line, 
 which runs north, 24 weft, commencing at 
 Point au Baudet, in that part of the river St. 
 Lawrence called Lake Francis, and continu- 
 ing on from thence to the Utawa-s or Grand 
 River. The city of Quebec is the capital of 
 the lower province, as the town of Niagara is 
 of the upper one. 
 
 The executive power in each province is 
 veiled in the governor, who has for his advice 
 an executive council appointed by his Ma-* 
 
CONSTITUTION OF CANADA. 36$ 
 jefty. The legiilative power of each province 
 is vefted in the governor, a legiflative coun- 
 cil, and an affembly of the reprefentatives of 
 the people, Their acts, however, are fubjedt 
 to the controul of his majefty, and in fame 
 particular cafes to the controul of the Britifti 
 parliament. 
 
 Bills are paffed in the council and in the 
 gffembly in a form fomewhat fimilar to that in 
 which bills are carried through the Britifli 
 houfes of parliament ; they are then laid before 
 the governor, who gives or withholds his affent, 
 or referves them for his Majeily's pleafure. 
 
 Such bills as he affents to are put in force 
 immediately ; but he is bound to tranfmit a 
 true copy of them to the King, who in council 
 may declare his difallowance of them within 
 two years from the time of their being receiv- 
 ed, in which cafe they become void. 
 
 Such as are referved for his Majefty's afTent 
 are not to be put in force until that is re- 
 ceived. 
 
 Moreover, every act of the affembly and 
 council, which goes to repeal or vary the laws 
 Gr regulations that were in exiftence at the 
 time the prefent constitution was eftablifhed 
 in the country respecting tythes ; the appro- 
 priation of land for the fupport of a proteftant 
 clergy ; the conftituting and endowing of par- 
 fonages or rectories j the right of prefentation 
 
 to* 
 
yj± TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA : 
 to the fame, and the manner in which the in- 
 cumbents (hall hold them ; the enjoyment and 
 exercife of any form or mode of worfiiip ; the 
 impaling of any burdens and difqualificatiDns 
 on account of the fame ; the rights of the 
 clergy to recover their accuftomed dues ; the 
 impofing or granting of any farther dues or 
 emoluments to any ecclefiaftics ; the cftablim- 
 rnent and difcipline of the church of England; 
 the King's prerogative, touching the granting 
 of wafte lands of the crown within the pro- 
 vince ; every fuch act, before it receives the 
 royal affent, mud: be laid before bothhoufes 
 of parliament in Great Britain, and the King 
 niuit not give his affent thereto until thirty 
 days after the fame has been laid before par- 
 liament ; and in cafe either houfe of parlia- 
 ment prefents an addrefs to the King to with- 
 hold his affent to any fuch ad or ads, it can- 
 not be given. 
 
 By an ad: paffed in the eighteenth year of 
 his prefent Majefry's reign, the Britifh parlia- 
 ment has aifo the power of making any re- 
 gulations which may be found expedient, re- 
 fpefting the commerce and navigation of the 
 province, and alfo of impofing import and ex- 
 port duties ; but all fuch duties are to be ap- 
 plied foleiy to the ufe of the province, and in 
 fuch a manner only as the laws made in the 
 council and affembly direct. 
 
 The 
 
LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. 365 
 
 The legiilative council of Lower Canada 
 confitts of fifteen members ; that of Upper 
 Canada of feven. The number of the mem- 
 bers in each province muft never be lefs than 
 this; but it may be increafed whenever his 
 Majefty thinks lit. 
 
 The ccunlellors are appointed for life, by 
 an instrument under the great feal of fne 
 province, figned by the governor, who is in- 
 verted with powers for that purpofe by the 
 King. No perfon can be a counfellor who 
 is not twenty-one years of age, nor any one 
 who is not a natural-born fubjecl, or who has 
 not been naturalized according to act of par- 
 liament. 
 
 Whenever his Majefty thinks proper, he 
 may confer on any perfons hereditary titles of 
 honour, with a right annexed to them of being 
 fummoned to lit in this council, which right 
 the heir may claim at the age of twenty-one $ 
 the right, however, cannot be acknowledged 
 if the heir has been abfent from the province 
 without leave of his Majefty, fgmfted to the 
 council by the governor, for four years toge- 
 ther, between the time of his fucceeding to 
 the right and the time of his demanding it. 
 The right is forfeited alio, if the heir takes an 
 oath of allegiance to any foreign power be- 
 fore he demands it, unlefs his Majefty, by 
 
$66 TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA: 
 an inftrument under the great feal of the pro-* 
 vince, fhould decree to the contrary. 
 
 If a counfellor, after having taken his feat* 
 abfent himfelf from the province for two years 
 fucceffively, without leave from his Majefty, 
 iignified to the council by the governor, his 
 feat is alfo thereby vacated. 
 
 All hereditary rights-, however, of fitting in 
 council, fo forfeited, are only to be fufpended 
 during the life of the defaulters, and on their 
 death they defcend with the titles to the next 
 heirs *. 
 
 In cafes of treafon, both the title and right 
 of fitting in the council are extinguifhed. 
 
 All queflions concerning the right of being 
 fummoned to the council are to be determined 
 by the council ; but an appeal may be had from 
 their decifion to his Majefly in his parliament 
 of Great Britain. 
 
 Th& governor has the power of appointing 
 and removing the fpeaker of the council. 
 
 The afTembly of Lower Canada confilts of 
 fifty members, and that of Upper Canada of 
 fixteen ; neither afTembly is ever to confifl: of 
 a lefs number. 
 
 The members for diftri&s, circles, or coun- 
 ties* 
 
 * No hereditary titles, with this right annexed, have yet 
 been conferred on any perfon* in Canada by his Britannia 
 Majefty. 
 
THE ASSEMBLY. 3S7 
 ties, are chofen by a majority of the votes of 
 fuch perfons as are poflefled of lands or tene- 
 ments in freehold, in fief, in boture, or by 
 certificate derived under the authority of the 
 governor and council of Quebec, of the yearly 
 value of forty millings, clear of all rents, 
 charges, &c. The members for towns or 
 tovvnfhips are chofen by a majority of the 
 votes of fuch perfons as po fiefs houfes and 
 lands for their own ufe, of the yearly value 
 of five pounds fterling, or as have refided in 
 the town or townihip for one year, and paid a 
 rent for a houfe during the time, at the rate 
 of ten pounds yearly. 
 
 No perfon is eligible to ferve as a member 
 of the a (Terribly, who is a member of the legis- 
 lative council, or a minifcer, pried, ecclefi- 
 aftic, or religious perfonage of the church of 
 England, Rome, or of any other church. 
 
 No perfon is qualified to vote or ferve, who 
 is not twenty-one years of age ; nor any per- 
 fon, not a natural- born fubjecl, or who has not 
 been naturalized, either by law or conqueft ; 
 nor any one who has been attainted of treafont 
 in any court in his Majefty's dominions, or 
 who has been disqualified by an adt of afleni- 
 bly and council. 
 
 Every voter, if called upon, muff; take an 
 oath, either in French or Englifh, that he is 
 of age; that he is qualified to vote according 
 
 to 
 
%6S TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA i 
 
 to law; and that he has not voted before at 
 that election. 
 
 The governor has the power of appointing 
 the place of feffion,and of calling together, of 
 proroguing, and of diffolving the affembly. 
 
 The affembly is not to laft longer than four 
 years, but it may be diffolved fooner. The 
 governor is bound to call it at leaft once in 
 each year. 
 
 The oath of a member, on taking his feat* 
 is comprifed in a few words : he promifes to 
 bear true allegiance to the King, as lawful 
 fovereign of Great Britain, and the province 
 of Canada dependant upon it ; to defend him 
 againft all traitorous confpiracies and attempts 
 againft his perfon ; and to make known to 
 him all fucb confpiracies and attempts, which 
 he may at any time be acquainted with ; all 
 which he promifes without mental evaiion, 
 refervation, or equivocation, at the fame time 
 renouncing all pardons and difpenfations from 
 any perfon or power whatfoever. 
 
 The governors of the two provinces are 
 totally independent of each other in their civil 
 capacity : in military affairs, the governor of 
 the lower province takes precedence, as he is 
 ufually created captain-general of his Majefty's 
 forces in North America. 
 
 The pre fen t fyftem of judicature in each 
 province was eftablimed by the Quebec Bill 
 
 of 
 
QJ) EBEC BILL. 369 
 
 of 1774. By this bill it was enadted, that all 
 pcrfons in the country fliould be entitled to 
 hold their lands or poffefiions in the fame 
 manner as before the conqueft, according to 
 the laws and ufages then exifting in Canada ; 
 and that all controverfies relative to property 
 or civil rights fhould alfo be determined by 
 the fame laws and ufages. Thefe old laws 
 and ufages, however, were not to extend to 
 the lands which might thereafter be granted 
 by his Britannic Majefty in free and common 
 focage : here Englifh laws were to be in full 
 force ; fo that the * Englifh inhabitants, who 
 have fettled for the molt part on new lands, 
 are not fubjecT: to the controul of thefe old 
 French laws, that were exifting in Canada 
 when the country was conquered, except a 
 difpute concerning property or civil rights 
 fhould arife between any of them and the 
 French inhabitants, in which cafe the matter 
 is to be determined by the French laws. 
 Every friend to civil liberty would wifli to 
 fee thefe laws abolished, for they weigh very 
 unequally in favourof the richandof the poor; 
 but as long as the French inhabitants remain 
 fo wedded as they are at prefent to old cuf- 
 
 * I mult obferve here once for all, that by Englifh inhabi- 
 tants I mean all thofe vvhofe native language is Englith, in 
 contradiilinction to the Canadians of French extraction, who 
 univerfally fpeak the French language, and no other. 
 
 Vol. L B b toms, . 
 
570 TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER" CANADA: 
 toms, and fo very ignorant, there is little hope 
 of feeing any alteration of this nature take 
 place. At the fame time that the French laws 
 were fuffered by the Quebec bill to exift, in 
 order to conciliate the affections of the French 
 inhabitants, who were attached to them, the 
 criminal law of England was eftablifhed 
 throughout every part of the country ; " and 
 " this was one of the happieft circumftances," 
 as the Abbe Raynal obferves, " that Canada 
 <c could experience; as deliberate, rational, 
 " public trials took place of the impenetrable 
 " myfterious tranfadtions of a cruel inquifi- 
 " tionj and as a tribunal, that had theretofore 
 €t been dreadful and fanguinary, was filled 
 " with humane judges, more difpofed to ac- 
 " knowledge innocence than to fuppofe cri- 
 •* minality." 
 
 The governor, the lieutenant governor, or 
 the perfon adminiftering the government, the 
 members of the executive council, the chief 
 juftices of the province, and the judges of the 
 court of king's bench, or any five of them, 
 form a court of appeal, the judges however 
 excepted of that diftridt from whence the ap- 
 peal is made. From the decifion of this court 
 an appeal may be had in certain cafes to the 
 King in council. 
 
 Every religion is tolerated, in the fulleft 
 extent of the word, in both provinces § and 
 6 no 
 
TOLERATION. 371 
 
 no difqualifications are impofed on any per- 
 fons on account of their religious opinions. 
 The Roman Catholic religion is that of a 
 great majority of the inhabitants ; and by the 
 Quebec bill of 1774, the ecclefiaftics of that 
 perfuafion are empowered by law to recover all 
 the dajes which, previous to that period, they 
 were accuftomed to receive, as well as tithes, 
 that is, from the Roman Catholic inhabitants - y 
 but they cannot exaft any dues or tithes from 
 Proteftants, or off lands held by Proteftants, 
 although formerly fuch lands might have been 
 fubjefted to dues and tithes for the fupport 
 of the Roman Catholic church. The dues 
 and tithes from off thefe lands are fiill, how- 
 ever, to be paid ; but they are to be paid to 
 perfons appointed by the governor, and the 
 amount of them is to be referved, in the hands 
 of his Majefty's receiver general, for the fup- 
 port of the proteftant clergy actually refiding 
 in the province. 
 
 By the aft of the year 1791, alfo, it was 
 ordained, that the governor mould allot out 
 of all lands belonging to the crown, which 
 mould be granted after that period, cne-fe- 
 venth for the benefit of a Proteftant clergy, 
 to be folely applicable to their ufe 5 and all 
 fuch allotments muft be particularly fpecified 
 in every grant of wafte lands, otherwife the 
 grant is void. 
 
 B b 2 With . 
 
37a TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA: 
 
 With the advice of the executive council, 
 the governor is authorized to conftitute or 
 eredl parfonages or rectories, and to endow 
 them out of thefe appropriations, and to pre- 
 fent incumbents to them, ordained according 
 to the rites of the church of England ; which 
 incumbents are to perform the fame duties, 
 and to hold their parfonages or rectories in the 
 fame manner as incumbents of the church of 
 England do in that country. 
 
 The clergy of the church of England, in 
 both provinces, confifts at prefent of twelve 
 perfons only, including the bifhop of Quebec ; 
 that of the church of Rome, however, confifls 
 of no lefs than one hundred and twenty-fix ; 
 viz. a bimop, who takes his title from Que- 
 bec, his "coadjuteur elu," who is bifhop of 
 Canathe, three vicars general, and one hundred 
 and fixteen curates and miffionaries, all of 
 whom are re fi dent in the lower province, ex- 
 cept five curates and miffionaries. 
 
 The number of the diffenting clergy, in both 
 provinces, is confiderably fmaller than that of 
 the clergy of the church of England. 
 
 The expences of the civil lift in Lower 
 Canada are eftimated at £.20,000 fterling 
 per annum, one half of which is defrayed by 
 Great Britain, and the remainder by the pro- 
 vince, out of the duties paid on the importa- 
 tion of certain articles. The expence of the 
 
 civil 
 
PRESENTS AND SALARIES. 373 
 
 civil lift in Upper Canada is confiderably lefs 
 perhaps not fo much as a fourth of that of 
 the lower province. 
 
 The military eftabliffiment in both pro- 
 vinces, together with the repairs of fortifica- 
 tion, &c. are computed to coft Great Britain 
 annually JT. 100,000 fterling. 
 
 The prefents diftributed amongft the In- 
 dians, and the falaries paid to the different of- 
 ficers in the Indian department, are eftimated 
 at £.100,000 fterling more, annually. 
 
 Amongft the officers in the Indian depart- 
 ment are, fuperintendants general, deputy fu- 
 perintendants, infpedtors general, deputy in- 
 fpedtors general, fecretaries, affiftant fecreta- 
 ries, ftorekeepers, clerks, agents, interpreters, 
 iffuers of provifions, furgeons, gunfmiths, &c. 
 &c. &c. moft of whom, in the lower province, 
 have now finecure places, as there are but few 
 Indians in the country ; but in the upper pro- 
 vince they have active fervice to perform. Of 
 the policy of ilTuing prefents to fuch a large 
 amount amongft the Indians, more will be faid 
 in the afterpart of this work. 
 
 The following is a ftatement of fome of the 
 falaries paid to the officers of government in 
 Lower Canada. 
 
 Governor general - 2,000 
 lieutenant governor - - M°° 
 
 B b 3 Exe- 
 
374 TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA : 
 
 Executive counfellors, each - - 100 
 
 Attorney general - - - 300 
 
 Solicitor general - - - 200 
 
 Secretary and regifter to the province - 400 
 Clerk of the court of appeals, with fire 
 
 wood and ftationary - - 120 
 
 Secretary to the governor - - 200 
 French fecretary to the governor, and 
 
 tranflator to the council - - 200 
 Chief juftice of Quebec, w r ho is chief 
 
 juftice of the province - - 1,200 
 
 Chief juftice of Montreal - - 900 
 
 Chief juftice of Three Rivers - - 300 
 
 Receiver general - 400 
 
 Surveyor general of lands T - 300 
 
 Deputy, and allowance for an office - 150 
 
 Surveyor of woods - - - 200 
 
 Grand voyer of Quebec - - 100 
 
 Grand voyer of Montreal - - 100 
 
 Grand voyer of Three Rivers - - 60 
 Superintendant of provincial poft 
 
 houfes - - - - 100 
 Clerk of the terraro of the king's do^ 
 
 main ^- - - - - 90 
 
 Clerk of the crown - - 100 
 
 Infpe&or of police at Quebec - 100 
 
 Infpeclor of police at Montreal - 100 
 
 Four miffionaries to Indians, each - 50 
 
 One miffionary to Indians - - 45 
 
 School- 
 
IMPORT DUTIES. 375 
 
 Schoolmafter at Quebec - 100 
 Schoolmafter at Montreal - - 50 
 Schoolmafter at Carlifle, Bay de Cha- 
 
 leurs - - - - - 25 
 Overfeers, to prevent fires at Quebec, 
 and to fweep the chimneys of the 
 poor - - - - - 6a 
 Salary of the bifhop of Quebec, who 
 
 is bifliop of both provinces - 2,000 
 The penlions, between January 1794 and Janu- 
 ary 1795, amounted to£. 1,782. 6s. j d. 
 
 A Statement of the Articles fubjeft to 
 Duty on Importation into Canada, and of 
 the Duties payable thereon. 
 
 s. d. 
 
 Brandy and other fpirits, the manufac- 
 ture of Great Britain, per gallon - . 3 
 
 Rum and other fpirits, imported from the 
 colonies in the Weft Indies, per 
 gallon - - - - . 6 
 
 Brandy and fpirits of foreign manufacture, 
 imported from Great Britain, per 
 gallon - - - - -10 
 
 Additional duty on the fame, per gallon . 3 
 
 Rum or fpirits manufactured in the 
 United States, per gallon - -10 
 B b 4 Mobiles 
 
376 TRAVELS THROUGH LOWJSR CANADA: 
 
 4 
 
 Mokfles and Syrups imported in Brititii 
 
 fhipping, per gallon - - - 3 
 Additional duty, per gallon - 3 
 Molaffes or Syrups legally imported in 
 
 other than Britifh fhipping, per gallon 6 
 Additional duty, per gallon - 3 
 Madeira wine, per gallon 6 
 Other wine - 3 
 
 N. B. Wine can be imported directly, 
 from Madeira, or from any of the Afri- 
 can iflands, into Canada ; but no Euro- 
 pean wine or brandy can be imported, 
 except through England. 
 
 Loaf or lump fugar, per lb. - - 1. 
 Mufcovado or clayed fugar - - — \ 
 Coffee, per lb. 2 
 Leaf tobacco, per lb. - - 2 
 Playing cards, per pack - 2 
 Salt, the minot - - - 4 
 
 N. B. The minot is a meafure commonly 
 
 ufed in Canada, which is to the Winchefrer 
 
 bulhel, as 100 is to 108,765. 
 
 The imports into Canada confifl of all the 
 various articles which a young country, that 
 does not manufacture much for its own ufe, 
 can be fuppofed to fland in need of j fuch as 
 
 earthen 
 
SOIL AND MANUFACTURES. 377 
 earthen ware, hardware, and houfehold fur- 
 niture, except of the coarfer kinds ; woollen 
 and linen cloths, haberdafhery, hofiery, &c. 
 paper, Stationary, leather and manufactures of 
 leather, groceries, wines, fpirits, Weft Indian 
 produce, &c. &c. ; cordage of every defcrip- 
 tion, and even the coarfer manufactures of 
 iron, are alfo imported. 
 
 The foil of the country is well adapted to 
 the growth of hemp, and great pains have 
 been taken to introduce the culture of it. 
 Handbills, explaining the manner in which it 
 can be raifed to the beft advantage, have been 
 affiduoufly circulated amongft the farmers, and 
 ported up at all the public houfes. It is a 
 difficult matter, however, to put the French 
 Canadians out of their old ways, fo that very 
 little hemp has been raifed in confequence of 
 the pains that have been thus taken ; and it 
 is not probable that much will be raifed for 
 a confiderable time to come. 
 
 Iron ore has been discovered in various 
 parts of the country ; but works for the 
 fmelting and manufacturing of it have been 
 erected at one place only, in the neighbour- 
 hood of Trois Rivieres. Thefe works were 
 erected by the king of France fome time 
 before the conqueft : they are now the pro- 
 perty of the Britifli government, and are 
 rented out to the perfons who hold them 
 
 at. 
 
' |;8 TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA, 
 at prefent. When the leafe expires, which 
 will be the cafe about the year 1 800, it is 
 thought that no one will be found to carry on 
 the works, as the bank of ore, from whence 
 they are fupplied, is nearly exhaufted. The 
 works confift of a forge and a foundry : iron 
 ftoves are the principal articles manufactured 
 in the latter ; but they are not fo much efteem- 
 ed as thole from England. 
 
 Dorneftic manufactures are carried on in 
 moft part of Canada, conlifting of linen and 
 ofcoarfe woollen cloths; but by far the greater 
 part of thefe articles ufed in the country is 
 imported from Great Britain. 
 
 The exports from Canada conlift of furs 
 and pelts in immenfe quantities ; of wheat, 
 flour, flax-feed, pot-afh, timber, ftaves, and 
 lumber of all forts ; dried fim, oil, ginfeng, 
 and various medicinal drugs. 
 
 The trade between Canada and Great Bri- 
 tain employs, it is faid, about feven thoufand 
 tons of fhipping annually. 
 
C 379 3 
 
 LETTER XXVI. 
 
 Of the Soil and Productions of Lower Canada. 
 — -Obfervations on the Manufacture of Sugar 
 from the Maple-tree. — Of the Climate of 
 Lower Canada. — >Amufements of People of 
 all Defer iptio?7s during Winter. — Carioles,-— 
 Manner of guarding againfl the Cold. — Great 
 Hardinefs of the Horfes. — State of the River 
 St. Lawrence on the DiJ/blution of Winter. — 
 Rapid Progrefs of Vegetation during Spring. 
 — Agreeablenefs of the Summer and Autumn 
 Seafons. 
 
 Quebec. 
 
 /h jpHE eaftern part of Lower Canada, be- 
 tween Quebec and the Gulph of St. 
 Lawrence, is mountainous ; between Quebec 
 and the mouth of the Utawas River alfo a few 
 fcattered mountains are to be met with ; but 
 higher up the River St. Lawrence the face of 
 the country is flat. 
 
 The foil, except where fmali tracts of ftony 
 and fandy land intervene, confifts principally 
 of a loofe dark coloured earth, and of the 
 depth of ten or twelve inches, below which 
 there is a bed of coid clay. This earth to- 
 wards tbe furface is extremely fertile, of which 
 
 there 
 
380 TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA: 
 there cannot be a greater proof than that it 
 continues to yield plentiful crops, notwith- 
 ftanding its being worked year after year by 
 the French Canadians, without ever being 
 manured. It is only within a few years back, 
 indeed, that any of the Canadians have begun 
 to manure their lands, and many ftill continue, 
 from father to fon, to work the fame fields 
 without intermiflion, and without ever putting 
 any manure upon them, yet the land is not 
 exhaufted, as it would be in the United States. 
 The manure principally made ufc of by thofe 
 who are the beft farmers is mar], found in 
 prodigious quantities in many places along the 
 fhores of the River St. Lawrence. 
 
 The foil of Lower Canada is particularly 
 fuited to the growth of fmall grain. Tobacco 
 alfo thrives well in it '} it is only raifed, how- 
 ever, in fmall quantities for private ufe, more 
 than one half of what is ufed in the country 
 being imported. The Canadian tobacco is 
 of a much milder quality than that grown in 
 Maryland and Virginia ; the fnuff made from 
 it is held in great eftimation. 
 
 Culinary vegetables of every defcription 
 come to the greateft perfection in Canada, as 
 well as moft of the European fruits : the cur- 
 rants, goofeberries, and rafpberries are in par- 
 ticular very fine ; the latter are indigenous, 
 and are found in profufion in the woods ; the 
 
 vine 
 
VEGETABLE PRODUCTIONS. 3 $i 
 vine is alfo indigenous, but the grapes which 
 it produces in its uncultivated ftate are very 
 poor, four, and but little larger than fine cur- 
 rants. 
 
 The variety of trees found in the forefts 
 of Canada is prodigious, and it is fuppofed 
 that many kinds are ft ill unknown : beech 
 trees, oaks, elms, afhes, pines, fycamores, 
 chefnuts, walnuts, of each of which ieverai 
 different fpecies are commonly met with ; the 
 fugar maple tree is alfo found in almoft every 
 part of the country, a tree never feen but upon 
 good ground. There are two kinds of this 
 very valuable tree in Canada ; the one called 
 the fwamp maple, from its being generally 
 found upon low lands ; the other, the moun- 
 tain or curled maple, from growing upon high 
 dry ground, and from the grain of the wood 
 being very beautifully variegated with little 
 ftripes and curls. The former yields a much 
 greater quantity of fap, in proportion to its 
 fize, than the other, but this fap does not 
 afford fo much fugar as that of the curled 
 maple. A pound of fugar is frequently pro- 
 cured from two or three gallons of the fap of 
 the curled maple, whereas no more than the 
 fame quantity can be had from fix or feven 
 gallons of that of the fwamp. 
 
 The moft approved method of getting the 
 fap is by piercing a hole with an auger in the 
 
 • fids 
 
!%z TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA: 
 lide of the tree, of one inch or an inch and a 
 half in diameter, and two or three inches in 
 depth, obliquely upwards ; but the moft com- 
 mon mode of coming at it is by cutting a large 
 gam in the tree with an axe. In each cafe a 
 imall fpout is fixed at the bottom of the 
 wound, and a vefTel is placed underneath to 
 receive the liquor as it falls. 
 
 A maple tree of the diameter of twenty 
 inches will commonly yield fufficient fap for 
 making five pounds of fugar each year, and 
 inftances have been known of trees yielding 
 nearly this quantity annually for a feries of 
 thirty years. Trees that have been gamed 
 and mangled with an axe will not laft by any 
 means fo long as thofe which have been care- 
 fully pierced with an auger ; the axe, how- 
 ever, is generally ufed, becaufe the fap diftils 
 much fafter from the wound made by it than 
 fro .n that made by an auger, and it is always 
 an objecl: with the farmer, to have the fap 
 brought home, and boiled down as fpeedily as 
 poffible, in order that the making of fugar 
 may not interfere with his other agricultural 
 purfuits. The feafon for tapping the trees is 
 when the fap begins to rife, at the com- 
 mencement of fpring, which is juft the time 
 that the farmer is moft bufied in making 
 preparations for lowing his grain. 
 
 It is a very remarkable fact, that thefe trees, 
 
 after 
 
MAPLE TREES. 5 8 s 
 
 after having been tapped for fix or feven fuo 
 ceffive years, always yield more fap than they 
 do on being firft wounded; this fap, however, 
 is not fo rich as that which the trees diftil for 
 the firft time; but from its coming in an in- 
 creafed portion, as much fugar is generally 
 procured from a fingle tree on the fifth or 
 lixth year of its being tapped as on the firft. 
 
 The maple is the only fort of raw fugar 
 made ufe of in the country parts of Canada ; 
 it is very generally ufed alfo by the inhabitants 
 of the towns, whither it is brought for file 
 by the country people who attend the markets, 
 juft the fame as any other kind of country 
 produce. The moft common form in which 
 it is feen is in loaves or thick round cakes, 
 precifely as it comes out of the veffel where 
 it is boiled down from the fap. Thefe cakes 
 are of a very dark colour in general, and very 
 hard ; as they are wanted they are fcraped 
 down with a knife, and when thus reduced 
 into powder, the fugar appears of a much 
 lighter caft, and not unlike Weft Indian muf- 
 covada or grained fugar. If the maple fugac 
 be carefully boiled with lime, whites of eggs* 
 blood, or any of the other articles ufually em- 
 ployed for clarifying fugar, and properly gra- 
 nulated, by the draining off of the melaik?, 
 it is by no means inferior, either in point of 
 ftrength, flavour, or appearance to the eye, to 
 
 any 
 
584 TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA t 
 any Weft Indian fugar whatfoever : fimrjly 
 boiled down into cakes with milk or whites 
 of eggs it is very agreeable to the tafte. 
 
 The ingenious Dr. Nooth, of Quebec, who 
 is at the head of the general hofpital in Ca- 
 nada, has made a variety of experiments upon 
 the manufacture of maple fugar ; he has gra- 
 nulated, and alfo refined it, fo as to render it 
 equal to the beft lump fugar that is made in 
 England. To convince the Canadians alfo* 
 who are as incredulous on fome points as they 
 are credulous on others, that it was really maple 
 fugar which they faw thus refined, he has 
 contrived to leave large lumps, exhibiting the 
 fugar in its different ftages towards refinement, 
 the lower part of the lumps being left hard, 
 limilar to the common cakes, the middle part 
 granulated, and the upper part refined. 
 
 Dr. Nooth has calculated, that the fale of 
 the melaffes alone would be fully adequate to 
 the expence of refining the maple fugar, if a 
 manufactory for that purpofe were eftablifhed. 
 Some attempts have been made to eftablifh 
 one of the kind at Quebec, but they have never 
 fucceeded, as the perfons by whom they were 
 made were adventurers that had not fufticient 
 capitals for fuch an undertaking. It ought 
 not, however, to be concluded from this, that 
 a manufactory of the fort would not fucceed if 
 conducted by judicious perfons that had ample 
 
 funds 
 
MAPLE TREES. 385 
 
 funds for the bufinefs ; on the contrary, it is 
 highly probable that it would anfwer. 
 
 There is great reafon alfo to fuppofe, that a 
 manufactory for making the fugar from the 
 beginning, as well as for refining it, might be 
 eftablifihcd with advantage. 
 
 Several acres together are often met with 
 in Canada, entirely covered with maple trees 
 alone; but the trees are moft ufually found 
 growing mixed with others, in the proportion 
 of from thirty to fifty maple trees to every 
 acre. Thoufands and thoufands of acres might 
 be procured, within a very fhort diftance of 
 the River St. Lawrence, for lefs than one 
 fhilling an acre, on each of which thirty maple 
 trees would be found ; but fuppofing that 
 only twenty-five trees were found on each 
 acre, then on a. track of five thoufand acres, 
 fuppofing each tree to produce five pounds of 
 fugar, 5,580 cwt. 2 qrs. 12 lbs. of fugar might 
 be made annually. 
 
 The maple tree attains a growth fufiicient 
 for yielding five pounds of fugar annually in 
 the fpace of twenty years ; as the oaks and 
 other kinds of trees, therefore, were cut away 
 for different purpoies, maples might be planted 
 in their room, which would be ready to be 
 tapped by the time that the old maple trees 
 failed. Moreover, if thefe trees were planted 
 out in rows regularly, the trouble of collect- 
 Vol. I. C c ins, , 
 
3&6 TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA: 
 ing the fap from them would be much left 
 than if they flood widely fcattered, as they do 
 in their natural ftate, and of courfe the ex- 
 pence of making the fngar would be confider- 
 ably leffened. Added to this, if young maples 
 were conftantly fet out in place of the other 
 trees, as they were cut down, the eftate, at 
 the end of twenty years, would yield ten 
 times as much fugar as it did originally. 
 
 It has been afferted., that the difficulty of 
 maintaining horfes and men in the woods at 
 the feafon of the year proper for making the 
 fugar would be fo great, as to render every 
 plan for the manufactory of the fugar on an 
 extenfive fcale abortive. This might be very 
 true, perhaps in the United States, where the 
 fubject has been principally difcuffed, and 
 where it is that this objection has been made ; 
 but it would not hold good in Canada. Many 
 tracks, containing five thoufand acres each, 
 of fugar maple land, might be procured in 
 various parts of the country, no part of any of 
 which would be more than fix Englifh miles, 
 difcant from a populous village. The^whole 
 labour of boiling in each year would be over 
 in the fpace of fix weeks ; the trouble there- 
 fore of carrying food during that period, for 
 the men and horfes that were wanting for the 
 manufactory, from a village into the woods, 
 would be trifling, and a few huts might be 
 
 built 
 
MAPLE SUGAR. 3S7 
 built for their accommodation in the woods 
 at a fmall expence. 
 
 The great labour requifite for conveying 
 the fap from the trees, that grow fo far apart, 
 to the boiling houfe, has been adduced as an- 
 other objection to the eftablifhment of an ex- 
 tenfive fugar manufactory in the woods. 
 
 The fap, as I have before obferved, is col- 
 lected by private families, by fetting a vefTel, 
 into which it drops, under each tree, and from 
 thence carried by hand to the place where it 
 is to be boiled. If a regular manufactory, 
 however, were eftablimed, the fap might be 
 conveyed to the boiling houfe with far lefs la- 
 bour ; fmall wooden troughs might be placed 
 under the wounds in each trees, by which 
 means the fap might eafily be conveyed to 
 the diltance of twenty yards, if it were thought 
 neceffary, into refervoirs. Three or four of 
 thefe refervoirs might be placed on an acre, 
 and avenues opened through the woods, fo as 
 to admit carts with proper vefTels to pafs from 
 one to the other, in order to convey the fap 
 to the boiling hou fes. Mere fheds would an- 
 fvver for boiling hou fes, and thefe might be 
 erected at various different places on the eflate, 
 in order to fave the trouble of carrying the fap 
 a great way. 
 
 The expence of cutting down a few trees, 
 fo as to clear an avenue for a cart, would not 
 C c 2 be 
 
388 TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA: 
 
 be much ; neither would that of making the 
 fpouts, and common tubs for refervoirs, be 
 great in a country abounding with wood ; the 
 quantity of labour faved by fuch means would.- 
 however, be very confiderable. 
 
 When then, it is confidered, that private 
 families, who have to carry the fap by hand 
 from each tree to their own houfes, and often 
 at a confiderable diftance from the woods, in 
 order to boil it, can, with ail this labour, afford 
 to fell fugar, equally good with that which 
 comes from the Weft Indies, at a much lower 
 price than what the latter is fold at ; when it 
 is confidered alio, that by going to the fmall 
 expence, on the firft year, of making a few 
 wooden fpouts and tubs, a very great portion 
 of labour would be faved, and of courfe the 
 profits on the fale of the fugar would be far 
 greater • there is good foundation for think- 
 ing, that if a manufactory were 'eftablifhed on 
 fuch a plan as I have hinted at, it would an- 
 fwer extremely well, and that maple fugar 
 would in a fhort time become a principal ar- 
 ticle of foreign commerce in Canada. s 
 
 The fap of the maple tree is not only ufe- 
 ful in yielding fugar ; moft excellent vinegar 
 may likewife be made from it. In company 
 with feveral gentlemen I tailed vinegar made 
 from it by Dr. Nooth, allowed by every one 
 prefent to be much fuperior to the beft French 
 
 white 
 
AIR AND CLIMATE. 389. 
 
 white wine vinegar ; for at the fame time that 
 it pofleffed equal acidity, it had a more deli- 
 cious flavour. 
 
 Good table beer may likewue be made 
 from the fap, which many would miftake for 
 malt liquor. 
 
 If diftilled, the fap affords a very fine fpirit. 
 
 The air of Lower Canada is extremely 
 pure, and the climate is deemed uncommonly 
 falubrious, except only in the weftern parts 
 of the province, high up the River St. Law- 
 rence, where, as is the cafe in almoft every 
 part of the United States fouth of New Eng- 
 land, between the ocean and the mountains, 
 the inhabitants fuffer to a great degree from 
 intermittent fevers. From Montreal down- 
 wards, the climate refembles very much that 
 of the ftates of New England ; the people 
 live to a good old age, and intermittents are 
 quite unknown. This great difference in the 
 healthinefs of the two parts of the province 
 mu ft be attributed to the different afpecls of 
 the country ; to the eaft, Lower Canada, like 
 New England, is mountainous, but to the well 
 it is an extended flat. 
 
 The extremes of heat and cold in Canada 
 are amazing ; in the months of July and 
 Auguft the thermometer, according to Fahren- 
 heit, is often known to rife to g6% yet a winter 
 Scarcely paiTes over but even the mercury itfelf 
 
 C c 3 freezes,. 
 
39° TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA: 
 freezes. Thofe very fudden tranfitions, how- 
 ever, from heat to cold, fo common in the 
 United States, and fo very injurious to the 
 conftitution, are unknown in Canada; the 
 feafons alfo are much more regular. 
 
 o 
 
 The fnow generally begins to fall in No- 
 vember j but fometimes it comes down as 
 early as the latter end of Odober. This is the 
 moll difagreeable part of the whole year ; the 
 air is then cold and raw, and the fky dark and 
 gloomy ; two days feldom pafs over together 
 without a fall either of fnow or fleet. By the 
 end of the firfl or fecond week, however, in 
 December, the clouds are generally dhTolved, 
 the froft. fets in, the fky a flumes a bright and 
 azure hue, and for weeks together it continues 
 the fame, without being obfeured by a Angle 
 cloud. 
 
 The greateft degree of cold which they ex- 
 periciice in Canada, is in the month of January, 
 when for a few days it is fometimes fo intenfe, 
 that it is impofTible for a human being to 
 remain out of doors for any confiderable time, 
 without evident danger of being frofl: bitten. 
 Thefe very cold days, however, do not come 
 altogether, but intervene generally at fome 
 little diftance from each other ; and between 
 them, in the depth cf winter, the air is fome- 
 times fo warm that people in exercife, in the 
 
 middle 
 
WINTER AMUSEMENTS. 391 
 middle of the day, feel difpofed to lay afide the 
 thick fur cloaks ufually worn out of doors. 
 
 Thofe who have ever pa fled a winter in Ca- 
 nada, have by no means that dread cf its fe- 
 verity, which fome would have who have never 
 experienced a greater degree of cold than what 
 is commonly felt in Great Britain ; and as for 
 the Canadians themfelves, they prefer the win- 
 ter to every other ieaion ; indeed I never met 
 with a Canadian, rich or poor, male or female, 
 but what was of that opinion - y nor ought 
 this to excite our fbrprife, when it is confi- 
 de red that they pais the winter fo very diffe- 
 rently from what we do. If a Canadian were 
 doomed to fpend but fix weeks only in the 
 country parts of England, when the ground 
 was covered with fnow, I dare venture to fay 
 that he would be as heartily tired of the fame- 
 nefs which then pervaded the face of nature, 
 and as defirous of beholding a green field once 
 more, as any one cf us. 
 
 Winter in Canada is the feafon of general 
 amufement. The clear frofty weather no 
 fooner commences, than all thoughts about 
 bufinefs are laid afide, and every one devotes 
 himfelf to pleafure. The inhabitants meet in 
 convivial parties at each other's houfes, and 
 pafs the day with mufic, dancing, card-play- 
 ing, and every focial entertainment that can 
 beguile the time. At Montreal, in particular, 
 C c 4 fuch 
 
392 TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA : 
 fuch a conftant and friendly intercourfe is kept 
 up amongft the inhabitants, that, as I have 
 often heard it mentioned, it appears then as if 
 the town were inhabited but by one large 
 family. 
 
 By means of their carioles or fledges, the Ca- 
 nadians tranfport themfelves over the fnow, 
 from place to place, in the moft agreeable 
 manner, and with a degree of fwiftnefs that ap- 
 pears almoft incredible ; for with the fame 
 horfe it is poffible to go eighty miles in a day, 
 fo light is the draft of one of thefe carriages, 
 and fo favourable is the fnow to the feet of 
 the horfe. The Canadian cariole or fledge is 
 calculated to hold two perfons and a driver; it 
 is ufually drawn .by one horfe j if two horfes 
 are made ufe of, they are put one before the 
 other, as the track in the roads will not admit 
 of their going abreaft. The fhape of the car- 
 riage is varied according to fancy., and it is a 
 matter of emulation amongft the gentlemen, 
 who mall have the handfomeft one. There 
 are two diftincl kinds, however, of carioles, the 
 open and the covered. The former is com- 
 monly fomewhat like the body of a capriole, 
 put upon two iron runners or Aides, fimilar in 
 ihape to the irons of a pair of flcates j the lat- 
 ter confifts of the body of a chariot put on 
 runners in the fame manner, and covered en- 
 tirely over with furs, which are found by ex- 
 perience 
 
WINTER TRAVELLING. 393 
 
 perlence to keep out the cold much better than 
 any other covering whatfoever. Covered ca- 
 rioles are not much liked, except for the pur- 
 pofe of going to a party in the evening; for 
 the great pleafure of carioling confifts in feeing 
 and being feen, and the ladies always go out in 
 inoft fuperb dreffes of furs. The carioles glide 
 over the fnow with great finoothnefs, and fo 
 little noife do they make in Hiding along, that 
 it is necedary to have a number of bells at- 
 tached to the harnefs, or a perfon continually 
 founding a horn to guard againft accidents. 
 The rapidity of the motion, with the found of 
 ihciQ bells and horns, appears to be very con- 
 ducive to cheerfulnefs, for you feldom fee a 
 dull face in a cariole. The Canadians always 
 take advantage of the winter feafon to vifit 
 their friends who live at a diftance, as travel- 
 ling is then fo very expeditious ; and this is 
 another circumftance which contributes, pro- 
 bably not a little, to render the winter fo ex- 
 tremely agreeable in their eyes. 
 
 Though the cold is fo very intenfe in Ca- 
 nada, yet the inhabitants never fuffer from it, 
 conitant experience having taught them how 
 to guard againft it effectually. 
 
 In the firft place, by means of ftoves they 
 keep their habitations as warm and comfort- 
 able as can be deiired. In large houfes they 
 generally have four or five ftoves placed in the 
 
 hall, 
 
394 TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA: 
 hall, and in the apartments on the ground 
 floor, from whence flues pafs in different di- 
 rections through the upper rooms. Befides 
 thefe ftoves, they likewife frequently have 
 open fires in the lower apartments ; it is more, 
 however, on account of the cheerful appear- 
 ance they give to the room, than for the fake 
 of the warmth they communicate, as by the 
 ftoves the rooms can be heated to any degree. 
 Left any cold blafts fhould penetrate from 
 without, they have alfo double doors, and if the 
 houfe ftands expcfed, even double windows, 
 about fix inches apart. The windows are 
 made to open lengthwife in the middle, on 
 hinges, like folding doors, and where they 
 meet they lock together in a deep groove; 
 windows of this defcription, when ciofed, are 
 found to keep out the cold air much better 
 than the common fafhes, and in warm weather 
 they are more agreeable than any other fort, as 
 they admit more air when opened, Nor do 
 the inhabitants fufferfrom cold when they go 
 abroad ; for they never ftir out without firft 
 wrapping themfelves up in furs from head to 
 foot. Their caps entirely cover the ears," the 
 back of the neck, and the greateft part of the 
 face, leaving nothing expofed except the eyes 
 and nofe ; and their large and thick cloaks ef- 
 fectually fecure the body; befides which they 
 wear fur gloves, muffs, and fhoes. 
 
 It 
 
DOMESTIC ANIMALS. 395 
 
 It is furpfififlg to fee how well the Ca- 
 nadian horfes fupport the cold; after ftanding 
 for hours together in the open air at a time 
 when fpirits will freeze, they fet off as alertly 
 as if it were fummer. The French Canadians 
 make no Icruple to leave their horfes ftanding 
 at the door of a houfe, without any covering*, 
 in the coldeft weather, while they are them- 
 felves taking their pleafure. None of the 
 other domeftic animals are as indifferent to the 
 cold as the horfes. During winter all the do- 
 mestic animals, not excepting the poultry, are 
 lodged together in one large liable, that they 
 may keep each other warm ; but in order to 
 avoid the expence of feeding many through 
 the winter, as foon as the froft lets in they 
 generally kill cattle and poultry furlicient to 
 laft them till the return of fpring. The car- 
 cafes are buried in the ground, and covered 
 with a heap of fnow, and as they are wanted 
 they are dug up ; vegetables are laid up in the 
 fame manner, and they continue very good 
 throughout the whole winter. The markets 
 in the towns are always fupplied belt at this 
 ' feafon,andprovifions are then alfo the cheapen:; 
 for the farmers having nothing elfe to engage 
 them, and having a quantity of meat on hand, 
 that is never injured from being fent to mar- 
 ket, flock to the towns in their carioles in great 
 numbers, and always well fupplied. 
 
 The 
 
35 6 TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA. 
 
 The winter generally continues till the lat- 
 ter end of April, and fometimes even till May, 
 when a thaw comes on very fuddenly. The 
 fnow foon difappears; but it is a long time 
 before the immenle bodies of ice in the rivers 
 are diffolved. The fcene which prefents itfelf 
 on the St. Lawrence at this feafon is moil 
 tremendous. The ice fir ft begins to crack 
 from fide to fide, with a report as lpud as that 
 of a cannon. Afterwards, as the waters be- 
 come fwollen bv the melting: of the fnow, it 
 is broken into pieces, and hurried down the 
 ftrearn with prodigious impetuofity; but its 
 courfe is often interrupted by the iflands 
 and fhallow places in the river; one large 
 piece is perhaps firft flopped, other pieces 
 come drifting upon that, and at length 
 prodigious heaps are accumulated, in fome 
 places rifirig feveral yards above the level of 
 the water. Sometimes thefe mounds of ice are 
 driven from the iflands or rocks, upon which 
 they have accumulated, by the wind, and are 
 floated down to the fea in one entire body : if 
 in going down they happen to ftrike againft 
 any of the rocks along the more, the crafh is 
 horrible : at other times they remain in the 
 fame fpot where they were lirit formed, and 
 continue to obilrud the navigation of the 
 river for weeks after every appearance of fro ft 
 i'j banifhed on fhore ; fo very widely alio do 
 
 they 
 
THAW. 397 
 
 they frequently extend in particular parts of 
 the river, and fo folid are they at the fame 
 time, that in crofting from more to more, the 
 people, in Head of being at the trouble of going 
 round them, make directly for the ice, difem- 
 bark upon it, drag their bateaux or canoes 
 acrofs, and launch them again on the oppofite 
 ikie. As lone; as the ice remains in the St. 
 Lawrence, no mips attempt to pafs up or 
 down ; for one of thefe large bodies of ice is 
 equally dangerous with a rock. 
 
 The rapid progrefs of vegetation in Canada, 
 as foon as the winter is over, is moil afton- 
 iihing. Spring has fcarcely appeared, when 
 you find it is fummer. In a few days the 
 fields are clothed wuh the richeii verdure, 
 and the trees obtain their foliage. The vari- 
 ous productions of the garden come in after 
 each other in quick fuccefiion, and the grain 
 fown in May affords a rich harveft by the 
 latter end of July. This part of the year, in 
 which fpring and fummer are fo happily 
 blended together, is delightful beyond defcrip- 
 tion ; nature then puts on her gayeft attire; at 
 the fame time the heat is never found op- 
 prefiive; it is feldom that the mercurv in 
 Fahrenheit's thermometer then rifes above 
 84°: in July and Auguft the weather becomes 
 warmer, and a few days often intervene when 
 the heat is overcoming * during thefe months 
 
 the 
 
3q8 TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA: 
 the mercury fometimes rifes to 96°. There 
 is a great difference, however, in the weather 
 at this feafon in different years: during the 
 whole of the time that I was in the country, I 
 never obferved the thermometer higher than 
 88°; for the greater part of the months of July 
 and Auguft it was not higher than 8o°, and 
 for many days together it did not rife beyond 
 65 , between Quebec and Montreal. 
 
 The fall of the year is a moft agreeable 
 feafon in Canada, as well as the mm met*. 
 
 It is obferved, that there is in general a dif- 
 ference of about three weeks in the length of 
 the winter at Montreal and at Quebec, and of 
 courfe in the other feafons. When green 
 peas, ft raw berries, &c. were entirely gone at 
 Montreal, we met with them in fall feafon at 
 Quebec. 
 
[ 399 3 
 
 LETTER XXVII. 
 
 Inhabitants of Lower Canada. — Of the Tenures 
 by which Lands are held. — Not favourable \ 
 to the Improvement of the Country Some 
 Cbfrvations thereon. — Advantages of fettling 
 in Canada and the United States compared. — ■ 
 Why Emigrations to the latter Country are 
 more general. — Defcription of a Journey to 
 Stone/: imToionfkip near Quebec. — Defcription 
 of the River ~ St. Charles.— Of Lake St. 
 Charles. — Of Stoneham Townjhip. 
 
 Quebec. 
 
 A BOUT five-fixths of the inhabitants of 
 Lower Canada are of French extraction, 
 the bulk of whom are peafants, living upon 
 the lands of the feigniors. Amongft the Eng- 
 lish inhabitants devoted to agriculture, but 
 few, however, are to be found occupying land 
 under feigniors, not with (landing that feveral of 
 the feigniories have fallen into the hands of 
 Englishmen ; the great majority of them hold 
 the lands which they cultivate by virtue of 
 certificates from the governor, and thefe people 
 for the moft part relide in the weftern parts of 
 the province, bordering upon the upper parts 
 of the river St. Lawrence, 
 
 The 
 
4 oo TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA : 
 
 The feigniors, both French and Bnglifli, 
 live in a plain fimple ftyle; for although the 
 feigniories in general are extenfive, but few of 
 them afford a very large income to the pro- 
 prietors. 
 
 The revenues of a feigniory arife from cer- 
 tain fines called lods and vents, which are paid 
 by the vafials on the alienation of property, 
 as when a farm, or any part of it,, is divided 
 by a vaftal, during his lifetime, amongft his 
 ions, or when any other than the immediate 
 iffue of a vaffal fucceeds to his eftate, &c. &c. 
 The revenues arife alio from certain fines paid 
 on the granting of frefli lands to the vafials, 
 and from the profits of the mills of the feig- 
 nior, to which the vafials are bound to fend all 
 their corn to be ground. 
 
 This kft obligation is iometimes extremely 
 irkfome to the vaifal, when, for inflance, on a 
 large feign lory there is not more than one 
 mill; fc^ ^llhough it mould be ten milesdiftant 
 from his habitation, and he could get his corn 
 ground on better terms clofe to his own door, 
 yet he cannot fend it to any other mill than 
 that belonging to the feignior, under a heavy 
 penalty. 
 
 The extent of feigniorial rights in Canada, 
 particularly in what relates to the levying of 
 the lods and vents, feems to be by no means 
 clearly afcertained, fo that where the feignior 
 
 happens 
 
SEIGNIORIES. 40! 
 
 happens to be a man of a rapacious diipofition, 
 the vaffal is fometimes compelled to pay fines, 
 which, in tttiSt jultice perhaps, ought not to 
 be demanded. In the firft provincial affembly 
 that was called, this bufmeis was brought for- 
 ward, and the equity and policy was ftrongly 
 urged by fomc of the Englifh members that 
 poffeffed conliderable abilities, of having pro- 
 per bounds fixed to the power of the feigniors, 
 and of having all the fines and fervices due 
 from their vallate, accurately afcertained, and 
 •made generally known : but the French mem- 
 bers, a great number of whom were themfelves 
 feigniors* beinj? ftrongiv attached to old habits, 
 and thinking that it was conducive to their 
 inter-eft, that their authority mould fliil con- 
 tinue undefined, oppofed the meafure with great 
 warmth ; and nothing was done. 
 
 Nearly all thole parts of Canada which were 
 inhabited when the country was under French 
 government, as well as the unoccupied lands 
 granted to individuals during the lame period, 
 are comprized under different feigniories, and 
 thefe, with all the ufages andcuftcms thereto 
 formerly pertaining* were confirmed to the 
 proprietaries by the Quebec bill, which began 
 to be in force in May 1775; thefe lands, 
 therefore, are held by unqueftionable titles. 
 All the wafte lands, however, of the crown, 
 that have been allotted fince the conquefr, 
 
 Vol. I. D d have 
 
4.62 TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA: 
 
 have been granted limply by certificates of oc- 
 cupation, or licences, from the governor, giving 
 per million to perfons who applied for thefe 
 lands to fettle upon them, no patents, convey- 
 ing a clear pofleffion of them, have ever been 
 made out ; it is merely by courtefy that they 
 are held ; and if a governor thought proper to 
 reclaim them on the part of the crown, he 
 has only to fay the word, and the titles of the 
 occupiers fink into air. Thus it is, that al- 
 though fevera! perfons have expended large 
 fums of money in procuring, and afterwards- 
 improving townfhips *, none of them are yet 
 enabled to fell a fingle acre, as- an indemnifi- 
 cation for thefe expences j at leaft no title can 
 be given with what is offered for fale, and it 
 is not therefore to be fuppofed, that purchasers 
 of fuch property will eafily be found. It is 
 true, indeed, that the different proprietaries of 
 thefe townfhips have been allured, on the part 
 of government, that patents mall be granted 
 to every one of them, and they are fully per- 
 fuaded, that thefe will be made out fome time 
 er other; but they have in vain waited for them 
 for three years, and they are anxioufly waiting 
 for them frill fv. 
 
 Different 
 
 * Trails of wafte land, ufually ten miles fquare. 
 f I received a letter, dated early in the year 1796, from a 
 gentleman in Canada, who has taken up one of thefe town- 
 
 3. ✓ l&p* 
 
SPECULATIONS. 403 
 
 Different motives have been affignedfor this 
 conduit on the part of the Britifli governmento 
 In the firft place it has been alledged, that the 
 titles are withheld, in order to prevent fpecu- 
 lation and land-jobbing from rifing to the fame 
 height in Canada, as they have done in the 
 United States. 
 
 It is a notorious fad:, that in the United 
 States land-jobbing has led to a feries of the 
 mofl nefarious practices, whereby numbers 
 have already -fuffered, and by which flill greater 
 numbers muft fufTer hereafter. By the ma- 
 chinations of a few interefted individuals, who 
 have contrived by various methods to get im- 
 menfe tracts * of wafte land into their poffef- 
 fion, fictitious demands have been created in 
 the market for land, the price of it has con- 
 fequently been enhanced much beyond its in- 
 
 trinfic 
 
 mips, which contains the following paragraph: <c Atprefent the 
 " matter remains in an unfettied ilate, although every Hep has 
 " been taken on my part to accelerate the completion of the 
 *' bufinefs. Mr. D — — 's patent, which was fenthome as a 
 " model, is not yet returned. I received a letter lately from 
 
 " Mr. Secretary R , in which he informs me, that Mr. 
 
 "G is again returned to the furveyor's office, and he 
 
 «* affures me, that in conjunction with him, he will do every 
 " thing in his power to sxpedite my obtaining a patent. The 
 *' governor, he fays, means that theland bufmefs fnouldgo for- 
 M ward.'* 
 
 * There have been many in/lances in the United States, of 
 a fingle individual's holding upwards of three millions of 
 acres at onetime, and fome few individuals have been Icho^va 
 lG hold even twice that quantity at once* 
 
 D d 2 . . 
 
4 C4 TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA: 
 tririfle worth, and thefe perfons have then 
 taken the opportunity of felling what they had 
 on hand at an enormous profit. The wealth 
 that has been accumulated by particular per- 
 fons in the United States, in this manner, is 
 prodigious ; and numberlefs others, witneffes 
 to their profperity, have been tempted to make 
 purchafes of land, in hopes of realizing for- 
 tunes in a fimilar way, by felling out final 1 
 portions at an advanced price. Thus it is that 
 the nominal value of wafte land has been 
 railed fo fuddenly in the United States; for 
 large tracts, which ten years before were felling 
 for a few pence per acre, have fold in num- 
 berlefs inftances, lately, for dollars per acre, an 
 augmentation in price which the increafe of 
 population alone would by no means have 
 occafioned. Eftates, like articles of merchant 
 dize, have paffed, before they have ever been 
 improved, through the hands of dozens of 
 people, who never perhaps were within five 
 hundred miles of them, and the confumer or 
 farmer, in confequence of the profits laid on by 
 thefe people, to whom they have feverally be- 
 longed, has had frequently to pay a moft exor- 
 bitant price for the little fpot which he has 
 purchafed *. 
 
 Speculation 
 
 * In the beginning of the year 1756, this traffic wa; 
 at its higheft pitch, and at this time General Wafhiagton, 'o 
 eminently diftinguifhed for his prudence and forelight, per- 
 ceiving 
 
LAND-JOBBI N P- 4°> 
 Speculation and land-jobbing carried to fuch 
 a pitch cannot but be deemed great evils in 
 Hit community; and to prevent them from ex- 
 tending into Canada appears to be an object 
 well worthy the attention of government ; but 
 it feems unneceffary to have recourfe for that 
 purpoic to the very exceptionable mealure of 
 withholding a good title to all lands granted 
 by the crown, a meafure difabling the land- 
 holderfrom taking the proper fteps to improve 
 his eftate^ which gives rife to diftruft and fuf- 
 picion, and materially impedes the [growing 
 prof per ity of the country. 
 
 It appears to me, that land-jobbing could 
 never arrive at fueb a height in Canada as to 
 be productive of fintilar evils to thofe already 
 fprung up from it in the United States, or 
 frmilar to thole further ones, with which the 
 country is threatened, if no more land were 
 granted by the crown, to any one individual, 
 than a townihip of ten thoufand acres; or 
 
 mould 
 
 chiving that land had rifen beyond its a&ual value, and per- 
 fuadeJ that it could not rife higher for Tome years to come, ad- 
 vertised for fale every acre of which he was pofleffed, except 
 the farms of Mount Vernon. The event mewed how accurate 
 Iks judgment was. In the clofe of the year, one of the great 
 land-jobbers, disappointed in his calculations, was obliged to 
 abicond ; the land trade was fnaken to its very foundation ; 
 bankruptcies fpread like Wildfire from one great city to an- 
 other, and men that had begun to build palaces found them- 
 ieives likely to have no better habitation for a time than the 
 coii^niOR gaol. 
 
 Dd 3 
 
4®e TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA, 
 mould it be thought that grants of fuch an ex- 
 tent even opened too wide a field for fpecu- 
 iation, certain reftrictions might be laid upon 
 tile grantee ; he might be bound to improve 
 his town {hip by a claufe in the patent, in- 
 validating the fale of more than a fourth or 
 fifth of it, 'unlefs to actual fettlers, until a cer- 
 tain number of people mould be refident 
 thereon Such a claufe would effectually pre- 
 vent the evil ; for it is the granting of very 
 extenfive tracts of wafte lands to individuals, 
 without binding them in any way to improve 
 them, which gives rife to {peculation and 
 land-jobbing. 
 
 By others it is imagined, that the with- 
 holding- of clear titles to the lands, is a mea~ 
 fure adopted merely for the purpofe of pre- 
 venting a diminution of the inhabitants from 
 taking place by emigration. 
 
 Net only townmips have been granted by 
 certificates of occupation, but alfo numberlefs 
 fmall portions of land, from one hundred acres 
 upwards, particularly in Upper Canada, to 
 royaliits and others, who have at differen ^pe- 
 riods 
 
 * The plan of binding every perfon that mould take up 
 a town (hip to improve it, by providing a certain number of fet- 
 tlers, lias not wholly efcaped the notice of government ; for 
 in the licences of occupation, by which each townfhip is. allot- 
 ted, it is ftipulated, that every perfon mall provide forty fettlers 
 for his townmip ; but as no given time is mentioned for ih« 
 procuring of thefe fettlers, the ftipulation becomes nugatory. 
 
EMI G. RATIO N. 407 
 
 riods emigrated from the United States. Thefe 
 people have all of them improved their feverai 
 allotments. By withholding any better title, 
 therefore, than that of a certificate, they are 
 completely tied down to their farms, unlefs, 
 indeed, they think proper to abandon them, 
 together with the fruits of many years labour, 
 without receiving any compenfation whatfo- 
 ever for fo doing. 
 
 It is not probable, however, that thefe peo- 
 ple, if they had a clear title to their lands, 
 would return back to the United States ; the 
 royalifts, who were driven out of the country 
 by the ill treatment of the other inhabitants, 
 certainly would not 5 nor would the others, 
 who have voluntarily quitted the country, re- 
 turn, whilft felf-intereit, which led them ori- 
 ginally to come into Canada, operated in favour 
 of their remaining there. It was the prefpeet 
 of getting land on advantageous terms, which 
 induced them to emigrate ; land is ftill a 
 cheaper article in Canada than in the United 
 States ; and as there is much more wafte land 
 in the former, than in the latter country, in 
 proportion to the number of the inhabitants, 
 it will probably continue fo for a length of time 
 to come. In the United States, at prefent, it 
 is imppffible to get land without paying for it ; 
 and in parts of the country where the foil is 
 rich, and' where fome fetdements are already 
 
 D d 4 made, 
 
4c3 TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA: 
 
 made, a tract of land, fufficient for a mode- 
 rate farm, is fcarcely to be procured under 
 hundreds of dollars. In Canada, however, a 
 man has only to. make application to. govern- 
 ment, and on his taking the oath of allegiance, 
 he immediately gets one- hundred acres of ex- 
 cellent uncleared land, in the neighbourhood 
 of other fettlements, gratis ; and if able to im- 
 prove it directly, he can get even a larger 
 quantity. But it is a fact worthy of notice, 
 which banifhes every fufpicicn relative to a 
 diminution of the inhabitants taking place by 
 emigrations into the States, that great num- 
 bers of people from the States actually emigrate 
 into Canada annually, whiln: none of the Ca- 
 nadians, who have it in their power to dif- 
 pofe of their property, emigrate into the United 
 States, except, indeed, a very few of thofe 
 who have refided in the towns. 
 
 According to the opinion of others, again,, 
 it is not for either of the purpofes already men- 
 tioned, that clear titles are withheld to. the 
 lands granted by the crown, but for that of 
 binding down to their good behaviour the peo- 
 ple of each province, more particularly the 
 Americans that have emigrated from the States 
 lately, who are regarded by many with an eye 
 of fufpicion, notwithstanding they have taken 
 the oaths cf allegiance to the crown. It is 
 very unfair, however, to imagine that thefe 
 
 people 
 
OBSERVATIONS. 403 
 
 people would be ready to revolt a fecond time 
 from Great Britain, if they were made lull 
 more independent than they are now, merely 
 becaufe they did lb on a former occasion, when 
 their liberties and rights, as men and as luhjecls 
 of the Britifh empire, were fo fhamefully difce* 
 garded ; on the contrary, were clear titles 
 granted with the lands bellowed by the crown 
 on them, and the other fubje&s of the pro- 
 vince, inrtead of giving rife to disaffection, 
 there is every reafon to think it would make 
 them ftiil more loyal, and more attached to the 
 Britifh government, as no invidious diftinc- 
 tions could then be drawn between the con- 
 dition of the landholders in the States and 
 thofe in Canada. The material rights and li- 
 berties of the people wo.uld then be full as ex- 
 tenfive in the one country as in the other ; and 
 as no poiitive advantage could be gained by a 
 revolt, it is not likely that Americans, of all 
 people in the world the moil devoted to felf- 
 intereft, would expofe their perfons and pro- 
 perties in fuch an attempt. 
 
 If, however, the Americans from the States 
 a.re people that would abufe fuch favours from 
 the crown, why were they admitted into the 
 province at all ? The government might eafilv 
 have kept them out, by refilling to them any 
 grants of lands; but at any rate, were it thought 
 expedient to admit them, and were fuch mca- 
 
 fares 
 
4 io. TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA : 
 lures necefTaiy to keep them in due fubjeclion, 
 it feems hard that the fame meafures mould 
 be adopted in regard to the inhabitants of the 
 province, who ftood firm to the Britifh go- 
 vernment, even at the time when the people 
 in every other part of the continent revoked. 
 
 For whatever reafon this fyftem, of not 
 granting unexceptionable titles with the land, 
 which the crown voluntarily beftows on its 
 faithful fubjefe, has been adopted, one thing 
 appears evident, namely, that it has very con- 
 siderably retarded the improvement of both 
 the provinces ; and indeed, as long as it is 
 continued, they mull both remain very back- 
 ward countries, compared with any of the ad- 
 joining ftates. Were an oppofite fyftem, how- 
 ever, purfued, and the lands granted merely 
 with ruch reftridtions as were found abf3- 
 lutely neceffary, in order to prevent jobbing, 
 the happy efrecls of a meafure of that nature 
 would foon become vifible 5 the face of the 
 country would be quickly meliorated, and it is 
 probable that there would not be any part of 
 North America, where they would, after amort 
 period, be able to boaft that improvement liad 
 taken place more rapidly. 
 
 It is very certain, that were the lands granted 
 in this manner, many more people would an- 
 nually emigrate into Canada from the United 
 States than at prcfent; for there are numbers 
 
 WaO 
 
OBSERVATIONS. 41B 
 who come yearly into the country to " explore 
 it/' that return back folely becaufe they can- 
 not get lands with an indifputable title. I have 
 repeatedly met with thefe people myfelf in 
 Upper Canada, and have heard them exprefs 
 the utmoft difappointment at not being able 
 to get lands on fuch terms even for money ; 
 I have heard others in the States a!fp fpeak to 
 the fame purport after they had been in Ca- 
 nada. It is highly probable, moreover, that 
 many of the people, who leave Great Britain 
 and Ireland for America, would then be in- 
 duced to fettle in Canada inftead of the United 
 States, and the Britifti empire would not, in 
 that cafe, lofe, as it does now, thoufands of 
 valuable citizens every year. 
 
 What are the general inducements, may 
 here beafked, to people to quit Great Britain 
 for the United States ? They have been fum- 
 med up by Mr. Cooper *, in his letters pub- 
 limed in 1794, on the fabjecl of emigrating 
 to America; and we cannot have recourfe, on 
 the whole, to better authority. 
 
 <e In my mind/' he fays, " the ffrffl and prin- 
 u cipal inducement to a perfon to quit Eng- 
 " land for America is, the total abfence of anx~ 
 
 " my 
 
 * Mr. Cooper, late of Manchefter, who emigrated to Ame- 
 rica with all his family, and whofe authority has been very ge- 
 nerally quoted by the Americans who have fmce written on the 
 iubjedl of emigration. 
 
4 72 TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA: 
 
 iety rc [petting the future Juccefs of a family. 
 " There is little fault to find with the govern- 
 (( ment of America, that is, of the United 
 € f States, either in principle or practice. There 
 
 are few taxes to pay, and thofe are of ac- 
 " knowledged necefiity, and moderate in 
 " amount. There are no animofities about re- 
 * f ligion, and it is a lubject about which few 
 " queftions are allied ; there are few refpedling 
 " political men or political meafures ; the pre - 
 <( lent irritation of men's minds in Great Bri- 
 c< tain, and the difcordant ftate of fociety on 
 " political accounts, is not known there. 
 ci The government, is the government of the 
 " people, and for the people. There are no 
 " tythes, nor game laws ; and excife laws, upon 
 "•fpirits only, and fimilar to the Britifh only in 
 *i name. There are no great men of rank, nor 
 <c many of great riches ; nor have the rich the 
 cc power of oppreffing the lefs rich, for poverty 
 (i is aimoft unknown ; nor are the ftreets 
 " crowded with beggars. You fee no where 
 (C the diigufting and melancholy contra ft, fo 
 " common in Europe, of vice and filth, and 
 IC rags and wretchednefs, in the immediate 
 45 neighbourhood of the moft wanton extrava- 
 <? gance, and the mod ufelefs and luxurious pa- 
 " rade ; nor are the common people fo de- 
 1C praved as in Great Britain. Quarrels are 
 
 uncommon, and boxing matches unknown 
 
 " in 
 
O B S g R V A T IONS. 4 ( 5 
 
 A£ in the flrcets. There are no military to 
 <; keep the people in awe. Robberies are very 
 " rare. All thefe are real advantages - y but 
 tc great as they are, they do not weigh with 
 <c me fo much as the iingle confideration firft 
 " mentioned. " 
 
 Any perfon that has travelled generally 
 through the United States muit acknowledge, 
 that Mr. Cooper has here fpoken with great 
 partiality ; for as to the morality and good 
 order that prevails amongft the people, he ha? 
 applied to ail of them what only holds true 
 with refpcdl to thole who live in the moft im- 
 proved parts of the country. 
 
 He is extremely inaccurate alio, in re pre - 
 fen ting the people of the States as tree from 
 all animofities about political meafures ; on 
 the contrary, there is no country on the face 
 of the globe, perhaps, where party fpirit runs 
 higher, where political fabjects are more fre- 
 quently the topic of conyerfation amongft all 
 claries, and where fuch fubjecls are mere fre- 
 quently thecaufe of rancorous difputations and 
 lalling differences amongft the people. I have 
 repeatedly been in towns where one half of the 
 inhabitants would fcarcely deign to fpeak to 
 the other half, on account of the difference of 
 their political opinions ; and it is fcarcely pot- 
 fible, in any part of the country, to remain for 
 a few hours in a mixed company of men, with- 
 out 
 
4H TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA c 
 
 out witnefiing fome acrimonious difpute from 
 the fame caufe. 
 
 Let us, however, compare the inducements 
 which he holds out to people in England to 
 leave that country for America, that is, for the 
 United States, with the inducements there 
 would be to fettle in Canada, under the pre- 
 mifed foppofition, that the land was there 
 granted in an unexceptionable manner. 
 
 From the land being plentiful in Canada, 
 and confequently at a very low price, but likely 
 to increafe in value ; whilil in the States, on 
 the contrary, it has rifen to an exorbitant value, 
 beyond which it is not likely to rife for fome 
 time to come ; there can be no doubt but that 
 a man of moderate property could provide for 
 his family v/ith much more eafe in Canada 
 than in the United States, as far as land were 
 his objedl. 
 
 In Canada, alfo, there is a much greater 
 opening for young men acquainted with any 
 buiinefs or profcffion that can be carried on in 
 America, than there is in the United States. 
 The expence of fettling in Canada would be 
 far lefs alfo than in any one of the States > for 
 in the former country the neceffaries and con- 
 veniences of life are remarkably cheap, whilft, 
 on the contrary, in the other they are far dearer 
 than in England \ a man therefore would cer- 
 tainly have no greater anxiety about the future 
 
 fuccefs 
 
OBSERVATIONS. 415 
 
 fuccefs of a family in Canada than in the 
 United States, and the abfence of this anxiety, 
 according to Mr. Cooper, is the great induce- 
 ?nent to fettle in the States, which weighs with 
 him more than all ether confederations put to- 
 gether. 
 
 The taxes of Lower Canada have alreadv 
 been enumerated ; they are of acknowledged 
 necefiity, and much lower in amount and num- 
 ber than thofe paid in the States. 
 
 There are no animofities in Canada about 
 religion, and people of all perfuafions are on a 
 perfect equality with each other, except, in- 
 deed, it be the proteftant diffenters, who may 
 happen to live on lands that were mbject to 
 tithes under the French government; they 
 have to pay tithes to the Englifh epifcopalian 
 clergy ; but there is not a diffenter living on 
 tithe lands, perhaps, in the whole province. 
 The lands granted fmce the conqueft are not 
 liable to tithes. The Englifh epifcopalian 
 clergy are provided for by the crow T n out of the 
 wafte lands; and all dill enters have fimply to 
 pay their own clergy. 
 
 There are no game laws in Canada, nor any 
 excife laws whatfeever. 
 
 As for the obfervation made by Mm Cooper, 
 in refpedl: to the military, it is almoft too futile 
 to deferve notice. If a fcidier, however, be 
 ;rn object of terror, the timid man will not find 
 
 himlblf 
 
41 6 TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA: 
 himfelf at cafe in the United States any more 
 than in England, as he will meet with foldiers 
 in New York, on Governor's Iiland, at Mifflin 
 Fort near Philadelphia, at the forts on the 
 North River, at Niagara, at Detroit, and at 
 Ofvvego, &c. on the lakes, and all through the 
 weitern country, at the different ports which 
 Were eflabliihed by General Wayne. 
 
 In every other refpedl, what Mr. Cooper 
 has faid of the United States holds good with 
 regard to Canada \ nay more, it muft certainly 
 in addition be allowed by every unprejudiced 
 perfon that has been in both countries, that 
 morality and good order are much more con - 
 fpicuous amongft the Canadians of every de- 
 fcription, than the people of the States 5 
 drunken nefs is undoubtedly much lefs com- 
 mon amongft them, as is gambling, and alfo 
 quarrels. 
 
 But independent of thefe inducements t6 
 fettle in Canada, there is ftiil another circum- 
 ftance, which ought to weigh greatly with 
 every Britim emigrant, according to the opi- 
 nion even of Mr. Cooper himfelf. After ad*- 
 vifing his friends " to go where land is cheap 
 <c and fertile, and where it is in a progrefs of 
 u improvement," he recommends them " to 
 * c go fome where, if poffible,//z the neighbourhood 
 " of a few EngliJJj, whofe fociety, even in 
 M America, is intereftirig to an EngHOi fet- 
 
 " tier, 
 
OBSERVATIONS. 417 
 
 ff tier, who cannot entirely relinquifh the me- 
 t€ tnoria tempo r is acli that is, as he parti- 
 cularly mentions in another paflage, " he 
 u will find their manners and converfation far 
 *' more agreeable than thofe of the Americans," 
 and from being chiefly in their company, he 
 will not be fo often tormented with the pain- 
 ful reflection, that he has not only left, but 
 abfolutely renounced' his native country, and 
 the men whom he once held dear above all 
 others, and united himfelf, in their ftead, with 
 people whofe vain boafts and ignorant affer- 
 tions, however harm and grating they may 
 found to his ears, he muft liften to without 
 murmuring. 
 
 Now in Canada, particularly In Lower Ca- 
 nada, in the neighbourhood of Quebec and 
 Montreal, an Englifh fettler would find him- 
 felf furrounded by his countrymen ; and al- 
 though his moderate circumftances mould 
 have induced him to leave England, yet he 
 would not be troubled with the diiao-reeable 
 reflection that he had totally renounced his 
 native land, and fwore allegiance to a foreign 
 power; he would be able to confider with 
 heartfelt fatisfadion, that he was living under 
 the prote&ion of the country wherein he had 
 drawn his firft breath*- that he was contribut- 
 ing to her profperity, and the welfare of many 
 of his countrymen, while he was ameliorating 
 his own fortune. 
 
 YoL.L Ee From 
 
4*8 TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA: 
 
 From a due confide ration of every one of 
 the before mentioned circumftances, it ap- 
 pears evident to me? that there is no part of 
 America fo fuitable to an Englifh or Irifh fet- 
 tler, as the vicinity of Montreal or Quebec in 
 Canada ; and within twenty miles of each of 
 there places there is ample room for thou- 
 fands of additional inhabitants. 
 
 I muft not omit here to give fome account 
 of a new fettlement in the neighbourhood of 
 Quebec, which I and my fellow travellers 
 vifited, in company with fome neighbouring 
 gentlemen, as it may in fome degree tend to 
 confirm the truth of what I have faid refpecl- 
 ing the impolicy of withholding indifputable 
 titles to the lands lately granted by the crown, 
 and as it may ferve at the fame time to mew 
 how many eligible fpots for new fettlements, 
 are to be found in the neighbourhood of this 
 city. 
 
 We fet off from Quebec in ealafhes, and 
 following, with a little deviation only, the 
 courfe of the River St. Charles, arrived on 
 the Margin of the laka of the fame name, 
 about twelve miles difcant from Quebec. 
 
 The River St. Charles flows from the lake 
 info the bafon, near Quebec ; at its mouth it 
 m about thirty yards wide, but not navigable 
 for boats, except for a few miles up, owing to 
 the numerous rocks and falls. In the fpring 
 8 of 
 
RIVER AND LAKE ST. CHARLES. 419 
 of the year, when it is much fwollen by floods, 
 rafts have been conducted down the whole 
 way from the lake, but this has not been ac- 
 complished without great difficulty, fome 
 danger, and a considerable lofs of time in pal- 
 fing the different portages. The diftance 
 from the lake to Quebec being fo fhort, land 
 carriage muft always be preferred to a water 
 conveyance along this river, except it be for 
 timber. 
 
 The courfe of the St. Charles is very irre- 
 gular ; in fome places it appears almoft ftag- 
 nant, whilft in others it (hoots with wonder- 
 ful impetuofity over deep beds of rocks. 
 The views upon it are very romantic, parti- 
 cularly in the neighbourhood of Lorette, a 
 village of the Huron Indians., where the river, 
 after falling in a beautitul cafcaae over a led^e 
 of rocks, winds through a deep dell, fhaded 
 on each fide with tail trees. 
 
 The face of the country between Quebec 
 and the lake is extremely plcafing, and in the 
 neighbourhood of the city, where the fettle- 
 ments are numerous, well cultivated ; but as 
 you retire from it, the fettlements become 
 fewer and fewer, and the country of courfe 
 appears wilder. From the top of a hill, about 
 half a mile from the lake, which commands 
 a fine view of that and the adjacent country, 
 not more than five or fix houfes are to be* 
 
 E e 2 ieea 
 
4 ao TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA: 
 feen, and beyond thefe, there is no fettlement 
 befide that on Stoneham town (hip, the one 
 under immediate notice. 
 
 On arriving at the lake, we found two 
 canoes in waiting for us, and we embarked on 
 board them. 
 
 Lake St. Charles is about four miles and a 
 half in length, and its breadth on an average 
 about three auarters of a mile. It confifts of 
 two bodies of water nearly of the lame fize ; 
 they communicate together by a narrow pafs, 
 through which a fmart current fets towards, 
 Quebec. The fcenery along the lower part 
 of the lake is uninterefting, but along the 
 upper part of it, the views are highly pidu- 
 refque, particularly upon a firft entrance 
 through the pafs. The lake is here inter- 
 fperfed w r ith large rocks ; and clofe to the 
 water on one fide, as far as the eye can reach, 
 rocks and trees appear blended together in 
 the mo ft beautiful manner. The fhores are 
 bold and richly ornamented with hanging 
 woods ; and the head of the lake being con- 
 cealed from the view by feveral little promon- 
 tories, you are led to imagine that the body of 
 water is far rnore extenfive than in reality. 
 Towards the upper end, the view is termi- 
 nated by a range of blue hills, which appear 
 at a diftance, peeping over the tops of the tall 
 trees. When a few fettlements come to be 
 
 made 
 
STONEHAM TOWNSHIP. 421 
 
 made here, open to the lake, for the land bor- 
 dering upon it is quite in its natural ftate, this 
 mud indeed be a heavenly little foot. 
 
 The depth of the water in the lake is about 
 eight feet, in fome places more, in others 
 lefs. The water is clear, and as feveral fmall 
 ftreams fall into it, to fuppiy what runs off 
 by the River St. Charles, it is kept conftantly 
 in a ftate of circulation ; but it is not well 
 tafted, owing, as is conceived, to the bottom 
 being in fome parts overgrown with weeds. 
 Prodigious numbers of bull frogs, however, 
 are found about the mores, which mews that 
 fprings of good water abound near it, for thefe 
 creatures are never met with but where the 
 water is of a good quality. 
 
 At the upper part of the lake we landed, 
 and having proceeded for about half a mile 
 over fome low ground bare of trees, from 
 being annually flooded on the diffolution of 
 the fnow, we (truck into the woods. Here a 
 road newly cut foon attracted our attention, 
 and following the courfe of it for a mile or 
 two, we at laft efpied, through a fudden open- 
 ing between the trees, the charming little fet- 
 tlemeot. 
 
 The dwelling houfe, a neat boarded little 
 manfion painted white, together with the of- 
 fices, were fituated on a jfrriall eminence; to 
 the right, at the bottom of the flope, flood the 
 
 barn, 
 
42* TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA : 
 barn, the largeft in all Canada, with a farm 
 yard exactly in the Engiifh ftyle % behind the 
 barn was laid out a neat garden, at the bottom 
 of which, over a bed of gravel, ran a purling 
 flream of the pureft water, deep enough, ex- 
 cept in a very dry feafon, to rloat a large 
 canoe. A fmall lawn laid down in grafs ap- 
 peared in front of the houfe, ornamented with 
 clumps of pines, and in its neighbourhood were 
 about fixty acres of cleared land. The com- 
 mon method of clearing land in America is 
 to grub up all the brufhwood and fmall trees 
 merely, and to cut down the large trees about 
 two feet above the ground.* the remaining 
 flumps rot in from flx to ten years ? according 
 to the quality of the timber $ in the mean time 
 the firmer ploughs between them the belt 
 way he can, and where they are very numer- 
 ous, he is fometimes obliged to ufe even the 
 fpade or the hoe to turn up the foil. The 
 lands, however, at this fettlement had been 
 cleared in a different manner, for the trees and 
 roots had all been grubbed up at once. This 
 mode of proceeding is extremely expenfive, 
 fo that few of thofe deftined to make new fet- 
 tlernents could afford to adopt it ; and, more- 
 over, it has not been accurately proved that 
 it is the moft profitable one$ but the appear- 
 ance of lands fo cleared is greatly fuperior to 
 thofe cleared in the common method. 
 
NEAT FARM. 423 
 
 In another refpedt alfo the lands at this fet- 
 tlement had been cleared in a fuperior manner 
 to what is commonly to be met with in Ame- 
 rica; for large clumps of trees were left ad- 
 joining to the houfe, and each field was en- 
 circled with wood, whereby the crops were 
 fecured from the bad effects of ftorms. The 
 appearance of cultivated fields thus fituated, as 
 it were, in the midft of a foreft, was incon- 
 ceivably beautiful. 
 
 The economy of this little farm equalled 
 its beauty. The fields, neatly fenced in and 
 furnhhed with handfome gates, were cultivated 
 according to the Norfolk fy ftem of huibandry, 
 and had been brought to yield the mo ft plenti- 
 ful crops of every different fort of grain ; the 
 farm yard was filled with as fine cattle as could 
 be feen in any country ^ and the dairy afforded 
 excellent butter, and abundance of good 
 cheefe. 
 
 Befides the dwelling-houfe before mention- 
 ed, there were feveral log-houfes on different 
 parts of this farm, inhabited by the people 
 who were engaged in clearing the land. All 
 thefe ^appeared delighted with the fituation^ 
 nor were fuch of them as had come a fhorl 
 time before from England, at all difpleafed 
 with the climate ; they informed me, that they, 
 had enjoyed perfect health from the moment 
 of their landing, and found no inconvenience 
 
 from 
 
4H TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA : 
 frod: the intenfe cold of the winter feafon, 
 which appears fuch an infuperable objection 
 to many agaiaft fettling in Canada. 
 
 This fettlement, together with the town- 
 fliip it is fituated upon, are the property of a 
 clergyman formerly refidentat Quebec. The 
 townfnip is ten miles fquare, commencing 
 where the mod remote of the old feigniories 
 end, that is, within eighteen miles of the city 
 of Quebec ; but though within this fhort 
 diilance of a large city, it was almoft totally 
 unknown until about five or fix years ago, 
 when the prefent proprietor, with a party of 
 Indians and a few friends, fet out himfelf to 
 examine the quality of the lands. They proved 
 to be rich ; the timber was luxuriant ; the face 
 of the country agreeably diverfified with hill 
 and dale, interfperfed with beautiful lakes, and 
 interfered by rivers and mill fireams in every 
 direction. Situated alfo within fix miles of old 
 fettlements, through which there were efta- 
 blifhed roads, being convenient to a market at 
 the capital of Canada, and within the reach of 
 fociety at leafl: as agreeable, if not more fo, 
 than is to be found in all America, nothing 
 feemed wanting to render it an eligible fpot for 
 a new fettlement ; accordingly the proprietor 
 made application to government; the land was 
 furveyed, the town (hip marked out, and it was 
 
 allotted 
 
REFLECTIONS. 42$ 
 allotted to him merely, however, by a certifi- 
 cate of occupation. 
 
 Several other gentlemen, charmed with the 
 excellent quality and beautiful difpofition of 
 the lands in this part of the country, have 
 taken up adjoining townfhips ; but at none of 
 them have any fettlements been made, nor is 
 it probable that any will be, until the proprie- 
 taries get better titles : indeed, it has excited 
 the furprife of a numerous fet of people in the 
 province, to fee even the little fettlement I 
 have fpoken of, eftablifhedon land held under 
 fuch a tenure. 
 
 That unexceptionable titles may be fpeedily 
 made out to thefe lands, is fmcerely to be 
 hoped ; for may we not, whenever that mea - 
 fure (hall take place, expedt to fee thefe 
 beautiful provinces, that have fo long remain- 
 ed almoft unknown, riling into general no- 
 tice ? May we not then expeit to behold them 
 increafing rapidly in population, and making 
 hafty ftrides towards the attainment of that 
 degree of profperity and confequence, which 
 their foil, climate, and many other natural ad- 
 vantages, have fo eminently qualified them for 
 enjoying f And furely the empire at large 
 would be greatly benefited by fuch a change 
 in the ftate of Canada ; for as the country in- 
 creafed in population, it would increafe in 
 Vol. I. Ff riches/ 
 
425 TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA s 
 riches, and there would then be a proportion- 
 able greater demand for Englifh manufac- 
 tures ; a ftill greater trade would alfo be car- 
 ried on then between Canada and the Weft 
 Indies than at prefent, to the great advantage 
 of both countries * ; a circumftance that 
 would give employment to a greater number 
 of Britifli fhips : as Canada alfo increafed in 
 wealth, it would be enabled to defray the ex- 
 pences of its own government, which at pre- 
 fent falls fo heavily upon the people of Great 
 Britain : neither is there reafon to imagine 
 that Canada, if allowed to attain fuch a ftate 
 of profperity, would be. ready tu difuiikc her- 
 felf from Great Britain, fuppofing that Great 
 'Britain fhould remain as powerful as at pre- 
 fent, and that Canada continued to* be go- 
 verned w T ith mildnefs and wifdom; for fhe 
 need but turn towards the United States, to be 
 convinced that the great mafs of her people 
 were in the polfeffion of as much happinefs 
 
 and 
 
 * All thofe articles of American produce in demand in the 
 Weil Indies may be had on much better terms in Canada than 
 in the United States ; and if the Canadian merchants had 
 fufficient capitals to enable them to trade thither largely, there 
 can hardly be a doubt but that the people of the Britifli Weft 
 Indian ifles would draw their fupplies from Canada rather than 
 from any other part of America, The few cargoes at prefent 
 fent from Quebec, always command a preference in the Weft 
 Indian markets over thofe fent from any part of the United 
 States. 
 
 2 
 
REFLECTIONS. 427 
 and liberty as thofc of the neighbouring coun- 
 try 1 and that whatever fhe might <ofe by 
 expofing herfelf to the horrors of a fanguinary 
 war, fhe could gain no effential or immediate 
 advantages whatfoever, by averting her own 
 independence. 
 
 END OF THE FIRST VOLUME. 
 
 Luke Hanfard, Printer, 
 Great Turnftile, LincolnVInn Fielis. 
 
to