UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH 


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Darlington -M^emorial L/ibrary 



STRUGGLES 



THROUGH 

EXEMPLIFIED 



VARIOUS TRxWELS AND ADVENTURES 



EUROPE, ASIA, AFRICA, and AMERICA, 



Lieut. JOHN HARRIOTT, 

Formcrhi of Rochford, in Essex ; now Resident-Magistrate of the 



IN TWO VOLUMES. 



VOLUME 11. 



Jionnon •• 

Frhiied (for the Author) by C. and W, Galabin, Ingram-court, 
and published by 

J. HATCTIARD, PICCADILLY; CADELL AND DAVIES, STRAWD ; 
Xf XCM.IN, HURST, REES, AND ORME, PATERNOSTER- 

uow ; J. ASPERNE, corniiill; and black, 

PARRY, AND KINGSBURY, LEADBN- 
HALL-STREET. 

1807. 



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COMTE'JfTS. 



"^ c:iArTj:R i. 

Pa '-re 
Reasons for gnbig to America ; ftcttcring ndunssfrom ir igJih^^urs ; scris::- 
tioiis ca the ae </ rcv.ovuL « ■*■ 

k . CnWTE?. II. 

Ev^ark w'ih my faraUij ; lir.id at Bdlhr.oYe ; dis.qipcirdmcnt ; clu:rtcr 
.% two ve>scis and turn inerchuut 10 

^ CHAPTER III. 

* ^rj'ij'e ot PJiode-islaiid ; hire a house Jor mi/ fanulj; prepare j or a tour 
through the di^'erent states 12 

[ H CIIAPTER IV. 

enations on the United States ; the lakes j vencmous serpents ; 
iagara » . . . 13 



"TSeneral ohservt 
\falls of Kiai 



^ 



CHAPTER V. 






Soil of the United Slates ; Cooper and Piiestlfs bad purchase of barren 
Hp lauds; vegetable product'uiis 17 

A 2 



IV 



CHAPTER VI. 

T:iircordlr,ar)j anim:th; birds; snakes 2C 

CIJAPTER Vll. 

S'aves ill America ; ihoiights on emancipation ; currenciis of the difcnnt 
states , 26 

CHAPTER VIIl. 

Biiis'.on of Xew England and general GutUne (f the same ... 30 

CHAPTER IX. 
MLSi.:chiiseiti; more grass than arable land; want of help ; slaves vot 
allowed; value of farms ; orchards neglected; stone fences; diffi- 
i-iuiij of draining; contrast between 1762 and 1794 . . .33 

CHAPTER X. 

rihodc-island healthy and pleasant ; fne icomen ; its produce ; contrast 
b(tiieen the toiiiis of Kcicport ami Providence; servants; climate; 
religion; magistrates, their power lo marrii people; slovenly appear- 
ance in courts of Justice ; value of land; Brissot's account of 
Newport and Providence corrected o7 

CHAPTER XI. 

Co'im client ; situation and climate; quality (f soil and preduce ; farm- 
ing ; farms ; roads; buildings; taverns; litigious spii it of tlte in- 
habitants ; religion and its ejects 51 

CHAPTER XII. 

New York; North-river; general description of the country; compara- 
tive state of popukition with Connecticut ; dissolute habit and prac- 
tices of the farmers ; City of New York; value of farms in the 
neighbourhood of the city ; observations and comparison between the 
taxes in England and the g, eater evil of sen^ants in America; 
Long-island as it is and nut as formerly ; misrepresented ; free go- 
vernments abomid in lawyers 56 



CHAPTER XIII. 

-New Jerseij; face of the country ; its produce; Neivark and E'dzuheih 
Towns, with the adjactnt country; faitners preference of old me- 
thods to any new improiements ; price of land ; variety of soil ; 
pocerty and healthiness of the County of Blay 69 

CHAPTER XIV. 

Pennsylvania ; situation; principal rivers; face of the country ; the soil; 
sugar-maplt ; produce by culture; the state less .healthy than for- 
merly ; Philadelphia ; credit due to the Quakers for their manage- 
ment of the public institutio7is ; punislnnent of death commuted for 
hard labour; observations thereon; error in appointing American 
rfugees to diplo?natic situations in America 74 

CHAPTER XV. 

Dchnvare ; smallest stale in the union; short general description ; price 
of cultivated land 81 

CHAPTER XVT. 

Maryland ; its small produce of grain by the acre ; other produce ;. An^ 
iiapolis; Baltimore ; the expense of living greater than in Lojnlon ; 
^ strangers should be careful to make specific agreements ; Mrs Wal- 
ters 8J 

CHAPTER XVir. 

Virginia; the climate and soil various; average-price of lands lower than 
in the other states herein mentioned; all the labour in husiandnf 
done by slaves; Chesapeak-bay and prmcipnl rivers emptying into it ; 
the inhabitants nearly as mnyiy slaves as free people ; pernicious con- 
sequences ; Mr Jefferson's recommendation; objections to Virginia; 
causes of unhealthiness ; coal mines; high pirice of fire- wood ; 
sudden changes of the atmosphere ; likeness to General Vi^'ashington 
a favourable introduction ; thoughtless conduct of Virginia planters ; 
course of crops ; their management and short account cf tobacco- 
planting ; price of lands ; negro-slaves hired by the year . . 87 

A 3 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

Tour to view the back lands; set off from New York; argument between 
a divine and a physician; a Gentoo's opinion; udvantage in travel' 
Ung as a Gentoo ; remarks on the ro.d ; Albany; Skenectady ; cross 
the Mohawk; interval lands; Guy-park House ; Mr Miles, a Judge, 
member of assembly, and tavern-keeper; Sir William Johnson's 
large estate; Fort Hunter; the soil; bad roads and bad living; 
Roaf's tavern and farm; Hudson's tavern, formerly a drummer in 
Burgoyne's army, contrasted with the widoto of an American gene- 
ral ; German-Flats Town; a church built by Sir William Johnson;, 
strange notion of the Indians concerning^; log-fort; log-houses 
destroyed by the Indians, the inhabitants murdered; value of lands ; 
Squatters ; Judge Sterling, anecdote of him ; Squire Bretton, a 
tavern-keeper and member of assembly; Fort Scuyler ; White's 
J'own; Colonel White and the dram-boitle ; Judge White , 97 



CHAPTEJl XIX. 

Rich back lands ; their high price when cleared ; labour scarce and dear ; 
English women subject to insanity in the back settlements ; supposed 
cause; the church and clergymen; son of an English clergyman 
studying law at White's Town ; strange anecdote related by him ; 
Colonel White's accozint of the crops; price of provisions ; Oneida- 
Jndiuns 119 



CHAPTER XX. 

Prepare for a Journey through the wilderness; an Indian bed; the set- 
■ '^'■^"S ^f back lands similar throughout America; the natural IndicM 
preferable to the white American back-wood Squatters ; emigrations 
Jrom the American States to British Canada; the cause and probable 
consequence ; return to White's Town ; absurdity of building and 
calculutirig by Evgliish ideas in the buck countries ; a wide differ- 
rnce between the ol^ land of Canaan and the new . , . 124 



Ml 



CHAPTER XXI. 

Hire a hatteau to return hy the Mohawk-river ; breakfast at a Squatter's 
'Tavern; Cosby-munor ; method of clearing the rich back lands for 
cultivation; Mr Myddleton's advertisements, to take in English 
farmers, explained; Mohaivk-hill falls ; opinion concerning them, 
and that the rich level of lands above them was formerly a lake; a 
canal; pass some rocky rapids ; the tunder, or thunder, toad; log' 
forts ; sleep at CrmnwelVs, his information ; an estate for sale ; sad 
character of my Jive boatmen ; a rivulet sinking under ground end 
lest, until bursting through the wchs into the Mohauk; the first set- 
tlement made by Sir William Johnson; etchings of seven Indians on 
a rock ; return to Skenectady ; the Cohoez ; Albany; Mail-coachee 
to Poughkeepsie ; filthy taverns ; sling-drinking, or sweetened drams ; 
passage from Poughkeepsie to Kew York 133 



CHAPTER XXIT. 

Observations on the progress- from the savage to civilized life, and the ?•£- 
trograde movements from civilization to the savage state; character 
of the Indian savage 149 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

Paradoxical difference in Americans, relative to England and France an 
governments; and between Englishmen and Frenchmen, as indivi- 
duals; hardships of the French emigrants from the West Indies 15-J. 



CHAPTER XXIV. 

Mr L- •■', of New York, in the character of Captain Bobudil . 156 

CHAPTER XXV. 

Purchase a farm in Rhode-island; suspected of being a spy; em- 
bargo 158. 



Viii 



CHAPTER XXVL 

Engage the Britannia, transjjort, to convey viy famihj to "England ; Cap' 
tain Baijnton, of the Kautilus, sloop of war, detained on shore by 
the people at Newport; occurrences thereon; sail for England; 
delicer to the minister a narrative of plain fads, previously to his 
interview with the American Plenipotentiary 161 

CHAPTER XXV IT. 

Unsettled situation ; a plan for purchasing some millioyis of acres of land; 
embark for the Bahamas; land at Nassau, in New Providence 105 

CHAPTER XXVIII. 

Concise account of the Bahamas ; importance of these islands; hints for 
seiiding convicts thither; the first settling of these islands; a ren- 
dezvous for pirates, and residence of the notorious sea-robber, 
Btaclibeard ; the pirates expelled and a government settled ; extra- 
ordinary propagation of their sheep; weakness and poverty of this 
settlement in 178^1 ; rapid improvement since ; excellent fish ; plenty 
of turtle; all other provisions dear ; M. Sounise and his wfe, their 
ill-treatment from M'Kenny, captain of a privateer; undertake 
their cause; oblige M'Kenny to make restitution; libeyality of the 
gentlemen at Nassau tvicards M. Sounise 170 

CHAPTER XXIX. 

Leave the Bahamas ; sail for the conti)i€nt of America; sad disappoint- 
ment . , 188 

CHAPTER XXX. 

Purchase a beautiful farm, in Long-island; description of the same; 
noted passage of Hell-gate; difficulty of procuring help ; purchase 
negroes; plan for their emancipation ; absurd notions of equality ; 
attempts to cure it and fail; discharge the white and keep none but 
black servaiits ; reasons for giving up any farther attempt to farm 
in America » 190 



IX 



CHAPTER XXXI. 

r<cxolce on quilling America altogether; dispose of my estate in Long- 
island ; comparison between Evglish and American farming, as to 
profit ; comparison beticeen cottagers j labourers, and mechanics, of 
the two countries 203 

CHAPTER XXXII. 

Anecdotes ; Captain Frazer, grandson of Lord Loud ; Diike de Lian- 
court ; Sterne's old officer realized ; Colonel Hamilton ; General 
Green's widow • 209 

CHAPTER XXXTII. 

Customs in America differing from those in England; curious instance of 
neglect relative to manure ; hidden treasure ; no fairs in Atnerica ; 
sudden death of a man on his arrival, during the yellow fever ; the 
property saved for his creditors at some hazard of my life ; mehm- 
choly death-like silence in New York during this dreadful dis- 
temper; resolutions in case of an attach 21'J» 

CHAPTER XXXIV. 

Imprudence of sane Englishmen ; serious consequences likely to have re- 
sidted ; Frenchman s triumph over an old English regimental 
coat 226 



CHAPTER XXXV. 

Genuine French equality ; entertainment on board a French frigate 329 

CHAPTER XXXVI. 

Slavery in Xorth America, in Turkey, Barbary, the European States, 
up the Mediterranean, and in the East and West Indies; obser- 
vations on slavci'v ; hints for a Gradual emancipation . . 239 



t'lIAPTER XXXV IT. 

Joxirncy to the City of IVashhigto^i ; from Kew York to South jbiilmj, by 
■water I Frexh irivalids ; to Biirlwgton, by land; to FhiladdpJthi, 
by iccdcr ; ciirio-'AS ccct uanoddiiim at the Franldin'i jifad, cd PhUa- 
delphia ; set off for Baltimore; traieUing-expenscs, Licctmcnt, and 
remarks, on the road; BrJtimore, price of provision m 17£>(3; set 
off' for Ceorge-totcii ; reniaihs on the road, and in pas'^itig tlirougli, 
the new city 248 

CIIAFTErx xxxviir. 

liCmarhs and ohscnations <•« i/<c City of Washii gtmi . . , , 2jC 

CIIAriER XXX IX. 

Bctnrn to Baltimore; hospitality of Mr and Mrs Snowden ; cress the 
Chcsapcdk to French-town ; distrtssed French favdins ; to 'New- 
castle, by land; Citizen Darrogh, the tivern keeper ; packet for 
Philadelphia ; remarks on sailing up the Delaware . . . '261 

CIIAPTEIl XL. 

Land ot Fhiladdphia; Doctor Priestly, his farewell se.rmon ; his opinion; 
he and Mr Busscll acknowledge iltcir disappointment, wilTc their 
reasons for not returning to Fnghnd ; Doctor Perkins ; return to 
IS'ew York ^<36 

CHAPTER XLL 

On the American government t7l 

CHAPTER XLII. 

Quit America; arrice in Ireland; packet to Bristol; engage a house for 
the winter :274 

CHAPTER XLIII. 

Liberality of the whole court of the Fast-India Directors; disinterested- 
ness of their appointments ; generous appointment by an individual 
Director 27j 



XI 



CHAPTER XLIV: 

Reasons for not eugaging ugain in farming ; plan for an agricultural 
academy 281 

CHAPTER XLV. 

Jdvice given to my sons on their embarkation for the EaU Lidies . 291 

CHAPTER XLVI. 

Lx'yaltii-loan ; proposals tn the lord-mayor, honhers, and moneyed meft, 
at the t'lmt of tlit hank stopping the farther issue of cash ; 
answers . , . . , 30.7 

CHAPTER XLVII. 

Tiioiights and suzie.'tions on the vohinteer-sijstem, comprehending the sea 
and river fencibles ; plan for making volunteers more effectual 313 

CHAPTER XLViri. 

Suggestions sent to the Lords Commissioners of Vnc Admiralty, at the time 
of the mutiny in the royal navy 3J0 

CHAPTER XLIX. 

Origin of the Hiames-police ; riot and assault, v.ith intent to destroy the 
same ; two nun killed and others wounded in iiuelling the rict ; one 
of the ringleaders condemned to death ; salutary consequences 333 

CHAPTER L. 

J ; /• the storms and struggles of an adventurous and €V£ntful life, the 
Authors grateful satisfaction at having brought his vessel safe into 
pc^t : his ccnterj, and resignation 345 



STRUGGJLES 

THROUGH 

LIFE, S^c. 



CHAPTER L 

Reasons for going to America ; flattering address 
from ?ieighbours; sensations on the eve of reinovaL 



XT was a difficult choice to make of two labo- 
rious struggles, my island or America. If I did 
not succeed with my island, my family would 
most probably he reduced to beggary: this was 
a dreadful appearance. 

I made the best inquiries I could, among the 
first American characters in England, that came 
either from Canada or the United States. With- 
out an exception, they confirmed the reports; 
assuring me, that, with such agricultural know- 
ledge as 1 possessed, the advantages to myseli^ 

VOL. 11. B 



and family were certain and almost incalculable. 
I do not blame them ; it is the natural disposition 
of mankind to speak as they wish, and to enter- 
tain the most favourable opinion of their own 
country. And, ,^^4len I now look back at the 
distance of fourteen years, and recollect the cri- 
tical period, my mind agitated to an extreme, 
my fears and hopes alternately preponderating, 
whether or not to risk my little remaining all in a 
fresh struggle to bring my island again to a pro- 
fitable state of vegetation, and which I could not 
expect in less than eight or ten years, I do not 
wonder at the effect the whole had, nor at my 
ready belief of their assertions. 

After several months serious consideration, I 
resolved to collect togetlier and dispose of all I 
had left, and remove where I conceiv-ed it would 
be so much more to the interest and welfare of 
my young famil}'. What determined me at last, 
as much as any thing, was the consideration, 
that, admitting I might be disappointed in em- 
ploying myself to such advantage as was held 
out and I expected, still, in so very cheap a 
country as I well remembered it to have been, at 
any rate we mjight maintain and educate our 
children from the income of our property; and 
that, as they grew up, their services would be in 
such request, that it would be Httle or no expense 
to procure eligible situations, by which, with a^ 
little help, they might be enabled to provide for 



themselves. This I reckoned my sheet-anchor, 
to bring up* and moor with when I supposed I 
€oiii(i do no better. It may appear singidar to 
many; ^ but I was aGtiiaily,j«i:]a^] ^p disencumber 
myself ot" the rank 1 held in society, which my 
circumstances no longer authorised me to bring 
up my cliildren to, the baneful effects of ^vhich 
I had oficn witnessed in others.; 

My design was, first to begin with the warm 
latitudes and thence travel north for a clime 
suited to the health of my family, examining 
carefully, as I passed along, for the other objects 
of my search. V/ith thete views, 1 set about 
arrano:-in«; my aflbirs, to be ready for embarkini!:; 
in the spring following. While a single man, 
an hour or two was sufficient to prepare for any 
expedition; but I found it widely different with 
a large family, and most excruciatingly trying, 
after a long residence in tbiC place of my birth, 
(o resolve on leaving my native land, and the 
laws, government, and fiiends, I so m.uch re- 
vered and loved. Difiicuhies. hov.ever, never 
yet stopped 2r.e from proceeding in what I 
thought right. I was ready by the time I had 
fixed upon, and engaged the cabin of a ship 
bound for Baltimore, in Maryland. 

A short time before our departure, I received 

the following very flattering address from my 

neighbours, which I prize more than any other 

favour they could have conferred upon me, ha- 

B 2 



Ting this strong reason for believing the senti- 
ments genuine and from the heart, viz. that the 
world is seldom disposed to pay false compli- 
ments to persons in adversity. 1 am sensible my 
merits were over-rated and that they were pleased 
to take the will for the deed; ytt I am not the 
less 'i-ratiiied. The address was as follows. 

o 

*^ To John Harriott y Esq. one of His Majestt/*s jus- 
tices of the peace for the county of Essex, and 
acting in and for the division of liochford, in the 
said comifi/, 
" Sir, 

" The time fast approaching when 
this country is to be deprived of your society and 
your services, we, the magistrates, commission- 
ers, and principal residents, of this district, sub»- 
scribcrs hereto, W'ho have particularly experi- 
enced the good eftects of your able, spirited, and 
upright, conduct in the important office with 
which you are invested, can not, without ingra- 
titude and injustice, omit to make you our ac- 
knowledgements. AVe do, therefore, sir, for 
ourselves, and in the name of the inhabitants in 
general of this division; who, from the highest 
to the lowest, have been witnesses to the candour 
and impartiality with which you have adminis- 
tered public justice, (and most of whom have, 
either in your assistance, exertions, advice, or 
protection, found very substantiaJ advantages); 



return you the tlianks of men unaccustomed to 
liatter. And we request, that, previously to 
your departure, you will favour us vviih your 
company at a public entertainment, that we may 
have th"e satisfaction of convincing you, perso- 
nally, how sincerely we uish you health, long 
hfe, and all the enjoyments that life can afford J' 

" Signed id Rocloibri!, the 14th day of MArch^ 1793." 

Towards the close of this meeting,, so, flatter- 
ing to my mind, my heart overflowed, or it must 
have burst, in delivering the followuig sliort re- 
turn. 

*^ My friends, I thank you, most sin- 
cerely thank you, for the honour this day con- 
ferred by so respectable a body of men and 
neighbours; 7}ie:-i, who I am coniident are not ac- 
eusto-mcd to flatter, and,, if ye were, I am too 
poor to be your objects That my endeavoiys to 
serve the county have merited your approbation, 
is the highest reward I could expect. I have 
only to regret that my powers, wove, not more 
equal to my wislies, and that my present peculiai.* 
situation aiid circumstances compel me to leave a 
neighbourhood I have so many reasons to respect 
and love. May you, my friends, long enjoy, in 
your native land, that health, peace, and pros- 
perity, which, duty to my family obliges ii:e to 
seek in another' country. And^ wherever my 
way-faring destiny may lead mc, it wi.l evei" be^ 
B 3 



an addition to my happiness to hear of your 
welfare, and cherish in reraenfibrance this ho- 
nourable testimony of your approbation." ,,. 

Possibly the insertion of the foregoing may be 
deemed vanity. Be it so; for I acknowled-ge 
myself so far proud as to have the address framed 
and glazed, considering it the choicest ornament 
in my house; and I think it would be unjust to 
my children and grand -children to withhold 
either that or the following, which, as a compa- 
nion to it, my wife has had worked and framed. 
It was sent me, a few days after, b}' a reverend 
clergyman who attended the meeting. 

** To John Harriott, Esq. on his finally taking leave 
of this country/; 
*^ The following tribute, justly due to him 
as a gentleman, a magistrate, and a 
man, is, with much respect, humbly de- 
dicated, by his sincere friend and obe- 
dient servant, 
f< P ; March 23> 1793. T. A . 

'* Accept the strain, O Harriott, nor refuse 
The free-will offering of a lonely muse. 
Who, conscious of thy worth, presumes to pay 
The humble tribute of an artless lay: 
Warm from the heart it flows, as justly due 
To candour, friendship, gratitude, and you. 



No servile flatterer fawns or cringes hcrc, 
The sentiment is pure, the line sincere. 
Howe'er, in various views, ihy traits we scan, 
(The friend, companion, magistrate, or man,) 
Long from thy talents have thy neighbours round 
Experienced pleasure and advantage found. 
Thy social manners are endear'd to all, 
The rich, the poor, the learn'd, the great, and 

small. 
Oft have I witness'd (midst approving eyes) 
Thy conduct still impartial, just, and wise; 
Thy lenient measures, and thy kind intent 
More to reform than punish ever bent. 
Thy converse could at once instruct and please, 
Sound thy advice and upright thy decrees. 
Long on the painful scene shall memory dwell, 
The tender moment of thy last farewel : 
Scarce could my eyes withhold the starting tear. 
And still thine accents vibrate in my ear. 
Since then (so fate ordains) thou wilt depart, 
Go, with the wish of every honest heart. 
That fav'ring Fortune may propitious smile 
And prosp'roLis breezes waft thee from this isle;. 
That Providence may all thy footsteps bless 
And crown thy ev'ry effort with success ; 
With friendly welcome to the western shore. 
With social comfort and with ample store. 
With joys domestic, plenty, peace, and health, 
Life long and happy, sweet content and wealth ; 



8 

May thy lov'd consort ev'ry blessing share, 

Thy progeny reward parental care; 

May emulation stiil their bosoms lire, 

And ev'ry son be like the worthy sire ; 

May fihal piety the pains assuage 

And prop the weakness ol" dechning age. 

When the last stroke shaii come, (for come it 

must,) 
That lays thy mortal part in kindred dust. 
May heav'nly bliss to earthly toils succeed. 
And joys eternal prove thy glorious meed. 
JSuch is our wisli, since Harriott will depart, 
Torn from our eyes but never from our heart." 

Those, who have never experienced similar 
trials, can form no adequate idea of my sensa- 
tions at the eve of my departure. They can not 
be more strongly expressed, to correspond with 
mine, than in the following lines, which, on that 
account, I take the liberty of inserting. 

" If I could bid thee, pleasant shades ! farewcl. 
Without a si"h, amidst whose circlins: bow'rs 
My s-tripling prime was past and happiest hours. 

Dead were I to the sympatiiies that swell 
The, human breast. Those woods, that whisp'ring 

wave, 
My father rear'd and nurs'd, now in the grave 
Gone down. He iov'd their peaceful shades^ 
and said, 



Perhaps, as here he mused : * Live, laurels green j 
Ye pines, that shade the soUtary scene, 

Live blooming and rejoice, when I am dead 
My son shall guard j^ou, and amid your bow'rs, 
Like me, find shelter from life's beating show'rs.* 

These thoughts, my father! ev'ry spot endear; 
And, while I think, with self-accusing pain, 
A stranger shall possess the lov'd domain, 

Li each low wind I seem thy voice to hear. 
But these are shadows of the shaping bruin, 
That now my heart, alas! can ill sustain. 

We must forget ; the world is wide, th'abode 

Of peace may still be found, nor hard the road. 
It boots not, if, to ev'ry chance resign'd, 
Wherever the spot, we bear th'unalter'd mind. 

Yet, O poor cottage! and thou sylvan shade! 
Remember, ere I left your coverts green. 

Where in my youth I mus'd, in childhood 
played, 
I gaz'd, I paus'd, I dropped a tear unseen, 

(That bitter from the fount of Memory fell); 

Thinking on him that rear'd you, now i^ireweU" 



10 



CHAPTER II. 



Bmhark with my famili/ ; land at Balthnore; 
disappointnieut i charter two 'ccasels and turn 
merchant. 



In May, 1793, I embarked with my family on 
board a sliip bound for and belonging to Bal- 
timore, in Maryland, where we landed in safety, 
I carried introductory letters to many of the 
most considerable characters in tlie United States 
and British Canada, as well as to private gen- 
tlemen, by all of whom I was received with 
very polite and friendly attentions : I mean only 
when the letters were delivered; for, as paying 
and receivino: visits is rather troublesome to a 

o 

man on business, I forbore delivering many 
where I deemed it unnecessary. Information as 
to my own pursuits was all I asked, v.hich, when 
obtained, ail the rest would have been only a 
hindrance. 

My first object Vvas to fix my family in a cheap 
and healthy situation, while I travelled tlirough 
such of the United States, northward, towards 
Canada, as I thought most likely to suit; and to 
inquire, examine, and judge for myself, befoie 



11 

I made my election. As former!}^ observed, I 
conceived I had snincient to maintain my family 
decently, without employ, in a country where 
the}^ said living was still so reasonable and the de- 
mand for taxes scarcely known. However, the 
first day I laiided I had several pounds to pay at 
the custom-house, for duties on our w'earing- 
apparel, utensils, furniture, 8cc.; and I very soon 
found that neither Baltimore nor any part of 
Maryland or Virginia answered the description 
of cheap living; for, in fact, I could not main- 
tain my family at Baltimore for nearly double 
the expense 1 could, ceteris paribus, in London. 
These were rather alarming circumstances, which, 
if I had been a farmer only, might have proved 
serious. 

To obviate these local difficulties required, 
prompt measures. Instead of farming, I char- 
tered two sloops of one hundred tons each, 
and immediately commenced merchant, by pur- 
chasing flou'r sufficient to load them, for the sake 
of obtaining a passage to Rhode-Island, with my 
family and baggage; understanding, from various 
inquiries, that it was the only place likely to 
realise my expectation of reasonable living. 



12 



CHAPTER III. 



Arrive at Rhode-Island; hire a house for my 
family; 'prepare for a tour through the different 
states. 



My mercantile adventure afforded a decent 
profit, beside defraying all expenses of passage, 
&c. and Newport, in Rhode-Island, proved a 
place well adapted for temporary residence. Af- 
ter hiring a house, getting my family a little 
comfortable, and examining some ft\rms on 
"Rhode-Island that were to be sold, I set off on 
my tour. 

It would be tedious to follow me in my ram- 
bles. In travelling from Boston, in Massachu- 
sets, to Norfolk, in Virginia, I endeavoured, in 
my variously-repeated journeys, to cross-cut and 
examine such parts of the different states as 
were most likely to finswer my own purpose; 
making minutes where I remarked any thing un- 
noticed or wrong reported by others; but, where 
men, manners, or things, were faithfully described, 
I noted such accounts in preference to any 
thing I could say about them, such as the geo- 
graphy of the country, the state-laws, &c. 



13 

It is my professed aim and sole ^vish, in ibis 
J art of my Memoirs, to give the best and truest 
information in my power to all those who have 
or may entertain thoughts of removing to a 
country they are unacquainted with. It may 
save some from ruin, by preventing their under- 
takino; so verv hazardous a removal: and to 
those, who should determine to proceed, it may 
be a friendly guide to direct their steps w^here 
they are most likely to suit themselves agreeably 
to their former habits or wishes for the future. 



CHAPTER IV. 

General observations on the United States; the 
lakes; venomous serpents; falls of Niagara, 



I SHALL make a few general observations, 
which, though they may appear strange and 
unnecessary to many, are yet needful to some 
thousands in Great Britain. 

The English language is the language of the 
United States of America and Canada; it is uni- 
versally understood and better spoken by the 
whole mass of people, from Georgia to Quebec, 

VOL. n. C 



14 

(an extent of country more than 1200 miles,^ 
than by the bulk of the people in the diffeieut 
counties of England. 

The United States of America are composed 
of separate states, each of which claims a dis- 
tinct sovereignty, or state-government, from tlie 
general or federal government of all the states 
united, which creates confusion and considerable 
difficulty for strangers to understand. 

In Canada, ho^Yever, men still continue British 
subjects, living under the same laws and govern- 
ment they had been used to. To families, not 
averse to settling in a healthy cold climate, Bri- 
tish Canada holds out greater advantages for Bri- 
tish agriculturists to settle in than the United 
States. A strong proof of this is, a continual 
great emigration from the United States to settle 
in Canada. But the first \AHiter we passed in 
America proved so severe to the feelings of my 
family, as to render it useless to proceed farther 
northward than Rhode-Island, or Massachusetts. 

The laws of the federal government are 
printed, and may be bought at most booksellers; 
but the laws of the diflerent states are not so 
readily obtained. In m.y remarks, therefore, 
throu2;h those states 1 have travelled over, I may 
occasionally mention such of their laws as came 
to my knowledge. 

I have assigned a reason for not going farther 
north-east than Massachusetts.: on the other hiind, 



15 

I foand Virginia and ^Maryland, (o the soiith- 
^vaid, too hot to he healthy ibr my wife and 
young family, beside a naiiiral repugnance I felt 
at the necessity of purchasing slaves, which must 
be done by all who propose settling in the south- 
ern states. 

I now proceed to such concise description of 
those parts of America I can speak to from my 
own knowledge; commencing with a still more 
concise out-line of the whole of the United 
States, as necessary to make the detailed part 
better understood by many, who scarcely know 
more than that such a country exists. 

The United States of America extend from 
31" to 46^ degrees of north latitude; in length 
1250 miles and in breadth 1040; containing, by 
computation, one million of square miles. Ino 
part of the world is better watered with springs, 
rivulets, rivers, and lakes, than the \vhole of 
North America. The facilities of navigation 
render the communication from the Missisippi to 
the River Saint Lawrence advantageous!}^ expe- 
ditious. Some few canals are now' executing, 
and others are proposed, which, when completed, 
will open com-munications beneficial to the whole 
country; but this must be a work of time. 

There is nothing in other parts of the globe 

resembling the prodigious chain of lakes in this 

part of the world: they may be termed inland 

seas of fresh water. Those, of the second or 

C 2 



16 

third class in magnitLide, are of kirger circuit than 
the greatest lakes in the eastern continent. Lake 
Superior, is so called from its magnitnde, being 
the largest on the continent. Lake Eric is nearly 
SGO miles long and about 40 broad. The islands 
and banks towards the west end of it are so in- 
iejied with rattle-snakes, as to render it dan- 
gerui.s to land on them. ^lyriads of water- 
snakes are likewise seen basking in the sun, in 
sumiiier-tiine, on the leaves of the water-lilly. 
Of all the venomous serpents that infest 'this 
lake, tlie h.issing-snake is the moat remarkable. 
It is about eighteen inches long, small and 
speckled. When you approach it, it suddenly 
flattens itself, and its spots, which are of various 
colours, become visibly brighter through rage. 
At the same time, it blows from its mouth, with 
great foice, a subtle wind, said to be of a nau- 
seous smell; and, if drawn in wilh the breath of 
the unwary traveller, it will bring on a decline, 
that in a fe^v months proves mortal, and no 
rcmedv has vet been found to counteract its 
baneful efieet: but this, I believe, to be nnhvi' 
probictnatleal tlian certain. Not only the lakes, 
but ail the Jarge ponds, and their environs, in 
America, teem uiih serpen'^s. 

The north-east end of Lake Eric communicates 
with Lake Ontario by the lliver Niagara. At 
tlie entrance of tliis river is Fort Niagara; and, 
about eidileen miles north of the fort, are tko^e 



IT 

remarkable water-falls, vrhich are reckoned 
ainonof the o'reatest of natural curiosines. The 
waters, v.hich supply the River Niagara, rise 
nearly 2000 miles to the north-west; and, pass- 
ing through Lakes Superior, JNIiehigan, Nuron, 
and Erie, and receiving constant accumulations 
in their course, at length rush, with astonish- 
ing grandeur, down a stupendous precipice of 
140 feet perpendicular; and then, in a strong 
rapid stream that extends to the distance of eight 
or nine miles below, fall nearly as much more, 
the river then losing itself in Lake Ontario. 

The noise of these falls, in a clear day and fair 
W'ind, is said to be heard between forty and fifty 
miles. 



CHAPTER V. 

Soil of the United States; Cooper and Priestly s 
bad purchase of barren lands; vegetable produc- 
tions. 

Some parts of the United States are extremely 

rocky and stony; particularly ISew England, a 

great part of New York, and New Jersey. The 

soil itself, when it is so rocky and stony; and 

C 3 



18 



where the land is lolerablv level, is mostly of a 
better quaiiiy than that vvhieh is tree from stone; 
exeept the interval or bottom lands, which, be- 
ing formed from sediment, are the richest and 
aimost tlie ouiy real rich lands in the United 
■States ; for, in general, those that are free from 
rock and stone are either of a light, sandy, hun- 
gry, nature; a sheer barren sand, tliat will grow 
only pine, juniper, and hemlock; a cold heavy 
loam, that requires more cultivation than the 
scarcity of help in America will allow; or a cold 
cla}^, that will produce nothing but scrub-oak, 
cedars, &.c. 

Between the Atlantic Ocean, the iMissisippi, 
and the Lakes, runs a long range of mountains, 
made up of a great number of ridges. These 
mountains extend north-east and south-west, 
^nearl}^ parallel with the sea-coast, about 900 miles 
in length. Of these mountains, scarcely one 
acre in t\\enty is capable of culture. The large 
tract of land, that Messrs Cooper and Piiestly 
Lad agreed for (uitliout examination) in the back 
part of Pennsylvania, and where they proposed 
fonnini^ an En<z;lish settlement, had a consider- 
able portion of this kind of mountainous land, 
which, when they went to explore, they found 
it most adviseable to relinquish at a considerable 
Joss; for, had it been persevered in, ruin must 
have .been the consequence to all concerned. 
Yl'I there are some intt^ni^cdiate lauds, between 



19 

the ridges, thai are good arable and grazing 
lands. 

Speaking of the soil of the United States ge- 
nerally, of the lands between the mountains and 
the Atlantic, the average-value is far below the 
lands of England, France, and Spain; but the 
back land, to the westward of the mountains, 
may be fairly said to equal that of any countiy. 

Among the vegetable productions are the fol- 
lowing. Indian corn, a native grain of America, 
from which, it is said, all the other parts of the 
world have been supplied ; but this must be a 
mistake, as in China, the East Indies, Sec. it has 
been known time immemorial. It agrees with 
all climates from the equator to latitude 45, but 
flourishes best between latitudes 30 and 40. The 
bunched Guinea-corn is a small grain, cultivated 
by negroes in the southern states, and affords a 
fine food for poultry. The spiked Indian corn is 
of a similar kinch Rice was introduced into 
Carolina by a I\Ir Johnson, in ](i88: it flou- 
rishes oi ly in Georgia a:-d the Carolinas. 
Broom-corn is valuable, both on account of its 
seed, which is excellent for poultry, and the 
broom, or w hisk, part, on w hich the seed is pro- 
duced, of which the fine carpet-brooms, &c. 
are made. It grow-s wherever the Indian corn 
dot?s, is j)!anted at the same time and in the 
fame manner, and, when young, is not unlike it 
ill appearance. 



20 

Wheat, rye, barley, and oats, are cultivated 
throughout the states, some few parts excepted. 
In Pennsylvania is a kind of grain, called spelts, 
which grows much like wheat and is esteemed 
good for horses : the flour made from it is white, 
and sometimes is mixed with wheat-flour for 
bread. Buck-wheat hkewise grows, and is made 
considerable use of in buck-wheat cakes. 

Potatoes are said to be aboriginals of America; 
if so, they may be truly considered as a most 
valuable gift to the old country. They are of 
many kinds and are raised in great quantities; 
yet their crops, by the acre, will bear no com- 
parison to our crops in England: they reckon 
from forty to one hundred bushels, an acre, a 
good crop. The sweet, or Caroline, potatoe does - 
not thrive well in the northern states. 

The culinary roots and plants are nearly the 
same as we grow in England.. I think they ex- 
cel us in the variety and quality of kidney-shaped 
beans: our broad garden-beans are but httle cul- 
tivated. I did not see a good cauliflower or bro- 
eoli in America. L grew some myself on Long- 
Island : they were but moderately good, yet such . 
as I sent to the Fly-market, at New-York, cre- 
ated some surprise; as did some winter-cabbages, 
the freshness and size of which astonished them. 
I sent several hundreds of these cabbages by the 
market-boats, in the spring of the year, for 
which I received nett three pounds fifteen shil- 



21 

lings per hundred, and the boatman, who pur- 
chased a hundred of me tor four pounds, I doubt 
not maJ.o a good profit beside his charges. But 
these articles were the produce of my own la- 
bour, 1 could get no on(; else to attend to them. 

There is 'a wild plant in America, called the 
devil's bit, having the print of teeth in the root. 
The Indians have a tradition that the root was 
once a universal remedy for all diseases; but some 
evil spirit, envying mankind the possession of so 
efficacious a medicine, gave the root a bite and 
dej)rived it of a great part of its virtue. 

Of fruit, apples are the most common; from 
which a great quantity of cider is made. They 
grow in great plenty and variety in the northern 
and middle states and in the interior, but not in 
the maritime parts of the southern states. Stan- 
dard peaches are aiso in great abundance, but 
they have little or no wall-fiuit. Apricots and 
ncctarir.es are very scarce and indifferent: other 
fruits are nearly similar to ours. 

Of nuts, they have the chesnut, black walnut, 
v.hite walnut, hiccory-nut, butter-nuts, beech- 
nuts, ground-nuts, and a few hazle-nuts in gar- 
dens, though I met with no hazle-nuts growing 
wild in the v/oods. 

Grapes, of various sorts, grow spontaneously 
from latitude ^^ to 45°. They grow wild and 
run to an immense extent, vet the cultivation of 



22 

them is so much neglected that I seldom met 
with a good eating-grape in America. 



CHAPTER VL 

Eilraordinary animah; hiids; snakes. 



Of the e?itraordinary kinds of animals in Ame- 
rica, I shall mention but two, the mammoth and 
the skunk. Of the first, it is (as related by Ame^ 
rican authors) conjectured that he may still 
exist in the vast unexplored regions towards the 
north-west parts of the American continent; 
since it is beyond doubt that he has existed, 
from tlie number and variety, of the bones and 
teeth of this astonisliing animal that are found 
in different parts of America. If I could have 
spared the time and afforded the expense, I cer- 
tainly should have endeavoured to collect as 
many of the principal bones, teeth, &c. of this 
enormous animal as possible; as the gathering 
together every possible remnant of this stupen- 
dous beast, so as to prove its size, form, &.c. 



Ti'oiild supply a grand desideratum in natural his- 
tory.*' 

Eiephaiits I have seen in abundance, both wild 
and tame, in Asia; but the bones and teeth, 
which J have seen of the mammoth, appear con- 
siderably larger than tliose of anj^ elephant. Nor 
is it possible to conceive them to be the same 
animal, when we consider that the one is only 
found in a hot tropical, and the bones, &.c. of 
the other only in a cold wintery, climate. 

The living mammoth is not found in the civi- 
lised parts of America; it is presumed, however, 
from his teeth, that he was carnivorous. Tusks, 
grinders, and skeletons, of uncommon mag- 
nitude, have been found at the Salt-licks on the 
Ohio, in New-Jersey, and other places. 

The Indians have a tradition handed down 
from their fathers, respecting these animals, 
which I mention to shew the strong idea they 
must have entertained of its uncommon power, 
&c. They say, that, in antient times, a herd of 
them came to ihe Bicr-bone Licks, and beojan a 
universal destruction of the bears, deer, elks, 
buffaloes, and other animals, which had been 
created for the use of the Indians. That the 
great man above, looking down and seeing this, 
was so enraged that he seised his lightning, de- 

* Since writing the above, (nine years back,) I have been much 
gratified in seeing the skeleton of one of these monsiets eihibited iu 
London. 



24 

scended to the earth, seated himself upon a 
neighbouring mountain, (on a rock, on which his 
seat and the print of his feet are still to be seen,) 
and hurled his bolts among them, until the whole 
were slaughtered except the big bull, who, pre- 
senting his forehead to the shafts, shook them 
off as they fell; but at length, missing one, it 
wounded him on the side. Whereon, springing 
round, he bounded over the Ohio, the \^^abash, 
the Illinois, and finally over the great lakes, 
where, with other herds, lie is said to be still 
living. 

Some naturalists have supposed, from the bones 
of this remarkable animal, that it is of the same 
species as the elephant; others, that it answers 
to the hippopotamus, or river-horse. But Mr 
Jefferson observes, that the skeleton of the 
mammoth bespeaks an animal of five or six times 
the cubic volume of the elephant, as M. Buffon 
has admitted, and that the grinders are ^te 
times as large as those of the elephant, and quite 
of a different shape ; adding, that the elephant 
is a native of the torrid zone and its vicinities, 
while the bones of the mammoth have never 
been found farther south than the salines of Hol- 
ston-river, a branch of the Tenessee, about the 
latitude of SCf 30' north, and as far north as the 
arctic circle. 

The skunk is the most extraordinary animal 
the American woods produce: it is of the species 



25 

of the ipole-cat, for which, though different m 
many respects, it is frequently mistaken. Its 
hair is long and shining, of a dirty white, mixed 
in some places wHh black spots: its tail is long 
and bushy, like a fox: it lives mostly in woods 
and hedges, yet 1 have had several killed in and 
about my barn and out-offices. It is possessed of 
extraordinary powers, which it exerts when pur- 
sued or thinks itself in danger. On such occa- 
sions, it ejects from behind a stream of water of 
so subtle a nature and so strong a smell, that the 
air is tainted at a surprising distance. 

A gentleman, riding to my house on Long- 
Island, one evening, w^as saluted by one as he 
passed it; and so strongly did it perfume him, 
that he was obliged to shift entirely before he 
eould be borne with in company. My servants, 
when they met with a like accident, have been 
obliged to bury their <ilothes in the earth for a 
considerable time before they could wear them, 
washing having but little effect. On this ac- 
count, the animal is called VenfaHt du diable, the 
child of the devil. I have known the carcase of 
one that was killed and thrown into the road, 
(where it laid half the summer and all the winter, 
•looking like a dried cat's skin,) to stink so abo- 
minably when moved, that, a puppy-dog of 
mine having brought it near to the house, there 
was no bearing it, thoiJ^h in the open air. 

VOL. II. 1) 



26 

The birds of America far exceed those of Eu- 
rope for plumage, but are much inferior in the 
nielodv of their noles. The hummin!2;-bird is 
known as the smallest of the feathered tribe: its 
plumage surpasses description. I have known 
them frequently hid from sight in the blossom of 
a large magnolia. 

There are about thirty diiTerent kinds of 
snakes, most of which are venomous, and many 
of them mortally so to the unhappy object that 
is bitten by them. 



CHAPTER VII. 

Sieves in America; thoughts on emancipatiofi; cur-- 
rencies of the different states. 



Of the slaves in the United States, I must re- 
peat what a Eurupean writer has so justly ob- 
served, that, if there be an object truly ridicu- 
lous in. nature, it is .an American patriot, signing 
resolutions of independance (and let me add 
equality,) with one hand, and brandishing a whip 
over his affrighted slaves with ike other. This is 
characteristically true; yet such, it must be ac- 



27 

Rnowlcdgecl, i;- the want of help in America; that 
a person is reduced to the alternative of being a 
slave to servants or having slaves for servants; 
and it requires no- very great knowledge of man- 
kind to say which, of the two evils will in general 
be preferred. 

In the middle and northern states, there are 
comparatively but few slaves, and of course there 
is less difficulty in giving them their freedom. 
Yet a nicety of management is required to make 
it a blessing to those slaves, when they gain that 
freedom which is the natural right of all man- 
kind,, and for th.e granting of which to all wha 
are in such degraded state there can not well e 
a warmer advocate than myself; but I am confi- 
dent it is not the best mode to grant it them 
hastily, nor all together.. 

At Rhode-Island, very soon after the peace, 
most of the inhabitants ac:reed to ciive freedom 
to all their slaves; and the fact is, that, instead 
of becoming industrious and living comfortably, 
they became a pest to society. Not knowing 
how to enjoy a sudden burst of liberty, they 
gave themselves up to all manner of rioting and 
excess of debauchery. To themselves, the con- 
sequence is, that they do not propagate their 
ov/n species so much as when they were well 
clothed, fed, and kept to regular hours, by their 
former masters. They are now idle and lazy to a 
proverb, nor can they be induced to do a little 
V 2 



28 

woik but at exlravagaiit wages. What money 
they earn, tlioy chietly buy spirits with for their 
Jiight-iVolics, when the few, that have been pre- 
vailed on to go to serviec, are tempted to join 
thejn and are soon persuaded to rob their masters 
or mistresses, in order to support these noeturnal 
riots, where all kinds of debauchery are prac- 
tised. 

There are sonic few exceptions, but I under- 
stood they, chiefly were to be found among those 
negroes whose emancipation from the yoke of 
tilavery was gradual. Societies for the manumis- 
sion of slaves are instituted in various parts; they 
are principally supported by quakers, but the 
methods pursued by many, wha are strong en^ 
thusiasts in the undertaking, ate neither just nor 
honest; for, however morally wrong I might 
think it in another person to hold a man in sla- 
\ery, I can have no right to ass-ist in robbing 
him of his property, by persuading such proper- 
ty to run away; a practice notorious and frequent 
bv members of these societies. If I consider it 
a sin ill my neighbour to hold slaves, and justify 
mvself in the consideration that I have removed 
the sin from him, my neighbour might equally 
justify liimself in procuring laws to compel me to 
embrace his religious principles, because he 
thinks mine are wrong: and I do not conceive 
the intolerance of one kind of spirit a jot more 
justifiable than the other. 



29 

I have digressed farther on this head than I 
intended in this place: 1 shall have occasion to 
mention the subject again, when I may enlarge 
thereon and point out a mode which I had begun 
for the gradual emancipation of all the slaves I 
was compelled to purchase (or go without ser- 
vants) or might afterwards have bongiit. jNo 
man breathing can detest the shite-trade or the 
original methods of procuring them more than I 
do, nor can that be too soon- abolished; but the 
emancipation of those from slavery, that are al- 
ready in that, state, requires a far diherent treat- 
ment. 

The various currencies of money, in the dif- 
ferent states, are troublesome and harassing even 
to the natives of the United' Slates, and >^ ill 
more so to strangers. A dolUir, in sterTmg mo- 
ney, is four shilhngs and six pence; but, in the 
^e\v-England states, the currency is six shillings 
to a dollar; in ^»ew-york, eight shillings; in 
New-Jcrse}^, Pennsylvania, and Maryland, seven 
shillings and six pence; m Virginia, six shillings; 
in North. Carolina, eight shillings; and, in South 
Garohna and Georgia, fonr shillings and eight 
pence. All agree that the evil is great and wants 
to be remedied; but they say, such is the preju- 
dice of the country-people in the different states 
in favour of the currency they have always been 
accustomed to, that it is feared, were an act of 
congress passed to enforce a general uniform 
D 3 



so 

currency, the country-people would consider it as 
bad as they formerly did the stamp-act. To 
this, I have frequently taken the liberty of ob- 
servino:, to several members of con stress and 
others, that, if an act were passed for no book- 
debt, bond, note, bill, 8;c. to be admitted as 
evidence in their courts of law, except such as 
were kept or made in dollars and cents, (which 
all the public offices and banks already do,) the 
evil would soon be removed without other coer- 
cion than that of self-interest. 



CHAPTER VIIL 

Divhlon of 'New-Englaml and general outline of 
the same. 



«^.^"^.*> 



In describing the particulars of the different 
states which have come within my own observa- 
tion, I shall begin with those of New-England 
and travel on to the southward. 

New-England is divided into five states, viz. 
New-Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode-Island, 
Connecticut, and Vermont: these states are sub- 
divided into counties, and the counties into 
town-ships. The country is hilly and in some 



31 

parts raonntainous, but the mountains are com- 
paratively small. The vales betweea the ridges, 
while in a state of nature, exhibit a romantic 
appearance. They seem an ocean of woods^ 
swelled and depressed in its surface like that of 
the sea. 

Few countries are better watered. On the 
sea-coa^t the land is low, and in many parts level 
and sandy. In the valleys, between the moun- 
tains, the land is much broken and in many 
places roeky. It is a moderately good strong 
soil^ capable of being cultivated to better advan- 
tage if help could be obtained on any reasonable 
terms, but that is not to be had. The soil, as 
may be supposed, is various. Each tract of dif- 
ferent soibis pronounced good, middhng, or bad, 
from the species of trees it produces: one spe- 
cies, generally predominating in each, has given 
birth to the descriptive names of oak-land, birch^ 
beach,- and chesnut, lands; pine barren, maple, 
ash, and cedar, swamps, as each species happens 
to predominate. Intermingled with these are 
walnuts, firs, elm, hemlock, moose-wood, saxi- 
frage, &c. The best lands produce walnut and 
chesnut; the next best, elm, beech, and oak; 
lands of the third quality, fir and pitch-pine; 
the next, wortle-berry and Barbary bushes; and 
the poorest, nothing but imperfect shrubs. 

Among the fruits that grow wnld are several 
kinds of grapes, small, sour, and thick-skinned. 



32 

The vine-stems are very luxuriant, often over- 
spreading the highest trees in the forests. Beside 
these are the wild cherries, white and red mul- 
berries, cranberries, walnuts, chesnuts, butter- 
nuts, beech-nuts, wild plums and pears, black- 
berries, huckle-berries, and strawberries. I have 
enumerated all these, because every American 
writer announces them in *such a. manner as to 
lead the unwary to believe that a person might 
almost live in the American woods on fruit and 
nuts; when, in fact, there is more in the sound 
of these things than in the reality of gratification 
from them, few or none, beside the cranberry, 
chesnnt, walnut, and strawberry, being worth 
going after. 

The soil, in the interior country, is best calcu- 
lated for Indian corn, rye, oats, barley, buck- 
^vheat, and flax. In some of the farther inland 
parts, v» heat is raised ; but, on the sea-coast, it 
lias never been cultivated with much success, 
being suhject to blasts. Various reasons are as- 
signed for this : some suppose these blasts to be 
occasioned by the saline vapours from the sea; 
but I can not agree to this, well knowing that 
many of the best wheats that are grown in Eng- 
land, in quantity and quality, are from sear 
jnaishes and- lands adjoining the sea. 0\hers 
attribute it to the vicinity of Barbary-bushes, to 
the truth, of which I can not speak. But the 
principal cause appeared to me to be the poverty 



S5 

and sandy nature of the soil in general^ together 
with exceedingly bad management. 

The price of articles, mentioned under any of 
the different states, is to be understood as the 
currency of that state, unless noticed to the 
contrary. 



CHAPTER IX. 

Massachusetts; more grass than arable land; want 
of help; slaves 7iot allowed; value of farms; or- 
chards neglected ; stone fences; difficulti/ of drain- 
ing; contrast between 1762 and 1794. 



The state of Massachusetts is in the latitude 
of from 41° 20' to 42^ 50' north; its length 150 
miles and breadth 60. Notwithslanding its situ- 
ation so much farther (10 degrees) to the south- 
ward than England, the wintex-s are more severe 
and the greater heats of the summers are easily 
accounted for. 

The farms, farm-houses, and every thing in 
the country around Boston, appear more like 
many parts of England than any other state in 
America. The mercliauts and gentlemen of 



34 

Boston have siigagcd in agricultural pursuits in 
a more spirited, manner than others; but the 
common husbandmen, farther in the country, 
continue in the old track of their fore-fathers, 
notwithstanding the example thus set them by 
the gentlemen of Boston, and the information 
tendered them by the agricultural society there. 

Massachusetts is more of a grazing country 
than arable, producing very good cattle; and no 
market in the United States is in general so well 
supplied with excellent beef as Boston; but, 
where so little additional help is to be obtained 
when wanted, the farmer and all his family must 
slave hard the whole of the summer-months to 
provide provender for their cattle against the 
long hard winters; like Pharaoh's lean k'ine, de- 
vouringa 11 the fat of the short summers. The 
real labour, therefore, to the farmer and his fa- 
mily, is severe; for additional hired help is not 
to be procured, and slaves in this state are pro- 
hibited by law: on himself and family alone can 
he depend for getting in his bay and harvest. 
This state of things renders it impossible to farm 
on any large scale to advantage, and operates 
nearly as much against improvements. 

I found the value of farms, according to their 
improvements in buildings, fences, quahty of 
soil, and situation for markets, to be from three 
to eighteen pounds an acre. Orchards, in gene- 
ral, seemed to be much neglected, the old trees 



35 

■decaying fast and very little attention being paid 
to the plan ling of new ones. 

There are many good strong stone fences, 
Vviiich answer tlie double purpose of clearing the 
land and making a fence at the same time; yet 
much of the land still remains covered almost 
Vvith fixed rock or moveable stones, in some 
fields, you may see them piled up, looking, at a 
distance, like hay-cocks; and, where the stones 
are too large to be removed, a few industrious 
farmers dig large holes to undermine and drop 
them in, or blow them up with gunpowder. 

Many farms would be greatly improved, if 
they had only common ditches or drains made, 
and this could only be done where the situation 
was favourable for carrying the water off clear 
beyond them. There is no law to oblige their 
neighbours to drain and keep their water-courses 
clear; the land, in consequence, is more impo- 
verished, by being soddened with water, than it 
would with double the cropping. 

Long previous to the revolution in America, I 
bad repeatedly visited Boston: what a strange 
contrast after an absence of more than thirty 
years! In 1/62, 64, and 65, it was the extrava- 
gance of fanatic religious folly; under the cloak 
of which, hypocrisy and vice prevailed to a high 
degree. It is true, there were no public notori- 
ous brothels nor any women of known loose 
conduct suffered to reside in the town ; but there 



36 

'ivas more private debauchery than I ever knew 
in any other part of the worlcL I could fill pages 
with the singularly laughable occurrences within 
my own knowledge. In ]794, I found a Roman- 
Catholic chapel freely tolerated, and was enter* 
tained in a handsome crowded theatre; two cir- 
■ciuii stances, which if I had ventured to predict 
when I first knew the place, (daring as I was 
known to be at that time,) I should have run 
some risk of being tari^d and feathered. .Not a 
single Jew was able to live there some time pre- 
vious to the revolution; now tliere is an abun- 
dance, with every species of accommodation, 
bad as well as good, that can be found in the 
sea^ports and cities of Europe. 

In the marlvet, the difference was this: pi- 
geons, that w^r^ formerly sold at two pence or 
two pence halfpenny a dozeOi and often given 
away at the close of th€ market^ sold, in 1794, 
from two shillings and six penxie to three shillings 
.n dozen; beef and mutton^ th^t I hav^ known 
gold at three halfpence and two pence, was sold 
from seven pence to ten pence a pound; with 
^very other article of provision in proportion. 
The farmer, therefore, though he raises but a 
email produce, compared to tlie size of his farm, 
makes it out by the price he sells at. Himself, 
his wife, son, or daughter, bring much of the 
supplies for Bosion market from ten to twenty 
miles round; the number of small rivulets, that 



57 

run into Boston-harbour, greatly facilitating the 
conveyance. 



N CHAPTER X. 



Rhode-Island healthy and pleasant; fine women; 
its produce; contrast between the torcns of Nezc- 
port and Providence; servants; climate; j^igion; 
magistrateSj their poiver to marry people^ slovenly 
appearance in courts of justice; value" of land; 
Brissofs account of Newport and Providence 
corrected. 



Pi II ode-Is LAND and Providence plantations 
adjoin Massachusetts to the south-west. It is 
,only 68 miles lon^- and 40 wide. The. island it- 
self is but 13 to 14 miles in length, and little 
more than 4 in width. 

Being healthy and' pleasant, it is a noted re- 
sort for invalids and others from the southern 
states. It is celebrated for fine women, and I 
think very justly so; nor are those of the other 
New-England states much behind the Rhode- 
Islanders for beauty. The ladies, in general, are 
attentive and industrious in the management of 

VOL. II. £ 



38 

their families; but I can not say so much of the 
numbers of young women who have no means of 
hvelihood but their industry, or who reside at 
home a burden to their parents : of these I shall 
have to say more under the head of servants. 

A considerable part of the land of Rhode- 
Island is of a tolerable good quality: the same 
jiiay be said of Canon icut-Island, Bk>ck-Island, 
and Prudence-Island, as well as of some of the 
smaller islands, all lying in the bay of Naragan- 
set. 

The best milch-cows I have seen in America 
were here, and, generally speaking, it is a coun- 
try more for pasture than grain; yet it produces 
good crops of Indian corn, good rye and i)arley, 
very bad oats, and tolerable f!ax. Wheat is sel- 
dom attempted on account of the mildewing, or 
blasting; bu I am persuaded it is only for want 
of better management. Of clovers, I have no- 
ticed as large crops as can fairly grow out of the 
€arth; and this will pretty well enable the agri- 
culturist to judge what the land is capable of. 
Culinary roots and plants axe grown in the great- 
est variety and abundance.* 

The western and north-western inland parts of 
the state are very barren and roclcy, of course 
thinly inhabited. In the Naraganset country, 
the land is good for grazing, where they raise 
great nun bers of the finest neat cattle in Ame- 
rica. Many of the farmers keep considerable 



39 

^ain'es^ making butter and clieese of the best 
American quulity, and in considerable quantities 
for exportation. Occasionally, you may meet 
with an excellent cheese, as good as England or 
any other country can produce in the customary 
mode of dairying: I of course except Parmesan, 
Stikon, Sep. Hogs they have as good and as 
large as can be bred in any part of the globe. 

Observing one day, in Newport-market, three 
hogs, each of which weighed more than six hun- 
dred weight, I mentioned it in company after 
dinner, as worthy of remark; when Mr George 
Gibbs^ at whose house we were, a merchant of 
as much probity, honesty, and integrity, as any 
in America; and Doctor Senter, a physician of 
great abilities, not unknown in the literary world 
and an honoui to hiinian nature; both assured 
me it was far from uncommon, and that they 
had seen a hog in the same market, not long 
before, that weighed more than eight hundred 
weight. It should be observed, that these hogs 
are neither bred nor fattened for exhibition, but 
for profitable sale. 

Naraganset is famed for an excellent breed of 
pacing horses: they are strong and remarkable 
for enduring great fatigue on long journeys, but 
they have been so much neglected that the breed 
is nearly extinct. 

The town of Providence is thirty miles up the 
river from Newport: no two towns, as neigh- 
E 3 



40 

"boiiring se<i-ports, can well form a more com- 
plete contrast with each other. Newport enjoys 
the finest smnmer-season in America, while the 
people in Providence might as well live in an 
oven, being completely surrounded with high 
gand-hills, from which 30U are continually an- 
Boyed with a sharp dust and suffocated with 
heat. Newport enjoys a rich soil, Providence 
a sandy pine barren. Newport has one of the 
iinest harbours in America, and the easiest of 
access from the sea, with but little use for it. 
Providence has a long river to navigate, far from 
a commodious harbour, yet it is crowded with 
shipping. Newport has the best fii>h-market in 
America, and Providence one of the worst. 
Notwithstanding so many natural advantages ia 
favour of Newport, yet, iiom the decay of trade, 
wharfs out of repair and goitig to ruin, houses 
falling for want of tenants, with. the small number 
of shipping an,d stillness of its streets, Newport,, 
compared v.ith its former flourishing slate, brings 
to remembrance the idea of Goldsmith's deserted 
village; while Providence, from the spirited ex- 
ertions of many of its inhabitants, seems like a 
thriving crowded bee-hive. But there are two 
circumstances in which they both agree; they 
aboimd with men of sense, learning, liberality of 
sentiment, and understanding; and they are 
equally destitute of help, particularly that of do- 
mestic servants. 



41 

When young women so far condescend as to 
go from home, to live in any family as help- 
mates, (servants they will not allow themselves 
to be called, nor will they stile their employer 
master or mistress,) one of their first inquiries is, 
which room they are to have to receive their 
friends in when visited by them; and, when thus 
engaged as help-mates, they will still choose 
what kind of help they shall afford. I have 
known the lady of the house obliged to open the 
front-door when any one knocked at it, if the 
black servant was not in the way; and the lady- 
has assured me, that, though the young woman 
who attended her child and did a little needle- 
work was in the passage close by the door at the 
time, she would walk off and leave it to the mas- 
ter or mistress of the house or any other tliat 
would condescend to open it; for she would quit 
the house immediately sooner than be seen do- 
ing, or even be required to do. any thing so 
menial. 

To wait at table or tea is equally beneath her 
dignity; and, should any visiting company wish^ 
to see the infant that is under the care of the 
young woman, as nurse-maid, I have known the 
child brought to the door of the apartment, for 
the mistress of the house to receive from her, but 
no farther ; and I was assured that no persuasion 
could prevail on her to bring the child in, unless 
permitted to sit down as one of the company, 
E5 



42 

and then she would be free and frolicsome 
enough, and handy as might be wished. 

We had with us a very worthy young woman, 
who went out as a servant; and, contrary to 
most that do so go out, would not leave us, 
though four times the v. ages were offered that we 
had agreed to give her. She was proud to lake 
our youngest child in her arms when walking in 
the streets; a thing considered so very menial, 
that I was told, by some of the inhabitants, their 
proud wenches could as soon be prevailed on to 
draw a wheel-barrow along the streets; yet, in 
point of person, accomplishments, and even pro- 
perty, few if any of them couid altogether vie 
with our maid-servant. 

The only exceptions are, when children have 
been left poor orphans and bound out until 
eighteen or twenty-one years of age, but these 
are rare. The others will do as little as they 
please, will visit and be visited as often as they 
like, for which they must have great wages; or, 
sooner than go out to service, they will stay at 
home with their fathers, mothers, brothers, &c. 
(who rather encourage their pride than their in- 
dustry,) and sit at their spinning-wheel to earn 
from four pence to six pence a day. 

Enghsh families, being known to expect more 
attention, find much greater difficulty in procu- 
ring female-servants; and, respecting male-ser- 
vants, whether for the house or farming, they 



43 

are nearly as bad. Soon after making ni}^ first 
purchase, near Newport, in Rhode-Island, I was 
frequently called upon bv men, who, understand- 
ing I was an English farmer, had a desire to 
live with me in expectation of learning some- 
thing new. Their manner of application was 
curious enough, generally by walking in with 
their hats on, (let who would be in the room,) 
give a slight familiar nod of the head, take a 
chair and draw near the fire; and, inquiring if it 

was Mr they spoke to, they \\ould commence 

the following dialogue. 

" I hear Mr has bought a beautiful farm." 



— ^' \ es.'^ — "I guess now, you've brought some 
strange notions with you from the old country." 

— "I can not say how strange they may appear 
here." — ^* I warrant now, you'll want some kind 
of help to assist on this farm." — " Yes." — 
** Well, I vote you, I should like to learn some of 
the old-country notions." — " Very likely." — 
" Why, to tell the truth nov/, I have heard a 

main good character of Mr and, if we could 

agree on terms, I swear I don't believe that I 
should have any objection to live along with Mr 
if it were only to learn some of your En- 
glish notions^ you." 

But nine out of ten, that appUed, would walk 
off, without farther inquiry, on understanding 
they were not to sit at my table at their meals; 
the same or similar provisions would not satisfy 



44 

them. The very few, that would condescend to 
this, must be paid extravagantly for it, and the 
whole of them must rather be advised with than 
directed as to what should be done upon the 
farm, especially if any thing was directed which- 
they were not accustomed to, notwithstanding it 
was their avowed desire to learn something new^ 
And, should they not approve when either di- 
rected or consulted, they are not easily per- 
suaded to the attempt, but will refuse to do it 
and say, " I guess now this is one of your strange 
notions^ However, it should be acknowledged^ 
they do all this in inoffensive language; just ob- 
serving, " if we cannot agree it is better to part:'* 
vveli knowing that they can have other employ 
directly, while you may be weeks or months be- 
fore you obtain other help. 

Tlie winters, in the maritime parts of Rhode- 
Island, are milder than those in the inland coun- 
try, the air being softened by a sea-vapour. The 
summers are cool, compared with the extreme 
heats which prevail in other parts of America,, 
being frequently refreshed by breezes from tlie 
sea, but are too often troubled with thick fogs. 

The religious establishments in this state de- 
pend on, the voluntary choice of individuals: all.' 
men, who profess belief in one Supreme Being, 
are equally protected by the laws, and no parti- 
ijular sect can claim pre-eminence. Education of 



45 

voiith is well attended to in this state, and on 
reasonable terms. 

Justices of the peace, in this as in other states, 
have cognizance of small causes; and the mar- 
riage-contract, entered into and made before a 
magistrate at his private house, is as binding to 
the parties as if solemnised in a chinch by the 
clergyman. But I can not comphment any of 
the state-courts for regularity or order in their 
judicial proceedings, or even decent appearance 
in the judges themselves, v/hom I have seen sit- 
ting with long coarse trowsers and their night- 
caps, when trying causes. 

I was better pleased with the federal or circuit 
court of the United States, where some degree 
of order and regularity was maintained, by the 
steady firmness of Judge Chase, from Mary- 
land; but neither the lawyers nor people seemed 
to relish being kept to order. They guessed these 
were all English notions, which he had picked up 
while in the old country. 

The value of land in this state is various, ac- 
cording to its quality and situation. Fifteen or 
sixteen miles inland from Newport, on the Na- 
raganset side, I was offered an estate exceeding 
900 acres, on which were three farm-houses and 
three apple-orchards: more than 6OO acres of 
this were cleared, and I might have had the 
whole for 1000 guineas. Yet, in preference to 
this, I gave 1237/. sterling for a small house, aa. 



4e 

orchard, and only 86 acres of land; and, whem 
I left Rhode-Island, sold it again for the same, 
I mention this to shew how easily writers, dis- 
posed to enlist on one side of the question, may 
piake it appear (and conformably to truth) that 
lands are either extravagantly cheap or dear. 
The truth of this I have often fully experienced^ 
by a comparison of matters of fact with various 
descriptions given by fornrer writers on the sub- 
ject of America. 1 will therefore occasionally 
give a short description of some farms which 1 
examined, the better to enable the Reader to 
form his own judgement. 

The cheapest farm I met with at Rhode-Island 
belonged to Mrs Bissett; it was situate three 
miles from Newport, consisting of 170 acres of 
land, a small house, barn, and young orchard; 
and it was offered to me for 1100/. currency of 
New England. Half of the land was a good 
kindly loam, the rest cold, wet, and hungry, and 
the whole exceedingly out of condition; but the 
smallness of the house and the want of water in 
the well prevented my purchasing it as a tempo- 
rary residence. There was another farm, be- 
longing to Colonel Cook^ of 117 acres, good 
clover and barley land, the price of which was 
5000 dollars. He had another farm to sell, of 
140 acres, nearer the town, 50 acres of which 
were an unprofitable swamp; but, by proper 
draining and management, might have been 



47 

iriade the rnpst valuable part of the farm; the 
rest was good light land in its nature, but worn 
^ut with improper cukivation. A crazy old 
house, without barn, orchard, or tree, upon the 
premises; the price 7000 dollars, a hazardous 
title, and a strange man to deal with, made me 
decline treating; otherwise, the swamp tempted 
me, though valued at little by the owner. A 
farm of 213 acres, with a strong old house and 
a large orchard, was offered me, for 4000 dollars^ 
by Major Liman, a gentleman of whose friend- 
ship, hospitality, and suavity of manners, I shall 
€ver retain a pleasing remembrance. The land 
was a cold heavy loam, wanting more help than 
<:ould be obtained to get it into any tolerable or- 
<ler; yet it was cheap compared to many others, 
and I am persuaded it was tendered to me, 
through friendship, at less than its value. 

I can not quit this state, without noticing u 
few from among the many misrepresentations of 
Brissot de Warville, in his account of Provi- 
dence and Newport. Of Providence, he says: 
** Every thing here announces the decline of 
business; few vessels are to be seen in the port, 
and the silence, which reigns in other American 
towns on Sunday, reigns at Providence even on 
Monday." On the contrary, I aver that no 
town in America, for its size, has more life and 
bustle throughout the whole week, among the 
shipping at the wharfs or along the streets ; the 



4S 

houses, also, exhibit every mark of prosperous 
trade. The Baptist meeting-house, lately built, 
is an elegant building; the inside 80 feet squa-re, 
and the steeple 180 feet high: it has a good or- 
gan, and the whole is finished in a stile that 
implies a far different term for this place than 
that of poverty. 

The passage from Providence to Newport he 
describes as offering nothing picturesque or cu- 
rious; a few houses, some trees, and a sandy soil, 
he says, are all that appear. 1 have not as yet 
met with any traveller, that has sailed up and 
down this river, who has not (with me) admired 
its beauties. It is true, the soil in general is 
sandy; but, at a distance, the eye discerns very 
little about the soil. The farm-houses art? nu- 
merous, and yuu seldom lose sight of one town 
but another offers to view, on one side of the 
river or the other. 

Three of these towns are sea-ports: one of 
them is the town of Bristol, wherein is Mount 
Hope, or Haup, remarkable for having been the 
seat of King Philip, a celebrated Indian warrior, 
and the place where he was killed; and at which 
my friend, Governor Bradford, a senator in con- 
gress, took up his hospitable residence when I 
was there. To this scenery may be added a 
number of valuable rich islands that you pass, 
which, with some bold rocky shores, make it a 
curious, picturesque, and very pleasant, passage. 



45 

In his description of Newport, I ailovv, thnf, 
compared with oilicr sea-ports, it appears life- 
less, and that there are numbers of idle saunter- 
ins: people who do httle else besidq lounging 
about and perplexing their brains with foreign 
politics, of which they have a very imperfect 
conception. I agree with him in the melancholy 
appeai-ance of many houses falling to ruin; but, 
\\hen lie describes the women as hideous and 
covered with rags, he utters a falsehood as im- 
pudent as it is notorifuis to all vvlio have been at 
Newport; for, in no other town in America can 
there be seen more handsome or fewer homely 
^oujcn. Those, of any tolerable riiJik in s-ociety, 
^re exceedingly well dressed, far beyond what 
I expected, and the poorest of them all are 
clean and neat in person and apparel. His re- 
j)resentation of it as the asylum of famine, is 
equally contradictory to truth; it being acknow- 
ledged, by all who know the place, that pro- 
visions are in so much greater abundance here 
than in any other sea-port in America, that tb.cy 
may be fairly estimated one-third cheaper. Nav, 
it is to the facility with which the poor can supply 
themselves with iish, in addition to the {;bun- 
dance of vegetables they so easily raise in their 
garden-plats, that so much idienx3ss and unwiU 
lingness to place their children out to service 
may be accounted for. M. Brissot de Warvillo 
should rather have said, it was a good asylura 

VOL. II. F 



jO 

for the famished, M'hich many of his countrjatK^a 
proved, soon afier his departure from Newport in 
so ill a humour. 

There is too much truth in his nnnark, that 
the infamous and pernicious system of their 
paper-money had greatly injured the state; but, 
he ought to have noticed, that the merchants and 
inhabitants of Newport and Providence did, from 
the first to the last, firmly oppose the iniquitous 
measures q£ their infatuated legislature. I cannot 
account for these strange misrepresentations of 
Brissot, but, from a supposition, that, after be- 
ing extravagantly entertained by the partisans of 
the French revolution at Boston, where ho landed 
and had letters ,of introdu^Qtion, he found iiim-» 
self an unnoticed stranger at Providence and 
Newport, where he Avas detained a day or two 
waiting for the packet ; and, his pride being hurt, 
he saw every thing with a jaundiced eye. Cer- 
tainly, Newport loses much in a comparison 
with other sea-j)orts, in point of traffic, &c. and 
its present appearance exhibits a strong contrast 
with its former flourishing situation before the 
xevolution. Yet, I am persuaded it only r^juires 
the spirited exertion of a few more such mer- 
chants as Messrs Gibbs and Channing, to be- 
come again a flourishing sea-port. 



51 



CHAPTER XI. 



Hotuicctkut; sUuGtion aud dhuate ; qualiti/ of soil 
and produce; fannui.^; farms; roads; build' 
iugs; taverns; litigious spirit of ike inhabitants; 
religion and its ejj'ects. 



Connectici;t iuljolns Rhode-Island,, between 
41o and 42" north htitude. Tliis state is 82 
miles in Iciigth and 57 in breadth. The climate, 
though subject to the extremes of heat and cold 
in their seasons^ and to iVec|uent sudden chaiigci-', 
is very heahl)tul. in the maritime towns, the 
weather varies as tlie wind blows \\on\ the sea or 
land: as you advance inland, it is less variable. 
The north-west winds, in the winter-season, are 
extremely severe atid piercing, occasioned by the 
great body of snow lying undissolved in tlie ini- 
tuensc forests, north and north-west. The clear 
and serene aspect of the sky makes great amends 
Jbr the severity of the wealiier, and. its tem- 
perament is favourable to health. Comiecticut 
is mostly broken land, mountains, hills, and val- 
leys, and is well Avatered. Some parts are thin 
and barren; others, a light sandy soil, fuli of ttie 



52 

white "honey-suckle clover; cuid souie a strong 
tin lie soil. 

Irs principal productions arc Indian corn, rye, 
iiiid wheat; in some parts of the state, oats and 
barley, flax and onions, in great qnantities; po- 
tatoes of various kinds; pumpkins, turni[)s, 
pease, beans, and fruits of most kinds, common 
fo the climate. The soil is best calculated for 
pasture and mowing, which enables the farmer 
to feed large numbers of neat cattle and horses: 
mules are also raised to advantage for tlie A\'est- 
India islands. 

The farmers and their families are clothed in 
decent plain home-spun cloth; their linens and 
woollens, mahufactured in the family-way, are 
Kit' a strong textme and very durable. 1 had 
liCard much of the good farming in Connecticut, 
but! found myseit' di.>ap[)ointcd. With the ex- 
ception of their meadow-lands, which are natu- 
rally rich and good, ' their farming is far below 
mediocrity. 

V/hile at Hartford, I examined a farm belong- 
ing to IMr Seymour, of 103 acres of hmd; onc- 
balf, that he called grass-land, was notliing but 
a bed or matt of v/eeds and briars, yet the soil 
was capable of being made either good corn, 
f^rain, or grass, land: it must be observed, that 
LOrn in America applies only to maize, or Indian 
corn. Tlie other half of the farm was a richer 



53 

soil, partly black mould and partly hazel kind of 
Joam, with better grass; and what was ploughed 
produced strong Indian corn, but ail of it very 
loul. The house was out of repair, tiie barns 
and offices tolerable, and the water pretty good. 
For this farm he asked oOOO dollars. The richest 
flavoured pearmain I ever eat in any country 
was at this farm. 

Colonel Wadsworth (an aid-de-camp to General 
Washington) living at Hartford, I waited upon 
him without any other introduction than that of 
announcing the object of ray pursuits in America,, 
and from him 1 received a most candid, sensible, 
information and caution, concerning men as well 
as lands. We were intimate in a few iiinutes; 
affability, frankness, and manly politeness, are 
conspicuous traits of his universally-respected 
character. He asked no more than Seymour for 
a farm of loO acres, of as good land, as good a 
iiouse, better orchard and fruit-trees; and rhis he 
acknowledged w as dear. 

Connecticut is the most populous, in propor- 
tion to its extent, of any of tlie states. It is 
mostly laid out in small farms, from 50 to 300 or 
400 acres each, which are mostly held in fee- 
simple. The roads are very abundant, cros^mg 
each other in every direction. The towiis and- 
villages are numerous; and, from the attention ' 
paid in painting their houses and public buildings^.. 
they have a pleasing appearance. 
F 3 



5-1 

Milford was the only exception I met with. 
Passing through it rather in haste, 1 could not 
learn the cause; but scarcely a house was to be 
seen without a great part of its windows broken 
and various other marks of wretchedness. The 
soil round Milford seemed of a light sandy na- 
ture, but the vegetation was healthy. I under- 
stood afterwards that the distress, so apparent in 
their houses, was occasioned by an unconquer- 
able spirit for litigation. 

The taverns on the roads through New Eng- 
land arc in general much cleanlier than the mid- 
dle or southern states; but an English traveller 
feels much disgust at seeing most of the vromen 
and girls walking about without shoes and stock- 
incrs. Yet there is a modest behaviour which 
precludes any loose ideas and expectations, which 
this appearance, in conjunction with the rosy 
bloom of health, might otherwise excite. 

The education of youth in this state seems 
carried to excess: farmers, tradesmen, aud me- 
chanics, give their children a college-education, 
which is as frequent as that of a common board- 
ing school in England. I have met with common 
sailors from Connecticut, that have been brought 
up at college until too nearly arrived at manhood 
to attend steadily to the most usual means of 
obtaining a livelihood. To this cause may be 
imputed that prevalence of a litigious spirit which 



55 

pervades the state. Disputes of the most trivial 
kind being settled according to law. 

All religions, consistent with the peacci of so- 
ciety, are tolerated in Connecticut; yet a rigi- 
dity prevails bordering on intolerance, and the 
clergy, who are numerous, maintain a kind of 
aristocratical influence, which operates as a 
check on the overbearing spirit of the demo- 
cratical republican government. There are con- 
siderably more than one hundred attorneys in 
this state; yet, from the litigious disposition of 
the people, they most of them find employ- 
ment. 



5& 



CHxiPTER Xir. 

New York; North River; ge?ieral des'cription of 
the country; comparatiue state of population zeith 
Connecticut; dissohiic habit and practices of the 
farmers; city of Nezo York; value of farms in 
the neighbourhood of the city ; observations and 
comparison between the taxes in England and 
the greater evil of servants in America; Long 
Island as it is and not as formerly ; misrepresented; 
free governments abound in lazDyers, 



The state of New York is in the latitude of 
from 40° 40' to 45° north. Hudson's, or North, 
River, may be considered as one of the largest 
and finest rivers in the United States* It rises 
in the mountainous country between the Lakes 
Ontario and Champlain : its length is above 250 
miles. Sloops may sail as far up this river as 
Albany, 160 miles from New York : its banks 
are chiefly rocky cliffs, and the tide flows a fev/ 
miles above Albany. The advantages of this 
river, for carrying on the fur-trade with Canada 
and its conveniencies for internal commerce, are 
great. The increasing population and selling of 
the fertile back lands, on the northern branches 



57 



of ihc Iludson-Tvivcr, must in time greatly iii- 
ereasc ihc weailli eoiiveycd by its waters to New 
York. 

Tlic Moliawk-Rivcr I shall hereafter have oc- 
ca-ioii to deseribe more parlicularly, in 'elating 
ill detail ihe journey I took to examine lands 
that are ehielly uneuhivated, but deservedly 
esteemed among the rieliest lands in America. 
To insert it here would break too nuieh into the 
short aee<junt I wish first f- give of those states 
i examined. 

Tlie State of New York is interseeted by ridges 
of mountains, running in a north-v>cst and south- 
east dirLCtion. Beyond the Allegan^^-mounlains, 
the country, for a considerable v,ay, is a level 
fine rich soil, eoverecl, in its natural slate, with 
maple, beach, birch, cherry, black walnut, lo- 
cust, hjccory, and i;ome mulberry, trcjs: hem- 
lock-swamps are interspersed. Hemlock is a 
S[>ecies of pine, and the trees are among the 
largest and loftiest in America; they are of small 
vahie and are common indications of poor land. 

Of the commodities produced from culture, 
wiieat is the staple, of v.liich considerable (juan- 
tities arc raised and exported, the farmer and 
inland inhabitants usincr verv little of it. Indian 
corn and [)ease are likewise riiised for exportation 
and home-consumption; rye, oats, bai'ley, See. 
enrircly for the latter. In some parts of the 



58 

state, dairies are kept^ whicli^ furnish butter and 
c/ieese for the markets. 

iMr Morse, of Boston, in NeAV England, whose 
geographical account of America conveys more 
solid t :uth and information than all the oihet 
books timt 1 have read on the subject, says, 
*' That this state is but a ninth part as populous 
as Connecticut, but it is to be considered that 
Connecticut h.as no waste lands, and the Slate of 
New York is not V<dF settled. Tlic Slate of 
Conneciicut, however, throughout, is thres 
times as populous as- the settled parts of New 
York, r^ow, one of these conclusions will fol- 
low ; either, first, that the soil of Connecticut is 
preferable to that of New Yo'k ; or, secondly, 
that the settled parts of New York would sup- 
port treble the number of their present hands j 
or, that the people in CoruieGlicut ara better 
farmers and economists, or are less affluent 
and live poorer than the people of N^sw York." 
Mr Morse then adds, that the reader is left to 
adopt which of these conclusions he pleases. 

To this, I remark, that I find no ditiiculty in 
accounting for it. First, the soil of Conneciicut, 
on a general average, is far beyond that of the 
settled parts of New York; (this is with an ex- 
ception of the rich back lands, that as yet ar^ 
only beginning lo bo iidiabited). Secondly, the 
settled parts of New York would yield four times 
thi? produce they do, if the size of the farms> 



59 

were proportioned to the quantum of labour now 
employed on them. The farni4?r would likewise 
reap considerably more profit, by confinin-j; his 
own labour, with perhaps that of a son or two 
-and one servant, to from 80 to 100 acres of land, 
than to sloven over 200 or 300 acres with the 
.-same help: a fact, so general, that the farms 
*look more like Vvild heaths, or a wilderness over- 
run with briars, bushes, and a sour coarse j?Ta5s 
that the cattle cannot eat, tlian cultivated farms. 
From ten or twelve to thirty acres, out of 200 
or 300, is the largest average employed to grow 
corn or grain, and this is so choked with weeds 
that all their attention is required to keep their 
Indian corn a little clean, (an article on which 
.every American farmer chiefly depends for the 
support of his family,) and the rest of his farm 
is lefc'vvorse than in a state of nature. There are 
some few exceptions in the neighbourhood of 
.-cities, and in a very few individuals. 

Thirdly, the people in Connecticut, although 
bad farmers compared to English agriculturists^ 
are better farm^ers than those of N<?w York: they 
are more industrious, and do not spend half their 
time in such sottish holes, (which they dignify 
with the name of taverns,) as abound in the State 
■of New York. I have been obliged sometimes 
to go to these country-taverns on business, and 
declare them, infinitely vvorse than the meanest 
hedge ale-house 1 ever knew in England. Drink- 



60 

ing, gaming, and swearing, are carried to tlic 
greatest excess, and they are filthy to tlie ex- 
treme of loathing and disgust to any stranger 
but a Hottentot-Dutchman. 

To these causes may be added, that the great 
<jnantity of rich back unsettled country tempts 
the sober, industrious, poor, farmer to remove 
from the settled parts of this state with his large 
fiimily. Continual hard labour, must be his por- 
tion in either situation, if he wishes to thrive; 
and he consoles himself with thinking that his 
children may benefit by his removtil though he 
should not; and, having never enjoyed the com- 
fort and mental pleasure of more rciiried society, 
be knows not the loss. 

The inhabitants of the City of New York, the 
capital of the state, are composed of various 
nations and religions. The plan of this city is in 
no way regular, like Philadelphia and others^ but 
is laid out with reference to the ground, wliich I 
think preferable to a forced and insipid regu- 
larity. The houses are mostly built of brick and 
the roofs tiled : there are a few still remainins:, 
built after the old Dutch stile, serving as a foil 
to the English taste that now prevails. 

The situation of this city is naturally healthy 
and pleasant, but the intolerable negligence of 
those in oftice, whose business it is to direct and 
see the streets, docks, and slips, kept clean, is 
such, that some of the streets, and, I believe, 



01 

€ver}' dock and slip, (where small craft lie,) are 
so abominably filthy, that tiny person, coming 
fresh from the country or oiF the water, can 
scarcely refrain from sickness in passing them, 
occasioned by innumer^ible kinds of the most 
nauseous stenches that abound in warm weather. 
Instead, therefore, of being surprised at the 
yellow or any other epidemical fever prevailing, 
(the fatal mortality of which, at New York, I 
too frequently had opportunities of noticing in 
the summer of 1795,) I rather wonder they have 
it not every summer. The disputed question, whe- 
ther it be imported or generated there, I shall 
not undertake to decide, but am well satisfied 
tliere is sufficient ground to suspect the latter; 
and, if not entirely so, I compare it to tinder, 
.-ready to receive the first spark of conflagra- 
tion which otherwise might expire for want of 
such ready fuel. 

York-Island, on which the city stands, is fif- 
teen miles in length and hardly one in breadth. 
It is joined to the main by a bridge, still called 
Ki?ig's Bridge; a name so seldom met with in 
America, that they seem to have taken much 
childish pains to alter every sound approaching 
to royalty: witness King-street to State-street, in 
Boston; Queen- street to Pearl-street, in New 
York; and so on throughout x\merica. I used 
^to ask some of tlie Ycry staunch repubhcans, if 

^'01,. ri. G 



62 

they would not object to have any concern \^4t^a 
the King of Heaven? 

A want of good water is a great inconvenience 
to the inhabitants, there being few good wells in 
the cit3^ INIost of the people are supplied every 
day with fresh water from a piniip, near the head 
of Pearl-street, conveyed to their doors in casks. 
It is a reflection on this city, affluent^as it is, that 
they do not have it supplied by pipes, which has 
often been proposed b}' individuals but never ac- 
ceded to. It would not only be convenient, but 
highly beneficial in the event of lire, cleansing 
the streets, and purifying the air. I experienced 
-much friendship and hosphality at New York, 
my acquaintance. lying chiefly among the friends, 
or quakers. 

Great improvements in agriculture can not 
be expected until labour is abundant and reason- 
able, and men are obliged to maintain a family 
on a small farm : the invention is tlien exercised 
to find out every improvement that may render it 
more productive; ;but, at present, men of suffi- 
cient capital, spirit, and disposition, for improve- 
ments, are prevented from the dearth of lubour- 
incj: hands. 

Improved farms, as they are called, (for they 
sadly misapply the term,) are dear. I will de- 
scribe a few, with their prices. At Chester, for 
150 acres of very stony but otherwise tolerable 
land; good orchards, with an indiiFerent house, 



63 

Iwas asked 2000/. Another ftirm o£ 200 acre9>- 
two miles more inland, much such another house, 
good orchard, 50 acres of it tolerable wood but 
the land excessively stony^ was- at the same price. 
For a farm of 360 acres, in Great Nine Partners, 
Duchess-county, sixteen miles from the Xorth- 
river, a common mansion-house and a store, 
(shop,) with three orchards, the soil clayey and 
stony, so cold that no other fruit could grow 
but apples, with a Dutch neighbourhood, the 
price was 3200/. A farm of 200 acres, near 
Jamaica-town, in Long-island, avery light, san- 
dy, hungry, soil, bad fences, and indiflerent 
house; the price 2500/. Judge Ogden's farm, at 
Flushing, of 240 acres, a decent house though 
slightly built, delightful summer-residence, but 
v.ery bleak in Winter, the soil various, but most 
of it cold, hungry, and indifferent, good springs 
at a distance, but the well, for use of the house, 
dry all summer, an old orchard, and a moderate 
garden, with fishing and oisters in plenty along 
the shore; the price 4000/. 

These were the prices in 1793,. since which^ 
they have risen considerably. In 1795, Judge. 
Ogden asked 5000/. About two miles from this, 
I was tempted to make a purchase. I had pre- 
viously viewed all the states between Virginia. 
and Massachusetts, (both included^) and consi- 
dered it the most eligible spot I had seen in. 
America; and where, if any where, I might at 
G 2." 



64 



least sit down with ease and Gomfort. Farming 
on a large scale, or settling in the back wild 
countries, I had given up as a vain and fruitless 
ftttempl before I made this purchase, as will be 
been hereafter. 

To English farmers it may sound prettily, tl^at 
there are no tythes and but i^ew taxes to pay in 
yVnierica; but, in plain truth, I proved it to h^^ 
far worse to farm there than in England, (as to 
profit and Gomtort,) ;^^ iih- all the weight, so much 
cotn plained of, of tythes and taxes. Compar'a- 
live experience of both clearly demonstrated, it 
was preferable to live in any line of life in Eng- 
land, even though I were to pay double the 
amount of taxes that were ever yet paid. 

Having often made this declaration to gentle- 
men, in Anierica, who expressed their surprise, 
I explained by saying it was their single tax of 
serTa?ifs, which, in point of real value in com- 
Ibrts, outweighed all we kijev/ of taxes in Eng- 
land; from the inconveniences and difficulties 
attending v>hicb, in .America, no money or 
wealth could excuse them. It was therefore bet- 
ter for those, who employed servants, to pay any 
price in cash, even to double or treble the a- 
mount of all English ta;^es, than be robbed of 
nearly every domestic comfort and convenience, 
from the almost total want of servants in Ameri- 
ca^ either for agricultural or domestic uses. 



63 

What is the use of money but to make hie 
comfortable? By parting with. so much in Eng- 
land, under the head of taxes, I could enjoy 
every comfort suited to my situation, and have 
any number of tolerable servants for every pur- 
pose I might want in or out of business; but, 
in America, pay what you will, the benefit ex- 
pected to be derived from servants is not to be 
purcliased. It is therefore cheaper to pay in 
money than in comforts, which money can not 
purchase. 

Long-Island, where I. thus made an attempt to 
farm on a small scale, is 140 miles long and in 
no part wider than 14. I think no place in Ame- 
rica has been so generally misrepresented as this, 
which is so easy of access. All Europeans, that I 
have heard speak of this island without having 
seen it, reckon it as a garden of Eden, or Ame- 
rican paradise; by \v hi ch name, I should under- 
stand a very rich luxuriant soil, well cultivated. 
It is neither the one nor the other, there, being, 
but little natural good land compared. with the 
bad; and, except five or six miles round from. 
Brooklyn,,, opposite to New, Yojky (where the 
lands are valuable from >heir, vicinity to such a 
market, and are therefore better attended to and ; 
V. ell manured for, America/), there are but few 
farms, throughout the. slaod, that can be said to 
be farmed lo produc: more than one-third (if 
what ihey are Ciipubie of, . 
Q.3 



66 ^ 

Almost the whole length, on the south side of 
the island near the sea, is a hungry, loose, unpro- 
fitable, sandy, soil, with very few exceptions;, 
many of these arable and grass land farms selling 
from seven to twelve dollars an acre. The rich- 
est parts of the island are about the west end, by 
"New-town and Flushing, and some necks of land 
on the north side, projecting into the sound; 
"but the roads in general are delightfully pleasant 
in summer. 

Several gentlemen, from New York, have 
been at considerable expense in building country 
ch^teaus for the residence of their families 
during the summer. There is an abundance of 
fruit-trees as you ride along by the road-side, of 
which, from that abundance, the traveller is per- 
mitted to partake freely; and it is not wonderful 
that strangers, coming fresh from the sea and in 
general but little acquainted with agriculture, 
should be pleased, as they ride along,, with what 
gratifies both eye and taste, and from such super- 
ficial knowledge give the whole of the island the 
character it bears. I made the same mistake 
when visiting it in my earliest voyages, when 
f very thing thai loolvcd green I concluded was 
good; and the beautiful appearanre of so much 
fruit, that we, as hungry sailors, were allowed to 
feast upon in common with the formers pigs, left 
Eo doubt on the mind of its being an earthly pa,- 
radise; and this was siill more- confirmed, by the 



6T 

fiiuling so maoj of the lovely daughters of Eve 
residing there, as willing to frolic and dance with. 
us as we were with them. We thus saw but 
little of the island, and that was the best. 

Long-island is divided into three counties; 
King's, Queen's,* and Suffolk. There is a ridge 
of hills extending along the inner part of the 
island for nearly 100 miles. Hampstead plain,, 
in Queen's Country, is a curiosity : it is more 
than sixteen miles in length from east to west, 
and nearly eight in width : the soil was black and 
apparently rich, but I never met with a soil so 
deceitful. It was never known to have any natu- 
ral growth beside a thin wild grass and a few 
paltry shrubs. On first examining the soil, in 
various parts of the plain, I could not conform 
to the general opinion given, that it was only 
capable of growing one crop of rye when first 
broken up, and after that would not pay the 
sowing. It had every appearance of a rich tur- 
nip, barley, and clover, land; but I was com- 
pelled at last to give way to the uniform testi- 
mony of the many trials that had been made, 
proving an almost total want of vegetative 
power. Still I am persuaded it only requires 
some particular kind of manure to create a fer- 
mentation and make it valuable land.. Chalk, or 
chalky marie, about twenty loads to the acre, I 

* The title-deeds of the estates have preserved these roj^ tides. 



65^ 

tmnT-L would produce the desired effect; but tliere 
is no chalk to be had but what is imported from 
England, and sold by the pound at the shops. 
Possibly, plaster of Paris might answer; and as,, 
from the small quantity required for an acre, the 
expense of trying it would not be very great, 1= 
should recommend the experiment. Almost any 
quantity of this land was then to be bought at 
one dollar an acre; and, had 1 remained in Ame- 
rica, I might have been tempted to speculate on 
them. It is frequented by nunibers of [)lovers_,. 
and hes common for cattle, horses, and sheep. 
As there is nothing to impede the prospect the- 
•whole length of the plain, it has a curious effect 
on the eye, very like that of the ocean. 

East of this plain, about the middle of the 
island, is a large barren heath, overgrown with 
shrub-oaks and pines, where, before tlie revolu- 
tion, there were many thousand deer; they ar.o 
now scarce. Iv is frequented' also by^ u number 
of grouse, or heath-hens, 

Oisters, clams, and fish of various kinds, are 
caught with ease and in plenty in the bays on 
the south side. Were it not for this, I doubt 
whether a considerable part of the south sidei 
would or could be inhabited. 

All free governments abound- with lawyer.?.. 
Where men have the privilege of thinking and 
acting for themselves, some will involve them- 
selves ia debt and -quarrel with their neighbours; 



69 

lawyers xvill, of course, multiply, and America 
furnishes a plentiful growth of them, the State 
of New York having its share. 

The rich uncultivated lands in the hack coun- 
try I shall have occasion to mention hereafter, 
in my account of the journey I took to examine 
them. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

Nezi) Jcrsei/; face of the count ri^; its produce; 
'Newark and Elizabeth Tczcns, zcith the adjacent 
country; farmers preference of old methods to any 
new improvements; price of land; variety of soil; 
poverty and healthiness of the County of May, 



The state of New Jersey is separated from 
New York by the North-river: it is l60 uiiles in 
length and 52 in breadth. The southern coun- 
ties, which lie along the sea-coast, are pretty 
uniformly flat and sandy: as much as seven- 
eighths of these southern counties, or one-fourth 
of the whole state, is sandy, barren, and unfit 
for cuUivation. 

This state has all the varieties of soil from the 
worst to tlie best, but has a greater proportion of 



70' 

barren than most. What good lands there are, 
in the southern counties, lie principally on the 
banks of the rivers and creeks: the soil on these 
banks- is generally a strong, rich, yellow, loam; 
and, while in a state of nature, produces various 
species of oak,, hiccory, poplar, chesnut, ash, 
Sec. The barren produce little else except shrub- 
oaks, witli white and yellow pines; and the 
swamps produce cedars. 

There are large bodies of salt-marshes along 
the Delaware and along New-York Bay, up the 
North-river: the spring-tides flow over them, 
and the large quantities of very coarse hay, that 
arre cut and carried upland, are just capable oV 
keeping their cattle from starving in the winter. 
These marshes, which they call meadows, are 
covered with such innumerable swarms of mus- 
kitoes and flies, in the summer, that neither man 
nor beast can well live for them. In Glocester 
and Cumberland Counties are some larofe tracts 

o 

of banked meadows, whose vicinity to Philadel- 
phia makes them valuable. 

About the sea-coast, the inhabitants subsist' 
principally by feeding (not fattening) cattle on 
the salt-marshes, and by fish of different kinds, 
such as rock, drum, shad, perch, black turtle^ 
crabs, and oisters, which the sea, rivers, and 
creeks, afford in abundance. They raise some 
I^idian corn, rye, and potatoes, for their own 
consumption, not.for exportation. Their swamps- 



11 

tiiToid lumber, consisting of boards, sbingles, 
posts, rails, 8cc. which they send to good mar- 
^kets. 

In tlie hilly and mountainous parts of the state, 
that are not too rocky for cultivation, the soil is 
of a stronger kind and covered, in its natural 
state, with stately oaks, hiccorics, chesnuts, &c. 
and, when cultivated, produces wheat, rye, In- 
'dian corn, buck-wheat, oats, barley, flax, and 
fruits of the kinds common to the climate. 
There are, likewise, some dairy-farms of from 
twenty to thirty cows. 

Their orchards, in many parts of the state, 
surpass most in the United States, and their ci- 
der is esteemed of the best quality. The surplus 
of their produce meets with a ready market 
either at New York or Philadelphia, as most con- 
venient to that part of the state where it is 
raised. 

The country, about Newark and Elizabeth 
Towns, is remarkably pleasant, and some of the 
-land as good as any of tlie states bordering on 
the Atlantic. The towns themselves are delight- 
ful, much greater care being taken of their gar- 
dens than I observed any where else; but the 
houses, in these towns, are very dear. A Doctor 
Stiles, about three quarters of a mile from Eliza- 
beth-town, asked me 1850/. for a small neai 
house, with a good garden and orchard, thirty 
acres of upland ^nd ten of salt-marsh. 



72 

They are, in general, but slovenly bad farmers 
in New Jersey. A great part of them are of 
Dutch origin; and, although there is a kind of 
superficial neatness and cleanliness within and 
about their houses, there is much room for im- 
provements in husbandry, which they decline 
adopting, thinking it a sin to deviate from the 
old modes taught them by their fothers. And 
this is pretty nearly the same with the whole 
Ijody of farmers throughout America. 

From Wood bridge, through Brunswick, is 
chiefly a cold reddish clay approaching to stony, 
•of very little value. I was offered an estate of 
'2S0 acres, and a large house out of repair, plea- 
santly situate on the River Rariton, nearly oppo- 
site to New Brunswick, for 480/. sterling. The 
gentleman, who had it to sell, was a Lieutenant 
-Gardner, nephew to Admiral Gardner, Could 
Jabour have been obtained to work the land into 
a proper state of cultivation, the of!er would 
have been one of the cheapest I met with. 

From the ten-mile run, through Kingston, 
Prinee-town, and on to Trenton, the land in- 
creases progressively, in goodness and value, 
from five to eight, ten, qud twelve, pounds an 
^cre. There are some handsome seats about 
Trenton, and the falls are picturesque, forming 
altogether a beautiful view on the banks of the 
Delaware. 



73 

III one of my excursions tlirougli this state^ by 
the way of Aniboy to Burlington, u)y remarks 
were as follow. The soil, from the light-house 
at Sanely-hook to Soutii Amboy, was little bet tec 
than mere sand. Perth Amboy has a pleasant 
appearance but no trade. Ft continues a heavy 
sand}' soil nearly twenty miles from Aniboy, the 
land getting better as yon approach to Cranbury. 

Sixteen miles farther, through Alien's Town to 
Crosswick, the soil is freer from sand and more 
fertile. From this to Burlington, fourteen miles, 
the land continues mending, with a few neat farm- 
bouses, good rail-fences, and young orchards. 
Burlington is situated on an island, coiinected 
with the main by a bridge: the River Delav.are 
is in front, nearly one mile across, with several 
smart country-seats on the Pennsylvanian sliore. 
For breakfasts, on the road, I nsiiall}' paid two 
and sixpence; dinners, four shillings ; supper and 
lodccinG,-, four shillinQ-s. 

It is remarkable of the County of May, and a 
strong proof of its pov-erty or virtue, that no law- 
yer lives within sixty miles of it; and, of its 
healthiness, that no regular physician has ever 
found support. 



VOL. II. H 



74 



CHAPTER XIV. 

Penmyhania ; situation; principal rivers; face of 
the coiudn/ ; the soil; sugar-maple; produce bij 
culture-^ the state less healthi/ than formerly, 
Philadelphia; credit due to the Quakers for their 
management of the public institutions; punish- 
mcnt of death commuted for liard labour; obser- 
zations thereon; error in ap])oi?iting ylmerican 
refugees to diplomatic situations in America, 



Pennsylvania, oh the o})positc shore of the 
Delaware to iSevv' Jersey, is ^288 miles long and 
156 in breadth. There are six considerable ri- 
vers, wliich, with their numerous branches, pe- 
iiinsulate the whole state, viz. the Delaware, 
Schuylkill, Susqueliana, Gohogany, Monongo- 
hala, and x\Ilegany. 

As much as nearly as one-third of this st^ite 
may be called mountainous, passing under va- 
rious names, collectivelj^ forming a considerable, 
part of the great range of Allegany mountains, 
ilie vales, between these mountains, are gene- 
rally of a rich black soil, suited to various 
kinds of ^raiii and "rass. The face of the coun- 



75 

try in Pennsylvania, except the Allegany range 
of mountains, which crosses tlie state in an ob- 
lique direction and is from twenty to fifty miles 
wide, may be reckoned tolerably level, or agree- 
ably diversified with gently -sloping hills and 
\alcs. 

The soil, as may he supposed, is of various 
kinds. In some parts barren, in others moderate, 
a very fair proportion good, and no inconsider- 
able part very good. It is estimated, that the 
proportion of first-rate land is not greater in any 
of the states, except Kentucky. 

The richest part of Pennsylvania, that is set- 
tled, is Lancaster-County. The richest, that is 
unsettled, is betv/een Allegany-River and Lake 
Erie, in the north-west corner of the states. 
The natural growth of this state is similar to tbat 
of New Jersey and New York. 

It is said there are larger bodies of sugar-maple 
in Pennsylvania than in any other state. I have 
frequently been obliged to use this sugar in the 
interior parts of the country, where no other was 
to be had : I found it palatable and believe it to 
be wholesome; but, in the present stage of 
things in America, I cannot, from all the accounts 
I could obtain, think it can be worked to profit, 
farther than on a small scale for the use of fami- 
lies living in the interior, and where the maple- 
tree is in abundance, who otherwise would have 
to buy imported sugars at an immense price. 
H ^ 



76 

The produce from culture consists of wheat, 
(the staple commodity of tlie state,) some rye, 
Indian corn, buck-wheat, oats, speltz, barlej, 
now raised in greater cjiiantiiics to supply the 
breweries in Philadelphia,) hemp, flax, and ve- 
getables of various kinds. There are several 
gopd butter-dairies. In general, their beef, pork, 
and cheese, are not reckoned so good as those 
ui' New England; but I liave certainly seen as 
good beef in PhiladeJphia as need be shown in 
any market. 

Pennsylvania is reckoned more unhealthy than' 
formerly : bilious and intermittent fevers, which 
some years back appeared chiefly in the neigh- 
bourhood of rivers, creeks, and niill-ponds, now 
appear in parts remote from them and in the 
highest situations. The fever and ague 1 found 
prevailing in most situations, similar to what I 
remember it to have been in the Hundreds of 
Essex. 

Philadelphia, at the time I was there, was the 
capital not only of this but of tlie [/nited States. 
It is situated on the west bank of the River 
Delaware, on an extensive plain, about 120 miles 
from the sea. 

The superior management and method of em- 
ploying all the prisoners in their public goal, so 
much surpassed any thing I had seen or known 
before, as to induce nie to visit it several times. 
1 made minutes, with the intention of publishing 



a full account of it, as doing hononr to the be- 
nevolent and liumane inspectors and conductors. 
Keccnt publications have made mine unneces- 
sary; yet 1 feel a satisfaction in testifying, that 
it ma_y fairly be ascribed to the Quakers, (or 
Friends,) that this, as well as other beneficial 
vrell-conducied pnblic institutions, so pecuhar to 
this stale, have been carried into good effect. 

Among the useful laws of this slate, there is 
one, commuting, for death, hard labour for a 
long term of years, as a punishment for many 
crimes which are made capital by the laws of 
England: murder, arson, and one or two other 
crimes, are yet punished wiih death. 

1 observed to ^Ir Loundes, my friendh' con- 
ductor, who repeatedly attended me, that I had 
long been of opinion sanguinary laws were inex- 
pedient as well as injurious; ibr, admitting that 
a fellow-mortal had committed the greatest ar.d 
most ao<riavated crime that imaii-ination could 
suggest, what good purpose could be ans\\ered 
bv the lakinjj; his lite awav? If intended as a 
punisliment to the unhappy wretch, or with a 
view to deter others, it does not answer either 
pm-pose so well as close solitary confinement, (in 
an iron cage, where thought necessary,) totally se- 
cluded from the converse of manknid, except his 
keeper and any clergyman that might attend him 
at regular periods. U it were added, that, at 
certain times of the year, he should be exposed 
^ H 3 



78 

to public view, and sbevvn as a dreadful exampls 
to deter otiiers, tJtis altogetbea' would certainly 
be a beavier punisbment tban deatb to tbe uur- 
happy wretcb for tbe crime committed against 
society; and it would answer more effectually as 
a means to deter otbers, (wbereas tbe present 
mode of taking life away seems ratber to en- 
courage a daring-like species of bravery, tbat of 
dying game, whicb tbey embolden eacii otber 
by,) witbout robbing tbe miserable delinquent of 
tbat we bave no rigbt to take away, time for rc- 
])entance, and bopc of making bis peace witli tbe 
Almigbty; to wboni alone sbouid be left tbe 
Avitbd rawing of tbat life wliicb no otber powc r 
(-an give. To prevent oM'enders repeating tbe 
act, to punisb temporally, and exliibit sucb exam- 
ples as may deter oibcrs, is consistent witb tbe 
social laws of com.pata and justice: beyond tbis, 
we bave no rigbt; if is arrogating a power be- 
longing to tbe iMmigbty, nor can it so well 
answer tbe purpose intended. iVIr Louudcs 
agreed witb me, observing it was ibe prevailing 
sentiment of most among tlie Society of Friends.; 
but tbat tbey liad been fearful of a])plying to tbrC 
legislature for too uiucb at tbe iirst, lest tbey 
mi5>;lit not bave bad planted so mueb as tbev bad 
tben obtained. 

Tbe PbiladolpbiaFis are' said to be neitber so so- 
ciable nor bospitable as tlje inbabitants of oibcr 
st-a-ports. 1 will not pretend to say wbetber tbis 



79 

report is well founded or not, as I made it an in* 
variable rule, rcliile travelling, to make as few 
acquaintances as possible; well aware that visits 
of ceremony and invitations would interfere too 
much with m}' time and my pursuits. The few 
I did make acquainlaiice with, 1 fi)und friendly 
and obli'>ino-: from some of the members attend- 
ing congress, and in particular from Colonel 
Hamilton, while Secrctaj-j of the Treasury, I 
received every possible mark of polite attention 
and disposition to impart information. 

And here, (as it occurs from the recollection 
of a circumstance I am unwilling to mention,) I 
cannot help remarking the great mistake that 
England has made respecting the appointment of 
American refugees to public offices in America^ 
It frequently came witiiin my observation and 
knowledge to remark, that England, if she were 
desirous of matters going on in a smooth and 
friendl}^ manner bet\vcen the two countries, 
could not have acted with more impolicy than bj 
such appointments. It was unpleasant to the 
appointed, during peace, if he had any sense of 
mental feeling; and dangerous to his person, at 
any commencement of liostiiities, for there ex- 
isted a deadli/, inveterate, incurabiej and }nutual, 
hatred between the reiagee loyalist and the re- 
volutionary republican.: this may be considered 
as a sorry picture of numan nature^ but it is too 
true and; I fear, too natural. 



80 

Most of the British consuls in America are or 
were refugees; and, admitting their characters 
and abilities were equal to tlie appointment, and 
that they endeavoured to execute tiicir trust faith- 
fully, still it was and is all up-hiil work; for, 
whatever these minor diplomatic agents do, or 
whatever they say, the Americans loatli what 
they consider the taint of the refugee character, 
and tliere is no love lost between them. If, 
therefore, the Biitish government thought it 
right and lionourable to [)rovide for tliem, tliose 
in power had better have taken any other me- 
thod. 

I have myself met with too many cross-rubs in 
life not to Feel lor others, and truly do i sym- 
pathise with some very honourable characters., 
who, from pure loyalty, suffered much; yet, in 
the case of the rel'ugees in general, poorJolui 
Bull has been grievously imposed on. A con- 
siderable part of them were men of desperate 
fortunes; who, v.heii at the clo-e ol" the war they 
delivered in accounts of wiiat they had suffered 
for their loyalty, made a pretty full account of 
all they ever liad possessed, but notliing of what 
they liad spent, losr, or owed on mortgage ay 
well as other debts. iMany of their estates did 
not sell for near wliat they were mortgaged for, 
although valued, in tl}eir accounts, at double 
and treble their real worth. Some, who were 
known not to be worth a shilling before the revo- 



81 

huion, are now, by the generosity of poor John,, 
enabled to live in a state of independance; yet 
this is not so great an evil as such appointments. 
Upon the three renraining states I examined, 
adjoining the Atlantic, it will be unnecessary to 
dwell particularly; as I can on no account think 
them deserving the attention of British emigrants, 
unless they think themselves qualitied for the 
riumagement of slaves, in which case nvj intbr- 
uuuioii is useless. 



CHAPTER XV. 

Ddatcare; smallest state in the union; short general 
(kscripticn ; pike of cultivaled tauiL 



The state of Delaware, the smallest in the 
imion, being but 92 miles in length and l6 m 
breadth, of course affords but little room for emi- 
grant-strangers to look for settlements: it is, like- 
wise, in many parts unhealthy. The land being 
for the most part low and flat, occasioning much 
stagnated water in consequence, the inhabitants 
are much subject to intermittent fevers. 



82 

The south part of the state is low, and a con- 
siderable portion of it lies in forest. What is 
under cultivation produces htlle, except Indian 
corn, of which it is said to grow good crops. I 
only saw the corn in its grass state, when it looked 
thrifty. In some places, rye and flax are raised, 
but wheat in these parts is scarcely known. When 
nature is deficient in one resource, she is fre- 
quently bountiful in another: this is verified in 
the tall thick forests of pines, which are cut into 
boards and exported in large quantities to every 
sea-port in the adjoining states. 

Proceeding northward, the soil is more fertile 
and produces good wheat. Travelling from 
French-Town, in Maryland, to Newcastle, in 
Delaware, fifteen miles out of the eighteen is in 
the State of Delaware, where the soil is good, 
the forest-trees thrifty and large, with the best 
white-thorn hedges I had seen. The farms are 
small, and sell from five to ten pounds an acre. 
They raise all the other kinds of grain common 
to Pennsylvania. 



83 



CHAPTER XVI. 

Maryland; its small produce of grain by the acre; 
other produce; Annapolis; Baltimore; the ex- 
pense of living greater than in London ; strangers 
should be careful to make specif c agreements; 
Mrs Walters. 



Maryland is 134 miles in length, by 110 in 
breadth. An. EnG;lish farmer will have no high 
opinion of the soil, when told that good land will 
not produce more than twelve or sixteen bushels 
of wheat to the acre, and that ten bushels of 
wheat and fifteen of Indian corn are the annual 
average-crops in the state at large; but the fault 
lies not so much in the land, as the intolerably 
negligent method of cultivating it: yet wheat, 
as well as tobacco, are called the staple commo- 
dities of the state. The method of cultivating 
tobacco I shall mention in my account of Vir- 
ginia. 

In ih-e interior country, or uplands, consider- 
able quantities of hemp and flax are raised ; 
though nothing equal to the demand of the 
former article, as I was well informed by a res- 



84 

pectable English gentleman, settled at Baltimore, 
as a rope-maker, which business I believe he finds 
turn to good account. 

The a[){)]os of this stat€ are mealy, their peaches 
plentiful arid good, from which they distil peach- 
brandy. Their forests abound with nuts, chiefly 
of the black walnut kind; with these, their 
swine, that are suffered to run wild in the woods, 
are fed ; and, w hen fattened, are caught, killed, 
barrelled, and exported. 

The City of Annapolis is the capital of Mary- 
land, but is of little note in the connnercial world. 
Baltimore, where I first landed with my family, 
has had the most rapid growth of any town in 
America, and is reckoned the fourth in size and 
fifth in trade in the United States. There arc 
many res[)eetable families in Baltimore, who live 
genteelly; and, judging of the rest by the few I 
was actpiainted with, they are hospitable and 
politely attentive to strangers. But the bulk of 
the inhabitants, collected from all quarters, are 
bent on the pursuit of wealth; to get money ho- 
nestU', if they can, but at any rate to get it. 
This, in a small degree, I experienced, and heard 
much more Irom others, to be the case among 
the lower order of tradesmen and mechanics in 
all the large sea-ports in the United States. If 
you do not make a clear firm bargain, that they 
cannot well evade, tiiey will endeavour by some 
low cunnino; to take an advantaiie. But the 



gx^ntlemen and merchants, with whom I had any 
connection throughout the continent, were men 
of sincerity, probity, and honour. 

There is another order, or, to use a mihtary 
term, centre rank, between one and the other; 
men, who aim at character and consequence, 
without meriting either; but, finding it too ar- 
duous and costly a task to obtain them genuine, 
they endeavour to bring those above them to 
tlieir own \e\e\, by private insinuations: advising, 
in an apparent friendly way, to put you on your 
guard against being ruined by those they observe 
you place confidence in. This class are so busy 
and oflicious, that I scarcely recollect one friend, 
acquaintance, or connexion, tliat I had in any 
part of America, but whispers came to put me on 
my guard; and, if I could have credited such 
reports, it might have been dilticult to find a 
trust-worthy honest man to repose confidence in. 
But I had been so long in the habit of seeing 
^nd judging for myself, that it produced little or 
no eftect^ and I am happy to have it in my power 
to aver, that, for the short time I resided in any 
of the sea-ports, I could not wish a more respec- 
table friendly acquaintance in any country, with 
more satisfaction to myself. 

Almost the whole trade of Maryland may be 
said to centre in the town of Baltimore, but it is 
neither healthy nor pleasant; and in this place, 
as vrell as Philadelphia and jNevv York, hcuse- 

VOL. II. I 



86 

rent, clothing, education, servants, and mainte- 
nance of a family, are dearer titan in London, 
Bristol, or Liverpool. I heard single men make 
the same remark; and, judging from \Ahat I paid 
at boarding-houses as well as the public inns and 
taverns, their expenses must be higher without 
half the comfort. A dollar and a quarter, or a 
dollar and a half, a day was the customary price 
at boarding-houses ten years back, beside paying 
for every thing you drink, except water. 

I would recommend all strangers to make a 
specific agreement first, and not trust to what 
thev may hear of their terms: if this is not at- 
tended to, they may be served the same trick 
tiKit I was by a Mrs ^\ alters, near the Lidian 
Queen, at Laltimore. Desiring my bill, when 
\ve liad been there a few days, I found we were 
charged one-quarter more than the other board- 
ers. I remonstrated, saying I was willing to pay 
as much as others, (althougli we were much less 
at home,) but not more. She promised to alter 
it. 

Previously to our leaving Baltimore, I told her 
the day, desiring my bill might be ready. She 
came in a hurry the day before, requesting I 
would oblige her with the loan of a sum of mo- 
nev to discharge some bills that were called for, 
her husband being out of the way. I lent her 
the money, and the following morning received 
my bill v/itli the whole of her extravagant charge, ' | 



87 

amounting to something within the sum bor- 
rowed. There was no time left for disputing it; 
she had the power in her own hands, laid mc 
down the balanee, and exulted in the success of 
her cunning. 1 believe they think it a merit to 
cheat an En2:lishman. 



CHAPTER XVII. 

Virginia; the climate and soil i-arious; average- 
price of lands (ozcer than in the other states 
herein mentioned; all the labour in husbandry/ 
dene by slaves; Chesapeak-bay and principal ri- 
vers emptying into it; the inhabitants nearly as 
many slaves as free people; pe/niciuus conse- 
quences; Mr Jeffersons recommendation; objec- 
tions to Tirginia; causes of u?ihealthiness; coal 
mines; high price of f redwood; sudden changes 
of the atmosphere; likeness to General Washing- 
ton a favourable introduction; thoughtless conduct 
of P irginia planters; course of crops; their ma- 
nagement and short account of tobacco-planting ; 
price of lands; negro-slaves hired by the year. 



Virginia is 758 miles in lens^th and 224 in 
breadth; lying between SQ"" 30' and 40° north 
I 2 



88 



latitude. In an extensive conntrv, like this, it 
mast be expected tluit the climate is not the same 
in all its parts. The uplands, approaching the 
nionntains, are much colder tiian lands in tke 
same latitude nearer the sea. 

The soil has every variety from the worst to 
the best; and, believing from what 1 saw and all 
i could learn, the average-piice of lands is consi- 
derably lower in this state than in any other to 
the northward and eastward; for, as to the low- 
priced unexplored lands farther south, in Geor- 
gia, &c. (of which, millions of acres have never 
been seen by those who undertake to describe 
and sell them,) a man might as well think of 
makins: a i)urchase in the moon. In ViriJ^inia, 
were it not for the unconquerable difficulty of 
procuring any other help or labour than that of 
slaves, a European agr-iculturist might purchase 
and farm to greater advantage than in most of 
the states. 

The sea-ports in Virginia communicate with 
the ocean, through the Bay of the Chesapcak. 
It is one of the largest inland bavs known: the 
entrance to this, from the sea, is between the 
Capes Charles and Henry, twelve miles wide, 
and the bay extends 270 miles to the northward. 
It is from seven to eighteen miles broad, and 
from four to nine fathom is the common depth: 
it affords a safe and easy navigation, with several 
commodious harbours, it receiver the waters of 



89 

the Susqnehana, Patomac, Rappalianoc, York, 
andJames, Rivers; all large and navigable. 

Of the inhabitants, there are nearly as many 
slaves as free. By Mr Jefferson's account, a few 
years back, there were 296,852 free inhabitants 
and 270,702 slaves. Tlie pernicious influence 
this has on the morals and manners of the \ ir- 
ginians is, or ought to be, as great an objection 
to British emigrants as any thing that can be 
named. The inefficiency likewise of the laws, to 
recover debts from men of landed property, is 
another; laying strangers, in particular, open to 
serious impositions. Should a man of landed 
estate owe ever so much, he may laugh at his 
credulous creditor, and it is no uncommon case. 

It is observed by a traveller, that " the Vir- 
Cfinians who are rich are in 2:eneral sensible, 
polite, hospitable, and of an independent spirit; 
the poor, ignorant and abject. They ai'e much 
addicted to gaming, drinking, swearing, horse- 
racing, cock-fighting, and most kinds of dissi- 
pation." And again it is said, by another, that 
" the young men generally speaking are gam- 
blers, cock-Hghters, and horse-jockeys. To hear 
them converse, you would imaguie that the 
grand point of all science was, properly to fix a 
gaff, and touchy with dexterity, the tail of a cock 
while in combat. Literary inquiries are confined 
to a few, while, at ahnost every tavern, ^^c. on 
the public roads, there is a billiard-table, back- 
I 3 



90 

gammon tables, cards, and other inventions for 
various games. To these public-houses, the 
gambhng gentry in the neighbourhood constant- 
ly resort to kill time, which hangs heavily ou 
ihem ; and, having been accustomed to it from 
their earliest youth, they are adepts at their bu- 
siness." 

It was soon after my arrival in America, for 
the purpose of exploring the country, I received 
a polite letter from Mr Jefterson, (then secretary 
of state); in which, among other remarks, he 
s;)3's, *' There are circumstances which would 
render it worth while to look also a little way 
southwardly : from my knowledge of the dilferent 
parts of the middle states, i would advise you to 
visit tiie country lying along the little mountains, 
about 20 or '25 miles below the blue ridge in 
\ irginia, crossing the Patowmac about Lees- 
burg, passing south-westardly by the Red House, 
TarquharV Court-house, Culpepper Court-house, 
and along the south-west mountains. There is 
not a healthier nor finer climate in America; the 
winters do not eat up the summers, as is the case 
to the northward. The soil of the richest and 
fee'st adapted to farming, liaving been kept in the 
bands of tobacco-makers, remains slii/ in its ap- 
pearance, consequently cheap, but, in the hands 
of a farmer, capable of becoming excessively 
rich in a verv short tune/' 



91 

All that Mr Jefferson has said^ as above, h 
tyuc, and to emigrant farmers, who may think 
that Virginia \vi]l suit them, this route is well 
worth notice. For myself, I own that I entered 
Virginia with a prejudice from my objections to 
slavery, and travelled but a short distance in the 
state before the number of cock-pits I continu- 
ally saw, the horse-raeings evei^ where talked of, 
with the drinking and gambling so conspicuous 
at taverns even in the forenoon, convinced me 
that Virginia was not suited to settle my family 
in agreeably to my wishes. 

In discoursing with a ^'irginian gentleman, 1 
observed, that, if I could be induced to settle 
there, my intentions respecting the slaves would 
be to aflbrd them ail an opportunity of liberating, 
themselves, (in the way afterwards adopted by 
me in Long-island); but he soon convinced me 
of its being impracticable tlierCy unless I could 
content myself to live completeh^ insulated, 
where all in the neighbourhood, who possessed 
slaves, would set their faces against and consider 
me as a common enemy; for this, however, I 
was not Quixote enough. 

The changes from heat to cold, in V'irginia, 
are very sudden, as 1 experienced repeatedly: 
these sudden and frequent transitions, together 
with the moist exhalations from the innumi^rable 
livers and waters, may be reckoned a principal 



92 

cause of rendering Virginia in general so unheal- 
thy. 

There are some capital coal mines in this 
state; and, it" 1 could have persuaded m3^self to 
settle here, I believe I should have speculated in 
this way, in preference to any other concern. A 
Mr Payne, of Petersburg, had just purchased 
the right of working a coal mine near Rich- 
mond, giving 7000/. Virginia money, for twen- 
ty-one years, to work any part or parts of 300 
acres. The stratum of coal, as he told me, was 
from eighteen to thirty feet thick, and not more 
than fifty feet below the surface, and some parts 
within ten feet. 

Fire-wood, in Philadelphia, New York, and 
most of the sea-ports, sells from six to eiglit, ten, 
and twelve, dollars a cord,"^ becoming scarcer 
and dearer every year. House-keepers expenses 
for firing, in all the sea-ports in America, are 
double to those in England. It cannot be long, 
therefore, before they jnust get into the practice 
of burning coal, notwithstanding the general 
prejudice against it, and tlien some of these 
coal mines, so near navigable rivers and easy to 
work, will prove of great value. 

Ptichmond, the seat of government, is up 
James-river, 120 miles from Nurfolk, which is at 
the entrance from the Chesapeak. Beside the 

* Eight feet long, four feet wide, and four feet high. 



93 

water-passage, there is a good road by land, for 
v.hich the coach-fare is six dollars. The road 
from Richmond to Fredericsbiirg is level and 
sandy; and, from Fredericsbiirg to i\lexandria, 
hilly and clayey, with but little good land. The 
expenses of travelling are full as high as in any 
of the other states, with as little accommodation. 

On the tenth of May, at Alexandria, v.e had 
green pease for dinner from the natural ground^ 
and strawberries after. At the same time, from 
a sudden change in the weather, ourselves and 
others were obliged to have a good fire to warm 
us. 

General Washington's house is pleasantly situ- 
ated on the Virginia-bank of the River Patow- 
mac, where it is nearly tv.o miles wide and 280 
miles from the sea. The mansion is conveniently 
large, but can not be compared to many country- 
gentlemen's seats in England. In travelling 
through various parts of dit!erent staces, I often 
considered myself fortunate in a kind of general 
passport or introduction to the inhabitants, frora 
a strong likeness which they found in me to their 
old general. The instances were uncommonly 
numerous: some of the gentlemen, who had 
served under him, would request me to call on 
brother-oflicers, living in the route I was taking, 
from a wish that others m.ight see and remark 
^vhat they said was an extraordinary likeness; 
and, wherever I did call, I \was sure to find simi* 



94 

lea* strong- expressions, accompanied with every 
oiler of civility and hospitality. 

With the tobacco- planters, there appeared a 
paradoxical kind of thoughtless inconsistent pa- 
rade, coupled with well-meant friendly ofiVirs cf 
service, without considering their power to per- 
form. As an instance, a gentleman, with whom 
I was acquainted, wished to introduce me to his 
friend, a senator in congress. The reception w^as 
polite; and, among other offers of civility, I 
was desired, whenever it was my wish to ride, to 
send for on<3 or more of his horses, having no 
less than sixteen attending him, with a suitable 
number of servants (slaves) and carriages, at a 
heavy expense, being at the time a considerable 
way from home. 

My acquaintance proposing a ride the next 
morning, orders were given accordingly; but, 
when we were going to mount the steeds, I 
could not refrain from laughing most heartily at 
the animals and equipage. They were complete 
Rosinantes, with scarcely an ounce of ilesh on 
their bones, and the bridles and saddles in as bad 
plight as the horses. The bridle and girths were 
not only tied and mended with packthread, in 
heu of buckles, but one of the stirrup-irons was 
suspended solely by a sugar-loaf string, instead 
of leather. My friend (himself a Virginian) 
laughed it off, observing it was a true picture of 
most Virginian gentlemen, who were ever ready 



to oftcr liberally, ^vith sincere intentions, but 
completely without considering whether it was in 
their power to perform. To have so many ser- 
vants, so many horses, and so many carrii)ges, 
in bis suite, was essential to his consequence, 
but their condition was beneath his notice. 

Tobacco is the staple of Virginia: it has ruined 
the land without benefiting the people. To grow 
wheat after tobacco, which is as pernicious a 
weed as can well injure land, and Indian corn 
after wheat, is with them a course of crops. 
These are all three exhausting crops; but, when 
thev find their land quite crop-sick, and must 
liiive help, they turn it up for the winter, sow it 
in the spring uith a black-eyed pea-vine, which 
covers the land all summer, and cattle are turned 
in, to feed the tops and trample the vines in, 
about October. They do not reckon their pro- 
duce by the acre, but by the number of slaves on 
a plantation or farm. Thus one slave is expected 
to manage and produce from 2000 to 3000 pounds 
weight of tobacco, from 100 to 150 bushels of 
Indian corn, and from 30 to 40 bushels of wheat; 
but, by the best accounts I could get, the ave- 
ra2:e of their wheat-crops did not exceed from 
twelve to fourteen bushels an acre. The tobac- 
co-plants stand about four feet apart, in rows; 
they reckon five plants to a pound. It is first 
sown in beds, about Christmas; transplanted in 
May; hoed three times; topped, when eight or 



96 

nine inches high, leaving eight to twelve leaves; 
-cut in August, and hung about on poles and rails 
until fit to house. 

The lands, in Berklej^ and Frederic Counties, 
inay be reckoned among the best in the state, 
and so is the society. The price of land is from 
ten to twenty dollars an acre, according to the 
improvements. In Farquhar and Culpepper, 
they are from four to six or eight dollars, and' 
up James-river about the same. 

There are many who keep negro-slaves to let 
out by the year. They are hired for about forty 
dollars a year, besides board, clothes, and taxes, 
which amount to near twelve dollars more. Fe- 
males, about half the price. 



97 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

Tuitr to view the back lands; set off from Nezo York; 
argument beticeen a divine aiid a i^hysician; a 
Ge/itoo's opinion; advantage in travdilng as a 
Gentoo; remarks on the road; Albany; Skenec- 
tady; cross the Mohawk; interval lands; Guy- 
park house; Mr Miles, a judge, member of as- 
sembly, and tavern-keeper; Sir William J ohnsoris 
large estate; Fort Hunter; the soil; bad roads 
and bad living; Roaf's tavern and farm; Hud- 
sons tavern, formerly a drummer in Burgoyne's 
army, contrasted zvith the zvidow of an American 
general; German-Flats Toun; a church built by 
Sir William Johnson; strange notion of the In- 
dians concer)iing it; log -fort; log -houses des- 
troyed by the hulians, the inhabitants murdered', 
value cf iunds ; Squatters; Judge Sterling, anec- 
dote of hi;;i; Squire Bretton, a tavern -keeper 
a rui member of assernl'y; Fort Scuyhr ; Jt'hites 
Tozcn; Colonel White and tlie dram -bottle; 
Judge White, 



I HAVE now given such a representation of 
those states which 1 carefully examined, to<i:ether 
with cursory remarks, bringing into one view 

VOL. II. K 



98 

such information as I should have been glad to 
receive prior to my own embarkation for Ameri- 
ca, in the hope it may preserve others from in- 
volving themselves and families in difficulties 
which they may not be so easily extricated from; 
or, if they are determined to emigrate, it may be 
useful in pointing out v/here and how they are 
most hkely to be accommodated, and also put 
them on their guard against the many imposi- 
tions practised before they set out as weil as after 
their arrival. In addition thereto, I will, in this 
place, as forming a part of my own travels, give 
a more detailed account of a journey i undertook 
to view some of the rich back kinds, so much 
talked of, as the land of Canaiui, Scc« 

The difference in distance and climate alone 
excepted, all these new lands are s.o similar to 
fach other, that a plain description of one, with 
the manner of settling so generally adopted by 
all, may aflbrd a sufficient insight to the whole. 

1 took my departure from New York. For 
the first 160 miles, to Albany, there is a choice 
to go either b^' land or water. I took a place in 
the mail-coach, or coachee, (as these vehicles 
arc termed,) which set off at three in the after- 
noon, passing between the ruins of Washington 
and Lee Forts, on York -island, over King's 
Bridge. 

We arrived at a Dutch tavern, kept by Mr 
Odell, at half-past eight. As neither good nor 



99 

bad words will Induce a Dutchman -to move 
brisker than usual, our company, pretty nume- 
rous (eleven) for one coachee, were obliged to 
"Wait patiently until our landlord gave us what he 
thought suited best for supper. This consisted 
of the most execrable tea I ever tasted, (no cof- . 
fee,) some fried veal, and buttered toast; for 
which, with our lodgings, two or three in a bed, 
we paid four shillings and six pence each. 

In the course of our afternoon's travel, a varm 
argument had been maintained between a young 
episcopal clergyman and a well-informed physi- 
cian, both of New York, concerning Tom Pain's 
religious opinions. Appeals were occasionally 
made to me; and, foreseeing some entertain- 
ment from an innocent disguise, I excused my- 
self as a foreigner, who was travelling for infor- 
mation, better pleased to hear the opinions of 
other mien than deliver my own, especially on 
subjects of religion; that, in the country I came 
from, men of my cast were content to think for 
themselves, acting up to what they thought just 
and right, without aiming to make converts of 
others. This was sufficient to excite the natural 
curiosity of Americans, and questions followed 
to know my country and religion. I said that 1 
came from India, and called myself a Gen too, 
giving, at their request, several specimens of the 
language, of which they knew not one word, 
K 2 



100 

with a short song or two, such as 

" Toomana carkee ha coo sedjcree," &:c. 
which entertained and convinced them at the 
same time. Appeals were made more frequently 
than before, considering me the more impartial; 
thus ailording me an apportunity of delivering 
sentiments and opinions without giving offence. 

I jninutcd dov/n many curious heads of argu- 
ment on both sides, unnecessary to trouble the 
reader with, except one concerning the future 
state of the soul as to rewards and punishments. 
The clergyman strenuously contended that good 
Christians would be happy to all eternitj^, and 
that the wicked would be condemned to everlast- 
ing punishment. The physician admitted the 
soul's existence, and that of a beneficent just 
Being who would reward or punish hereafter; 
but denied the existence of such a place as hell 
for everlasting torments, or such a personage as 
the devil. 

I long resisted giving any opinion on the sub- 
ject, until pressed very hard by the young par- 
son, who challenged it on this ground, that, 
althouuh I was no Christian and therefore de- 
clined speaking to any of their doctrinal points 
of argujnent, yet, as a Gentoo, and as he hoped 
and believed a good serious thinking man, I 
must have considered the necessity and justice of 
making a grand distinction, in a future state, 
(my belief in which I had hdoie admitted,,) be* 



101 

tween the good and the bad of this world. I 
assured hhn, that, if he would satisfy my igno- 
rance by answering one question, I would then 
givx him the best opinion in my power, viz. if I 
understood him rightly, he had said that man- 
kind would be divided into t\\o parts only, the 
good and the bad ; that the first would be re- 
ceived into heaven, or happiness, and the latter 
consigned to hell, or misery; and that both were 
considered to be eternal. He admirted I con- 
ceived him right, and should be glad to know 
if I did not think it both equitable and just that 
it should be so. " Be pleased/ sir, to answer me 
the following question^ and I will then tell you» 
As there must inevitably be an indescribable 
Humber of degrees of both good and bad men> 
the worst of the good and the best of the bad 
must necessarily approach so near to each other, 
that the smallest additional good act on one side 
©r bad act on the other must turn the scale for 
eternal happiness or misery. Will you be kind 
enough, therefore, to inform me how t/ow doc- 
trinal tenets settle this point, as lo where this 
almost inconceivable line of distinction is to be 
made, by which a grain, more or less, of good 
or bad determines one's fate for everlasting hap- 
piness or misery .** 

I ruppose he was too young in the service, 
therefore could not solve the question^ But I 
did not take advantage of this^ by evading aa 
K 3 



102 

an ansv.'er; and told him my simple opinion was, 
tliat, as the Ahnighty Being, to whom all na- 
tions and religions bowed in adoration under 
some name or another, had thought proper to 
veil this (as well as other matters the human mind 
was naturally curious about) from my very imper- 
fect knowledge, I rested satisfied tliat all would 
be ordered for the best, though in w hat manner 
I could not pretend to say, much less dispute 
the opinion of another on the subject. All I 
pretended to be confident in was, that a man, 
endeavouring to act well through life and to 
make himself useful, had nothing to fear but eve- 
ry thing to hope. After a short pause, 1 farther 
observed, that possibly there \vere as many de- 
grees of bappiness and misery in the starry worlds 
around, as of good and bad men; and where 
was the improbability that the souls of men 
might be sent to inhabit such worlds, according 
to their deserts in this?. There was no circum- 
stance of this nature in their bi.ble, he said, what- 
ever there might be in the Gentoo writ, there- 
fore he did not believe it probable. 

_Ail this was done and said in such perfect 
good humoi r on all' sides, that 1 may truly say 
we met good-naturedly as strangers, we travelled 
pleasantly, and parted with the most friendly 
good wishes towards each other. The young 
clergynian, in particular, took my right hand 
between his; pressed it to his breast^ and, with a 



103 

tear glistening in his eye, expressed a ^visb we 
might meet again in this world and for ever iu 
the next. Most sincerely and fervently, I said 
Amen. 

Learning that the heds at Mr Odell's would he 
fulJy occupied, and not choosing to have a male 
bedfellow, (so common at inns in America,) I 
contrived to profit farther hy my Gentoo-ship. 
Taking a pair of pistols out of my portmanteau,. 
I laid them on a pillow of one of the beds in the 
room we supped in, desiring the people of the 
house not to m.eddle with them for fear of an 
accident, as they went off suddenly if not care- 
fully handled. Curiosity was agojn excited, to 
know why I travelled with fire-arms, in a part of 
the country where they were not necessary. I 
observed, that long usage had so accustomed me 
in travelling about the v> orld, I could not sleep 
so well without them; and, being soon alarmed 
and startled in my sleep, by placing them under 
my pillow, I felt relief in having such a guard 
against sudden alarms. I had no occasion to say 
any thing about sleeping alone, for they crowded 
three or four in a bed rather than sleep with a 
Gentoo. My fame travelled as fast as our car- 
riage, creating a little trouble at every ina ta 
answer some curious questions, but affording me 
ample diversion. 

We set oft^ from Odeli^s at live the next morn- 
ing, passed under the large ttdip-tree where 



104. 

Major Andre was taken, breakfasting at Croten, 
thirteen miles from OJelfs: from this, to Peek- 
skiU-landing, is ten niiles» The whole road from 
King's Bridge is over rough rocky hills, the soil 
in general a cold clay and very stony : for break- 
fasts, at Peekskill, three shillings each. 

Thence to Fishkill, (twenty miles over the 
high lands,) a strange romantic read, where we 
seldom met with any cleiued land. Chiefly 
woods, a few poor wretched log-houses, deep 
gullies, and dangerous passes over water-falls^ 
with frequent sight of the North-river, making 
it curiously beautiful if not pleasant travelling. 

On quitting the mouiuains at Fishkill,. I was 
agreeably surprised with a prospect of good 
farming-land on a fine plain we descended to, and 
the land better farmed and attended to. We 
dined at five shillings each. 

From this to Poughkeepsie is fifteen miles of 
good road, passing over the beautiful Fishkill 
water- falls. The soil continued tolerable in ap- 
pearance and decently farmed, for America, untit 
within four miles of Poughkeepsie. This is the 
county-town of Duchess-county: the houses are 
neat, the court-house, goal, and tavern, ail in* 
one. For supper and lodgings, five shillings^ 
each;^ by suppers are to be understood tea, cof- 
fee, 8cc. but no liquors, unless called and paid for 
separately. Land, in this neighbourhood, sold 
from five to ten pounds an acre^ 



105 

We set off early next morning. The land was 
pretty level for some miles, then hilly and stony 
until we came to Reinbeck, a small village dis- 
tant twenty miles; here the soil was good and 
free from stone, the price from six to twelve 
pounds an acre. Opposite Rein beck,, across the 
North-river, are the Catskili-mountains, part of 
the range of the Allegany. Breakfast here was 
two shillings and sixpence each. 

From this to Red-hook is ten miles; to Li- 
vingston's manor, (a strong hungry soil ) six 
miles; and to Hudson fifteen, where we arrived 
at half-past tw^o. Dinner five shillings, wine not 
included. The market-price of veal, lamb, and 
beef, eight pence a pound ; labour, tea shillings 
by the day; fifteen dollars a montli for farming- 
men, besides board and lodging. The lands 
about Hudson are chiefly grass; the soil, as I 
was informed, not suited for ploughing. 

About three miles from Hudson, the land is 
very poor, continuing so until we drew^ near Kin- 
derhook, a neat village, fifteen-miles from Hud- 
son. At Kinderhook, the land is passable; far- 
ther on, the soil again changes to very bad, and 
is one continued pine -barren for twenty miles, 
until we drew near the ferry, crossing the North- 
river to Albany at nine o'clock, having travelled 
eighty-six miles from five in the morning. 

The wheats, we had passed, in general looked 
healthy and well, yielding, ou an average, I 



106 

should think, twenty bushels an acre, which they 
reckon a good crop. The clovers were good, 
where there appeared any attention to husbandry, 
particularly some where they had manured with 
plaster of Paris, which might be seen, to an inch, 
from the clover in the same field that was not so 
manured: I never saw so strong an instance of 
Its effect, inducing me to alight and examine it 
closel}'. There were some stone fences, but 
chiefly railing. In some places, 1 noticed a cu- 
rious mode of ploughing, by beginning on one 
side the piece, and ploughing round it, whatever 
the shape of the field might be, and continuing so 
until finished in the centre. 

Travelling through some of the extensive fo- 
rests in America, I have observed large trees 
completely decomposed by the length of time 
they iiave been rotting, yet perfectly retaining 
their figure as they lay on the ground; so much 
decomposed, as to induce an opinion that the 
quantity of rotten particles, if perfectly dried, 
would not exceed that of ashes, if the same tree 
had been carefully burnt. I was played a trick 
with one that was in this state of decay., yet re- 
tained the appearance of a sound tree lying along, 
and more than two feet in diameter. We had 
just killed a large black snake; and, while chat- 
ting about it, I sprang up a little to make a seat 
of the tree, when it gave way and I sunk to the 
bottom, partly hid from my companion by the 



107 

rotten particles; but, on his calling out another 
Jarge snake, I sprang up nearly as quick as I 
fell. 

The log-houses with log-fences, in the unculti- 
vated forests, have a singular and grotesque ap- 
pearance to strangers. These are chiefly built by 
Squatters, a species of wild settlers, who never 
inquire of the proprietors of the land, but build 
their log-house, and take possession of what 
ground they think proper to clear for the grow- 
ing a Httle Indian corn. These gentry do con- 
siderable damage to the forests, by burning the 
underwood, early in the spring, for the sake of a 
little grass that shoots up soon after. 

The city of Albany contains upwards of six 
thousand inhabitants, collected from variou? 
parts: adventurers are led hither by the advanta- 
ges of trade which this place affords. It is the 
store-house for the trade to and from Canada 
and the lakes, therefore likely to flourish and the 
inhabitants to grow rich, although the country 
about it is very indifferent. It is said to be un^ 
sociable: I was not there long enough to form an 
opinion, but it is naturally to be expected from 
nn assemblage of people so collected, most of 
them eager in their own pursuits of gain, and 
considering it only as a temporary residence ; 
while the Dutch, who are the original and most 
permanent settlers, may be supposed to give the 
ton to the place. 



108 

I spent one day in my going and one on my re- 
turn to view the town, which appeared, as was 
reported, to have increased more than one-third 
in the number of houses within five years : a fire 
had burnt thirty houses down the summer before, 
and tended much to improve the appearance of 
the town by the new modern-built brick buildings, 
that formed a complete contrast to the homely 
dutch-built houses, with their gable ends to the 
street. 

Stages are continually passing and re-passing 
from Albany to Skenectady, the distance sixteen 
miles, through a continued pine-barren, so bad, 
from a total want of vegetable life in the soil, 
pines excepted, that scarcely a log-house is to be 
seen : the stage-fare is half a dollar. 

Skenectady is a considerable inland town, com- 
pact, regular, and tlie houses (between two and 
three hundred) chiefly built with brick : they have 
a public school; Dutch, episcopal, and presby- 
terian, churches; and I was informed that 
£0,000/. was then subscribed towards building a 
college. Skenectady stands on the margin of the 
very poorest soil to the south-east, and very rich 
land to the north-west ; a dismal barren prospect 
one way and a rich beautiful view the other, sepa- 
rated by the Mohawk-river. Two travellers, 
meeting at Skenactady, one from the east the 
other from the west, each returning the same 
road they came, without going farther, might 



109 

report as difTerently of the country as of the op- 
posite points of tlie compass. Through this town 
every thing must pass and repass to and from the 
North-River, consequently it will thrive in pro- 
portion to the population of the country west 
of it. 

Setting off at half-past five in the inorning-, 
we ferried across the Mohawk, and I was gra- 
tified with seeing land rich enough to answer my 
expectations, from the accounts which I had 
heard and read. The estate, on which we landed, 
was opposite the town : it contained originally 
1000 acres, but had been lately divided ; one 
moiety of which, with a handsome house, barns, 
offices, and a pleasant garden, well fenced in, 
was at that time ofl:ered for sale for lo.OOOL 

The flats, or interval lands, on the banks of 
the Mohawk, appeared very fertile, selling from 
twenty to fifty pounds an acre, for a consider- 
able way up the river. The higher lands, where 
the floods do not reach, are but moderate, com- 
pared with the flats, yet some of them grow good 
wheat; but the hills, close above them, are very 
stony, indifl:erent, aud covered with wood. 

We stopped to breakfast at Vidder's tavern, 
for which we paid two shillings and sixpence: 
the distance from Skenectady is eight miles. 

Eight miles farther, we passed a large hand- 
some old stone house, (out of repair,) called Guy- 
Park, built by Guy Johnson, who married Sir 

VOL. II. L 



110 

William Johnson's daughter. It was the middle 
of June, yet the roads were very bad. A Mr 
Miles, who kept a tavern at this house, was a 
judge of the county and member of the assembly 
at the time. He seemed to be a sensible well-in- 
formed man, and told me, that not one of Sir 
William Johnson's family was left in the country 
to reap one shilling benefit from the immense 
estate he left, which he believed was then worth 
500,000 dollars. Mr jMiles kept no waiter, but 
served his customers with sling-drams, grog, or 
cider, himself. 

Five miles farther, we came to a Dutch tavern, 
opposite to Fort- Hunter, (the last settlement of 
tiie Mohawk Indians,) where we dined on bacon, 
boiled eggs, and sturgeon, our host observing he 
,had no fresh. This had a poor appearance for 
the land of plenty. Our dinner was four shillings 
each. 

From this to Conolly's tavern, on the flats, 
.■was ten miles; the last five of which was the only 
tolerable road from Skcnectady. The winter and 
spring wheats looked remarkably well, clovers the 
same; pease were pretty much cultivated, but 
shamefully foul with weeds. The soil on these 
fiats is a rich black mould without a stone, three 
feet deep, as appeared by some ditches. 

Re-crossing the Mohawk-River, we arrived at 
Roaf's tavern, in the township of Ranogahara, 
at six in the evening. In this day's journey, of 



forty miles, we were frequently obliged to alight 
and walk, for a mile or two, or the coachee could 
never have dragged us through the swamps. Our 
supper and lodgings here was four shilUngs each. 
Roaf told me that his farm contained 600 acres, 
of which sixty only were flats. He wished to 
sell it: what he shewed me of the uplands was 
rocky and hilly, but the soil was good ; the house 
indifferent and the garden as bad,, very little fence 
beside what was on the flat lands, with scarcely 
any other improvement ; yet he wanted 6000/. for 
the whole. Beds being, scarce, my Gentooship 
saved me from being incommoded. Their 
coachee hfiving been overturned and broken .to 
pieces a few days before, we were obliged to 
travel in an open waggon. 

We set off* at five in a very foggy morning; 
«ind, after travelling about twelve miles, break- 
fasted at the Indian-castle, a tavern kept by a- 
Mr Hudson, who had been a drummer in Bur- 
goyne's army at the time of its surrender. He 
married a vvidovv and is now a man of consider- 
able property, keeping a large store (shop) as 
well as the tavern. One of the British regimental 
fleld-pieces was kept in front of his house, with 
which he celebrated every American rejoicing 
day. In the same neighbourhood, the widow of 
General Herkeman (an oliicer said to be much 
esteemed by the Americans, in whose cause he 
L 2 



112' 

teW) lived as a cook-servant to another store- 
lieeper, exhibiting a contrast to Mr Hudson. 

I noticed several pieces of wheat, this part of 
the journey, as strong and good as could well 
grow. Our road was partly along the banks of 
the Mohawk, and some part across the country 
until we came to the Fall-Hills, called so fro'u 
Fbe falls in the Mohawk-River. Through this 
rv.n^^e of hills, the i.'^lis are about forty feet, over 
dilTerent ledges of roc!^s. 

Soon after . passing these hills, we travelled 
through a wood of fine elm-trees, with a few 
maples among them, the land hilly and stony, but 
the soil good, if well cleared. 

At German-Flats Town, twetve miles from 
Hudson's, is a church built with stone by Sir 
W illiam Johnson for the- use of the Indiam?, who 
never come near it, unless to stare at and inquire 
what it is; and, when told it is God*s House, 
where they ought to meet and worship him, they 
ask if God is afraid of them by building a strong 
stone fort to live in. Near to the church, ttcre 
is a complete log-fort in an octagon form; (most 
of them are square:) the upper story overhangs 
the ground-floor between two and three feet, 
with musket-holes to fire down and through on the 
Indians, if, in their attacks, they should atteinpt 
to sel them on fire. To these log-forts the neigh- 
hcu ring first settlers resorted for mutual defence. 



115 

on the least alarm : the remains of several log- 
bouses that had been burnt by the savages, the 
famiUes of which were massacred, were still to 
be seen. 

Lands here are valued at from fifteen to twenty 
pounds an acre, "vvith a proportion of one acre of 
the flats to five or more of upland ; but, at the 
time I was there, none was to be sold at any 
price. Their farms were in narrow slips from 
the river, of about 400 feet wide, extending r.p 
the country two or three miles, containing from 
50 to 120 acres: they appeared to me the best 
apportioned farms and the best attended to of 
any in America. Uplands no', cleared, at a. 
distance from the river^ are in general very stony, 
and to be bonght from three to five dollars an ^ 
acre. T distinguish stony from rocky lands,, tbe 
latter being immoveable masses, either above or 
level with the earth; the former are loose stones 
covering the land, more or less, as thick. as a. field 
af good strong turnips. , 

I stopped here three days to examine the neigh- 
bouring country, induced a little thereto by good 
fare as well as good lands. We-were lucky enough:> 
to dine onfresh^' the first day : we had roast pig-. 
and boiled veal, with plenty of vegetable saiice, . 
for which we were charged no more than four 

* A provincial term, distinguishing the few daj'-s they bare- 
fKch.meat irom the. mauy they feed on salt provisieus* 



114 

shillings : dining with Mr Aldridge and bis fa-^- 
mily, and agreeing to have a little fresh every 
day, 1 did very well the time I stopped. 

Between Aldridge's and Judge Sterling's, a 
distance of ten miles, the road is through lands 
but little cleared and chiefly inhabited by Squat- 
ters. These are the same kind of lawless settlers 
I described before; but, being on a richer soil, 
they live easier, and do not readily give up pos- 
session to the landed proprietor when he comes to 
settle or selL They look with an evil eye on all 
strangers travelling post in any decent apparel, 
supposing them to be land-jobbers wdio are about 
disturbing ihem, naturally conceiving that few 
besides would choose to travel such a country. 

The trces^. in general, through America, fell 
short of my expectations as to bidk, though not 
as to height. Here 1 saw several oak, elm, and 
pine, trees between two and three feet diameter, 
aiid from fifey. to sixty feet high, clear of 
branches, w^ith an almost imperceptible decrease' 
of size from, the root to the branches. Some of 
the bemlock-^-ees are upwards of a hundred feet 
in height and four and five feet diameter. 

We. stopped at Judge Sterling's to refresh our- 
horses. Hearing that he was first judge of the 
county,. I. doubted whether it was a tavern,, until 
my fellow-traveller called for cider, which the 
judge readily drew for him. His. appearance, in 
point of ddesSp was so singularly grotesque, in- 



115 

contrast to u\e dignity of his office, that I couTd. 
not refrain minuting it down while he v.as wait- 
ing on his customers during the short stay we 
made. His hair was maitcd like a mop, and 
looked as if no comb had entered it for months 
past; he had on a ragged brawn greasy jacket, 
the sleeves of which appeared to iiave been torn 
off; dirty canvas trowsers, no stockings, and 
very thick shoes tied with leather thongs. In a 
breast button-hole of his jacket was a short to- 
bacco-pipe, completely japanned vvith smoke: 
this last article was a constant appendage to every 
Dutch settler I met, as well as to Judge Ster-- 
ling. 

A story was circulated of him, and told me af- 
terwards by so many of the settlers in that part of 
the country, that I entertain no doubt of the 
truth. A poor fellow, from New England,* had • 
passed that wa}' several times in search of a set- 
tlement; and, stopping to dine and refresh him- 
self at the judge's house on a Sunday, desired to 
know what he had to pay. His host made out 
the account for meat and drink as a tavern- 
keeper, adding, as a magistrate, the small fine 
of six shillings for travelling on a Sunday with- 
out a pass. In vain poor Yanky pleaded poverty, 
and urged the constiint frequenting of his house 

* Called a Yanhp, from Yankoo, a tribe of , ludians fjrmerlj 
iBhabiting New England. 



ne 

as lie journeyed to and fro. The judge could not' 
acquit his conscience without fining him. En- 
treaties being in vain, Yanky desired his honour 
to grant him a pass, or possibly the next magis- 
traie migiu fine him again. To this there was 
no objection; but, not writing very distinct or 
readily himself, he told Yanky to write and he 
would sign it. Yai.ky obeyed, and wrote an or.- 
der for twenty pounds on Sterling's merchant, a 
store-keeper living a few miles on the road he 
had to travel, knowing him to be Sterling's ban- 
ker, from messages he had formerly carried from 
the judge to the merchant. Sterling asked if he 
had taken care to make the pass strong enough; 
Yanky guessed it woul-d do, and the judge signed 
it. But, a few days after, his honour calling on 
the merchant, found to his cost he had signed a 
pass for twenty pounds in lieu of a pass for his 
Sunday friend. In the first heat of passion, he 
exclaimed, " it is that d — d Yanky-pass," which 
he explained to his banker, and this created a 
laugh at his worship's expen,se that will last his 
life. 

Four miles farther, we came to Squire Bret- 
ton's; this gentleman kept a tavern likewise, 
hving in a log-house. His acquaintance were 
complimenting him on being elected a member 
of the state assembly.. In fact, the office of 
tavern-keepers and lawyers seemed to be the 
surest road to public honours aiid riches among 



117 

new selllers. For several mileS; along this part 
of the country, new settlers are very numerous, 
though among them must be reckoned many of 
the squatting-gentry : indeed, they are the oldest 
inhabitants, and from this circumstance assume a 
priority of right, not only threatening with a 
ferocious savage aspect those who question that 
right, but the\' dispute the legality of possession 
by tedious suits at law and the strength of arm at. 
the same time. 

From Squire Bretton's to Fort Scuyler, the 
road was almost impassable and very dangerous 
even for a waggon, in which we had been most 
grievously jumbled all day. We obtained horses 
here: my companion and I then proceeded on 
four miles farther to Colon-^1 White's, at White's 
Town, where we alighted safe from broken bones, 
but most miserably bruised from head to foot. 

I had been sq accustomed in America to look 
for captains, majors, colonels, members of par- 
liament, and judges, at most of the taverns on 
the road, that it had long ceased to be a matter 
of surprise. I had learned to consider it as a 
merit- in those, who had fought and been distin- 
guished by military rank, not hesitating to fol- 
low any occupation, by which they could main- 
tain their families, when their military services 
v/ere no longer necessary. But I confess my 
expectations respecting Colonel White, whose 



IIS 

father was the original founder, proprietor, and set- 
tler, of this township, were different. For, when a 
gentleman, with whom I had travelled a consider- 
able part of this tour, and who, having bought 
several thousand acres of land in this neighbour- 
hood; wislied and promised to introduce me to 
the colonel, as we rode up to the house, I con- 
sidered it as one gentleman of fortune visiting 
another, and, the night being, shut in, was not 
sorry to reach so good a haven. But I sooa 
found my mistake ; for, walking into the house, 
B3J friendly pilot was obliged to wait a minute 
or two, uniii the colonel had put away the dram- 
bottle and glass, with which he was serving some 
customers, before he couid introduce me to his 
acquaintance. The number of inns along the 
road, or, as they term them, taverns, are ex- 
ceedingly numerous; I verily believe the propor- 
tion tcy private houses is as one to four, if not 
three. On the following day, I was introduced 
to Judge White, the father of the township: his 
?.ppearance was rather better than Sterling's, and 
not much. There being abundance of business 
in all new-settled parts for lawyers. White's Town 
was inhabited by three or four of them, who, 
from the litigious disposition of the people, with 
the disputed boundaries and titles of estates, do 
extremely well. The only decent plain table I 
gaw, in or about White's Town, was at Coun- 



319 

seller Breeze's, a polite sensible gentleman from 
the Jerseys : he, likewise, was a member of the 
state assembly. 



CHAPTER XIX. 

^Jch hack lands; their high price zvhen cleared; 
labour scarce and dear; Engh'sh n'omen subject 
to imanity in the back settlements; supposed chaise; 
the church and clergyman; son of an English 
clergyman studying law at White's Town ; strancre 
Mnecdote related by him; Colonel White's ac- 
count of the crops ; price of provisions; Oneida- 
Indians, 



Among a variety of estates I went to see, 
ivas one belonging to the gentleman I travelled 
with, who had speculated in lands several years 
before. It is called the Oriska estate, and noted 
for the rich quality of the soil; only three or 
four years preceding his purchase it was an 
Indian station. The flat lands of this estate, by 
the river-side, are of the first quality, and nearly 
300 out of 500 acres were ckared, chiefly by the 



120 

Indians, from their long residence there : the re- 
sidue was a thick forest of oak, ehii, maple, pine, 
and hemlock, trees, many of an astonishing 
heiglit, clear from branches, and very strait for 
seventy or eighty feet. 

The proprietor expected this Oriska estate, of 
500 acres, would sell for more than 6000 1. when 
put up to pubhc sale, which it was his intention 
to do, together with his other estates of about 
9000 acres in that neighbourhood. A farm of 
100 acres, with a log-house and small barn, thirty 
acres only of which w^ere cleared, the stumps of 
the trees remaining, had been lately sold for 
1000/. The few labouring men there are hired 
at eighteen and twenty dollars a month, board, 
,&c. Lands here sell high and labour is very 
tlear. Agues and fevers are very prevalent. 

While I staid at White*s Town, an English 
lady, whose husband had made a considerable 
purchase of lands in the neighbourhood, became 
quite deranged in her intellects: they came from 
the Devizes. It was the second instance I had 
met with in America among English female emi- 
grants. I do not aver that it positively is so, but 
I am firmly persuaded it arises from a depression 
of spirits, occasioned by so great a change from 
civilized to an almost savage state of society. Doc- 
tor Priestly, to whom I mentioned these circum- 
stances at Philadelphia, acknowledged he had 
known similar instances and attributed them to 



121 

the sa^e cause. A man will struggle through 
much easier, yet not without many heart-aches, 
though his pride may not permit him to confess 
it. But it falls with tenfold weight on the mis- 
tress of a family, who, having experienced the 
benefit of servants in the old country, is under 
an unavoidable necessity of being the greatest 
drudge, and a slave to the very indifferent help she 
can with difficulty procure, in America. 

The church served various purposes; a court- 
house, a school, and the upper part as a dwelling 
for the clergyman and school-master. Stories 
were told, not much to the credit of the senior 
and principal inhabitants, of having persuaded a 
clergyman to come from some considerable 
distance, and then, knowing his return would be 
too expensive for him, they refused to perform 
their full agreement. 

I was informed,- by a Mr More, son to a clergy- 
man in Devonshire, who (strange as it may ap- 
pear) was studying lazo there, that, during the 
preceding winter, while a Baptist-minister was 
baptizing and making good Christians in one 
villasre, an assemblas^e of Tom Paine's men, at 
another villas^e, were burning: Christ in effis^v. • 
I had no reason to doubt Mr More's veracity, 
yet, being so strange a circumstance, I made in- 
quiry of several to know, if there was any truth 
in the latter part of the report; and I was told, 
it was a subject they wished not to converse upon, 

TOL. II, M 



12^ 

"but were afraid there was too nnicli truth in it, 
Jind they were rather desirous lo smother the re- 
port. 

Inquiring about their crops, Colonel AVhite 
assured me, that, notwithstanding the extra- 
vagant reports made by many respecting the pro- 
duce of such rich lands along the banks of the 
Mohawk and other rivers west of th<: Allegany 
Mountains, the fair average-produce of wheat 
was from twenty to twenty-five bushels; oats, 
about thirty-five; and Indian corn, forty busheU; 
to the acre. He believed fifty bushels of wheat 
and sixty bushels of corn had grown on particular 
lands, some very favourable season^, but not 
often. To this it should be farther observed, 
that none of their fields, or plots of ground, arc 
actually measured, but the number of acres are 
guessed at. However, I have no hesitation in 
declaring that the richness of the soil, in general^ 
through the flats or interval land.s, is equal to the 
growth of any possible crop qnder suitable ma- 
nagement; and, considering bow they are choked 
with strong twitch or couch grass^ with various 
other noxious weeds ,and plants, it is rather a 
matter, of surprise that they grow so much. 

The price of beef and multon, at White's 
Town, was eight pence, and veal six pence, the 
pound; but there is very little of either killed 
during summer. They slaughter and salt in the 
autumn, when the cattle are in tjie best con- 



123 

dltion, and live chiefly on such salted provision 
most of the year. Butter was one shilling and 
four pence, and cheese one shilling, a pound. 
Fish very scarce. 

Settling with Colonel White for four suppers, 
three breakfasts, and two dinners, (as indifferent 
meals as could be made,) one bottle of wincj 
three tumblers of grog, and four nights lodging 
in a garret, I paid him three pounds. This I 
mention as information, not with an idea of com- 
plaining, for, I would with pleasure have paid 
double and treble the amount for the civilities I 
received. 

At twenty miTes from White's Town is the re- 
mainder of the Six Nations, their whole number 
is reduced to about sixteen hundred, and they are 
now called the Oneida Indians. Their chief, 
Skonandoa, talked English sufficient to be under- 
stood, as did several others of these Indians, but 
they are not fend of it. They live chiefly by hunt- 
ing and fishing on the lakes; besides which, they 
receive 4000 dollars annually, from the xVmerican 
government, in lieu cf such lands as were lately 
ceded by them. They cultivate a Kttle ground to 
grow corn, and Skonandoa grows a little wheat 
the women doine; all the labour. 



M<i 



124 



CHAPTER XX. 

.Prepare for a journey through the zcilderncss; an 
Indian bed; the settling of bach lands similar 
throughout j^rnerica; the natural Indian prefer- 
able to the zchi'e American back-zcood SqiicttcjM; 
emig) ations from the American States to B/itish. 
Canada; the cause and probable consecjuence; ?e- 
turn to While's Toziii; absurdity of building and 
calcidating b>j English ideas hi the back coun- 
tries; a uide difference betzceen the old land of 
Canaan and the nezv. 



So far as White's Town, there is some kind of 
public conveyance, such as it is ; but, farther on 
to tlie westward, to visit the Lakes and the Che- 
iiessee-ccuntry, if a man is either not disposed to 
walk or incapable, the best way is to get a good 
horse from White's Town, with which, in two or 
three days, (for he will find nothing to tempt bis 
stopping by the way,) he will reach Geneva, a 
scattered town containing about sixty houses, in 
the Chcnessec-country. 

My mind was already sufficiently satisfied on 
every point for which I had taken this tour into 
the back country, and I v»as debating whether it 



125 

was worth the trouble of proceeding farther, vvheii 
an accidental circumstance determined me. A 
young farmer, from Massachusetts, was making 
his third trip to the westward, to conclude a 
purchase he had agreed for in the Chenessee. 
My day was past for accompanying him on foot, 
and he could not afford to hire a horse, though 
anxious- to get thither and return as quick as he 
could. For the sake of so good li guide and 
companion, I smoothed all difficulties by en- 
gaging one for him and another for myseif, 
agreeing to give or take a day, to him who should 
wish for it,, after reaching the falk of Niagara, 
the full extent of ri>v intended tour. Having 
equipped agreeably to my companion's direction?^^ 
we set off, well pleased with the mutual accom- 
modation; for his experience and attention I was 
to be^ pay-masier. 

A detail of each da^s events would profluce a 
tedious sameness. We were three days going to 
Geneva. From Geneva to the Chenessee-river, 
fifty miles. Here is a tavern that furnishes grog, 
tobacco, sling, bacon, and eggs; but no fresh. 
Thence to Niagara-falls is a rough dismal journey 
of seventy miles, thioiiiih a perfect wilderness; 
finding our way by- Indian paths-, in which I 
proved a novice and my companion an adept. 

Understanding from him, that, according to 
the haste we made, we sliould have to lie in the 
woods either one or two nights, ,we proceetled as 
M 3 



126 

fast as prudence admitted, and I was perfectly 
satistied with only one nigbt'& lodging, making a 
delicate soft bed with such boughs of trees, Sec. 
as we could collect, and tbruiing a kind of cano- 
py over our heads with rather larger boughs than 
our bed required. My companion thought it 
necessary likewise to keep up two fires during the 
night, as a guard against wolves and panthers; 
and, by the alertness he shewed in frequently 
jumping up to attend the lircs, he convinced me 
that he really conceived there was some danger.- 
Yet we passed the nights, one going the other 
returning, unmolested; and, except the view of 
these grand falls, so often much better described 
than is in my power, tliere was nothing to reward 
me for the fatigue of the journey. 

In travelling througli all tlie back lands in 
America, (allowing for the diflerencc of climate 
according to the latitude,) there is so little varie- 
ty in the appearance, either of the immense wild 
uncultivated lands, or the small plats clearing or 
cleared by new settlers, that a journey over and 
examination of 100 or 150 miles, through any 
of the rich tracts of the back country, afford as 
much information to an agriculturist, as to qua- 
lity of soils, the methods taken to clear lands by 
first settlers, their way of living, as well as exhi- 
biting the progress from a savage state to the 
more cultivated, as travelling over the wholes 
and I acknowledge, that^ being neither- so young 



127 

nor active as formerly, I was glad to get bsck 
again. 

From all that I was able to learn, see, and 
judge, concerning any or all of the Indian tribes, 
both heretofore as w^ell as from this journey, t 
would rather trust myself and property among 
them than the foremost white American back 
wood-men settlers; who are far more savage of 
the two. Nor have I met with any gentle- 
man, that has travelled through any of the wil- 
dernesses where these pioneer - settlers have 
squatted, who does not entertain, the same opi- 
nion, A great proportion of them are the wild 
Irish, who emigrate by ship-loads to Artierica;- 
and, if I mistake not, will in time prove a more 
formidable enemy to the states on the sea-coast 
than the Indians. In New York, I have seen 
five or six hundred of them landincr at a time, 
nine out of ten of whom refused employ at any. 
wages, &aying they v>ere going westward, wliere 
they had friends who had advised them. 

This western country is providentially supplied 
with salt, made from salt-springs, rising near 
the Onondaga-lake, whose Waters are rendered 
brackish by these springs. At Fort Stanwix, oa 
the Mohawk-river, 110 miles from the Hudson, 
they were cutting a canal for opening the naviga- 
tion at the falls, but they found much difficulty 
in hiring hands. The Mohawk-river rises to the 
northward of Fort Stanv,ix. 



12» 

While iiv these western parts, I saw three par-^ 
ties, the largest of which contained upwards of- 
seventy persons, men, women, and children, all 
t-ravelling to Upper Canada to get settiements in. 
the British territories, from various parts- of the 
United States; and I was informed that- scarcely 
a week past, at that season of the year, without 
seeing such parties. Most of then"! had horses 
loaded with furniture and implements of hus- 
bandry^, together with, milch- cat tie. They had 
much the appearancQ of- what we may conceive 
ef the patriarchal families of old, removing from 
one country to another; strengthened still more 
by hearing them converse and call to each other 
by name, nine-tenths of whicli are from the Old 
Testament^, such as Reuben, Simeon, Judah, Job, 
Dinahi Leah, Laban, EzekicI, Zechariah, and 
all the hard names to be found, besides the mor^ 
common of Jacob, Jonathan, Judith, and 
others. 

These removals, from the United States to 
"British settlements^ are stubborn proofs, beyond 
any opinion of authors, that they find it most to 
their interest; and, on making inquiries, I 
learned that one essential cause was, that, in- 
stead of purchasing as they must in the Ameri- 
can states, they were tempted by the giants o^' 
land from the British government, to encoiiragei 
settlemeat in that country. 



I2g 

My travelling-companion said he slioiild have 
done the same, only that part of his lamily were 
already settled in the Chenessee. As to himself, 
he said, he cared but little v/hich government he 
lived under; or, if he had, ihixt would make no 
great difference, he guessed^ a few years hence. 
And I acknowledire that Yankv's g-ncss seems no 
way improbable, as, independant of internal 
causes, should \\ar arise between England and 
the United States, these Yanky settlers in Cana- 
da will be ready to receive their brother-Ameri- 
cans with open arms, instead of attempting to 
defend the country against them; and, admitting 
the two countries remain in peace, the allegiance 
of the Canadians in general is not to be looked 
for longer than they find it their interest, that isj 
so long as England, at a considerable expense, 
supports and protects them. But, the instant 
she claims a return they may dislike, the Cana- 
dians, prompted and encouraged by these new 
associates fraught with republican principles, will 
be for erecting themselves into an independant 
government, or sohcit to join the American 
states. In my humble opinion, therefore, Eng- 
land would do w'ell to part with Cajiada, while it 
can be done to advantage, which may never 
happen better tlian in the next negociation of a 
peace with France, who, ever since she lest Ca- 
nada, has looked eagerly for its rjec§verj.- 



130 

This might be a strong inducement with France 
to accede to sacrifices of her own or her allies, 
that might be much more benehcial to Great 
Britain; persuaded as I am that Canada, after 
reaping every advantage from England, while 
growing to maturity, will, on the first plausible 
pretext, throw off her allegiance. In the event 
of which, the jealousies and bickerings betweeit 
this country and America will be increased. On 
the other hand, should Trainee be in possession 
of Canada, an object she has ever had much at 
heart, the effect as to England would be just the 
reverse. 

Americans are partial to the French while at a 
distance, but dt> not like them as neighbours; 
and, as soon as Franec should be in possession of 
Canada, the emigrations from one to the other 
would be excessive, and the immediate coQse- 
quence between them and the United States 
would be jealousy, uneasiness, and disturbance. 
The United States would find a dangerous, pow- 
erful, increasing, neighbour at their backs, and 
consider it then as their best interest to seek an 
alliance with England, to the mutual advantage 
of both countries. Eventually, Canada must 
and will become independant of whatever country 
she may for a time beloiig to; and, until that 
time comes, will not only be more cost tha-i 
profit, but a source of brooding hatred and ill- 



131 

-ivill between its protecting country and tlie 
United States. 

From this digression, as well as my short tonr 
to the lakes and boundaries between British Ca- 
nada and the United States, I return to White's 
Town, where my honest guide and companion 
.parted from me to proceed on his own affairs, 
while I made another short halt, preparatory to 
descending the Mohawk-river by water. At 
White's Town, the river is about 330 feet over. 
In general, the water that is procured from wells 
here is unwliolesome, bi'l the inhabitants at 
Whitens Town, are happily supplied from a spring 
at the west end of their main street, which is 
conveyed to every house in the street by pipes; 
an accommodation not to be expected in so re- 
mote a settlement, and which I do not recollect 
to have seen in any other town in America. 

Taking a ride with an English gentleman to 
see the country, he shewed me a bridge he was 
then building, 180 feet long, across the Mo- 
hawk, to connect his own estates. Ke had like- 
wise partly finished a large house, originally in- 
tended for the residence of his family; but, 
becoming perfectly tired and cured, he ordered 
^11 his estates to be advertised for sale. The 
house and oftices seemed well calculated for sup- 
porting the old English stile of hospitality, by 
keeping an open table for tenantry, as well as the 
few visiting strangers that might chance to pass 



132 

within a few miles ; for, as to visiting neigli- 
.bours, he could not expect any, on a reciprocal 
footini?, if he lived in a stile suited to the build- 
ing, or what his former mode of living was. 
But, in this as well as other matters of specula- 
tion, which I noticed of gentlemen of property 
coming from England to America, I observed 
that nearly all of them made great mistakes by 
calculating on old ideas. 

Before 1 quit this western country, I will make 
ohe more observation. These rich-soiled back 
lands are liighly extolled and frequently com- 
pared to the land of Canaan, flowing with milk 
and honey. What they may be a century or 
two hence, I can not pretend to say; but, from 
.all I could see, hear, or taste, there was a la- 
jTientable difference (as great as the distance) be- 
tween the old and the new Canaan. The new 
Canaan, therefore, had no temptation foi' me, 
having a reasonable desire to taste some of the 
<;ood thinirs in mv own time. On the contrary,, 
the prospect to any man, meaning to thrive by 
increase of property, is no other than to work 
liard and fare much harder. 



133 



CHx\PTER XXL 

iFire a hatteaii to return Inj tlie Mohazch-rher ; 
breakfast at a Squatters Tavern; Coshy-manor ; 
method of clearing the rich back lauds for cul- 
tivation; Mr Myddletoris advertisements^ to take 
in English farmers j explained; Mohazck-hill 
falls; opinion concerning themy atid that the rich 
level of laiids above them was formerly a lake; 
a canal ; pass some rocky rapids; the tunder, or 
thunder f pad; log-forts; sleep at CromwelTs, his 
information; an estate for sale ; sad character cf 
my five boatmen ; a rivulet sinking under ground 
itnd lost J until bursting through the rocks into the 
Moharck; the first settlement made by Sir William 
Johnson; etchings of seven Indians on a rock; 
return to Skenectady ; the Cohoez ; Albany ; 
Mail-coachce to Poughkeepsie; flthy taverns; 
sling-drinking f or szceetened drams; passage froin, 
■Poughkeepsie to Nezv York, 



For the purpose of examining the Mohawk- 
river, with its falls and rapids, I hired a batteau, 
with five men, to go down the river. The ap- 
pearance of these men was much against theni^ 

VOL. II. N 



134 

and at first tliey talked together wholly in a bar- 
barous kind ot" Dutch, seeming to insinuate they 
did not understand English; lor, as they had 
been engaged for me by Colonel White, I know 
nothino: of them until I i2ot into the batrcau early 
in the morning. 

We had sailed a few miles,, when, to undeceive 
them, I made some observation in better Dutch 
than they seemed capable of: they stared at each 
other, and by m}' repeating what 1 had said, 1 
was answered in English, and they never at- 
tempted to talk Dutch again. In a few hours 
they became communicative and attentive, de- 
sirous of accommodating wherever I chose to 
land, &c. 

Sixteen miles from White's Town, I break- 
fasted at a Squatter's tavern, on Cosby 's Manor, 
and made a better meal, for eighteen pence, than 
any since .1 left Skeuectady. This estate \yas lost 
to the Cosby-family from neglect, or refusal to 
pay up the quit-rents, amounting to about 700/. 
The .estate, I was assured, would then sell for 
near 200,000 /. 

A very considerable proportion of the level 
flats, in this neighbourhood, were then in an un- 
cultivated state of nature, thickly covered with 
lofty trees; the soil humid and light, until the 
surface is cleared by felling and bui iiing most, if 
not all, of the timber growing on them. The com- 
mon process, to clear a piece of land, is to begin 



155 

at such end or side of the land as is most snicable. 
Cattinir the trees with an axe, a little more than 
t'vo i'pfi high from the ground, they dexterously 
conl.'ive to foil them- ail the same way, so that 
the tops of the last trees fall over the bodies of 
the preceding. "When as many are felled as they 
intend for the season, advantage is taken of the first 
di V time to set them on fire, by which most of the 
iniderwood and small branches of the trees are 
consumed, the bodies and remaining branches are 
then cut into convenient lengths, rolled together 
in heaps, and again set fire to. The pieces that 
remain unburnt are again piled up, until repeated 
applications of fire nearly consume the whole. 
The bulk of the ashes are carried off to make 
pot-ash with, and the ground, being liarrowed 
between the stumps of the trees, is most com- 
monly sow^n with wheat. The value of these 
lands, before they are cleared, and in proportion 
to the quantity of uplands with them, are from 
ten. to thirty dollars an acre ; and, when cleared, 
are worth from fifteen to thirty dollars more an 
acre. 

I am now speaking of lands about Fort Scuy- 
ler. White's Town, and Fort Stanwix. Travel- 
ling one hundred miles farther west, lands of the 
same quaUty sell not for half the money, and so 
in proportion as you travel farther back, until 
they may be })ought at one or two dollars an 
acre. The uplands, that are far back from any 
N. 2- 



156 

of tliese navigable waters, sell for little or n* 
thing, and indeed many of them (like the bargain 
oi Mr Cooper and ©oetor Priestly) are not worth 
belying at any price, nor even accepting with a 
view of present cultivation. 

This subject, the value of the distant back 
lands, applying equally to those along the Ohio, 
the Muskingam, &c. as to the Mohawk and 
Chenessee, brings to my recollection an adver- 
tisement of a Mr Myddleton, to encourage Eng- 
lish farmers to go out and settle on such lands. 
In this advertisement, he offered to let them 
farms for ten years at one shilling an acre a 3'ear; 
(the fee-simpfe of whi^h is not worth more than 
from four to nine shiHings an acre;) and, when 
they should have improved such farms at a great 
expense and very severe labour, with but bitter 
fare compared to what they had been accustomed 
to in England, he modestly assures them, they 
may renew the lease on the same terms, meaning 
that they may continue to improve the estate 
while paying him another fee-simple value; or, 
if they prefer it, they may purchase the farm so 
let to them at a fair valuation. That is, liaving 
already paid more tlian the value by a rent, they 
may pay for it again by purchase, beside paying 
for ever}' improvement which they themselves 
have been slaving to make for the preceding ten 
years, by its being all fairly valued to them 
again. To add to this egregious attempt to dupe 
the English farmers, lie tells them, that whoever 



1S7 

holds such lands under him shall be at liberty to 
cut down as much timber, of any quality or size, 
as they think proper. This was certainly a very 
happy thought of Mr Myddleton, truly con- 
ceiving that an English farmer, who is so strictly 
restrained from cutting down even a walking- 
stick that promises to be timber, would appre- 
ciate accordingly the libert\ao cut down and con- 
vert to his own use any quantity of large timber. 
And tlie truth is, that, since my return to Eng- 
land, I have noticed how^ readily every farmer I 
have conversed with on the subject has 'been 
tempted with the idea, until undeceived, by my 
observing that the timber on those estates is the 
heaviest encumbrance; for that lands, which may 
be bought at one dollar and a half an acre with 
the timber standing, will become of more than 
twenty times that value when cleared. Pack- 
wood is really a very modest fellow compared to 
Mr Myddleton. 

Leaving Cosby's Manor, I "passed by Aldridge'3 
Tavern and the German Flats, Avhere there is a 
ripling fall,, ovor a.iouse.stoney bottom, for nearly 
lialf a mile, the liills on each side of the river 
approaching within half a mile of each other, as 
if the space between had been torn away. These 
were the first stones 1 had seen either in the 
banks or the bottom -all the way down the Mo- 
hawk thus far, being about twenty-nine males 
from White's Town. 

N 3 



3(3 8^ 

In travelling by land, as well as reluming by 
water, I soon distinguished tbe New-Englr.iid 
settlers from the Germans, by their industry and 
attention in clearing, fencing, managing, and 
sowing, their land*, as well as- in their buildings, 
the Germans being slovenly in the extreme. 

As we approached the Mohawk-hill Falls, the 
hills on both sides drawing nearer, there was but 
little interval or level land, and the river was 
from 300 to 400 <eet wide. I heard the falls at a 
considerable distance; and, on my arrival, 
stopped the battcau more than two hours to 
examine the ridge of rocks that ran across from 
one range of hills to the other, Tlie broken 
rocks, fragments, and whole appearance, con- 
firmed me in an opinion I had entertained during 
my passage do>vn the river, viz. that the space,^ 
or valley, between the two rangers of hills on each 
side, from these falls up to the falls at Fort Stan- 
wix,, a distance of lifty miles, (possibly still 
farther,) had, in former times, been a lake : the, 
bottoms, f^ats, or level lands, (iiame^ by which 
they are iridiscriniatfr'Ty calicd,) being ihroughout 
evideriily composed of sediinent of the finest 
particles of earth, Without a stone to be seen, 
(the rlpling falls near Aldridge*s excepted.) al- 
though T saw from four to eight and ten feet per- 
pendicular depth of such soil on the sides of the 
irver*s whole course/ until 1 drew near the falls. 



139 

There is a bridge of 100 feet throvrn over these 
fVills. 

A little lo^vei^ down, an active man, with a 
long pole, might leap from one fragment of the 
rock to another, until he crossed the falls. Nor 
have I any doubt but this v/as formerly a dam, 
that confined the waters so as to form a lake 
above, until, by soma extraordinary eriiption or 
gradual wearing away and removing detached 
pieces of the rock, (which in its original slate lies 
in ail manner of divided square forms, different 
sizes, yet fitting each other,) it worked its pre- 
sent passage, sufficient to lay the bottom of the 
lake dry, v.hcn the present river would readily 
make its current through the muddy sediment, 
to bring the waters down from the higher lands 
to the w^estward of Fort Stanwix. Various in- 
lets, that empty from the adjacent hills, evince 
the same, by similar sedimentary levels, which 
must have collected when the waters in the lake 
were high enough to cover ihern, but are too 
high now by several feet for the- highest floods 
in the river to reach. The banks by the side of 
the river are perpendicular, and the bottom of the 
river is muddy. 

There is a canal lattily cut, by the side of these 
falls, in which are six locks:, they w&e opened iii' 
Kovember, 179-5, and the expense was 50,000 L 
The number of batteaus, &c. carrying from five 
to seven tons, were 130, being marked aad^ 



143 

numbered as they passed through- the canaL 
There are also several flat-bottomed skows, from 
ten to fourteen tons; yet the traffic up the river 
to the new setitements and the lakes is so great, 
that they complained there were not near boats 
enough. 

As you go down the river from the last lock, 
the passage, continuing near a mile at tlie foot of 
the hills, with high perpendicular rocks on each 
side, is beautifully rojuantic. About four miles 
below the falls, wc passed over some rocky rapids,, 
requiring dexterous management. JSear to these, 
I noticed a fish-like tiling I had never seen or 
heard of before, appearing as tbe link between 
the fish and frog. It had neither fin nor legs, a 
roundish poddy body, with a fiat belly and long, 
tail, by the motion of which it moved pretty 
briskly: it was^ of a brown colour, speckled like. 
a frog, had bright eyes, and was obliged fre- 
quently to rise to the surface for fresh air. The. 
batteau-men knew it by no other name than the. 
tunder, or thunder, toad, nor could they account, 
for that,. and were surprised at my being inqui- 
sitive about it. I tried in vain to catch one, 
while we slopped to refresh for half an hour. 

The hills now spread gradually open again, 
the course of. the nver from the falls to Skenec-- 
lady, nearly east and west, frequently and alter- 
nately washing the foot of either range of hills; 
between the projecting spurs of which are richv 



141 

levels of land, similar to those above the falls, 
without a stone, though the bottom of the river 
is one continued bed of round stones, rolled 
along, asf^l conceive, by strong floods from the 
falls, and rounded by friction. As these two 
ranges of hills (for I can not stile them moun- 
tains) spread wider, levels of rich land appeared 
on both sides, the bed of the river consisting of 
clear round stones, causing frequent rapids^ 
though the banks vvere entirely free. We passed 
Hudson's tavern on the right, seven miles from 
the falls. 

Lower down, the hills drawing nearer, there- 
is but little interval or level land. Proceeding- 
for fifteen miles from the falls, we vrere brought 
to Fort Plain, where are two log-forts, built by 
Sir William Johnson. We next shot through 
Cady's rapids, twenty-three miles from the falls. 
Here the hills approach very near each other: 
one of them is called the Nose. It was then so 
dark, I could not examine sufficiently to ascer- 
tain whether there were any evidences of tlie. 
water having been dammed up here likewise. 

Two miles farther, we stopped for the night.. 
I was accommodated, at a Mr Cromwell's, with 
supper and a bed. His father was a black man, 
his mother white; his wife, a pretty Connecticut, 
woman. Finding him an intelligent American 
farmer, I sate up for several hours conversing 
Avith him. He declared, as his opinion, that the- 



142 

interval or bottom land was invaluable. He had 
known it cropped continually for about thirty 
years^ without manure of any kind, and it still 
yielded as great crops as ever. He reckoned 
them better worth from thirty to forty pounds an 
acre, than their good uplands at eight. He in- 
formed me, that it required three gallons of 
maple-sap to make one pound of sugar, and tlicy 
used no other. 

Understanding that his neighbour, IMr Ten 
Eych, wished to sell his es.ate, I called upon 
him at four o'clock the next morning. The situ- 
ation was pleasant; a neat new house, well 
painted, a small barn, and 290 acres of" land, 
seventy-five of which was interval and about 
forty acres of the upland cleared. On the pre- 
mises was a grist-mill and a saw-mill: the toll of 
the grist was about 500 bushels, mostly wheat; 
the saw-mill cut near 400 logs, fourteen feet 
lengths, in a season, having one-half for sawing. 
There was also a small dwelling-house with a 
store-house, built by a tenant, who had a lease 
for seven, years unexpired, when he was to quit 
and pay forty pounds. For the whole of this 
estate, he asked 4,400/. one-half to be paid 
down, the other half might remain on interest. 

Every thing was perfectly neat about Crom- 
well's house. They, admitted me without scru- 
ple, and L slept in a comfortable bed, in the 
same room w^th them; but they would not ad- 



143 

anit my battcau-mcn as inmates, giving mc to 
iiiidcrstancl that they knew them to be sad des- 
perate scoundrels. However, I had travelled 
witli them more than sixiy miles from White's 
Toviii to Cromwell's; and, except at our first 
starting, observed nothing to make m.e suspicious 
of them but their looks, which were bad enough. 
For my supper and lodging, 1 was charged no 
more than -eighteen pence. 

I got into my batteau about six o'clock, and 
soon after passed Cocqnowawga rapids, the in- 
tervals narrow, the river about 600 feet wide. 
Pour miles lower down, we passed Fort-ilunter 
rapids, w here, in the April preceding, three mea 
were overset and drowned. 

Ten miles from Cromwell's, I stopped to 
breakfast at a log-house tavern, for which I paid 
two shillings. This was situated on a miserable- 
looking poor, sandy, hilly, rocky, soil. Three 
miles from this, I detained the batteau, much 
against the men's will, to examine a rivulet, or 
€tream, bursting through the rocks and stones on 
the north side, by whi^ch it discharged itself into 
the Moliawk. This rivulet, I was informed, 
turns several mills higher up the country, then 
sinks into the earth, and is lost until it is a-gain 
discovered forcing its passage through the rocky 
bank before mentioned. This induced me to 
think, that, if the weight and body of the water 
were great, instead of small, it might in time 



144 

wear'and force away the rocks that ohstruet iH 
freer passage, in some degree similar to what I 
take to have been the case at the Hill-falls. 

Lower down, on the south side, is the first 
settlement that v/as made by Sir William John- 
son, given him, soon after his arrival, by Admiral 
Warren. There is still a good orchard, that was 
|)lanted by him. This appears to liave been a 
primary object with the earlier settlers in Ameri- 
ca, and very properly so; but, at present, there 
■geems little or no attention paid to planting new 
or re-planting old orchards. 

Nearly opposite to this settlement, there are 
•still to be seen, on tlie side of some perpendicu- 
lar rocks, the etchings of seven Indians with 
their canoes, as first sketched by themselves be- 
fore they went out to war; from which expedi- 
tion as they never returned, and no account 
being received of them, the tribe of Indians to 
which they belonged have continued to etch 
them afresh as they occasionally pass that way. 

We shot through several other rapids; among 
them was Wylowkee-rapid, seventeen miles from 
Cromwell's and thirteen from Skenectady: it was 
both strong and deep. There was but little inter- 
\al land from the spot where I breakfasted, until 
\vithin six miles of Skenectady. The banks of 
the river in general, for this distance, are rocky 
or roUing stones in a kind of sandy loam. A 
part of tiie bank on the north side, nearly thirty 



145 

feet liigb, exhibited more of a real gravel than! 
had seen before in America. Here the hills again 
spread more apart, and the interval, or levels, 
grew wider as we approached near to Skenecta- 
dv: the distance from Cromwell's was thirty 
miles. 

As my batteau-men had conducted themselves 
with more civility and attention than their ap- 
pearance promised, 1 satisfied them liberally, yet 
I believe they would have given one-half the 
money to have had their curiosity respecting me 
satisfied; for, the truth (that I travelled from 
motives of curiosity) they could not believe. 
At the time I was making my minutes at the 
Hill-falls, one of them came up; and, looking 
me full in the face, asked W'hether I v»-as not a 
great engineer; and possibly it might be from 
entertaining such an idea that they treated me 
with so much civility. 

On the follov\'ing day, I went to see the Co- 
hocz, some miles below Skenectady, being 
reckoned a great curiosity. They are about tvro 
miles from ihe entrance of the i\Iohawk into the 
Korth-river. The river is contracted to one 
hundred 3'ards; the rock over which it pours ex- 
tends, from one side to the other, about thirty 
feet in height, but the fall altogether is ne^r se- 
venty feet. To those, who hadnot seen greater, 
it would appear tremendous; but, having so re- 

YOL. II. O 



146 

cently seen the falls of Niagara, these did not 
quite answer my expectation. 

At the back of ihe Town of Skenectady is a 
tract of wood land, twelve miles b}' eight, re- 
served for the use of every townsman who chuscs 
to cut and fetch his own lire-wood. 

Taking the stage to ilibany, it was fortunate J 
sate on the fore seat with the driver, as, going 
down a ston}^ hill, one of the reins unbuckled, 
and the two leaders turned short round; the dri- 
ver, quitting his reins altogether, jumped off to 
head them, and, if 1 had not caught them up 
and with all my strength reined back the tv.o 
wheel-horses, the coachee must have overturned 
on the side of a precipice, -and in all probability 
some lives have been lost. 1 could have saved 
myself as readily as Citizen Driver, but a sense 
of duty to so many fellow-passengers (eleven) 
prevented me. 

I lay at Lewis's, the old City-tavern, in Alba- 
ny, paying seven shillings for my supper and 
bed, without faring so vvell as at Cromwell's. 
Sturgeon is in such plenty and is so common a 
food at Albany, iha% in derision, it is called 
Albany-beef by other Americans. 

I took ihe mail-coach for Poughkeepsle, the 
fare tweiity-ibur shillings, and experienced sad 
management and delays at the ferry crossing 
the iNonh-rivcr. We fared still worse at Kinder- 
hook, ai ihe house where we breakfasted, which 



14:7 

tvas kept by a very young man, of il\e name of 
Ely. It was ten o'clock, yet the room was filthy 
to an extreme from the over-night's debauch. 
There was notbinGf in readiness and but little to 
be obtained, yet I paid three shillings for a di^h 
or two of bad coffee and a slice of bread and 
butter, which I cliose to help myself to. My 
travelling - companions, iiowever, liad fortified 
tiieir stomachs on the road by sling-drinking, a 
prevailing pernicious custom throughout i\ineri- 
ca. It consists of a good deal of spirit, plenty 
of sugar, and very little water, in a tumbler-glass. 
Smoking, from morning till night, is as customa- 
ry even by boys. 

Two miles from Kinderhook, I noticed a black 
coal-like slate on the top and sicies of some of 
the hills. The adjacent land was worth but little; 
but,' should coals be found here, they may prove 
of considerable value, being so near to the 
North-river. Bad attention at the houses we 
stopped at, added to the intolerant self-willed 
Citizen Drivers, made it tvvelve at night before 
we reached Poughkeepsie, at which we ought to 
have arrived by seven. During the last three 
hours, we were obliged frequenth' to alight and 
walk down several hills, (or run the risk of break- 
ing our necks,) though it rained fast and was 
very dark. 

Tiiere being good sloop-packets from this 
])]ace to New York, I quitted the coach and 
O 2 



148 

stopped to get iny Ymen dried, wblcli, for want 
of I wo yards of wax or oiled clolli, to spread 
over our triuiks, were completely soaked. Ta- 
king i))y })assage by water, we sailed pleasantly 
down the JNortb-river, passing the high lands, 
VVest- point, Stony -point, ^\c. The land on 
bjlb bides was remarkably barren for so great a 
distance; steep rocks uF lime-stone and slate, 
partly covered with sbrub-oak, pine, and cedar. 
"W luu few bouses are seen are small and indifle- 
rcnt, with but little of the land cleared for cuiti- 
\atic)n; indeed it did not seem worth tlie expense. 
As VkC drew near to Nev/ York, a few pleasant 
good-looking houses enlivened tmd cheared the 
]>ios'^;ec(, from so long and imiform a view of 
barren rocks. The passage by the packet was 
fou teen shillings. 

The length and detail of this excursion may 
poosihly have proved tiresome to tbe Reader; 
nnd, for that reason, I have endeavoured to 
sibridge the account of my other Journeys 
tiirougli the states. I undertook this jour- 
ney from a two-fold motive: to examine, as an 
i^griculturist, some of the richest lands in Amc- 
jica, of wliich so much had been said; and 
again to observe the mind of man in its })rogress 
fiom the original savage to civilized life, as v.cU 
as the retrograc'.e movcinents from civihzation to 
the savage state. I wished llkcv.ise to compare 
tbe present state of tiie Indian tribes with that 



149 

in which I had seen, them nearly forty years be- 
fore, and also the diflerence in opinion which it 
might make in my own mind, between former 
juvenile ideas and those of a more advanced 
time of life. 



CHAPTER XXIT. 

Ohscrcatioiis on tlie progress from the savage to ci- 
via zed life, and the retrograde movements from 
civilizatwu to the savage state; character of the 
Indian savage. 



The crigirial savage moves on slowly and re- 
luctantly, while under no particular impulse. 
He considers ease as one of the greatest blessings 
in life, and is not readily roused from it but by 
the force of some strong pjission^ Yet^ whca 
moved by hunger to pursue his game, by revenge 
or hatred to destroy his adversary, or by national 
honour to engage an enemy, nothing in humaa 
nature can exceed the ardour or his exertions. 
Otherwise, he conceives it useless and ridiculous 
to labour more than is necessary to satis^-- the 
few wants he hasj such as to procure iisii and, 
O 3 



1 50 

game for his provision; a hut, or wigwam, it* 
preference to a larger house, wliich be says iiiiist 
he very troublesome; and lurs, to cxebange for 
spirits; coiiiiideriug intoxication as bis greatest 
enjoyment. 

The little land appropriated for corn and to- 
bacco is cultivated by tbe women, for be Lbinks 
it beneath him; nor have I known a single in- 
stance of an Indian cultivating his rich, lands, or 
exerting any mental, talents to become opulent, 
all bough many attempts have been made to 
iuduce them to it. The siune may be said res- 
pecting llieir conversion to Cliristianity, for 
■which so much money lias been cajoled out of 
ilie pockety of the credulous by knaves, and by 
fools who have believed the knaves. I do not 
assert this solely from juy own observations and 
researches, in wliich I vvas tolerably inquisitive; 
but I understood t'he same fr^^m others, who had 
been much more among them. For myself, 1 
4;an sesiously. declare that 1 never met with or. 
heard of one real American C/aiatian. savage,, 
who continued^ to live and. reside with his tribe. 
It is triie, there are a few savages who have al-. 
lowed themselves to be baptized by mission aries, 
and have received a Christian name. In the 
same way, and with, similar ideas, as they would 
(from savage politeness) receive the honour of 
/^nii2;hthocd or any other title from their red, 
bretiiien, (sj they call Europecius,) who shoultl' 



151 

tv-;]l tbeiii they brouglu such power from the 
Great King that ruled and governed on the other 
side the Great Ijelt, and press tliem to receive 
such honour; for, as such only have they any 
idea of the title of Ctiristian. 

But there was no difiiculty in meeting with 
many savage Christians. When we look at those 
A\ho have been born and bred in civilized society, 
retiring to the desert for subsistence, the^- ap- 
pear to make a rapid progress in losing every 
mental refinement, in proportion to the distance 
they get from the comfortable enj(jyments of ci- 
vilized iiix3. But there are very few (unless they 
byc^gin early in life) who are capable of becoming 
the complete Indian, to live by hunting and fish- 
ing only; and, as tlicse Anglo-American back- 
woodsmen carry with them a propensity for a 
greater variety of indulgences, they are necessa- 
riiy obliged to labour more to obtain them. But. 
I ibund no more mind among these retro'jrade 
Ciirislians than among the hidian savages. 

I would not have it inierred, from this ac- 
count, tb.at it is in itie ^Ic'iiderest degree advisa- 
ble or eligible to live among the real Indians; it 
is.onty. in comparison with the wiiite savage, or. 
American back-woodsman, 1 would prefer living 
as a real Indian. The pretty tales iliat are told, 
of; the perfect state of independance, 6vc. of llie 
native ladiuns; are all idle nonsense. 



152 

The Six Nations are esteemed among the bet- 
ter or more humanized tribe of Indians; yet 
these, as well as the other, tribes are so brutally 
savage, that, whenever any of their passions are 
afloat, they seldom entertain more than one idea, 
the idea or impulse of the moment, by which the 
Indian is always governed, regardless of conse- 
quences: compound ideas he never calculates 
upon. If a savage likes not your countenance, 
be tells you so in plain terms, careless of what 
may follow : he will be equally explicit if he 
hkesyou, and so far there is no hypocrisv, which, 
serves as a set off against his want of politeness.. 
But, prone to intoxication, he follows the first, 
impulse of his passion, be it what it may. 
Should he say he will kill you, he does so, or, 
tries at it, without farther hesitation. It is the 
same thing as to killing his own child or himself, 
(his talher alone, with the elder w^arriors, having 
some power to control him); possessed and en- 
grossed by one idea only, he executes that with- 
out looking for a second. Or, give him provi- 
sion for five days, assuring him he can receive no.. 
more until the sixth; he will devour it all at one 
or two meals, according to his appetite at the 
time, without a second idea of care about to- 
morrow. 

I found little or no difference in my own opi- 
nion, from my earliest acquaintance with them 
to the last, as relating to a comparison betweea 



153 

the free and indcpenclant state of- savages, and 
tlic seemingly more confined state of civilized 
life. As to the savages themselves, in their per- 
sons and mamjers, they aj.pcarcd to me much 
inferior to what I conceived of tlicm before: I 
could scarcely believe thev bclonjred to the same 
trlbv\s I had formerly visited. Ti^e change, from 
an undaunted, bold, open, countenance, to a 
tame submissiveness, without a single acquire- 
ment in lieu to benefit their situation, (unless 
intoxication, as often as they can procure spiri:u- 
ous lifjuors, be admitted as such,) made them 
objects of pity, without one trait left in their 
character to admire. 

It was evident, that, when any of the Indian 
tribes admitted free intercourse and settlement 
among them, by disposal of their lands for an- 
nual tributary allowances, which took from them 
the spur to active exertions, they shrank and 
melisd away to nothing, and in a few yeai's 
more will probably be quite extinct. But there 
are other tribes of Indians, who have more pru- 
dently retreated as the Americanised Europeans 
liave advanced, retiring into the still farther back 
countries, among the more distant nations of 
liuiians; and these retain the primitive energy of 
s;Lva::<: warriors. 



15^: 



CHAPTER XXIH. 

Paradoxical difference in Jmericajis, relative to 
Engiajtd and France a^ governments; and he^ 
ticecH Englishmen and Frenchmen as individuals; 

% hardships of the French emigrfints front the West 
Indies, 



r NOV/ resume what may more properly be 
called the thread of my own personal history. 
Soon after my arrival with my family in America^ 
I noticed a singular paradoxical diiference in the 
people of America, between their conduct rela- 
tive to En eland and France as countries and ^^o- 
•\ernments, and that which they exhibited to 
English and French individuals. 

When speaking of the countries, their partia- 
lity in favour of the French was glaringly con- 
spicuous, creating doubts in my mind as to my 
own reception as an individual; but I found it 
just the reverse. An Englishman, of any res- 
pectability of character and conduct, would be 
noticed and courted to form intimate connec- 
tions; while Frenchmen, who to all appearance 
merited equal attention, were treated with cold 
civility and distant politeness, as if the}'- v»ere 



155 

'fearful of encouraging too great an intimacy with 
them. And 1 believe the return of a-Rction to 
the country, as well as to the individuals; of 
England would have quickened apace, if conci- 
liatoiy measures had been taken after acknow- 
ledging their independance and making peace 
with them» 

On my landing at Baltimore, it was afflicting 
to see the great number of French families ar- 
riving from St Domingo and other islands in the 
West Indies, whence they fled to save themselves 
from being butchered by their own slaves. Some 
with bnt little, and more without any, of their 
immense property; in an instant reduced to ab- 
solute penury and want. To add to their suffer- 
ings, many of those, who had providentially saved 
something from the flames and from the hands 
of their destroyers, by getting it on board of 
American vessels, were stopped in their pas- 
sage both by English and French cruisers, who, 
•equally cruel, robbed them of the small pittance 
they thought they had saved. The English con- 
sidered themselves justified by the laws of war, 
the French cruisers treated them as emia-rants; 
but, in truth, it w as no better than savage cruel- 
ty in both. It was little or nothing better tliaa 
robbery at a fire, and with many this w'as literally 
the case; their little ^///, thus taken, being just 
saved from the ravages oi'fii^e and sword. Num- 
bers of them I conversed with were glad to save 



156 

their live??, while their plantalioiis were in flames, 
set on fire by their own negroes; and, from a 
state oFauhienee and hixury, I have known tliera 
reduced to eat the bread of charity. 



CHAPTER XXIV. 

Mr L , of New Yorii, in the character of 

Captain Bobadil. 



Complaints airainst the British i>:overnment« 
on account of its cruisers, with Joud threaten- 
ings of a war, soon pervaded the United States. 
yAw Enghshman could not walk along the streets, 
go to a colTcc-house, the post-office, or any 
public })lace, vvithout his feelings being insulted. 
One instance may suflice. 

I was at the Tontine Coffee-house, at New 

York, when a Mr L , expressing his hopes 

of a war with England, declared the English 
w^ere such cowards, compared to Americans, 
that he should be glad to see a fleet of British 
men-of-war dare to approach and attack ^evf 
York; being convinced, that sufficient numbers 
of brave Americans (himself one) would instantly 



157 

€oUectf hoard, and ccmquer, Iq vvhicli case, he 
said, he would put all to the sword, and then strew 
their carcases on Long-island by way of mmuue^ 
the only good that he knew Englishmen were fit 

for. Mr L certainly acted Captain Bobadii 

to the life and spirit of the character. This and 
much more abusive ribaldry was perfoi-med under 
the banner of a cap of liberty. Inquiring of a 
gentleman present, why this was permitted in a 
pubhc coifee-room, among prudent sober mer- 
cantile men, he observed, that, in a country of 
liberty y every man claimed the privilege of say- 
ing what he thought; I then hinted, that another 
might reply. *^ Yes, he might, but I advise 
thee not, friend; (it was a Quaker I was con- 
versing with;) "for, should the reply give of- 
fence, it is probable they would take the liberty 
of kicking thee out." I thanked him for so good 
an account of their one-sided liberty, and followed 
his advice. 



VOL. It. 



158 



CHAPTER XXV. 



Purchase a farm in Rhode-island; suspected of 
being a spj/; embargo. 



I HAD travelled OTev great part of America, 
without meeting with a situation to answer my 
expectations. On the contrary, my doubts were 
nearly converted into certainty, that my favourite 
projected scheme of farming upon a grand scale 
could not be accom[)liyl)ed to advantage. 1 had 
bouiiht a small farm of seven tv-six acres, near 
jScwport, in Rhode-island, as a tempo^^ary re- 
sidence for my family, wliile I macle my re- 
•5€arches. 

It unrortunatcly ha})pened, however, thnt, 
while thus employed, the growing uneasiriess 
between England and Amerka greatly increased, 
ir.uil it was suspected that ]Mr Pitt had spies all 
over the United States; and the Englishman, vvlio 
did not inveigh against his native country with 
equal or ii>ore violence than themselves, became 
liable to such suspicion. And sorry 1 am to say, 
there were many such degenerate sons of Eng- 
land, Scotland, and Ireland, who made no scru- 
ple of it; but it was sbme satisfaction to find 



159- 

they were heartily despised by Americans of cha^ 
racter. 

While I was debating in my own mind what 
was best to be done, in regard to my own put- 
suits, I coukl not but observe, that, noticed and 
respected as I wa-s by many of the first people iu 
the cour^trjy it did not save me from suspicion, 
and that the multitude honoured me with their 
notice by announcing me a spy. Mr More, the 
British consul, who advised me to be on ray 
guard, was the first who informed me, and I 
treated the report (not the reporter) with the 
contempt I thought it merited. At length, I 
heard other v/bispers, insinuations, and threalen- 
ings, as I walked along the streets, until my o\v;i 
farming man at last told me bluntly, (yet in good 
nature,) that the people considered me as a spy ; 
and, on my questioning him as to the cause, ne 
answered drily, that 1 appeared to know things 
so well and explored the country so much, the 
people could not believe but I had some other 
business beside hunting after farms. He added, 
thcit I was known likewise to be an old officer, 
who had seen various services by sea and land, 
with a cajnibility (magnified by them) of no- 
ticing, advising, and directing, which they con- 
ceived must have been connected with secret 
views. 

However I might despise the report per- 
sonally, it wu3 not a pleasant one, nor to be 
P 2 



160 

trifled with, as relative to my family; and, in a 
republican government, as America is, if a war 
ensued, it was fraught with danger where the 
multitude rise superior to the laws. To speak 
plainly, I did not like the appearance of things: 
to be considered and treated as a spy, or, on the 
other band, to be any way aiding in taking 
part against my native country, were aUernatives 
I could not well submit to, if in my power to 
remedy. 

An embargo was then laid on all the ports in 
America, which seemed to cut off a retreat; but^ 
relying on my powers of exertion to rise corre- 
spondent to the emergency, I considered well 
the subject, and had made up my mind in what 
manner to proceed as soon as the embargo should 
be taken off; when Dame Fortune turned up a 
lucky card, that enabled me to sail for England 
previously to the removal of the embargo. 



161 



CHAPTER XXVI. 

Eagage the Bntaimla transport, to couveif my 
fcmnli/ to England; Captain Bni/nton, of the 
Nautilus f sloop of tear, detained vn shore by the 
people at Nezcport; occurrences thereon; sail for 
England; deliver to the minister a narrative of 
plain facts, pieviously to his interviezv zcith the 
A/nericau Plenipotentiary.. 



The Britannia, transport, aniving at Pibode- 
islancj, with General Rochambeau and his suite 
from Martinico, afforded me an opportunity of em- 
barking, which I did not neglect. At that time, 
no man in AnTcrica could well know more of their 
real grievances, and the effect produced on the 
public mind in disposing, it for war with England, 
than myself; and, in addition to my own private 
coni-erns, I conceived, that, to convey substantial 
information to the British ministry, without 
palliating on one side or aggravating on the 
other, would be the best se4vice I could render 
both countries. Those who are employed by 
government, to procure information, too often 
shape it to what they think will please. 

On these various grounds, I resolved to return 
instantly ; but the democrats, in opposition to the 
P 3 



162 

apinion of the governor of the state, the judge^ 
the revenue-officers of the port, and principal 
merchants of the place, assembled tumultuously ;, 
and; proceeding on board the Britannia, unbent 
her sails and brought them on shore, struck her 
masts and yards, and took forcible possession,, 
declaring themselves the best judges whether a 
ship, coming in under a flag of truce to land 
French officers, ought to be detained or not. 
This made it necessary to make application to 
the President, General Washington. I hesitated 
not, however, to engage the whole of the Bri- 
tannia's cabin, and then posted off to Philadel- 
phia, with a tender of my services to the British, 
minister. 

I>iiring this, Mr J was preparing to sail 

for England on the subject of American com- 
plaints. It was more than 600 miles to Philadel- 
phia and back again, yet I went thither and re- 
turned within a week, ready for embarking, and 
before the order of the president was obtained 
for the Britannia's permission to sail; — possibly.' 
some httle delay also arose, with a pohtical view,., 

to give Mr J the start. 

While thus waiting, an occurrence happened^ 
which may farther shew the temper and spirit of. 
the Americans at the time. The Nautilus, sloop- 
ofrwar, arrived at Newport, with the French, 
Goven50X of St Lucie.^ t was walking into the> 
town, aad laet the Briush consul with Captaia. 



163 

Baynton and his first lieutenant: seeing tliem- 
escorted by Captain Davis, the sherif, and go- 
ing towards the court-house, I suspected sqine- 
thing amiss and followed, but was not permitted 
to enter or converse with them. The state-as- 
sembly was then sitting r I waited a short time, 
gained admittance, and understood Captain 
Baynton had been sent for on account of some 
American seamen reported to be on board the 
Nautilus; and it was determined that the captain, 
with his lieutenant, who waa on shore at the 
same time, should be detained until a committee 
were sent on board to examine the ship's com- 
pany, books, &c. Captain Baynton, after making 
some ineifectual attempts to get away, was com- 
pelled to agree to the committee's going on 
board, accompanied by tlie consul, whom as a 
lefugee they treated with contempt. 

On their return, Colonel Sherburne informed 
the house that they found all hands at quarters, 
with the guns loaded, but were received with, 
great politeness.. The ship's company was mus- 
tered, the books examined, and every thino- 
complied with, except permitting six men (who 
called themselves Americans), to come on shore 
with them without an order from the captain. 
It was then resolved, that Captain Baynton and 
bis lieutenant should, not b& allowed to depart^ 
until those six men were safe on shore, dis<«Ii;rcred5 
aad paid, Afteii some consideration, Captain 



164 

Baynton sent an order, by which the men- were 
brought on shore; and, about two in the morn- 
ing, Captain Baynton and his lieutenant were 
liberated, Mr More, the consnl, being bound 
for the payment of what moneys were clue to 
them. The enduing day, cer^itieates for each 
man's money were made out, signed by the cap- 
tain and endorsed by the consul. A new difli- 
culty then arose; every merchant in town was 
fearful oi being suspected to side witlv the Bri- 
tish if he crediied tbose certificates, so as to adr 
"v.ance money on them:, this I was well assured 
of by the first merchant in the places.. The conr 
sul's personal credit was not tvufficient to procure 
the cash, any other way;, and, hearing of this, L 
waited on the consuJ, and advanced the mone3^ 

When all was thus settled, 1, laughed at Colonel 
Sherburne and the other gentlemen of the comr- 
mittee for trusting themselves on board the 
Nautilus; assuring them, that if I had. been the 
Gommajiding-otlicer when, they went on board, 
I would have played them a Yanky trick, in re- 
turn, by detaining the w hole committee until the 
captain and lieutenant were sent on board.. 

A few days after, J sailed for England ; and,. 

running a race against Mr.J^ , the American 

plenipotentiary, I was fortunate enough, to ar- 
rive time enough, to wait on Lord G with. a 

concise narrative of facts, without fear, partiality, 
or prejudice, on a subject, which, from the env- 



165 

bargo in America, could be but little known> 
I hope and believe it was of use, preparing his 
lordship's mind against the meeting with, Mr 

J a few days after; and, as the precise mode 

I suggested for settling the differences was 
adopted, it matters not with whom it originated, 
yet 1 may be allowed to please myself in thinking 
I was so far serviceable to both countries. 



CHAPTER XXVIL 

Unsettled situation; a plan for purchasing some 
millions of acres of land; embark for the Ba* 
haraas; land at Nassau, in Nezv Providence^ 



Having devoted as much of my time and 
attention to the public concerns as were neces^ 
sary and requisite, and settled such of my own 
private affairs as absence and other circumstances 
made expedient, I then looked about to con- 
sider what was next best to be done ; but never, 
in the course of my life, did I find myself in so 
complete a void. This never continues long with, 
an active mind. 



160 

Disappointed m some attempts to re-settle in 
England, I became disposed tor the most ha- 
zardous enterprise that might offer or be thought 
of; and, giving full scope lo a range of extra- 
vagant ideas that ttien started, I endeavoured ta 
digest some of them to the possibility and pro- 
bability of being realized. Like other projectors, 
the more I thought on one gi*and speculative 
plan I had conceived, the more satisfied I was 
with it; but it required extensive power as well as 
capital. 

With my project prepared for explanation, I 

waited on , who was soon satisfied that 

a small expense, with but little risk, would be 
sufficient to lay the foundation of a mighty un- 
dertaking, whether the whole immense fabric 
proposed to be built thereon should ev€r take 
effect or not: secrecy was so essential, that it 
was agreed no third person should be made ac- 
quainted vvith it, until the first grand point was 
obtained, which, insuring possession, might then 
be proceeded on without that apprehension of 
defeat it was liable to at first. I undertook the. 
whole of the active preparations, until the first 
blow was to be struck lo insure success; then, 
and not till tlien, did I require that [)ecuniary 
aid which I possessed not, and without which 
nothing could be achieved. This was to be 
ready and at my command when wanted, and 
things were put accordingly in train. 



167 

Taking my eldest son with nie, I left all the 
rest of my family ia England. No time was to 
be lost; and, hearing of a ship ready to sail for 
the Bahamas, from Liverpool, I embarked from 
that port, send-ng letters to America, by different 
<X)nve3'ances, to facilitate my plan. It was pretty 
geneially understood that I was going to settle at 
the Bahamas, where I was to have 1200 acres of 
land given me for cultivation, and there was 
truth eiit ug'i in the circumstance on which to 
found the supposition. 

At the time I am speaking of, there were se- 
venteen millions of acres of land to be sold in 
'Georgia, and this in truth was my real grand 
object. I knew that no foreign government 
would be permitted to purchase, but a private 
imsuspected individual might, as a matter of 
speculation, buy all he was able to agree and pay 
for; through whose agency it might afterwards 
be managed. The settling and inhabiting those 
parts bordering on the river Mississippi, by the 
inPiuence of any powerful maritime natio!i, might 
e'asily be effected. A rupture with Spain was 
then expected; who, either by treaty, might 
have been induced to give up the Floridas for 
an equivalent, or be compelled so to do. Sup- 
posing, then, that Great Britain was again pos- 
sessed of Florida, as well as Canada, she would 
have had the two orrand naviirable inlets and out- 



168 

lets of communication for commerce, with a com- 
mand of all the rich back territories of North 
i\raerica. 

Kentucky, and most of the western back coun- 
tries, were then complaining and threatening to 
withdraw from the union, if the navigation of the 
Mississippi was not made free for them, and 
which it was not in the power of the United 
States then to do. Any new settled country, in- 
creasing in population to 100,000, has a right to 
claim being iiee and independant, and this 
would not have been long under the influence of 
the government I had in contemplation. 

Imagination led me to consider my intended 
purchase as the link of the chain to join the Fio- 
jridas with Kentucky, and all the rich tract of 
back country along the Ohio; and, as the 
western ports were not then given up and doubts 
entertained whether they would or not, the con- 
nection with Upper Canada would have been 
easily accomplished, and the United States insu- 
lated. Such was my airy castle, at that time. 
How far it would be prudent to attempt it at all, 
or to make a purchase of not less than ten and as 
far as fifteen millions of acres, was to be inves- 
tigated farther at the Bahamas, or, as it might 
happen, at South Carolina. 

Landing at Nassau, in New Providence, I was 
politely received by the governor, Lord Dun- 
moie, whose inquisitiveness to learn all the mo- 



169 

lives of my visit I did not satisfy, ihoiigli, from 
my declining some liberal offers of land he made 
ine, he could not be persuaded that I had any 
views to settle in the Bahamas. 

While there, I was fortunate enough to meet 
three gentlemen from Georgia, from v.hom I 
gathered such information respecting the land 
and the price it was to be bought at, (from three 
pence halfpenny to five pence an acre^) as made 
it unnecessary to go to that slate. Congress^ I 
understood, already appeared jealous, and 
claimed a right to control the sale of those 
lands. Nothing could be determined on b}- me, 
therefore, until that question was decided be- 
tween congress and Georgia; and, in the event 
of Georgia succeeding for what they contended, 
viz. an undeniable right to dispose of the state- 
lands in any way they thought best, Philadelphia 
and New York were the best markets to purchase 
at. 



VOL. H, Q. 



170 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 

Concise account of the Bahamas; importance of 
these islands; hints fo?' sending convicts thither; 
the first of settling these islands; a rendezvous for 
pirates, and residence of the notorious sea-robber, 
Blackbeard; the pirates expelled and a govern- 
ment settled; extraordinary propagation of their 
sheep; weakness and poverty of this settlement in 
1784; rapid improverncjits since; excellent fsh; 
pylenty of turtle; all other provisions dear; M. 
Sounise and his wife, their ill-treatment from 
M^ Kenny, Captain of a privateer; undertake 
their cause; oblige JSr Kenny to make restitution; 
liberality of the gentlemen at Nassau toxmrds M, 
Sounise. 



This affording me a little time, I employed 
it in examining and learning all I could concern- 
ing these apparently much- neglected islands; 
and I trust that the following short account of a 
part of" the British empire, so little known to 
people ill England, will be neitiier unprofitable 
nor un-entertaining. 1 was indebted to Mr Wy- 
ley, a vc^ry able counsellor and late solicitor-ge- 
neral of those islands, for much of my informa- 
tion. 



171 

These islands, so long neglected by the Euro- 
pean powers, and unexplored even by the Eng- 
lish settlers und tlieir descendants, who for 
more than a century have been settled there, 
may henccforih, on account of their valuable 
staple as well as their relative situation, be con- 
sidered among the more important of our colo- 
nies. They extend from 21° to 28° of north 
latitude, and from 71° to 79^ of west longitude. 

The principal islands are twenly-six in num- 
ber; the smaller islands, or (as they are calbd) 
Keys, amount to some hundreds: together, they 
f<5rm almost one continued chain, extending 
from Turk's Island to tlie Grand Bahama, in a 
direction nearly north-west and south-east. The 
principal harbours, at present known, are those 
of Exuma; Nassau, in the Island of New Pro- 
vidence; and Little Harbour, at Abaco; but, 
from the numiber, extent, and situation, of these 
islands, it is most probable there are many other 
harbours equally good with those above men- 
tioned. That of Exuma is by far the best of the 
three, and they are all formed by one or more 
ke3^s, or smaller islands, l^'iug in front of the 
principal island. 

To perceive at one view the importance of 
these islands to Great Britain, for the purpose of 
protecting our homeward-bound West -India 
trade in time of war, as well as for annovinu; that 
of France and Spain, nothing more v/ili be ne- 
Q 2 



172 

ccssary than to look into the map, and observe the 
only two passages by which ships can return to 
Europe from ports in the West Indies lying to 
tie \'esl\vard of Hispaniola. One passage hes 
between the west end of tlie last-mentioned is* 
1-ind a!ul the east end of Cuba, by Crooked and 
Long islands; t'ne other round the west end of 
Cuba, and thenee through the strait lying be- 
tween the coast of Florida and the Islands of 
/ibaco, Grand Bahama, 8cc. The former of 
these passages is commanded by Exuma, the 
latter by New Providence, Abaco, and the other 
islands to the north-west. These at all seasons 
aflbrd safe harbours and places of rendezvous to 
our vessels, wliile the French and Spanish home- 
ward-bound ships must pass almost witliin sight 
of either the one or tbie other of them. From 
these ports, our cruisers and privateers may at- 
tack them with great advantage, and their prizes 
be sent, in the course of a few hours^ into places 
of safety, so as to render re-captures in general 
impracticable. 

After Vihat has been said, it is easy to conceive 
to what danc^ers our Jamaica trade would have 
b'cen exposed, if the Bahamas had not been 
restored. But it is not the situation alone that 
makes these islands of importance to Great Bri- 
tain; the extent of our cotton-manufactures, 
and the many thousand industrious labourers to 
v,hom they give bread, render the cultivation of 



173- 

tliat raw malerial an object of much national 
concoin ; and the experience of the productive 
crops, at the time I visited them, evinced that 
the soil and climate of the Bahamas were well 
adapted to the culture of cotton. 

The northernmost islands, if more cleared and 
inhabited by industrious farmers, encouraged 
thereto from England, are well adapted for raising 
provisions in abundance for the supply of the 
West-India Islands, and I am inclined to believe 
would prove healthy, which is more than I think 
of those to the southward, otherwise than in a 
comparative degree. 

The southern islands are best calculated for 
getting rich in a short time, and the northern, 
islands for living health}' and comJbrtable; nor- 
do 1 doubt, but, in the course of a i'ew years, 
the farmers in the latter would be at much the 
greatest certaint3^ In the one, there is a tolera- 
ble depth of soil to work upon; but, in the other, 
nothing short of actual proof would have per- 
suaded me to heiieve these islands were capable 
of such remarkable vejj-etatlon as I witnessed. 

The natural appearance of these islands is far 
from being encouraging to the husbandman, who 
has never before quitted his native soil in Europe. 
In general, they are either rocky and. moun- 
tainrjus, or flat, wet, and sandy: the soil is light 
and thin, and in most places but sparingly scat- 
tered over a white, porous, soft, rock,. Of these,, 
0.3 



174 

the firs^t strata are, for the most part broken and 
unconnected, lying in sheets from three to six 
inches thick, and either covering or covered by a 
\ery slight poition of light earth, sometimes 
both. But, however little fertility the appear- 
ances promise, certain it is tliat the tropical 
plants thrive as well here as in any of tlie West- 
India' Islands. This, possibly, is in a great mea- 
sure owing to the rocks themselves: these, from 
their very porous nature, necessarily receive a 
great deal of moisture, which they retain longer 
than it is possible for the soil alone to do in this 
hot climate, and tliey certainly yield their exha- 
lations more, sparingly to the ra3's of the sun. 
But, whatever may be the physical cause, the 
fact is, that the long droughts, with which these 
islands are sometimes visited, are by no means so 
injurious to plants as they are found to be in- 
most southern climates; and the c^on, except 
in the planting-season, requires less moisture 
tiian any other ])lant we are acquainted with. 

Indian corn, Guinea corn^ pease, beans, cab- 
bages, carrots, and sallad, are cultivated, with 
little trouble : yams, plaintains, and bananas, 
grow in grtat abundance; the last articles gene- 
rally with^^' away in the dry season, but spring 
up again, from the same roots, for several years 
successively; by which means, much labour is 
saved to the planter. And, if farming were 
more attended to in these islands; (instead of the 



175 

false pride of being called planters,) the negroc v 
at little expense, woidd be fed much better^ 
without being dependant for supplies from a- 
broad, which is often the case in these and still 
more so in the other West-India Islands. 

Dve-woods are found in these islands, but at 
present in no great abundance, and in all likeli- 
hood because not sought for. They have a vari- 
ety of hard Avoods, and a small but excellent 
specie:> of mahogany. Pine of a tolerable size, 
and much harder than that of the continent, is 
found upon some of the islands, particularly on 
Abaco. Ship-timber, equal to any in the world, 
for vessels as large as 200 tons burden, seems 
inexhaustible on the northernmost islands. 

I acknowledge myself no botanist, and there- 
fore in point of judgerfient claim but little atten- 
tion; but, so far as opinion ma^y go, from a 
common view of things, I conceive there is a 
line unexplored field for botanical researches. 
Pine - apples, oranges, limes, lemons, guavas, 
and all the tropical fruits, with coflee, cocoa, 
and pimento, grow extremely well here; and 
there is little doubt but the climate would be 
equally favourable to indigo, tobacco, and vines: 
the latter a.re indigenous. I observed them grow- 
ing Wild in the woods, in various places; from 
whicli I am of opinion, that, if suitable situations 
for vineyards were sought out, they might be 
cukivated to advantage for .domestic purposes at 



17G 

least. But their most valuable production, at 
present, is cotton; and, ^xhWe that bears any- 
thing hke its present price, it might be impru- 
dent to attempt any other staple upon an expen- 
sive scale, on those islands where it has been, 
proved to grow to such profit. 

But this is no reason why those islands, that 
lie too far to the northward for cotton, should 
not be cultivated for other productions and the 
raising of live stock; and, with all due deference 
to my superiors, if these northerly Bidiama- 
islands (that are so neglected) had been made 
choice of to send convicts to, instead of Botan}^- 
bay, I am persuaded that half the money, which 
already has been expended on that distant settle- 
ment, would before this time have made these 
islands highly productive and beneficial to this 
country, in a variety of ways;; while Botany-bay 
Avill continue to be an eating canker as long as it 
belongs to us. It may be said, we have gone so 
far in estabUshing our settlements at New Hol- 
land, that they can not now be given up; yet I 
should submit, that the convicts might be di- 
vided into two classes, of better and worse; the 
better to be sent to these nearer settlements, as a 
milder punishment, and the worse to Botany-bay. 

Cotton was first planted in these islands in the 
year 1785, ten years before I visited them. It 
arose from the industry of American loyalists, 
and had exceeded their ow^n most sanguine ex- 



177 

pectations. On Exuma, a planter, with no more 
llian thirty-two slaves, had made nineteen tons 
of clesm cotton, worth on the spot upwards oF 
2660/. sterling, nearly double the whole value of 
the ne2:roe3 bv whose labour it was made. Upon 
that and other windward islands, people have in 
general been almost equally successful; and, in 
many instances, a ton or a ton and a half has 
been made by the labour of a peasant, his wife, 
and one or two children. Salt also may be made, 
in any quantities, upon many of these islands, 
particularly on the Turk's Islands, Exuma, 
llagged-island, and at Normon's Pond. 

As many of the Bahama-islands lie within the 
trropi'cs, it would be superfluous to give an ac- 
count of their climate, which is like that of the 
West-India Islands in general. The same tem- 
perament prevails also, for nearly two-thirds of 
the year, in the islands which are situated far- 
ther north; but, from November to April, during 
the prevalence of the north-west wind from the 
continent, the air of these last-mentioned is- 
lands is within a degree or two of frost, and fires 
are then comf )rtable. 

In so temperate a latitude, encompassed by 
the sea, (the air of which is on ail hands ad- 
mitted to be more salubrious than that of the 
continent,) the native adult inhabitants of these 
islands, together with those who have been long 
enough to becom^e seasoned to a hot climate^ 



may fairly be said to enjoy their lieallli; and tlieir 
niunerous families exhibit strong proofs that 
the women are prolific, but it must be confessed 
,the children look sickly. Yet, on Harbour- 
island, among fifty-ciglit fainiiies, (all natives,) 
only five different sur-names are found, viz. Ro- 
berts, Russell, Saunders, Sawyer, and Currie. 
Of the, Roberts alone, there were nineteen fami- 
lies, all Vvithin three degrees of the same com- 
mon stock or ancestor. The people, in this 
island in particular, are remarkable for their 
longevity, which I attribute much to its northern 
situation; and thence I think it fair to infer, that 
those islands, which are still farther north, wour(r 
prove equally healthy. Indeed, were I to make 
2^1 elccrioii for forming a. new settlement, I 
should prefer these to any other of the Bahama- 
islands, or to any of the new richest back lands 
in America. 

It would be but a small expense to govern- 
ment, to encourage and divert, to these islands, 
the present frequent emigrations to America from 
this country. The better sort of convicts would 
supply the new settlers with the necessary help 
for clearing and cultivating the land ; an aid, 
which can not be procured in America, nor any 
substtute for it, and without aid of some kind a 
man may as well say he possesses so many thou- 
sand acres of land in the moon, as in Kentucky, 
^c. from any advantage he may derive from cul- 



179 

'tivation, beyond bare support to his family, 
Avhich must be done by his own and their hard 
labour. 

The first European settlement, attempted in 
the Bahamas, was by the English, in 1668, under 
a patent from Charles the Second, by which the 
territorial property of these islands was granted 
to certain persons, therein named. Little, how- 
ever, was done or attempted at that time, and 
the Bahamas soon after became a haunt for pi- 
rates and robbers, whose depredations were faci- 
litated and retreats rendered secure by the intri- 
cacy of the navigation, so little known at that 
time. In this state did those islands remain for 
almost forty years, during a great part of which 
period, a pirate, named Blackbeard, whose me- 
mory is still famous there, possessed the power 
of a petty prince, enriching himself and his fol- 
lowers by the plunder of merchant-ships that 
navigated those seas. I have repeatedly been 
under the large tree where he used to sit and 
xletermine all matters in question, relative to hfe 
or property, in the most summary wa}^ 

To expel these freebooters. Captain Rogers 
was sent out, as governor, in the year 1718. He 
erected Fort Nassau, upon the Island of New 
Providence, and there fixed the seat of govern- 
ment. Since that period, some sort of go\ern- 
ment has been continued, and of late has been 
improved : this it wanted. In truth, the propri- 



180 

etors, under the grant of Charles II. gave them- 
selves no ti'ouble about it; and so little was 
done, to encourage either commerce or agricul- 
ture in these islands, that until lately they have 
escaped the attention of the British government, 
which seemed indifferent about them, and content 
so long as they did not fall into the hands of any 
other power. 

The inhabitants were poor and not numerous; 
their property consisted of a few small vessels 
and some negroes. Their occupations were con- 
fined to fishing, wrecking, and wood-cutting; 
agriculture they had none, nor did they conceive 
the country capable of it. Their only produce 
was fruit, with some yams, cassada, and pota- 
toes: they raised no sheep nor horned cattle, yet 
in no country are sheep more prolific, yeaning 
two or three lambs in common, sometimes four, 
and this t^\ ice a year. 

Possibly this account may appear extraordina- 
ry to English farmers; but it is a fact, which I 
veil ascertained. The mutton is inferior to none; 
and, if the smallest attention were paid to keep 
the sheep within enclosures, instead of suffering 
them to run at large in the woods, and to pro- 
vide them with a little stover during the dry 
season, when the herbage is all burnt up, they 
would yield considerable profit. 

They have a grass, which grows in great 
luxuriance after a little moisture, and would make 



181 

good hay; but, having no winter to guard against, 
they pay no attention to it, forgetting tliat the 
poor animals are as destitute of provision, in a 
hot dry season, as they would be in a cold sharp 
wintry chmate. I have seen the sheep, horses, 
and cattle, pawing aad scraping witii their feet 
to get at the roots, which they would gnaw^ many 
inches witliin the sandy soil. But tlie truth is, 
I did not meet with a single person, in the Ba- 
hamas, who liad an}' idea of farming, though it 
would richly repay them to attend to it. To re- 
turn to the iirst settlers ; their diet was chiefly 
fish, and even vegetables were almost unknown 
timong them. 

In the year 1784, there were scarcely any set- 
tlements but those on New Providence, Eleu- 
thera, and Harbour-island. The v.hole popu- 
lation then amounted to 1722 whites, (men, wo- 
men, and children,) and 2333 persons of colour, 
a great proportion of whom were free; and, at 
the utmost, there w'cre not 500 acres of cultivated 
land on all the islands. Their whole export to 
Great Britain, during the years 1773 and 1774, 
amounted to no more than 6216/. 8s. IQcL the 
princi|>al part of which consisted in wrecked 
goods. Their imports, during tlie same period, 
amounted to 3592/. Os. Id, 

So contemptible, indeed, was this government 
at that time, that the cajntal was taken and the 
governor made prisoner, in the course of the we^v 

VOL. II. R 



182 

•with our colonies, by an American privateer^ 
The Americans committed no depredations upon 
the inhabitants, and, after a short stay, left the 
island. The government was thereupon re-es- 
tablished, and soon after again interrupted by a 
considerable force from the Havannah, to which 
the island of New-Providence, with the rest of 
the Bahamas, surrendered by capitulation in No- 
vember, 1781. 

By the subsequent treaty of ])eace with Spain, 
it was agreed that these islands should be 
restored to Great Britain. However, previous 
to the notification of that event, a volunteer-ex- 
pedition was undertaken for their recovery, by a 
spirited young partisan, Lieutenant-colonel De- 
veaux, of the South-Carolina militia, and Cap- 
tain Dowd, of the Ranger, privateer, of Saint 
Augustine. They sailed from Florida, with a 
force of two armed vessels and about fifty militia. 
After picking up a few recruits at Eleuthera and 
Harbour-island, they approached New Pro- 
vidence under cover of the night, took by sur- 
prise two stout galleys that guarded the eastern 
entrance of the harbour; and, turning their guns 
against one of the forts, soon drove out the 
troops that were in it. After this successful ex- 
ploit, a handful of men were landed, and the 
Spanish governor, with the garrison, amounting 
to nearly 700 regular troops, were intimidated 
into a capitulation, through a degree of gal- 



183 

lantry and address that have seldom been 
equalled. 

Florida being ceded to Spain, many of the in- 
habitants of that province, among whom wer<i 
several loyal refugees from Georgia and the Ca- 
rolina?, removed, in 1784^ to the Bahamas, with 
their property and slaves, thereby doubHng the 
population of these islands; and it is from that 
period their importance as a colony may be 
dated. The islands were soon after purchased 
from the projirietors by government, and the 
progress they have since made is wonderful. 

There are now several merchants and store- 
keepers, whose annual exports and imports 
amount singly to treble and quadruple the amount 
of the whole exports and imports of the years 
1773 and 1774. There is likewise a lucrative 
trade carried on with the Spaniards from Cuba 
and Hispaniola, who come over in small fast- 
sailing craft, bringing with them, besides cattle 
and sugars, from five to thirty thousand dollars 
in specie, in each vessel, with which they pur- 
chase goods to smuggle back to those islands. 
The average-quantity of specie may be from 
eight to ten thousand dollars to a vessel, and 
seldom a week passed, while I Avas there, but 
four or five of these vessels arrived: their bu- 
siness was done and they were gone again within a 
week. The trade, therefore, is all ready-money to 
the merchant and store-keeper, and it appeared 
Tt 2 



cO Rie, that, if the number of merchaiUs and 
stores were increased tenfold, for supplying the 
Spaniards, the iratiic thither would inerease as 
fast, it being a much more convenient port for 
the Spaniards to come to, than to go so far round 
to Jamaica, if they were but sure of a market suf- 
ficient to supply them. 

The shores of the Bahama-islands abound with 
excellent fish; turtle is in great plenty and rea- 
sonable. Indeed, they are the on]y two articles 
of provision that arc so, which is so much in 
favour of a farmer for raising and fattening his 
stock. In the woods, there are wild pigeons, 
wl.ich afford amusement to those who avt fond 
of shooting; there are also wild cats and racoon*, 
that do much mischief among the lambs, from a 
want of care : the racoons are generally fat, and 
arc eaten by those who are not prejudiced against 
them. 

As a visitor, the society of the town of Nassaii 
(the only town in all the Bahama-islands) was 
engaging and pleasant to me, and I had an op- 
portunity of witnessing their great generosity 
towards a French gentleman and his wife, which 
did them honour. 

M. Sounise, with his wife, had been obliged 
to fly, leaving a considerable property behind in 
the island where they were born, bringing but 
little away beside their watches, jewels, and a 
little plate. They were on board an American 



185 

"brig, ^vbich was taken and brought to New Pro- 
vidence. As they lodged in the same house uith 
me, I heard them complain that M'Kinncy, the 
master of the privateer who brought them in, 
refused deliverhig up their watches and trinkets, 
together with a black servant-girl, notwithstand- 
ing the cause had been tried and an order ob- 
tained from the court to deliver them. 

What a cruel situation I a remarkably mild 
pleasant gentleman and an amiable woman had 
been driven from their possessions, where they 
had lived in affluence, by their own democratical 
countrymen. Fh'mg thence, on board a neutral 
vessel, to seek a refuge in America, they are. 
stopped by another enemy, who, on no other 
pretence but their being French people, con- 
ceived they had a right to plunder them of the 
very little they had saved, although under the 
protection of a neutral flag. Appealing to the 
justice of the E.iglish laws, they obtain an order 
for restitution; yet the wretch, the master of 
the vessel who has plundered them, trusting that 
they would find no one to support their just- 
claims, set them at defiance and refused to de- 
liver up their httle property. 

It was not a pleasant ma^tter for a stranger to 
hiterfere in; but, finding no one else was likely 
to stir in their favour, I undertook it. Waiting 
first on the owners of the privateer, they referred- 
me to Captain M^Kinney. Applying to liitn; I 
R 3. 



286' 

requested he would consult his own feelings, as a 
gentleman, and do them generous justice. But 
the brute had no such feelings to consult: he 
as^ed me zcho and what I was, to interfere in a 
business that did not concern me, and withal to 
lake a rrenchman's part, and then swore he would 
be damned before he deHvered any of it \\^. Ob- 
?erving to him, that T seldom undertook any thing 
by halves, he migh.t therefore be assured, that what 
he refused to do as a gentleman I would oblige 
him to perform like a pohroon. Tliis httle ren- 
contre passed before half the gentlemen of the 
town, assembled at a public vendue. 

I called on the governor. Lord Dunmore, to 
explain my motives tor sucli interference; then, 
taking M. Souni.se to Judge Grant's, I inquired 
if it were true that such an order of court was 
made; he said it was. " 1 wait upon you, then, 
sir, to claim justice for this man, requesting that 
the marshal of your court be directed to enforce 
the order.'' With the judge's directions, I called 
on Mr \^ ebb, the marshal, to carry the order 
into immediate execution. This was on a Satur- 
day, in the forenoon, and in the evening I had 
tlie satisfaction of being informed, by Mr Webb, 
tliat the notorious Captain M^Kinney, having 
first refused to obey the order, was safe in cus- 
tody for contempt of court, &c. and that he 
would lie in goal until Monday, unless I chose 
to liberate him on securitv. Mr Webb told me, 



187 

that M'Kinney was brought as humble as before 
he was insolent. 

The fellow richly deserved to be punished by 
the confineinent, but I was willing to shew hinx 
my different mode of treating a person within 
my power, and therejbre told Mr Webb, that, 
provided he would be ansvverable for the rcs« 
toration of all the property in question on the 
i^.Ionda}^, I consented, on the part of ?J. Sounise, 
that M'Kinney m.ight be at liberty. On the 
Monday morning, I had great pleasure in seeing 
the black v.ench, with all their other little pro- 
perty, delivered to ihem. It rejoiced n)y heart 
to sec them all so happy, and they were as grate- 
ful in acknowledo'ements. 

o 

"What little money they had when taken vras 
plundered and irrecoverably gone, and I then 
understood that all v^hich was thus recovered for 
them must be sold to pay their expense of living 
in a place whither they were brought contrary to 
their will. Mentioning this circumstance, when 
in company at a genticman^s house, a few days 
after. Counsellor Wyley, with some other gen- 
tlemen of the tov;n, undertook a subscription, 
by which a heavy bill of their living was paid, 
Vvith a handsome sum of money to defray their 
other expenses. In the progress of this business, 
it was an additional satisfaction to learn, that this 
fellow, M'Kinney, was not an Englishman but a 
refugee from New York, He was so com- 



188 

pletely ashamed at being tlins foiled, that he 
hurried his privateer out some days before he 
otherwise intended, sailing the day after he had 
been compelled to deliver the things up. 



CHAPTER XXIX. 

Leave the BaJiamas; sail for the conlinoit of Ame- 
rica ; sad disappointment. 



Having obtained all the information in my 
power relative to the main object of my pursuit, 
and spent what leisure time I could afford in exa- 
mining and collecting the best intelligence of the 
Bahamas, I prepared for the continent, to watch, 
and assist the proceedings of congress at Phila- 
delphia, as on tlieir determination everv thing 
depended as to my future prospect of carrying 
my plan into execution. 

Taking a passage for my son and self in an 
American, schooner, we reached the continent in 
a few days. To mention particulars respecting 
those I conversed with, consulted, and advised, 
and those with whom I made provisional agree- 
ments for the purchase of some millions of acres 



189 

of land, none exceeding sixpence an acre, with 
liberty to relinquish, unless it should be deter- 
mined to be a constitutional right in the State of 
Georgia to sell those lands free from any con- 
troul of the federal constitution, will be not only 
unnecessary but might be attended with mis- 
chief. 

Matters, however, went on promisingly, until, 
making application where I felt assured of re- 
ceivhio; such aid when wanted, I was refused the 

advance of- pounds, which would have so 

far insured its accomplishment; and this A 

L , whom I was then under the necessity of 

acquainting with the business, knew that it would 
do ; and all the reason I could get w^as, he would 
justify himself to the quarter whence he re- 
ceived the instructions which I had delivered to 
him. I could do no more, my ambitious dream 
vanished; and, for some time after, I was seri- 
ously fearful of the effect from so unexpected a 
disappointm€P,t. 



I90 



CHArXER XXX. 

Purchase a heaul(ful farm in Long-ishuid ; descrip- 
tion of t lie same; noted passage cf Hell-gate ; dif- 
ficult}/ of procuring help ; purchase negroes; plan 
for their emancipation; absurd. notions of equa- 
liti/; attempts to cure it and fail; discharge the 
zchite and keep none but black servants; reasons 
for giving up anj/ farther attempt to farm in 
yJmerica, 



The world was again all before me; but tbe 
more I travelled, and the greater pains I took to 
obtain the summum honiwiy the greater distance I 
seemed to be from it. My spirits now began to 
flag, and I wished to find a place of rest. 
Humbled as I was in my grand pursuit, I per- 
severed in my other researches, until chance 
directed me to a farm in Long-island, having the 
appearance of answering the purpose of sitting 
quietly down, the remainder of my life, after the 
struggles I had undergone; trusting that, as my 
children grew up, there v/ould be no difficulty in 
procuring situations which might enable them to 
support themselves with all reasonable comforts: 
more than this, I now concluded, would not be in 
my power to do for them. But the sequel will 



1^1 

-shew, how much I was disappointed in this mo- 
derate expectation. 

With the view I have mentioned, I purchased 
the estate, and sent for my wife and family, de*- 
tcrmined to give farming in America a fair trial, 
tiiougli on a small scale, compared to what I had 
oricfinallv intended. It was a situation as pro- 
mising in appearance as could be wished ; an 
excellent iiouse, which I finished, good land, 
good water, healthy air, fish, game, wild-fowl, 
variety of fruit, all at command and in abundance. 
■My family were as much delighted with it as 
myself, and we seriously thought we might here 
be content and comfortable. 

The farm contained 140 acres, about thirty of 
which were wood-land, (now^ an essential article 
on the Atlantic shores near maritime towns, 
though an encumberance inland); a good-sized 
house, but not finished, fifty feet in front and 
thirry-five deep, square chambers and garrets 
over, with a large dry cellar under the whole; a 
barn, stable, cow-house, &c. One-half of the land 
was the richest loam I had seen near the Atlantic 
shores, the other half middling, but lying so 
water shot, that, with 150 rod of a good di.ch- 
drain, and a fortnight's work with two teams to 
remove large stones, I turned twenty acres of a 
miry swamp into a good meadow. Fruits of 
.many kinds, such as apples, pears, plums, 
.peaches, quinces, cherries, damsons, currants, 



192 

and raspberries, in great abundance from cul- 
tivation ; there were also strawberries, mulberries, 
grapes, and walnuts, growing wild, but neither 
good nor plentiFuL Springs of the purest water, 
near the house, never dry nor ever frozen. 

The situation v.as on the west side of a beau- 
tiful bay that opened into the sound, wlience 
market-boats were regularly passing to New 
York. There were the best oistcrs 1 tasted in 
America, clams oF both sorts, and various other 
shell-fish, to he gathered with ease from my own 
shore; eels, likewise, in abundance, with variety 
of other fish, to be caught in their season in the 
bay and in the sound. Quantities of wild fowl in 
the winter, and tolerable shootins: of eame on 
land. 

Our distance from New York was nineteen 
miies by land, the roads better and more pleasant 
than most in America ; the distance by water 
was nearly the same, in sailing or rowing of 
^vhich we had to pass through the celebrated 
strait, called Hell-gate, at the west end of the 
sound, about seven miles eastward of New York, 
and remarkable for its whirlpools, which make a 
tremendous roaring at certain times of the tide. 
These whirlpools are occasioned by the narrow- 
ness and crookedness of the pass, and a bed of 
irregular rocks which extend across the bottom, 
with large detached masses of the same, rising, 
some level with and others above high-water 



195 

mark; niid not, as has been related^ W the 
meeting of the tides, \vhich in reahty meet several 
miles. to the eastward, between White-stone and 
Frog's Point. This I frequently had oppor- 
tunities of noticing, my estate on Long-island 
being nearly opposite to Frog's Point, and I often 
went to New York and back by water. 

I was apprehensive, from the first, there was 
not much society in the neighbourhood ; but the 
easy access to and from New York, by land" and 
water, reconciled me to that, and I was assured 
I might do tolerably well as to help, either by 
hire or purchase. I thought it a promising me- 
dium between the northern states, where there 
were neither slaves nor servants, and the south- 
ern states, where they were all slaves; and that, 
if farming upon a small scale could be carried on 
any where in America, to the satisfaction of an 
English farmer, it was here. 

I gave 2800/. for this estate, ready money. 
The fences being out of repair, drains and 
ditches much wanted, and the land so foul as to 
require every acre of the arable land to be made 
good winter and summer fallows of, (a mode no 
American farmer I met with had any idea of,) I 
wished to cm.ploy from ten to twenty men as soon 
as possible. In the first month, however, I 
could procure only one; in the next, with diffi- 
culty, I hired two more, all at ten dollars a 
month, with board and lodging. These were 

VOL. li. S 



194 

Americans: one-half the work I wanted and di- 
rected to be- done they refused, not that it was 
difficult, but they had not been accustomed to 
do it such way; saying, '' it^ Mr is not satis- 
fied with the manner we are used to plough, &,c. 
Mr had better settle with us and get others." 

After many inquiries, I met with and hired a 
Yorkshire farming-man, who had been in Ameri- 
ca three years, together with a young Irishman. 
To them, I gave twelve dollars and a half each, 
per month, board, &c. The Americans insisted 
on the same wages, though they could not per- 
form more than half the work of ditching, &c. 
besides objecting to work -wliere their feet were 
wet, though in the middle of summer; and, as 
to ploughing, two buck-rabbits, with a ram's 
horn, would (comparatively speaking) plough 
the land as well, and an eel draw as strait a fur- 
row. They would neither be directed nor found 
fault with, and were consequently discharged. 

Convinced I could not get on without pur- 
chasing black help, and reduced to the alterna- 
tive of being a slave to my white servants or 
having slaves for my servants, I listened to some 
©f the many applications n^ade me from several 
negroes in the neighbourhood, who wished me 
to purchase them of their masters, and I bought 
four. To all of them, I promised freedom in 
the following manner. I divided the sum I gave 
for each into so many equiil portions ; and, 



195 

opening a regular account, I engaged, at the 
close cr every year, to set off one of these por- 
tions until the whole was discharged, and they 
thca became free provided the}' behaved well. 
Any very bad behaviour was to be punished wiih 
the mulct of such a part of the yearly portion, 
according to tlieir demerits in that year; the de- 
cisions on which were to be publicly settled and 
made known to them every year, when assem- 
bled together for that purpose: which day I 
made a gala for them and all whom they chose 
to invite, nor did my heart ever dilate with much 
greater satisfaction than en the first of these 
gala-days, v.hen, with my wife and children, we 
went among them in the height of their jollity 
in the evening; and, dancing with them a few 
minutes only, made all completely happy. But I 
learned that this gave umbrage to some of my 
neighbours, who were jealous of its making their 
negroes discontented. 

As no labourers could be hired without board- 
ing, tlie trouble of providing for them, as well 
as our own large family, fell excessively heavy 
on iiry wife. Giving directions would not do, 
nor yet seeing to it without helping: in fact, she 
was the greatest slave in the house. At first, we 
hoped that in time they would be able to do with 
directions after being instructed, but it proved 
nearly as bad at the em.] as the beginning of the 
year, 

S 2 



196 

When I got iny black help, my white men re- 
fused to eat at the same table or same time, if in 
the same room with my black people, whether 
Irce or slaves. Tliey even considered their own 
equality lessened, by not being permitted to eat 
at our table. This kind of pretence, set up by 
European servants, is much more insupportable 
from them than the native American; with the 
latter it is natural, and he looks for it without 
assuming any new consequence. But the Euro- 
pean, on whom this assumption is awkwardly 
grafted, knows not how to make this claim or 
acquiesce in giving it up, \\iiiiout exhibiting an 
ignorant, haughty, ferocious, kind of self-conse- 
quence, that is truly ridiculous as well as disa- 
greeable. I tried, once or twice, what the effect 
of example would do. I was felling some large 
trees, in a wood at some distance from the house, 
when, having prepared a large meat-pie sufficient 
for six of us to dine on, and taking two black 
men, two white men, with my son and myself, 
we went to work in the forenoon. At twelve 
o'clock, sweeping the snow away from around 
one of the butts of the fallen trees, I called 
them all, saying, jocularly, " Come, boys, as we 
all work together, let us all eat and drink toge- 
ther." Then, cutting the pie into six equal 
sbares, I handed a piece to each of my whites 
first, then to my blacks, lastly to my son and 
myself. But it was difficult to refrain from 



197 

lauo-bin"- at the contrast of the black and white 
countenances, wliile eating. The hitter, surlily 
looking at each other, twisted their jaws about 
as if they had no appetite, while the former (after 
reoeated excuses to wait until we had done, 
which I over-ruled,) sate with their eyes fixed 
bashfully on the ground, scarcely opening their 
mouths wide enough to admit tlieir victuals, yet 
with a secret kind of smile when they leered at 
each other. In the morning, we had all worked. 
ciiearfully alike;, but, after tliis repast, scarcely 
a word escaped the lips of my white gentlemen, 
except short raiswers when 1 spoke to them: my 
black mates, on the contrary, were as much on 
the alert. When returned home, I understood 

they had said, '^ Mr might eat with black 

men if he pleased, but they never would"; and^ 
a few dnys after, they leit me.. 

Experience tauglit me it would not do to em- 
ploy white and black men together.* One black 
man, that 1 had bought at his own earnest re- 
quest, and on the principle of making his wife, 
child, (whom I had purchased before of a diife- 
rent master,) and himself, happy, by living toge- 
ther under one roof, appeared so grateful and 
w^as so careful and attentive to my interest, that 
I determined to make him my head-man and em- 
ploy none but blacks, whether free or slaves. 

During the severity of the winter-season, it 
was not material for me to get more help ihaa. 
S 3 



tvliat I called my own. I had one quiet, steady, 
free, black besides, who enlivened the others eve- 
ry evening by playing on his fiddle; and, with 
this help, I managed my winter's work tolerably 
well: such as, taking care of my stock, which 
consisted of thirteen cows, four oxen for the 
yoke, sixty sheep, four horses, and twelve hogs; 
carting nearly 400 load of rotten dung, part of 
that which had been accumulating ibr years; 
cutting and carting, or sleighmg, posts, &c. for 
iencing; cutting and sleighing fire-wood; (which 
1 am certain would have employed one man's 
whole time from Michaelmas to Lady-da}^;) and 
preparing every thing for a spirited summer's 
work. 

1 endeavoured to engage other help six or 
seven weeks before my neighbours thought of it; 
but all in vain, none was to be had: money could 
not procure men. IV'iy neighbours were in the 
same or worse predicament, and they thought I 
was well off, having already much more help 
than any of them, as well as being more forward 
for my spring- work. But I knew, that, if ever 
my farm was to render me the produce it ouglvt 
and was capable of, I must employ a dozen or 
more hands than I already had. I rode for miles 
round the country, advertized, sent hand-bills 
about, and tried every method, but found it a 
fruitless vain attempt. 



199 

We were continual slaves ourselves in all ihat 
was to be done, without reaping an adequate 
advantage. No schoo] near home for those 
children we had with us, nor could a boy be sent 
out to a boardino-school under from thirtv to 
thirty-six pounds sterling a year, meaning such 
schools as they may be put to in England for 
from eighteen to twenty. It was still dearer and 
more difficult for girls: in the tov.ns, where you 
can board them at home, the expense of educa- 
tion is not so great. 

Looking forward to what my boys had to 
expect, I found most assuredly that to bring 
them up to husbandry v.ould only be making 
them mere drudge farmers; who, having no bet- 
ter society, would in all probability associate 
with the sottish horse - racins; neio:hbourhood 
around; for, it is to be observed, that, however 
parsimonious they iind it necessary to be in 
house-keeping, every boy on a farm, as soon as 
unncd of tv/elve years of age, expects a horse to 
be given him as his own ; and, unless it be a ra- 
cer, he values it but little. I have known several 
of these on a farm, that have consumed more 
provender and had more attention paid them 
than all the live stock besides. Continual chal- 
lenges ensue among the neighbouring youth, 
tending to encourage gambling, drinking, &c. 
which they are naturally prone to from the ex- 
ample of their cldei's. 



200 

Turning from this vniserable prospect, I made 
every inquiry among my iViends ana acquaint- 
ance in Philadelphia and New York, in expecta- 
tion that their services would be valuable to 
nierchaiiis or wholesale storekeepers, &.c. but to 
my astonishment found I could with difficulty 
procure a situation for a son, nearly sixteen 
years old, to be bound uiuil he was twenty-one, 
where, besides a premium of from 500 to J 000 
dollars, 1 was to find him in clothes, washing, 
&c. the whole time, and most of them expected 
to be paid 100 dollars a year besides, for his 
board, 'i'he secret of this value I understood to 
be thus. A youth, brought up under an employer 
whose credit was good in England, was likely, 
when out of liis tune,, to obtain similar credit 
from the English merchants, either by going 
over to introduce himself or by letters of recom- 
mendation ; and it is truly astonishing to what 
length Gur EngUsh merchants and manufacturers 
thus stretch their faith, giving credit, to the 
amount of thousands, to young beginners in 
Aiiitiica; while, under similar circumstances of 
knowledge and properiy in a youth in England^^ 
they would probably require some security before 
they entrusted them with as many hundreds. 

Society I had none or worse than none. Nine- 
tenths of the farmers, tradesmen, and mechanics, 
wh'-^ni you are ol-liged to employ from living near> 
would think it a sin to Leglect an opportunity of 



201 

taking advantage of an Englishman, whom tney 
suppose to have money: such was the society of 
mv neisfhbourhood. 

o 

In this respect, my wife was more fortunate, 
as there was a very amiable family of females, 
consisting of a widov.-lady and several daugh- 
ters, hving near us on their estate. But for 
them, we should have been completely isolated: 
there was not a man I could associate with as a 
friendly neighbour. 

Another serious circumstance did not occur to 
my recollection, until I found my health declining 
from the great anxiety of my mind ; this 'was, in 
case of my death. Not a single male-acquaintance 
in the neighbourhood was there, on whom I 
could depend for any trust-worthy assistance to 
my family on such an event. This single cif- 
cumstance can not be too much considered and 
re-considcred by any person thinking of emigra- 
tion to a distant country. 

I soon found there was much to fear, having 
experienced, (among a variety of other things,) 
from a Mr Wilkins, whose estate adjoined to 
mine, a most bare-faced attempt to cheat me 
out of a flock of tw^enty-eight sheep, which in 
a snow-storm had fled from my land to r:is. 
Beastl}^ sotting and gambling, at a filthy hole of 
a tavern in the township, had so impoven-^hed 
him, that he had no more than two sheep on the 
whole of a beautiful estate that might have sup- 



202 

ported nearly two hundrecL Yet he endeavoured 
to brazen it out, add swear that they were his 
sheep. Nor would he part with thtai, until he 
found I was prepared to use force and had or- 
dered my black servants to drive tiicnj home. 
He then tried to intimidate my poor blacks, hy 
threatening to cha.-tise them it they did not 
immediately get oiThis land; but, on my assuring 
him, that, if he struck any of them, I would 
horse-whip him as long as I could find i>im, he 
roue off, muttering sometl.ing about law. 

It may be supposed that 1 was unlucky in fix- 
ing on so indifferent a neighbourhood: for the 
credit of the country, I hope it was so; yet, 
as far as my own observations and inquiries may 
be allowed, I fear that strangers with property, 
setiiing in the country, in most parts-of America, 
would not find my complaints singular. Howe- 
ver, this I can positively sa\^, that it was the 
first and only situation, m any quarter of the 
globe, where I have no't been able to associate 
among my nei^^hbours; lujr can I say I iiad any 
dispute or quarrel with those I have been alluding 
to, (Wiikms excepted,) and so far we agreed; 
yet I was not biiud to continual attempts at im- 
position. 



203 



CHAPTER XXXL 

Hesolve on quitting yJmerica altogether; dispose of 
9711/ estate m Long-island; comparison heticccn 
English and American farming, as to profit; 
comparison between cottagers, laboureis, and 
mechanics, oj the two countries. 



I PRE ELY confess, tbcat, for a considerable 
time, 2?ride prevcnled me from acknowledging 
(even to myself) that 1 had made mistaken calcu- 
lations. Strong circumstances of private friend- 
ship at home came likewise to my aid: never 
before, until I experienced the want, had I so 
truly appreiciated the value of having a sincere 
friend at hand lo communicate with. 

It had required considerable resolution to com- 
ply with that which I considered my duty to my 
children, in formerly breaking up old connections 
and removinor from Eni:land to settle amono; 
strangers in America; but it required much 
stronger resolution, by returning, to confess the 
mistake I had made. Nor would I wish the 
greatest enemy I may have, to suffer the agonies 
of mind I endured on tlie score of duty and 
friendship, battling against pride, before I came 



204 

to a detenniuation. Under all the existing cir- 
curastances, I at last resolved to swallow the 
choke-pear of my fajse pride, by disposing of 
my farm and returning to England, in spite of 
the sneers I might subject myself to from those, 
^vho, pluming themselves on an opinion of su- 
perior sagacity, should exclaim, ** this is just 
what was to be expected from his mad scheme." 

Many of my acquaintance in England were 
of opinion that 1 had bought my estate in Long- 
island at a very dear rate. Hudibrass says, 
" The real value of a thing 
Is just as much as it will bring." 
According to this rule, therefore, I made a cheap 
purchase, or at any rate a good bargain, by re- 
selling it for 800/. more than I gave for it. It is 
true, the little I had done gave it so different an 
appearance and consequent reputation, that I 
was afterwards informed it w^ould have as readily 
sold for 4000/. as the 3600/.. I asked and ob- 
tained for it. 

High as this price is, compared vrith what 
lands may be bought at in the back countries, I 
could have made more from that (besides living 
more in the manner we had been accustomed to) 
than from the same property employed in pur- 
chasing and farming the richest lowest-priced 
lands in Kentucky, the Chenessee-conntry, or 
along the banks of the Mohawk. Yet, at the 
best, a man can only be a petty farmer in Aine- 



iVJ 



rica, compared witli what he might be by em- 
ploying rhe sanie'capitaLon a farm in Eagiaiid. 

I tVequeiitly drew a coniparjson between some 
of the best America. i farmers that I knew, Uvii)g 
on estates of their own, from one to seven hun- 
dred acres of land, and farmers I had known in 
England, renting the same quantity of land; 
when, the advantages, in every instance, ap- 
peared considerably in favour of the Eniriish 
farmer. And I am confident, that, if any good 
English farmer, with a property of from 100/. to 
several thousands, employs the same in farming 
in England, he will make considerabiv more, 
from any given capital, than he possibly can in 
farming with it in America, and with ten times 
the ease and comfon to himself and family. But 
what most surprized me was, that neither the 
cottager, (of which class ther^ are few,) ja- 
bourer, country mechanics, such as carpen- 
ters, blacksniitiis, wheehvrigiits. Sec. nor tailors, 
nor shoemakers, appeared to live so comfortably, 
either m their houses, families, food, or cio- 
thing, as the same description of people in Eng- 
land, notwithstanding the extravagant wa^es 
they receive. 

I was for some time at a loss to account for this; 
but the difficulty was in some degree removed, bj 
observing more tiian one-haif of their time, hoih 
in winter and summer, was lost or spent in idle- 
ness at iheii*! sottish taverns, in tlieir horse-ioCcs. 

VOL. II. T 



206 

fishing-frolics, shooting, liunting, and various 
other irolics, all amusements in America heing 
called frolics. Added to this is the high price 
ot" provision, in a country which has such ge- 
neral credit for cheapness of living, and which 
it fairly obtained before the revolution. 

For bread, we did not get hall" the weight for 

a shilling tliat we did in England, before we left 

it; and again, on our return, for salt pork (almost 

the only meat these people eat when providing 

for themselves or families) 1 paid seven pence a 

pound, by the fjuantity, bones and all, and sold 

it at che same j>rice when 1 parted with any from 

the iarm. Cheese was from seven pence to te'i 

pence per pound; and one person in New York 

took all the butter I made throughout the summer, 

irom tw(;lve cows, at seventeen pence haUpeiiiiy 

a j)ou nd, as an average-price. Potatoes were 

two shillings for an eight-gallon busiiel measure. 

I enumerate only tho.-e necessaries of life 

chiefly Uicd by the afurc-iiieniioiied meclianics, 

&c. iij 17^)3 and 17i^j^>, and the prices mentioned 

are sterling. 1 i^oin this account, it would a[)pear 

that faruicfs must make large profits ; and so 

thev do, in tiieir way. But the whole fjuantiiy 

of grain, cattle, 8cc. that is raised for market, on 

farms of several iumdred acres of land, is trifling, 

compared with that which a good farmer in 

England prodLces from the same number of 

acres; and may justly be compared, in the one 



207 

case, to a small retail trade, that makes large 
profits on small returns; and, in ilie other, to a 
wholesale trade makuig small profits on large re- 
turns. 

It is this which deceives so many: English 
farmers naturally conceiving, that, if they can 
buy land at a low price and sell the produce at a 
dear rate, they must consequently soon giow ricii. 
But the want of help confines them to the clais 
of retail dealers only; and I scarcely knew an 
American farmer wlio would allow himself or 
family to eat a bundle of asparagus from his own 
garden, if he could send it to market; and so of 
every other minute produce. 1 allude to meti 
who hold and fr\rm several hundred acres of land, 
their own pi-^^i-erty. 

I have been sometimes asked, what a good 
farmer in England could produce from good 
land of from three to four hundred acres; and, 
Wiien I have told them that I have known moio 
thaii 10,01)0 bushels oF wheat, oats, barley, and 
beans, altogetiier produced from such a i'arm, 
besides keeping mure sheep and cattle than they 
did on a similar-sized farm, their looks have in- 
dicated, " 1 guess, now, that is an English lie." 

Hard-working labourers, and people of tlie ne- 
ces'-iary mechanic trades, are the most likely to do 
well in America; and, even of tiiese, I met with 
several instances of their complaiiiing and wish- 
ing they had not left their own country ; for, that, 

T 2 



208 

notnithstanding the high wages, they declared 
tliey saved no more oioiiey, did not live so com- 
fortably, nor couJd they find half the enjoy men r, 
in their leisure-hours, for a dollar, that ihey had 
in Englaifd for half the money. 

Among others, I remember a . Welch tailor, 
who had been working in Piiiladelphia, for several 
months, at great wages; and, taking me for tlie 
master of some ship as I was v.alking on the 
keys, incjuired if I could help iiim to a passage 
home. On my cjuestioning him about it, he 
said he could save more, and live much better in 
Wales, where he meant to return. I likewise 
met with Mr Russel, from Birmingham, who, in 
conversation, acknowledged, that liis opinion of 
America coincided exactly with my own { adding, 
with a sigh, " You can do as you like, sir, as to 
returning; but I)r Friestly and myself came over 
to America on different principles; and, though 
much, very much, disappointed here, zoe cannot 
return." 



209 



CHAPTER XXXII. 



Anecdotes; Captain Frazer, grandson of Lord 
Lovat; Duke de Liancourf; Sterne's old officer 
realized; Colonel Hamilton; General Green's 
zcidow. 



A TEW anecdotes, that occurred while in 
America, may probably be entertaining; and 
some iiisiances of the vicissitudes of fortune, that 
came under my own observation, may prove as 
usefid lessons of contentment to others as they 
\vere to me. 

Captain Frazer, a grandson of Lord Lovat. 

When Prince Edward arrived at Boston from 
Canada, on his way to Martinico, he was ex- 
pected to pass through Newport, in his wa}^ to 
New York. I had dined at the house of Mr 
More, the British consul at Rhode-island, when 
Captain Frazer, calling himself grandson to Lord 
Lovat, waited on the consul^ requesting he would 
intioduce him to the prince on his arrival; say- 
ing, he should be happy to serve as a volunteer 
under his royal highness. He informed us, that 
T 3 



210 

be had been an officer in the French k'lig's 
guards; that he had mauitained his loyalty to 
that sovereign and was sent over to Saint Do- 
mingo, \\here the republican party gaining the 
ascendancy, he, with many others, took refuge in 
America. Without knowing who he was, I had 
noticed him and four more French officers as 
entire! depending on the charity of the state for 
support, for several months previous to meeting 
with him at Mr More's. Prince Edward em- 
barked for the West Indies, from Boston, which 
prevented the application. Within a week after, 
M. Fauchet, the French minister in America, 
advertised for all French citizens to make imme- 
diate application and prove their attachment to 
the republican cause, on oath, or they would be 
considered as emigrants in favour of royalty. 
What could poor Frazer do? he had, through a 
severe winter, been eating the bread of charity, 
without the least cheering notice from any, ex- 
cept a passing stranger or two. Necessity com- 
pelled his loyalty to retreat; for, within a month 
after his expressing a wish to enter as a volunteer 
under the prince, to go against xMartinico, 1 saw 
him at Phiiadeiphia with the tri-coloured cock- 
ade in his hat. 

Reflections unavoidablv arise on the suiTerinsrs 
of this man's family in the cause of royahy. 
Obii-,ed to ^ flee from England and quit their 
possessions, on account of their attachment to 



211 

King James's family, they were received by the 
court of France, and obtained establishments 
which created attachment and loyalty to the 
royal family of that country. Again they were 
plunged into similar misfortunes, flying from the 
fury of one republic to receive a scanty heart- 
galling charity in another. In this situation, he 
would have returned to the colours of the coun- 
try of his ancestors, but fortune or chance re- 
fused the opportunity. 

Duke de Liancourt. 

I lodged and boarded, for a short time, in the 
same house at New York with this ci-devant no- 
bleman, and could not but admire the composed 
philosophy with which he bore so great a change 
in his situation and circumstances: from the pos- 
session of more than 100,000/. sterling yearly, 
he was reduced to live wiihout a servant. As he 
was one day brushing his own clothes, he ob- 
served, Vvith a cheerful countenance, that, had 
it not been for the revolution in France, he 
should never tiave known how easy it was to wait 
upon himself. 

Sterne's dd officer. 

There wanted nothing bur the croix de St Louis 

to complete the reahty of Sterne's picture, in 

the daily appearance of a veteran French officer, 

at a corner of the Fly-market, in New York, 



212 

having a neat basket of little rich healrt-cakes, 
mar!p by his wife and daughter, and which he 
thus attended to sell. Thousands besides myself 
must have seen him within the years 1794, 95, 
and 9Q, though they may not have noticed him 
so much. With a high cocked hat, he stood as 
upright as a soldier under arms, holding the bas- 
ket before him without saying a word, unless in 
answer. The features and muscles of his coun- 
tenance seemed fixed, as if recollecting what 
was due to his former rank in life, nor could I 
ever perceive the faintest approach towards a 
smile. I could not pass him without some of 
thost' sensations v.hioh Sterne so irresistibly cre- 
ates by his inimitable description, and 1 became 
a constant customer, either to his basket, when 
any of my children were with me, or to his 
snutf-box, in which I usually dropped a small 
piece of silver, requesting he would replenish it 
agamst my next call. These and many such like 
instances, which I might enumerate that came 
within my observation, operate as wholesome 
checks against repining at our own lot. 

Colonel Hamilton. 

I was in conversation with this gentleman, in 
Phiiadeiphia, v^hiJe he was secretary-of-state, on 
the day that the motion for the sequestration of 
the bntish property was expected to be deter- 
mined. The member, who had originally made 



213 

the motion, called to speak with Colonel Hamil* 
ton. On the colonel's return, he observed to a 
member ol' congress, (Mr Bourne,) who had ac- 
companied me thither, that Mr Daytoa obsti* 
nately persevered in renewing his motion that 
niurningi The colonel was vexed, and, to shew 
his detestation of the principle of the motion, 
as injurious to the reputation of America, he 
said it might be compared to an attack made on 
a beautiful virgin by a negro, (Mr Dayton was 
member for Virginia,) which, though repulsed, 
would leave a stain; and, if carried into success- 
ful execution, must blast her character for ever. 
Colonel Hamilton was esteemed inferior to no 
man for abilities; but, like General Washington, 
General Green, and others, niei with ungrateful 
returns. 

One instance of pubUc ingratitude to Green's 
famdy I was witness to. The general's widow, 
with a lovely daughter, was at Philadeiphia, 
attending a petition to congress on the follow- 
ing account. During the war, when the General 
commanded the army to the southward, he found 
so great a diihcuky in procuring supphes, on ac- 
count of the distrust of the vahdity of the pay- 
ments Irom congress, tliat, to procure those 
supplies, which would obviate the necessity of 
disbanding his army, he gave his oun security in 
addition. It apiicared, he had gone beyond the 
powers granted him by congress; but it was ak 



214 

lowed b}^ all, that, in so doii^g, he preserved his 
an;; V and with it ttiat part of the country. Yet 
the estate he lett to bis family was seized tor the 
paNMuent, and they were in dan;^er of rinn unless 
congress voted a provision for the payment of 
those supplies v> hich General Green had so ob- 
tained. 1 was in the house during the agitation, 
and doubted much wheiher it would be granted 
or i;ot; it was obtained with great diihculty and 
only by a small majority. Ingratitude to their 
best servants, for public services, seems to be a 
strong feature in republican governments. 



CHAPTER XXXIII. 

Customs in America differing from those in Eng- 
land; curious instance of neglect relative to 
manure; hidden tieasure; no J airs in America; 
sudden death of a man on his arrival, during the 
yellozo fever ; the property saved for his creditors 
at some hazard of my life; melancho/y death-like 
silence in iSezv York durins; this dreadful dis- 

O 4.' 

temper; resolutions in case of an attack. 



In some of the states, it is permitted to attend 
to hav-makin'ji: and the harvest on Sundavs as 



215 

well as other days: a praclice I rather approve 
than cond(;'mn, not only as securing individual 
property, but of great essential consequence to 
the whole community; and, in my humble opi- 
nion, oiu; of the strongest and best modes of 
testifying our gratitude to the beneficent Being, 
for those bounties of the earth, is by securing 
them in the best manner. 

1 was likewise pleased with another circum- 
stance, as a pretty general custom in the New- 
England States. Ill a courtship, if it were 
known that the man inquired what fortune the 
friends of a girl meant to give with her, the lass 
in question would resent it so highly as to dis- 
card the best suitor in the country, and he would 
afterwards have a difficult v in findins: any i»irl to 
listen to him. 

An opportunit}' of procuring sea-weed in A- 
mcrica, for manure to a farm, is estecnjed an 
invaluable advaiiiage. Industrious farmers, who 
possess an abu.iiance of it, will lay from thirty 
to sixty loads on an acre, as wet with sea-water 
as they take it up from the shore; and the bene- 
ficial eifect produced b} this manure was evident 
enough from the ditfeience in the same field, 
where such manure was thrown and where not. 
But I could not persuade them to cart it into 
their yards first, to mix uith Uieir barn and 
stable manure. Indeed, their negli'.>:ence, in not 
using the manure raised on their farms, is almost 



216 

incredible. I have already slightly mentioned 
there being some hundred loads of rich manure, 
\\hich had been collecting for several years, to 
the great damage of the buildings, on the estate 
1 bouglit at Flushing, in Long-island. Wlien I 
had settled and paid for the estate, 1 asked Mr 
Kichols, of whom I purchased it, if there was 
any thing, as matter of local information, that 
he thought might be useful to acquaint me with. 
" AVhy," said my predecessor, w ith a dry know^- 
ing look, " you old-country men are generally 
pretty smart in seeing things, but really now 
you have overlooked one matter, which I did not 
wisli you to notice, and that's the truth on't. 
Howsoever, you have done so fairly, in settling 
and j)aying, that, as you ask it, 1 will tell you. 
I guess, you will be obliged to remove your barn 
this summer, or yon will not be able to get in or 
out." — " How so, Mr Nichols?" — '' Why, you 
must either move the barn or the dun^-, and vou 
may do the'former much easier than you can the 
latter, as I have already experienced three ditfe- 
reut times." I thanked Nichols for his informa- 
tion, inquiring if there was any thing else I iiad 
overlooked. He replied in the negative; and, 
taking me by the IuukI, laughed heartily, sijuiii- 
cautly remarking, that he believed I should have 
a tough job of it. 

A few montlis after, Mr Nichols, who had re- 
moved some distance off, rode over with his two 



217 

sons, apparently in great anxiety. The old man 
inquired, it" the report of ^^ hat 1 had said was 
true, that, in digging round the barn and stahle, 
I had found a considerable golden treasure. I 
told liim it was true enough. ^' Bless me," said 
the old man, wiping the perspiration from his 
fVice, *' hov,' often have my sons, and I searched 
for it, not only on this estate, wherever we 
thought it likely, in the day-time, but have 
worked hard for hours and hours in the night, on 
the adjoining estates of my neighbours, on souie 
particular suspected parts, that seemed to answer 
the description wlieie it was reported so much 
money was buried during the war! z\nd now," 
continued old ^iichols, " you, who are a stran^ 
ger, witluHit an}^ toil or trouble as it were, pop 
upon it, just as if you knew the exact place 
where to find it. But I hope you are honest 
enough to let me 2:0 halves with von;" and he 
was proceeding to assign reasons why lie was 
entitled to at least half, but a sudden burst of 
laughter from me stopped him; and, on telling 
him, that, as I had purchased and paid for every 
thing fairly, I considered alJ as my own, Nichols 
and both his sons began to be cross, and the 
elder swore roundly that he believed 1 was well 
acquainted with every circumstance concerning 
the money, and possibly was at the hiding as 
well as the finding, which accounted for my 
coming, like a crafty old serpent, to buy the 
VOL. 11. U 



218 

estate in such a hurry, by giving all his father 
asked before 1 hud lialf examined it. TakiuGC 
my hat off, 1 bowed most courteously to them, 
as they sate on horseback, and Ibauked them ibr 
selling me so good a bargain; adding, that cer- 
tainly 1 would have giveij^ more had they asked 
more, sooner than have lost what I was in search 
of at the time I purcliased the estate; then, bow- 
ing again, 1 left them in tlie road near the house, 
%viihout explaining any farther about the goKien 
treasure; but 1 heard one of the young men 
curse me heartily for a damned old Satan. 

1 was much gratiiied b}' this rencontre, as it 
afforded me the opportunity of punishing them, 
in a way they deserved, for a very scurvy trick 
they had attem[)ted on me as an entire stranger. 
Having agreed for the estate, tliey offered all 
the live and dead stock upon the farm, at a tair 
aj>praisem,ent, to be taken that day week. As I 
walked about, 1 took notice suthcient of tlie 
slock, (of the cows, in particular, which were 
very good,) so tluit, on the morning when every 
tinng was to be valued, 1 tbund the live stock 
almost wholly changed^ and a quantity of old 
rotten stuff" to be valued as implements, whicli 1 
learned afterwaicis they had been collecting for 
tiie purpose of taking the Englishman in. I 
soon made up my mind, and, v\hen all was said 
to be ready, 1 asked Nichols, if tlie live stock 
we then saw in the yards formed the whole stock 



219 

of the farm. "Yes," he replied. "Then," I 
observed, " I declare the}' are not the same, nor 
any way lil<e the same, with that which 1 saw 
and agreed for with you this day week, to take 
now by appraisement; and 1 dare you to come 
forward, before some of your neighbours present, 
and take an oath that the stock is the same you 
had on the farm when 1 consented to purchase." 
This he could not do: I therefore declined rakinjy 
any, but allowed him another week to dispose of 
them by public sale or any other mode he mioht 
chuse, by which he lost considerably; and, from 
that time, the old man and I did not rightly ac- 
cord. I verily believe, that to this dav, if alive, 
the Nichols and some others in the neighbour- 
hood think I dug up a considerable sum of mo- 
ney; nor do I doubt, but, when I afterwards 
sold the estate to another, it confirmed them in 
that opinion. 

Throughout the United States of America, 
there is neither a fair nor a shew of catlle, to 
accommof^late buyers or sellers; so that, want 
what he may, a farmer must trust to chance for 
picking it up. A sale by auction, therefore, when 
occasioned by death or other causes, will draw 
farmers, &c. for more than thirty miles, some to 
purchase and some to make a frolic of it. Bu- 
rials are attended in the same manner; and, 
noticing some indecorous behaviour at one I 
U 2 



220 

attended, I asked if the meetings at funerals 
were also considered ^^ frolics. 

Tiiere'are too many who run away from Eu- 
rope to America wiih the property of their cre- 
ditors. One of the>e went out in the same ship 
with my family, under a disguised name, but his 
flight was soo[i terminated^ at New York, by the 
yellow fever, and the properly he took with him 
nearly lost, from having neither friend nor ac- 
cj.iaintance in America who knew any thing of 
linn. During the passage out, he spoke of him- 
Si.if as a uiuiiieu man, desirous of seeing Ame- 
lica previous to determining whether he should 
settle there, for which purpose he had brought 
With him a few hundreds to defray his expenses 
oi" travelling, &c. 

At the time of the ship's arrival at New York, 
the i'ever bioke out. I was more th.an 200 miles 
tustant at the time. Hastening to New York, to 
L,ct my family away, I was informed this gentle- 
man was ill, or he would have been glad to be 
introduced to me. He continued so for two 
days: ori the third, I set off in the morning, in 
my chaise, to shew my wife the estate I had 
bought. Returning, in the evening, we were 
informed, that, wrthin an hour after our setting 
off, this poor unfortunate had sent for me, being 
told, by the physicians, that it was necessary 
for him to settle his affairs without loss of time; 
and, if he had any friend he wished to coinmu- 



221 

nicate with, he must send for him. He had 
never seen me, but sent immediately to request 
my attendance to receive the ptoperty he 
had with him, and probably to communicate 
some otlier matters, but I was unfortunately 
gone. Being pressed to send for some one else, 
as they were under the necessity of removing 
him from the city lo the hospital, he then sent 
for the gentleman at whose house 1 lodged; but, 
so great a dread then pervaded the people's 
minds, he was afraid to go near the poor man to 
receive his bank-notes and gold, though then 
seated in the open air. He was therefore hur- 
ried away to the hospital, the captain of the 
ship he went out in accompanying him; bat he 
had seen too much of the captain's conduct, 
during the passage, to trust him : he died the 
same afternoon at the hospital. 

On the following day, the captain informed 
me, that the unfortunate man, being disappointed 
at my not coming, had at last sent for the inas, 
ter of a tavern where he had called occasionally, 
to whom he bad deUvered English bank-notes to 
a considerable amount. And here, possibly, tlie 
matter would have died away and sunk in obli- 
vion with him ; but, understanding that he had 
left a widow, who might suffer much from ne- 
ver knowing \^hat was become of him or his 
propert}", and that the property was in a ha- 
zardous situation ; some people of respectability 
U 3 



222 

likewise deciaring, from their knowledge of both 
captain and publican, that, sooner than quarrel 
to endanger the whole, they would agree to di- 
vide the spoil between them ; for tliese reasons, 
I engaged to stir in it. At any other time, the 
staying in New York, to get such a business set- 
tled, would have been nothing; but, as it was, 
every additional hour was fraught witli danger. 

I called on the captain the following day, 
desiring something might be done to secure the 
property; and, at last, insisted that he or the 
publican, or both of them, should administer 
properly to the effects and give security for the 
same to the legal claimants. This neither of 
ihcin was able to do, their credit was so bad. 
"What had been required of them I was willing, 
J observed, to do myself. On their declining, 
therefore, I took two respectable merchants of 
the city, as bondsmen, procured letters ad colli- 
gendum bona, and demanded the pro[)erty; when, 
iinding 1 was too much in earnest to be trifled 
with, on the third day I had between five and 
s.x hundred pounds paid over to me, clucfly in 
bank-notes; givmg a reeei[)t for all J received, 
and delivering in an account to the Judge of the 
court of 'probaics. 1 next made a careful exa- 
mination for papers or any thing that might give 
infoimation about his friends, but all in vain. 
. A captain's commission in the Royal Saint 
George's, Hanover - square, Volunteers, in the 



223 

name of I. H. IT. and two letters directed to 
the same name, were all I could find; by these, 
it appeared he must have gone by a feigned 
name. I wrote to England accordingly, and 
found, by return of answers, that I had been 
hazarding my life for the creditors instead of his 
widow. Doubtless, the claim of the creditors 
was legally paramount, and I was pleased to save 
it for those to whom it was due; but I freely 
acknowledge, that I should not have run that 
risk, for so proniiscuous an assemblage of people 
as creditors are in general composed of, which 
I so cheerfully undertook for the sake of the 
widow and family; and I think that few besides 
m^'self would have so Quixotishly volunteered on 
any account for strangers, at a time when every 
hour's stay in the city made it more hazardous. 
Even his trunk of new clothes, delivered to me 
from the ship, (apparently untouched since his 
leaving England,) was refused admittance into 
any house, and I was obliged to smuggle it down 
to my farm by water, as one of my own trunks. 
For all this, I acknowledge I received a letter 
from the assignees, superabundant in expressions 
of very grateful obligations. Ccctera desiuit. 

In my account of the state and city of New 
York, I have given a concise opinion concerning 
this fatal disorder, as to whether it is more likely 
to be generated or imported; but, whatever was 



224 

the cause, the effect was dreadful, which I had 
several opportunities of seeing. 

From earliest life, it was a rule I laid down 
never to turn aside from danger, if duty of any 
kind called me. The market-boats, and car- 
riages of all kinds, refused at last to go to New 
York. Having some articles there, essential to 
be fetched away, I was giving- directions to my 
servants, but observed an evident reluctance in 
their looks and manners. To prevent a positive 
refusal, 1 said it was not my practice to ask 
others to do what I was afraid to do myself, and 
that I should go with the waggon and take any 
two with me that were not cowards. They were 
then ashamed to refuse, and we set off the next 
day. 

It was the second day of the greatest mortali- 
ty that raged during the disorder. JNo less a cala- 
mity could well have produced such a death-like 
silence as reigned throughout the city. With 
great difficulty, I transacted my business; and 
then called on a few friends, who were attending 
the last sad duties to their nearest connections. 
I endeavoured to chear them with the consolation 
of hope, and slept that night in the'city, at tb.e 
Tontme Coffee-house, but this, which was in- 
tended for iejoicing the heart, was, hke the rest, 
the house of mourning. Passing along the 
streets, both on that and the following day, 
no human voice was heard but that of wailing 



225 

and lamentation, arid every face 1 met bore 
strong characlers of desponding melancholy. 
The whole time I was there 1 noticed but two 
carts, exclusive of the burial-carts. 1 felt not 
the smallest apprehension as to myself, and am 
persuaded that the liability to receive the infec- 
tion, as well as the recovery of those ill of the 
disorder, depends greatly on the state of mind 
a person is in as to alarm or lear. 

I had also taken tlie resolution how to act in 
case of an attacl--, and was provided with a 
strong dose of ipecacuana, which I had found 
so etF.cacious at Bencoolen, in the Island of 
Sumatra, to clear all the passages as soon as 
possible, and then trust to Dame Nature, assisted 
v.ith chearing tonics; but it was much better not 
to have it put to trial. 



ed 

.ken 



226 



CHAPTER XXXIV. 



Imprudence of some Englishmen; serious conse- 
qianices likely to have resulted; Frenchmen s tri- 
umph over an old English regimental coat. 



At the time I resided at the Tontine Coffee- 
house, in New York, the imprudence of a few 
Engliishmen had nearly occasioned a serious 
piece of business. 

A strong party of New-Yorkers, in the French 
interest, had, some time before, fixed the Ame- 
rican and French flags up in the pubHc coffee- 
room, as united. It seems that the appearance 
of the French tri-coloured fiag gave such um- 
brage to these Englishmen, who were on their 
way from some of the southern states to Nova 
Scotia, that, in passing through the room about 
three in tlie morning, to embark on board the 
vessel they were to sail in, tliey nio^ii courageously 
broke o0 the French flag and carried it away. 

I slept there the same night, and early the 

next morning, intelligence of the insult having 

-'t spread through the city, all the Frenchmen and 

strc^iericans, in New York, were assembling, 

ro leateuing vengeance on the authors, if they 



227 

could learn who they were. The master of the 
house heing an Englislmian, he and every Eng- 
lishman in. the house were implicated in the sus- 
picion, and the house itself was threatened lo be 
pulled down. Previously to this tumultuous as- 
semblage, I had begun my usual early morning 
walk up and down the piazza adjoining this room, 
unconscious of the ofi'ence committed, until the 
vehement sacre Dleus drew my attention; ai^d I 
then continued moving among them as uncon- 
cerned as possible. Boats were manned with 
armed volunteers, to pursue those who were, by 
the waiter, reported to have done it; the witids 
being so light as to allovv the probability of over- 
taking the vessel they sailed in. At the same 
time, strong suspicions fell on some Eiigiish gen- 
tlemen who had spent the evening with those 
that were gone; inquiries were made for them to 
come ibrward and clear themselves, but they 
deemed it more prudent to keep out of the way. 
A number of these enracrts then made a search 
throughout the house, but without finding what 
they sought after. It happened, however, that, 
in a room occupied by Captain Codd, an Eng- 
lish officer from Canada, on his way to Europe, 
they found a harmless old regimental coat, which 
they seized with great intrepunty and bore away 
in triumph, determined to sacrifice it to the 
manes of their insulted and departed tri-colourt?d 
flag. Tiiis destined victim was accordingly taken 



228 

down to tlie public coffee-room; and, in front of 
the remaining part of tlie iron stnmp of the liag- 
staif, was liacked and torn into hundreds of 
pieces. Hapj>y seemed every Frenchman who 
could obtain tlie smallest remnant, to bear away 
as a trophy of their gallant exploit; though, from 
the excrementary indignities that were first 
showered down upon it, I sliould not suppose 
that tlie odour arising from the trophy had any 
spicy-like fragrance to render it acceptable to 
their mistresses. 

I scarcely know which to blame most; the 
Englishmen, who so courageously attacked the 
unprotected harmless flag in the dead of the 
night, then ran away and escaped the conse- 
quences, leaving all their countrymen (and there 
Avere several in the house) involved in a suspicion 
of being concerned, and liable to be maltreated 
for a business they were wholly ignorant of; or, 
the equally - courageous Frenchmen, whu so 
manfully captured and destroyed the poor coat, 
in the owner's absence. 

Fortunately for tliose who had so imprudently 
committed this act of folly, the boats returned 
in tlie evening wiihout having overtaken them, 
or i firnrly believe their lives would have fallen a 
sacrifice to the enraged party"; as, from the refu- 
sal of the ]\Jayor of New York to aflbrd the 
smallest proteclion, on an application made to 
him by the master of the cofiee-house and other 



229 

ii)liabitant>; it was evident enough lie was fearful 
of doing his duty. Thus adding one to many 
other proofs I witnessed of the weakness of the 
executive power of a repubhcan government to 
enforce the lavrs, whenever the muUitude think 
proper to take the power into their own hands. 



CHAPTER XXXV. 

Genuine French equality; entertamment on hoard a 
French frigate. 



A FEW^ days after this, I had an opportunity 
of seeing genuine French equality in all its glory. 
I was at Newport, in Rhode-island, when twelve 
of the principal inhabitants were invited to an 
entertainment on board the Medusa, frigate. 
My two most intimate friends, Doctor Senter 
and jMajor Linian, were among those invited; 
and, being a visitor at the house of the former, 
he was requested to ask me, in the most delicate 
manner, whethc;r I would accept an invitation. 
1 had no hesitation in saying, that, as a traveller, 
en passant, I considered myself at liberty in a 

VOL. II. X 



230 

foreign countr}' to accept any polite invitation 
whatever; adding, (to my friends,) that I was 
desirous of gratifying , my curiosity, I might 
never meet with tlie like again; and judging, by 
the delicacy used in the invitation, that I should 
find nothing particularly offensive to me as an 
Englishman, I would accept the same. Governor 
ISlifflin, from Pennsylvania, was the only stranger, 
besides myself, that was thus invited. 

A general discharge of great guns and small 
arms saluted us as we went on board. To give 
any account of their appearance as ,to discipline, 
when, at the request of General Governor Mifflin, 
the men, 8cc. were ordered to quarters, and 
by firing and loading went through a mock en- 
gagement, would be a very ungracious return for 
the civilities received. The politest attention 
was paid, and we sate down to an elegant dinner 
with all the commisisioned officers belongiug to 
the fiigate, I was seated between Governor 
Mifflin and Monsieur Fauchet's secretary, and 
Cim truly ijayl heard not a syllable ilie whole day 
to give the smallest offence to my feelings, as a 
Briton. 

It was not long after dinner, before the boat- 
swain, gunner, carpenter, £ic. were introduced 
and desired to take their seats. The captain pro- 
posed tiieir healths, which were drank, observing 
that those (the warrant and petty officers) were 
the heroes to whom Franct^ was indebted for her 



25^1 

glory. I admired this manner of treating those 
officers, operating as a strong stimuhis to a full 
discharge of their duty, on which mjich depends. 
But what can possibl}' be said i'or passively suf- 
fering: as many of the siiip's crew as thought pro- 
per abruptly to pour into the cabin? most of 
them in the coarsest dishabille tliat can be con- 
ceived, even to disgust. Yet these people were 
allowed to crowd around and squeeze in u[)on 
part of any person's seat, helping themselves to 
the wines and liquors that v^ere on the table, and 
out of any persons glass they could lay hold of. 

All was confusion, drinking, singing, and 
dancing, {rarr/Hf^rw/c), men and officers jumbled 
together, dancing round in various circles, ap- 
parently mad and crazy in their enthusiastic 
shouts of Vive la Bepub/icjiie. Equality rode tri- 
umphant; and, as a matter of curiosity, I en- 
joyed the scene. Nor could I have so full}' con- 
ceived (much less credited) the accounts given 
of these fraternizing and equalizing systems, if I 
bad not seen what I did. 



X 2 



1232 



CHAPTER XXXVL 

Sfare.-y hi North America, in- Turkey , Barhartf, 
the European States, up the Mediterranean, and 
in the East and if est Indies; observations on 
s'averij ; hints for a gradual emancipation. 



In some parts of my account of America, my 
objections to any thing that seemed to countc- 
jiance slavery are cursorily mentioned; and yet I 
afterwards acknowledge to have purchased some 
sla^ves. I wi.sh to remove any appearance of in- 
eonsistency on this head, and know not how f 
can do it better than by giving my opinion on the 
long-contested point for the abolition of slavery. 
It is an opinion I gave, some years back, to a 
much-valued friend, who requested it when the 
subject was so generally agitated and claimed the 
public attention. It is true, since that time I 
have myself pin-chased slaves; yet have I never 
changed my opinion, but remain more and more 
confirmed in it. 

Having seen slavery in a variety of shapes, in 
different parts of the world, not to have con- 
sidered it would reflect on my humanity: I have 
often, very often, and with sensations that varied 



233 

as the time and oircumstances occurred; and I 
believe the surest, shortest, and clearest, way of 
delivering my thoughts on the subject, will be 
by sketching an outline of the kinds of slavery 
that have fallen within my notice. In the general 
acceptation of the term slaveiij^ there is not, can- 
not be, a more sincere well-wisher for a proper 
abolition than myself. How that is best to be 
carried into execution, so as to produce the 
o-reatest 2;ood and occasion the least evil, deserves 
serious consideration. 

In North America, taking those parts to the 
northward and eastward of Pennsylvania, the 
slaves are much happier, from being better fed, 
clothed, and taken care of, than they would be 
if left entirely to their own hberty; I am an ad* 
vocate, however, for restoring them to their 
natural rights. To enfranchise the whole imme- 
diately would not be the best possible good for 
them. What has already been done (bringing 
them or their ancestors from Afric^a, to make 
them slaves) cannot be undone, but a conti- 
nuance of the horrid traffic is unjust and wrong ia 
the extreme. 

In Turkey and Barbary, there are two (or more), 
kinds of slaves: those who are bought, and the 
Europeans who are made prisoners of war. The 
first we may, class with the negroes in America 
and the West Indies, while the latter are to be 
pitied the most of any description of slaves I 
X 3 



234 

Iiave seen. Dreadful, indeed f is the situation of 
these unhappy mortals, compared with whom 
the slaves in our plantations are free men. And 
here we may lament that we have not the power 
to interfere respecting a quick abolition of their 
slavery. 

It is unnecessary to notice all the similar kinds 
of slavery, seen in different countries; I shall 
select those only that appeared to me to differ 
from the rest. In all the European states up the 
Mediterranean, they have slaves who have been 
condemned as such on account of crimes: the 
justice or injustice of their sentences is no part 
of the present inquiry ; but, admitting they were 
fairly tried and convicted, I hesitate not to say, 
I think it much more justifiable to deprive them 
of their liberty than to take away their lives, let 
the crime they have committed be what it may. 
Of course, lam no advocate for abolishing this 
kind of slavery; yet it requires numerous regu- 
lations to make it answer the intended purposes 
of punkhment, repentance, i^efonnation, and ^.r- 
u tuple.. 

In the East Indies, slavery assumes a milder 
aspect, slaves being chiefly bought and kept for 
domestic uses. The native poor, w^ith large 
ftxmilles, in times of scarcity, think they can not 
do better than to dispose of their children, either 
to the opulent natives or Europeans; and, being 
sold when young, they become strongly attached 



235 

to their masters or mistresses, from whom they 
receive every thing, even to superfluities ; so that 
to enfranchise them, and turn them adrift to get 
their own Hvelihood, would he a punishment in 
nine cases out often. 

One matter of fact is worth a dozen supposi- 
tions. 1 had a boy sent me from Bengal to Ma- 
sulipatam, when about eight years old, as a 
present. My friend, who sent him, wrote me 
word it was an act of charity, for the mother 
had been some time importuning him to take the 
boy a slave; and, on mentioning his intention to 
send the boy such a distance, she was perfectly 
satisfied when informed it was to an English officer 
of his acquaintance. The boy continued with me 
for some years. When about to leave India, I 
offered him his liberty and to send him back to 
Bengal. On the first mention of the circum- 
stance, he threw himself at my feet as I sate; 
and, lifting one of them up with his hands, placed 
it on his head upon the ground, and desired me 
to kill him rather than turn him away. I accord- 
ingly kept him until we arrived at St Helena, 
"where 1 made some stay; and it became a serious 
consideration upon learning that there had lately 
"been great disturbances in England, by the 
emancipation of such numbers, who, thus freed 
from servitude and restraint, were swarming about 
the streets of London, distressed to the greatest 



236 



degree. This determined me; I gave bim 1 



lis 



choice, to go back to Bengal, ft'ee, or to be 
placed witb some worthy family at St Helena. 
Finding me resolved not to take him to England, 
and noticing how happily they lived in the island, 
he preferred being turned over to a master and 
mistress who would take care of him, to having 
his liberty and returning to his native country ; 
and I am satisfied he made the wiser choice. 

The Malay slaves, that I observed on the coast 
of Sumatra, both in the Dutch and English set- 
tlements, differ so little from those in the other 
settlements in the East Indies, that it is unne- 
cessary to say more concerning them, than that 
their slavery frequently originates in an extra- 
vagant spirit of gaming, which induces the father, 
when he has nothing else to stake, to gamble 
away the liberty of his children: and hence, I 
infer, arises that extraordinary kind of madness, 
so peculiar to the Malays, termed running a muck, 
I believe, the nervous system of a losing gamester 
is more violently agitated and convulsed by the 
sense of his losses, than by any other voluntary 
self-inflicted operation whatever; and, where the 
paroxysm of the disorder has risen to such a 
height as to induce the miserable man to hazard 
his children becoming slaves to another, there is 
scarcely any other rashness he can be guilty, of 
that need excite sm-prise: yet the manner in 



237 

\vliich he seeks destruction, which I. have related 
in a former part,* is unaccountable. 

I have reserved to the last my observations on 
the treatment of slaves in our West-India 
plantations, as tliey only are the real subjects of 
tiie aboHtion-bill; and I conceive the foregoing 
^\ill not be deemed either foreign or superfluous 
lo tiie subject, since it may help m some degree 
to account for the apparent difference in evidence 
given by gentlemen before the houses of par- 
liament, as well as the contradictory accounts in 
tlie public papers. The inhuman and horrid 
practice oii obtaining and convet/lng men, women, 
and children, from their native land, merely be- 
cause they are black, and therelbre reckoned 
fitter for work in hot climates than Europeans; 
the; original purchase, conducted by fraud, force, 
and artifice ; the transportation and sale of them, 
in a foreign country, for slaves; altogether pre- 
sent the picture of so diabolical a traffic, that I 
cannot sufficiently express my surprise at finding 
there are yet advocates for its continuance, after 
the inhumanity of the practice has been so ably 
and justly exposed ; for, it is a mockery of jus- 
tice, as well as an insult to common understand- 
ing, to say, that, from motives of humanity, 
they are removed by compulsion from a worse to 
a better situation. 

* Vol. i. — Chapter klv. — p. £'05. 



238 

Let ns suppose there were inhabitants of some 
distant country, as superior to us in strength of 
arms and understanding as we esteem ourselves 
to the poor xAfricans; and, trusting in that 
strength, let us farther suppose they were to come 
hither, and, among others, to make free with 
these advocates for slavery. I imagine these 
gentry would not be better reconciled to their 
fate, from being told, by their masters, it was 
doing them a kindness to carry them from home 
to live in slavery under people so much their su- 
periors; adding, withal, h was \\ke\\\se necessan/f 
or they (their lords and masters) could not enjoy 
quite so many superfluities; and, I fear, that 
nothing short of so forcible an argument could 
or would convince them. For, as Miss H. M. 
Williams observes in one of her letters from 
France, (only I substitute the abolition of sla- 
very for the demolition of the Bastile,) " Thos^e,, 
who have contemplated on slavery without re- 
joicing at the prospect of an abolition, may, for 
aught I know, be very respectable persons and 
very agreeable companions in the hour of 
prosperity; but, if my heart were sinking in 
anguish, I should not fly to them for conso- 
lation." I believe it is Sterne who says, that a 
man is incapable of loving one woman as he ought, 
who has not a sort of an aftection for the whole 
sex. I am of the same opinion, and as little 



I 



239 

s1tou13 I look for particular sympathy from (host 
who have no feelings of general philanthropy. 

To return, the poor Africans, thus cruelly 
iCarried over to the West Indies, are exposed at 
a public market, frequently at a vendue, (or sale 
by auction,) and sold like beasts of burden to the 
liigliest bidder. A small proportion are selected 
for domestic uses, and I am willing to allow some 
of these to be ranked with the slaves in the 
northern parts of the continent of America, for 
comfort and even for pleasures, except in case 
of misconduct, when they are subject to be turned 
out as field-negroes, which is often the case; un- 
der which term, we may comprehend the large 
bulk of negro-slaves. These may truely be called 
miserable slaves ; for, although it may be allowed 
that in some of the plantations they are treated 
viith humanity, yet those who are treated the 
best, the very best, among the working field-ne- 
groes, it is a cruel lot to suppose any fellow-crea- 
ture born to, or subjected by the iron hand of 
pjuwer, without having committed an oflfence. 
What then must be the deplorable fate of those 
unhappy wretches who are the property of mas- 
ters (I am sorry to say mistresses, too) whose 
hearts are callous to every feeling of humanity 
towards them? Impres!?ed, from their cradles, 
with the idea that their slaves are little or nothing 
superior to the brute creation, they treat them 
accordingly. 



240 

In my yoiithful days, I remembered to have 
seen at Savannali-la-Mar, in Jamaica, a Creole 
lady (as she was called) stand by while one of her 
negroe-wenches was so severely flogged, in the 
public place, by one of her negro men-slaves, that, if 
a drayman were so to flog his horse in the streets 
of London, I am persuaded the populace would 
wrest the whip from his hands and retaliate upon 
liitn the injuries of the animal. Yet, so accus- 
tomed to these sights and screamings of the poor 
w-retches were the people at Savannah, that they 
past along unconcerned, until attracted by the 
greater novelty of a youth like myself interfering, 
by asking the mistress if she was not ashamed of 
herself. The good lady then poured forth such a 
torrent of abuse, plentifully decorated with oaths, 
as to provoke a retort similar; until, foaming at 
the mouth like a mad creature, she retreated into 
her house, cursing me for a ^Ulom torry orse, im- 
pudent sailor-fellow.'* 

What Mr Jeflerson remarks, of the conduct 
of the master to the slave in Virginia, is equally 
if not more applicable to the AVest-India islands. 
The whole commerce between master arid slave 
is a perpetual exercise of the most boisterous 
passions, the most unremitting haughtiness on 
the one part and degrading submission on the 
other. The children see this and learn to imitate 
it, man being an imitative animal. This quality 
is the. germ of all education in him; from his 



241 

cradle to his grave, he is learning to do what he 
sees others do. IF a parent could find no motive, 
either in bis philanthropy or his self-love, for 
restraining the intemperance of his passions to- 
wards his slave, the presence of his child should 
always be a sufficient one. The parent storms; 
the child looks on, catches the lineaments of 
wrath, puts on the same airs in the circle of 
smaller slaves, gives a loose to his worst passions; 
and, thus nursed, educated, and daily exercised, 
in tyranny, can not but be stamped by it whh 
odious peculiarities. 

God bless the Duke of C ; I trust he 

speaks honestly as far as he knows, but his royal 
highness, as well as some other respectable cha- 
racters, must excuse me for observing, that their 
knowledge respecting the treatment, usage, and 
7node of living, of the hard-v.orking field-negroes 
on the plantations, must necessarily be much 
confined. The most that these men of hisrb 

o 

rank have an opportunity of observing is among 
the household or domestic negroes, where our 
opinions may partly coalesce. But, admitting 
that out of curiosity they may have visited many 
and some of the worst of the (maltreated) ne- 
gro-plantations, is it not evident, to common 
sense, that the owners or ma'iagers of such 
plantations would take the greatest care that 
every thing should appear in its best during such 
visit. Of course, they see no negro-driver flou- 

VOL. II. Y 



242 

rishing and cracking bis wlHp over the negroes 
at work, to try his dexterity in cutting a musqui- 
to oif any of their backs, merely to amuse 
himself. jNay, if these visitors condescended to 
inquire of the poor devils themselves, the wretch- 
ed beings too well know they dare not pour their 
sorrows into the ear of any but such as, like my- 
self, (being, at the time 1 allude to, in too hum- 
ble a station to attract the notice of their mas- 
ters,) could observe their customary daily treat- 
ment, with their hard scanty subsistence; and, 
while employed in the long-boat of the ship I 
belonged to, to fetch off sugars, rums, &.c. from 
various distant phmtations, I have frequently en- 
tered their huts with familiarity, at night, to 
give them a spare piece of salt beef or pork. I 
believe it was a situation as hkely as any to obtain 
information on the subject, free from partiality 
or prejudice, admitting the observer to have 
any human affections remaining; and, where a 
person has had frequent opportunities of obser- 
vation, it requires no very great abilities to form 
a tolerable judgement on the subject. 

I do not hesitate, therefore, in saying tliat 
the traffic of transporting fresh slaves from Africa 
ought, in common justice, to cease immediately, 
as it can not be justified on any principle of hu- 
manity, expediency, or necessity. So far, then, 
1 again express my surprise that there should be 
two opinions on the subject, among men who 



243 

are not interested in it. The sons of Mammon 
are out of the question, for they, whether in 
tlie semblance of merchants, ship-owners, or 
planters, will endeavour to justify it under sanc- 
tion of their religion, self-interest! 

The great and almost only difficulty, I con- 
ceive, is in forming and adopting such a plan, for 
their gradual emancipation, as will best answer 
the humane intention of releasing so many thou- 
sands of our fellow-creatures from bondage. To 
do this hastily, to say to them, " Ye are all free 
from this instant," would be nearly as cruel as 
first enslaving them. If there were only a few 
hundreds or thousands thinly scattered over tlie 
islands, it mattered not how soon it was done; 
but the liberation of such a multitude, whose 
numbers far exceed the Europeans, from whom 
they must (whether freemen or slaves) expect a 
maintenance for a considerable tune to come, 
would not only be productive of tl:e v.orst con- 
sequences to those Europeans, but e(|aaiiy so to 
themselves: the excesses, so sudden an intoxica- 
tion would plunge them i ito, wockl be dreadful. 

Probably, much better plans than I have to 
offer, for accomplisliiiig this desirable end, may 
have been suggested, and I hope they will be 
adopted; but the following was wluit I proposed 
to carry into execution if I had settled in any of 
the sou I hern states of America, where slaves 
alone at preseilt perform the work; and from this 
Y 12 



244 

I bad promised myself no small gratification, in 
the good I might have done as an individual, and 
a hope that tiie example might induce others to 
do the same when they found it their interest, 
whatever their principles might be. 

Under their present owners', they have not the 
most distant prospect of gaining their liberty; 
to purchase such slaves, witli a view to afford 
them an opportunity of working their own re- 
demption, I believe is jusliiiable. Supposing, 
then, 1 had purchased ?t number of slaves, worth 
on an average fifty pounds each; on becoming 
their master, to encourage them in diligence and 
good behaviour, i would have allowed them one 
day in each week to work for themselves, allot* 
ting a piece of ground to each to work upon; 
assuring them, that whoever, by their industry 
and frugality, saved a fifth part of their prime 
cost, (say ten pounds,) should then be entitled to 
purchase, with that money, another day to work 
upon their own account, and so on until they 
cleared the whole of their time. Possibly, it 
will appear to some people as requiring a long 
time for a slave so to emancipate himself, but it 
is far from being so. A free negro can easily 
earn half a crown a day, most of them twice as 
much; a slave is found in the necessaries of life 
and clothing by his master. We will suppose, 
then, that he earns no more than half a crown 
on the doy first given to him, caihng it Satur- 



245 

day, and that be expends one shilling on himself; 
he then lays by eighteen pence a week. Trifling 
as this may appear, at first view, to the accom- 
plishment of" so great an em], it will enable him 
to make his first purchase, of another day of 
freedom in the week, in little more than two 
years and a half. Should he then apply the 
whole additional earnings to the former eighteen 
pence, one other year will purchase him another 
day of liberty^ and the heaviest half of his task 
is then accomplished. 

He is now half free, beginning to feel a pro- 
portionate consequence, and may probably in- 
crease his own enjoyments a little more. Ad- 
mitting this, in two years or two years and a half 
more, he may complete the full purchase of his 
freedom; but if, instead of six years, it even 
takes them seven, eight, or nine, it is far better 
for them than if they had their full hb^rty and 
freedom at once; and, being the work of their 
own hands, by favour of tbeir master, it incul- 
cates two good pjinciples; industry, with a true 
knowledge of its value, from which it is likely to 
become habitual; and gratitude for their master, 
whose work they will then be happy to do as free 
servants. Nor have I much doubt, but the 
pleasing hope of such hberation, while they are 
gaining it by degrees, will aifoicl them nearly, if 
Bot quiu , as much comfort as the final aceom- 
pli^hm€ut. At any rate, the gradual aequiie- 
Y 3 



246 

ment of it will be the best means to prevent thei? 
being madly intoxicated at the completion. 
They will know the value better, and will have 
gained such habits of industry and frugality as to 
insure their future welfare. The owner receives 
the full value, with an ample interest from the 
work done for him, exclusive of the high men- 
tal gratification of liberating a fellow-creature 
from slavery. 

In the account of my farm in the state of 
New York, I have mentioned the mode I adopted 
there for liberating those I purchased, as similar 
to the foregoing as the difference of climate and 
eeuntry would permit; and the gentleman, witlx 
whom 1 left them upon the farm, engaged to^ 
fulfil and pursue the same plan. 

I allow that the bulk of the slaves employed in 
th€ West-India plantations have the appearance 
of being but a few degrees above the brute crea- 
tion; but it is their situation which makes them 
so^ Teach them better by good usage, and sti- 
mulate them to industry by sweetening their 
bitter cup with a cheering prospect of obtaining 
their liberty, and they will soon exhibit sufficient 
proof of their capacity to deserve and enjoy it. 
At our family-devotioRs, on Sundays, my ne- 
groes, whom I called in to attend likewise, could 
scarcely conceive what was purposed ; yet in a 
short time, from receiving the best instructions, 
in my power,, and perceiving,, in my address to 



247 

the one Almighty God, that they were consider- 
ed as equal in his eye, according to their deserts,- 
they attended, with earnestness and gratitude, to 
be better informed of their depen dance on his 
Providence for the comforts of this hfe, with 
the hope of a better hereafter. These were cir- 
cumstances, concerning which their former own- 
ers had never given them the smallest idea. 

I must acknowledge there was one thing, res- 
pecting the negroes in some parts of America, 
which astonished me much, nor was I ever able 
to account for it to my own satisfaction; but 
truth requires it to be mentioned. On the sub- 
ject of skvery, every feeling heart will naturally 
sympathise for the parent whose mind, we sup- 
pose, must be tortured with agony when he con- 
siders his children born to perpetual slavery; 
yet how shall we account for the very commort 
practice, among the free negroes in America, of 
preferring to marry slave-wenches; by which they 
make all their children slaves? The fact is so^ 
and the only reason I could learn,^ or can assign^ 
is that they value not tlieir liheriy al the price of 
their maintenance. But possibly this may arise 
from the long degradation of their minds, which 
a more liberal treatment and enlightening educa- 
tion might correct and bring back to a natural 
sense of parental duties^ 



248 



CHAPTER XXXVII. 

Journey to the City of Washington; from Nezv 
York to South Amhoy, hy tvater; Fre?ich Invar 
lids; to Burlington, by land; to Philadelphia ,. 
by iOater ; curious accommodation at the Franks 
lins Head, at Philadelphia ; set off for Baltic 
more; travelling-expenses, treatme?it, and remarks, 
on the road; Baltimore, price of provision in 
1796; set off for George-tozeti; remarks on the 
road, and in passing through the new city. 



Before I finally quitted America, I t€)ok my 
wife purposely to see the then much-talked-o£ 
new city of Washington. This was in 1 79^, and 
I well remember reading a paragraph in an Eng- 
lish newspaper, but a few days before we began 
our journey, wherein it was asserted, that this- 
new city was making such rapid progress that 
there were already upwards of 7000 houses built 
and inhabited, with a proportionate number 
erecting: to answer the orreat demand for more. 
I beg this may be borne in remembrance, when I 
state the plain matter of fact as we found the 
new city. I will give a cursory account of the 
journey, to enable the reader to judge of the 



249 

liiode of travelling along the most frequented 
public roads in America. 

To diversify our journey, we took the packet 
fiom New York to Aniboy, the distance thirty 
miles. We sailed from New York at two o'clock 
in the afternoon, and reached Amboy at seven 
in tlie evening. The packet-boats are commo- 
dious, and the sailing vvouW have been pleasant, 
but for thirty-five French passengers, (chiefly in- 
valid soldiers and sailors^) who were taken in 
from the hospital on an island, upon our passage, 
when we luid no remedy. 

Tiiere is but one house at South Amboy v.hich 
they call a tavern: two rooms were allotted to 
the French, who, in the true spirit of equality, 
eat and slept all together; men and officers, with 
their women, spreading their blankets on the 
floor. There were fourteen of us, exclusive of 
the French, We were fortunate in obtaining 
coffee, toast, and fried veal, for supper; and, hf 
bribing the house-servant, 1 secured a bed in a 
closet for my wife and myself; n^e^ therefore, 
could find no reason to complain, while the poor 
maimed invalids seemed so merry and happy with 
their harder lot. For our passage, supper, and 
lodgings, I paid two dollars and a half. 

At four the next morning, we set off in a 
coachee - wa2:G:on, somcthino- like our Euiriish 
vans, without springs, a wooden top, and leather 
curtains on the sides. Our breakfast at Cran- 



250 

bury, with the coachee-fare to Burlington, dis- 
tance fifty miles, was no more than five dollars. 
Dining at Burlington, we were glad to catch at 
any thing and wait on ourselves for half a tiollar 
each. Fortunately, a packet was ready soon 
after we had dined, when we had a delightful sail 
down the Delaware to Philadelphia, where we 
arrived at eight in the evening, paying half a 
dollar for our passage, the distance twenty miles. 
The master of tiie George-inn (who knew me) 
not being in the way, I was told the house was 
full; and the porter, who brought up part of our 
luggage, saying he could take us to another inn, 
where we should be ge7tteeiii/ entertained, we 
were induced to follow him to the ISevv Franklin's- 
head Inn, and were shewn into a dungeon-like 
back room, over which was cur bed-room. After 
a moderate supper, I- ordered a bottle of ma- 
deira as the best and cleanest refreshment, and 
then retired to a must miserable bed, infested 
with dirt and vermin, and in the morning found 
no less than three mice drowned in the urinal. 
Our accommodation on the road was bad enough, 
but here it was execrable. In the morning, we 
obtained a decent breaki'ast, and for the whole of 
my entertainment 1 paid five dollars and t^n 
cents. Shifting our quarters as quick as possi- 
ble, we were decently accommodated at Mr> 
Hardy's, (whom I had formerly known in Eng- 
laud;) during the time we staid in Philadelphia. 



251 

We paid our respects to the President and 
Mrs Washington, and attended some interesting 
debates in congress, where I again experienced 
politeness from several members, particularly 
from Mr Bourne, of Rhode-island. During our 
slay, the time passed briskly and pleasantly; we 
visited the theatre, museum, &c. not omitting 
the prison. 

We then set off in the mail for Bakimore, at 
eleven in the forenoon, passed through Chester, 
fifteen miles from Philadelphia; and, crossing 
the Brandiwine, on which are a number of good 
corn-mills, stopped to dine at Wilmington, in 
the State of Delaware, thirteen miles from 
Chester. We were seven in number, and had 
a small piece of roast beef, and two fowls so very 
old we could not eat them, without a morsel of 
vegetables, for which we were charged five shil- 
hngs and sixpence, or fifty-seven cents, each, 
besides liquor; the landlord treating us with ar- 
rogance nearly amounting to insolence, observing 
we were more obliged to him than he was to us. 

Four miles from Wilmington, we passed 
through Newport, a small village, with sloop- 
navigation, in a low swampy situation. Sixteen 
miles farther brought us to the Head of Elk, 
about eight at night. The land, from Philadel- 
phia to the Head of Elk, is in general a poor 
hungry soil, except some grass land near the 
river, which I was informed sells from thirty to 



252 

sixty pounds an acre. We paid for our supper, 
(tL'ii, coffee, and fried veal,) with lodgings, one 
dollar and a half. 

We set off at four the next morning:, travellinsr 
some times over hilly and at other times swampy, 
but all extremely poor, land, through Charlston 
to the Susquehana. Crossing over to Havre-de- 
Grace, we breakfasted at half a dollar each. 
From Havre, the land is much better, growing 
good strong timber; continuing so until we came 
near Bush, twelve miles from Havre. From this 
place, we passed over several rugged hills, a- 
bounding with iron ore and having some intervals 
of tolerable land, until we drew near Baltimore, 
where the soil is one entire scrub oak-barren. 

The fare in the mail-coachce, from Philadel- 
phia, was eight dollars each, the distance ninety 
miles. Si)me of these coachees are tolerably 
convenient for warm climates, but there is a 
material difference in them. The best are like 
covered waggons, shaped a little and painted to 
look like a coach, having double curtains of lea- 
ther and woollen, to furl or let down at pleasure. 
Some are hung on springs and travel easily, o- 
thers quite the reverse. They have more or fewer 
benches, according to the number of passengers 
they engage to carry. M. Brissot compliments 
them, in comparison to the cumberous heavy di- 
ligences in France; and he might have added, 
that they are as much beneath the stage-coaches, 



253 



&c. of England, as they exceed those of 
France. Their horses, indeed, are not to be ex- 
ceeded, hardly equalled, by any country, for 
hardy stage-travelling, and they are very ill 
treated. Brissot likewise admired the equalizing 
and fraternizing custom of tradesmen and mem- 
bers of congress riding together in these car- 
riages. He might have improved the picture, by 
saying that you have as equal a chance, at least, 
of being seated by the side of a negro as a 
member of congress, there being no outside- 
passengers. 

The price of provisions, in Baltimore-market, 
in the month of May, 179^, was thus: beef and 
mutton, sixteen pence; veal, nine pence; butter, 
half a dollar; cheese, eighteen pence; per lb. 
Maryland currency; fowls, half a dollar each. 

We stopped a few days at Baltimore, to see 
some friends, and then set off in the mail-coacb, 
at six in the morning, for George-town; the 
fare, four dollars each. The first seven miles, 
until we canae to Patapsco-ferry, was a clayey 
soil, over uncultivated hills. At Elkridge, the 
land improves all the way to Sj)urricr's, a sub- 
stantial farmer and tavern-keeper, where v»c had 
R comfortable clean breakfast for forty cents 
each. 

Five miles farther brought us to the Patuxent, 
wliere, near the river-side, 1 noticed some of the 
best land on this road. From Spurrier'.s to Bla- 

YOL. ij. Z 



254 

dcnbiirgb, Avhere we dined, the distance is 
twenty-one miles; the soil in general either a 
cold clay or a sand, with a few interval bottoms 
of tolerable land. Bladenburgh is a oeat town, 
situated at the head of the east branch of the 
Patowmac, four miles above ship-navigation. 

From Bladenburgh to George-town is eight 
miles, where yon travel most of the way through 
the iikiw city. When we first entered this city, 
we were shewn (bj' the Citizen Driver) one or 
two of the main streets. These were long wide 
avenues, cut tlirough woods and across fields, 
without a house to be seen ; until, travelling on 
a few miles, we saw a few new^-built brick houses, 
in various directions; some of ihem a quarter of 
a mile and others half a mile distant from each 
other, wliich, with intervening woods and fields 
of grass or grain, had an appearance of pleasant 
iarm-houses. 

Continuing thus, for a mile or more, we came 
to the ca])itol, an intended building, of A\hicU 
one wing uuh' was about one-third erected; pro- 
mising, when the whole should be completed, to 
be a noble edifice. The bote] soon came in view, 
a handsome large house, then just covered in, 
built to ensure accommodations for the members 
of congress; the money for it was raised by 
public auction. Still keeping on for George- 
town, at the distance of a mile or more irom the 
capitol, we passed the President's intended 



255 

house; and, except half a dozen houses, tliat 
were covering in, and the foundations of six 
more level with the gvownd, there really was 
nothing to be seen that had the smallest appear- 
ance of forming a street. 

At George-town, which is close adjoining the 
City of AVashington, we were set down at a 
large new inn, built on speculation for the pur- 
pose of entertaining visitors and others coming 
to view the new city. We stopped here a few 
days before we passed the Patowmac-river into 
Virginia, and met with more attention from the 
landlord of this house than from any other 
during the whole journey, and he found his ac- 
count in it. When travelling by myself, and in 
pursuit of some particular object, I did not re- 
gard difficulties; but, with a female companion, 
as a tour of pleasure, it was diflerent. 



Z a 



256 



CHAPTER XXXVIIL 

Remarks and chseivatiom on the Citif of Waslung- 
Un. 



We tcok several circuitoiis walks and rides, to 
note ail that was to be seen of Wasliington-city, 
containing little besides opeii fields and large 
woods, with avenues cut through them, of miles 
in length, to shew where the streets were in- 
tended to be. 

The situation is pleasant and T conceive heal- 
thy. The Patovv-mac (between two branches of 
wiiich the intended city is. situated) is most cer- 
tainly a grand river, having a clear inland ship- 
Davigation of 200 miles from tlie sea to this 
city; yet, in my humble ju-.lgement of these 
great undertakiiigs, I doubt whether ihey have 
not commenced at the wrong cud. A place, that 
is first established by trade and commerce, may 
swell gradually or rapidly to a large city; but I 
doubt how iar the building a city to force com- 
merce, betw'een two w^eii-established powerful 
rivals, in a free country, Vvill be likely to suc- 
ceed. K cither Baltimore, in Maryland, nor 
Alexandria, in ^ irginia, seem to apprehend the 



25T 

smallest climliiutioii of their trade, but were 
building and increasing faster than ever; \Yhile, 
respecting this intended city, I question much 
whether th^re ever will be a sufficient number of 
liouses built to entitle it to the name of a great 
eity. It is true, the public buildings are erect- 
ing on a grand scale, possibly too much so for so 
young a country. A century hence, should the 
union of the states continue so long, they might 
correspond; at present, they do not. It is to be 
remembered that these remarks were made on 
the spot, in 179^3. 

The President's house is 180 feet in front and 
88 deep, built of free-stone of an excellent qua- 
lity. Not more than a fourth part is built; but, 
wlien finished, it promises to be an elegant 
building. The capitol, building with the same 
materials, is 380 feet in front, by 120 in depth; 
of which one wing only is just raised high 
enough for the first scaffolding. But few men 
were at work either at the public or private 
buildings, and several of them told me they 
could get more work than money. Brick- 
making was the principal business going forward ; 
and for this purpose, the whole body of earth 
that I examined (where they had dug for cellars) 
seems well adapted, and the well-water good. 

If any part of the whole might be said to have 
the appearance of a town, or rather a village, it 
is at the eastern point, nearly three miles from 
Z 3 



258 

ihe President's, and where Mr Law and Mx 
.Duncason, tv/o gentlemen of fortune, from In- 
dia, were the only inilividuals actually engaged 
itn building private houses. The workmen told 
me, tliat these gentlemen were the only people 
whom they could depend on for money; one or 
two others, that had begun, having left off. 
Here, again, (as I have before observed respect- 
ing the usual mistake of EnglislimeU;) 1 fe;ir 
these gentlemen will find, to their cost,, that they 
have calculated on English ideas, unnecessarily 
magnified by Eastern habits. 

In this part of the city, there are four or five 
groupes of houses, of four or six in a groupe, ab 
no great distance fiom each other, in different 
stages of finishing, with but few that are inha- 
bited; and, reckoning up all the houses I could 
Fee or hear of, as belonging to the new City of 
Washington, they did not amount to eighty. I 
was the more particular in remarking this, from 
the extravagant false accounts that had beeii 
sent to and published in the London papers, as 
before mentioned. Had they described them as 
house-lots, it might have passed, but would not 
have answered their purpose, as it was these 
lots, to build houses on, that they wished to sell 
by such puffs of the rapid progress which the 
new city was making. 

Bad as I apprehend it is, and will turn out ta 
be, to the purchasing speculators, it has proved 



259 

ef great advantaQ;e "to the old proprietors of the 
iaiid. When congress first determined to build 
a federal city, General Washington was desired" 
to fix on the most eligible spot. Be chose the 
present, the limd of which was not then worth 
more than five pounds an acre, IMaryland money. 
Treating with the proprietors, it was agreed that 
all the streets, avenues, squares, grounds for 
public buildings and uses, should be paid for at 
twenty-five pounds an acre : the remainder of 
their respective lands to be divided into equal 
lots; one-half to be sold for the benefit of the 
public, by commissioners, the other at the dis- 
posal of tiie original proprietor. 

On an average, an acre of ground is now esti- 
mated at 1500/.; and a Mr B , whose estate 

of nearly 500 acres was not worth more than 
3000 L (more than which he was said to owe,) 
has hereby realized a property of 80,000/. 

Having seen and examined every thing, and 
gained all the information I could concerning 
this so-much-talked-of city, I sate down between 
the President's house and the capitol, and en- 
tered the following in my minute-book, as my 
opinion, viz. 

" Should the public buildings be completed, 
and enterprizing individuals risk considerably in 
building houses; should the Union of the States 
continue undisturbed; should congress assemble 
for a number of years^ until the national bank 



^60 

and other public offices necessarily draw the mo- 
nied interests to it; the City of Washington, in 
the course of a century, may form a focus of 
attraction to mercantile and trading people, suffi- 
cient to make it a beautiful commercial city, 
dcsers^ing the name of its founder; but I appre- 
hend so many hazards as to be most unwilling 
to venture any part of my property in the under- 
taking." 

The price of provisions at George-town is 
much the same as at Baltimore. The good peo- 
ple in this town, as well as every other sra-port 
I was at on the continent of North America, 
are remarkably fond of dress. At one chapel in 
George-town, I noticed presbyteriau service per- 
formed in the morning and episcopal in the 
afternoon. 

On our return from a short excursion in Vir- 
ginia, back through George-town and Washmg- 
ton-citv, I was informed that congress had 
guaranteed a loan, to enable them to go on with 
the public buildings, which renovated the hopes 
of the speculators. But I did then, and do still, 
recommend emigrants and foreign speculators to 
be on their guard ageiinst the delusive flattering 
accounts that for many years will be spread 
abroad. 



261 



CHAPTER XXXIX. 

Mel urn to BaJiimore; hospitality of Mr and Mr^ 
Snozvdcn; cross the Chesapeak to Frcndi-toicn; 
distressed French families; to Nezirastk, hi/ land; 
Citizeji Dairogh, the tavern-keeper ; packet for 
Philadelphia; remarks on sailing up the Dela- 
ware. 



AVe returned to Baltimcre tlie same way we 
came, with nothing worthy of remark but the 
politeness of a Mrs Snowden, whose house stood 
some httle distance from the road. Expecting a 
lady of ber acquaintance to be passing that day, 
she with her sister had walked down to meet the 
coach, ordering her servants to bring wiae> 
brandy, water, 8cc. to refresh aii that would 
accept. I was also informed that Mr Snowdeu 
frequent!}^ took opportunities of pressing travel- 
lers to stop and accept the entertainment of iiis 
hospitable mansion. 

Before the revolution, instances of this kind 
were frequent through America; bat, now, it 
s.eems as if equalizing liberty had banished the 
liberal hospitality that North America was so 
famed for belbre the wa.r. Every drop, in the 



262 

bumper which I drank to the heakli of Mr and 
Mrs Snowden, gave strength to my recollection 
of the social, happy, hospitable, times I had 
formerly experienced in this country, long be- 
fore the revolution. 

From Baltimore, we took the water-route to 
Philadelphia, in a commodious packet-boat, as 
far as French-town. We left Baltimore at nine 
in the morning, and had a delightful sail across 
and up to the head of the Chesapeak; thence up. 
a river to French-town. This place is seventy 
miles from Baltimore, and, like South Amboy, 
has but one house, and that is a tavern. There 
were several French families in the packet, all of 
whom had seen better days. They were required 
(ordered) to return to their respective homes, as 
the only w^ay allowed to prove their patriotism, 
or to abide the consequence: ships were pro- 
vided in Philadelphia to receive them. My 
heart bled to hear the distresses which some of 
their women and children had already endured,, 
and the dread of those which they were still 
likely to go through; but, except some trifling 
civilities, our good wishes were all We could 
afford them: yet these little attentions were 
heart - soothing, as their eyes frequently ex- 
pressed. 

It was five in the evening v. hen we landed;, 
three coachees were provided, and we set off for 
Newcastle, in the Stale ot Delaware. The stage 



263 

was eighteen miles, over a level country, with a 
few gently-sloping hills. The timber-trees were 
pretty large, which, with a mellow-looking loam, 
indicated good land. 

Between ten and eleven, we were driven to the 
tavern of a Mr Darrogh, who, considering ns 
fair prey, would not allow any to he shewn to a 
bed, until, after waiting two hours for tea, coffee, 
toast, and fried veal, our host was enabled to 
make his charge for suppers. With a little 
bribing interest, I then procured a pair of clean 
sheets; and, making our own bed, we were glad 
to turn into a dirty cabin-like closet, on the 
ground-floor. 

In the morning, the Fren-ch families naturally 
wislicd to breakfast in a separate room; the 
American travellers, with ourselves, the same. 
In vain were applications made, by both parties, 
to be indulged with two breakfast-tables: Citizen 
Darrogh told us plainly, that, if we did not like 
to breakfast together, one party might wait until 
the other had done. Finding entreaties were 
useless, I sallied out; and, observing the next 
house to be a tavern likewise, I returned, paid 
Mr Darrogh one dollar and a half for our lodging 
and supper, had our trunks removed ; and, 
making up our party, \\ent to the adjoining 
liouse to breakfast. We had the additional sa- 
tisfaction also of mortifying Mr Darrogh, by 
ordering an early dinner for all the ptissengers 



264 

i^/ho chose to dine, as the packet for Philadel- 
phia did not sail until after one. And I believe 
we all drank as freely again of milk-punch as 
we otherwise should, from observing the effect, 
it produced on Citizen Darrogh, who paraded in 
the street before our window, swearing like a 
trooper; and, when we good-naturedly drank his 
health, he became more enraged and vehement. 

I omitted mentioning that our passage, from 
Baltimore to French-town, was one dollar and a 
half each, paying three-quarters of a dollar 
more for a dinner on board; but this is optional, 
as passengers may carry tlieir own provision if 
they prefer it. The coachee-fare, from French- 
town to Newcastle, is one dollar and a quarter 
each. 

Newcastle is a neat pretty town, chiefly sup- 
ported by the shipping, which take in stock, &i.c. 
here, somewhat like Gravesend. There is one 
house in this town, said to be built before Phila- 
delphia was begun. The tide in the Delaware, 
passing by Newcastle, runs full three knots (or 
miles) an hour. It seems remarkable that the 
land, on the Jersey-side of the Delaware, should 
be so uncultivated, while the Delaware and 
Pennsylvanian shores opposite are beautiful to 
the eye, with thickly-settled farm-houses, towns, 
and villages. 

.Passing in sight of Wilmington, seven miles 
from Newcastle, we came to Marker's Hook, a 



265 

pleasant fishing-village, than which I do not any 
where recollect a more engaging rural prospect. 
A small hut to the southward of Marker's Hook 
forms the line hetwecn Delaware and Penn- 
sylvania. There are some rich grazing-ground* 
along the shore, defended by sea-banks. We 
passed Mud-fort, opposite to Red-bank; places 
full dearly known to the English in the American 
war. They were b'wilding a pier, on the opposite 
side to Mud-fort, but little more than a quarter 
of a mile distant, on which was intended to be 
erected a battery, to guard Philadelphia from 
attacks by sea; but, if it be not better planned 
and executed than other forts which I have seen, 
and that have been erected since the embargo of 
1794, it can be of little consequence, as they are 
not worth the interest of the principal laid out 
upon them. 



VOL. II. A a 



266 



CHAPTER XL. 

Land at Philadelphia; Doctor Priestly y hisfarewel 
sermon; his opinion; he and Mr Russell achioTX^- 
ledge their disappointment, witli their reasons for 
not returning to England; Doctor Perkins; re- 
turn to Netv lork. 



AaouT seven in the evening, we landed at 
Philadelphia, paying a dollar each for a very 
agreeable passage of forty miles. 

On the Sunday following, I heard Doctor 
Priestly, at the meeting of the Universalists. He 
had previously gone ilnough a course of sermons 
on the evidences of the Christian religion ; at the 
■conclusion of which, he had declared his inten- 
tion of preaching but this once, as taking his 
final leave ,of public preaching. The place was 
crowded- 

The form of worship was thus: he first pro- 
nounced a prayer, then read the 139th Psalm 
and part of the ]2ib chapter of Mark, after 
w hich there was singing. His text was from the 
18rh, 19Lh, and 20th, verses of the 17th chapter 
of the Apostles, considering himself, he observed, 
nearly in u similar situation. He delivered him- 
self freely and openly as to his faith, declaring 



267 

his belief in one God onhv ^^^ denying tho 
divinity of Christ, though he considered him as 
sent by God to instruct and save, as were many 
other great and good men. To reheve himself, 
he here closed this part of his discourse and gave 
out a psalm to be sung. 

He then entered into liis second objection to 
the generally received doctrine of Cliristianity, 
viz. the doctrine of atonement by the death of 
Christ. Next, he cursorily noticed the absur- 
dity of original sin and eternal damnation; de- 
claring his own belief in a final retribution, by 
means of adequate punishments, in time reform- 
ing the wicked. After the sermon, a psalm was 
sung, and he then delivered a prayer. At the 
close of the service, he administered the Lord's 
Supper, as an acknowledgement or testimony of 
being Christians, (as philosophers might of being 
Newtonians.) but not as necessarily obligatory or 
requiring any serious preparation. In oiie of his 
prayers, I noticed a singular expression, viz. in 
hopes of becoming citizens of heaven, which I 
considered as rather trimming his sails to the 
wind. 

The day following, I called on the Doctor at 
j\Jr Russell's, to compare notes respecting Ame- 
rica. He said, that nearly all the English emi- 
grants, with whom he had conversed, agreed in 
acknowledging themselves to be much disap- 
pointed; ladies and women in particular. He 
A a ^2 



268 

mentioned one or two, who were thrown intasi^ch 
deep melancholy as obliged them to be confined. 
He said, he had seen but little himself, yet believed 
the complaints to be jnst; that he had no choice 
but to remain dining life; acknowledging him- 
self surprised to find so little appearance of reli- 
gion in a country where he had been led to ex- 
pect so much. 

Mr Russell not being at home, I promised to- 
breakfast witli them Uie next day, wliich. I did. 
I iiad delivered my own opinion very freely 
respecting America, with the consequent deter- 
mination of quitting it, when Mr Russell, turn- 
ing to his son, atiked him if it were possible for 
\\ords to express his own (the father's) opinion^ 
and sentiments about America more exactly 
than those 1 had used; then, addressing himself 
to me, he observed, that, having made so con- 
siderable a speculative purchase in some lands, he 
must wait the issue^ and as to farming, which 
he had flattered himself with managing to so 
much advantage, he had given up every idea. 

While I was conversing with Doctor Priestly 
one morning, we were rather abruptly broken in 
upon by a Doctor Perkins, a physician from the 
State of Connecticut. This gentleman had dis- 
covered an extraordinary power in certain metallic 
substances, which would operate to remove and 
cure most infliimmatory topical pains in a speedy 
manner. He had discovered what produced the 



269 

effect, and wished much to engage a gentleman 
of Doctor Priestly's scientific knowledge to assist 
in investigating the canse. Conscious of a little 
intrusion, and anxious to gain his attention, 
Doctor Perkins made no hesitation (wlien in- 
formed that I was an English gentleman who 
had been travelling over America in search of 
knowledge, and was returning to England) to 
oive such information and intelli«rence as he 

O o 

possessed and was necessary for Doctor Priestly 
to know. Strong proofs of ilieir sakuary powers 
were produced, one very recent. The day before 
a man had been struck down with lightening, 
continuing some time in a stale of insensibility 
until restored by the tractors. Doctor Winchester, 
the celebrated preacher, having been present, 
vouched the truth of this and some other cases. 
Doctor Priestly turning to me, observed, " sir, 
we are vet children in ihe knowledge of what 
effect the electric and magnetic pov.ers may 
have on the human body.^^ 

Being thus accidentally present at the time of 
investigation, I. had an opportunity of learning 
its principle, which I did not neglect. Of the 
salutary effect produced thereby, T have wit- 
nessed and proved too many instances to have 
any doubt that the instruments may be bene- 
ficially used in many cases, nor am I to be 
laughed out of what has been evident to my own 
senses. At the same time, I do not mean to give 
Aa 3 



270 

countenance to the over-stretched anrl deceitful 
accounts which have been published concerning, 
them ; farther observing, that they might as well 
have been sold for so many pieces of silver as 
they have of gold. 

From Philadelphia, we returned to New York 
by the regular land-stage. The first eight or ten 
miles, the land is poor and hungry, mending as 
we approached Bristol. Thence to Trenton, 
through Penn's Manor, the land is level, lately 
cleared, and tolerably good, requiring nothing 
but management to keep it so, otherwise it will 
soon be worn out. Various pleasant views of the. 
Delaware presented themselves as we passed 
along; and, driving the coaches and horses into 
a lonir ferrv-boat, we crossed the river to Tren- 
ton, a pretty town, thirty miles from Philadel- 
phia, where we dined at one dollar each. 

From Trenton to Prince-town the land is good,^ 
distance twelve miles, continuing so until we drew 
near Kocky-hiil, whence, to the ten-mile run, it 
is bad. Here it imjjroves a little. The road to 
Brunsvvick is a red, heavy, barren, earth. Our 
supper and lodging at Brunswick one dollar 
each. At four the next morning we crossed 
the Rariton, over a new-built bridge; then tra~ 
veiled over a red, stone-like, clay, country to, 
Woodbridge, where we paid half a dollar for 
breakfasts. From this place, we continued our 
route over a delightfiU rich country, approaching 



271 

and passing through the very pleasant towns oF 
Elizabeth and Newark. Thence, over two bridges, 
crossing the Posaick, and, along a causeway 
three miles and a half in length, we alighted at 
Povvl's Hook, and, ferrying over the North-river 
in boats, we landed at New York at noon. 

The roads in general, as to repair, (particularly 
through the Jerseys,) are left to Providence, 
having little or nothing done to them. In wet 
weather, they are, consequently, very bad, and 
in dry weather intolerably dusty. The fare from 
Philadelphia to New York, by the mail, is eight 
dollars; by the other coaches, six dollars; the 
distance ninetv-six miles. 



CHAPTER XLI. 



On the American government,. 



I CANNOT well quit America witliout giving; 
my opinion of its government. The liberty of 
the people, the goodness of their laws, and the. 
freedom of their government, are their boast. 

The goodness of their laws, I allow, how should, 
they be otherwise, having selected them chiefly 



272 

from the Endish laws? But there is not sufficient 
energy and strength, in the executive branches of 
government, to carry those laws into execution, 
whenever the people, in their mob-wisdom, 
think proper to direct otherwise. The liberty of 
the people, therefore, degenerates into licen- 
tiousness and destroys the freedom of their go- 
vernment. Pope says, that is the best govern- 
ment where the laws are best administered ; I 
thmk the same, and, according to this doctrine, 
the government of America is moderate indeed r 
for, of what benefit is it to a starving man to 
be told, there is plenty of good provision 
in the house, if he can get none? It is just 
so in America. I^iave seen at Baltimore, I 
have seen at New York, I have seen at 
Rhode-island, where, in front of the governing- 
povvers, the multitude have risen in open defiance 
of the laws. I have known some of the first na- 
tive inhabitants and merchants threatened, by 
the lawless leader of a mob, with an introduction 
of the guillotine, should they continue to say any 
thins; in favour of the British nation. I have 
seen a notoriously-despised worthless fellow, 
without the least shadow of authority, assemb'e 
a number of people together, go on board an 
English schooner, that put into the port from 
stress of weather at the time the embargo was 
laid, (bound from Nova Scotia to New York, 
with passengers,) rua her on &hore, and unbead 



275 

her sails to prevent the completion of her voyage ; 
notwithstanding the proper officers of the port 
had consented to her proceeding to New York, 
upon the captain's giving the necessary security, 
which he was ready to do. The consequence 
v,as, that the passengers left the vessel without 
paying him, and the poor man had no redress. 
This man (Captain Jack Wanton, as they stiled 
him) and his associates thus set the laws at 
defiance, and no notice was taken of the cut- 
rage. 

When the law sleeps, whether through fear op 
indifference, it is the same thing to the suffering, 
party. At present, the higher order of people 
in America (and it is absurd to suppose there are 
not higher orders in every country) are too feeble 
t€) give energy to the laws. The tarring and 
feathering, exhibited at the time I am speaking 
of, at Savannah, in Georgia, at Norfolk, in Vir- 
ginia, and Baltimore, in Maryland, too clearly 
evince the weakness of the laws for tlie protection 
of persons, and it is a mockery of words to talk 
of liberty without protection. I sincerely hope^ 
that time will meliorate and improve the govern- 
ment of America to true genuine liberty, without 
licentiousness, and that the laws will be suffi- 
ciently energetic to protect persons and property 
from insult and outrage. At present, it is the 
reverse. 



274. 



CHAPTER XLII; 



Quit America; arrive in Ireland; packet to Bris' 
tol; engage a house for the winter. 



Quitting America, I crossed tlie Atlantic 
for the fourteenth time, and arrived in Ireland 
with that part of my family I had taken over to 
America, the rest having remained in England 
for education. Making but a short stay there, I 
took the packet for Bristol, where I engaged a 
house for the ensuing winter.. 

I was sound in health, but something the worse 
for more than half a century's hard struggles to 
obtain a permanent abode. The prospect before 
me was gloomy enough, as relating to my young 
family; nor could 1 well determine what farther 
measures it were best to pursue, to enable me to 
put them into some eligible way of life. 

Had it been for ourselves, or with the addition 
of one or two children only, we could have been 
well satisfied to retire (after such fruitless at- 
tempts to mend our circumstances) to the hum- 
blest privacy, rich in content and happy within 
ourselves. But duties, paramount to selfish con- 
siderations of ease, would not, did not, allow our 



275 

own personal quiet to be consulted in opposition 
to our children's welfare. The past struggles re- 
quired a little rest, and the new ones that might 
yet occur demanded serious consideration. I 
resolved, therefore, not to engage positively in 
iiny thing under three months. Although I im- 
posed this irksome task of rest on myself, as to 
pursuing any employ for my own future establish- 
ment, I was not idle in seeking immediate em- 
ploy for my two eldest boys, to whom I had 
given the best education in my power. They 
were now ready for laun<;hing into the wide 
ocean of life, but I had neither spare sails nor oars 
to 2;ive them for assistance. 



CHAPTER XLIII. 

Liberaliti/ of the zchole court of the East-India 
Directors; disinterestedness of their appointments ; 
generous appointment hij an individual Director. 



Going to London, I was there advised to 
make interest with some Director of the East- 
India company for an appointment for the 
oldest of mv sons, who was near seventeen. I 



276 

know not bow to account for it; T want not 
what is commonly called courage, nor am I 
reckoned over bashful, yet never could I bend to 
dance attendance and solicit individuals for their 
private patronage, with a tenth part of the free- 
dom and earnestness I can a pubhc body, on 
whom I conceive I have any kind of claim. A 
thought struck me and I pursued it ; this was, to 
address by a petition the whole court of Direc- 
tors, stating a few leading circumstances in my 
life, and grounding my principal claim to their 
notice on my former suffering services in their 
employ. 

Wholly unacquainted as I was with the chair- 
man, 1 waited upon him at his house. I frankly 
told him, I was an old officer come to solicit his 
attention, for three minutes, to the petition I 
handed him. With a heart-soothing benevolent 
air, he desired me to be seated ; observing, that, 
if a much longer time could be of any service, he 
would cheerfully devote it to me. Reading it 
with attention, he kept that and kindly directed 
me to take another copy to the deputy-chairman, 
making use of his name as an introduction. I 
did so, and my memory will never lose sight of 
the generous sympathy that beamed on his coun- 
tenance as he perused and re-perused the con- 
tents. He said but little, and that not flattering 
me with any great hopes of success; but it was 
delivered in so mild and gentle a manner, that I 



277 

departed witli as iniicb gratitude in my heart as 
if I had really obtained the boon I was soliciting. 
Such is the easy power of pleasing, to those 
whose hearts are nicely tuned to benevolence. 

On mentioning the step I had taken, I was 
told by many^that it never would succeed, the 
court having long since resolved not to attend to 
any such public applications; but the hearts or 
these people were too cold to distinguish the 
difference in the kinds of public application. 

1 returned to Bristol with a confidence of suc- 
<:ess, which I had no real ground for from any 
thing that had been said to me. The first post, 
after the meeting of the court of directors to 
make their military appointments for India, 
brought me a letter from the chairman himself, 
most kindly informing me, that the whole court, 
having taken into considemtion my petition, had 
made an extra appointment in favour of my sen, 
to go out as a cadet on the Bengal establish- 
ment; and I understood afterwards, that every 
director present voted it with a ready generous 
sympath^^ How much more satisfactory and 
honourable to the feelings of an old officer was 
this appointment, than to obtain it by private 
patronage, I leave to those considerate minds 
who can appreciate the difference. 

Paying compliments to one at the expense of 
others is not what I am accustomed to do, yet 
I can not deny myself the gratification of c!e- 

VOL. II. B b 



278 

daring, that there is no militaiy service in tlie 
world, which has fallen within- mj^ ohservation, 
(and I have seen many,) to be compared to that 
of the East-India company, for the disinterested- 
ness of the appointments, i\ce from purchase at 
the first, with the certainty of regular preferment 
by seniority after appointment, provided any 
demerits of the party, by sentence of a court- , 
martial, do not justify his supersession or dis- 
mission. Such, indeed, is the excellence of this 
service, that the governor-general cannot pro- 
mote his nearest relation or friend over the head 
of another oflicer, whose commission is a day 
older. 

I have another strong instance to adduce of 
the disinterestedness of their appointments. My 
second boy v/as as desirous of goiDg into the sea- 
service as his elder brother was the land. My 
former acquaintance in that line had been very 
numerous; but, after a retirement of more than 
twenty years, I could find but two, out of nearly 
as many hundred, to whom I could apply to 
procure my boy a birth on board an East-India 
ship. The one. Captain Ralph Dundas, (who 
has since paid his last debt to Nature,) was so- 
il! at Bath, it was with extreme difficulty he 
could write an answer to lament his inabiiity 
from his present situation. The other, Captain 
P. Broomfield, (likewise since dead,) advised me 
by all means to endeavour at procuring him an 



279 

appointment in the Bombay-marine, as the best 
sea-service he knew for any young man ^Yho had 
not great strength of iiiterest or good property; 
and that he would then be equally provided for 
with his brother, and rise by seniority in hke 
manner. This was certainly most desirable lor 
me to obtain, but I could not v.ith any pro- 
priety thJF-nk of applying to the court again. 
What little interest 1 form-erly had with indivi- 
duals was, like that with my friends and acquaint- 
ance in the sea-service, nearly extinguished. 
The number of appointmients-for the season were 
few*, and I had not the smallest glimmering 
prospect of success, but by applying to the pri- 
vate individual patronage of one of those gentle- 
men who had already so considerately attended 
to my public claim. 

I considered for several days before I could 
bring my mind to the determination of intruding 
again on gentlemen, to whom I v.as a perfect 
stranger, otherwise than as my former memorial 
had made me known to them ; but what will not 
necessity, in the cause of our children's welfare, 
urge us to? I had trodden my former ground to 
their houses with humble confidence, I now re- 
traced the same steps with much timidity. 

Mr Inghs (now Sir Hugh) generously said he 
would bear it in remembrance when the appoint- 
ments were made, but it v.'as uncertain. I soon 
learned that there v/ould be but twelve that sea- 
13 b 'i 



•2 so 

son; and, well kiiov/mg the Dumber of npplica- 
lioiis there woiild be for them, aided by great 
>>L;enpih of i:iierested reeouimeiKiatloas, 1 scaree- 
)y cared tO-hoi)e. Soon after this, Mr Inglis 
V, as coiiiined by a dangerous illness, whieh pro- 
ve. ;ted any farther intrusive inquiry, until the 
tiiiiC for the shij;:s departure made it absolutely 
iiecescary. 

I was received by Mrs Inglii with a fiatteriag 
courtesy, that much enhanced the value of her 
iaformation, '^ that Mr Inglis had reserved his 
appointment for my son." Is it possible 
to suppose a more disinterested appdicatiou 
of his patronage? thus bestowing it upoa 
the son of an old officer of the Company, 
v.lio had no otli^er interest with him than his for- 
ajier services and struggles to maintain a large 
i'amily against a train of unusual adversities, in 
jn-efercnce to the many ap[)licalions he mu^^t 
have had to give it to otliers, whose friends might 
have it in their power to oblige him in return. 
Long may the Court of .Directors of the Honour- 
able East-India Company be thus nobly and 
disinterestedly filled, and may they ind.ividual}y, 
as well as collectively, enjoy the heart-comforting 
pleasure of doing good as long as they Uve ! 



281 



CHAPTER XLIV. 



Reasons for not engaging again in farming; phm 
for an agricultural academi/. 



»^',^<^>.^> 



My heart was still whole ; and, having suc- 
ceeded beyond expectation in procuring appoint- 
ments for my two oldest boys, as before related, 
my spirits grew light; but, as age advanced, in 
addition to broken bones badly spliced, I found 
my activity slacken and a greater necessity of 
securing some home-stall, however humble. 

Having pursued agriculture, both in study and 
practice^ long enough for it to become a fa- 
vourite employment, I should certainly have pre- 
ferred a continuance in the same pursuit to any 
other, if 1 could have met with a farm which 
might have afforded some tolerable prospect of 
benefit; but the extravagant high price of pro- 
vision having raised the rents of farms beyond 
any thing I could fairly calculate on for a con- 
tinuance, I own I was fearful of engaging or 
taking a farm on such high advances of rent as 
were every where required. Hov^Tver, before I 
finally determined to give agricultural employ up 
entirely, I resolved to make appUcation to some 
Bb 3 



282 

few gentlemen, to see if I was likely to obtain 
eucoura2:ement for insritutino: an a 2:ri cultural 
academy. I had long considered that such an 
institution would be desirable to many gentlemen 
of property, who might wish to obtain for their 
sons a suitable knowledge of farming their 
own estates, or at least qualify them to be their 
own stewards, and thus fix their sons where they 
might receive the necessarj^ instructipn, without 
risk of contamination from men of coarse habits; 
the general run of real farmers bein"- too illiterate 
and harsh in their manners to think of placing a 
young man of education with, and few gentle- 
men-farmers would like the trouble and care that 
is necessary to do them justice. I conceived,, 
therefore, that, if a gentleman of character, of 
general knowledge of men and manners, with a 
studied practical experience of farming, would so 
far devote himself as to make it a business, it would 
not only he advantageous to his pupils, in their 
acquireir.ents of such knowledge, but be the 
happy means of forming habits of industry at a 
dangerous time of life, (from sixteen to twenty- 
one,) when, from a want of such employ, as might 
be made highly entertaining as well as instructive^ 
young men are too apt to contract idle habits and 
plunge into excesses. 

I thought myself competent to conduct an 
undertaking of this kind, but two difficulties 
occurred; to be fully assured of a sufficient 



283 

number of pupils first, before I risked the hiring 
of a farm, at so high a rent as v.oulcl not support 
itself without such pupils; and to meet with a 
suitable farm, house, Sec. at so reasonable a rent, 
that, either with or without pupils, I might be, 
able to make it answer as a farm. These inten- 
tions I made known to several intelligent gentle- 
men, who much approved the design. Among 
them was Mr Matthews, secretary to the Bath 
Agricultural Society, who said, he had long, 
thought such an* institution desirable, and likely 
to benefit the public as woll as the individuals 
thus educated. Mr S. More, secretary to the 
the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, &c. 
was likev^•ise of the same opinion; but they all 
apprehended I sliouW find it very difficult to meet 
with a suitable farm without an extravagant rent, 
and equally, if not more so, to obtain pupils be- 
fore I had a farm. I wrote also to the Board of 
Agriculture, from whom I received a polite ac- 
knowledgement of my communications respecting 
an agricultural acadcmj/, and my observations on 
the husbandry of North America. 

I soon ibund, that, without very persevering- 
close applications, and of a nature that I could 
not bend to, I had no chance of advancing : not 
but I am persuaded there are noblemen, gentle- 
men, and laciies, who, from a beneficent desire 
to encourage an undertaking so likely to be use- 
ful, would forego some advantage in point of rent, 



284 

and clieerfully patronise it by granting a suitable 
farm on moderate terms. I was not fortunate 
enough to meet with one, therefore rehnqiiished 
the pursuit; but, supposing I had met with a 
suitable situation, and procured my pupils, I pro- 
posed to farm one-half the farm in the best re- 
gular course of crops, suited to soil and circum- 
stances ; and under such management as to til- 
lage, by various instruments in husbandry, use 
of oxen and horses, as, from the best knowledge 
to be iicquired of farming, might appear most 
profitable. One-quarter of tbe farm to have 
been applied to such experimental crops, new- 
invented machinery, and well-recommended re- 
cent improvements, practised by others, as might 
be thought adviseable from time to time; the 
other quarter would have been devoted to any 
nevv improvements, contrivances, and experiments, 
of our oN^^n. 

. It is not probable that I shall ever undertake 
the supermtendance of an agricultural academy; 
yet, as it may assist others to carry such a plan 
into execution, who may be more fortunate in 
overcoming the first difficulties, the following, 
hints for organizing such an academy may pos- 
sibly be of some utility. 

In the formation of my agricultural in&titutibn,, 
I would consider my pupils as a young com- 
munity, just entering into busy life, where they 



285 

"Vi'erc to learn ho v to provide and take care for 
liicmselves; at the same time experieacing, by 
their own coip.munity, th.e great advantages 
arising froiii the association of immbers, bound 
by Jaws of their own assent. I would set forth 
the neeessii}' there is for every ma-n (let his cir- 
cumstances be what they may) to learn some em- 
ploy that is useful in itself, healthful to mi. id 
and body, and conducive to the acquirement of 
property, where it is wanted, or preserving and 
improving that which has already been acquired. 
That, among the various employments in life, 
none are more useful, necessary, healthy, or 
certain, than farming; yet, notwithstanding its 
appearance of simplicity and ease, to an indif- 
ferent observer, it requires considerable at- 
tention, observation, study, and practice, in 
order to acquire the knowledge of directing and 
managing a farm to the best advantage. That, 
for want of this knowledge, one man shall toil 
and labour all his life without advancing a step, 
while another, by being well-informed at first, 
shall with ease and pleasure to himself improve 
his farm and circumstances. 

In addition to sucli preparatory introduction, 
I would take my pupils to fields of various soils 
and different states of improvement, for regular 
courses of crops, informing them how much 
greater analogy there is between the vegetable 
and animal systems than is in general thought 



286' 

of^ slicwing that various soils, like different kinds 
of animalsy require distinct and various kinds oi' 
food (manure) to put them into the greaiest 
strength of vegetation, some wanting more rest 
and others more cleaning; that the best land, as 
well as the best animal, may be tired and Vvorii 
out with continued hard labour. 

With these and other observations to prepare 
the mind, we might proceed to fields exhausted 
by a course of crops, and from bad management 
out of condition for farther cropping, until re- 
cruited by the kindly assistance of the plough 
and harrows in makinjj^ a «:ood fallow. In the 
various operations of the plough, harrows, and 
rollers, they should attend, or nithey assist, until 
they knew whether the work was well performed, 
and how to give their own directions in future. 
Particular notice should be taken, if any part or 
the whole of such fields wanted draining, as no 
crop whatever exhausts and impoverishes land so 
much as its lying in a wet sodden state. 

If scouring the outside ditches is not sufficient, 
they should be taught where and how to make 
under-d rains, or land-ditches, in order to cure the 
squaly wet parts. Then, according to the natural 
strength of the soil and the crop which is first 
intended to be sown, they should learn what 
species of manure is best suited to this or that 
soil, and whether it should be applied direct or 
to some after crop. 



287 

The kind of fencing best adapted to the farm, 
and the care of hedge-row tia)ber, would come 
under consideration, while fallowing each enclo- 
sure. From the fallow, I will suppose the follow- 
ing course of crops; viz. turnips, or rape-seed, 
the same summer, (the land being fresh ma- 
nured,) and fed off; sown with barley or oats in 
the sprmg following, and laid down with clover 
or clover and grass seed?. If clover only, to be 
sown with wheat after the fir.a year's clover; 
and, where the land is sti'ong and in good heart, 
the next year might be ^Dlanted with beans or 
some other meliorating crop, to be kept clean by 
frequent hoeings, which would then afford 
another fair crop of wheat. But if, when with 
barley, the field is laid down with clover and 
grass seeds for a longer continuance as a lay, it 
should be again manured for the second year's 
clover, 8;c. and, when ploughed up, to be 
planted with pease, beans, &.c. and then sown 
with wheat. 

In this routine of crops, (or any other that 
may better suit the soil and circumstances,) a 
great variety of useful instruction would natu- 
rally arise, affording abundant matter for lectures 
on eveiT part of tiilage-agriculture, such as fair 
experiments of the use of oxen and horses, as to 
prolit; the broad-cast, drilling, and dibbling, 
systems; horse-hoeing and hand-hoeing; hay- 
making in fine weather, and preserving it in bad ; 



28S 

harvesting the dilferent kinds of seed and grain, 
with the greatest security; management in the 
barn and granary^ and thence sending the corn 
to market; breeding of sheep and cattle, suck- 
hng of calves, fattening different kinds of stock, 
in the speediest and cheapest way, with the best 
management for raising the greatest quantity of 
rich manure ; irrigation and flooding of meadows, 
or watering them where they cannot be flooded ; 
planting and assisting the growth of trees, and 
raising living fences. With abundant inferior 
matter of management- and information, bene- 
ficial and necessary for the pupils to be made 
well acquainted with, before they undertake to 
farm for themselves. 

Youth is the season for enjoyment as well as 
improvement. I would therefore recommend 
rural sports and exercises without doors, and 
rational amusements within, to occupy and im- 
prove their leisure-time: thus making home the 
most agreeable place to them, and giving a bias 
towards domestic comforts and enjoyments, that 
might probably continue through life. 

General laws and regulations, applicable to the 
institution, should be subscribed to; any breach 
of which, or other misconduct, to be tried among 
themselves, as a court of honour. 

An institution of this nature would be a na- 
tional benefit as to experiments; but, as there 
are difficulties to be overcome, in the huing of 



289 

n farm intended for a permanent school for agrn 
cultural experiments, as well as for the tuition of 
individuals, 1 think that something like the fol- 
lowing plan, for a permanent establishment -of 
the kind, might be accomplished with less diffi- 
culty and greater advantage, if patronized by 
the recommendation of agricultural societies, 
and the friends of such an institution to purchase 
a suitable estate. I will suppose from ten to 
twenty thousand pounds necessary for the pur- 
chase, Sec. A subscription opened and recom- 
mended as above, to be subscribed for in shares 
oF one hundred pounds each, bearing at first an 
interest of only three per cent, on each- share; 
the whole to be secured by the estate, and these 
shares to be transferable by sale or otherwise. 
Trustees to be appointed, with power to grant a 
lease. Sec. to such person who may be chosen, at 
a general meeting of the subscribers, to conduct 
and manage the institution, under such cove- 
nants and regulations as may have been previous- 
ly determined on by a committee. For which 
possession of the farm, the person so chosen, as 
master of the agricultural academy, should pay 
a net penny-rent, equal to the amount of such 
interest. 

Any society, proprietor, or proprietors, that 
shall have subscribed for or possess ten shares, 
^hall have a right to direct any course of experi- 
ments upon ten acres of the farm, by applying 

VOL. II. C C 



290 

to the committee for an order to the tenant. 
The committee to inquire, judge, and determine, 
whether such proposed experiment is likely to he 
attended with any loss to the tenant, and allow 
for such loss out of the interest due to those ten 
shares. 

When, hy such continued improvement of the 
estate as naturally will arise at the end of every 
lease, tlie estate shall he considered to have ri- 
sen in value, sufficient to allow of an increased 
rent, the interest may be gradually raised until it 
pays five per cent, but no more. Any farther 
increase of value to be apphed, as the committee 
may direct, for such purposes as ar^ most likely 
to benefit the institutioru 

This is a theme I could continue to some 
length; but, as it may not be so pleasing to 
others, I will now drop the theory as I have 
been obliged to do the practice. 



•291 



CHAPTER XLV. 



Advice given to my sons on their embarkation for 
the East Indies. 



Seeing little or no prospect of engaging my- 
self in any profitable employ, without considera- 
ble risk, I deemed it most prudent to be quiet 
and wait patiently for what chance might turn 
up; but care, old care, whom I had been accus- 
tomed, while young, to set at defiance, began 
now to exercise' his power with t3'raiinic sway. 
However, the fortunate and happy provision 1 
had made for two of my sons tended much to 
smooth my brow. 

The following advice and instructions, which 
I gave them on embarking for India, may possi- 
bly be of use to other youths, v/hose destination 
may be the same. I judge so, from having been 
requested by some parents, who had read them, 
to take a copy of such parts as suited their sons, 
when ofoins; to India. 

'^ My dear son, 

" You are now embarking on 
the wide ocean of life, the happiness or miseries 
of which will much depend on your own manasfc- 
C c ^ 



292 

ment, care, inspcclion, and fortitude. I have 
endeavoured to do iiiv diit}' as a parent, hy 
civinu^ voii an education far bcvoiid what iiiv 
shattered circumstances could prudently afford. 
Gf my affectionate care, froni infancy to tire 
present period, I need not remind you, were it 
not to shew, that, in the government of your 
conduct through hfe, you may see the obliga- 
tions you are under to perform acts of reciprocal 
Isindiiess to others. 

*' Your first, most constant, and never-ceasing, 
diUy is to thai Being who created and gave us 
life, certainly for some more especial purpose 
than merely to eat, drink, sleep, or waste our 

time in idle gratifications. Tlie various and dis- 
cs 

cordaat opinions of mankind respecting the 
Almighty, their different modes of faith con- 
cerning his divinity, and conjectures relative to 
the present and ultimate designs of his Provi- 
dence towards mankind, have caused greater 
animosities, provoked more quarrels, and occa- 
sioned a greater efiusion of human blood, 
attended with diabolical cruelties, than an^' other 
cause tliat I know of. To avoid such evil conse- 
quences, in this world; is of itself a matler of 
sufficient concern for a wise man seriously to 
consider the subject j coolly and carefully exa- 
mining, reasoning, and determining, for himself, 
upon the nature of his own obligations to that 
"Being; what may rationally be tlie designs of his 



293 

Providence, in creating and sending him into 
this world; the consequent duties that belong to 
him through hfe, with the probability of his 
enjoying a much happier state in another world, 
according to a faithful discharge of those duties; 
or, by a wilful neglect of them, and the com- 
mission of actions v,hich his conscience (a 
faithful monitor in the breast of every man) tells 
him are v\'rong, to subject himself to a deserved 
punishment of a more miserable existence, where 
possibly he may iiave to work his redemption by 
a better conduct. 

" I am far, my dear son, from asserting that 
thisy or any one other of the many religious 
opinions concerning the future dispensations of 
providence, is precisely correct; but, if every 
man were to make up his own mind accord- 
ing to the best of his knowledge and infor- 
mation, and then act up to what he thinks is 
right, without disturbing others for holding a 
different opinion, he could scarcely err. 

"It was about your time of hfe that I deter- 
mined to reason, think, and judge, for myself 
in matters of religion, or my duty towards God, 
the world, and myself. My opportunities since, 
for forming a more matured judgement, by ob- 
servations among so many different nations and 
various modes of faith, have all tended to con- 
firm me in an opinion, originating in a compari- 
son of the early prejudices I had imbibed, with 
Cc 3 



294 

the many I saw around me, that the religion of a 
good man can not be had. 

*^ I conceive it next to impossible fur any ra- 
tional being to persuade hiniscU" into a disbelief 
of a God, or superintending Providence; v>bo, 
from the works of his creation all around us, our 
own perceptions, and reasoning faculties, we 
must conclude is uJI-pou'erfuly all-wise, and bene- 
Jicent, Thus far, he has bestowed upon all man- 
kind the power to read and understand him:, 
concerning these plain, strong, simplified, at- 
tributes of the Divinity, there can be no difier- 
ence in opinion; and I have found all nations 
and religions, with which I have been acquaint- 
ed, perfectly to agree in these three grand essen- 
tials. 

^' rinding ourselves here, however, under such 
Almighty protection, what ought we to consider 
as our best course to ensure his favour? Most 
certainly, to fulfil the duties of the different sta- 
tions and allotments through life, in which his 
Providence places us, to the best of our power 
and knowledge. Self- preservation is admitted 
by all as the first law of nature; by which is to 
be understood a decent care of our worldly pur- 
suits, as well as personal defence, by all such 
fair means as do not wilfully, wantonly, or ma- 
liciously, injure others; and, until a man has a 
famil}' of his own to provide for, his near rela^ 
lions should be cousidered by him as a part of 



295 

that self, so far as bis abilities will enable bim t® 
give aid and assistance towards tbcir preservation. 
For instance, sboukl it please God to take me 
from this world before I have clone as well by 
your brothers and sisters as I have by you, it 
v.ill be your duty to s-upply my place with regard 
to them as far as your power admits. 

*• Another grand duty is the faithful discharge 
of whatever employ we are in. Yours being a 
military employ, in which you may possibly rise 
to the highest honours of the profession, you 
should consider it not only possible but probable-: 
let no opportunity, therefore, be omitted to ac- 
fjuire a perfect knowledge of military tactics, 
and do not merely satisfy yourself w'ith learning 
jw little parade-dut}', as too many do, who then 
think themselves complete soldiers. Be assured, 
if you neglect to seek occasions of instruction 
while a young soldier, you will find it awkward, 
difficult, and disagreeable, (not to say disgrace- 
ful,) to acquire such knowledge, afterwards, as 
is requisite in an old officer. In a young soldier, 
there is merit in the acknowledgement of ioQo- 
ranee, with a view to gain information; and his 
superiors will esteem and honour him for such 
laudable attention to his duty, instead of giving 
way to idle habits and dissipated company. Get 
early habits of strict attention to your duty, and 
it will grow as you advance in rank, making 



2^96 

every thing easy and pleasant; but, if this be 
neglected, the reverse will be the case. 

" In the course of a long military life, you 
will have frequent opportunities of proving your- 
self a good citizen of the world, (as well as a 
good soldier,) by doing good and preventing 
evil. Attend well to this, and steadily discharge 
the social duties in life; rely firmly on the Pro- 
vidence of God, that every thing is wisely or- 
dered for the best, although we may not perceive 
it; and recommend yourself to God by good ac- 
tions that may benefit society, in preference to 
disputes of faith; act thus, and the thoughts of 
futurity will not occasion you much anxiety. 

" Thus much have I thought it my duty to 
observe on the score of religion, without wish- 
ing you to pin your faitli on mine or any other 
man's sleeve; but I do most earnestly wish you 
to think and judge for yourself, but with humili- 
ty; and, what your conscience tells you is right, 
act up to. 

" The military service of the Honourable East- 
India Company, you have often heard me say, I 
considered the best in the world for a young 
soldier of fortune; since, being once appointed 
therein, it requires no i^arther interest or pur- 
chase, so necessary in other services; for, he is 
sure to rise regularly to the higher ranks in the 
service, provided his misconduct does not subject 
him to a loss of rank, by the sentence of a court- 



297 

niarliu]. This service has likewise been made 
much bclier^ by late regulations in favonr of the 
Company's officers; but, with these great advan- 
tages on one hand, it should be considered that 
an officer's whole dcpendance is on his good or 
ill conduct: for, as there is no purchasing, so 
likewise there is no selling out. However neces- 
sary and commendable it is, therefore, for men 
lo behave circumspectly, prudently, and atten- 
tively, in every station of society, to the proper 
discharge of their duty, still more so is it the 
case hire, since a false step or two may subject 
them to the dissrrace of loss of rank or entire 
dismissal from the service; and, greatly as I 
love you, my son, to hear of an honourable 
death would not grieve me so much. But all 
danger from this is easily avoided, by early ha- 
bituation in a steady conduct, as before recom- 
mended; an assiduous attention to duty, a manly 
respect to your commanding-officers, a polite 
freedom of carriage and conversation to your 
companions and friends; avoiding boyish tricks 
and familiarities, which frequently breed mis- 
chief; accustoming yourself to be complaisant 
to all, but shunning (as you would the plague) 
low company, rioting, excess of drinking, and 
gaming or playing for any sum of money, the 
loss of which might make you uneasy and tempt 
you, for its recovery, to risk deeper and be 
ruined, as thousands have been. 



298 

'' Suffer not yourself to be tempted by tbe 
bad example of other youths, nor to be laughed 
out of what your own judgement tells you is 
right. Resolution is the foundation of every 
virtue; without it, there is none. Even those,, 
who may try to ridicule or laugh at yon at the 
first, will soon treat you with greater respect than 
they do each other^ when they perceive that 
your conduct is uniformly steady and firm. Su- 
perior officers of credit and character will notice 
such conduct, and be glad of your company 
when they observe that you know how to respect 
yourself; therefore, let resolution be your main 
rule of conduct. 

*^ On your passage to India, be careful with 
whom you form any intimacy. VV^ait until you 
know a little of their character from their gene- 
ral behaviour, and this you may do v/ithout being 
particularly reserved. The officers of the ship,, 
down to the fourth mate, are most of them gen- 
tlemen, with whom you may freely associate if 
you find them agreeable; but, with the inferior 
officers, such as the carpenter, boatswain, Sec. 
you must avoid an acquaintance. Not but these 
men may be as worthy as those abovQ them; but, 
in every naval and military service, there is a., 
certain gradation, which must be attended to by 
every officer. The cadet or ensign is fit com- 
pany for the general, but must not associate with 
the sergeant, however respectable he may be in 



299 

tiis line. The midshipman is also fit company 
for the captain or admiral, but he must avoid in- 
timacy with the warrant-officers; for, in propor- 
tion as a young man respects himself, by avoiding 
inferior company, he will be noticed by tiiose of 
higher rank. This is not meant to encourage 
airs of pride and assumed consequence; far from 
it, for, nothing appears more contemptible? a 
pleasant condescending civility is much better 
and due to all men. In so long a passage, where 
people are confined together, most of the cha- 
racters on board are discovered, decided on, and 
reported accordingly when they arrive in India: 
this makes it still more necessary for every young 
man to be very circumspect in his conduct during 
the passage. 

" You can not be too attentive to frequent 
washing and keeping yourself clean, particularly 
so in combing. Be careful of your clothes and 
vvhates'er other little property you may have; 
husbanding it well, by spending no more than 
is necessary, for all fortunes are made by saving 
a little at first. Avoid making a shew of what 
little you do possess, and remember that he, 
who is not mindful of his own properly, is not 
at to be entrusted with that of others. 

" Keep a regular account of every thing, and 
accustom yourself to keep a journal, not only of 
transactions but likewise particular thoughts and 
sentiments, the perusal of which hereafter will 



300 



be a soufce of pleasing instructive amusement. 
Bnt, above every other custom that I can re- 
commend to your notice, at the close of every 
da}', when retiring to rest, inquire within your- 
self if the last four-and-twenty hours have passed 
to the satisfaction of that never-failing monitor, 
your own conscience. If they have, bless God 
for*it and encourage yourself to a continuance of 
doing well; but, if otherwise, whatever may 
have been the transgression, against yourself or 
others, humbly pray to Almighty God to 
strengthen your resolution to amend and not do 
the like again: acknowledgement of our errors, 
as soon as we become sensible of them, is one 
of the truest marks of ixenuine courage. 

" Aiy dear son, there is one resolution I wish 
you to form and keep firmly until you arrive at 
one-and-twenty years of age; this is, to refrain 
from drinking more than three glasses of wine, 
cr other liquors, after dinner, in general. Avow 
your resolution openly, and suOer not yourself to 
be tempted from it by the common drinking- 
parties of 3'oung men, who, thinking to shew 
the strength of iheir heads, are sure to betray 
the weakness of their understandings. Particu- 
lar occasions may sometimes arise, in company 
with your superiors, when you may find it poli- 
tically necessary to deviate a little rather than 
give otfence, but endeavour to excuse yourself 
as much as you can and retire as soon as possi- 



SOI 

bk; for, whatever may be said at the moment, 
they will be sure to respect a young ofhcer for 
such prudent conduct; and, if you should be on 
duty at the time, you can not be too determined 
and resolute in refusing, let who will try to tempt 
or enforce your drinking more than a very few 
glasses. What I have said, respecting tem- 
perance after dinner, applies nearly the same 
to the evening; and, if on dutxjy strictly so. 
However, on such particular occasions as I al- 
luded to before, there is less inconvenience ia 
drinking more freely in an evening than in the 
day. Attend to this injunction and advice for 
a few years, and your own discretion and judge- 
ment will direct ypu afterwards. 

" I come now to a subject I should have beea 
glad to find an excuse for not mentioning 
or alluding to at all ; but so strongly do I feel 
the necessity of it, by your removal to a distance 
by which any farther superintendance of your 
conduct, and consequent affectionate advice of 
a parent, is rendered impossible, that, unplea- 
sant as it is, without it I feel assured my duty 
would not be discharfred. You are arrivins: 
at a time of life when the youthful passions 
will become strong, and the warm climate 
you are going to may increase a desire for 
gratificatjon. To expect or request an entire 
mortification, would be absurd; but, to bring 
them under a degree of subordination, so as 

VOL. II, D d 



SG2 

to prevent evil and ruinous cflects to your 
person or property, is prudent, manly, and ne- 
cessary. The expenses attending the married 
state, in India, are so very extravagant, and in 
a military iine so inconvenient, that, to a i/oung 
officer, it is death to all prospects of ever at- 
taining a competency to return home with, 
should he imprudently engage in a matrimonial 
connection before he has acquired wherewithal 
to maintain a family or obtained some appoint- 
ment, exclusive of the income arising from his 
station in the army. Therefore, however much 
you may have heard me advocate the cause of a 
connubial life, either in Europe or when with me 
in America, I must dissuade you from it in 
India, until you have acquired a fortune (or si- 
tuation) sufficient to support it. 

" To avoid this, many gentlemen in India run 
(without perceiving it at first) into a much great- 
er inconvenience. T'oe mere keeping of a native 
girl, at the lirst, is considered trifling, compared 
with the expenses of marriage, besides their 
being at liberty to release themselves at option. 
In both these expectances, they are most com- 
monly deceived. Children ensue, tlie attach- 
ment grows too strong for separation, and the 
Asiatic women use such luxurious artifices to 
fascinate their keeper, every moment of their 
time being studiously employed for that purpose, 
that, instead of lessening, their expenses are 



SOS 

freqnenlly greater than if they had married a 
prudent woman; and allhough the natural claim 
of the children, arising from such connection, 
is as strong and just for the protection and affec- 
tion of the father, yet it is not possible for him 
to receive the full delicate satisfaction that he 
^vould have done, had (heir features been freer 
from the Asiatic tinge of their mother. 

" The vi^arm early-invigorating climate of the 
East seems to have made it necessary for the 
legislators of that country to provide, in the best 
and easiest manner, towards relieving the strong 
propensities of Nature when they become ungo- 
vernable, (as likewise to prevent the evil conse- 
quences that might arise in private famiUes,) by 
encouraging a distinct class of females, called 
dancwg-giiJs, born to that state^ or bought v/hile 
infants, and brought up (strange as it may sound 
to European ears) to attend the various devout 
ceremonies of their religion, and yet submit to 
the desires of any who may pay them for their 
attendance, when sent for. They have, howe- 
ver, this singularly-great advantage, in compari- 
son with prostitutes of other countries, that their 
principles have not been vitiated or degenerated 
from chaster education and practices; but, on 
the contrary, they have been taught to consider 
it a duty. It is right to observe, however, that 
prostitutes at the Presidency are nearly as bad as 
in Europe. 

Dd 2 



" This information I have thought it need- 
ful to give yon, on a subject I wonJd glad- 
ly have avoided;, but, by being thus foie- 
\vained of the respective inconveniences in that 
country, you may be better enabled to form 
your own judgement and prudence when com- 
pelled to make a choice, remembernig that what 
might be inexcusable in one situation may be 
ailouable in another. 

^' And now, my dear son, as it may be tlie 
last material good I may have an opportunity of 
doing for you, I beg of yon often to read the 
foregoing lines for your own sake and for mine, 
who have ever loved you most tenderly. Above 
all things, fear God, as the Supreme Author of 
all good; love him in your soul and be reli- 
gious, (I have already explained my meaning as 
to religion,) but detest every tincture of hypo- 
crisy. Preserve a regard for all mankind, of 
Avhatsoever nation, profession, or faith, while 
they are honest, and be ever so thyself; be as- 
sured it is the best policy in the end. Pay the 
strictest regard to truth, for no character is 
more justly despicable than that of a liar; I ever 
suspect such as capable of every other vice. 
Guard against idleness; it is ihe root of every 
misery, to which bad company gives the finish-, 
ing stroke. Love economy without avarice, and 
be ever to thyself thy best friend. Fly from the 
excesses of debauchery, they will rot thy body 



S05 

and prove a cancer in tliy mind : to keep both 
sound, be never behind hand with thy corres- 
pondents, with thy creditor, with thy daily oc- 
cupations, or with thy conscience; and thy soul 
shai] enjoy peace. By using air, exercise, diet, 
and recreation, thy body shall possess health and 
vigour. 

" My dear son, should fortune frown, (which, 
depend upon it, she sometimes will,) then look 
round on thousands more wretched than thyself, 
and who perhaps less deserved to be so, and be 
content: content is better than gold. 

" Wish not for death, it is a sin; but scorn to 
fear it, and be prepared to meet it every hour, 
since come it must, while the good man smiles at 
its sting and defies its point. Beware of passion 
and cruelty, but rejoice in being good-natured, 
not only to man but to the meanest insect; that 
is, the whole animated creation without excep- 
tion: forbear injuring them but for thy food or 
in thine own defence. To be cruel is the portion 
of the coward, -while bravery and humanity go 
hand in hand and please the Creator. Obey, 
\vith temper and even pleasure, those set over 
thee; since, without knowing how to be obe- 
dient, none ever know how to command. 

" And now, my dear boy, if it should please 

God to take me away from my present wife, love 

her and her little children from thy heart, if ever 

thou hadst a real love for thy father, who re- 

D d 3 " 



306 

quests it of tliee. She proved a most tender 
help ill thy infant state; and, while thou art a 
brother to her helpless little ones, prove thyself 
also a guardian and parent, by such kindness as 
may be in thy power as thou advancest in life. 
Let thy good sense ever promote peace and har- 
mony in my dear family, so that the blessings of 
Almighty God may overshadow^ you and them. 

" My dear son, should Providence so direct 
that we meet no more in this world, may we all 
(together with thy deceased mother and many 
other valuable friends) meet happily in a future 
state; where, with a fuller and more extensive 
knowledge of our Heavenly Benefactor, our joy 
and happiness shall be more complete. That 
God will bless and protect my dear son, prays 

'* His most affectionate father, 

'^ John Harriott.*' 



307 



CHAPTER XLVr. 



Loi/aJty-loan; proposals to the lord-maT/oVy hankers, 
and moneyed men y at the time of the bank stopping 
the farther issue of cash ; anstcers. 



Great and comfortable as these provisions 
were for my two boys, serious attention was ne- 
cessarily required to my other domestic con- 
cerns. Yet this did not prevent my endeavours 
to be useful to my country, to the best of mv 
power and abilities, in the hour of trial and 
danger. I considered it the duty of all, who 
possibly coiild, to assist in filling the Loj'alt}^- 
loan, in order to give vigour to Lord Mahnes- 
bury's embassy; tliis was my true and only mo- 
tive, which I trust the following circumstance 
will sufficiently evince. 

I had paid the first instalment of 500/. and> 
being in London when the great alarm took 
place, from the Bank of England demurring to 
issue cash, I heard that the bankers, merchants, 
and moneyed men, of the city, were met at the 
Mantion-house to consult what was best to be 
done: never did I see so many gloomy counte- 
nances, m the City of London, as on that day. 



SOS 

1 seldom take long to consider in cases of emer- 
gency, and therefore wrote the following letter 
from my inn, addressed to the Right Hon. Brook 
Watson, then lord-mayor, the bankers, 8cc. at 
the Mansion-house. 

" My lord and gentlemen, 

" It is the duty of every man to 
step forward in such critical times and tender his 
best services; either personally, with his proper- 
ty, or with his advice, if he has any to offer. 
As a citizen of London, as an invalid half-pay 
officer, who has seen real service both at sea and 
on shore, with such knowledge as experience 
may have given him how to act or advise, and a 
property (though small in itself) sufficient to 
prove my fidelity, I thus make an offer; first, of 
assistance from property, to help to maintain the 
credit of the nation, and let those who have 
greater property do so in proportion; secondly, 
of advice, for the better defence of such parts of 
our coast as are most likely to be invaded; and 
thirdly, of my personal service, if required. 

" In point of assistance from property, I pro- 
pose it thus: I subscribed 500/. to the Loyalty- 
loan, as a half-pay lieutenant's mite towards 
strengthening the national credit while Lord 
Mahnesbury's negotiation w^as afloat. The exi- 
gencies of the times require a sacrifice of private 
to public interest; rather than increase the num* 



S09 

her of sellers of English stock, of which I am 
likewise a holder, I have directed American stock 
to be sold, to enable me to pay the zchole of my 
loan at once, in hopes that my feeble example 
may stimulate others, who have greater power, to 
do the like; conceiving, that, if other subscri- 
bers would come forward at this moment of 
depression and do their utmost, it would strength- 
en the hands of government, the public credit of 
the nation, and do honour to the Ciiy of London 
in particular. 

'•'• My advice follows. As an active magistrate 
in the Comity of Essex, with a knowledge of its 
coasts, rivers, islands, &c. coupled with some 
military knov* ledge, I am persuaded that tlic 
following plan would be attended with incalcula- 
ble benefit. Let the inhabitants of every parish 
on the coast, capable of bearing fire-arms, or 
even a pitch-fork, be enrolled at the parish- 
church; and, chusing their own ofticers from 
among themselves, according to their numbers, 
oblige them to assemble one day in every week, 
at the tolling of the church-bell, with a flag 
hoisted on the steeple, under pain of military 
law, for non-attendance or disobedience to their 
officers when assembled. The fire-arms in the 
parish (with necessary ammunition) to be put 
into such hands as are best suited for them; and 
those, who have not fire-arms, to be provided 
with long pikes; a weapon, which, with a little 



discipline and resolution, may be made to do^ 
more execution, in the hands of a strong plain 
imdisciplined man, than a musket and bayonets 
Such of the inhabitants, as are not so capable of 
bearing arms or pikes> to have the charge of 
driving the cattle up the country. Proper look- 
out places to be fixed on, with watchmen to give 
the earliest intelligence of the appearance of an- 
enemy on the coast. Masts to be erected from 
station to station, with appropriate signals to> 
convey various intelligence, so as to give the 
necessary information for the more distant pa- 
rishes to assemble, 8vC. and march where ordered 
by their ofiicers. The whole to be under the 
direction and orders of some appointed military 
commander, who ought to possess local know- 
ledge of the division: this commanding-officer 
to be assisted by all the neighbouring magis- 
trates; with a variety of other arrangements,, 
which time will not permit me to detail at pre- 
sent. 

*' Of the great benefit arising from such mea- 
sures, if properly adopted and managed, I feel 
confident; and that it might be done at little 
expense. The parishes to find the pikes and pay 
the men, Vvhen training; the country at large to 
pay them, when called on service. The landing 
a few thousand men would make no impression 
on a country where all were trained ready to op- 



311 

tTOse tliem ; or, slionld the enemy make so serious 
an attempt as to be too powerful for these irre- 
gulars, still they would be kept in check, until a 
regular military force could march to their as- 
sistance. 

" Such is my advice, which, if approved, may 
be recommended to the directing powers, with 
w^hom I pretend not to have sufficient weight to get 
it immediately introduced ; and, lastly, to carry 
any part of it into execution, ray sword and time, 
if wanted, shall be at my country's service." 

To this letter, which I dated from the inn I 
put up at, I received the following answer. 



Sir, 



'^ I should be extremely remiss 
were I to delay my acknowtedgements for your 
sensible letter of yesterday; it expresses sen- 
timents and suggests ideas worthy of the "-en- 
tleman, the soldier, and the magistrate. You, 
sir, know it is not with the lord-mayor, alder- 
men, 8cc. to arrange modes of defence for the 
nation; nor ought they to suppress any ideas 
suggested to them, which may have a tendency 
to public security. Hence, I think it my duty 
to send your letter to His Koyal Highness the 



S12 

Duke of York, whose considerate mind will avail 
itself of your opinions." 
^^ I am, sir, 

^* Your most humble servant, 

'^ Brook Watson." 

Mansicm -House, 
-gatl) of Febiiiarv, 1797. 

On the following Friday, (March 3,) being at 
the Bank to pay in the whole amount of my 
subscription, as promised, the lord-mayor came, 
while I was settling with Mr Newland, to an- 
nounce the victory gained over the Spanish fleet 
by Admiral Jervis; I embraced the opportunity, 
therefore, of introducing myself, to prove I was 
performing my proinise of setting such example 
as I had recommended. His lordship, taking 
some letters from his pocket, presented me with 
one he had just received, and desired me to 
keep it. It was as follows : 

Hirsc-Cuards, U March, 1797. 

" My lord, 

" 1 have bad the honour to lay 
your letter of the 28th lilt. with its enclosure 
(which is now returned) before the Duke of 
York, and am commanded to express His Royal. 
Highness's thanks to your lordship for the 
communication of Mr Harriott's very spirited 
and patriotic letter. His Royal Highness has 



313 

directed a copy to be taken of it, as it may be 
useful to refer to the advice it contains." 
*' I am, my dear lord, 

" Your faithful and 

obedient humble servant, 

"Rob. Brownrigg.** 

Rt. Hon. Brook Watson, 
Lord-BIayor, 



CHAPTER XLVII. 

Thoughts and suggestw7is on the volunteer-system, 
comprehending the sea and river f enables } plan 
for making volunteers inore eJfectuaL 



From some inquiries made long since, I fear 
that I stood a singk example of paying in the 
whole of my loyalty loan, on the principle I re- 
commended. My suggestions, respecting the 
erection of masts, &c. along the coasts, with ap- 
propriate signals to convey quick intelligence, 
have been literally carried into execution; and 
the numerous corps of town and parish volun- 
teers, that have since been formed and ofiicered 

VOL, II. E e 



314 

by their own nomination, make it not very im- 
probable that my letter might giv.e the first 
idea. 

My thoughts were spontaneaus, rising oa 
the occasion as described.; and the dates will 
shew it was long before the system of vokinteer- 
defence was generally adopted. It is the idea of 
the thing, and not its perfection, I lay any <:]aim 
to: mine were the crude hasty thoughts of the 
»noment, which 1 have digested since, at my 
leisure, and endeavoured to impress on the m nds 
of my superiors. For the sake of connection, I 
will introduce here, though in point of time not 
so correct, what I humbjy coaceive to be a much 
more effective way of training and employing 
volunteers, or, as I would term them, irre- 
gulars. 

I am aware, that it may be deemed pre- 
sumptuous in a humble individual to proffer ad- 
vice to the governing powers of his country; yet, 
in these times, it would be still more unpardon- 
able in any one, who, having had experience 
enough to enable him to think on the various 
means of defence against a threatening enemy, 
did not make known errors, wliere he conceived 
there v. ere any, and suggest measures he might 
think likely to be more effectual. Should these 
suggestions attract notice and the smallest be- 
nefit arise, it wdii repay the writer a thousand- 



fold all his labour, being bappy in thus contri- 
buting his mite. 

The very great and numerous bodies of the 
Yolunleer-corps, the sea and river feneibles, &Cr 
certainly reflect the highest credit on themselves, 
as well as on the country at large ; as I was 
among the foremost to attempt arousing the 
national spirit, as well as to lend my feeble local 
aid towards forming some of them, and yet 
continue to command a little tough knot,* that 
in point of discipline and obedience yield to none, 
(and without being any additional expense to 
government,) I hope to be still considered as 
most friendly to the principle, although I think 
there is abundant room for improving the system. 
The following w^ere my sentiments at the time 
I delivered them, and still continue ; they 
were printed at the time and distributed in the 
neighbourhood. 

* The officers and inen^ aruoimting to upwards of eighty, at- 
tached to the Thames-police, 



Ee 2 



316 



** At a General Meeting of the Li- 
habitants of the Parisli of Saint 
John, of Wapping, holden in the 
Vestry-Room on Monday, the 
25th Day of July, 1803, to consider 
of forming an armed Association 
in the Parish, John II a r r i o tt, 
Esquire, one of the ^lagistrates 
at the Thames -Police Ofhce, 
addressed tlie Meeting in the 
following Words : 

'^ Permit an old officer, who has seen some 
service both by sea and land, thus to address 
you: — Should there be no invasion, it is of little 
consequence how or in what manner the inha- 
bitants of every parish are trained to resist an 
enemy. But, as it is- admitted, by tlie first au- 
thorities, that a most darinp:, powerful, and in- 
veterate foe is strongly determined to make an 
attempt to ifivcifk, subihie, and emlavCf this coun- 
try, 1 conceive, that, in order to be able to nudve 
the best defence,the wisest way would be first 
to suppose the enemy really landed, and ourselves 
called upon to oppose and resist an immediate 
attack. At such an aweful time, how earnestly 
would every one (men of spirit in particular) la- 
ment that the most effectual means were not pre- i 
pared, without any regard to pa7Yi(/e and shozcl 



317 

If ibis be admitted, and tbe most capable inba- 
bitants were formed and trained on tbis principle, 
England, brave happy England, the whole united 
Kingdom, iniglit bid defiance to every threatening 
foe, however numerous, rash, and inveterate. 

" It requires but a small comparative learning 
to become a useful soldier, to what is wanted for 
a showy manoeuvering parade, and the expense is 
proportionate. It is the bo/'d energy with which it 
is conceived anci determined to be carried hito 
effect. 

CONQUER OR DIE 

should be the sacred pledge given to each other, 
sooner than submit to the horrid slavery of French 
principles or foreign power. To die is easy, but 
to conquer we must be well prepared. 

" Your King, your Houses of Parliament, ia 
fact, your ow^n glorious and envied constitution, 
invite and say to you, * make a choice, volunteer 
your services effectually and satisfactorily, or 
abide the consequence of constitutional compul* 
sion.' Who can hesitate? My age would exo- 
nerate me; but my wounds, formerly obtained in 
the service of my country, would bleed afresh 
were I to remain inactive and not freely volun- 
teer the best services I am capable of^ 

*' If I conceived there were any whose apathy 
wanted rousing, I would say, * Sons of Britons, 
the day of glory is arrived to prove your title to 
Ee 3 



318 

Freedom, as descended from your ancestoi*s* 
The bloody standard of despotic tyranny is raised 
to enslave you. Do ye not already hear the hoarse 
threatening murmurs of the soldiers, to ravish, 
murder, and destroy, your wives, your daugh- 
ters, and 3^our infant children? Forging ignoble 
fetters to enslave those who are dastardly enough 
to survive the loss of freedom. Britons! will ye 
bend your necks to the insulting cruel Corsicaii 
tyrant? to the Gallic yoke he is preparing for you? 
Already has he dared to boast he will make him- 
self master of your destinies. Tis false, never 1 
never! so long as Britons are true to themselves. 
To arms! therefore, to arms! and hurl Britain's 
proud defiance on her foes. Consecrate your 
voluntary service, in defence of your King ai>d 
Country, by a religious vow, by laying your 
band upon the altar, and there firmly dedicating 
and pledging yourselves to conquer or die in de- 
fence of your religion, your king, and constitution, 
I promise to be among the foremost to make the 
vow, and sign and seal it with my blood, to 
maintain the post at which I may be stationed." 

Of the sea-fencibles, on whose aid, in case of 
an attempt to invade, so much has been reckoned 
in general, I hesitate not to declare, that, as they 
now are, there is more of evil than good pro- 
duced 1)3' the svstem. Of landsmen, in general, 
it cannot be supposed that they understand much 



S19 

of sea-affairs; it is therefore not difiicult to a€- 
count for their error in thinking, that to embody 
all the fishermen, watermen, smugglers. See. 
that are along tlie various coasts of this island, 
must be highly advantageous in resisting the ap- 
proaches of an enemy; I feel assured, however, 
that I can convince them, as well as seamen, 
that it is not so, and for this plain reason, (though 
it may at first seem rather paradoxical,) that the 
sea-fencibles are composed mostly of tine stout 
young men, inured to every hardship on the 
water by smuggUng, fishing, &c. who enrol 
themselves in those fencible-corps, chiefly for the 
sake of the protection. The navy, therefore, is 
thus deprived of their full and efficient help; 
and not only so, but every such man would be of 
ten times the value, on board a proper vessel 
for encountering the enemy, than he can be in 
any of the cockle-shell boats, &:c. that they are 
to act in as fenciblcs. But the fact is, that, im- 
potent as their strength would be if so applied, 
two-thirds of the younger fencibles would not 
be in the way at the time their service is re- 
quired; for the truth of which I dare appeal to 
the officers commanding sea-fencibles, that, on 
any sudden alarm, and consequent orders for as- 
sembling, the chance is, that not more than one- 
third of the whole (including the aged) would be 
found. The stout hearty men are almost con- 
stantly out, employed in smuggling, &.c.; but 



320 

we will admit tliat tliey could be and were all at 
home at the time wanted, ready and willing to 
do their utmost to annoy the enemy, in the 
boats and craft intended and fitted, (of which, 
nearly nine-tenths are mere fishing-boats belong- 
ing to the place, and not in the least suited for 
the purpose,) and prepared to receive one car- 
ronade, the only arms they are provided with^ 
I would call on any impartial naval officer, who 
has seen service, to say whether any man can 
point a gun, with any degree of truth, in such 
tubs of boats, that are bobbing up and down in 
all directions, when in the smallest popple of a 
sea or motion from a swell. Near to the enemy 
they dare not go, as a small discharge of mus- 
quetry only would perforate through and through 
such boats, to the ready destruction of the men 
and the boats too, and at a distance they could 
accomplish but an occasional slight injury, that 
would not retard the enemy a moment. To place 
this in a clearer point of view, let us reverse the 
case, and suppose an English army of from forty 
to one hundred thousand men, properly equipped 
and embarked, for the invasion of France f 
should we not ridicule and laugh to scorn their 
pretending to oppose us in fishing-boats? The 
only utility 1 can conceive such slender craft to- 
be of, at such a time, would be in attending our 
vessels of real force, to take possession of the 
enemy that surrendered to them. For that ];)ur- 



321 

pose, the old fisherman and disabled seamen, who 
are past performing a more permanent and active 
service, together with such of their apprentices 
as are yet too young to render greater aid, would 
do as well as able men, and produce all the benefit 
reasonably to be expected from such craft. I 
am aware, that it may be said, tliere are some 
stout cutters, Sec. equipped with one large car- 
ronade, for the same purpose. !My answer is, 
there are but few in comparison, and they are 
seldom at home, being mostly engaged in 
smuggling, and manned wholly by the stout 
resolute fellows, who, I observed, are thus pro- 
tected to the injury of the revenue of the country, 
when they might be much more usefully em- 
ployed in the royal navy. 

Old and disabled seamen and fishermen, witk 
their boys, as sea-fencibles, would be making 
something out of nothing, in a military point of 
view, while the present system of enrolling many 
of the stoutest young men along the coast, for 
the :5lender chance of being a little useful, is re- 
ducing a strong capable force to almost nothing. 

The river-fcnciblcs, comprehending all the 
various corps of fencibles upon and attached to 
tlie Iviver Thames, it would be gross error t» 
consider as affording any real military aid again&t 
an enemy advancing so near the metropolis, as 
where their services would be expected. This 
must not be understood as meaning in the least 



S22 

to derogate from the true spirit and cotirage 
\tith which the officers of these corps, as well as 
other volunteers, would be ready and willing, to- 
gether with the men under their command, to 
meet and light the enemy wherever they could; 
but I venture to say this will not be on the River 
Thames. If the strength of the river-fencibles 
is calculated upon in that view, 1 conceive it to 
be an error. Still, the river-fencibles may be 
reckoned a very useful and necessary body of 
- men, for the purpose of aiding our real military 
force, in transporting and conveying them, with 
their stores, &c. from one place to another. 
Their merit in this might be as great as in really 
opposing the enemy in battle; but then, as I ob- 
served of the sea-fencibles, they do not require, for 
4}ils kind of service, such able active men (seamen, 
watermen, and others) as are now protected 
under the denomination of River, Deptlbrd, and 
Greenwich, fencibles. Some hundreds of tliese 
would be better employed in serving their King 
and Country, than in the way they now live. 

I have already expressed the high opinion I 
ent(^rtain of the zeal and spirit of the great body 
of volunteers on the land ; and I trust and hope, 
that neither they nor the sea or river fencibles 
will conceive that any thing I advance is in- 
tended, in the slightest degree, to lessen the 
high esteem and great character they so well 
deserve from their country. Yet it may possibly 



S23 

startle some to bear me assert, that, with one- 
fourth part of their numbers, organized, armed, 
trained, and disciphncd, as 1 am about to sug- 
gest, (leaving the remaining part of the volun- 
teers as they now are,) 4 feel satisfied that an 
invading enemy might be more effectually op- 
posed than by the remaining three-fuurths. By 
mentioning one-fourth, it is not to be understood 
as a limitation to any number, more or less, as 
1-equisite for the service I am going to suggest. 
The numbers to be trained, in the manner I 
wish, would be for the superior judgement of 
government, if the plan should be thought worthy 
of adoption. 

Flan for making volunteers more effectual. 

If a part of the volunteer-corps (particularly' 
those upon the sea-coasts and parts adjacent) 
were trained to the use of swivel wall-piece guns, 
mounted with stock and locks, the barrels six or 
eight feet long, the bore one inch diameter, and 
four men appointed to each gun, they would be 
able to annoy an enemy at a much greater 
distance, advancing or retreating with more faci- 
lity and safety, than by any other mode. The length 
of the guns, turning on a swivel, would enable a 
common marksman to aim with the correctness 
of a rifle-man. Every hedge-row and bank wo\ild 
serve to fix their wail pieces and conceal them 



324 

until they had fired, when they might take a new 
jwsition, if necessary. The distance, at which 
such a piece would do execution, would add to 
their security, and encourage their irregular at- 
tacks by continually harassing the enemy, with 
but little risk of injury to themselves. 

First, on their approach towards landing, for 
more than a mile would these wall-piece guns 
do considerable execution among them; again, 
while they were landing; and, after they were 
landed, b}^ hanging upon their flanks, &c. day 
and night, the latter in particular. So that, 
from the constant alarm from balls of such size 
penetrating their camps in all directions, from a 
distance their scouting-parties could not reach 
imtil the wall-piece irregulars had taken another 
position, and being thus surrounded by a defence 
they could not see, the whole country would 
appear alive to oppose them. They would thus 
never obtain rest, and become half exhausted, 
as well as impeded in their progress, by the time 
a sufficient regular force could be brought against 
them. To oppose any strong force the enemy 
might land, the regular volunteers alone could 
not prevent their ravaging the country; but, by 
retreating slowly and checking them in front, 
while the wall-piece irregulars harassed them all 
round, every volunteer-corps, thus situated, 
w^ould be immediately and essentially useful. 



325 

Forty men, with ten guns, might be called a 
company, having a captain and iieutenant to 
command them. To six companies, a field-officer 
(say a major) might be appointed, who would 
receive orders from the commanding-officer 
where to endeavour to annoy the enemy most, 
^nd then give hi^ directions accordingly to the 
captains of companies. The duty of the four 
men to each gun would be thus: one, the best 
marksman, to be called captain of the gun, as 
on board a ship, and to direct the others. Two 
of them to carry the piece, which they would be 
able to run briskly along with; and the fourth 
man to carry ammunition. In advancing or 
retreating, every building, eveiy wall, every 
bank, every hedge, every copse of wood, or or- 
chard, would serve to conceal tliem and to annoy 
tlie enemy in cver}^ direction. 

I know of no mode by which a considerable 
part of the vohmteer-corps could (as young sol- 
diers) be so beneficially and usefully emplo^^ed, 
against an invading enemy. Frenchmen, after 
they are landed, whatever may be the force ac- 
companying, should never be allowed to sleep 
miannoyed so long as they remain armed. Pos- 
sessing little or no cavalry, an invading enemy 
can not scour the country far enough to prevent 
til is harassing annoyance and constant alarm* 
The wall-piece marksmen would have great ad- 
vantage over the rifle-men whom the enemy might 

VOL. II, F f 



326 

bring with tlieiii; who, ignorant of the country, 
would keep within or close to their own lines, 
while our people, from a knowledge of the coun- 
try, would be at a certainty how to advance or 
retreat in safety. 

When on such duty, any light waggons, vans, 
or carts, with two or more horses, or riding 
horses, might be impressed, if not volunteered, 
to aid and attend each company, to quicken their 
advance or retreat, where tlie roads are good, 
and they might be employed to convey surplus 
ammunition. The fore parts of such vehicles 
might be easily prepared to fix two of their wall- 
pieces to fire from, when convenient. Active 
men, of any size, would suit this service, and re- 
quire but little time for training; the best dress 
they could adopt w^ould be smock frocks and 
trowscrs. 

I hope not to be thougiit arrogating too much, 
on the experience that time and opportunities, 
both as a soldier and a sailor, have afforded me; 
although disabled from active service, I am not 
the less observant of what passes iu the military 
world. The French appear to have gained much 
of their advantages by advancing \n strong co- 
lumns, in preference to an extended line; from 
winch, it is reasonable to suppose, that, if ever 
they are enabM to land in any force on our 
coasts, they will pursue similar measures, I con- 
ceive, therefore, it would be our wisest plan to 



327 

prepare against the possibility of sucli an event; 
to meet them in their own way, by keeping our 
strength together in certain points and sufficient 
distances from the coast, so that, upon their 
landing, a proportionate superior strength to the 
enemy might as soon as possible be marched 
r.gainst them. Otherwise, should we attempt to 
defend our very extended coast by line, tlie pro- 
bability would be, that, by rapid movements 
with their concentred force, tiiey might cut 
through oiu* line, and obtain more co-nsiderable 
advantage, by encountering us in detail, than 
they could when met by an equally concentred 
force on our part. 

And here it would be that the plnn I propose, 
of volunteer wall-piece rinemen, would render 
much essentia] service. They might securely 
oppose the enemy, at considerable distances, be- 
fore they landed, while landing, and continually 
after; more especially if aided (as no doubt they 
would be) by some of our regular cavalry, as well 
as thelight-liorse volunteers of the district. In plain 
truth, I am strongly satisfied, that, were all the 
volunteers along the coasts and parts adjacent 
trained as wall-piece irregulars, their service in 
this way would be incalculably more than it is 
possible for them to render as they no\v are. I 
believe, likewise, that great numbers would then 
join them, who, for various reasons, at present 
keep aloof. In this manner, they would lear- 
F f o 



328 

lessly harass the enemy in every direction mid 
hit nation J until met by an English, army in suf-^ 
licient strength to give them battle; when these 
•volunteer v.all-pieee i-rregulars would probably 
coFitinue rendering greater service than those I 
distinguish as regalar volunteers, of whom, in a 
first close engagement, without officers of ex- 
perience, it is not too much to say they would 
i'iL'htto (ireat disadvaotairc. 

Tliis is hismbly yet confidently submitted, by 
o!ie who would readily and chcarfully devote 
himself to oppose any invading enemy, to the 
utmost of liis povrer, in the irregular mode of 
allack iic lias here suggested. Nor has he a 
doubt but there are thousands more, who, like 
him; though incapable of one service, would spi- 
litedly engage in this. 

I know there are many who contend, that it 
is on our regulars ahne we must rely for pro- 
tection; chieflif I readily agree, but not solely. 
If the war continues, we shall not only have oc- 
casion for irregulars, as well as regulars, but for 
valour of every kind and among every descrip- 
tion of men, civil and military. Our exertion 
must be commensurate with the magnitude of 
the prize we contend for; we are fighting for our 
existence as a nation, and we must fight one 
a.nd all. 

On this subject, I will only farther add, that 
men, thus trained and armed to oppose the in- 



329 

vaders, on and near the coasts where they reside, 
would be happy to know that their famihes, their 
stock, &c. were moving securely from the 
enemy while they formed a barrier between them. 
Their families would feel equally secure in their 
removal, instead of increasing the alarm and 
danger by an over eagerness to save themselves. 
The common peasantry of the country, likewise, 
w^ould be encouraged to join and might render 
considerable service, especially if allowed the 
pay of a soldier during such service, instead of 
wandering about the country out of employ, and 
consequently ready to engage in mischief by the 
false allurements of the seditious. 



Ff 3 



S30 



CHAPTER XLVIII. 



Suggestions sent to the Lords Commissioners of the 
Admiraltif, at the time of the mutini/ in the roi/al 
naxy^ 



At the time of the mutiny on hoard the fleet 
at Spithead, and afterwards at the Nore, I ac- 
knowledge I feh more apprehensive of serious 
danger to this country than from any other event 
I have ever known. 

I took the libertv of addressins; a letter to the 
Lords of the Admiralty, from which I extract 
the following, and I still think that the principle 
therein recommended is equally good for adoption 
now or hereafter. 

It was this : that at the close of any war, every 
seamen, Sec. who had entered and served in the 
royal navy as a good and orderly seaman, &c. 
(certified by the report of his commanding-officer,) 
should be entitled to a medal, accompanied by a 
certificate, identifying the person; and, accord- 
ing to the length of time he had thus faithfully 
served, or being invalided by wounds, all such 
seamen, &c. should be entitled to a weekly al- 



lowance, suitable to their incapacity of support- 
ing themselves; the quantum of such allowance 
should be mentioned on the back of the certificate 
from tlifi Admiralty, to be confirmed by an order 
of two magistrates in the neighbourhood of the 
parish he belonged to, whenever he became 
chargeable to such parish; unless, in the judge- 
ment of the magistrates, the officers of the pa- 
rish could assign sufficient reason why the allow- 
ance directed from the Admiralty ought not to 
be made. In which case, an appeal, stating 
the objections, should be made to the Lords 
Commissioners of the Admiralty, who should 
have a power to adjudge and finally determine. 

A register of such volunteer seamen, being kept 
from the time of their first entering, with the parish 
they belong to, w^ould not only be a check to their 
bad behaviour or desertion, but, when the services 
of those who were still capable were again 
wanted, they might be readily sumnioned by 
sending to the officers of their respective pa- 
rishes; and, if they did not appear in a given 
time, or assign sufficient reason for not attending 
to serve after receiving such notice, or knowing 
that the country was again at war, in either of 
these cases they should be liable to lose the be- 
nefit of their former certificate. An allowance, 
from six pence to one shilUng a day, (or more,) 
according to their length of service, age, and 
disability, would be a comfortable expectation 



33-2 

and encouragement for men to prefer the royal 
navy to the merchants service, and to behave 
orderly and well while serving, from the fear of 
being reported undeserving. Nor is such allow- 
ance too much for the parish to pay for the pro- 
tection afforded by the bravery and good conduct 
of such parishioners, in preference to their ordi- 
nary poor, between whom there ought to be 
some manifest distinction. I am aware, that 
some objection may be made on account of its 
falling heavier on particular parishes, near the 
coast, than on those inland ; but I believe not so 
much as might be imagined, and the inequality 
might be easily remedied, especially if a similar 
provision were made for soldiers, who had seen 
real active service. 

My letter was dated the 5th of June, 1797, and 
on the following day I received a letter of thanks 
from the lords commissioners for my sug- 
gestions. 



33 



CHAPTER XLIX. 

Origin of the Thames-poUce ; riot and assauU, zcith 
intent to dcstroij the same; tzco men killed and 
ot/ters zcounded in quelling the riot; one of the 
ringleaders condemned to death; salutanj con- 
sequences. 



I COME now to a very imporUmt part of my 
life, not merely as respecting myself, but Tike- 
wise the great commercial interests of this coun- 
try. I allude to the origin and formation of the 
^i'hames- police. 

In frequent conversations with a worthy near 
• relation, (Mr Staples,) who was a Poiice-Magis- 
trate, I was led to consider the great advantages 
that would result to all concerned in the shipping- 
commerce of the Port of London, if a river- 
])olice v.as eslablislied. I soon formed an out- 
line aiid consulted m}" relation, Vvho much ap- 
proved of it. I waited on the lord-mayor, as con- 
servator of the river, and was informed the city 
had nothing to do with it. I made various iuqui*- 
ries, and at last wrote to the Duke of Portland, 
then sccretary-of-state fox the home-department, 



tvith a plan for a River-police; my letter was clateJ 
the 30Lh of October, 1797. 

My original plan was on a larger scale than the 
one adopted ; the estimate I calculated at 14,000 f. 
a year, the present is but 8000/. And now, when 
I look back, ii surprizes me to think that so much 
was achieved, with so small a comparative 
strength, against the numerous strong hoards of 
desperately-wicked v/atcr-pi rates, tliat had so 
long existed, v/ithout an attempt being made to 
impede their progress. 

1 imagine that it was the largeness of the pro- 
posed expense that prevented its being noticed 
so early as I wished and expected. The neces- 
sity and usefulness of such an institution ap- 
peared to me so evident, that I concluded it only 
wanted to be mentioned in order to be soon 
adopted; yet 1 do most candidly allow and 
firmly believe, that, but for the superior know- 
]ed9:e and clearer insis^ht into the manafj:ement of 

O CO 

obtaininG' attention to thincrs of this kind, which I 
had the good foitune to experience some months 
afteruards, when introduced to INlr Colquhoun, 
the plan for the river-police would have died in 
embryo. I acknouledge to possess a certain 
cride of feeling, which is not the best calculated 
for getting forward in the world. I should have 
no diiiiculty, for instance, in making the (iist 
direct application to the most august personage 
or assembly that can exist, yet nothing but dire 



OJ 



necessity could make me dance long attendances 
in expectation on either. This pride, tliat I 
speak of, is not owing to the shghtest wish to 
^vithhold a respectful attention to my superiors in 
rank and situation in lite, for I rejoice and feel 
gratified in every opportunity of shewing such 
respectful esteem to men elevated by talents, rank, 
and character: but I can not bend to an obse- 
quiousness that has an appearance of sinking or 
le-ssening my own character. 

In the April following, I received an invitation 
to dine at Mr Colquhoun's, a gentleman whom I 
then only knew by name; I accompanied Mr 
Staples, who desired me to take my plan for a 
river-police with me to shew to Mr Colquhoun, 
and for that purpose we ^vcre to go an hour 
sooner. Mx Colquhoun was pleased to express 
a very flattering approbation, and requested me 
to leave ihe plan with him, that he might shew it 
to Mr Dundas, now Lord Melville. I felt, as I 
expressed myself, much obliged, and did as he 
desired; and the next day I sent another copy to 
Ilowland Burdon, Esq. (a gentleman, who, ad- 
mitting me among the number of his private 
friends, conferred an honour I shall ever prize as 
invaluable,) requesting his aid towards getting it 
introduced and noticed. 

I waited also on s<)me of the Elder Brethren of 
the Trinity-Corporation, as gentlemen peculiarly 
q.ualified to judge of its importance and probable 



SS6 

"benefit to the commercial interegt of the Port of 
London: their judgement not only confirmed my 
opinion, hut their extensive local knowledge 
pointed out other benefits ^vhich I had not then 
contemplated. My acquaintance since with 
Mr Colquhoun warrants my assertion that he is 
jiot .©nly one of the most punctual men living, but 
I think him the most indefatigable persevering 
man I ever knew in whatever he undertakes. 
On Sunday, the I22d of April, 1798, 1 saw and 
dined with this gentleman for the first time, and 
on the 25th he favoured me Vvith the following 
letter. 

"* Sir, 

^^ I have lost no time in trans- 
mitting your very sensible paper to Mr Dundas, 
which contains a very excellent plan for the pro-- 
tection of shipping in the River-Thames, to 
which I ardently hope due attention may be paid. 
It probably escaped you to mention the pro- 
priety of placing Jiie engines on each of the 
barges, and I have supplied that deficiency from 
the suggestion contained in the paper you left 
with me on Sunday. I have mentioned to Mr 
Dundas what I knew of the respectability of your 
character, and of your great experience and 
knowledge of matters of this kind, which I hope 
may induce him to request a conference. I thank 
you for the perusal of your very excellent plan for 



337 

o-iiaruiiiir the sea-coast, written in the month of 
INovember last. From its similitude to the sys- 
tem adopted by government, I cannot entertain 
a doubt of great benefit being derived by the 
country from what you suggested. Agreeably to 
your desire, I return you the plan under cover. 
'^ I am, with esteem, dear sir, 

" Your obedient humble servant, 

<* P. COLOUHOUN." 

■' Julin Harriott, Esq." 

From this time, Mr Colquhoun incessantly 
exerted himself until he obtained the sanction of 
government for the establishment of \vhat w^as at 
first called the Marine-police; and, but for his 
great exertions with the West-India merchants, 
as well as with His Grace the Duke of Portland 

'and Mr Dundas, I am satisfied that the River- 
police would not then, if ever, have been 

•adopted. 

With Mr Colquhoun, I was appointed to act, 
and the office w'as opened at Midsummer, 1798. 
In the organization and carrying it into complete 
execution, I need not hesitate in saying I took a 

•full share. We seized the bull by the horns, and 
never quitted our hold for upwards of two 3'ears. 
It was a labour not unworthy of Hercules, arrd. 
we succeeded, by our joint efforts, in bringing 
into reasonable order some thousands of men, 
who had long considered plunder as a privilege, 

VOL. II. G g 



338 

Mr Colquhoun^s Treatise on the Police of the 
River Thames sufficiently explains and shews the 
state of the river, previous to the establishment 
of a police-institution. I will, therefore, only men- 
tion one circumstance, to shew to what a pitch of 
depraved audacity they carried and executed their 
robberies. 

A captain of a ship in the river, turning out one 
morning in the summer, soon after day-light, 
lieard men's voices, and walked forward to learn 
the cause. Looking over the bows of the ship, 
be saw several men in a large boat, and inquired 
\vhat they were doing there. One of tbem look- 
ing up, said, "Ah! captain, is it you? how are 
your" and, on the captain repeating his ques- 
tion, to know what they were about, he replied, 
with a kind of dry indifference, "only weighed 
your anchor, captain, and cut your cable, that's 
all; good morning, captain]" and away tbej 
went with the anchor and cable up with the tide, 
through London-bridgie, clear away long before 
he could procure help to follow them. Indeed, 
such was their daring and well-known ferocity, 
that those, who knew well what they were about 
and saw them when committing such depredations, 
were afraid to divulge such knowledge. The im- 
punity with which these river-pirates were al- 
lowed to plunder induced others to do the same; 
iiutil, with their number^ their outrage in* 



S39 



creased to so 2:rcat a lieidit as to threaten to 
overthrow the commerce of" the Port of London. 

The arm ot* the law, however, when resohitely 
and steadily exerted, may be made to work won- 
ders; and it is yet in the recollection of hundreds 
if not thousands of creditable people, that, m 
tliis instance, the River-police has wroiigh-t a pro- 
digious reform. i\mong others, it is not a small 
thing to have so far reclaimed such an unruly sec 
of beings as the half-savage Irish coal-heavers, 
who, from inveterate e-nemies, assembling at tiie 
commencement of the institution avowedly to 
destroy the magistrates and all that belonged to 
it, do now consider them as their best friends. 
There are from twelve to fourteen hundred of 
this class of men, who mostly reside in the neigh- 
bourhood of the otiiee. 

Previously to the establishment, these men 
had long been in the constant practice of each 
man taking his sack, containing tv/o or three 
bushels of coals, whenever he went on shore from 
the ship he was unloading. Neither the captain 
nor owner of the ship or cargo durst resist tbeir 
taking what they claimed as a perquisite; and 
most of these men, having followed it as a custom 
of their predecessors, thought they had ^ fair 
title to such coals: when found with a boat ready 
to sink with their plunder, and made to .account 
before a magistrate how they came by it, they 
conceived themselves to be the injured party, 
Gg C 



540 

Cjist077i was their invariable plea, (and so it was 
with every other description of working men on 
the river, when detected in the act of briniyinix'on 
shore with them from forty pounds to two hun- 
dred weight of sugar, co ilee, pepper, tea, or 
other articles,) and in vain was it that Mr Col- 
quhoun and myself laboured hard to convince 
them of their error; and, by reprimanding only 
at first and ordering the coa;s, &c. to be taken 
away, endeavoured to correct the evil. 

Obliged at last to resort to severer measures, 
and punish those who repeated the offence after 
admonition, they threatened Resistance; and, 
trusting to their strength in numbers, some hun- 
dreds of them assembled before the office, 
threatening, with most horrid imprecations, the 
masjistrates and all that belcnfj^cd to the insti- 
tution, if some coal-heavers^ then under exa- 
mination, were not discharged. However we 
might have been disposed to shew lenity to the 
offende'-s before ^is, had v/e not been thus 
threatened, it now became a duty to be firm : a 
small penalty was ordered to be paid, or conse- 
quent imprisonment. 

This was in October, a few months after the 
office. was established; and, between seven and 
eight in the evening, we were proceeding to 
examine other prisoners on a charge of felony 
concerning ships stores, when some iiundreds of 
coal-heavers, encouraged by notorious receivers 



S41 

and oLliers, made a most furious attack on the 
oiHce, the windows of which fronted the street. 
They iirst attempted the door; when, finding 
that too strongly secured for them to force, they 
tore 11 r> the pavement in the street, and soon de- 
m.olished the shutters of four windows of the 
room we were in. It was fortunate, that none 
of these large stones which they threw in struck 
any of ns; for, with their weight and the force 
they came with, a broken limb would have been 
the least to expect. I believe I was the only 
person in the office, at the time, that had ever 
smelt gunpowder burnt in anger before, and 
many years had elapsed since I had been so en- 
gaged. 

I immediately saw the necessity of prompt 
iTsolute measures, for the infuriate madness of 
the assailants i^rew stronoer every instant: or- 
dcrins^ the fire arms, seeinQ-to their loadins:, and 
giving necessary directions, seemed to electrify 
and make me vouno; aQ:ain. Not a moment was to- 
be lost; for, if they could once have got in, having 
but six or seven officers v.iih us at the time, we 
must have been soon over- powered. There were 
two or three gentlemen from the City, attending 
on business; but one ran up to the top of the 
house and hid himself, and the rest made a pru- 
dent retreat by getting into a boat and rowin_o^ 
away. As soon as the pistols were loaded, f 
ordered them to fire dov^m on the assailants. A\ e 
Gg 3 



342 

soon heard that one of them was shot dead: he 
proved to be one of the ringleaders. They 
dragged his body away from the front, retreating 
from the office to a short distance, but threaten- 
in 2: dreadful venj^eance. 

We then ordered the door to be opened, and 
advanced into the street, wdiere Mr Colqiihomi 
read the riot-act; at which instant, one of our 
officers, standing close to us, was shot, as he 
held his arm up, through the palm of his hand; 
and soon after, another of our officers, who had 
advanced nearer to the rioters, ran past us, cry- 
ing out that he was shot. A few more discharges 
from our pistols drove them away, but we heard 
they were assembling in greater numbers, deter- 
mined to renew the attack. The volunteers in 
the neighbourhood soon after assembled, and 
came readily to assist us. Hearing, about eleven 
o'clock, that a part of the rioters were still to- 
gether at a public-house, some distance from the 
office, I accompanied Aie volunteers to the house, 
with intent to secure any I might find there; but. 
they were gone, and from that time all remained 
cpiiet. Our poor fellow, who was shot, was ta- 
ken to the hospital, V;liere he died. 

Whether any, or how many, more of the 
riotous assaikmts vv^ere shot, we could not learn. 
One of the principal ringleaders was apprehend- 
ed, tried, and condemned: others fled, and 
kept out of the way for a time, whom we might 



likewise have convicted. But,^ as enough had 
been done for public justice, and as every ap- 
pearance of farther disturbance had subsided,. 
though we continued punishing offences similar 
to that which occasioned the riot, Mr CoJquhoun 
and myself thought it best not to proceed against 
more of them; contenting ourselves, as from 
time to time they appeared before us, with ac- 
quainting them that vre were not ignorant of 
their former proceedings, and admonishing them 
to make a grateful use of such forbearance for 
the future. I have often since received, and still 
continue to receive, much satisfaction in seeing 
some of those, who might have suffered if tried, 
now maintaining themselves and families in com- 
fort, and are amono- the most orderlv. 

Severe as the measures were that we were 
obliged to take, to quell so outrageous an assault, 
1 am persuaded much good has ensued from it.. 
The rough ignora.nt multitude were forcibly con- 
vinced that the mag-istrates were not to be fri2:ht- 
ened from doing their duty, which is a maia 
point in police as well as in militar}^ concerns. 
It is true, that courage in a magistrate is not 
likely to be called into exertion so often as in a 
military man; but, whenever it does happen to 
be necessary, as in all riots and tumults, wdiere 
his presence is required, I conceive it to be of 
more importance for a magistrate to possess a 
cool intrepid firmness than it is in the other; as' 



S44 

was dreadfully proved in the riots of I7S0, which, 
from all that I have heard; might easily iiave 
been put a stop to but for tlie timidity of the 
(chief magistrate of the city. 

The extensive benefits derived from the Kiver- 
police were so conspicuous, that, after two years 
trial of its eflicacy, government thought proper 
to pass an act, making the institution permanent, 
with an allowance of 8000/. per annum for its 
support: a sum of money, which, instead of 
being a burden, I am confident yields a very 
considerable profit to government, arising- to the 
revenue by the ahnost entire suppression of 
smuggling on the River Tliames. The difference 
it made in the sales, at the Custom-house alone, 
was said to be so great, that, not having the 
means of proving, I do not chuse to mention the 
sum that was reported; but the annual allowance 
for maintaining the institution is small in com- 
parison. I feel equally well satisfied, that the 
saving in the plunder of naval, ordnance, and 
victualling, stores, is to the full as great as the 
other; and here, again, I am fearful of repeating 
what I have heard the officers of the navy and 
"victualling stores at Deptford declare* to be their 
opinion, the amount would appear so enormous. 

At the commencement, there were thousands 
of plunderers and hundreds of receivers; the 
former, I believe, are reduced to less than hun- 
dreds; and the latter to tens, I have the satis- 



345 

faction, therefore, of having hved to see the 
good it has produced, and to hear it acknow- 
ledged, by all from whom such acknowledgement 
is desirable and creditable. 



CHAPTER L. 

After the storms and struggles of an adventurous 
and eventful life, the Authors grateful satisfac- 
tion at having brought Ids vessel safe into port; 
his content and resignation. 



Thus have I brought my bark safe into port; 
and, though somewhat shattered and unfit for 
sailing far under a roving commission, the tim- 
bers are yet sound and still capable of harbour- 
duty. 

Tiic even tenor of the last ten years has ena- 
bled me to turn some of my attention to an 
improvement for working of ships pumps, which 
I had in contemplation for many years, as a 
point of equipment that had been too much 
neglected. The superiority of a horizontal or 
capstan-bar motion, at which a man stands firiii-, 
without injuring his loins, has been so ineontesti- 



546 

hly proved, that I flatter myself it will be the 
means of saving many lives as well as much pro- 
perty, on board leaky ships at sea, long after I 
am forgotten as the inventor. 

Under the blessing of Providence, I laxxe 
lived to see five out of seven of my children so 
far advanced in life^ that the future hes more 
with them than myself. My own wants are 
bounded and supplied by a moderate competen- 
cy; additional riches might give something more 
to convenience, but nothing to mental happiness. 
Insatiable and unbounded as were my curiosity 
and rambling desire of knowledge, in early life, 
the vvoild has now nothing new for me to admire 
or covet. To be compelled to live in a state of 
fashionable affluence or courtly rank, would be as 
irksome and unpleasant as formerly my ambition 
led me to vs'ish for it with avidity. The greatest 
pageantry oi' show, that human magnificence 
can exhibit, would not tempt me to any particu^ 
lar exertion to view it; yet I would still toil in 
any cause of humanity, or climb up a burning 
mountain to view any great operation of Nature, 
as enlarging my views and giving new energies to 
my adoration of the Great Omnipotent. 

I am no misanthrope, but look back, with 
more pleasure than regret, at the various strug- 
gles and misfortunes that have fallen to my lot; 
freely acknowledging the conviction of my mind 
to be, that Adversity has been my best teacher