"CONTENTdm"@en . "Voyage dans les E\u00CC\u0081tats-Unis d'Ame\u00CC\u0081rique, fait en 1795, 1796 et 1797"@en . "http://resolve.library.ubc.ca/cgi-bin/catsearch?bid=1733432"@en . "British Columbia Historical Books Collection"@en . "Travels through the United States"@en . "La Rochefoucauld-Liancourt, Franc\u00CC\u00A7ois-Alexandre-Fre\u00CC\u0081de\u00CC\u0081ric, duc de, 1747-1827"@en . "2017-01-31"@en . "1800"@en . "https://open.library.ubc.ca/collections/bcbooks/items/1.0342323/source.json"@en . "xxiii, 591 pages : map (folded) ; 22 cm"@en . "application/pdf"@en . " Meridian of < Washington\nir^^irTr-^ii^n.^^iw-inirTTiTnimmmi;.!.:..;!'!., p^mum^\n38\n37\n36\n35\n34\n33\n32\nJitTWWV\nRupettjculp\n TRAVELS\nthrough:\nTHE UNITED STATES\nOF\nNORTH AMERICA\nTHE\nWOUNTRY OF. THE IROQUOIS,\n'^ffl AND\nI UPPER CANADA,\nIN THE YEARS 17Q5, 1796, AND 1797 ,\nBY THE\nDUKE DE LA ROCHEFOUCAULT\nLIANCOURT.\nWITH AN AUTHENTIC ACCOUNT OF LOWER CANADA-\nTHREE MAPS* SEVERAL TABLES, &C.\n>e\u00C2\u00ABK\u00C2\u00BB\u00C2\u00AE<\nSECOND EDITION.\nB\u00C2\u00A9^S-\u00C2\u00BB<\n.-Hmmmmmmmimmm\nVOL. I.\nHonDnn:\nPrinted by T. Gillet, Saliibur)-Square,\nFOR R. PHILLIPS, NO. 71, ST. PAUL'S CHURCH-YARD; SOLD BY\nT. HURST AND J- WALLIS, PATERNOSTER-RO \V, AND\nBY CARPENTER AND CO. OLD BOND-STREET.\n1800.\n4ft\nmm*.\nII\nI\nuill\n\u00C2\u00ABE\n TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE.\n\u00C2\u00ABs5\u00C2\u00BB\u00C2\u00BB-X-\u00C2\u00AB<\nTHE Duke delaRbcHEFOucAULT Liancourt,\na man, who, at all times, has been diftinguifhed\nAs one of the moft amiable, the moft virtuous, and the\nbeft informed of all the French nobility, has made a\nJourney for pbilofophical and commercial obfervation\nthroughout a great part of North America, and has\ncommunicated the fubftance of his obfervations to\nthe World, in the valuable Narrative which is here\nprefented to the Britifh Public.\nAlthough no longer a dependency of the Brithn\nEmpire, the thirteen provinces of the American Com-\n^monwealth are not regarded by Britons, as a land of\nftrangers. The mutual animofities of the war of the\nAmerican revolution are already cxtinguifhed. Britons\nand Americans now think of each other only as brethren ; a kindred defcent, a common language, congenial character, a ftrong alliance of inftitufjons, av09*\nand manners, render them to one another reciprocally\nintcrefting, perhaps much more than, in fimijajr cir-\ncumftances, any third nation would be to either. As\nthe hiftory of the Spaniards, who firft entered SoutJjL\nAmerica, engages our curiofity more than that oj?~\nthe horfes, the dogs, or the fugar-canes, which thejf\ncarried with them; as the hiftory of the nations of\npolifhed Europe is more interefting than that of the\nTartars and Tonguli; as accounts of the fortunes of\nH 2 a fon.\nill\n1\n TRANSLATOR S PREFACE.\na fon, a father, a brother, a lover, in a diftant land,\nare more anxioufly expected, and more eagerly heard,\nthan if it were but a cafual acquaintance to whom they\nrelated : fo, in the fame manner, and for the fame\nreafons, every new communication refpecling North\nAmerica, and its inhabitants of Britifh defcent, is\nnaturally, in an extraordinary degree, attractive ta\nthe curiofity of the people of this country. M. de la\nRochefoucault's details concerning colonial life and\nmanners are, hence, adapted to imprefs a Britifh imagination, as agreeably as if their fubjeCl were the rural\noeconomy of Wales, of Yorkfhire, cr of the Highlands of Scotland, and that, till now, though fo nearly\ninterefting, yet utterly unknown.\nBelides fuch motives of afFeffion and curiofity, there,\nare reafons of a lefs refined nature, which engage the\ncommercial people of England, to liften eagerly tc^all\nauthentic accounts refpec~ting America. A great anfrappens &iU. more frequency that :party>fi\nfjpiist, -felf-a^tereft, or prejudice, deprive thofe anfwers.\n\nqindries ; fee ofteft views things with prejudice, ira-i\nbfbedfrom a certain;uyftem, and scc\u00C2\u00BBrd>ijig3tatnViiicl3^\nhe reMil'ates'.all.3ais:: questions, and\u00E2\u0096\u00A0 all the anfwers\nO 1 *\nhe recet^es. To thefe real difficaaJths are ^equentlyi\nadded thofe which arife out of the perfanai fkua&bffi\n\u00C2\u00A9f-Hke traveller, from th eJcrrcutmfaiaris.es of -the m^\nmewfe, - or te fome - mpkribn-s : \u00E2\u0080\u00A2 which he may have\nalready formed-,- 'befdreahe makes-iris enqukies. It is\neafy i-tierelore to-conceive h'ow^difficnk it is fork pers\nfon who travels to- -acquire a full and accurate account\n\"ofevery- thing;- \u00E2\u0080\u00A2\n DEDICATION*\nXIX\nX( I do not' fay/ thatcin this tour, I have had the\ngood fortune to keep clear of the- rocks againft which\nfo many have-ftruc'k. But 1 may;fay:tbat I have done\nevery thing in my power to infert\"nothing but what\nis authentic. As far as I poffibly could, I-have-made\nenquiries concerning the fame thing of:feveral meoy\n;\u00C2\u00A9f different interefts and opinions. I have done nay\nutmoft endeavour to get lid of every partial opinion;\nI might have previously fortned; in fbort, I have\nfought after truth by every means in my >p6wer. The\nidea of writing only for !you, for ijjy friends,- and for\nmyfelf, has madesiu'e.'ftill more ftrict and attentive'\nwith regard to the materials wfoich I collected, and\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0the accounts I afterwards made.from them. I have\nlike wife ftated, almoft on every occafion, \"the fourees'\nfrom which I drew; them ; in order to engage: your\napprobation, or fbew where doubts ought to be entertained. I have not, knowingly, ftated any thing\nthat was erroneous ; but, 'ftill, I am far from fuppoftng'\nthat I have efpaped every kind of error. I have frequently in oner.place been unable to obtain an account of certain circumftances, concerning which I\nhad in another place, acquired very full information.\nAlthough fome books of travels in America may contain fewer facts than I have collected; yet I do not\nthe lefs, on that account, perceive .the defects of nr$R\ntour, which I might with more cunning, but with\nlefs fairnefs, have concealed from my friends.\n\" The territory'of the United .States is perhaps thej\n$nly country in the world which it is mot: ^difficult\nc 'I\n(L.\n n\n.//\nXX\nDEDICATION.\n\"to be made acquainted with, unlefs you have traverfed\nit yourfelf. It is a country altogether in a fiate of\nprogreftive advancement. What is to-day a fact, with\nregard to its population, its management, its value,\nand trade; will no longer be fo in fix months to\ncome ; and ftill lefs in fix months more. It is like a\nyouth, who from the ftate of a boy is growing into\nmanhood, and whofe features, after the expiration of\na year, no longer refemble the original picture that\nhad been drawn of him. The accounts given by\ntravellers at prefent, and perhaps for many years to\ncome, can only ferve as the means of enabling diftant\npQfterity to form a comparifon between the ftate which\nthe country fhall then be in, and what it formerly\nwas. In this point of view it appears to me, that fuch\naccounts are far from being: ufelefs.\n\" Every day I travelled, I wrote down the accounts, juft as I received them. Whenever I remained for fome time in the fame place, I put together what information I had collected, and arranged\nit in a better order. I have been in many places\noftener than once; confequently the obfervations\nmade concerning them have been written at the dif-\nferent times I happened to be there. It would have\nbeen eafy enough to have put them together into one\narticle : but in that cafe I fhould not have written\nmerely a Journal of my travels, which was what I had\nwifhed to do; that being perhaps the only kind of\nwdrk which does not require greater talents than\nmine; and where truth pan be the principal merit/-\n(i I hay@\nvsmm\n DEDICATION.\nxxl\nfr\niffiil have fometimes made remarks which had properly no connexion with my tour : it is a great fatijsS\nfa6tion to him who writes for his friends, that he is\n.lore of their fympathizing affection, though be fhould\ngive himfelf up to the fentiments and feelings of the\nmoment,\n\" No doubt, I ftand in need of forgivenefs, for\npaving occafionally yielded to an imperious neceffity\narid for having been carried away by the force of im-\npreffions which were only of a perfonal nature. My\nfHends will view thefe deviations with indulgence^\nand perhaps they will even experience favour with\nthofe readers to whom my prefent fituation may be\nknown.\n44 With regard to the ftile of this work ; probably\nmy endeavours to make it as perfpicuous as poffible,\nwhich has been my chief object, has been productive,\nin fome places, of tedious prolixity, and frequent\ntautology. To write with as much purity and cor-\nrectnefs as we are capable of, we want more leifure\nthan he can fpare, who binds himfelf to commit to\npaper every day the obfervations he has made, whatever may be his fituation.\n46 I have fometimes made ufe of Englifh terms, and\nfometimes turned them into French \ always taking\npains, however, to tranflate them as correctly as poffible : this I have done whenever I found it practicable, and never loft fight of the true meaning. StHJt\nthere are fome words, which, wheniranflated, do not\nperfe&ly convey the fignification thatlattached to them\nin\n\u00C2\u00AB\nIt\niM\"-*i\n ISJL\n&EBSCATI0N:.\n5\nin Eng*iifh : for example\u00E2\u0080\u0094the word cleared fignlfies\napiece of land wjber^iome greafctreesj feav.e-been felled,\nafid'Others haye had an incifioii cut round ritaem in the\nbark, and the branelaes lopt ofrVstari burr*t?ein order:\nthat corn may be fown. This is not perfectry explained by the word iclairci, which only means that\nfome bsaacjhes have Ikeeqt cut off, either for tfee purpofe of forwarding:'-the growtla of thofe that remain,\nor of adding to a-, pleafant profpect? The term de-\nfricM always figmfies cultivated ground from winch\nthe roots have been taken away i but that l&nd which\nin America is called chared, is frequently not culti-?\nvated. The French tranflation of the term fore, is\nmagazin; but it is frequently expreffed by the wore=5t-\u00C2\u00A9<\nA\u00E2\u0084\u00A2\" RESIDENCE of five months in Philadelphia has afforded me a degree of\nprevious information relative to the United\nStates, from which I cannot fail to derive ef-\nfential fervice in the courfe of my intended\njourney. I have had the good fortune to meet\nwith an agreeable young Englifhman, who is\nwell informed, is a pleafant companion, and is\nuncommonly fond of travelling:. His name is\nGuillemard, and he is defcended from ot*c\nof thofe French families, with which our unhappy differences in religious matters enriched\nEngland. He has been induced to vifit this\npart of the world, folely by a wifh to obtain\naccurate information relative to America,\nwithout any view whatever of pecuniary ad-\nVol. I. B \u00E2\u0080\u00A2 vantage\nU\n\u00C2\u00BB\n TRAVEL^ THROUGH\nthrough which we paffed about a fortnight\nago. In this place I fhall infert the journal of\nthat little tour, which, although it bears no\nproportion in length to the account that I pro-\npofe to write of the remainder of my travels,\nwill not, I truft, prove wholly uninterefting.\n\u00C2\u00BB\u00C2\u00AB->c-\u00C2\u00AB<\nA TOUR TO AND FROM NORRIS TOWN.\nON the twentieth of April Mr. Guillcmard,\nCaleb Lownes, and myfelf, fet out on horfe-\nback from Philadelphia, through Ridge Road,\n>n our way to Norris Town. This road, like\nall the public roads in Pennfylvania, is very\nbad, for provifion is brought to that city from\nall parts in large and heavy laden waggons.\nThe conftant paffage of thefe waggons de-\nftroys the roads, efpecially near the town,\nwhere feveral of them meet. Ridge Road is\nalmoft imp affable.\nThe diftrict of the city extends about four\nor five miles north and fouth, and is bounded\non the eaft by the Schuylkill. This extent\nwas originally affigned to it by William\nPenn\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\n\u00C2\u00A3\nPenn, when he formed the plan of the city.\nHe promifed to every fettler, who fliould'pur-\nchafe five thoufand acres of land in the country, one hundred acres within the city-diftricr,\nand two town-fhares; a promife which was\nfaithfully fulfilled by him and by his fuccef-\nfors, as long as any town-fhares and acres of\nland within the diftrict: remained for distribution. William Penn kept only five or fix\nthoufand acres for himfelf. This land is in its\nfoil of a very indifferent quality, but its vicinity to the town occafions it to be bought\nwith great eagernefs. It is covered, with COUn-\ntry-Jioufes, which, in point of architecture, are\nyery fimple; from their great number they\nhowever enliven and embellim the whole\nneighbourhood. Very few of them arc without a fmall garden; but it is rare to obferve\none, that has a grove adjoining, or that is fur-\nrouncjed with trees; it is the cuftom of the\ncountry to have no wood near the houfes.\nCuftoms are fometimes founded in reafon,\nbut it is difficult to conjecture the defign of\nthis practice in a country, where the heat in\nFf \u00C2\u00A3\u00C2\u00A3\nfummer is altogether intolerable, and where\nI ' . j *n<*f ^\nB 3 the\nffi!\n 6\nTRAVELS THROUGH\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0 H\nthe ftructure of the houfes is defignedly adapt-\ned to exclude that exceffive heat.*\nLand in this neighbourhood is worth about\neighty dollars an acre ; three years ago it was\nworth only forty-two. Two miles from the\ncity, Ridge Road interfects the entrenchments,\nwhich the Englifli conftructed during the laft\nwar, for the purpofe of covering Philadelphia,\nafter they had penetrated into Pennfylvania\nthrough the Chefapeak. The remains of thefe\nworks are ftill vifible. But the prefence of\nthe Englifh is more ftrongly teftified by the\nruins of many half burnt and half demolifhed\nhoufes, fo many expreffive monuments of that\ninveterate animofity, with which the war was\ncarried on, and which was highly difgraceful to\nthe generous fentiments of a people, who well\nknow, that every evil inflicted on an enemy,\neven in time of war, without the plea of ne-\nceffity or advantage, is a crime. Alas! the\n* The reafon is, becaufe' the country was univerfally\nwooded, when the building of thefe houfes was firft begun ; and in a country thus wooded, to clear the fpace\nround the dwelling-houfe was juft as natural, as to plant\nround the houfe in a country otherwife bare of wood.-r-\nTranjlator.\nevils\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C 7\nevils of fuch a ftate, however alleviated, will\nftill be far too numerous.\nAs the country on this fide of Philadelphia\npoffefies more variety than on any other, it is\nhere we difcover the moft agreeable profpects,\nfome of which are truly charming ; and more\nfo, the nearer we approach the Schuylkill.\nThe contract between the rocks, which form\nthe banks of this river, and the numerous\nmeadows and adjacent corn fields, gives this\nprofpect a mixture of romantic wildnefs, and\ncultivated beauty, which is really deligtitfuh\nThe road we have entered does not join the\nSchuylkill, except near the falls. This nam\nhas been very improperly given to a flight in\nequality in the level of the ftream, produced\nhy pieces of rock of unequal fize in the bed of\nthe river, which, as they accelerate the motion\nof the water with a certain noifo, obitruCT*\nno doubt, the navigation; yet fo far are they\nfrom forming any confiderable water-fall, thai\nthey are entirely covered at high water; and\nat that time fmall veffels, which ply along the\nright bank, pafs thefe falls, although not\nwithout danger. A fmall rivulet, which, a\nihort diftance above thefe falls, runs into the\nB 4 Schuylkill,\n Travels through\nSchuylkill, turns feveral tobacco, muftardy\nchocolate, paper, and other mills; none of\nwhich are confiderable buildings; but their\ngreat variety enlivens and beautifies the land-\nfcape. Above the falls, a Mr. Nicholson\npoffefles large iron-works, a button manufactory, and a glafs-houfe. But none of thefe\nworks are yet completed. The buildings,\nhowever, which appear to be well conftruct>\ned, are nearly all finifhed. A particular building is affigned to every different branch of labour ; and the largeft is defigned for the habitation of the workmen, of whom Mr. Nichol-\nfon will be obliged to keep at leaft a hundred. Thefe buildings are on the right bank,\nand the warehoufe, which is to receive the\nmanufactures, is on the oppofite fide. The\npieces of rock, which occafion the falls, form\nan eafy communication acrofs the river, and\nwould greatly facilitate the conftruction of a\nbridge, were fuch a project to be carried into\nexecution.\nThe fituation of this fettlement is extremely\nwell chofen; for, on the very fpot where the\nnavigation of the river is intercepted, all the\nmaterials neceffary can be procured from both\nfides\n S-,\nNORTH AMERICA, CANADA, OCC.\n9\n\u00C2\u00A3des of the water. The fand required for the\nglafs-houfe is brought from the banks of the\nDelaware ; the caft-iron from the higher parts\nof,the Schuylkill, and the pit-coal (which is\nfold in Philadelphia at two millings, or four\nfifteenths of a dollar per bufhel) from Virginia.\n'The completion of the canal, which is to unite\nthe Schuylkill with the Delaware, will greatly\nfacilitate the fale of the manufactures. The\nwant of thefe commodities, which have hitherto been drawn chiefly from Europe, enfures\nthem a certain market; in fhort, every thing\npromifes fuccefs to this undertaking. All\nthefe natural advantages however muft vanifh,\nif ever there fhould arife a want of money,\nlarge and prompt fupplies of which are requi-\nfite to give activity to the whole : I as well as\njudgment, induftry and economy.\nThere is in America a fcarcity of perfons\ncapable of conducting a bufinefs of this kind.\nThere are alfo but few good workmen, who\nare with difficulty obtained, and whofe wages\nare exorbitant. The conductors of Mr. Ni-\ncholfbn's manufactories are faid to be very-\nable men. But then a whole year may elapfe,\nbefore the workmen fall into a proper train of\nbufinefs,\n i\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nbufinefs, fo that Mr. Nicholfon's fituation does-\nnot afford the moft flattering profpects of fuccefs, if his returns be not rapid, as well as large.\nThe conductors of the manufactories being\nabfent, we were not able to.obtain more ample information concerning this eftablifhment,\nind for the fame reafon we could not learn,\nwhether it be intended to make ufe of the\nfame machines, which are ufed in the great\niron-works in Europe. The whole road from\nPhiladelphia to Roxborough is full of granite,\nand covered with a fort of mica, which is reducible to the fineft duff.\nAbout half a mile from Mr. Nicholfon's\nbuildings, on the bank of the Schuylkill, is\nthe houfe of one Robertson, where we intended firft to ftop.\nRobertfon, a quaker, and brother of Caleb\nLownes's wife, is a miller and-farmer on his;\nown account. He pofleffes an eftate of two\nhundred and fifty acres, of which thirty only\nare covered with wood. The land is, on the.\nwhole, of very^ inferior quality in this diftrict.\nThere is but little wheat cultivated here, the\ncommon grain being maize, called in America\nIndian corn, rye, and fome oats. An acre g;e-\nnerally-\nm\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\nH\nnerally yields from twenty-five to thirty bufhels\nof maize, from eighteen to twenty bufhels of\nrye, and about ten bufhels of wheat. Mr.\nRobertfon manures his land; but it is a fur-\nprifing fact;, that he fetches his dung from Philadelphia at the high price of three dollars a\nload, containing about five cubic feet, when\nhe might eafity procure it in abuhdance on his\nown farm. Seven fuch loads are allowed to\nevery acre, and his land is manured every three\nor four years. His meadows are fuperior to the\nreft: of his grounds ; in common with all other\nAmerican farmers, he mixes plalter of Paris\nwith his feed. Four oxen and two horfes are\nfufficient to do the work of this farm, a part\nof which is fo fteep, as to be incapable of cultivation. Day-labourers are procured here\nwithout much difficulty; they receive four\nmilling's a day with board, or five fhilling;s and\nnine pence without it. The price of Indian\ncorn is five milliners a bufhel, of wheat from\nnine to twelve, and of barley fix. Hay is generally fold at fixteen or eighteen dollars a tun,\nbut at this time it is thirty-three. Common\nmeadows yield about three tuns, but thofe in\na good fituation, which are properly cultivated,\n111\n ed, and fown with clover or other grafs,\ntimes produce eight tuns. Mr. Robertfon\nbuys lean cattle, from the fattening of which\nhe derives a profit of fixteen, twenty, or twenty-five dollars a head. Robertfon however af-\nferts, that hay is the molt lucrative produce\narifing; from the meadows; at leaft it is that\nwhich, with equal profit, requires the leaft toil.\nI am aftonifhed at the fhallow arguments the\nfarmers of this country offer, to juftify this favourite fyftem, of avoiding whatever requires,\nlabour. On this principle Mr. Robertfon will\nnot kqep a dairy, or pnake either butter or,\ncheefe, though, were he to try the experiment\nhe would foon experience its advantages. It\nappears, that this cuftom partly arifes from the\nScarcity and great expence of labourers, but\nftill more from the prevailing indifference and\nindolence of the farmers, who prefer the indulgence of this difpofition to a fmall advantage. It is alfo, in fome meafure, to be attributed to the national character, in which\nindolence is a very ftriking feature. In point;\nof agricultural knowledge, Robertfon is but\nlittle fuperior to the fervant, who conducts his,\nbufinefs; he is filled with prejudices, and is^\neven\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\n13\neven ignorant of many things, which in Europe are confidered as the a b c of husbandry.*\nHe appears, however, to be far more fkilful,\nas a miller. His mill, which is faid to be the\nfirft that was built in America, is worked by\na rivulet, called Wiflahiccon, which turns\ntwenty-five other mills, before it reaches Ro*\nbertfbn's. It has three water-courfes, and\nthree feparate mills, two of which work for\nthe manufactory, as they call it, and one for\nthe public. The latter grinds all the corn\nwhich is brought hither, without the leaft al-\nteration of the mill-ftones, in its patting from\nthe grain to the flour; which naturally renders the meal very indifferent: the miller's\ndue is one tenth, according; to the law of the\nland. Robertfon does not grind any Indian\nO' J\ncorn on his own account, nor has he any kiln\nto dry it. Meal from this corn is not bad, if\n* This indifference to improvement, of which .the\nDuke complains, is always to be obferved while agriculture is in its infancy in a country, and while there is\nenough of land, but little accumulated flock. It is the\ncharacteriftic of a particular ftate of fociety; and does\nnot originate from the accidental and peculiar caufes, to\nwhich he afcrib.es it.\u00E2\u0080\u0094Tran/lator.\nfpeedily\nm\nH\n fpeedily ufed; but it is not fit for being long\nkept, and yields but little.\nThe corn is brought' hither in waggons, and\nthe cranes, inftead of turning it out of th<\nveffel, lift it up from the waggons into the\ngranary, which is very fmall: and the corn\nlies in heaps, the feveral floors being low, dark\nand dirty.\nRobertfon grinds yearly from forty-five to\nabout fifty thoufand bufhels of corn, which\nhe procures from Virginia and New-York;\nand fome is even brought from the upper part!\nof Pennsylvania. There are, however, fo many\nmills along the Schuylkill, that he receives but\nlittle from that part of the country. The grain\nprocured from the other fide of the bay comes\nby Philadelphia, from which it is brought to\nJ J. o\nthe mill, which is large enough to contain\nabout fen thoufand bufhels. Six horfes ard\nconftantly employed in carrying; the meal to\nPhiladelphia, and bringing back corn in re-\nturn, inis journey is often performed twice\na day. The water of the Wifiahiccon is never\nfrozen, nor does the mill ever ceafe working,\nexcept in a cafe of the utmoft neceffity. Mr,\nRobertfon employs about his mill five men,\nthree\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\n15\nthree of whom he pays ; he gives one hundred\nand twenty dollars a year to the firft, and\neighty to each of the other two. The reft\narc apprentices, who receive nothing but victuals, clothes, &c. A barrel of flour is at this\ntime * worth ten dollars. Robertfon complains of the quality of the grain of laft year,\nwhich, he fays, is not heavy, but in general\nhollow. I have, however, feen fome very good\ngrain of laft year. I heard him fay that grain,\nattacked by the Heflian fly, notwithftanding\nit becomes bad and hollow, yields flour, which,\nthough fbmewhat indigeftible, is not quite un-\nCD Ox\nwholefome. The banks of the Schuylkill were\nvifited laft year by great numbers of thefe flies,\nThe county-rates are the fame at Roxbo-\nrough as in the whole diftrict: of Philadelphia,\nof which this place forms a part, namely, from\n\u00C2\u00A3.vc to fix fhillings per cent, upon all property.\nThe other taxes have of late been reduced to\nlittle or nothing. A perfon in affluent cir-\ncumftances pays but one or two. fhillings towards the repair of the high-roads. Poor-rates\nare quite unknown, as there are feldom any\npoor in the country; and a fmall fum has been\n* Twentieth of April, 1795.\nlaid\nII\n\u00C2\u00A3 1\nmmm^dSi\n TRAVELS THROUGH\nlaid up in the bank for the fupport of the\npoor,\u00E2\u0080\u0094if there fhould be any ; which ftock\nyields annually about forty or forty-two dol*\nlars, and thefe are added to the capital. There\nis alfo a moderate tax of fix or feven fhillings\non every hundred pounds a man is worth,\nwhich he pays as an offering towards the public fervice of the ftate, that he may remain\nimdifturbed in the enjoyment of his property. And this is fix miles from Philadelphia\nfurely this muft: be a happy country.*\nThe Wiffahiccon flows between hills, which\nre high and covered with wood. A fine wa-\nter-fall of about feven or eight feet, and as\nbroad as the bed of the rivulet, fupplies Robertfon with more water than would be required for turning many more mills. The\nbanks of the rivulet bear a wild artd romantic\nappearance, and the brook, winding in the\nmolt beautiful meanders through the woods\n* It is the proportion between, on the one hand, what\nmay be gained in every fituation, with the diverjity of\nfuch fixations\u00E2\u0080\u0094and, on the other band, what is to be paid\nfor public proteElion, with the degree of fecarity and com\nfort fuch protection may give ;\u00E2\u0080\u0094which is the fole and\nprecife point upon which an eftimation like that which\nthe Duke here makes.\u00E2\u0080\u0094Trenflffior.\nand\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\n17\nand rocks, forms a grand, yet gloomy, profpecT,\nwhich catches and detains the eye, and difpofes\nthe mind to penfive reflection. The various fitua-\n-tions of this fublunary life prefent to us the fame\nobjects in very different points of view. How\ndifferent are the impreflions I now feel, from the\npleafing fenfations with which memory and hope\nonce enlivened my fancy\u00E2\u0080\u0094but 1 will depart,\nand be happy, that I may not enhance my mif-\nfortunes by painful reflections.\nFrom Roxborough we proceeded xm to Spring-\nmill. After having left the banks of the Schuylkill, we travelled through a tract: of country interfered by a regularly alternate fucceflion of\nhills and vallies. We found here feveral badly\nwatered meadows, which are capable of great\nimprovements. The farms here are very clofe\nto one another; all the land is cultivated ; very\nlittle wood is to be feen, at leaft, without going\nto a diftance from the highway. As we pro*\nceed, the country becomes extremely beautiful.\nThe corn-fields are now green, the leaves begtEt\nto fprout forth, and the fruit-trees are covered\nwith bloffoms ; all nature revives, her face glows\nwith life and beauty ; and my temper has , not\nyet attained fb great a degree of apathy, as to\nVol. I. C render\n TRAVELS THROUGH\nrender me infenfible to the charms of this feafon, which always captivated me with irrefiff ible\npower. Yet the uninterrupted and high fences\nof dry wood greatly disfigure the landfcape, and\nproduce a tedious famenefs. Thefe might be\neafily replaced by trees which endure- the froft,\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0J i J\nas thorns are fuppofed here (I think without any\nj aft ground) to be unfuitable to the climate.\nSome of the fields along the road are bordered\nwith tliaga or cedar, but thefe experiments are\nrare; and, in general, the land is inclofed with\ndouble fences of wood. The country is covered\nwith neat houfes, furrounded with painted railings ; which indicate profperity, without reminding us of thofe European eftates, which are\ncither enriched bv a refined agriculture, or orna-\nmented with coftly and elegant country-feats,\ne Near Spnngmill we again faw the Schuylkill.\nSpringmill confiits of eighteen or twenty habitations, which lie clofe to each other, and are\nrnoftly either farms or mills ; it is fituated in a\nvalley, far moiie extenfive and fpacious than any\niaoe have hitherto, paffed ; and the foil is alfo fu-\nperior. The greateft part is grafs land, extending as far as the river ; while the oppofite bank,\nfteep, woody, and even foipewhat rocky, forms\na beautiful\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\n10\na beautiful cOntraft with the charming plains of\nSpringmill. The profipect up and. down the\nriver is extenfive, and: ftrrkingly^ variegated* by\ngreen meadows and dark mountains. jjLc\nSpringmill is the place,., where is fituated the\nfarm, mentioned by Brissot;^n his travels, as.\nbeing cultivated by a frenchman, whofe , .fkill\nand philofophy he highly praifes. This Frenchman, of whofe name Briffot gives only the ini-\ntialyis Mr. Legaux. His farm has been fold on\naccount of his inability to pay the fecond installment of the purchafe-money. He now actually\nrents fifteen acres, which he has converted into\na vineyard. But the prefent moment is by.no\nmeans the time, in which vineyards appear to the\ngreateft advantage; the vine fcarcely begins to\nbud, a^d is almoft without life. Thefoil'is very\ngood, and, as far as, we were able to judge, well.\nchofen, both on account of its funny fituation \u00E2\u0080\u00A2\nand interior quality ; and the cleanlinefs, as well\nas fkill, with which the ground is managed, is\nvery remarkable. No kitchen-garden can be in\nbetter order \u00E2\u0080\u00A2 the vine-props are, already fixed in\nthe ground. The fifteen acres give employment\nto fix labourers, whom Mr. ' Legaux: procures\nwithout much trouble ; he pays ,them three fhil-\nC 2\nlings\nI\n__\n~ B=\n1 i *^\n TRAVELS THROUGH\nlings and nine pence, and provides them victuals,\nHis dwelling is a fmall ftone cottage, one ftory\nhigh, about twenty feet in breadth and ten feet\ndeep ; a very indifferent, dirty kitchen, feparated\nby a wainfcot partition from a real alcove, which\ncontains a miferable bed, conftitutes all the apartments of this cottage. In the fmall room were\njumbled together in one confufed heap, books,\nfurniture, papers, glaffes, bottles, and philofophical inftruments. The fight of a man of liberal education reduced to fuch penury, excites\na painful fenfation.\nMr. Legaux was not at home on our arrival;\nwTe were informed that he was in Philadelphia,\nas, no doubt, we were fufpected as unwelcome\nvifitors. He was, however, at a neighbour's;\nand we had no fooner left his houfe to remount\npur horfes, than we were called back, and he\nflattened up to us. To an unfortunate man, reduced to fuch a ftate of retirement, the vifit of\nthree ftrangers is an occurrence not to be flighted.\nHe knew that one of the three ftrangers was a\nFrenchman, for I had left my card. The view\nof a countryman at fo great a diftance from our\nnative land, is far more pleafing than that of aTiy\nother perfon. It is fo at leaft: to me, though the\npleafing\n NORTH AMERICA., CANADA, &C,\n2*\npleafing fenfation I feel on fuch occafions, is frequently embittered by the thought, that at this\nunfortunate period of the revolution a Frenchman is fometimes the very worft company which\na Frenchman can meet.\nMr. Legaux accofted us with a countenance\nwhich apparently beipoke content. His drefs\nperfectly corresponded with the reft of his efta-\nblifhment. A long coarfe flannel waiftcoat,\nblack breeches, and ftockings full of holes, and\na dirty night-cap, formed his whole attire. He\nis a man of about fifty or fifty-five years of age ;\nhis eyes are very lively, and his whole phyfiogno-\nmy indicates cunning rather than goodnefs of\nheart. In the courfe of the fhort converfation\nwe had with him, he told us, that the cruel and\nrigorous conduct: of the perfon of whom he had\nbought the eftate, which he poffeffed at the time\nof poor Briffot's vifit (this was his expreflion),\nhad compelled him to fell it again, and to rent\nthe fmall vineyard which he was now cultivating. He confiders the fuccefs of this enterprize\nas certain, and thinks that it will prove very lucrative to him. He affured us that his wines\narc already very good, though the oldeft of them\nhad not yet been in the cellar more than two\nC 3 years.\n 12\nTRAVELS THROUGH\ntil\nFt I X\nyears. They are Medot vines; and one vine of\nthe Cape of Good. Hope, for which he paid forty\nguineas, has already produced nearly two hundred layers. He faid that his wine is of a peculiar\nflavour, yet more like the \" vhide Grave'' than\nany other wince He pays a rent of fixty-two\ndollars for his fifteen acres. This is, in few\nwords, the fubftance of all we could learn concerning his nlantation. On our afking him why\nhe fettled in America nine years fince ? he ac-\n&&ainted us that he wvas an advocate in the parliament of Metz, but left his fituation and firs\ncountry to affile' his friend, Mr. Fotjlquler, in\nhis functions, as intendant of Guadaloupe, and\nthat this intendant having been- ftrongly fuf-\npectcd of mal-admihiftration in the colonies, ha*d\nexculpated himfelf by throwing all the blame on\nhim, Legaux, whofe purity of fentiments had\never been ebual to his zeal for his ungrateful\nfriend. None of his expreflions befpoke that\ntranquillity and peace of rriind, which a man\nmight be fuppofed to. enjoy who thus withdraws\nfrom the world to lead a fequeftered life, and\ncultivate the ground. He even appeared diffa-\ntisfied with every one, efpecially with the Americans, of whom he repeated twenty times that\nwe\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\nwe could never entertain too much fufpicion.\nAlthough this man received us kindly, and fpoke\nmany handfome things of my family as well as of\nmyfelf, affuring me that he had heard a great\ndeal about me previoufly to my leaving France,\nyet I was difpleafed w ith him, and he excited in\nme rather difapprobation of what he termed his\nmisfortunes, than companion for his prefent fituation, though my frame of mind was much in\"fa\u00C2\u00BB\np CD J\nvour of the latter. ,What I heard concerning\nhim, on my return to Philadelphia, has confirm?\ned me in my opinion. He is a worthlefs, litigious\nman, who, during the nine years .he has refided\nin America, has been engaged in upwards of two\nhundred law-fuits, not one of which he has gained. However ftrong may be our prepofleflion\nagainft America, it is highly improbable that juftice fhould fo obftinately be denied to a foreigner.\nOn the contrary, it is much more likely that a\nman who has entered or ^defended two hundred\nactions, muft have been actuated folely by a litigious difpofition, and that none of his claims\nwere well grounded ; efpecially if he himfelf conducted the fuit, which is extremely probable, as\nhe was .formerly a lawyer. Mr. Legaux's reputa-\ntion at Philadelphia is not of the heft complexion,\nC 4\n%\nanri\nf \ut;\n and I verily believe that If an enquiry were made\ninto the affairs of Guadaloupe, the refult would\nnot prove favourable to this fage, this philanthro-\npift, this philofopher, (^on whom poor Briflbt panes\nfo high an eulogium,) who cannot live in peace\nwith his neighbours, but quarrels with every one\nabout him.\nWe left the Schuylkill by Springmill, to ftrike\nto the fhorteft road to Norris Town : the land is\nof the fame defcription with that which we\nhad juft paffed. On the road from Roxborough\nto Norris Town we had now and then a view of\nthe river, and at times alfo of a more diftant range\nof fmall hills, rifing in the form of an amphitheatre ; this is a branch of the Valley-hills,\nwhich form a part of the Blue Mountains.\nNorris Town is the chief town of the county\nof Montgomery, about feven miles from Philadelphia. This chief town of the county confifts\nof ten buildings, in one of which the fefiions are\nheld; in another the judges refide when they\ncome to hold the aflizes; a third is the county\njail; three others are inns; the reft are farm\nhoufes, fhops, or habitations of labourers. All\nthe houfes arc firofigly built of ftone. Norris\nTown, fttuated on an eminence, about a quarter\n _\nNORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\n25\nter of a mile from the Schuylkill, enjoys a grand\nand very extenfive profpect; and forms itfelf, even\nviewed at a diftance, a very ftriking and con-\nfpicuous object. The quarter-feflions are held here\nregularly, but the circuit-courts only once a year,\nand at times only every two or three years, when\nthere are no caufes. The jail was built about two s\nor three years ago, after that of Philadelphia.\nBut, thanks to the penal code of Pennfylvania,\nit is fcldom inhabited by any other peribn than\nthe keeper. When we vifited it, a Frenchman\nwas confined there on ftrong fufpicion of having\nforged a bank note : he is to remain in this pri-\nfon until the next quarter-feflions, when he will\nbe either acquitted or removed to Philadelphia,\nnnlefs the circuit fhould happen to be held in\nthat town. The prifon-gate was open, and the\nprifoner might have effected his efcape without\nany difficulty, had he been the leaft inclined to\ndo fo. But he did not efcape, either from a,reliance on his innocence, which I wifh may be\nthe cafe, or from the rifk of being taken again.\nIt is no eafy matter to difcover the neceflity, nay,\nthe utility of fuch confidence as this, which is\nmore nearly allied to indolence than humanity.\nIt is juft as difficult to aflign a reafon why a\nFrenchman,\ni rn\nmm\n.Hi\n 26\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nFrenchman, who is a villain, or at leaft a mart\nof fo bad a character as this prifoner, who in\nFrance would have attempted twenty times to\nefcape from prifon, yet remains quietly in Norris\nTown, where the doors Hand open to him. Pretenders to philofophy, and Briffot for one, will\nfay, that the certitude of impartial juftice being\nadminiftered to him, retains the prifoner more\neffectually in his prifon than fetters ; that in a\nrepublic every one comiders himfelf as the guardian of the law, even againft himfelf, &c. All\nthis may fatisfy thofe who are contented with\nwTords, but is not fufficient to explain this extraordinary fact to him who prefers found argument to unphiiofophical jargon. It may perhaps\nbelt be accounted for from the circumftance that\nthis man would find it impoffible to iubiiit any\nwhere elfjb but in prifon.\nThe foil about Norris Town is very good, which\nis here fomewhat more the object, of culture than\nnear Roxborough, yet is not even produced here\nin great quantity. The fyftem of agriculture is\nmuch the fame, and the average produce nearly\nthe fame, perhaps fomewhat greater. The beft\nland is worth from forty-eight to fifty-two dol-\nlars; the inferior fort from twenty-fix to thirty.\nLabour\nC9\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\n27\nLabour is cheaper here than at Roxborough and\nSpringmill. The price of provifions is lower\nthan in Philadelohia, though not much; there\nbeing no nearer market than that town, all the\nproduce of this country is carried thither. Beef\nis fold at, from fix to feven pence a pound, bacon at one fhilling a pound, and flour five one-\nhalf dollars the hundred weight.\nThe county-rates of Montgomery amount to\nno more than about three fhillings for every hun-\ndred pounds, and one fhilling towards the repairs\nof the roads J thus a per centage of four fhillings\non all taxable property is the total amount of the\npublic taxes. Poor-rates are feldom neceffary,\nthough this place is not poffeffed of the fame re-\nfourcc of a fund, efiablifhed for that purpofe, as\nRoxborough. There are at prefent no paupers\nhere; and when there are, a rate of one fhilling\nis fully fufficient for their maintenance. Each\npauper is boarded in fome family or other, and\nhis board and lodging are paid for by the parifh.\nIt is the duty of the overfeers to take care that\nthe pauper be well treated, and that the parifh\nbe not impofed upon by improper charges. All\nthe poor confift of perfons afflicted by licknels, or\n.rendered incapable of labour by'old age.\nThe\nI\ni\n 28\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nI\nThe canal, intended to join the Schuylkill with\nthe Delaware, begins at Norris Town, and half\na mile of it on this fide is completely finifhed.\nIts bed, wThich was parallel to the river, is about\neighteen or twenty feet in breadth, and three feet\ndeep. The canal is opened about three miles\nfarther. Here marble rocks are to be cut through,\nwhich flope down to the river. This is a laborious, as well as very expenfive, undertaking; as\nevery cubic toife/ of rough ftone colts nine fhillings, and fifty workmen only are employed in\nthis work. The canal, wdien finifhed, will be\nof great advantage to Philadelphia ; but when\nwill it be finifhed ! It is begun near the town on\na very bad plan; in fome places it is filled up\nwith fand that has been wafhed together to the\nheight of fen feet, which can never keep water.\nIt is reported, that Mr. Watson, an Englifh engineer, who fuperintends the conftruction of this\ncanal, very particularly recommended that it\nmight be dug on the oppofitc bank of the Schuylkill, as it would be much more folid there ; but\nas it wTas much to the intereft of the directors of\nthe company, that the canal fhould pafs through\ntheir eltates, they were deaf to every other pro-\npofal, and the canal is now executed on the moft\ndifficult\n^\nf its inclofures, cultivation, and buildings. Bread\nmade of rye or Indian corn is the common food\nof the labourer, who, in addition to this, has\nmeat three times a dav.\nWe arrived at Trap, and intended to dine at\nPottfgrove; but we were under the necessity of\nreturning by the fame road we had come. The\nfervant, who fhould have joined us an hour before, did not arrive; and as we knew this delay\nmust have been occafioned by fome accident, we\nwere determined to learn what it was. We met\nhim about a mile from Trap, leading both his\nfiorfes by the bridle, but without the baggage,\nwhich had fallen off four miles farther back, and\nour poor Jofeph being unable to procure any affiftance, and supposing that we fhould be uneasy\non his account, had left it in the care of a woman, and had proceeded thus far to inform us of\nhis misfortune. We therefore returned the other\nfour miles, and placed the baggage again on the\nhorfe, but in fo indifferent a manner, that after\nwe had travelled two miles, it wTas again likely\nto fall off. Mr. Guillemard,- taking every thing\ninto confideration, convinced us, that the horfe\nwas too heavily, as well as unfkilfully laden,\nVol. I. D and\nIII\u00E2\u0080\u0094\n/{III\n t .\n34\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nand we therefore refolved to procure a waggosv\nfjo convey our baggage to the inn.\nDuring our stay at the inn, to which wTe returned, we learned, in the courfe of converfationr\nwith afurgeon, that the number of gentlemen\nof his profeflion is pretty confiderable in this dif-\nferict.; that one is to be met with every fix or feven\nmiles; that their fee for a vifit at the distance of\ntwo miles, is one fhilling, and every additional\nBgiile a<}ds one fhilling more, befides the charge for\nmedicines; that inoculation of children for the\nfmall-pox is very common ; that the fee for this\noperation amounts to two dollars ; that the moft\na phyfician of known abilities can make, in this\npart of the country, is one thoufand three hundred dollars a year, but that very few make fo\nmuch, in confequence of which, all medical men,\nwith few exceptions, follow fome other employment befides their profeflion, and become either\nfarmers or fhop-keepers, to increafe their income.\nAlthough the inn, at which we put up, was\nnot that which had been pointed out to us, an$lf\nwas, in fact, no better than a fmall, miferable ale-\nhoufe lately opened; yet we met with very good\naccommodation. We had tea and coffee for\nbreakfast; bacon, tongue, and eggs for dinner,\nand\nRRf\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\n\u00C2\u00A75\nand every thing tolerably clean. Whilst we were\ncontriving the means of fending our baggage to\nReading, the stage-coach happened to pafs, and\ntook charge of it: we then continued our journey to Pottfgrove.\nThe road thither is exactly of the fame defcription with that between Norris Town and\nTrap. The ground where it confifts of fand, is\ngood, but extremely bad where the foil is rich,\nhaving been entirely fbaked through by the rain,\nwhich fell the day before yesterday; the foil\nConfifts, in general, of a ferruginous earth, particularly near Pottfgrove. The landfcape is beautiful along this road, abounding with a great variety of fine views, wonderfully enlivened by th\nverdure of the corn-fields and meadows. We\npasTed through fome parti of the country, where\nthe grafs was fine, strong, and thick, in fhort, as\ngood as it could poflibly be. If agriculture were\nbetter understood in thefe parts ; if the fields were\nwell mowed and well fenced; and if fome trees\nhad been left standing in the middle or on the\nborders of the meadows, the moft beautiful parts\nof Europe could not be more pleafing. But\nthefe eternal fences of dead wood, thefe dry\nmaize-ftubbles of laft year, thefe decayed trees,\nD 2 which\n TRAVELS THROUGH,\nwhich are left standing until they are rotten>\nand the abfolutc want of verdant trees in the\ncorn-fields and meadows, greatly impair the\nbeauty of the landfcape, but without being able\nentirely to destroy its variety and charms.\nThe country about Pottfgrove is still more\npleafant; the plain, in which this fmall market-\ntown is fituate, is more extensive than any we\nhave hitherto feen, and, at the fame time, is in\nthe highest degree of cultivation. The foreft-\nmountains^, which are in fight on the left and in\nthe front, form beautiful borders to this land-\nIn the neighbourhood of Pottfgrove we again\ndifcovered the Schuylkill, which we had left\nnear Norris Town. Along its whole courfe its\nbanks are delightful, and all the land, through\nwhich it paftes, is good. I do not know a finer\nriver in point of water and views. If European\ntafte and magnificence adorned the banks of the\nSchuylkill with country-feats, it would not be\nexcelled either by the Seine or the Thames.\nPottfgrove is a market town, and originally\nlaid out by a quaker-family, of the name of Pott.\nAbout forty years ago they purchafed land of the\nftate at a very low price, and fold it afterwards\nat\n w\nNORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\n37\nat a confiderable profit, according as it was\nmore or lefs fought after. It is now worth\nthirty dollars in the town, and from thirty to\nthirty-feven in the adjacent country. The family of Pott have eftabliihed confiderable iron\nforges, and by means of thefe much increafed\nthe fortune, which they acquired by the fale of\nthe lands. They are generally iuppofed to be\nvery rich. Pottfgrove confifts at prefent of about\nthirty well built houfes, and belongs to the dif-\ntrict of Douglas, which forms a part of the county\nof Montgomery. The poors-rate are very incon-\nfiderablc, and all neceffaries of life are cheaper\nhere by nearly half than at Philadelphia.\nAs I alighted from my horfe, I difcovered a\nFrenchman, among the feveral perfons who were\nftanding at the door of the inn, by a certain\ncharacteristic deportment, which is easily dif-\neernible in individuals of all nations, but more\nparticularly fo in a Frenchman. An involuntary\nmovement, fome natural feeling, drew me to*\nwards him. His name is Gerbier ; he is a nephew of the celebrated advocate of Paris, by\nwhom he was brought up, and the fon of a famous advocate at Rennes, of whom he has received no intelligence during thefe laft ten months.\nD 3 In\nl\nsy. feap'''\" \"i*uiam\n 38\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nl\u00C2\u00A5\nIn St. Domingo, wThere he resided formerly as a\nmerchant, he married a Creole, a friend and\nfchool companion of Madame de Montul^e,\nwith whom he lives in one of the houfes of this\nborough.\nIt is impossible to meet with a Frenchman in\nthefe times, without being called upon to listen\nfp the hiftory of his loffes, his misfortunes, and to\nhis refentments naturally refulting from them.\nMr. Gerbier's account of his misfortunes, however, was very fhort, though they appear to me\nvery great. As to his refentment, he expreffed\nhimfelf on this point as a man of fenfe, who\nwifhes not to entertain any. He feemed melan^\ncholy and dejected, yet poffeffmg a strong mind.\nMisfortunes, borne with patience and resignation,\n$re ever fure to excite compaflion: I heartily\nfympathife in thofe, which have fallen to his lot.\nHe pofteffes a fmall portion of land in Afylum,\nwhither he intends to remove, as foon as his wife\nhas recovered from her lying-in. He fpoke with\nmuch praife of M, de Blacons, of the excellent Mr. Keating, of M. De Montule, and\nof Du Petit Thouars. He appeared to me a\nmild and worthy man, but rather too much dc-\npreffed by misfortune ; for, at his age, and with.\nH his\n1 * V*\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\n39\nhis abilities, he might find numerous refburces fh\nthis country. After he had left me, he received a\nletter from his mother, a lady turned of feventy.\nShe informed him, that fhe and his father were\nboth well; that they had fortunately efcaped the\ndreadful guillotine, the drownings and fhootings,\nwhich would ever difgrace the French revolution ; that they could not fend him any money\nat that time, but that they would pay any sum,\nfor which he chofe to draw on them. This wife\nand fenfible letter, was written, however, in the\nlanguage of liberty. The poor young man was\nhappy to perceive, that I participated in his joy ;\nand yet this glimpfe of fun-fhine was not able to\ndifperfe the profound melancholy which clouded his mind. I muft obferve, that Mr. Gerbier's\nmother, in the defcription which fhe gave of the\nfituation of France, fpoke of great diftrefs, and\nefpecially of the depreciation of aflignats, winch\nwas fo great, that a fowl cost two hundred\nlivres in paper money, and three litres in specie.\nThe inn at Pottfgrove is very good ; it is ker>*\nby a German. The inhabitants of this borot#*\nare mostly Germans. Here we found fhe ftag#*\ncoach, by which we had fent our luggage; but\nthe letter-cafe, which contained Mr. GulRe-\nD 4 mard's\n travels through\nmard's money, had been left behind in Trap.\nEndeavouring to think of every thing, my trammelling companion thinks, in fact, of nothing.\nThus we are obliged to fend back to Trap, to\nfetch the letter-cafe, even if it be not stolen, a\npoint which we fhall learn to-morroyv at Readily '$\u00E2\u0096\u00A0,- - a$c. '. . ,--'.\nOn Thurfday, the 7 th,\nWe stopped at the White Horfe, four miles\nfrom Pottfgrove. This inn is kept by a French^\nman, a native of Lorrain, who has married an\nAmerican woman, the daughter of a native of\nAvignon, by a woman from Franche-Comte.\nThe whole family fpeak bad Englifh and bad\nFrench, but probably good German. They pay\na rent of eighty-fix dollars for fifty acres of land\nand the houfe ; their owner lives very near, and\nkeeps a {hop. The houfe and the land, which\nis of very good quality, would have been worth\nfixty dollars more, had it been let to a private\nfamily. But the ihopkeeper had -very justly\ncalculated, that a good tavern fo near his houfe\nwas of more value to him than fixty dollars,\nand that a well frequented inn could not but\nprocure customers to his fhop, from whom he\nwould\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\n41\nwould be likely to derive advantages far exceeding the fum which he thus facrificed.\nThe good people of the inn enquired with\nmuch eagernefs for news from France. My\nfriend told them, that it would be obliged to\nsustain another and more dreadful campaign.\nf( How! a ftill more dreadful one than the preceding campaign,\" they exclaimed, \" notwithstanding the Englifh were beaten laft year?\"\n4C There are many other enemies,\" replied my\nfriend, \" Ruffians, Auftrians.\" \" Aye,- aye,\" faid\nth^ good people, \" all thofe who do not like\nliberty; but the French will neverthelefs triumph, if it pleafe God, over all the f .\"\nThefe are the fentiments, and fuch is the language of most Americans ; and indeed this muft\nbe the opinion of all, who are not acquainted\nwith the crimes, attending our revolution; and\neven they who are fo, very justly impute them\nto the various factions, and carefully diftinguiflx\nand feparate them from the caufe of liberty,\nfhe principles and conduct of the coalefced\npowers are treated with the fame degree of indignation as thofe of the terrorists. The lefs\ninformed clafs of men confider the matter in\n$us Jight, and, in fact, in this light it fhould be\nconfidered\nItafl\n\u00C2\u00AB\nII\n TRAVELS THROUGH\nconfidered by all, who are able to lay afide for a\nmoment their grief and their misfortunes, and\nto contemplate the true nature of the cafe with\na calm, unbiaffed mind. Liberty is now struggling with defpotifm. If the caufe of liberty\nprove triumphant, it will be able to organize\nitfelf, and to acquire regularity and order; it\nwill ceafe to be anarchy, and become true national freedom. If defpotifm triumph, it will\norganize itfelf for no other purpofe, but to enclave the world.\nThe fituation of tins borough, and likewife J\nof all other places on the road from Pottfgrove\nto Reading, is delightful. Indeed the country\nappears to become more lively and populous,\nthe nearer we approach the latter town. Corn\nand faw mills are numerous here; and there\nare many creeks with strong currents, whicfy\nturn the wheels of fome iron-forges. The mountains, which rife on the banks of the Schuylkill,\nand feparate Reading from the other part of the\ncounty, begin to form a ridge, which at first\nstretches along under the name of Oley Hills,\nand afterwards takes that of Lehi-hill. Thofe\nmarks of the increasing improvement of the\ncountry, which are obfervable as far as Bethlem\nand\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\n43\nand the Delaware, are alfo perceivable here.\nLog-houfes, constructed of trunks of trees, laid\none upon another, the interstices of which are\nfilled up with clay, are feen no longer, having\nbeen replaced by framed houfes, confifting however of balks, properly hewn and fhaped, and\ncovered with boards ; and even buildings of a\nftill better construction are already to be feen in\nfome parts> They now build only with stone\nand brick, and no woodland remains to be converted into arable ground. The wood that is\nHanding is left for confumption. Oak fells at\nthree dollars and half, and hickory at four dollars and half a fathom. A few miles from\nReading the price of land is from twenty-five\nto thirty dollars, if covered with wood; and\nfrom one hundred and ten to one hundred and\nthirty dollars if grafs-land. Day labourers receive three fhillings, carpenters and mafbns four\nmillings a day.\nWe overtook: the stage-coach again at the\nWhite Horfe, where the paffengers breakfasted.\nIt appears fomewhat strange to Europeans, to\nfee the coachman eat at the fame table with\nthe paflengers; but it would feem equally\nftrattge to Americans, to fee the coachman eat^\n\u00E2\u0080\u00A2,\nH12T\n.5\n ing by himfelf. It is futile to argue againft the\ncustoms of a country ; we muft fubmit. Equality, pretended equality, which widely differs\nfrom true freedom, is the foundation of this\ncuftom, which, in fact, injures nobody; it is\nfor the fame reafon, that the fervants, who wait\nat dinner or breakfast, are feated, except while\nthey are ferving you, and that the landlord attends you with his hat on his head. A man may\nbe allowed to diflike this cuftom, without pof-\nfeftsng any extravagant fhare of weak pride. An\ninn-keeper, a fhoe-maker, a taylor, are naturally\nat liberty to wait on people, or to let it alone;\nbut if they ehoofe to wait on others, they fhould\nkeep at a proper diftance, and obferve the re-\nfpe<\u00C2\u00A3t, which becomes their fituation. It muft\nbe obferved, however, that many an inn-keeper\nin America is a captain or a major; nay, I have\nfeen drivers of stage- coaches, wTho were colonels :\nfuch things are very common in America. There\nis much greater propriety in the custom/that\nprevails in England, where the tradefman is\ntreated with politenefs and refpe\u00C2\u00A3t by his employers, whilst he, in return, obferyes the due\ndecorum of his situation^ without meanly facri-\nficing that noble principle of liberty, which ever^a\nEnglifhman\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\nU\nEnglifhman cherifhes with cOnfcious pride: it\nwill foon be the fame in France.\nReading, the chief town of the county of\nBerks, which contains about thirty thoufand inhabitants, is fituate on the banks of the Schuylkill. The building of the firft houfes commenced in 1752. The family of Penn repur-\nchafed the land, which they had originally difpofed of, for the purpofe of building on this\nspot the chief town of the county. It confifts\nat prefent of about five hundred houfes; a few\nof thofe which were first built are ftill standing ; they are log-houfes, and the interstices between the trunks of the trees are filled up with\nstone or plaster. In confequence of the flight\nmanner in which they were finifhed, feveral of\nthem have tumbled down; vanity has pulled\ndown others; but all thofe built within thefe\nfew laft years are of stone or brick, and have a\nneat appearance. The town is improving in\npoint of buildings 5 the streets are broad and\nstraight, and the foot-paths are fhaded by trees,\nplanted in front of the houfes.\nThis town has little or no trade, and fcarcely\nany manufactures. There is one, at which a\nconfiderable number of coarfe hats are fabricated\nof\n.\nI\nv\\nH I\n TRAVELS THROUGH\nof wool, procured from Philadelphia, to which\nplace the hats are fent for fale ; with a few tan-\nyards, which prepare leather for the confumption\nof the town and neighbouring country. The\npopulation of Reading is estimated at about two\nthoufand five hundred fouls, confifting chiefly\nof lawyers and inn-keepers. Some new houfes\nWere built in the courfe of laft year ; but no increafe of the number of inhabitants has been obferved for feveral years. They are all either\nGermans, or of German defcent; great numbers\nof the inhabitants of the town and neighbouring country do not understand a word of Englifh, and yet all the public acts, and all the judicial proceedings are drawn up and conducted in\nthe Englifh language. Hence it often happens,\nin the courfe of law-fuits, that the judges understand no German, and the parties, witneffes,\nand jurymen, no Englifh, which renders the\nconstant attendance of interpreters neceffary, to\nrepeat to the judges the deposition of the witneffes, and to the jurymen the fumming-up of\nthe judges. The administration of juftice is\ntherefore extremely imperfect. Many law-fuits,\nhowever, having no other object than to fatisfy\nthe hatred and paffion of the moment, by drag-\n\u00C2\u00B0inst\noUis?\n i wM\ni i\nNORT AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\n47\nging an adverfary before the judge, both parties are frequently fatisfied with the fentence,\nof whatever complexion it may be. How many\ndifferences might be fettled on amicable terms,\nbut for this revengeful difpofition to proceed to\nextremities, which prevails in all countries, and\nenfures to lawyers a certain fubfiftence; or ra*\nther how many law-fuits might be accommoi-\ndated, but for the great number of lawyers and\ncourts of juftice ! Law-fuits are very frequent\nin Reading, and originate chiefly in debts, qua*-*\nrels, and affaults.\nThere is a printer in Reading, who publifhes\na German gazette weekly; the price\"is a dollar\na year. The fale extends as far as Pittfburg,\nand does not exceed one thoufand one hundred\ncopies. Every one here, as well as in all other\nparts of America, takes an interest in ftate affairs, is extremely eager to learn the news of\nthe day, and difcuffes politics as well as he is\nable.\nThere are three churches in Reading ; one\nfor the people called Quakers, another for Roman Catholics, and the third for Lu&berans. The\ntwo laft: are much frequented by Germans, in\nwhofe native language the fermons are delivered.\nEvery\n,1\n\H\n Wm\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nf\nit\nEvery one pays for the fupport of that form of\nworfhip, which he has chofen for himfelf, fre-\nquently without attending it, which is to his\ntafte, to which he is accuftomed, or which\nfome whim or other moves him to prefer*\nGenerally fpeaking, few men go to church j\nat least few of the first clafs. Religious wor-\nfhip is left chiefly to the women, who, forming the leaft bufy clafs of mankind, are the moft\nafliduous frequenters of the theatres and the\nchurches. The Lutheran church is much re-\nforted to in the morning, and the Roman Ca-\ntholic fervice in the evening. The minifters,\nwho are paid by fubfcription, receive about four\nhundred dollars per annum. Being without political importance, and confined to their ecclesiastical functions, they are religious, humane,\nand tolerant. If their conduct were otherwife,\ntheir parifhioners would change them just as\nreadily as withdraw their employment from a\nfhoe-maker, who fhould make bad fhoes. They\nlive in perfect harmony with one another. The\nfermons delivered in the different churches are\nchiefly of a moral cast. Lutherans, Roman Catholics, and Quakers intermarry with each other.\nMr. Read, the gentleman to whom we had a\nletter\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &CC.\n49\nletter of introduction, has ten children, two of\nwhom only have been baptized; the reft are\nleft to ehoofe their religion for themfelves, if\nthey think proper, when they arrive at years of\ndiscretion.\nThe fortunes of thofe, who are accounted\npeople of property in Reading, are in general\nmoderate. An- income of eighteen hundred or\ntwo thoufand dollars a year is deemed large;\nand at least a part of fuch incomes is always\nearned by fome ufeful employment. Here are\nindeed fome gentlemen poflesTed of large property, but then this has been generally obtained\nby commerce, or elfe accumulated in the town\nitfelf by difhonourable means, namely, by buying up, at a low price, demands againft poor\nfmall proprietors, and driving them from their\nponeflions by judicial proceedings. The number of people, who have made fortunes in this\nmanner, is not great; yet there certainly are\nabout three of them in the town, who poffefs\ncapitals amounting to two hundred and fifty or\nthree hundred thoufand dollars.\nThe fentiments of the inhabitants of this town\nand the neighbouring country are very good,\nand breathe a warm attachment to the federal\nVol. I.\nE\ngovernment.\nlit\nI1\n1\nI\nu\n travels through*\ngovernment. There is no democratic fociety.\nReading fent about eighty volunteers on the\nexpedition against Pittiburg, forty of whom\nwere equipped to ferve as cavalry. They all\nbelonged to rich families, and were engaged in\nbufinefs ; but either their own zeal, or the influence of their relations, impelled them to devote themfelves to the public good. In confe-\nquence of this public fpirit, a fociety has been\nformed at Reading, called the Fire Society,*\nthe members of which enter into an obligation\nto keep at their common expence two fire engines, and each at his own expence two buckets, a bafket, and a fack, and to attend at the\nfirft alarm of fire. This fociety, which refem-\nbles that of Philadelphia, and many others of\nthe fame defcription, which are very common\nall over America, fpares government an ex-\npence, which otherwife it would be obliged to\nincur, and enfures a more fpeedy afiiftance to\nfufferers, than any public institution could poffibly afford. It will perhaps be faid, that this\nfociety originated from the perfonal intereft of\n* The eftablifhment of a company for infurance from\nlofs by fire, may be expe&ed to follow next, in the pro-\nevery\ngrefs of improvements at Reading.\u00E2\u0080\u0094Tranfator.\n EB9SSC\u00E2\u0080\u0094\nNORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\n51\nevery individual member or fubfcriber: be it fo;\nfor what elfe is public fpirit, but private intereft\nproperly understood ?\nSome public buildings, fuch as a large houfe\nfor the different officers of the county, and the\narchives, a prifon, and a feffions houfe, have\nbeen very lately built at the expence of the\ncounty. The taxes are very fmalL Of three\nlawyers, with whom we paffed the greateft part\nof our time at Reading, not one could inform\nme of the exact total amount of the taxes, but\nthey all agreed, that they are very inconsiderable, or next to nothing. The county-taxes\nand poor-rates, taken all together, may perhaps\namount to about sixpence in the pound, or a\nfortieth part of the yearly income. On parti-,\ncular occasions, or when public buildings are to\nbe erected, they are doubtlefs higher, but never\nfo high as to take from a rich man more than\ntwelve dollars a year.\nThere are weekly two market days in Reading, and the market is well fupplied with pro-\nvifion. In fuch districts as lie near the market,\nthe price of building-ground, two hundred feet\nin depth, is twenty-five dollars per foot ; in\nlefs populous parts of the town only ten dol-\nE 2 lars.\n 51\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nfers. The rent for large convenient houfes, at\nfome diftance from the town, amounts to one\nhundred and fifty dollars. The price of land is\nabout twenty-two dollars an acre, and near the\ntown from thirty-two to thirty-fix dollars.\nMeadows near the town cost one hundred and\nfifty dollars. A'great number of them belong\nto the family of Penn in right of purchafe ;\nfor it is well known, that all lands and tenements* which this family held in fee, were redeemed by the state, on granting indemnification more or lefs adequate to their value.\nThe Schuylkill does not flow through the\ntown, but at a diftance of about five thoufand\npaces. A project is formed for extending the\ntown to the bank of the river, and it will certainly be carried into effect, as foon as the canal,\nWhich is to join the Schuylkill with the Suf-\nquehannah, fhall be finifhed, a part of which is\nalready completed. Reading will then become\na confiderable staple for inland traffic. A toler-\nably extensive corn-trade is already carried on\nhere. In winter, when the navigation is obstructed by ice, the neighbouring farmers, who\nhappen to be in want of money, bring their corn\nto town. The wealthy inhabitants buy it at a\nlow\n NORTH AMERICA* CANADA, &C.\n53;\nlow price, lay it up in granaries, and fend it to\nPhiladelphia as foon as the river is navigable,\nas it is, in general, for veffels of one hundred\nor two hundred tons burthen, except when &\nis frozen.\nThe banks of the Schuylkill are exquifitely\nbeautiful near Reading, indeed more fo than in\nany other part of its courfe. On the fide opposite to the town arifes a range of richly cultivated hills, covered with as many houfes as\ncan be expected in this country. Beyond thefe\nheights are mountains of more confiderable elevation : and beyond thefe arc feen the lofty\nfummits of the Blue Mountains. The whole\nform a profpedt at once pleafing and fublkne.\nA great number of brooks run into the Schuyl-\nkill, and turn many paper, faw, plaster, and oil-\nmills in the vicinity of Reading. The inhabitants of the town are temperate, industrious and\nprudent people. A tradefman clears as much\nmoney in a few years, as enables him to buy a\nplantation in the back country, where he either\nfettles himfelf, or fends one of his children.\nPerfons who quit Reading and its vicinity generally retire to the country around Sunbury\nand Northumberland. Some poor Germans from\nE 3 time\nI!\n-\u00E2\u0096\u00A0\u00E2\u0080\u0094S?5\u00C2\u00BB\n TRAVELS THROUGH\ntime to time arrive here from Europe, get rich,\npurchafe a plantation, and retire.\nThey marry here very young. Few women\nremain unmarried beyond the age of twenty\nyears : and marriages are very fruitful. The\nmortality among children is, upon an average,'\nmuch lefs here than in Philadelphia. The\ncountry is healthful. Perfons grey with age are\nnumerous, and epidemical difeafes rarely break\nout. Living is cheaper here, by one half, than\nin Philadelphia.\nWe had letters to Meffrs. Read and Bridle,\nand cannot fpeak with fufficient praife of the\nhandfome reception we experienced from thefe\ngentlemen. They anfwered all our questions\nwith a degree of patience as obliging on their\npart, as it was advantageous to us. The day we\nflopped at Reading was fpent at Mr. Bridle's,\nwhere we found Mr. Read, Judge Rush, brother to Doctor Rush of Philadelphia, and Prefident of the district, General Rover, who, during the laft war, ferved constantly under La\nFayette, and holds now the place of Regif-\ntrar, Mr. Eckard, an actuary, and Mr. Evans,\nwho is a lawyer as well as Meffrs. Read and\nBridle. The converfation was pleafant enough.\nIt\nassess\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, 8cC\n55\nIt constantly turned upon the political fituation\nof Europe, of which every one will talk, and\nwhich is rightly understood by none. But it\nis the topic of the day, to the difcuftion of which\nwe muft fubmit. Excellent principles of government, a warm attachment to France, abhorrence of the crimes which have been committed, and fervent wifhes for her welfare,\nformed the prominent features of the conver-\nfation. Several very acute and judicious obfervations on the fubject of England were made,\nwhich did not befpeak great partiality for that\ncountry. The gentlemen fpoke with enthufiafm\nof Washington, with gratitude and esteem of\nLa Fayette, and, in fhort, difplayed the moft\nlaudable feelings. During a walk we met fome\nladies, who, to judge from the manner in which\ntheir attendants conducted themfelves, muft be\nof very little importance in fociety. Mr. Bridle,\nwho, without faying a word, gave us tea in the\nevening, feemed fcarcely to have eaten his din\nner.\nThe civility of our friends in Reading was\nnot confined to a kind reception ; they alfo offered us letters to gentlemen at Lancaster, and\nin other places on our road, which, though we\nE 4 were\nu: : t\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0\n/\n Hh/HP\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nwere already provided with a tolerable number,\nwe accepted with the fame satisfaction as they\nwere offered.\nOne of thefe letters procured me an introduction into the farm of Angelico. I was de-\nfirous of being more accurately acquainted with\nthe ftate of agriculture and hufbandry about\nReading, which, in Philadelphia, had been pointed out to me as the moft perfect: in all Pennfyl-.\nvania, and I therefore wifhed to converfe with\none of the best informed farmers ; Mr. Evans\nhad been named to me as fuch. He fuperintends\nand manages the farm of Angelico for Mr. Ni-\ncholson in Philadelphia, who bought it three\nyears ago of Governor Mifflin. This farm,\nwhich lies three miles from Reading on the way\nto Lancafter, confifts of nine hundred acres,\nfour hundred only of which have hitherto been\ncultivated, and fifty of thefe lie in pasture.\nFrom fixty to feventy acres con lift of the finest\nmeadows, fome of which are fown with clover.\nThey are watered at pleafure, partly by the Angelico, a fmall brook from which the place takes\nits name, and partly by a very copious fpring,\nwhich waters fuch parts as are not within reach\nof the Angelico. The grafs is fine, strong, and\nbufhy.\nsw\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C,\n57\nbufhy, and the only care taken of it confifts in a\nflight irrigation. Thje reft of the land is under\nthe plough, and produces wheat, rye, buckr\nwheat, oats, and Indian corn, but without any\nfixed rotation of drops. The land is of the best\nquality, being a rich clay, from twenty-four to\ntwenty-eight inches deep. Some places are itony.\nMore or lefs manure is laid upon the foil every\nthree years. From four to five cart-loads of\ndung, about fifteen hundred weight each, are\ngenerally allotted to an acre; but the dung is\nfar from being in a ftate to anfwer the intended\npurpofe. The produce of the first year, after\nthe ground has been cleared, is twenty-five\nbufhels of wheat, forty bufhels of rye, forty\nbufhels of barley, eighty bufhels of oats, twenty-\nfive bufhels of Indian com, per acre. It would\nproduce considerably more, if the wood were\nfelled in a more careful manner, and the ground\nfomewhat deeper tilled, it is the cuftom, and\nconfequently the general opinion, that the\nground muft not be ploughed deeper than four\nor five inches. I have converted with Mr. Evans\non this fubject, who could not help allowing,\nthat the above opinion is erroneous. He was\nentirely of my way of thinking; but it is the\ncuftom,\n* ._ JS\n 58 TRAVELS THROUGH\ncuftom, and that has more weight than the\nclearest reafoning. Newjy cleared land fometimes produces better crops after the fecond and\nthe third year's tillage, than at the firft; and\nthis generally happens when the ground has not\nbeen cleared with fufficient care. The ufual\nproduce of this land is ten bufhels of wheat,\ntwenty of rye, twenty of barley, forty of oats,\nand eighty of Indian corn. This district has not\nfullered from certain infects, called lice, which\noccasion fometimes confiderable mifchief to the\ncrops; nor had the Heflian fly much damaged\nthe corn here. The plough-fhare is of iron ;\nit has but one broad fide bent towards the right.\nIt is ill contrived, and turns up the ground very\nimperfectly. Two horfes are able to draw the\nplough ina pretty strong foil. The work of the\nfarm is performed by five men, fix horfes, and\ntwelve oxen. Mr. Evans's wife and children\nmanage the bufinefs of the houfe, of a pretty\nconfiderable dairy, and of the poultry-yard,\nwhich is much better stocked with fowls than\nAmerican farms ufually are. The butter which\nis not confumed in the houfe, is fent in winter\nto Philadelphia ; but in fummer they make good\ncheefe, which is fold for ten pence a pound.\nThe\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\nThe corn is either fold in Philadelphia or Reading. Mr^ Evans fattens fome oxen, but their\nnumber does not exceed eighteen, though he\npoffeffes feventy acres of meadow land; thefe\noxen, together with his twelve cows and fix\nhorfes, confume almoft all his hay, for he fells\nvery little. He keeps it in barns, and fometimes in flacks made after the Englifh manner,\nbut fo very badly, that they generally tumble\ndown. Every acre of meadow, if mowed twice\na year, yields from three to four tuns of hay,\nand the price of this article was laft year fourteen dollars a tun.\nMr. Evans keeps no more than forty or fifty\nfheep. This fmall number affords an additional\nproof of the prejudices, which prevail in this\ncountry ; \" to keep many of them,\" Mr. Evans\nobferved, \" would be the certain means of\nlosing them all.\" On my mentioning to him\nthe example of England, he faid, \" I know all\nthis, but it is the custom here, and a wife cuftom it is ; for our neighbour, Mr. Morgan,\nwho would keep more, and had a good fhepherd\nfrom Europe, loft them all. We do not wifh\nfor more than are neceffary to fupply us with\nwool\n I\n6e\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nwool for our own cloathing, and that of our\npeople, and on that account keep no more.\"\nThe ftate of agriculture is here exactly the\nfame as in the remotest provinces of France,\nPrejudices, maxims handed down from father to\nfon, uftges, ignorance, and confequently obstinacy, govern every thing. The fheep are tolerably good, and yield excellent wool. Before\nI faw them, I afked the fhepherd, whether the\nwool was fhort or long ? he anfwered, \" that\nit grew longer towards the time of fhearing it.\"\nI explained to him the meaning of the terms,\nlong and fhort wool, the difference between the.\nfheep which produce it, the different purpofes\nthey are fit for in the manufactories, and, confequently, the reafons why, in different parts\ncf England, one fort of fheep is kept in preference to another. He listened to me, and replied, \" of all this we know nothing here.\" It\nis the cuftom not to keep a ram upon the farm ;\nthey enquire where a good one may be found,\nand either hire him or fend the ewes to him.\nMr. Evans fattens his oxen with hay, and flour\nof Indian corn, of which he allots to each,\ntwice a day, fix quarts, or fix-sixteenths of a\nbufhel:\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\n61\nbufhel: his oxen $te tolerably good, but not remarkably fo. In my prefence he fold feventeen,\nwhich were all he had at that time, and among\nwhich was an old bull and a fine cow. For\nthefe he received nine hundred and fix dollars;\nthe cow alone cost forty-two; fhe was three\nyears old, large sized, of a good fort, and was\nbought for breeding in another part of the\nCountry.\nTurnips for feeding cattle are cultivated only\nin gardens like pot-herbs, to the extent of a\nquarter or half an acre. The cultivation of\ncabbages and turnips in the fields is unknown.\nPotatoes are planted in great abundance. The\nart of getting good dung is as little known here\nas all other branches of agriculture, which require the leaf! judgment. There is no hole in\nthe farrri-yard to collect the dung; nothing is\ndone to improve it by the urine from the different- stables* or to prevent the rain from wafh-\ning away its ftrength ; it lied in the farmyard in\nlarge heaps, does not rot, but is entirely dried up.\nIn other refpecfs this is one of the finest\nestates that can be desired. The foil, the fituation, and every thing confidered, leave nothing\nto wifh for but a more fkilful cultivation, of\nwhich\n which it is as capable as any other fpot in the\nworld. In point of profpect and pidturefque\neffect, its fituation is charming, being in a large,\ndelightful valley, which is well watered, and\nfurrounded by a multitude of the moft pleafant\nhills, partly cultivated, and partly covered with\nwood.\nA faw-mill forms a part of this estate ; it is\nconstantly employed either for the ufe of the\nestate, for the poffeffor, or the public. The\nprice of labour is three fhillings for one hundred\nfeet of plank. The mill has but one faw,\nthough there is a fufficient quantity of water\nfor at least three. This water, which can be\ndifpofed of at pleafure, might very conveniently\nturn feveral other mills, and thus encreafe both\nthe value of the eftate, and the induftry of the\ncountry ; as the produce is fure to meet with a\nready fale either in Philadelphia or Reading.\nThe fences and farm-buildings, which Governor\nMifflin left in very bad condition, are now re-\npairing, and will foon be in very good order.\nMr. Nicholfon pays Mr. Evans, who accounts to him for the outgoings and expendi-\nO O i\nture, but who has not yet remitted him any\nmoney. He intends, undoubtedly, by this ma\nnagement.\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0\u00E2\u0096\u00A0*!\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\n63\nnagement, to put the estate into a good condition, and to raife its value beyond that which\nlanded property has hitherto acquired in America. At this time a bufhel of wheat fells for\nfifteen fhillings, Indian corn for three fhillings,\nand oats for five fhillings. Labourers are eafily\nprocured here in fufficient number for all the\npurpofes of agriculture. From the account I\nhave given of this estate, it is evident, that its\nvalue would be very confiderable, if it were better managed.\nThe five hundred acres, which lie uncultivated, fupply the neceffary timber for repairing\nthe houfe and out-buildings, and alfo wood for\nfuel; which, as I have already mentioned, is\nfold at Reading from three and a half, to four\nand a half dollars per cord, according to the\n.quality of the wood. The expence for felling,\ncutting it, and carrying it to Reading, amounts\nto one dollar two-thirds. Mr. Evans is of opinion, that this tract of land fhould neither be\ncultivated, nor the wood fold for fuel, becaufe\nthe trees, if fuffered to grow, encreafe the value\nof the land far beyond what it can be worth,\nif applied to any other ufe. I know not how\nfar he may be right. To form a coned! opinion\non\ni\n4\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0\n TRAVELS THROUGH\non this fubject, it would be neceffary to traverfe\nthe wood, to be acquainted with the wants and\ncuftoms of the country; and befides, it is well\nknown, that in France, where the management\nof woods is singularly well understood, the rearing of trees is deemed one of the moft difficult\narts.\nMy friend, Mr. Guillemard, who is more fond\nof his bed, and lefs partial to farms, than I am,\nfuffered me to leave Reading fome hours before\nhim ; he overtook me at Angelico, and thence\nwe entered upon our journey to Lancaster.\nThere is no public conveyance yet eftablifhed\nby the ftate between Lancaster and Reading,\nthough thefe are both confiderable towns. The\nfiage-coach goes from Reading to Harrifburg,\no o o Or\nfituate on the Sufquehannah, and on the road to\nPittfburg. Another stage-coach goes from Harrifburg to Lancaster, which forms a circuit of\neighty miles ; though, by the direct road, the\ndiftance is only thirty-one miles. There is, indeed, a post, which goes twice a week from\nBethlem to Lancaster, and panes through Reading, but is of no ufe to travellers. This post,\nwhich makes a journey of eighty miles, frequently arrives without bringing one fingle letter;\ni\n \u00E2\u0080\u00A2NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\n65\nter; every thing evinces, that the country is yet\nin an infant ftate, but fhews, at the fame time,\nthat it is proceeding, by large and rapid strides,\nto a state of confiderable strength.\nThe country between Reading and Lancaster\nabounds with mountains and vallies. The former are not high, but run in ranges. The vallies are chearful, well watered, abound with\nfine meadows, and are tolerably well inhabited.\nAlmost all the inhabitants are Germans, or, at\nleast, of German defeent. The greateft part fpeak\nno other language than German. The houfes\nare fmall, and kept in very bad order ; the barns\nare large, and in very good repair. The general\nappearance of the country, which is very rich\nand pleafant, refembles that near the Voghefian\nMountains, except that here the mountains are\nnot fo high. We continually meet with brooks\nor creeks, with numerous mills and a luxuriant\nverdure. The road is tolerable, except in fome\nplaces, where it is miry, or rough with ftones.\nFour miles from Lancafter the hills decreafe in\nheight, and two miles from the town they terminate in a plain.\nOn our way we flopped at Ephrata, where\nWe vifited the Dunkers, a fort of monks well\nVol. I. F known\nmm\n 66\nTRAVELS THROUGH\n^\n'\ni\nknown in America by the folitary life they lead,\nthough their number is but fmall. We had a\nletter to Father Miller, the Dean of the fociety. The houfe, which is built of a very indifferent fort of stone, and badly roofed with\nlaths, is the refidence of feveral hermits, the remains of fixty, who formed the fociety about\nforty years ago. A few yards from this houfe\nstands the nunnery of the order, which contains ten or twelve nuns, fubjedt to the fame\nrules.\nThe venerable Father Miller is an old man,\nnot far from eighty years of age. His eyes ftill\nfparkle with a degree of fire, and his imagination is still lively. Our curiosity led us to enquire after the inftitution of the houfe, and the\ndoctrines of the order. Father Miller fatisfied\nthis curiosity in a manner the moft tedioufly\ndiffufe, by giving us a minute account of every\npoint, however trifling,'of the doctrine and hiftory of the Dunkers! This hiftory is a tiffue of\nabfurdities, like that of all monks. A ridicujj\nlous compound of ambition, and of the defire\nof infulating themfelves apart from the ftate, is\ncommon to them all. The Dunkers were instituted in the fame place where they at prefent\nreside,\nm\nIV\n \u00C2\u00ABw\nk**\nNORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\n67\nreflde, by one Conrad Peysel, a German, who,\nhowever, foon perceived, as well as themfelves,\nthat the life of an anchorite is neither the moft\npleafant, nor the moft ufeful in the world. He\ncollected them into a fociety, and conducted them\nto Pittfburg, which, at that time, was a wild,\nuninhabited place. The prior, who fucceeded\nPeyfel, intended, according to fome, to fubject\nhis monks to a stricter difcipline ; but, by the\naccount of others, he propofed to accustom them\nto a wandering life ; diflenfions arofe among\nthem, and they paffed fome years in a ftate of\ncontinual disagreement ; they then difperfed,\nand afterwards united again in the fame place\nwhere they were firft eftablifhed. The old\nmonk told us, that they obferve a .strict: rule,\nand live with the utmost frugality ; and that a\ncommunion of property is obferved among them\nwithout the least fupremacy, or any other dif-\ntin<5tlon whatever; he told us, that he goes\nhimfelf to church regularly at midnight. They\nhave made the vow of poverty and chastity;\nthere are, however, fome, who marry, in which\ncafe they quit the houfe, and live with their\nwives elfewhere in the country. Others leave\nthe houfe without marrying ; but thefe, Father\nF 2 Miller\nii\nf:fl|]i\n1 lu\nK\'\nV\nIL\n TRAVELS THROUGH\nMiller obferved, violate, by fo doing, the oath1\nthey have taken ; yet they cannot be profecuted\nfor want of a law to that effect. They wear a\nlong gown made of grey cloth for the winter,\nand of white linen for the fummer, tied round\nthe waist with a strap of leather. They let the\nbeard grow, and fleep on a bench, \" until,\"\nfaid Father Milled, \" they fleep in the grave.\"\nThis was his expreflion. The fpirit of the prefent age, and the country they inhabit, being\nequally averfe to a monastic life, Father Miller\nperceives, with as much certainty as concern, the\nimpending diffolution of his order, which has\nfome other eftablifhments in one or two counties of Pennfylvania. As to the doctrines of the\norder, they are a medley of the moft absurd tenets of the Anabaptists, Univerfalifts, Calvinifts,\nLutherans, Jews, Methodists j and Roman Catholics. They lament the fall of our firft parent, Who would rather have for his wife a carnal being, Eve, than let the celestial Sophia, a\nbeing thoroughly divine, bear a child. She would\nhave communicated only with the fpiritual nature of Adam; and thus a race would have\nbeen engendered all pure, and without the lea.#\ncorporeal ingredient. They lament the indulgence,\n=\u00E2\u0080\u0094^^ggaa^fe\":\n NORTH AMERICA, CANAj&A, &C.\n69\ngence, which God fhewed in regard to this defire of Adam, who acted on this occasion as\nbrutes might do. However, God, according to\ntheir doctrine, has merely deferred the period of\nthis ftate of perfection ; it is certainly to arrive,\nand the Dunkers forefee the time, when, after\nthe general refurrection, the divine Sophia will\ndefcend into every one of us. All this is to\ntheir fancy as evident and clear as the Song of\nSolomon. Wre wafted nearly two hours in\nlistening to the idle prate of the old monk\nwho was happy to entertain us on this fubject,\nand particularly enraptured at the idea, that the\nSophia would defcend into him.\nAnother, monk of the fame order, whom we\nmet with, feemed to be lefs impreffed with this\nhope. He was a printer, a man of thirty years\nof age, who had lived thirteen years in this\nhoufe. He told us, that the difcipline of the\norder is by no means fo ftridt, as the old monk\npretended ; that they divide their earnings only\nif they ehoofe; that they live just as they\npleafe, and drink coffee and tea. He did not\nappear fo enthufiaftic a friend to the vow of\nchastity as Father Miller ; and to our questions,\nwhether many brothers married, and whether\nF 3 they\n 70\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nI\nlifl\nthey were fuppofed to offend by fo doing, an-\nfwered, \" that many did, and that, in his opinion, they acted rightly ; B for,\" faid he, \" are\nnot women trulv charming r\" Before we left\nJ o\nFather Miller, whofe accounts the information\nof the young monk already fhewed to have\ngreatly exaggerated every thing, we had an\nopportunity of convincing ourfelves, that he\nhad misstated even the particulars of their way\nof living; for we found in a room, contiguous\nto his, a nice feather-bed, in which, he could\nnot help confessing, he ilept fometimes, and in\nwhich, by the affertion of the young Dunker,\nhe fleeps every night. In the church we found\na place as much diftinguifhed from the reft, as\nthat of any prior of a convent of benedictine\nmonks can be. Monks are every where the\nfame men, and live by deceiving others; they\nare every where impostors i in Europe, and in\nAmerica, men are the fame, when placed in the\nfame situation. In point of furniture and outward appearance the houfe bears a near refem-\nblance to a capuchin convent, displaying every\nwhere an ostentatious poverty by half-hidden\nbeds of down. We did not vifit the nunnery,\nas we fhould have met there only the fame\nfollies\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0**OT!\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\nfollies, and the fame naufeous filth ; befides,\nthe nuns, being old, could not in the least intereft our curiosity, and we knew already enough\nof thefe Dunkers. They are a good-natured\nfort of people, they live upon the produce of an\nestate of three hundred acres, injure nobody,\nare laughed at in the country, and yet tolerably\nwell beloved.\nThe foil between Reading and Lancaster is\nfull of fmall lime-stones, and flates, which are\nfrequently found of a very large fize. Near\nLancaster the quantity of lime-stone encreafes :\nthe whole country abounds with iron-mines;\nand the iron-works, which are very numerous\nbetween Bethlem and Reading, become more\nfirikingly fo between Reading and Lancaster,\nthough many of them do not stand near the\nroad. We intended to vifit the iron-work of\nMr. Colman, one of the moft confiderable in\nthe whole district; but finding that it was too\nmuch out of our road, we relinquifhed the de-\nfigna All we could learn was, that the workmen receive from eight to ten dollars a month,\nbefides board and lodging. The founder has five\nfhillings per tun. The price of caft-iron is thirty\nfhillings, and of iron in bars forty fhillings a tun.\nF4 The\n It\n72\nTRAVELS THROUGH\n1/\ny.\nThe high price of grain in this place is faid to\nhave much leffened the profits arifing frorjpt\nfounderies.\nWe had left the fervant, with the baggage\nhorfe, at Reading, on account of his back being\nfore. My friend Guillemard intended at first to\nmake the tour from Lancaster to Harrifburg.\nwithout the fervant, and to fend him by the\nftraight road to Northumberland, but Jofeph\nwifhed to fee Lancaster. Mr. Guillemard's\nkindnefs could not refufehim this fmall favour ;\nhe accordingly fet out for Lancaster fome hours\nafter us, and brought the horfe thither; we had\nleffened his burthen, at leaft by eighty pounds^\nand had fent feveral of Mr. Guillemard's effects\nto Philadelphia. The pack-faddle had been\nmended, and yet the poor horfe's back was\nworfe than before. This is an accident truly\ndisagreeable, and by no means unimportant; for\nthe difpofition of my. fellow traveller does not\nallow us to hope a fpeedy end to our fufferings.\nWe muft have patience, a virtue of material ufe\nin all situations, while on the contrary impa-;\ntience never ferves any good purpofe.\nTancafler,\n&*,\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\n73\nLan'cqfter, the Wth of May.\nWe reached Lancaster at nine o'clock at\nnight, the ufual fupper-time. The groom arrived the next morning with the difabled horfe.\nA delay in Lancaster, while the cure of the\nhorfe was effected, proved the more unpleafant,\nas out of the twelve gentlemen, to Whom we\nhad letters of introduction, three only were in\ntown. General Hand, who lives a mile from\nLancaster, happened to be there. We accordingly paid him a vifit, and faw him, as well as\nhis lady and children. But, by not returning\nour vifit, he gave us a pretty clear proof, that\nhe was not very defirous of our repeating it. Mr.\nBridle, though in town, was indifpofed ; and\nMr. Montgomery, to whom we had a letter\nfrom Mr. Bridle, of Reading, was not at home,\nwhen we called at his houfe. This concurrence of unpleasant circumfiances led us to the\nfirm determination of removing at once the ob-\nftacles, which, fince our departure from Philadelphia, had obstructed the execution of our plan.\nIn occurrences of a more ferious complexion\nthan this incident, experience has convinced me,\nthat the fuccours of the moment, with which\nirrefolute\nvi\n1\n1\nII\n\\n%i\nII\nM\n#\n TRAVELS THROUGH\nirrefolute and indolent people are fo well pleafed,\nfar from actually clearing the way of difficulties, merely places them at a greater, diftance,\nbut, in fact, encreafes them. I was alfo fenfi-\nble, that it is by far the beft and easiest way,\nin all similar situations, to do without every\nthing, which may prove troublefome. My\nfriend Guillemard is determined, to act: upon\nthe fame principle; and we have refolved to\nreduce our baggage to what our three horfes\ncan conveniently carry, and to fend the reft\nback to Philadelphia. Thus relieved from all\nuneafinefs, our minds will be more capable of\nreceiving the new knowledge, which we fhali\nufe every opportunity to ^collect. Here we gathered our information from the landlord's family at the inn, where we had put up.\nThis inn, the Swan, has been kept by Mr.\nSlow thefe thirty years.p He was a man of very\nconfiderable property, but, fome time back, was\nmuch reduced by misfortunes; having engaged\nJ * O O o\nin iron-works, and other bufinefs, he was defrauded, and nearly ruined, and found himfelf\nunder the necessity of felling all the property he\nhad acquired. Grief undermined his constitution ; but his wife, poffeflea1 of more fortitude,\n(as\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\n75\n(as women generally are^) roufed his dejected\nfpirits. His honesty had never been impeached,\nand his fituation in life, as innkeeper and member of the affembly of Pennfylvania, had made\nhim known, and had obtained him friends, who\nafnfted him with money, and procured him\ncredit. One of them purchafed fifteen hundred\nacres of land, which he pofTeffed near Wilkf-\nbarre, on the Sufquehannah, and, when the\nbargain was struck, told him, that he fhould\nonly consider himfelf as his trustee, and return\nthe land for the fame money. His circumstances\nimproved ; he has not only repaid the money\nfor the lands near Wilkfoarre, which are again\nin his poffeflion, but has alfo purchafed others\nnear Northumberland, married one of his daugh-\nters, obtained commiftions in the army for two\nof his fens, and thus recovered his former prof-\nperity. We had letters to him : he happened\nto be in Philadelphia ; but his wife and two of\nhis fbns were at home, who furniihed us with,\nperhaps, as much information, as we might have\nbeen able to procure, had we met with all the\nother perfons to whom we had letters of recommendation.\nLancaster is the largest inland town on the\ncontinent\n w WB\nTRAVELS THROUGH\ncontinent of America. It stands twenty miles\nfrom the Sufquehannah, and half a mile from\nthe Conawango, a large stream, flocked with\nfifh, but not navigable. This district was prefented to the family of Mr. William Hamilton, by the Penns, their relations. The town\nbegan to be built in 1731, with a view of its\nbeing the chief of the county. The land is\nnot fold by the Hamiltons, but leafed out for 1\na ground-rent, which they have raifed in proportion to the encreafed demands, and the riling price of land in everyplace. As W. Hamilton has still a great quantity of land left\nabout the town, he difpofes of it in the fame\nmanner; and his yearly income, compofed of\nunredeemable rents, amounts at prefent to four\nthoufand dollars. During the war the payment\nof thefe rents was collected with difficulty ; Mr.\nHamilton, as well as the family of Penn, belonging to the Tory party.\nThe population of Lancaster confifts of about\nfix or feven thoufand fouls. Inftead of increasing, it rather decreafes at prefent, in confe-\nquence of the continual emigration of fuch inhabitants, as by their induftry have acquired a\nfufficient fortune, to purchafe landsrin the lefs\ninhabited\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, ScC\n77\ninhabited districts of Pennfylvania, or in the\nmoft diftant part of Maryland, and whom the\nhigh price of land, in the county of Lancaster,\nprevents from fettling here.'\nNear the town, and even at fome diftance\nfrom it, the price of land is at prefent from fifty\nto eighty dollars per acre. Within thefe laft\nthree years, it has been more than doubled. Ge-\nneral Hand bought, five years ago, the estate on\nwhich he resides, two miles from the town, for\ntwenty-five dollars per acre, and has lately refufed one hundred, which were offered him.\nMr. Scott, fon-in-law of Mr. Slow, bought\nlately an estate, for which he paid one hundred\ndollars per acre. The price of land has rifen\nnearly in theTame proportion throughout America, at least in all its cultivated parts. Mr.\nSlow, about five years ago, purchafed an estate\nnear Northumberland for forty fhillings per\nacre, and laft year fold it again for fifty-four\nmillings. With the profits he purchafed 3\npretty little eflate, fituate half a mile from\nLancaster, between the road and the creek.\nThis eflate, which contains one hundred and\nfen acres, is now in a fine state of cultivation.\nAbout eighteen or twenty acres lie in grafs, and\nform\nt\nml\nvf\n\*\\niir \u00E2\u0080\u00A2 . \u00E2\u0080\u009E.\u00E2\u0080\u0094-.aec\u00E2\u0080\u0094ea\n 78\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nform the moft beautiful meadows; twenty-five\nare covered with wood, and the reft are under\nthe plough. He lays from twelve to fourteen\ntuns of dung on each acre : no land lies fallow ;\nbut he entertains the fame prejudices as the reft\nof the farmers in favour of flat ridges, and\nagainft fheep. -His fon, in whofe company I\nfurveyed the eflate, confefTed, that the theory\nand practice which prevail in Europe do not\nagree with the hufbandry of the Americans,-but\nhe is neverthelefs zealoufly wedded to their prejudices, and caufes them to be clofely followed,\nnot onlv on his father's eflate, of which he has\nthe management, but alfo on his own near\nNorthumberland.\nThe land, in the environs of Lancaster, exceeds in fertility that in the neighbourhood of\nReading. An acre yields, upon an average, fifteen bufhels of wheat, and other grain in proportion.\nEvery thing is much dearer in Lancafter than\nin Reading. Day labourers are paid four fhillings\nper day, and are easily procured. The inhabitants\nare the fame good natured kind of people as at\nReading, and equally laborious. \u00E2\u0096\u00A0& In the town,\nas well as the neighbouring country, are a great\nnumber\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\n79\nnumber of tan-yards, and many mills, from\nwhich the flour is fent to Philadelphia in waggons. Returning, thefe waggons commonly\nbring merchandize, which is expedited from\nthis place to every part of the back country.\nThe road has hitherto been very bad; a turnpike-road, which is about to be made, and which\nwill probably be completed this autumn, will\ndoubtlefs much facilitate and promote the com-,\nmunication. The mealmen feem already to familiarize themfelves with the idea .of paying an\nadditional toll of two or three dollars, and of\nproviding larger wheels for their waggons. If\nthe Sufquchannah fhall be made navigable as far\nas Wright, an event that cannot be far distant;\nthe meal-trade will grow ftill more confiderable\nin this diftrict:, at leaft until the projected plan\nof rendering the Suatara and the Delaware navigable, by means of the Schuylkill, fhall be\ncarried into effect.\nIn a recently fettled and free country, it is\nfeldom poffible to come at any certain refults of\ncalculations, relative to trade and commerce.\nThus the number of waggons, which are fent\nfrom Philadelphia to Lancafter and the neighbouring country, with flour and other provi-\nfion,\n v/i lUC uvj yr ii\u00C2\u00AB ttXJ.xv.LL YiCivl a. UJiCi/(iw/(\nchijl, that is very hard, yet eafily cut, but can-\nThij\nltone\nnot be obtained in pieces of any large fize. This\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\nltone is fold by the rod, containing sixteen feet\nin length, eighteen inches high, and eighteen\nwide ; the price is one dollar, delivered in town\nfree from expence, and a quarter of a dollar to\ntake it out of the quarry. The turnpike-road\nhas confiderably encreafed its fale.\nThe difpofition of the generality of the inhabitants of Lancaster is of the fame good cast as\nthat of the inhabitants of Reading. There ex*\nifts here, however, a democratic fociety, but it\nconfifts only of twelve members, not five of\nwhom ever attend the meetings. The enter-\nprife against Pittfburg, which no American\nmentions without confcious pride, efpecially in\n'thefe parts, where the militia bore a fhare hi\nit, has ruined the Jacobin clubs and focieties.\nThe dilapprobation of the Senate, the enquiry\nfet on foot by the reprefentatives of the people,\n(notwithftanding the propofal of the committee, that they be reprimanded, was not carried)\nand efpecially the circumstance, that the Prefident, who is generally esteemed and reflected,\nnay, revered to a degree of enthufiafm in America, perfonally reprobated them, have completed\ntheir destruction.\nThe city of Lancafter is furrounded with\nmeadows, which are well watered. It gave me\nVol. I.\nG\nmm\n\u00E2\u0080\u00A2h\n V\n$%\n\u00E2\u0080\u00A2TRAVELS THROUGH\nc'n\nmuch fatisfaction to fee a wheel, purpofely de*\nijgned to rail'e the water neceffary for that pur-^\npofe. The town itfelf is rather dull. It has\nmore the appearance of a city than Reading 3\nthe houfes Hand nearer each other, and are more\nnumerous; broad stone pavements, run in front\nof the houfes, and the streets that are not paved,\nare at least covered with gravel, and kept clean*\nThe feftions-houfe is a good building, neat and\nelegant. There are two or three well buijff;\nchurches in the town. The number of places\nof worfhip amounts, in the whole, to feven.\nThe Swan inn is undoubtedly better than any-\ninn in Philadelphia; lefs magnificent than the\nexcellent Englifh inns, yet of very fimilar de-\nfign ; none, at leaft, can be more cleanly. A\ngreat number of fervants are kept, and the ifig*j\nmily of the landlord, whofe manners befpeak a\nliberal education, are generally reflected, and\nenjoy that consideration, which in all countries\nfhould be bestowed on honeft men, whatever\ntheir occupations, if not contrary to morality.\nInnkeepers are here men of the firft rank. How\nmany Europeans would fhake their heads, were\nit fo in their own countries! It is a general cuftom in America, to dine with the innkeeper and\nhis family, and to conform to the dinner hout\nwhich\n'\n mmeM*\nNORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\nwhich he fixes. This cuftom, which, at times,\nproves extremely difagreeable, is, on the contrary, very pleafant in this houfe, for it is impossible to meet with a family in all America\nof fuperior breeding, or which forms a more\nagreeable fociety, than that of Mr. Slow.\nOne of the two fons, who holds a cornmiffion in the army, was at home. He ferves in\none of the regiments, which, under the order$\nof General Wayne, act: againft the Indians, and.\nwas wounded in an engagement last autumn,\nin which thofe people were repulfed by the\nAmericans. The particulars of this war are by\nno means interesting* The Americans fpeak of\nthe ignorance of the Indians, in point of tactics,\nwith the fame contempt that the Englifh ex-\nprefs for American tactics, and the Pruflians,\nAuftrians. and French for the tactical knowledge of the Englifh. All that I have been\nable to learn of thefe Indians interefts me in\ntheir favour. The Americans are waging war\nagainft them, in order to drive them out of a\ncountry, which belongs to them; and the Americans, who inhabit the frontiers, are greater\nrobbers, and more cruel than the Indians, against\nwhom it is alleged as a crime, that they exer-\ncife the right of retaliation. They are, more-\nG 2 over,\n TRAVELS THROUGH\nover, incited by the Englifh against the Ameri-\n' J o o\ncans, and become thus, in their untutored ftate,\nvictims of the ambition and difcord of thefe two\ncivilized nations. Captain Slow affured me, that,\namong the Indians Haiti on the field of battle,\nmany white people have been found, who were\nEnglifhmen ; that many active officers on horfe-\nback have been feen at the head of the Indians,\nwho were alfo Engufhmen, and that the Indian'\narmy is fupported by the Englifh garrifons.\nThefe affertions, however, tend merely to prove\nthe fupinenefs of the Americans, both in regard\nto the Englifh and Indians. Captain Slow affured me, that even in Kentucky, he never\nmet with any land, which, in point of rich-\nnefs, can be compared with the foil of thofe\nparts, efpecially in the country, on the river\nMiami; that the stratum of vegetative earth is\nfrom twenty to twenity-nve feet thick ; and that\nthe fields, in which the Indians have fown\nmaize and beans, befpeak a very careful cultivation, and promife the richest crops, that ever\ncame within his obfervation.\nBefore I conclude the article of Lancaster, I\nmuft not omit to mention two Frenchmen, who\nhave fettled here from the French colonies in the\nWeft Indies. The one is a miniature painter,\nwho\n I\nNORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\n65\nwho fells his coarfe pictures for three guineas\neach, and contrives to vend many ; the other is\na very indifferent musician, who charges three\nguineas a month for his leffons, and has feveral\npupils. At every ftep we take in America,\neither in towns or in the country, it becomes\nmore and more evident, tha/ any one may make\n| his fortune, who will take the pains ; and nothing can afford a stronger proof of the truth of\nthis remark, than a perfonal acquaintance with\nthe crowd of foreigners, who enjoy the reputation of being exceedingly clever, and who are\namassing fortunes under the aufpices of this frequently ufurped title.\nIn the inn, at Lancaster, I met with Mr.\nBrown, member of the congrefs for Kentucky ;\nhe was on his way to Philadelphia, where the\ncongrefs meets next month. I lifted him a little\nrefpecting the prefent ftate of Kentucky. The\nrefult of the information I obtained is, that the\nfoil is every where excellent, and frequently\nyields, for the first harvest, from one hundred\nto one hundred and ten bufhels of Indian corn,\nand from fifty to fifty-five bufhels of, wheat an\nacre ; that the price of land is fix dollars per\nacre, of flour eleven dollars per barrel, and of\nIndian corn,abne-fixth of a foliar per bufhel%\nG 3 that\n\ n\n*\n\\\n TRAVELS THROUGH\nthat the population, which, in 1790> consisted*\nof ninety thoufand fouls, amounts at prefent to\none hundred and fifty thoufand; that, in the\ncourfe of laft year, twenty-five thoufand perfons fettled there; that the Indians attempt no\nlonger any inroads in that part of the United\nStates, which, though occupied the laft of all,\nadvances more rapidly towards a state of pro*\n'fperity than any other district in America.\nFrom Lancaster we proceeded to May Town,\nThe road from Lancafler to this place lies chiefly\nthrough a woody tract of country, which af-\nfumes a wilder appearance than we have hitherto\nfeen. Cultivated land appears more rarely as we\nproceed, except a few vallies, which still lie in\ngrafs, or are fown with Indian corn. In proportion as the distance from Lancafler encreafes,\nhoufes of brick or stone are lefs frequently feen.\nWe met with fcarcely any but log-houfes; every\nwhere we obferve German farms, fmall houfes,\nand large barns. Cows and oxen, which feemed\ntolerably good, we found grazing in the woods\nanc} near the road ; and alfo faw, at times, fheep,\nbut never more than eight or ten of them to*\ngether. From their thicknefs, you would fup-\nppfe the woods to be no more than thirty years\nold : and yet it is highly improbable, that new\nplantations\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\n87\nplantations fhould have been made at a time\nwhen wood-lands were every where converted\ninto tillage-ground. Thefe woods, as well as\nthofe which feem older, con fist of oak, hickory,\nblack afh, acacia, chefnut, cherry and apple-\ntrees, a few fpindle-trees, fome cedars, and\nWeymouth-pines. Were it not for the known\npartiality of man for whatever it is difficult to\nprocure, it would be impoffible to account faf\nthe introduction of the Italian poplar into America, which abounds in fo great a Variety of\nbeautiful trees, as may well excite the envy of\nEurope. Great numbers of thefe poplars, which\nferve for not one ufeful purpofe, have been\nplanted in America. They border all the streets\nin Philadelphia, and all the roads about the\ntown.\nAll the cultivated land between Lancafler and\nMay Town is inciofed with fences of dry wood$\nwhich ipoil the landfcape, and consume vast\nquantities of timber, though it already begins\nto grow dear. Sooner or later this ufelefs waste\nwill certainly he regretted.\nMay Town is a fmall village, sixteen miles\nfrom Lancaster, built on a fpot entirely without water, where either chance, or the intereft\npf a few individuals, threw together a dozen\nG 4 houfes,\nV\ni'At\nII\nlk\n TRAVELS THROUGH\ni\ Y\nSi\ni\nWfflV\nmil\nI\nhoufes, the number of which has not been en-\ncreafed since the origin of the eftablifhment,\nand, to all appearance, never will be. This\nlittle village is inhabited entirely by Germans,\nwho have ftill remained fuch. Land in this\nneighbourhood costs twelve or thirteen dollars an\nacre, and is in a tolerable ftate of cultivation.\nThe road from May Town to Middle Town\nbecomes more dreary and unpleafant as we proceed ; fix miles from the former place we fell\nin with the fuperb river Sufquehannah, on a\nTpot where the rapids proceeding from the Corn wan go render it unnavigable, or, at leaft, the\nnavigation fo extremely dangerous, that it is\nattempted but by very few veffels. In order to\nfree this navigation from all danger, which is\nof the utmoft importance both to the prefent\nand the future wealth and profperity of the\ncountry, a canal has been begun, which will\nrun half a mile above and below thefe rapids,\nand thus keeps the navigation open at all times\nfor veffels to work up or drop down the river.\nThis canal, the undertaking of a private gentleman, to whom the ftate of Pennfylvania has\nadvanced thirteen thouiand three hundred and\nihirty-three dollars, and alfo granted leave to\neftablifh a toll, is nearly completed. Nothing\nremains\n \u00E2\u0096\u00A0MM\nNORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\n89.\nremains to be constructed but the locks, yet a\ndifference of opinion exifls as to the time of its\ncompletion. We intended to view the canal ;\nbut my fellow-traveller being a little indifpofed\nwe were the more ready to give up this project,\nas from a view of the canal we could not have\nderived any additional, or more exact information, than we had already obtained.\nThe road from this place to Middle Town\naffumes a wilder and more romantic appearance\nat every step we advance. The forests and rocks\nreach down to the Sufquehannah. A great\nnumber of trees, wafhed loofe by the water a\nlong time ago, lie, half rotten, along the banks\nof the river; others lie rooted up, broken, or\nfelled in the midst of the wood, without its\nhaving occurred to any one, to ufe them for\nany beneficial purpofe ; and they have been fuffered to lie here, to be taken poffeffion of by the\nfirst comer. The opposite bank is likewife covered with wood, and bounded by mountains of no\nconfiderable height. From time to time we faw,\nthrough viftas naturally opening among them\nthe Blue Mountains. The river is, in general,\nfrom two to three thoufand fathoms broad, full\nof confiderable iflets, which are of an irregular\nlevel at the. furface, and encreafe the width of\nits\n its bed. It is full three miles broad, exclusive\nof an iflet in it, at the fpot where the Suatara\nfalls into it.\nMiddle Town is feated on the latter, about\nfialf a mile diflant from its confluence with the\nSufquehannah. From the above- mentioned ra-\npids of the Conawango usually interrupting the\nnavigation on this large river, Middle Town becomes the ftorehoufe of all the grain, which is\nproduced in the country fituate along its upper\ncourfe, and not confumed there, From one\nhundred and fixty to one hundred and eighty\nthoufand bufhels of wheat are yearly bought up\nby the corn-dealers, on the fpot where it grows,,\nconveyed to Middle Town, and deposited in\ngranaries there. The millers of the furround-\ning country ufually buy it here, grind it into\nflour, and fend it to Philadelphia. The grand\nproject, of inland navigation, for the execution\nof which the government of Pennfylv^nia ha\u00C2\u00A7\ngrapted a lottery, is designed to join the Suatara with the Schuylkill, by means of a canal of\nabout fixty miles in length, a third of which is\nalready completed. In regard to that part, indeed, it does not appear that the common welfare has been chiefly attended to by thofe, who*\nwera entrusted wtfh the management of this\nimportant\n^a\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\nimportant concern. When this canal fhall be\n|finifhed, the flour, which is now carried to Philadelphia by land-conveyance, will be tranf-\nported thither by water, with much lefs trouble\nand expeiice. The carriage amounts, at prefent, from fourteen and a half to fifteen fhillings per barrel.\nThe completion of the canal is much wifhed\nfor at Middle Town, as the inhabitants hope to\nderive from it advantages, which muft encreafe\nin proportion as the diflricrs, that fend their\ngrain thither, fhall become more populous, and\nconfequently attain a higher state of cultivation.\nThe banks of the Suatara, as far as we have\nfeen them, are truly delightful. This river,\nthough called here but a creek, is as broad as\nthe Seine near Rouen. On the northern bank,\nfrom its mouth up to Middle Town, stand fome\nalehoufes and warehoufes to receive the grain,\nas it arrives. A little farther up ftands the mill\nof Mr. Frey, a German, advanced in years,\nwho fettled here as a miller, about ten years\nago. This mill, which has four courfes, is of\na happy and fimple construction ; all the operations upon the corn, as well as the meal, are\neffected by machines, with the fole exception\nof fhe bolting^ which is done nearly as in London,\n w\nTRAVELS THROUGH\n$\nm\ni.,\ndon, and at the Perriers', in Paris. The management of this operation is confided to a lad,\nwho receives the meal craned up in tubs, fpreads\nit out on the loft, and distributes it among the\ndifferent meal bags. \" Mr. Frey,\" he faid,\n\" is no friend of Evans's machine; he does not\n-like the construction.\" This was the only motive I could learn. The mill grinds for Mr.\nFrey himfelf about thirty thoufand bufhels of\nwheat a year ; he fends the flour as far as Newport. Four journeymen and one apprentice do\nthe bufinefs about the mill; they are all Germans ; their wages are from feven to ten dollars per month ; they feem fenfible and active\npeople. Mr. Frey keeps, independent of the\nmill, which alfo grinds corn for the public, a\nihop in the city, which is about a quarter of a\nmile distant. His houfe is the only stone building in the town, which contains about thirty\nhoufes built with wood.\nFrom its situation and trade, Middle Town\nfhould be the chief town of the county ; but, in\nthis cafe, Mr. Frey would have been obliged to\nfacrifice about three or four ground fhares for\nthe erection of public buildings, which he did\nnot ehoofe to do, though he pofTeffes a great\nmany fhares. Harrifburg is therefore become\nSt the\nilkA\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\nthe chief town of the county. The inhabitants\nof Middle Town and the neighbouring country\nwe may easily conceive, are highly difpleafed\nwith old Mr. Frey, for having thus neglected\nthe interests of the town; but he laughs at\nthem, becaufe he is rich, and grows daily\nricher, by felling them his decayed stores.\nThe price of land is here from twenty-feven'\nto thirty dollars. A day labourer gets three\nfhillings and nine pence per day, and beef fells\nat five pence per pound. The inn, where we\ntook up our quarters, is good; but on our going to reft, a ftranger entered our bed-room\naccording to American cuftom, to go to bed,\nand we were told, that we might think ourfelves extremely fortunate, that we were not\nobliged to fhare one of ounbeds with him.\nMiddle Town is distant twenty-feven miles\nfrom Lancafler. Three Frenchmen have fettled in this fmall place. One is a goldfmith and\nwatch-maker, and is faid to have much bufinefs ; another is a physician, and earns like wife\nhis subsistence; the calling of the third I have\nnot been able to learn; he probably aflifts the\nother two in confuroing their earnings. We\no o\nhave experienced here a fcorching heat, and\nfrequently\n i if\nff '\u00C2\u00BB\n\yft\n04 TRAVELS THROUGH\nfrequently two th under- storms in one day ; the\nfalling of rain always encreafes the heat.\nWednefday, the 13th of May.\nMr. Harris, lord of the manor on whic|^\nHarrifburg stands, availed himfelf of Mr. Frey's\nerror, to procure his town the advantages, that\nthe former neglected. No fooner was it in\ncontemplation, to form the tract of country,\nfeparated from Lancafler, into a distinct county, than he offered to the government of Pennsylvania, to facrifice not only a toll on the Suf-\nquehannah, of which he was poffeffed, and the\nprofits of which he lawfully enjoyed, but alfo\nfeveral thoufand acres of land, in and about\nthe town, referving to himfelf only twenty\nground fhares. This offer induced the government of Pennfylvania, to make this the chief\ntown of the county, though it has neither an\nanchoring place for the fhips, that fail up and\ndown the river, nor can afford them the fmalleft\nlhelter. The new county obtained the name\nof Dauphin. The firft houfes were built here\nin 1785 ; and their number at prefent amounts\nto three hundred. The formation of this town\nbeing of a more recent date than that of any\nother,\n\u00C2\u00A3V\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\njfthef, the buildings were, from the very\nof a better construction than any where\nand fuch as were not originally good h\nhave fince been rebuilt. Very few log-h\nare, therefore, to be found in Harrifburg :\nqn the contrary, many fubftantial and han\nedifices ; and though this town is fmaller\nof later eftablifhment than Reading and\nOther places, yet it is more compact, and\nmuch better appearance. A malignant epi\nfever has made the fame havoc in Harrifbu\nthe yellow fever did in Philadelphia, and\nwhole twelvemonth checked the progrefs of\nbuilding. As the fever did not return last year,,\nhowever, building is again going on ; but the\nprejudice of the town being insalubrious still remains, whether it be really fo, or, as the inhabitants affirm, merely a fcandalous report, propagated by the jealousy of the neighbouring towns.\nThe unhealthi&efs of the place being imputed\nto the stagnation of fome water, which was made\nto turn a mijl, it was propofed to the miller, to\nthrow down the dam, and an indemnification\nwas offered him. He demanded, laft year, four\nthoufand dollars ; but this fum not having been\nf?rifed foon enough, in his opinion, he this year\ntaifed his demaaad in proportion to the encreafed\ndefire\n TRAVELS THROUGH\ndefire of destroying his dam, and infilled on the\npayment of eleven thoufand dollars. The inhabitants, enraged at this exorbitant demand,\nand, at the fame time, earnestly wifhing for the\ndemolition of the dam, unanimoufly refolved to\ndeftroy it, and appointed a commission, to award\na juft indemnification to the miller, which has\nbeen determined at the fum he firft demanded.\nAll the inhabitants feem to have concurred in\nthis proceeding, which, though not to be applauded, is lefs cenfurable, on account of the\nmiller's enormous rapacity. The unanimity,\nwith which this tranfaclion was accomplished,\nenfures its impunity; and the miller will be cautious of entering upon a prefecution^ as the\ngrand jury would certainly throw out his bill.\nHe has no one to blame but himfelf for the destruction of his dam; and the public opinion,\nwhich, by a more prudent conduct, he might laft\nvear have engaged in his favour, is now decided-\nly againft him. Yet with many of the demo-\nlifhers themfelves it remains a matter of doubt,\nwhether the demolition of the dam have any\nway increafed the falubrity of the place.\nA prifon and a feflions-houfe have been built'\nat Harriiburg, and a plan is in agitation to form\nO' i o\nan anchorage for fhips. The inhabitants exert\ntheir\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C Qj$\ntheir utmoft efforts, to procure to-this place all\nthe advantages of which it is fufceptible, and\neven indulge a hope, that the feat of the government of the ftate will be removed to their\ntown. They form a central point, at leaft for\nthe population of Pennfylvania ; and are lefs\ndiftant from the remote weftern parts than any\nother county on this fide the Sufquehannah,\nand on thefe local advantages they ground their\nhopes. It is, however, to be wifhed, that their\nnotion, of determining the feat of the legiflature\nby a pair of compaffes, may be confined to men\nwho cannot influence the decision ; and that it\nmay be rightly understood, how much better it\nis for the deputies to travel one hundred miles\nfurther, than to remove the feat of government\nfrom Philadelphia, which is the moft populous\ncity, and the only trading town in Pennfylvania, and which confequently forms that point,\nwhere the belt information is in unifon with the\nmoft important interefts.\nThe public expenditure, neceffary in this\nnewly formed county, caufes the taxes to be\nfomewhat higher than in the counties of Lancafler and Berks ; the difference may be a fhil-\nling in the pound. Unlets you chance to meet\nwith a commiflioner of taxes, the exact propor-\nVol. I. H tion\nI1\n1\nt\n ir\n&\n1 RAVELS THROUGH\"\nII\na Vh\ntion is not to be afcertained, as a general ignorance on the fubjecl every where prevails. The\ntaxes, however, are generally deemed very light,\neven by thofe who pay them, which is undoubtedly the Wrongest proof that they are fo.\nThe majority of the inhabitants of Harrifburg\nconfifts of Germans and Irifhmen, firmly attached to government, fenfible, and industrious.\nThe number of inns in America is out of all\nproportion to that in Europe. This place contains no lefs than thirty-eight. It has twenty-\nfive or thirty fhops, where may be found all\nforts of merchandize, procured from Philadelphia on twelve or eighteen months credit, andl\nof which the fhop-keepers rapidly difpofe at\ndouble or treble their prime coil.\nThe price of ground-fhares in the town of\nHarrifburg is from one hundred and fifty to two\nhundred dollars. The land in the furrounding\nCountry is good ; its price is from thirty-two to\nforty-eight dollars an acre; day-labourers are\npaid here three fhillings and fix-pence a day with\nIfheir board, or five fhillings without it*\nThe Sufquehannah near Harrifburg is about\nthree quarters of a mile in breadth : in fiummer\nit is frequently fordable. The navigation is ex-\ntrefetelv dangerous for feveral months, in con-\nfequence\nBi\ntil**\n V\nNORTH AMfitUCA, CANADA, &C.\nlec[uence of fome rapid currents, and never fafe\nexcept in fpring and autumn, when the water\nis fufficiently high to cover the rocks, which be-\nJo '\ncome more numerous at the point where the\nJuniata falls into the Sufquehannah, nine miles\nabove Harrifburg, and greatlv encreafe the dan*\ngers of the navigation. The government of\nPennsylvania has offered eight hundred thoufand\ndollars for clearing the river of thefe rocks from\nthe above point down to Middle Town ; but\nliitherto no one has ventured upon this enter-\nprize. I entertain no doubt, however, but that\nthis vast undertaking will fhortly be accomplifh-\ned, though the fum hitherto offered may not\nbe fufficient, but muft probably be increafed.\nThe industry and profperity of Pennfylvania\nwill, in time*, overcome this, as well as many\nother difadvantages, which have heretofore been\ndeemed infuperable. A Frenchman resides at\nprefent at Harrifburg, who was born in France,\nbut came hither from Martinico. He is a phy-\nfician, and though he fpeaks but little Englifh,\nand has refided here only a few months, enjoys\nalready confiderable practice.\nWe had a letter to General Hannah ; and\nas we intended to stop here but a few hours,\nwe delivered it as foon as We alighted from our\nH 2 horfi\nCli*\n If\n100\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nA, f\ni'J\nrfc:*e\nw\nhorfes. General Hannah is a man of about\nthirty-fix or thirty-eight years of age, and Brigadier General of the Militia. He was a member of the Senate for Pennfylvania, but went\nout by rotation laft autumn. Before he was\nengaged in the fervice of the ftate, he was a\nlawyer ; but he has fince relinquished that profeflion, and has commenced farmer. He has\nmarried a daughter of old -Mr. Harris, the\nfounder of the town, and appears to be an upright, worthy character. Not being prepared\nto give us a dinner, as we came unexpectedly,\nhe offered to attend us to our evening quarters,\nfeven miles from this town, as fome token of\nrefpect for the letter of introduction which we\nbrought him. As our horfes wanted fhoeing,\nO O*\nwe were obliged to make him wait fome time,\nwhich we paffed in the true American ftyle,\nquaffing a bottle of Madeira and fmoaking fe-\ngars. The general is not fond of them, but\nprefers chewing tobacco ; yet, from motives of\npolitenefs, he fmoaked with us. Being at our\nlodgings we propofed as a toaft, \" the President;\" upon which he immediately gave, \" La\nFayette.\" I notice this trifling circumftance,\nto introduce once more the remark, that La\nFayette is constantly toafled next to the Prefident,\n11 fa\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\ndent, which, in my judgment, reflects honour\non America.\nWe took up our quarters at Mac Alister's.\n.General Hannah is acquainted with him, and\nbeing informed of my wifh to collect: authentic\nagricultural information, he was defirous of introducing me to one of thefe gentlemen, who\nO O '\nare moft able to impart it. Mac Alifter is a farmer, and, at the fame time, proprietor of a corn-\nmilf, a law-mill, a distillery, and an inn. He is\nthe fame on whom Cooper, in his \" Account\nof America,\\ beftows fo much praife. Mac Alifter is an active, enterprizing, industrious, and\nintelligent man. About eleven years ago he\nbought the ground, on which he has formed the\nfeveral different eftablifhments of his induftry.\nThefe are all in a thriving way. His eflate\nconfifts of about three hundred acres, which\nare partly hemmed in between the Blue and Second Mountains; but, for the moft part, are\nfituate on the Blue Mountains. The cultivated\nground amounts in the whole to one hundred\nand twenty acres, fifty of which are laid out in\nartificial meadows, and thirty-fix in orchards for\napple and peach-trees. The meadows are beautiful, and the fields in good order. He extols\nthem far above all other fields in America, but\nH 3 we\nr Ii\n! I\nnil\n //\nLia\nlUf\n102\nTRAVELS THROUGH\ns\nm\nwe have met with fome, even in the vicinity of\nReading, and in the county of Lancafler, which\nare beyond comparifon better than his. He\naffured us, that he never lays dung <\u00C2\u00A7n any part\nof his land but meadows, which he alfo waters ;\nand that his only manure for land, which he\nfbws with corn or clover, confifts in fowing it\nwith clover three years fucceslively, and plowing\ndown the clover whilst it is in bloffom. By\nhis afiertion his land yields generally fixty bufh-\nJ o J J\nels an acre of maize, or thirty bufhels of wheat,\nbut it has not the appearance of producing fuch\nconfiderable crops. He fows a larger proportion of grain than is ufual in this country; but\nthis is not always a certain method of obtaining\na rich harvest. His orchards are uncommonly\nfine; he makes as good cyder as I have ever\ntafted in America. He finds labourers in abundance, and pays them at prefent three fhillings\n' l J l o\na day ; becaufe, from the prefent high value of\ncorn, the price of day-labour has rifen one fhilling. g? ..:\nThe price of the neighbouring lands is eight.\ndollars an acre if covered with wood, and fifty\ndollars if they be cleared, and in any degree\ncultivated. He keeps-no fheep, at leaft not above\ntwenty; becaufe, as he told us, they do not\nyield\n3o\u00C2\u00BB\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\n10$\nyield him fo much profit as his meadows, which\nproduce two tuns and half of hay per acre, worth\ntwenty-five dollars. For the fame reafon he\nfattens no cattle. ,His ridges are as flat as thofe\nof other farmers, and his dung is badly managed,\nthough he ufes a great deal on the land; he\nlays fometimes twenty loads or thirty tuns of\ndung on an acre. His mill is a very indifferent\none indeed ; but he affures me, that he means\nfoon tobuilda new one, which will greatly excel that of Mr. Frey, in Middle Town. The\nprefent mill has two courfes, which generally\ngrind corn of his own, but are at times em-*\nployed for the public, and are frequently fet to\npulverize plaster of Paris, which he mixes with\nhis feed. He informed us, that he grinds fifteen\nthoufand bufhels of wheat a year on his own\naccount; but, on comparing his mill with that\nof Frey, which grinds no more in proportion\nwithout ever flopping, I feel inclined to doubt\nthe veracity of his affertion. He fends his meal\nin waggons to Philadelphia, the carriage of\noo r ' o\nwhich amounts, at times, to feven teen fhillings\nper barrel. His faw-mill is almoft conflantly\ngoing. The logs are floated down the river\nfrom the upper country when the water is high ;\nand he cuts them into planks, which he fells\nH 4 on\nh\n 104\nTRAVELS THROUGH\non the fpot; deals at fix fhillings per hundred,\nand other planks at eight fhillings. Thefe prices\nare the fame as at Harrifburg. His whifkv alio\nO J\nis fold on the fpot; and the grain for the diflil-\nr ' o\nlery he receives likewife from the upper country. A bufhel of rye yields about three gallons of\nJ J J o\nwhifky ; and he distils yearly four thoufand gal-;\nIons. He makes fpirit from his cyder too ;\nbut, fuch is the power of habit, that cyder-\nwhifky, which, in Jerfey, fells at five fhillings\nper gallon, while corn-whifky is worth only\nfour and fixpence, cofts, in the county of Dauphin, only three fhillings and fixpence, and corn-\nwhifky five fhillings.\nJ o\nThis important fettlement ftands on a wild,\nromantic fpot, at the entrance of a narrow vale,\ncovered with wood, and fituate on a rapid creek,\nthat dairies along over rocks, where decayed\nO \u00C2\u00AB J\ntrees, either felled by the hand of man, or rooted up by the wind, are fcattered in every direction. The various buildings, of which the fettlement confifts, are of wood ; they are all, with\nthe fingle exception of the inn, log-houfes,\nmore or lefs rudely formed. The houfes of the\nlabourers fland on the Sufquehannah, and in\nthe precincts of Fort Hunter, which was erected a long time ago bv the Englifh for defence\n\u00E2\u0080\u00A2< o\ne\u00C2\u00A3w againft\n \u00E2\u0080\u0094\nNORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\nagainft the inroads of the Indians. Mac Alifter\nintends greatly to embellifh his buildings, and\nconsiderably to improve his eflate, particularly\nby the culture of the vine. From what he has\nalready done, it may be fairly inferred, that he\nwill alfo fucceed in his future undertakings.\nHe is a man of an acute, well-informed mind,\nfuch as we fhould hardly expect to find in an\nJ X\nAmerican farmer, fhut up in mountainous wilds.\nYet his felf-love and vanity keep pace with his\nmerits, and frequently detract; from the latter,\nby exaggerating them. For the fame reafon his\naffertions are not to be received as abfolutely certain, nor are we to wonder at being occasionally\ndeceived by a man, who is constantly deceiving\nhimfelf.\nThurfday, the 14th of May.\nFive or fix ranges of heights run in parallel directions, more or lefs distant, from Harrifburg\nto Sunbury; round feveral of thefe the road\nwinds, particularly the Blue Mountains and Second Mountains, making an undulation along\nthe banks of the river, while it rifes over others.\nThefe Blue Mountains, which catch the eye,\non opening any defcription whatever of America,\nare like all the others, with which they are connected,\n- \u00E2\u0080\u0094\u00E2\u0080\u00A2-\n nected, a mere ridge of high hills, through which\nthe Sufquehannah feerns to have worked out\nhis bed. Their fummits have not that rife and\nfall, which is common to the generality of chains\nof mountains, but form one uninterrupted line,\nwithout the leaft variety, in point of elevation.\nThe trees, with which they are all uniformly\ncovered, may probably contribute, in fome mej\nfure, to give them this monotonous appearance.\nThe Blue Mountains are not the highest, over\nwhich the road leads; the Peter's and Mahan-\ngoning Mountains far exceed them in height,\nCO CD *\nthough they are much lower than the Voghefian\nMountains. You pafs them by a road, which,\nthough very stony, is yet tolerably good ; its de-\nclivity, with the exception of a few places, is\nnot very steep. Thefe mountains are covered\nwith wood; where this has been cut down, a\nview of the Sufquehannah opens at times, or\nthe eye repofes on feme cultivated spots. The\nwhole road lies through^one uninterrupted forest.\nAnother road, which does not lead over the\nmountains, runs parallel to the courfe of the\nriver; and though the latter road be more pleasant, affording a prospect: of the confluence of\nthe Juniata and Sufquehannah, yet we pre*\nferred the former, from the more feettnent op*\nportunities\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\nIO?\nportunities which it affords of obtaining a know*\nledge of the country.\nAt no great distance from Mac Alifter's habitation, pines are the prevailing trees ; and a great\nmany flowers and herbs grow in this forest*\nwhich are unknown in Europe.\nHoneysuckles are found in almost every wood.\nThe bloffoms are longer than in our gardens, but\nthey have the fame fhape, and nearly the fame\nfragrance. The fhrubs, on which they grow,\nare much lower than thofe reared by art; they\nhave longer indented leaves than the latter; and\nCD *\nthough I have frequently found them near large\ntrees, yet I never faw the plants leaning for fup-\nport towards the trunk of the tree. Trees, rooted\nup by the wdnd, which in their fall have often\nbrought others to the ground, continue on the\nfame fpot until they are rotten : they frequently,\nobstruct: the paffage^ but the traveller makes a\nnew path, by going round them, and this becomes the common road.\nIn the progress of this long journey through\nforests, we faw the country in its firft ftage of\ncultivation. We found a few straggling houfes,\none or two miles distant from each other; the\ngreatest number are yet unfinifhed. They are\nlog-houfes, w7ith the interstices between the\ntrunks\n H 3 ill\ni\n108\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nI a\nIi fi\n1\nill\ntrunks filled up with earth. Some have been\nJ standing there feveral years, and are rather more\ncovered. Maize is the general produce. The\n* habitations stand chiefly in vallies, on a brook or\ncreek. The new fettlers begin their operations\nby building a houfe, by felling trees, or paring off\nthe bark all around the tree, about five or fix\ninches in breadth, by breaking up the ground,\non which they ftand, to fow a little corn, and\nby fencing the ground, thus cleared, with a\npart of the ' felled trees. The land firft cleared\nis generally laid out as an orchard, one being\nannexed to every habitation. Moft of the houfes\nhave a mean appearance; the inhabitants are\nbadly clothed, but every thing around them is\ntheir own property. Land, recently cleared, is\nevery where good; and the twe> or three acres,\nwhich have been first broken up, afford crops\nfufficiently rich to fupply the inhabitants till further cultivation takes place. This consideration\nfomewhat relieves the mind, depreffed by the\nview of thefe melancholy manfions. The roads\nare, in general, better than might be expected ;\nhere and there stony, and rather steep, but by no\nmeans dangerous. In this mountainous country-\nwe have even met with good roads feveral miles\nin length, formed by the hand of nature, and\nwhich\nlie\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\n109\nwhich remain undamaged by the tracks of large\nwaggons. There are places where the road ap-\nDo x \u00E2\u0096\u00A0\u00E2\u0096\u00A0\"-\npears to encroach upon the Sufquehannah itfelf;\nbeing formed of trees thrown down with their\nbranches on, and the interstices filled up with\nfragments of stone from the rocks, against which\nthe road is made. The views here are far lefs\npicturefque, and all the roads much lefs bold, and\nless pleasingly awful, than thofe which we find\nin fome parts of Switzerland, the sublime grandeur of which is above all comparifon.\nInns are by no means numerous on the road\nwe have, lately travelled. Formerly there were\ninns at this place ; but as a certain fum is annually paid to the ftate for a licence, and as the\nprofits arc not equal to their expence, few perfons undertake fo unprofitable an employment.\nWe paffed one about twelve miles from Mac\nAlifter's habitation, which is the only one 011 this\nroad, in a tract: of country twenty-two miles in\nextent. All the intermediate inns have been fhut\nup in the courfe of this year.\nAt length we arrived at an old German's,\nwho, after having ferved in Canada in the war\nof 1758, as a private foldier, in an Englifh regiment, fettled, at the concfufion of peace, on\nthe fpot where he still resides; the government\nof\n!fl\n no\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nof Pennfylvania having granted him the land,\nwhich forms his estate. Here he lived unmolested until the beginning of the war of the revolution ; when the Indians, at that time ftimulated\nand paid by England, drove him from his plantation. When peace was eftablifhed, he returned hither, and now enjoys the produce of fifty\nacres of cultivated land, forty of which are his\nown property. Land in thefe parts is very good S\nIts price is feven or eight dollars per acre uncleared, and the value of fuch as is partly cleared,\nis proportionate to the quality of the land, and\nthe quantity of wood remaining. The highest\nprice is from eighteen to twenty dollars per\nacre. Good ftabling and good oats were fufficient to reconcile us to the dirty hole, into which\nwe were ufhered, and where we fat down to a\nvery bad dinner. Four or five girls, who are either\ndaughters or fervants of the old ibldier, perform\nthe bufi'ftefs of the inn, which confifts of on*\nroom, where thefe people fleep altogether. The\nuncleanlirfe*is, stupidity, and rudenefsof the whole\nfamily, can hardly be conceived. The old fol-\ndier, in common with the generality of old warriors, difplays in his behaviour a franknefs and\ngood nature, which are ever fure to pleafe. The\npoor fellow can nether write nor read; he pre*\nfents\n _=\u00C2\u00BB\nNORTH. AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\nlilt\n'\nfents to every traveller a flate and pencil to write\ndown his bills, as he dictates to them; for there\nis not a fingle perfon in the houfe able to diftin-\nguifh. one Jetter from another. He complained\nof being frequently cheated by travellers, in their\nfumming up the articles, for which they were to\npay. \u00E2\u0096\u00A0 . < :\u00E2\u0096\u00A0\u00E2\u0080\u00A2\nWe met two travellers at this inn, who, as\nwell as ourfelves, intended to go to Sunbury, but\nthey wilTied to proceed on the journey that very\nevening. One was a hatter, whom we had feen\nthe night before at Mac Alifter's: and the other\no <\nan elderly man, whom the landlord styled Colonel, and who arrived, and left the inn, leading a,\nmare, followed by a foal. The conversation, during our flay at the inn, turned on the political\nstate of Europe. The prevailing fentiment was\nhatred againft England, and fervent wifhes for\nthe welfare of France: even the old foldier, who\nnow and then put in an obfervation, expreffed\nthe fame feelings. \" This campaign will fhow,\"\nfaid the hatter, \" what the French are able to\ndo.\" (i I am persuaded,\" obferved the colonel,\n44 that if the French are in arms, they will prove\nvictorious, and conquer the whole globe ; and\nit has been foretold long ago, that this conquest\nmuft precede the arrival of Antichrist, and announce\nIf 1\nM\n%\nV.\n M\nin\nTRAVELS THROUGH\n!\nI' .\"31\nnounce the end of the world.\" 4( The end of\nthe world ? Is it then fo near at hand, pray ?\"\nafked the old foldier. \" Moft affuredly; before\nfifteen years are elapfed.\" m That's n|y opinion\ntoo,\" rejoined the hatter. Having drunk their\nIgill of whifkey, thefe politicians feparated.\nFrom Deblerff's, which is the name of the\nold foldier, we proceeded twelve miles farther to\nWhite's, where we intended to pafs the night.\n1 o\nThe road leads over woody mountains, but is,\nall the way, better than we expected to find it,\nfrom the defcription that was given us. This road\nruns for a confiderable extent, in a parallel direction with the Sufquehannah, which is here confined between two ranges of mountains, rarefy\ninterrupted by vallies, and by none of any con-\nfiderable extent. This fide of the county of\nNorthumberland (for we left the county of Dau-\nphin fifteen miles from Mac Alifter's habitation)\ndifplays rather more cultivation than the adjacent fide of the county of Cumberland, where\nonly once in even* four or five miles a fmall.\ndwelling is feen, surrounded with narrow tracts\nof cultivated land. The river forms a great\nnumber of ifles, which, according to law, belong to that countv, from which they are fepa-\nrated by the narrowest arm of the stream. Thefe\niflands\n^\u00C2\u00BB\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\n113\ninlands have, in general, a good foil, for which\nreafon, the progrefs of cultivation is more rapid\non them than any where clfe;\nWhite is a'farmer, who came hither from Ire-\nland about thirty year? ago, and poffeffes at this\ntime an eflate of One thoufand one hundred acres,\nonly one hundred and ten of which have hitherto\nbeen cleared. He has refided here about feven-\nteen vears, and has found means to raife money\nenough to purchafe an ifle, at twenty-fix dollars-\nper acre, fituate oppofite to his houfe, which\nHands between the mountains and the river.\nThis fituation affotds a wrild profpect, but without one pleafing feature. Wiiite annually clears\nfeveral acres, the expence of which, fencing in-\no\neluded, amounts to eight dollars per acre; The\nprice of land, in its natural ftate> is, in this\nneighbourhood* fix dollars per acre ; but in fuch\ntracts, as are cleared of wood, particularly in the\niflets, it is frequently fold at forty dollars per\nacre. This plantation of White's has no communication with any market town. The river\nis' fhe only channel by which he can receive\ngoods, or forward his commodities, and this is a\nVery uncertain channel of conveyance, at least\nfeme part of the year; on account of its danger-\n\u00C2\u00A9us navigation. Mr. White would ..easily procure\nVol. L\nI\nlauourcrs,\nm\n 'HA\nTRAVJ5LS THROUGH*\nlabourers, as all his neighbours' arc poor Iriih-\nmen, did not the construction of the canal, and\nthe opening of the road near Lancafler, afford\nthem fo much employment, and at prefent ren-\nder them fcarce. Mr. White has already been.\ntwice a member of the legiflature of the ftate\nof Pennsylvania. He feems a worthy, fenfible\nman, and a friend of order; but at the fame\ntime very open to the arts of designing men.\nHe continues his inn, as he fays, \" to oblige\ntravellers/* yet his bills fhew, that he ferve**\nthem for money, and that too at a higher rate\nthan is ufual; and as he has put up no fign, the\nreception of travellers afrumes the garb of hofpitality, which naturally precludes all enquiry\ninto the unreafbnablenefs of his charges.\nWe did not fup with his family ; for what reafon, 1 know not. His daughter brought us our\ncoffee as ufual. This is always taken at supper, which confifts of fmokcd beef, falt-meat*.\nor fifh. At thefe inns you feldom meet with\nany thing but meat, fait-fifh, eggs, and butter ; and this fare is certainly fufficient to satisfy a hungry stomach. We were afked every'\nwhere, whether we travelled with a view to buy\nlands. There is hardly a perfon in America,\nwho has the leaft idea of gentlemen travelling.\nwith\n 3 \\nNORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\n115\nwith any other design ; and when we told them,\nthat we travelled for no other purpofe than to\ngratify our curiofity, they thought we were fools,\nor, at best, liars* All, even our Dunkers in\nKphrata, put that queftion; and, notwithftandi\ning their own fanc~lity, thefe holy folks would\nhardly believe us, when we informed them of the\nobject: of our tour. SB\nFriday, the 15 th of May,\nThe road from White's to Sunbury conti*\nnues much the fame, as from Mac Alifter s to\nWhite's. We met, however, at times, with\nmore cultivated vallies, especially along the creek\nTulpehocken, and with houfes better constructed\nand standing on picfurefque situations, wdrich,\nwith the appearance of fome retired rocks, form\nlandfcapes not unworthy of comparifon with\nSwitzerland. Several other tracfs are now\ncleared of wood; but from the want of labourers, and undoubtedly of money alfo, the trees\nare more frequently barked and burnt than felled, which renders the profpect dull and gloomy.\nThe mountains, in this part of the country, are\nhigh and rocky, yet bear no comparifon with\nthe Alps or Pyrenees. Impudent and artful\nmen are certain in America, as indeed they are\nI 2 in\n<\nth\nii\n in all other parts of the globe, to live upon the\nftupidity and ignorance of others. Of this wd\nfound a .remarkable instance in the hiftory of a\nGerman, who arrived from Franckfort, three\nyears ago, without a fhilling in his pocket, and\nwho fince that time has travelled the country\nbetween Lancafler, Reading, and Northumberland, particularly the leaft inhabited parts of\nthefe counties, with a collection of fmall phials,\ndeceiving the people into a belief, that he is a\nphysician; he vends medicines, bleeds, draws\nteeth, or fells balladsto fuch as do not ehoofe\nto buy his drugs. The profits of this artful\ntrade have already enabled him to purchafe a\nhorfe, which carries him, his commodities, and\nhis dog; he flays with the farmers as long as\nthey are willing to keep him; and feveral of\nthem are glad to entertain him, on account ot\nhis knowledge and abilities. He makes himfelf\nhappy every where, is merry, fings a good fong\u00E2\u0080\u009E\nand appears, upon the whole, to be a fly, crafty/\nfellow, who began his career as a player. I am\naware, that the various anecdotes, with which I\nprefent my readers, are not all equally interesting;\nVet they are all requisite to give a iuft notion of\nmy tour, and to complete the delineation of the\ncuftoms and manners of the country.\nThe\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\nU7\nThe mountains, over which the road from\nHarrifburg to Sunbury leads, are all of granite,\nmore or lefs perfect, which in fome places is\nvery fine and beautiful. All the fpecies of maple,\ncornel-tree, called here dog-tree, fumach, Weymouth pine, feveral fpecies of afh, and numberless pfeudo-acacias, grow in the furrounding\nwoods, and are here of remarkable fize and\nbeauty.\nAt fome diftance from White's habitation we\nmistook our wray, and if ruck into the old road,\ninftead of keeping the new one, which is fhorter\nby feven miles, and lies along the banks of the\nSufquehannah. In confcquence we crofted the\nmountain Mahonoy, to reach the plain, in which\nSunbury stands. This towTn, which is not fp\nlarge as Harrifburg, and in its buildings lefs elegant and compact, is feated on the left bank of\nthe Sufquehannah, about half a mile below the\nfpot, where its two arms join. The profpect of\nthe town, on defcending the mountain, is nei-\nther grand nor pleafing; in point of fize the\nhoufes, viewed from the heights, refemble a\ncamp, rather than a town. The fmall furrounding plain is but indifferently cultivated, and without trees. The opposite bank of the river is\nbounded by high mountains, the profpect of\n1 3 which.\n&\u00E2\u0080\u00A2\n Tmi\n\u00E2\u0080\u00A2wH\n113\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nM\nwhich is darkened by numerous pines, growing\non the rocks, and confequently not likely to be\ncut down, to make way for cultivation. The\nriver Sufquehannah is beautiful in every point of\nview, broad, with lofty majestic mountains, riling in gradual elevation from its banks; yet it\nis here lefs pleafing, except where the great variety of ifles, which it forms, and which are\nplanted with trees, foften and enliven the prevailing gloom by the light that gleams through-,\ntheir branches. The Sufquehannah, near Sunbury, is more than a mile in breadth.\nBy the moft correct information, which we\nwere able to obtain, the inhabitants of all the\ncounties, we have hitherto traverfed, are honest,\nindustrious people, attached to the federal government, and to the law^s of the ftate. Criminal offences are rare, fome thefts excepted,\nwhich are generally committed by people, lately\narrived from Europe, brought up in ignorance\nand penury, and whofe morals generally improve as they acquire a fmall property of their\nown. The different counties, through which we\nhave paffed, have for thefe many years formed\nintegral parts of the ftate of Pennsylvania. The\nlimits of the lands are, therefore, more exactly\nafcertained here, than in other counties; and\nconfe--\n! Mil\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\nconfequently law-fuits, arising from the confusion of land-marks, are lefs frequent. Thefe give\noccafion to about a twelfth part of the caufes\nwhich are tried here : outstanding debts are the\nchief fubjects of legal profecutions. The manners' of the people difplay great simplicity, frequently bordering on rudenefs. I have heard it\nafferted, that this apparent simplicity is merely\na- cloak for deceit and artifice, but I have made\nno difcoveries of that kind by my own experience. Among the Americans of every rank and\ndefcription, there prevails lefs of apparent civility and politenefs than in France, or even in\nEngland, where I have found both, though in a\ndifferent guife: yet we have experienced much\ngood-natured, free, and engaging kindnefs, even\nfrom perfons to whom we had no letters of introduction, and an unsverfabreadinefs to refolve\nour questions, whenever they, to whom they\nwere addreffed, were able to gratify our request.\nIgnorance, and confequently prejudices, are frequently met with, even among the higher or<*\nders of fociety: there are indeed fome excep-?\ntions, but thefe are few. Opinions on things and\nperfons are delivered in a manner pofitive rather\nthan argumentative, and confequently all means\npf free difcuffion are generally excluded. Poli-\nI 4 tical\n- rir--\"Hiifiifaii\n>taa\u00C2\u00BB\u00C2\u00A3-\n EW7S\nm\ni /\n120\nTRAVELS THROUGH\n'\u00C2\u00BB 4\nI\n1 I\ntical opinions tend in general towards liberty^\nand are commonly offered with a franknefs, a;\nboldnefs, and independence, which are truly\npleafing. The general bent of the public opi?\nnion is in favour of France, and againft her prefent enemies. It is by no means an uncommon\nthing, to hear farmers, unconnected with the\nhigher circles, call Robefpierre, and ail thofe wfiQ\nshared with him the fupreme power, the banditti\nof France. The exafperation againft England is\ngreat, fpreads through all ranks of fociety, and\nhas been much increafed by the unjust proceedings againft America, with which fhe was charged laft- year. In my opinion, Mr. Jay's negotiation will hardly be able to fmother the glowing fpark. The public opinion is chiefly guided\nby the universal defire of amassing property,\nW'hich, if merely displayed in industrious purfuits,\nand exertions to cultivate and improve the land,\ndeferyes much praife. In towns, indeed, it is lefs\nnice, both in the manner in which it fhews itfelf,\nnd the means it employs to attain its end. Many\nX J \u00E2\u0096\u00A0 J\nof my European countrymen are apt to cenfure\nthis national bent, which precludes all the finer\nnd nobler emotions of the foul. To this cen?\nfure I cannot give my unqualified affent; and\nthough I readily allow, that an immoderate love\nof\n mmm\nNORTH AMERICA, CANADA, (XC,\n121\nof money hardens the heart, and renders it callous to humanity, to civility, nay to justice itfelf,\nyet it does not follow, that it fhould be utterly\nincapable of a good and noble action. We have\ninstances of this in Europe, where love of money is as univerfally prevalent as in this country,\nthough it conceals itfelf more than here ; either\nbecaufe it is more criminally refined, or meets\nwith lefs convenient opportunities of being prac-\ntifed. Similar instances occur in America. Again,\nif we confidef this propensity in .a political point\nof view, we fhall find, that it is the natural refult of its prefent infant state ; of the variegated\ncomposition of its inhabitants, who are emigrants\nfrom every corner of the globe, full of the prejudices and partialities of the country whence\nthey came ; of the immenfe variety of eafy fpe-\nculations, which croud around the monied men ;\nand laftly, of the distinction enjoyed here by\nwealth, which exceeds that derived from it in\npther countries : for, a few eminent stations excepted, which are occupied but a fhort time/\nand meritorious fervices rendered, which are foon\nforgotten by the people, there exifts in this country no pcrfonal distinction. In fine, this way of\nthinking in private individuals is the moft certain\nmeans of rendering the country itfelf more pro-\nfperous\n[i\ni-j\n \u00C2\u00BB\nI\n\u00C2\u00BB\n122\n-TRAVELS THROUGH\nfperous and important. And is not this the\nhighest advantage derived from the univerfal intereft, which unites and fupports fociety, that,\nwith the exception of a few cafes, no member\ncan enrich himfelf, without promoting at the\nfame time the profperity of others ? Though\nthis obfervation more generally applies to agriculture, yet there exists \u00E2\u0080\u00A2 hardly one defcription of\nprosperity, nay of individual luxury, where it\ndoes not hold good. The people of America live-\nwell; the foil produces all the neceftaries of -life,,\neven in a very fupcrficial ftate of cultivation :\nthere are few perfons, who do not poffefs more\nthan they need for their own maintenance. Hence\narifes the indolence of a great number of the inhabitants, who, having by four days labour earned\na whole week's fubfiftence, idle away the remaining three days ; hence their lazinefs, relative\nto agricultural improvements, which would require funis of money, and other facrifices, of the\nneceffity of which they are not convinced, being\ninfemible of the advantages to be derived from\nthem. Improvements, fimilar to thofe which\nhave already been made in regard to the political\norganization of fociety, to commercial relations,\nnavigation, and roads, will certainly be effected in\nagriculture in the procefs of time. But, before\nH they\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &CC.\n123\nthey can take place, the land-owners muft be\nmore forcibly impreffed with the necessity of\nrousing from their indolence, and abandoning\ntheir prejudices; and the population muft be in-\ncreafed beyond its prefent amount; which will\ncertainly be done. Though all this must happen\nin the usual courfe of nature, yet men of abilities, and learned fbcieties, fhould endeavour to\ndiffufe ufeful lights by good books, by collections\nof instructive extracts from European works of\nacknowledged merit, and by all other means of\ninstruction. For, undoubtedly, they may thus\naccelerate the period, when the neceflity of the\nabove improvements will be more fenfibly felt.\nIn a country like this, literary focieties may prove\neminently ufeful, if they do not affume too learned an appearance, but are animated and guided\nby the true public spirit, which speaks a simple\nand perfpicuous language, and readily repeats its\ninstructions, untinctured with the vain felfifh-\nnefs, which generally dictates the professions of\nprivate individuals.\nThe increafe of the price of land is uncom-f\nmonly great, it having been more than doubled\nwithin the laft three or four years. Though the\nprice of labour, from the high value of ground,\nwhich, within thefe laft twelve months, has experienced\n TRAVELS THROUGH\nperienced an extraordinary rife, is higher than\nufual; yet it feems still the moft profitable fpe-\nculation for monied men in this country, to lay\nout their money in land, which they may have\ncleared and cultivated under their own eyes. Not-\nwithstanding this uncommon rife of the price of\nland, instances of its being difpofed of at the fame\nprice, which prevailed fome years ftnce, are not\nunfrequent. The circumstances, under which\nthis happens, are, it is true, rather of a peculiar\ncomplexion, yet pretty common. If, for instance,\na perfon, four years ago, bought eight hundred\nicres of land, and bound himfelf to pay a fourth\nof the purchafe-money at the expiration of four\nyears, but was either too indolent to raife within\nthe time a handfome fortune by his labours, or\nfpent the proceeds of his eflate, which he fhould\nhave laid by to pay his debt; he muft raife money as well as he can, and muft fell his land at\nany price, without being able to infift on that\nwhich the adjacent lands fetch at this time.\nThe numerous banks, which have lately been\neftablifhed, feem to have contributed not a little\ne uncommon rife of the price of land; for\nin proportion as they increafe the quantity of\nmoney, they alfo multiply and facilitate the means\nof fubfsftence. It is by quickening the .activity-\n& M of\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\nof internal \"commerce, and increafmg the means\nof converting property into money, that hank?\nraife the value of lands in fale.\nA relaxation is obfervable among all orders of\nfociety. Drunkennefs is the prevailing vice, and,\nwith few exceptions, the fburce of all other evils.\nA spirit, or rather habit of equality, is diffufed\namong this people, as far as it possibly can go.\nIn feveral inns, efpecially fuch as are fituate on\nlefs frequented roads, the circumstance of our\nfervant not dining with us at the fame table excited general aftoniinment, without its befpeak-\ning any bad intention on the part of thofe who\nmanifested it. The inhabitants exhibit to strangers striking instances both of the utmoft clean-\nlinefs and excesEve naftinefs. They are much\nfurpnfed at a refufal, to fleep with one or two\nother men in the fame bed, or between dirty\nfhects, or to drink after ten other perfons out\nof the fame dirty glafs ; and they wonder no less,\nwhen they fee ftrangers neglect to wafh their\nhands and face every morning. Whifky mixed\nwith water is the common drink in the country.\nThere is no fettler, however poor, whofe family\ndo not drink coffee and chocolate, and cat fait\nmeat at breakfaft. At dinner comes fait meat\nagain, or fait fifh and eggs ; and at flipper, once\nKJ (DO <- XT i y\nmore\n^2=3\n TRAVELS THROUGH\nmore fait meat and coffee. This is alfo the gc*\nneral rule m inns. An American fits down at\nthe table of his landlord, and lies down in the\nbed, which he finds empty, or occupied but by\none perfon, without in the least enquiring, in the\nlatter of thefe cafes, who that perfon may be.\nWe have hitherto fortunately efcaped a perfbnal\ntrial of this laft American cuftom, but were very\nnear experiencing it at White's.\nThe roads are good, where the foil is fo, the\nroad by Lancafler excepted; art has hitherto\nbut little meddled with the roads in Pennsylvania. Such fpots, as are bad and muddy, are\nfilled up with trees, placed near each other;\nwhen thefe fink into the ground, others are laid\nupon them. Over fmall brooks, bridges are\nthrown, which consist of boards, placed on two\nbeams, laid along the banks of the brook. Thefe\nboards frequently rot, and remain in this condition for months together, without its entering\ninto any one's head, to replace them with others.\nWe have paffed feveral fuch bridges, with great\ndanger to our horfes, from the bad condition of\nthe boards. All this will be better in time ; yet\nI mean to defcribe things jutt as they are now.\nCreeks are generally forded. Acrofs fome, which\nare very deep, wooden bridges are thrown;\nwhich,\nw\n K>*\nNORTH AMERICA, CANADA, he.\n127\nwhich, however, are not fuch as they fhould be :\nthe boards, or fmall trees, with which they are\ncovered, are neither fo good, nor fo clofe to 'each\nother, as might be wifhed.\nThis is a brief fketch of the phyfical and moral\nftate of the country, which we have hitherto tra-\nverfed, drawn after thofe obfervations, which the\nfhortnefs of the time allowed us to make. I\nfhall occasionally correct, what on more exact:\ninformation I find to be erroneous, and fupply\nwhat may- be deficient.\na\nSunday, the 1/'th of May.\nOn the opposite fide of the river, a mile above\nSunbury, at the extreme point of the isthmus,\nformed by the two arms of the Sufquehannah,\nstands Northumberland. Sunbury is the chief\ntown of the county. But the fmall number of\npublic buildings, which are neceflary for the administration of justice, constitute its only advantages over Northumberland; that, on the other\nhand, enjoys all the benefits of a fine fituation,\nwhich, in fact:, h as delightful as may be conceived. The two arms of the river forming a\nright angle at the point of their confluence ; the\ncountry expands behind it in a femi-circular\nform, rifing in gentle fwells of a fruitful foil, and\nconnected\nSiiMllP\nHi fc\nml\nfli/\nivti\n TRAVELS THROUGH\nconnected with valiies and opening plains of still\nricher ground. The banks of both arms of the\nriver are fufceptible of cultivation to a wide extent, on the fide where Northumberland Hands.-\nBoth arms are navigable, without interruption^\nto a diftance of three hundred miles, and water\na foil, which courts cultivation. The number\nof houfes is at this time, perhaps, a fixth greater\nat Sunbury than at Northumberland, where it\namounts to about one hundred. The firft houfes\nwere built in 1775 ; yet the inhabitants were\ndriven from them in the war of the revolution,\nand their habitations destroyed. The town was\nnot rebuilt till the year 1785. It is undoubtedly\nthe worst built town we have hitherto feen. All\nthe houfes are of wood, chiefly log-houfes ; two\nonly are built with flone. There is no marketplace here; the town contains no inns, but three\nor four whifky-houfes. We put up in that\nwhich is the belt of them; and yet it rains on\nour beds, as well as on our horfes in the liable/\nMethinks there is hardly any place fituate more\nJ J X\nfavourably for its becoming a large city, than\nNorthumberland. The flow^ progrefs, hitherto\nnade by the town, I have heard imputed to the\nuntoward character and little fenfe ot the gentleman, who poffeffed three-fourths of the ground\non\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\n1^9\n. Bis which the town Hands. He is lately dead;\n. but had he lived longer, his exiftence would hav\nproved no impediment, that might not easily\nhave been removed by the concurrence of favourable circumstances.\nThe price of land about Northumberland is,\nat prefent, from twenty to twenty-four dollars\nper acre, near the river; that situate on the\nnorthern arm is still dearer, on account of the\nbetter quality of the foil, and becaufe a greater\n; part of the ground is already cleared there, than\non the eaftern arm. Farther up the river, land\nis fold from four to fix dollars an acre. The\nquality of the foil, the vicinity of a creek, and\n-longer or fhorter instalments, produce here the\nfame variety in the price of land as in other parts.\nThe value, which I point out, is the medium\nprice. Ground-mares in the town are, at this\ntime, fold at forty-eight or fifty dollars.\nThe inhabitants of Northumberland, as well\nas of the county at large, consist, for the moft\nparti of Dutchmen. There are fome Germans,\nand a few natives ; but moft of the inhabitants\nare foreigners. The Irifh are, with a few exceptions, the worst of them all. Being lefs industrious than the reft, they are confequently\npoorer; and the property of an Irifhman is con-\nv rVoL. I. K ftantly\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0 \u00E2\u0096\u00A0\n 130\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nftantly at the fervice of fuch as wifh to have it.\nThe Germans are more tenacious of theirs ; and,\nfor this reafon, in Sunbury, and the adjacent\ncountry, where they refide \"in confiderable numbers, estates are dearer than in Northumberland,\nthough the foil is of an inferior quality.\nThe ftate of agriculture in Northumberland,\nand the adjacent country, is much the fame as in\nall other parts of America; but the proportion\nof cleared land is fmaller than in other counties\nwe have traverfed. Labourers are eafily found;\nthey are paid fix fhillings a day without victuals,\nor three fhillings and nine-pence with their entertainment. In the country, where they hire\n, themfelves by the month, they have eight dollars, for which they are obliged to work twenty-\nfix days. Bricklayers' and carpenters' wages are,\nin town, one dollar per day. The price of tiles is\nfour dollars per thoufand; and very good bricks\ncost, in Northumberland, two fhillings and fix\npence, delivered free of expence.\nThe price of lime is from nine to ten-pence\nper bufhel, of deal-boards five fhillings per hundred feet, and of other boards fix fhillings and\nfix pence.\nAs there is no market, either in Northumberland or Sunbury, the inhabitants xlive, for the\ngreater\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C 131\ngreater part of the year, upon falted meat, unless they keep fowls. The farmers kill, at times,\na cow; but since an epidemic difeafe has carried off almoft all the horfes, they have been\nobliged to replace thefe by oxen for the purpofes\nof agriculture, and confequently ufe lefs beef than\nbefore. Cow-beef is at this time fold from five\npence to five-pence halfpenny per pound. The\nhighest houfe-rent in Northumberland is eighty\ndollars; and there is but one houfe irt the whole\ntown for which fo much is paid. It is of brick,\nlarge and convenient, and was but lately fold\nfor five thoufand two hundred dollars. Every\nthing is fomewhat dearer at Sunbury, but the\ndifference is not a full fixth.\nThe land about Northumberland \u00E2\u0080\u00A2vields generally fifteen bufhels of wheat per acre, when it\nhas attained what the farmers call a full ftate of\ncultivation. The proportion of other crops is\nthe fame as in other places. Indian corn is produced in large quantities, which fhews the ignorance and indolence of the farmers, for it exhausts the foil; and though it fupplies all the\nhoufehold wants of a family, yet not a bufhel is\never exported from the place where it growrs. A\ngreat advantage, which might be derived from it,\nby mixing its stalks with the dung, is entirely\nK 2 neglected\nLin . I\n\m\nm\n 132\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nneglected by the farmers. The ftieep are rather\nlong-legged and meagre; yet the wool is good,\nand is fold for two fhillings and fix pence per\npound. But very little is fold; for in this vale\nof Pennsylvania, as every where elfe, the farmers\nwould be very forry indeed, if they were obliged\nto keep many fheep.\nI obfened before, that the clearing of lands in\ncertain well-chofen districts is, in my judgment,\nthe moft profitable fpeculation monied men can\nenter upon in this country. The information I\ncollected in Northumberland affords an additional\nproof of the truth of this remark. The expence\nfor clearing and fencing an acre, amounts, upon\nan average, to thirteen dollars ; and this is pretty\nhigh, THe firft crops yield generally twenty\nbufhels of wheat, if the ground be well cleared,\nthe trees, wdiich flood in the middle, cut down,\nand the largeft well barked. Wheat is fold at this\ntime for ten fhillings per bufhel. The agreement\nentered upon with a farmer, relative to a piece of\nground which has been cleared of wood, generally\npurports, that he is to have half the produce,\nbut muft alfo find the feed. The land-owner\nnets therefore the firft harvest five pounds, the\nvalue of ten bufhels of wheat at ten millings, and\nconfequently more than the expence for clearing\nand\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\n1 ^\nand fencing. If we fuppofe the medium price of\nwheat to be only five fhillings and nine pence\nper bufhel, the land-owner obtains, even in this\ncafe, the first year, twenty-five per cent on the\ncapital laid out; and yet there are many cafes\nwhere the former estimate falls fhort of the real\nproceeds, as there are others where the latter is\nbeyond them.\nThe prices rife as fast in the vicinity of Northumberland, as in other parts ; but this country,\nwhich is uncommonly extensive, is but thinly in-\nhabited, even in fuch districts as are fituate nearest\nto Philadelphia ; the prefent number of inhabitants does not exceed feventeen thoufand. The\npopulation encreafes, however, yearly, through\nemigration from the Jcrfcys, from New-England,\nand .a part of Pennsylvania. One hundred and\nthirty families, emigrants from the Jerfeys, have\nvery lately fettled on the branches of the Sufquehannah. But the land-marks of the purchafed\nground are not always fufficiently known, nor\nthe right of the fellers perfectly clear; for which\nreafon actions, concerning difpuved limits, constitute nearly three-fourths of the caufes, which\nare tried in the courts of law at Sunbury.\nThe political fentiments of the inhabitants of\nNorthumberland are lefs virtuous. and steady,\nK 3 than\n TRAVELS THROUGH\nthan of the inhabitants of the lefs remote coun*\nties. Several of them took, laft year, an active\npart in the revolt at Pittfburg, and ftill reman^\nin confinement, On account of that affair. A definitive judgment being now daily expected in\nthis bufinefs, every traveller, efpecially if he be\nfuppofed to come from Philadelphia, is afked by\nthe interested inhabitants, as foon as he arrives^\nwhether he brings any news refpecting that\njudgment. We were afked, like all other travellers ; and the questions, put to us on this subject, were conceived in terms, which by no means\nbefpoke good and loyal fentiments.\nHard by Northumberland, on the northern\narm pf the Sufquehannah, and clofe to the point\nof confluence of the two arms of that river, lies\nn ifle, wrhich contains about two hundred and\nfifty acres of the richest foil, from fifty of which\nthe largest trees have been cut down. The land\nis fit for all the purpofes of agriculture; and\nmight be cultivated with equal profit and fatis-\no x x !\nfaction by an induftrious owner. It is the moft\npleafant little eflate, which can possibly be bought\nby any perfon defirous of fettling in Northumberland. At prefent it is the property of a man,\nmuch advanced in years, who lives on it, in a\nfmall log-houfe. He bought it about feven years\nlOA\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\n135\nago for one thoufand fix hundred dollars, and\nvery lately.refufed three thoufand three hundred,\nwhich were offered for this ifle.\nNorthumberland is the refidence of Doctor\nPriestley. They, who know with what re-\nlentlefs fury the Englifh Government exerted all\nits influence to procure him to be harrafied by\nthe mob, his houfe in Birmingham to be burnt\ndown to the ground, and himfelf to be insulted\nand made uneafy wherever he went, will, undoubtedly, feel for the fate of this gentleman,\nwho has defervedly obtained fo much fame in\nthe literary world, and whofe perfecution, were\nhe even guilty of the groffeft political mifcon-\nO J O X\nduct, which is by no means the cafe, cannot but\ndeeply intereft in his favour every feeling mind.\nThis unwarrantable stretch of power muft excite\nuniverfal indignation, and it needs no gift of di~\nvination to forefee, that the Englifh mob, thus\nfet upon their fuppofed enemies by the Englifh\nministry, may possibly turn, fooner or later,\nagainft the instigators. However this may be,\nthe perfecution experienced by Doctor Priestley\nwould hardly have driven him fb foon to quit\nEngland, had he not expected to enjoy in Ame\u00C2\u00BB\nrica that high celebrity and distinction, which\nwere promifed him by fome flattering friends.\nK 4 His\n TRAVELS THROUGH\nHis celebrity was, however, of no long duration i\nthe Americans are too little fenfible of the valuQ-\nof that knowledge, by which he has acquired fa\ndiitinguiflied a rank among the literati of our age.\nThey concern themfelves but very little about\ndogmatical difcuftions of the Bible, and the tenets of the Unitarians; and would readily give-\nup all the experiments on air for one good and\nprofitable fpeculation. The perfecuted from various countries have, in thefe late years, fought\nan-asylum among the Americans ; fuch arrivals,\nare, therefore, no uncommon fight to this people ; and they have not much time to lofe in\nvain civilities. Under thefe circumstances, the-\nrefpect fhewn to Dr. Priestley, who was a profound philofopher, an admired writer, a celebrated chemist, and a victim of the Englifh ministry, did not laft long. A few dinners, given to\nhim at New-York, where he landed, and at Philadelphia, to which place he afterwards proceeded, formed the whole train of honours, which\ngraced his reception. His fon, who arrived in\nAmerica fome time before him, \u00E2\u0080\u00A2 had bought\nlands, where all the Unitarians, and all the perfecuted of Old England, were to join and rally\nunder the Doctor's banner. This fettlement was\nto enjoy a diftinguifhed protection on the part\nof\n*\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\n^7\nof the American Government and to fecure to\nthe Doctor a name, as chief of the feet:, and\nfounder of the colony. But thefe hopes have\nalready vanifhed. No Englifhmen have arrived\nto purchafe his lands; and the Government of\nthe United States, even that of Pennfylvania, did\nnot consider the project: of the Doctor's fettle-\nment as more important than that of any other\nindividual. The constant praife of his uncommon merits as a natural philofopher induced his\nfriends at Philadelphia, to folicit for him the\nprofelforfhip of chemistry in the college, which\nthey obtained ; but this place was far beneath thq\nexpectation of the Doctor, as well as of his family ; and it became neceffary, even for the prefervation of his celebrity in Europe, to withdraw\nfrom a fcene, where his attempt of attracting\nuniverfal attention had completely failed.\nHe therefore removed to Northumberland.\nThe lands, purchafed by his fon, were situate in\nthat county, though he had actually refolved to\nlelinquifh the idea of founding a colotiy, which\nWould have had no colonists but his own family ; yet his removal to Northumberland, at\nleaft had not the appearance of an intention to\nabandon, in fo abrupt a manner, a project which\n.fead already been announced to the world.\nAs\nMl\nM) 1\nm\n 138\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nAs Mr. Guillemard was ilightly acquainted\nwith Young Priestley, and more particularly\nwith Mr. Cooper, who has alfo fettled in Northumberland, we were induced to prefer halting\nat that town, rather than at Sunbury, though\nboth lay on our road; that I might gratify the\nwifh, which I entertained, to be introduced to a\nman fo justly celebrated. The project of forming the intended fettlement in the country is\nentirely relinquifhed; Mr. Morris has generoufly\ntaken back the greater part of the lands, which\nyoung Priestley bought of him laft year, with all\nthe formalities prefcribed by law. He has alfo\nfound means to difpofe of the reft, and has bought\nfome land near the towrn, which he is now\nclearing and preparing for cultivation. The\nDoctor has built a houfe, to which he intends\nremoving about the end of the summer. His\nmodes of life and- drefs are nearly the fame as in\nEngland, the wig, excepted, which he has laid\naside. He frequently laughs at the world, but\nin a manlier which clearly appears not to be\nJ 1 1\nfrom his heart. Fie fpoke with great moderation\nof the political affairs of Europe, and in very mild\nexpressions of Er ind. He is now bufied in the\ninstitution of a college, for which fix thoufand\ndollars have already been fubferibed, and feven\nthoufand\n isgs\nm.\nNORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\ni q\n39\nthoufand acres have been affigned him, as a free\ngift. In this eftablifhment, of which he has\ndrawn up a profp^his, there is a prefident's place,\ndoubtlefs intended for himfelf. Joseph Priestley, the eldest fon, feems at prefent to be more\nengaged in industrious pursuits, than in political\ndifcuffions. He has married a young Englifli\nlady, apparently of a mild and amiable disposition, but who speaks very little in company.\nShe, as well as her mother-in-law, feem lefs to\naccommodate themfelves to American manners\nthan their husbands. Mr. Cooper has purchafed\nfome hundred acres of land, which he is at prefent clearing of wood, and preparing for cultivation. He is undoubtedly a man of parts, of a\nreftlefs mind, ill adapted to find happinefs in a\nretired rural life. In the account he wrote of\nAmerica, it was certainly his defign, to perfuade\ncolonists to join Dr. Priestley. In his manners,\nhe affects at prefent a strong predilection for\nAmerican cuftoms ; and fays, that he prefers his\nprefent mode of living to any other. Fie is fuf-\npected here of aiming at a feat in Congrefs. In\npoint of abilities at leaft, he would hold no mean\nrank among its members. Some Englifhmen,\nwho lately arrived in America, intended to fettle\nin the vicinity of Northumberland. It appears,\nhowever.\n1\n \u00E2\u0096\u00A0\n140 TRAVELS THROUGH\nhowever, that they have abandoned that in ten?\ntion, difgufted with the fort of precedence claim-?\ned by Dr. Priestley and his family, and with the\nausterity of their manners ; tnOugh unquestionably the Doctor's acquaintance and library would\nprove a very great accommodation to new fet-\ntlers; and his misfortunes and perfecutions cannot fail to interest every one in his favour. As\na companion of Mr. Guillernard 1 was received\nby thefe families, with as much politenefs as\ntheir cold and gloomy tempers ever difplay.\nIn one of our water excurfions with young\nPriestley, in the vicinity of Northumberland, we\nlanded near a wooden houfe, built againft the\nfide of a high mountain* which is covered with\nwood and fragments of rocks, and feparated\nfrom the river by a tract of land, about four and\ntwenty yards wide. An Englifli lady inhabits\nthis fmall houfe, which would prove a highly in-\nterelting fpot, if fhe were young and handfome,\nand awake to the pleasures or the forrows of love.\nBut, alas! fuch fhe is not. She has three daugfi-\nters, the youngest of whom, the only one that\nresides with her, is twenty years old. This lady\nleft England in confequence of her hufband's bees CL\ncoming a bankrupt; to avoid the difgrace, attending an event of that nature, which, however\ninnocent\n- -~^\u00E2\u0080\u0094'\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\ninnocent the bankrupt may be, muft wound hii\nown feelings, as well as thofe of his family ; and\nto prepare an asylum for her hufband, after he\nfhall have fettled his accounts with his creditors.\nHer name is Dash : her hufband was a banker of\nBath, Colonel of the milkia of his county, and\nenjoys the reputation of an honest man. It i\nabfolutely impoffible, to difplay more fpirit and\nperfeverance, than this lady has done, ever since\nfile fettled on this estate, not an inch of which\nwas cultivated at the time fhe purchafed it. It\ncontains about one hundred acres; on which,\nfix months ago, not a hut was to be feen, and\nwhere not a tree was felled. All thefe obstacles\nfhe has surmounted. She is now building a stone\nhoufe, and will, therefore, be able, within a\ntwelvemonth, to receive her hufband in a retired\nand humble, yet decent habitation. The fituation and misfortunes of this poor lady have in\nfome degree injured her brain. But, this circumstance, while it increafes her loquacity, does\nnot prevent her from pursuing that direct line of\nconduct, which fhe has marked out for herfelf.\nTwo of her daughters have been well married,\nfinee their arrival in America. With a fort of\nenthufiafm, I listened to tike other, who is at\n 142\n'TRAVELS THROUGH\nL\nhome, whilst fhe played on the pianoforte. She*\nperforms very well, is young, pretty, unfortunate, modest, poffeftes no property on earth, and,-\nin a wooden hut, plays upon one of the finest instruments, that ever came from Longman's fhop.\nThe strange contrast of all thefe circumstances\nmight eaftly obtain a young* lover for Mifs Sarah\nDafh; and this I most fincerely wifhed her, at\nmy departure ; but, young lovers are not fo easily\nto be won, in this country.\nI had here another proof how profitable a fpe-\nculation it is in this country to purchafe woodland, clear the ground, and render it fit for cultivation. Mrs. Dafh bought one hundred acres\nfor two hundred and fixty-five dollars, twenty of\nwhich fhe has cleared, and fown with wheat;\nincluding the fpot on which her houfe stands*\nand a fmall garden. The expence for clearing\nthe land, and building her wooden houfe and a\nstable, amounted in the whole to one thoufand\nand fixty-five dollars. Her twenty acres yielded\neach twenty bufhels of wheat, the price of\nwhich, this year, is ten fhillings per bufhel. She\nemploys no farmer, becaufe fhe is herfelf on the\nfpot; and confequently fhe produce of the first\nyear's harvest from, twenty acres amount to two\nhundred\n NORTH AMERICA^ CANADA, &C.\n143\nhundred pounds, or five hundred and thirty-\nthree dollars, the moiety of the amount total of\nher expence, the purchafe money excluded.*\nWe paffed the Saturday and Sunday in Northumberland, and proceeded on Monday to Wilkf-\nbarre.\nMonday, the 18th of May.\nThe road from Northumberland to Berwick,\nwhich we had been told was dreadful, we found\nin a much better condition, than any we have\nhitherto paffed. The road is dreary, without\nthe leaft variety of profpect, runs constantly, or\nat least generally, through woods, though it lies\nparallel to the river, upon which, however, a\nview only opens now and then, and the bed of\nwhich, to the fouthward, is continually hedged\nin between mountains covered with fir.f\nWe halted at Mr. Montgomery's, twelve\nmiles from Northumberland. The creek, on\nwhich his faw-mill is fituate, is the only one we\nhave hitherto feen. The land, which mostly\n* The original fays, the purchafe-money included, but\nthis is either an error of the prefs, or an oversight of the\nauthor.\u00E2\u0080\u0094Tranfator.\nf With the exception of two or three large bafins, formed by the river.\nflop^s\nIhU\n1\n9\n J 44\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nIf\nII\nhi\nHopes towards the river, feems good. Few or no\nrocks are to be feen. Mr. Montgomery is a surveyor ; he does not keep an inn, but fupplies\nboth men and horfes with food and provender for\nmoney. From him we learned, that the price\nof the best land in his neighbourhood, on the\nbanks of the river, is from twenty-three to twenty-eight dollars an acre; but that when whole\nestates, for instance, four hundred acres of good\nfoil, are fold, the tenth part of which is cleared^\nthe price of land amounts to eight dollars per\nacre; that land, which lies.yet in wood, fetches\nfrom two to five dollars per acre ; that the price\nof labour is three fhillings per day ; that it is no\neafy matter to procure labourers> becaufe the\nnumber of inhabitants in the neighbourhood is\ninconsiderable; that the colonists consist chiefly\n.of Dutchmen, or their children; and, lastly, that\nthis district has suffered much from an epidemical^\ndifeafe, which, two years ago, destroyed nearly\nall the horfes. To judge from the symptoms,\npointed out by Mr* Montgomery, I never heard\nof any fimilar distemper in France. By his defcription, it is a weakness, which destroys a horfe.\nin the courfe of two months. The liver i\u00C2\u00A3\nblown up by a fweliing, which extends into the\nlegs, and the whole mafs of blood is entirely dr&\ncoloured,\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\n'coloured. This distemper is called here the yellow water.\nThe road to Berwick leads, for its whole length,\nconstantly through woods, and confequently affords no profpect. There are few habitations\nhere, and thefe have a mean appearance. At\nfome diftance from the houfes, we faw a few\nstraggling cows and fheep.\nWe halted in the district of Fifhing Creek, at\none Abraham Miller's, who is a farmer, and\nkeeps an inn and a fhop. His estate confifts of\nthree hundred acres, feventy of which are cleared.\nHe clears annually about twelve or fifteen acres\nmore, but not without confiderable trouble, as\nlabourers are very fcarce in this district; they are\npaid three fhillings and fixpence per day, and\nhave befides their board, which is estimated at\nabout one fhilling and fix pence. Here, as well\nCD X *\nas in all the other places through which we have\nhitherto pafied, three dollars per acre are generally paid for hoeing up the roots of bufhes, on\nliich ground as is destined for cultivation ; or if\nday-labourers be employed in this work, they are\npaid five fhillings a day, befides their victuals.\nThis was the firft place, where we ufed maple\niiigar, wrhich we found excellent. Abraham\nMiller fells yearly about five or fix barrels of this\nVol. I. . L sugar.\n 146\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nfugar. He buys it at thirteen pence per pound,\nand fells it at fifteen ; the brown moist fugar of\nthe colonies he fells at fourteen pence. He procures all the goods, fold in his fhop, from Philadelphia ; they are brought in. waggons as far as\nCatawefty, where they are fhipped on the Sufquehannah, and thence conveyed to Fifhing\nCreek. The aggregate amount of freight and\noo o o\ncarriage was, formerly, one dollar per tun, but\nfince laft fpring it has rifen to one dollar and a\nhalf fe, .| ii . \u00E2\u0080\u00A2 -\nThe price of land in the neighbourhood, is\nfrom eight to ten dollars per acre, if in any de-\ngree cleared of wood, and from two to three dollars, if ftill covered with trees. Habitations are\nfcarce and straggling, but increafe in number\nCO o*\nnearer to Berwick. This is the chief town of the\ndistrict: it stands on the banks of the river. The\nfituation is fiifficiently agreeable, and more open\nthan that of other places, through wThich we\nhave lately paffed. This fmall village confifts.\nof twenty mifcr&ble houfes, in which wc could\nnot find an egg for our fupper, but we procured\nOO XX' X\nfome milk. The beds were clean, the ftabling\ngood, oats and ,hay excellent; and travellers on\nhorfeback are ufually contented themfelves with\nfcanty fare, if their horfes be well provided for.\nThe\n VMV\nmi\nSi\nN0R\u00C2\u00B1H AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\n147\nThe innkeeper and his wife are a young couple,\nwho have but very lately fettled her^. Their\nhoufe is of wood, and only half finifhed; they\npoffefs, at prefent, eighty acres, ten of wrhich\nare cleared and csdtivated. The price of land\nat Berwick is twelve dollars, if the ground be\nalready fomewhat cleared, and from one dollar\nand a half to two, if the wood be not yet cut\ndown.\nThe inhabitants of Berwick, as well as of the\nhuts, we faw on this day's journey, are a medley of Englifhmen, Frenchmen, Germans, Flemings, and Scots. Moft of the colonists, who\nhave lately arrived, come from the Jerfeys. They\nfeem all poor, and are badly cloathed, yet their\n'strong and healthy appearance fhews, that they\nare well fed, and foothes the mind, which sympathizes in their poverty. The number of children is, in proportion to the habitations, very\ngreat indeed. Near Ovens we faw a fchool for\nyoung girls, which, from the fmallnefs of the\nhut, and the number of children who ran out to\nfee us pafs, had the appearance of an ant-hill.\nTwo miles below Berwick are thofe rapid currents, known by the name of Nefcopeck, which\ngreatly impede the navigation of the river, efpecially at -low water.\nn\nL 2\nTuefday\n- ^--i.^- --\u00C2\u00A3& I\n TRAVELS THROUGH\nTuefday, the 1 Qth of May.\nThis day proved rather unfortunate to us..\nWe left Berwick at fix o'clock in the morning,\nand were unfortunately addreffed to one 'Squire\nBeach, who lives feven miles from it, and who\nwas to point out to us the the best road to\nWilkfbarre. Our ill-luck would have it, that\nthis 'Squire Beach is a maker of roads, and had\nbut very lately constructed a newT one, which is\nfome miles fnorter than the old road. He ad-r\nvifed us to take the former, wilich he affured us\nwas the belt. Relying on his assurance, we followed his advice, but were on the very outfet\nat confiderable pains, to find the place where we\nwere to be ferried acrofs the river, to reach the\nnew road. The ferry-boat, which was rowed\nby a man turned of feventy, was too fmall to\ncontain our four horfes; we therefore caufed\nour baggage to be carried over first; and this\n' Op O '\narrived fafe on the oppofite bank. The fervant\nwas ordered not to wait for us, but to proceed.\nOn the return of the ferry-boat, Mr. Guillemard\n\u00E2\u0080\u00A2and I embarked. His mare, who is always very\nfpirited, and whofe mettle was perhaps heightened by the fight of the other horfes on fhore, began to stir in the fmall boat, which was rather\no.\nlow\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\n149\nlow at the fides ; and in the midft of our paffage\nput one of her hind-legs into the water, which\nbrought her whole hinder part dowrn. The boat\nheeled to that fide, was filled with water, and\nwould have been instantly overfet, but for Mr.\nGuill&mard's prefence of mind. He pushed the\nhorfe into the river, and thus faved us in the\nmoft imminent danger of being drowned; a\ndanger to which travellers muft be frequently\nexpofed in this country, from the bad construction of the ferry-boats, as well as from the imprudence and unfkilfulnefs of the ferry-men.\nThe mare, Mr. Guillemard holding her fast by\nthe bridle, fafely reached the fhore; and thus\nfar every thing was well. But this incident was\nthe harbinger of accidents ftill more unpleafant.\nWe could not difcover any road; fome trees,\nwhich had been felled, fhewed an intention, it is\ntrue, to make one ; but we faw'even few of thefe.\nNo beaten road was to be found; ten times already we had miffed bur way. We had to travel\neighteen miles over felled trees, deep moraffes,\nrocks, and loofe stones. The girth of the bag-\n\u00C2\u00AB 00\ngage-horfe broke two or three times; Mr. Guillemard's mare, who was badly faddled, twice loft\nher faddle on a fleep road, and threw her rider.\nShe ran away and fcattered part of her load ; a\nL 3 brace\nIMI\n J 50\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nI; .#4\ni-ll\nP\nbrace of piftols was loft; our horfes were ex~\nfaulted with fatigue; we were tired, faint with\nhunger, and unable to difcover any human habitation on the road. A few7 houfes Handing at\nfome diftance from it, which we vifited, could\nnot fupply our wants; and, to encreafe our\nmisfortunes, it rained all day long. At length\nwe found fome oats at an honest German's,\nwhofe wife procured us alfo milk and eggs.\nThus sefrefhed, we purfued our journey, not\nwithout feveral new accidents befalling our baggage ; and at last reached Wilkfbarre. , My\nfriend's horfe was lame, the faddle was broken\nto pieces by the accident in the ferry-boat, and\nour cloaths were torn ; but at Dr. Coweli's we\nfound a good fire, a good liable, good eggs, fait\nmeat (frefh meat is entirely out of the question)\nand thus, as we fmoaked our fegars, indulged\nthe pleafant thought of having efcaped all thefe\nmisfortunes.\nWilkfbarre stands on a wide and fertile plain.\n~*The profpect, on defcending the mountains by\nthe creek of Nantikoke, is one pf the richeft,\nmoft extenfiye, and moft delightful, we have\nyet feen. The land is in a high ftate of culti-\nvation. We were not able to obtain any new\ninformation, that deferves to be mentioned.\nWilkfbarre\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\n15 r\nWilkfbarre is the chief town of the county\nof Luzerne. It is a fmall place, containing\nabout a hundred wooden houfes, of a much?\nbetter appearance than thofe in Northumberland. The town is feated on the SufquehanV,\nnah, and muft in time become confiderable, if\n' the country, which lies higher up, fhall be more\ngenerally cultivated. It is even now of fome\nimportance, and has about two hundred an&\nfifty inhabitants. The population of the whole\ncounty is eftimated at five thoufand fouls.\nWedtiefday, the 20th of May.\nMr. Guillemard's mare b^ng lamed by our\nmisfortunes of yesterday, he refolved to leave\nher at Wilkfbarre, under the care of his fervant. We accordingly fet out by ourfelves. A\nnew road was propofed to us, which fhortens\nthe journey twenty miles, but is untrodden.\nHowever, hav*ing yesterday had enough of new\nroads, we preferred the old, though it was bad,\nand twenty miles longer. At the end of our\nfirst day's journey, we reached Huntsferry. The\nroad was bad, and we were feveral times obliged\nto travel in foot-paths, which were hardly paffable. We frequently met with quarries of miii-\nftone, and with fpots, where a path, only eight-\nL 4 een\nm\njffii\n_>\u00C2\u00A3i\n I\n155\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nw I\nee>n inches in breadth, was cut through the rock,\nor where the road was fupported by trunks of\ntrees,: narrowed by falls of earth, obstructed by\nfallen trees, and led along the edges of a precipice. We often paffed over declivities, rendered\nmore dangerous by the ground being ftrewed\nwith loofe ftones, or fragments of rock. For-\n' o\ntunately it fo happened,, that we never got more\nthan a few yards out of our road ; but we were\nobliged to enquire the way of every one we\nmet, to avoid more confiderable deviation. The\ndwelling-houfes in this district are moft of them\nfo new, that the inhabitants are often ignorant\nof the names of places, which are fcarce two\nmiles distant; nor are they able to point out the\ndirection and diftance, fo that their information\nbeyond the next farm-houfe is not to be depended upon. There is not one inn on the\nwhole road, but fome private individuals are in\nthe habit of felling oats to travellers. They live\nat certain distances, and, being known, travel-\nlers constantly put up at their houfes. The firft\nday we halted at the houfe of one Harris,\ntwelve miles from Wilkfbarre, and afterwards at\nHarding's, fifteen miles farther on. Both are.\nfarmers ; the former, a captain of the militia,\nis richer, and has been eftabliflied much longer.\nthan\nfet\n.\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\n153\nthan the latter. They are both very bad huf-\nbandmen ; they cultivate nothing but Indian\ncorn and potatoes, in a foil, which is, for the\nmoft part, poor, and, with few exceptions, produces nothing but fpruce fir and the common\nbirch. All the cultivated fields are inclofed with\nfences, which confifl of poles of wood, once\nfplit, and and laid zig-zag upon one another\nwithout any ftakes; a manner of fencing, general in all parts of America, at the firft clearing of the ground. The expence of clearing\nground amounts, in this district, to feven or\neight dollars an acre.\nFive miles beyond Harding's habitation, we\ncroffed the river in a very bad ferry-boat, and\narrived at Hunt's, an Irifhman, who fettled here\nten years ago. We found in his houfe Indian\nJ o\ncorn for our horfes, but neither oats nor hay,\nand no milk for ourfelves, nor even an egg.\nThe houfe confifts of one room on the ground-\nfloor, and of a corn-loft over it. Beds were not\nto be had. Hunt took an old paillaffe from his\nown bed, and lent it me for the night; and on\nthis, with my fadelle-cloth, I rested comfortably. By Hunt's account, the fpot, which he\ninhabits, is very unwholefome ; and fo, he fays,\nare the banks of the river in general for fome\nway,\n 154\nTRAVEL THROUGH\nIf I\nI /\nway, higher up, or lower down. His young\nand handfome wife has laboured under a hectic\nfever, for thefe eight months.\nThurfday, the 2 lft of Mays\nIn the morning we halted at one Mr. Gay-\nLor's, eleven miles from our laft night's quarters. All the dwelling-houfes are of the fame\nfort. We purfued our journey to Afylum by\nWyalufing. The latter is a confiderable village,\nfeated on a creek, from which it takes its name.\nThe road is the fame as yefterday, at times even\nand good, often recently cut through the wood,\nor interrupted by new fettlements, the fences of\nwhich occasion a circuit of near a furlong, at\nthe end of which it is difficult to find the road\nagain.\nNearly all the plantations, which we have\nhitherto traverfed in this diftrict, have been\nmore or lefs recently formed by families, who\nderive their titles from Connecticut. The right\nof property claimed by that ftate, in regard to\nthefe lands, has been declared to be unfounded,\nfinftby arbitrators in Trenton, three or four years\nago, and since that bythe judges of aflize, who\nhold their fittings in Philadelphia. The laft fen-\ntence has excited general difcontent in thefe\nparts;\na?-v\n NQRTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\n155\nparts ; and, in truth, fhould it be confirmed\nby the fupreme court of juftice, the natural\neonfequence muft be a general difpoffefling of\nall the cultivators, who have fettled here by\nright of purchafe, or gift from the ftate of Connecticut,, and who have fpent feveral years labour on a foil, on which they eftablifhed themfelves in-the molt legal form. Several of thefe\nfettlers were, during the laft war, driven from\njheir poffeffions by the Indians, who destroyed\nall the buildings, and burnt the woods, as far\nas they were able, on their retreat. Thefe are\nindeed fufficient reafons for difcontent ; and the\nftate of Pennfylvania, fatisfied with being reinstated in its right to thefe lands, wall undoubtedly leave them in the poffeffion of thofe families, who, bona fde, obtained them either for\nmoney, or by their labour. If Pennfylvania had\nfold the fame lands, the fupreme court of judi-\npature would doubtlefs award an indemnification\nin money. But in the United States, whofe constitution is, and muft be founded on the rights\npf man, and modelled by justice, peaceful and\nindustrious inhabitants will never be driven from\ntheir poffeffions, or expelled from their homes.\nThe foldiers, ordered to carry fuch a fentence\ni$ito execution, would be top deeply affected;\nI their\n!c\u00C2\u00A7fcri\nJk\n 156\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nr \\nJ\nV\ntheir own feelings would contradict the oath of\nallegiance they have taken, and humanity would\nforbid them, to co-operate in the execution of\nthe law. The ftate of Pennfylvania is too wife,\nand too juft, not to embrace, in thefe circumstances, a refolution, which is dictated by the\nvery principles it profeffes.\nThe inhabitants, who derive their titles from\nConnecticut, form, we were told, two distinct\nclaffes, whofe rights- are of a widely different\ncomplexion. One clafs fettled here long before\nany public difcuflion of the claims of the two\nstates took place ; and moft of thefe had to rebuild their houfes, which, as has already been\nmentioned, were destroyed during the war.\nThe other clafs formed their fettlements after\nthe above award, folicited by both states, had\nbeen iffued', and therefore were not, or, at leaft,\nfhould not have been ignorant of the hazard, to\nwhich they expofed themfelves. Several perfons in Connecticut have proceeded in this bufinefs in a manner extremely blameable, efpecially one Colonel Franklin, who, two years\nago, decoyed feveral families into this country,\nnotwithftanding the oppofition of the ftate of\nPennfylvania, and of all the friends of order,\nwho difcouraged thefe unfair proceedings, and\nforetold\nXV\n mmm\nNORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\n157\nforetold to the new fettlers, that they would\nfoon be difpoffeffed of their estates. Moft of the\nfamilies lately arrived here are poor. They obtained the land gratis, and are the lefs disturbed\nin their prefent momentary enjoyments, by apprehensions of fome future difpoffeflion, as the\ncharacter of many among them is not of the\nfairest complexion. The colonel acted on the\nprinciple, that an increafe of the number of co-\nlonifts would increafe the force of refiftance\nagainft the Sentence of a judicial difpoffeflion,\nin which, being himfelf a proprietor, he is per-\nfonally concerned. This difference, in point\nof the period of poffeflion, and of the fpecies\nof property, renders it far more eafy to accommodate matters, than it might otherwife have\nproved ; since the difference being fettled with\nthe landholders of the former clafs, the execution of any vigorous meafure, which it may be\nneceffary to adopt againft thofe of the latter, will\nbe greatly facilitated.\nAfylum flands on the right bank of the Sufquehannah, which muft be croffed, in order to\nreach this fettlement. It has been only fifteen\nyears eftablifhed. Meffrs. Talon and De No-\nailles, who arrived here from England, richer\nO '\nin hopes than in cafh, fancied they Should be able\nto\nid\n 153\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nto purchafe, cultivate, and people two hundred\nthoufand acres of land. They interefted in their\nproject fome planters of St. Domingo, who efcaped from the ruins of that colony, and who had\nprudence enough carefully to preferve the remains of their fortune. Meffrs. Morris and Ni-\nchollbn, who poffefs immenfe tracks of land in\nthe United States, were willing and ready to\nmeet their views. Lands were chofen on the\nnorthern banks of the Sufquehannah -, the price\nand inftalments were regulated, and the firft\ntrees felled * on the fpot, which was felected for\nthe town. Mr. de Noailles took upon himfelf\nthe management of the concerns of the company in Philadelphia. Mr. Talon caufed the\nfirft log-houfes to be erected here, and the land\nto be prepared for the reception of the new inhabitants. But they foon difcovered, that they\nShould be difappointed of all the money, which\nthey had hoped to receive. Meffrs. Morris and\nNicholion readily releafed them from this firft\ndifficulty, and the contract was refcinded. From\nexclusive proprietors of thefe lands, the above\ngentlemen became affociates and partners in trade\nO X\nwith Meffrs. Morris and Nicholfon, in all the\nprofits arising from their fale, and the quantity\n* In December, 1793.\nwas\nAA\n\u00E2\u0080\u0094\u00E2\u0096\u00A0- : s '\n mmmm\nNORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\n15$\nwas enlarged to a million of acres. Each of\nthem kept about fix thoufand acres, as his private property, the price of which was fomewhat\nraifed ; but more diftant periods of payment were\nfixed. Mr. Talon was appointed agent for the\ncompany, with a falary of three thoufand dollars.\nThe buildings, as well as all other expences^\nwere, with the confent of Meflfs. Morris and\nNicholfon, placed to the account of the company. The ufe of the moft confiderable houfe,\nbuilt by Mr. Talon, was affigned to himfelf as\nagent. Ignorance of the language of the country, want of practice in bufinefs of this kind,\navocations of a different nature, and the embar-\nraffments of the company, have deprived Mr.\nTalon of the moft exquisite happinefs, an emigrated Frenchman can poffibly enjoy, to open a\npeaceful and comfortable afylum for his unfortunate countrymen, to afiift them in the first\nmoments of their fettlement, and thus to become the founder of a colony, which would\nhave proved as honourable to the name of a\nFrenchman, as ufeful to the unfortunate fuffer-\ners, whom it would have received. An enormous expence, partly incurred without a mature consideration of the plan, occafioned deficiencies. The company was not able to fulfil its\nengagements.\nij\n1\n i6o\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nengagements. lTie exertions of Mr. Talon and\nhis affociates were not equal to the removal of\nthefe difficulties ; and it becoming evident, that\nthe colony could not attain prcfperity fo quickly\nas Mr. Talon had expected, he resigned his\nfituation as agent to Mr. Nicholfon, and fold\nhim his fhare in the property of the company,\nwho, having fix months before bought that of\nMr. de Noailles alfo, is now become fole proprietor of the land.\nThis is a brief fketch of the hiftory of Afy-\nlum. There cannot remain a doubt, but that\nthis eftablifhment, the plan of which is certainly the work of much deliberation, would\nhave proved more fuccefsful, had it been formed\nby degrees, and with a fufficient fupply of ready\nmoney. For notwithftanding the errors committed in the execution of the plan, and the ad-\nverfe incidents it has met with, Afylum has already attained an uncommon degree of perfection, considering its infant ftate. Thirty houfes,\nbuilt in this town, are inhabited by families from St. Domingo, and from France, by\nFrench artizans, and even by Americans. Some\ninns and two fhops have been eftablifhed, the\nbufinefs of which is confiderable. Several town-\nShares have been put into very good condition ;\nand\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\nand the fields and gardens begin to be productive.\nA confiderable quantity of ground has been\ncleared, on the creek Loyalfock; where the\ncompany has allotted twenty-five thoufand acres\nof land, in part of a hundred thoufand acres,\nwhich the inhabitants of Ai}durxi have purchafed by fubfcription. Similar agricultural operations, which take place in almoft every town-\nShare, are intended to enliven, at once, all the\ndifferent parts of this large tract of ground. The\ntown-Shares consist each of four hundred acres\nfrom tea to twenty of which are cleared. The\nowner can therefore either fettle, there himfelf,\nat the end of the year, or ent\u00C2\u00A3uft it to a farmer\nThe clearing of the town-fhares is, at prefent,\neffected by fubfcription, on this principle ; that\nfor every acre belonging to a fubfcriber, who\nhas cleared ten acres, five of which only ate en-\ncloSed with fences, nine dollars are paid.\nMr. de Montule, one of the inhabitants of\nAfylum, directs this clearing of the ground ; th\nplan of which he conceived for the Welfare of\nthe colony. The Sentiments of the ccJonifts\nare good. Every one follows his bufinefs, the\ncultivator as well as the inn-keeper and tradefi-\nman, with as much zeal and exertion, as if he\nhad been brought up to it. The foil is tolerably\nVol. I. M good,,\n I \u00E2\u0096\u00A0\u00E2\u0096\u00A0\u00E2\u0080\u0094\u00E2\u0096\u00A0\u00E2\u0096\u00A0\u00E2\u0096\u00A0 III III\n10*2\nTRAVELS THROUGH\n'\u00E2\u0080\u00A2\nI\nI It\ngood, the climate healthful. Almoft all the ingredients of a thriving colony concur in Afy-\nlum, and afford room to hope, that thefe great\nnatural advantages will, in time, be improved,\nfor the benefit and profperity of the colonists.\nA new trading company has fuperfeded the\nformer ; at leaft the firm and management of\nthe company's concerns have been altered. Mr.\nRobert Morris has entirely left it, and Mr. Ni-\nchclfon, being now the only proprietor, has\nformed a bank of his million of acres, divided\ninto five thoufand fhares, containing each two\nhundred acres, the price of which, at two dollars and half per acre, is five hundred dollars.\nThey bear fix<*per cent intereft, which increafes\nJ A *\nin proportion to the ftate of the land; and at\nthe expiration of fifteen years, the period at\nwhich the company is to be diffolved, all the\nbenefits and advantages accruing to the bank\no o\nare to be divided among the holders of fhares.\nAn office has been eftablifhed by the latter, for\nthe direction and management of the concerns\nof the bank.\nThis new company, taught by the errors of\nthe former, will no doubt make it their principal bufinefs, to promote the profperity of Afy-\nlum; which, alone, can, in any confiderable\nP\u00C2\u00A7e manner.\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0Sfifei\n *\"8S^5\n&0RTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\nmanner, increafe the value of the land. Yet\nfome previous facrifices will alfo be required for\nthat purpofe. It will be neceffary to construct\nnew roads, and repair the old ones. Encouragement m.vrft alfo be given to the families, which\nalready inhabit Afylum ; and advantageous offers muft be held out to fuch, as may be difpofed\nto fettle there. If thefe things be done, Afylum will foon be peopled. Motives arising from\nFrench manners and opinions have hitherto prevented even French families from fettling here.\nThefe are now, however, in great meafure removed, and if the company fhall proceed with\njudgment and prudence, as it is to be hoped\nthey will, there can hardly remain a doubt, but\nthat Afylum will fpeedily become a place of importance. Its fituation on the Sufquehannah,\ntwo hundred miles from its fource, fits it in a\npeculiar manner for an emporium of the inland\ntrade. French activity, fupported with money,\nwill certainly accelerate its growth ; and this\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0J o\nwill doubtlefs in time convince the world, that\nthe enterprife and afliduity of Frenchmen are\nequally confpicuous in profperous and adverfe\ncircumftances.\nThe following families have either already\nfettled, or intend to fettle, at Afylum, viz. i.\nM 2 Mr.\n ltfc\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nMr. de Blacons, deputy for Dauphine, in the\nConstituent affembly. Since his quitting France,\nhe has married Mademoiselle de Maulde, late\nCanonefs of the chapter of Bonbourg. They\nkeep a haberdafher's fhop. Their partner is Mr.\nColin, formerly Abbe de Sevigny, arch-deacon\nof Tours, and confeiller au grand confeiL 2. Mr.\nde* Montule, late captain of a troop of horfe,\nmarried to a lady of St. Domingo, who resides\nat prefent at Pottfgrove. 3. Madame de Sy-\nbert, coufin to Mr. de Montule, and relict of a\nrich planter of St. Domingo. 4. Mr. Becde-\nlierre, formerly a canon, now a Shopkeeper ;\nhis partners are the two Meffrs. de la Roue, one\nof whom was formerly a petit gens-d'arme, and\nthe other a captain of infantry. The latter has\nmarried a fifter of Madame Sybert, Mademoi-\nfelle de Bercy, who intends to eftablifh an inn\non the road from Afylum to Loyalfock, eight\nmiles from the former place, whither fhe is on\nthe point of removing with her hufband. 6.\nMr. Beaulieu, formerly a captain of infantry\nin the French fervice, who ferved in America,\nduring the laft war, in the legion of Potofky.\nHe has remained ever since in this country, has\nmarried an Englifh lady, and now keeps an inn.\n7. Mr.\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\n7. Mr. Buzard, a planter of St. Domingo, and\nphysician in that colonv, who has fettled at\nAfylum with his wife, daughter, and fon, and\nfome negroes, the remains of his fortune. 8. Mr.\nde No ail les,- a planter of St. Domingo, 9. Mr.\nDandelot, of Franchecomte, late an officer of\ninfantry, who left France on account of the re-\nvolution, and arrived here destitute of property,\nbut was kindly received by Mr. Talon, and is\nnow engaged in agricultural purfuits with fpirit\nand fuccefs. 10. Mr. Dupetitthouars, an\nofficer of the navy, who, encouraged by the\nconstituent affembly, and affifted by a fubfcription, embarked hi an expedition in quest of Mr.\nde la Peroufe. He was detained on the coaft of\nBsafil by the governor of the colony, Fernando\nde Noriguez, and fent with his crew to Portugal, where he was very ill treated by the Portuguefe government, Stripped of all his property,\nand only efcaped farther perfecution by fleeing\nto America, where he lives free and happy,\nwithout property, yet without want. He is employed in clearing about two or three hundred\nacres of land, which have been prefented to\nhim. His Sociable, mild, yet truly original temper and ^Jsara&er, are fet off by a. noble fimpli-\nM 3 city\n Wf\n\u00E2\u0080\u00A2\u00E2\u0080\u00A2uiMUJiuur\"\n165\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nI\n,\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0f \\ncity of manners*, n. Mr. Nores, a young\ngentleman, who embarked with Mr. Dupetit-\nthouars, and efcaped with him to this countryte\nHe formerly wore the petit collet f, was a pupil\nof Mr. de la Chapelle, poffeffor of a fmall priory, and now earns his fubfiftence by cultivating\nthe ground. 12. Mr. Keating, an Irifhmanv\nand late captain of the regiment of Welfh. At\nthe beginning of the revolution he was in St.\nDomingo, where he poffeffed the confidence of\nall parties, but refufed the moft tempting offers\nof the commissioners of the affembly, though\nhis fentiments were truly democratic. It was,\nhis choice and determination, to retire to America without a fhilling in his pocket, rather than\nto acquire power and opulence in St. Domingo\nby violating his firft oath. He is a man of un-\ncommon merit, distinguished abilities, extraordinary virtue, and invincible difintereftednefs.\nHis deportment is grave, yet affable. His advice and prudence have proved extremely fer-\nviceable to Mr. Talon in every department of\n* Dupetitthpuars returned afterwards to France, obtained the command of a fhip of the line, and was killed in\nthe unfortunate battle off the mouth of the Nile.\u00E2\u0080\u0094Tranfl.\nf The petit collet (little band) was formerly a diftinguifhh\ning^piark of the fecular clergy in France.\u00E2\u0080\u0094Tranfl.\nhis\nV\nJlwurii 11\n=\u00C2\u00BB\u00E2\u0080\u00A2 -\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C,\nl67\nhis bufinefs. It was he who negociated the\nlate arrangements between Meffrs. Morris and\nNicholfon ; and it may be juftly faid, that the\nconfidence, which his uncommon abilities and\nvirtue infpire, enables him to adjuft matters of\ndifpute with much greater facility than moft\nother perfons. 13. Mr. Renaud and family.\nHe is a rich merchant of St. Domingo, who has\njust arrived with very confiderable property, pre-\nferved from the wreck of an immenfe fortune.\n14. Mr. Carles, a prieft and canon of Guern-\nfey, who retired to America with a fmall fortune, and who has jiow fettled at Afylum ; he\nis an industrious and much-refpected farmer.\n15. Mr. Prevost, a citizen of Paris, celebrated\nthere for his benevolence; he was a member of\nall benevolent focieties, treafurer of the philanthropic fociety, and retired to America with\nfome property, a confiderable part of which he\nexpended on a fettlement, which he attempted\nto eftablifh on the banks of the Sufquehannah,\nbut which did not eventually fucceed. He now\ncultivates his lot of ground on the Loyalfock, as\nif his whole life had been devoted to the fame\npurfuit ; and the cheerful ierenitv of a gentle,\ncandid, philofophical mind, ftill attends him in\nhis laborious retreat. His wife and lifter in-\nM 4 law.\ny\n I\nlm\nTRAVELS THROUGH\n111\n'Isj| if\n:m mi*\nlaw, who have alfo fettled here, Share in his\ntranquillity and his happinefs. 16. Madame\nd'AuTREMONT, with her three children. She\nis the widow of a fteward at Paris. Two of her\nfons are grown up : one was a notary, and the\nother a watch-maker; but they have now become hewers of wood, and tillers of the ground,\nand fecure by their zeal, fpirit, politenefs, and\nunblemifhed character, the fympathy and refpect of every feeling mind.\nSome families of artifans are alfo eftablifhed\nat Afylum ; and fuch as conduct themfelves properly earn great wages. This cannot be faid of\nthe greateft part of them. They are, in general, very indifferent workmen, and much addicted to drunkennefs. In time they will be\nfuperfeded by more valuable men ; and American families, of a better defcription, will fettle\nhere : for thofe, who reside at prefent at Afylum, are fcarcely worth keeping.\nOne of the greatest impediments to the profperity of this fettlement will probably arife from\nthe prejudices of fome Frenchmen againft the\nAmericans, unlefs felf-intereft and reafon fhould\nprove the mean's of removing them. Thefe arc\nfrequently manifested with that inconsiderate le-j\nvity, with which Frenchmen, in general, decide\nXV\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\ni6g\ncide on things and perfons of the greateft moment ; J fome of them vauntingly declare, that\nthey will never learn the language of the country, or enter into converfation with an American. Whether particular facts and occurrences\ncan juftify this prejudice, in regard to individuals,\nI will not affirm; but certain it is, that they can\nnever justify it in the latitude of a general opinion. A conduct founded on fuch prejudices\nwould prove extremely hurtful to the interests\nof the colony ; the progrefs of which has been\nalready retarded by So many unavoidable obstacles, that there certainly is no occasion to create\nnew ones, by purpofely exciting the animosity\nof a people, among whom the colony has been\nformed, and who, an the judgment of every impartial man, muft be confidered as in a ftate of\nlefs degeneracy than many European nations.\nThe real farmers, who reside at Afylum, live,\nupon the whole, on very good terms with each\nother; being duly fenfible, that harmony is re-\nquifite, to render their fituation comfortable and\nhappy. They poffefs no confiderable property,\nand their way of life is fimple. Mr. Talon lives\nin a manner fomewhat more fplendid, as he is\n^obliged to maintain a number of perfons, to\nwhom his affiftance was indifpenfable.\nIt\ni\n1\n *aF\"\n170\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nf 1\nm\nj .\njjf Fly\nI 11\nIt is to be wifhed and hoped, that the whole\nfettlement may prove ultimately fuccefsful. A\nmore convenient fpot might, doubtlefs, have\nbeen chofen. But not to mention, that all ex\npoftfaclo judgments are unfair, the prefent fituation of the colony appears fo advantageous, as\nto warrant the moft fanguine hopes of fuccefs.\nInduftrious families, however, without whom\nno fettlement can profper, muft be invited to\nit; for it muft be confidered, that, however polished its prefent inhabitants-may be, the gentleman cannot fo easily difpenfe with the affiftance\nof the artist and the huibandman, as thefe can\nwith that of the gentleman.\nA fpeedy adjustment of the prefent differences\nbet-ween Connecticut and Pennfylvania, with\nrefpect to the estates contiguous to the lands of\nAfylum, would alfo prove a defirable and fortunate circumstance for this colony. None but\nperfons of indifferent character are willing to\nA O\nfettle on ground, the title to which remains a\no '\nblatter of difpute. Even the fmall number of\ncolonists we found between Wilkfbarre and Tioga are by no means praifeworthy in their morals ; and they are poor, lazy, drunken, quar-\nrelfome, and extremely negligent in the culture\nof their lands. The valuable emigrants from\nNew-\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0New-England, from the eaftern branch of the\nSufquehannah, who fhould be encouraged to\nfettle here, will certainly not make their appearance, till they can be fure of cultivating\ntheir land without opposition, and of retaining\nthe undisturbed poffeffion of their eftates. It is\ntherefore of the greateft importance to the com-i\npany of Afylum, that this weighty bufinefs\nShould be Speedily and finally adjufted. When\nthat is accomplished, the company will doubt-\nlefs embrace the earliest opportunity of advertising the whole million of acres ; they will endeavour to combine feparate eftates with each\nother, by purchasing the intervening lands; they\nwill make public their right of property, pur-\n|Site a well concerted general plan, execute it\nwith the requisite care and difpatch, and make\nthe neceffary facrifices. They will perceive how\nadvantageous and important it is, to place Afylum, as it were, in full activity, by constructing\nthe roads already projected and commenced, by\neftablifhing a fchool, by inviting induftrious fet-\ntiers, and by endeavouring to meliorate the\nbreeds of horfes and cattle : in Short, by en-\n' m\ncouraging ufeful eftablifhments of every kind.\nA few hundreds of dollars, laid out here properly, would produce the moft confiderable and\n '!\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nlafting improvements. In fuch cafes, however?\nit is requisite to calculate well, that we may expend judicioufly. By prudent and liberal meafures, the profperity of this French colony, and\nconfequently of the company, would be effen-\ntially infured and promoted. And when this fettlement fhall have once ripened into a flourishing ftate, it will ferve to connect the country,\nwhich is already cultivated along the banks of\nJ D\nthe river, above and below Afylum, and thus\nprove a fource of animation to this interesting\npart of Pennfylvania. But unless active and judicious meafures be purfued, Afylum will inevitably fuffer from the partial (inconveniences,\nwhich attend its fituation, and from the errors\ncommitted in the firft formation of this colony;\nand inftead of attaining to the wifhed for profperity, it muft, on the contrary, find its decline,\nif not downfal, in the very nature of its efta-\nbliihmenfco:\nEvery thing in this fettlement, at prefent,\nappears in a precarious condition. The price of\nprovision depends on a variety of fluctuating circumstances. By the activity and prudence of\ncertain individuals the town is abundantly Supplied with grain and meat, and this honeit economy keeps provision at a moderate price. But\nmen\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\nmen of a lefs liberal way of thinking have it\nalfo in their power to occasion fcarcity of the\nfirft neCeffaries of life, and raife their price to\na rate beyond all proportion to that of other\ncommodities. The information, whi'chvl have\nbeen able to collect, relative to the State of agriculture, however accurate at the prefent moment, can hardly be thought fufficient for the\ndirection of a planter, who Should incline to\nfettle here ; I Shall, however, lay it before my\nreaders, fuch as it is.\nThe land behind the town is tolerably good;\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0J o \"\nbut that on the banks of the river confifts of\nexcellent meadows, laid out by families, who\nfettled here, before the prefent colonifts, producing very good hay, pretty confiderable in\nquantity, and they are capable of Still farther\nimprovement. The foil of Loyalfoek is, in general, excellent. Many trees grow there, whicti\nevince its goodnefs, fuch as, the white Virpi-\nO ' ' O\nnian walnut-tree, white oak, plane-tree, fugap-\nmaple and hemlock-fir. It is a circumstance-\nworthy of notice, that half-way between Loyalfe\nSock and Afylum, common oak, which in the\nfields about the latter place is found in abundance, becomes at once fo fcarce, that not two\nhundred oak trees grow in [the whole district of\nLoyalfoek,\ni\nA 1!\n TRAVELS THROUGH\nLoyalfoek, which contains two thoufand five\"\nhundred acres. The price of the company*^\nland is at prefent two dollars and half per acre ;\nvery little however is fold. That of the towji\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0of Afylum fetches little more ; although there\nis little doubt, that the price will rife gradually\nto ten dollars. The land contiguous to Afy-\no J\nlum, which does not belong to the company\nbeing at prefent in an unfettled ftate with refpect to the right of property, this circumstance\nrenders it a very undefirable poffeflion for fuch\nfettlers, as do not wifh to expofe themfelves to\nthe danger of fubfequent litigations, 3and confequently to being difpoSfeffed of their purchafes,\nHitherto the grain appears to have fuffered but\nlittle from the Heffian fly and from blights. The\nwinter lasts here from four months and half to\nfive months. Agriculture however has hitherto\nadvanced fo ilowly, that the cattle suffer much\nduring that feafon from want of fodder. They\nare, for the most part, fed with turnips, gourds,\nand Straw of Indian corn.e Both oxen and cows\nare of a very indifferent fort, as little attention\nhas been paid to the breed of cattle brought\nhither by the fettlers. Both feed-time and harvest take place here about a fortnight later than\nin the vicinity of Philadelphia, The land yields\nabout\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\nabout fifteen or twenty bufhels of wheat, fixty\nbufhels of Indian corn, and three tuns of hay\nper acre. The foil feems naturally better adapted\nfor meadows than for corn land; but from the\nlittle trouble attending the driving of the cattle\ninto the foreft, the produce in corn is rather apparently great than fo in Tact. . In ploughing\nthey generally employ oxen, which, it fhould\nbe obferved, are not fubjedt to any particular\ndifeafe. They are at times driven to Philadefk\nphia; and the country people frequently act here\nwith fo little judgment, as even to fend them\ntwo hundred miles off, when they might obtain\nmuch better prices, and even ready money, in\nthe neighbourhood. The bullocks, which are\nconfumed in Afylum, are generally brought\nfrom the back fettlements, but it is frequently\nfound neceffary, to fend thither for them. They\nare generally plentiful : the uncommon duration of the laft winter, however, proved fo\ndeftructive to the cattle, that few are now to\nbe feen, and a great fcarcity of beef prevails at\nAfylum, as well as in various other parts of\nAmerica.\nThe grain, which is not confumed in Afylum, finds a market in Wilkfbarre, and is tranf-\nported thither on the river. In the fame man-\n 170\nTRAVELS THROUGH\n'II\ntill\nner all kinds of merchandize are conveyed from\nPhiladelphia to Afylum. They are carried in\nwaggons as far as Harrifburg, and thence fent\nin barges up the river. The freight amounts,\nin the whole, to two dollars per cwt. The fait\ncomes from the falt-houfes at Geneffee, on the\nlake of Ontario, j Flax is produced in the country about Afylum; and the foil is very fit for\nproducing crops of that commodity. Maple-\nfugar is made here in great abundance. Each\ntree is computed to yield, upon an average,\nfrom two pounds and half to three a year.\nMelaffes and vinegar are alfo prepared here. I\nhave feen Meffrs. De Vilaine and Dandelot\nmake fugar in this place, which much furpaffes\nany of the fame kind, that has hitherto come\nunder my obfervation. A confiderable quantity\nof tar is alfo made, and fold for four dollars per\nbarrel, containing thirty-two gallons. Day-labourers are paid at the rate of five Shillings a\nday. Mr. de Montule employs, workmen from\nthe eastern branch of the river, to clear his land;\nto thefe he pays half a dollar a day, befides al-\nlowing them their victuals ; the overfeer receives a dollar and a third per day ; thefe people turn out to be very good workmen. They\nm. J C* m\nare eafily procured, when employment is en-\nfured .\nX\J\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\nfused to them for any length of time ; but other-\nwife, it is very difficult to obtain them. The\nmanufacture of potafhes has alfo been commenced at Afylum ; and it is in contemplation to\nattempt the brewing of malt-liquor. A corn-\nmill and a faw-mill are building on the Loyalfoek.\nThe foregoing is a brief Sketch of the prefent\nftate of this interesting fettlement, which, even\na twelvemonth hence, will no longer retain its\nprefent features. To judge from the actual\ncondition of the probable progrefs and duration\nof this infant colony, it muft either rife or fall\nrapidly. It is to be hoped, that the want of similarity to the original in my defcription, which\nmay be obfervable next year in the colony, will\narife from its rapid progrefs towards maturity ;\nand this hope is grounded on probable appearances*\nTuefday, the 2d of June,\nOn our arrival at Afylum, it was not oujr intention to have flopped more than four days in\nthat place. But the pleafure of meeting with\nMr. and Madame de Blacons, a defire to obtain\na thorough knowledge of the prefent ftate of\nO Ox\nthe colony, as well as of its profpects of future\nVol. I. N improvement;\ny\n ^ TO\n47 p\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nimprovement; and the cordial reception we ex-r\nperienced from all its inhabitants, induced us to.\nadd four days to our flay ; and, in the whole,\nwe Stopped twelve days. On Tuefday* the 2d of\nJune, we at length took our departure. Meffrs.\nDe Blacons and Dupetitthouars joined our caravan ; the latter, who travelled on foot, had fet\nout the preceding evening. The road from Afy?\nx b o s\nlum to Tioga leads, like the reft, through continued woods. We preferred that on the right\nbank ; as we fhould then be obliged to crofs the\nriver only once. The road is in fome places ex-\nceflively miry and Stony, although in others it\nis yery good. On the whole it may be called\ntolerable, yet it is often difficult tp be found.\nIt affords but few striking profpects. The Sufquehannah, which we met with but once, during our whole journey, flows constantly between two chains of mountains, which feem to\nencroach upon its channel, but from time to\ntime open into vallies more or lefs. deep, but\nnever very extensive.\nWe flopped at Solomon Teasy's, to reft\nour horfes. This planter occupies an eflate of\nfive hundred acres, only thirty of which are yet\ncleared, and which belongs to the village of\n- \u00C2\u00BB O \" O\nOld Shefhequen. Its owner arrived here about\nfive.\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\nfive years ago, from the county of Orange, in\nthe ftate of New York ; but he now intends to\nfettle in Geneffee; and, confequently, wifhes\nto difpofe of his plantation, which he holds\nfrom the ftate of Connecticut; the price he demands* is five thoufand three hundred and ninety\ndollars, that is to fay, about ten dollars and\nthree-fourths per acre. Another landholder, at\nwhofe houfe we Stopped to procure directions\nabout the road, intimated to us a similar defign,\nas he miftook us for land-jobbers. His planta-f\ntion consisted of three hundred acres, fixty of\nwhich were cleared, with a corn and a faw-mill;\nwhich he estimated at one thoufand three hundred dollars. He afked for the whole eflate\ntwo thoufand fix hundred dollars, which is tantamount to eight dollars and half per acre. The\nState of agriculture is no better here than in the\nother parts of Pennfylvania, and even worfe\nthan in many of them, all the plantations being\nyet in that infant ftate, where the foil yields\nrich crops without cultivation. The fettlers\ntoo are doubtful whether their rights to theif\npoffeflions will be confirmed, have much bufinefs upon their hands, and are in general little\nable to advance money for the improvement of\ntheir lands, fo that they hardly give themfelves\nN z\u00E2\u0096\u00A0 the\n ftiO\nSOU\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nthe trouble even to plough up the ground. For\nx o \ o\nthis purpofe they make ufe of oxen, the medium price of a yoke of which is feventy dollars. Wheat commonly fells for one dollar a\nbufhel, rye for four fhillings, and oats from two\n* J O '\nShillings and fix-pence to three fhillings. There\nare two fchools in the neighbouring country,\nwhich are both kept by women, who teach\nX J '\nneedle-work and reading. To learn to read is,\ntherefore, the only instruction, which boys can\nobtain here. Thefe fchools are maintained folely\nby the fee of five fhillings a quarter paid by each\nfcholar. They are evidently infufficient, yet\nthey are fchools ; and thefe are yet very rare in\nPennfylvania.\nNo place has been hitherto fet apart here for\nreligious worfhip. They, who defire to perform\nthis, affemble in private houfes, and engage a\npreacher for a yearly falary, which, however, is\nvery fmall. Families of methodifts constitute\nthe principal part of the inhabitants.\nOn the other fide of the river Stands New\nShefhequen, a fmall neat town, containing about\ntwelve houfes, which are built either of rough\nlogs or boards. It is feated in a very pleafant\nplain. The juftice of the peace, the furgeon,\nand the paftor of the neighbouring country, re-\nfide\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\n181\nfide in this place. It contains fhops, in fhort all\nthofe things which are found only in a principal\ntown.\nThe road from Old Shefhequen to Tioga,\nwhich had been reprefented to us as a very bad\none, proved, on the contrary, very good. Here\nthe farm-houfes lie clofer to each other. Near\nTioga, the river of the fame name difcharges\nitfelf into the Sufquehannah. The fite of the\ntown, or rather of the eight or ten houfes which\nare fo called, is about two miles distant from the\nconfluence of the two rivers, and very pleafant.\nThe mountains, which form the banks of the\nSufquehannah, do not lie fo clofe together, as\nin any other part of its courfe that we have yet\nfeen. The country behind Tioga defcends into\na plain of upwards of three miles in extent.\nThe foil is good ; and, from the situation of the\ntown, it is likely to acquire fome importance in\ntime, when the land on both fides of the river\nShall become cultivated and populous. There is\nnot one fpring, however, to be found either on\nthe fpot where the town Stands, or in its vicinity, fo that the inhabitants are obliged either\nto fink wells, or to fetch water from the river ;\nand, in either cafe, the water is far from being\ngood. The price of land, in the neighbourhood\n1 N3 . of\n TRAVELS THROUGH^\ni\nof the town, is eight dollars per acre, when,\nout of three hundred acres, to the proportion\nof fifty or fixty are already cleared of wood.\nThe town-fhares are sixteen yards in breadth\nby fifty in depth, and cost twenty dollars. The\ni\nprice of wheat is feven fhillings and fix-pence\nper bufhel, rye fells for fix fhillings a bufhel,\nand oats from three to four fhillings. Some\nvenifon excepted, which at times comes to market, no frefh meat has been feen at Tioga fince\nlaft autumn. The merchants of the place carry\non an inconsiderable trade in hemp, which they\nget from the upper parts of the river, and fend\nto Philadelphia by Middle Town. We were informed, that the Shops at Afylum prove very\nhurtful to the trade of Tioga, a complaint which\ngave our fellow-traveller, who keeps a Shop in\nAfylum, no fmall fatisfaction.\nLaft year there were three inns in Tioga,\nbut, at this time, it contains but one ; we found\nit crowded with travellers from the Jerfeys,\nPennfylvania, and New York, who intended to\nfettle on the lakes. After a fcanty fupper, we\nwere all obliged to take up with two beds;\nmore were not to be obtained on any terms.\nThe fheets, which had already ferved three or\nfour other travellers, were, according to the\nland-\nk\nCb*** \u00E2\u0096\u00A0\u00E2\u0080\u00A2'\n NORTH AMERICA CANADA, &C\n183\nlandlady's account, very clean; and fo indeed\nthey are called, in all the American inns, when\nthey are in fact totally unfit for ufe. Yet, on\nthe other hand, we enjoyed the fpecial favour of\nbeing permitted to lie down in boots, as thofe\nof our party really did, who, like myfelf, preferred taking their repofe on the ground, wrapped up in a blanket.\nIVednefday, the %d of fune.\nOur company consisted, as I have already\nmentioned, of four perfons, one of whom (Mr.\nDupetitthouars) travelled on foot, but whom\nwe had promifed to relieve occafionally by walking in rotation part of the way.\nNear Tioga we turned from the river Suf-\nquehannah, along the banks of which we had\ntravelled near two hundred and fifty miles, and\nyet the fource of that branch which we quitted\nis diftant two hundred miles ftill farther^inland ;\nit rifes near the Mohawk's river. The Sufquehannah, throughout its courfe, ferves to open\nup an extenfive country of rich fertile foil, and\nwhich is likely to acquire an increasing importance from its navigation, that extends as\nfar as to the Chefapeak. It is an unfavourable\ncircumftance, however, that its courfe is fo fre-\nN 4 quently\nil\n 184\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nquently broken by rapids, which, even at high\nwater, cannot be paffed without danger by fmall\nveffels. It is in fuch fmall veffels, or on rafts,\nconftructed of trunks of trees covered with\nboards, that cargoes of provision, &c, are at\nprefent tranfported. Thefe rafts, which draw\nbut little water ii# proportion to the breadth and\nextent of their furface, are mostly laden with\nprovision for the lower country. The naviga-\nX JO\ntion of thefe rafts and veffels is fometimes impeded by obftacles infurmountable ; they are\nmany times fhattered from being daflied on the\nbanks or fhallows, and often beaten entirely to\npieces. The number of men, and efpecially of\nveffels, thus wrecked and loft, is very confiderable.\nAt the diftance of four miles from Tioga, the\nState of Pennfylvania borders upon New York,\nand here begins a new standard of coinage. A\ndollar, which in Pennfylvania is worth only\nfeven fhillings and fixpence, is here, with greater\nconvenience and propriety, divided into eight\nShillings.\nNear the confines of Pennfylvania a mountain rifes from the bank of the river Tioga, in\nthe Shape of a fugar-loaf, upon which are feen\nthe remains of fome entrenchments ; thefe the\ninhabitants\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\n185\ninhabitants call the Spanifh rampart, but I rather judge them to have been thrown up againft\nthe Indians in the times of Mr. de Nouville.\nOne perpendicular breaft-work is yet remaining, which, though covered over with grafs and\nbufhes, plainly indicates, that a parapet and a\nditch have been constructed here.\nWe flopped to breakfaft about ten miles from\nTioga, at the houfe of one Mr. Warren, a\nlandholder, who fettled here four years ago.\nHis eflate along the river confifts of three hundred and feventy acres of land, fifty of which\nonly are cleared ; the reft are Stony, hilly, and\npoor. The price of wheat is one dollar, oats\nthree Shillings and fix-pence, and rye five Shillings per bufhel. The cultivated land lies mostly\nin grafs. Thefe meadows, which are fown with\ntimothy-grafs, and white clover, are ufed as\nfuch for three or four years. They are then\nbroken up, fown with wheat, and ufed again\nas grafs land. Mr. Warren, it feems, never\nfows oats among the clover. His Stock appeared to be in very good order; the fheep were\ntolerably good ; at the fhearing time the wool\nweighs from four to five pounds a fleece; its\nmedium price is four fhillings per pound. This\nplanter, only three years ago, paid nine hundred\ndollars\nii\nHb\nII\n\u00E2\u0080\u00A2JL\n El\nI Ii\nm\nl\u00C2\u00A3i>]\nUl\nTRAVELS THROUGH*\ndollars for this eflate, and he now afks tWd\nthoufand five hundred dollars for it.\nThere is no fchool kept in the neighbouring\ncountry, except in the winter months, when\nevery feholar pays a dollar per quarter.\nThe road from Tioga to Painted Post lies for\nthe moft part along the bank of the river Tioga,\nwhich is here about as broad as the mouth of\nthe Oife. Its water is very clear. The stream\nis rapid, and the country in general, through\nwhich it flows, is more open and pleafant than\nthat watered by the Sufquehannah.\nWe dined at New Town, which has not\nbeen built more than feven vears, and is fituate\non the banks of the Tioga. Before the building of this town the Indians were in poffeffion\nof the territory. This place is, at prefent, the\nchief town of the county of Tioga. The dif-\ntrict of New Town contains twenty thoufand\nacres of land, fold originally for eighteen pence\nthe acre, which now fells for five or fix dollars, and in feme places from twenty-four to\ntwenty-fix dollars. The foil near the river is\nremarkably good. The plain in which New\nTown Stands is large, and covered with meadows. In the other parts of the twenty thoufand acres but very little wood has hitherto\nbeen\n\u00E2\u0080\u0094~\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\nbeen cut down, although we were affured, that\nnew fettlers are continually pouring in. The\nwhole town confifts of about fifteen houfes, moft\nof them being either inns or fhops. [\nIn New Town we met with Colonel St arret, and we accompanied him to his own\nhoufe, which is eight miles distant from the\ntown. He is an Irifliman by birth, but has been\nfor many years a resident of America ; he has a\nplantation of about thirteen hundred acres, only\none hundred of which have been hitherto reiJ-*\ndered fit for cultivation. Six hundred Were\ncleared of wood by the Indians, who quitted\nthis part of the country only five years ago. He\nhas lived here feven years, during two of which\nhe was entirely furrounded with Indians ; he affured us, however, that he had no reafon to\ncomplain of them as neighbours. The Indians\nburn the trees down to the flumps, when they\nclear any ground ; but although the former are\nthereby destroyed, the Stumps which remain\nmuft be rooted out, before the foil can be cultivated. The Colonel's eflate is apparently under good management. He affured us, that his\nland is much fuperior to any in the neighbourhood ; that it yields forty bufhels of wheat, and\nas much Indian cori} annually; and that his\nmeadows\n ell\n188\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nMl\nIk\nm ' If 11\nmeadows produce two tuns of hay per acre. He\nploughs with oxen, which are of a very good\nfort. According to his account, he ploughs\ndeeper than we have obferved any where elfe\nin America, making ufe of ploughs of various\nconftructions. He keeps no fheep, on account\nof the wolves, which are faid to be very numerous in this part of the country, it having been\nbut lately cleared. He has a beautiful breed of\ncows, and a fine looking young bull, produced\nfrom a cow, which he bought of'Squire Wal-\nlis, on the eaftern arm of the Sufquehannah ;\nit is of the Englifh breed. The cow, big with\ncalf, cost him thirty-two dollars ; he rears his\ncalves, and does not fell them. The winter\ncommonly lafts here fix months ; during which\ntime his cows and oxen are kept in the ftable.\nHe deposits his turnips, which he gathers in\nautumn, under ground, and feeds his cattle with\nthem, as well as with Indian corn and hay.\nThe price of wheat in this part of the country is one dollar, rye five fhillings, and oats three\nShillings per bufhel. It is difficult to procure\nworkmen hereabouts. Mr. Starret pays them\nafter the rate of one dollar per day, exclusive of\nvictuals. He has two distilleries, one upon the\nestate, and another in New Town; in both\ntogether\n \u00E2\u0096\u00A0M\nNORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\ntogether he diftils about two thoufand gallons\nof whiSky in a year. Mr. Starret affured us,\nthat a bufhel of rye yields, in his distilleries,\nonly from two to two gallons and a half of\nwhifky ; and that the fpirit is not good, if a\nlarger quantity be distilled from a bufhel. He\nfells his whifky for one dollar per gallon, while,\naccording to the best information we have hither-\nto been able to collect, whifky, three gallons of\nwhich are obtained from a bufhel, costs but five\nShillings. From what we have fince heard of\nthis planter, it is probable, that his account is\ngreatly exaggerated, for the purpofe of obtaining a higher price for his whifky. The workmen, employed in his distilleries, receive one\nhundred and ninety dollars per annum. The Colonel told us, that he propofed to fell his eflate;\nthat he has refufed ten thoufand dollars for it,\nand that he means to reside for the future in\nNew Town ; he hinted, at the fame time, that\nhe is very rich. The fame evening we learned\nfrom 'Squire Mac-Cornick, that this pretended Colonel is an impostor; that he purchafed his eflate, which he told us he had\nbought from the State of New York for eighteen pence per acre, of a private gentleman, at\nthe rate of two dollars per acre; that he has not\nyet\n yet paid the purchafe money ; and that he will\nprobably be compelled to quit the eflate, unlefs\nhe finds means to difcharge the debt within the\nShort time ftill allowed him. This man, who\nto all appearance was fo free-hearted and kind, is\nat the bottom, a mere fwindler; or, at leaft, he\nfuppofed we had a defign to purchafe lland, and\nwifhed to fell us feme at an exorbitant price.\n'Squire Mac-Cornick, with whom we took\nup our quarters for the night, is a farmer, and\nkeeps, at the fame time, an inn, but one of\nthat defcription, which affords neither hay for\nhorfes, nor food for travellers,' and fcarcely even\na bed. The horfes were turned out on the grafs.\nOur fupper consisted of rufty bacon and coffee ;\nand we were all four obliged to Sleep in two\nbeds, which belonged to the family. The fheets\nhad already ferved them fome time, and it appears were to ferve them ftill longer. Mr. de\nBlacons and myfelf took poffeffion of that of\nthe landlord. Though completely dreffed, we\ncould not lie down without extreme reluctance;\nour wearinefs, however, overcame our double\naversion to {leep together, and between fuch\nfheets.\nSupper-time was, as ufual, fpent in mutual\nenquiries*. We learned, that 'Squire Mac-Cornick\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\nnick purchafed his eflate, four years ago, of Meff.\nPhelps and Gorham for ten Shillings and fix*\npence per acre; that he would not fell it now for\nthree dollars; that he poffeffes about three thoufand acres, one hundred and fifty of which are\ncultivated, exclusive of forty others, which have\nbeen cleared by the Indians, His land yields about\nthirty bufhels of wheat, fifty bufhels of Indian\ncorn, and four hundred bufhels of potatoes, per\nacre. He keeps about forty or fifty fheep, of a\nmiddling fort, and but common wool. He appears duly fenfible of the advantages to be derived from a good flock, and accordingly he\nvalues them higher, than any American that has\nhitherto fallen within my obfervation. He keeps\ntwenty-three cows, which look tolerably well,\na bull of a very indifferent breed, and two yokes\nof very fine oxen ; he has refufed one hundred\ndollars for a yoke. The wolves have already\n^eftroyed fome of his Sheep. To prevent a repetition of fuch accidents, he now keeps feveral\nlarge bull-dogs, and caufes the flock to be folded\nevery night ; neither is he deterred, by the damage he has fuflained, from increafing the number of his fheep. 'Squire Mac-Cornick has lived\nhere for fo fhort a time, that, though a very intelligent man, he could not ftate with any de-\nI\n\nlicity of being a witnefs of one of thefe apparitions, and retired piouSly to the edge\u00C2\u00ABof the bed,\nwhere with awful refpect and in profound Silence\nftie listened to the repeated raptures, with which\nthe pretended Mefliah blefied the All-friend. The\nnext morning the poor girl could not refrain from\nindulging her vanity by acquainting all her friends,\nthat in the bed of hex friend She had feen Christ*\nP3 but\nA\nUl\n TRAVELS THROUGH\nbut who greatly refembled, She faid, the Prophet-\nCJ m A\nSffiah. Her curious and enraptured friends enquired into all the particulars of this apparition,\nof which She. gave the moft satisfactory and circumstantial account in her power. It will hardly\nbe doubted, that this religious trick not a little\nstrengthened the credulity of the female friends\nin the All-friend, and infpired Jemima with assurance, frequently to enjoy similar apparitions.\nA justice of the peace in the country, fpeaking\nof Jemima, affured us alfo, that one of the girls,\nwho lived with her, has judicially depofed, that,\none day, She heard the cry of a new-born infant,\nwhich Jemima's negro-woman, as is conjectured,\nwas in the act of fmothering between two mat-\ntreffes. That this deposition exifts is undeniable ;\nbut the fact itfelf is fo atrocious, that it would\nfeem incredible with refpect to any other perfon\nexcept a prophetefs. Whether this child were\nthe refult of a Slip of one of the maids of honour,\nX '\nor the fruit of her own intercourfe with the apparitions, is not known. If, from the little regard that has been paid to this Story, its vera-\ncity fhould appear doubtful, let it be obferved,\nthat in this new country juftice is but feldom\nduly administered ; that, often, it is difficult to\nobtain it at all ; and that no one deems himfelf\ninterested\nIsOSBA.'.'\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0\u00E2\u0080\u0094J\n NORTH AMERI&A, CANADA, &C\ninterested in substantiating the truth of the deposition, which, after all, it would be no eafy matter to do. Dervifes, pontiffs, and priefts of most\nreligious persuasions throughout the world, fuch\nat least as would render religion fubfervient to\nworldly purpofes, are either impoftors or enthusiasts. Alas ! alas ! much the greater number, I\nfear, belong with Jemima to the former clafs !\nThe firft fettlers, who thoughtlefsly followed\ntheir divinity to this place, not being able to purchafe the lands, which compofed the three dif-\ntricts, the remainder has been restored to the\ncompany, who have again difpofed of it, and are\nStill felling it to all, who are defirous of becom\ning fettlers. Accordingly, numbers of Methodists\nAnabaptifts, and members of the Church of England, are now to be feen here ; yet the colony\nretains its original name of The Friends' Settlement. Two meetings have been built here for\nthe Quakers ; one for the Methodists, and one\nfor the Anabaptifts. The foil in thefe parts appears to be of prime quality. The land, occupied by families of Quakers, amounts to about\nfive hundred acres, more or lefs cleared, which\nproduce excellent crops,\nThe estate, which we viewed with moft attention, is that of Benedict Robinson, fituate\nP4\nbetween\n I\n\\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nJ\nIN\nm\nM\nbetween Lake Seneca and Friendfmill. This\nRobinSbn is one of the Quakers, who arrived here\nin the retinue of the All-friend, being then one\nof her moft zealous difciples. He now fpeaks on\nthis fubject with evident embarraffment, in terms\nwhich ftill evince his attachment, yet without\nenthufiafm, and without extolling her or placing\nimplicit confidence in her divine miffion and oracular effusions. In ihort, he expreffes himfelf\nin a mcUiner, which fufficiently indicates, that\nhe has been impofed upon by her in a higher degree, than he is willing to acknowdedge. Knowr\nCD ' O O\ning that he ftill profefied an attachment to her,\nand perceiving the embarraffment with which he\ndelivered himfelf on this Subject, we thought\nproper to difcontinue our enquiries. This Benedict Robinfon is a fenfible, mild, and well behaved man ; he resides on an eflate of five hundred acres, about one hundred and fifty of which\nare cleared. Eighty have been laid out as mea-\nO J\ndowrs, and on thefe.are fown timothy-grafs, and\nwhite clover. He purchafed his demesne from\nthe New York company for five fhillings an acre,\nand it is now worth, at leaft, three or four dollars. His prefent Stock amounts to about thirty-\nfive head of cattle ; but he intends to rear more,\nand to make this the chief branch of his farming\nbufinefs,\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\n117\n?in\nbufinefs, on a plan which appears well adapted\nto the nature of the ground. Mr. Robinfon, who\nhas refided here only three years, has not yet been\nable to acquire any important information on the\ndifferent departments of agriculture, and on the\nproductions belt adapted to the foil; and befides\nhe appears to labour under prejudices, wdiich he\nentertains in common with the great majority\nof American farmers. ,He does not plough his\nland, but contents himfelf with breaking it up\nwith a harrow of iron teeth, which tears up the\nground about four inches deep. After this Simple\noperation, he fows his wheat, yet never until he\nhas reaped two crops of potatoes or oats from\nthe land, on which the wheat is fown. The foil\nis fo strong, that, if rye were fown immediately\nafter clearing the ground, the ears would run up\nfo high, and grow fo heavy, that they would fall\non one Side, and be damaged by rotting. This\nfact, as he affured us, is evident from the general\nexperience of the other farmers of this district.\nWiieat, fown after the first harrowing, produces\nfrom twenty to twenty-five bufhels, and Indian\ncorn about Sixty bufhels. Wheat is fown for\nfeveral years Successively, after harrowing, without the leaft affiftance from the plough, and the\ncrops continue constantly the fame. Several farmers,\n1$\n TRAVELS THROUGH\nmers, who have fown wheat in this manner for\nthefe last fix years, have ftill obtained good crops.\nRye yields alfo from twenty to twenty-five bufhels, and oats thirty-five. But I muft once more\nobferve, that neither wheat nor rye is ever fown\nfor the firft crop. Mr. Robinfon told us, that, in\ncompliance with the wifh of a friend, he ploughed half an acre, on which he fowed wheat, but\nthat the. other half, which was not ploughed,\nturned out more productive than the former.\nThis afiertion, however, is fo contradictory1 to\nall theory, as well as to the univerfal experience\nof agriculturists, who ufe the plough, that it\nfeemed to us very problematical, and founded\non prejudice, rather than on mature reflection\nnd obfervation. Mr, Robinfon is alfo of opinion,\nthat barked trees, which are left Handing on the\ncleared land, far from leffening the produce,\nrather increafe it, by Shading the land, and thus\npreventing the foil from being too rapidly penetrated by the rays of the fun; the immediate\ncontact of which having never experienced before, it fhould be accuftomed to it by degrees.\nBut this opinion is rather the offspring of prejudice than found reafon ; and, according to a general practice obfervable in all countries and climates, feems rather intended to reconcile us to\nthe\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA,\nthe impoflibility of proceeding otherwife, than\nto eftabliih itfelf as a new agricultural truth. It\ncannot be denied, that the number of the Sheaves,\nand compactnefs of the ears, which we meet\nwith on lands, where two hundred barked trees\nhave been left Standing on an acre, is in itfelf\nreally Surprising. But then thefe two hundred\ntrees, reckoning only eighteen fquare inches for\neach tree, mult engrofs a confiderable Space,\nwhich might produce a proportionate quantity\nof grain.\nIn this part of Geneffee the winter lafts from\nfour to five months. The cattle are fed with\nhay and Straw, but remain always in the open\nair. Mr. Robinfon fed his cattle at firft in the\nStall; but the experience of the laft two years\nhas convinced him, that they thrive better in\nthe open air, where they alfo consume lefs fodder : his cattle are, therefore, now fed in the\nfarm-yard. The produce of the eflate confifts\nin grain, cheefe, and butter. The hay is moftly\nconSismed on the farm. The average produce\nis one tun and a half per acre, beside the grafs,\nwhich is confumed by the cattle as it grows. As\nthe extent of his meadows Shall be gradually enlarged, he propofes to increafe his Stock, which\nhe intends to make a principal article of his trade.\nThe\n 220\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nft\nII\nThe produce of his estate is transported on the\nx ,. se\nlakes, either to Canandaqua, Geneva, or Bath.\nLaft year he fold one thoufand pounds weight of\ncheefe, at the rate of a Shilling a pound. He\nkeeps about forty Sheep, and hopes to increafe\nhis flock, without being apprehensive of the\nwolves, which, though very numerous in the fur-\nrounding forests, do but little harm. His wool\nis fine, and fells for four fhillings a pound, without\n-regard to its quality; for in this country, which\nis yet too young to poffefs manufactories, every\nfarmer manufactures, in his own family, all the\ncloth he wants : the fale of wool is therefore very\ninconfiderable ; a circumstance, which tends not\na little to confirm the farmers in their prejudices\nagainft rearing fheep. Wheat fells here from fix\nto feven Shillings, Indian corn four, and rye five\nShillings per bufhel; the price of flour is two\ndollars and a half per hundred weight; fait beef\nten pence per pound, and frefh beef from four\npence to five pence. Hemp fells at one penny a\npound ; a pair of tolerably good oxen will fetch\nfrom Sixty to feventy dollars, and a cow from\ntwenty-five to thirty. Servants earn from five\nto fix Shillings wages a week. A few negroes ex-\nDo O\ncepted, maid-fervants do all the work about the\nfarm as well as the houfe. Day labourers, as in\nmoft\nIS1\ni\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\nmoft other parts of America, are not eafily procured; their pay is four fhillings a day, or from\nnine to ten dollars a month.\nIn the whole adjoining district there is but one\nfchool, and that is kept by the Quakers, who,\nhowever, admit all children without distinction,\non their paying four fhillings per quarter. None\nof the medical faculty have yet fettled here. The\nfettlement, however, upon the whole, is advancing to prosperity with rapid flrides. It is fur-\nrotonded by the immenfe tract of land, which\nbelongs to Captain Williamfon, and confequently\nenjoys all the advantages and improvements,\nwhich his extenfive establishment commands.\nMr. Robinfon's eftate, which he purchafed from\nthe company in New York, appears to be actually\nwithin the precincts of Captain Williamfon's de-\nmefne ; as the latter, who bought his lands from\nthe State of Maffachufetts, learned from the report of his surveyors, that the boundaries of New-\nYork, lay farther out. Accordingly thefe boundaries were marked out, and a line drawn, forming a triangle with the old line, the point of\nwhich touches the line of Pennfylvania, below\nthe river Tioga, while the bafe, which Stretches\nalong the Lake of Ontario, is from three to four\nmiles in breadth; this has enlarged Captain Williamfon's\n TRAVELS THROUGH\nliamfon's demefne, which he holds from the State\nof MafTachufetts, one hundred and twenty thoufand acres. Robinfon's eflate lies within this\nnew line. Under fome apprehension for the com-\nfequences, with which this change of property\nmight be attended, he has not, at prefent, made\nall the improvements, which he had in view.\nHe is aftiired, however, that he will be well ufed,\nand that the State of New York, equally weigh-\n7 x J O\ning the justice of Captain Williamfon's claim,\nand the legality of poffeflion of the lands ftnce\nparcelled out to the fettlers, will indemnify the\nformer by grants of an equal quantity of uncleared\nground, and thus prevent the latter from being\nmolested in the quiet poffeflion of the lands,\nwhich they hold from the company in New York.\nRobinfon is now building a good wooden houfe,\no O 7\nand he propofes to clear a great additional num-\nXX o.\nber of acres.\nThe expence of felling and barking the trees,\nand inclosing the ground, amounts, at prefent, to\nSix dollars per acre. Two years ago it did not\nexceed four. The owner of the land provides\nthe oxen neceffary for removing the largeft trunks.\nI must not forget, however, to obferve, that\naccording to an agreement, concluded many\nyears ago, between the states of New York and\nMaffachufetts,\ni - ii\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &CC.\nMaffachufetts, all the lands fold by and belonging\nto the latter, are to be Subjected to the territorial\nsupremacy of New York.\nThe lands hereabouts are frequently vifited, as\nthey were this year, by a Species of locufts, which\nfix chiefly on the trees, and deftroy the leaves.\nThey are fo extremely numerous, that every attempt to deftroy or remove them muft apparently prove fruitlefs. Flies likewife are very\ntroublefome here, being found in Such prodigious\nSwarms, especially about noon, that the farmers\nare obliged to keep large fires burning near their\nhoufes, where the cattle find Shelter from thefe\ntormenting infects, until the cool of the evening,\nwhen the latter difappear, and retire into th\nwoods.\nLake Seneca is about two miles and a half\ndistant from Mr. Robinfon's estate. By the Indians it was called Canada Saga. Its prefent\nname is doubtless derived from the circumstance\nof its difcharging itfelf into the river Seneca,\nwhich, after being joined by fix or feven Smaller\nlakes, at length empties itfelf into the immenfe\nLake of Ontario. It is remarkable, that all the\nother waters, even up to this degree of latitude,\nflow in a foutherly direction. Lake Seneca is\nabout forty miles in length, by three* four, and\nfive\n M\nQ.1A\nmd ^^X\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nfive miles in breadth. It is Said to abound in fiili\nof a very fine flavour, as do all the other American\nlakes, and yet fifh is as fcarce here as in any other\npart. The inhabitants of the banks are fo few,\nand have fo much other bufineSs upon their\nhands, that they can feldom or ever find time to\ngo a fiShing. To render this branch of inxluStry\nflourishing, the population and wealth of a country muft have reached to a certain height, from\n.which America, in its prefent ftate, feems far removed. In the towns every inhabitant is engaged\nin bufinefs, either as a merchant or a tradefman;\nand in the country every planter and farmer either\nm \u00C2\u00BB X\nkeeps an inn or a Store. All other occupations\nare, and will yet, for fome time, be out of the\nqueftion.\nThe point, where we arrived at the banks of\nLake Seneca, contains a fettlement of about three\nor four houfes, among which that of Mr. Norris is the molt conlpicuous; it is a Small, neat\nlog-houfe, handfome in its appearance, and connected with another, in which he keeps a Store.\nIt is no eafy matter to conceive why this perfon,\nlantitv of land\nwho 15\n\u00C2\u00BBfl^/i\npollened. 01 an immenie qi\non the oppofite bank of the lake, Should erect\nn a fpot which does not\nbelong to him. but which, according to a verbal\npromiSe\n msuam....\nNORTH AMERICA CANADA, &CC.\npromife of the company at New York, which\nclaimed the property of the ground, was to be\nfold to him, if he chofe to have it, a contract\nwhich the company is now unable to fulfil; as\nby the late afcertainment of the boundaries, this\nfpot is included within the demefne of Captain\nWilliamfon, of whom, for want of a written\nagreement, he has no right to demand an indemnification. Yet Captain Williamfon will himfelf, no doubtr perform that promife, if it fhall\nappear to have been made actually and bo?iafde.\nIndependently of the benevolent fentiments,\nwhich are generally afcribed to this gentleman,\nbe poSfeffes sufficient difcernment to perceive\nthat his intereft is greatly promoted by a juft\nconduct and civil demeanor.\nA pot and pearl-afh work forms no inconsiderable part of this fmall fettlement. The navigation on the lake not only facilitates the home\nconveyance of the aflses, which are made on\nboth banks of the lake, whenever the ground is\ncleared, but alfo the exportation of thofe articles\nto Geneva or Catherine's Town; which places\nare fituate at the two extremities of the lake.\nBy means of his Store, Mr. Norris can procure\nhis afhes at a very reafonable rate, as he pays\nfor them in commodities, wdiich he receives at\nVol. I. Q\n \\K\nIf.'\nIi!\n.?,,\u00E2\u0080\u00A2\nI!\nIll\ni%$\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nNew York, and the carriage for which amount\nto only three dollars per cent.\nOur two travelling companions, who had laft\nyear paffed over this part of our journey, introduced us on the fame day to Mr., Potter, a\nrich land-owner, who pofteffes about twenty-five\nthoufand acres, and resides eight miles from\nFriendfmill. About one hundred and fifty acres\nof his estate are already reduced under linage;\nand he gave us nearly the fame information, relative to the ftate and agricultural productions\nof thefe parts, as Mr. Robinfon. Mr. Potter and\nhis whole family were formerly among the feve-\ntiaft. zealous adherents of Jemima, but his attachment is now converted into contempt, and even\ndeteftation. He has not only renounced all cosa*-\nmunion with her, but, at the fame time, all the\npeculiar habits and tenets of the Quakers. He\nlives on his eflate in a more elegant and gentleman-like manner, than any other land-holder\nin this neighbourhood. He keeps feveral fer-\nvants, and rather superintends the management\nof his estate by others, than attends actively to it\nhimfelf. He pofteffes a good corn-mill,'and a\nfaw-mill, which are both worked for him, by a\nmiller whom he employs. His corn-mill has yet\nground folely for the public; and, for this reafon,\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\nfon, it has only one courfe, although the quantity of water is fully fufficient to fupply two.\nHe intends to add another courfe, as foon as the\ncountry Shall be fiifficiently populous to keep it\nin employment, The faw-mill may alfo be enlarged, as occasion requires. The ufual price for\nthe Sawing of timber is either fix dollars in money for every thoufand feet, or half the boards\ncut. We were very civilly received by Mr. Pot-\nter and his family, yet rather with exterior po-\nlitenets than true urbanity. Mr. Potter speak\nlittle, yet expreftes himfelf on moft subjects with\ngreat propriety. Whether from bafhfulness, or\naffectation, be has about him an air of referve\nwhich is not a little diSagreeable to a traveller\nand proves unfavourable to his defire of information\u00E2\u0080\u0094the great motive which brought us\nhither. It muft, however, be admitted, that to\nanfwer the endless queftiqns of ftrangers muft,\nat best, proye an irkfome talk to a land-holder\u00E2\u0080\u0094\u00E2\u0080\u00A2\na confession, which includes our moft grateful\n^cknowledgrnents to thofe, who have been polite enough to gratify our curiofity.\nThe whole country abounds in fiugar-maple\n$rees *, and very considerable quantities of this\n* Acer faccharinum, Lin. called by the Indians Oze-\nket\u00C2\u00A7.\u00E2\u0080\u0094Tranfl.\nQ 2 fugas\n ^-\u00E2\u0080\u0094~\u00E2\u0080\u0094*=*=\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0H\n228\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nfugar are made here.- The following is the sub-\nStance of the information, which we were able to\nprocure on this head:\n1. The medium produce of a tree, Standing\nin the midst of a wood, is three pounds of Sugar.\n2. The average produce of trees, Standing on\nground which has been cleared of all other wood,\nis from fix to feven pounds per tree.\n3. A barrel of the firft juice, which comes\nfrom the maple-tree, will yield feven pounds of\nSugar, if the tree ftand fingle, and four, if it stand\nin the midft of other wood. This fugar is fold\nat one fhilling per pound.\n4. A barrel of the fecond juice will yield three\ngallons and a half of treacle.\n5. Four or five barrels of the third juice will\nyield one barrel of a good and pleafant vinegar.\n6. The vinegar is found to be better, in proportion as it is more concentrated. This is the\ncafe with Robinfon's vinegar, who, from ten barrels of the third juice, brews but one barrel of\nvinegar.\n7. To clarify the vinegar, it must be boiled\nwith leaven.\n8. The third juice, which is not ufed for vinegar, yields cyder of an excellent flavour, when\nmixed with an equal quantity of water.\n9- The\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\ng. The longer the firft juice is boiled, the better and finer the fugar will become.\n10. In order that the trees may continue productive, they require to be tapped with extraordinary care; i. e. the fiffures muft be neither\ntoo deep, nor too wide, fo that no water may fettle in them, after the juice is extracted, and that\nthe wood may clofe again in the Space of a\ntwelve-month.\n11. During the time the juice is flowing out,\nwhich lafts about fix weeks, and generally begins on the lit of February, all the days on\nwhich it freezes or rains are loft, fo that the\nnumber of days on which the bufinefs can be\npursued to advantage is frequently, from thefe\ncircumstances, much diminifhed.\n12. Maple fugar, however, is already obtained\nin fufficient'quantities, to form a refpectable article of trade, as during the above time two perfons can frequently make from five to Six hundred pounds of it, and this quantity will be in-\ncreafed in proportion to the number of workmen employed. As the maple-tree, wherever\nit grows, multiplies with aftonifhing rapidity,\nwe found, almost every where on our journey,\nno want of excellent fugar. At Robinlpn's it\nwas better and finer than we had met with any\nQ 3 where\n TRAVELS. THROUGH\"\nwhere elfe ; although in general it is not fo white\nhere as at Asylum, where Meffrs. de Villains\nand D'A^dlau refifie it with the yolks of eggs.\nJ oo\nAt honeft Robinfon's we alfo partook of an excellent liqueur, or dram, which he called cherry-\nrum, and which confifts of the juice of wild\ncherries, mixed up with a fmall quantity of rum.\nWe learned, on this occafion, that the cherry-\ntree never produces fruit in a forest, but only\n^idien it stands fingle; from which it fhould feem,\nthat the neighbouring trees-injure and impede its\nwere indebted chiefly to Mr.\nszegetatoon. W\nRobinfon for the information we obtained on this\nSubject, but the truth of it was equally confirmed\nfrom other quarters.\nOur rambles in this neighbourhood led us, at\nlength, to Friendfmill, where we found Captain\nWilliamfon. The refolution of making this ad-\nditional excurfion, in lieu of waiting for him at\nBath, feemed the moft proper we could adopt.\n-I thfeik it right here to take fome notice of our\nworthy landlady at Friendfmill. She is a young\nworrsaiiy born and married at New York, whom\nthe Ipecuiating propensity of her hufband has\nbrought into this country to keep an inn. She\narrived here about two months ago ; the elegance\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0\u00C2\u00A9f her manners, and the propriety of her conduct\n\u00E2\u0080\u00A2Ssm\n NORTH AMERICA^ CANADA,\ndud:, diftinguifli her very advantageoufly, even\nfrom many American ladies, who move in a\nhigher fphere than t&at of inn-keepers. Her\nhufband, engaged in his Speculations, has been\nabfent almost all the time since her arrival here*\nThis young and elegant perfon, highly amiable\nin every point of view, derives additional charms\nfrom her delicate ftate of health, which feems\nto indicate, that fhe was not defigned by nature\nfor the drudgery of an innrkeeper's wife in America. She is, moreover, without the affiftance\nof amy fervant, and is, confequently > obliged to\nperform every menial work herfelf in her new\nfituation; and this fhe does with a degree of industry, and a mien fo noble and graceful, as at\nonce to command our sympathy, refpect, and\nlove. We found ourfelves interested in her, fhe\nattracted all our esteem, and gained our warmest\nadmiration. On our departure we testified our\nwiSh that her hufband might foon return, and\nbring with him the fervants She Stands fo much\nCJ\nin need of; and, without whofe aSliStance her\nhealth would be irretrievably injured, by the in-\nceffant toils requifite in her prefent fituation.\nOn the whole, we obferved, that the women are\nhandfomer here than in any oiher parts of the\nContinent we have hitherto ixaverfed.\nQ 4 Monday,\ni\ni\n X\n2&\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nMonday, the 8th of June.\nOur friend Blaeons, who had not yet completely recovered from his fall, and was appre-\nhenfive of a Similar accident on our way back;\npropofed to wait for us in Canandaqua, in order\nto avoid the fatigue of travelling eighty miles\nwith us in a difficult country. We fhould value\nour friends not for the pleafure they afford us, but\non their own account. This truifm, which in\ngeneral is confidered as mere theory, was here\nreduced by us to practice. We felt and teftkied\nour regret at parting with Blacons, but left this\nmatter to his own option; fearJul, only, that\nhe Should mifs his way, though Short and plain\nenough. He would not have taken this refo-\nlution, probably, could he have forefeen that\nM. Dupetitthouars and myfelf, missing our way\nat the very outfet, would be necetfftated to Strike\ninto the upper road, which is very good, and thus\navoid the impediments, which occafioned his fall,\nand justified his apprehenfions.\nOn our way back to Bath we met with nothing remarkable, except an Indian intoxicated\nwith whiSky, and who demanded of us more of\nthat liquor. He belonged to a troop, which was\nhunting in the foreSt, and had his child isith\nhim,\n a\nNORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\nhim, though no Indian \u00E2\u0080\u00A2 habitation was to be\nfound within the Space of two or th^ee hundred\nmiles. Nothing, however, is more common\nthan thefe hunting-rambles, even at fuch a great\ndiftance from all habitations. The produce of\nthe chafe they fell to any inhabitants they meet\nSbr a dollar or a bottle of whifky, and behave,\non moft occafions, in a very orderly manner.\nFew or no complaints are made of them ; a ci^\ncumftance the more easily accounted for, as an\nintoxicated perfon is here by no means an uncommon appearance.\nWednefday, the 1 Oth of June.\nAt Bath we were led by a train of reflections\nto obferve how much the fuccefs of a fettlement depends on the activity, judicious management, inceffant application, and Steady profecu-\ntion of a well-concerted plan; fuccefs, indeed,\nmuft neceffarily crown not only this fort of undertaking, but all others, when thus planned and\nexecuted. Whether Captain Williamfon be the\nSole proprietor of the lands in Geneffee, or co-\nowner thereof; or, which appears to me the\nmolt probable, is merely the agent of the wealthy Sir William Pulteney of London, the\nreal poSTeSTor of thefe lands, all things relative to\nthe fettlement of them are transacted in the\nCaptain's\n 234\n^RAVELS THROUGH\nm\ni i\nCaptain's name, he being confidered as the fole\ncreator, director, and main fpring, of every act\nof purchafe and fale which is made or negoci-\nated.\nThe land in Geneffee, or rather that part of\nit which belongs to the State of Maffachufetts,\nand was not then fold, was, in 1/91, pm>\nchafed in London of Mr. Morris for one fhilling\nO\nper acre; he had0 bought it of Mr. Phelps for\nfive-pence per acre. The contract was concluded on the fuppofition, that this tract of land\ncontained a million of acres ; and on condition,\nthat the fifty thoufand pounds Sterling, which\nwere to be paid immediately, Snould be returned\nby Mr. Morris, provided that Captain Williamfon, who was to view the lands, Should not find\nthem anfwerable to the defcription given by the\nvender. Captain Williamfon was highly fatis-\nfied with the lands; and, of courfe, the agreement was definitively fettled. It reflects no little ctedit on Mr. Morris, that, wdien on surveying the lands a surplus of one hundred and\ntwenty thoufand acres was difcovered, he made\nno difficulty in transferring them, together with\nthe reft, to Captain Williamfon, without the\nleast remuneration, becaufe, as he obferved, it\nhad been his intention bona fide to fell the whole\nwithout any refer-vation whatever. But for this\ngenerous\nW\nVI\n NORTH AMESlCA, CANADA, &C.\ngenerous mode of proceeding, the difcovery of\nSuch a confiderable Surplus might have furnifhed\nample matter for litigation. It is much to be\nwifhed, that fo disinterested and liberal a character may find means, to extricate himfelf from\nthe difficulties, in which he is now involved.\nThis district of Captain Williamfon's, bounded\non one fide by Lake Ontario, and on the other by\nthe river Geneffee, extends eighty miles in length\nby thirty or forty in breadth. Though this dif-\ntrict comprehends a quantity of land, which was\nfold antecedent to Captain Williamson's contract, yet its continuity is not thereby interrupted. Captain Williamfon has purchafed fome\nother land, which he has annexed to that bough\nof Mr. Morris, fo that he is now the proprietor\nof a tract confiftirig of not lefs than one million\nfive hundred thousand acres. After having Spent\nSix months in visiting and surveying this extensive district, he at length came to a determina-\ntion, to found at once feveral large eftabliirs-\n-ments, rather than one capital colony. He accordingly fixed upon the moft eligible spots for\nbuilding towns, which were to ferve as central\npoints to his whole syftem of Settlements ; thefe\nwere, Bath, on the creek of Conhocton; Wil\nliamfburg, on the river Geneflee; Geneva, at the\nextremity of Lake Seneca; and Great Sodus, on\nLake\n Sf\n\u00E2\u0080\u00A2 I\n236\nTRAVELS THROUGH\ni\ni\\nmm\n\A -\\n*>*\nLake Ontario. He has divided his whole territory into fquares of fix miles, more or lefs, varying a little according, to local circumstances.\nEach of thefe fections is to form what he calls a\ndistrict. .-./,_ . *,'-\u00E2\u0096\u00A0 > , - :r\nThe captain very justly obferved, that this\nexcellent land, for it is in general of the belt\nquality, would foon find purchafers, when its\nfertility fhould come to be properly known. He\nmade it therefore his firft bufinefs, to eftablifh a\nmode of communication between Philadelphia\nand this new tract. Formerly perfons travelling\nto thefe parts were obliged to proceed hither by\nthe way of Albany and New York ; which caufe s\na circuit of five hundred miles or more, that part\nof the road included which leads from Northumberland to Loyalfoek, on the eaftern arm of\nthe Sufquehannah. Captain Williamfon has\nfhortened this way by at leaft three hundred\nmiles. The new road like wife, which leads\nfrom Bath by Painted Poft, is'now continued\nas far as WilliamSburg, while a by-road runs\nfrom Bath to Canandaqua, another from Bath to\nGeneva, and a third from Canandaqua to Great\nSodus. In addition to thefe, feveral others have\nbeen made, which, though yet not much frequented, will in time become of great importance. For the ufe of this vast territory, the\nCaptain\n-. -i\u00C2\u00BBa\nceffaries of jLjfe are Sure at all times to meet svith\na ready Sale.\nGthly, Fie encourages eyery new fettlement by\ntaking himfelf # ftsare in it. When five or fix\njjtew fettlers have formed the project of building\ntheir houfes together, he always adds one to\nthem at his own expence, and which is much\nSuperior to theirs. This expence, which at first\nfight feems to carry with, it an air of generofity,\nor perhaps affectation, is in reality founded on\nthe fqunifeft poUcy. The Share, on which WiL-\n\u00E2\u0080\u00A2Uftfjftfen hjiiMs, generally acquires ten times ks\nR 2 former\n 244\nTRAVELS THROUGH\n/\nformer value. A purchafer or tenant foon appears ; and the different houfes and mills, which\nhe has erected, have hitherto, without exception,\nproduced twice or three times as much as they\ncost.\n7thly, Once every year, at leaft, he makes it a\npoint, to vifit each of his fettlements, and thus\ndiffufes activity by his prefence. This inflection\ntends to promote the fale of the land, and to ensure fecurity and eafe to the purchafer. In addition to thefe prominent traits of his management,\nhe employs all the various means, which the\npeculiarity of fituation or other circumftances\nmay offer. Independently of the medical Stores,\nwhich he keeps in all the chief places of his fettlement, he encourages by premiums races, and\nall other games and pastimes of young people.\nHe is attempting likewife to eftablifh horfe-\nXT O\nraces, with a view to improve the breed of\nhorfes, and keeps himfelf a fet of beautiful Stallions. Thefe horfes cover only the mares of proprietors', who muft hire them, from motives\nwhich muft be obvious to all who are converfant\nin subjects of this nature.\nCaptain Williamfon has now nearly put the\nimifhing stroke to his great undertaking. Next\nautumn he propofes to fail for England, and to\nreturn the following fpring with a choice affem-\nblase\nAt \tl\n mm\nNORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\nblage of horfes, cattle, and fheep, of the best\nbreeds he can obtain, and a collection of models of all implements of agriculture, the dimensions of which are fo nicely calculated, and fo\nwell made in that great country, where all ufeful\narts, and efpecially thofe which relate to agriculture, have attained to an uncommon degree\nof perfection. Captain Williamfon will, therefore, not only procure to his extenfiye poffeffions\nSingular advantages over thofe of other landholders, but alfo become the benefactor of America\nat large, whofe agriculture he cannot fail to meliorate, by offering to her view improvements\nSanctioned by time and experience\nWhat I have related on this head is not\nmerely the result of what we Saw and heard from\nthe Captain himfelf during our Stay at Bath, but\nit tallies correctly with the information we afterwards collected at GpnefTee. Captain Williamfon is here univerfally respected, honoured, and\nbeloved. How glorious, in my esteem, is his\ncareer ! How fortunate and enviable his destination ! How much more important than that of\na diflipated courtier,\nor a mercenary Stock-job\nber ! I too, not in a new country, but in France,\nwhere there is fuch an ample field for ufeful\nexertion, formed Similar eftablifhments on my\neftates, by which I diffused activity and industry\nR 3 all\n 146\nTravels through'\nall around me ; I Studied to enrich the country*\nand to render it industrious and ftourifning. I\nhoped, and expected, to encreafe the felicity cf\nA 1 J\nVn fituation, by adding to the comforts of\nmy poor neighbours. Undertakings, which had\nno object but the welfare of my country, we*e\nbeginning to be crowmed with all the defired\nfuccefs, when I was fuddenly obliged to relin-\nquifh that much loved country, to which I was\nrendering fo much fervice. I am now, \u00C2\u00A3las ! an\nexile ; all my hopes have vanished like a Shadow*\nv A\nSolitarily I wander, without a country I can call\nmy own : life, therefore, for me, is completely\nat an end. But no more of thefe reflections on\nwhat 1 was, and what I am : they are too pain-\nJ A\nTo return to Captain Williamfon. The four\ndays we remained here, we employed in vifiting\nJ 7 X J CD\nthe different fettlements in the neighbourhood\nof Bath. This place has been fixed upon, to\nbe the chief town of a county. The prefent\nJ A\ncounty of Ontario, at the next fitting of the\nLegislative Affembly of New York, is to be di-\ntided into two parts, one of which is to retain\nits former name of Canandaqua, from the chief\ntown fo called; and the other is to affume the\nftame of the county of Bath, the chief place of\nWhich fe to be the city of that name.\nMr.\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\ni\nMr. Williamfon is, at prefent, building a\nSchool, in Bath. This he intends to endow\nwith fome hundred acres of land, and to take\nupon himfelf the maintenance of the malter, until the money, paid for the instruction of the children, Shall be fufficient for his Support. For\ngood reafons, the Captain has been for fome\ntime past enquiring \u00C2\u00A7fter an able fchool-mafter,\nHe is alfo building a feflions-houfe and a prifon.\nThe prefent inn was likewife built by him ; but;\nhe afterwards difpofed of it at a confiderable profit. He is now building another, chiefly to ex^\u00C2\u00AB\ncite proper emulation, and an Englishman already occupies a part of the unfinifhed building,\nwhich, in addition to other conveniences, is alfo\nto contain a ball-room. Near Bath, on the\nother fide of the Conhocion, he has erected a\ncorn-mill, and two faw-mills; wdiich works,\nfrom the great quantity of water at hand, are\ncapable of confiderable enlargement. He is like-\nwife constructing a bridge, for the purpofe of\nopening a free and uninterrupted communication\nwith the country on the other fide; it will alfo\nprove of effential fervice to ttie road leading to\nWilliamfburg, which runs along the foot of the\nmountains. Thefe mills, when finifhed, will not\ncost more than five thoufand dollars ; and the\nCaptain has already been offered for them twelve\nR 4 thoufand\n'it\n TRAVELS THROUGH\nthoufand five hundred dollars, befides a Share\npf one hundred acres of land. He alfo poffeffes\nfome fmall farms in the vicinity of Bath. A\ngood hufbandman, who was his neighbour in\nScotland, superintends thefe farms, which appear to me to be better managed, and better\nploughed, than any I have hitherto feen. In all\nthefe fettlements, he has at leaft one estate refer ved for himfelf. The Stock on all of them is\nremarkably good, and he keeps them in his own\npoffeflion, until he can oblige fome of his friends\nwith them, or handfome offers are made for\nthem from other quarters.\nTo the different fettlements already mentioned\nthe Captain is now adding two others on Lake\nOntario; one near Rondegut, on the river Ge-\nheflee: and the other at Braddock, thirty miles\nser inland. As there appeared fome danger\nXX CD\nof a war breaking out between America and\nEngland, it is but very lately, that he carried this\nproject into execution ; and for the fame reafon\nthe works at Great Sodus have alfo been much\ndelayed. Laft year General Simcoe, Governor\nof Upper Canada, who confidered the forts of\nNiagara and Ofwego, which the Englifh have\nretained, in violation of the treaty, as Englifh\nproperty, together with the banks of Lake Ontario, fent an Englifh officer to the Captain, with\nan\nB=S\u00C2\u00BB\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\nan injunction, not to perfilt in his defign of for-\nming thefe fettlements. The Captain returned\na- plain and fpirited anfwer, yet neverthelefs conducted himfelf with a prudence conformable to\nthe circumstances. All thefe difficulties, however, are now removed by the prospect of the\ncontinuance of peace, and Still more fo by the\ntreaty newly concluded. It is afferted, that the\nSituation of Great Sodus, on the coaft of this\ndistrict, promifes to afford Safe and convenient\nmoorings for Ships, from the depth of the water,\nand that the poft may alfo be eafily fortified\nagainft an enemy. On consulting the map, the\ngreat importance of such a harbour to the United\nStates, will be readily difcerned, whether it be\nconfidered as a port for fhips of war, or for merchantmen.\nHitherto I have Spoken of Captain William-\nX X\nfon merely in his public character, as founder\n\u00C2\u00AB0f the moft extenftye fettlement, which has\nhitherto been formed in America. I Shall now\nfollow him into private life, where his hofpitality and other fecial qualities render him equally\nconfpicuous and amiable: and here it is but doing him common juftice to fay, that in him are\nunited all the civility, good nature, and cheerful-\nnefs, which a liberal education, united to a proper knowledge of the world, can impart. We\nfpent\n 250\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nSpent four days at his houfe, from an early hour\nin the morning until late at night, without ever\nfeeling ourfelves otherwife than at home. Per-\n.\u00E2\u0096\u00A0C\nhaps it is the fairest eulogium we can pals on\nhis free and eafy urbanity, to f&y, that all the\ntime of our Stay he feemed as much at his cafe,\nas if we had not been prefent. He tranfacted all\nhis bufinefs in our prefence, and was actively\nX 7 J\nemployed the wdiole day long. We were prefent at his receiving perfons of different ranks\nand defcriptions, with whom the apartment he\nallots to bufinefs is generally crouded. He received them all with the fame civility, attention,\ncheerfulnels, and good nature. They come to\nhim prepoffeffed with a certain confidence in\nhim, and they never leave him diffatisfied. -He\nis at all times ready to converfe with any, who\nhave bufinefs to transact with him. He will\nbreak off a conversation with his friends, or even\nget up from dinner, for the fake of difpatching\nthofe, who wifh to fpeak to him. From this\nconstant readinefs of receiving all who have bufi-\nnefs with him, Should any conclude, that he is\ninfluenced by a thirst of gain, this furmife would\nbe contradicted by the unanimous testimony of\nall who have bad dealings with him, thofe not\nexcepted, who have bought land of him, wjbich\nmany of them have fold again with confiderable\nadvantage\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\nadvantage to themfelves. But were it even undeniable, that money is his leading or fole object\nit is highly desirable, that all, who are fwayed\nby the fame paftion, would gratify it in the fame\njuft, honourable, and ufeful manner.\nThe prices of all forts of provision, of cattle,\nand labour, in this district, are exactly the fame\nas in the Friends' Settlement, or, at least, fo\nnearly the fame, that it is needlefs to mention\nthe difference. The price of carpenter's work\nrtipfbur pence a foot for hewn timber, and two\ndollars for ten fquare feet in boarding the fides of\nbuildings, or covering them with Shingles. It\nShould be obferved, however, that all forts of\nmerchandize are much dearer in the Shops here\nthan at Mrs. Hill's, at Friendfmill. The price\nof commodities in thefe new fettlements depends, it may be faid, entirely on the honour\nof the trader ; for he alone can Supply the wants\nof the inhabitants, and the Americans never\noffer lefs than the feller demands. The prices\nof planks are higher at the Captain's mill than\nany where elfe. He takes feven dollars per thousand for cutting them, and the mill, which is continually at work, can cut fix thoufand in twenty-\nfour hours time. He feMs them at the rate of\nfcsine fhillings per hundred. Should he continue\npoffeffor of the mill for any length of time, it is\nhis\n !(\n252\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nM i\n/\nMM\nhis intention to lower the price. Fie obferved\nto us, that if he were to do fo at prefent, he\nShould difcourage all the other inhabitants, who\nmay have formed the design of constructing\nmills, and that the prices will foon be brought\ndown by competition.\nWe are affured, that the climate here is much\nmore temperate, both in winter and fummer,\nthan in Pennfylvania ; that the winter feldom or\nnever lasts above four months; that the cattle,\neven in that feafon, graze in the forest without\ninconvenience; and that no provision of fodder\nis requisite, during the winter, except for fuch\ncattle as are to be fattened. Neither does the\nfnow ever lie fo deep as to cover all the herbs,\nwhich ferve for their pafture.\nCaptain Williamfon has hitherto endeavoured,\nbut in vain, to remove the objection of this dif-\ntrict being rather unhealthy. In his opinion, the\nnrihealthinefs afcribed to it is nothing but the natural effect of the climate upon new fettlers, and\nis confined to a few fits of fever, with which\nstrangers are ufually feized in the firft or fecond\nyear after their arrival. It is certain, however,\nthat the inhabitants all agree in this unfavour-\nable report of their climate ; notwithstanding\nwhich crouds of new fettlers refort every year to.\nthis district. Thus much, at leaft, we obferved,\nthat\nI\nYv*\n*?\n north America, ^anAda, &e.\nthat marfhes and pieces of Stagnant water are\nthickly Spread over the face of the country ; but\nthefe will, no doubt, be drained, as population\nand* cultivation Shall encreafe; this however is\nand will for fome time be unattempted; and\nmoreover, the water for common drink is in\nmoft places unpleasant and unwholefome.\nThough we Slept at the inn, yet we Spent the\nwhole day, from morning to night, at Mr. Wil-\nliamfon's, where we enjoyed more tranquillity\nthan in the noisy inn, which is no bigger than a\nSparrow's neft, and is always crouded with travellers. One night twenty-five of us Slept in\ntwo rooms, in fix beds, which rooms were, in\nfact, nothing but defpicable corn-lofts or garrets,\npervious to the wind and rain.\nThe habitation of the Captain confifts of Several fmall houfes, formed of trunks of trees and\njoiner's work, which at prefent make a very irregular whole, but which he intends foon to im-\nprove. His way of living is Simple, neat, and\ngood; every day we had a joint of freSh meat,\nvegetables, and wine. We met with no circumstances of pomp or luxury, but found eafe,\ngood humour, and plenty. In the ufeful, yet\ncomfortable, manner, in which the Captain lives,\nlife may be Securely enjoyed,, without disturbing\nthe enjoyments of others.\nAbout\nS-l\n\u00E2\u0080\u00A2;\n TRAV$\u00C2\u00A3S THROUGH \u00E2\u0080\u00A2\nAbout twenty houfes compofe, as yet, the\nwhole of the town of Bath. It is built on one\niif'the bays, whisk the Conhocton forms in its\ncourfe. The banks of this creek are bounded\non the oppoSite fide by pretty high mountains,\nwdiich are chiefly covered with pines and hemlock firs.\nOur first intention was to have Stopped at\nCaptam WilUamfon's only one day ; in compli-4\nance with his wiSh, however, we .added another,\nand necessity compelled us to Stay a third. When\non the point of fettesg owt, I perceived that my\nhorfe iwas lame \u00E2\u0096\u00A0; and though we were affured,\nthat he might make the journey without the\nleaft inconvenience, yet Captain Williamfon\nobligingly infifted on our Staying one day longer.\nWe Should not have hefitated a moment to comply wfijii this imskation, but for the uneafinefs,\nwhich our delay might occasion to our friend\nBlacons. eMr. Guillemard obviated this difficulty, by offering to proceed himfelf, and thus\nremove anfyanxiety of our friend. Mr. Dupetit-\n^houars and mySeif yielded, after this, with great\npleafure, to the earnest and polite entreaties of\nthe Captain.\nMrs. Williamfon, wb\u00C2\u00AEnsi^we had not feen for\nthe firft two days, made her appearance on the\nthird at dinner. To judge ik>m her deportment,\ntimidity,\nr^il\n NORTH AMERICA, CA\"NADA, &C\ntimidity, even to a degree of bafhfulnefs, had till\nthen deprived us of her company. She is a native of Boston, and was married there to the\nCaptain, who, in the contest with Britain, had\nresided at Bofton as a prifoner of war ; being carried thither by a privateer, who captured the\nj x r r\n\"Chip, on board of which he was a paffefiger,\nwith a view to join his regiment. Mrs. Williamfon, it feems, had followed her hufband to\nScotland, and afterwards to Geneflee. She is yet\nbut a young woman, of a fair complexion, civil\nthough of few words, and mother of two lovely\nchildren, one of whom, a girl three years old, is\n7 ' CD J 7\nthe fineft and handfomeft I ever faw. This our\nopinion we did not fail to report to her parents,\nwhich afforded them great fatisfaction.\nFriday, the 12th of June.\nOur horfes, as well as ourfelves, being completely refrefhed and recovered, through the civility of the Captain, we at length quitted his hospitable dwelling, and took our leave, with mutual promifes of epistolary correfpondence, and\nrendering each other every fervice in our power\n\u00E2\u0080\u0094by which at leaft my travelling companion,\nDupetitthouars, and myfelf, could furely be no\nlofers.\nAfter leaving Bath, we paffed through a fmall\nfettlement,\n W'.t.iX\n5(5\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nI\nFt H\n%\nft\n\u00C2\u00ABi\nfettlement, confifting of about four Englifh families, which arrived here from London only fix\nmonths ago. They are chiefly fawyers, who had\nbeen ufed to work for the cabinet-makers in that\ngreat metropolis. They now work for themfelves, and posfefs each an eflate \u00C2\u00A9f about ninety\nacres. Thefe they have already begun to clear for\ncultivation, aftifting each other with their cattle\nand labour. They cannot fail, in time, to make\ntheir fortunes; and in the mean while they enjoy that ftate of independence, which forms.one\nof the best blessings of life, if accompanied with\nthe means of fubfiftence. Their log-houfes have\nan appearance of cleanlinefs, neatness, and order,\nwhich plainly befpeak thefe families to be Englifh. To judge from the choice of their books,\nJ CD 5\nwhich form a part of their furniture, and from\nX I\nthe converfation of fome of them, they appear to\nbe Methodifts. Thefe newT Englifh fettlers have,'\nthis'year, already made maple-fugar, and one of\nthem the finest I have yet feen. even that of\nAfylum not excepted. Two of the wives of\nthefe new fettlers have already caught the fever,\nand not one of them appears to enjoy a good\nState of health. Eighteen miles farther from\nBath, we found another family, that came hither\nlaft autumn from Maryland, afflicted with a fever.\nFour miles farther on we Stopped at one Mrs.\nBever's\n^\n\u00E2\u0080\u00A2J-\"*\u00E2\u0080\u0094\u00C2\u00ABBt\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\n25/\nBever's, who was likewife laid up with an intermittent fever, the fits of which returned every\nday. This fever may, perhaps, be a tribute, paid\n,but once to the climate, as Captain Williamfon\nthinks; but the country, excellent as it is in all\nother respects, carries, I think, undoubted marks\nof being unhealthy; fuch as Stagnant waters,\nphofphoric exhalations, fwampy creeks, bad\nwater for drinking, and an abfolute fcarcity of\nSprings. Having fome quantity of bark in our\ntravelling-cafe, we gave a little of it to Mrs. Be-\nver, with directions how to ufe it; we, at the\nSame time, wrote a letter to Captain Williamfon,\ninforming him of the distress of this family, and\nof their want of more bark. We entertain little\ndoubt, but that the Captain will receive this intelligence as a firft attempt to fulfil, on our part,\nthe engagement we entered into when we took\nleave of him.\nIt will be eaSHy conceived, that after we had\ngiven the poor woman this advice, her hufband\nShewed us all the respect, which men of the medical profession generally receive in this country.\nYet his demonstrations of refpect ceafed, when\nwe refufed his repeated offers to pay us for the\nbark. Though we no longer appeared to Be ver\nphyficians of the ufual eaft, yet we were certainly\ndeemed very knowing and clever, for feveral of\nVol. I. \ S the\ni\n Fl\n'2SA\nTBAVELS THROUGH-\n, f\nit\nthe ten or twelve perfons, who had repaired to\nl^is cottage for Shelter and food, Shewing us their\nWounds arid contusions, requested our advice concerning them. We recommended to them, to\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0feSh their fores with - fait and water; and the\nfimplicity of this remedy, which would perhaps\nJiave met v^ith little approbation from European\npeafants, did not here, in the leaft, abate the high\nopinion, which thefe good people had conceived\nof our superior knowledge. The company we\nmet with at Mr. Bever's confifted of surveyors\nand fome other perfons* who had Surveyed land,.\nX * J\nwhich they intended to purchafe on the heights\nof Lake Canandaqua.\nI I fay on ' tk'\u00C2\u00A3 heights, becaufe in that place a\nchain of mountains, about ten or twelve miles in\nlength, feparates the water, which flows in a\nfbuthern direction,- from that, which difcharges\nitfelf into the river of St. Laurence.\nWe- found, among thefe perfons, a young\nman,- who about\" fix weeks before had been bitten on the knee by a rattle-fhake, while he was\nfishing on the banks of Lake Canandaqua. I At\nfirst he did not feel much pain in the part affected ; but an hour afterwards a fwelling appeared, which gradually extended all along the\nleg to the foot,, arid both became fo Stiff, that\n[Ip was. unable to move them. A cure was effected\n2Sss.\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C. \t\nSeeled within the Space of only fix days by the\njuice of fnake-root laid on the wound and fwel-\nIi'ng, as a poultice, mixed with milk, together\nwith a few drops of that juice, pure and unmixed, taken internally.' Instances of fuch bites\noccur but very feldom, and only, it feems, when\nthe animal has been touched ; otherwife it constantly retires, and may be killed by a blow with\nthe Slendereft Stick.\nIt is a common obfervation, that wild animals are lefs fierce in America than in other\npar& of the globe ; the truth of this is confirmed by the testimony of fuch as, from their\nresidence in forests, are best qualified to poffeSs\nSatisfactory information. Wolves, bears, nay even\npanthers, moftly flee before man ; and the instances of their doing mifchief are fo rare, that\nthe very reality of it might be doubted.\nThe dangers, therefore, to which new fettlers\nare expofed, are not much to be apprehended.\nThe fevereft misfortune, to which the inhabitants of the American forest are liable, is the lofs\nof their children in the woods. Thefe unfortunate infants, over whom it is almoft impossible to keep constantly a watchful eye, are apt to\nrun out of the houfe, which is feldom fenced\nthe firft year, and Straying from their homes are\nunable to find them again. In fuch cafes, how*\nS 2 ever,\n 20*0\nTRAVELS THROUGH\never, all the neighbours, nay perfons from the\nremotest parts, join in the fearch after thefe little\nunfortunate creatures, and fometimes they are\nfound; but there are alfo instances of their being totally loft, or difcovered only when dead of\nhunger or fear.\nSaturday, the 13 th of June.\nFrom Bever's we rode on, till we came to\nCaptain Metcalf's, where we Stopped for the\nnight. He lives at the diftance of eight miles\nfrom the former houfe, and keeps an inn. This\ndistrict is called Watkinftown, from feveral families of this name, who poffefs the greateft property here. The road from Bath to Metcalf's\nhabitation is generally bad enough, as is moftly\nthe cafe in a luxuriant foil, and efpecially after\na fall of rain; fo that, where the roads are not\nproperly made, the intereft of the traveller mult\nabfolutely clafh with that of the landowner.\nTwo miles on this fide of Bever's houfe we\nhad obferved the commencement of a range of\nmountains, which appeared to us to feparate, in\nthefe parts, the waters of the Sufquehannah from\nthofe of the lakes.\nAfter we had paffed the above Englifh fettlement near Bath, we met with no habitation but\nat distances of eighteen, twenty, and twenty-two\nmiles.\n NORTH AMERICA CANADA, See.\n26I\nmiles. Between Metcalf's houfe and Canandaqua, however, the dwellings Stand clpfer together. The lands, belonging to Captain Williamfon, terminate at Bever's houfe; all the\nground thence to Canandaqua, and farther on,\nhas been fold by Robert Morris, or Meffrs. Phelps\nandGorham, who had purchafed their'demesnes\nbefore Mr. Williamfon bought his. Metcalf,\nfor inflance, three years ago, purchafed his eftate\nfrom them for one Shilling per acre. Of the one\nthoufand acres, he then bought, he has already\nfold five hundred and upwards for from one to\nthree dollars per acre, and fome have fetched\ntwenty-five dollars.\nThe profits, which arc made by fpeculations\nin land, all over America, and efpecially in this\nneighbourhood, are great, beyond calculation.\nWe paffed, however, through feveral fettlements, which were deferted. Occurrences of\nthis kind are common enough in new countries ;\nand experience Shews, that of ten new fettlers,\nwho, in the firft inflance join to clear and cultivate freSh grounds, at the expiration of a couple of years, one only will, for the moft part,\nremain; and the fecond, nay, at times, the third\nfettlers are generally the best colonifts. They\ntake advantage of the labours and difburfements\nof their predeeeftbfs)- remain in the country, and\nS 3 thus\nDTlQj\nif\nW<\nf\n\m.\n I\n26a\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nthus become truly ufeful to the fettlement. Cap-\u00C2\u00BB\ntain Metcalf, befides his lands and inn, pofteffes\na fawmill, where four thoufand five hundred feet\nof boards are cut daily. Thefe boards he fends\non the Lake to Canandaqua, where they are fold\nfor ten fhillings a thoufand feet. Wheat is fold\nhere for fix Shillings a bufhel, and Indian corn\nfor four Shillings. There is a. fchoolmafter in\nWatkinftown, with a falary of twelve dollars per\nmonth ; all the families, that contribute to this\nStipend, have the right of fending their children\nto his fchool. 1|!\nThe road to Canandaqua is bad and rniry3\nrunning for the firft three miles constantly along\nwater. A little farther on, where its direction\nis more elevated, it mends. The foil contains\na Stratum of black earth, a foot or more in depth.\nOn travelling this road, we obferved one or two\nextensive tracts of ground, cleared by the Indians,\nbut few habitations. The few ploughs we faw\nhere were drawn by oxen. The woods are thick\nand lofty. Sugar-maple, black birch, oak, hickory, hemlock fir, and beech, are the moft prevailing trees. The ague is a common diforder\nin all thefe parts.\nThe Lake of Canandaqua, which we reached\nat the diftance of four miles from the town,\nexhibits a very delightful afpect. The banks are\nnot\nMfc\n NORTS AMERICA, CANADA, &C\nnot very low.\" The long and tedious famenedis\nof thefe woods, through which we had paffed,\ncontributed, probably, not a little to enhance the\n;agreeablenefs of the profpect now before us. On\nCD 11\n:the oppofite fide of the lake is an orchard, where\nvery confiderable quantities of cyder are made\nfor fale at Canandaqua.\n' .Sundfflt. tlie 14th of J&ne.\nCanandaqua is, as I have already obferved, the\nchief town of the county of Ontario. It Stands\non the bank of the lake of the fame name. On\nthe ground, now occupied by the town, Stood,\nfour years ago, a fingle factory, which carried\non fome trade with the Indians. The town\nconfifts, at prefent, of forty houfes. The territory of this city, which contains about fifty\nthoufand acres, is one of the districts, which\nbelonged to the State of Maffachufetts, and were\nfold prior to the contract concluded with Captain Williamfon. The town, although feated\n* CD *\non an eminence, is not more healthy than the\nneighbouring country. Mr. de Blacons found\nCD CD J\nhere, laft autumn, a great number of perfons\nafflicted with the ague. This was attributed\nto the uncommon wetnefs of the feafon, and\nthe ague, it was faid, had made its appearance\nduring the rains. We are now here in the month\nS4 of\n TRAVELS THROUGH\nof June ; and yet it rages as much, if not more,\nthan it did laft autumn. No alleviation of this\nafflicting circumstance is, therefore, to be expected, except from time, and a gradual encreafe\n* A \u00E2\u0096\u00A0 O\nof labour, cultivation, and population. The\nhoufes in Canandaqua, though all built of wood,\nare much better than any of that defcription I\nhave hitherto feen in other cities. They confift\nmostly of joiner's work, and are prettily painted.\nIn front of fome of them are fmall courts, fur-\nrounded with neat railings. Some of the inhabitants poffefs confiderable property ; among\nthefe are Meffrs. Phelps and Gorham, for a long\ntime past proprietors of thefe lands, or, to fpeaj^,.\nmore properly, their children; Mr. Thomas\nMorris, fon of Mr. Robert Morris of Philadelphia, and agent for his father in the management of a large tract of land, which he pofteffes\nin this neighbourhood, with other confiderable\ndistricts on the banks of the river Geneffee, and\nbeyond it, ftill occupied by the Indians, but\nwhich he has acquired the right of purchasing\nin preference to all other perfons; Mr. Chipping, director of the affairs of the United States\nwith the Indians; and many others, whofe names\nI have not been able to learn. There are two\ninns in the town, and feveral Shops, where commodities are fold, and Shoes and other articles\nmade.\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &CC\nmade. The encreafe of population, however, is\nnot confiderable in thefe new fettlements; and\nthere is at prefent a great deficiency of labouring men. The habitations in the adjoining dif-\ntrict are but thinly fcattered. The lands, as\nwell as the town-fhares, are, for the molt part,\nthe property of rich individuals, who reside in\ntowns, and having purchafed them on fpecula-\ntion, are unwilling to part with them until time\nShall have raifed their value.\nThe only potable water in Canandaqua is obtained by pumps; but even this is indifferent,\nand no Spring has yet been found in the town,\nor in its neighbourhood. There is not even a\ncreek lefs than four or five miles distant; and\nthere is, confequently, no proSpect of establishing\nany mills nearer the town.\nThe lands here are faid to produce as muck\nwheat as is neceffary for the confumption of the\ninhabitants ; the ordinary price of it is fix Shillings a bulhel. The woods contain but very few\nlarge trees, the fcarcity of which, together witfi\nthe want of faw-mills, is the reafon why boards,\nwhen bought at the mill, colt here ten dollars a\nthbuland. The price of land is three dollars per\nacre, without the town, and fifteen dollars wihin\nits precincts. The price of Indian corn, oats, &c.\nare much the fame as at Friendfmill and Bath.\n HW\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nto procure,\n-Day-labourers, whom it is difficult\ngenerally earn five Shillings per day wages. Du-.\nring the laft harvest, however, Mr. Thomas Morris paid as high as ten Shillings, befides finding\nX o o 7 o\nthem in victuals. The land, although tolerably\ngood, is inferior to what we faw in other parts\nofGeneffee, which we traverfed. The average\n7 CD\nproduce, in the first year of its cultivation, is\nfrom twenty to twenty-four buflsels of wheat per\nacre. They make ufe of the plough even in the\nfirft year. The oxen are good, becaufe moft of\nthe new fettlers come from New England, and\ngenerally bring their cattle with them from that\nprovince. In our journey we met, near Canandaqua, feveral parties of i\merican emigrants,\nmore or lefs numerous, travelling to Niagara.\nOne of them confifted of five or fix families,\nwho had with them, thirty-four head of cattle.\nThefe travelling companies are very frequent;\nemigration from Niagara into the United States\nis alfo confiderable, but lefs fo than in the first-\nmentioned direction.\nI had a letter to Mr. Chipping from General\nKnox, which Mr. de Blacons had delivered pre-\nvious to our arrival. This letter procured us\nan Indian, who spoke the French language, and\nwas to conduct us in our journey from Canandaqua to Niagara. ' He was accordingly fent for\nmm\n H\n1\nNORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\n267\nby Mr. Chipping. We called at the houfe of\nthat gentleman, to return him our thanks for\nthis favour, and alfo to fee fome Indians, who\nwere with him. He acts as agent for the United\nStates, with all the nations bordering on Canandaqua.\nThefe Indians were about twelve in number,\namong whom were feveral chiefs of the tribe of\nSeneca Indians ; one of them was Rep Jacket,\na warrior of no fmall note among his countrymen. They paid Mr. Chipping a vifit, that is\nto fay, they came to partake of his whifky and\nmeat. Such parties come very frequently, and,\nin general, merely for this, and no other purpofe.\nOn thefe occasions they drink as much as they\ncan> and, when fatiated, a few bottles are generally distributed among the party, to take with\nthem. We found them in a fmall hut, behind\nthe agent's houfe, which indeed refembled a\no 7\nStable, rather than a houfe. Two of them lay\non the ground, intoxicated to a high degree of\ninfenSibility. They were nearly naked, except\nthat each wore a woollen apron, about a foot\nfquare, fattened to a girdle, to which it was again\ntied behind. From this girdle is fufpended that\ndreadful instrument, the fcalping-knife ; a fmall\nknife, which they generally ufe to cut their meat.\nTheir heads were not fhayed, but the hair was\n~ cut\nnm\nV\n\u\nrjJL\n TRAVELS through\ncut very Short, and tied above in a braid, which\nis made to pafs through a Silver pipe; their ears\nwere quite bare, and adorned with a variety of\nfmall rings. Some wore fmall filver plates at the\u00C2\u00BB\nextremity of the nofe, which is generally considered as an ornament of' distinction for the\nchieftains. They were all very cheerful, addicted to laughter, and full of glee. They appeared highly delighted with viewing us, and\nwere moft of them handfome looking men. One\nSpoke a little Englifh. As we expect to fee whole\ntribes of Indians in the progrefs of our journey,\nI may perhaps hereafter be able to give a more\nample and fatisfactory account concerning them.\nAs far as my knowledge and obfervation reach at\nprefent, it is merely the immoral policy of civilized nations, which has subjected thefe people\nto the lowest rank in the fcale of human beings.\nAs long as they were fuffered to remain in. their\nfavage ftate, they were warlike and independent,\nwild, perhaps j yet humane. Now that the white\npeople find it convenient, to attach them to\ntheir interests, they are feduced with money and\nwhifky, and rendered as brutal and debauched,\nas it is poflible to make them. The odious and\nilliberal artifices practifed by civilized nations, to\nrender every thing fubfervient to their interests\nonly, make their vaunted superiority appear the\nmore\nOSSm,\n \u00E2\u0096\u00A0\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0\u00E2\u0096\u00A01\nNORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\n26g\nmore difgufting to the eye of genuine philanthropy.\nA little before our arrival, a party of Indians,\nfrom the neighbourhood of Le Bceuf, came to\nCaptain Chipping's, to demand juftice upon an\nAmerican foldier, who had murdered two Indians, from motives of jealousy and revenge. The\nbufinefs, however, was hulhed up by the payment of two hundred dollars for each Indian,\nwhich is the fettled price of compenfation in\nSuch cafes, and the foldier remained at liberty.\nNot fo, however, when an Indian murders a\nwhite man: in this cafe, the afTaflin is delivered\nup to the Americans, and hanged. And thus it\nis that a people, wThich makes its boaft of ho-\nnefty, juftice, and equality, can connive at the\nmoft flagrant perversion of juftice, to the eternal,\ndifgrace of both its executors and its victims!\nThe treatment of the Indians, and the fervitude\nof the negroes, have branded the fair face of\nAmerican freedom with an odious Stigma, which\ngovernment, as foon as poffible, Should Strain\nevery nerve to efface. It is to be feared, however, that the caufes will not be easily removed,\nconnected as they are with one of the most\npowerful passions of the human breast\u00E2\u0080\u0094^the love\nof money!\nWe hoped to find a good inn at Canandaqua,\nwhich\nI\n 170\nTRAVELS THROt/Gl?\nwhich is no nnpleafant thing in the Genefieg\ncountry in general, but we were difappointed.\nWhat reaforts could induce Mr. Blacons to prefer the fecond inn, I could not learn, but it is certainly |kr inferior to the firft. We put Up, however, at the fecond, though not without throwing feme blame on our friend, who is, in general, more prudent in his counfel. Our diffatif-\nf<ion was greatly encreafed, When we were\nShewn into the corn-loft to Sleep, being four cf\nus, in company with ten or twelve other men !\nBut Sleep, the great balm of hitman uneasiness,\nX7 O '\nfoon calmed our minds.\nMy reft, however, was ere long interrupted by\na little circumftance, which I fhall mention, as\nit may ferve to illustrate the habits of this coun-\ntry. This Was the arrival of two new guefts,\nwfeo foon entered our loft* an old man, and a\nHaridfome young woman, who, I believe, wa's\nhis daughter. Three rows of beds Were placed\nin tmB large apartment, which half filled it: and\nCD X \ \"\nthere Were two empty beds in the fame row*\nwith mine.\nIn one of thefe the good old man lay dowri\nWithout undressing himfelf, and the young woman, thinking every One about her fast afleep,\nfell to Stripping, which fhe did as completely as\nif She had been in a roorii bv herfelf. No movement\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &e.\nment on my part interrupted the bufinefs of her\ntoilette, although I could not fall aSl^ep again\nuntil the candle was put out. This little anecdote, at which European coynefs will no doubt\neither feoff or laugh, Shews, in an advantageous\nlight, the laudable Simplicity and innocence of\nAmerican manners.\nLaft night, we rejoined Blacons at Cananda-\nCD J\nqua; and this morning Dupetitthouars left us, to\nproceed Straight to Conawango, where the Indian, who Speaks French, is waiting for us. We\nfet out with Blacons on our way to Ontario, intending to take a view of an eltate belonging to\none Mr. Pitt, of which We had heard much\ntalk throughout the country. On our arrival,\nwe found the houfe crowded with Prefbyteri-\nans r its owner attending to a noily, tedious harangue, delivered by a minister,- with fuch violence of elocution, that he appeared all over in\na perfpiration. We found it very difficult to obtain fome oats here for our horfes, and a few\nhasty morfels for our own dinner. As we had\nno opportunity of viewing the estate, we wer\nobliged to content ourfelves with the fine profpect of the neighbouring grounds, which the\nhoufe afforded. The fields are in a better State\nof cultivation than any we have hitherto feen,\nand thoroughly cleared of wood.\nThis\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0&\n -*\nTRAVELS THROUGK\nThis eftate has been only five years under cultivation. Old Mr. Pitt and his two fons pof-\nfefs about nine hundred acres, one hundred and\nthirty of which are cultivated. Thefe beautiful\nfields were cleared long ago by the Indians. Of\nthe above one hundred and thirty acres just mentioned, fixty are laid out in meadows, on which\nclover and timothy-grafs are fown. Their Stock\n\u00E2\u0080\u00A2J CD\nconfifts of fixty or Seventy head of cattle, of\nwhich they fell very little, as they wilh to augment their number by breeding. The first crop\nof their meadows yields two tuns of hay per acre,\nand the fecond is fed off by the cattle. The winter does not laft here above three months and a\nhalf, during which, the live Stock kept near the\nhoufe are fed with hay, morning and evening,\nin the farm-yard. The dung-cart very rarely\nvisits the land. Its average produce is twenty,\nbufhels of wheat, and thirty-five bulhels of Indian\ncorn, per acre. The price of wheat is fix fhillings, and of Indian corn and oats three Shillings\nper bufhel. The price of cattle is the Same, as\nin the places before mentioned. Labouring men\nearn five Shillings a day wages, without victuals.\nThe faw and corn-mills lie at a confiderable diftance from this houfe. The firft is eight miles,\nthe fecond twelve miles distant. Corn and flour\nare tranfported on Sledges, during the winter..\nAll\n 9M\nM\nXH\nmm\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0NS\nNORTH AMERICA, CAJTADA, &C.\nAS^the corn-fields, as well as grafs-lands, had a\nHbxa appearance, and feemed to be under excellent\nrmaiKLgcment. Yet a view of the ^mdforhe mar-\nCD\nrred and unmarried women, who filled the church)\nduring both morning and evening fervice, was\noven more delectable to our fenfes, than the fine\nrural fqeneryi\nr We Stopped at Cajttain Wat worth's to pafs\nthe night. Along the whole route from Canan-\ndaqua, the woods; appear beautiful to the eye, but\ndeg- riot So crowded with trees as on the other Side\nof that place. Several parts of the forest have\nbeen burnt down by the Indians, who poffeffed\nthis country from time immemorial., , Wre frequently traced or met with Indian camps, as they\nare called, i. e. places where troops of them, who\nwere either hunting or travelling, had paffed the\nfisfght. Their tents or huts are nothing in the\nworld but four pofts, driven into the ground, and\noverlaid with bark. In tfeis day's journey we\npasted by the extremity of four lakes, viz* of\nHemlock, Conefus, Hoheygoe, and Conhocton.\nWc were much concerned at our disappointment in not finding Mr. Thomas Morris at Canandaqua. But a young gentleman of the name\nof Wickham, who feemed to be his clerk, and\nlives in his houfe, received us with as much civility as he could have done himfelf. In addition\n\u00E2\u0080\u00A2 Vol. I. T to\nAS\nw\n 74k\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nto other kind offices, he gave us a letter to Captain Watworth, a nephew of Colonel Watworth\nof Connecticut, who lives in Ontario, and is\nconcerned with Mr Thomas Morris in the purchafe of lands.\nOur letter of introduction obtained us, as we\nexpected, an invitation to Sleep at the Captain's.\nOn our arrival, he told us, that he was obliged to\nfet out early the next morning for Canandaqua,\nto review a party of foldiers, over whom he is\ncaptain. Two minutes after this the Captain got\non horfeback, to fee a friend, as he told us, though\nit was then eight o'clock at night. This conduct,\nin France, would have justified a Sufpicion, that\nthe mafter of the houfe was difpleafed with the\nvifit of his guefts. With fome latitude it might,\nperhaps, have borne the fame construction in America ; but we found it more convenient to afcribe\nit to an uncommon love of eafe, and freedom\nfrom restraint. There was no inn in the neigh-\nbourhood ; and, as we found our fituation not at\nall the worfe, but rather better for this his behaviour, we endeavoured to make ourfelves on our\npart as agreeable as we could. As to his habitation, it is a fmall log-houfe, as dirty and filthy\nas any I have ever feen. Whether the offensive\nfmell, which infected this dwelling, proceeded\nfrom cats or decayed Stores, which the Captain is\nIff reported\ndBT--\n NOfetH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\nreported to keep fometimes till they become pu*\ntrefied, I am unable to determine; but, this is\ncertain, that we never paffed the night in a more\nunpleaSant hole. The beds, bedding, Sheets*\nfowls, room, fmell> &c in Short, every thing\nwas nauSeous, fo much fo, indeed, as to render\nthe houfe extremely difagreeable. I rofe early in\nthe morning to fee the Captain, before he fet out\non his journey* I found him undergoing the\noperation of hair drefling by his negro woman.\nHe had juft fold a barrel of whifky to an Indian>\nand was treating about the fale of fome land\nwith two inhabitants of WilliamSburg.\nThe price of the Captain's land is from two\ndollars to two and half per acre; at leaft, this is\nthe price at which he offers it for Sale. He demands payment of the whole Sum agreed for\nwithin four years, or one fourth of the purchafe-\nmoney every year. The intereft to commence\nthe firft day after the Sale* It may eafily be conceived, that Captain Watworth is not a little\njealous of the great character and influence of\nCaptain Williamfon, who, from his terms of Sale\nbeing far more moderate, and other circurnftan-\nces, cannot but have, and actually has, greatly\nthe advantage over him.\nCD\nWe learned, in this place, that the Genefiee\nfiats are, every year at the end of March, regu-\n1.\nT2\nlariy\n\u00C2\u00A7\nin\nm\n Travels through\nundated for four or five days by the river-\nname, which flows through them, and\non the land a bed of Slime, about two\ninches deep ;. this Serves as an excellent\nto the foil, and greatly promotes its fer-\nO J A\nInstances are known of one acre having\ned fifty buShels of wheat; but the ave-\nxage crop is thirty buShels per acre. Very little\not this land has been vended yet; as the proprietors do not care to part with it, until an increafe\nof population fhall have added considerably to its\nValue. It is vcrv difficult to procure day-labour-?\nv Aw\nrs here, and their wages are one dollar per day.\n7 CD X J\nMaple-Sugar, of which great quantities are ufually obtained in this neighbourhood, has not an-\nfwered this year, from the uncommon wetnefs\nof the feafon. , It is fold for one Shilling a pound.\nMany commodities, together with numerous droves\nof cattle, are exported hence annually into Upper\nCanada. The Captain, who keeps a Shop, imports his goods from Connecticut. They are\nbrought in waggons, drawn by oxen, which he\nCD : CO J f\nafterwards fattens, and, by felling them at Niagara, amply indemnifies himfelf for any lofs he\nmay fuftain from the long carriage of his wares.\nThe beef of the oxen thus fattened is fold, at\ntimes, for one Shilling a pound.\nAfter the Captain had left us, his nephew, a\nyouth\niiisflfffi\n HP\nmm\nNORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\nyouth about fifteen years of age, conducted us to\nm \u00C2\u00AB *\nthe flats, or low grounds, which border on th\nriver Geneflee. They are a tract of land, about\nfive or fix miles in length and breadth, for the\nmoft part fituate on the eaft-fidc of the river ;\nyet fome are on the other fide. Captain Watworth poffeffes about fifteen or fixteen hundred\nacres; of thefe fome arc cultivated, but much\nthe greater number lie in graSs, which was as\nO O 7 \u00E2\u0096\u00A0\nhigh as our horfes. The Slats belong, for the\n\" CD CD\nmoft part, to the Indians ; but, as they are fituate\nwithin the limits of the territory lately ceded by\nGreat Britain, which extend to the river St.\nLawrence, fhe State of Maffachufetts claims the\nfupreme~ right to the property, and, in virtue of\nthis right, has fold to Meffrs. Phelps and Gor-\nham the exchsfsve privilege of purchasing thefe\nlands from the Indians, whenever they fhall con-\nfent to part with them. Meffrs. Phelps and\nGorham have fold this privilege of purchafe to\nMr. Robert Morris, by whom it has been again\n7 J \u00E2\u0096\u00A0 o\nfold to the Dutch Company ; this gentleman has\nalfo engaged to open a negociation with the Indians, and to prevail upon them to relinquish\ntheir right to a part at least of thefe lands.\nThus four different Sets of puchafers have Succeeded each other in regard to an object, concerning the fale of which the confent of the\nT 3 true\n TRAVELS THROUGH\ntrue original owners has not yet been obtained,;\nand four different contracts have been entered\ninto, founded on the fuppofition, that it will be\nan eafy matter to remove the Indians from thefe\ndistant corners into which they have retired.\nIt is fome fatisfa<\u00C2\u00A3tion, however, to reflect, that\nthe property of thefe lan\nStands a fmall village of the Seneca Indians,\nthrough which we paffed, confifting of only\nthree or four houfes. We found there again a\nhandfome young man, who had vifited us the\nnight before in Canawaga. It was obfervable,\nthat thefe Indians Shewed a Strong attachment\nto us as Frenchmen, repeatedly, affuring us, that\nthe remembrance of our nation was peculiarly\ndear to them ; we in return regaled them plentifully with rum. The young man, who was\nmore intoxicated than his comrades, was feized\nevery now and then with fits of madnefs, which\nmight have proved fatal to himfelf or thofe about\nhim, but for the careful attendance of a young\nfquaw, who, partly by menaces, and partly by\ncareffes, got him out of the inn, caufed his arms\nto be tied by his comrades, and carried him to\nthe banks of the river, where, lefs disturbed She\ncontinued her attendance, until She had foothed\nhis rage, though he was not perfectly restored\nto his fenfes. An Indian wafhed the face and\nhead of his inebriated comrade, by fpouting water\nupon him, which he took into his mouth, and\nat the fame time by rubbing him with his hand.\nThe intoxicated young man, though not quite\nfober, was at length, however, fo far recovered,\nas to be fet on his legs. A boat was waiting to\ncarry\nHEfen\u00E2\u0080\u0094-*-\u00E2\u0080\u0094*\"\"t*\u00C2\u00BB\u00C2\u00AB*ll\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\ncarry him acrofs the river, when, on a fudden,\nhe broke from the hands of his attendants, and\nprecipitated himfelf with great violence into the\nInSVer. A moment after he came up again, and\nwe faw him fwimming towards the opposite\nbank. The indefatigable young woman then\nfprang alone into the boat, and rowed up to her\ncharge, overtook him, and femed his hand to\nmake him ftep into the boat. But he would not\nenter, but dived again, riling up in different\nplaces ; fo that to all appearance he was in no\nlittle danger, considering the State he was in, of\nbeing drowned. The young fquaw followed\nhim with her boat, called on him feveral times\nvery kindly, did not ceafe a moment to follow\nhim, with her eyes constantly fixed on him, or\non the fpot wbere She thought he was likely to\nappear again ; for he was as frequently under as\nabove water. At laft fhe grafped him again, and\nfo tenacioully as to retain her hold. This im-\npreffive fcene lafted about two hours, during\nwhich time the uneafinefs, care, and endearments of the young woman, were inceffantly\nmanifested, and infpired us with mingled emotions of furprife* admiration, and efteem. She\nwas tolerably handfome, and a filter of the young\nman. It is hardly poffible to Shew more Sympathy, or more Sincere, tender, and unwearied\naffection.\n mmmmsgm\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0\u00C2\u00AB*\u00E2\u0080\u00A2*\u00E2\u0096\u00A0\u00E2\u0096\u00A0\n'RAVELS THROUGH\naffection, than was evinced by this poor fquaw$\nlong as her intoxicated brother was in dan*\nger ; and all this too in a manner fo fweet and\nengaging, as it is not in the power of man poffibly to do. This fcene imprinted in ftill deeper\ncharacters on my mind the idea, which 1 have\nconstantly entertained, of the great fuperiority\nof women above men in every thing, relative\nto affections of every fort. Fie, who never experienced the friendship of a woman, knows\nnot half the charms and delights of friendship.\nMen, undoubtedly, are capable of making great\nfacrifices, which I certainly fhould be the laft to\ndifown; indebted as I am for the prefervation\nof my life, to the generous and ardent attachment of two friends. May they, since a more\nexplicit teftimony of my gratitude might perhaps endanger their safety and welfare, recognize in thefe lines the grateful fentiments, which\nfill my bofom, and which fhall not ceafe but\nwith my exiftence, though I fhould never have\n-> ' o\nthe happinefs of perfonally expressing to them\nthe tribute of my thanks. But while a woman\nis capable of the fame attachment and facrifices,\nwhile a female friend will chearfully meet the\nfame dangers as men, fhe poffeffes befides the aft\nof embellishing and brightening the faddeft mo-\no o o\nmehts of our life, by unutterable Sweetnefs of\ntemper,\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\ntemper, conftant care, and unwearied attendance on her friend ; fhe can fympathize in his\nfurferings, mingle with his pleafures. and com-\nprehend and divine all his projects ; fhe can pour\nbalm on his wounded fenfibility, raife his dejected fpirits, unburden him of the load of for-\nrow, and thus reconcile him to himfelf. Well\ncan She foften the harfhnefs of advice, which\nShe has the courage to offer at a feafonable in-\nterval, and can infpire a boundlefs confidence,\nwithout creating pain, or caufing exertion. She\nbids defiance to obstacles, is difeouraged by no\naccidents, not even by abfence itfelf. In Short,\nfemale friendship is a divine feeling, and the\nfweeteft charm and comforter of life : when deprived of it by misfortune, the bare remembrance\nof it will Still afford us moments of refined plea-\nfure.\nA journey through uninterrupted forests offers\nbut little matter either for fpeculation or remark.\nX\n-The woods are, in general, not clofe, but Stand\non a fruitful foil. A foot-path, tolerably good^\nupon the whole, but in fome places very miry,\nwinds through them over a level ground, that\nrifes but feldom into gentle fwells. After a ride\nof twelve hours, in which we croffed feveral\nlarge creeks, we arrived at the Plain, where we\nO ' \u00E2\u0080\u0094\ndetermined to take up our lodgings for the night.\nVol. I.\nX\nBio-\n w.\n1\n300\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nw.\nI a/\niirll\nBig Plain is about thirty-eight miles distant from\nCanawaga. We breakfasted at Buttermilk Fall,\nand dined on the bank of the creek of Tana-\nwago, which is, feveral times, either approached\nor croffed, in this line of travelling. For both\nthefe meals our appetites were fo keen, that we,\nperhaps, never ate any thing with a better relifli.\nBut, this was not the cafe with our fupper.\nThe marangouins, of which we had heard fuch\nfrightful accounts, but from which we had hi*\ntherto fuffered but little, began now to torment\nus. We were near a brook, for it is neceffary\nto keep within a little diftance from water, if\nbetween arrival and departure it is intended to\nbreakfaft, fup, and water the horfes. The fire\nand tobacco fmoke were not fufficient to keep\noff the offensive fwarms of marangouins, muf-\nquitoes, wafps and gnats; nor did the veils of\ngauze, provided by Mr* Guillemard, Shelter us\nfrom their pungent Stings. Thefe innumerable\nfmall blood-fucking infects are a very great annoyance, and though killed by thoufands, they\nfeem to encreafe in proportion as they are destroyed. It is indeed impoffible to form an adequate idea of the torment and trouble they occasion, without having felt it.\nTwo Americans, who arrived from Buffalo\nCreek, with two horfes, loaded with furs, Shared\nour\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0awrai\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &c.\nour fire and our mbleftation, but not our fuffer-\nings. The next day (Thurfday) at four o'clock\nin the morning, the Americans having found\ntheir horfes, proceeded on their'journey ; whiBs\nour horfes, which, in fpite of our entreaties,\nMr. Guillemard's fervant had not coupled, were\nnot to be found, having run back part of the way\nwe came. It happened, however, very fortunately, that a bell, which I had fastened to my\nhorfe, having in the night indicated to our guide\nb b o\nthe courfe they purfued, he traced them before\nthe break of day, overtook them at a diftance oT\nfifteen miles, and brought them back about eleven o'clock in the morning. His uncommon\nsteal to ferve us, joined to his fuccefsful alertnefs,\ninfpired us with as much admiration, as we felt\npleafure, to fee our horfes fafe returned.\nThe two Americans, who left us in the morn ]\ning, belonged to Boston ; they make, it feems,\nthe journey to Buffalo Creek, five or fix times\nevery year, to barter for furs with the Indians\nthey carry on this trade jointly with three.tt\nfour other fmall companies; and we learned that,\non the whole about twenty thoufand dollars are\nannually circulated in this way, the Share of\nthefe two amounting to eighteen hundred or two\nthoufand dollars.\nX 2 I*\n mm\n308\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nIt was too late to indulge the hope of reaching Buffalo Creek before the fall of night. Our\njourney muft, therefore, take us up two days\nlonger, although we had provision only fufficient\nfor one. In thefe circumstances we refolved to\ntake the road to Tonowante, the residence of our\nPondrit, which determination, though it occafioned a circuit of ten or twelve miles, yet fe-\ncured to us all the certain advantage of obtaining\nfrefh provifion, which, by Pondrit's account,\nwas in great abundance in that place. But Pondrit is as frivolous a prattler as he is a good pe-\ndeftrian ; we found no provifion, nor was there\nthe leaft profpect of procuring viands of any fort\nin the hut of this demi-Indian. We were fain\nto be content with a little rum and two wet indigestible cakes of Indian corn, prepared by Mrs.\nPondrit, and were, moreover, under the ne-\nceffity of waiting a whole hour for the lady's\nreturn, who, on our arrival was engaged in cultivating the grounds of her hufband. Befides\no b\nthis wretched repast, we got a little Indian corn\nfor our horfes. Mr. Guillemard, whofe limbs\nwere fwoln in confequence of the flings of the\nmufquitoes, fancied he was ill, and determined\nto remain that night at Tonowante. We left\nhim under the care of the fquaw Pondrit; and\nMr.\n N\nORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\nMr. de Blacons, DupetitthouRrs, and myfelf, fet\nout, with our guide, to purfue our journey, j\nTonowante, which we have juit left, confifts\nof fifteen houfes or wigwams, built on the zigzag windings of the river of the fame name.\nThe foil is marfhy, yet good. However desirable it would have been, to Shorten our next day's\nlong journey by proceeding ten miles further\nthis night, yet the remembrance, and the Stili-\nexifting fenfation of the mufquito-Stings of laSt\nnight, deterred us from adopting this meafure,\nand we halted, therefore, half an hour before\nfun-fet, to gain the neceffary time for making\narrangements more likely to keep thefe infects\noff. A fmall Indian camp, which we found in\nthe woods near Small-fall, was chofen for our\nnight-quarters, notwithstanding dreadful 1 warms\nof mufquitoes and fmall flies, perhaps even more\ntroublefome than the former, were buzzing\nabout us. We furrounded this little place of\nrefuge, to the windward, with fires, which we\nkept up with dry leaves and rotten wood. The\nwind driving the fmoke through our camp, the\nmufquitoes could not exift there. After having\ncoupled our horfes, tied them to, trees near us,\nand thus prevented the danger of lofing them,\nwe procured fome water, made a mefs of a few\ncakes of portable foup, which we had remain-\nX o\n**\u00E2\u0096\u00A0 mw ~\\n 310\nTRAVELS THROUGH\niA\nU\niiJ\ning, and being protected from the attacks of our\nenemies, we partook of our cakes and remaining ham with great Satisfaction, and being farther comforted by a few fegars, we paffed a\nvery pleafing night ; I, on my part, at leaft, did\nnot awake from nine o'clock at night till half\npast three in the morning, the time when we\nwere obliged to prepare for our departure. What\nan excellent remedy, or, at leaft, what a palliative for the fufferings of the head and the heart,\nis travelling. Alternate wearinefs and reft leave\nno room for any train of ideas, and every thing\nconfpires to render us as happy as if our fufferings were ended.\nBefore I clofe the hiftory of the day, I muft\nobferve, that in the morning we met with a\nlarge rattle-fnake, on our way to Tonowante.\nShe was awake, bent backwards, and her head\nerect; in Short, fhe was in the attitude, in which\nthefe reptiles dart to bite. Our guide noticed\nher at the fmall diftance of two paces, and Cartouche had approached her within half a pace.\nWe flopped ; I called my dog. The afpect of\nour horfes, our dogs and ourfelves, who fur-\nrounded her fo clofely, did not difturb her ; and\nPondrit, who had cut a Stick, was at full liberty\nto ehoofe the fpot where he would apply his\nblow. This fnake was upwards of four and half\nfeet\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\nfeet in length, beautifully black, with rings of\na bright, golden yellow, and sixteen rattles. I\nrelate this trifling incident, to Shew how little\ndangerous thefe animals in general are, the ac-\nb O '\ncounts of which, in Europe, fo greatly alarm all,\nwho are preparing to go to America. We continued upwards of five minutes within a Smaller diftance from her than her own length. The\ndog almoft touched her ; fhe was awake, and yet\nShewed no fort of malignity. Since I have travelled So much in forefts, I have met with a great\nnumber of rattle-fnakes, killed fome with my\nown hand, and, notwithstanding, have never\nyet received the leaft injury.\nFriday, the lQth of June.\nFor thefe two days paft the roads have been\ntruly execrable, full of deep holes, earth-falls,\nand thick-fet buShes. You are obliged, at once,\nto beware of the branches of trees, which tear\nyour face or throw you down, to felect the fpot\nfor the horfe to tread on, to give it the neceffary aid when it paffes a difficult place, and to\ntake care not to crufh your knee or leg againft\na trunk or Stone, which even with the utmoft\nprecaution cannot be always avoided, and frequently caufes a very painful fenfation. By the\naccount of our guide we Were this day to enter\nX 4 better\n mmm\nmjmmm\n51%\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nbetter roads ; and yet, a level tract of about feven or eight miles excepted, thefe were even\nworfe than the former.\nBeing/defirous of feeing a large Indian fettle-\nment, and having learned that Buffalo Creek is\nthe largeft in this neighbourhood, we turned\nthat way, left the foot-path which leads Straight\nto Fort Erie, and Struck into another;, which is\nthe worft I have yet feen. We breakfafted\ntwelve miles from the fpot where ewe had paffed\nthe night, and finifhed the remainder of our\nb '\nStores in Buffalo Town. You reach Creek Buffalo\ntwelve or fifteen miles before you come to the\nvillage. The fource of this creek, which is very\nnarrow on the fpot where you fee it firft, is\nfifteen miles.farther up the country. Yet it considerably enlarges its breadth, and is upwards of\na hundred yards broad, where it difcharges itfelf into the river. You muft ford it between\na hamlet inhabited by the Cavuga nation and\nj j b\nthe village of Buffalo, where it is about forty\nyards in breadth, but its bed is fo con fined-and\nmiry, that we were Scarcely able to work our\nway out of it.\nThe villageof Buffalo is inhabited by the Se-\no J\nneca-Indians. The chief of this nation is Bro-\ntherfarmer, a man generally refpected by all\nO J X J\nthe tribes as a great warrior and ftatefman, and\nfor\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &TC.\nfor this reafon much courted both by Englifh\nand American agents. Buffalo is the chief place\nof the Seneca nation. Inftead of eighty houfes,\nof which we had beentold this village confifted,\nwe found only about forty. The reft Stand on\nthe banks of the creek farther up or downwards, and thus people an extent of feveral\nmiles. The village is situated on a plain, the\nfoil of which, to judge from the grafs it produces, is extremely fertile. We faw Indians\ncutting the grafs with their knives. Some fami-\nb b\nlies keep cows, and others even horfes. There\nwere fome fine oxen to be fold in the village.\nAll the commodities being confidered as the\nproduce of the labours of the wives, they alone\ndifpofe of them at pleafure. They are looked\nupon as the fole proprietors. It is with them\nthat every bargain is made, all the money, even\nthe houfes in which they live, belong to them ;\nthe hufbands have nothing but their gun, their\ntomahawk (a fmall axe, and at the fame time\ntheir pipe), and the Scalps fevered from the\nSkulls Of the enemies they have Slain, and which\nin greater or lefs number form the decoration of\nthe dwellings of all Indian warriors. More property they do not want.\nThe dignity of a chieftain is, in general, hereditary among the Indians ; though fome are\nalfo\n TRAVELS THROUGH\nalfo appointed by election. The fons of the\nchieftains, however, do not fucceed, but thofe\nof the female chiefs. For the wives preferve\nthis right of fucceflion in their families, and\ntranfmit it to their defcendants. Yet thefe Indian queens cultivate their fields with the fpade\nin their hand. Though they have oxen to fell,\nit has hitherto not occurred to them, to yoke\ntnefe animals to the plough. I have already obferved, that a fmall field of Indian corn fuffices\nfor the wants of a family. There is, at times,\nanother planted with potatoes ; but, in general,\nthefe are planted between the rows of Indian\ncorn.\nThe fields are mostly irregular pieces of land\ntaken from the common ; they are not inclofed,\nbeing more effectually guarded by an univerfal\nhonefty, which never deceives. The cattle,\nwhich constantly remanY in the woods, do no\ndamage to the crops. The fields, cultivated by\nthe Indians, have, in general, a more luxuriant\nppearance than others, from the manner in\nwhich they are cultivated. Being better tilled,\nand kept constantly free from weeds, they cannot but produce heavier crops, which is actually\nthe cafe. The Indian huts in Buffalo are not\nfo bad as others I have feen, but equally unclean and filthy.\nOur\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\n315\nOur guide conducted us to a family, in which\nhe Said a demi-French woman lived, which,\nhowever, was not the fact. On entering the\nhabitation, we found the landlord engaged in\nbleeding himfelf in the foot. He faid he fuffered from pains in the bowels, and placed great\nconfidence in this remedy, which he prefcribed\nand applied himfelf Two leaves of fage ferved\nfor a comprefs, and an old garter for a bandage ;\nhe looked about for his tomahawk to fmoke during the application of this remedy. One or two\nother families live in the fame hut. The huf-\nbands, fathers, and brothers were fitting before\nthe door ; the women were in the fields ; we\nwere compelled to wait their return, to learn\nwhether they had any eggs or milk. When\nthey came home, we found that they had none.\nThey gave us, however, butter-milk, and very\ngood butter. During the two hours we paffed\namong them, nothing particular occurred. There\nis but little expreflion in their faces, little cheer-\nfulnefs, and little fagacity. They were extremely curious, as every one would be, who\nhas feen nothing. They laid hold of our watches,\nour compafs, our pencils, and bridles, viewed\nthem with much attention, yet without the leaft\nmark of aftoniShment or fatisfaction ; but remained as cold and unconcerned as three-fourths\nof\nVI\n/ -;cl f\nL\u00C2\u00A3\n mmmmmm\n\u00E2\u0084\u00A2\n. ..\u00E2\u0096\u00A0!p\u00C2\u00AB1|\n316\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nof the American country-people remain on Similar occafions, though they are as curious as the\nIndians.\nI had bought at Philadelphia a great quantity\nof trifles, with a view \u00C2\u00A9f distributing them\namong thefe people, who, I knew, are exceffively\nfond of them. With thefe trifles we paid what\nfervices they had rendered us ; but I distributed\nmy fineries far beyond their- amount ; men and\nwomen feemed to receive them with aftoniin-\nment rather than pleafure. The young girls appeared more pleafed with them than the reft.\nThree or four of thefe were very handfome;\nand I fancied that I could obferve in their manners a certain modefty, which I love to fee\nblended with beauty.\nThe Indians feem to occupy themfelves much\nwith their children; they are extremely fond\nof them during their childhood, and their affectionate attachment frequently lasts far beyond\nthat tender age. Sucking children are generally\nfufpended in a bafket, fastened to the ceiling by\nlong ropes, and thus rocked. When the mother\ngoes on a journey, or to work, the babe is put\ninto a fort of portable cradle, the back and lower\npart of which are made of wood; it is laced before with straps of cloth, with which the child\ncan be tied as faft as they pleafe. This fort of\ncradle\n mmm\nNORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\ncradle is carried by means of a Strap, tied around\nthe forehead of the mother. In this manner the\nIndians generally carry all their burthens.\nFew Indians live to be very old. They who\ngrow old and infirm are put to death by their\nchildren, who consider this act as a duty they\nare bound to perform, in-order to fave their parents from the miferies of old age. However,\nthey do not always fulfil this duty. Let this barbarous cuftom be fairly confidered, and it will\nbe found in fome manner coiififtent with reafon ;\nfor of what ufe and value is life, when nothing\ncan be expected but forrow and fufferings ?\nDeath is, with the Indians, no object of terror ;\nand the relations of the deceafed grieve but little\nfor their lofs. Some howlings at the burial are\nthe only figns or expreflions of their grief, while\nfeveral days before and after the interment are\nSpent in feasting and dancing. The entire property of the deceafed is frequently Spent in thus\neating, drinking, and rioting to his honour.\nThe imperfect civilization, which the Indian\nnations, we have feen, owe to their conftant in-\ntercourfe with white people, has altered their\noriginal manners, which it would be peculiarly\ninteresting to obferve, Whifky renders them\nStupid ; and whiSky is known and fought after\nby all the Indians, who are engaged in the fur\ntrade\n 0r\n<( I\n318\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nI\nSr 11\ntrade with white people. Europe has inflicted,\nand will ever inflict fo many evils on every\ncountry difcovered by her, that it is neceffary to\ntravel as Mr. Mackenzie has done, beyond\nthe known tribes, in order to trace the original\nmanners of the Indian nations; yet Mr. Mackenzie himfelf distributed whifky as he went\nalong.\nI Shall fubjoin here a few obfervations concerning the Indians, which, though they may\nnot be perfectly new, will yet form a Sketch,\nnot altogether uninteresting to Europeans, and\nwhich I fhall be able to improve from other\naccounts, efpecially from the narrative of the\ncaptivity of one of my friends belonging to Virginia, which I intend to introduce in the fequeh\nBut previously to my entering on this fubject,\nI muft obferve. that all the Indians we faw nfed\nevery means of Shewing us particular kindnefs,\non account of our being Frenchmen, whom,\nthey told us, they love very much, knowing\nthat their people have always been kindly treated\nby them, and particularly without any fort of\ncontemptuous infolence. On this account they\nconftantly called us their fathers.\nAge is fo much honoured by the Indians,\nthat in their language age and wifftom are fyno-\no o o *\n*nimous terms.\nNotwith-\nill\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\nNotwithstanding this high estimation, in which\nold age is every where held, and the great refpect\nenjoyed by their chieftains in time of peace, and\nby their leaders in time of war, health, dexterity,\nand courage alone obtain distinctions among the\nIndians. Although from difpofition and habit\nthey are independent of each other, in all the\nm 1\nconcerns of life, yet they are never wanting in\n' J J o\nobedience to their chiefs and leaders.\nHofpitality is with them a duty, which it\nwould be a crime not to obferve, and which\nthey never fail to practife. They confider revenge as a duty equally Sacred. They conceal\ntheir vindictive views as long as they know\nthey cannot be gratified. But neither the longest\nJ b b\nperiod of time, nor the greateft obstacles, ever\nStifle in them the imperious paSlion for revenge\nAlthough theft is very common among them,,\nand more fo among the women than the men,\nyet the thief, caught in the fact, is compelled to\nreftore the property he Stole; and in cafe of a\nviolent robbery, the conjurors are confulted,\nwho Condemn the robber to death.\nHomicide is atoned for by a fum of money,\nthe amount of which is paid in a fort of Shells,\ncalled wampum, by which the price of all commodities is meafured and adjusted. An offender,\nwho cannot raife this ranfom, is delivered over\nto\nm\n_-j.&^u\n TRAVELS THROUGH\nto the family of the deceafed, that they may take\ntheir revenge on him. Deliberate murder is fel-\ndom committed ; manslaughter perpetrated in\ndrunken quarrels is more frequent. Yet the fame\nindulgence, in regard to homicide and theft, is\nnot Shewn 'by all the Indian nations. I have\nlearnt from Colonel Brant, chieftain of the\nMohawks, that among the Six Nations, who\nStill occupy lands near the lakes in the dominion\nof the United States, and in Canada, and to whom\nthe Mohawks and Seneca Indians belong ; every\nIndian, who has killed or robbed another, muft\ninevitably suffer death. The murderer is generally put to death by the relations of the perfon\nan\nmurdered. But every Indian belonging to the\nnation has a right to kill him, as foon as the\ncrime is known. It frequently happens, that\nthe offender, far from making the leaft resistance, voluntarily furrenders himfelf up for exe-\nCution.\nAmong fome nations the wife takes revenge\nof an unfaithful hufband, by a Similar conduct\non her own part; and the hufband, in the fame\ncircumstances, has recourfe to the fame means of\nrevenge. Among fome the huSband puts the\nwife to death, if he catch her in flagranti deliclo.\nThe greatest crime among the Indians is to touch\na captive, even with her confent. This crime\nwould\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\n321\nWould be punifhed with inftant death. I know\nfrom Colonel Brant* that'among the Six Nations\nthere has yet been no inflance of fuch an offence.\nAs foon as the captive is fet at liberty, there ex-\nifts no farther prohibition, in cafe fhe confents.\nAs they can neither read nor write, and yet are\ndefirous of tranfmitting the memory of their\nactions to posterity, efpecially the fortunate exploits of their tribes ; they effect this purpofe by\ncutting figures in the bark of trees, which, to\nCD CD '\nthofe who are unacquainted with this fort of language, appear to have no form, but are very intelligible to them and their posterity, as long as\nthey are fpared by all-destroying time* It is\nin this manner they record their exploits in\nhunting and war, the number of the fcalps they\nhave torn from the Skulls of their enemies, &c.\nThe wampum, which is their money, is alfo their\nornament, and their pledge for the performance\nof every contract and oath. They are more or\nlefs Skilled in cafting up accounts, in proportion\nto the extent of their trade. They count their\nmonths and days by the moon and the night,\nj j b ~\nand their years by fummer and winter. The\npole Star, with which they are acquainted, guides\nthem in their nocturnal journies.\nThe cuftoms of the Indians, with refpect to\nmarriage, are various. In fome tribes the chil-\nVol. I. Y dren\n mm\nTRAVELS THROUGH\ni\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0\n1\nFill\nn\n< 111\nm\ndren are given in marriage by their parents; irt\nothers they make their own choice. Among\nj b\nfome polygamy is permitted ; with others it is\nnot in ufe. In fome tribes the infidelity of the\nwives caufes not the leaft uneafinefs to the hufband ; in others it afflicts them to fuch a degree,\nthat they frequently poifon themfelves ; an act\nof defpair, which is alfo fometimes committed\nby women from the fame motives. Marriage,\nhowever, is in general with them but a transitory\nunion. Divorces are very frequent; and in this\ncafe the children remain with,the wife, together\nwith all the other property. Converfation feldom or never takes place between the hufband\nand* wife ; the Indians in general fpeak little.\nThe wife, when fhe returns home from hard labour, prepares food for her hufband, twice or\nthrice a day, who is ever fatisfied with what\nShe gives him. If no meal be prepared, the\nhufband goes away without complaining, and\neats with one of his neighbours.\nTheir ufual difeafes are inflammatory and\nputrid fevers, and the fmall-pox. The laft never\nattacks them, but when they are near the habi-\ntations of white people, to the care of whofe\nphyficians they commit themfelves with a tolerable Share of confidence. If there be no medical perfons in the neighbourhood, they place\nequal\n ttOETH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\n323\nfcqual confidence in their conjurors, who are\noften women. The remedies, which the conjurors apply, confift generally of the infpiffated\njuices of herbs. They alfo often caufe the patient to be put into a kind of oven, or vapour-\nbath, to bring on a violent perfpiration, which\nis the moft common cure. Thefe vapour-baths\nare made by means of large ftones, heated as\nmuch as poffible, and arranged in the form of a\ncircle, in the centre of which the patient is placed.\nOver this fmall inclofure is fpread a very low\ntent coyer, made of wool, the red-hot Stones\nare wetted with water, and when the patient,\nby means of this fleam, is in a Strong perfpiration, he is fuddenly immerged into the coldeft\nbrook. This remedy is repeated feveral times,\nand proves often falutary in pleurisies and colds.\nBut never is any remedy applied without fome\nconcomitant mySterious ceremony; fuch as\nblowing upon the patient, dancing, howling, or\nbeating the drum. Whenever they apply a remedy, or practife their art, they invoke the Great\nSpirit, to whom, they fay, they are called in\ntheir fleep. Pains in the head, and in the mufcles\nof the neck, are very common among the women. They are attributed to the manner in\nwhich they carry their burthens.\nThe bite of the rattle-fnake is eafily cured,\n/ m\nY 2 the\n 324\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nthe remedy being known to all the Indians, and\nufually applied. I have already mentioned, that\nit is the rattle-fnake soot (polygala fenega, Linn.)\nThe bruifed leaves are applied to the wound,\nand the juice, extracted from the root, is taken\nwith a little butter or fat. There arc, however,\nfeveral other remedies againft this accident,\nwhich no Indian regards. The flefh of the\nfnake is confidered as a delicacy by the Indians,\nand the Slough, which the fnake cafts off twice\na year, beaten into powder, is ufed as a cleanfer\nof the blood.\nThe language of the Indians, in their confer-\nO O '\nences, is always figurative. When, for inflance,\nthey wifh to defcribe the reftoration of peace between two nations, they exprefs themfelves as\n7 J X\nfollows: % We are making a road five hundred\nmiles in length through the foreft ; we are tearing up the roots and branches that obftruct the\nO x\nway ; we are clearing it of ftones, rocks, and\ntrees ; we are removing the hills ; we cover it\n7 b '\n-with fand, and make it fo perfectly light, that\nall the nations can fee each other without the\nleaft obstruction.\" Although thev conduct them-\nfelves with great coolnefs, in all their dealings,\nyet they often grow warm in the delivery of their\nfpeeches, and then fwell declamation into musical notes: the affembly liftens in profound\nHi filence.\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C. 325\nSilence. The members of the council fmoke\ntheir pipes all the while, and the orator, when\nhe has done, lits down with them, and does the\nfame. Their fpeeches may be as long as they\npleafe ; they are never interrupted ; Since to interrupt an Indian would be deemed the greateft\noffence. In their deputations, their reception of\nambaffadors, and their negociation of treaties,\nthey introduce much folemnity, and many ceremonies.\nWhen one nation wages war againft another.\nb b *\nthey refolve on fo doing after due deliberation,\nbut never declare war againft their enemy. They\ncome upon him in greater or fmaller numbers,\nand kill and deftroy every thing within their\nreach. Whenever they meet with fingle individuals, who belong to the hoftile nation, they\ntreat them in the fame manner. There are,\nhowever, places of inviolability, where their\nhostilities are fufpended. Such is a certain fpot\non the banks of the river Miffouri, where a fpecies of ftone is found, of which they Stand in\nparticular need, for making pipes. Here the\nbittereft enemies work quietly near one another,\nin breaking thefe Stones, which they all alike\nwant. There are more fuch places, equally\nSacred ; and no inflance has ever happened of\nx x\nY 3 thefe\n 3:20*\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nthefe places having become a feene of content\ntion.\nPeace cannot be concluded between two na*\ntions, but through the intervention of a neutral\ntribe; and until it be actually concluded,, the contending parties continue to destroy each other.\nb r J\nAs foon as the words of peace are proclaimed by\nthe neutral nation, the ambaffadors of the tribes\nat war meet and agree upon the ceffation of\nhqftilities. No other conditions are ever made.\nThe propofals are reported by the ambaffadors to\nthe different councils of their refpective nations.\nAll the chieftains now aflemble, fmoke the calumet of peace, prefent each other with belts of\nwampum, and peace is definitively concluded.\nThey do not give up the prifoners they have\nmade, who remain where they are in a ftate of\nSlavery.\nWhen the Indians are at war with the white\npeople, in which generally feveral nations join,\nthe negociations for peace are ufually opened by\nmefiengers, deputed by the latter, v/ho are fre-\nquently~ murdered by the former. This happened in the laft war with the Americans. General Wayne, at the beginning of the year 1794,\nfent three officers, attended by three interpret\nters, to different nations, which had taken a position\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0-v:aa\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\n327\nfition in front of his army ; the fix perfons, who\ncarried the American flag, were all killed. After\nthe battle, which took place in Auguft follow-\n7 1 O\ning, near Lake Erie, and in which the Indians were defeated, General Wavne, inftead of\nputting the prifoners to the fword, ordered them\nto be well treated, and fent feveral of them back\nwith propositions of peace. The Indians being\ndifpirited by their defeat, as well as by the faint-\njiefs of the afliStance afforded them by the Englifh, who had \u00E2\u0096\u00A0 excited them to the war, were\nglad to get their prifoners* back, yielded to the\nb. b x ~ J\ngeneral wifh as well as necessity of living at\npeace, and confented that negociations Should\nbe opened. Eleven nations had been at war with\nthe Americans ; ambaffadors for the eleven nations arrived ; and the negociations lafted three\nmonths.\nAs foon as the point has been agreed upon\nthat negociations for peace fhall be opened, the\nIndians consider peace as actually concluded, and\nfor this reafon they bring the calumet of peace\ninto the firft affembly, which is always very numerous ; it is prefented by one of the chieftains,\nand every one prefent fmoaks it. To wipe the\nend of the pipe would be a great affront to an\nIndian, and might even lead to the rupture of\nthe negociation. The fubfequent affernblies are\nI Y4 :| lefs\n 328\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nlefs numerous. They are compofed of about\nthree or four deputies of each nation, attended\nby interpreters; for ah the nations fpeak different dialects. The fpeeches of the Indians are\nvery long, and, at times, laft three hours. They\nare liftened to, as I have already obferved, with\nthe utmoft attention. Their remarks and anfwers are often extremely pertinent and acute.\nThe orators frequently mark down with wampum the leading points of their fpeeches, in a\nmanner fcarcely intelligible to any one but themfelves. By a similar arrangement of their warn-\npum, the young Indians, who affift at the principal deliberation, report to the council of their\nnation not only all the propofals which have\nbeen made, but, in general, every thing that\nhas been faid.\nThe negociations being brought to a clofe,\nthe articles agreed upon are written on a long\nor p\npiece of parchment, comprising every thing that\nrelates to every different nation concerned in the\npeace. Thefe parchments are figned by all the\nchieftains of the nations, who, for the moft part,\nufe as their Signature a misfhapen image of the\nanimal, which forms the distinctive mark of the\ntribe. One of thefe parchments, thus figned,\nremains in the hands of the white nation, and\nthe other is delivered to one of the Indian nations\n NORTH AMERICA CANADA, &C.\n19.\n29\ntions.concerned, which is moft numerous, and\nfrom which the reft receive copies of the treaty\nin wampum. Everything being terminated,\nprefents are made, and the calumet is fmoaked\nby way of conclufion.\nGeneral Wayne, from whom I learned thefe\nparticulars, allows, that the Indians poffefs an\nexcellent difpofition, with much found understanding and judgment. In the battle, which\ndecided the iffue of the war, they difplayed the\nmoft obstinate valour, bordering on blood-thirfly\nferocity. They even executed bold and tolerably fkilful manoeuvres, which, though they had\nundoubtedly been contrived and indicated to\nthem*by Englifh officers, neverthelefs did them\ninfinite credit.\nThe Indians, giving a hofpitable reception to\ntravellers, make them fmoke the tomahawk, as\nthey ratify a peace by fmoking the calumet with\ntheir former enemies. They generally fmoke\na very pleafant tobacco, which is rendered Still\nmilder by a mixture of the bruifed leaves of\nfragrant plants, and efpecially of fumach.\nLet it, however, be remembered, that thefe\ngeneral remarks on the manners of the Indians\nadmit of many modifications in regard to fingle\ntribes and individuals. I have collected them\nhere, rather with a view of gratifying, as far as\nI am\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0w\n11\n It i\ntf\n\E\nm\\\\n$\nFFB\n*to\nOO'\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nI am able, the eager curiosity of my European\nfriends, than with, an intention of prefenting\nthem with a complete delineation of Indian manners, fuch as could fatisfy myfelf. Yet I can at\nleaf! offer this picture as faithful, if imperfect,\nthough it be not drawn from my own imme-\ndiate obfervation.\nBuffalo Town is about four miles diftant from\nLake Erie. The road, which leads thither, runs\nunder the moft beautiful beech trees and pines,\nand is for this reafon even worfe, than that by\nwhich we came this morning. All this country\nis full of Stagnant waters, and large Stinking\nfwamps and morafies ; and yet we did not obferve any agues among the Indians, who feem\nlefs liable to fuch difeafes than white people.\nAt length we reached Lake Erie, that is to\nfay, a fmall fettlement of four or five houfes,\nstanding about a quarter of a mile from the lake.\nA fmall creek feparated them from our road.\nThis creek is fo muddy, that nobody ventures\nto ford it on horfeback. The faddles are, therefore, taken off: the horfemen pafs the creek,\nwhich is about twenty feet in breadth, in boats,\nand make the horfes fwim acrofs, though thefe\nfind great difficulty in gaining the oppofite bank.\nWe met, on our journey, fome troops of travelling Indians, and two or three caravans of\nwhite\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0^jA\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\n131\nwhite people ; occurrences, which afford great\npleafure. A fire, not yet extinguished, veftiges\nof a camp or resting place, nay, a broken utenfil,\nwhich has ferved for the ufe of a traveller, excites, in thefe wilderneffes, the moft pleafing\nfenfations. The idea, \" I am not alone in this\nvaftfolitude\" cannot but be ftill more important\nto him, who travels by himfelf in thefe forests,\nthan it was to us. And yet we enjoyed thefe\nemotions, in every part of our journey, where\nthe habitations lay at confiderable distances\nafunder. The fmalleft portion of cleared ground,\nor a little,wood cut down, is beheld with the\nutmoft joy, and its afpect infpires the beholder\nwith frefh courage to proceed.\nWe had hoped to find \"Mr. Guillemard at the\ninn, but learned from the Indian, who had conducted him hither, that he had arrived here\ntwo hours ago, and had already proceeded onward on his journey ; he found it too tedious to\nwait for us ; and befides, nothing could be had\nin the inn. He had very properly crofted over\nto the other fide ; we intended to do the fame ;\nbut it was too late. We were, therefore, necessitated to content ourfelves with a very poor\nSupper, and to lie down on the floor, wrapped\nup in our cloaks. Not the leaft furniture was\nto be feen in the houfe, nor was there any\nmilk.\n11\nM\u00C2\u00BB\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0\n%,/\n m\n332\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nL\nLI '\u00C2\u00AB\nn\ni\n>i\nWl\nBr\ni !*\nf-l\niflf\nII 'i\nmilk, rum, or candles. With confiderable trouble we got fome milk from the neighbours ; but\nb b 7\nthey were not equally obliging, in regard to\nrum and candles. At length we obtained thefe\narticles from the other fide of the river; our appetite was. keen ; we,fpent a pleafant evening,\nand Slept as well as in the woods.\nAt Lake Erie (this is the name of this clufter\nof houfes) every thing is much dearer, than in\nany other place, through which we have hitherto paffed, in our journey, from want of any direct communication wiih other countries, to facilitate the intercourfe of trade and commerce.\nThere is fcarcely one houfe in this little hamlet,\nwithout a perfon indifpofed with the ague. We\nfound ourfelves here furrounded by Indians;\nfome of them had caught, with harpoons, feveral large Sturgeons on the border of the lake,\nwhich they offered us for two fhillings a piece.\nThe banks are crowded, nay rendered noifome\nwith places where the Indians dry the fifh, which\nthey catch in great numbers in Lake Erie.\nFrom the fmallnefs of the lakes we had feen\nin Geneffee, we were much difpofed to admire\nthis lake. We were charmed with its vast ex-\nrent. Were it not for the oppofite bank, its\nafpect would refemble that of the fea ; as no\nGther land was to be feen, and the profpect of\nwater\n\u00E2\u0080\u00A2\u00C2\u00ABn\u00C2\u00ABj|\n ZESW3K&,\nNORTH AMERICA, CANADA, 8CC\nWater was boundlefs. The bankjs of the lake\nare rather flat, and uninhabited throughout this\nwhole extent. Father Charlevoix obferves\nin his travels, that Lake Erie received its name\nfrom a tribe of Hurons, who inhabited its banks,\nbut were exterminated by the Iroquois, and the\nword erie in their language Signifies a cat. The\nb b b\nimmenfe number of wild cats, which are found\non the banks of this lake, and the Skins of which\nare much valued, have probably given rife to the\nname.\nAt break of day Mr. de Blacons and myfelf\nproceeded to the place, where we were to crofs\nthe river, three miles distant from the inn. Du-\npetitthouars had hired a boat to fail down the\nriver, which iffues from Lake Erie, is about three\nquarters of a mile in breadth, and is called the\nNiagara. We here embarked, and confequently\nleft the territory of the United States.\nMINERALOGICAL OBSERVATIONS.\nI fhall here fubjoin a few remarks on the mineralogy of the country, Which we have traverf^-\ned. I owe them to Mr. Guillemard, who on\nthis Subject pofteffes more ample and correct information, than I can boaft.\nIn the vicinity of Philadelphia the rocks are\nall compofed of granite or gneifs. The moft\ncommon\n TRAVELS THROUGH\ncommon is a granite interfperfed with mica*\nand you frequently meet with\" large Strata of\nmica or talc. The Strata of thefe rocks incline\ntowards the horizon, forming an angle of about\nforty-five degrees. The layer of earth, fpread\nover them, is generally a fort of fand of the\nfame quality as the rock. Under this bed of\nfand, a hard fort of clay is frequently met with.\nThis large mafs of granite is interfedted by\nveins of hornftpne, calcareous fpar\u00C2\u00A3, and qther\nlime-Stones, with very good marble. On the\nbanks of the Schuylkill, and efpecially near Nor-\nriftown, a vein of fine marble Shoots out of the\nfurface; it is connected with the rock of granite, which, towards the north-weft, borders\nupon the river.\nThe direction of all thefe veins generally\nforms a right angle with that of the Stratum of\ngranite, and they ufually drop in a line perpendicular to the horizon.\nIn the whole neighbourhood, no petrifactions\nare found of marine animals and plants, or of\nany thing Similar; but in holes, dug in the\nground, as well as in brooks, a Stone is frequently met with of a loofe and granulated texture, which is easily pulverifed, and bears a clofe\naffinity to fluor.\nFurther\n-nanK|l\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\no o n\nFurther northwards, the foil, which before\nwas much covered with mica, begins to be lefs\nfo, and the rocks contain lefs granite. Near the\ncreek Perkioming, a reddifh argillaceous Slate\nis found, with which the country in general\nabounds, till you come within nine miles of\nReading. Here begin Strata of a Stone of a light\ngrey, and fometimes of a blueifh colour, which\nO J ' 7\nbreaks into large fquare pieces, and feems to be\nC3 X X\na fpecies of fluor.\nOn the road to Reading, at a fmall distance\nfrom that place, are found large malTes of a kind\nx ' O\nof pudding-Stone, confifting of fragments of\ngneifs and Slate, imbedded in a dark grey ba-\nSaltes.\nNear this fpot is found calcareous fpar, but\nin fmall quantities ; and in the vicinity of Reading is much lime-Stone.\nWe were told, that pudding-Stone, in this\ncountry, is never found in Strata ; it is commonly\nof a dark red colour, which is rather dull.\nThe country about Lancafler, alfo, abounds\nin lime-Stone, but without any impression of\nmarine animals. The adjacent Strata confift of\na greyifh Slate, and fink deep into the ground.\nOn the banks of the Sufquehannah a Stratum\nof fandy loam covers the perpendicular veins of\ngneifs\nm\n ITfiSlfr\u00E2\u0084\u00A2\nTRAVELS THROUGH .\ngneifs and flate, Which, at times, form confidef*\nable maffes.\nNear Middle Town the rocks are of a red-\ndiSh colour, and contain much clay. On paff-\nJn0- the Peters' Mountains, you meet with much\nb ' J\ngranite; yet Slate predominates. The rocks,\nwhich form the bafes of the mountains, or the\nSteep banks of the river, on the road from North-\nX '\numberland to Afylum, exhibit but little variety\nin a mineralogical point of view. In fome places,\nthe Slate breaks readily into fmall plates, which\nare made ufe of to cover the roofs of houfes.\nNo granite appears any more ; and both in brooks\nand rivers free-Stone is found, with impreflions\nof fea animals and plants. \ Quarz difappears by\ndegrees. The foil confifts of fand, except in\nplains, meadows, and low grounds, which are\ncovered with either rotten plants or vegetable\nearth. The ground, in general, is fo much covered with earth, that a traveller, who has no\ntime to explore rocks and Stone-quarries, will\nhardly be able to form a complete and difcrimi-\nnative idea of the minerals of this country.\nNear Loyalfoek ftones are to be found, which\nhave the appearance of bafaltes. Some contain\nmica, but in a very fmall proportion. Above\nAfylum the rocks are of an argillaceous compo-\nfition.\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\n337\nfition. The foil in the neighbourhood is, for\nthe moft part, rich and fertile. The Strata incline with a lefs acute angle, and frequently\nrun parallel to the horizon. The Stone, when\nbroken, appears of a testaceous texture, and its\ngrain refembles metallic particles, not yet perfectly formed. Free-ftone is frequent, and fo is\nbafalt. Broad level plains, expofed to inundation, form the greater part of the territory,\nwhich extends towards the district of Geneffee.\nAt Painted Poft, the water rofe, in December,\n1797, nineteen feet above the common level for\nthe fummer months. The depth of the layers\nof earth, and the fwamps, greatly obstruct mi-\nneralogical refearches.\nThe firft Strata, in which I found marine bodies\niii their native beds, are in the vicinity of the fmall\nlakes, between Lake Seneca and Crooked Lake.\nNear Friendfmill and Friendflanding, oyfter-\nShells, with remains of other teftaceous animals,\nare found in a foft argillaceous Stone. Farther\nweft the argillaceous Stones difappear, and are\nfucceeded by calcareous. The country grows\nmore and more flat; but wherever the nature of\nthe ground, or moraffes, did not prevent us from\nexamining into the nature and form of the Strata,\nthey ran nearly parallel to the horizon. They\nVol. I. Z are,\nill\n1\na\n m&\n-\u00C2\u00A5fcA9&&5 tf&ROfrGSI\nare,efbr the moft part, of a calcareous cornpOn-\ntion, and contain numerous remains and im>\\npreffions of lea animals. Of this defcription are\nmoft of the Stones in Big Plain, on the Buffalo\nCreek, on trie banks of Lake Erie, at leaft at its\nextremity, the only part which we traverfed>\nand on the fotafhern bank of the river, as far as\nNiagara.\nAs to the fpecies of trees, that compofe the\nwoods, through which we have palled Since our\ndeparture from Philadelphia, they are without\n-number. I poffefs too little information on this\nfubject to difcriminate and enumerate them all.\nThofe which I diftinguifhed were the red, or\nScarlet flowering, the afh-leaved, the mountain,\nand the fugar maple,, the black, and the poplar-\nleaved birch, the curled maple, Which, however, in Pennfylvania and Geneffee, is but a\nmiddle freed Shrub, the button tree, the per-\nfimon tree, the fmall-leaved chefnut tree, an\nafh with deeply indented leaves,* the white nut\ntree, the hickory, the bermudiau cedar, the benjamin tree,, the magnolia with indented leaves,\nthe white Spruce and hemlock fir, the white and\nblack oak, the white and black aSh, the black\nand Silver poplar, the plum tree, the cherry tree,,\nthe tulip trecy the common fumach and the vinegar\n SLrr.\nNORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\ngar plant, befide an immenfe number of fhrubs\nfor the moft part with beautiful, yet fcentlefs\nflowers, and a vast variety of fylvati plants.\nThe liyiory o/Mr. Johnson, of Virginia^ who,\nin 17QO, was taheft Prifoner by the Indians,.\nwritten on board the Pigeon, in October, 1704.\nThe following narrative contains the hiftory\nof Mr. Johnfon, ah American gentleman, a native\nof Virginia, and of his releafe in the year 1790.\nAlthough this hiftory does not abound with\nremarkable events, and fome of them are rather\nunimportant, yet it appears to me interesting,\ninafmuch as it enlarges our knowledge of In-\no o\ndian manners from facts, Which Mr. Johnfon,\n' m*\n& gentleman of veracity, of an unaffuming dif-\npofitioli, and of a calm, temperate imagination,\nrelated to me himfelf, and which I Wrote down,\nin a manner, from his mouth\".\nMr. Johnfon, inhabitant and merchant of\nRichmond, in Virginia, found himfelf under the\nnecefiity of proceeding to Kentucky ; there to\nreceive certain fumsof money, due to his father,\nwho was recently dead ; and to examine fome\nWitneffes before the fupreme court of the ftate\nof Virginia. Having made the fame tour the\npreceding year, he fet out accordingly from\nRichmond, in fhe beginning of the month of\nZ 2 March.\n 340\nTRAVELS THROUOH:\nMarch, 1790, and proceeded with his friend,\nMr. May, a great land-holder in Kentucky, and\n' O J '\nan inhabitant of Petersburg, toKecklar's Station,\nin Virginia, on the banks of the Great Kanha-\nway. They found there James Skuyl, a merchant, of Great Brayer-court-houfe, in Virginia,\nwho was carrying a large quantity of merchandize to Kentucky. They jointly purchafed one\nof the veffels, which, as they are intended merely\nto defcend the Ohio, and are not built to remount it, have no more durability than is required for that purpofe, and are, confequently,\nfold at a cheap rate. They are large flat bottomed veffels, without any deck ; and are fold\nin Limeftone for the value of their timber.\nThat bought by Mr. Johnfon and his fellow\ntravellers colt thirty dollars.\nI State thefe particulars, though they may\nappear trifling, a\u00C2\u00A3 they will not, perhaps, be\nfound altogether unufeful; the emigration to\nO ' O\nKentucky being at this time extremely frequent,\nand the way of proceeding thither by water being the moft expeditious, the leaft expensive,\nand the moft generally chofen of any.\nHaving embarked on board this veffel, with\ntheir merchandize and Stores, they defcended the\nriver, working the veffel themfelves. During\nthe whole paffage of two hundred and ninety-\nfive\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\n341\nfive miles thence to Limeftone, nothing is re^\nquired but to keep the veffel in the middle of\nthe Stream, which is fufficiently rapid to carry\nher down, without the leaft afliftance from row^\ning. At the confluence of the Kanhaway with\nthe Ohio, at Point Pleafant, they found three\nother travellers, who were waiting for an opportunity to proceed on the fame-journey; namely,\nWilliam^hlyn, of Point Pleafant, a petty\ntradefman, who was in the habit of travelling to\n7 b\nKentucky ; and Dolly and Peggy Fleming,\nlikewife of Point Pleafant, who intended to proceed to Kentucky, under tlje protection of\nPhlyn, a relation of their's, and to fettle in that\nplace. They were all of them fully aware, that\nthe navigation of the Ohio is not exempt from\ndanger; but they alfo knew, that inftances of\nthe Indians attacking a veffel in the midft of the\nStream are very rare, and that an attack on a\nvefiel, with fix perfons on board, was altogether\nunprecedented. They, therefore, made themfelves perfectly eafy. Having left Point Pleafant on Friday, the 20th of March, early in the\nmorning, they proceeded, during a paffage of\ntwenty-two hours, with all the care, which the\nweather, when favourable, admits of in thefe\nforts of veffels. They had failed one hundred\nand fix miles ; it was five o'clock in the mortize I ing I\nV\nMl\n\u00E2\u0080\u0094^\u00E2\u0080\u0094^\nI\n 42\n&*k&\nTRAVELS THROUGH\ning; they were near the confluence of the\nSciota, and had a fair profpeft of reaching Limestone the next morning, by day-break. Patting\non with this expectation, they heard dreadful\nShrieks, proceeding from two men, who fpoke\nEnglifh, and told them, in the moft affecting\ntone of grief, that they had been taken pri-\nfpners by the Indians, and had made their efcape,\nbut feared to fall again into their hands. They\nhadnot eaten any thing for thefe four days paft,\nand entreated, if they couldnot be taken on board,\nto be at leaft supplied with fome provifion, \u00E2\u0080\u00A2 and\nthus fayed from the unavoidable danger of periSh-\ning through hunger. The firft and immediate\nfentiment of all the paffengers impelled them to\nSuccour thefe unfortunate perfons. But a little\nconsideration excited Strong apprehensions in fome\nof them, left the afliftance, which they might;\nafford thefe perfons, Should throw themfelves into\nthe hands of the Indians. Mr. Johnfon, as well\nas Mr. May, entertained this fear, which, on the\nother hand, was combated as groundlefs by the\nother two men; and thef$wo women, yielding to\ncompassion (a feeling more prevalent in theirfex\n\u00E2\u0080\u00A2fban our's) declared it an act of barbarous cruelty,\non the part of the $pove two gentlemen* to op-\npofe the ft&ing the lives of the above two persons, in danger of instant death. Johnfon and\nI ' 'esa a,^ May,\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\nMay, though Still imprcffed with the fame apprehensions, felt extremely uneafy, when they\nconsidered, that in confequence of their prudence,\nthe unfortunate men might, perhaps, periSh.\nThey would not appear lefs ftumane than the\nreft, who f&ared the fame danger, and accordingly defended their opinion with lefs firrnnefs,\n$han when they fi^S: propofed it. The two unfortunate men followed the veSfel along the Shore,\nas She was carried onwards by the current. Their\nmournful lamentations, their fcreams, and ex-\npreSfions of agonizing anguifh and despair SHli\nincreasing, William Phlyn, who derived fome\nkind of authority from his b&ing accuftomed to\nthis paSJage, and in the habit of frequenting Kentucky, propofed that he would go alone, and carry\nJbread to the unfortunate sufferers, if his companions would land him on fhore. He contended,\nthat he Should difeern the Indians from afar, if\nthey made their appearance; that, in this cafe,\nthe veffel might easily regain the middle of the\nStream; and that he would make the journey\nto Limeftone on foot, without falling into the\nhands ot the Indians. It would have been ex=-\ntremely hard to oppofe this propofal, which was\nSeconded by the two women, and by James Skuyl,\nMr. Johnfon and Mr. May, therefore, yielded,\nrather out of weaknefs, than from any hearty\n2 i appr<\n m *j\n344\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nm\nill\nu\n\u00E2\u0080\u00A2 * \u00E2\u0096\u00A0 4 \u00E2\u0080\u00A2 \u00E2\u0080\u00A2 -j j j\nI'll\napprobation of the measure. . They Steered towards the Sliore, where the two Sufferers were\ndragging themfelves along, as if tormented by\nthe moft excruciating pains. Why is it, that\nhumanity and candour muft fo frequently fall\nvictims to artifice and fraud ? The apprehension\nof the two gentlemen were but too well founded.\nThe two men were two traitors, suborned by the\nIndians to decoy the veffel to the Shore. The Indians followed them, at fome diftance, constantly\nconcealing themfelves behind trees. The mo-\nment the veffel reached the Shore, they burst\nforth* about twenty-five or thirty in number,\nraifed a dreadful howl, and fired on the paffen-\ngers. Two of them were killed by the firft firing,\nand the reft, in equal aStoniShment and terror,\nendeavoured to regain the middle of the Stream.\nBut being too near the Shore, and their activity\nand dexterity being feverely checked by the prox-\nmity of the impending danger, they made but\nlittle wray. The two perfons killed were Mr.\nMay and Dolly Fleming. The Indians continued to fire. James Skuyl was wounded, and\ntwo horfes, which were on board, were killed.\nAll this increafed the terror of the three travellers, who were yet able to work, and impaired\ntheir exertions. The fury of the Indians increafed\nin proportion to their hope of fuccefs. Some\nthrew\n NORTH AMERICA, 'CANADA, &C\nthrew themfelves into the river, and fwarn towards the fhip ; thofe who remained on Shore\nthreatened to fire on the paffengers, if they\nfhould make' the leaft refinances- and kept their\npieces constantly levelled againft them. The\nfwimmers brought the fhip accordingly on fhore ;\nand the unfortunate Americans were obliged to\nland under the continued howl of the Indians,\nwhich, however, were no longer the accents of\n77 CD\nrage, butffhouts of joy, on account of the feizure\nof their prey. The Indians offered them their\nhands, which they fhook with more or lefs Satisfaction, \"in proportion to the greater or lefs degree of fear they felt, which we may eafily conceive not to have been fmall. This reception,\nhowever, in feme meafure allayed their appre-\nhenfion. While fome of the Indians were thus\nfaluting the prifoners, and led them away frorri\nthe fhore, fhe reft were bufied in landing\" all the\nmerchandize and Stores. Some cut wood, and\nmade a fire. Thefe arrangements were foon\nmade. The articles found in the Ship were car-\nried to the fire, as well as the two unfortunate\nperfons who had been Shot. The latter were\ncompletely Stripped of their clothes, fcalped on\nthe fpot, and their corpfes thrown into the river.\nMr. May was an intimate friend of Mr. Johnfon ; and the latter is yet at a lofs for adequate\nterms\n II\nill\nt i\n346\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nterms to exprefs the horror he felt at this dreadful\nSight, which- for fome .time overpowered all his\napprehenSion concerning his own fafety. The\nfcalps were dried by the fire, to increafe the trophies of the tribe.\nWhile the male prifoners were Stripped of\nwhat articles they had about them, with more or\nlefs rigour, according to the whims of thofe who\ntook this talk upon them, or happened to be the\nneareft, the clothes of Peggy Fleming were not\ntouched. Mr. Johnforss coat and waiftcoat were\nalready pulled off, and half his Shirt, when an Indian, who hitherto had not concerned hjmfelf\nwith his drefs, returned it to him, and fpoke to\nhim who was pulling off the Shirt, in a tone not\nonly implying cenfure, but alfo a right to offer-\nit. The fame Indian gave him a blanket, by\nway of indemnification for the lofs of his coat\nand waiftcoat. His Shoes were taken frons him,\nand inftead of them they gave him mokkipons. or\nIndian Shoes, made of deer-Skins. His breeches\nand Stockings were yet left him ; all the clothes..\nwere added to the reft pf the booty. The Inr\ndians were now near Seventy in pumber, among\nwhom were about a dozen women. Their lea-:\nder affembled them aipund the fire, and, holding the tomahawk in his -hand, addreffed them\nin a fpeech, which lafted about an hour, and\nwhich\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\nwhich he delivered with great eafe and fluency\nof expreflion, with gestures, and in a tone of en-\nthufiafm, looking frequently up to heaven, or\ncasting down bis eyes on the ground, and pointing now to the prisoners, now to-the river. Almoft\nat eyery phrafie the Indians, who listened to him*\nwith the utmoft attention, expreffed their approbation and applaufe with accents of deep,\nmournful exclamation. The booty was divided\namong the different tribes, which Shared in this\nenterprize. The tribe of the Shawanefe, being\nthe molt numerous, and that to which the leader\nbelonged, received three prifoners ; and William\nPhlyn fell to the Share of the other tribe, the\nCherokees. Every prifoner was given to the\ncharge of an Indian, who was answerable for hi&\nperfon. Although thus distributed, the prifoners\nremained together, and neglected not to improve\nthe liberty allowed them, conversing with each\nOther without constraint.\nThe two men? who by their lamentations had\ndecoyed them on. Shore, now rejoined the Indians.\nTheir wretched victims poured forth againft\nthem fevere reproaches, though they were fomewhat. Softened by the fear of being overheard by\nthe Indians. They pleaded neceftity, and that\nthey had been ordered on pain of death, to act\n^s they did. By their accounts, they were inhabitants\n bitants of Kentucky, Surprized by the Indians,\nfix months before, in their own^habitations ; and\nhad already, feveral times, been employed in\nSimilar treachery. The Stores found on board the\nveffel ferved the Indians for their meals, in which\nthey generoufly allowed the prifoners to partake.\nNight coming on, every one lay down to reft under the trees. The prifoners were furrounded by\nthe tribes to which they respectively belonged,\nand Singly guarded by the Indian, wdio had the\ncharge of them. Peggy Fleming, who was never\nleft by her guards, was, this night in particular,\nSurrounded by women. Mr. Johnfon was tied\nby the elbows; and the ends of the ropes were\nfaftened to trees, which Stood far afimder, So that\nit was altogether impoflible for him to lie down.\nYet this was not deemed fufficient. Another\nrope, faftened to a tree, was tied around his neck, j\nand from it a rattle was suspended, which, if he\nhad made the leaft motion, would have awakened\nthe whole troop. The reft were treated nearly in\nthe fame manner. The two white fpies enjoyed\nthe moft perfect liberty. Some Indians were\nX J\nStationed, at certain distances, around the party,\nto obferve what was paSling in the Surrounding\nx o O\ncountry.\nEarly in the morning the prifoners were unbound, and Siiffered to enjoy the fame liberty as\non\n*\"\u00E2\u0096\u00A0\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\non the preceding day. About ten o'clock the\nIndians, who were polled along the banks of the\nOhio, reported, that a veffel was dropping down\nthe river. The prifoners were ordered to join\nthe other two, who yefterday beguiled their prey,\nand to exert their utmost efforts to decoy the paf-\nengers in the Ship on fhore. It is eafy to conceive, that the horror which they felt, on receiving thefe orders, was Strongly combated by the\nfear of inftant death, with which they were\nthreatened, in cafe of difobedience and refufaL\nThey were, therefore, under the neceftsty of\njoining the other two white men. Mr. Johnfon, however, though compelled, for the prefervation of his own life, to pretend to do like\nthe others, firmly determined not to make himfelf guilty of occasioning the Slavery, or probable\ndeath of the unfortunate pafTengers on board,\nr cd 7\nby any voluntary action on his part; and, consequently, neither to make the fmalleft gesture,\nnor to fpeak a word. And well might he Spare\nhimfelf this trouble. His companions exerted\n-themfelves to the utmost, to excite the compaf-\nSion of the paffengers on board, who, without the\nleast hefitation, Stood in towards the fhore, to\nfuccour and refcue from Slavery, thofe whom\nthey thought unfortunate captives. Scarcely had\nthey approached within a fmall diftance of the\n TRAVELS THSOUGR\nShore, when the Indians', who, as on the preceding day, had Stolen along behind the bufhes\nhaftened up, fired, and Shot the fix perfons on\nboard. Shouts of victory fucceeded to the howls\nof barbarous ragd. The veffel w7as hauled on\nShore ; and two of the ill-fated paffenger9j who\nwere not yet dead, were immediately difpatched\nJ m X\nwith the tomahawk* The Six fcalps were torn\noff and dried, and the booty was divided, but\nwith fewer formalities than on the preceding day.\nSoon after the fcouts made Signals* that three\nother veffels were in Sight* The fame Stratagem\nwas employed, but> for this time, in Vain* The;\nfamilies on board, which were proceeding to\nKentucky, did not appear to make any attempt\nto deviate from their courfe, but, on the Contrary, purfued it with redoubled activity. The\nIndians fired at the veffels, but, from the breadth\nof the Ohio, which, in this place, is almoft a.\nmile, the balls took no effect. Yet the pafTengers\nwere panic-Struck. Of the three veffels, which\nthey occupied with their cattle, they deferred\ntwo, and joined all in one ; believing, that they\nmight thus proceed faster, and more certainly\nmake their efcape. The other two veffels they\nabandoned to the Stream. This meaSure infpired\nthe Indians with a hope of feizing them, which\nthey would never have attempted, if the paffen^\ngers,\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\ngers, without leaving thefe two veffels, had Sted-\nfaftly pursued their courfe. The Indians, who\nin all their enterprizes, are rather animated by\nthirst for plunder than by real courage, never\nventure upon an attack, without being con-\nX * o\nvinced, that they are Superior in Strength ; a conviction, which they do not readily admit. In-\nfpirited by their number, by the obvious panic of\ntheir enemies, and by the feparation of their\nmeans of defence, they refolved on purfuing\nthem. Having on the preceding day captured\ntwo veffels, they went on board, embarked their\nprifoners, and, with all poSlible fpeed, purfued the\nfleeing Ship. The two veffels, which had been\nabandoned to the stream, foon fell into their\nhands ; but, not fatisfied with their capture, they\nwere bent upon taking the third, which they\nr b> 7 j v\npursued with redoubled exertion, raifing dreadful\nhowls, and difcharging all their pieces; but their\nfire proved as ineffectual as their other exertions.\nThe fugitive veffel having gained considerably\nCD CD CD J\nthe Start of them, approached a-Spot, wdiere the\nIndians feared to encounter new enemies. They\nwere, accordingly, obliged to relinquish their design, and to content themfelves with the rich\nbooty, which had already fallen into their hands.\nIt confifted of effects, Stores, and other valuable\narticles, belonging to the four families, which\nhad\n 352\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nhad jointly emigrated from Virginia, to fettle in\nKentucky. They brought every thing on Shore ;\nand, without distributing the whole, fell eagerly\non fome cafks of whifky. They drank fo largely,\nthat all of them were foon intoxicated. Six or\nSeven, to whom was committed the charge of\nguarding the booty, and who had been ordered,\nat the beginning of thefe Bacchanalian revels, to\nCD CD %\ndrink with moderation, retained alone the ufe of\ntheir fenfcs. Ail the reft lay buried in a profound Sleep ; and, among them, the leader of the\nparty, and the guards of the prifoners. William Phlyn himfelf had.drunk fo much whifky,\nas to be in the fame Situation with his masters.\nMr. Johnfon's mind was too deeply affected by\nX J J\nhis dreadful Situation, to Share in this difgufting\nbanquet. Totally abforbed in the contemplation\nof the dangers and miferies that awaited him,\nand eagerly defirous of warding them off, if pof^\nfible, he conceived, that the profound Sleep of all\nthe Indians around him might afford the mean3\nof efcape, and communicated his idea to James\nSchuyl, who was lying by his fide. The veffels\nwere faftened to ftakes along the Shore, at a\nfmall diftance from them; the fuccefs of their\nenterprize depended merely on their stealing\nthither unobferved, throwing themfelves into the\nfirft veffel they Should find, the night being very\ndark,\n rORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\n383F-\n11 M\ndark, and abandon her to the Stream. Succefs?\nappeared as certain, if they could reach the veffels, as inftant death, on the other hand, if they\nwere apprehended. James Skuyl the more readily embraced this project, as, but half an hour\nbefore* he efcaped death in a manner little Short\nof a miracle. An Indian ran up to him, in the\nfirst fit of drunken madnefs, with the dreadful\nknife in his hand, to fcalp him, and would certainly have accomplished his purpofe, but for the\ninterference of two other Indians* lefs inebriated\nthan he was, who checked his fury. The laft\nwords of this converfation were uttered in a voice\nfo very low, that it was impoffible to conceive\nthey Should have been understood by an Indian*\nwho lay at a confiderable distance* though he\nwere even poffeffed of a knowdedge of the English tongue ; yet He arofc, and and tied them in\nthe fame manner as the preceding night, without\nShewing, however, the leaft pafilori, nay, without\nspeaking a wTord. ^ajpj\nThus the pleafing hopes of the twe> prifoners\nwere blasted on a fudden, and converted into renewed defpair. Tied fait to trees, feparated from\neach other, convinced, by experience, that they\nwere clofely watched, without the least intermif-\nfion, even in moments when they might imagine\nthemfelves to be totally unguarded; they could\ntt\nVol. I.\na a\nnot\n w\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0SUSP\n354\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nI Hi\nSET\nft\nH f\nnot but Siippofe themfelves doomed to a State of\nhopeless mifery. The remembrance of all they\nhad heard of the cruelty of the Indians towards\ntheir prifoners, oppreffed their minds with constant horror. They were aware, that they would\nbe yielded up to the groffeft insults, and to lingering, cruel, and varied torments. They confidered the Indians, who were lying around them\nin a ftate of fenfelefs, brutifh intoxication, as the\ninstruments of their tortures. It was with thefe\npainful ideas, that the twro unfortunate prifoners\npaffed the remainder of the night. At break of\nday, the Surrounding troop awoke; they were\nuntied ; and this day, the third of their captivity,\nwas Spent in continued revels, kept up with the\nwhiffy, which had been left the preceding day.\nThe leader, probably from an opinion that his?\nexpedition had already proved Sufficiently productive, 'proclaimed his will on the next following day, that it Should be clofed; and the different tribes, which had taken a Share in it, fet\nout on their way home. They all inhabited the\nneighbourhood of the lakes Ontario and Erie.\nThe leader of the moft numerous tribe wras a Sha-\nwanefe; the reft were Dower Creeks^ Wyandats*\nMingoes, Othenwages, Delawares, Ottawas, Che-\npawas, and Cherokees.\nJohnfon, Jacob Skuyl, and Peggy Fleming,\nas\nfife'\n \u00E2\u0096\u00A0PB-\n\"J&.MM\nNORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\n355\nas has already been obferved, had fallen to the\nlot of the Shawanefe, forty of which tribe were\nprefent in this expedition. They left the Ohio\ntogether; while William Phlyn departed with\nthe Cherokees. On the firft day's journey, Johnfon was ordered to lead a cow, which formed a\npart of the booty, found on board the two de-\nferted veffels. Jacob Skuyl, being wounded, had\nnothing to do, but follow the troop. Peggy\nFleming, who was Surrounded by men and women by turns, could go wherever She pleafed.\nThey were all three at liberty to converfe as they\nchofe, without the Indians having hitherto conceived the fmalleft diStruSt. The vaft booty,\nwhich had fallen to the Share of this tribe, was,\nin part, transported on horfes, ten or twelve in\nnumber, found in the veffels, and in part carried\nby Indians, who, at times, loaded Mr. Johnfon with part of their burden. The firft day's\njourney was but five miles. The Shawanefe\nhalted in a beautiful vale, where, under Straggling trees, about forty horfes were grazing,\nwhich, in the courfe of the expedition, had been\nt^aken from the different travellers, and fent to\nthis fpot. They bad adopted this measure, becaufe they were to return this way; and it, befides, Supplied the horfes with food in the utmost\nabundance. The cow was killed the firft day,\nAa? roafted\n lui\ni'7\n\lw' I tl\ni\no\n56\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nla !\nVI -/\nroafted, and devoured. What had not been\neaten, was left behind the next morning, when\nCD7\nthey fet out to renew their journey. The leader,\nwith eight or ten Indians, had, by this time, left\nthe troop, mounted the best horfes, and rode off\nto reach tl\niTf*!T* rl?Lr)1 r?lTlo\n-V_AJ. ilUJJ\nres fi nri\nLet LILM J\nbefore the arrival of\nthe reft. They took Peggy Fleming with them,\nwho, for the prefervation of her life, did all She\ncould to pleafe the leader, and the other Indians,\non whom .She depended. Her good and playful\nhumour infured her fuccefs. She was carried off\non one of the belt horfes, and the apprehensions\nof her future fate were loft in the pleafiire of her\njourney. Her two companions in misfortune,\nunable to charm their masters, as She did, continued their journey in the fame manner, in\n:wjiich they had begun it; except that they had\nnotibihg to carry, as the horfes were more numerous: the cow too. had been killed. The troop\nbreaifafted on fome fait meat they had found oh\nboard the veffels, and on the remains of the meals\nof the preceding day, and then moved farther\nonward.. About twelve o'clock they halted.\nThe game killed by the huntsmen was dreffed,\nand the time of their halting was frequently de-\nO X J\n\u00E2\u0080\u00A2termined bv the good or bad luck of the chace.\n.They fmoked their pipes before and after dinner,\n,and then fet out again to pursue their journey,\nuntil\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &CC\n357\nuntil about an hour before night-fall. At this\ntime they Stopped to eat their evening meat,\nwhich was much like the dinner, ufually fmoked\na pipe in profound filence, and then lay down to\nreft on hides. The prifoners were constantly tied\nat night, and the journey was pursued in the\nfame unvaried manner. During the march, fome\nIndians, generally the huntfmen, formed a kind\nof van-guard, and others brought up the rear, at\nfome distance, to watch whether the troop were\npurSued; for both the miftruft and the vigilance\nof the Indians are very great. The main body\nmarched as they chofe, without .the leaft order.\nIf game was espied, either by the main body\nor the rear-guard, they killed it. But the vanguard feemed in particular charged with this\nduty. No more game is killed, than what is required for the next meal; and the woods are filled\nwith it to fuch a degree, as to preclude all apes ' J/ X\nprehenSion in regard to future fubfiftence. The\ngame killed is cut into large pieces, and put on\nStakes driven into the ground. The cookery is\nperformed by the women. The Indians, on\nlighting their fires, take peculiar care not to fet\nfire to the neighbouring trees.\nThe prifoners, we may eafily conceive, profited\nby the liberty they enjoyed of keeping constantly\ntogether. Their melancholy conversation breathed\nA a 3 defpair\n!\u00E2\u0096\u00A0?\n 358\nTRAVELS THROUGH\ndefpair in confequence of their having, miffed the\nlaft favourable opportunity of efcape, rather than\nhope of meeting with another. Yet this hope,\nchimerical as it might appear, was not entirely-\nabandoned. The chief of the troop had conceived fome miftruft from their being constantly together ; and his apprehension encreafed\nat the Sight of a knife, which Mr. Johnfon inadvertently drew out of his pocket, and which\nhe had carefully preferved for the purpofe of cutting the ropes, with which he was tied at night,\nif any favourable opportunity Should offer. On\nthe prifoners being again fearched, a few guineas\nwere found in the pocket of James Skuyl, which\nhad been overlooked at the first fearch, and which\nheightened the miftruft. The firft means to\nwhich the Indians reforted for their fecurity were,\nto Strip both the unfortunate prifoners of their\nbreeches, inftead of which they were furnished\nwith a Short apron, tied round their hips, and\nreaching half way down their thighs, which\ncloathed them in the Indian faftsion. Their Shirts\nwere exchanged for coarfer ones. Yet all thefe\nprecautions were not fufficient, to allay the fears\nof their keepers. On the next morning the chief\nordered the troop to feparate into two divisions;.\nand James Skuyl to proceed with one, while\nJohnfon continued with the other; they were\nboth\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\n350\nboth to reach the fame place of destination by\ndifferent roads.\nThis new feparation proved extremely pairifel\nto Mr. Johnfon ; the fellowship in misfortune\nhad converted a four-days acquaintance into the\nmoft intimate friendship. Skuyl was his support,\nhis hope, the only being with whom he could af-\nfociate; yet him he loft, left alone in nature's\nvast domain, and given up entirely to his grief\nand apprehenfions, considerably heightened by\ntliis lofs. The feparation from a dearly beloved\nwife, Mr. Johnfon faid, could hardly affect the\nheart with keener pangs, than he felt on being\ntorn from this four-days friend. Yet how was\nhe to oppofe the iron-hand of neceSlity ? A wife\nman, and this is his chief merit, refigns himfelf\nto calamities he cannot avert: thus did Mr.\nJohnfon. He foon determined on concealing, as\nmuch as possible, his painful fenfations, and, under the appearance of ferenity, to beguile the\nmiftruft of his mafters. He wTas powerfully supported in the execution of this defign by an innate firmnefs, calmnefs, and cheerfulnefs of temper. Though the hideous image of impending\ndeath would often prefs upon his mind, he found\nfome confolation in the thought, that not every\nprifoner is irrevocably doomed by the Indians to\nflitter death; but, that, at times, they employ\nA a 4 their\ntl\nIt\n TRAVELS THROUGH\ntheir captives to aflift them in hunting, or adopt\nthem as members of their tribes. He has repeatedly allured me, that even in moments of the\nmoft imminent danger, during his captivity, his\nSpirits never failed him for any length of time.\nA ray of hope would constantly re-animate his\ncourage, though, wanting probability, it quickly\nvanished ; but, though lefs miferable than many\nothers would have been in his Situation, he was\nconftantly wretched.\nThe famenefs of the remaining journey was\nnot chequered by any remarkable events. The\nmarches were longer or Shorter in proportion to\nthe game they killed, to the duration of their\nSleep at noon, and to the delight they found in\nfmoaking their pipes. But their length efpecially\ndepended on the will of the chief, and the advice of the conjurors. Their dreams frequently\nalter the direction of their journies. They fell\nin with feveral wandering troops of Indians,\nwhich caufed a longer or Shorter delay, accordT\ning to the hour at wdiich they met. At times\nthe two troops would dine together ; but they\nnever parted without having informed each other\nof their exploits, and exhibited their prifoners\nwith pride and pftentation. At night Mr. John-\non was always tied loofer or tighter according\nto the, whirri pf the Indian, .who undertook this\n*fe \"\u00E2\u0096\u00A0& charge.!\n NORTH AMERICA CANADA, See.\n36l\ncharge, without always belonging to his guards,\nbeing fometimes deputed by one of them, who\nhad perhaps fome bufinefs in front or rear of the\ntroop; and in this cafe the deputy would often\nendeavour to juftify the confidence placed in him,\nby tying his prifoner as clofely as he could. One\nnight he was tied fo tightly, that the ropes cut\ndeep into his armsa and were covered by the\nSwelllrilg they occafioned. Yet he dared .not to\ncomplain, for the whole party being interested in\nthe prefervation of prifoners, every meafure tending to that purpofe could not but obtain univer-\nfal approbation.' At another time he was beaten\nby the chief for no other reafon than the ill humour of this brute, yet he dared not to murmur.\nOnce he was Severely beaten by an Indian from\na mere brutiSfi defire of ufmg him thus ; but this\ntime his patience forfook him. He returned the\nblows with the approbation of the whole troop.\nThey faid he had proved himfelf a man ; none\nbut women fubmitted to fuch treatment without opposition. From that time he obferved,\nor fancied, that they treated him with more refpect. In the meanwhile the real commander\nor chief of the troop rejoined them, after two\ndays feparation. Having altered his idea of reaching home fooner than the reft, he refolved on\nfcouring the woods with his Indians, and it was\nI \u00E2\u0096\u00A0\n TRAVDLS THROUGH\nbjr mere accident he fell in with the troop from\nwhich he had feparated. Peggy- Fleming was\nwith them, apparently much habituated to their\nmafters, as She preferred their protection to the\ncompany of Mr. Jofonfon. A few days after the\ntroop met a negro laden with whiSky. He was\nthe Slave of an Indian, who was hunting in the\nwoods, and had commissioned him to fell this\nliquor. Within a fhort time the negro fold his\nwhole Stock, and followed the troop, waiting\nfor his mafter. The Indians halted foon after to\ndrink their whifky with more eafe, and to prepare for their entrance into Sahdulky, which\nwas distant but a few days journey. /Their preparations confifted in the complete procefs of an\nIndian toilette, that is to fay, they touched up\nand refreshed the colours with which the Indians\nare accuftomed to paint both the face and body.\nX J\nEvery one is at liberty to paint himfelf after his\nown fancy, except that they all wear one certain mark either on their breaft or arms. A\nblack paint, prepared of charcoal, and a red*\ncompofed of minium and cinnabar, are moft frequently ufed. The whole body and face are\nplaStered with thefe paints. They fuffer their\nhair to grow only about the fealp ; and cut off\nthe reft, clofe to the head, ekher in irregular\nlines proceeding from the eyes and the root of\nthe\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\nthe nofe, and branching out from this central\npoint in various forms, or parallel lines extendin|\nnear each other in the fame direction. At times\nit is a fort of hair-drefs, on which apparently no\ncare is bestowed. But the fact is, that they attend to this fort of ornament with a peculiar care,\nand pafs whole hours before their looking-glafs,\nwhich they carry constantly about them to complete their dressing. This they value as highly as\nthe handfomeft European coquette can do ; and\nare as much pleafed, when it is finished to their\nfatisfaction, as She may be. On fuch days they\npluck off the hair from the eye-brows and beard,\nwith more care, than they ufually beftow on_this\noperation. As to the common mark or Sign*\nwhich they wear painted on their breast or arms,\nit is generally the image of fome animal. That\nof the tribe of the Shawanefe was a wolf. The\nwomen wear it in common with the men ; but\nthey paint only the cheek-bones, for the molt\npart, red. They fufpend fmall Silver or iron\nrings from the whole i cartilaginous part of the\near. The men wear them in the nofe. Either\nfex generally wears a Silver collar, from which\na crofs is fufpended. A Short Shirt, reaching\ndown to the apron, which is tied round the hips,\nis the common drefs of both fexes; in cold weather they throw a Short mantle round the Shoulders.\n ?3.64\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nders. Such, at leaft, are the drefs and fineries of\nthe Shawanefe. Nearly all the tribes vary in this\nrefpect, as well as in many others. After the\ncompany were thus arrayed, they proceeded on\ntheir journey. The negro Spoke English ; and,\nas the Indians entertained no mistrust againft\nhim, he had it in his power, to impart to Mr.\nJohnfon fome interesting information, which,\nthough not calculated to infpire the prifoners\nwith hope, yet proved to him extremely valuable\nand important. The troop was foon joined by\nthe mafter of the negro, and Shortly after by two\nother Indians, who took Mr. Johnfon by the\nhand, and conducted him to the chief, wThom\nthey feemed to addrefs in a Suppliant manner,\nand with an air of fubmiftion. At the clofe of an\nhour's converfation, the subject of which was the\nprifoner, and after the petitioners had delivered\ntwo gallons of whifky, mostly quaffed by the\nchief, Mr. Johnfon was furrendered to them and\ncarried off. All his ideas were abforbed by the\nprofpect of certain destruction, which impreffed\nhis mind ; every ray of hope vanished for a moment ; every perception was loft ; he dared not\nto afk the negro, who, in conjunction with his\nmafter, had joined the two Indians ; ignorant as\nhe was, whether he might not be connected with\nthem; whether the compassion, he feemed to\nShew\n I\nNORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\n36B\nCf\nSnew, were not an artifice to betray him ; whether he were not, perhaps, his molt cruel enemy,\nMs executioner ! For fome time he moved on in\nSilence, and fecret defpair ; but, being no longer\nable to Support the torturing idea of the uncertainty of his fate, he, at last, with great timidity,\nhad recourfe to the negro, and learned from him,\nthat one of the two Indians, to whom he now\nbelonged, having fome time ago killed an Indian\nof the tribe of the Mingoes, he was bound by\nthe laws of the tribe, to furniSh a perfon inftead\nof the Indian Slain, or, in default of this, to be\nhimfelf furrendered up to the vengeance of his\nX o\nfamily; that, being too poor to buy a prifoner,\nhe had prevailed upon the Shawanefe by his entreaties, and persuaded the chief, by means of the\nwhifky, to make him a prefent of Johnfon, So\nthat he now pertained to the tribe of the Mingoes, but that previously to his being delivered\n*up to them he would pafs a few days at his maf-\nter's, who was a neighbour of the two Indians.\nThe prospect of Slavery was pleafing to Mr.\nJohnfon ; he was happy even at this price to preferve his life, the loSs of which had been constantly before his eyes. He deemed himfelf mor\nfortunate, as he entertained a hope, that by fome\nmeans or other he might be able to Shorten the\nperiod of his captivity. He journeyed on about\nfour\n 5K5\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nfour days with his new maSters, and lived with\nm\nthem in the fame manner as with the former,\nexcept that he was not tied at night. His old\nmaSters had given him back his clothes, and, on\ncomparing his prefent fituation with his former,\nand efpecially with that which he expected in\nanxious fufpenfe, he felt happy. But this happi-\nnefs was not of long duration. His unlucky Stars\nwould have it fo, that after four days marching\nhe again fell in with the Shawanefe. The chief,\nwho had now become fober, was no longer fo generous as before, and regretted his former generofity. He demanded Mr. Johnfon from the twTo\nIndians, but was refufed. The two Indians referred to the testimony of the negro and his mafter, which was in their favour; but, the Shawanefe being the Stronger party, they proceeded\nfrom demands to menaces, and from menaces to\nacts of violence; the two Indians, destitute of all\nmeans of defence, were eaSily conquered; and Mr.\nJohnfon, thus torn from them, was replunged\ninto his former anxiety and mifery. His fituation appeared to him the more defperate, as a\nFrench merchant of Canada, who, being informed by the Indians, that the Shawanefe had\na white prifoner with them, came to redeem him,\nbut had met with a refufal from the chief, who\ntold him, that he meant to lead him with the\nother\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\nother booty in triumph through his town. The\nmerchant promifed Mr. Johnfon, to renew his\napplication the next morning, but the latter had\nrenounced all hope. The merchant actually came\nthe next morning, according to his promife, at\nthe time of the arrival of the prifoner, and made\nfeveral trifling bargains with the Indians; but all\nCD CD\nhis applications concerning Johnfon were in\nvain. The unfortunate young man, therefore,\nhad no hope left, but what the profpect of occurrences, incidental to a journey of one hundred and fifty miles, the actual distance of his\nplace of destination, could afford. An event,\nwith which his moft fanguine hopes could not\nhave flattered him, foon took place. The Shawanefe, proceeding on their journey, met an Indian with a horfe loaded with whiSky; part of\nthe booty was quickly exchanged for fome barrels. The next morning the remainder of the\nbooty went the fame way, and on the following\nday they paid the Indian for what whifky he had\nleft in horfes,. which they had brought with\nthem from the banks of the Ohio. The Shawanefe paffed fix days in a State of continual intoxication, and continued drinking until they had\nnothing left to drink. Afhamed to return to\ntheir -tribe without any trophies, but one fingle\nprifoner, they determined on another expedition,\nSSI in\n 368\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nin which Mr. Johnfon was to co-operate.- Yet*\non mature deliberation, they found it Still more\nadvifeable, to fell the prifoner, in order to be able,\nto drink whiSky, and drink it largely, previously\nto their taking the field again. The expression of\nvehemence and favagenefs in their faces, which\nwas heightened by the fumes of whifky, not yet\naltogether evaporated, greatly encreafed Mr.\nJohnfon's uneafinefs during thefe debates. It\nwas in vain his woe-worn mind endeavoured to\nfind out their object, when the following morning he was called to the two chiefs, who ordered\nhim to mount a horfe, and pufls on with them\nas fast as he could. He now imagined, that his\nlaft hour was come, but this time his fear was\nnot of long duration. The place whither he was\nconducted was not above five miles distant; it\nwas the habitation of Mr. Duchoquet, the\nmerchant whom he had already feen. After\nfome glaffes of whifky had been drunk, the bargain was foon Struck ; fix hundred fmall filver\nShirt buckles, fuch as the common people wear,\nconstituted the ranfom, amounting to twenty-\nfive Louis d'or. Mr. Johnfon's happinefs may\nbe eafily conceived, but he did not yet feel it in\nits whole extent; which is generally the, cafe in\nfudden tranfitions from extreme wretchednefs to\na State of felicity and peace. This rapid and\ncomplete\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\ncomplete delivery from death and bondage appeared to him like a dream, in which he dared\nnot to indulge. Mr. Duchoquet endeavoured\nto convince him of the reality of his happy fitua-\n* tion, and he began to believe in it, when the\n7 O i\nnext morning the two Indians, who had conducted him thither, again made their appearance.\nMr. Duchoquet was himfelf of opinion, that\n-X X '\nthey came to refcind the agreement, and confirmed his newgueft in the determination he had\nformed, to fell his life dear, when one of the Indians came up to him unarmed, and faid mailing, that on the preceding day he hadr forgotten\nSomething, which belonged to him, which moft\ncertainly he muft have miffed, and which they\ncame to return to him. It was a code of laws for,\nVirginia, which his masters had left him during\nhis journey. Mr. Johnfon was lefs fenfible of\nthe delicacy of this conduct, which even among\nrefined Europeans would have been considered as\na proof of great attention, than happy on account of the perfect fecurity, which this behaviour of his former maSters guaranteed to him, and\nwhich continued undisturbed by any further accident.\nNot being able to reach the fettled parts of\nAmerica without a guide, he was necessitated to\nwait the feafon, wnen Mr. Duchoquet ufually\nVol. I, B b went\n 370\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nwent to Canada. Until that period he continued*\nwith him in his habitation, and assisted him in\nhis trade with the Indians. This afforded him\nan opportunity of getting acquainted with feveral tribes, whofe manners and cuftoms differed\nbut little from thofe of the Shawanefe. Unacquainted with their language, he could not himfelf collect much information concerning them ;\nand befides, he was too much occupied by his\neager defire of being restored to his family and\nfriends, to Study the manners and habits of favages, whom he was anxious to quit. He learned,\nhowever, from his host, that all the tribes in that\nneighbourhood believe in a Supreme Being, and\nin the duration of the exiftence of the foul after\nthe clofe of this mortal life. They hold, that\nthe punishment of thofe, who have rendered\nthemfelves guilty of wicked deeds, and with\nthem none are wicked deeds but inactivity and\ncowardice in hunting and warfare, and perfidy to\ntheir friends, confifts, in their being removed after\ndeath into unhealthy woods, where there $ no\nother game but fmall birds; while they, who\nhave constantly obferved an honest, gallant conduct, are tranfplanted into forests, abounding with\nthe largeft game, of which the numbers never\ndiminish. He farther was informed by his holt,\nthat Indian women, called in their language\nfquaws,\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\nSquaws, are kept by their huSbands in a fort of\nSlavery, frequently beaten, and in cafe of adultery often maimed by them\u00E2\u0080\u0094<-a puniShment which\nthey are much inclined to inflict. Girls, or unmarried women, on the contrary enjoy full liberty,\nto gratify their defines as they pleafe ; and fo far\nfrom their forfeiting by this gratification the efteem\nof the men, a woman is held in little estimation\nby the Indians, who, previous to her marriage\nhas not been engaged in fome amorous intrigue :\n\" for,\" fay they, H difdained as She has been by\nall men, fhe is unworthy of love.\" According\nto his obfervation, the Shawanefe are lazy, imprudent, melancholy, filent, and without thought\nfor the coming day. As to the general character\nof the Indians, he knew, that, whatever acts of\ncruelty they may exercife againft their prifoners\nin particular againft fuch, as they take in time\nof war, they are in their friendship true and faithful to a degree, which has long become obfolete\namong civilized nations.\nAt the beginning of June Mr. Duchoquet fet\nout with his guest on his journey to Canada,\nLake Erie was but fifty miles distant. They\nembarked there for Detroit, where Mr. Duchoquet refides. But, before they reached Lake\nErie, they had to pafs the fmall lake Sandufky.\nA violent gulf of wind drove them to a fmall\nB b 2 island\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0\u00C2\u00AB*\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0\n mmmmmmm\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nifland in the middle of this lake, inhabited by\ntwo Indian tribes. Mr. Johnfon was there invited with his friend to a grand feaft, given by a\nfamily in celebration of the recovery of an Indian lady. The feaft confifted of a grand meal,\npreceded by a great deal of dancing around a\nlarge fire. Almoft all the inhabitants of the\nifland were invited. A fmall painted Stick Supplies among the Indians the ufe of our cards of\ninvitation ; and thefe dances, thefe banquets, and\nlarge fires, are religious rites, deemed by the Indians extremely efficacious in curing their Sick ;\nin all probability they lefs obstruct their recovery\nat leaft, than the prefcriptions of many physicians might do.\nMr. Johnfon reached Detroit on the 13th of\nJune ; and there feparated from Mr. Duchoquet.\nThe Englifli governor ordered him to be con-\nveyed acrofs Lake Erie in a king's yacht. Thence\nhe went in another veffel to the celebrated cataract of Niagara, to conceive an adequate idea\nO 7 X\nof which, is beyond the powers of human fancy.\nFrom this Stupendous water-fall he proceeded in\na boat along the banks of Lake Ontario, and\nthence on the river Ofwego to Albanv, New\nYork, and Virginia, where, having been afflicted\nfix weeks by fate, favages, and mufquitoes, he\nrejoined his family, wThom he had utterly def-\npaired\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\n373\nKl\npaired of ever feeing again ; happy, that fo many\nfufferings terminated in this fortunate, but unex-\npeered event.\nThe Hiftory o/Teggy Flemming.\nPeggy Flemming continued with the Shawanefe, when Mr. Johnfon was, by their chief, delivered up to the two Indians of the tribe of the\nMangoes. But he did not find her again, when\nhe was Surrendered back to his former maSters.\nTwo or three of them had carried her off; and\nafter a journey of a few days, given her to three\nCherokees, whom they met in the woods, and\nwho carried her to SanduSky, where Duchoquet\nand Johnfon Saw her, without being able to ob-\n7 CD\ntain from her one fingle word; undoubtedly in\nconfequence of a prohibition of her prefent maf-\nters, who ufed her more rudely than the former\nhad done. Some days after, thefe Indians brought\nJ 7 CD\nher into the neighbourhood of the lake SanduSky,\nwhere they pitched their tents, and being much\npleafed with the furrounding country, determined\nto pafs fome days in their camp. Mr. Macintosh, partner of Mr. Duchoquet, proceeded\nthither, on the first intelligence that a white woman was in the hands of the Indians, with a\nview to redeem her. A young Virginian, who,\nfome years before, had been taken prifoner by the\nB b 3 Wyandots\nril\nS 1' \u00E2\u0096\u00A0**:>-. J\u00E2\u0080\u0094\n TRAVELS THROUGH\nWyandots, and by them adopted as a member\nof their tribe, accompanied him thither. He\nhappened to know the whole family of Peggy\nFlemming, and to be perfonally acquainted with\nher. Being much liked and refpected by the\nchief of the tribe, he folicited of him the favour,\nto procure him this captive from the Indians,\nafferting, that She was his fitter. The aged chief,\nin compliance with his requeft, paid the three\nCherokees a vifit, and after the ufual compliments expreffed his wifh, that they might either\ngive or fell him this young woman, in whom\nhe profeffed to take the moft lively interest.\nThe Indians gave him a denial in terms, which\ngrew peremptory in proportion as his entreaties\nbecame more earneft. They threatened, that\nthey would rather kill both him and her, than\ngive her up. The old chief, being the weaker\nparty, wTas obliged to yield. But the next morning he came before break of day, attended by\ntwenty Indians of his tribe. Peggy Flemming\nwas tied to a tree, around which the three the-\nrokees were lying in a profound Sleep. The\nWyandots feized her; the old chief cut himfelf\nthe ropes, with which She was tied, and as foon\nas he got her into his power, gave the three Cherokees fome hundred fmall filver buckles, with\nwhich they were obliged to content themfelves.\nPporprv\nFcte&/\n .1\nNORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &c.\n375\nPeggy Flemming was delivered up by the old\nchief to his favourite Whitaker (this was the\nname of the Virginian), who was become a\nWyandot Indian, firft from necessity, and afterwards from choice. She was provided with\nclothes, and carefully nurfed by this tribe. Whitaker had married a young Indian woman* who\ntook the greateft care of her. Soon after, She\nwas conducted under an efeort of men and women of this tribe through the midft of the woods\nto the banks of the Ohio, opposite to Point Pleafant, where Mr. Johnfon learned from her the\nparticulars of her adventures, and where She now\nlives, in the twenty-eighth year of her age.\nThe Hiftory o/James Skuyl.\nIt will be recollected, that Mr. Johnfon was\nfeparated from James Skuyl on the fourth or\nfifth day of their march. The latter, with part\nof the troops, proceeded by a different road to\nthe habitations of the Shawanefe, where he was\ninsulted, beaten, and otherwife ill ufed. On his\narrival, his wound was almoft mortified, owing\nto the excessive fatigues of the journey, and the\nStings of the mufquitoes. He was, neverthelefs,\nkept to the hardeft labour of the tribe, i. e. he\nwas employed to cultivate the ground. It is in\ngeneral the employment of prifoners,' if they have\nB b 4 any,\n 1\nTRAVELS THROUGH .\nany, to relieve the women of a part of the toils,,\nwhich have fallen to their lot. James Skuyl,\nthough extremely uneasy on account of his fituation and future fate, yet could not think of making any attempt to efcape through forests, where\nat every Step he ran the \u00E2\u0080\u00A2 rifk of falling in with\nIndians. The fuccefs of Such an undertaking\nwas fo highly improbable, as to preclude every\nidea of it. Yet being one day informed by a wo-\nman, in whofe company he. ufed to work, and\nwho feemed to Sympatbife in his fufferings, that\nhe would be burnt within two days, he was irre-\nfiftibly impelled, to try every means of efcaping\nJ X 7 J J X .(_<\nfo terrible a death. Furnished with a muSket,\nand fome cakes of Indian corn, he ventured, one.\nnight, to elope from the habitation, in which he\nwas guarded. He Stole through the-woods, and\no o ,7\nreaehed the bank of the river Miami. Here he\nwas obliged to leave behind his mufket, though it\nferved, at once, for his defence and fubfiftence.\n3 1\n1W X Vt C.iJ i\nHaving faftened his cakes to hi\nacrofs the river. He met great numbers ofi In-\ndians, in Spite of his anxious endeavours to avoicl\nthem ; nay, he found himfelf under the neceflity\nof paffing by fome of their habitations. The care\nhe had taken in painting ^himfelf, fome Indian\nwords, which he had learned, during his capti-\nyjty, and his firm deportment, gave him the appearance\n NORTH AMERICA., CANADA, &C.\n377\npearance of an Indian, and from this fuppofition\nhe was actually feveral times assisted in his flight.\nWhen he thought himfelf out of danger, he had\nnearly fallen by one which he leaft fufpectedf.\nHaving reached the bank of Lake Ohio, he intended to crofs it in a veffel, which he happened\nto find, in order to reach the isthmus; the ferryman refufed to take him on board, as he mif-\ntook him for a fpy, who intended firft to fe-\nduce him, and then to puniSh him, if he Should\nyield to his intreaties. He alfo told him, that\nthe preceding evening a troop of Shawanefe had\nSearched the banks of the river in queit of a prifoner, who had made his efcape on the day be-*\nfore that of his intended execution. He could\npot but recognife himfelf in this defcription ;\ncelerity was therefore of the utmost importance,\nand yet he was compelled to repair to the mafter\nof the veffel j wThofe habitation was two miles\ndistant. He informed him, that he was the prifoner, of whom the Shawanefe were in fearch,\nand this man, fortunately more humane and lefs\nfcrupulous than his fervant, not only confented to\nhis going on board, but would alfo carry him over\nhimfelf, that he might fee him fafe beyond all\ndanger. Having arrived at Detroit, he traverfed\nCanada, and the Northern States, and at length\nreached Great Brayercourt-hpufe* where he has\nfettled.\nft\n wj\n*J TO\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nfettled. At leaft he has hitherto given up the\ntrade to Kentucky.\nThe Hiftory of William Phlyn.\nThe diftreftes of William Phlyn, who was delivered up to that tribe of the Cherokees called\nChikamages, inhabiting a district adjacent to the\ngreat river Miami, confifted in his having been\ntortured two days together, until the fire put a\nperiod to his wretched exiftence. He loft his\nlife, a few days after his arrival at the habitations\nof the Indians. James Skuyl, on his journey to\nthe town of the Shawanefe, faw the Spot, where\nhe had been burnt the preceding evening, but was\nnot able to collect any farther information concerning the fate of this unfortunate man.\nAlthough the three laft Stories contain but few\nparticulars, and are not infeparably connected\nwith that of Mr. Johnfon: yet they will not,\nI think, be found altogether uninterefting, as\nthey, in fome meafure, ferve to complete his\nhiftory. An acquaintance with that gentleman\ncannot but considerably heighten the joy, which\nhis fortunate deliverance muft excite in every\nfeeling mind, and Stamp his reports with the authority of indubitable truth.\nI have forgotten to mention, that the two\nwhites, who by their lamentation decoyed Mr.\nJohnfon\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\nJohnfon and bis companions, effected their efeape\nthe fecond night, when the Indians, after the\ncapture of the two veffels, were almoft all of them\nintoxicated with whiSky. Mr. Johnfon had Strong\ngrounds to Sufpect, that the Indians, from motives of friendship or of gratitude for their afTiSt-\nance in the capture of fo rich a booty, forwarded\ntheir flight.\n 3801\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nTOUR THROUGH UPPER CANADA\nra\u00C2\u00BBe\u00C2\u00AB3.J\"S<\nSaturday, the 20th of June, 1705.\nHE veffels, in which we crofted the river\nNiagara, belong to the Englifh, and are,\nfor this reafon, in a better condition than the major part of the American veffels or ferries, which\nare entirely left to the will and pleasure of the\nowners, without any public officer taking the\nleaft notice of their condition, and providing for\nthe fafety of travellers. The ferry confifted in a\nveffel of considerable capacity, the fides of which\nwere one foot and a half high ; it was tolerably\nStaunch, and Sufficiently large, to contain five\nhorfes without any apparent danger. \" The mafter\nof the veffel is directed to write down the names\nof the paffengcrs; our's were already known.\nGeneral Sirncoe, governor of Upper Canada, informed of our journey by Mr. Hammond, the\nEnglish ambaffador to the United States, had\nlong ago giyen notice by the poft of our expected\narrival.\n \u00E2\u0096\u00A0*\nNORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\n381\narrival. Mr. Guillemard, who had croffed over\non the preceding evening, had announced our intended arrival on the next morning; and the Captain of an English frigate, which was receiving\nfome repairs on the oppofite bank, fent us his\nboat, as foon as he' perceived us. Our guide,\nPondrit, had preceded us to the river to call\nthe ferrymen ; and the ferry arriving fooncr than\nthe boat, of the destination of which we were\nignorant, we Stepped into the former. The paffage from the American to the Englifli fide requires four or five minutes, and from the Englifli\nto the American Shore about a quarter of an\nhour. Fort Erie Stands on the Shore\nlake, about two miles above the ferry. The com-\nmandant had defired the captain of the frigate to\nSupply his place, until he fhould be able to vifit us\n' himfelf. We thought it right to return this act\nof civility, by immediately fetting out to prefent\nto him our paffports. We did fo, though we\nwere not dreffed to pay a vifit of ceremony; but\nthe rain having made our appearance Still worfe\nwe determined on drying our clothes at the inn\nuntil the weather fhould clear up, and permit us\nto proceed to the Sort. We were not yet drefiedj\nwhen the commandant arrived at the inn,\ninvited us to dinner, acquainting us, atothe fame\ntime, that he was directed to Shew us every civility\n u\n\u00C2\u00BB\u00C2\u00BB -tB\u00C2\u00BB\u00C2\u00BB\nittffi\nk\nbut which are to be given up to the Americans,\nare garrifoned by the twenty-fifth ^giment.\nFort Detroit Stands at the end of Lake Erie, on\n* This, no doubt, is in addition to their pay as foldiers.\u00E2\u0080\u0094\nTranflator,\nf Fort Niagara, as well as the other forts mentioned by\nthe'Author, were funendered up to the Americans in July*\nV\u00C2\u00A79 6.\u00E2\u0080\u0094Tra nflat 0 r.\nthe\n\u00E2\u0080\u0094*-*>-\n*\u00C2\u00A3*ii\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\n\u00C2\u00B0.85\nthe Strait or river, which feparates it from Lake\nSt. Clair. It. was erected about the year 1740.\nThe inhabitants are mostly French, and confift\nof about three hundred families. It is faid to\nbe in a very flourishing condition. About one\nhundred artillerymen are distributed in Detroit,\nFort Niagara, and fome other places, which I\nShall have occafion to mention. The troops generally remain feven years in Canada, during\nwhich time the garrifons relieve each other every\nyear. But the war in Europe, and the fear of a\nrupture with America, have occafioned various\nalterations in thefe ordinary arrangements. The\nregiments now remain three years in the Same\nplace; a change, with which they alone are\npleafed, to whofe lot it falls to garrifon the fmall\nforts. For the fame reafons, the regiments at\nprefent have but half their complements.\nA Store-houfe, belonging to a private gentleman, is alfo included within Fort Erie, but Stands\napart from the buildings, which appertain tov government. In this magazine are warehoufed all\nthe goods, which come upwards, and are destined for Detroit, as well as thofe which go down\nthe river to Niagara, Kingston, Montreal, Quebec, &c. They are forwarded to their places of\ndestination, either in boats, when they go down\nthe river, or in large veffels, when they are def-\nVol. I. C c tined\n TRAVELS THROUGH\ntined for Detroit. The trade on Lake Erie is\ncarried on in four or five merchantmen, befides\nthree or four armed yachts belonging to the king.\nPeltry is the chief commodity exported from\nDetroit; but we alfo faw feveral cafks of very\nfine maple fugar, made by the Indians. We\nwere informed, that the quantity of this article,\nwhich pafles yearly through this place, is very\nconfiderable; but were not able to learn its exact value in money. The owner of the Store-\nfir\nhoufe hires, at times, about twenty Canadians,\nfor the Shipping and unShipping of the goods, for\ncarrying them into the magazine, and tranfport-\ning the boats by land to the lower country. The\nCanadians no fooner learned, that we were\nFrenchmen, than they expreffed to us a fatisfac-\ntion, attachment, and refpect, repeated demon*\nStrations of which our peculiar fituation obliged\nus to avoid.\nThe Chippaway, a king's yacht, commanded\nby Captain Hara, arrived here during our refi-\ndence in the fort. He had been fevea. days paf-\nfing the ftrait, which Ships frequently clear in twTo\nys.\n; Hard caSh Or fpecie is extremely fcarce in this\nX J\ncorner of the world- It can come only from\nLower Canada, but they like to keep it in Quebec and Montreal. Nay, the pay-mafter of the\ntroops,\n NORTH AMERICA CANADA, ScC\n387\ntroops, on pretence that the conveyance is dangerous, fends no fpecie for the troops, though he\nreceives their pay in hard calh. He could moft\ncertainly not refufe it to the paymasters of the\nregiments, if, for that purpofe, they proceeded\nto Montreal or Quebec, where he refides. But\nto undertake this journey at the expence of the\ncorps, would occafion too confiderable a deduction from their money, which Should reach its\ndestination without the leaft diminution. He\naccordingly remits it in bills of exchange, which\nare paid in paper-money, that every one makes\nto any amount he choofes, and which neverthelefs is univerfally received with a degree of confidence, equal to that which obtained in France in\nthe fecond year of the revolution. There are\nm\nnotes of this kind of only two pence in value.\nThey are fmall Slips of paper, either written or\nprinted, frequently without any Signature, and\nmostly effaced and torn.\nDuring our dinner feveral Indians arrived in\nboats. They formed a fmall camp on the hank\nof the river, which we vifited on our return. We\nexperienced from them the moft cordial reception, to which, perhaps, the State of one of our\ncompanions, not diSlimilar to that in which moft\nof thefe drinkers of rum found themfelves, contributed not a little.\nC c 2 Sunday,\nSill\nfv\n 38B\nTRAVELS THROUGH'\n- Sunday, the 2 lft of June.\nAfter a hearty breakfast on board the Chippaway frigate, where we learned, that this veffel,\nwhich is about four hundred tuns burthen, and\npierced for Sixteen guns, coft five thouSand\npounds Sterling !\u00E2\u0080\u0094a proof of the enormous price\nof labour in this country\u00E2\u0080\u0094we embarked for\nChippaway., Major Pratt infilled on our taking\nour paffage in a veffel belonging to government,\nas he had particular orders to that effect. He\nmanned it with fix. foldiers, who were excellent\nhands at rowing; and alfo directed Lieutenant\nFaulkner to attend us as far as Niagara. No\ndenial, on our part, could prevail with him to\nwithhold this act of civility, which, even during\nmy prosperity, would have embarraffed me, and\nwhich now bore the appearance of fcorn rather\nthan politenefs. We were, therefore, obliged\nto Submit, and to affume the air of perfons,\nwhofe rank demanded this distinction. We\nwere now approaching the prosper of the Grand\nCataract of Niagara, one of the principal objects\nof our journey, and which I had long desired to\nfee. We formed, every one of us, different\nideas of this waterfall, according to our different\npowers of fancy; each Stroke of the oars brought\nus nearer to it, and our attention being entirely\nturned\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\nturned to difcover the foam, and hear the noife,\nwe took but little notice of the banks of the\nriver, which, on the fide of Canada, are tolerably\nfettled, of the uncommon width of its channel,\nor the majeftic courfe of its stream. At last we\nheard the noife, and perceived the fpray. The\nweather was rather unfavourable, fo that we could\nnot, at any confiderable distance, enjoy this grand\nSpectacle. The rapidity of the Stream, which is\nperceptible feveral miles from the falls, foon carried us to Chippaway. A whole mile before you\nreach that place, you muft keep clofe under the\nShore, without which precaution the Stream\nwould foon involve the boat, and irresistibly hurl\nit to destruction. You must even make the utmoft exertion in rowing to remount the Chippaway Creek, from which the fort takes its name.\nWe had no fooner landed, than, with the\nutmost impatience, we battened to the falls,\nfcarcely returning with due attention the civilities we experienced from Captain Hamilton,\ncommandant of the fort. We accepted, however, his invitation to dinner, which on our account\nhe kindly deferred until four o'clock, mounted\nour horfes, and,> with Lieutenant Faulkner, proceeded to the falls. The diftance of Chippaway\nfrom the falls, in a Straight line, is but a mile\nand a half; but the banks of the river form\n, Cc3 many\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A05U\n +\n390\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nmany flexures, that the road, which winds along\nthem, is three miles long.\nAt Chippaway the grand fpectacle begins. The\nriver, which has been constantly expanding from\nFort Erie to this place, is here upwards of three\nmiles wide ; but on a fudden it is narrowed, and\nthe rapidity of the Stream redoubled by the de-\nX J \ J\nclivity of the ground on which it nowrs, as well\nas the sudden contraction of its bed. The\nchannel is rocky ; and the interfperfed fragments\nof rocks encreafe the violence of the Stream,\nThe country is flat and even to this point; but\nhere a range of white rocks arifes on each fide of\nthe river, which is contracted to half a mile's\nbreadth. This range is a branch of the Alleghany mountains*, which, proceeding from Flo-*\nrida, previously to their reaching this point, in-\nterfect the whole continent of America. The\nriver, more clofely hemmed in by the rocks on\nthe right, incroaching upon its channel, branches\ninto two arms, one of which flows along the\nbank, formed by the rocks on the right; and the\nother, far more considerable, being feparated by\n* This principal ridge of the Alleghany mountains, which\nex-end north-eaft and fouth-eaft, nearly parallel to the fea\neppaft, about nine hundred miles in length, and from fixty to\none hundred and fifty and two hundred mites in breadth, is\ncjefcriptively named the back-bone of the United States.-\u00E2\u0080\u0094\nTranf.\n&\u00C2\u00A3 a fmall\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\n391\na fmall ifland, makes Straight on to the left, and\nfweeps through a bafon of Stone, which it fills\nwith much foam and noife. At length, being\nagain obstructed by other rocks, which it meets\non its right, it alters its courfe with redoubled\nviolence, and along; with the right arm rufhes\n7 CD O\ndown a perpendicular ledge of rocks one hundred and Sixty feet high*, nearly half concave,\nand probably worn out by the inceffant impe-\ntuofity of the waters. Its width is nearly equal\nto that of its bed, the uniformity of which is\nonly interrupted by an ifland, which feparates\nthe two arms, rests unflsaken on its rocky bafts,\nand feems, as it were, to Swim between the two\nStreams, which ruSti down at once into this Stupendous chafm. The waters of the lakes Erie,\nMichigan, St. Clair, Huron, and Lake Superiour,\nand of the numerous rivers, emptying themfelves into thefe lakes, inceffantly replace the\nwater that thus dallies down. The water of\nthe falls tumbles perpendicularly on the rocks.\nIts colour is, at times, a dark green, at others a\nfoaming white, brilliant throughout, and dif-\nplaying a thoufand variegations, as it is Struck by\nthe rays of the fun, or, according to the time\n* Other accounts fay, that the perpendicular height at the\ncataract is only one hundred and thirty-feven or one hundred\nand fifty feet.\u00E2\u0080\u0094Tranfl.\nC C 4 of\nfHi\n#al\n 302\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nof the day, the ftate of the atmofphere, the\nforce of the wind, &e. The water, which rufhes\ndown the rocks, rifes in part in a thick column\nof mift, often towering:; above the height of the\nfalls, and mixing with the clouds. The remainder, broken in its perpendicular defcent by fragments of rocks, is in continual agitation ; Spouts\nand foams, and casts on Shore logs of wood, whole\ntrees, boats, and wrecks, which the stream has\nfwept along in its courfe. The bed of the river,\nformed by the two ridges of rocks which extend\na great way farther, is Still more narrowed, as if\npart of this mighty Stream had vanished during\nthe fall, or were fwallowed up by the earth. The\nnoife, agitation, irregularity, and rapid defcent of\nthe Stream, continue feven or eight miles farther\non, and the river does not become sufficiently\nplacid for a fafe paffage till it reaches Queens-\ntown*, nine miles from the falls.\nI crept down to the cataract; the defcent is\nvery difficult; perpendicular Steps^ hewn out of\ntrees, caverns, and projecting rocks, the fcattered\nfragments of which warn the traveller of the\ndanger from the defcen^, without offering any\nhold, except fome decayedtmfhes, which the imprudent adventurer, who fhould place any depen-\n* In Upper Canada, on the weft fide of the ftraits of\nNiagara.-\u00E2\u0080\u0094Tranfl.\ndence\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, 8cC.\n393\ndence on them, would carry with him into the'\nunfathomed abyfs. Every thing feems calculated to Strike writh terror ; but curiofity is as\nheedlefs as any other paftson. The certain profpect of a 'Splendid fortune would hardly induce\nme to attempt, what I at this moment did from\nthe mere impulfe of curiofity. I frequently\ncrawled along on both hands ; the zeal with\nwhich I purfued my object gave me a dexterous\nactivity, which I was not confcious of poffeffing.\nI feveral times abandoned myfelf entirely to\nchance, and thus I toiled a mile and half to reach\nthe foot of this Stupendous cataract. The pleafing confcioufnefs of having attained our end is the\nonly reward of the exertions, by which we have\nobtained fuccefs. In the courfe of our life we\nfrequently meet with similar instances.\nNear this fpot is a whirlpool, the fpray of which\ndrenches your clothes even at a distance. The\n-columns of foam, arifing from the falls, mix\nagain with the defcending Stream. The bafon\nitfelf is hidden by this thick cloud, and the tremendous noife, which is more violent here than\nany where elfe, is the only enjoyment to be attained. You may proceed a few paces on pieces\nof rock, lying between the column of water and\nthe rocks from which it rufhes down ; but here\nyou\nii\n 111\t\nM TRAVELS THROUGH\nyou are completely fequeftered from the world,\nyou are even deprived of the profpect of the falls\nm A AX\nby the column of water, which, by its denfity and\nmotion, intercepts the free accefs of air to Such\ny x\na degree, that Suffocation muft unavoidably be\nthe result of a long continuance in this place.\nIt is impoffible to defcribe the impreftion,\nwhich this cataract made upon our minds.\nFancy, which had long cherished the hope of\nviewing it, now offered pictures, which might\nfeem exaggerated, yet were much inferior to the\nreality. To attempt a defcription of the im-\npreSlion we felt, would be equivalent to a defcription of the falls; an attempt far exceeding\nour powers. The enthufiaim, which feized my\nfoul at the afpect of this magnificent Spectacle,\nwas too powerful to be weakened by our unplea-\nfant journey back to the Fort; and it was not\nuntil I arrived at Captain Hamilton's, that I\nfound leifure to notice my wearinels, my hunger,\nmy bruifes, the miferable condition of my clothes,\nand the time of the day.\u00E2\u0080\u0094It w7as two o'clock.\nPoor Lieutenant Faulkner, who thought himfelf obliged to attend my Highnefs, unfortunately\npartook not of my enthufiafm, but merely aftoci-\nated in my Struggles with various obstacles, and\nbore his Share of contusions and fatigue. In\n|fc Spite\n~=s^-._a\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C,\n395\nipite of his exceilive politenefs, he feemed extremely fad and duil, until fome glaffes of wine\nhad cheered up his fpirits.\nCaptain Hamilton, commandant of Fort Chippaway, which is even inferior in Strength to Fort-\nErie, was fo kind as to detain us to dinner. The\nennui naturally resulting from this dreary poft, the\nmoft dull of any, is beguiled by the fociety of a\nhandfome, Sweet, and lovely wife, and fix children, who constantly furround him. They both\nreceived us in that plain, cordial, and eafy manner,\nwhich characterifes perfons who have constantly\nfrequented the belt fociety.\nChippaway was formerly the chief place of an\nIndian tribe, which now inhabits the borders of\nVirginia. The carriage rendered neceffary by\nthe water-fall and its continued effects ends here.\nPrevious to the treaty of peace of 1783, veffels\nwere laden and difcharged on the other Side of\nthe river near fort Slufher *, opposite Chippaway.\nBefides the barracks, here as at Fort Erie, are\nftore-houfes, which belong to government; and\nothers, appertaining to merchants. The whole\nvillage confifts of a tolerable inn, and a fmall\nnumber of other houfes; the Stagnant water of\n* The author mifaames the fort, which he calls fort Skuy-\nler.\u00E2\u0080\u0094Tranfl,\nthe\n 9\u00C2\u00AB\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nthe creek renders it very unhealthy, and to this\ncircumftance are imputed the endemic fevers,\nwhich every year afflict the inhabitants of this\nplace.\nMonday, the 22 d of June.\nWe left Chippaway early in the morning, with\nan intention of once more vifiting the falls. The\nrain, which fell in torrents, coul$ not deter us\nfrom our design. I faw it now from a Spot, from\nwhich Mr. de Blacons had viewed it the preceding evening, and to which he defired to conduct\nus. This place is known in the country by the\nname of Table-Hock, and forms a part of the rock\nover which the river precipitates itfelf. You here\nStand in the midst of its bed, and almoft in the water, fo that you can, with perfect fafety, fee the\nriver rufhing down at your feet; but, advancing\nonly two paces, you would be hurried to destruction. On this fpot you alfo enjoy the beautiful\nprofpect of the foaming water dafhing along over\nthe rapids of the awful fall, from which you are\nnot feparated by any intervening object, and of\nthe tremendous whirlpool, which engulfs it. It\nisfrom this fpot, that this wonder of nature Should\nbe viewed, if you would fee it but from one fpot.\nBut it ought to be contemplated from all fides ;\nyour\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\n397\nyour astonishment will constantly rife, and you\nwill behold and admire in awful filence.\nThe defcent is more eafy to the Table-rock\nthan to any other fpot. It is much to be regretted, that the government of a people, which fur-\npaffes all other nations for fondnefs in travelling\nand curiofity, fhould not have provided convenient\nplaces for obferving this celebrated phenomenon,\nat all poSSible points of view. It is pleaded in ex-\ncufe, that the number of travellers, whom curiosity leads to this fpot, is inconsiderable; that\neven they, who travel this w7ay on account of bufinefs, and Stop here to view the falls, are few in\nnumber ; that only hunting Indians and idle children form the idea of creeping down to the falls ;\nand that confequently nobody would be benefited\nby the money expended in providing an eafy access. Yet all thefe pleas cannot justify a Saving\nof thirty dollars, for wThich expence the greateft\ncuriofity in the known world would be rendered\naccessible.\nIt is superfluous to mention, that, notwithstanding the feverity of the winter in this coun-\ntry, the cataracl, as well as the river above it,\nare never frozen. But this is not the cafe with\nthe lakes, and fmaller rivers, which fupply it with\nwater. Enormous flakes- of ice rufh constantly\ndown this cataract, when the thaw fets in, with-\neJS OUt\n 39\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nout being entirely daShed to pieces on the rocks;\nand thus are frequently piled in huge maffes, up\nto half its height. With the noife, occafioned\nby the falls, we were lefs Struck than we expected ; and Mr. Guillemard, as well as myfelf, who\nhad both feen the Rhine-fall near Schaf haufen,\ncould not but acknowledge, that the noife it produces is far more Striking. Yet, I muft repeat\nit again and again, that nothing can ftand the teft\nof comparifon with the Falls of Niagara. Let no\none expect to find here Something pleafing, wildly\nbeautiful or romantic; all is wonderfully grand,\nawfful, Sublime; every power of the foul is ar-\nrefted ; the impreffion Strikes deeper, the longer\nyou contemplate, and you feel more Strongly the\nimpossibility of any expressions doing juftice to\nyour perceptions and feelings.\nAbout a mile above the falls, two corn-mills\nand two faw-mills have been constructed in the\nlarge bafon, formed by the river on the left. We\nexamined, with peculiar attention, the moft dif-\ntant of them. It is the moft remarkable chiefly\non this account, that the logs are cut here into\nboards, thrown into the Chippaway creek near\nits mouth, and by means of a fmall lock conveyed into a canal, formed within the bed .of the\nriver by a double row of logs of timber, faftened\ntogether and floating on the water. The break-\nnig\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &c.\ning of thefe is prevented by other large balk\nfloating; at a certain distance from each other,\nwhich form, as it were, the basis of this artificial\ncanal. The water retains in this canal the rapidity of the current, and conveys the logs into\nthe lower part of the mill, where, by the fame\nmachinery which moves the faws, the logs are\nlifted upon the jack and cut into boards. Only\ntwo faws at a time are employed in this mill.\nThe power of the water is almost boundless,\nbut the prefent wants of the country do not require a greater number of faws. The very intelligent owner of the mill has constructed it on\na plan, which admits of the addition of a greater\nnumber of courfes, according as thefe Shall be\nrequired by an increafed confumption. Qn the\nfame principle he has built his corn-mill, which\nhas at prefent only four courfes. The miller's\ndues for grinding, as fixed by the legislative\n.power, amounts to a twelfth throughout all Upper Canada, and for fawing logs to a moiety of\nthe wood fa wed.\nIn the courfe of laft year a sulphureous Spring\nwas difcovered at a few yards diftance from the\nbank of the river, which was, however,filled up by\nthe fall of earth crumbling from its verge. This\nfpring has again of late Shewn itfelf in the canal,\nwhich conveys the blocks to the mill. A Stone,\nlaid\ni j\n ft I\nf f\n400\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nII\n1\ni Ii I\nifl\nm\nMi\nHi\nlaid over the Spring, prevents its water from being mixed with that of the river. On the approach of a fire-brand the vapour or Steam\nkindles, assumes the colour of burning fpirit of\nwine, and burns down to the bottom. Much\ntime will probably elapfe, before an enquiry Shall\nbe instituted, whether this fpring be endowed\nwith any medicinal powers.\nAn iron-mine, too, has lately been difcovered\nnear Chippaway creek. A company has affo-\nciated for the working of this mine, and refolved\non erecting an iron-forge in the vicinity of the\nfalls. But this they dare not eftablifh without\nthe governor's permiSlion; for the mother country Still perfifts in fupplying all its colonies with\nits own manufactures ; and refufes to relinquish a\nmonopoly, that has already colt it that part of\nAmerica, which compofes the United States*.\nBut the company hope to obtain the desired permiSlion.\nThe land all along the road from Chippaway\nto New York is Seemingly good, though not of\nthe belt quality, and exhibits a confiderable number of dwelling-houfes. The grants of land, made\nby government in this country, are fome of them\n* Impolitic difputes, chiefly relative to the right of taxation, not this monopoly, occafioned the difmemberment of\nthe Britifh Empire in America.\u00E2\u0080\u0094Tranfl.\nof\nJfWtk\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &c\nof a recent, others of a more ancient date; the\nfirst fettlements are hardly ten years old, and the\nmajor part only three or four. The houfes, entirely built with logs, are better constructed, and\nmore cleanly than in moft other parts of the\nUnited States. The mode of agriculture appears\nto be much the fame, as in other parts of the\nUnion. The common price of land in this\nneighbourhood is one pound, New York currency, or two dollars and half an acre, if the proportion of the cleared ground to the wooded be as\nforty to two hundred, or nearly fo. Peculiar circumstances, a favourable fituation, more exten\nfive buildings, &c. enhance the price. Throughout this whole tract of country, labourers are\nnot eafily procured; and they receive, befides\ntheir board, from five to fix Shillings per day.\nThe winter continues only from the middle of\n^December to the beginning of April.\nThe roads from fort Erie to Newark are tolerably open, and lie for the moft part over a Sandy\nground, which renders it more eafy to keep them\nin repair. The frequent paffage to and fro, in\nthis part of the country, does not deftroy them,\nSuch commodities, as are deftined for the upper\ncountry, are unfhipped in Queen's Town, and\ngoods, expedited from it, are embarked in this\nplace. The different buildings, constructed three\nvol. I. D d years\n t\n40%\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nyears ago, eonfift of a tolerable inn, two or three\ngood ftorc-houfes, fome fmall houfes, a block-\nhoufe of ftone, covered with iron, and barracks,\nwhich fhould be occupied, by the regiment of General Simcoe, but which arc now unoccupied, the\nregiment being quartered in another part of the\nprovince. Mr. Hamilton, an opulent merchant,\nwho is concerned in the whole inland trade of this\npart of America, poffefles, in Queen's Town, a\nvery fine houfe, built in the Englifh Style; he has\nalfo a farm, a distillery, and tan-yard. This merchant bears an excellent character ; he is a member of the Legislature of Upper Canada, but' at\nprefent in England.\nThe portage was formerly on the other fide\nof the river; but as this, by virtue of the treaty,\nfalls under the American dominion.; erovernment\nhas removed it hither, The whole country,\nthough extremely fandy, is covered with oak,\nchefnuts, and fine hickory trees, and Such parts,\nas are better watered, bear, in common with all\nother parts of America, afh and maple-trees.\nIt was on this Spot, that Mr. de la Jon-\nquiere, commiffioned by the French Court to\nfecurc the free navigation of the lakes to French\nf raders, formed his firft fettlements, which by permission, and under the protection of the Indian\ntribe of the Yonnowftiouans, (who, with many\nother\n NORTH AMERICA', CANADA, &C.\n403\nother tribes, have vanished from this part of the\nglobe), were afterwards transferred to Niagara.\nFrom the civil treatment we experienced, as\nfoon as we reached the boundaries of the govern-\nment of General Simcoe, we could not but expect a kind reception on his part; and yet the\nevent exceeded our expectation. No fooner was\nhe informed of our arrival, than he fent his adjutant-general to invite us to dinner. Having juSI\nalighted from his horfe, he could not come himfelf. We accepted his invitation, and Shortly after dinner, he entreated us to remain with him,\nto Sleep in his houfe, and conftder ourfelves as at\nX ?\u00E2\u0096\u00A0\nhome. To refufe this invitation would have ill\ncorrefponded with the politenefs of his conduct,\nof the Sincerity of which we were convinced,\nBy accepting it, we greatly promoted our own\nconvenience, as w7e had no vifits to pay in the\ntown, which is full half a mile distant from the\nGovernor's houfe, and could not but expect to\nbe moft agreeably entertained in his fociety, and\nto obtain irom him the moft fatisfactory information refpecting; the country, which fo forci-\nbly engaged our curiofity and attention.\nWe foon understood, that we Should be obliged to continue longer in Niagara than we originally designed. On my acquainting General Sim-\nD d 2 coe\nffl\n m\nw\n%\n404\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nI* <1\ncoe with my intention to proceed to Quebec, he\ninformed me, that, without the exprefs permission\nof Lord Dorchester, it was not in his power\nto allow any foreigner to enter Lower Canada;\nhe even Shewed us the Governor-general's positive orders to that effect, iffued in the month of\nOctober, and occafioned by the conduct of fome\nFrenchmen. Although the wife measures of prevention, adopted by the Governor-general, as well\nas all other Steps tending to avert a revolution,\nmet with my fulleft approbation; yet 1 could\nnot but find it extremely unpleafant, that Mr.\nHammond in fo positive a manner Should have\naffured me of Lord Dorchester's perfect concurrence with him on the feore of my intended\njourney. On his afferting, that a paffport, granted by. him, was the only fufficient mean to enable a foreigner to proceed from the United States\ninto Lower Canada, I entreated him, in addition to this paffport, to write a letter to Lord\nDorchester, who, by ordering the Subordinate\ncommander to let us pafs, would have faved us a\ntedious delay in our journey, and the uneafinefs\nnaturally arising Srom our incommoding Governor Simcoe for Such a length of time. Yet, we\nwere neceffitated to conceal our dissatisfaction,\nand wait until Lord Dorchefter could fend his\nanfwer\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\nanfwer to Kingston, to which I requested him to-\ndirect it.\nI employed my long residence in Niagara, to\nacquire fome knowledge of the country, the attainment of which was greatly facilitated by ther\ngenerous openneSs of Governor Simcoe. -\nSo late as in the year 17Q1, the adminiftrsPtion\nof Upper Canada was Separated from that of\nLower Canada, jj It formerly constituted a part\nof the province of Quebec. The administration\nof it wTas much the Same as that of the Englifli\ncolonies, and depended entirely on the will and'\npleafure of the Governor; yet was undoubtedly\nhere conducted with Still more precaution, not\nonly becaufe Lord Dorchefter, by all accounts, is\na man of a mild and juft disposition, but alfo becaufe the leffon, given by the United States, will\nnot prove altogether fruitless. The Britifh Parliament, at the fame time when it divided thefe\ntwo tracts of the province of Quebec into Upper\nand Lower Canada, gave them a representative\nform of government, which, though all th\nSprings of this political machine are yet in the\nhands of the Governor-general, is framed in Such\na manner, that if this country Should grow more\npopulous, more opulent and enlightened, it will\nnot prove an arduous taSk, to refcue the management of public affairs from thisjuiflucnce, wbich\nDd3 at\n 400\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nat prefent is very great, and, in the actual State or\nthings, perhaps abfolutely neceffary. gj|p\nLord Dorchefter is Governor-general of tbe\nBritifh pofteflions in North America; the governors of the different provinces are only lieutenant-governors ; who, whenever he appears,\nyield to his Superior authority; and are alfo responsible to him in all military affairs, if they be\ngentlemen of the army, which is by no means an\nindifpenfible qualification for the place of a lieutenant-governor. In regard to State-affairs of\nwhatever nature and complexion, the lieutenant-\ngovernor corresponds immediately with the English ministry. It is from them he receives his orders and instructions, without being obliged to\ncommunicate them to the governor-general, who\nis not even poffeffed of the right, on leaving the\ndifferent districts of his government, to give the\nfmalleft directions for what is to be done during\nhis abfence. For this reafon the Governor-gene-\nral, except when prefting military arrangements\ncall him from the chief town of his government,\nconstantly refides there, while the lieutenant-governor, who has no bufinefs in that place, keeps\nas much as poflible at a diftance from it. But\nas no accounts of any public expenditure pafs>\nwithout being figned by the Governor-general.\nlt>\nhe poSTciiei a powerful influence over all forts of\noperations\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0\u00E2\u0080\u0094\"\u00E2\u0096\u00A0**\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\n40f\nOperations and projects, which ,at least require his\napprobation; an influence that extends through,\njail the different branches of his government.\nThe Britifh poffeftions in North America are\ndivided into Upper and Lower Canada, New\nBrunswick, and Nova Scotia, Only the first two\nof thefe provinces are governed by the new constitution. The others are governed as in former\ntimes.\nThe boundary between Upper and Lower Canada lies about one hundred miles above Montreal*. The extent of Upper Canada far exceeds\nthat of Lower Canada, as, the weftern boundary\nbeing undefined, it comprises all the known and\nunknown countries, extending; as far as the Pa-\ncific or Great Sea, and is bounded northwards alfo\nby unknown countries. The population of Lower\nCanada is estimated at about one hundred and forty\nthoufand fouls, and that of Upper Canada at thirty\nthoufand, but this eltimate feems rather high^.\n* The line between Upper and Lower Canada commences\nat a Stone boundary on the N. bank of Lake St..Francis, in\nSt. Lawrence River, in the cove W. of Point an Boudel,\nthence northerly to Ottawas River and to its fource in Lake\nTomifcaning, thence due N. till it ftrikes the boundary of\nHudfon's Bay or New Britain.\u00E2\u0080\u0094Tranfl.\nf Dr. Morse eftimat.es the population of both thefe provinces at one hundred and fifty thoufand fouls. Lower Canada, in 1794, contained one hundred and thirteen thoufand and\" twelve inhabitants.\u00E2\u0080\u0094Tranfl.\nD d 4 The\nJ\nHI\n v\\nlii! II\n408\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nn\nim\n*\n\u00E2\u0080\u00A2 r \\nThe leading articles of the new constitution of\nCanada are as follows :\nThat the Province of Quebec be divided into\ntwo provinces ; Upper and Lower Canada.\nThat it have two houfes of legislature; one hereditary ; one elective.\nThat Upper Canada be destined for the reception chiefly of BritiSh fettlers.\nThat the allotment of lands in Upper Canada\nbe, under certain restrictions, left to the authority\nof the local legislature.\nThat the representative houfe of legislature be\nfeptennially elected.\nThat the clergy be provided for by an ample\nallotment of lands, amounting to one-feventh.\nThat certain titles of honour be connected\nwith the right to a feat in the hereditary houfe\nof legislature.\nThat the liberty of introducing more or lefs of\nthe municipal law of England be left to the dif-\ncretion of the Provincial Affembly.\nUpper Canada is a new country, or rather a\ncountry yet to be formed. It was probably for\nthis reafon General Simcoe accepted the government of it.; He was fully aware of the advantages, which his native land might derive from\nSuch a colony, if it attained perfection ; and imagined, that means might be found adequate to\nthis\n55-\u00C2\u00BB^\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, Sec.\n40Q\nthis purpofe. This hope was the only incitement\nwhich could impel a man of independent fortune,\nand, as he fays, of confined wiShes, to leave the\nlarge and beautiful eftates he pofTeSfes in England9\nand to bury himfelf in a wildernefs among bears\nand Savages. Ambition at leaft appears not to\nhave been his motive, as a man in General Sim-\ncoe's fituation is furnifhed with abundant means\nof distinguishing himfelf by ufeful activity, without removing to a great diftance from his native\ncountry, where, in fuch a cafe, he is almost fure\nof being; forgotten. But, whatever have been his\nCD CD\nmotives, his design has been attended with confe-\nquences highly beneficial.\nThe plan conceived by General Simcoe for\npeopling and improving Upper Canada feerns, as\nfar as he has communicated it to us, extremely\nwife and well arranged. The central point of all\nhis fettlements, and of the population of this\ncountry, he means to place between Detroit River\nand the plantations already established in Lower\nCanada, within a Square formed by Lake Ontario,\nLake Erie, Detroit River, and Lake Huron.\nFrom a Supposition that the Fort of Niagara w7ould\ncertainly remain in the poffeflion of the Englifli,\nhe at firft intended to make Newark the chief\ntowe feated on the frontiers, and\nmuch lefs under the guns of the enemy's fort. He\nlias Since thought of York, Situated on the northern\nbank of Lake Ontario, nearly opposite to Niagara*^ ; it is in this place he has quartered his regiment, and he intends to remove thither himfelf when he Shall withdraw from the frontiers. |\nIf York, from its extent, fecurity, and fituation,\noffers an excellent road. The communication\nbetween Lake Ontario and Lake Huron is facilitated by feveral rivers and fmall lakes. The Surrounding territory pofteffes a good foil, and affords\nall poSSible means to improve the trade on the\nlake. Even in a military point of view its fitua-*\ntion is very advantageous. The banks of Lake\nOntario are likely to be firft peopled by the Americans, and to become moft populous; and Lower\nCanada will always prove to them an object of\njealousy and envy rather than Upper Canada. On\nthis ground it is extremely important, to ehoofe a\nTil\n| By the Treaty of \19^.\u00E2\u0080\u0094TranJl.\n*t Yorkj-defigned to be the feat of the government of Upper Canada, is situated on the north-weft fide of Lake Ontario, forty miles north by weft from Niagara Fort, and one\nhundred and twenty weft-fouth-weft from Kingston.\u00E2\u0080\u0094Tranfl.\nf inn.\nl<&>\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, 8cC.\nSituation, which renders it more eafy to fuccour\nfiieh points as are moft expofed to an attack. Yet\nGovernor Simcoe feems to have relinquished the\nidea of establishing his residence, and the feat of\ngovernment, at York. He intends to remove\nthem to the banks of a river, which is to be found\nin all maps under the name of De la Franche,\nand which he has named the Thames. This river, which rifes between Lake Huron and Lake\nOntario, but is not yet fufficiently explored, is\nfisppofed not to be far distant from the Miami or\nGreat River. It flows four or five miles in a\nfouth-weft direction, and empties itfelf into Lake\nSt. Clair. It is the Governor's intention, to build\nhis chief town, to which he has already given the\nJ CD.\nname of London, about two hundred miles diS^-\ntant from this lake. A communication between\nthis river and another, which falls into Lake\nHuron, may be eafily eftabliShed, in the vicinity\nof Gloucester, and by land-carriage a communi-\ncation may alfo be opened with Lake Ontario:\nThe Governor is at the fame time mafter of thefe\ntwo lakes, as well as of Lake Erie, which, though\nfifteen miles distant, he can reach without any\nintervening; portage, but One of three miles.\nMoreover, that part of Lake Erie, which lie\nneareft to the projected capital (Long Point), is\nExactly the moft important point for the defence\nof\ni\n \u00C2\u00A312\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nof the lake, and on this point, which lies opposite\nto the American fettlement on the peninfula, the\nGovernor means to form a harbour, and erect\nconfiderable works for its protection. If the capital be fituated on this Spot, it will of confequence\nenjoy feveral advantages, befides thofe which\nYork would afford. It Stands nearer to the centre\nof the expected population; is more remote from\nthe parts belonging to the Indians ; and the Governor intends to Station the troops, which yet\noccupy the forts to be delivered up to the Americans, in the pofts of Gloucester on Lake Huron,\nof Long Point on Lake Erie, of Michigan, in two\nor three towns, which are to be built on the banks\nof the Thames, and laftly in York. This intended\ncapital is Surrounded by all poftsble means of defence, and is fo fituated, that it may Speedily\ngive Succour, wherever it may be wanted.\nFrom the readinefs which government difplays\nin granting lands gratis, the Governor entertains\nnot the leaft doubt of foon obtaining a numerous\npopulation. Many families, who at the beginning of the American war embraced the royal\ncaufe, have fince the conclusion of peace fettled\non lands, which were beftowed on them gratis.\nThe American foldiers, who fought under the\nfame unfortunate banners, obtained alfo an indemnification in lands, on which moft of them\nhave\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\nhave fettled. All officers, who ferved in that\nwar, are likewife entitled to fome hundred acres,\na certain number of which are already cultivated\nby them. The Governor is alfo fanguine in hh\nhopes of procuring many colonifts from the\nUnited States; he relies on the natural fondness\nof thefe people for emigrating, and on their attachment to the EngliSh government. There\narrive indeed every year a confiderable number of\nfamilies from different parts of the Union ; they\ndo not all fettle, it is true, but fome remain in\nthe country. He alfo reckons upon drawing\nnumerous fettlers from New Brunfwick, who\ncannot endure the climate of that country. And\nlaftly, the confiderable emigration from Europe,\nwhich he fancies he forefees, affords him certain hopes of obtaining thence a very numerous population. Yet, by his account, the prevailing fentiments of the people render the admission of new inhabitants, who prefent themfelves, rather difficult; efpecially of thofe, who\ncome from the United States. For this reafon,\nhe fends fuch colonifts, as cannot give a fatisfac-\ntory account of themfelves, into the back coun-\ntry, and Stations foldiers on the banks of th<\nlakes, which are in front of them. He\nadmit every superannuated foldier of the Englifh\nmx\ncl 1\n% \\n1\nn\n 414\nTRAVELS. THROUGH\nill\nIf\nI\ntl*\narmy, and all officers of long fervice, who are.on\nhalf pay, to Sliare in the distribution of Such lands\nas the King had a right to difpoie of. He would\ndifmifs every foldier, now quartered in Canada,\nand give him one hundred acres of land, as foon\nas he Should procure a young man to ferve as his\nsubstitute. With his views to encreafe the population of the country, he blends the design of\ndrawing young Americans into the Englifh fervice, by which he will augment the number of\nAmerican families, attached to the King of Great\nBritain. In the midft of thefe families of foldiers,\nwhich he intends to fettle on the lakes, and on\nall the frontiers towards the United States, he\nmeans to place all the officers, who, as has already\nbeen obferved, have any claim on the lands. He\npropofes thus to form a militia, attached to the\nKing from habit and gratitude; and this he considers as one of the moft certain means for Siip-\npreffing the disturbances, which might be excited\nby fome difaffected new fettlers, who inhabit the\nmidland counties, and at the fame time as one of\nthe best meafures of defence in cafe of an attack.\nBy this plan of fettling; amidft the foldiers offi-\nJ X CD\ncers and gentlemen of respectable families, wtiom\nhe hopes to attract from England, he wifhes to\nform a clafs of gentry, and to promote more or\nlejjr\n lefs the execution of the project, clearly difcerni-\nble in the new constitution, to introduce into the\n;two Canadas an hereditary nobility.\nIt is afierted, that all Canada, vast as is its extent, produces not the neceffary corn for the con-\nSumption of its inhabitants ; the troops are supplied with flour from London, and with fait meat\nfrom Ireland. In General Simcoe's opinion Upper Canada is not only capable of Satisfying the\n;wants of all its inhabitants, but alfo of becoming\n.a granary for England, and of creating a confiderable trade by the exchange of this neceffary of\nlife for other commodities ; nor does he entertain\nthe leaft doubt, but that the activity, in agricultural purfuits, which he endeavours to excite in\nUpper Canada, will operate as a powerful example\nin regard to Lower Canada, and roufe it from its\nprefent fispinenels and indolence. He conceives,\nthat the vaft quantities of fifh, with which the\nlakes abound, and efpecially of Sturgeons in Lake\nOntario, afford the means of a fuccefsful competition with RuSSia, which fupplies England with\nthis article to a very confiderable amount.\nThe corn-trade is, in his judgment, far preferable to the fur-trade, which appears to him at\nonce unprofitable for Great Britain, and a means\nof oppreSlion to Canada, in as much as it throws\nthe whole trade into the hands of a few companies,\n Iff\n-415\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nII\nM\nnies, and at the fame time renders them maSters\nof the commodities, which are imported from\nEngland in return. It is his wiSh, that merchants\nmay fettle on Lake Ontario, in Montreal, and in\nm\nQuebec; and, by the eftablifhment of a corn-\ntrade, deftroy ^that monopoly which very justly\nexcites his indignation ; and he entertains hopes,\nthat this will actually take place.\nThe maxims of government, profeffed by General Simcoe, are very liberal and fair ; he detests\nall arbitrary and military government without the\nwalls of the forts; and desires liberty in its utmoft latitude, fo far as is confiStent with the constitution and law of the land. He is, therefore,\nby no means ambitious of investing all power and\nauthority in his own hands, but commits to the\nlieutenants, whom he nominates for each county,\nthe right of appointing the justices of the peace\nand officers of the militia. By this meafure, he\nthinks, he Shall be able to attach men of weigtit\n7 b\nand influence to government, and fubordinate officers to their fuperiors, and thus fecure additional refources for preferring the good opinion\nand affection of the Canadians towards the Britifh\nGovernment. All the justices of the peace, whofe\nnumber is very great indeed, poffefs the right\nwithin their refpective districts of aftigning, in the\nKing's name, to every fettler, with whofe con-\nduct\n iNORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\n417\ndiidt and principles they are acquainted, a lot of\ntwo hundred acres of land. The furveyor of the\ndistrict is informed by t3ie justice of the peace of\nthe grant, made in favour of the new colonic\nand of the oath of allegiance, he has taken; on\nreceiving which information he gives the new\nSettler a certificate, pointing out that part of the\ndistrict, where he is to find the land, allotted to\nhim by the magistrate. If he Should wifh for a\ngreater quantity of land, he muft apply to the Executive Council.\nFrom the prefent fmallnefs of the number of\nthe inhabitants of Upper Canada; which, how-^\never confiderable the migration may be, for a\ngreat length of time will bear no proportion to\nthe extent of country to be peopled; General\n-Simcoe entertains not the fmalleft wifh to enlarge his territory at the expence of the Indians ;\non the contrary, he receives with the utmoft\nkindness thofe whom the Americans drive from\ntheir habitations ; and this conduct is extremely\nfe. If,\nwile. It, on the one hand, the policy of the\nunited States require that, in the intermediate\nSpace between them and the EngliSh, there Should\nnot refide a people, who may prove dangerous\nfrom their extreme fufceptibility of feduction,\nwho cannot be ufeful on account of their fmall\nnumber, and who, being a nation that lives by\nVol, I, E e huntings\nn\n \u00E2\u0080\u00A2*U\nTravels through\nhunting, demand a large tract of country for\ntheir subsistence ; Governor Simcoe may, on the\nother hand, tolerate them, without the leaft danger, on the frontier of the English poffeffions,\nconnect them by this measure more clofely with\nEngland, arid exafperate them againft the Americans, in order to take advantage of their hatred\nin cafe of need; efpecially as he finds they will,\nat any time, cede to him whatever lands he may\ndefire.\nAlthough the fur-trade, in General Simcoe's\nopinion, is not fo profitable to England, as many\nEnglishmen imagine; yet he will not divide its\nprofits with the Americans ; who, by the surrender of the forts, acquire a Share in the navigation of the lakes, and excellent harbours, on their\ncoaft; and of confequence, are poffesTed of every\nmeans to participate in this branch of commerce.\nA communication, he thinks, may eafily be open-.\ned between Lake Huron and Lake Ontario, by\nmeans of St. Jofeph's River, wtiich by relieving\nthe fur-traders irom the trouble and expence oi\nthe circuitous navigation of the Detroit River,\nof Lake Erie, of the Niagara river, and of a\ngreat part of Lake Ontario, would difappoint the\nUnited States in their hope of receiving in fu*\nx o\nture, as they have hitherto done, any articles\nacrofs the lakes from the forests, fituate above*\nLake\n north America Canada, See.\n3Lake Huron, and would at the fame tirhe free\nEnglifli Ships frorh the necessity of pasting by th\nforts of Detroit and Niagara, which are hence-\nforth to belong to the Americans. Nay, he is of\nopinion, that a direct communication might be\nestablished between Lake Huron and St. Lawrence river, which would however require feveral\nportages, on account of the numerous rapids\nivhich interrupt the navigation of that river, as\nX CD 7\nwell as of the fmall lakes through which it flows.\nThe plan*of military operation conceived by\nthe Governor, in cafe of a war with the Americans, confifts in chiefly drawing them into the\nEnglifh dominions, where, under the protection\nof his forts, he can-fight them to greater advantage. He further intends to eftabliSh a refpect a-\no x\nble navy, compofed of fmall veffels, mounting\nheavy guns, which no American yaqht can dare\nto engage, and which, if a defcent were openly\nattempted on the territory of the United States,\nwould be well qualified to cover the landing. He\nalfo promifes himfelf much from the aSliftance of\nhis militia, with whom he would make confiderable inroads into the heart of the enemy's\ncountry. The communication between Lake\nHuron and Lake Ontario appears to him Still more\nneceffary in time of war, as by means of this com-\nmunication he intends to convey into the latfer\nm\nE e 2 lake\n TRAVELS THROUGH\nlake the galleys, bomb-ketches and gun-boats,\nwhich he purpofes to build at another town, lying on the Thames, to which he has given the\nname of Chatham.\nThe views of Governor Simcoe, I mean thofe,\nwhich concern the civil government, are undoubtedly extenfive, and well planned. They are,\nin my judgment, the beft which can be conceived, in his fituation, as an Englifh governor; and\nthe poSfibility of their being carried into effect\ncannot be questioned, if he poffefies the confidence of government, and has plenty of money\nto expend. He may alfo, in the execution of his*\nplans, derive confiderable aid from the foldiers,\nquartered in his province. He is aware of the\nindifpenfible neceftity of habituating the troops\nto labour in a country, where he cannot hope to\nmake them masters of a complex System of tac^-\ntics, and where laborious habits peculiarly fit\nthem for that fort of warfare, which is best adapted to the fmallnefs of their number, to the enemy they have to combat, and to the difficulties\nthey have to encounter.\nBut the execution of his projects is neverthelefs, upon the whole, obstructed by numerous obstacles ; the greateft of which confifts in the Governor's determination to return to England at\nhe expiration of five years. A plan of fuch vast\nmagnitude,.\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C;\n421\nmagnitude, and \u00E2\u0080\u00A2 which comprifes fo great a variety of defigns, can be carried into execution by\nhim only, who was able to conceive it. From\nthe very nature of the principles on which it is\nbuilt, and the intimate connection of its various\nparts, the fuccefsful execution of fuch a project\nfuppofes, on the part of the executor, befides a\nthorough knowledge off its Structure and complexion, courage, order, and a laudable ambition\nof achieving arduous and ufeful undertakings;\nrequisites, hardly to be met with in any perfon\nwho may be fent to fucceed this governor. If\nSuch a one be a man of moderate capacity, he will\nneither be able to purfue nor to execute a plan,\nwhich is not of a nature to be committed to\nfubaltern officers ; and if he be poffeffed of fome\nparts, aS is generally the cafe, felf-love will di\u00C2\u00A3\niiiade him from pursuing a plan, laid down by\nanother; and however pofitive and peremptory\nhis instructions may be, at two thoufand miles\ndistance they will be easily evaded. Add to this,\nthat fondnefs for military power, and the love of\narbitrary authority are in every region of the\nglobe the ufual attributes of men in power. If,\ntherefore, General Simcoe Should execute his design of leaving Upper Canada, two years hence,\nhe will hardly find fufficient time to lay the foundations of a plan, which appears to him, and I\nE e 3 I think\n think very justly, extremely well adapted to promote the profperity of Upper Canada, and greatly\nenlarge the interests of Great Britain. The va-\nrious branches of this plan, are fo extenfive and\nfo numerous, that a long; feries of years, fpent in\nthe fame Spirit and unwearied exertion, will be\nrequisite to execute it in its whole extent.\nBut he himfelf, I believe, would meet with\nimpediments in the executiori of his plan. Although General Simcoe is entirely independent\non Lord Dorchefter in all ciyil concerns, vet he\nis not fo in regard to the military department,\nof which the quartering of the troops forms a\npart. He told me himfelf, that, in this refpect,\nhe feared to meet-with opposition ; and 1 incline\nto think, that on this Subject he did not exprefs,\nall he knows. Unlefs the troops be Stationed in\nfuch posts, as to cover and defend the projected\ncapital, and the various fettlements which he has\nin- contemplation \u00E2\u0080\u00A2 unlefs they be kept to labour\nrather than military exercifes, and unlefs thofe,\n\u00E2\u0080\u00A2who can find fubftitutes, be difmiffed from fer-\nyice, his project fajls in three very material points,\nwhich can hardly be aecomplifhed by any other\nmeans.\nJ^ord Dorchefter is advanced in years, and,\nlike all aged people, no friend of new ideas. Be-\nfide that he is fond of boundlefs power, the prevailing\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C,\nvailing disposition of the inhabitants of Lower\nCanada may excite in him a willi of drawing\nmore troops into that province ; and feveral hints,\nthrown out by General Simcoe, incline me to believe, that he thinks his LordShip has fome fuch\nintention. The Governor may alfo, perhaps, be\ntoo Sanguine in fome of his expectations, or indulge delusive hopes.\nAs to the emigration from the United States\nCD\nto Upper Canada, I mean a considerable emigration, it appears not to me altogether fo probable\nas to him. The free grant of lands feems at SirSt\nfight a much greater inducement, than it actually\nis. The lands are indeed given away gratis; a\ncertificate of the furveyor, granted by command\nof the Executive Council, gives the new fettlers\na right to the ufufruct of thefe lands; but the\nproperty thereof is fooner or later transferred, according to the will and plealisre of the Council.\nTo the belt of my knowledge, none of thefe free\ngrants include a transfer of the right of property.\nIf an occupier of this defcription dies without\niffue, previously to his having acquired that right,\nhis eftate eft-heats to the King; no collateral\nfriends or relations Succeed in the poffeflion of\nthe eftate; and, of confequence, the money and\nlabour expended in its improvement and cultiva-\nE e 4 tion\n \u00C2\u00BBfc\n4M\nTRAVELS THROUGH\n4\nM\nP\ntion have been fpent for the benefit ofthk Crown,\nIn the United States, a new fettler, on purchasing\na certain quantity of land, the price of which is\nto be paid by distant instalments, has a profpe<8\nof difcharging them by felling again a Small portion of his eftate, the value of which he has doubled by estivation ; white the Canadian planter\nhas to look for the permanency of his poffeflion\nmerely to the will and pleasure of the Governor;\nand, if he understand his intereft, he will not place\non him an implicit dependance. Intereft and an\nacquaintance with Substantial and respectable-fettlers may, no doubt, procure him, fooner, the\nright of property, and thus facilitate a fecond\nfale. But favours of this kind are always con^\nfined to a part of the eftate, and depend on th#\narbitrary will of the Council. As long, therefore, as there Shall exjst no law, determining the\nperiod and terms of the investiture with thefe\nrights; the poffefibrs will remain uneasy and insecure ; and confequently the progrefs of improvement will be greatly retarded. Mines of\nevery defcription, from gold down to pit-coal,\nwhich may be difcovered in the lands, thus\nceded, as well as all timber, which, in the judg-?\nment of the Surveyor-general, is fit for Shipbuilding, are in all thefe graifts referved in SaVour\nof\n\u00C2\u00A3\n of the King;. All thefe restrictions cannot but\nCD\nrender a good fettler very uneasy, and may, in\nthe estimation of many people prone to emigration, far outweigh the advantages of a free grant.\nThe attachment to the King of Great Britain,\nwhich is frequently alleged as a ground for emigration, feems an empty dream. It is common\nwith all Englishmen, who hold here places under\ngovernment, to boaft of this attachment of many\ninhabitants of the United States of every rank\nand defcription. On what grounds this opinion\nrefts, I know not; but it is certainly not warranted by what I learned in the United States.\nThey there profefs fo loudly and uniformly principles, which indicate the exact revetfe; that\nthefe professions ought doubtless to be confidered\nas better pledges of the true Sentiments of the\nAmericans, than the affertions of a few EngtiSh-\nmen in place.\nThe families, who arrive here from the United\nStates, emigrate moft of them, it is afferted, from\ntheir being Subject there to a tax, with which,\nhowever trifling it may be, they are yet difpleaf-\ned. If this be really the cafe, Such a disposition\ncannot in future times prove favourable to Great\nBritain. We were alfo told, that General Sim-\ncoe, from his eager defire to people Upper Canada, is by no means difficult in regard to the\n TRAVELS THROUGH\nqualifications of the new fettlers, who prefent\nthemfelves; and that, notwithstanding his aversion to fpeculations in land, and his perfonal dif-\nintereftednefs; frequently a whole townflsip, nay\nat times two or three together, are affigned to one\nCD % CD *\nand the fame perfon.\nThe Governor is of opinion, that the trade of\nUpper Canada may be encreafed by the commodities of the Geneffee district, for which he fees\nno other outlet, but by the river of St. Lawrence. This opinion, however, feems to have no\nfoundation; when it is considered, that Lake\nOneida, the Wood-creek and Mohawk-river offer\nready means for a water-communication with\nLake Ontario and the North River ; which is at\nprefent interrupted only at three places, where\ni X J X 7\nthe boats are to be carried ; and that the Americans, in every part of the Union, cJiSplay the\nUtmoft zeal, activity and induftry, in. every thing,\nwhich tends to facilitate communication by water. But upon the whole the Governor's mifcal-\ndilations, originating from national prejudices, are\nof too little importance to impede the execution\nof his project; they may perhaps protract its completion, but cannot occasion its failure. The true\nimpediments are thofe, which 1 have before mentioned, and the chief obstacle is the Governor's\nreturn to England.\nThe\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\nThe prefent population amounts, as I have\nalready Stated, to thirty thoufand fouls. The\nJ \u00E2\u0080\u00A2\u00E2\u0080\u00A2 m\nprincipal fettlement is that of Detroit; which\nconfifts, entirely, of French families, and is mostly\nfituated on a tract of land that, according to trea-?\n7 o\nty, is to be given up to America. The Englifli\nfjatter themfelves, that the families, who have\nfettled there, will remove from the American to\nthe Britifh fide. But, if the conduct of the American government towards tjiefe families Should\nbe fuch, as the intereft of America dictates; there\nremains but little probability, that they will leave\ntheir long cultivated eftates, merely from a de-\nSire of living under the Englifli dominion. The\n.CD CD\nother fettlements in Upper Canada confsftSina\nvery conftderable colony, which Stretches along\nthe river Srom Fort Erie to NewTark, is not fully\noccupied, and does not comprife a large extent\nof ground; in a few plantations on the creeks,\nwhich run into Lake Ontario from-Newark up to\nits northern point; in an insignificant beginning\nof a fettlement in York ; and laftly in Kingfton,\nextending along the banks of the river St. Lawrence to the boundaries of Lower Canada, which\nis the moft populous of all.\nAs to the Governor's military plans, his meafures of defence only are fettled and determined ;\nhis\n \u00C2\u00BB\nf\n428\nTPA\nAVELS THROUGH\nI i\n'I\nKf.\nhis plans of offensive operation are fo undefined\nand uncertain as not to deferve any mention.\nThe hatred of the Governor againft the United States occasions him, on the Slightest occasion,\nCD *\nto overleap all the bounds of prudence and decency, which he carefully obferves in all other\nmatters. He was a zealous promoter of the American war, in which he took a very active, yet\nvery unfortunate, part. The calamitous iffue of\nthe wrar has ftill more exafperated his hostility;\nand it was with the Sincereft grief I listened to\nhis boasting of the numerous houfes he had fired\nduring that unfortunate conflict, and of his in^\ntention to burn a Still greater number in cafe of a\nCD\nrupture, In Short, the whole of his intentions\non this subject was Such as the moft violent par-?\nty-rage alone can infpire. He told us, that, in\ncafe of another war with America, by expending\nvast Sums of money, he would force them to expences equally great, which they would not be\nable to meet, and much lefs to Support for any\nlength of time ; in Short, wage against them a\nmoney-war. Yet he affirms inceffantly, that it\nis his anxious wifh to preferve peace with the\nUnited States. This he very juftly considers as\na powerful mean of promoting the profperity of\nhis new colony. But his hatred againft the rebels\ns5\"\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &c.\n4ig\ntels is fo violent; and his difpleafure, occasioned\nby the Surrender of the forts, is fo strong; that\nthe charge, preferred againft him by the government of the United States, of his having laft\nyear aSlifted the Indians as much as he could,\nwithout making himfelf openly a party in the\ndiSpute, feems not devoid of foundation. By\nexciting this war, the fuccefsful iffue of which\nhe considered as certain, he attained the twofold\npurpofe of Satisfying at once his ambition and his\nrevenge. He does not himfelf deny, that he had\nadopted the neceffary meafures for conducting to\nthe district of Geneffee all the Indians, who were\nat his difpoial, and who, by his account, amounted to five thoufand men\u00E2\u0080\u0094meafures which would\nnaturally have been attended with the firing of\nall the habitations, and the Slaughter of all the\ninhabitants. A war, thus barbarous and destructive, would have been waged by England at the\nend of the eighteenth century ; and the founder\nof a colony, in every other refpect a man of gc-\nJ J X CD\nnerous and noble feelings, would have projected\nand prepared\" it. I Should not have credited\nthefe projects, had I heard them Stated by any\nindividual but the Governor himfelf; or Should.\nI have ventured to introduce them here, but\nthat, within my knowledge, he has repeatedly\ncommunicated them to feveral other perfons.\nBut\nI\n4\n u\n43d\nTRAVELS THROUGH\"\nBut for this inveterate hatred againft the Unsfc*\nCD\ned States, which he too loudly profeftes, and\nWhich carries him too far, General Simcoe appears iri the moft advantageous light. He is\njuft, active, enlightened, brave, frank, and pof*\nfeffes the confidence of the country, of the troops;\nand of all thofe who join him in the administration of public affairs. To thefe he attends with\nthe clofeft application ; he preferves all the old\nfriends of his King, and neglects no means to\nprocure him new ones. He unites, in my judgment, all the qualities, which his station requires, to maintain the important poffeflion of\nCanada, if it be poffible that England can long retain it.\nIn his private life, Governor Simcoe is Simple;\nplain, and obliging. He inhabits a fmall fnifer-\nable wooden houfe, which formerly was occupied by the eommiffarks, who refided here on account of the navigation of the lake. His guard\nconfifts of four foldiers, who every morning come\nfrom the fort, and return thither in the evening;\nHe lives in a noble and hofpitable manner, without pride ; his mind is enlightened; his character mild and obliging; he difcouffes with\nmuch good fenfe on all Subjects, but his favorite\ntopics are his projects and war, which feem to be\nthe objects of his leading paSfions. He is acquainted\n \u00E2\u0080\u00A2J SI\nnorth America,; Canada, Sec.\n431\nquainted with the military hiftory of all countries ; no hillock catches his eye without excit-\ning in his mind the idea of a fort, which might/\nbe constructed on the fpot; and with the construction of this fort he affociates the plan of operations for a campaign, efpecially of that which\nis to lead him to Philadelphia. On hearing his\nprofessions of an earnest defire of peace, you\nCannot but fuppofe, either that his reafon miift\nhold an abfolute Sway over his paffion, or that he\ndeceives himfelf.\nMrs. Simcoe is a lady of thirty-fix years of\nage. She is baShful, and fpeaks little ; but She\nis a woman of fenfe, handfome and amiable, and\nfulfils all the duties of the mother and wife with\nthe moft fcrupulous exactness.. The performance\nof the latter Use carries fo far as to act the part of\na private fecretary to her hufband. Her talents\nfor drawing, the practice of which She confines\nto maps and plans, enable her to be extremely\nufeful to the Governor.\nUpper Canada pays no taxes, except a duty on\nwine, amounting to four-pence per gallon on Madeira, and two-pence on other forts of wine, and\nanother of thirty-fix Shillings sterling a year for a\ntavern-licence, which, during the fcfuon of 170S,\nwas encreafed by twentv Shillings Canada cur-\nreney\nll\n a\nTRAVELS THROUGH\ntency [four dollars]*. The fum total of thS\npublic revenue amounts to nine hundred pounds\nSterling, out Of which are paid the falaries of the\nSpeaker of the Houfe of Repreferitatives and of*\nthe Secretaries ; the remainder is deftined to meet\nthe expence which local circumstances may require for the fervice and maintenance of fociety.\nThe justices of the peace determine in the quar-\nter-feflions, as they do in England, the amount of\nthe county-rates for the construction of public\nbuildings, for the repair of the roads, and the\nmaintenance of the army. (The laft item is not\nyet known in Canada.) Thefe rates are raifed\nby means of a capitation or poll-tax, affeffed in\nproportion to the probable amount of the property of the whole who are in the district, liable to contribute ; the largeft affeflment on any\nindividual exceeds not four dollars.\nOn the fame principle is raifed the pay of the\nmembers of the affembly, who, on their return\n*\u00E2\u0080\u00A2 The value of money in Canada fhould, according to\nlaw, be equal to that which it bears in Halifax, and confequently a dpllar be worth five millings. This ilandard\nis ftri&ly adhered to in all government accounts, but not\nfo fcrupuloufly obferved in the courfe of private bufinefs.\nThe currency, which circulates in New York* pafles alfo,\nefpecially in that part of Canada which borders on New\nork.** Author.\n! at\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, ScC.\nat the end of the feflion, deliver to the jufti^\nof the peace of their district a certificate of the\nSpeaker, proving the number of days they have\nbeen prefent, and receive two dollars per day out\nof the money raifed for that purpofe, including\nthe days they have been upon their journey.\nThe quarter-feffions are held in every diSjtrid:;\nand the division into districts is connected with\n\u00E2\u0080\u00A2the administration of justice. ThejuStices of the\nHigh Court of Judicature for civil and criminal\ncaufes, who are three in number, including th\nchief juftice, hold four feflions annually in the\ntown in which the Governor reft des. They alfo\ngo on circuits in the different districts of the province once a year ; judges for the different dif-\ntricts fit at farter intervals to fettle matters of\nlittle importance, and the justices of the peace\nexercife the fame jurisdiction as in England.\nA tribunal, compofed of the Governor and two\nmembers of the Executive Council, form the\nCourt of Appeal in Such caufes as have been decided by the High Court of Judicature. The\nGovernor forms alfo, with the concurrence of an\nalffttant, the choice of whom depends entirely on\nhis option, a Court of Chancery for the decision\nof caufes, concerning teftaments, intestate heirs\norphans, &c.\nRefpecting the frequency and punifhments of\nVol. I. F f crimes,\n 434\nTRAVELS THROUGH\ncrimes, Mr. White, Attorney-general of the\nprovince, informed me, that there is no district,\nin which one or two perfons have not already\nbeen tried for murder ; that they were all acquitted by the jury, though the evidence was Strongly\nagainst them ; that, from want of prifons, which\nare not yet built, petty offences, which in England would be puniShed with imprifonment, are\nhere mulcted, but that the fines are feldom paid\nfor want of means of execution; and that the\nmajor part of law-*fuits have for their object the\nrecovery of debts; but fometimes originate alfo\nfrom quarrels and assaults j drunkennefs being a\nvery common vice in this country.\nThe province of Upper Canada is divided into\nthe four districts of Detroit, Niagara, Kingston,\nand St. John's. The justices of the peace are\nfelected from among thofe perfons, who are belt\nqualified for fuch an office ; but, in a country fo\nrecently fettled men worthy of this trust cannot be numerous.\nThe divifion of Upper Canada into counties is\npurely military, and relates merely to the enlisting, completing, and affembling of the militia.\nThe counties are about twelve in number. Their\nnames, with which I am unacquainted, are not of\nfufficient importance to deferve to be here mentioned The militia of each county are aftem-\nbled\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\npled and commanded by a lieutenant and fecond\"\nlieutenant; they must be divided into regiments\nand companies. They affemble once a year in\neach county, and are infpected by the captains\nof the different companies at leaft twice a year.\nEvery male inhabitant is confidered as a militiaman from the age of fixteen to fifty. He is fined\nfour dollars if he do not enlist at the proper\ntime ; and officers, both commissioned and non-,\ncommissioned, who do not join their regiments\nat the time the militia are affembied, pay a fine ;\nthe former of eight dollars, and the latter of two.\nAn officer, wdio, in cafe of an attack or insurrection, Should not repair to his aSligned poft, would\nbe punifhed with a pecuniary penalty\" of fifty\npounds Sterling, and a petty officer with a fine of\ntwenty pounds Sterling.. A militia-man, who\nfells either the whole or part of his arms, ammunition, or accoutrements, is fined five pounds\nSterling; and, in default of payment, imprisoned\nfor two months. The Quakers, Baptists, and\nDunkers pay, in time of peace, twenty fhillings a\nyear; and, during a war or insurrection, five\npounds sterling, for their exemption from mili\ntary fervice. Out of thefe fines and ranfoms the\nadjutant-general of the militia receives his pay,\nand the remainder is at the Governor's difpofai.\nThis^ is nearly the fubftance of the firft act of\nF f2\nwm\n TRAVELS THROUGH\nthe legislative body of Upper Canada, paffed iri\n17Q3. In the following year, 1794, an additional\nact paffed relative to the militia, the chief regulations of Which tended to improve and define\nmore accurately the internal form of the regi-\nnients, battalions, and companies, and to render\nthe alTembling of detachments more eaSy and expeditious. This act determines, tnat, in time of\nwar, the obHlJMon to carry arms in defence of\nthe country fhall not ceafe before the age of fixty ; and that, of confequence, Quakers and others*\nwho enjoy an exemption from military fervice,\nShall pay for their immunity up to that age. It\nalfo obliges the militia to ferve on board of Ships\nand veffels, to act as cavalry, and to extend their\nfervice beyond the province^ on condition how-\nfever, that the fame men be not bound to ferve\nmore than fix months fucceflively.\nThe exemptions from military fervice are confined to the officers of juftice, and other public\nfunctionaries, whofe nuWber is very fmall.. The\nwhole militia is estimated at nine thoufand men,\nfor a tract of country of confiderable extent, in\nwhich, however, the communication and alTembling of the troops are much facilitated by the\nlakes.\nAll the expences of the civil and military administration of Upper and Lower Canada are defrayed\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0i 1 1 im\u00C2\u00BBii j|ii\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\nfrayed by England. The Sum total, including\nthe political expences, or the money paid to the\nIndians, though this forms an item of the military expenditure, amounts for Upper Canada to\none hundred thoufand pounds Sterling. Nearly\ntwo-thirds of this fum, or Sixty thoufand pounds,\nare paid to the Indians ; including the pay of the\nprincipal agents, under agents, interpreters, &c.\nThis pay deducted, all the other charges, occasioned by the Indians, confiSt in prefents, tomahawks, mufkets, powder and ball, knives\nblankets, rings, buckles, Jiats, looking-glaffes, and,\nabove all, in rum. The agents are charged with\nthe distribution of thefe articles, which by fome\nare distributed every year, by others at various\ntimes, according to circumstances. It is by thefe\nmeans the Indians are fuppofed to be gained over.\n$uch pf their chieftains, as sire believed to poffefs\nconsiderable influence, obtain a larger Share of\nprefents ; by which, and efpecially by a profufe\ndistribution of rum, their friendship is gained and\npreferved. The Americans are depicted to them\nas their inveterate enemies; they are made to\nfwear, that they will burn and fcalp thefe foes at\nthe firft Signal. It was in this manner the Go-\nvernor imagined laft year, from the reports he\nhad received, that he fhould be able to diipofe of\nfifty thoufand men, who had all taken an. oath,\nF f 3 not\n \iW\n438\nTRAVELS THROUGH\n.EH..\n1\nWi\nnot to leave a fcalp on the Skull of any American\nthey fhoulu fall in with. A relation of thefe\natrocities has all the appearance of an exaggerated account of fome nation of cannibals, and\nyet it is literally true*. The Englifh affert, that\nthe Americans, on their part, proceed exactly in\nthe fame manner\u00E2\u0096\u00A0.\n\u00E2\u0080\u00A2 It muft be confeffed, that the colonifts, by their\nmean and barbarous policy, teach fhe Indians to\ndefpife them. But we may indulge a hope, that\nthe time is not far distant, when the latter Shall\npoffefs fufficient fenfe, to take the prefents of\nEngland and the money of the United States,\nand to laugh at both thefe great nations ; fcorn-\nCD CD '\ning'to be any longer the tools of their ambition\nand revenge.\nCD\nWe have here been told, that England's annual expenditure for Upper and Lower Canada\namounts to four or five hundred thoufand pounds\nSterling ; whether the penfions and donations\nwhich England beftows on fome inhabitants of\nthe United States, be comprifed in this estimate,\nI know not; but this I know, from a very refpec-\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0* With all candid readers it will undoubtedly be a matter of regret, that the author mould have preferred a charge\nof fuch a ferious and heinous complexion, without giving\nhimfelf the leaft trouble to fubftantiate its truth.\u00E2\u0080\u0094Tranf-\nlator.\ntable\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, Scci\ntable fource, that they amount to a pretty large\nfum. Is it this circumstance, to which Meffrs.\nHammond and Simcoe allude, when they fpeak\nof the numerous friends of the King of Great Britain in the United States ?\nI have not yet mentioned, that the Governor\nis alfo Prefident of an Executive Council, compofed of five members. In regard to the bills\nwhich have paffed both houfes, his affent or dif-\nfent is determined by the majority of votes. But,\nas he appoints this council, and has alfo the\npower of difTolying it, we may eaSily conceive,\nthat it confifts of members entirely dependant on\nhim. The major part hold feats in the Legislative\nCouncil.\nAn office, which was exclusively charged with\npreparing for the difcuflion and decifton of the\ncouncil Such matters as concern grants of land,\nhas lately been abolifhed. The Executive Council has referved to itfelf the introductory difqui-\nSition, as well as the definitive determination, of\nall bufinefs of this defcription. The number of\nthofe, who apply for lands, is uncommonly great,\nThe claims of the petitioners are generally grounded on their attachment to the Britifh Monarch\nand their disgust or hatred againft the govern-\nCD o O\nment of the United States. But, under allegations\npf this kind, frequently lurks a fpirit of fpecula-\nF f 4 tion.\n ma*\nTRAVELS THROUGH . |\ntion. Notwithstanding the folicitude Said to be\ndisplayed by the council to difcover the truth,\nmany grants of land ar\u00E2\u0082\u00AC made on no other\ngrounds than favour. By the letter of the lawx\nwhich, however, is often eluded, one individual\ncannot obtain more than etie thoufand two hundred acres. Yet, as the grants contain no claufe\nfixing the period within which the ground is to\nbe cleared, fpeculations frequently occur, and\nnot the leaft fecurity is obtained, that the land\nwill be a moment fooner inhabited for being thus\nbeftowed.\nI have already obferved, that officers, Who\nferved in the American war, have a right to a\nShare in thefe lands, which amounts, for a lieutenant to twelve hundred acres, and for a colonel\nto five thoufand. But officers, who never acted\nin the American war, nor ever held a colonel's\ncornmiffion, have obtained fhares as great as the\nlargeft allotted to thofe who have. Thefe lands,\nCD . '\nthough moft favourably Situated, are not yet\ncleared ; nor is there the leaft appearance of theii*\nbeing fpeedily cultivated.\nEvery thing is exceftively dear at NeVvafrk,\nThe Shops are few, and the Shopkeepers, combining against the public, fix what price they choo!&\nupon their goods. The high duty laid by England upon all tfee commodities exported from her\nislands\n KORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C,\niflands proves, a powerful encouragement to a\ncontraband trade with the United States, where,\nin many articles, the difference of price amounts\nto two-thirds. The government of Canada is\nviry vigilant to prevent this contraband trade;\nbut a certain profpect of gain excites to exertion,\nwtiich will frequently fucceed in eluding the\nlaw, as wfen as the vigilance of the executive\npower. The Shopkeepers know perfectly well\nhow to favour this contraband trade, the only\nmeans for destroying which would be to lower\nthe duties, and, of confequence, the price of the\ncommodities. The Governor has it in contemplation, to encourage fiich manufactures as prcr*\nduce thefe articles, which are TUn in large quan-?\ntities into this province from the United States,,\nfuch as hat&. But all his exertions to this effect\n\"VC&11 Sail ill regard to fugar, coffee, tea; in Short*\nwith refpect to all commodities, which are directly 'imported from the United States, without\nbes&g there Subjected to as high a duty as in Canada.\nDuring our long refids&ce at Naryhall, all the\ninhabitants of an Indian village, of the Tufcarora\nfiation, Came to congratulate the Governor on his\nlat\u00C2\u00A3 SuWal at Naryhall. All thefe vifits and con-\ngratufeebfy compliments have no other object but\nto obtaifttfome drink, money,;and prefents. Thef\nIndians\n UU(\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nIndians generally arrive in the morning, in veffels, from the opposite banks of the river, which\nthey inhabit. They were decked out with uncommon care, covered with rags of every defcription, and adorned with horfe-hair, and feathers of all possible fpecies of birds. In their\nears and nofes they wore rings of the moft varied\nforms and colours. Some were dreffed in European clothes, others wore laced hats, and fome\nwere naked, excepting the double apron, and\npainted from head to foot. It is in the manner\nof painting themfelves, that their genius is efpecially difplayed. In general they prefer the\nharSheft colours, paint one leg white, and the\nother black or green, the body brown or yellow,\nthe face full of red or black Spots, and their eyes\ndifferent colours. In a word, they unite in their\ndecorations the utmost ablurdity and harShneSs;\nThey are, every one of them, painted in a different Style, and furnished with a fmall looking-\nglafs, which they every moment consult with as\nmuch attention as the moft finished coquette.\nThey comb themfelves again and again, and\ntouch up the colours, which may have faded\nfrom perspiration or exercife. Many of them\nwear filver bracelets and chains round their necks\nand arms. Some have a white Shirt with long\nSleeves over their clothes, and this forms their\nmoft\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\n44:\nmoft elegant garment; the major part wear as\nmany filver buckles as they can afford. In Short,\ntheir appearance calls to/recollection the whimfi-\ncal mafks, which throng the Streets at Paris during\nthe carnival. It muft, however, be confeffed,\nthat their abfurd finery, in a great measure, eon-\nJ CD\nfifts of things, which they make themfelves, of\nhorfes', buffaloes', or other hair, or of the bristles\nof the hedge-hog. They twift ropes of the bark\nof trees, and make laces of a fpecies of herbs.\nMany of thefe articles, which they ufe to adorn\ntheir drefs, their tobacco-bags, their fcalping-\nknives, garters/and mockinfons, (a fort of Shoes)\nare made by the Women, with a regularity, a Skill\nnay, I may fay, with a tafte, feldom to be found\nin Europe. Their chief excellency confifts in\nthe great variety and richnefs of the colours\nwhich they generally extract from leaves, and\nfrom the roots of certain herbs ; but they poffeSs\n\u00E2\u0080\u00A2alfo the art of extracting them from all dyed\nlinens and filks, of which they can obtain a piece.\nThey boil thefe rags in the juice of a plant, writh\nthe fpecies and name of which I am unacquainted,\nand thus obtain a very durable colour for dying\nJ J CD\nhair or bark.\nOn their arrival this morning the Indian visitor\nwere about eighty in number. The Governor,\nbeing particularly engaged, deferred receiving\ntheir\n TRAVELS THROUGH\ntheir vifit until the afternoon; at which time\nonly thirty made their appearance, the reft being\nall drunk, and unable to move. The vifit was received on a large plot of grafs, without the fmalleft\ncompliment on either part. The Governor was\nprefent, but kept at fome diftance. The Indians\ndanced and played among themfelves. Some of\ntheir dances are very expreflive, and even graceful. A mournful and monotonous ditty, fung\nby one, and accompanied with a Small drum, fix\ninches high, and three in diameter, forms all their\nO s 7 .\nmufic, except that frequently a Stick is added,\nwith which a child beats the time. They dance\naround the mufic, which they frequently interrupt by loud Shrieks. The hunting and war\nX J CD ?>^y.\ndances are the moft expreflive, efpecially the latter. It reprefents the fbrprife of an enemy, who\nis killed and fcalped, and is performed by one perfon. The reft are hopping about, like monkeys,\nin a femicircular figure, and watch, with the utmost attention, every movement of the dancer.\nThe moment when the enemy is fuppofed to\nhave breathed his laft, a Strong .expreflion of joy\nbrightens every face; the dancer raifes a horrid\nhowl, refumes his pantomime, and is rewarded\nby univerSal Shouts of applaufe. When he has\nthus ^finished his dance, another enters the Stage,\nwho is, in his turn, relieved by others; and in\nthis\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &c.\n445\nthis way the dance is continued, until they become tired of it. When the dance was over,\nthey played at ball ; a game in which they dif-\nplayed their agility to the greatest advantage-\nEvery one had a racket, the handle of which was\nthree or four feet in length, and bent at the end,\n\u00C2\u00A3o that the racket has the form of a bow. The\npackthread is made of bark; they grafp the\nracket with both hands, and run after the ball,\nw herever they fee it, with the view of catering\nit, one before another. This ball is frequently\nthrown to a corifiderable distance, in which cafe\nthey run after it all together, to catch it, either\nin the air, or on the ground. No buSh, no\nditches, no barriers check their ardour. They\nclear every thing, leap over every thing, and dif^-\nplay, in this game, a verfatility, fwiftnefs, and\ndexterity, which aie^truly Striking. Dtflang. thefe\nJ ' - J CD CD\ngames the agent came up to the general, with one\nof the chieftains, and told him, that the Tu\n-rora nation wiShed to learn whether thev might\nj CD\naflift aX a meeting, to be held in Onondago.by the\nOneida Indians, for the purpofe of felling a part\nof the Oneida refervation, which the State of\nNew York had manifested a difpofition to purchafe*. The Governor's anfwer was conceived in\n* The Oneida Nation receives an annuity from the\nState of New York of three thoufand five hundred-and .fifty-\nw\\\n 45\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nterms extremely vague; the agent translated this\nanfwer as he pleafed, and in reply affured the Governor/ in the name of the Indians, that they\nwould not go to Onondago, from the hope that\nthis would prove more agreeable to the British\nMonarch. Whether this political farce was acted\nonly by the agent, or whether the chieftain took a\npart, I know not; but this I know, that this\nchieftain, a moment before, begged of me two\nfliillings, for which he would have promifed me,\nhad I defired it, to vifit or not to vifit all the\nmeetings throughout the univerfe. Without entering further on this fubject, I Shall merely obferve, that the whole policy of England, relative\nto the Indians, is in the hands'of the agents, who\nalone understand their language, and have the\nfole management of the prefents. It refts entirely with thefe agents to perfuade all or any of\nthefe nations to engage in war, and to excite their\nenmity either againft the United States or againft\neach other. The Governor is altogether incapable of judging of their disobedience and opposition to the orders of his cabinet but by the refults. The fame is undoubtedly the cafe as to\nthe American States.\ntwo dollars for lands purchafed of them in 1795, and an\nannuity of about fix hundred and twenty-eight dollars from\nthe United States.\u00E2\u0080\u0094Tranflator,\nThe\n1\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\nThe Englifli agent, here referred to, is Colonel\nButler, celebrated for his * * *. | *\n$ \u00E2\u0096\u00A0* *. * : * : * * * *. \u00E2\u0096\u00A0'* * * \u00C2\u00A7j *.\nHe is a native of America of the neighbourhood\nof Wilkefbarre. His * * * * *rf* I\n* * *. England has rewarded his loyalty with\nfive thoufand acres of land for himfelf; the Same\nquantity for his children ; a penfion of two or\nthree hundred pounds Sterling ; an agency, worth\nfive hundred pounds Sterling a year; and the privilege of taking from the Store-houfes, which\ncontain the prefents, whatever he choofes. He\nis treated with every mark of refpect by the Go-\nvernor.\nThe Tufcarora Nation is an Indian tribe, the\nmen of which Share the toils of their women in\na greater degree than any other. The Governor\nmentioned a project, he has conceived, of giving\na half civilization to all the Indian nations in the\nintereft of England. Whether or no civilization\n. be likely to promote the happinefs of the Indians,\nis a question, a full difcuSlion of which might,\nperhaps, exceed my powers, or at least feem irr\nlevant. But, wTere I obliged to decide it at once,\nI Should anfwer in the negative, as long as thev\n-. ' CD 7 CD \u00E2\u0096\u00A0 J\nare not hemmed in too clofely by the colonifts,\npoffefs a Sufficient tract of ground for hunting\nand have plenty of game. But, I repeat it once\ni. J CD !S r' X\nmore\n Jh\nIf\nw,\nTRAVELS THROUGH .\nmore, to do juftice to this queftion'WQuld require\na more profound difcuftion, than I can enter upon\nin this place. Befides it can hardly be Satisfactorily decided, Since the State of Savage nations,\nleft entirely to their primitive life, is widely different from the condition of thofe, who reftde in\nthe vicinity of thefe colonifts, and hold intercourse\nwith them. If, on mature deliberation, we were\nobliged to allow, that the creation of wants, the\nnecessity of providing for them, the exercife^of\nour mutual powers, the unfolding of ounfaculties,\nand the refinement of our feelings, provie more\nfrequently Sources of misfortune than of happi-\nnefs; every degree of civilization, pregnant with,\nall thefe, Should carefully be kept, for their own\nSake, from all favage tribes. But the Same con-\nclufion will not hold good in regard to a barbarous\npeople, who, from their intercourfe with civilized\nnations, poffefs already fome degree of civility;\nbut a civility which acquaints them with vices\nonly, and confequently introduces them to\n.fources of misfortune, and who, therefore, from a\n\u00E2\u0080\u00A2higher degree of culture, may derive an alleviation\nof their fate and an increafe of happinefs. As to\nthe advan^iges likely to accrue to the civilized\nworld from the civilization of the favages, the\nqueftion feems likely to demand a decision in\nthe affirmative.\nHowever\nfrl\nIk\n NORTH AMERICA CANADA, &C.\n443\nHowever this may be, the Governor, in conceiving this project, had not only the happinefs\nof the Indians in view, but alfo his own advantage. He intends to have them civilized by\npriefts, and would give the preference to mif-\niionaries of the Roman Catholic perfuafiom j The\npolicy of General S inclines him to encourage\na religion, the ministers of which are interested in\na connection with the authority of thrones, and\nwho, therefore, never lofe Sight of the principle,\nto preferve and propagate arbitrary power.\nI learn here, that rum enervates the Indians,\nShortens their lives, renders their marriages daily\nmore barren, and, when fruittul, productive only\nof poor unhealthy children ; and that, from the\nufe of this poifon, which now cannot either be\nwrefted from them, or rendered harmlefs in its\nconfequences, the different tribes are daily decreasing in number. *#/\nEighty miles from Naryhall, on the Miami, or\nGreat River, is the fettlement of Colonel Brant,\nwith a view of which I Should have been much\npleafed ; but he is not there at prefent, and they\naffure me that, in his abfence, I Should fee nothing but what I have already feen in thofe I have\nhitherto vifited.\nColonel Brant is an Indian by birth. In the\nAmerican war he fought under the Englifh ban-\nVol. I. G g ner,\n/Si\n \u00E2\u0080\u0094mM*+\nIfe:\n4S&\nTravels through\ni f \u00E2\u0080\u00A2\nWk i\n1\nm\nIB\nIf\n; \u00E2\u0096\u00A0\nm\nner, and he has Since been in England, where he\nWas moft gracioufly received by the King, and\nmet with a kind reception from all claffes of\npeople. His manners are femi-European. He\nis attended by two negroes ; has established himfelf in the Englifh way ; has a garden and a\n\ CD * CD\nfarm ; dreffes after the European faShion; and\nneverthelefs poffeffes much influence over the Indians. He aftifts, at prefent, at the Miami-\ntreaty % which the United States are concluding\nwith the weftern. Indians. He is alfo much re-\nfpected by the Americans, and, in general, bears.\nfo excellent a character, that I Sincerely regret I\n\"could not fee and become acquainted with him.\nj:: The Indians, who inhabit the village, which\nwe paffed on leaving Canawaga, paid alfo a vifit\nto the Governor during the time we Stayed with\nCD J\n\u00E2\u0080\u00A2him. The weather being too hot. for receiving\nthe vifit on the grafs, he ordered them to be\nO 7\n'nfljered into\" a room, where he was attended by\nfome officers of the garrifon. The chiefs of the\n* The treaty, alluded to by the author, is the Greenville\ntreaty, concluded on the third of Auguft 1795, at Greenville, a fort and fettlement on the fouth fide of a nortli-\ncweflern branch of the Great Miami, between Major-general\nA. Wayne and the chiefs of the following tribes of Indians,\nviz. the Wyandots, Delawares, Shawanefe, Ottawas, Chip-\npawas, Putawatimes, Miamis, Eel-river, Weeas, Kickapoos,\nPian Kafhaws and Kafkafkias.\u00E2\u0080\u0094Tranflator.\nmm Indians.-\na^J^\n NORTH AMERICA, OANADA, &C.\n451\nIndians faid a few words, which the agent interpreted to the Governor, as containing an assurance, that they would employ their tomahawks\nagainst any one he fhould point out, and expref-\niions of regret, that they could not ufe them laft\nyear againft the Americans. The Governor\nthanked therna&&thefe fentiments, endeavoured\nto confirm tJ^^mn this friendly difpofttion, and\ntold them, that me King of Great Britain wifhed\nfor peace, whatever lies the mai%e^miief [Mr.\np . CommiSlioner of the United States] might\nhave impofed on them last year. They answered,\nthat the Governor was perfectly right, and that\np j was a liar, drank as much as they pleafed,\nand departed. The conference was held at eight\no'clock in the morning, and before nine o'clock\nhalf of them w;ere intoxicated. The Governor\nis very anxious to oblige and pleafe the Indians;\n\u00E2\u0080\u00A2J CD X '\nhis only fon, a child, four years old, is dreffed as\nan Indian, and called Tioga, which name has\nbeen given him by the Mohawks. This harmless farce may be of ufe in the intercourse with\nthe Indians. ,\nThdfrNiagara river and lake abound with -a great\nvariety of fillies. We aSlifted at a fifhing, intended to fupply the foldiers with fifh ; the net\nwas drawn thrice. One end of the net was' held\nby men, who remained on Shore, *{|}iile the re-\n- ~ ~ ivier\nGg2\nmaind\nmm\n \u00E2\u0080\u00A2atiUEf\n452\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nalT-\nm\n1\nii\nmainder was carried into the Stream by means oi\na boat, which, after the net had been entirely\nexpanded, conveyed the other end back to the\nShore. Both ends are joined on the fpot, whence\nthe net is drawn. It is only four feet deep, but\none hundred feet in length. Upwards of five\nhundred fifh were caught, among which were\nabout twenty-eight or thirty Sturgeons, fmall\npikes, whitings, rock-fifh, fun-fiih, herrings, a fort\nof carp, which in point of Shape refemble thofe\nof Europe, but differ much in flavour, and in the\nform of their heads, falmon, trouts ; in fhort, all\nthe fifh was of a tolerable Size. Middle-fized fifh\nare easily caught by anglers on the banks both of\nthe river and the lake ; they frequently catch\nmore than their families can confume in feveral\ndays. .jjj&\nThe town of Newark Stands on the other fide\nof the river, directly opposite to the fort. About\na hundred houfes, moftly very fine Structures,\n7 j j *\nhave already been erected, but the progrefs of\nbuilding will probably be checked, by the intended removal of the feat of government. The\nCD\nmajority of the inhabitants, especially the richest\nof them, Share in the administration; and confequently will remove, to whatever place the.\ngovernment may be transferred. In point of\nfize and elegance, the houfe of Colonel Smith,\nlieutenant-\n\\n\u00E2\u0080\u00A2 \\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C,\nlieutenant-colonel in the fifth regiment, is much\nCD\ndistinguished from the reft. It confifts of joiner's\nwork, but is constructed, embellished, and painted\nin the beft Style ; the yard, garden, and court are\nfurrounded with railings, made and painted as\nelegantly, as they could be in England. His\nlarge garden has the appearance of a French\nkitchen-garden, kept in good order. In a country,\nwhere it is a hard matter to procure labourers,\nand where they are paid at the rate of one dollar\nper day, he finds, in his regiment, as many as he\nchoofes, for ninepence Sterling a day, becaufe the\nmen otherwife do not eafily obtain leave to go to\nJ CD\nwork. It is in this manner he is now clearing\nfive thoufand acres, which have been granted\nhim, and has the ufe of thirty more, which belong\nto the King, are fituate in front of the town, and\nwhich the Governor has alSigned him, until he\nShall be necessitated to demand them again.\nThe fcarcity of men fervants is here ftill greater\nJ CD\nthan in the United States, They, who are\nbrought hither from England, either demand\nlands, or emigrate into the United States. A\nf CD\nvery wife act of the Affembly declares all negroes\nto be free, as foon as they arrive in Canada.\nThis defcription of men,\" who are more or less\nfrequent in the United States, cannot here fupply\nthe want of white fervants. All perfons belongs\nG g 3 ing\n m\n454\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nI\ning to fhe army employ foldiers in their Stead.\nBy the Englifh regulations, every officer is allowed one Soldier, to whom he pays one fhilling\na week ; and this privilege is extended, in proportion as the officers have need of a greater\nnumber of people. The Governor, who is alfo\ncolonel of a regiment of Queen's Rangers, Stationed in the province, is attended in his houfe,\nand at dinner, merely by privates of this regiment, who alfo take care of his horfes. He has\nnot been able to keep one of the men fervants,\nhe brought with him from England.\nThe regiments quartered in the vicinity of the\nUnited States, it is afferted, lofe much by defer-\ntion. Seeing every where around them lands,\neither given away or fold at a very low rate, and\nbeing Surrounded by people, who within a twelvemonth have rifen from poverty to profperity, and\nare now married and proprietors, they cannot endure the idea of a fervitude, which is to end only\nwith their exiftence. The ennui naturally arising\nfrom the dull and fecluded manner of living in\ngarrifons, where they find neither work nor\namufement, and the flight attention Shewn them\nby moft of the colonels, darken Still more, in\ntheir view, the difmal picture of their fituation.\nThey emigrate accordingly into the United States,\nwhere they are fure to find a fettlement, which, if\nthey\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &X.\nthey ehoofe to work, cannot fail to make them\nrich and independent. To hold out to them\nthe fame hopes in the Englifli colony of Canada,\nwould be the only mean of rendering lefs dangerous the temptation offered by the United States.\nX J\nIt is with this view, that Governor Simcoe very\nwifely formed the project of diSmiffkig every foldier, who Should find an able Substitute in his\nroom, and to give him one hundred acres of\nland ; but it is faid, that this project appears, in\nLord Dorchefter's judgment, to favour too much\nof the new principles, to obtain his confent. If\nit were actually refufed, Such an unreafonable\ndenial would more forcibly provoke the difcon-\ntented of the troops, from their being already ac^\nquainted with the meafure.\nDuring our residence at Naryhall, the Session\nof the Legislature of Upper Canada was opened.\nThe Governor had deferred it till that time, on\naccount of the expected arrival of a chief-juftice\nwho was to come from England; and from a\nCD ' 4'\nhope, that he fhould be able to acquaint th\nmembers with the particulars of the treaty with\nthe United States. But the harvest, has now be-\ngun, which in a higher degree than elfewhcre\nengages, in Canada, the public attention, tar\nyond what State-affairs can-do. .Two members\nof the\" Legislative Council were prefent inftead\nG g 4 ill\n \u00C2\u00ABfc!\n111!\n456\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nI\nr\nIII\nilv\nI\n\A\nof feven; no Chief-juftice appeared, who Was to\nact as Speaker; inftead of Sixteen members of the\nAffembly five only attended, and this was the\nwhole number, which could be collected at this\ntime. The law requires a greater number of\nmembers for each houfe to difcufs and deter--\nmine upon any bufinefs *, but within two days\na year will have expired Since the laft feluon.\nThe Governor has therefore thought it right, to\nopen the feSfion, referving, however, to either\nhoufe the right of proroguing the fittings from\none day to another, in expectation, that the fhips\nfrom Detroit and Kingston will either bring the\nmembers, who are yet wanting, or certain intelligence of their not being able to attend.\nThe whole retinue of the Governor confifted\nin a guard of fifty men of the garrifon of the fort.\nO J o\nDreffed in Silk, he entered the hafl with his hat\non his head, attended by his adjutant and two\nfecretaries. The two members of the Legislative\nCouncil gave, by their Speaker, notice of it to\nthe Affembly. Five members of the latter hav-\nw\n* By the Quebec Act, paffed in 1791, it is ena&ed, that\nthe Legiflative Council is to confift of not fewer than Seven\nmembers for Upper Canada, and the Aflembly of not lefs\nthan sixteen members, who are to be called together at\nleaft once in. every year.\u00E2\u0080\u0094Tranflator.\nS3 ing\nA'\n g,..\nNORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\n457\ning appeared at the bar, the Governor delivered\na Speech modelled after that of the King, on the\npolitical affairs of Europe, on the treaty concluded with the United States, which he mentioned\nin expreflions very favourable to the Union, and\non the peculiar concerns of Canada. Where\nno taxes are to be fettled, no accounts to be\naudited and examined, and no military regulations\nto be adjufted, public bufinefs cannot occupy\nmuch time. But, if even all thefe points were\nto be difcuffed, the bufinefs would Still be trifling, from want of an opposition; which feems\nto be precluded by the manner, in which the two\nHoufes for Upper Canada are framed. The\nconstitution of this province is well adapted to\nthe prefent State of the country. The members\nof both Houfes, who bear a Share in the administration, are all of them as ufeful, as can be de-?\nfired, at this period. The influence of the Governor is not ufelefs. And the other neceffary arrangements, efpecially fuch as may enfure liberty\nCD ' X * J J\nand good order, will, no doubt, be made in the\nprocefs of time.\nFort Niagara Stands, as has been already obferved, on the right bank of the river, on a point,\noppofite to that of Mifliffogas, on wisich Newark\nis built. It was originally constructed by Mr. de\n 458\nTRAVELS THROUGH\n171\nV\nIn\n- -\\nla Tonquiere, three miles nearer to the falls ;\nbut was, fome years afterwards, transferred to the\nfpot, where it now Stands, and where Mr. de De-\nKonville threw up an entrenchment. This\nfort, as well as thofe of Ofwego, Detroit, Miami,\nand Michillimakkinak, are to be surrendered to\nthe Americans *.\u00E2\u0080\u00A2 Fort Niagara is Said to be the\nStrongest of thefe places, having been Strengthened with fome new works, in the courfe of laft\nyear; efpecially covered batteries, designed for its\nprotection on the fide of the lake and the river.\nAll the breaft-works, Slopes, &c. are lined with\ntimber. On the land-Side, it has a curtain,\nflanked by two bastions, in each of which a\nblock-houfe has been constructed, mounted with\ncannon. Although this fort, in common with\nall Such fmall fortified places, cannot long withstand a regular attack; yet the beftegers cannot\ntake it, without a considerable lofs. All the\nbuildings, within the precincts of the fort, are of\nStone, and were built by the French.\nWith very obliging politenefs, the Governor\nconducted us into the fort, which he is very\nloath to vifit; fince he is fure, that he Shall be\nobliged to deliver it up to the Americans. He\n* All thefe forts were actually delivered up to the Americans in Auguft 1796, 'purfuant to the treaty of 1794.\u00E2\u0080\u0094\nTran/latorJ\ncarried\ntwm\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\ncarried us through every part of it, indeed more\nof it than we wifhed to fee. Thirty artillery -men\nand eight companies of the fifth regiment, form\nO x CD 7\nthe garrrfon of the fort. Two days after this\nvifit, we dined in the fort, at Major Seward's,\nan officer of elegant, polite, and amiable manners, wTho feems to be much reSpected by the\ngentlemen of his profeflion. N He and Mr. Pil-\nkinson, an officer of the corps of engineers, are\nthe military gentlemen we have moft frequently\nSeen during our residence in this place, and whom\nthe Governor moft distinguishes from the reft.\nIn England.\nis in\n\u00C2\u00A5\nranee, the o1\n:rs. o\n1 LliC\ngineers and artillery are in general the moft ac-\nO J CD\ncompliflied among the gentlemen of the army ;\nand their fociety is confequently preferred. The\nofficers of the fifth regiment, whom we have\nfeen, were well-bred, polite, and excellent companions, ll&ij\nThe communication of the fort with Newark\nis in winter intercepted for two or three months,\nby maffes of floating ice, carried along, by th\nStream. At times it is free for a few hours Only.\nThe Indians attempt, now and then, to crofs the\nriver, by jumping' from one piece of ice to another. But the number of thofe, who venture\nupon this dangerous experiment, is never gr\nSome trifling excursions, we made in the\nvirons\ntY>of\njl\nIf\n f\t\n400\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nvirons of the city ; and especially a tour of four\ndays, with the Governor, along the banks of the\nlake; afforded us an opportunity of feeing the\ninterior country. The chief purpofe of this\njourney was, to reach the extremity of the lake.\nA boat, made of the bark of trees, and designed\nCD\nfor the Governor's excursions between Detroit\nand Kingston, contained the whole company;\nwhich confifted of the Governor, Major Seward,\nMr. Pilkinfon, us three (Mr. de Blacons, having left us two days after our arrival in Nary-\nhall), and Mr. Richard, a young Englishman,\nwho arrived here by the way of the North River,\nand whom we had already feen in Philadelphia.\nTwelve chaffeurs of the Governor's regiment rowed the boat, which was followed by another veffel, carrying tents and provifion. We halted at\nnoon to eat our dinner, and in the evening to\npitch our tents and Sup. In the morning, we\nwalked, then breakfafted, and fet out to pursue\nur journey, which was rendered rather unplea-\nfant by a fmall fall of rain.\nFortymile-creek was one of the chief objects\nof our tour. This Stream, which interfects in a\nStraight line the range of mountains, extending\nO O ' Vol. I.\nexemption\n ffl\n482\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nlil\n%\nI\nh\nFt\nexemption from all the taxes and burthens of\nthe mother country; in fine, as long as a mild\ngovernment, by refources prompt and well applied, by ufeful public establishments, not yet\nexisting, and by encouragements held out to all\nIxlaffes and defcriptions of citizens, Shall convince\na people already invited and qualified by a wife\nconstitution to enjoy all the bleftings of libertv, of\nthe advantages of a moriarcnical government,\nwhich in its benevolent projects unites wifdom of\nconception wdth rapidity of execution.\nBut thefe conditions are and will hardly be ful-\n.filled. In our time, perhaps foon, Great Britain\nwill' lofe this bright jewel of her crown.* In\nregard to Canada, She will experience the fame\nfate, as She is likely to Share, fooner or later, re-\nreipecting her poffeffions in India; as will befall\nSpain in respect to her Florida and Mexico, Por-\n* Readers, endowed with a larger Share of political faga-\ncity, than the author difplays throughout the whole train of\narguments, on which he grounds this difmal prefage, will\nprobably incline to believe the predicted revolution in Canada not quite fo near at hand, as it appears to the Duke,\nwho feems not to recollect, that the Britifh government, by\nfubftituting, as he himfelf calls it, \" a wife conftitution\"\nin the Head of the ancient constitutional form of Canada,\nhas adppted the very means, to prevent her lofs, which\nat the clofe of his obfervations on this fubject, he advifes\n,as;the only preventive of fuch a calamity,\u00E2\u0080\u0094Tranjlator.\ntugal\n\\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\ntugal in regard to her Brafil, in Short all European\npowers, refpecting Such of their colonies at leaft,\nas they poffefs on the continents, unlefs, enlightened by experience, they fhall Speedily change the\ncolonial form of government.\nBefore I clofe the article of Niagara, I mult\nmake particular mention of the civility Shewn us\nby Major Littlehales, adjutant and firft Secretary to the Governor ; a well-bred, mild, and\namiable man, who has the charge of the whole\ncorrespondence of government, and acquits himfelf with peculiar ability and application. Major\nLittlehales appeared to poffefs the confidence of\nthe country. This is not unfrequently the cafe\nwith men in place and power ; but his worth\npolitenefs, prudence, and judgment, give this\nofficer peculiar claims to the confidence and refpect, which he univerfally enjoys.\nWe embarked for Kingfton on board the\nOnondago, one of the cutters, whidh compofe the\nnaval force on the lake. This cutter is pierced\nfor twelve Six-pounders, but carries only fix in\ntime of peace. When thefe veffels are not laden\nwith Stores for the King's fervice, they are freighted\nwith merchandize, for which the merchants either\npay freight, or engage to tranfport in their bottoms an equal quantity of the King's Stores.\nI i 2 Th\n \u00C2\u00BB\u00C2\u00BB\u00C2\u00ABEBl\n\u00E2\u0080\u00A2iS 4\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nThe Onqndago is of eighty tons burthen. On\nthis occafion, fhe had two detachments on boards\none of the fifth regiment, destined for Kingston\nto bring money, and another of the Queen's rangers, to receive at Montreal new cloathing for the\nregiment. There were, befides, forty-one Canadians on board, who had conducted ten veffels\nfor the King's fervice from Montreal to Niagara.\nThe cabin-paffengers were, Mr. Richard, Mr. Seward, whom I have already mentioned, Mr. Bel-\nlew, who commanded the detachment of the\nfifth regiment, which was going to fetch money,\nMr. Hill, another officer of the fame regiment,\nwho was ill, and was going to Kingston for the\nrecovery of his health, Mr. Lemoine, an officer\nof the sixtieth regiment, quartered in Kingston,\nand our party.\nThe wind was tolerably lair during our paffage ; this is generally accomplMied in thirty-fix\nhours ; at times in Sixteen; but it took us forty-\neight hours. Dead calms are frequent, efpecialjy\nat this time of the year, and laft fometimes, five\ndays. Scarcely any motion was obfervable on the\nwaters of the lake. This paffage, which is one\nhundred and fbSy miles long, offers no interesting\nobjects; the coaft foon disappears from your view,\nefpecially in hot weather, when the horizon is\nx clouded\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\nclouded with vapours, as when we failed. Ducks*\nIflands form, to fpeak generally, the only trifling\ndanger on this paffage. They are three in number, lying in a line; there is no paffage for Ships\neither between the coaft and the island on the\nleft, or between this and the middle ifland, on\naccount of the rocks under the water, on which\nShips would unavoidably be loft. You muft pafs\nbetween the middle ifland and that on the right,\nwhere the water is from four to five miles in\nwidth, and Sufficiently deep to afford a fafe navigation. The only danger, to be here encountered, might arife from a fudden guft of wind,\nSpringing up the moment, you approach the\niflands, and driving the fhip into one of the dangerous channels. To the belt of my knowledge,\nbut one Shipwreck has happened here, within\nthe memory of man ; but no veffel ventures near\nhe iflands by night, except when the weather\nis perfectly fair and clear. A more common and\nmore teal danger arifes from the Storms, which\nfrequently on a Sudden arife on the lake, render\nit even more boisterous than the fea, and caufe\nthe Ships to labour and Strain more feverely, on\niccount of the Shortnefs of the waves, bounded\nby the fmall extent of the waters. The Ships\nare then in constant danger of being driven on\nShore, and would hardly be able to avoid it, if the\nI i 3 Storms\n ^so\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nStorms lafted longer. But they generally continue only for a Short time, especially in fummer,\nand the clearing up of the weather is as Sudden\nas was the coming on of the Storms. They are,\nproperly Speaking, only violent gales of wind,\nwhich in autumn frequently blow two days together, and Succeed each other very rapidly. Five\nor fix years ago, a fhip was loft, with every hand\non board, and instances of this kind are faid not\nto be uncommon at that time of the year. From\nNovember until April, the navigation is entirely\ndifcontinued on the lake.\nDuring our paffage, Lieutenant Earl, who\ncommanded the cutter, and almoft all our fel-\nlow-paffengers, behaved to us, in the molt civil\nand obliging manner. The weather was very\nwrarm, and had been fo for the laft eight or ten\nW CD\ndays. The mercury in Fahrenheit's thermome-\nter Stood, at Naryhall, frequently at ninety-two;\nbut on board the veffel, in the cabin, it was only\nat Sixty-four. It is lefs the intensity of the heat,\nthan its peculiar nature, which renders it altogether intolerable; it is sultry and clofe, and\nmore fo by night, than by day, when it is fome-!-\ntimes freshened by a breeze, which is not the\ncafe in the night; the opening of the windows\naffords no relief; you do not perfpire, but feel\noppreffed ; you refpire with difficulty; your Sleep\nis\n^m\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\nis interrupted and heavy ; and you rife more fks\ntigued, than when you lay down to reft.\nI have already mentioned, that we had a d\ntachment of the fifth regiment on board. They\ndreffed, before we arrived at Kingston. Eight\ndays before we had feen the Indians painting\ntheir eyes withj-flamp-black and red-lead, and\nbraiding their hair, to fix in it feathers or horfes*\nmanes, dyed red or blue. This day we f^w European foldiers plastering their hair, or if they\nhad none, their heads, with a thick wHitc mortar, which they laid on with a brufh, and afterwards raked, like a garden-bed, with an iron\ncomb; and then fastening on their head a piece\nof wood, as large as the palm of the hand, and\nShaped like the bottom of an artichoke, to make\na cadogan* which they filled with the fame white\nmortar, and raked in the fame manner, as the reft\nof their head-drefs.\nThis is a brief Sketch of the Spectacle, which\nthefe foldiers exhibited to us, the laft two hours\nof our paffage ; though their toilette was not exactly the Same as that of the Indians, yet they\nconfulted their looking-glaSs with the fame anxi-\nCD CD\nous care. Thefe obfervations are lefs intended to\nthrow a ridicule on the dfeSsof foldiers, and the\nchildiSh attention paid to it in all countries, than\nto check the forwardnefs of thofe, who are ever\nIi 4 read\n _~\n-\u00E2\u0080\u0094-\n1\n488\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nin v\niSr\nready to ridicule all manners and habits, which\nare not their own. The Indian Savage would be\nat a lofs, whether to laugh more at the Turk,\nwho covers his Shorn head with a turban, containing more or fewer folds in proportion to his\nrank and confequence\u00E2\u0080\u0094at this women in the\nisland of Melos, whofe petticoats fcarcely cover\nhalf their thighs, while their Sleeves reach down\nto the ground\u00E2\u0080\u0094or at our belles, who ten years\nago confined their breasts and waift in huge Stays,\nwith falfe hips, and Strutted along on high heels,\nand who now ferew up their wiaift to the mid-?\ndie of their bofoms, tied round with a girdle,\nwhich looks more like a rope, than a fafls, wear\nffeeir arms naked up to their Shoulders, and by\nmeans of tranfpargnt garments expofe every thing\nto view, which formerly they thought themfelves\nobliged to conceal, and alfthis, forfooth, to reform\nble Grecian ladies.\nI ft\n/I\nHi]\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0 '\nlilfi\ne'\nSunday, the 12th of July,\nWhen Ducks' Iflands were about twenty miles\na-ftern of us, fhe lake grew more narrow, an4\nthe number of islands encreafed. They feemed\nall to be well wooded, but are not inhabited,\nand lie nearly all of them along the right bank.\nOn the left is Quenty Bay, which Stretches about\n&\n-\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\nfifty miles into the country, and the banks of\nwhich are faid to be cultivated up to a confiderable extent. The eye dwells with pleasure, once\nmore, on cultivated ground. The country looks\npleaSant. The houfes lie clofer, than in any of\nthe new fettled parts of Upper Canada, which\nwe have hitherto traverfed. The variegated verdure of the corn-fields embellishes and enriches\nthe profpect, charms the eye, and enchants the\nmind. In the back-ground Stands the city of\nKingfton, on the bay of the Same name, wdiich\nthe French, in imitation of the Indians, called\nCadarakwe. It confifts of about one hundred\nand twenty or one hundred and thirty houfes.\nThe ground in the immediate vicinity of the\ncity rifes with a gentle Swell, and forms, from\nthe lake onwards, as it were, art amphitheatre of\nlands, cleared, but not yet cultivated. None of\nthe buildings are distinguished by a more hand-\nO CD J\nfome appearance from the reft. The only Structure, more conspicuous than the others, and in\nfront of which the Englifh flag is hoifted, is the\nbarracks, a Stone building, furrounded with pal-\nliSadoes.\nAll the houfes Stand on the northern bank of\nthe bay, which stretches a mile farther into the\ncountry. On the fouthern bank are the buildings belonging to the naval force, the wharfs,\nand\n w~\n490\nTRAVELS THROUGH*\nFill\n;\nand^fhe habitations of all the perfons, who belong to that department. The King's fhips lie\nat anchor near thefe buildings, and confequently\nhave a harbour and road feparate from the port\nfor merchantmen. We landed at Port Royal.\nHowever kingly were the commander and his\nShip, he took our^grioney. Governor Simcoe ex-\nprefsly defired us not to pay for our paffage, as\nthe cuttej|cwas a King's Ship, andlehe had amply\nfupplied us with provifion. But my friend Du-\npetitthouars, as well as myfelf, were fo much dif-\npleafed with the idea, of making this paffage at\nthe expence of the King of England, that we\nventured to offer our money to Captain Earl.\nOffers of this kind are feldom refufed, nor did\nours meet with a denial. Yet, it is but juftice to\nadd, that Captain Earl is a worthy man, civil,\nattentive, constantly on the deck, apparently fond\nof his profeflion, and mafter of his bufinefs.\nNo letter fromLord Dorchefter had yet arrived,\nand it was extremely uncertain when it would\narrive. The calculation, made at Kingston, refpecting the probable time of the return of an\nanfwer, is lefs favourable than what they made\nat Niagara. We fhall, perhaps, be obliged to wait\na week longer. How much time will be loft for\nour journey, and why ? Becaufe Governor Sim-\ncoe is not on good terms with Lord Dorchefter ;\nCD *\nall and\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\nand becaufe he obferves the nicest punctuality,\nfrom which, in consideration of the letters we\nbrought with us, he might well have departed in\nthis cafe. Our friend, Mr. Hammond, might\nhave faved us this unpleafant delay, by writing\nfooner to Lord Dorchefter, as I requested him to\ndo. Unfortunately fuch accidents cannot be fore-\nfeen. If they could, how many things Should we\nalter in the courfe of our life ? We muft wait.\nPatience, patience, and again patience.\nKingfton is the place, to which Lord Dorchefter wiShes, that General Simcoe fhould transfer the feat of government in Upper Canada. In\nthis choice he is, perhaps, in a great measure influenced by the advantage, which he would thus\nenjoy, of having all the troops, in cafe-of an attack, in the vicinity of Quebec, which is, m his\nopinion, the only tenable place in Lower Canada.\nHe thinks, that if the feat of the government of\nUpper Canada were removed to Kingfton, which\nlies nearer to Quebec than any other place, the\norders and news, which arrive from Europe, would\nreach this place with more rapidity and fafety,\nand would alfo be more rapidly circulated through\nthe province. He further imagines, that the naval Stores, fent from Europe, would h<\nand that the refitting of Ships would be cheaper,\nand with more fecurity erected in Kingfton, whither,\nMM\n *-**SOf\n192\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nther, at all times, they might be fent directly from\nQuebec, at least more expeditiously, than to any\nother place on the lake, where the inconvenience\nof a tedious and uncertain paffage muft be added\nto the expence for Shifting the cargo on board of\nanother veffel.\nGovernor Simcoe, on the contrary, is of opinion, that by the aggregate of his arrangements, the\nJ CDCD CD CD\ndefence of Upper Canada might be eaSily effected.\nHe adds, that the wealth of the country, which\nhe confiders as the neceflary refill t of his projects,\nwill attract the enemy ; and that if they fhould\nmake themfelves maSters of Upper Canada, it\nwould be impoflible to diflodge them. He alfo\nobferves, that, in time of war, by the various\nmeans of navigation, confiderable parties might be\neasily fent from Upper Canada to every point of\nthe United States, even to Georgia; that Upper\nCanada is the key of the territories of the Indians ; and that thence Succours may be eafily fent\nto every part of Lower Canada, which, on the\nother hand, is not able to fend any to Upper Ca-\n\u00C2\u00BB JL X\nnada, at least not fo expeditiously as circumstances might require.\nAs to the more rapid circulation of orders and\nintelligence, and the earlier receipt of them, the\nGovernor allows the truth of thefe allegations;\nbut anfwers, that, from the vaft extent of Canada,\n11\n NORTH AJfERICA, CANADA, &C,\nit is extremely improbable, that in cafe of its being peopled, this territory Should be divided only\ninto two governments. He adds, that the beSt\nmethod of peopling fuch parts of Canada, as have;\nhitherto been explored, would be, to encourage\nthe population of the two extremities, in which\ncafe, the profperity of the centre would be more\neasily and rapidly attained. He further observes,\nthat, in Such a cafe, Kingfton would become the\ncapital of a new province ; and that, in regard to\nthe more difficult and more expenfive distribution\nof Ships, no facility and favings, to be obtained\nunder this head, could balance the advantage of\nuniting in its centre the whole naval force Stationed on the lake, and efpecially in a place, where it\nis moft effentially protected againft an attack.\nAll men feek after reafons or pretensions to enlarge the extent of their authority and power.\nHere, as every where elfe, good and bad reafons\nare alleged in Support of a SyStem, of a project,\nand efpecially of the interests of felf-love. Yet\npower is alfo here, as every where elfe, the belt,\nat leaft the moft decifive of reafons; and if Lord\nDorchefter Should not be able to prevail upon the\nBritish government to declare JGngSton the capital of Upper Canada, he will, at leaft, prevent the\nfeat of government from being established between the lakes Erie, Huron, and Ontario, ac\ncording\n TRAVELS THROUGH\ncording to the wifls of General Simcoe. As to\nthe project of transferring it to York, he declares\nhimfelf in a manner by no means favourable to\nthat city; and in this opinion he is joined by all\nthe inhabitants of Kingfton, whofe diSpleaSure at\ntheir city not becoming the capital of the province is greatly increafed by the confideration,\nthat, in confequence of this project, their town\nwill ceafe to be the emporium of the fmall naval\nforce Stationed on this lake* The friends of King\u00C2\u00A3\nton further allege againft the project, and not\nwithout reafon, that York is an unhealthy place,\nand will long remain fo, from the nature of the\nground, which feparates the bay from the lake.\nDupetitthouars, who is a zealous partizan of\nYork, as far as he considers it in the light of an\neftablifhment for the navy, cannot help allowing,\nthat it has the air of being an unhealthy place.\nGeneral Simcoe apparently pofteffes the love and\nconfidence of all the inhabitants and foldiers.\nBut his projects are deemed too extenfive; and,\nabove all, too coftly, in proportion to the advantages, which England is likely to reap from their\nbeing carried into effect.\nThe merchants on the lake, whofe rapacity the-\nGovernor is endeavouring to restrain, lay great\nStrefs on thefe two objections, and bestow much\npraife on Lorpl Dorchester's profound wifdom and\nconfummate\n NORTH AMERICA CANADA, ScC\nconsummate abilities ; while, by other accounts\nhe was formerly an ufeful man, but is now Superannuated.\nLord Dorchefter being an utter Stranger to me\nI am altogether unqualified to judge of his abilities and talents. I am alfo unacquainted with\nthe amount off*the expence, which the execution\nof Governor Simcoe's plans may require, and wim\nthe refources which England may poffefs to meet\nthem. But I am clearly of opinion, that Great\n\u00E2\u0080\u00A2Britain cannot fail to reap fignal advantages from\nhis views and projects, if they fhould ever be car-^\nried into effect; and that they compofe a complete fyftem, which, if properly purfued in all its\nparts, will do great credit to him, wrho fhall execute it.\nBut, at the Same time, all the information we\nhere obtain on this subject confirms our opinion,\nthat General Simcoe meets with much opposition in his plans ; that the jealouSy, which Lord\nDorchefter Shows in regard to him, and which is\nm^9i v CD\nthe natural refult of his age and temper of mind,\nis carefully kept alive, by thofe who hold places\nunder him; and that, with the exception of grants\nof land, and other matters of government, in refpect to which the Governor is perfectly independent, he can do and enact nothing without\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0* CD\nthe confent of the Governor General. As to his\nrooted\ni_eF\n jiiimiiMJC\n4\u00C2\u00A96\nTRAILS THROUe*\nIM\nrooted aversion against the Americans, I have\nheard it censured even by private foldiers ; but\nhe is allowed by all to poffefs military talenfg^\nIn relating thefe particulars, which finifh the\npicture of the man, I have no other object, but\nfaithfully to draw the character of Governor Sim-\ncoe, who, being undoubtedly a man of fuperior\nabilities and endowments, deferves to be known.*\nKingfton, confidered as a town, is much inferior to Newark ; the number of houfes is nearly\nequal in both. Kingfton may contain a few more\nbuildings, but they are neither fo large nor fo good\nas at Newark. Many of them are log-houfes, and\nthofe which confift of joiner's work, are badly\n-constructed and painted. But few new houfes\nare built. No town-hall, no court-houfe, and\nno prifon have hitherto been constructed. The\nhoufes of two or three merchants are conveniently Situated for loading and unloading Ships;\nbut, in point of Structure, thefe are not better\nthan the reft. Their trade chiefly consists in pel-\nis\n* Governor Simcoe has fince left Upper Canada, and\nreturned to England, whence he has been fent to St. Domingo. In that colony he has found no opportunity for\ndifplaying his military talents, but has endeavoured to curb\nthe rapacity of the fmall army in the pay of Great Britain,\nand by this meritorious conduct excited the hatred both of\nthe French and Englifh, who have gratified it in a dreadful\nmanner.\u00E2\u0080\u0094Author. -\n* try,\nk&\n*^*\u00C2\u00BBi,S\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\ntry, which comes acrofs the lake, and in provifion from Europe, with which they Supply Upper\nCanada. They act as agents or commissioners of\ni&ie Montreal Company, who have need of magazines in all places, where their goods muft be\nunfhipped.\nThe trade of Kingfton, therefore, is not vevf-\nconsiderable. The .merchant fhips are only three\nin number, and make but eleven voyages in a\nyear. Kingfton is a Staple port. It is fituated\n\u00E2\u0080\u00A2twelve miles above that point of the river, which\nis confidered as the extremity of the lake. Here\narrive all the veffels, which fail up the river of\nSt. Lawrence, laden with provifion brought in\nEuropean Ships to Quebec.\nThe barracks are constructed on the. Site of Fort\nFrontenac, which was built by the French, and\nlevelled by the English. The latter built thefe\nbarracks about fix years ago. During the American war their troops were constantly in motion; and, in later times, they were quartered in\nan ifland, which the French call Ifle aux Chev-\nreaux, (Goats' Ifland) and which the Englifh\nhave named Carleton, after Lord Dorchefter.\nFort Frontenac, which was liable to be attacked\non all fides, would anfwer no other purpofe but\nto protect the Small garrifon, which the French\nkept there, againft the attacks of the Indians and\nVol. I, a Kk a Englifli;\n TRAVELS THROUGH\nEnglifh; a part of the garrifon was quartered\nin Cadarakwe, for the protection of the French\ntrade. Here were alfo built, by Mr. De La-\nsalle, the firft French Ships, which navigated\nthe lake.\nKingfton feems better fitted for a trading town\nth#n Newark, were it only for this reafon, that\nthe Ships, which arrive at the latter place, and\nare freighted for Lake Erie, pafs by the former,\nto fail again up the river as far as Queen's Town,\nwhere the portage begins. Nor is its pofition\nequally advantageous for Sharing the trade in provision, with which the lake may one day fupply\nLower Canada, England, perhaps all Europe, if\nUpper Canada Should ever anfwer the expectations entertained by Governor Simcoe.\nKingfton is, at prefent, the chief town of the\nmiddle district of Upper Canada, the moft populous part of which is that Situated on Queen's\nBay. This district not only produces the corn\nrequifite for its own confumprion, but alfo exports yearly about three or four thoufand bufhels.\nThis grain, which, in winter, is conveyed down,\nthe river on fledges, is bought by the merchants,;\nwho engage, on the arrival of the fhips from\nEurope, to pay its amount in fuch merchandize,\nas the fellers may require. The merchants buy\nthis grain for government, which pays for it, in\nready\n&\u00C2\u00A3&H\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\nready money, according to the market price at\nMontreal. The agent of government caufes a^\npart to be ground into flour, which he fends to\nthe different pofts in Upper Canada, where it is\nwranted; and the furplus he fends to England,\nprobably with a view of raifing the importance\nof the colony in the estimation of the mother-\ncountry. The price of flour in Kingfton, is, at\nprefent, Six dollars per barrel.\nThe district of Kingfton fupplied, laft year, the\nother parts of Canada with large quantities of\npeafe ; the culture of which, introduced but two\nyears agor proves very productive and fuccefsful.:\nJ CD X J X\nIn the courfe of laft year, one thoufand barrels\nof fait pork, of two hundred and eight pounds\neach, were Sent from Kingfton to Quebec; its\nprice was eighteen dollars per barrel. The whole\nX CD X.\ntrade is carried on by merchants, whofe profits\nare the more confiderable, as they fix the price\nof the provifion, which they receive from Europe, and either fell in the vicinity, or Ship for\nthe remoter parts of Upper Canada, without the\nleast competition, and juft as they think proper.\nAlthough the number of cultivators is here\nCD\ngreater than in the district of Niagara, yet the\nvaSt quantity of land under cultivation is not\nA 0\nbetter managed than theirs. The difficulty of\nCD J\nprocuring labourers obstructs agricultural im-\nK k 2 provements.\n 500\nTRAVELS THROUGH\n%\\nI i\nprovements, and encourages them to infift on\nenormous wages.\nThe process of clearing woodlands is here the\nSame, as all over America. The hufbandmen\nharrow the cleared ground two, three, or four\nyears fucceftively; during which time wheat is\nfown. Then they plough, but in a very imperfect\nmanner, and fow peafe or oats, and again wheat,\nand fo on, according to the common routine.\n7 CD .\nThe land yields, in tjiis State, from twenty to\ntjjirty buShels per acre.\nCorn, for the winter, is fown from the beginning of Auguft till the end of September.\nSnow falls generally in the latter days of Novem~\nber, and remains on the ground until the beginning of April. Under this cover the blade gets\nup remarkably well; the corn ripens in July, and\nthe harvest begins about the end of that month.\nCD\nFor want of reapers, the Scythe is made ufe of,\nwhich caufes a great waSte of com, that cannot\nbe houfed, and merely Serves for feeding pigs.\nLabourers, whofe common wages are from three\nto four Shillings (Halifax currency), are paid during the harveft at the rate of one dollar, or fix\nShillings a day. Some farmers hire Canadians\nfor two or three months, to whom they pay feven or eight dollars per month, and find them\nin victuals, It frequently happens, that thefe\nCanadians-\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\nCanadians, who bind themfelves by a written\ncontract, meet with people offering them more\nmoney than they receive from their maSters,\nwhich not being allowed to accept, they, of\ncourfe, grow diflatisfied, and work negligently.\nThey muft be procured from the environs of\nMontreal. Farmers, who have no acquaintance\nin that country, find it difficult to obtain them ;\nand this difficulty deters many cultivators from\nrecurring to that refource, from which they\nmight elfe derive confiderable advantages. The\nharveft work is therefore generally performed by\nthe family: thus the houiing of the crops, though\nit proceed Slowly, is yet accomplifhed; but the\nfarmer has much additional trouble, and the lofs\nhe fuftains, by his harveSt being lefs perfect, far\nexceeds the few dollars, wiiich he would have\nbeen obliged to Spend in gathering in his crops in\na more expeditious manner. The foil, which\nis but of a middling quality in the vicinity of the\ntown, is excellent about the bay ; many farmers\npoffefs there to the number of one hundred and,\nfifty acres of land, thoroughly cleared.\nThe climate of America, especially that of Canada, encourages the imprudence and covetouf-\nnefs of the farmers. There is no danger here,\nas in Europe, of the hay rotting, and the grain\nbeing fpoiled by rains, if not fpeedily houfed,\nK k 3 There\n&\\nii\n IK\n)02\nTRAVELS THROUGH\n111\nLHrSi it\nThere feldom paffes a day without fun-Shine;\nthe iky is feldom entirely overcaft; it never rains\nbut during thunder-storms, and this rain never\ncontinues longer than two hours. Grain is, befides, feldom liable here to blights, or any other\nkind of difeafe.\nThe cattle are not subject to contagious dif-\ntempers; they are numerous, without being re-.\nmarkably fine. The finest oxen are procured from\nConnecticut, at the price of feventy or eighty\ndollars a yoke. Cows are brought either from\nthe ftate of New York, and thefe are the fineft;\nor from Canada: the former colt twenty, and\nthe latter fifteen dollars. Thefe are fmall in Size\nbut, in the opinion of the farmers, better milch-\ncows, and are for this reafon preferred. There\nare no fine bulls in the country; and the generality of farmers are not fenfible of the advantages to be derived from cattle of a fine breed.\nIn summer the cattle are turned into the woods;\nin winter, that is, fix months together, they are\nfed on dry fodder, namely, with the Straw of\nwheat, rye, or peafe, and on moft farms with hay\ncut on Swampy ground, but by rich and prudent\nfarmers with good hay. The hay is frequently\nkept the wHole winter within a fort of fence?\ncovered with large branches, through which,\nCD ' O\n.however, the fnow finds its wray; but commonly\nii it\na.\nbl\>\nR\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &e.\nit is preforved in ricks badly made, and under\nDutch hay-Sheds. The meadows yield to the\nquantity of four thoufand pounds per acre, but\nno aftercrop. There is no ready market at which\na farmer can fell that part of his cheefe and butter, which is not wanted for the ufe of his family.\nOf cheefe and butter, therefore, no more is made,\nthan the family need for their own confumption.\nThey generally begin in the firft days of May to\nmake a provifion for the winter. Some few far-,\nmers manufacture coarfe woollens for their own\nclothing ; the more ufual way, however, is to buy\nthe clothes. The farmer is too bufy,tias too lit-\nj7\ntie alllstance, and makes his calculations with too\nlittle judgment, to engage in luch a multiplicity\nof labours.\nSheep are more numerous here than in any\npart of the United States, which we have hitherto traverfed. They are either procured from\nLower Canada, or the State of New York, and\ncoft three dollars a head. They thrive in this\ncountry, but are high legged, and of a very indi\u00C2\u00A3*\nJ 7 CD OO *\u00E2\u0096\u00A0 J\nferent Shape. Coarfe wool, when cleaned, coSts\ntwo Shillings a pound. There are few or no\nwolves, rattle-fnakes, or other noxious animals,\nm this country. mP\nThe farmers make but little maple-Sugar,\nthough the woods abound w'ith the trees, from\nKk 4 which\n fry\n504\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nW\n\u00E2\u0080\u00A2.* . ft\nW ;\nit\nwhich it is procured. The Indians import about\"\ntwo or three thoufand pounds, and fell it to the\nretail traders for one Shilling a pound. Maple-\nSugar is prepared in much larger quantities irr\nLower Canada. The Canadians eat it here on\nbread, or make cakes of it, mixed up with flour\nof wheat, or Indian corn. On the maple-tree\nfrequently grows a fort of knobs, or funguSfes,\nof a very large fize. If thefe exercfeences be\ntorn from the trecr and dried in the fun, they\nfprm an excellent tinder, which the Indians and\nCanadians ufe to light their pipes. Notwithstanding the great number of pines, no refin has\nCD CD X\nyet been gathered. The culture of hemp and flax\nhas been tried, but hitherto without fuccefs ; the\nexperiments, however, arc continued.\nThe price of wheat is one dollar per buShel ;\nlaft year the price was much lower ; but it has\nrifen from the general failure of the harvest.\nFire-wood, delivered in the town, cofts one dollar\na cord ; tti winter it is conveyed thither in fledges\nfrom all the iflands and banks of the river, which\narc covered with wood.\nThe river freezes over at the distance of twenty\nm\nmiles above Kingfton.\nThe price of land is from two Shillings and\nSix-pence to one dollar per acre, if the twentieth\npart be cleared. This price rifes in proportion\nto\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\nto the number of acres cleared of wood, though\ninfluenced by occafional circumstances. Two\nhundred acres, one hundred and fifty of which\nwere cleared, were very lately fold for one thou-\nfand Six hundred dollars. The expence for cut--\nting down all the large trees on an acre, and in-\nclofing it with a fence as rude as in the United\nStates, amounts to eight dollars.\n* o\nThere is no regular market in Kingfton ; every\none provides himfelf with frefh meat as well as\nhe can, but frequently it cannot be had on any\nterms.\nFor this information I am chiefly indebted to\n>Mr. Steward, curate in Kingfton, who cultivates himfelf Seventy acres, a part of two thousand acres, which have been granted him as an\n^.CD\nAmerican loyalist. He is a native of Harrifburg\nin Pennfylvania, and feems to have zealoufty em-\nj 7 j\nbraced the royal caufe in the American war.\nFifteen hundred pounds Sterling, wilich he had\nplaced in the American funds, have been confif-\ncated. Although he continues warmly attached\nto the BritiSh Monarch, yet he has become more\nmoderate in his political principles ; he has preferred fome friends who eSpoufed the caufe of\nthe Republic, among whom is Eifhop White,\nof Philadelphia. Mr. Steward is a man of much\ngeneral information, mild, open, affable, and uni-\nverfallv\n ftS\nm\ntP\n5 06\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nverfaily reSpected ; he is very fanguine in his* expectation that the price of land will rife, and that\nhe Shall then be enabled to portion out his numerous children. Without being a very Skilful\nec-paper. As to the interior of the country, no news penetrates into\nthat quarter, a circumstance that excites there\nvery little regret.\nIn this district are fome fchools, but they are\nfew in number. The children are instructed in\nreading and writing, and pay each a dollar a\nmonth. One of the matters, 'Superior to the reft\nin point of knowledge, taught Latin ; but he\nhas left the fchool, without being Succeeded by\nanother instructor of the fame learning.\nThere are yet but very few furgeons in this\ndiftrid:; they, who affume this. appellation, contrive to get well paid for their trouble. Excepting intermittent fevers, which are rather frequent in Kingfton, the climate is very healthy..\nThe houfes, as has already been obferved, are\nbuilt of wood, for reafons which it is extremely\ndifficult to difcern. The towTn is feated on rocky\nground ; and not the fmalleft houfe can be built\nwithout the foundation being excavated in a rock,'\na fort of Stone which affords the twofold advan-*\ntage of being easily cut, and of growing hard,\nwhen\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &c.\nwhen expofed to the air, without cracking in\nthe frost. The inhabitants allow that, if bricklayers were procured even from Montreal (for\nthere are none in this place), building with Stone\nwould be lefs expensive than with wood. They\ngrant that, in addition to the greater folidity of\nfuch buildings, they would afford more warmth\nin winter, and more coolnefs in Summer ; but\nhabit is here, as elfewhcre, more powerful than\nreafon. Carpenters' Wages amount to Sixteen\nShillings, a day ; labourers are equally fcarce in\nNewark, and confequently as bad and as dear.\nThis district contains no paupers, and, of\ncourfe, there exift no poor rates ; the taxes are\nmanaged in the fame manner as at Newark.\nThe roads at Kingfton are much the fame as\nat Newark ; they are kept in good repair by ten\ndays' labour, from which none of the inhabitants\nare excepted, all being obliged to work ten days\nat the roads. Labouring people complain, and\nnot without reafon, that this public burthen has\nnot been affeffed in a manner more proportionate\nto the means of the inhabitants ; and calculate,\nwith fome degree of difcontent, that their ten\ndays' labour is tantamount to a tax of twelve\ndollars and upwards ; for they must alfo find their\n4pwn victuals when they work on the roads.\nXJhere is but one church in Kingfton, and this,\nthough.\nm\nII\n travels Through\nthough very lately built, refembles a barn more\nthan a church.\nWe had a letter from General Simcoe to the\nCommanding Officer in Kingfton, who, at our\narrival, was Captain Parr, of the fixtieth regiment. Six hours after the detachment, commanded by that 'gentleman, was relieved by another of the fame regiment, under the orders of\nMajor Dob son. This circumstance, however,\ndid not prevent Captain Parr from giving us the\nmoft obliging proofs of civility and kindness.\nHe is a fon of the aged Governor of Nova Scotia.\nAt firft he feems cold, grave, and referved ; but\nhis countenance brightens on a nearer acquaintance, and grows more open, gay, and cheerful;\nhe foon fell into an eafy familiarity of converfa-\ntion, which was heightened during our dinner.\nr O O\nHis behaviour was entirely free from ceremony,\nand indicated that he was not diSpleafed with our\nfociety.\nThis dinner, which he gave to the newly arrived officers, forms for us a remarkable epocha.\nThe ingenuity of the English in devifing toasts,\no J ^ o O 7\nwhich are to be honoured with bumpers, is well\nknown. To decline joining in fuch a toaft would\nbe deemed uncivil; and, although it might be\nmore advifeable to Submit to this charge, than to\ncontract a ficknefs, yet fuch energy of character\nis\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\nis feldom difplayed on thefe occafions. Unwilling to oppofe the general will, which becomes\nmore imperious in proportion as heads grow\nwarmer, you refort to flight deceptions in the\nquantity you drink, in hopes thus to avert the impending catastrophe. But this time none of us,\nWhether French or English, had carried the deception far enough, and I was concerned to feel,\nthe remainder of the evening, that I had taken\ntoo lively a part in the event of the two detachments relieving each other.\nCD\nThe Sixtieth regiment, to which they belong,\nis the only regiment in the Englifh fervice, excepting the guards, which confifts of four bat-\nX CD CD *\ntalions. This regiment, which at the time of the\nwar of 1757 was compofed only of two battalions,\nwas raifed in America, and as many foreigners as\nEnglishmen wrere enliftcd. It was afterwards\nCD\naugmented to four battalions, and was confidered,\nCD * *\nas in fact it is Still in many reSpects, as a foreign\nregiment. The first two battalions have never\nyet left America; the two others have been\nStationed in Jerfey, Gucrnfey, and the Antilles.\nGeneral Amherst is colonel of this regiment*.\nIn point of duty, promotion, and command, the\n* On the death of Lord Amherft, His Royal Highnefs\nthe Duke of York was appointed Colonel of the fixtieth\nregiment.\u00E2\u0080\u0094Tranflator.\n 512\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nr\nfour battalions are perfectly independent of each\nother.\nThe officers we have feen are well bred and\nextremely polite. * ***** **\n* * * * * * * *,# * ***\nThe general opinion, in regard to Canada, is,\nthat this country proves, at prefent, very bur-\nthenfome to England, and will be Still more fobs future; and that, of confequence, Great\nBritain would confult her true interest much bet<-\nter by declaring Canada an independent country,\nthan by preferving it an Englifli colony, at fo\nenormous an expence. The Canadians, fay they,\nwill never be Sincerely attached to England, fo\nthat, if, in time of war, a militia were raifed,\nnot half of them would take up arms againft\nAmerica, and none perhaps againft France. The\nBritifh government commits, therefore, in their\nopinion, a grofs error, in expending fuch vast\nSums in attempting to improve and preferve a\ncountry, which, fooner or later, is fure to fecede\nfrom Great Britain, and which, did it remain\nfaithiul to the mother country, could not be of\nreal fervice to it for any length of time.\nThefe gentlemen further affert, in direct contradiction to General Simcoe's opinion, that the\nmajority of new fettlers of Upper Canada, who\nemigrate from the United States, and wlio are\nefteemed\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\ncfteemed loyalists, would ceiiainly aflift thofe\nStates, if t'hey marched any troops into that country. 1 am not qualified to form a correct judgment on thefe opinions, which are perhaps mer\u00C2\u00A3\neffiifions of the diipleaSure of officers, obliged to\nferve at fo great a distance from Great Britain ; *\nyet they appear to me not altogether destitute of\nfoundation. But, however this may be, all the\nCanadians, we have feen, whether inhabitants of\nthe country or failors, constantly expreffed fhe utmoft fatisfa<5tion on meeting with us Frenchmen\nof old France, and evinced a degree of reSpect and\nobligingness, to which we had long been unac-\n.cuStomed. I cannot Say much on the character\nof this people; all who came under my obfervation were full of Spirit, active, gay and merry.\nThe royal navy is not very formidable in this\nplace ; Six veffels compofe the wbole naval force,\ntwo of which are fmall gun-boats, which we faw\n* Whether the political opinions of the officers of the\nfixlieth regiment, alluded to by the Duke, be correctly\nftated, muft be left to thefe gentlemen to explain. But\nthe fuppofition, that Britifh officers, from a mere diflike\nto remote garrifons, fhould cenfure administration fow not\nabandoning a colony, which in the author's opinion is\n\"a bright jewel in the Britifh crown\"\u00E2\u0080\u0094\" an important\n\" conqueiV' and the lofs of which appears to him \" a pub-\nf\" lie calamity,\" is an effufion of Gallic petulance, which\nfhould not pafs unnoticed.\u00E2\u0080\u0094Tranflator.\nVol. I. LI at\nii- > I\n M\n514\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nu\nat Niagara, and which are Stationed at York. Two\nfmall fchooners of twelve guns, viz. the Onon-\ndago, in which we took our paffage, and the\nMohawk, which is juft finished ; a fmall yacht of\neighty tons, mounting Six guns, and laftly the\nMiffafoga, Of as many guns as the two fchooners,\nwhich has lately been taken into dock to be re-\npaired, form the reft of it. All thefe veffels are\nbuilt of timber frelh cut down, and not feafoned,\nand for this reafon laft never longer than Six or\neight years. To preferve them even to this time\nrequires a thorough repair; they mult he heaved\ndown and caulked, which colts at leaft from one\nthoufand to one thoufand two hundred guineas.\nThe expence for building the largeft of them\namounts to Sour thoufand guineas. This is an\nenormous price, and yet it is not fo high as on\nLake Erie, whither all forts of naval Stores must\nbe fefit from Kingfton, and where the price of la^-\nbour is Still higher. The timbers of the Miffafoga,\nvet a: v\nwhich was built three years ago, are almoft all\nrotten. It is fo eafy to make provifion of Ship-\ntimber for many years to come, as this would rer\nquire merely the felling of it, and that too at no\ngreat distance from the place where it is to be\nufed, that it is difficult to account for this precaution not yet having been adopted. Two gunboats, which arc deftined by Governor Simcoe to\nIfiH ferve\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\nferve only in time of war, are at prefent on th\nStocks ; but the carpenters, who work at them,\nare but eight in number. The extent of the dilapidations and embezzlements, committed at fo\ngreat a distance from the mother-country, may be\neafily conceived. In the courfe of laft winter, a\njudicial enquiry into a charge of this nature was\n\"instituted at Kingfton. The commissioner of the\nnavy, and the principal Ship-wright, it was affert-\ned, had clearly colluded agaujSfc the King's interest ; but interest and protection are as powerful in the New'World as in the Old :\u00E2\u0080\u0094for both\nthe commissioner and Ship-wright continue in\ntheir places.\nCaptain Bouchette commands the naval\nforce on Lake Ontario; and is at the head of\nall the marine establishments, yet without the\nleaSt power in money-matters. This gentleman\npoffeffes the confidence both of Lord Dorchefter\nand Governor Simcoe ; he is a Canadian by birth,\nbut entered the Britifh fervice, when Canada fe 1\ninto the power of England. While Arnold and\nMontgomery were beiieging Quebec, Lord\nDorchefter, diSguiSed as a Canadian, Stole on\nboard his Ship into that city, on which occafion\nhe difplayed much activity, intrepidity and-courage. It is not at all a matter of furprife,\nLord Dorchefter fhould bear in mind this emi-\nL1 2 nent\ni\n M\nt\n516\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nWW\nm\nV\nkill\n1\nnent fervice. By all accounts, he is altogether\nincorruptible, and an officer, who treats his inferiors with g#at mildnefs and jultic^\nIn regard to the pay of the royal maiine force\nOn Lake Ontario*^ a captain has ten Shillings a\nday, a lieut&Jn&nt Six, and 3 fecond lieutenant\nthree Shillings and Sixpence. The feamens' wages\nare eight dollars per month. The maSters of\nmerchantmen have t^entyrftve dollars, arid the\nfailors from ni^ei-to ten dollars a month.\nCommodore Bouchette is among thol\u00C2\u00A3, who\nmoft Strenuously oppofe the project pf removing\nto York the central point pf the force on the\nlake; but his family reside at Kingfton; and his\nlands are fituated near that place. Such reafons\nare frequently of fufficient weight to determine\npolitical opinions.\nThe defertion among the troops is not fo confiderable from Kingfton, as from the forts Ofwer\ngo, St. John, Niagara, and Detroit; from all\ni^sj? \u00E2\u0096\u00A0 * * . .e*efi f\u00E2\u0080\u0094' - \u00E2\u0096\u00A0\u00E2\u0096\u00A0*\nthofe pofts, in fhort, which lie nearer to the\nUnited States. Yet, it is pretty prevalent in all\nthe ganifons of Britifh America. We were told\nby the officers, that the firSt two or three years\nafter the arrival of the regiment from Europe,\n-no foldier deferts, but that envy and habit foon\ncorrupt their mind. The difcipline appears to\nme more fevere in the Britifh fervice, than it\n *\u00C2\u00A3\n'**!\nNORTH AMERUCA, CANADA, &C. 517\never wa$in our$,\u00C2\u00A3 the men are treated with lefs'\natt&fftion and kindneSs*\nSeveratregjr&ents employ the Indians to appre-\nv hend deferters. In addition to the eight dollars,,\nwhich are allowed by government for everyade-*\nferfcer, brought back to his regiment, the captafaag\npromise them eight dollars out of their private\npurfe, and infpirit them by fome glaffes of rum.\nThefe Indians then enter the American territory,\nwhere they are acquainted with every foot-path,-\nevery track, which they purine without ever\nlofing their way, and frequently fall in with the\ndeferfcer, whom they Stop, bind and bring back.\nIf the deferter, which is frequently the cafe, be\nattended by inhabitants of the United States,\nthe Indians make no attempt to Stop him, but\nthe Englifli officers place Sufficient confidence in\nthe honesty of the Indians to lisppofe, that they\nwill not fuffer themfelves to be bribed either by\nmoney or rum, which the deferters might offer.\nThe neareft regular Indian habitations are foi ty\nfiailes distant from Kingston, and belong to the\nMohawks. About the fame distance from the\ntown are alfo fome villages of the Miffafogas, and\nwandering tribes of the fame nation are constantly rambling about the banks of the lake,\npafs a few nights in one place and a few in another, crofs the river on the confines of the\nL, 1 3 United\n f\n518\nTRAVELS THROUGH\n41\nI *|\n'\nUnited States, and Stop in the islands. Hunting\nand fiShing are their only employments. They\nare the filthiest -of all the Indians, I have hitherto\nfeen, and have the rnoSt Stupid appearance. They\nare faid to live poorly, to be wicked and thievifh,\nand men, women and children all given to drinking. The uncommon feverity of the winter in\nthis country occafions not the leatt alteration in\ntheir mode of living. In their fmall canoes they\ncarry with them fome rolls of the bark of foft\nbirch *, which fervo to cover the huts, built in\nform of a cone, wherein they Sleep, and which\nare fupported merely by fome flight props, on\nwhich reft thefe portable walls, that at the top\nleave a paffage for the Smoke.\nIn the month of September the Indians bring\nwild rice to Kingston, which grows on the borders of the lake, efpecially on the American fide.\nThis plant, which loves marSby ground, Succeeds\nthere remarkably well. The Indians bring yearly\nfrom four to five hundred pounds of this rice,\nwhich feveral inhabitants of Kingston purchafe for\ntheir own consumption. This rice is of a Smaller\nand darker gfrain than that, which comes from\nCarolina, Egypt, &c. but grows as white in the\nwater, is of as good a flavour, and affords full as\n* Betula lenta, Linn, called by the French inhabitants of\nQJknnda, meriiier.\u00E2\u0080\u0094Tranfl.\ngood\nsv\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA,\ngood nourishment, as the latter. The culture of\nrice would be very ufeful in Europe for the Subsistence of the poor, efpecially, as in thofe parts\nthe frequent ufe of it would not prove injurious\nto health, which it certainly does in hot countries. Wild rice is faid to be the fame plant,\nwhich in Canada is called wild oats (folle avoi-\nne).*\n7\nThe fame banks of Lake Ontario, where this\nwild rice grows, produce alfo a fpecies of hemp,\nwhich grows up to a confiderable height without\nthe leaft culture, and is apparently as ufeful as\nthat, which is cultivated in France. It is Stronger,\nproduces more feed, and its tranfplantation to\nEurope would probably be attended with beneficial refults.\nTo beguile ennui, and onjoy a few hours longer the fociety of our friend, Captain Parr, we\naccompanied him to the diftance of fix miles\nfrom Kingfton. His detachment occupied feven\nveffels, and he had one for himfelf. The foldiers\nwere without exception as much intoxicated as\nI ever faw any in the French fervice. On the\nday of their departure they were fcarcely able to\nrow, which rendered our tour extremely tedious.\nt The Duke feems to be mifinformed on this fubject.\nThe wild oat (avena fatua) is a plant altogether different\nfrom wild rice, (oryza fylveftris, Linn.)\u00E2\u0080\u0094Tranfl.\nL 1 4 On\n mm\n#\"\n5206\nTRAVELS THROUGH:\nOn our return, wind and current were against\nus, fo that we proceeded very Slowly. Canadians\nrowed our boat, and according to their cuftom\nceafed not a moment to Sing. One of them Sings\na fong, which the reft repeat, and all row to the\ntune. The fongs are gay and merry, and frequently fomewhat more; they are only interrupted by the laugh they occafion. The Canadians, on all their tours on the water, no fooner,\ntake hold of the oars, than they begin to Sing,\nfrom which they never ceafe until they lay the\noars down again. You fancy yourfjelf removed\ninto a province of France ; and this illusion is\n^weet. Our whole day, from fix o'clock in the\nmorning until nine at night, was confumed in\nthis tour. So much the better; a day is gone ;\nfor although the unwearied politeness of the officers afford us every day in Kingfton a comfortable dinner and agreeable fociety from four to\neight o'clock in the evening, yet we cannot but\nfeel much ennui in a place, where no fort of\namufement, no well-informed man, and.no books\nfhorten the long lingering day.\nOur fituation is extremely unpleafant, and\nmight well render us melancholy, did we give\nup our mind to irkfome reflection. Mr. Guille-\nrnard is gone to Montreal, with the Captain. He\nis perfectly right, for he would have Shared in\nour\n our wearinefs, without giving us the least relief.\nHe is a {nan of Superior w*orth. The- goodneS\nof his heart, united to the charms of an enlightened mi&ad, iiaye long infpired me with the\nStrongest attachment for Mm. His determination to leave us.gave mei therefore, the utmoft\nconcern.\nAfter a hearty break ikft, ferved up at a place\nfomewh&t remote from the troop, we took leav\nof Captain Parr. The place, where we breakfasted, belongs to Captain Store, a native of\nConnecticut, captain in the militia of Upper Canada, a loyalist and proprietor of feven hundred\nacres of land, by virtue of a grant of the British\ngovernment. He is owner of a Saw-mill, which\nis fituated on the creek of Guanfignougua, and\nej CD 7\nhas two movements, one of which works fourteen Saws, and the other only one. The former\nmay be \"widened and narrowed ; but frequently\ncannot work all at once, from the fize of the logs\nand the thicknefs of the boards. We Saw thirteen Saws going ; a log, fifteen feet in length,\nwas cut into boards in thirty-Seven minutes.\nThe fame power, which moves the Saws, lifts\nalfo, as it does near the falls of Niagara, the Jogs\nCD * O\non the jack. For the fawing of logs the Captain\ntakes half the boards ; the price of the latter is\nthree Shilli ?s for one hundred feet, if one inch\nin\n r i\n522\nTRAVELS THROUGH*\n1\nJI\n\u00E2\u0080\u00A2fl\nMl\nin thicknefs, four Shillings and Sixpence, if one\ninch and half, and five Shillings, if two inches.\nThe Same boards, if only one inch thick, cost\nfive Shillings in Kingfton. On the other Side of\nthe creek, facing Dutchmill (this is the name of\nCaptain Store's mill), Stands another mill, which\nbelongs to Mr. Johnson, whoufes half the water of the creek. We viewed the latter only at\na diftance from the fhore; the whole profpect is\nwild, pleafing and romantic, and made me Sincerely regret my unfkilfulneSs in drawing. The\nland is here as good as at Kingfton.\nAlthough a communication by land is opened\nbetween Montreal and Kingfton, and though\nhalf the road is very good, yet the intercourfe between thefe places is mostly carried on by water.\nThe rapidity of the Stream does not prevent veffels\nfrom being worked up the river, and this tedious\npaffage is preferred to that by land, even for the\ntroops. All the provisions, with which Canada\nis Supplied from Europe, are transported in the\nfame way; and the whole correspondence is carried on by this conveyance, but in a manner extremely irregular; at times eight days elapfe\neven in fummer, without ;any veflel going up\nor coming down the lake.\nDuring our long residence in Upper Canada wc\nhad an opportunity of feeing a Canadian family,\nA * r CD J\nwho\ny\n who were emigrating to the Illinois River. Th<\nhufband had examined the Settlement laft yfear,\nand was now removing thither with his whole\nfamily, confifting of his wife arid four children, all\nembarked in a boat made of bark, fifteen feet in\nlength by three in width. While the parents\nwere rowing at the head and Stern, the children.\nexcepting the oldest, who was like wife rowing,\nwere feated on mattreffes or other effects ; and\nthus they fang and pursued their voyage of at\nleaft one thoufand one hundred miles. We met\nthem at Newark. They proceed along the banks\nof the lakes and rivers, lie Still every night, make\na fort of tents of their Sheets supported by two\npoles, drefs their fupper, eat it, wrap themfelves\nup in their blankets until the morning, fet off at\neight o'clock, Stop once a day to a meal, and\nthen purfue their voyage again until the evening.\nThey generally advance from fifteen to twenty\nmiles a day, but, when bad weather comes on, or\nthey meet with rapids or other obstructions,\nwhich force them to go by land, their progrefs is\nShorter, and they frequently reft a whole day.\nHaving fet out from Montreal, they came up Lake\nOntario; thence they pafs Lake Erie, go up the\nMiami River, travel about fix or feven miles by\nland, and then reach the Theakiki River, which\nempties itfelf into the Illinois, or embark on\n8^ the\n Ui i\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0;h\n524\nTRAVElS THROUGH\n\u00C2\u00A3\n\\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0Si ;?\nwiUffi\nthe Wabafrjt^, which communicates t>y Several\nbranches with the Illinois, and thus proceed to the\nSpot where they intend to fettle. New colonifts\ncommonly form their fettlements on the l^fanks\nof that river, and chiefly confift of French Canadians.\nThere is another way from Montreal to the\nIllinois, which is faid to be more frequented than\nthe former; namely, up the Ottawas River or-\nGreat River \u00C2\u00A3j to NijiSiing Lake, and thence by\nthe French River to Lake Huron. On this way\nyou meet with thirty-fix places where the boats\nare to be carried over land, which, however, are\nvery Short. From Lake Huron you proceed by\nthe Straits of Michillimakkinak to Green Bay,\nthence by the Crocodile River, Roe Lake, and\nRiver Saxe, after a Short paffage over land to\nOuifconfing River, which empties itfelf into the\nMifliflippi, which you defeend as far as the Illinois, and thence go up this river. The way, juft\npointed out, is much longer than the other, but is\ngenerally preferred, especially by the agents of the\n* This beautiful river of the north-weft territory is peculiarly celebrated on account of a copper mine on its\nnorthern bank, which is the richest vein of native copper\nthat has hitherto been difcovered.\u00E2\u0080\u0094Tranfl.\nt The Duke feems misinformed as to the appellation of\nthe Great River, by which the Miami is meant in America,\nnot the Ottawas.\u00E2\u0080\u0094Tranfl,\nfur-\nilk\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\nfur-trade. On turning to the weftward, this is\nthe fame way, which you travel from Montreal as\nfar as the Straits of Micbiflimakkinak, which you\nleave on the left, to reach Lake Snperiour, on\nwhich you proceed to the gqsat carrying place,\nthence to the Lake of the Woods, and fo on.\nThe fettlement on the Illinois is a large depot\nfor the fur-trade ; nay, it is the laft principal factory in that direction, the chief magazine of which\nis at Fort Michillimakkinak ; but the agents travel one hundred miles farther and traffic even\nfiith the Indians of Louisiana.\nThis trarHc is chiefly carried on with rum, but\nalfo w'ith guns, gun-powder, balls, blankets, fmall\ncoral collars, fmall Silver buckles, bracelets, and\near-rings, which are all worn by the Indians in\nproportion as they are more or lels rich.\nThe common Standard, by which the Indians\nestimate the yalue of their peltry, is the beaver-\nfkin ; fo many cat-fkins are worth one beaver-\nSkin; buckles, guns, or a certain quantity of rum,\nare worth one or two beaver-Skins, or perhaps\nonly a part of one. The traders generally give\nthe Indians in Summer a part of the articles they\nwant on credit; but the Skins they take in exchange are fold at fo low a price, and the provision they fell rated fo high, that they can well\nafford to give credit, the more fo as the Indians\nare,\nfc1\nm\nWmmWrni\n it\n>26\nTRAVEXS THROUGH\nare, in general, pretty punctual in fulfilling their\nengagements. Thefe Indians hunt, live in families rather than'in tribes, and are, by all account^-\ndiltinguiShed by the fame vices, the fame qualities/, and the fame manners, as thofe we have bad\nan opportunity of obferving in the vicinity of the\n1\nolr PC\na.J\ to. -\nThe trade in thefe parts is carried on not by\nthe Hudfon's Bay Company, but by two or three\nhoufes in Montreal, efpecially by Mr. Tode, to\nwhom I am indebted for the communication of\nthefe particulars. The Miflburi River alone has\nhitherto been Shut up againft foreign traders by\nthe Spaniards, who have there a fort. Befides\nthe Canadian habitations, which Stand along the\nbanks of the Illinois either fcattered or affembled\nin villages and towns, the Illinois Town contains\nabout three thouSand inhabitants. There are alfo\nfome Canadians, who reside among the Indians,\nand live exactly as they do. All thefe fettlements\nare in the north-weft territory, belonging to the\nUnited States ; for that part of the banks of, the\nMiffouri, which appertains to Spain, is not inhabited, excepting St. Louis and St. Genevieve,\nX 'CD\nfor eighty miles from New Orleans, and but very\nthinly peopled beyond this.\nSuch peltry as is exported in the courfe of trade\nis conveyed to Montreal by %he Same way which\nthe\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &0,\n527\nthe traders travel to thefe points. The mouth\nof the Miffsuippi, which by the new treaty with\nSpain has been ceded to the Americans *, and\nthe friendly manner in which the Spanish Governor favours this branch of commerce, procure\ntheir trade a more expeditious and lefs expensive\noutlet, fo that in this way the expence has been\nleffened oneTtenth. By the fame way furs can\nbe tranfmitted either to the United States or to\nany part of Europe, as the merchant choofes,\nwhile all peltry, which reaches Montreal, by the\nEnglifh laws can be fent only to Great Britain.\nThe provifion to be exchanged for thefe articles\nmay alfo be bought in the cheapelt market, and,\nconfequently, at a much lower rate than in Montreal, where the exorbitant duty on all merchandize, landed in Canada, and which, moreover, Great Britain alone has a right to import,\nraifes their price in an enormous degree.\nThe furs in the whole of this country are of an\ninferior quality, if compared with the peltry of\nthofe parts which are fituated north of the lakes,\nwhere the Hudfon's Bay Company alone carries\non this trade. By Mr. Tode's account you may\n* By the treaty of 1796, between the United States and\nSpain, the former obtained the free navigation of the Miffif-\niippi, but not the ceflion of the mouth or rather mouths of\nthe river.\u00E2\u0080\u0094Tranfl.\ntravel,\nWmmWfk\n ae .\nSi\n528\nTRAVEXS THROUGH\ntravel, in an eaSy manner, from Montreal to the\nIllinois in fifteen days, and from the Ifiinois to\nNew Orleans in twenty. The navigation of the\nMifuSlippi is good, but requires great prudence\nand attention, on account of the rapidity of the\nStream, and the great number of trunks of trees\njwith which its bed is filled in Several placesi\nThe whole country, through which it flows, is\nextremely fertile and delightful.\nOn Wednefday the 22d of July arrived the\nlong-expected anfwer from Lord Dorchefter. It\nWas of a nature to Strike us with amazement\u00E2\u0080\u0094a.\nfolemn prohibition, drawn up in the ufual form,\nAgainst coming to Lower Canada. It was im~\npofBble to expect any thing of that kind. Mr.\nHammond, the Englifli Minister to the Uiated\nStates, had invited us himfelf to vifit Canada,\nand removed the difficulties, which, from the report of other Englishmen, I apprehended on the\npart of the Governor-general, by affuring me,\nthat Lord Dorchefter had requested him to take\nit for the future entirely upon himfelf', to grant\npaffports for Lower Canada, as he knew better\nthan the Governor-general the travellers who\ncame from the United States ; and that the fetters wehich he Should give me would, without\npreviously concerting with Lord Dorchefter, Secure me from all uhpleafant incidents. I could\nnot,\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\nnot, therefore, entertain the leaft apprehenfion of a\nrefuial, as I had not the fmalleft reafon to fuppofe\nthat Mr. Hammond, Who had loaded me witsfe-civilities, would have deceived me on this Subject.\nBut his Excellency had been pleafed to order\nhis Secretary to fend me an order of banishment,\nwhich he had not even taken the trouble to Sign.\nThey told me, by way of conSotation, that his\nExcellency was rather weak of intellect, that he\ndid not do. any thing himfelf, &c. ; that fome\nemigrated French prieft might have played me\nthis trick by his influence over his LordShip's fe-\ncretary or his miftrefs ;\u00E2\u0080\u0094and well may this be\nthe cafe ; for, though, Heaven be thanked ! I\nr s CD 7\nh&ve never injured any one, yet I find constantly\npeople in my way, who endeavour to injure me.\nBut, be this as it may, a refolution must be\ntaken, and the best of any is, to laugh at the\ndisappointment. May it be the only, or at leaft\nthe moft ferious frustration of my hopes, which\nyet awaits me.\nOn my arrival in Canada, my Grace was overwhelmed with honours, attended by officers, complimented and reverenced wherever I made my\nappearance ; and now\u00E2\u0080\u0094banished from the fame\ncountry like a mlfcreant !\n*e 7i.ai mci&tk\n4i NJ cet escces d^honneur ni cette indjgnitd.l\nVol. I. M m On\n TRAVEDS THROUGH\nOn fuch occaftons, as in many other fituations\nin life, we ought to call to mind, that our own\nfentiments and feelings can alone honour or degrade us, and that confeious rectitude exalts us\nabove all villains, great and low, above all fools,\nand all tattlers. #&\nMy eagernefs to quit the Englifh poffeflions as\nfoon as poffible, after the receipt of this letter,\nwill be eafily conceived; though, upon the\nwhole, I cannot too often repeat, that the civilities Shewn us by the English officers at Kingfton,\nas well as Niagara, deferve our warmest praife.\nMajor Dobson being fenfible of \u00C2\u00A3the necessity\nof our leaving Canada with the utmolt fpeed,\nassisted us with true and Sincere politenefs,. but\nfor which we Should not have been able to attain\nour. end fo foon as we wished ; for, generally, no\nveffel fails from Kingfton to the American coaft\nexcept twice a year. He lent us his own barge,\non board of wtiich we embarked, four hours after\"\nthe receipt of the Secretary's letter, for the United\nStates, where no commandant, no governor, no\nminister, enjoys the right of offending honell\nmen with impunity.\nWe Shaped our courfe for Ofwego, where we\nhoped to meet with an opportunity of a fpeedy\npaffage for Albany. j The four foldiers, wrho compofed our crew, were intoxicated to fuch a de\ncree.\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, Sec\ngree, that the firft day we fcarcely made fifteen\nmiles, though we failed twelve of them. Mr.\nLemoine, the officer who commanded them,\nmade them pay dear for the delay of the preceding day, by obliging them to row this day at\nleaft fifty-five miles. We left, at four o'clock in\nthe morning, the long ifland wThere we paffed the\nnight. A heavy fall of rain had wetted us through\nto the Skin ; the wind had destroyed the flight\ncovering we had made of branches of trees ; the\nmufquitoes had nearly devoured us; in Short, we\nhad fcarcely enjoyed a moment's reft. But the\nweather cleared up; the morning grew fine; and\nwe foon forgot the Sufferings of the preceding\nnight.\nWe reached OSwego at half paft eight in the\nevening, having fcarcely Stopped an hour in the\nwhole courfe of the day. This paffage is feldom\neffected in leSs than two days; but inftead of\ncoaSting along the Shore, wc Stretched from the\nplace where we breakfasted Straight over to Of-\nwego, without approaching the land; an undertaking, which, but for the fairnefs of the weather,\nmight have proved extremely hazardous.\nPrevious to our departure, we enjoyed the fa-\ntisfaction of hearing the report of Admiral Ho-\ntham's fecond victory in the Mediterranean, and\nof the capture or destruction of four French Ships,\n.M m 2 with\n n\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nwith fifteen thoufand land-troops on board, destined for Corfica, contradicted by an officer, who\narrived from Quebec. This action had been fo\nfrequently alleged to us, as a proof of the immenfe superiority of English Ships over the\nFrench, that we felt extremely happy on finding\nthe whole report vanifh like a dream.\nThe restoration of tranquillity and order in\nour country depends, at this time, more than\never on the fucceffes of the French.\u00E2\u0080\u0094May they\nbe as complete as I wjlh. Good God, what\nwould have become of us, if Great Britain and\nher allies Should prove victorious i I am free\u00E2\u0080\u0094\nHeaven be thanked 1\u00E2\u0080\u0094from the rage againil the\nEnglifh nation, which pofteffes fo many Frenchmen, and cannot be justified by the ftill fiercer\nrage of fome Englishmen againft the French.\nThe English are a gallant and great nation; I wiSh\nthey might be sincerely allied with France\u00E2\u0080\u0094 *\n*\n*\n*\n\u00E2\u0080\u00A2*\n\u00E2\u0080\u00A2*\n*\n3f?\n\u00E2\u0080\u00A2*\"-\nOfwego is one of the pofts, which Great Britain has hitherto retained, in open violation of\nthe treaty of peace, though She will be obliged\nto deliver it up to the United States, in the\ncourfe of next year. It is a miferable fort,\nwhich, in the year 1782^ was built at a confiderable expence by General Haldiivian, at\nthat\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\nthat time Governor of Canada. The river Of-\nwego, at the mouth of which the fort is feated,\nis at prefent almoft the only courfe for American\nveffels to Lake Ontario. The fort is in a ruinous\nState ; one Single baft ion, out of five, vyljich form\nthe whole of the fortifications, is kept in better\nrepair than the reft, and might ferve as a citadel,\nto defend for fome time the other works, indefensible by any other means. The prefent gar-\nrifon conSiSts of two officers and thirty men, under\nwhofe protection a cuftomhoufe-offlcer Searches\nall the veffels, which fail up or down the river.\nIt is not lawful to import any other articles\nfrom the United States into Canada, but grain,\nflour, cattle, and provifion, and no commodities\nare Suffered to be exported to the United States,\nwithout exprels permission from the Governor of\nUpper Canada; nay, this prohibition extends\neven to perfons, who, if they intended to proceed\nto that country without fuch permission, would\nbe imprifoncd. As to the prohibited exports in\nmerchandize, they are confifcated, withput exception, for the benefit of the cuftomhoufe-\nofheer, by whom they are feized. This naturally\nprompts his zeal, and increafes his attention ; but\nthere are fo 'many points along the coaf^ where\nthe contraband trade can be carried on, that it\nwill hardly be attempted in this place, where\n\u00C2\u00A7e M m 3 the\n \u00E2\u0080\u0094.\n534\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nthe Americans are fure to encounter fo many\ndifficulties and obstructions. Yet fome veffels,\nnow and then, flip out, under favour of the\nnight. Two or three, which failed in the attempt, were laft year taken and condemned.\nThe large income of the receiver of cuftoms,\nplaced here three years ago, has hitherto been\nconfined to thefe perquisites. Americans, who\nfrom an ignorance of the feverity and latitude\nwith which English prohibitions are enforced,\nhave a larger quantity of provifion on board, than\nthe rigour of the Englifh law permits, frequently\nfee the surplus confifeated to the augmentation\nof the cuftoms, which, if exacted by lefs delicate\nhands than thofe of the prefent receiver, might\nbe carried to a much larger amount.\nThis officer is called Intendant-general : a fine\ntitle, which ornaments a Station, that, in fact,\nknows no superiors, but has alfo no inferiors, excepting a director, who reft des at Niagara. The\nIntendant-general has not even a fecretary. . His\npay is ten Shillings a day, and a ration, which is\nestimated at two. He receives his pay all the year\nround, though the navigation of the lake is entirely interrupted for five months, and he himfelf\nis feven months abfent from Ofwego. Decorated\nwith fuch a title, and furnished with fuch an income, he will hardly be fuppofed to tranfact\nI himfelf\n himfelf the trifling bufinefs of his place. This is\nentrusted to a non-commissioned officer, who\nmakes his report. This is figned by the Intend-\nant-geheral, who, in cafe of abfence from the\nfort, leaves blanks figned on his tabic. This\npermit, which authorizes all veffels bound for Canada, to proceed thither, muft alfo be figned by\nthe commanding officer, for which every veffel\npays three-fourths of a dollar. For Sailing up\nthe lake a verbal permit is given gratis.\nThe prefent Intendant-general is an interesting\nyoung man, of the name of Mac-Don a ld, who^\nin addition to his talents and abilities, poSTeffes\nall the peculiar merits, for which his farnily has\nlong been distinguished in Canada. They came\nfrom Scotland, and fettled here about twenty years\nago. Mr. Mac-Donald ferved as an officer in the\nAmerican war. He is now on half-pay; his\nbrothers I hold commissions in a Canadian regi-\nCD\nment, lately raifed, and one of them is Speaker pf\nthe houfe of representatives of Upper Canada.\nA man of Mr. Mac-Donald's extraction, in\nFrance, would injure his character, in the public\nopinion, by accepting a place in the cuftoms. In\nEngland they know better. There, no injurious\nidea attaches to any profeflion, which concurs in\nthe execution of the laws ; and no blame attaches\nto a nobleman for holding a place in theacom-\nM in -4 mission\n1 1\n 536\nTRAVELS THROUGH\n1 i-rfi\nmiflion of the cuftoms, or turning merchant\nHe is, on the contrary, reflected as much as if\nhe belonged to the church, the army, or the navy,\nor were placed in any other honourable fituation.\nYet, if public opinion were' altogether founded\non juft and reafonable principles, it Should Stig-\ninatize all perfons, who hold Sinecures without\nany ufeful employment, and prefs confequently\nas dead burthens on the State. This, however,\nis not the cafe in England.\nThe number of veffels, which afeend and defcend the Ofwego during the feven months, the\nnavigation is open, amounts to about thirty a\nmonth. By Mr. Mac-Donald's account far the\ngreater number of them carry new fettlers to\nUpper Canada, at which I am not aftoniShed, it\nbeing a certain fact, that the emigration from\nthe United States to Canada is far more confiderable, than from the latter to the former\ncountry.\nFort Ofwego is the only fettlement on the\nO J\nbanks of the lake between Kingfton and Niagara,\nexcepting Great Sodus, where Captain Williamson forms one, and which bids fair, as has already\nbeen obferved, to become very prosperous; it is\nthirty miles distant from tr^b fort. Twelve miles\nbehind Ofwego, stands, on the river, the first\nAmerican fettlement. This fort muft therefore\nShift\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\nShift for itfelf. The officers hunt, read, and\ndrink; and the privates do duty, are difpleafed\nwith their Situation, and defert. For this reafon\nthe oldeft foldiers are Selected for the garrifon of\nOswego ; and yet, though lefs open to temptation, they defert to the United States. This fort,\nwhich lies too remote for any communication\nwith foreign countries, is for five months together\ncompletely cut off from the reft of the world ;\nthe Show lying then fo deep, that it is impossible\nto go abroad but in fnow-Shoes. A Surgeon, who\nhas feven Shillings and Sixpence a day, augments\nthe company in Ofwego. The gentleman, who\nfills this place at prefent, contributes much to\nheighten the pleafure of the fociety, by fubmitting\nto be the general butt of railleries and jefts.\nThe neareft Indian habitations are forty miles\ndistant from Ofwego; and yet there is an Indian interpreter appointed at this fort, who has\nthree Shillings and fixpence a day and a ration.\nO X J\nHe was employed during the laft war. In other\nplaces his appointment might carry at leaft fome\nappearance of utility; but here he is paid without having any employment. The commanding\nofficer has five Shillings a day in addition to the\nCD J\npay he enjoys by virtue of his commission; he\nkeeps oxen, cows, Sheep, fowls, &c. which, as a\npermanent\nX\n 538\nTRAVELS THROUGH\npermanent Stock, one commanding officer leaves\nto his fucceffor at a fettled price.\nThe gardens are numerous, and beautiful, in\nthe vicinity of the fort; the lake as well as the\nriver abounds with fifh; the chace procures\nplenty of game. The officers, therefore, live well\nin this wildernefs, which they call Botany Bay,\nand yet wifli to wrelt from the Americans. We\nexperienced from all of them a very kind reception.\nThe land in the neighbourhood of Oswego is\nvery indifferent; the trees are of a middling\ngrowth, and the wood-lands have a poor appearance.\n'\u00E2\u0096\u00A0-Jlfhr\s fate would not permit me to fee Lower Canada,. I Shall here throw together fome particulars, I had collected respecting that country. I\ncounted on certifying and arranging them on the\nSpot; and although 1 have not been able to do\nthis, yet they Shall not be loft, either to myfelf\nor my friends.\nThe people of Canada poffefs the French national character; they are active, brave, and industrious ; they undergo the fevereft toils, endure hardships with fortitude, and confole and\ncomfort themfelves with fmoaking, laughing and\nSinging; they are plcafed with every thing, and\nchecked\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\nchecked and di/pirited by nqthing, neither by\nthe length, or exceflive fatigue of a journey, nor\nby the bad quality of their food, if their Spirits\nbe kept up by pleaSantries and jefts. They are\nemployed in all voyages. At the beginning of\npring they are called together from the different districts of both provinces, either for the\nKing's fervice, or that of trade. The people,\nemployed in this manner, refide about Montreal,\nand fome miles lower down, as far as Quebec.\nSeveral of them live in Montreal, where they\ncarry on a trade, which occupies them in winter.\nTheir own inclination and tafte invite them to\nthis active and roving mode of life. Some of\nthem are, farmers, who leave the houfing of the\nharveft to their wives and neighbours ; others\nare artizans, who Shut up their Shops and depart.\nWe met fome of them., who were tanners, Saddlers, butchers, joiners, &c. and who by all accounts were very good workmen. They leave\ntheir country for a Summer, for*one year or\nmore, according to the work, which they are\ncalled to perform : and fometimes only for a Short\nvoyage. In the King's fervice they are employed\nin working the Ships from Montreal, or rather\nChina, which is three miles nearer, up to Kingston. This paflage, which is rendered extremely\ntroublefome by the numerous rapids in the river,\ntakes\nrj**\nI.\n 540\nTRAVELS THROUGH\ntakes up nine days, more or lefs, the back paffage\nonly three days, and the lading and unlading at\nleaft one. For this voyage they receive two Louis\nd'ors and are found in victuals ; if not employed\nin actual fervice, they receive no pay. They\nnow begin to ferve as failors on board the Shipping on the lake. Commodore Bouchette is\nmuch pleafed with them. Their wages amount\nto nine dollars a month both on board the King's\nShips, and in merchantmen, engaged in the fur-*\ntrade.\nMr. Mackenzie was attended by Several of\nthem on his travels to the South Sea; he brings\nthem back with him from a journey, which, it\nwas liippofed, would extend as far as the former,\nbut which he intends to terminate at the laft\nfactory. By the account of the Englifh themfelves, who do not like them, they are the belt\nrowers, extremely dexterous in extricating themfelves from difficulties, inured to labour, and\nvery fober, though at times they are apt to drink\nrum rather too freely. In this cafe their gaiety\ngrows noiSy, while the English in a Similar fituation frequently grow fad and melancholy.\nThere e^St few people, among whom crimes\nare lefs frequent, than among the Canadians;\nmurders are never committed, and tHefts very\nfeldom; yet the people in general are ignorant.\nBut\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\nBut this defect is to be imputed lefs to the people,\nthan the government, whofe Syltem it is to cheriSh\nand preferve this ignorance. No colleges have\nyet been eftabliShed in Canada ; and the fchools\nare very few in number. Hence it is that the\neducation even of the richest Canadians is-much\nneglected ; but few of them write with any tolerable correctness of fpelling, and a ftill smaller\nnumber poflefs any knowledge, though fome of\nthem hold feats in the Legislative Council of the\nprovince. I muft, however, mention, that I have\nreceived this information from Englishmen, whofe\nCD *\naccounts of the Canadians deferve but little credit,\nfrom the molt prominent feature of their national\ncharacter consisting in a warm attachment to\nCD\nFrance, which on every occasion they display\nmore or lefs, according to the clafs of fociety, to\nwhich they belong, and to the extent of their\nwishes and expectations, relative to the Britifh\ngovernment.\no\nI have already obferved, that all the families\nin Canada have retained the French manners and\ncuftoms; that but very few Canadians, perhaps\nnot one in a hundred, understand the English\nCD\ntongue-; that they will not learn it, and that none\nof thofe, who understand that language, wuT\ntalk it, except thofe, who from the nature of\ntheir\nII'\nilll\n mmmmmtHmmmmn\nI\n542\nTRAVELS THROUGH\ntheir employments have a conftant intercourse\nwith the military.\nThe British government has, fince the con-\nqueft, from a filly affectation, changed the names\nof the towns, iflands, rivers, nay of the fmallelt\ncreeks. But the- Canadians make no ufe of thefe\nnew appellations, but either from affectation or\nhabit retain the ancient French names.\nMany members of the Affembly, as well as of\nthe Legislative Council of Lower Canada, are\nFrench inhabitants of Canada; the debates are\ncarried on there in the French and English languages ; the Speech of the French member is immediately translated into Englifh, and of the English into French.\nThe inveterate hatred of the English againft\nthe French, which is at once fo ridiculous, fo absurd, and fo humiliating for the people, infomuch\nas it proves them to be mere tools of the ambition\nof their ministry\u00E2\u0080\u0094this hatred, which the lights,\ndiffufed through both countries, and the frequent\nintercourfe between the two nations, had nearly\ndestroyed in Europe, before the French revolution broke out, has not abated here in the Same\ndegree. No Canadian has juft grounds of complaint againft the British government; the inhabitants of Canada acknowledge unanimously,\nthat\nj\n north America, Canada, &c.\nthat they are better treated than under the ancient French government; but they love the\nFrench, forget them not, long after them, hope\nfor their arrival, will always love them, and betray thefe feelings too frequently and in too frank\na manner, not to incur the difpleafure of the\nEnglish, who even in Europe have not yet made\nan equal progrefs with us in difcarding the ab-\nfiird prejudices of one people againft another.\nWhen Lord Dorchefter, at the appearance of\na war with the United States, tried laft year to\nembody the militia in Canada, he met everywhere with remonstrances against this meafure.\nA great number of Canadians refufed to enlift at\nall; others declared openly, M that if they were\nto act againft the Americans, they would certainly march in defence of their country, but\nthat againft the French they Should not march,\nbecaufe they would not fight againft their brethren.\" Thefe declarations and professions, Communicated to me by Englifli officers, and of confequence unquestionably true, were not the effects of Jacobin, intrigues ; for, it is affertcd, that\nat that very period the emiffaries of the Convention complained of the character of the Canadians\nbeing averfe to an insurrection ; but they are the\nO 7 J\nnatural results of their attachment to France,\nwhich neither time, nor the mildneSs of trie Eng-\n*MM\n5\nf\n '{\u00C2\u00AB\n/,\n544\nTRAVELS THROUGH\n! if'\n:/.\u00E2\u0096\u00A0\nm) ;\nIIS\nf ?!\nlifh administration has hitherto been able to extirpate. The notions of liberty and independence\nare, from their political fituation, foreign to their\nrninds. They pay no taxes, live well, at an eafy\nrate, and in plenty; within the compafs of their\ncomprehension they cannot wifli for any other\ngood. They are fo little acquainted with the principles of liberty, that it has coft a great deal of\ntrouble to establish juries in their country ; they\noppofe the introduction of the trial by juries, and\nin civil caufes thefe are not yet in ufe. But they\nlove France; this beloved country engages Still\ntheir affection. In their estimation, a Frenchman\nis a being far Superior to an Englifhman. The\nFrench are the firft nation on earth ; becaufe, attacked by all Europe, they have repulfed and defeated all Europe. The Canadians confider themfelves as Frenchmen; they call themfelves fo;\nFrance is their native land. Thefe fentiments\nand feelings cannot but be highly valued by a\nFrenchman, who muft love and refpect the good\npeople of Canada. But, it will bo eafily conceived, that they difpleafe the English, who frequently difplay their ill-humour, efpecially the\nfpirited and impatient British officers, by deSpif-\ning and abufing the Canadians, gj The French,\"\nfay. they, $ beat them, Starved them, and put\nthem into irons; they Should therefore be treated\nby\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0Htt^'Wi1*^\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\nby us in the fame manner. Such are the opinions on this amiable and liberal-minded peopL\nwhich you hear delivered. during an Englifh repast ; feveral times have I heard them with indignation. People of more prudence and referve, it\nis true, do not profefs thefe fentiments in the fame\nrafh and public manner; but they entertain\nthem, and the people of Canada know full well,\nthat fuch are, in regard to them, the fentiments\nof the generality of Englishmen.\nLower Canada/which pays no more taxes than\nUpper Canada, has of late been obliged to raife a\nyearly contribution of five thoufand pounds Sterling, to meet the public expence for the administration of juftice, legislature, and other items in\nthis province. This contribution or impost is laid\non wine, brandy and other articles of luxury; it\nis raifed as an excife, and confequently is ?n indirect tax, but little burthenfome from its amount,\nas well as from the mode in which it is raifed;\nand yet it has excited much difcontent and dif-\npleafure against the reprefentatives, who functioned it by their confent.\nThis is an outline of the fentiments, which\nprevail among the people of Canada, and which\nI Should have more clofely examined, had I been\npermitted to vifit Lower Canada. I have beett\nallured, that Lord Dorchefter, in confequence of\nVol. I.\nN n\nl a\n TRAVELS THROUGH\nthe refusal of the Canadians, to be embodied in\nregiments, defired laft year to return to England.\nWhether this be the true motive of his defire to\nrefign, which is a certain fact, I know not. His\ndiSpleafure may alfo, perhaps, have been excited\nby the marked disapprobation of the Englifli ministry, reipecting.his addrefs to the Indian nation.\nHowever this may be, his resignation has not\nbeen accepted. Lord Dorchefter, from his constant good and kind demeanour to the Canadians,\nimagined he was beloved by that nation; his\nadministration has throughout been marked with\nmildnefs and juftice ; he has fupported the new\nconstitution ; he loves the Canadians, but his felf-\nlove as well as patriotifm and national pride have\nbeen much humbled by the fentiments, displayed\nlaft year by the people of Canada.\nI have already mentioned a conversation, in the\ncourfe of which feveral officers delivered it as'\ntheir opinion, that it would be for the interest of\nGreat Britain to give up Canada. This is the general opinion of all Englishmen, who refide in\nthis country, excepting Such as on account of\ntheir Stations and emoluments hold a different language. They, who Share in the government and\nadministration of Canada, the Englifh merchants\nand families, who have long resided here, are far\nfrom profefting thefe principles, from a conviction,\n tion, that in the procefs of time Great Britain\nwill reap confiderable benefits from the poffeffion\nof Canada. Thefe are not the ideas which I entertain on this subject, confidering either the\nextent or the nature and complexion of the English administration and government in this part\nof the. globe. I conceive, that the enormous\nCD\nexpence, incurred by Great Britain, is abfolutely\nunneceffary, and that the State of independence,\nin which She endeavours to keep Canada, does\nnot afford the greateft and moft permanent advantage She might derive from that country.\nWhat would be faid of a ministry, which\nwould attempt to convince England, that the\nproceeds of her trade and extenfive navigation to\nCanada fall much Short of her yearly expence to\nJ J X\nmaintain herfelf in the poffeflion of that colony,\nand propofe to the Britifh cabinet, to declare it\nindependent, to aflift it with Subsidies the firft\nyears, and immediately to conclude with the Canadian government a treaty of amity and commerce ? Such a ministry would undoubtedly be\nconfidered as a fet of rank Jacobins. And yet\nit is highly probable, that Great Britain, while on\nthe one hand She faved a confiderable expenditure,\nwould on the other lofe none of her commercial\nadvantages, form a permanent and extenfive connexion with Canada; and would Spare herfelf\nN n 2\nB\nII\nj\u00C2\u00BBa^tf*^-.^a\n 548\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nthe humiliation of another colony being difmem*\nbered from the British empire. But Such a refolution Should be embraced without any fecret\nviews, and hidden projects, loyally and frankly;\nfo that Canada, enjoying all the blessings of liberty and profperity, might have no juft grounds\nfor any finiftrous apprehenfions. However abfurd\nthis language may appear, it is perhaps precifely\nthat, \"which all' European powers Should, at this\ntime, hold to their continental colonies; nay,\ns&ith fome modification, I think it fhould even be\naddreffed to the Weft-Indian Iflands. But away\nwith political fpeculations !\nThe Roman Catholic priests in Upper Canada\nare of the fame cast as our former country cu\nrates ; their whole Stock of knowledge being confined to reading and writing, they are of courfe\nunenlightened and Superstitious. The French\nrevolution has brought thither fome of a fuperior\ncharacter, who are probably lefs indolent and\nmore tolerant than the former. I am unacquainted with them, but the Britifh officers are\nfo aftonifhed at feeing French priests pofteffed of\nfome fenfe and knowledge, that, in their opinion,\nthey are very clever*.\nThe only branch of commerce belonging to Canada is the fur trade; with the whole extent and\nannual amount of which I had fome hopes of\ngetting\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\ngetting acquainted during my intended residence\nat Montreal. I know from Governor Simcoe\nthat it is far more infignificant, than is generally\nbelieved, and that a confiderable contraband trade\nin this article is already carried on in the United\nStates, the chief agents of which are Canadian\nmerchants. I know alfo, that this contraband\ntrade, which they encourage on the river St.\nLawrence,\" may likewife be carried on, without\ntheir affiftance, with the United States, on Lake\nErie, as well as on feveral points of the banks of\nLake Ontario; and that the Surrender of this\nfort to the United States, and the fubSequent\nAmerican fettlements on the frontiers, will render it altogether impoflible, to prevent this contraband trade. Befides, it is well known, that\nthe Canadian merchants, who fend the peltry to\nEngland, are the abfolute maSters of this trade in\nCD\nthis country, and that a monopoly, which raifes\nthe price of commodities to an exorbitant height,\nis the moft powerful incitement to fmuggling.\nAll the Ships, in which the trade between Canada and Europe is carried on, are, Englifli bot-;\nX 'CD\ntoms ; none of them belong to merchants of the\ncountry. Thefe poffefs but a few veffels, which\nare built at Quebec, and employed in the inland\ntrade. In no parts of British America are any\nShips built, but Such as navigate the lakes: even\nJ. \u00E2\u0084\u00A2 11 O\n 550\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nat Halifax, Ships are not built, but merely caulked\nand refitted. No fhips but Englifli bottoms are\nSiiffered to fail from Canada for Europe; whence\nit is, that, if this navigation be intercepted or\nprotracted, the utmost fcarcity of European provision prevails in that country. This year, for\ninstance, all the magazines and warehoufes in\nCD\nCanada were empty, on account of the fhips,\nwhich generally arrive about the 15th of May,\nnot having yet come in on the 20th of July.\nSince the lft of July, not a bottle of wine, or\n$L yard of cloth, could be procured for money,\neither at Quebec or Montreal. The officers, who\ncame from thefe towns, and had not been able to\nfupply their wants, complained of the abfolute\nimpossibility of procuring any neceffary article in\nX J X CD J J\nCanada; and, I understand, the difcontent,\nwThich prevails on this fubject, is not confined to\nthe military.\nIt is agreed, on all hands, that the Canadians\nare indifferent hufbandmen, that agriculture is\nimperfectly understood in this colony, and that,\nin this refpect, the English have riot transplanted\nhither either their own agricultural improve-\nCD %u\u00C2\u00A3g-~ X\nments, or any branch of European Skill. The\nland is good, upon the whole; the belt, which is\nin the iSland of Montreal,, is worth from twenty\nto twenty-four dollars an acre. From this circumstance,\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\ncumStance, which is certain, -the wealth of the\ncountry may be partly estimated.\nThe fevere froft, which in winter generally\n^prevails in Quebec, Caufes the mortar to crack,\nand every year occasions expensive repairs at the\ncitadel, which never laft long. The other Strong\nplaces in Britifh America are constructed of wood,\nwhich is never feafoned, but ufed as foon as felled,\nand confequently decays very foon. In the whole\nfort of Ofwego, which was built about eleven\nyears ago, there is not one found piece of timber\nto be found; and-for the fame reafon the citadel\nof Halifax, which was constructed only feven\nyears ago, is now rebuilding from the ground.\nThis is all the information, which I have been\nable to collect, and which, however imperfect it\nbe, may yet ferve as a guide to other travellers\nin their pursuits of ufeful knowledge.\nThe northern borders of the bafon, which\nholds the waters of the Niagara, juft above the\nxalls, confift of a fat and, Strong reddifli earth,\nlying on a ground of lime-Stone.\nThe rocks, between which the Stupendous cataract of Niagara ruflses down, are alfo lime-Stone,\nas are numerous fragments of rocks, which appear\nwithin the chafm, and have undoubtedly been\nfvyept away by the tremendous torrent. At the\nbottom of the bafon you fee alfo large maffes\nN n 4 of\n * \u00E2\u0080\u00A2}'\n'\ni\\n551\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nof white Stone, of a fine grain, which the inhabitants affert to be the petrified foam of the fall,\nbut which, in fact, appears to conlist of vitriolated lime. It does not effervefce with acids. J\nhave tried no other experiments.\nThe ground between the falls and Queen's\nTown is a level tract, fome hundred feet elevated\nabove the plain, which joins Lake Ontario, and\nin which the town of Newark, and the fort of\nNiagara are Situated.\nThis whole tract Seems to confift of lime and\nfree Stone, which contain petrifactions of fea animals.\nOver the plain near Newark are fcattered large\nmaffes of a reddifh granite, which lie infulated on\nthe lime-Stone, like the large blocks of granite,\nwhich you fee on Mount Saleve, near Geneva;\nfo that it is impoffible to account for their origin.\nIn the environs of Toranto, or York, the foil is\nin fome places Sandy, in others light clay; no\nrocks are here to be found.\nIn Kingfton, or Kadaraque, on the north-eaft>\nerly extremity of Lake Ontario, you find again\nthe argillaceous, fine grained lime-Stone, of a dark\ngrey colour. Here, as nearly all along the borders\nof the lake, are found different forts of flints,\nfchift, quartz, and granite.\nYou alfo find at Kingfton, at no great diftance\nfrom\nmkm\\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\nfrom the fhore, a large black conglomeration,\nwhich has the appearance of bafalt, and great\nquantities of free-Stone, with petrifactions of fea\nanimals.\nThe trees and plants, I have met with in Upper\nCanada, are nearly the fame, which I obferved\nin the northern district of Geneffee. Yet I found\nthe buck-eye, called by the Canadians bois chicot,\nthe live-leaved ivy, which I have feen branched\n,/7\nthirty feet high around an oak tree, the red cedar,\nthe fmall Canadian cherry (ragou minier), and\nblack or fweet birch. I have feen neither a pa-\npaw, nor a cucumber tree. The ginfeng root,\nwhich is pretty common in the territory of the\nUnited States, abounds in Canada, but forms here\nnot fo confiderable an article of trade, as in the\nformer country. The Canadians ufe an infusion\nof this root as a cure for pains in the stomach,\nespecially if they proceed from debility; for colds,\nand, in Short, in ail cafes where perfpiration may\nbe required. They alfo make ufe of the leaves of\nmaiden hair*, which is found in great abundance\nin the vicinity of Kingfton, inftead of tea.\nJ CD r\n* Adianthum capillus veneris, Linn, a plant, from which\nthe once celebrated \" fyr-op de capillaire^ took its name,\nwhich P. Formius, a physician of Montpellier, recommended\nas an univedal medicine, in his treatife u De Adiantho,\"\npublifhed 1634.\u00E2\u0080\u0094Tranfl*\nMr.\nII\n1\n ,54\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nMr. Guillemard having communicated to me\nthe journal of his tour to Lower Canada, I Shall\nextract from it fuch particulars, as appear moft\nproper to fill up the deficiencies of the informa-\nion, which I have myfelf been able to collect.\nThis journal confirms, upon the wtiole, the general obfervations, which I have made on that\ncountry. Although the intelligence, gathered by\nMr. Guillemard, be not altogether as minute as I\ncould have wished, yet from the eorrectnefs of\nhis judgment, and his character for veracity, the\nJ CD 7 J 7\ntruth of his remarks cannot be questioned.\nThe paffage from Kingfton to Quebec is made\nas far as China, in Canadian veffels of about ten\nor fifteen tons burthen. The navigation from\nChina to Montreal being intercepted by the falls\nof St. Louis, this part must be travelled by land.\nShips of any burthen may fail from Montreal to\nQuebec.\nThe rapids are of various defcriptions. They\nare either whirlpools, occasioned by rocks, againft\nwhich the water Strikes in its courfe, or Strong\ndeclinations of the bed of the river, the rapid\nmotion of which is checked by few or no ob-\nftructions. Carried by rapids of this nature,\nShips may advance Sixteen miles in an hour.\nThofe of the former defcription are the moft\ndangerous,\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\ndangerous, though misfortunes but feldom occ|r|\nThey are molt frequent on the cedar paffage.\nFrom Montreal to Quebec the river floas-\nwith great velocity, but without any rapids, n\nLake St. Peter * Ships muft keep within a n-\ntural canal, from twenty to fifteen feet in deptl;\nin other places the lake is only from four to x\nX J \u00E2\u0080\u00A2 I\nfeet deep. It is under, contemplation to makJa\ncanal from China to Montreal, by which the 1-\nterruption of the water conveyance from Chi a\nto Montreal will be removed.\nThere are few or no fettlements betwen\nKingfton and St. John's, the chief place of tie\nlower district of Upper Canada, about midwjy\nbetween Kingston and Montreal.-)\" Betwen\nthis place and Montreal they are rather mce\nnumerous, yet Still few in number.\nThe right banks, belonging to England, it\nO CD CD CD \"p\nmore thinly inhabited than the left.' The ftv\nhabitations you here meet with lie, almost allpf\n\u00E2\u0080\u00A2 e\n* This lake is a part of St. Lawrence river. Its cene\nis fixty-eight miles above Quebec, and two hundredind\nfive north-eaft of Kingfton, at the mouth of Lake Onpo.\nTranflator.\nSt. John's belongs not to the lower diftrkt of Ipper\nCanada, but to Lower Canada. By an ordinance of th 7th\nof July, 1796, it has been eflablifhed as the fole p't of\nentry and clearance for all goods imported from the jterior\nof the United States into Canada. Tranflator.\n 1\u00C2\u00AB\n5>6\nt\u00C2\u00BB\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nM\nf h\nw\ntern, contiguous to the river. Between Montreal\naid Quebec they Stand more clofely together.\nIven the inland parts are inhabited within three\nc four miles of the Shore ; and fo are almost all\nte borders of the rivers and brooks which fall\niito the Stream. To iudge from the habitations\n\u00E2\u0080\u00A2J o\nad the mode of cultivation, thefe fettlements are\nte worft of rk.\nIn the distillery whiSky and geneva are distilled,\nbut very little of either. The number of workmen is very fmall; their daily wages confiSt in\ntwo Shillings in money and board. The Canadians, like the inhabitants of the back country in\nthe United States, manufacture themfelves all the\nclothes they want for their families.\nThe Roman Catholic religion forms the established church in Lower Canada ; the ministers-\nare Supported by tythes and gifts, and out of th\neftates acquired by the clergy. All the churches\nin the country belong to the Roman Catholic\nJ CD\nperfuafion, and are tolerably well frequented by\nthe people. The clergy of the Epifcopal church\nare paid by the king ; as well as the Proteftant\nVol. I. O o bifhop,\n lH\n*fi1>.\n'RAVELS THROUGH\nl4\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nm\nHi\nV\n'i\nfue their Studies to obtain the order of priesthood, and are excufed from certain exercifes,\nwithout which they would not be qualified to\ntake orders, on account of their being engaged in\nthe instruction of youth. This feminary forms\nthe only refource for Canadian families, who wifh\nto give their children any degree of education,\nand who may certainly obtain it there for ready\nmoney.\nUpon the -whole the work of education in\nLower Canada is greatly neglected. At Sorrel,\nand Trois Rivieres, are a few fchools, kept by\nnuns, and in other places men or women instruct children. But the number of fchools is,\nupon the whole, fo very Small, and the mode of\ninstruction fo defective, that a Canadian who can\nread is a fort of phenomenon. From the major\npart of thefe fchools being, governed by nuns\nand other women, the number of the latter,\nwho can read, is, contrary to the custom of other\ncountries, much greater in Canada than that of\nmen.\nThe English government is charged with designedly keeping the people of Canada in ignorance ; but were it sincerely defirous of producing\nan advantageous change in this refpect, it would\nhave as great obstacles to Surmount on this head\nas in regard to agricultural improvements.\nThe\n \u00C2\u00AB*?*\nNORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\nThe feudal rights continue in the fame force\nin Canada as previously to the conqueft. The\nproprietors, or lords of the manor, have alienated or alienate the lands on condition of an an*a\nnual recognition being paid by the tenants, which\namounts to a buShel or a bufhel and half of grain.\nAt every change, in refpect to the occupiers of\nland, except in a cafe of a fucceflion in direct\nlineage, the lord of the manor levies a fee of\ntwo per cent; and, in cafe of fale, he not only\nreceives a twelfth of the purchafe-money, but\nhas alfo the right of redeeming the eftate; he\nmoreover enjoys the exclufive right of building\nmills, where all the people, who inhabit within\nthe precincts of the manor, are obliged to have\ntheir corn ground.\nThe mills are fo few in number, that frequently they are thirty-fix miles diftant from the\nfarms. The miller's dues amount to a fourteenth,\naccording to law ; but the millers are as clever in\nLower Canada as elfewhere, and contrive to raife\nthem to a tenth. The bolting is performed by\nthe farmers in their own houfes. The mills are.\nnumerous in the vicinity of Quebec and Montreal,\nand belong to the feminary.\nOn lordships of the manor being fold, a fifth\nof the purchafe-money goes to the crown; all\"\nO o 3 thefe\n f \u00E2\u0080\u00A2 if\nWH\n566\nthefe fees and charges, it will be eafily conceived,\ngreatly impede the fale of eStateti.\nThe administration of juftice is exactly the\nfame as in Upper Canada. In this refpect Lower\nCanada is divided into three districts.. The penal:\nand commercial laws are the fame as in England ;\nbut the civil law confifts of the cuftoms of Paris,\nmodified by the constitutional act of Canada, and\nby lubfequent acts of the legislative power. Nine-\nit X CD X\nteen twentieths of all property, amenable, before\nthe courts of juftice, belong to merchants. Criminal offences are very Seldom committed in Canada.\nThe five thoufand pounds, which laft year were\nx j\nvoted for the expence of the legislature, &c. are\nraifed by means of an excife on liquors.\nThe climate in Lower Canada is rather dry,\nm\nand very cold in winter ; the Sky is, at all times,\nbeautifully clear and ferene. In the months of\nJanuary and February Reaumur's thermometer\nStands generally at twenty degrees below the freez-\ning point. In 1790 it fell quite below the fcale,\nand the quicksilver retreated into the ball. In\nSummer fome days are exceflivery hot, and the\nthermometer Stands at twenty-four degrees*; this-\nVfear it mounted to twenty-eight. The heat in\n\u00E2\u0080\u00A2/ J CD\nfummer, it has been obferved, becomes more in-\ntenfe\nUftBV|.\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, Sec,\ntenfe and continues longer, and in winter tlfe\ncold grows more moderate than formerly. The\nclimate is healthy ; epidemical difeafes at* very\nrare ; but, on account of the fevere cold, cancerous fores in the face and hands are veryfre-\nIT\nquerit.' The declination of the magnetic needle\nat Quebec is twelve degrees to the weft.\nThere exifts no incorporated municipality cither\nat Montreal or Quebec. The police of thefe\ntowns is managed by justices of the peace, who\nfix the price of provifion, and direct every public\nmeafure relative to this subject. They alfo meet\nonce a week for the administration of juftice,\nand decide on petty offences.\nAs to charitable institutions, they conSift in\ntwo hoSpitals, one at Montreal, the other at\nQuebec, and a lazaretto at the latter place. They\nare inconfiderable and badly managed, especially\nin regard to the abilities of the phyficians who\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0 o x j\nattend the fick.\nThroughout all Canada there is no public library, except in Quebec, and this is Small and\nconfifts mostly of French books. From the political fentiments of the trustees and directors of\nthis library, it is a matter of aStoniShment, to find\nhere the works of the French National Affembly.\nIt is fupported by voluntary contribution.\nNo literary fociety exifts in Canada, and not\nO o 4 three\n WSa\n>68\nTRAVELS THROUGH\n\u00C2\u00BB\u00E2\u0096\u00A0-)\n*htee men are known in the whole country to\nbe engaged in fcientific pursuits from love of\nthe fciences. Excepting the Quebec almanack,\nnot a fingle book is printed in Canada. Meteorological obfervations are made With peculiar care,\nbut only for his own amufemeat, by Doctor\nKnott, phyfician to the army> and a man of\nextenfive knowledge.\nProvifion is much cheaper in Lower Canada\nthan in the United States ; the price of beef is\nthree or four fous a pound, mutton fix, veal five,\nand fait pork from eight to twelve fous. A turkey cofts from eighteen pence to two Shillings, a\nfowl from fix to eight fous, wheat from fix to\nfeven fhillings a bufhel, oats three, Indian corn\nfrom five to feven, fait one dollar a buShel, bread\ntwo fous a pound, and butter eight fous [money\nof Canada, reckoning the dollar at five Shillings.]\nDay-labourers generally earn in summer two Shillings and fix-pence a day, women half that money ; in winter the wages of the former are one\nShilling and three-pence a day, and the latter are\npaid in the fame proportion as above. A man-\nfervant gets about five dollars a month. The\nrent for a good convenient houfe amounts in\nQuebec to one hundred and thirty dollars, and\nin Montreal to one hundred and fifty. The\nprice of land has already been Stated.\nThe\nikV;\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\nThe markets, both at Montreal and Quebec\nare but moderately fupplied in comparifon with\nthe abundance in the markets of the large towns\nin the United States.\nMr. Guillemard in his journal afligns to the\nCanadians the fame character, which I have abov\ndelineated. The firft claSs, compofed of proprietors, and people attached to the British govern^\nment, detest the French Revolution in every point\n' J X\nof view, and feem in this refpect even to outdo\nthe Englifh-ministry. The fecond clafs of Canadians, who form a fort of opposition against\nthe proprietors and gentry, applaud the principles\nof the French Revolution, but abhor the crimes\nwhich it has occafioned, without their attachment to France being in the leaft impaired by\nthefe atrocities. The third, or laft, clafs love\nFrance and the French nation, without a thought\nof the French Revolution, of wThich they fcarcely\nknow any thing at all.\nLord Dorchefter bears the character of a worthy man, poffeffed of all the vanity of a darling of\nfortune. His Lady, who is much younger than\nJ 7 J CD\nher hufband, and determined not to facrifice any\nof the enjoyments which'pride can afford, takes\npeculiar Care to keep alive the vanity of her\nLord ***********\n*** *********\nThe\n conflSt of' granite.\nMr. Guillemard has not feen them ; near the falls\nof Montmorency and fomewhat farther up,' the\nStrata coiifift of lime-Stone, and their direction\nruns nearly parallel with the horizon.\nRecounts of the Fur-trade, extracted from the jout^\nnal of Count And'riani, of fylihw, who travelled hi the interior parts of Amerka hi the year\n1 / y 1.\n:<*\u00C2\u00BB-\nThe moft important places for the fur-trade are\nthe following, viz.\nNiagara, Lake Ontario, Detroit, Lake Erie, Mi-\nchillimakkinak, Lake Huron, yielding 120O\nm CD\nbundles mixed peltry.\nMichipicoton j\ni ic - - -\nAlampicon \u00C2\u00A7|i;\nNear the great carry-\ning-place or portage*\nBottom of the lake\n40 bundles fine peltry.\n30 ditto,\nditto.\nI4oo\n I*\ntm\n576\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nPoint of the lake - 20 bundles fine peltry.-\nBay of Guivaranun - 15 ditto.\nThe fkins of beavers, otters, martens, and wild\ncats, are called fine peltry.\nx J\nMixed peltry are furs, confifting of a mixture\nof the finer forts with a larger number of Skins of\nwolves, foxes, buffaloes, deers, bears.\nThe finest peltry is collected north-weft of the\nlakes in the British dominions; the furs grow\ncoarfer in proportion as you approach nearer to\nthe lakes.\nThis fur-trade is carried on by a company,\nknown by the name of the North-weft Company,\nand two or three other Small companies.\nThe north-weft company, which is generally\nesteemed a privileged company, has no charter;\nfor the preponderance, which it enjoys in this\ntrade, it is merely indebted to the large capital,\nwhich it employs in the trade, to the unanimity\nof the members, to their unwearied exertion, and\nto the monopoly, which the company has appropriated to itfelf in confequence of the above circumstances.\nIts formation took place in the year 1782,\nand originated from the commercial operations of\nfome eminent merchants, who ufed to carry on\nthe trade in the country, fituated beyond Lake\nWinnipey,\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\nWinnipey, and especially of Meffrs. Forbisher\nand Mactarish, who refide at Montreal. The\nSignal fuccefs, which this company met with*\nfoon excited the jealousy of other merchants, and\nere long three different companies made their\nappearance at the great carrying-place, and ri-\ni vailed each other in the purchafe of furs with a\ndegree of emulation, which could not but prove\nhighly detrimental to themfelves and advantageous to the Indians. The north-weft company, being more opulent than the reft, made\nufe of its wealth to ruin its competitors ; no Stone\nwas left unturned; the agents of the company's\nrivals were bribed and feduced; and the animosity between the different traders rofe to fuch a\nJ\nheight, that they frequently proceeded to blows.\nThis petty warfare, which cost feveral lives and\nlarge fums of money, at length opened the eyes\nof the rival companies. They became fenfible of\nthe necessity of uniting in one body, and the\nnorth-weft company, effentially interested in preventing any further molestation of this, trade,\nmade feveral facrifices, to attain this end. They\nformed a connection with different members of\nthe other companies, admitted other merchants to\na Share in their trade, and thus Secured their\nextenfive commerce with the country fituated/\nVol. 1. P o north-\n TRAVELS through\nnorth-weSt of the lakes, the only fpot where fine\npeltry can be had in abundance.\nSeveral thoufands of Indians formerly conveyed\ntheir furs to the great carrying-place. But at\nprefent the company fend their agents a thoufand\nmiles into the interior parts of the Indian poffef-\nSions. It frequently happens, that thefe agents\ncontinue there two years, before they return\nwith the peltry, they have purchafed, to the great\ncarrying-place.\nThe company employ about two thoufand\nmen in carrying on this traffic in the interior of\nthe Indian country, which is, however, fo extremely barren, that whatever articles thefe agents\nStand in need of either for their cloathing or Sub-\nfiftence, muft be fent thither from Montreal with\nconsiderable difficulties and trouble, and, of con\nfequence, at an excefiive price.\nNear the great carrying-place, where all thefex\nO J CD x 7\nagents meet, and which is the central point of\nthis trade, Stands a fort, which is kept in good repair, and garrifoned with fifty men.\nThe poft of Michillimakkinak is the rallying-\npoint of the different Canadian merchants, who1\ndo not belong to the north-weft company. Their\nagents traffic only with fuch parts, as are feated\nweft and fouth-weft of the lakes, and where the\n.-ibS&lS . furs\n^\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\nfurs are of ah inferior quality. They carry on\nthis trade in the fame manner as the north-weft\ncompany, but as thefe Small companies are lefs\nopulent than the former, their agents penetrate\nhot fo far into the interior of the country, as\nthofe of the north-welf company.\nThe agents fet out from Montreal in the month\nCD\nof June, and are Six weeks going to the fort near\nthe great carrying-place. They embark at Mont-\nitlal in boats, forming parties of eight or ten perfons, proceed on the river St. Lawrence from\nChina to the Lake of the Two Mountains; defcend the river Utacoha; croSs Lake NipiSslng;\npafs by the French River into Lake Huron;\nproceed to Fort Michillimakkinak; and thence\nto the great carrying-place.\nThis way is Shorter by a hundred miles than\nthat by the lakes, but you meet with thirty-ftt\ncarrying places, Several of which lie across rocks\nover which the boats as well as the cargoes muft\nbe carried on the backs of the paSsengers, and that\nwith great precaution, on account of the narrow-\nnefs of the roads. The boats are but of four\ntons burthen; they are navigated by nine men,\ncost twenty-eight Louis d'or each, and ferve but\nJ CD 7\nfor one voyage.\nThe mips, employed in the paflage across the\nlakes, are from one hundred and twenty to one\nP p 2 hundred\n 5SCJ\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nhundred and thirty tons burthen. Flat-bottomed\nveffels of fifteen tons are alfo made ufe of for this\npurpofe, which are easily managed by four or five\nmen, and are very durable.\nNotwithstanding the advantages, offered by\nthis paffage, the former route is preferred for the\nfur-trade, becaufe, although it is attended with\nmuch trouble, yet it admits of the day of the departure as well as of the arrival being fixed with\ncertainty and exactnefs, which point, on account\nof the wind, cannot be attained on pasting over\nthe lakes, and yet is of the utmost importance\nfor the Canada merchants, as they muft neither\nmifs the period of receiving the furs from the interior of the Indian territory, nor that of expediting them for Europe; the navigation of the\nriver St. Lawrence not being open for a long\ntime.\nAbout the end of June the agents of the com-\nCD\npany, fent into the interior to trade with the Indians, caufe the articles purchafed to be tranf-\nported to their place of rendezvous.\nAt this time upwards of one thoufand men are\nfrequently affembled in Michillimakkinak, who\neither arrive from Canada to receive the peltry,\nor are agents of the company and Indians, who\nassiSt the former in conveying thither the furs,\n\u00C2\u00A5 CD\nthey have bought.\nAs\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\nAs the trade of the north-weft company is far\nmore important, than that of the other traders,\nthe number of people, affembled in the fort near\nthe great carrying-place is of confequence far\nmore confiderable at the time of the delivery of\nthe fkins; in this place there is frequently a con-\ncourfe of one thoufand people and upwards.\nThe method, obferved by the agents in their\ntraffic with the Indians, is this, that they begin\nwith intoxicating them with rum, to over-reach\nthem with more facility in the intended bufinefs.\nThe agents carry on this traffic in thofe villages\nonly, where there are no other merchants.\nIt is a circumftance, worthy of notice, that\nan ancient French law, enacted at the time, when\nCanada belonged to France, prohibits any rum to\nbe fold to the Indians by the agents on pain of\nthe galleys. Hence originates the cuftom, Still\nobferved at this day, of giving it away; yet this\nis not done writhout exception, for many agents\nfell their rum.\nThe one thoufand four hundred bundles of\nfine peltry, from the great carrying-place, which\naccording to the price, paid to the petty traders\nin Montreal, who collect them in fmall numbers,\nate valued at forty pounds Sterling each, and which\nby the company are fent to London, fetch there\neighty-eight thoufand pounds Sterling. They form\nCD *t CD X CD v\nP p 3 about\n-JjM\nWk\n .1*1\nmf\nrZ*T!aSm~2\na/, a.! ft\nk\nV\n>S2\nT^VELS THROUGH\n11 *\u00E2\u0080\u00A2*\u00E2\u0096\u00A0'\nif* J\nkirn\nMl ft II t\nabout a moiety of all the fine peltry, yearly exported from Canada, without taking into the account the furs fent from Labrador, from the bay\nof Chaleurs and Gafpe or Gachepe.\nFor thefe one thoufand four hundred bundles\nthe north-weft company pay about Sixteeen thoufand pounds Sterling, and for the proceeds thereof\nfuch. articles are purchafed in England, as the Indians are fond of receiving in exchange for their\npeltry, and the chief Store-houfe of which is at\nMontreal. As the accounts relative to this trade\nare generally kept in Canada in French money,\nthe above Sixteen thoufand pounds Sterling muft\nbe computed in the fame manner, as this actually has been done by Count Andriani in his\niournal.\nj\nlb Commodities purchafed in England - liy. 354,0Q&\n2. Pay fqr forty guides, interpreters,\nand conductors of the expedition* ' .QQQ\n3. Pay for one thoufand one hundred\nmen, who are employed in the\nCarried forwards, liv. 442,000\n* Every boat's company, confifting of eight or ten perfons, has a guide; there is alfo a chief guide in every harbour, where they winter. They are all inhabitants of Canada, and receive each two thoufand five hundred livres.\u00E2\u0080\u0094\niduthor.\n Brought forwards, liv. 442,0\u00E2\u0082\u00AC>Y)\ntraffic in the interior of the country, and who pals the winter there,\nwithout returning to Montreal;\nCD *\none thoufand eight hundred li-\nvres Sbr each\n4. Pay for one thoufand four hundred\nmen, employed in defcending\nthe river with the boats fr&jn the\ngreat portage to Montreal and\n\"Sift afcending it from this place\nthither, and tranfportiing the\nmerchandize\n5. Price of the provifion, confumed on\nthe paffage from Montreal to the\ngreat carrying-place, and at the\nlatter place, upon an a\^\u00C2\u00A7age per\nyear - 4,000\n350,000\nTotal amount of all the expence, incurred by the company for one\nthoufand four hundred bundles\nfine peltry - - liv. 2,776,000\nOn comparing the eighty-eight thoufand\npounds Sterling, which the fale of thefe furs produces in London, with thefe two millions feven\nhundred and feventy-fix thoufand livres, it Should\nP p 4 feeki\n f!\n\mi\nm\n584\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nfeem, that the company sustains a lofs of fix hundred thoufand livres Tournois. But this lofs is\nmerely apparent, as will be obvious from the following Statement.\nThe pay of the men, employed in the trade, as\nCsfeention&d in the above account, is merely nominal ; for excepting the forty guides and one\nthoufand four hundred men, who are employed\nin afcending and defcending the river with the\nboats, who receive half their wrages in cafh, all\nthe reft are paid entirely in merchandize, which\nat the great carrying place yields a profit of fifty\nper cent.\nThe merchandize, imported'oh behalf of this\ntrade to the above amount of three hundred and\nfifty-four thoufand livres, confifts of woollen\nblankets, coarfe cloths, thread and worsted ribbands of different colours, vermilion, porcelain\n-bracelets, Silver trinkets, firelocks, Shot, gunpowder and especially rum. In fort Detroit thefe\narticles are fold for three times their ufual value\nin Montreal, in Fort Mi^hilliitekkinak four times\ndearer, at the great carrying-place eight times,\nat Lake Winnipeg fixteen times; nay the agents\nfix the price Still higher at their wilSand pleasure:\nAs the men, employed in this trade, are paid\nin merchandize, which the company fells with an\nenormous profit, it is obvious at how cheap a\nLee, a rate\nV\V\n\u00E2\u0080\u00A2\u00E2\u0096\u00A0i ' mm\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C\n58\nrate thefe people are paid. They purchafe of\nthe company every article, they want; it keeps\nwith them an open account, and as they all winter\nin the interior of the country and beyond lake\nWinnipeg, they pay, of confequence, exceSlively\ndear for the blankets, and the clothes, wmich they\nbring with them for their wives. Thefe menial\nfervants of the company are in general extravagant, given to drinking and excefs ; and thefe\nare exactly the people whem the company wants.\nThe Speculation on the exceffes of thefe people is\nearned fo far, that if one of them happen to lead\na regular, fober life, he is burthened with the\nmoft laborious work, until by continual ill-treatment he is driven to drunkenneSs and debauchery,\nj 7\nwhich vices caufe the rum, blankets and trinkets\nto be fold to greater advantage. In 1791, nine\nhundred of thefe menial fenrantSIowed' trrfe'*com-\npany more than the amount of ten or fifteen years\nPa7- I f ; ,\nThis is in a few words the SyStem of the com-\npany, at the head of which are Meffrs. Forbifher\nand^MactarrLTr^ Who poffefs twenty-four Shares of\nthe forty-Six, of which the company confifts.\nThe reft, divided into Smaller portions/ are distributed among other merchants in Montreal,\nwho either tranfact bufinefs with the company,\nor\n r\u00C2\u00BB~HM!\u00C2\u00BB.\n\u00C2\u00BB.\u00C2\u00BB \u00C2\u00BB' riu \u00C2\u00BB '\n\u00C2\u00BB\u00E2\u0096\u00A0 '' \u00E2\u0096\u00A0\nB\nfl lit i!\nfil\n5&Q ^TRAVELS THROUGH\nor otherwife do not concern themfelves in their\naffairs.\nThe north-wpff,pompany is to fubfift fix years :\n^t the expiration of which time the dividends are\nto be paid to the ..Share-holders; until that time\nthey remain with the capital.\nTotal amount of the Fur-tradef\nThe. whole, amount-of the peltry, which\nthe north-west company receives\nfrom the great carrying-place ande^.\nports from Canada, is eftimjted at -i f. S^Qp^\nFrom the Bay of Chaleurs, Gafpe^imd .\nLabrador - \u00E2\u0096\u00A0\u00C2\u00A3& - Vf-,:\nFrom different places in the interior,\nwith which the trade is earned on\n^ by a certain number of merchants,/\nwho have affociated in Michillimak-\n. kinak i ^tS &&i - Go^aoa\n6Q,0QQ\nTotal,\nf. 208,000\nThat branch of this extenfive trade, which is\ncarried on by fmall companies in fuch parts, as\nare fituated below the lakes, is likely foon to fall\ninto the hands of merchants in the United States,\nas the free navigation of the Mifliffippi, Stipulated\nin\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\nin the treaty with Spain, opens a more expeditious, a Safer and lefs expensive outlet for thefe\ncommodities, and a more eafy importation by\n.New Orleans to all the marts of the United States.\n12,571\n6,056\n2,034\n516\n0 o\no o\no o\n4 O\n0 o\n62 16 o\nAmount of the Merchandize, exported from the\nProvince of Canada in the Year 1786.\nRye, 103,824 bulhcls, valued at \u00C2\u00A3.20,764\nFlour, 1Q,476 buShels\nBifcuit, 9,31/ hundred-weight -\nFlax-feed, 10,171 bufhels\nOats, 4,015 buShels\nPeafe, 304 bufhels\nimber -\nMafts, Staves, planks, Shingles -\nPotafhes - - ' -\nMaiden hair (adianthum capillus\nveneris, Linn.) - - -\nHorfes, Sixty-feveii\nCaSt iron - . -\nSpruce-effence for beer\nShook cafks -\nBanala, 1984 hundred-wreight\nSalmon -\nPotatoes -\nSmoaked falmon\n706\n3,262\n1,724\n186\n670\n1,200\n211\n516\n1,289\n759\n55\n0 o\n0 o\nO O\nO O\no o\no o\n0 o\no o\n8 O\nO O\n6 o\n68 15 0\nCarried forward, JT. 52,051 Q O\n 588\nTRAVELS THROUGH\nBrought forward,\nOnions -\nPork# - \u00E2\u0080\u00A2'\u00E2\u0096\u00A0\" L . \u00E2\u0096\u00A0 '\u00E2\u0080\u00A2 &-fl -\nTrain oil -\nSalt fiSh and peltry from Labrador,\nfrom the Bay of Chaleurs and\nGafpe, according to the lift\ntranfmitted by Governor Coxe\nAmount of the peltry which comes\nfrom the great lakes, from the\nfactories of the north-welt company, and other places, according to the under-mentioned\ndetail -\n\u00C2\u00A3.52,651 9 O\n300 0 O\n376 0 O\n210 0 O\n3,700 0 0\n60,000 0 0\no\n25,977 0 0\nSum total, \u00C2\u00A3. 343,214 9 0\nbeing the amount entered in the cuftom-houfe\nbooks of Canada. |||\nA detdiled Account of the different forts of Pekryx\nexported from Canada in the Year 1786.\n6,213 foxes fkins\n116,623 beavers\n23,684 otters\n5,959 minks\n\ 3,958 weafels\n17,713 bears\n1,659\nLB>':\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0WP\n 1,659 young bears\n126,079 Qeer Skins in the hair\n202,719 caftors\n10,854 racoon\n2,277 wild cat-fkins, loofe\n3,702 ditto in bundles\n7,555 elk\n12,923 wolves\n506 whelps\n64 tygers\n15,007 feal-fkins\n480 fquirrel\nAlthough a variety of circumstances, incident\nto the chace, occafioned by the weather, or originating in the fentiments of the Indians, cannot but produce variations in regard to the quantities of peltry yearly received, yet the refults of*\nthe years 1787, 1788, 1789, 1790 and 1791\nnearly correfpond with thofe of 1786 ; a circumstance, which as it happens in regard to a trade,\nthat extends from Labrador to a distance of three\nor four hundred miles from Lake Superior, is\nvery remarkable.\n M\n5QO\ntravels THRorcrn*\nI\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0s\nn\nAccount of tlie Merchandize, imported into CanaJ&\nin the fauT Year 1786, extracted from the Ciif\ntom-houfe Books.\nRum ... - _ -\nBrandy\nMolafles\nCoffee\nSugar\nCD\nSpanifh wine\nTobacco\nSalt -\nChocolate -\nI. 03\n,032\n225\nO 1\n,380\no\n.005\n5\n,209\n31\n,288\ni\n,316\n2\n,912\n129\nK\nI1IY% fr\noral.\nT. 127,616\nAn exact account of the value of piece-goods\nhas not yet been made out in a regular manner ;\nJ mJ *\nbut in purSuance of an order of Lord Dorchefter,\nthe Sum total of the value of all imports was by\nthe merchants, upon a four years average, determined in the following manner, viz.\nCD\nAmount o\u00C2\u00A3 the above firm T. 127,.616 o o\nMerchandize for Quebec - 99,7 00 O O\nDitto for Montreal - 97,800 O O\nAmount total of Imports\nr\nExports\n325,110 O O\n343,214 9 O\nBalance in favour of Canada \u00C2\u00A3. 18,098 9 o\na \u00C2\u00BB\n NORTH AMERICA, CANADA, &C.\nTo the above imports is to be added the value\nof fix thoufand feven hundred and nine barrels\nof fait pork, and of one thoufand feven hundred and fifty-four firkins of butter, of about fifty\nor fixty pounds each, for the ufe of the military.\nThe imports in the following years 1787?\n1788, 1789, 1790 and 1791, were nearly of the\nfame value, with a difference of about five or fix\nthoufand pounds Sterling more or leSs.\nAt the clofe of this Short account of the trade\nof Canada I Shall here repeat once more, that it\nX 7\nis a faithful extract of the journal of Count An-\ndriani, of which a friend of his, to whom he had\ncommunicated it, permitted me to make ufe.\nThe abilities and character of Count Andriani, as\nwell as the facility, with wtiich he wa3 able to\nmake his refearches pursuant to the direction of\nthe British government, inspire great confidence\nin the exactnefs of the information, which he\nhas collected. I have not been able myfelf to\nSubstantiate the veracity of his accounts ; and besides it is easily understood, that fince the time,\nwhen he wrote, fome alterations may have taken\nplace, in point both of the quality and the value\nof the exports and imports.\nEND OF VOL. I.\n INDEX\nTO THE FIRST VOLUME.\n\u00E2\u0080\u00A2vg*\u00C2\u00AECar-\u00C2\u00BB\" . -ii.\nAGRICULTURE, ftate of, about Norriftown, 26; at Mr.1\nNicholfon's farm, 60, 61 ; at Lancafler, 77; in Northumberland, 130; between Lake Senegal and Friendfmill, 217;\nin the diftridfc jof Kingfton, 449; in Upper Canada, 556 ; in\nLower Canada, 556.\nAgues common in Geneffee, 465; attempts to the ctire by a\ncharm, 466.\nAmericans, their conduct to the Indiaris, 83 ; in cafes of murder, 269.\nAnecdotes, of a German player, 116; at an inn in Canandaqua\n270; of the Tufcatora Indians, 474; of Governor Simcoe, 476.\nAngdico, farm of, the property of Mr. Nicholfon, late of Governor Mifflin, 56; how cultivated, 57; its produce, ib.; a\nfaw-mill, 62.\nAnimals, wild, lefs fierce than in other parts of the globe, 259.\nAfylum, Situation of, 157; a French fettlement, ib.; hrftory of,\n158; the fole property of Mr. Nicholfon, 160; improving\nftate of, 160 to 163, inclufive; names and numbers of the families fettled here, 164 to 168, incnBive ; impediments to its\nprosperity, 168 ; oBfervations on its improvements, 171> 172.\nAttachment, on the force of female, 302, 303, 304.\nB,\nBall, manner of playing at, by the Tufcatora Indians, 445,\nBanks, the caufe of the rife of land, 124.\nBarley, price of, at Mr. Robertfon's farm, 11.\nBath, account of the town of, 254 ; its fituation, ib.\nBaty, leader of emigrated German families, 478.\nBarwick, defection of the town of, 146 ; its inhabitants, 147?\nprice of lands, at, ib.\nVol. I. Si Big\n IftDfiX.\nBig flam, fituation of, 306*\nBlacons, M. de, travelling compaj3|on of the Author'sj 177*\nBlock-houfes, how conftrucled in America, 382.\nBouchette, Captain, commander of the naval force on Lake On-\u00C2\u00AB\ntario, 515 ; a Canadian by birth, ib. ; poflefles the confidence\nboth of Lord Dorchefter and Gener&LSimcoe, ib.\nBoui, M. de, a native of Alface, hiftory of, 284; his character,\n286; and that of his fervant, .287-\nBrant, Colonel, chieftain of the Mohawks, 320; an Indian by\nbirth, 449; Englifh agent with the Indians, 450 ; pofTefTes\ngreat influence over the Indians, ib.\nBricks and Tiles,, price of, in Northumberland, 130.\nBrotherfarmer, chief of the Seneca Indians, 312; a great War-\n, rior and ftatefman, ib. **\u00C2\u00BB*$\u00C2\u00AB\nBuffalo Creek, defcription of, 312 ; a large Indian fettlement, ib.\nBuffalo, vij^ige pf, 312 ; its inhabitants Seneca Indians, ib. ; its\nfoil and produce, 313.\nBurlington Bayj djdTcription of, 463. &3M\nButler, Colonel, Englifh agent for the Tufcatora Indians, 447;\na native of America, ib, ; how rewarded for his loyalty, ib.\nmr\n'\u00E2\u0080\u00A2-'i\nft\nel\nCanada, Logger,- when divided into Upper and Lower, 405 ; its\nprefent form of government, ib*; its boundaries, 407; population, ib. ; leading articles in the new constitution, 408 ; its\ntaxes* 431 ; revenue, 432 ; pay of the members of the afTem-\n., bjjjr, ib. ;. civil apd criminal judicature, 433 ; divided into districts, 434 i its mihtia, and fines for not ferving. in, 435, 436 ;\nits numbers, ib.; how the expences of administration are defrayed, ib. ; the Governor prefident of an executive council,\n439; its contraband trade, 441 ; all negroes free, 453 ; remarks on the constitution, 455; its religion, 4\"2 ; a feventh\npart of the lands allotted for the clergy, ib. ; remarks on the\nfeparation of Canada from Great Britain, 480, 481, 482; emigration fro,aa the United States to, 507 ; burthenfome to England, 512, 546; account of its navy, 513 ; its trade, 543 ; its\n. -exportsand impprts, 560 ; account of merchandize exported\nfrom Canada in 1786, 586; imported into, 590.\ne\u00C2\u00ABL*si\u00C2\u00A3- Canada,-\nm\n IHDEX.\nCanada,L^ower, its population, 407; its religion, 561; nunneries, 562 ; education much neglected, 564 ; juftice, haw administered, 566 ; its climate, ib.; proyifions very cheap, 568\u00C2\u00A3\nCanadians, their attachment to Francfc, 512, 543; account df a\nfamily emigrating to the Illinois River, 522, 523 ; character of\nthe Canadians, 53.8 ; how generally-employed, 539 ; good fea*\nmen, ib. ; guilty of but few crimes, 540; ignorant* 541; well\ntreated by the Englifh government* 542; indifferent hufband*-\nmen, 550.\nCanal, joining the Skuylkill with the Delaware, 28*\nCanandaqua, chief town of the County of Ontario, 263 ; its fituation, ib. ; houfes j ib.; agues very prevalent, 264; no fprin^s,\n265.\nCanandaqua Lake, 238.\n*\u00E2\u0096\u00A0\u00E2\u0096\u00A0 , town of, 289; its fituation, 296.\nChero, at Philadelphia, account of the family of, 3; Author's\nrefpect for, ib.\nChippaway Frigate, cofl of, 388.\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0 \u00E2\u0096\u00A0 Fort, Captain Hamilton commandant at, 389; his\ncivilities to the Author, ib.; defcription of the village of, 395*\nChipping, Mr. Director of Affairs of the United States with the\nIndians, 264.\nCoinage, ftandard of, in New York, 184; in Pennfylvania, ib.\nColman, Mr. account of his iron-works, 71.\nCooper, Mr. his character, 138; chief object of his account in\nAmerica, ib. ; his lands, ib.\nCounty Rates, their amount in Montgomery, 27 ; at Reading, 51;\nin the State of New York, 192; in Upper Canada, 432*\nCrooked Lake, account of, 199*\nD.\nDafh, interefling account of the family of, 141 ; their farm, ib.;\nits expences and produce, ib.\nDeblerff's Inn, Singular account of, 109-\nDetroit Fort, its Situation, 384; its population, 385 ; the principal fettlement in Upper Canada, 427.\nDobfon, Major, commanding officer at Kingfton, 510 ; on board\nbis barge the Author proceeds to the American coaft, 530.\na 2 Collar,\n ^jfflm\n!|||if\nif\n.WTD EX.\nDoBar, value of, in Pennfylvania* 184; at Tioga, ib.; in Upper\nCanada, 432 ; in Lower Canada, 568.\nDo&hefter, Lord, Governor-general of the Britifh poffeffions in\nNorth America, 406; his ideas concerning the feat of govern-\nm^ntcof Upper Canada, 491 ; prohibits= the Author to proceed\n- to Lower Canada, 583F? his- administration marked with juftice\nMid rriildnefs, 546; his character, 569.\nDuck's Iflands j defcription of, 485 ; uninhabited, 488.\nDunkers, account of, 65; their inftitution, 66, 67; their hiftory\nand doctrines, 67 to f&iyi. ,.-\nDupettitthouars, M. travelling companion of the Author, 178 ;\nembarked in queft of De la Peyroufe, 165 ; returns to France,\nobtains a fhip and was killed in the Battle of the Nile, note to\npage 166.\niEarl, Lieutenant, commander of the Onandago cutter, 486, 490.\nEducation, greatly neglected in Lower Canada, 564.\nEmigration, frequent in America, 196; its caufes* 197.\nEnglifh Navy, its force in Upper Canada, 513; all built of timber frefh cut down, 514 ;' price of building, ib.; provifion of\nfliip-timber might eafily be made, ib.\nEphtata, village of, 66.\nErie Fort, defcription of, 382; its commandant Major Pratt, 383;.\nduty of the foldiers, ib. ; their pay and allowances, 384; a\nlarge ftorehoufe private property* 385.\nErie Lake, the feat of a battle between General Wayne and the\nIndians in 1794, 327; account of the fettlement of, 330; agues\nvery common, 332.\nEftates, uncertainty of the poffeflion of, in the county of Lu-\ncern, &c. 151.\nT, $\u00C2\u00A3&\nFarmers, prejudices of the American* 12, 57, 132..'\nFifhing Creek, 145.\nFlemming, Peggy, hiftory of, taken prifoner by the Indians, 373,\n374,375.\nFlour, price of, at Robertfon's Mill, 15; .at Kentucky, 85 ; near\nFriendfmill,\nml\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0*\u00E2\u0096\u00A0\u00E2\u0096\u00A0*\u00C2\u00BB' \u00E2\u0096\u00A0\u00E2\u0096\u00A0\u00E2\u0096\u00A0\n . MSTDEX.\nFricndfpiill* 220; near Fortymile Creek, 461 ; at Kingston,\n499.\nFortymile Creek, 460.\nFranklin, Colonel, account of his proceedings near Afylum, IBS,-\n157. $\u00C2\u00A3&\n-Frey, Mr. a German, defcription of his mill, 91 '\u00E2\u0096\u00A0> quantity it\ngrinds, and workmens' wages, 92. I|f|^\nFriendfmill, account of the-fettlement of, 201; founded by the\nQuakers, ib. \u00E2\u0080\u00A2, account of the Landlady at, 231.\nFur-Tfajde, how carried on with the Indians in the Illinois, 525;\nthe only branch of commerce belonging to Canada, 548; how\ncarried on between Canada and Europe, 54\u00C2\u00A7; names of the\nmoft important places in America for that trade, 575; how\nmany bundles of peltry collected in each, ib.; by whom that\ntrade is carried pn, 576, 577, 578; account of its expences\nand proceeds, 582, 583 ; total amount of the fuf-tfade, 536\nGeneflee Flats, their regular inundations, 276 ; their extent, 277;\nbelong for the mdft part to the Indians, ib.; means of acquiring it from them, 278.\nGeneffee River, its courfe rapid and full of windings, 284 ; the\nwater generally muddy and bad, ib-\nGerbier, hiftory of M. 37-\nGneifs, rocks of, in the vipniity of Philadelphia, 333 ; veins of,\non the banks of the Sufquehannah, 335. s^\nGranite, bet\veen Roxborough and Philadelphia, 10; on Peter's\nmoqntain, 336; of a reddifh colour, near Newark, 552; in\nThoufand Iflands, 571 ; near Montreal, ib.\nGreen, Mr. account of his eftate, 461; his price of purchafe, ib.;\n' his produce, ib. ; his family, 463.\nGuillemard, Mr. travelling companion of the Author,\njournal of Lower Canada, 554.\nJiamilton, Mr. member of the legiflature of Upper Canada, 402.\nHamilton, Captain, commandant at Fort Chippaway, 389; his\ncivilities to the Author, ib.\na 3 Hamilton\n VsV\nH ,i\nIJfDEX. .\nHamilton, Mr. proprietor of the town of Lancafler, 76 ', his in~\ncome, ib.'.\nHammond, Mr. Englifh minifter at the United States, 380, 529,\nHand, General, Author's vifit to, 73. ;||jj|\nHannah, Brigadier-general, 100.\nHarris, Mr. Lord of the Manor of Harrifburg, 94.\nHarrifburg, chief town of the county of Dauphin, 94; its foundation, ib.; unhealthinefs of the town, 95; a mill-dam deftroyed\nby its inhabitants, 96; a prifon and feffions-houfe, ib. ; defcription of its inhabitants, 98 \u00E2\u0080\u00A2\nHemp, growing wild on the banks of Lake Ontario, 519\u00C2\u00AB\nHomicide, how atoned for among the Indians, 319*\nHunt's Ferry, 151.\nj\n Kentucky, produce of land, at, 85 ; its population, 86.\nKingfton, defcription of the city of, 489 ; its barracks, ib. j its\nharbours, 490; intended by Lord Dorchefter as the feat of so-\nvernment of Upper Canada; his reafons, ib.; the objections\nof Governor Simcoe, 492 ; its trade, 497 ; a ftapje port, ib. ;\nno regular market, 505 ; account of its inhabitants, 507;\nfchools, and price of learning, 508 ; church, 509. \u00E2\u0080\u00A2\nKnott, Doctor, phyfician to the army in Canada, his meteorological obfervations, 5^8 ; a man of extenfive knowledge, ib.\nL.\nLabour, price of, at Robertfon's, 11 ; near Reading, 43 ; at\nLancafter, 78; at Middletown, 93 ; at M'Alifter's, 102; in\nNorthumberland, 130 ; near Mr. Montgomery's, 144 ; at Afylum, 176, at Painted Poft, 196; in Canandaqua, 266; in\nGeneffee Flats, 276; near Chippaway, 401; near Fortymile\nCreek, 461 ; in the diftrict of Kingfton, 500 ; in Upper Canada, 561 ; in Lower Canada, 563. j&g.c\nLancaffcer, arrival at the city of, 73; ifs fituation, 76 ; its population, ib.; difpofition of its inhabitants, 81; its democratic\nfocieties, ib,. ; churches, 82.\nLand, immenfe profits on fpeculation of, in America, 26l.\ni , price of, in the neighbpurhood of Norriftown, 6; about\nReading, 43 ; near Lancaster, 77 ; at Kentucky, 85 ; at Middletown, 93 ; near Harrifburg, 98 ; about Northumberland,\n129; near Mr. Montgomery's, 144; in the district of frifh-\ning Creek, 146; at Berwick, 147; at Afylum, 174; at Tioga, .\n'182; at Newtown, 186; near Painted Poft, 195; between\n'^JSake Seneca and Friendfmill, 216; at Captain Williamfon's,\n240; in Canandaqua, 265; at Canawaga, ^90; near Chippa-.\nway, 401 ; near Fortymile Credit, 461 ; in the diftrift of Kingfton, 504; in the Ifland of .Montreal, 550.\n , produce of, at Robertfon's, 11 ; at Mr. Nicholfon's, 57 ;\nnear Lancaster', 78; at Kentucky, Sj; about Northumberland, 131; at Afylum, 174; at Colonel Starret's, 187; at\n'Squire M'Comick's, 1\u00C2\u00A3*1 ; between Luke Seneca and Friendf-\na4\n ^S^SSSSSSSSHK?f^BB?\"\nINDEX,\nmill, 217; in Canandaqua, 265; at Mr. Pitt's, 272; in Geneffee Flats, 276; near Fortymile Creek, 461 ; in the district\nof Kingfton, 500.\nLegaux, farm of Mr. 19; defcription of his cottage, 2Q ; vine?\nyards, 21 ; his litigious difpofition.|g||\nLirne, price of, in Northumberland, 130.\nLimeftone, Strata of, near Lancaster, 71 ; in the vieinity of Philadelphia, 334; at the cataract of Niagara, 551 ; in Kingfton,'\n552.\nLittlehales, Major, adjutant and firft fecretary to General Simcoe, 483 ; his character, ib. ; appears to poffefs the cpn^dence\nof the country, ib.\nLoretto, a fmall village of chriftian Indians, of the Huron Tribes,\nnote to page 570 ; characters and manners of its inhabitants, ib.;\ntheir religion, ib.\nLotteries, pernicious confequences of, 29-\nLoyalfoek, diftrict of, 173; its extent, 174; a corn-mill and\nfaw-mifl erecting, 177\u00C2\u00AB\nM.\nMac Alifter, Mr. defcription of his farm, mills, &c. 101 ; cultivation of his land, 102; his romantic fettlement, 104; his character, 105.\nMac Cornick, 'Squire, his eftate and purchafe of, 191i its produce, ib.; his taxes, 193.\nMac Donald, Mr. intendant-general of Upper Canada, 535; his\nmethod o; tranfacting bufinefs, 534; his pay, ib.\nMaple Sugar, at Fifhing Creek, 145; its price, 146; made in\ng-eat abundance at Afylum, 176; its price at Painted Poft,\n195 ; made largely in Geneffee, 228 ; the medium produce of\na tree, ib.; mode of making maple-fugar, treacle, and vinegar,\nib. ; produced in Geneffee Flats, 27j6 ; its price, ib.\n.Marb.e, quarries of, near Norriftown, 30; on the banks of the,\nSkuylki 1, 334.\nMavto\yn, vi.lage of, 87; its inhabitants Germans, 88.\nMetcalf, Captain, an inn-keeper, account of his eftate atWatkinf-\ntown,260; faw-mill, 262.\nMichnlimakkinak Fort, an important place for the fur-trade, 525..\nIViidcueiovpn,\n JNDEX.\nMiddletown, fituation of, 90 J its corn and meal trade, ib.\nMiller, Abraham, of Fifhing Creek, account of his farm, 145;\npip.ce of labour, ib.\nMiller, Rachael, a notary and companion of Jemima Wilkinfon's,\n205 ; all the lands purchafed in her name, ib.\n^Vlineralogical obfervations, 333 to 338 ; 2/1 to 575, jnclufivejf\nMiffouri River, the whole fur-trade, on the, engroffed by the\nSpaniards, 526. i%jg#\nMontgomery, Mr. Author's arrival at, 143 ; account of his faw-\nmill, ib. ; price of labour and land, 144; the inhabitants in\nthis neighbourhood moftly Dutch, ib. ; account of an epidemic\ndifeafe fatal to horfes, ib.\nMontreal, account of the town of, 558; principal depot of the\npeltry-trade, 560 ; an hofgijtal, 567 ; price of houfe-rent, at,\n568 ; itenmarkets, 569\u00E2\u0080\u00A2\nMorris, Mr. his farm at Mountmoras, 282 ; its produce, ib ; the\nproprietor of Canawaga, 289.\nMountmorris, an Indian Village, 280.\nMountains, Blue, account of the, 105.\nNaryhall, the feat of Governor Simcoe, Author's departure from,\n479.\nJsTavigation, funis raifed by a lottery for inland, 29.\nNefcopeck, r pid currents, 147.\nNewark, fituation of the town of, 452; its houfes, ib.; fcarcity\nof men fervants, 453 ; the only newfpaper in Upper Canada,\nprinted here, 470 ; no church, 472.\nNewtown, on the banks of the Tioga, defcription of, 186; its\nprice of land, ib.\nNiagara, defcription of the cataradt of, 390 to 394 ; beft, point\nof view from fable Rock, 396.\nNiagara River and Lake, 451; abound with great variety of\nfifh, ib.\nNiagara Fort, account of, 457 ; originally conftructed by M. de\nla Ton^tiere, ib.; ceded to the United States, 458.- '.\nNicholfon, Mr. account cf his manufactories, S.\nJNichollo%\n Hi\n\u00E2\u0080\u00A2Hi\nai^TDEX.\nNicholfon, Mr. account of his bank of one million acres of land,\n162.\nNorris, fettlement of Mr. 224 \ a pot and pearl afh work, 225.\nNorriftown, fituation and buildings of, 24 ; its prifon, ib.\nNorthumberland, account of the county of, 127 ; its public\nbuildings, ib.; its houfes, 128;' inhabitantsmoftly Dutch, 129;\nprice of houfe-rent, in, 131 ; its population, 133 ; the political fentiments of its inhabitants, ib.; refidence of Dr. Prieftley,\n138.\nNunneries, in Lower Canada, account of the, 562.\nO.\nOak, price of, near Reading, 43.\nOats, price of, at Mr. Nicholfon's farm, 63; at Old Shefhequen,\n180; at Tioga, 182; at Painted Poft, 195; at Mr. Pitt's,\n272 ; in Lower Canada, 568.\nOnandago Cutter, burthen of the, 484; on board which the Author embarks for Kingfton, ib.; account of his companions\nand paffage, ib.; is commanded by Lieutelrant Earl, 486.\nOfwego Fort, account of, 533, 536; its fituation, 533 ; defer-\ntion prevalent among the foldiers, 537.\nOfwego River, its rapids, 539-\nOxen, price of, at Old Shefhequen, 180 ; at Painted Poft, I96 ;\nnear Friendfmill, 220 ; in the drftfift of Kingfton, 502.\nP.\nPachiomming Creek, 31.\nPainted Poft, account of the town of, 195 ; from whence it derived its name, ib.\nPaper-money, u-niverfally received in Upper Gaiiada, 387.\nParker, 'Squire, Strongly attached to Jemima Wilkinfon, 212;\naffumed the name of the Prophet Elijah, 213.\nParr, Captain, commanding officer at Kingfton, 510 ; Author's\nfriendfhip for, and civilities received from, 519, 520. \u00E2\u0080\u00A2\nPeltry, the chief commodity exported from Detroit, 286; how\nvalued by the Indians, 525 ; infdrior to thofe of Hudfon's Bay,\n527; fine, what is fo called, 57*6; mixed, ib. ; fineft where\ncollected,\n INDEX.\ncollected, ib.; value thereof, 583 ; amount exported from Canada in 1786, 588.\nPenn, William, his diftribution of land, 5.\nPeyfel Conrad, a German, founder of the order of Dunkers, 67.\nPhiladelphia, Author's departure from, 2; defcription of tU&\ncountry in its vicinity, 7.\nPhlyn, Wtttiam, hiftory of, taken prifoner by the Indians, and\nmurdered, 378, 379-\nPhyficians, their fees in the United States, 34.\nPitt, eftate of Mr. 150 ; its ftock and produce, ib.\nPlanks, price of, at Mac Alifter's mill, 104; in Northumberland, 130 ; at Captain Williamfon's mill, 251; at Dutchmill,\n521.\nPlafter of JJaris, mixed with the feed, 11, 103.\nPondrit, the guide, account of, 300, his character, 301.\nPoor's Rates, unknown at Poxborough, 15 ; and in the district of\nKingfton, 509 > their amount in Montgomery, 27 ; at Reading, 51 ; in the State of New York, 193 ; in the county of\nOntario, ib.\nPoplars, Italian, introduced into America, 87 ; particularly in\nPhiladelphia, ib.\nPot-afh, manufactured at Afylum, 177; on the banks of Lake\nSeneca, 225.\nPotter, Mr. account of his Eftate, 226 ; his character, ib. ; his\ncorn and faw mills, 227.\nPqttfgrove, country around, 36 ; defcription of the town of, 37 ;\nits iron forges, ib*\nPj-att, Major, commandant at Fort Erie, 383 ; his civility to the\nAuthor and his Friend, 381.\nPriestly, Dr. account of his reception at New'York and at Philadelphia, 136 ; he removes to Northumberland, 137 ; his re-\nfidence, 138 ; his politics, ib.; bulled in the inftitution of a\ncollege, ib,\nPrieftley, Jofeph, eldeft fon of the Doctor, his industrious pur-\nfuits, 139.\nProteftant Clergy, a feventh part of the lands in Upper Canada\nallotted for their fupport, 472.\nPuddingftone,,large mafias of, near Reading, 335.\nQuakers,\n M\nItfDEX:.\nQ.\nEli\nQuakers, account of their fettlement at Friendfmill, 201.\nQuenty Bay, account of, 488.\nQuebec,- ^account of the town of, 558; its feminary, by whom\nkept, 563 ; an hofpital and lazaretto, 5.67 ; its.public library,\n\" ib.; an almanack printed here, the only book printed in all\nCanada, 568 ; price of houfe-rent, 563 ; its markets, 569.\nKattlefh-ake* the bite of a, not dangerous, 258; how cured, 259;\naccount of one near Tonowante, 310 ; its flpugh pounded ufed\nas a cleanfer of blood, 324.\nBeading, chief town of the county of Berkfhire, 45 ; its-fituation,\nib. ; manufactory, 46 ; its population, ib.; litigioufnefs of its\n'\u00E2\u0080\u00A2inhabitants, 47 ; churches and minifters, ib.; freedom of rcli-\n-Hgron, 48 ; property of the inhabitants, 49; their public fpirit,\n50; markets, 51; its corn trade, 52; many mills near the\ntown, 53.\nRed Jacket, a famous warrior, of the Seneca Indians, 267.\nRice, wild, grows on the borders of the Lake Ontario, 518, 5.19 ;\nbrought by the Indians' to Kingfton, ib.\nRoads, neglected in Pennfylvania, 4; in Trap, 31 ; how kept in\nrepair in the diftrict of Kingfton, 509.\nRobinfon, Benedict, eftate of, 216 ; its cultivation, 217 ; its produce, ib.; his fale of cheefe, and price, 220.\nRobertfon, houfe and mill of Mr. 10 ; account of his land and;\nproduce, 11; his cultivation, 12 ; firft mill built in America, ib,\nRoman Catholic Religion, the eftablifhed church in Lower Canada, 561.\nRoxborough, county rates and taxes at, 15.\nRum, ufe of, its effects on the Indians,'449*\nRye, price of, at Old Shefhequen, 180; a,t Tioga, 182; at\n-PaintedPoft, 195; near Friendfrrfill, 220.\nSeneca Indians, their drefs and manners, 267; pay a vifit to Mr,\nChipping, ib.; to Governor Simcoe, 450.\nSeneca\nfcJk\n Seneca Lake, 223 ; defcription of, ib.; its banks, 224; its navigation, ib.\nSettlers, firft operations of new, 108, 293 ; their mode of livings\n125 ; defcription of their dwellings, 295. .\nSeward* Major, opr&mandant at Fort Niagara, 459*\nShefhequen, New* town of, 180.\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0 , Old, village pf, the plantation of Solomon Tt$\u00C2\u00A3f\u00C2\u00A3\nat, 178; its extent and price for fale* 179\u00C2\u00AB ^f||pj&\nShipack Creek, 31.\nShip-building, price of, ih\u00E2\u0080\u00A2'Upper Canada, 514.\nSimcoe, General, Lieutenant-governor of Uriper Canada, 38\u00C2\u00A9;\nwhy he accepted the appointment, 409; his plan for fettling\nand peopling Upper-Canada, ib. ; his project of removing'the\nfeat of government to the banks of the River de la Franfche,\nnow named the Thames, 411; ;fais maxims of govencoa^nt,\n413, 414 ; his good policy, ib. ; his opinion on the produce,\n415 ; Oh the corn and fur-trade, ib.-*; Ihis projects and vierw\u00C2\u00AB\u00C2\u00A3\n416, 417 ; his plaas'of military opiaioris, 419; Author's obfervations on his intentions, 420, 421, 422 ; fentiments in regard to the United States, 423 to 426, inclufive ; his rancour\nagainft them, 428 ; his character, 430; habitation, ib.; manner of living, ib. ; character of Mrs. Simooe^ 431 ; receives a\nvifit from, the Tufcarora Indians, 441; defcription of them,\n442; his project of giving half civilisation to the Indians, 44/ ;\nAuthor's remarks thereon, 447* 448, 449&..vifits an Indian village, 473 ; his fpeech on the occaiion, 474.\nSkuyl, James, hiftory of* taken prifoner by the Indians, 375, 376,\n377.\nSkujrlkill River, defcription of, 36; is defigned to join the Sua-\ntara, by a canal, 90. *?'*&\nSlow, Mr. hiftory ofjj.74.\nSmith, Lieutenant Colonel, of the fifth Regiment, 452; his houfe\nand garden at Newark, 453 ; his -cleaiiaig five thoufand acre?\"\nof land, ib.\nSoldiers defert from Canada, 454 ; the caufe affigned, ib. ; cergf\nmony of Europeans in their hair-drefling; 487.,\nSpecie, fcarcity of, in.-Up.per Canada* 583.a:\nSpringmilL account of, 19.\nSqi*aw*\n/\n INDEX*\nSquaw, a ilame for ah Indianfemale, 302 ; interefting account of\nthekindnefs of one to her brother, 302, 303 ; reflections on\nfemale friendfhip;by,the Author, 304.\nSquawhill, an Indian village, 280; defcription of a hut, ib.\nStarrett, eftate of Colonel, 187; produce of his land, ib.; his\ndiftilleries, 183 ; 'Squire Mac Cornick's opinion of, 189.\nSteward, Mr. curate of Sangfton^'505 ; his charafter, ib.; mariner of leafing out hj\u00C2\u00A7^ands,.506.\nStone, quarries of. near Lancafler, 80 ; its price* 81.\nStore, Captain ofljhe miHlsiafSf Upper Canada, 521; defoliation\nof his mill, called Dutchmill, ib.; his price for fawing, ib.\nSuatara River, account of, 91 .:^t\nSunbury, town of, 117 ; its .fituation, ib. ; its public buildings*\nt*i$l7 ; houfes* 128 ; no market, 130.\nSurgeons, numerous in the diftridt of Providence, 34; their\nfees, ib.\nSufquehannah, rapids of the river, 88 ; its banks,- ib. ; navigation, ib.; its breadth near Sunbury, 118.\nT<\nTaxes, account ofcvtfee, in Montgomery, 27; in the diftri<5k of\nProvidence, 3\u00C2\u00A3.\u00C2\u00BB at Harrifburg, 97 ; in the State of New York,\n193; at Watktttft&wn, 262 ; in Upper Canada, 431.\nTioga, the name of the only fon of Genetal Simcoe, given him by\n- the Mohawk Indians* 451.\nTio^ra, town and river of, 181.\nTode, Mr, at Montreal, largely concerned iffthe fur-trade with\nthe Indians, 526.\nTonowstMe, aceount of the Indian village of, 309; here Pondrit\nthe guide resides* 308. wtl\nTouzy, Mr. an Englifh clergyman in .Quebec, 557; clearing-\n'\"feven or eight thoufand acres of land, ib.\nTrap, account of the village of, 32 ; the largeft in the diftri&r of\nProvidence, ib.\nTrees, fpecies of, between Lancafler and Marytowm 86; near\nMac Alifter's,.107 ; at Afylum, 173 ; in the dirfkia; of Wal-\nkingftown, 262; in Upper Canada, 553.-\nTulpehocken Creek, 115.\nTurnips*\n \l\nINDEX.\nTurnips, how cultivated at Angelico, 61.'\nTufcarora Indians, defcription of, 441 ; pay a vifit to Governor\nSimcoe, ib.; account of their drefs and manners, 442.\nVapour Baths, how made by the Indians, 323.\nWampum, a fhell ufed for money among the Indians, 319; ufed\nas an ornament, and alio as a pledge for thai performance of\nany contract, 321.\nWarren, Mr. account of hjfefarm and produce, 185; its pur-\nj chafe, ib.\nWatworth, Captain, account of his. eflate, 273 ; defcription of\nhis houfe, 274 ; his price of land, and terms of payment, 275.\nWatkinftown, deftrict of, 260; a fchool, 262; its price, ib.;\nague a common diforder, ib.\nWayne, General, concludes a peace with the Indians, 327; its\nmanner and form* 327, 328.\nWheat, price of, at Robertfon's farm, 11 ; at Mr. Nicholfon's,\n63 ; at Old Shefhequen, 180 ; at Tioga, 182 ; at Painted Poft,\n195; near Friendfmill, 220; at Watkinftown, 262; in Canandaqua, 265; at Mr. Pitt's, 272; at Mountmorris, 282;\nnear Fortymile Creek, 461 ; in the district of Kingfton, 504;\nin Lower Canada, 568.\nWhifkey, diftilled from rye, 104; from cyder, ib.; its price at\nMac Alifter's, ib.; at Jerfey, ib.; mixed with water the common drink, 125 ; distilleries of, at Colonel Starrett's, from rye,\n189 ; hs price, ib.\nWhite, Bifhop, of Philadelphia, a friend of Mr. Steward of Kingfton, 505.\nWhite, Mr. Attorney-general in Upper Canada, 434.\nWhite, Mr. account of his lands and price, 113 ; his character,\n1.14.. j||\nWhite Horfe Inn, near Pottfgrove, account of the, 40.\nWilkinfi^n, Jemima, leader of a feet of Quakers, 201; history of\nher fettleoa^t between Lake Serleca and Crooked Lake, named\ni her drefs, 205 :\nJerufalem, 2Q4; account of her meeting\nher\n\u00E2\u0080\u00A2\n \rM\nIBTDEX.\nher doctrines, 206; defcription of her houfe, ib.; her hypo-\ncrify\u00C2\u00BBib.; her manner ofuYing, 210; attachment to 'Squire\nParker, 212.\nWillkfbarre, Author's journey to, from Berwick, 148, 149 ; arrival at, 150; defcription of, '151; chief town in the county\nof Lucern, ib.\nWilliamfon, Captain, founder of the moft extenfive fettlement in\nAmerica, 249; his purchafe of Mr. Morris one million, five\n' hundred thoufaaad acre^,-23:5; his divifion of the lands, 236;\n, ,h\u00C2\u00A7\u00C2\u00A3 plan and fyftem^ ib. ; his firft fettlers deffert him, 237;\nalways in themidft of his poffeffions, 239 ;\u00E2\u0080\u00A2 conditions of felling\n\u00E2\u0080\u00A2his land, 240 ; his tefms 0$payment^ 241 ; his public character, 245 ; reflections by the Author, 246 ; his private character, 249, 250;'.defcription of his habi&ilion, 253 ; mode of living, ib.; account of Mrs. Williamfon, 255; Author's departure from, ib.\nWilliamfburg, village of, 283 ; its fituation, ib.\nWithins, Mr. erected a bridge near Lancaster, 80; its annual profits, ib.\nWeffahideon Rivulet, defcription of*\u00C2\u00BB-#6, 17.\nWyalufing, village of, 154; its fituatSon, ib.\nWyalufing Creek, 154. \u00C2\u00AB||m\nHi\nYork, account of the town of, 478 ; intended by Governor Sittfk\ncoe, as the centre of the naval force on Lake Ontario, ib.; its\ninhabitants not of the faireft character, ib.; the Indians their\nonly neighbours, 479 ; unhealthinefs of the town, 494.\nT. Gillet, Printer, Salifbury-Scjuare.\n\"<**5jWM\u00C2\u00AB\u00C2\u00AB.\n ei\nsl\nm\n/-;\nup\ni\n\n "@en . "Volume 1 of 4.

Page 585 misnumbered as 58.

English translation.

Includes index.

Edition: Second edition.

Other copies: http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/220659701"@en . "Books"@en . "Travel literature"@en . "E164 .L32 1800"@en . "II-0306-ii-V01"@en . "10.14288/1.0342323"@en . "English"@en . "Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library"@en . "London : R. Phillips"@en . "Images provided for research and reference use only. For permission to publish, copy, or otherwise distribute these images please contact\u00A0digital.initiatives@ubc.ca."@en . "Original Format: University of British Columbia. Library. Rare Books and Special Collections. E164 .L32 1800"@en . "United States--Description and travel--Early works to 1800"@en . "Canada--Description and travel--Early works to 1800"@en . "Travels through the United States of North America, the country of the Iroquois, and Upper Canada, in the years 1795, 1796, and 1797. With an authentic account of Lower Canada. Three maps, several tables, etc. Vol. I"@en . "Text"@en . ""@en .