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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Travels in North America, From Modern
+Writers, by William Bingley
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Travels in North America, From Modern Writers
+       With Remarks and Observations; Exhibiting a Connected View
+       of the Geography and Present State of that Quarter of the
+       Globe
+
+Author: William Bingley
+
+Release Date: March 13, 2009 [EBook #28323]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Julia Miller, Barbara Kosker and the Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This
+file was produced from scans of public domain material
+produced by Microsoft for their Live Search Books site.)
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+ TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA,
+
+ FROM
+
+ MODERN WRITERS.
+
+
+
+
+ [Illustration:
+
+ _Frontispiece._ _Plate 1._
+
+ WASHINGTON.
+
+ PYRAMID OF CHOLULA.
+
+ NEW YORK.]
+
+
+ _Pub^d. by Harvey & Darton,_
+
+ _Jan^y. 1, 1823._
+
+
+
+
+ TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA,
+
+ FROM
+
+ Modern Writers.
+
+ WITH
+
+ REMARKS AND OBSERVATIONS;
+
+ EXHIBITING A CONNECTED VIEW OF
+
+ THE GEOGRAPHY AND PRESENT STATE
+
+ OF THAT
+
+ QUARTER OF THE GLOBE.
+
+ BY THE
+
+ REV. WILLIAM BINGLEY, M. A. F. L. S.
+
+ _Late of Peter-house, Cambridge, and Author of Animal Biography, &c._
+
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+ DESIGNED FOR THE USE OF YOUNG PERSONS.
+
+
+
+ LONDON:
+
+ PRINTED FOR HARVEY AND DARTON, GRACECHURCH-STREET.
+
+ 1821.
+
+
+
+
+ADVERTISEMENT.
+
+
+In the preparation of this, and of the preceding volumes, of Travels in
+the South of Europe, in South America, and in Africa; as well as in the
+Biographical Conversations on Celebrated Voyagers and Travellers, it has
+been the design of the author, by a detail of anecdotes of extraordinary
+adventures, connected by illustrative remarks and observations, to
+allure young persons to a study of geography, and to the attainment of a
+knowledge of the character, habits, customs, and productions of foreign
+nations. The whole is supposed to be related in a series of daily
+instructions, from a parent to his children.
+
+The "Biographical Conversations on Celebrated Travellers," contain a
+further account of the United States and of Canada, in Professor's
+Kalm's Travels through those countries; and of the northern regions of
+America, in the Narratives of Hearne's Journeys from Hudson's Bay, to
+the Northern Ocean.
+
+The vignette represents the natural arch, called Rockbridge, described
+in page 102.
+
+ _Charlotte Street, Bloomsbury,
+ London, 22d July, 1821._
+
+
+
+
+INDEX OF THE COUNTRIES, AND PRINCIPAL PLACES AND OBJECTS DESCRIBED.
+
+
+                                                                 Page
+
+ NORTH AMERICA in General,                                          1
+
+ UNITED STATES in General,                                          3
+
+
+ _Account of New York and its vicinity._
+
+ Inhabitants of New York, 12--Situation, Streets, Population,
+ Hotels, 13--Stores, Public Buildings, Columbia College,
+ 14--Town Hall, Trades and Professions, 15--House-rent,
+ Provisions, Religion, Courts of Law, 16--Long Island, New
+ Jersey, River Hudson, Newark, Fishkill, Steam-boats,
+ 17--Emigrants, 18.
+
+
+ _Narrative of Fearon's Journey from New York to Boston._
+
+ New Haven, 18--New London, Norwich, New Providence, 19--
+ Pawtucket, Boston, 20--Bunker's Hill, Cambridge, Harvard
+ College, 21.
+
+
+ _Weld's Voyage up the River Hudson, from New York to Lake
+ Champlain._
+
+ River Hudson, 22--West Point, Albany, 23--River Mohawk,
+ Cohoz Waterfall, Saratoga, 25--Skenesborough, Lake Champlain,
+ 26--Ticonderoga, Crown Point, 27.
+
+
+ _Hall's Journey from Canada to the Cataract of Niagara._
+
+ Prescott, 28--River St. Lawrence, Lake Ontario, Kingston,
+ 29--Sackett's Harbour, Watertown, Utica, 30--Skaneactas,
+ Waterloo, Geneva, Canandaigua, Burning Spring, 32--Rochester,
+ 33--Lewistown, Queenston, 34--York, Ancaster, Mohawk Indians,
+ 35--Mohawk Village, 36--Falls of Niagara, 37.
+
+
+ _Hall's Journey from Niagara to Philadelphia._
+
+ Fort Erie, Buffalo, Batavia, Caledonia, 41--Genesee River,
+ Bath, Painted Post, 42--Susquehanna River, Wilksbarre,
+ 43--Wyoming, Blue Ridge, Bethlehem, Nazareth, 44--Moravians,
+ 45--Lehigh Mountain, German Town, 46.
+
+
+ _Description of Philadelphia._
+
+ Streets, Houses, 46--Shops, Wharfs, Water-Street, Public
+ Buildings, 47--State-house, University, Prison, 48--Markets,
+ Inhabitants, 49--Funerals, Climate, 50--Carriages, 51--
+ Taverns, 52--Delaware River, Schuylkil River, 53.
+
+ Trenton, College, 53--Residence of Joseph Buonaparte, 54.
+
+
+ _Fearon's Journey from Philadelphia to Pittsburg._
+
+ Great Valley, Mines, 54--Lancaster, Harrisburgh, Carlisle,
+ Chambersburgh, 55--London, Waggons, North Mountain,
+ 56--Bloody Run, Bedford, Dry Ridge, Alleghany Mountains,
+ Inhabitants, Log-houses, 57--Laurel Hill, Little Chesnut
+ Ridge, Greensburg, Turtle Creek Hill, Inhabitants, 58--
+ Pittsburg, 59--Manufactures, 60--Climate, American Population,
+ 61--Farms, Emigration, 62.
+
+
+ _Birkbeck's Expedition from Pittsburg into the Illinois
+ Territory._
+
+ Travelling, 63--Cannonsburg, Washington in Pennsylvania,
+ State of Ohio, Wheeling, 64--St. Clairsville, 65--Farms,
+ Zanesville, Rushville, Lancaster, 66--Chillicothe, Pike Town,
+ 67--Hurricane tract, 68--Lebanon, Cincinnati, Schools, 69--
+ State of Indiana, 70--Camp Tavern, 71--Vincennes, Indians,
+ 72--Princeton, 74--Harmony, Mount Vernon, Big Prairie, 75--
+ Woods, and Farms, 76--Hunters, Little Wabash, Skillet Fork,
+ 77--Shawnee Town, 78--Harmony, 79--Animals, 80--English
+ Prairie, 81.
+
+
+ _Weld's Excursion from Philadelphia to Washington._
+
+ Schuylkil River, Chester, Brandywine River, Wilmington,
+ 82--Elkton, Susquehannah River, Havre de Grace, Baltimore, 83.
+
+
+ _Description of Washington._
+
+ Origin, situation, form, Streets, Inhabitants, Capitol,
+ 85--President's House, Post-Office, River Potomac,
+ Tiber, 86--Markets, Shops, Inhabitants, Congress,
+ Senate, 87--Representative Chamber, George Town,
+ 88--Alexandria, Mount Vernon, 89.
+
+
+ _Weld's Journey from Washington to Richmond in Virginia._
+
+ Country, 89--Hoe's Ferry, Rappahannoc River, Plantations in
+ Virginia, 90--Tappahannoc or Hob's Hole, Urbanna, 91--Fires
+ in the Woods, 92--Gloucester, York, Williamsburgh, College,
+ 93--Hampton, Chesapeak, Norfolk, 94--Dismal Swamp, James River,
+ 95--Taverns, Petersburgh, Richmond, 96--Falls of the James
+ River, Inhabitants of Virginia, 97.
+
+
+ _Weld's Return from Richmond to Philadelphia._
+
+ South-west or Green Mountains, Country and Animals, 98--
+ Fire-flies, 99--Seat of Mr. Jefferson, Lynchburgh, 100--Peaks
+ of Otter, Fincastle, Soil and Climate, 101--Sweet Springs,
+ Jackson's Mountains, Rockbridge, 102--Maddison's Cave,
+ Emigrants, 103--Lexington, Staunton, Winchester, Potomac
+ River, Stupendous Scene, 104--Frederic, Philadelphia, 105.
+
+
+ _Michaux's Journey from Pittsburgh to Lexington._
+
+ Wheeling, River Ohio, 106--Marietta, Point Pleasant,
+ 107--Gallipoli, Alexandria, 108--Limestone, Kentucky,
+ 109--Inhabitants, 110--Mays Lick, Lexington, 111--
+ Louisville, 112--Caverns in Kentucky, 114.
+
+
+ _Michaux's Journey from Lexington to Charleston._
+
+ Vineyards, 114--Kentucky River, Harrodsburgh, Mulder Hill,
+ Barrens or Kentucky Meadows, 115--Nasheville, 117--Cairo,
+ Fort Blount, 118--West Point, Cherokee Indians, 119--
+ Kingstown, 120--Knoxville, Holstein River, Tavern, Macby,
+ 121--Woods, Log-houses, Greenville, Jonesborough, 122--
+ Alleghany Mountains, Linneville Mountains, Morganton,
+ 123--Lincolnton, 124--Chester, Winesborough, Columbia,
+ 125--Charleston, 126.
+
+
+ _Description of Charleston._
+
+ Situation, Quays, 126--Streets, Houses, 127--Public Buildings,
+ Trees in the Streets, Inhabitants, 128--Vauxhall, Hotels,
+ Market, Provisions, 129--Marshes, 130.
+
+ Adjacent country, 130--Raleigh, Newbern, Savannah, in Georgia,
+ 131.
+
+
+ _Bartram's Excursion from Charleston into Georgia and West
+ Florida._
+
+ Augusta, 133--Country, fossil shells, Fort James, Dartmouth,
+ 134--Indian monuments, 135--Cherokee Settlements, Sinica, 135
+ --Keowe, Tugilo river, 136--Sticoe, Cowe, 137--Cherokee
+ Indians, 138--Fort James, 140--Country near the Oakmulge and
+ Flint rivers, Uche, 141--Apalachula, Coweta, Talasse,
+ Coloome, 142--Alabama river, Mobile, Pensacola, 144--Mobile,
+ Pearl river, Manchac, Mississippi river, 145--Mobile, Taensa,
+ 146--Tallapoose river, Alabama, Mucclasse, Apalachula river,
+ Chehau, Usseta, 147--Oakmulge, Ocone river, Ogeche, Augusta,
+ Savannah, 148.
+
+
+ _Mr. Bartram's Journey from Savannah into East Florida._
+
+ Sunbury, 148--Fort Barrington, St. Ille's, 149--Savannahs
+ near river St. Mary, River St. Juan, or St. John, Cowford,
+ 150--Plantation, 151--Indian Village, 152 Charlotia or
+ Rolle's Town, Mount Royal, 153--Lake George, Spalding's
+ Upper Store, 154--Adventure with Alligators, 155--Alligators'
+ nests, 157--Lake, Forests, Plantation, Hot Fountain, Upper
+ Store, Cuscowilla, 159--Sand-hills, Half-way Pond, Turtles,
+ Lake of Cuscowilla, 160--Alachuas and Creek or Siminole
+ Indians, 161--Talahasochte, Little St. John's River, 162.
+
+
+ _The River Mississippi._
+
+ Source, Length, Banks, 165--Tides, New Orleans, 166--Adjacent
+ Country, Natchez, 167--Navigation of the Mississippi, 168--
+ New Madrid, the Ohio, Illinois Territory, Kaskaski, 169--St.
+ Louis, 170.
+
+
+ _Pike's Voyage from St. Louis to the Source of the Mississippi._
+
+ St. Louis, 170--Illinois River, Buffalo River, Sac Indians,
+ Salt River, 171--Rapids des Moines, Jowa River, Jowa Indians,
+ Rock River, 172--Turkey River, Reynard Indians, Ouisconsin
+ River, Pecant or Winebagoe Indians, 173--Sioux Indians,
+ Prairie des Chiens, 174--Sauteaux or Chippeway River, Scenery
+ of the Mississippi, Sioux village, Canoe. River, St. Croix
+ River, 176--Cannon River, Indian Burying-place, Falls of St.
+ Anthony, 177--Rum River, Red Cedar Lake, Beaver Islands,
+ Corbeau or Raven River, 178--Pine Creek, Lake Clear, Clear
+ River, Winter Quarters, Indians, 179--Falls of the Painted
+ Rock, Pine River, Chippeway Indians, 180--Leech Lake, Pine
+ Creek, 181--Indians, Falls of St. Anthony, Prairie des Chiens,
+ 182--Sioux and Puant Indians, Salt River, 183.
+
+
+ WESTERN TERRITORY OF AMERICA                                     184
+
+
+ _The River Missouri._
+
+ _Lewis and Clarke's Voyage from St. Louis to the Source of
+ the Missouri._
+
+ St. Louis, Osage River, Osage Indians, Big Manitou Creek,
+ 185--Kanzes River, Platte River, 186--Pawnee Indians, Ottoe
+ and Missouri Indians, 187--Indian Villages 188--Water of the
+ Missouri, Fruit, Yankton Indians, 189--Teton Indians, 191--
+ Ricara Indians, Chayenne River, 194--Le Boulet or Cannon-ball
+ River, Mandan Indians, 196--Winter Quarters, 197--Fort Mandan,
+ Ahanaway and Minnetaree Indians, 198--Knife River, 199--Little
+ Missouri, Indian Burying-place, 201--Yellow Stone River, 202
+ --Porcupine River, Muscle-shell River, 203--Great Falls of
+ the Missouri, 205--Maria's River, 207--Three Forks of the
+ Missouri, 209--Source of the Missouri, 210.
+
+
+ _Lewis and Clarke's Travels from the Source of the Missouri
+ to the Pacific Ocean._
+
+ Rocky Mountains, 210--Mountainous Country, Indians, 211--
+ Travellers' Rest Creek, Koos-koos-kee River, Chopunnish
+ Indians, 213--Shoshonees and Snake Indians, 214--Pierced-nose
+ Indians, 217--Indian Fisheries, 218--Solkuk Indians, 218--
+ Columbia or Oregan River, Echeloot Indians, 219--The Pacific
+ Ocean, Indians in the Vicinity of the Coast, 221.
+
+
+ _Lewis and Clarke's Return from the Pacific Ocean to St. Louis._
+
+ Rocky Mountains, 225--Travellers' Rest Creek, Clarke's River,
+ Maria's River, Missouri River, 226--Yellow-stone River,
+ Jefferson's River, 227--La Charette, St. Louis, 228.
+
+
+ _Pike's Journey from St. Louis, through Louisiana to Santa
+ Fé, New Spain._
+
+ Missouri River, St. Charles, Osage River, Gravel River, 229
+ --Yungar River, Grand Fork, Osage Indians, 230--Kanzes River,
+ Pawnee Indians, 231--Arkansaw River, 232--Indians, 233--Grand
+ Pawnees, Rio Colorado, 234--Rio del Norte, 236--Santa Fé, 237.
+
+
+ MEXICO or NEW SPAIN in general                                   239
+
+
+ _Pike's Journey from Santa Fé to Montelovez._
+
+ St. Domingo, Albuquerque, Sibilleta, 247--Passo del Norte,
+ Carracal, Chihuahua, 248--Florida River, Mauperne, Hacienda
+ of Polloss, 249--Montelovez, Durango, 250.
+
+
+ _Description of the City of Mexico._
+
+ Situation, 250--Ancient City, 251--Quarters, Teocallis or
+ Temples, 252--School of Mines, Valley of Mexico, 253--Streets,
+ Aqueducts, Dikes or Embankments, Public Edifices, 254--Public
+ Walk, Markets, Chinampas, 255--Hill of Chapoltepec, Lakes of
+ Tezcuco and Chalco, 256.
+
+
+ _Description of some of the most important Places in Mexico._
+
+ Tlascala, 256--Puebla, Cholula, Vera Cruz, 257--Xalapa,
+ Volcano of Orizaba, Coffre de Perote, Volcano of Tuxtla,
+ Papantla, Indian Pyramid, 259--Acapulco, 260--Guaxaca or
+ Oaxaca, Intendancy of Yucatan, Bay of Campeachy, 261--
+ Merida, Campeachy, Honduras, Balize, 262--Nicaragua, Yare
+ River, 263--Leon de Nicaragua, 264.
+
+
+ BRITISH AMERICAN DOMINIONS                                       264
+
+ _Nova Scotia_ in general                                         ib.
+
+ Halifax                                                          265
+
+ _Canada_ in general                                              265
+
+
+ _Description of Quebec._
+
+ Situation, Cape Diamond, 267--Lower Town, Houses, Streets,
+ Mountain Street, 268--Shops or Stores, Taverns, Public
+ Buildings, Upper Town, 269--Charitable Institutions, Wolf's
+ Cove, Heights of Abram, Markets, 270--Maple Sugar, Fruit,
+ Climate, 271.
+
+
+ _Mr. Hall's Journey from Quebec to Montreal._
+
+ Jacques Cartier Bridge, Cataract, Country Houses, 272--
+ Post-houses, Trois Rivieres, River St. Maurice, Falls of
+ Shawinne Gamme, Beloeil Mountain, 273--Beloeil, Montreal
+ Mountain, 274.
+
+
+ _Description of Montreal._
+
+ Situation, Buildings, Streets, Square, Upper and Lower Towns,
+ Suburbs, Religious and Charitable Institutions, 275--Public
+ Edifices, Parade, 276--Markets, Climate, 277.
+
+
+ _Route from Montreal to Fort Chepewyan._
+
+ La Chine, 277--St. Ann's, Lake of the two Mountains, Utawas
+ River, Portage de Chaudiere, 278--Lake Nepisingui, Nepisinguis
+ Indians, Riviere de François, Lake Huron, Lake Superior,
+ Algonquin Indians, 279--Grande Portage, River Au Tourt, 280--
+ Lake Winipic, Cedar Lake, Mud Lake, Sturgeon Lake, Saskatchiwine
+ River, Beaver Lake, Lake of the Hills, Fort Chepewyan, 281.
+
+
+ _Account of the Knisteneaux and Chepewyan Indians._
+
+ Knisteneaux, 282--Chepewyans, 285.
+
+
+ _Mackenzie's Voyage from Fort Chepewyan, along the Rivers
+ to the Frozen Ocean._
+
+ Fort Chepewyan, 288--Lake of the Hills, Slave River, Great
+ Slave Lake, 289--Red-knife Indians, 290--Slave and Dog-rib
+ Indians, 291--Quarreller Indians, 294--North Frozen Ocean,
+ Whale Island, 295.
+
+
+ _Mackenzie's Return from the Frozen Ocean to Fort Chepewyan._
+
+ Indians, 296--Account of the country, 297--Woods and Mountains,
+ 298--Fort Chepewyan.
+
+
+ _Description of the Western Coast of America, from California
+ to Behring's Strait._
+
+ California, Gulf of California, Missionary Establishment,
+ Indians of California, 299--Monterey, New Albion, Nootka
+ Sound, 300--Indians of Nootka Sound, 301--Port St. François,
+ Indians, Prince William's Sound, 302--Cook's River, Alyaska,
+ Cape Newenham, 303--Behring's Strait, Cape Prince of Wales,
+ 304.
+
+
+ DAVIS'S STRAIT and BAFFIN'S BAY                                  304
+
+
+ _Ross's Voyage of Discovery, for the purpose of exploring
+ Baffin's Bay, and enquiring into the Probability of a
+ North-west Passage._
+
+ Cape Farewell, Icebergs, Disco Island, 305,--Kron Prin's
+ Island, Danish Settlement, Wayat's or Hare Island, Four Island
+ Point, Danish Factory, 306,--Esquimaux of Greenland, Danger
+ from the Ice, Whales, 307--Arctic Highlanders, 308--Arctic
+ Highlands, Prince Regent's Bay, 315--Sea Fowls, Crimson Snow,
+ Cape Dudley Digges, 317--Wolstenholme and Whale Sounds, Sir
+ Thomas Smith's Sound, Alderman Jones's Sound, Lancaster Sound,
+ Croker Mountains, 318, 319.
+
+
+ _Parry's Voyage for the Discovery of a North-west Passage._
+
+ Lancaster's Sound, Possession Bay, 319--Croker's Bay,
+ Wellington Channel, Barrow's Straits, 320--Bounty Cape, Bay
+ of the Hecla and Griper, Melville Island, 321--Cape Providence,
+ North Georgian Islands, 322--Winter Quarters at Melville
+ Island, 323--Cape Providence, Lancaster's Sound, Baffin's Bay,
+ the Clyde, Esquimaux Indians, 333.
+
+
+ LABRADOR in general                                              336
+
+ GREENLAND in general                                             339
+
+
+
+
+ _Explanation of the Plates in this Volume._
+
+ Plate                                          Page
+
+    _Vignette_, Rock Bridge                      102
+
+ 1. Washington (_Frontispiece_)                   85
+    Pyramid of Cholula, near Mexico              257
+    New York                                      13
+
+ 2. Philadelphia, Second Street                   46
+    Philadelphia, United States Bank              48
+    Philadelphia, High Street                     46
+
+ 3. Quebec                                       268
+    Cataract of Niagara                           37
+    Montreal                                     276
+
+The Binder is requested to place the Frontispiece opposite to the Title,
+and the above Explanation, with the other Plates, together, after the
+Table of Contents.
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: _Plate 2._
+
+PHILADELPHIA, SECOND STREET.
+
+UNITED STATES BANK.
+
+PHILADELPHIA, HIGH STREET.]
+
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: _Plate 3._
+
+QUEBEC.
+
+CATARACT OF NIAGARA.
+
+MONTREAL.]
+
+
+
+
+TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA,
+
+FROM
+
+MODERN WRITERS.
+
+
+
+
+First Day's Instruction.
+
+NORTH AMERICA.
+
+
+This division of the great western continent is more than five thousand
+miles in length; and, in some latitudes, is four thousand miles wide. It
+was originally discovered by Europeans, about the conclusion of the
+fifteenth century; and, a few years afterwards, a party of Spanish
+adventurers obtained possession of some of the southern districts. The
+inhabitants of these they treated like wild animals, who had no property
+in the woods through which they roamed. They expelled them from their
+habitations, established settlements; and, taking possession of the
+country in the name of their sovereign, they appropriated to themselves
+the choicest and most valuable provinces. Numerous other settlements
+have since been established in different parts of the country; and the
+native tribes have nearly been exterminated, while the European
+population and the descendants of Europeans, have so much increased
+that, in the United States only, there are now more than ten millions of
+white inhabitants.
+
+The _surface_ of the country is extremely varied. A double range of
+mountains extends through the United States, in a direction, from
+south-west to north-east; and another range traverses nearly the whole
+western regions, from north to south. No part of the world is so well
+watered with rivulets, rivers, and lakes, as this. Some of the _lakes_
+resemble inland seas. Lake Superior is nearly 300 miles long, and is
+more than 150 miles wide; and lakes Huron, Michigan, Erie, Ontario, and
+Champlain, are all of great size. The principal navigable _rivers_ of
+America are the Mississippi, the Ohio, the Missouri, and the Illinois.
+Of these the _Mississippi_ flows from the north, and falls into the Gulf
+of Mexico. The _Ohio_ flows into the Mississippi: it extends in a
+north-easterly direction, and receives fifteen large streams, all of
+which are navigable. The _Missouri_ and the _Illinois_ also flow into
+the Mississippi: and, by means of these several rivers, a commercial
+intercourse is effected, from the ocean to vast distances into the
+interior of the country. Other important rivers are the _Delaware_ and
+the _Hudson_, in the United States, and the _St. Lawrence_, in Canada.
+The _bays_ and harbours of North America are numerous, and many of them
+are well adapted for the reception and protection of ships. _Hudson's
+Bay_ is of greater extent than the whole Baltic sea. _Delaware Bay_ is
+60 miles long; and, in some parts, is so wide, that a vessel in the
+middle of it cannot be seen from either bank. _Chesapeak Bay_ extends
+270 miles inland. The _Bay of Honduras_ is on the south-eastern side of
+New Spain, and is noted for the trade in logwood and mahogany, which is
+carried on upon its banks.
+
+The _natural productions_ of North America are, in many respects,
+important. The forests abound in valuable timber-trees; among which are
+enumerated no fewer than forty-two different species of oaks.
+Fruit-trees of various kinds are abundant; and, in many places, grapes
+grow wild: the other vegetable productions are numerous and important.
+Among the quadrupeds are enumerated some small species of tigers, deer,
+elks of immense size, bisons, bears, wolves, foxes, beavers, porcupines,
+and opossums. The American forests abound in birds; and in those of
+districts that are distant from the settlements of men, wild turkeys,
+and several species of grouse are very numerous. In some of the forests
+of Canada, passenger-pigeons breed in myriads; and, during their
+periodical flight, from one part of the country to another, their
+numbers darken the air. The coasts, bays, and rivers, abound in fish;
+and various species of reptiles and serpents are known to inhabit the
+interior of the southern districts. Among the mountains most of the
+important metals are found: iron, lead, and copper, are all abundant;
+and coals are not uncommon.
+
+
+THE UNITED STATES.
+
+That part of North America which is under the government of the United
+States, now constitutes one of the most powerful and most enlightened
+nations in the world. The inhabitants enjoy the advantage of a vast
+extent of territory, over which the daily increasing population is able,
+with facility, to expand itself; and much of this territory, though
+covered with forests, is capable of being cleared, and many parts of it
+are every day cleared, for the purposes of cultivation.
+
+The origin of the United States may be dated from the time of the
+formation of an English colony in Virginia, about the year 1606. Other
+English colonies were subsequently formed; and, during one hundred and
+fifty years, these gradually increased in strength and prosperity, till,
+at length, the inhabitants threw off their dependance upon England, and
+established an independent republican government. This, after a long and
+expensive war, was acknowledged by Great Britain, in a treaty signed at
+Paris on the 30th of November, 1782.
+
+The _boundaries_ of the States were determined by this treaty; but, some
+important acquisitions of territory have since been made. In April,
+1803, _Louisiana_ was ceded to them by France; and this district, in
+its most limited extent, includes a surface of country, which, with the
+exception of Russia, is equal to the whole of Europe. _Florida_, by its
+local position, is connected with the United States: it belonged to
+Spain, but, in the year 1820, it was annexed to the territories of the
+republic.
+
+Geographical writers have divided the United States into three regions:
+the _lowlands_ or flat country; the highlands, and the mountains. Of
+these, the first extend from the Atlantic ocean to the falls of the
+great rivers. The _highlands_ reach from the falls to the foot of the
+mountains; and the _mountains_ stretch nearly through the whole country,
+in a direction from south-west to north-east. Their length is about 900
+miles, and their breadth from 60 to 200. They may be considered as
+separated into two distinct chains; of which the eastern chain has the
+name of _Blue Mountains_, and the western is known, at its southern
+extremity, by the name of _Cumberland_ and _Gauley Mountains_, and
+afterwards by that of the _Alleghany Mountains_. The Alleghanies are
+about 250 miles distant from the shore of the Atlantic. Towards the
+north there are other eminences, called the _Green Mountains_ and the
+_White Mountains_. The loftiest summits of the whole are said to be
+about 7000 feet in perpendicular height above the level of the sea.
+
+Few countries can boast a greater general fertility of _soil_ than North
+America. The soil of the higher lands consists, for the most part, of a
+brown loamy earth, and a yellowish sandy clay. Marine shells, and other
+substances, in a fossil state, are found at the depth of eighteen or
+twenty feet below the surface of the ground. Some of these are of very
+extraordinary description. In the year 1712, several bones and teeth of
+a vast nondescript quadruped, were dug up at Albany in the state of New
+York. By the ignorant inhabitants these were considered to be the
+remains of gigantic human bodies. In 1799 the bones of other individuals
+of this animal, which has since been denominated the _Mastodon_ or
+_American Mammoth_, were discovered beneath the surface of the ground,
+in the vicinity of Newburgh, on the river Hudson. Induced by the hope of
+being able to obtain a perfect skeleton, a Mr. Peale, of Philadelphia,
+purchased these bones, with the right of digging for others. He was
+indefatigable in his exertions, but was unable, for some time, to
+procure any more. He made an attempt in a morass about twelve miles
+distant from Newburgh, where an entire set of ribs was found, but
+unaccompanied by any other remains. In another morass, in Ulster county,
+he found several bones; among the rest a complete under jaw, and upper
+part of the head. From the whole of the fragments that he obtained, he
+was enabled to form two skeletons. One of these, under the name of
+mammoth, was exhibited in London, about a year afterwards. Its height at
+the shoulder was eleven feet; its whole length was fifteen feet; and its
+weight about one thousand pounds. This skeleton was furnished with large
+and curved ivory tusks, different in shape from those of an elephant,
+but similar in quality. In 1817 another skeleton was dug up, from the
+depth of only four feet, in the town of _Goshen_, near Chester. The
+tusks of this were more than nine feet in length.
+
+In a region so extensive as the United States, there must necessarily be
+a great variety of _climate_. In general, the heat of summer and the
+cold of winter are more intense, and the transitions, from the one to
+the other, are more sudden than in the old continent. The predominant
+winds are from the west; and the severest cold is felt from the
+north-west. Between the forty-second and forty-fifth degrees of
+latitude, the same parallel as the south of France, the winters are very
+severe. During winter, the ice of the rivers is sufficiently strong to
+bear the passage of horses and waggons; and snow is so abundant, as to
+admit the use of sledges. In Georgia the winters are mild. South
+Carolina is subject to immoderate heat, to tremendous hurricanes, and
+to terrific storms of thunder and lightning.
+
+The United States are usually classed in three divisions: the northern,
+the middle, and the southern. The _northern states_ have the general
+appellation of _New England_: they are Massachusetts, New Hampshire,
+Vermont, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. The _middle states_ are New
+York, New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana. The
+_southern states_ are Maryland, Virginia, Kentucky, North Carolina,
+South Carolina, Tenessee, and Louisiana.
+
+Besides these, the United States claim the government of the
+_territories_ of the Illinois, Alabama, and Mississippi. By a public
+ordinance, passed in the year 1787, a territory cannot be admitted into
+the American Union, until its population amounts to 60,000 free
+inhabitants. In the mean time, however, it is subject to a regular
+provisional form of government. The administration of this is entrusted
+to a governor, who is appointed by the president and congress of the
+United States; and who is invested with extensive powers, for protection
+of the interests of the States, and the observance of a strict faith
+towards the Indians, in the exchange of commodities, and the purchase of
+lands.
+
+The _government_ of the United States is denominated a "Federal
+Republic." Each state has a constitution for the management of its own
+internal affairs; and, by the federal constitution, they are all formed
+into one united body. The legislative power is vested in a _congress_ of
+delegates from the several states; this congress is divided into two
+distinct bodies, the _senate_ and the _house of representatives_. The
+members of the latter are elected every two years, by the people; and
+the senators are elected every six years, by the state legislatures. A
+senator must be thirty years of age, an inhabitant of the state in which
+he is elected, and must have been nine years a citizen of the United
+States: the present number of senators is thirty-eight. The executive
+power is vested in a _president_, who is chosen every four years. In
+the election both of members of congress, and of the president of the
+United States, it is asserted, that there is much manoeuvering, and
+much corrupt influence exerted. In the electioneering addresses of the
+defeated parties, these are, perhaps, as often made a subject of
+complaint and reproach, as they are in those of defeated candidates for
+the representation of counties or boroughs in the British House of
+Commons.
+
+Washington is the seat of government; and the president, when there,
+lives in a house destined for his use, and furnished at the expense of
+the nation. His annual salary is 25,000 dollars, about £.5600 sterling.
+The president, in virtue of his office, is commander-in-chief of the
+army and navy of the United States, and also of the militia, whenever it
+is called into actual service. He is empowered to make treaties, to
+appoint ambassadors, ministers, consuls, judges of the supreme court,
+and all military and other officers whose appointments are not otherwise
+provided for by the law.
+
+The _national council_ is composed of the President and Vice President;
+and the heads of the treasury, war, navy, and post-office establishment.
+
+The _inhabitants_ of the United States (says Mr. Warden[1]) have not
+that uniform character which belongs to ancient nations, upon whom, time
+and the stability of institutions, have imprinted a particular and
+individual character. The general physiognomy is as varied as its origin
+is different. English, Irish, Germans, Scotch, French, and Swiss, all
+retain some characteristic of their ancient country.
+
+The account given by Mr. Birkbeck is somewhat different from this. He
+asserts that, as far as he had an opportunity of judging, the native
+inhabitants of the towns are much alike; nine out of ten (he says) are
+tall and long limbed, approaching or even exceeding six feet. They are
+seen in pantaloons and Wellington boots; either marching up and down,
+with their hands in their pockets, or seated in chairs poised on the
+hind feet, and the backs rested against the walls. If a hundred
+Americans, of any class, were to seat themselves, ninety-nine (observes
+this gentleman) would shuffle their chairs to the true distance, and
+then throw themselves back against the nearest prop. The women exhibit a
+great similarity of tall, relaxed forms, with consistent dress and
+demeanour; and are not remarkable for sprightliness of manners.
+Intellectual culture has not yet made much progress among the generality
+of either sex; but the men, from their habit of travelling, and their
+consequent intercourse with strangers, have greatly the advantage, in
+the means of acquiring information. Mr. Birkbeck says that, in every
+village and town, as he passed along, he observed groups of young
+able-bodied men, who seemed to be as perfectly at leisure as the
+loungers of Europe. This love of indolence, where labour is so
+profitable, is a strange affection. If these people be asked why they so
+much indulge in it, they answer, that "they live in freedom; and need
+not work, like the English."
+
+In the interior of the United States, and in the back settlements,
+_land_ may be purchased, both of individuals and of the government, at
+very low rates. The price of uncleared land, or of land covered with
+trees, and not yet in a state fit for cultivation, is, in many
+instances, as low as two dollars an acre. The public lands are divided
+into townships of six miles square; each of which is subdivided into
+thirty-six sections, of one mile square, or 640 acres; and these are
+usually offered for sale, in quarter sections, of 160 acres. The
+purchase money may be paid by four equal instalments; the first within
+forty days, and the others within two, three, and four years after the
+completion of the purchase.
+
+Mr. Birkbeck thus describes the mode in which _towns_ _are formed_ in
+America. On any spot, (says he,) where a few settlers cluster together,
+attracted by ancient neighbourhood, or by the goodness of the soil, or
+vicinity to a mill, or by whatever other cause, some enterprising
+proprietor perhaps finds, in his section, what he deems a good site for
+a town: he has it surveyed, and laid out in lots, which he sells, or
+offers to sale by auction. When these are disposed of, the new town
+assumes the name of its founder: a store-keeper builds a little framed
+store, and sends for a few cases of goods; and then a tavern starts up,
+which becomes the residence of a doctor and a lawyer, and the boarding
+house of the store-keeper, as well as the resort of the traveller. Soon
+follow a blacksmith, and other handicraftsmen, in useful succession. A
+school-master, who is also the minister of religion, becomes an
+important acquisition to this rising community. Thus the town proceeds,
+if it proceed at all, with accumulating force, until it becomes the
+metropolis of the neighbourhood. Hundreds of these speculations may have
+failed, but hundreds prosper; and thus trade begins and thrives, as
+population increases around favourite spots. The town being established,
+a cluster of inhabitants, however small it may be, acts as a stimulus on
+the cultivation of the neighbourhood: redundancy of supply is the
+consequence, and this demands a vent. Water-mills rise on the nearest
+navigable streams, and thus an effectual and constant market is secured
+for the increasing surplus of produce. Such are the elements of that
+accumulating mass of commerce which may, hereafter, render this one of
+the most important and most powerful countries in the world.
+
+Though the Americans boast of the freedom which they personally enjoy,
+they, most inconsistently, allow the importation and employment of
+_slaves_; and, with such unjust detestation are these unhappy beings
+treated, that a negro is not permitted to eat at the same table, nor
+even to frequent the same place of worship, as a white person. The white
+_servants_, on the contrary, esteem themselves on an equality with
+their masters. They style themselves "helps," and will not suffer
+themselves to be called "servants." When they speak to their masters or
+mistresses, they either call them by their names; or they substitute the
+term "boss," for that of master. All this, however, is a difference
+merely of words; for the Americans exhibit no greater degree of feeling,
+nor are they at all more considerate in their conduct towards this class
+of society, than the inhabitants of other nations. Indeed the contrary
+is very often the case. Most persons, in America, engage their servants
+by the week, and no enquiry is ever made relative to character, as is
+customary with us.
+
+The _constitution_ of the United States guarantees freedom of speech and
+liberty of the press. By law all the inhabitants are esteemed equal. The
+chief military strength of the country is in the militia; and, whenever
+this is embodied, every male inhabitant beyond a certain age, is
+compellable either to bear arms, or to pay an equivalent to be excused
+from this service. Trial by jury is to be preserved inviolate. A
+republican form of government is guaranteed to all the states, and
+hereditary titles and distinctions are prohibited by the law. With
+regard to religion, it is stipulated that no law shall ever be passed to
+establish any particular form of religion, or to prevent the free
+exercise of it; and, in the United States, no religious test is required
+as a qualification to any office of public trust.
+
+In _commerce_ and _navigation_ the progress of the States has been rapid
+beyond example. Besides the natural advantages of excellent harbours,
+extensive inland bays, and navigable rivers, the Americans assert that
+their trade is not fettered by monopolies, nor by exclusive privileges
+of any description. Goods or merchandise circulate through the whole
+country free of duty; and a full drawback, or restitution of the duties
+of importation, is granted upon articles exported to a foreign port, in
+the course of the year in which they have been imported. Commerce is
+here considered a highly honourable employment; and, in the sea-port
+towns, all the wealthiest members of the community are merchants. Nearly
+all the materials for manufactures are produced in this country. Fuel is
+inexhaustible; and the high wages of the manufacturers, and the want of
+an extensive capital, alone prevent the Americans from rivalling the
+English in trade. The produce of cultivation in America is of almost
+every variety that can be named: wheat, maize, rye, oats, barley, rice,
+and other grain; apples, pears, cherries, peaches, grapes, currants,
+gooseberries, plums, and other fruit, and a vast variety of vegetables.
+Lemons, oranges, and tropical fruits are raised in the southern States.
+Hops, flax, and hemp are abundant. Tobacco is an article of extensive
+cultivation in Virginia, Maryland, and some other districts. Cotton and
+sugar are staple commodities in several of the states. The northern and
+eastern states are well adapted for grazing, and furnish a great number
+of valuable horses, and of cattle and sheep; and an abundance of butter
+and cheese.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+It will be possible to describe nearly all the most important places
+within the limits of the United States, by reciting, in succession, the
+narratives of different travellers through this interesting country. In
+so doing, however, it may perhaps be found requisite, in a few
+instances, to separate the parts of their narrations, for the purpose of
+more methodical illustration; but this alteration of arrangement will
+not often occur.
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+[1] Statistical, political, and historical account of the United
+States.
+
+
+
+
+Second Day's Instruction.
+
+UNITED STATES CONTINUED.
+
+
+_An account of New York and its vicinity. From Sketches of America by_
+HENRY BRADSHAW FEARON.
+
+Mr. Fearon was deputed by several friends in England, to visit the
+United States, for the purpose of obtaining information, by which they
+should regulate their conduct, in emigrating from their native country,
+to settle in America. He arrived in the bay of New York, about the
+beginning of August, 1817.
+
+Here every object was interesting to him. The pilot brought on board the
+ship the newspapers of the morning. In these, many of the advertisements
+had, to Mr. Fearon, the character of singularity. One of them,
+announcing a play, terminated thus: "gentlemen are informed that no
+smoking is allowed in the theatre." Several sailing boats passed, with
+respectable persons in them, many of whom wore enormously large straw
+hats, turned up behind. At one o'clock, the vessel was anchored close to
+the city; and a great number of persons were collected on the wharf to
+witness her arrival. Many of these belonged to the labouring class;
+others were of the mercantile and genteeler orders. Large straw hats
+prevailed, and trowsers were universal. The general costume of these
+persons was inferior to that of men in the same rank of life in England:
+their whole appearance was loose, slovenly, careless, and not remarkable
+for cleanliness. The wholesale stores, which front the river, had not
+the most attractive appearance imaginable. The carts were long and
+narrow, and each was drawn by one horse. The hackney-coaches were open
+at the sides, an arrangement well suited to this warm climate; and the
+charge was about one fourth higher than in London.
+
+This city, when approached from the sea, presents an appearance that is
+truly beautiful. It stands at the extreme point of Manhattan, or York
+island, which is thirteen miles long, and from one to two miles wide;
+and the houses are built from shore to shore. Vessels of any burden can
+come close up to the town, and lie there in perfect safety, in a natural
+harbour formed by the _East_ and _Hudson's rivers_. New York contains
+120,000 inhabitants, and is, indisputably, the most important commercial
+city in America.
+
+The _streets_ through which Mr. Fearon passed, to a boarding-house in
+State-street, were narrow and dirty. The _Battery_, however, is a
+delightful walk, at the edge of the bay; and several of the houses in
+State-street are as large as those in Bridge-street, Blackfriars,
+London. At the house in which Mr. Fearon resided, the hours of eating
+were, breakfast, eight o'clock; dinner half-past three, tea seven, and
+supper ten; and the whole expence of living amounted to about eighteen
+dollars per week.
+
+The _street population_ of New York has an aspect very different from
+that of London, or the large towns in England. One striking feature of
+it is formed by the number of blacks, many of whom are finely dressed:
+the females are ludicrously so, generally in white muslin, with
+artificial flowers and pink shoes. Mr. Fearon saw very few well-dressed
+white ladies; but this was a time of the year when most of them were
+absent at the springs of Balston and Saratoga, places of fashionable
+resort, about 200 miles from New York.
+
+All the native inhabitants of this city have sallow complexions. To have
+colour in the cheeks is here considered a criterion by which a person is
+known to be an Englishman. The young men are tall, thin, and solemn:
+they all wear trowsers, and most of them walk about in loose great
+coats.
+
+There are, in New York, many _hotels_; some of which are on an extensive
+scale. The City Hotel is as large as the London Tavern. The dining-room
+and some of the private apartments seem to have been fitted up
+regardless of expense. The _shops_, or stores, as they are here called,
+have nothing in their exterior to recommend them to notice: there is not
+even an attempt at tasteful display. In this city the linen and
+woollen-drapers expose great quantities of their goods, loose on boxes,
+in the street, without any precaution against theft. This practice, a
+proof of their carelessness, is at the same time an evidence as to the
+political state of society which is worthy of attention. Great masses of
+the population cannot be unemployed, or robbery would be inevitable.
+
+There are, in New York, many excellent private dwellings, built of red
+painted brick, which gives them a peculiarly neat and clean appearance.
+In Broadway and Wall-street, trees are planted along the side of the
+pavement. The City Hall is a large and elegant building, in which the
+courts of law are held. Most of the _streets_ are dirty: in many of them
+sawyers prepare their wood for sale, and all are infested with pigs.
+
+On the whole, a walk through New York will disappoint an Englishman:
+there is an apparent carelessness, a laziness, an unsocial indifference,
+which freezes the blood and disgusts the judgment. An evening stroll
+along Broadway, when the lamps are lighted, will please more than one at
+noonday. The shops will look rather better, but the manners of the
+proprietors will not greatly please an Englishman: their cold
+indifference may be mistaken, by themselves, for independence, but no
+person of thought and observation will ever concede to them that they
+have selected a wise mode of exhibiting that dignified feeling.
+
+[There is, in New York, a seminary for education, called _Columbia
+College_. This institution was originally named "King's College," and
+was founded in the year 1754. Its annual revenue is about 4000 dollars.
+A botanic garden, situated about four miles from the city, was, not long
+ago, purchased by the state, of Dr. Hosach, for 73,000 dollars, and
+given to the college. The faculty of medicine, belonging to this
+institution, has been incorporated under the title of "The College of
+Physicians and Surgeons of the University of New York."]
+
+The _Town Hall_ of this city is a noble building, of white marble; and
+the space around it is planted and railed off. The interior appears to
+be well arranged. In the rooms of the mayor and corporation, are
+portraits of several governors of this state, and of some distinguished
+officers. The state rooms and courts of justice are on the first floor.
+In the immediate vicinity of the hall is an extensive building,
+appropriated to the "New York Institution," the "Academy of fine Arts,"
+and the "American Museum." There are also a state prison, an hospital,
+and many splendid churches.
+
+When a traveller surveys this city, and recollects that, but two
+centuries since, the spot on which it stands was a wilderness, he cannot
+but be surprised at its present comparative extent and opulence.
+
+With regard to _trades_ in New York, Mr. Fearon remarks that building
+appeared to be carried on to a considerable extent, and was generally
+performed by contract. There were many timber, or lumber-yards, (as they
+are here called,) but not on the same large and compact scale as in
+England. Cabinet-work was neatly executed, and at a reasonable price.
+Chair-making was an extensive business. Professional men, he says,
+literally swarm in the United States; and lawyers are as common in New
+York as paupers are in England. A gentleman, walking in the Broadway,
+seeing a friend pass, called out to him, "Doctor!" and immediately
+sixteen persons turned round, to answer the call. It is estimated that
+there are, in New York, no fewer than 1500 spirit shops, yet the
+Americans have not the character of being drunkards. There are several
+large carvers' and gilders' shops; and glass-mirrors and picture-frames
+are executed with taste and elegance. Plate-glass is imported from
+France, Holland, and England. Booksellers' shops are extensive; but
+English novels and poetry are the primary articles of a bookseller's
+business. Many of the popular English books are here reprinted, but in a
+smaller size, and on worse paper than the original. There are, in this
+city, a few boarding-schools for ladies; but, in general, males and
+females, of all ages, are educated at the same establishment. No species
+of correction is allowed. Children, even at home, are perfectly
+independent; subordination being foreign to the comprehension of all
+persons in the United States.
+
+The _rents of houses_ are here extremely high. Very small houses, in
+situations not convenient for business, and containing, in the whole,
+only six rooms, are worth from £.75 to £.80 per annum; and for similar
+houses, in first-rate situations, the rents as high as from £.160 to
+£.200 are paid. Houses like those in Oxford-street and the best part of
+Holborn, are let for £.500 or £.600 pounds per annum.
+
+_Provisions_ are somewhat cheaper than in London; but most of the
+articles of clothing are dear, being chiefly of British manufacture.
+With regard to _religion_ in the United States, there is legally the
+most unlimited liberty. There is no established religion; but the
+professors of the presbyterian and the episcopalian, or church of
+England tenets, take the precedence, both in numbers and respectability.
+Their ministers receive each from two to eight thousand dollars per
+annum. All the churches are said to be well filled. The episcopalians,
+though they do not form any part of the state, have their bishops and
+other orders, as in England.
+
+Mr. Fearon remarks, generally, respecting the United States, that every
+industrious man may obtain a living; but that America is not the
+political elysium which it has been so floridly described, and which the
+imaginations of many have fondly anticipated.
+
+In the _courts of law_ there appears to be a perfect equality between
+the judge, the counsel, the jury, the tipstaff, and the auditors; and
+Mr. Fearon was informed that great corruption exists in the minor
+courts.
+
+New York is called a "free state;" and it may perhaps be so termed
+theoretically, or in comparison with its southern neighbours; but, even
+here, there are multitudes of negroes in a state of slavery, and who are
+bought and sold as cattle would be in England. And so degrading do the
+white inhabitants consider it, to associate with blacks, that the latter
+are absolutely excluded from all places of public worship, which the
+whites attend. Even the most degraded white person will neither eat nor
+walk with a negro.
+
+_Long Island_ is a part of the state of New York, one hundred and twenty
+miles in length, and twelve in breadth. It is chiefly occupied by
+farmers; and is divided into two counties.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Mr. Fearon made several excursions into the state of _New Jersey_,
+situated opposite to that of New York, and on the southern side of the
+river _Hudson_. The valleys abound in black oaks, ash, palms, and poplar
+trees. Oak and hickory-nut trees grow in situations which are
+overflowed. The soil is not considered prolific. _Newark_ is a
+manufacturing town, in this province, of considerable importance, and
+delightfully situated. It contains many excellent houses, and a
+population of about eight thousand persons, including slaves. Carriages
+and chairs are here made in great numbers, chiefly for sale in the
+southern markets.
+
+For the purpose of visiting the property of a gentleman who resided in
+the vicinity of _Fishkill_, a creek somewhat more than sixty miles from
+New York, Mr. Fearon took his passage in a steam-boat. He paid for his
+fare three dollars and a half, and the voyage occupied somewhat more
+than eight hours. The vessel was of the most splendid description. It
+contained one hundred and sixty beds; and the ladies had a distinct
+cabin. On the deck were numerous conveniences, such as baggage-rooms,
+smoking-rooms, &c. The general occupation, during the voyage, was
+card-playing. In the houses of two gentlemen whom Mr. Fearon visited
+near Fishkill, he was much gratified by the style of living, the
+substantial elegance of the furniture, and the mental talents of the
+company. Here he found both comfort and cleanliness, requisites which
+are scarcely known in America.
+
+In a general summary of his opinion respecting persons desirous of
+emigrating from England to America, Mr. Fearon says, that the capitalist
+may obtain, for his money, seven per cent. with good security. The
+lawyer and the doctor will not succeed. An orthodox minister would do
+so. The proficient in the fine arts will find little encouragement. The
+literary man must starve. The tutor's posts are all occupied. The
+shopkeeper may do as well, but not better than in London, unless he be a
+man of superior talent, and have a large capital: for such requisites
+there is a fine opening. The farmer must labour hard, and be but
+scantily remunerated. The clerk and shopman will get but little more
+than their board and lodging. Mechanics, whose trades are of the _first
+necessity_, will do well: but men who are not mechanics, and who
+understand only the cotton, linen, woollen, glass, earthenware, silk, or
+stocking manufactories, cannot obtain employment. The labouring man will
+do well; particularly if he have a wife and children who are capable of
+contributing, not merely to the consuming, but also to the earning of
+the common stock.
+
+
+_Narrative of_ MR. FEARON'S _Journey from New York to Boston._
+
+ON the 8th of September this gentleman left New York for Boston. After a
+passage of twelve hours, the vessel in which he sailed arrived at _New
+Haven_, a city in Connecticut, distant from New York, by water, about
+ninety miles. This place has a population of about five thousand
+persons, and has the reputation of ranking among the most beautiful
+towns in the United States. [It is situated at the head of a bay,
+between two rivers, and contains about five hundred houses, which are
+chiefly built of wood, but on a regular plan: it has also several public
+edifices, and about four thousand inhabitants. The harbour is spacious,
+well protected, and has good anchorage. There is at New Haven a college,
+superintended by a president, a professor in divinity, and three
+tutors.]
+
+From this place Mr. Fearon proceeded to _New London_, a small town on
+the west side of the river Thames. Here he took a place in the coach for
+Providence. American stages are a species of vehicles with which none in
+England can be compared. They carry twelve passengers: none outside. The
+coachman, or driver, sits inside with the company. In length they are
+nearly equal to two English stages. Few of them go on springs. The sides
+are open; the roof being supported by six small posts. The luggage is
+carried behind, and in the inside. The seats are pieces of plain board;
+and there are leathers which can be let down from the top, and which,
+though useful as a protection against wet, are of little service in cold
+weather.
+
+The passengers breakfasted at _Norwich_, a manufacturing and trading
+town, about fourteen miles from New London; and, at six o'clock in the
+evening, they arrived at _New Providence_, the capital of Rhode Island,
+having occupied thirteen hours in travelling only fifty miles. In the
+general appearance of the country, Mr. Fearon had been somewhat
+disappointed. All the houses within sight from the road were
+farm-houses. He remarks that, in Connecticut and Rhode Island, the land
+was stony, and the price of produce was not commensurate to that of
+labour.
+
+On entering Providence, Mr. Fearon was much pleased with the beauty of
+the place. In appearance, it combined the attractions of Southampton and
+Doncaster, in England. There are, in this town, an excellent
+market-house, a workhouse, four or five public schools, an university
+with a tolerable library, and an hospital. Several of the churches are
+handsome, but they, as well as many private houses, are built of wood
+painted white, and have green Venetian shutters. Mr. Fearon had not seen
+a town either in America or Europe which bore the appearance of general
+prosperity, equal to Providence. Ship and house-builders were fully
+occupied, as indeed were all classes of mechanics. The residents of this
+place are chiefly native Americans; for foreign emigrants seem never to
+think of New England. Rent and provisions are here much lower than in
+New York.
+
+At _Pawtucket_, four miles from Providence, are thirteen cotton
+manufactories; six of which are on a large scale. Mr. Fearon visited
+three of them. They had excellent machinery; but not more than one half
+of this was in operation, and the persons employed in all the
+manufactories combined, were not equal in number to those at one of
+moderate size in Lancashire.
+
+The road from Providence to Boston is much better than that which Mr.
+Fearon had already passed from New London. The aspect of the country
+also was improved; but there was nothing in either, as to mere
+appearance, which would be inviting to an inhabitant of England.
+
+From its irregularity, and from other circumstances, _Boston_ is much
+more like an English town than New York. The names are English, and the
+inhabitants are by no means so uniformly sallow, as they are in many
+other parts of America. This town is considered the head quarters of
+Federalism in politics, and of Unitarianism in religion. It contains
+many rich families. The Bostonians are also the most enlightened, and
+the most hospitable people whom Mr. Fearon had yet seen in America:
+they, however, in common with all New Englanders, have the character of
+being greater sharpers, and more generally dishonourable, than the
+natives of other sections of the Union.
+
+The _Athæneum public library_, under the management of Mr. Shaw, is a
+valuable establishment. It contained, at this time, 18,000 volumes, four
+thousand of which were the property of the secretary of state.
+
+The society in Boston is considered better than that in New York. Many
+of the richer families live in great splendour, and in houses little
+inferior to those of Russell-square, London. Distinctions here exist to
+an extent rather ludicrous under a free and popular government: there
+are the first class, second class, third class, and the "old families."
+Titles, too, are diffusely distributed.
+
+Boston is not a thriving, that is, not an increasing town. It wants a
+fertile back country; and it is too far removed from the western states
+to have much trade.
+
+On an eminence, in the Mall, (a fine public walk,) is built the _State
+House_, in which the legislature holds its meetings. The view from the
+top of this building is peculiarly fine. The islands, the shipping, the
+town, the hill and dale scenery, for a distance of thirty miles, present
+an assemblage of objects which are beautifully picturesque. Boston was
+the birth-place of Dr. Franklin, and in this town the first dawnings of
+the American revolution broke forth. The heights of Dorchester and
+Bunker's Hill are in its immediate vicinity.
+
+On the 20th of September Mr. Fearon walked to _Bunker's Hill_. It is of
+moderate height. The monument, placed here in commemoration of the
+victory obtained by the English over the Americans, on the 17th of June,
+1776, is of brick and wood, and without inscription.
+
+[At _Cambridge_, four miles from Boston, is a college, called _Harvard
+College_, in honour of the Rev. John Harvard of Charleston, who left to
+it his library, and a considerable sum of money. This college is upon a
+scale so large and liberal, as to consist of seven spacious buildings,
+and to contain two hundred and fifty apartments for officers and
+students. It has an excellent library of about 17,000 volumes, a
+philosophical apparatus, and a museum of natural history. The average
+number of students is about two hundred and sixty. Admission into this
+college requires a previous knowledge of mathematics, Latin, and Greek.
+All the students have equal rights; and each class has peculiar
+instructors. Degrees are here conferred, as in the English universities;
+and the period of study requisite for the degree of bachelor of arts is
+four years. The professorships are numerous. Harvard College furnishes
+instructors and teachers to the most distant parts of the union; and, in
+general, for the extent of its funds, the richness of its library, the
+number and character of its establishments, and the means it affords of
+acquiring, not only an academical, but a professional education, it is
+considered to be without an equal in the country. It is, however,
+remarked, that this college is somewhat heretical in matters of
+religion; as most of the theological students leave it disaffected
+towards the doctrine of the Trinity.]
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+From this place we must return to New York, for the purpose of
+accompanying Mr. Weld on a voyage up the river Hudson to Lake Champlain.
+
+
+
+
+Third Day's Instruction.
+
+UNITED STATES, AND PART OF CANADA.
+
+
+_Narrative of a Voyage up the River Hudson, from New York to Lake
+Champlain. By_ ISAAC WELD, Esq.
+
+Mr. Weld, having taken his passage in one of the sloops which trade on
+the North or Hudson's river, betwixt New York and Albany, embarked on
+the second of July. Scarcely a breath of air was stirring, and the tide
+carried the vessel along at the rate of about two miles and a half an
+hour. The prospects that were presented to his view, in passing up this
+magnificent stream, were peculiarly grand and beautiful. In some places
+the river expands to the breadth of five or six miles, in others it
+narrows to that of a few hundred yards; and, in various parts, it is
+interspersed with islands. From several points of view its course can be
+traced to a great distance up the Hudson, whilst in others it is
+suddenly lost to the sight, as it winds between its lofty banks. Here
+mountains, covered with rocks and trees, rise almost perpendicularly out
+of the water; there a fine champaign country presents itself, cultivated
+to the very margin of the river, whilst neat farm-houses and distant
+towns embellish the charming landscapes.
+
+After sunset a brisk wind sprang up, which carried the vessel at the
+rate of six or seven miles an hour for a considerable part of the night;
+but for some hours it was requisite for her to lie at anchor, in a place
+where the navigation of the river was intricate.
+
+Early the next morning the voyagers found themselves opposite to _West
+Point_, a place rendered remarkable in the history of the American war,
+by the desertion of General Arnold, and the consequent death of the
+unfortunate Major André. The fort stands about one hundred and fifty
+feet above the level of the water, and on the side of a barren hill. It
+had, at this time, a most melancholy aspect. Near West Point the
+Highlands, as they are called, commence, and extend along the river, on
+each side, for several miles.
+
+About four o'clock in the morning of the 4th of July, the vessel reached
+_Albany_, the place of its destination, one hundred and sixty miles
+distant from New York. Albany is a city which, at this time, contained
+about eleven hundred houses; and the number was fast increasing. In the
+old part of the town, the streets were very narrow, and the houses bad.
+The latter were all in the old Dutch taste, with the gable ends towards
+the street, and ornamented at the top with large iron weather-cocks; but
+in that part of the town which had been lately erected, the streets
+were commodious, and many of the houses were handsome. Great pains had
+been taken to have the streets well paved and lighted. In summer time
+Albany is a disagreeable place; for it stands in a low situation on the
+margin of the river, which here runs very slowly, and which, towards the
+evening, often exhales clouds of vapour.
+
+[In 1817, Albany is described, by Mr. Hall, to have had a gay and
+thriving appearance, and nothing Dutch about it, except the names of
+some of its inhabitants. Being the seat of government for New York, it
+has a parliament-house, dignified with the name of Capitol. This stands
+upon an eminence, and has a lofty columnar porch; but, as the building
+is small, it seems to be all porch. There is a miserable little museum
+here, which contains a group of waxen figures brought from France,
+representing the execution of Louis the Sixteenth. Albany is now a place
+of considerable trade; and, if a canal be completed betwixt this town
+and Lake Erie, it will become a town of great importance.]
+
+The 4th of July, the day of Mr. Weld's arrival at Albany, was the
+anniversary of the declaration of American independence. About noon a
+drum and trumpet gave notice that the rejoicings would immediately
+commence; and, on walking to a hill, about a quarter of a mile from the
+town, Mr. Weld saw sixty men drawn up, partly militia, partly
+volunteers, partly infantry, partly cavalry. The last were clothed in
+scarlet, and were mounted on horses of various descriptions. About three
+hundred spectators attended. A few rounds from a three-pounder were
+fired, and some volleys of small-arms. When the firing ceased, the
+troops returned to the town, a party of militia officers, in uniform,
+marching in the rear, under the shade of umbrellas, as the day was
+excessively hot. Having reached the town, the whole body dispersed. The
+volunteers and militia officers afterwards dined together, and thus
+ended the rejoicings of the day.
+
+Mr. Weld remained in Albany for a few days, and then set off for
+Skenesborough, upon Lake Champlain, in a carriage hired for the purpose.
+In about two hours he arrived at the small village of _Cohoz_, close to
+which is a remarkable cataract in the _Mohawk River_. This river takes
+its rise to the north-east of Lake Oneida, and, after a course of one
+hundred and forty miles, joins the Hudson about ten miles above Albany.
+The _Cohoz fall_ is about three miles from the mouth of this river, and
+at a place where its width is about three hundred yards: a ledge of
+rocks extends quite across the stream, and from the top of these the
+water falls about fifty feet perpendicular: the line of the fall, from
+one side of the river to the other, is nearly straight. The appearance
+of this cataract varies much, according to the quantity of water: when
+the river is full, the water descends in an unbroken sheet from one bank
+to the other; but, at other times, the greater part of the rocks is left
+uncovered.
+
+From this place Mr. Weld proceeded along the banks of the _Hudson
+River_, and, late in the evening, reached _Saratoga_, thirty-five miles
+from Albany. This place contained about forty houses; but they were so
+scattered, that it had not the least appearance of a town.
+
+Near Saratoga, on the borders of a marsh, are several remarkable mineral
+springs: one of these, in the crater of a rock, of pyramidical form, and
+about five feet in height, is particularly curious. This rock seems to
+have been formed by the petrifaction of the water; and all the other
+springs are surrounded by similar petrifactions.
+
+Of the works thrown up at Saratoga, during the war, by the British and
+American armies, there were now scarcely any remains. The country around
+was well cultivated, and most of the trenches had been levelled by the
+plough. Mr. Weld here crossed the Hudson River, and proceeded, for some
+distance, along its eastern shore. After this the road was most
+wretched, particularly over a long causeway, which had been formed
+originally for the transporting of cannon. This causeway consisted of
+large, trees laid side by side. Some of them being decayed, great
+intervals were left, in which the wheels of the carriage were sometimes
+locked so fast, that the horses alone could not possibly extricate them.
+The woods on each side of the road had a much more majestic appearance
+than any that Mr. Weld had seen since he had left Philadelphia. This,
+however, was owing more to the great height than to the thickness of the
+trees, for he could not see one that appeared more than thirty inches in
+diameter. The trees here were chiefly oaks, hiccory, hemlock, and beech;
+intermixed with which appeared great numbers of smooth-barked, or
+Weymouth pines. A profusion of wild raspberries were growing in the
+woods.
+
+After having experienced almost inconceivable difficulty, in consequence
+of the badness of the road; and having occupied five hours in travelling
+only twelve miles, Mr. Weld arrived at _Skenesborough_. This is a little
+town, which stands near the southern extremity of Lake Champlain. It
+consisted, at this time, of only twelve houses, and was dreadfully
+infested with musquitoes, a large kind of gnats, which abound in the
+swampy parts of all hot countries. Such myriads of these insects
+attacked Mr. Weld, the first night of his sleeping there, that, when he
+rose in the morning, his face and hands were covered with large
+pustules, like those of a person in the small-pox. The situation of
+Skenesborough, on the margin of a piece of water which is almost
+stagnant, and which is shaded by thick woods, is peculiarly favourable
+to the increase of these insects.
+
+Shortly after their arrival in Skenesborough, Mr. Weld, and two
+gentlemen by whom he was accompanied, hired a boat of about ten tons
+burden, for the purpose of crossing _Lake Champlain_. The vessel sailed
+at one o'clock in the day; but, as the channel was narrow, and the wind
+adverse, they were only able to proceed about six miles before sunset.
+Having brought the vessel to an anchor, the party landed and walked to
+some adjacent farm-houses, in the hope of obtaining provisions; but they
+were not able to procure any thing except milk and cheese. The next day
+they reached _Ticonderoga_. Here the only dwelling was a tavern, a large
+house built of stone. On entering it, the party was shown into a
+spacious apartment, crowded with boatmen and other persons, who had just
+arrived from St. John's in Canada. The man of the house was a judge; a
+sullen, demure old gentleman, who sate by the fire, with tattered
+clothes and dishevelled locks, reading a book, and was totally
+regardless of every person in the house.
+
+The old fort and barracks of Ticonderoga, are on the top of a rising
+ground, just behind the tavern: they were at this time in ruins, and it
+is not likely that they ever will be rebuilt; for the situation is a
+very insecure one, being commanded by a lofty hill, called Mount
+Defiance. During the great American war, the British troops obtained
+possession of this place, by dragging cannon and mortars up the hill,
+and firing down upon the fort.
+
+Mr. Weld and his friends, on leaving Ticonderoga, pursued their voyage
+to _Crown Point_: Here they landed to inspect the old fort. Nothing,
+however, was to be seen but a heap of ruins; for, shortly before it was
+surrendered by the British troops, the powder-magazine blew up, and a
+great part of the works was destroyed; and, since the final evacuation
+of the place, the people of the neighbourhood have been continually
+digging in different parts, in the hope of procuring lead and iron shot.
+At the south side only the ditches remain perfect: they are wide and
+deep, and are cut through immense rocks of limestone; and, from being
+overgrown, towards the top, with different kinds of shrubs, they have a
+grand and picturesque appearance.
+
+While the party were here, they were agreeably surprised with the sight
+of a large birch-canoe, upon the lake, navigated by two or three
+Indians, in the dresses of their nation. These made for the shore, and
+soon landed; and, shortly afterwards, another party arrived, that had
+come by land.
+
+_Lake Champlain_ is about one hundred and twenty miles in length, and is
+of various breadths: for the first thirty miles it is, in no place, more
+than two miles wide; beyond this, for the distance of twelve miles, it
+is five or six miles across; but it afterwards narrows, and again, at
+the end of a few miles, expands. That part called the _Broad Lake_,
+because broader than any other, is eighteen miles across. Here the lake
+is interspersed with a great number of islands. The soundings of Lake
+Champlain are, in general, very deep; in many places they are sixty and
+seventy, and in some even one hundred fathoms in depth.
+
+The scenery, along the shores of the lake, is extremely grand and
+picturesque; particularly beyond Crown Point. Here they are beautifully
+ornamented with hanging woods and rocks; and the mountains, on the
+western side, rise in ranges one behind another, in the most magnificent
+manner possible.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Crossing from the head of Lake Champlain, westward to the river St.
+Lawrence, we shall describe the places adjacent to that river, and some
+of the north-western parts of the state of New York, in
+
+
+_A Narrative of_ LIEUTENANT HALL'S _Journey from Canada to the
+Cataract of Niagara._
+
+Mr. Hall had travelled from Montreal, in Canada, to Prescott, in a
+stage-waggon, which carried the mail; and he says that he can answer for
+its being one of the roughest conveyances on either side of the
+Atlantic.
+
+The face of the country is invariably flat; and settlements have not,
+hitherto, spread far from the banks of the _St. Lawrence_.
+
+_Prescott_ is remarkable for nothing but a square redoubt, or fort,
+called Fort Wellington. The accommodations at this place were so bad
+that Mr. Hall, at midnight, seated himself in a light waggon, in which
+two gentlemen were proceeding to Brockville. These gentlemen afterwards
+offered him a passage to Kingston, in a boat belonging to the British
+navy, which was waiting for them at _Brockville_.
+
+The banks of the river St. Lawrence, from the neighbourhood of
+Brockville, are of limestone, and from twenty to fifty feet in height.
+Immense masses of reddish granite are also scattered along the bed of
+the stream, and sometimes project from the shore. The numerous islands
+which crowd the approach to _Lake Ontario_, have all a granite basis:
+they are clothed with cedar and pine-trees, and with an abundance of
+raspberry plants. The bed of the _Gananoqua_ is also of granite. This
+river is rising into importance, from the circumstance of a new
+settlement being formed, under the auspices of the British government,
+on the waters with which it communicates.
+
+This settlement lies at the head of the lakes of the _Rideau_, and, in
+case of another American war, is meant to secure a communication betwixt
+Montreal and Kingston, by way of the Utawa. The settlers are chiefly
+disbanded soldiers, who clear and cultivate the land, under the
+superintendance of officers of the quarter-master-general's department.
+A canal has been cut to avoid the falls of the Rideau; and the
+communication, either by the Gananoqua, or Kingston, will be improved by
+locks. _Kingston_, which is within the Canadian dominions, is admirably
+situated for naval purposes.
+
+The basis of the soil on which this town is situated is limestone,
+disposed in horizontal strata. Kingston contains some good houses and
+stores; a small theatre, built by the military, for private theatricals;
+a large wooden government house, and all the appendages of an extensive
+military and naval establishment; with as much society as can
+reasonably be expected, in a town but lately created from the "howling
+desert." The adjacent country is flat, stony, and barren. Mr. Hall says
+that fleets of ships occasionally lie off Kingston, several of which are
+as large as any on the ocean. Vessels of large dimensions were at this
+time building, on the spot where, a few months before, their
+frame-timbers had been growing.
+
+Mr. Hall left Kingston, in a packet, for the American station of
+_Sackett's harbour_. This, after Kingston, has a mean appearance: its
+situation is low, its harbour is small, and its fortifications are of
+very different construction, both as to form and materials, from those
+of the former town. The navy-yard consists merely of a narrow tongue of
+land, the point of which affords just space sufficient for the
+construction of one first-rate vessel; with room for work-shops, and
+stores, on the remaining part of it. One of the largest vessels in the
+world, was at this time on the stocks. The town consists of a long
+street, in the direction of the river, with a few smaller streets
+crossing it at right angles: it covers less ground than Kingston, and
+has fewer good houses; but it has an advantage which Kingston does not
+possess, in a broad flagged footway.
+
+The distance from Sackett's harbour to _Watertown_ is about ten miles.
+This is an elegant village on the _Black River_. It contains about
+twelve hundred inhabitants, chiefly emigrants from New England. The
+houses are, for the most part, of wood, but tastefully finished; and a
+few are built of bricks.
+
+At Watertown there was a good tavern, which afforded to Mr. Hall and his
+companions a luxury unusual in America, a private sitting-room, and
+dinner at an hour appointed by themselves. Within a few miles of
+Watertown the country rises boldly, and presents a refreshing contrast,
+of hill and valley, to the flat, heavy woods, through which they had
+been labouring from Sackett's harbour.
+
+_Utica_, the town at which the travellers next arrived stands on the
+right bank of the _River Mohawk_, over which it is approached by a
+covered wooden bridge, of considerable length. The appearance of this
+town is highly prepossessing: the streets are spacious; the houses are
+large and well built; and the stores, the name given to shops throughout
+America, are as well supplied, and as handsomely fitted up, as those of
+New York or Philadelphia.
+
+There are at Utica two hotels, on a large scale; one of which, the York
+House, was equal in arrangement and accommodation, to any hotel beyond
+the Atlantic: it was kept by an Englishman from Bath. The inhabitants,
+from three to four thousand in number, maintained four churches: one
+episcopal, one presbyterian, and two Welsh.
+
+This town is laid out on a very extensive scale. A small part of it only
+is yet completed; but little doubt is entertained that ten years will
+accomplish the whole. Fifteen years had not passed since there was here
+no other trace of habitation than a solitary log-house, built for the
+occasional reception of merchandise, on its way down the Mohawk. The
+overflowing population of New England, fixing its exertions on a new and
+fertile soil, has, within a few years, effected this change.
+
+Independently of its soil, Utica has great advantages of situation; for
+it is nearly at the point of junction betwixt the waters of the lakes
+and of the Atlantic.
+
+With Utica commences a succession of flourishing villages and
+settlements, which renders this tract of country the astonishment of
+travellers. That so large a portion of the soil should, in less than
+twenty years, have been cleared, brought into cultivation, and have
+acquired a numerous population, is, in itself, sufficiently surprising;
+but the surprise is considerably increased, when we consider the
+character of elegant opulence with which it every where smiles on the
+eye. Each village teems, like a hive, with activity and employment. The
+houses, taken in the mass, are on a large scale; for (except the few
+primitive log-huts that still survive) there is scarcely one below the
+appearance of an opulent London tradesman's country box. They are, in
+general, of wood, painted white, with green doors and shutters; and with
+porches, or verandas, in front.
+
+The travellers passed through _Skaneactas_, a village, pleasantly
+situated, at the head of the lake from which it is named. They then
+proceeded to _Cayuga_, which, besides its agreeable site, is remarkable
+for a bridge, nearly a mile in length, over the head of the Cayuga lake:
+it is built on piles, and level. Betwixt Cayuga and Geneva is the
+flourishing little village of _Waterloo_, formed since the battle so
+named. _Geneva_ contains many elegant houses, beautifully placed, on the
+rising shore, at the head of the Geneva lake.
+
+From Geneva to _Canandaigua_, a tract of hill and vale extends, for
+sixteen miles, and having (within that space) only two houses.
+Canandaigua is a town of villas, built on the rising shore of the
+_Canandaigua lake_. The lower part of the main street is occupied by
+stores and warehouses; but the upper part of it, to the length of nearly
+two miles, consists of ornamented cottages, tastefully finished with
+colonnades, porches, and verandas; and each within its own garden or
+pleasure-ground. The prospect, down this long vista, to the lake, is
+peculiarly elegant.
+
+From Canandaigua the travellers turned from the main road, nine miles,
+south-west, to visit what is called "_the burning spring_." On arriving
+near the place, they entered a small but thick wood, of pine and
+maple-trees, enclosed within a narrow ravine. Down this glen, the width
+of which, at its entrance, may be about sixty yards, trickles a scanty
+streamlet. They had advanced on its course about fifty yards, when,
+close under the rocks of the right bank, they perceived a bright red
+flame, burning briskly on the water. Pieces of lighted wood were applied
+to different adjacent spots, and a space of several yards in extent was
+immediately in a blaze. Being informed by the guide that a repetition of
+this phenomenon might be seen higher up the glen, they scrambled on,
+for about a hundred yards, and, directed in some degree by a strong
+smell of sulphur, they applied their match to several places, with
+similar effect. These fires continue burning unceasingly, unless they
+are extinguished by accident. The phænomenon was originally discovered
+by the casual rolling of lighted embers, from the top of the bank,
+whilst some persons were clearing it for cultivation; and, in the
+intensity and duration of the flame, it probably exceeds any thing of
+the kind that is known.
+
+_Rochester_ stands immediately on the great falls of the Genesee, about
+eight miles above its entrance into lake Ontario. When Mr. Hall was
+here, this town had been built only four years, yet it contained a
+hundred good houses, furnished with all the conveniences of life;
+several comfortable taverns, a cotton-mill, and some large corn-mills.
+Its site is grand. The Genesee rushes through it, over a bed of
+limestone, and precipitates itself down three ledges of rock,
+ninety-three; thirty, and seventy-six feet in height, within the
+distance of a mile and a half from the town. The immediate vicinity of
+Rochester is still an unbroken forest, consisting of oak, hickory, ash,
+beech, bass, elm, and walnut-trees. The wild tenants of the woods have,
+naturally, retired before the sound of cultivation; but there are a few
+wolves and bears still in the neighbourhood. One of the latter had
+lately seized a pig close to the town. Racoons, porcupines, squirrels
+black and grey, and foxes, are still numerous. The hogs have done good
+service in destroying the rattlesnakes, which are already becoming rare.
+Pigeons, quails, and blackbirds abound. At Rochester, the line of
+settled country, in this direction, terminates; for, from this place to
+Lewistown, are eighty miles of wilderness.
+
+The traveller, halting on the verge of these aboriginal shades, is
+inclined to pause in thought, and to consider the interesting scenes
+through which he has been passing. They are such as reason must admire,
+for they are the result of industry, temperance, and freedom. Five or
+ten, or, at the utmost, twenty years before Mr. Hall was in America,
+where there are now corn-fields, towns, and villages, the whole country
+was one mass of forest.
+
+Notwithstanding the bad state of the roads, the stage-waggon runs from
+Rochester to Lewistown in two days. This journey is so heavy, that it is
+sometimes necessary to alight, and walk several miles, or to suffer
+almost a dislocation of limbs, in jolting over causeys or logged roads,
+formed of pine, or oak-trees, laid crossways. At different intervals,
+square patches seem cut out of the forest, in the centre of which low
+log-huts have been constructed, without the aid of saw or plane; and are
+surrounded by stumps of trees, black with the fires kindled for the
+purpose of clearing the land.
+
+_Lewistown_ was one of the frontier villages burnt during the last war,
+to retaliate upon the Americans for the destruction of Newark. It has,
+however, been since rebuilt, and all the marks of its devastation have
+been effaced. It is agreeably situated, at the foot of the limestone
+ridge, on the steep bank of the river St. Lawrence, which here rushes,
+with a boiling and eddying torrent, from the falls to Lake Ontario.
+Lewistown, notwithstanding its infancy, and its remote situation,
+contains several good stores.
+
+_Queenston_, on the opposite side of the river, stands in the midst of
+corn-fields and farm-houses; a rare and interesting sight in Canada. It
+is built on the river's edge, at the foot of the heights. Before the
+late war it was embosomed in peach-orchards; but these were all felled,
+to aid the operations of the English troops. The heights are still
+crowned by a redoubt, and by the remains of batteries, raised to defend
+the passage of the river. It was near one of these that Sir Isaac Brocke
+was killed, on the 13th of October, 1812, while, with four hundred men,
+he gallantly opposed the landing of fifteen hundred Americans, the whole
+of whom were afterwards captured by g\General Sheaffe.
+
+From Queenston Mr. Hall proceeded to _York_, a town within the British
+territory, situated on the north-western bank of lake Ontario. The
+country through which he passed abounded in game of various kinds. From
+the head of the lake it was, however, less varied than on the Niagara
+frontiers; and, for many miles, it was an uniform tract of sandy
+barrens, unsusceptible of culture.
+
+York, being the seat of government for Upper Canada, is a place of
+considerable importance in the eyes of its inhabitants. To a stranger,
+however, it presents little more than about one hundred wooden houses,
+several of them conveniently, and even elegantly built; one or two of
+brick. The public buildings were destroyed by the Americans.
+
+From York, Mr. Hall went, through the little town of _Ancaster_, to
+visit a _Settlement of Mohawk Indians_, on the banks of the _Grand
+River_. In the American war the Mohawks were strongly attached to the
+British interest, and first followed Sir William Johnson in Canada,
+under their chieftain, a celebrated warrior, whose name was Brandt. This
+man accustomed his people to the arts of civilized life, and made
+farmers of them. He built a church, and himself translated one of the
+gospels into the Mohawk language. His grave is to be seen under the
+walls of his church. The son of this extraordinary Indian is now living,
+and is a fine young man, of gentlemanly manners and appearance: he both
+speaks and writes the English language with correctness; and he dresses
+nearly in the English fashion. Brandt left also a daughter, who is
+living, and who would not disgrace the fashionable circles of Europe.
+Her face and person are fine and graceful: she speaks English, not only
+correctly, but elegantly; and, both in her speech and manners, she has a
+softness approaching oriental languor. She retains so much of her
+national dress as to identify her with her people; over whom she affects
+no superiority, but with whom she seems pleased to preserve all the ties
+and duties of relationship. She held the infant of one of her relations
+at the font, on the Sunday that Mr. Hall visited the church at Ancaster.
+The usual church and baptismal service was performed by a Dr. Aaron, an
+Indian, and an assistant priest; the congregation consisted of sixty or
+seventy persons, male and female. Many of the young men were dressed in
+the English fashion, but several of the old warriors came with their
+blankets, folded over them; and, in this dress, with a step and mien of
+quiet energy, they forcibly reminded Mr. Hall of ancient Romans. Some of
+them wore large silver crosses, medals, and other trinkets, on their
+backs and breasts; and a few had bandeaus, ornamented with feathers. Dr.
+Aaron, a grey-headed Mohawk, had touched his cheeks and forehead with a
+few spots of vermilion, in honour of Sunday: he wore a surplice, and
+preached at considerable length; but his delivery was unimpassioned and
+monotonous.
+
+The Mohawk village stands on a little plain, and looks down upon the
+Grand River. The houses of the inhabitants, built of logs, rudely put
+together, exhibit, externally, a great appearance of neglect and want of
+comfort: some few are in a better condition. The house belonging to
+Brandt's family resembled that of a petty English farmer: Dr. Aaron's
+was neat and clean. The doctor, who had been regularly ordained, and
+spoke very good English, told Mr. Hall that the village had been much
+injured by the wars, which had impeded its improvements, and had
+dispersed the inhabitants over the country.
+
+Mr. Hall had little opportunity of observing the manners and character
+of these Indians. It may, however, be conjectured that European
+intercourse is fast obliterating the characteristic features of their
+former social system. Their increased knowledge of European arts and
+enjoyments, has been probably followed by a proportionate increase of
+wants and desires. Their manners seemed, to Mr. Hall, remarkable for
+nothing so much as for that quiet self-possession, which constitutes
+the reverse of vulgarity. Their women, before strangers, are extremely
+timid: most of those who lived at a distance from the church, came
+mounted, with their husbands walking by their sides; a symptom, perhaps,
+that the sex is rising among them into an European equality of rights
+and enjoyments. The whole of the settlements are reckoned to furnish
+about five hundred warriors to the British government.
+
+Mr. Hall next describes the celebrated _Cataract_ or _Falls of Niagara_.
+At the distance of about a mile from this cataract, a white cloud,
+hovering over the trees, indicates its situation: it is not, however,
+until the road emerges from a close country, into the space of open
+ground immediately in its vicinity, that white volumes of foam are seen,
+as if boiling up from a sulphureous gulph. Here a foot-path turns from
+the road, towards a wooded cliff. The rapids are beheld on the right,
+rushing for the space of a mile, like a tempestuous sea. A narrow tract
+descends about sixty feet down the cliff, and continues across a plashy
+meadow, through a copse, encumbered with masses of limestone. Beyond
+this, Mr. Hall found himself upon what is called the Table Rock, on the
+west side of the upper part of the cataract, at the very point where the
+river precipitates itself into the abyss. The rapid motion of the
+waters, the stunning noise, and the mounting clouds, almost persuade the
+startled senses, that the rock itself is tottering, and is on the point
+of being precipitated into the gulph, which swallows the mass of
+descending waters. He bent over it, to mark the clouds rolling white
+beneath him, as in an inverted sky, illuminated by a most brilliant
+rainbow; one of those features of softness which nature delights to
+pencil amid her wildest scenes, tempering her awfulness with beauty, and
+making even her terrors lovely.
+
+There is a ladder about half a mile below the Table Rock; and, by this,
+Mr. Hall descended the cliff, to reach the foot of the fall. There was
+formerly much difficulty in the descent, but a few years have made a
+great change: the present dangers and difficulties may easily be
+enumerated. The first is, the ordinary hazard that every one runs who
+goes up or down a ladder: this ladder is a very good one, of thirty
+steps, or about forty feet; and, from it, the path is a rough one, over
+the fragments and masses of rock which have gradually crumbled, or have
+been forcibly riven, from the cliff, and which cover a broad declining
+space, from its foot to the brink of the river. The only risk, in this
+part of the pilgrimage, is that of a broken shin from a false step. The
+path gradually becomes smooth as it advances towards the cataract. Mr.
+Hall, as he drew near, says that he felt a sensation of awe, like that
+caused by the first cannon, on the morning of a battle. He passed, from
+sunshine, into gloom and tempest. The spray beat down in a heavy rain; a
+violent wind rushed from behind the sheet of water: it was difficult to
+respire, and, for a moment, it seemed temerity to encounter the
+convulsive workings of the elements, and to intrude into the dark
+dwellings of their power. But the danger is in appearance only: it is
+possible to penetrate only a few yards beyond the curtain, and, in these
+few, there is no hazard; the footing is good, and the space is
+sufficiently broad and free. There is even no necessity for a guide: the
+eyes amply suffice to point out all that is to be seen or avoided.
+During Mr. Hall's first visit, there were two young American ladies on
+the same errand; and they, as well as himself, were drenched in the
+cloud of spray.
+
+The larger fall was formerly called the "Horse-shoe," but this name is
+no longer applicable; for its shape has become that of an acute angle.
+An officer, who had been stationed in the neighbourhood thirty years,
+pointed out to Mr. Hall the alteration which had taken place in the
+centre of the fall, and which he estimated at about eighteen feet in
+that time.
+
+The lesser fall, on the American side, had the appearance of a
+considerable elevation, above the bed of the greater: on enquiry, Mr.
+Hall found that there was a difference between them, of about fifteen
+feet, caused, probably, by the greater weight of water descending down
+one than the other.
+
+The island which divides the falls has, of late years, been frequently
+visited; nor is the visit to it an adventure of much hazard. At the
+point where the rapids commence, the current separates, and is drawn, on
+either side, towards the centre of the two falls, while the centre of
+the stream, being in the straight line of the island, descends towards
+it, without any violent attraction; and, down this still water, American
+boats, well manned, and furnished with poles to secure them from the
+action of the two currents, have frequently dropt to the island.
+
+There is a whirlpool about half way betwixt Niagara and Queenston. The
+river, boiling and eddying from the falls, enters a circular basin,
+round which the lofty cliff sweeps, like an antique wall, overgrown with
+trees at its base, and amid its clefts and crevices. The cause of the
+whirlpool is perceptible to the spectator, who looks down, and observes
+that the stream, being compelled into this basin, by the direction of
+its channel, and unable to escape with celerity, is forced to gain time
+by revolving within its own circumference.
+
+[Mr. Weld, who visited Niagara, about the year 1797, observes that,
+although the spray, and the noise of the cataract, are sometimes not
+observable so far as half a mile, yet, at other times, the noise has
+been heard at the distance of forty miles; and that he has himself seen
+the spray, like a cloud, at the distance of fifty-four miles. The river,
+as it approaches the falls, runs with astonishing impetuosity. Just at
+the precipice, down which it tumbles, it takes a considerable bend
+towards the right; and the line of the falls, instead of extending from
+bank to bank, in the shortest direction, runs obliquely across. The
+whole width of the fall is estimated to be about three quarters of a
+mile, including a rocky island, a quarter of a mile wide, by which the
+stream is divided. This cataract is divided, by islands, into three
+distinct falls, the loftiest of which is one hundred and sixty feet in
+perpendicular height.
+
+Mr. Weld observes that it is possible not merely to pass to the very
+foot of the great fall; but even to proceed behind the tremendous sheet
+of water which comes pouring down from the top of the precipice; for the
+water falls from the edge of a projecting rock, and, by its violent
+ebullition, caverns of considerable size have been hollowed out of the
+rocks at the bottom, and extend some way beneath the bed of the upper
+part of the river. Mr. Weld advanced within about six yards of the edge
+of the sheet of water, just far enough for him to peep into the caverns
+behind it. But here his breath was nearly taken away by the violent
+whirlwind, that always rages at the bottom of the cataract, occasioned
+by the concussion of such a vast body of water against the rocks. Indeed
+Mr. Weld had no inclination either to go further, or to explore the
+dreary confines of these caverns, where death seemed to await any one
+who should be daring enough to enter their threatening jaws. No words,
+he says, can convey an adequate idea of the awful grandeur of the scene,
+at this place. The senses are appalled by the sight of the immense body
+of water that comes pouring from the top of the precipice; and by the
+thundering sound of the billows dashing against the rocky sides of the
+cavern below. He trembled with reverential fear, when he considered that
+a blast of the whirlwind might have swept him from off the slippery
+rocks on which he stood, and have precipitated him into the dreadful
+gulph beneath; whence all the power of man could not have extricated
+him. He here felt what an insignificant being man is in the creation;
+and his mind was forcibly impressed with an awful idea of the power of
+that mighty Existence, who commanded the waters to flow.]
+
+
+
+
+Fourth Day's Instruction.
+
+UNITED STATES CONTINUED.
+
+
+_Narrative of Lieutenant_ HALL'S _Journey from Niagara to
+Philadelphia._
+
+Mr. Hall crossed the river from _Fort Erie_, and proceeded to _Buffalo_,
+one of the frontier villages which had been burnt during the great
+American war. Not a house had been left standing; yet, when Mr. Hall was
+there, it was not merely a flourishing village, but a considerable town,
+with good shops and hotels. The celerity with which Buffalo had risen
+from its ashes, indicates the juvenile spirit of life and increase,
+which so eminently distinguishes the American population.
+
+As Mr. Hall proceeded on his journey, he found the country thickly
+settled, but dull and uniform in feature; being an entire flat. The
+autumn had been dry, and water was, in many places, extremely scarce.
+This is an evil not uncommon in newly-settled districts. Draining
+follows clearing; the creeks, no longer fed by the swamps, disencumbered
+also of fallen trunks of trees, and other substances, by which their
+waters were, in a great degree, stayed, easily run dry in summer, and
+soon fail altogether.
+
+The principal inn at _Batavia_ is large, and yet constructed upon an
+economical principle; for one roof covers hotel, prison, court-house,
+and assembly-room. The inhabitants were, at this time, building, by
+subscription, an episcopal church, the cost of which was to be twenty
+thousand dollars.
+
+_Caledonia_ is a small, but flourishing village, which has a handsome
+inn, with very comfortable accommodations; and, close to the road, is a
+large sheet of water, from which a clear and rapid stream descends,
+through a pleasing valley, into Allen's Creek, before the latter unites
+with the _Genesee River_. The banks of this creek are adorned with
+natural groves and copses, in which Mr. Hall observed the candleberry
+myrtle in great abundance: but a more interesting sight was afforded by
+numerous organic remains, with which the blocks of limestone, scattered
+through the low ground around it, are encrusted, as if with rude
+sculpture. These blocks are mixed with nodules of granite, and present
+innumerable forms, both of shells and aquatic plants. This district had
+been settled fifteen years; and, when Mr. Hall was here, cleared land
+was worth fifty dollars, and uncleared land about fifteen dollars per
+acre. At _Avon_ Mr. Hall quitted the main road, and followed the right
+bank of the Genesee. The scenery, in the vicinity of this place, began
+to improve, but the roads were proportionally deteriorated. Wild even to
+savageness, mountain heights branched thickly across the country, with
+no seeming order or direction. The only level ground was in the narrow
+valleys, along the course of the streams.
+
+The woods in the vicinity of the Genesee abound in large black
+squirrels, some of which are as big as a small cat. They are destructive
+to grain, and are, therefore, keenly pursued by sportsmen, who
+frequently make parties to kill them, and who destroy several thousands
+at one chase: their flesh is considered a great delicacy. These animals
+migrate, at different seasons; and have the credit of ingeniously
+ferrying themselves over rivers, by using a piece of bark for a raft,
+and their tails for sails.
+
+_Bath_ is embosomed in wild mountains. The principal houses are
+constructed round the three sides of a square, or green; and, as most of
+them were at this time new, white, and tastefully finished, they had a
+lively appearance, and were agreeably contrasted with the dark adjacent
+mountain scenery.
+
+The road from Bath to _Painted Post_, though stony, is tolerably level.
+The adjacent mountains have a slaty appearance, with horizontal strata.
+Mr. Hall was disappointed at Painted Post, to find the post gone,
+broken down or rotted, within the last few years. It had been an Indian
+memorial, either of triumph or death, or of both.
+
+When he was at Ancaster, this gentleman had been shown the grave of an
+Indian, among the woods, near the head of the stream: it was covered
+with boards, and a pole was erected at each end, on which a kind of
+dance was rudely painted with vermilion. The relatives of the deceased
+brought offerings to it daily, during their stay in the neighbourhood.
+
+After passing through some other villages, Mr. Hall reached the banks of
+the _Susquehanna_: these have no great variety of scenery, though they
+frequently present grand features. The space betwixt the mountains and
+the river is often so narrow, that it barely suffices for one carriage
+to pass; and, in many places, the road, for a mile or two, seems to have
+been hewn from the rock. Near the creeks there is tolerable land, and
+two or three pleasant villages. The face of the landscape is no where
+naked: mountain and vale are alike clothed with pine and dwarf
+oak-trees; the swamp lands are covered with hemlock-trees, and the
+bottoms of the woods with rhododendrons.
+
+_Wilksbarre_ is a neat town, regularly laid out, on the left bank of the
+Susquehanna. Its locality is determined by the direction of one of the
+Alleghany ridges, which recedes from the course of the river, a few
+miles above the town, and, curving south-west, encloses a semicircular
+plot of land, towards the centre of which the town is built. Its
+neighbourhood abounds in coal. The pits are about a mile distant. They
+lie under a stratum of soft clay slate, which contains impressions of
+ferns, oak-leaves, and other vegetables, usually found in such
+situations. The town itself, in consequence of the frequent separation
+of its streets and houses, by grass-fields and gardens, has a quiet and
+rural aspect. It contains a neat church, appropriated to the alternate
+use of episcopalians and presbyterians. Wilkesbarre is built on the
+site of _Wyoming_: a small mound, near the river, is pointed out, as
+that on which the fort stood; and the incursion of the Indians, when
+most of the inhabitants fell, in an unsuccessful battle, is still
+remembered. Some few escaped, by swimming across the stream, and fled,
+naked, through the woods, for several days, till they reached the
+nearest settlement; and this is all the record that exists of Albert and
+Gertrude, the foundation of Campbell's poem of Gertrude of Wyoming.
+
+At Wilkesbarre the road quits the Susquehanna, and, ascending a ridge of
+the Alleghany Mountains, crosses through deep forests and hemlock
+swamps, sparingly interspersed with settlements. The Pokono Mountain,
+over which Mr. Hall passed, is famous with the sportsmen and epicures of
+Philadelphia, for its grouse. Mr. Hall crossed the _Blue Ridge_, at the
+stupendous fissure of the _Wind Gap_, where the mountain seems forcibly
+broken through, and is strewed with the ruin of rocks. There is a
+similar aperture, some miles north-east, called the Water Gap. This
+affords a passage to the Delaware; and all the principal rivers of the
+states, that rise in the Alleghanys, pass through similar apertures.
+
+Betwixt the Blue Ridge and the Lehigh River, are two Moravian
+settlements, called _Bethlehem_ and _Nazareth_. [The inhabitants of the
+former constitute a large society, and occupy several farms. They have a
+spacious apartment, in which they all daily assemble, for the purpose of
+public worship. The single men and women have each a separate dwelling.
+The women are occupied in various domestic employments; in fancy and
+ornamental works; and, occasionally, in musical practice, under the
+direction of a superintendant. The walls of the large hall, where the
+society dine, are adorned with paintings, chiefly Scripture pieces,
+executed by members. Various branches of trade and manufacture are
+carried on, the profits of which go to the general stock; and, from
+this, all are supplied with the necessaries of life. Their whole time
+is spent in labour, and in prayer; except an hour in the evening, which
+is allotted for a concert. Among the Moravians marriage is contracted in
+a singular manner. If a young man has an inclination to marry, he makes
+application to the priest, who presents a young woman, designated by the
+superintendant as the next in rotation for marriage. Having left the
+parties together for an hour, the priest returns, and, if they consent
+to live together, they are married the next day; if otherwise, each is
+put at the bottom of the list, containing perhaps sixty or seventy
+names; and, on the part of the girl, there is no chance of marriage,
+unless the same young man should again feel disposed for matrimony. When
+united, a neat habitation, with a pleasant garden, is provided; and
+their children, at the age of six years, are placed in the seminary. If
+either of the parties die, the other returns to the apartment of the
+single people. In the Moravian establishment at Bethlehem, there is a
+tavern, with extensive and excellent accommodations.]
+
+Madame de Stael, in describing the Moravians, says, "Their houses and
+streets are peculiarly neat. The women all dress in the same manner,
+conceal their hair, and surround their heads with a ribbon, the colour
+of which indicates whether they are single, married, or widows. The men
+dress in brown, somewhat like quakers. A mercantile industry occupies
+nearly the whole community; and all their labours are performed with
+peculiar regularity and tranquillity." Mr. Hall attended one of the
+meetings which the inhabitants of Bethlehem commonly hold every evening,
+for the joint purposes of amusement and devotion. The women were ranged
+at one end of the room, and the men at the other. Their bishop presided:
+he was an old man, dressed in the plainest manner, and possessed a
+countenance singularly mild and placid. He gave out a psalm, and led the
+choir; and the singing was alternately in German and English.
+
+There is another Moravian settlement about a mile and a half from
+Nazareth. This, though small, exceeds both the others, in the calm and
+pensive beauty of its appearance. The houses are built of limestone:
+they are all on a similar plan, and have their window-frames, doors, and
+other wood-work, painted fawn-colour: before each house are planted
+weeping willows, whose luxuriant shade seems to shut out worldly glare,
+and throws an air of monastic repose over the whole village.
+
+The _Lehigh Mountain_ is the last of the Allegheny Ridges; the country
+is thenceforth level, fertile, and thickly inhabited, by steady Germans,
+who wear broad hats, and purple breeches; and whose houses and villages
+have the antique fashion of Flemish landscape. German is so generally
+spoken here, that the newspapers and public notices are all printed in
+that language.
+
+The approach to Philadelphia is announced by a good turnpike road.
+_German Town_ is a large suburb to the city, and the traveller here
+feels himself within the precincts of a populous and long-established
+capital.
+
+
+_A Description of Philadelphia._
+
+The first impressions, on entering this city, are decidedly favourable.
+It possesses a character essentially different from that of New York. It
+has not so much business, nor so much animation; but there is, in
+Philadelphia, a freedom from mere display; an evidence of solidity, of
+which its more commercial rival is nearly destitute.
+
+All the _streets_ are spacious; the names of many of them, as Sassafras,
+Chesnut, and Locust, record their sylvan origin: rows of Lombardy
+poplars are planted in them. The private _houses_ are characterized by
+elegant neatness; the steps and window-sills of many of them are of grey
+marble, and they have large mats placed before the doors. The streets
+are carefully swept, as well as the foot-paths, which are paved with
+brick. The _shops_ do not yield, in display, to those of London. The
+principal street is one hundred feet wide; and the others vary from
+eighty to fifty. In the foot-paths a great inconvenience is experienced
+by the injudicious mode in which cellars are constructed, the openings
+of which project into the street; and also by the slovenly practice of
+the store or shopkeepers placing great quantities of loose goods on the
+outside of their doors.
+
+Philadelphia stands on the bank of the river _Delaware_; and, in 1795,
+when Mr. Weld was there, its appearance, as approached from the water,
+was not very prepossessing. Nothing was visible but confused heaps of
+wooden store-houses, crowded upon each other, and wharfs, which
+projected a considerable way into the river. The wharfs were built of
+wood; they jutted out, in every direction, and were well adapted for the
+accommodation of shipping; the largest merchant vessels being able to
+lie close alongside of them. Behind the wharfs, and parallel to the
+river, runs a street called _Water-street_. This is the first street
+which the stranger in America usually enters, after landing; and (says
+Mr. Weld) it will not give him a very favourable opinion either of the
+neatness or commodiousness of the public ways of Philadelphia. Such
+stenches, at times, prevail in it, owing in part to the quantity of
+filth and dirt that is suffered to remain on the pavement, and in part
+to what is deposited in waste-houses, of which there are several in the
+street, that it is really dreadful to pass through it. It was here, in
+the year 1793, that the malignant yellow fever broke out, which made
+such terrible ravages among the inhabitants; and, in the summer season,
+in general, this street is extremely unhealthy.
+
+Few of the _public buildings_ in Philadelphia pretend to great
+architectural merit. The churches are neat, but plain. The Masonic Hall
+is an unsightly combination of brick and marble, in the Gothic style.
+The Philadelphia bank is in a similar style. The United States and
+Pennsylvania banks are the finest edifices in the city: the first has a
+handsome portico, with Corinthian columns of white marble, and the
+latter is a miniature representation of the temple of Minerva at Athens,
+and is the purest specimen of architecture in the states: the whole
+building is of marble.
+
+The _State House_ is a plain brick building, which was finished in 1735,
+at the cost of £.6000. The most interesting recollections of America are
+attached to this edifice. The Congress sat in it during the greatest
+part of the war; and the Declaration of Independence was read, from its
+steps, on the 4th of July, 1776. The Federal Convention also sat in it,
+in 1787. It is now occupied by the supreme and district courts below,
+and by Peale's Museum above. This museum, among other articles, contains
+an immense fossil skeleton of the great Mastodon, or American Mammoth,
+which, some years ago, was publicly exhibited in London.
+
+The _University_ of Pennsylvania was instituted several years ago, by
+some of the citizens of Philadelphia; among whom was Dr. Franklin, who
+drew up the original plan. It is governed by a provost and vice-provost.
+In 1811, the number of students amounted to five hundred. The lectures
+commence the first Monday in November, and end on the first day of
+March. Among others, are professors of anatomy, surgery, midwifery,
+chemistry, moral philosophy, mathematics, and natural philosophy, belles
+lettres, and languages.
+
+The Philadelphia _prison_ is a more interesting object to humanity than
+the most gorgeous palaces. Its exterior is simple, and has rather the
+air of an hospital than a gaol: a single grated door separates the
+interior from the street. On entering the court, Mr. Hall found it full
+of stone-cutters, employed in sawing and preparing large blocks of stone
+and marble; smiths' forges were at work on one side, and the whole
+court was surrounded by a gallery and a double tier of work-shops, in
+which were brush-makers, tailors, shoemakers, weavers, all at their
+several occupations, labouring, not only to defray, to the public, the
+expenses of their confinement, but to provide the means of their own
+honest subsistence for the future. It had none of the usual features of
+a prison; neither the hardened profligacy which scoffs down its own
+sense of guilt, nor the hollow-eyed sorrow which wastes away in a living
+death of unavailing expiation: there was neither the clank of chains,
+nor the yell of execration; but a hardworking body of men were seen,
+who, though separated by justice from society, were not supposed to have
+lost the distinctive attribute of human nature: they were treated as
+rational beings, were operated upon by rational motives; and they repaid
+this treatment by improved habits, by industry, and submission. They had
+been profligate, they were now sober and decent in their behaviour; they
+had been idle, they were now actively and usefully employed; they had
+disobeyed the laws, they now submitted (armed as they were with all
+kinds of utensils) to the government of a single turnkey, and the
+barrier of a single grating.
+
+The _markets_ of Philadelphia are well supplied; and the price of
+provisions is considerably lower than in London. No butchers are
+permitted to slaughter cattle within the city, nor are live cattle
+permitted to be driven to the city markets.
+
+The _inhabitants_ of this city are estimated at one hundred and twenty
+thousand, and many of them live in houses which would adorn any city in
+the world. They have, universally, a pallid and sallow countenance,
+except the younger females; and many of these, even quakers, adopt the
+disgusting practice of ornamenting their faces with rouge. In their
+dress, the gentlemen follow the fashions of England, and the ladies
+those of France. Mr. Fearon perceived here, what, he says, pervades the
+whole of the new world, an affectation of splendour, or, what may be
+called style, in those things that are intended to meet the public eye;
+with a lamentable want, even of cleanliness, in such matters as are
+removed from that ordeal. To this may be added an appearance of
+uncomfortable extravagance, and an ignorance of that kind of order and
+neatness, which, in the eyes of those who have once enjoyed it,
+constitute the principal charm of domestic life. The Philadelphians
+consist of English, Irish, Scotch, Germans, and French; and of
+American-born citizens, descended from people of those different
+nations. It is a remark very generally made, not only by foreigners, but
+also by persons from distant parts of the United States, that they are
+extremely deficient in hospitality and politeness towards strangers.
+Among the uppermost circles in Philadelphia, pride, haughtiness, and
+ostentation, are conspicuous; and, in the manners of the people in
+general, there is much coldness and reserve.
+
+Philadelphia is the grand residence of the quakers in America, but their
+number does not now bear the same proportion to that of the other
+citizens, which it formerly did. This, however, is not occasioned by a
+diminution of quakers, so much as by the great influx, into the city, of
+persons of a different persuasion.
+
+In this city _funerals_ are uniformly attended by large walking
+processions. The newspapers frequently contain advertisements, stating
+the deaths of individuals, and inviting all friends to attend the
+burial. The dead are seldom kept more than two days. At the time
+appointed, intimate friends enter the house; others assemble on the
+outside, and fall into the procession when the body is brought out.
+
+With regard to the _climate_ of Philadelphia, it is observed that the
+heats of summer are excessive; and that the cold of winter is equally
+extreme. During the few days which Mr. Weld spent at Philadelphia, in
+the month of June, 1795, the heat was almost intolerable. For two or
+three days the thermometer stood at 93°, and, during these days, no one
+stirred out of doors who was not compelled to do so. Light white hats
+were universally worn, and the young men appeared dressed in cotton or
+linen jackets and trowsers. The window-shutters of the houses were
+closed early in the mornings, so as to admit no more light than what was
+absolutely necessary for domestic business. Indeed, many of the houses
+were kept so dark, that, on going into them from the street, it was
+impossible, at first entrance, to perceive who was present. The best
+houses in the city are furnished with Venetian blinds, at the outside,
+to the windows and hall doors, which are made to fold together like
+common window-shutters. A very different scene was presented after
+sunset. Every house was then thrown open, and all the inhabitants
+crowded into the streets, to take their evening walks, and to visit
+their acquaintance. This usually lasted till about ten o'clock: at
+eleven all was quiet; and a person might have passed over half the town
+without seeing a single human being, except the watchmen. Heavy dews
+sometimes fall after the sun is down, and the nights are then very cold:
+at other times there are no dews, and the air continues hot all the
+night through. At this season of the year meat cannot be kept sweet,
+even for a single day, except in an icehouse or a remarkably cold
+cellar. Milk generally turns sour in an hour or two; and fish is never
+brought to market without being covered with lumps of ice. Poultry,
+intended for dinner, is never killed till about four hours before it is
+wanted, and even then it is kept immersed in water.
+
+The _carriages_ used in Philadelphia consist of coaches, chariots,
+chaises, coachees, and light waggons. The equipages of a few individuals
+are extremely ostentatious; but there does not appear, in any, that
+neatness and elegance which might be expected among people who are
+desirous of imitating the fashions of England, and who are continually
+procuring models from that country. The coachee is a carriage peculiar
+to America; the body of it is somewhat longer than that of a coach, but
+of the same shape. In front it is left quite open, down to the bottom,
+and the driver sits on a bench under the roof. It has two seats for the
+passengers, who sit with their faces towards the horses. The roof is
+supported by small props, which are placed at the corners. On each side
+of the doors, above the pannels, it is quite open; and, to guard against
+bad weather, there are curtains, which are made to let down from the
+roof, and which fasten to buttons, placed for the purpose, on the
+outside. There is also a leathern curtain, to hang occasionally between
+the driver and passengers.
+
+The light waggons are on the same construction, but are calculated to
+accommodate from four to twelve people. The only difference between a
+small waggon and a coachee, is, that the latter is better finished, has
+varnished pannels, and doors at the side. The former has no doors; but
+the passengers scramble in, the best way they can, over the seat of the
+driver. These waggons are universally used for stage-carriages.
+
+The accommodations at the _taverns_, in Philadelphia, are very
+indifferent; as, indeed, with very few exceptions, they are throughout
+the country. The mode of conducting them is nearly the same every where.
+The traveller, on his arrival, is shown into a room, which is common to
+every person in the house, and which is generally the one set apart for
+breakfast, dinner, and supper. All the strangers that are in the house
+sit down, to these meals, promiscuously; and, excepting in the large
+towns, the family of the house also forms a part of the company. It is
+seldom that a private parlour or drawing-room can be procured at
+taverns, even in the towns; and it is always with reluctance that
+breakfast or dinner is served up separately to any individual. If a
+separate bed-room can be procured, more ought not to be expected; and it
+is not always that even this is to be had; and persons who travel
+through the country must often submit to be crammed into rooms where
+there is scarcely sufficient space to walk between the beds.
+
+The _Delaware_, on the banks of which this city is built, rises in the
+state of New York. At Philadelphia it is thirteen hundred and sixty
+yards wide, and is navigable for vessels of any burden. It is frozen in
+the winter months; a circumstance which materially affects the
+commercial interests of Philadelphia, and gives a great advantage to New
+York. The tide reaches as high as the falls of Trenton, thirty-five
+miles above Philadelphia, and one hundred and fifty-five miles from the
+sea. Six or seven steam-boats, of large size, ply on the Delaware, and
+form a communication with New York, by Trenton and Bordentown; and with
+Baltimore, by Wilmington and Newcastle. These vessels are all fitted up
+in an elegant manner.
+
+Over the river _Schuylkil_, near Philadelphia, there is a singular
+bridge of iron wire. It is four hundred feet in length, and extends,
+from the window of a wire factory, to a tree on the opposite shore. The
+wires which form the curve are six in number; three on each side, and
+each three-eighths of an inch in diameter. The floor of the bridge is
+elevated sixteen feet above the water; and the whole weight of the wires
+is about four thousand seven hundred pounds. It is possible to construct
+a bridge of this kind in the space of a fortnight; and the whole expense
+would not exceed three hundred dollars.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+About thirty miles north-east of Philadelphia, and betwixt that city and
+New York, is _Trenton_, the capital of New Jersey. Mr. Weld visited this
+place in the year 1796; and he says that it then contained only about
+eighty dwellings, in one long street. It had a college, which was in
+considerable repute. The number of students was about seventy; but, from
+their appearance, and the course of their studies, it more correctly
+deserved the appellation of a grammar-school, than a college. The
+library was a miserable one; and, for the most part, contained only old
+theological books. There were an orrery out of repair, and a few
+detached parts of philosophical apparatus. At the opposite end of the
+room were two small cupboards, which were shown as the museum. These
+contained two small alligators, stuffed, and a few fishes, in a wretched
+state of preservation.
+
+Not far from Trenton, and on the bank of the Delaware, is the residence
+of Joseph Buonaparte, who, since the re-establishment of the ancient
+families on the thrones of Europe, has retired to America. The estate on
+which he lives he purchased for ten thousand dollars; and he is said to
+have expended, twenty thousand more in finishing the buildings, and
+laying out the grounds in a splendid style. At present it has much the
+appearance of the villa of a country gentleman in England.
+
+
+
+
+Fifth Day's Instruction.
+
+UNITED STATES CONTINUED.
+
+
+_Narrative of Mr._ FEARON'S _Journey from Philadelphia to
+Pittsburgh._
+
+In the month of October, 1817, Mr. Fearon left Philadelphia for
+Pittsburgh. He passed through an extensive, fertile, well-cultivated,
+and beautiful tract of land called the _Great Valley_. Farms in this
+district are chiefly owned by Dutch and Germans, and their descendants.
+They consist of from fifty to two hundred acres each; and are
+purchasable at the rate of about £.46 sterling per acre, the buildings
+included; and, in well-improved land, the average produce of wheat may
+be estimated at twenty-five bushels.
+
+At the distance of about twenty miles from Philadelphia there is a
+copper and zinc mine. Iron ore abounds throughout the state of
+Pennsylvania; and many of the rocks are of limestone. A coarse kind of
+grey marble is found in great quantity, and is used for steps and
+chimney-pieces.
+
+The towns of _Lancaster_, _Harrisburgh_, and _Carlisle_, through which
+Mr. Fearon passed, are all considerable, both in extent and population.
+[_Lancaster_ is nearly the largest inland town of North America. It
+contains upwards of nine hundred houses, built chiefly of brick and
+stone, and, in general, two stories high. It has also six churches, a
+market-house, and a gaol. The streets are laid out regularly, and cross
+each other at right angles. Several different kinds of wares are
+manufactured here, and chiefly by German mechanics. The rifled barrel
+guns made at this place are considered to have great excellence. In
+1787, a college was founded at Lancaster, and named Franklin College, in
+honour of Dr. Franklin. The founders were an association of Germans, who
+were desirous of establishing a seminary for the education of their
+sons, in their own language and habits. But it has not flourished; and,
+in 1815, the number of students did not exceed fifty.]
+
+Lancaster, Harrisburgh, and Carlisle, each contain many excellent brick
+buildings, and the usual erections of market-houses, gaols, and
+churches, all evincing an extent of national property, and an
+advancement to European establishments, truly extraordinary, when we
+recollect that this is a country which may be said to be but of
+yesterday. The German character is very prevalent throughout this state;
+and even the original language is preserved.
+
+[At _Carlisle_ there are many excellent shops and warehouses. This place
+has a college, which was founded in 1783, by Mr. John Dickenson of
+Pennsylvania. The number of students is about one hundred and forty; and
+there are professors of logic, metaphysics, languages, natural
+philosophy, and chemistry.]
+
+Mr. Fearon next arrived at _Chambersburgh_, a town which contains about
+two hundred and forty houses, and two or three churches. He here secured
+a place, in the stage, to Pittsburgh, and set off the next morning at
+three o'clock. About eight he arrived at _Loudon_, a small town at the
+foot of the north mountain, one of the Alleghany ridges, and at this
+time containing seventeen log and twenty frame or brick houses. The
+tavern was cheerless and dirty.
+
+On the road Mr. Fearon counted thirty regular stage-waggons, which were
+employed in conveying goods to and from Pittsburgh. Each of these was
+drawn by four horses; and the articles carried in them, were chiefly
+hardware, and silk, linen, cotton, and woollen goods. The waggons, in
+return, conveyed from Pittsburgh farming produce, and chiefly flour. It
+is, however, necessary to observe that this is the only trading waggon
+route to the whole western country; and that there is no water-carriage
+through this part of America.
+
+The road, for a considerable distance, was excellent, and was part of a
+new national turnpike, which had been projected to extend from the head
+of the river Potomac to Wheeling. This road, when completed, will be of
+great advantage to the whole western country. The stage passed over the
+_North Mountain_, whence there was a most extensive view, of a wide and
+beautiful valley, containing several thousand acres, which have not yet
+been cultivated. The prospect combined some grand mountain-scenery, and
+was the most magnificent that Mr. Fearon had ever beheld. The travellers
+passed through a little town situated in the midst of this apparently
+trackless wild.
+
+They afterwards overtook twenty small family waggons, those chiefly of
+emigrants from one part of the state to another. These persons were
+travelling in company, and thus formed an unity of interest, for the
+purpose of securing, when necessary, an interchange of assistance. The
+difficulties they experienced, in passing through this mountainous
+district, were very great.
+
+Mr. Fearon and the other stage-passengers supped and slept at a place
+called _Bloody Run_, having, for several miles, proceeded over roads
+that were almost impassable. Early the next morning they again set out;
+and they arrived at _Bedford_ about nine o'clock. [This little town,
+like most others on the great western road, trades in all kinds of corn,
+flour, and provisions.] They were not, however, permitted to stop here,
+as the stage-proprietor had a house further on, where they breakfasted.
+In passing over a range of mountains called the _Dry Ridge_, the view
+was peculiarly magnificent. The eye, at one glance, took in a varied and
+most interesting view of mountain scenery, intermingled with wooded
+vales, and much fertile land. The travellers continued to overtake many
+waggons of emigrants from different states.
+
+About five o'clock in the afternoon they reached the top of the
+_Alleghany Mountains_. The road had of late been so bad, that they had
+walked more than sixteen miles, leaving the stage far behind. The
+character of the mountain _inhabitants_ appeared to be cold, friendless,
+unfeeling, callous, and selfish. All the emigrants with whom Mr. Fearon
+conversed, complained of the enormous charges at taverns. Log-houses are
+the only habitations for many miles. These are formed of the trunks of
+trees, about twenty feet in length, and six inches in diameter, cut at
+the ends, and placed on each other. The roof is framed in a similar
+manner. In some houses there are windows; in others the door performs
+the double office of window and entrance. The chimney is erected on the
+outside, and in a similar manner to the body of the house. The hinges of
+the doors are generally of wood; and locks are not used. In some of the
+houses there are two apartments; in others but one, for all the various
+operations of cooking, eating, and sleeping; and even the pigs come in
+for their due share of the log residence. About eleven o'clock at
+night, the travellers safely arrived at _Somerset_, a small town
+distant two hundred and thirty-seven miles from Philadelphia.
+
+In the morning of their third day's journey, they crossed _Laurel Hill_.
+The vegetation on this ridge appears superior to that of the Allegheny.
+The mountain called _Little Chesnut Ridge_ succeeds Laurel Hill. The
+difficulties of the road were here extremely great. These arose not only
+from the height of the mountains, but from the enormous stones and deep
+mud-holes with which the road abounded. The trees on Chesnut Ridge are
+chiefly oak and chesnut; and the soil appeared to be chalky. At half
+past ten at night they arrived at _Greensburg_, [a town built upon the
+summit of a hill. The land, in its vicinity is, in general, very
+fertile; and the inhabitants, who are of German origin, cultivate wheat,
+rye, and oats, with great success.]
+
+The party started, on the fourth day, at four in the morning, and with
+the high treat of a turnpike-road; but the advantages, arising from
+this, were but of short continuance. They had to descend _Turtle Creek
+Hill_, the road over which, in consequence of late rains, had become, if
+possible, even worse than those across Laurel Hill. The passengers all
+got out; and, up to their knees in mud, they took their turns, in
+holding up the stage. This tract bore decided evidence of being embedded
+with coal. About two o'clock they reached _Pittsburg_.
+
+From Chambersburgh to Greensburgh the condition of the people is that of
+an absence of wealth and of the conveniences of life, with, however, the
+means of obtaining a sufficient quantity of food. The blacksmith and the
+tavern-keeper are almost the only occupations. The former earns from
+twenty shillings and sixpence to twenty-seven shillings per week; and
+the profits of the latter must be very great, if we may judge from the
+high charges and bad quality of the accommodations. From Greensburgh to
+Pittsburgh the improvement, in size and quality, of the houses, is
+evident, and the cultivation and condition of the land is much superior
+to those of the country through which the travellers had before past.
+
+_Pittsburg_ is, in several points of view, a most interesting town. Its
+situation, which is truly picturesque, is at the termination of two
+rivers, and at the commencement of a third river, that has a direct
+communication with the ocean, though at the immense distance of two
+thousand five hundred miles. This place possesses an exhaustless store
+of coal.
+
+During the great American war, Pittsburg was an important military post
+called _Du Quesne_, and was remarkable for two signal defeats of the
+British troops. It is, at present, a place of great importance: the
+connecting link between _new_ and _old_ America; and though it is not a
+"Birmingham," as the natives bombastically style it, yet it certainly
+contains the seeds of numerous important and valuable manufactories.
+
+Agricultural produce finds here a ready and advantageous market. Farming
+in this neighbourhood is not, indeed, the most profitable mode of
+employing capital; but here, as in other parts of the union, it is an
+independent mode of life. The farmer, however, must labour hard with his
+own hands. The labourers, or "helps," as they style themselves, are paid
+high wages, and are not to be relied on. In many instances they expect
+to sit down at table with their master, to live as well as he, and to be
+on terms of equality with every branch of the family.
+
+Mr. Fearon remained at Pittsburgh several days, during which time the
+rain never ceased. The smoke, also, from the different manufactories, is
+extreme, giving, to the town and its inhabitants, a very sombre aspect.
+The articles manufactured here are various, and chiefly of copper, iron,
+and glass. In one of the glass-warehouses, Mr. Fearon saw chandeliers
+and numerous other articles, of a very splendid description, in cut
+glass. Among the latter was a pair of decanters, cut from a London
+pattern, the price of which was to be eight guineas. And it is
+remarkable that the demand for these articles of elegant luxury lies in
+the western states; the inhabitants of eastern America being still
+importers from the "old country." Not thirty years ago, the whole right
+bank of the Ohio was termed the "Indian side." Spots in Tenessee, in
+Ohio and Kentucky, which, within the lifetime of even young men,
+witnessed only the arrow and the scalping knife, now present, to the
+traveller, articles of elegance, and modes of luxury, which might rival
+the displays of London and of Paris: within the last half century, the
+beasts of the forest, and men more savage than the beasts, were the only
+inhabitants of the whole of that immense tract, which is peculiarly
+denominated the western country. This tract is now partially inhabited;
+and promises soon to be generally so, by civilized man, possessed of the
+arts and pursuits of civilized life.
+
+On the whole, Pittsburgh is a very important town. When Mr. Fearon was
+here, it was supposed to contain about ten thousand inhabitants.
+
+The face of the country, beyond this town, is an uninterrupted level,
+and many parts of it are occupied by agriculturists. Mr. Fearon,
+however, was informed that there were still for sale one million of
+acres of United States' land, at the rate of two dollars per acre, or
+one dollar and sixty-four cents for prompt payment. The principal towns
+are situated on the banks of the river. There are no canals, nor, indeed
+is there much occasion for them, as the whole state abounds with rivers
+and creeks, which fall into the Ohio.
+
+The trees produced by the best kind of land are honey-locust, black
+walnut, and beech; by land of second quality, the sugar maple tree,
+sycamore, or butter-wood, and what is called white wood, which is used
+for building and joiner's work; and land of the third quality produces
+oak. There is but little underwood; for the great height and the
+spreading tops of the trees, prevent the sun from penetrating to the
+ground, and nourishing inferior articles of vegetation.
+
+The winters are severe, and of from three to four months continuance,
+with a keen and dry air, and cloudless sky. During summer excessive heat
+prevails, with heavy dews at night. In the spring there are cold and
+heavy rains. The autumns are fine, and are followed by what is called
+"Indian summer," which is truly delightful. Along the route that Mr.
+Fearon had travelled in this state, there was scarcely an elevation
+which could be called a hill, with exception of rising grounds on the
+margins of rivers. The dreary monotony of limited views, of such endless
+uniformity, produces sensations of the most depressing melancholy. The
+atmosphere, after a hot day, causes headaches, which frequently
+terminate in intermittent fevers.
+
+Judging from the beds of the rivers, and the quality of the water, Mr.
+Fearon presumes that coal must be abundant. Salt is found in several
+situations, particularly on the Kenaway. There is much limestone. The
+wild animals, in this part of America, are neither numerous, nor
+troublesome.
+
+The interior population of the United States, Mr. Fearon considers, may
+be divided into three classes: first, the "squatter," or man, who "sets
+himself down," upon land which is not his own, and for which he pays
+nothing; cultivates a sufficient extent of ground to supply himself and
+his family with the necessaries of life, remains until he is
+dissatisfied with his choice, has realized a sufficiency to become a
+land-owner, or is expelled by the real proprietor. Second, the small
+farmer, who has recently emigrated, and has had barely sufficient to pay
+the first instalment for his eighty or one hundred and sixty acres, of
+two-dollar land; cultivates, or, what he calls, improves, from ten to
+thirty acres; raises a sufficient "feed" for his family; is in a
+condition, which, if compelled by legislative acts, or by external force
+to endure, would be considered truly wretched; but, from being his own
+master, and having made his own choice, joined with the consciousness,
+that, though slowly, he is regularly advancing towards wealth, the
+breath of complaint is seldom heard to escape from his lips. Third, the
+wealthy, or "strong-handed" farmer, who owns from five to twelve hundred
+acres, has from one-fourth to one-third under cultivation, of a kind
+much superior to the former; raises live stock for the home, and
+Atlantic city markets; sends beef, pork, cheese, lard, and butter, to
+New Orleans: is a man of plain, business-like sense, though not in
+possession, nor desirous, of a very cultivated intellect; understands
+his own interest, and that of his country; and lives in sufficient
+affluence, and is possessed of comfort, according to the American
+acceptation of the term, but to which, an Englishman must feel inclined
+to take an exception.
+
+The management of farms is here full a century behind that in England:
+there being a want of improved machinery for the promotion of economy in
+time and labour; and no regular attention being paid to the condition of
+live stock; while the mode of culture, in general, appears slovenly and
+unsystematic.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+On the subject of emigration to America, Mr. Fearon remarks, that the
+capitalist will here receive legal interest of six or seven per cent.
+for his money; and perhaps eight per cent. might be made upon good
+security, as capital is wanted throughout the country. A London
+shopkeeper, with a capital of three thousand pounds or upwards, and who
+is well acquainted with the principles of business, might succeed.
+Lawyers, doctors, clerks, shopmen, literary men, artists, and
+schoolmasters, to use an American phrase, would "come to a bad market."
+Mechanics are able to obtain employment, but many who have emigrated
+have been lamentably deceived in their expectations. The person of small
+property, who is desirous to live on the interest of his money, and
+wants to remove to a cheaper country than England, should pause before
+the object of his choice is America. From what Mr. Fearon had hitherto
+seen of large towns, living is not, on the whole, cheaper than in the
+English cities. In the interior it may be less expensive than in the
+country parts of England; but such a man must, of necessity, have his
+ideas of happiness associated with many sources of comfort and
+gratification, which he would seek for in vain within the United States.
+With regard to certain Yorkshire and Leicestershire manufacturers, in
+whose welfare he was particularly interested, Mr. Fearon says, he was
+convinced that they could not profitably succeed here.
+
+
+
+
+Sixth Day's Instruction.
+
+UNITED STATES CONTINUED.
+
+
+_Narrative of an Expedition from Pittsburg into the Illinois territory.
+From Notes on a Journey in America, by MORRIS BIRKBECK._
+
+Leaving Mr. Fearon at Pittsburgh, we will thence accompany Mr. Birkbeck
+on his tour into the western settlements of the United States. About the
+end of May, 1817, this gentleman and his family, consisting of nine
+persons, five male and four female, arrived at _Pittsburgh_; and, on the
+5th of June, well mounted, and well furnished with saddle-bags and
+blankets, they set out on their journey westward, in search of a place
+where they might form an advantageous settlement. Each person had a
+blanket under his saddle, another upon it, and a pair of saddle-bags,
+with a great coat and an umbrella strapped behind.
+
+In this manner, says Mr. Birkbeck, even women, and those of advanced
+age, often take long journeys without inconvenience. The day before he
+left Pittsburgh, he was told of a lady who was coming from Tenessee to
+Pittsburgh, twelve hundred miles; and, although she had with her an
+infant, she preferred travelling on horseback to boating up the river.
+
+Seventeen miles of the ride from Pittsburgh on to _Cannonsburg_, was
+chiefly over clayey hills, well adapted for grass; but, in the present
+circumstances of the country, too stiff for profitable cultivation under
+the plough. From Cannonsburg to _Washington_, in Pennsylvania, eight
+miles, is a very desirable tract, containing much excellent land, with
+fine meadows.
+
+Washington is a pretty, thriving town, which contains about two thousand
+five hundred inhabitants. It has a college, with about a hundred
+students; but, from the dirty condition of the schools, and the
+loitering habits of the young men, Mr. Birkbeck suspected it to be an
+ill-regulated institution.
+
+From Washington, Mr. Birkbeck and his family proceeded still westward,
+and, on entering the _State of Ohio_, they found themselves in a country
+beautiful and fertile, and affording, to a plain, industrious, and
+thriving population, all that nature has decreed for the comfort of man.
+It contains rich land, good water, wholesome air; limestone, coal,
+mills, and navigation. It is also fully appropriated, and thickly
+settled; and land is worth from twenty to thirty dollars per acre: an
+advance of a thousand per cent. in about ten years!
+
+A heavy fall of wet had rendered the roads muddy and unpleasant. On the
+10th of June, the party arrived at _Wheeling_, a considerable but
+mean-looking town, of inns and stores, on the banks of the Ohio. Here
+they baited their horses, and took a repast of bread and milk. At this
+place the Ohio is divided into two channels, of five hundred yards each,
+by an island of three hundred acres.
+
+Between Wheeling and St. Clairsville, they had sundry foaming creeks to
+ford; and sundry log-bridges to pass, which are a sort of commutation of
+danger. They had also a very muddy road, over hills of clay; and thunder
+and rain during nearly the whole of this their first stage: such
+thunder, and such rain, as they had heard of, but had seldom witnessed
+in England.
+
+They were detained some days at _St. Clairsville_. This place consists
+of about one hundred and fifty houses; stores, taverns, doctors'-shops,
+and lawyers' offices, with the dwellings of sundry artisans; such as
+tailors, shoemakers, hatters, and smiths. Its chief street runs over one
+of the beautiful, round, and fertile hills which form this country. The
+court-house, a handsome brick edifice, on the summit, has a cheerful and
+a rather striking appearance. If the streets were paved, St. Clairsville
+would be a pleasant town, but, from the continued rains, they were, at
+this time, deep in mud.
+
+The rich clay of this country is very favourable to grass, and the
+pastures are extremely fine. When the timber is destroyed, a beautiful
+turf takes immediate possession of the surface.
+
+As they proceeded westward, towards Zanesville, the soil did not
+improve. It is here a yellow clay, well adapted for grass; but, when
+exhausted by repeated cropping, it will be unprofitable for tillage. In
+some places, the clay is over limestone, and exhibits marks of great and
+durable fertility.
+
+During their journey, on the 13th of June, they met a group of nymphs,
+with their attendant swains, ten in number, on horseback: for no
+American walks who can obtain a horse; and there are few indeed who
+cannot. The young men were carrying umbrellas over the heads of their
+partners; and the appearance of the whole was very decent and
+respectable.
+
+At the distance of eighteen miles east of Zanesville, whilst taking
+shelter from a thunder-storm, they were joined by four industrious
+pedestrians, who were returning eastward from a tour of observation
+through this state. These all agreed in one sentiment, that there is no
+part of the Union, either in the new settlements or in the old, where an
+industrious man need be at a loss for the comforts of a good
+livelihood.
+
+The land continued of the same character as before, a weak yellow clay,
+under a thin covering of vegetable mould, profitable for cultivation
+merely because it is new. The timber is chiefly oak. Little farms, of
+from eight to one hundred and sixty acres, with simple erections, a
+cabin and a stable, may be purchased, at the rate of from five to twenty
+dollars per acre. This is a hilly and romantic country; and affords many
+pleasant situations. Sand-stone is common; limestone more rare; but
+clay-slate appears to be the common basis.
+
+The inhabitants are friendly and homely, not to say coarse; but they are
+well informed. This day the travellers passed various groups of
+emigrants, proceeding westward: one waggon, in particular, was the
+moving habitation of twenty souls.
+
+_Zanesville_ is a thriving town, on the beautiful _river Muskingum_,
+which is, at all times, navigable downward. The country around it is
+hilly and pleasant; not rich, but dry, and tolerably fertile. It abounds
+in coal and lime, and may, at some future period, become a grand station
+for manufactures.
+
+At _Rushville_ Mr. Birkbeck, another gentleman, and three children, sat
+down to a breakfast, consisting of the following articles: coffee,
+rolls, biscuits, dry toast, waffles, (a kind of soft hot cake, of German
+extraction, covered with butter,) salted pickerell, (a fish from Lake
+Huron,) veal-cutlets, broiled ham, gooseberry-pie, stewed currants,
+preserved cranberries, butter, and cheese: and Mr. Birkbeck, for himself
+and three children, and four gallons of oats, and a sufficient quantity
+of hay for four horses, was charged only six shillings and ninepence
+sterling.
+
+South-west of Zanesville, instead of steep hills of yellow clay, the
+country assumes a more gently undulating surface; but it is sufficiently
+varied both for health and ornament, and has an absorbent, gravelly, or
+sandy soil, of moderate fertility.
+
+_Lancaster_ is on the edge of a marsh, or fen, which, at present,
+should seem to be a source of disease; though its bad effects, on the
+inhabitants of that town, are not by any means obvious.
+
+The three towns, Zanesville, Lancaster, and _Chillicothe_, were founded
+by a sagacious man of the name of Zane, one of the earliest of the
+settlers. They are admirably placed, geographically, but with little
+regard to the health of their future inhabitants. The local advantages
+of Zanesville might have been equally secured, had the site of the town
+been on the higher, rather than the lower bank of the Muskingum: and the
+Sciota might have afforded equal facilities to the commerce of the
+inhabitants of Chillicothe, had they viewed it flowing beneath them,
+from those lovely eminences which adorn its opposite banks. Chillicothe
+is surrounded by the most charming elevations, but is itself in a
+bottom; and Lancaster is on the brink of an extensive marsh.
+
+Seven miles north-west of Chillicothe the traveller enters on a tract of
+river bottom, the first rich land, for which this state, and indeed the
+whole western country, is so justly famous. It is agreeably varied in
+surface, occasionally rises into hills, and is never flat.
+
+At Chillicothe there is an office for the several transactions regarding
+the disposal of the public lands of this district; and, on Mr.
+Birkbeck's arrival, he repaired to this office, for the purpose of
+inspecting a map of the district; and he found a great quantity of
+unentered lands, comprehending many entire townships, of eight miles
+square, lying about twenty miles south of Chillicothe; and, in several
+parts, abutting on the Sciota. Though it appeared certain that
+substantial objections had deterred purchasers from this extensive
+tract, in a country so much settled, yet Mr. Birkbeck, accompanied by
+his son, determined to visit it. They rode over twenty miles of fertile
+country, on the bank of the Sciota, and crossed that river to _Pike
+Town_; not far from which place was the land they were seeking.
+
+Near Pike Town was a small cultivated prairie, the first Mr. Birkbeck
+had seen. It contained about two hundred acres of rich land, and was
+divided by a road, which ran through the middle; and nearly the whole of
+it was covered by fine Indian corn, neatly cultivated. The surrounding
+hills were crowned with woods. Nothing that Mr. Birkbeck had before seen
+in America at all resembled this delightful spot; but, from its low
+situation near the Sciota, it was unhealthy.
+
+Pike Town was laid out, and received its name, about the year 1815. When
+Mr. Birkbeck was here, it contained a tavern, a store, and about twenty
+other dwellings.
+
+The land of which Mr. Birkbeck came in quest was, as he supposed, of
+inferior quality. But though he found it unfit for his purpose, he had
+been repaid his trouble by the pleasure of his ride, through a fine
+portion of country. In leaving Chillicothe, to proceed towards
+Cincinnati, he and his party travelled through about seven miles of rich
+alluvial land, and over fertile uplands. But, as they proceeded, the
+country became level, with a cold heavy soil, better adapted to grass
+than tillage. Much of this tract remained in an unimproved state. They
+had passed some hills which were covered with the grandest white
+oak-timber imaginable. Within view from the road there were thousands of
+these magnificent trees, each of which measured fourteen or fifteen feet
+in circumference: their straight stems rising, without a branch, to the
+height of seventy or eighty feet, not tapering and slender, but
+surmounted by full, luxuriant heads.
+
+For the space of a mile in breadth, a hurricane, which had traversed the
+entire western country in a north-east direction, about seven years
+before Mr. Birkbeck was here, had opened itself a passage through the
+forests, and had left a scene of extraordinary desolation. The trees lay
+tumbled over each other, like scattered stubble; some torn up by the
+roots, others broken off at different heights, or splintered only, and
+their tops bent over, and touching the ground. These hurricane tracts
+afford strong holes for game, and for all animals of savage kind.
+
+As Mr. Birkbeck approached the _Little Miami River_, the country became
+more broken, much more fertile, and better settled than before. After
+crossing this rapid and clear stream, he had a pleasant ride to Lebanon,
+which is not a mountain of cedars, but a valley, so beautiful and
+fertile that, at its first opening on the view, it seemed rather a
+region of fancy than a real back-settlement scene.
+
+_Lebanon_ is itself one of those wonders which are the natural growth of
+these back woods. In fourteen years, from two or three cabins of
+half-savage hunters, it has grown to be the residence of a thousand
+persons, with habits and looks in no respect differing from their
+brethren of the east. Before Mr. Birkbeck and his party entered the
+town, they heard the supper-bells of the taverns; and they arrived just
+in time to take their seats at one of the tables, together with
+travellers like themselves, and several store-keepers, lawyers, and
+doctors; men who regularly board at taverns, and make up a standing
+company for the daily public table.
+
+Mr. Birkbeck and his family next passed through _Cincinnati_, [a town
+which presents a scene of great life and activity. The market-house is
+an excellent building; and the market is under judicious regulations.
+Provisions are here plentiful and cheap; but articles of clothing,
+house-rent, and journeymen's wages are all very high.
+
+This interesting town is situated on the banks of the _Ohio_, and
+contains from eight to ten thousand inhabitants, including blacks, who
+are numerous. It is built on the same plan as Philadelphia. There is a
+school, in which children are educated on the Lancasterian plan; and
+which, in 1817, contained one hundred and fifty children. Owing,
+however, to the "untamable insubordination of the scholars, it was found
+impossible to put in practice most of the punishments that are directed
+by the founder of the system. Two weekly newspapers are published at
+Cincinnati; one called "The Western Spy," and the other, "Liberty
+Hall."
+
+There are, at this place, a woollen manufactory, a steam corn-mill, and
+a glass-house, on a tolerably large scale; and, in the main street,
+English goods abound in as great profusion as in Cheapside. The
+tradesmen import some of their goods direct from England, but they
+usually purchase them at Philadelphia; the journey to and from which
+place occupies three months; and goods are generally about fifty days in
+arriving.
+
+There are, in Cincinnati, three banks; and paper-money is here so
+abundant, that specie, even of the smallest amount, is rarely to be
+seen. The little that does exist, consists chiefly of _cut_ Spanish
+dollars. Notes of two shillings and two-pence, thirteen pence, sixpence
+halfpenny, and even of three-pence farthing, are very common: indeed,
+they constitute the chief part of the circulating medium.
+
+Cincinnati is a very handsome town; a town, in fact, which must astonish
+every traveller, when he considers how recently it has been formed. Some
+of the houses are on a large scale; and the number of moderate-sized and
+well-built brick buildings is considerable. The churches are neat; and
+the post-office, in arrangement and management, would bear comparison
+with that of London.]
+
+After having passed through Cincinnati, Mr. Birkbeck and his family
+entered the _state of Indiana_, and proceeded towards Vincennes. Indiana
+was, evidently, newer than the state of Ohio; and the character of the
+settlers appeared superior to that of the settlers in Ohio, who, in
+general, were a very indigent people. Those who fix themselves in
+Indiana, bring with them habits of comfort and the means of procuring
+the conveniences of life. These are observable in the construction of
+their cabins, and the neatness surrounding them; and, especially, in
+their well-stocked gardens, so frequent here, and so rare in the state
+of Ohio.
+
+The country, from the town of Madison to the _Camp Tavern_, is not
+interesting, and a great part of the land is but of medium quality. At
+the latter place commences a broken country, approaching to mountainous,
+which, if well watered, would form a fine grazing district. In their
+progress, Mr. Birkbeck, one of the ladies, and a servant boy, were
+benighted at the foot of one of these rugged hills; and, without being
+well provided, they were compelled to make their first experiment of
+"camping out," as it is called.
+
+A traveller, in the woods, says this gentleman, should always carry with
+him a flint, steel, tinder, and matches; a few biscuits, a half-pint
+vial of spirits, a tin cup, and a large knife or tomahawk; then, with
+his two blankets, and his great coat and umbrella, he need not be
+uneasy, should any unforeseen delay require his sleeping under a tree.
+
+In the present instance, the important articles of tinder and matches
+were in the baggage of the division that had proceeded; and, as the
+night was rainy and excessively dark, the benighted party were, for some
+time, under considerable apprehension, lest they should be deprived of
+the comfort and security of a fire. Fortunately, Mr. Birkbeck's
+powder-flask was in his saddle-bags, and he succeeded in supplying the
+place of tinder, by moistening a piece of paper, and rubbing it with
+gunpowder. He then placed the touchpaper on an old cambric handkerchief.
+On this he scattered gunpowder pretty copiously, and with a flint and
+steel he soon succeeded in raising a flame: then, collecting together a
+quantity of dry wood, he made a noble fire. There was a mattress for the
+lady, a bear-skin for Mr. Birkbeck, and the load of the pack-horse
+served as a pallet for the boy. Thus, by means of great coats and
+blankets, and their umbrellas spread over their heads, they made their
+quarters tolerably comfortable; and, placing themselves to the leeward
+of the fire, with their feet towards it, they lay more at ease than they
+could have done in the generality of taverns. They had a few biscuits,
+a small bottle of spirits, and a phial of oil. By twisting some cord
+very hard, and dipping it in the oil, they contrived to make torches;
+and, after several fruitless attempts, they succeeded in finding water.
+"Camping out," when the tents are pitched by day-light, and the party
+are furnished with the articles, which Mr. Birkbeck was obliged to
+supply by expedients, is pleasant in fine weather. The lady was
+exceedingly ill, which had in fact occasioned their being benighted; and
+never was the night's charge of a sick friend undertaken with more
+dismal forebodings. The rain, however, having ceased, the invalid passed
+the night in safety; so that the morning found them more comfortable
+than they could have anticipated.
+
+The town of _Vincennes_ is scattered over a plain, lying some feet lower
+than the banks of the _Wabash_: a situation seemingly unfavourable to
+health; and, in fact, agues and bilious fevers are frequent here during
+the autumn.
+
+The road from Sholt's Tavern to this place, thirty-six miles distant,
+lies partly across "barrens," that is, land of middling quality, thinly
+set with timber, or covered with long grass and shrubby underwood;
+generally level and dry, and gaudy with marigolds, sunflowers, martagon
+lilies, and many other beautiful flowers. On the whole, the country is
+tame, poorly watered, and not desirable as a place of settlement; but,
+from its varied character, it is pleasant to travel over. Vincennes
+exhibits a motley assemblage of inhabitants as well as visitors. The
+inhabitants are Americans, French Canadians, and Negroes. The visitors
+are chiefly Americans from various states; and Indians from various
+nations: Shawnees, Delawares, and Miamies, who live about a hundred
+miles northward, and who come here to trade for skins. The Indians were
+encamped, in considerable numbers, round the town, and were continually
+riding into the place, to the stores and the whiskey-shops. Their horses
+and accoutrements were generally mean, and their persons disagreeable.
+Their faces were painted in various ways, which gave an appearance of
+ferocity to their countenances.
+
+One of them, a Shawnee, had his eyes, or rather his eyelids and the
+surrounding parts, daubed with vermilion. He thus looked hideous enough
+at a distance; but, on a nearer view, he had good features, and was a
+fine, stout, and fierce-looking man. Some of the Indians were well
+dressed. One young man, in particular, of the Miami nation, wore a
+clear, light blue cotton vest, with sleeves; and had his head ornamented
+with black feathers.
+
+They all wear pantaloons, or rather long moccasins of buck-skin,
+covering the foot and leg, and reaching half way up the thigh, which is
+bare: a covering of cloth, a foot square, passes between the thighs, and
+hangs behind like an apron. Their complexion was various: some were
+dark, and others were not so swarthy as even Mr. Birkbeck; but he saw
+none of the copper-colour, which he had imagined to be their
+distinguishing characteristic. These Indians are addicted to drinking
+spirits, and are often intoxicated. They use much action in their
+discourse, and laugh immoderately. Their hair is straight and black, and
+their eyes are dark. Many of the women are decently dressed and
+good-looking.
+
+Mr. Birkbeck remarks that, in Great Britain, the people are so
+circumscribed in their movements, that, with them, miles seem equal to
+tens of miles in America. He says that, in America, travellers will
+start on an expedition of three thousand miles, by boats, on horseback,
+or on foot, with as little deliberation or anxiety, as an Englishman
+would set out on a journey of three hundred.
+
+At Vincennes, the foundation had just been laid of a large establishment
+of mills to be worked by steam. Water-mills of great power were building
+on the Wabash, near Harmony; and undertakings of similar kind will, no
+doubt, be called for and executed, along the banks of this river, and
+of its various tributary streams.
+
+On entering Vincennes there is nothing which tends to make a favourable
+impression on a stranger; but it improves on acquaintance, for it
+contains agreeable people: and there is a spirit of cleanliness, and
+even of neatness, in the houses and manner of living. There is also a
+strain of politeness in the inhabitants, which marks the origin of this
+settlement to be French.
+
+At _Princeton_, a place scarcely three years old, Mr. Birkbeck and his
+family went to a log-tavern, where neatness was as well observed as at
+many taverns in the cities of England. The people of this town belong to
+America in dress and manners; but they would not disgrace old England in
+the general decorum of their deportment.
+
+Mr. Birkbeck lamented here, as in other parts of America, the small
+account that is had of time. Subsistence is easily secured, and liberal
+pursuits are yet too rare to operate as a general stimulus to exertion:
+the consequence is, that life is whiled away in a painful state of
+yawning lassitude.
+
+Twenty or thirty miles west of this place, in the Illinois territory, is
+a large country where settlements were beginning; and where, Mr.
+Birkbeck says, there was an abundant choice of unentered lands, of a
+description, which, if the statements of travellers and surveyors, even
+after great abatements, can be relied on, he imagined would satisfy his
+wishes.
+
+Princeton affords a very encouraging situation for a temporary abode. It
+stands on an elevated spot, in an uneven country, ten miles from the
+river Wabash, and two from the navigable stream of the Patok; but the
+country is rich, and the timber is vast in bulk and height.
+
+The small-pox is likely soon to be excluded from this state; for
+vaccination is very generally adopted, and inoculation for the small-pox
+is prohibited altogether; not by law, but by common consent. If it
+should be known that an individual had undergone this operation, the
+inhabitants would compel him to withdraw from society. If he lived in a
+town, he must absent himself, or he would be driven away.
+
+On the 25th of July, Mr. Birkbeck explored the country as far as
+_Harmony_ and the banks of the Ohio. He lodged in a cabin, at a very new
+town, on the banks of the Ohio, called _Mount Vernon_. Here he found the
+people of a character which confirmed the aversion he had previously
+entertained to a settlement in the immediate vicinity of a large
+navigable river. Every hamlet was demoralized, and every plantation was
+liable to outrage, within a short distance of such a thoroughfare.
+
+Yet, to persons who had been long buried in deep forests, the view of
+that noble expanse was like the opening of a bright day upon the gloom
+of night. To travel, day after day, among trees a hundred feet high,
+without a glimpse of the surrounding country, is oppressive to a degree
+which those cannot conceive who have not experienced it.
+
+Mr. Birkbeck left Harmony after breakfast, on the ensuing day, and,
+crossing the Wabash, at a ferry, he proceeded to the _Big Prairie_,
+where, to his astonishment, he beheld a fertile plain of grass and
+arable; and some thousand acres of land covered with corn, more
+luxuriant than any he had before seen. The scene reminded him of some
+open well-cultivated vale in Europe, surrounded by wooded uplands. But
+the illusion vanished on his arrival at the habitation of Mr. Williams,
+the owner of an estate, on which, at this time, there were nearly three
+hundred acres of beautiful corn in one field; for this man lived in a
+way apparently as remote from comfort, as the settler of one year, who
+thinks only of the means of supporting existence.
+
+The inhabitants of the Prairie are healthy, and the females and children
+are better complexioned than their neighbours of the timber country. It
+is evident that they breathe better air: but they are in a low state of
+civilization, being about half Indian in their mode of life. They are
+hunters by profession, and would have the whole range of the forests for
+themselves and their cattle. Strangers appear, to them, invaders of
+their privileges; as they have intruded on the better founded and
+exclusive privileges of their Indian predecessors.
+
+After viewing several Prairies, which, with their surrounding woods,
+were so beautiful as to seem like the creation of fancy; (gardens of
+delight in a dreary wilderness;) and after losing their horses, and
+spending two days in recovering them, Mr. Birkbeck and his party took a
+hunter, as their guide, and proceeded across the little Wabash, to
+explore the country between that river and the Skillet Fork.
+
+The lonely settlers, in the districts north of Big Prairie, are in a
+miserable state: their bread-corn must be ground thirty miles off; and
+it occupied three days to carry to the mill, and bring back, the small
+horse-load of three bushels. To struggle with privations has now become
+the habit of their lives, most of them having made several successive
+plunges into the wilderness.
+
+Mr. Birkbeck's journey across the little Wabash was a complete departure
+from all mark of civilization. Wandering without track, where even the
+sagacity of the hunter-guide had nearly failed, they at length arrived
+at the cabin of another hunter, in which they lodged. This man, his
+wife, his eldest son, a tall, half-naked youth, just initiated in the
+hunter's arts; his three daughters, growing up into great rude girls,
+and a squalling tribe of dirty brats, of both sexes, were of one pale
+yellow colour, without the slightest tint of healthful bloom. They were
+remarkable instances of the effect, on the complexion, produced by
+living perpetually in the midst of woods.
+
+Their cabin, which may serve as a specimen of these rudiments of houses,
+was formed of round logs, with apertures of three or four inches: there
+was no chimney, but large intervals were left between the "clapboards,"
+for the escape of the smoke. The roof, however, was a more effectual
+covering, than Mr. Birkbeck had generally experienced, as it protected
+him and his party very tolerably from a drenching night. Two bedsteads,
+formed of unhewn logs, and cleft boards laid across; two chairs, (one of
+them without a bottom,) and a low stool, were all the furniture
+possessed by this numerous family. A string of buffalo-hide, stretched
+across the hovel, was a wardrobe for their rags; and their utensils,
+consisting of a large iron-pot, some baskets, one good rifle, and two
+that were useless, stood about in corners; and a fiddle, which was
+seldom silent, except when the inhabitants were asleep, hung by them.
+
+These hunters, in the back-settlements of America, are as persevering as
+savages, and as indolent. They cultivate indolence as a privilege: "You
+English (they say) are industrious, but we have freedom." And thus they
+exist, in yawning indifference, surrounded by nuisances and petty wants;
+the former of which might be removed, and the latter supplied, by the
+application of one tenth part of the time that is loitered away in their
+innumerable idle days.
+
+The _Little Wabash_, which Mr. Birkbeck crossed in search of some
+Prairies, that had been described to him in glowing colours, was, at
+this season, a sluggish and scanty stream; but, for three months of the
+latter part of winter and the beginning of spring, it covers a great
+space of ground, by the overflow of waters collected in its long course.
+The _Skillet Fork_ is a river of similar character; and the country that
+lies between them must labour under the inconvenience of absolute
+seclusion, for many months every year, until bridges and ferries are
+established. Having made his way through this wildest of wildernesses to
+the Skillet Fork, Mr. Birkbeck crossed that river at a shoal. The
+country, on each side of it, is flat and swampy; so that the water, in
+many places, even at this season, rendered travelling disagreeable; yet
+here and there, at ten miles' distance, perhaps, the very solitude
+tempts persons to pitch their tents for a season.
+
+At one of these lone dwellings Mr. Birkbeck found a neat, respectable
+looking female, spinning under the little piazza at one side of the
+cabin, which shaded her from the sun. Her husband was absent on
+business, which would detain him some weeks: she had no family, and no
+companion except her husband's dog, which usually attended him during
+his bear-hunting, in the winter. She said she was quite overcome with
+"lone," and hoped the party would tie their horses in the wood, and sit
+awhile with her, during the heat of the day. They did so, and she
+rewarded them with a basin of coffee. She said her husband was kind and
+good, and never left her without necessity. He was a true lover of
+bear-hunting; and, in the preceding winter, had killed a great number of
+bears.
+
+On the second of August the party lodged at another cabin, where similar
+neatness prevailed, both within and without. The woman was neat, and the
+children were clean in skin, and whole in their clothes. The man
+possessed good sense and sound notions, and was ingenious and
+industrious. He lived on the edge of the Seven Miles' Prairie, a spot
+charming to the eye, but deficient in water.
+
+Mr. Birkbeck considers _Shawnee Town_ as a phænomenon, evincing the
+pertinacious adherence of man to the spot where he has once established
+himself. Once a year, for many successive springs, the Ohio, in its
+annual overflowings, has carried away the fences from the cleared lands
+of the inhabitants, till at length they have given them up, and ceased
+to cultivate them. Once a year the inhabitants of Shawnee Town either
+make their escape to higher lands, or take refuge in the upper stories
+of their houses, until the waters subside, when they recover their
+position on this desolate sand-bank.
+
+At Shawnee Town there is an office for the south-east district of
+Illinois. Here Mr. Birkbeck constituted himself a land-owner, by paying
+seven hundred and twenty dollars, as one-fourth part of the
+purchase-money of fourteen hundred and forty acres. This land, with a
+similar purchase made by a Mr. Flower, constituted part of a beautiful
+and rich Prairie, about six miles distant from the Big Wabash, and the
+same distance from the Little Wabash.
+
+The land was rich, natural meadow, bounded by timbered ground: it was
+within reach of two navigable rivers; and, at a small expence, was
+capable of being rendered immediately productive.
+
+The geographical position of this portion of territory appeared to be
+extremely favourable. The Big Wabash, a noble stream, which forms its
+eastern boundary, runs four hundred miles, through one of the most
+fertile portions of this most fertile region. By means of a portage of
+eight miles to the Miami of the lakes, it has a communication, well
+known to the Indian traders, with Lake Huron, and with all the
+navigation of the north.
+
+Mr. Birkbeck left Shawnee town on the third of August. He had found here
+something of river-barbarism, the genuine Ohio character; but he had met
+with a greater number, than he had expected, of agreeable individuals:
+and the kind and hospitable treatment he experienced at the tavern,
+formed a good contrast to the rude society and wretched fare he had left
+at the Skillet Fork.
+
+On his return to _Harmony_, the day being Sunday, he had an opportunity
+of seeing, grouped and in their best attire, a large part of the members
+of this wonderful community. It was evening when he arrived, and he
+observed no human creature about the streets: soon the entire body of
+the people, about seven hundred in number, poured out of the church, and
+exhibited the appearance of health, neatness, and peace.
+
+This colony is useful to the neighbourhood. It furnishes, from its
+store, many articles of great value, not so well supplied elsewhere; and
+it is a market for all spare produce. Many kinds of culinary plants, and
+many fruit-trees are cultivated here; and the Harmonites set a good
+example of neatness and industry. When we contrast their neatness and
+order, with the slovenly habits of their neighbours, we see (says Mr.
+Birkbeck) the good that arises from association, which advances these
+poor people a century, at least, on the social scale, beyond the
+solitary beings who build their huts in the wilderness.
+
+At Harmony Mr. Birkbeck and his family lived at the tavern, and their
+board there cost two dollars per week, each person: for these they
+received twenty-one meals. Excellent coffee and tea, with broiled
+chickens, bacon, &c. for breakfast and supper, and a variety of good,
+but simple fare at dinner. Except coffee, tea, or milk, no liquor but
+water is thought of at meals in this country.
+
+Mr. Birkbeck observes that, when the back country of America is
+mentioned in England, musquitoes by night, and rattlesnakes by day,
+never fail to alarm the imagination: to say nothing of wolves and bears,
+and panthers, and Indians still more ferocious than these. His course of
+travelling, from the mouth of James River, and over the mountains, up to
+Pittsburg, about five hundred miles; then three hundred miles through
+the woods of the state of Ohio, down to Cincinnati; next, across the
+entire wilderness of Indiana, and to the extreme south of the
+Illinois:--this long and deliberate journey, (he says,) one would
+suppose, might have introduced his party to an intimate acquaintance
+with some of these pests of America. It is true that they killed several
+of the serpent tribe; black snakes, garter-snakes, &c. and that they saw
+one rattlesnake of extraordinary size. They experienced inconvenience
+from musquitoes in a few damp spots, just as they would have done from
+gnats in England. In their late expeditions in the Illinois, where they
+led the lives of thorough backwoods-men, if they were so unfortunate as
+to pitch their tent on the edge of a creek, or near a swamp, and
+mismanaged their fire, they were teased with musquitoes, as they would
+have been in the fens of Cambridgeshire: but this was the sum total
+of their experience of these reported plagues.
+
+Wolves and bears are extremely numerous, and commit much injury in the
+newly-settled districts. Hogs, which are a main dependance for food as
+well as profit, are the constant prey of the bears; and the holds of
+these animals are so strong, that the hunters are unable to keep down
+their numbers.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+[In the autumn of the year 1817, Mr. Birkbeck removed, with his family,
+to the property he had purchased, between the Great and Little Wabash,
+and to which he has given the name of "_English Prairie_." In his "Notes
+on America," and in his "Letters from the Illinois," he has described,
+in an interesting manner, the face of the country, its soil,
+productions, mode of culture, and capacities of improvement; and has
+pointed out the great advantages which it offers to settlers, especially
+to labourers and to farmers with small capital. The confidence that is
+reposed in his judgment and agricultural skill, has already induced
+several persons to emigrate into the same neighbourhood, both from
+England and the United States; but the singularity of his religious
+opinions, and his objection to the admission of religious instructors of
+any description into his settlement, had prevented many conscientious
+persons from joining him, who might have proved useful members of his
+little community.]
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+From this place we must return to _Philadelphia_, for the purpose of
+accompanying Mr. Weld on a journey to Washington, the federal city or
+metropolis of the United States.
+
+
+
+
+Seventh Day's Instruction.
+
+UNITED STATES CONTINUED.
+
+
+_Narrative of_ MR. WELD'S _Excursion from Philadelphia to
+Washington_.
+
+On the 16th of November, 1795, Mr. Weld left _Philadelphia_ in one of
+the public stage-waggons. The country around this city was well
+cultivated, and abounded with neat villas and farm-houses; but it had a
+naked appearance, for all the trees had been cut down, either for fuel
+or to make way for the plough.
+
+The road to Baltimore passed over the lowest of three floating bridges,
+which had been thrown across the _river Schuylkill_. The view, on
+crossing this river, which is about two hundred and fifty yards wide, is
+peculiarly beautiful. The banks on each side are high, and, for many
+miles, afford extremely delightful situations for villas.
+
+The country, after passing the Schuylkill, is pleasingly diversified
+with rising grounds and woods; and appears to be in a good state of
+cultivation. The first town of any note at which Mr. Weld arrived, was
+_Chester_; which at this time contained about sixty dwellings, and was
+remarkable for being the place where the first colonial assembly sat.
+From the vicinity of Chester, there is a grand view of the river
+Delaware.
+
+About half a mile from Wilmington is _Brandywine River_, remarkable for
+its mills: no fewer than thirteen having been built, almost close to
+each other, upon it.
+
+_Wilmington_ is the capital of the state of Delaware, and contained, at
+this time, about six hundred houses, which were chiefly of brick. The
+streets are laid out in a manner somewhat similar to those of
+Philadelphia. There is, however, nothing very interesting in this town,
+and the country around it is flat and unpleasant. _Elkton_, twenty-one
+miles from Wilmington, and the first town in Maryland, is a dirty and
+disagreeable place; which contains about ninety indifferent houses, that
+are built without any regularity.
+
+Every ten or twelve miles upon this road there are taverns. These are
+all built of wood, and much in the same style; with a porch in front,
+which extends the entire length of the house. Few of them have any
+signs, and they are only to be distinguished from other houses, by a
+number of handbills pasted upon the walls near the door. Each of them is
+named, not from the sign, but from the person who keeps it; as Jones's,
+Brown's, &c. and all are kept nearly in the same manner. At each house
+there are regular hours for breakfast, dinner, and supper: and, if a
+traveller arrive somewhat before the time appointed for any one of these
+meals, it is in vain to desire a separate repast for himself: he must
+patiently wait till the regulated hour; and must then sit down with such
+other guests as happen to be in the house.
+
+The _Susquehannah_ river is crossed, on the way to Baltimore, at a ferry
+five miles above its entrance into the Chesapeak. The river is here
+about a mile and a quarter wide, and deep enough for vessels of any
+burden. The banks are high and thickly wooded, and the scenery is grand
+and picturesque. A small town, called _Havre de Grace_, which contains
+about forty houses, stands on this river at the ferry. From Havre to
+Baltimore the country is extremely poor; the soil is of a yellow gravel
+mixed with clay, and the road is execrable.
+
+_Baltimore_ is supposed to have, at this time, contained about sixteen
+thousand _inhabitants_. Though not the capital of the state, it is the
+largest town in Maryland; and, after Philadelphia and New York, is the
+most considerable place of trade in North America. [It is built round
+the head of a bay or inlet of the _river Patuxent_, and about eight
+miles above its junction with the Chesapeak.] The _plan_ of the town is
+somewhat similar to that of Philadelphia. Most of the _streets_ cross
+each other at right angles. The main street, which runs nearly east and
+west, is about eighty feet wide, and the others measure from forty to
+sixty feet. The streets are not all paved, so that, in wet weather, they
+are almost impassable; the soil being a stiff yellow clay, which retains
+the water a long time. On the south of the town is the harbour, which
+affords about nine feet water, and is large enough to contain two
+thousand sail of merchant-vessels.
+
+The greatest number of private _houses_ in Baltimore, are of brick; but
+many, particularly in the skirts of the town, are of wood. In some of
+the new streets, a few appeared to be well built; but, in general, they
+are small, heavy, and inconvenient. [The public buildings have very
+little architectural beauty.
+
+In the year 1817, Baltimore contained fifty thousand inhabitants; and
+was still rapidly increasing.] Among the inhabitants are to be found
+English, Irish, Scotch, and French; but the Irish appear to be most
+numerous. With a few exceptions, they are all engaged in trade; and they
+are, for the most part, a plain people, sociable among themselves, and
+friendly and hospitable towards strangers. Cards and dancing are here
+favourite amusements. During the autumn, Baltimore is unhealthy, and
+such persons as can afford it, retire to country-seats in the
+neighbourhood, some of which are delightfully situated.
+
+From Baltimore to Washington, a distance of forty miles, the country has
+but a poor appearance. The soil, in some parts, consists of yellow clay
+mixed with gravel: in other parts it is sandy. In the neighbourhood of
+the creeks, and between the hills, there are patches of rich black
+earth, called bottoms, the trees upon which grow to a large size.
+
+
+_A description of the City of Washington._
+
+This city was laid out in the year 1792; and was expressly designed for
+the seat of government, and the metropolis of the United States.
+Accordingly, in the month of November, 1800, the congress assembled here
+for the first time. It stands on a neck of land, between the forks
+formed by the eastern and western branches of the river _Potomac_. This
+neck of land, together with an adjacent territory, ten miles square, was
+ceded to the American congress by the states of Maryland and Virginia.
+The ground on which the city has been built, was the property of private
+individuals, who readily relinquished their claim to one half of it in
+favour of congress, conscious that the value of what was left to them
+would increase, and amply compensate them for their loss.
+
+The _plan_ of the buildings was drawn by a Frenchman, whose name was
+L'Enfant; and the ground, marked out for them, was fourteen miles in
+circumference. The _streets_ run north and south, east and west; but, to
+prevent that sameness which would result from their all crossing each
+other at right angles, several avenues have been laid out, in different
+parts of the city, which run transversely. The streets are, in general,
+from ninety to a hundred feet, and the avenues one hundred and sixty
+feet wide. There is also an arrangement for several squares.
+
+Including the suburb of George Town, this city contains about twenty
+thousand _inhabitants_, who are scattered over a vast space, in detached
+masses of buildings, which appear like petty hamlets in a populous
+country. The intended _streets_ are, for the most part, only
+distinguishable from the rugged waste, by a slight trace, like that of a
+newly-formed road; or, in some instances, by rows of poplar trees, which
+afford neither ornament nor shade.
+
+The _Capitol_, and the house appropriated to the president of the United
+States, are situated on opposite hills, and are the chief public
+buildings in Washington. During the late war, they were both nearly
+destroyed by the British forces; but they are now rising into increased
+splendour. The capitol, in which are the houses of the legislature, and
+several public offices, stands on a bank of the Potomac, seventy feet
+above the level of that river. It as yet consists of only two wings; but
+these are intended to be connected by a centre, surmounted by a dome.
+
+The _president's house_ is at the opposite end of "Pennsylvania Avenue,"
+and commands a most beautiful prospect. On each side of it stands a
+large brick building: one of which is the treasury, and the other is
+appropriated to the war and navy offices. These are hereafter to be
+connected with the palace.
+
+The _post office_ is a large brick edifice, situated at about an equal
+distance from the president's house and the capitol. Under the same roof
+is the patent-office, and the national library, for the use of members
+of the congress. In 1817 there were, in Washington, many brick
+buildings, two and three stories high. There were also some small wooden
+houses; though, according to the original plan, no houses were to be
+built less than three stories high, and all were to have marble steps.
+
+The _river Potomac_, at Washington, is navigable only for small craft;
+but, besides this, there is a river, about the width of the Paddington
+canal, which is dignified by the name of _Tiber_. The ridiculous, though
+characteristic vanity displayed in changing its original appellation
+from "Goose-creek" to that of "Tiber," has been happily exposed by the
+English poet Moore. Speaking of this city, he says,
+
+    In fancy now, beneath the twilight gloom,
+    Come, let me lead thee o'er this modern Rome,
+    Where tribunes rule, where dusky Davi bow,
+    And what was Goose-creek once is Tiber now.
+    This fam'd metropolis, where fancy sees
+    Squares in morasses, obelisks in trees.
+
+There are, at Washington, four market-days in the week, and negroes are
+the chief sellers of provisions; but the supplies are neither good nor
+various. In this city rents are very high; and mechanics are fully
+employed and well paid. Shopkeepers too are numerous; but its increase
+cannot be rapid, for it has no decidedly great natural advantages. It
+has little external commerce, a barren soil, and a scanty population; is
+enfeebled by the deadly weight of absolute slavery, and has no direct
+communication with the western country.
+
+With regard to the manners of the _inhabitants_, it is remarked that
+both sexes, whether on horseback or on foot, carry umbrellas at all
+seasons: in summer, to keep off the sunbeams; in winter, as a shelter
+from the rain and snow; and in spring and autumn, to intercept the dews
+of the evening. At dinner and at tea parties, the ladies sit together,
+and seldom mix with the gentlemen, whose conversation usually turns upon
+political subjects. In almost all houses toddy, or spirits and water, is
+offered to guests a few minutes before dinner. Boarders in
+boarding-houses, or in taverns, sometimes throw off their coats during
+the heat of summer; and, in winter, their shoes, for the purpose of
+warming their feet at the fire; customs which the climate only can
+excuse. The barber always arrives on horseback, to perform the operation
+of shaving; and here, as in some towns of Europe, he is the organ of all
+the news and scandal of the place.
+
+In the year 1817, when Mr. Fearon was in Washington, the congress was
+sitting, and that gentleman several times attended the debates. The
+place of meeting was a temporary one: it had been designed for an hotel,
+and was in the immediate vicinity of the capitol. The congress assembled
+at eleven o'clock in the morning, and adjourned at four in the
+afternoon. Mr. Fearon's first visit was to the _senate_. This body is
+composed of forty members, the states having increased their original
+number of thirteen to that of twenty; and each state, regardless of its
+population, sends two. The gallery of the senate-house is open to all;
+and the only form observed, is that of taking off the hat. When Mr.
+Fearon was at Washington, the chairman's seat was central, under a
+handsome canopy; and the members were seated, on rich scarlet cushions,
+some at double, and some at single desks. There were two large fires;
+and the room was carpeted, as was also the gallery. In the congress, the
+forms of business, with a few minor exceptions, are taken from those of
+the British parliament. There is, however, one point of variation: every
+speech is apparently listened to; and all the speeches, whether good or
+bad, seem regarded with equal apathy, and with a complete lifeless
+endurance, neither applause nor censure being allowed.
+
+The _Representative Chamber_ was in the same building, and about twice
+the extent. A gallery was here also open to the public of both sexes.
+This assembly consists of nearly two hundred members. These want, in
+appearance, the age, experience, dignity, and respectability, which an
+Englishman associates with the idea of legislators, and which are
+possessed by the superior branch of the congress. The members sat on
+very common chairs, and at unpainted desks, which were placed in rows. A
+few of the speakers commanded attention; but others talked on as long
+they pleased, while the rest were occupied in writing letters or reading
+newspapers. A spitting-box was placed at the feet of each member, and,
+contrary to the practice of the upper house, both the members and
+visitors wore their hats.
+
+During the sitting of congress, the president, or rather his lady, holds
+a drawing-room weekly. He takes by the hand all those persons who are
+presented to him; shaking of hands being here considered more rational
+and more manly than kissing them.
+
+_George Town_ may be described as a suburb of Washington. It is finely
+situated, on the north-east side of the Potomac river, and is divided,
+from Washington, by the Rock Creek, over which are two bridges. The
+houses are chiefly of brick, and have a neat appearance. Several of
+them were built before the streets were formed, which gave rise to an
+observation by a French lady, that "George Town had houses without
+streets; Washington, streets without houses."
+
+_Alexandria_, formerly called Belhaven, is a small, but peculiarly neat
+town, on the western side of the Potomac, and about six miles south of
+Washington. Its streets, like those of Philadelphia, run in straight
+lines, and intersect each other at right angles. The houses are of neat
+construction. The public buildings are an episcopal church, an academy,
+a court-house, a bank, and gaol. This place carries on a considerable
+trade; and the warehouses and wharfs are very commodious. The distance
+from Alexandria to George Town is about ten miles; and there is a daily
+communication between the two places, by means of a packet-boat.
+
+Nine miles below Alexandria, and also on the bank of the Potomac, stands
+_Mount Vernon_, formerly the country-seat of general Washington. The
+house is of wood, but cut and painted so as to resemble stone. It has a
+lawn in front; and, when Mr. Weld was here, the garden had the
+appearance of a nursery-ground.
+
+
+_Narrative of Mr._ WELD'S _Journey from Washington to Richmond
+in Virginia_.
+
+In proceeding from Washington southward, Mr. Weld passed through a part
+of the country which was flat, sandy, and had a most dreary aspect. For
+many successive miles nothing was to be seen but extensive plains, that
+had been worn out by the culture of tobacco, and were overgrown with
+yellow sedge, and interspersed with groves of pine and cedar-trees, the
+dark green colour of which formed a singular contrast with the yellow of
+the sedge. In the midst of these plains there were, however, the remains
+of several good houses, which showed that the country had once been in a
+flourishing state.
+
+Mr. Weld crossed the Potomac at a place called _Hoe's Ferry_, The
+ferry-man told him that, in the river, was a bank of oysters, and that,
+if he wished it, the men should take up some. The singularity of
+obtaining oysters from fresh water induced Mr. Weld to stop at the bank;
+and the men, in a few minutes, collected as many as would have filled a
+bushel. The oysters were extremely good when cooked, but were
+disagreeable when eaten raw. The Potomac, as well as the other rivers in
+Virginia, abounds with excellent fish of various kinds. At the ferry it
+is about three miles wide.
+
+Mr. Weld prevailed with the ferry-man to take him about ten miles down
+the river, and land him on the Virginian shore, in a part of the country
+which appeared to be a perfect wilderness. No traces of a road or
+pathway were visible on the loose white sand; and the cedar and
+pine-trees grew so closely together, on all sides, that it was scarcely
+possible to see further forward, in any direction, than a hundred yards.
+Taking a course, as nearly as he could guess, in a direct line from the
+river, at the end of about an hour, he found a narrow road, which led to
+a large and ancient brick house. The master of it was from home, and Mr.
+Weld was obliged to proceed onward, several miles further, to a wretched
+hovel which had the name of a tavern. On the ensuing morning he
+proceeded to the residence of a gentleman, which was between the rivers
+Potomac and _Rappahannoc_, and where he had been invited to pass a few
+weeks.
+
+The principal planters in Virginia possess large estates, and have, on
+them, nearly every thing they can want. Among their slaves are found
+tailors, shoemakers, carpenters, smiths, turners, wheelwrights, weavers,
+and tanners. Woollen cloths and cotton goods, of several kinds, are
+manufactured at this province. Cotton grows here in great luxuriance:
+the plants, indeed, are often killed by the frost in winter, but they
+always produce abundantly, the first year in which they are sown.
+
+The large estates in Virginia are managed by stewards and overseers; and
+the work is done wholly by slaves. The cottages of the slaves are
+usually at the distance of a few hundred yards from the dwelling-house,
+and give the appearance of a village, to the residence of every planter.
+Adjoining to these cottages the slaves usually have small gardens, and
+yards for poultry. They have ample time to attend to their own concerns:
+their gardens are generally well stocked, and their flocks of poultry
+numerous. Many of their little huts are comfortably furnished, and they
+are themselves, in general, well clad. But Mr. Weld remarked, that this
+class of persons is much more kindly treated in Virginia, than in the
+other states of America.
+
+The part of Virginia in which Mr. Weld was now passing his time, was, in
+general, flat and sandy, and abounded in pine and cedar-trees: some
+districts, however, were well cultivated, and afforded good crops of
+corn; but these were intermixed with extensive tracts of waste land,
+worn out by the culture of tobacco, and almost destitute of verdure.
+
+The common people, in the lower parts of Virginia, have very sallow
+complexions, owing to the burning rays of the sun in summer, and the
+bilious complaints to which they are subject during the fall of the
+year; but those in the upper parts of the country, towards the
+mountains, have a healthy and comely appearance.
+
+After Mr. Weld had left the house of his friend, he crossed the
+_Rappahannoc River_, to a small town called _Tappahannoc_, or _Hob's
+Hole_, containing about one hundred houses. The river is here about
+three quarters of a mile wide, and, though the distance from its mouth
+is seventy miles, sharks are very often seen.
+
+From Tappahannoc to _Urbanna_, another small town on the Rappahannoc,
+and about twenty-five miles lower down, the country wears but a poor
+aspect. The road, which is level and sandy, runs, for many successive
+miles, through woods. The habitations that are seen from it are but few,
+and these of the poorest description. The woods chiefly consist of black
+oak, pine, and cedar-trees, which only grow on land of the worst
+quality.
+
+Mr. Weld observed many traces of fires in the woods. Such fires, he was
+informed, were frequent in the spring of the year; and they were usually
+occasioned by the negligence of people who burnt the underwood, for the
+purpose of clearing the lands. He was himself witness to one of them.
+The day had been remarkably serene, and the underwood had been fired in
+several places. During the afternoon, the weather was sultry, and, about
+five o'clock, the horizon, towards the north, became dark, and a
+terrible whirlwind arose. Mr. Weld was standing, with some gentlemen, on
+an eminence, and perceived it gradually advancing. It carried along with
+it a cloud of dust, dried leaves, and pieces of rotten wood; and, in
+many places, as it passed along, it levelled the fence-rails, and
+unroofed the cattle-sheds. Mr. Weld and his friends endeavoured, but in
+vain, to reach a place of shelter. In the course of two minutes the
+whirlwind overtook them: the shock was violent; it was hardly possible
+to stand, and was difficult to breathe. It passed over in about three
+minutes; but a storm, accompanied by heavy thunder and lightning,
+succeeded: this lasted more than half an hour. On looking round,
+immediately after the whirlwind had passed, a prodigious column of fire
+appeared in a part of the wood where some underwood had been burning. In
+many places the flames rose considerably above the summit of the trees,
+which were of large growth. It was a tremendous, and, at the same time,
+a sublime sight. The Negroes, on the surrounding plantations, were all
+assembled with their hoes; and guards were stationed, at every corner,
+to give alarm, if the fire appeared elsewhere, lest the conflagration
+should become general. To one plantation a spark was carried by the wind
+more than half a mile; happily, however, a torrent of rain, shortly
+afterwards, came pouring down, and enabled the people to extinguish the
+flames in every quarter.
+
+The country between Urbanna and Gloucester is neither so sandy nor so
+flat as that bordering upon the Rappahannoc. The trees, chiefly pines,
+are of large size, and afford abundance of turpentine, which is
+extracted from them, in great quantities, by the inhabitants.
+
+_Gloucester_ contained, at this time, only ten or twelve houses. It is
+situated on a neck of land nearly opposite to the town of York, and on
+the bank of the _York River_, here about a mile and half wide. _York_
+consisted of about seventy houses, an episcopalian church, and a gaol.
+It is remarkable for having been the place where lord Cornwallis
+surrendered his army to the combined forces of the Americans and French.
+The banks of the river are, for the most part, high and inaccessible;
+and the principal part of the town is built upon them; only a few
+fishing-huts and store-houses standing at the bottom.
+
+Twelve miles from York is _Williamsburgh_, formerly the seat of
+government in Virginia. At this time it consisted of one principal
+street, and two others, which ran parallel to it. At one end of the main
+street stands the college, and, at the other end, the old capitol or
+State-house, a capacious building of brick, which was crumbling to
+pieces, from neglect. The houses around it were mostly uninhabited, and
+presented a melancholy appearance.
+
+The college of William and Mary, as it is still called, is at the
+opposite end of the main street: it is a heavy pile of building,
+somewhat resembling a large brick-kiln. The students were, at this time,
+about thirty in number; but, from their boyish appearance, the seminary
+ought rather to be termed a grammar-school than a college.
+
+Mr. Weld dined with the president of the college. Half a dozen, or more,
+of the students, the eldest about twelve years old, were at table; some
+without shoes and stockings, and others without coats. A couple of
+dishes of salted meat, and some oyster-soup, formed the whole of the
+repast.
+
+The town of Williamsburgh contained, at this time, about twelve hundred
+inhabitants; and the society in it was thought to be more extensive, and
+at the same time more genteel, than in any other place of its size in
+America. No manufactures were carried on here, and there was scarcely
+any trade.
+
+From Williamsburgh to Hampton the country is flat and uninteresting.
+_Hampton_ is a small town, situated at the head of a bay, near the mouth
+of James River. It contained about thirty houses and an episcopal
+church; and was a dirty, disagreeable place.
+
+From this town there is a regular ferry to Norfolk, across Hampton
+Roads, eighteen miles over. _Norfolk_ stands nearly at the mouth of the
+eastern branch of Elizabeth River, the most southern of the rivers which
+fall into _Chesapeak Bay_. This is the largest commercial town in
+Virginia, and carries on a flourishing trade to the West Indies. Its
+exports consist principally of tobacco, flour, and corn, and various
+kinds of timber. Of the latter it derives an inexhaustible supply, from
+the great "Dismal Swamp," which is immediately in its neighbourhood.
+
+The houses in Norfolk were about five hundred in number; but most of
+them were of wood, and meanly built. These had all been erected since
+the year 1776; when the place had been totally burnt, by order of lord
+Dunmore, then the British governor of Virginia. The losses sustained, on
+this occasion, were estimated at three hundred thousand pounds sterling.
+Near the harbour the streets are narrow and irregular: in the other
+parts of the town they are tolerably wide. None of them, however, are
+paved, and all are filthy. During the hot months of summer, the stench
+that proceeds from some of them is horrid.
+
+There were, at this time, two churches, one for episcopalians, and the
+other for methodists; but, in the former, service was not performed more
+than once in two or three weeks. Indeed, throughout all the lower parts
+of Virginia, that is, between the mountains, and the sea, the people
+seemed to have scarcely any sense of religion; and, in the country
+districts, all the churches were falling into decay.
+
+From Norfolk Mr. Weld went to the _Dismal Swamp_. This commences at the
+distance of nine miles from the town, extends into North Carolina, and
+occupies, in the whole, about one hundred and fifty thousand acres. The
+entire tract is covered with trees, some of which are of enormous size;
+and between them, the underwood springs up so thick, that the swamp is,
+in many parts, absolutely impervious. It abounds also with cane-reeds,
+and with long rich grass, on which cattle feed with great avidity, and
+become fat in a short time. In the interior of the swamp, large herds of
+wild cattle are found; the offspring, probably, of animals which have at
+different times been lost, or turned out to feed. Bears, wolves, deer,
+and other wild indigenous animals, are also found here.
+
+As the Dismal Swamp lies so very near to Norfolk, where there is a
+constant demand for timber, staves, and other similar articles, for
+exportation; and, as the best of these are made from trees grown upon
+the swamp, it of course becomes a valuable species of property. A canal,
+which the inhabitants of Norfolk were, at this time, cutting through it,
+would also tend to enhance its value.
+
+From the Dismal Swamp to Richmond, a distance of about one hundred and
+forty miles, along the south side of _James River_, the country is flat
+and sandy, and, for many successive miles, is covered with pine-trees.
+In some parts there are peach-orchards, which are very profitable. From
+the peaches, the inhabitants make brandy, which, when properly matured,
+is an excellent liquor, and much esteemed: they give it a delicious
+flavour by infusing dried pears in it.
+
+The accommodation at the taverns along this road, was most wretched;
+nothing was to be had but rancid fish, fat salt pork, and bread made of
+Indian corn. Mr. Weld's horses were almost starved. Hay is scarcely ever
+used in this part of the country, but, in place of it, the inhabitants
+feed their cattle with what they call fodder, the leaves of the Indian
+corn-plant. Not a bit of fodder, however, was to be had on the whole
+road from Norfolk to Richmond, except at two places.
+
+_Petersburgh_ stands at the head of the navigable part of _Appommattox
+River_, and is the only place of importance between Norfolk and
+Richmond. The houses in Petersburgh were about three hundred in number,
+and built without regularity. A flourishing trade was carried on in this
+place. About two thousand four hundred hogsheads of tobacco were
+inspected annually at the warehouses; and, at the falls of the
+Appamatox, near the upper end of the town, were some of the best
+flour-mills in Virginia.
+
+_Richmond_, the capital of Virginia, is situated immediately below the
+Falls of _James River_, which is here about four hundred yards wide, and
+was at this time crossed by two bridges, separated from each other by an
+island. The houses in Richmond were not more than seven hundred in
+number, yet they extended nearly a mile and a half along the banks of
+the river. The lower part of the town is built close to the water; and
+opposite to it, lies the shipping. It is connected with the upper town
+by a long street, which runs parallel to the course of the river, and
+about fifty yards from the banks. The situation of the upper town is
+very pleasing: it is on an elevated spot, and commands a fine prospect
+of the falls of the river, and of the adjacent country. The best houses
+stand here, and also the capitol or state-house, which is a clumsy,
+ill-shaped edifice. Richmond, at this time, contained about four
+thousand inhabitants, one half of whom were slaves.
+
+The _Falls_ in the river, or the _Rapids_, as they ought to be called,
+extend six miles above the city. Here the river is full of large rocks;
+and the water rushes along in some places with great impetuosity. At the
+north side of the falls is a canal, which renders the navigation
+complete from Richmond to the Blue Mountains.
+
+There is, perhaps, no place in the world of equal size, in which more
+gambling is carried on, than in Richmond. Mr. Weld had scarcely alighted
+from his horse, when the landlord of the tavern at which he stopped,
+inquired what game he was most partial to, as in such a room there was a
+faro-table, in another a hazard-table, in a third a billiard-table; to
+any of which he was ready to conduct him. Not the slightest secrecy is
+employed in keeping these tables. They are always crowded with people,
+and the doors of the apartments are only closed to prevent the rabble
+from entering. Cock-fighting is another favourite diversion. The lower
+classes of people, however, are those chiefly who partake of such
+amusements; but the circumstance of having the taverns thus infested,
+renders travelling extremely unpleasant.
+
+The common people of Virginia are usually represented to be more
+quarrelsome than those of any other American state; and, when they come
+to blows, they fight like wild beasts. They bite and kick each other
+with indescribable fury; and endeavour to tear each other's eyes out
+with their nails.
+
+
+
+
+Eighth Day's Instruction.
+
+UNITED STATES CONTINUED.
+
+
+_Narrative of_ MR. WELD'S _return from Richmond to
+Philadelphia, through the central parts of Virginia._
+
+Having continued at _Richmond_ somewhat more than a week, Mr. Weld
+mounted his horse, and, accompanied by his servant, proceeded towards
+the _South-west_ or _Green Mountains_.
+
+The country around Richmond is sandy; but it is not so much so, nor so
+flat, as on the south side of James River, towards the sea. When Mr.
+Weld was here it wore a most pleasing aspect. The first week in May had
+arrived; the trees had acquired a considerable part of their foliage;
+and the air, in the woods, was perfumed with the fragrant smell of
+numberless flowers and flowering shrubs. The music of the birds also was
+delightful: the notes of the mocking-bird or Virginia nightingale, in
+particular, were extremely melodious.
+
+In this part of America there is a singular bird, called whipper-will,
+or whip-poor-will, which has obtained its name from the plaintive noise
+that it makes. This it commences every evening about dusk, and continues
+through the greatest part of the night. The frogs in America make a most
+singular noise. Some of them absolutely whistle; and others croak so
+loudly, that it is difficult, at times, to tell whether the sound
+proceeds from a calf or a frog. Mr. Weld, whilst walking in the meadows,
+was more than once deceived by it. The largest kinds are called
+bull-frogs: they chiefly live in pairs, and are never found but where
+there is good water; their bodies measure from four to seven inches, and
+their legs are of proportionate length. These animals are extremely
+active, and take prodigious leaps.
+
+In one part of his journey, the road extended almost wholly through
+pine-forests, and was very lonely. Night came on before he reached the
+end of it; and, as commonly happens with travellers in this part of the
+world, he soon lost his way. A light, however, seen through the trees,
+seemed to indicate that a house was not far distant. His servant eagerly
+rode up to it, but the poor fellow's consternation was great indeed when
+he observed it moving from him, presently coming back, and then, with
+swiftness, departing into the woods. Mr. Weld was himself at a loss to
+account for this singular appearance, till, after having proceeded a
+little further, he observed the same sort of light in many other places;
+and, dismounting from his horse to examine a bush, where one of these
+sparks appeared to have fallen, he found that it proceeded from a
+fire-fly. In the present instance Mr. Weld was much surprised; but, as
+the summer advanced, these flies appeared every night. After a light
+shower in the afternoon, this gentleman says he has seen the woods
+sparkling with them in every direction. The light is emitted from the
+tail, and the animal has the power of emitting it or not at pleasure.
+
+After wandering about till near eleven o'clock, he came at last to a
+house, where he obtained information respecting the road: and, about
+midnight, he arrived at a miserable tavern. During the next day's ride
+he observed a great number of snakes, which were now beginning to come
+forth from their holes.
+
+The _South-west Mountains_ run nearly parallel to the _Blue Ridge_, and
+are the first that are seen in Virginia, on going up the country, from
+the sea-coast. They are not lofty, and ought indeed rather to be called
+hills than mountains. These mountains are not seen till the traveller
+comes within a few miles of them; and the ascent is so gradual, that he
+reaches their top almost without perceiving it.
+
+The soil is here a deep clay, particularly well suited to the culture of
+grain and clover, and it produces abundant crops.
+
+The salubrity of the climate, in this part of Virginia, is equal also
+to that of any part of the United States; and the inhabitants have, in
+consequence, a healthy and ruddy appearance, totally different from that
+of the residents in the low country.
+
+In these mountains live several gentlemen of large property, who farm
+their own land. Among the number was Mr. Jefferson, the vice-president
+of the United States. His house was about three miles from
+Charlottesville, and was most singularly situated, being built on the
+top of a small mountain, the apex of which had been cut off. At this
+time it was in an unfinished state; but, if carried on, according to a
+plan which had been laid down, it promised to be one of the most elegant
+private habitations in America. Several attempts have been made in this
+neighbourhood, to bring the manufacture of wine to perfection; none of
+them, however, have succeeded to the wish of the parties concerned in
+it.
+
+The country between the South-west Mountains and the Blue Ridge is very
+fertile, and is much more closely inhabited than that in the lower parts
+of Virginia. The climate is good, and the people have a healthy and
+robust appearance. Several valuable mines of iron and copper have been
+discovered here.
+
+Having crossed the South-west Mountains, Mr. Weld proceeded to
+_Lynchburgh_, a town on the south side of _Fluvanna River_, and one
+hundred and fifty miles beyond Richmond. This town contained about one
+hundred houses; and a warehouse for the inspection of tobacco, where
+about two thousand hogsheads were annually inspected. It had been built
+within the last fifteen years, and, in consequence of its advantageous
+situation for trade, was rapidly increasing.
+
+Between Lynchburgh and the Blue Mountains, the country is rough and
+hilly, and but thinly inhabited. The few inhabitants, however, who are
+seen here, are uncommonly robust and tall: it is rare to observe a man
+amongst them who is not six feet high. The Blue Ridge is thickly covered
+with large trees, to the very summit. Some of the mountains are rugged
+and stony; others are not so; and on the latter the soil is rich and
+fertile. It is only in particular places that this ridge can be crossed;
+and at some of the gaps the ascent is steep and difficult.
+
+The _Peaks of Otter_, near which Mr. Weld crossed it, are the highest
+mountains in the Blue Ridge, and, measured from their bases, they are
+supposed to be more lofty than any others in North America. The
+principal peak is said to be about four thousand feet in perpendicular
+height.
+
+Beyond the Blue Ridge, Mr. Weld observed very few settlements, till he
+approached _Fincastle_. This town is about twenty miles from the
+mountains, and fifteen south of _Fluvanna River_. It was only begun
+about the year 1790; yet, when Mr. Weld was there, it contained sixty
+houses, and was rapidly increasing. The inhabitants consisted
+principally of Germans.
+
+On the eastern side of the Blue Mountains, cotton grows extremely well;
+and, in winter, the snow scarcely ever remains more than a day or two
+upon the ground. On the opposite side, cotton never comes to perfection;
+the winters are severe, and the fields are covered with snow for many
+successive weeks. In every farm-yard are seen sleighs or sledges, a kind
+of carriages that are used for travelling upon the snow.
+
+In this part of America, the soil consists chiefly of a rich brown
+mould, in which white clover grows spontaneously. To have a fertile
+meadow, it is only necessary to leave a piece of ground to the hand of
+nature for one year. A bed of limestone also runs entirely through the
+country.
+
+It appeared to Mr. Weld that there was no part of America where the
+climate would be more congenial to the constitution of a native of Great
+Britain or Ireland than this. The frost in winter is more regular, but
+is not more severe than what commonly takes place in those islands.
+During summer the heat is somewhat greater; but there is not a night in
+the year in which a blanket is not found comfortable. Fever and ague are
+disorders here unknown; and the air is so salubrious, that persons who
+come from the low country, afflicted with those disorders; get rid of
+them in a short time.
+
+In the western part of the country there are several medicinal springs,
+to which, about the end of summer, great numbers of people resort, as
+much for the sake of escaping the heat in the low country, as for
+drinking the waters. Those that are most frequented are called the
+_Sweet Springs_; but there are others in _Jackson's Mountains_, a ridge
+that runs between the Blue Mountains and the Alleghany. One of these is
+warm, and another quite hot. There is also a sulphur spring near them,
+into which, if the leaves of trees fall, they become thickly incrusted
+with sulphur, in a very short time; and silver, if put into them, will
+be turned black almost immediately.
+
+Mr. Weld, now bending his course in a northerly direction, again crossed
+the _Fluvanna River_. About ten miles from this stream, there is, among
+the mountains, a deep cleft or chasm, about two miles long, and, in some
+places, three hundred feet deep. Over one part of this is a natural
+arch, called _Rockbridge_, which consists of a solid mass of stone, or
+of several stones so strongly cemented together that they appear but as
+one. The road extends over this natural bridge. On one side of it is a
+parapet or wall of fixed rocks, but on the other there is a gradual
+slope, to the very brink of the chasm. The slope is thickly covered with
+large trees, principally cedars and pines. The whole width of the bridge
+is about eighty feet: the road runs nearly along the middle of it, and
+is passed daily by waggons.
+
+At the distance of a few yards from the bridge there is a narrow path,
+which winds, along the sides of the fissure, and amidst immense rocks
+and trees, down to the bottom of the chasm. Here the stupendous arch
+appears in all its glory, and seems even to touch the skies. The height,
+to the top of the parapet, is two hundred and thirteen feet. The rocks
+are of limestone, and nearly perpendicular; and the sides of the chasm
+are thickly clad with trees, wherever there is space sufficient to admit
+of their growth. A small stream runs at the bottom of the fissure, over
+beds of rock, and adds much to the beauty of the scene.
+
+About fifty miles beyond Rockbridge, there is another remarkable natural
+curiosity: a large cavern, known by the name of _Maddison's Cave_. It is
+in the heart of a mountain, and about two hundred feet high. Persons who
+reside in a house, not far distant from this cave, act as guides, and
+use, as lights, splinters from the wood of the pitch pine-tree, a bundle
+of which they carry with them for this purpose. This cave is of great
+extent, and is divided into many large, and singularly-shaped
+apartments, covered with stalactites, or petrifactions, at the top and
+sides. Before these were blackened by the smoke of the torches, they are
+said to have been extremely beautiful. The floor is of a deep sandy
+earth, which has been repeatedly dug up, for the purpose of obtaining
+saltpetre, with which it is strongly impregnated.
+
+The country immediately behind the Blue Mountains, is agreeably
+diversified with hill and dale, and abounds in extensive tracts of rich
+land. Clover grows here in great luxuriance. Wheat also is raised, and
+in crops as abundant as in any part of the United States. Tobacco is not
+grown, except for private use. The climate is not here so warm as in the
+lower parts of the country, on the eastern side of the mountains.
+
+As Mr. Weld passed along, he met great numbers of people who were
+proceeding from Kentucky, and from the state of Tenessee, towards
+Philadelphia and Baltimore. He also saw many others, who were going in a
+contrary direction, to "explore," as they called it; that is, to search
+for, lands in the western country, conveniently situated for new
+settlements. These all travelled on horseback, armed with pistols and
+swords; and each had a large blanket, folded up under his saddle, for
+sleeping in, whenever they were obliged to pass the night in the woods.
+
+Of all the uncouth human beings that Mr. Weld met with in America, the
+people from the western country were the most so. Their curiosity was
+boundless. Often has he been stopped abruptly by them, even in solitary
+parts of the road; and, without any further preface, has been asked
+where he came from? if he was acquainted with any news? where bound to?
+and what was his name?
+
+The first town that Mr. Weld reached was _Lexington_, a neat little
+place, which had contained about one hundred dwelling-houses, a
+court-house, and a gaol; but most of these had been destroyed by fire,
+just before he was there. Great numbers of Irish are settled in this
+place. Thirty miles further on is _Staunton_. This town carries on a
+considerable trade with the back country, and contains nearly two
+hundred dwellings, mostly built of stone.
+
+_Winchester_ stands one hundred miles north of Staunton, and is the
+largest town in the United States, on the western side of the Blue
+Mountains. The houses were, at this time, estimated at three hundred and
+fifty, and the inhabitants at two thousand. There were four churches,
+which, as well as the houses, were plainly built. The streets were
+regular, but very narrow. There was nothing particularly deserving of
+attention, either in this place, or in any of the small towns that have
+been mentioned.
+
+Mr. Weld reached the _Potomac_, at the place where that river passes
+through the Blue Ridge; and where a scene is exhibited which has been
+represented as one of the most "stupendous in nature, and even worth a
+voyage across the Atlantic." The approach towards it is wild and
+romantic. After crossing a number of small hills, which rise in
+succession, one above another, the traveller at last perceives a break
+in the Blue Ridge; at the same time, the road, suddenly turning, winds
+down a long and steep hill, shaded with lofty trees, whose branches
+unite above. On one side of the road are large heaps of rocks, overhead,
+which threaten destruction to any one who passes beneath them; on the
+other, a deep precipice presents itself, at the bottom of which is heard
+the roaring of the waters, that are concealed from the eye, by the
+thickness of the foliage. Towards the end of this hill, about sixty feet
+above the level of the water, stand a tavern and a few houses; and from
+some fields in the rear of them, the passage of the river, through the
+mountain, is seen to great advantage.
+
+The Potomac, on the left, winds through a fertile country, towards the
+mountain. On the right flows the _Shenandoah_. Uniting together, they
+roll on, in conjunction, through the gap; then, suddenly expanding to
+the breadth of about four hundred yards, they pass on towards the sea,
+and are finally lost to the view, amidst surrounding hills.
+
+After crossing the Potomac, Mr. Weld passed on to _Frederic_, in
+Maryland, which has already been mentioned, and thence to Baltimore. The
+country between Frederic and Baltimore is by no means so rich as that
+west of the Blue Ridge, but it is tolerably well cultivated. Iron and
+copper are found here in many places.
+
+From Baltimore Mr. Weld returned to _Philadelphia_, where he arrived on
+the fourteenth of June, after an absence of about three months.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+We must now return to Pittsburgh, for the purpose of proceeding, from
+that place, with M. Michaux a French naturalist of considerable
+eminence, in a journey through Kentucky, Tenessee, North and South
+Carolina.
+
+
+
+
+Ninth Day's Instruction.
+
+UNITED STATES CONTINUED.
+
+
+_Narrative of a Journey from Pittsburgh to Lexington in Kentucky. From
+Travels in North America, by_ F. A. MICHAUX.
+
+This gentleman, in company with a Mr. Craft, set out from Pittsburgh, on
+the 14th of July, 1802; and, two days afterwards, arrived at Wheeling, a
+small town on the bank of the Ohio, and about eighty miles distant from
+Pittsburgh. _Wheeling_ had not been more than twelve years in existence,
+yet it contained, at this time, about seventy houses, built of wood. It
+is bounded by a long hill, nearly two hundred fathoms high, and the base
+of which is not more than four hundred yards from the river. In this
+space the houses are built: they form but one street, along which runs
+the main road. From fifteen to twenty large shops supply the
+inhabitants, twenty miles, round, with provisions. This little town
+shares largely in the export trade that is carried on with the western
+country at Pittsburgh.
+
+At Wheeling the travellers purchased a canoe, twenty-four feet long,
+eighteen inches wide, and about as many in depth. Canoes of this
+description are made from the single trunk of a tree: they are too
+narrow for the use of oars, and, in shallow water, they are generally
+forced along either with a paddle or a staff. As a shelter from the sun,
+M. Michaux and his friend covered their canoe, a quarter of its length,
+with a piece of cloth thrown upon two hoops; and, having placed on board
+of it a sufficient stock of provisions, they embarked about five o'clock
+in the afternoon of the ensuing day. They floated twelve miles down the
+stream that evening, and slept on the right bank of the Ohio. Both M.
+Michaux and his friend were excessively fatigued with their first day's
+voyage; but not so much by paddling their canoe along, as by remaining
+constantly seated in one position. For, the canoe being very narrow at
+the bottom, they were obliged to keep their legs extended; as the least
+motion of the vessel would have exposed them to the danger of being
+overset. In the course, however, of a few days, they became accustomed
+to these inconveniences, and attained the art of travelling comfortably.
+
+They were three days and a half in proceeding to _Marietta_, about a
+hundred miles from Wheeling. This town is situated on the right bank of
+the _Great Muskingum_, and near the place of its junction with the Ohio.
+Although fifteen years before M. Michaux was here, it was not in
+existence, Marietta now contained more than two hundred houses, some of
+which were built of brick; but the greatest number were of wood. Several
+of them were from two to three stories high, and somewhat elegantly
+constructed. The mountains which, from Pittsburgh, extend along the side
+of the river, are, at Marietta, distant from its banks, and leave a
+considerable space of level ground, which will facilitate, in every
+respect, the enlarging of the town.
+
+The inhabitants of Marietta were the first, in the interior of America,
+who entertained an idea of exporting, directly to the Caribbee Islands,
+the produce of their country. This they did in a vessel, built in their
+own town. The vessel was sent to Jamaica, and the success which crowned
+this first attempt, excited great emulation among the inhabitants of the
+western country. The ship-yard at Marietta is near the town, on the
+great Muskingum. When M. Michaux was there, the inhabitants were
+building three brigs, one of which was of two hundred and twenty tons
+burden.
+
+On the 21st of July the voyagers set out from Marietta, for Gallipoli,
+distant about a hundred miles. On the 23rd, at ten in the morning, they
+discovered _Point Pleasant_, situated a little above the mouth of the
+_Great Kenaway_, and on a promontory which is formed by the right bank
+of that river. Its situation is peculiarly beautiful. The Ohio, into
+which the Kenaway falls, is here four hundred fathoms wide, and
+continues of the same width for four or five miles. Its borders, sloping
+and elevated from twenty-five to forty feet, are, in the whole of its
+windings, overgrown, at their base, with willow, from fifteen to
+eighteen feet in height, the drooping branches and foliage of which form
+a pleasing contrast to the sugar-maples, red-maples, and ash-trees,
+which are seen immediately above. The latter are overhung by palms,
+poplars, beeches, and magnolias, of the highest elevation; the enormous
+branches of which, attracted by a more splendid light and an easier
+expansion, extend towards the borders, overshadowing the river, at the
+same time that they completely cover the trees that are beneath them.
+This natural display, which reigns upon the two banks, forms, from each
+side, a regular arch, the shadow of which, reflected by the stream,
+embellishes, in an extraordinary degree, the magnificent _coup
+d'oeil_.
+
+_Gallipoli_ is on the right bank of the Ohio, four miles below Point
+Pleasant. It was, at this time, composed of about sixty log-houses, most
+of which, being uninhabited, were falling into ruins; the rest were
+occupied by Frenchmen, two only of whom appeared to enjoy the smallest
+comfort.
+
+On the 25th of July, M. Michaux and his friend set out, in their canoe,
+for _Alexandria_, about a hundred and four miles distant; and they
+arrived there in three days and a half. The ground designed for this
+town is at the mouth of the _Great Scioto_, and in the angle which the
+right bank of this river forms with the north-west border of the Ohio.
+Although the plan of Alexandria had long been laid out, few people had
+settled there: the number of its edifices was not, at this time, more
+than twenty, and the major part of these were constructed of wood. The
+inhabitants are subject, every autumn, to intermittent fevers, which
+seldom abate till the approach of winter.
+
+On the 1st of April the voyagers arrived at _Limestone_ in Kentucky,
+fifty miles lower than Alexandria; and, at this place, their voyage on
+the Ohio terminated. They had floated, in their canoe, three hundred and
+forty miles from Wheeling; and, during the ten days which their voyage
+had occupied, they had been obliged, almost incessantly, to paddle their
+vessel along. This labour, although in itself painful to persons who are
+unaccustomed to it, was, in the present instance, still more so, on
+account of the intense heat which prevailed. They also suffered much
+inconvenience from thirst, not being able to procure any thing to drink,
+but by stopping at the plantations on the banks of the river; for,
+during summer, the water of the Ohio acquires such a degree of heat,
+that it is not fit to be drunk till it has been kept twenty-four hours.
+At Limestone M. Michaux relinquished an intention which he had formed of
+proceeding further down the Ohio; and here he took leave of Mr. Craft,
+who prosecuted the remaining part of the voyage alone.
+
+The banks of the Ohio, though elevated from twenty to sixty feet,
+scarcely afford any hard substances, betwixt Pittsburgh and Limestone;
+except large detached stones, of a greyish colour, which M. Michaux
+observed, in an extent of ten or twelve miles, below Wheeling: the
+remainder of the country seems wholly covered with vegetable earth. A
+few miles before this gentleman reached Limestone, he observed a chalky
+bank, the thickness of which, being very considerable, left no room to
+doubt that it must be of great extent. The Ohio abounds in fish, some of
+which are of great size and weight.
+
+Till the years 1796 and 1797, the banks of the Ohio were so little
+populated, that there were scarcely thirty families in the space of four
+hundred miles; but, since that time, a great number of emigrants had
+settled here, from the mountainous parts of Pennsylvania and Virginia;
+consequently the plantations had, at this time, so much increased, that
+they were not further than two or three miles asunder; and, when M.
+Michaux was on the river, he always had some of them in view.
+
+The inhabitants of the banks of the Ohio employ the greatest part of
+their time in stag and bear-hunting, for the sake of the skins, which
+are important articles of traffic. The dwellings of this people are, for
+the most part, in pleasant situations; but they are only log-houses,
+without windows, and so small that they hold no more than two beds each.
+A couple of men, in less than ten days, could erect and finish one of
+them. No attention is here paid to any other culture than that of Indian
+corn.
+
+The favourable situation of the Ohio entitles this river to be
+considered as the centre of commercial activity, between the eastern and
+western states; and it is the only open communication with the ocean,
+for the exportation of provisions, from that part of the United States,
+which is comprised between the Alleghany Mountains, the lakes, and the
+left bank of the Mississippi.
+
+All these advantages, blended with the salubrity of the climate and the
+general beauty of the country, induced M. Michaux to imagine that, in
+the course of twenty years, the banks of the Ohio, from Pittsburgh to
+Louisville, would become the most populous and the most commercial part
+of the United States. _Limestone_ consisted only of thirty or forty
+houses, constructed with wood. This little town had been built upwards
+of fifteen years. It was for some time the place where such emigrants
+landed as came from the northern states, by way of Pittsburgh: it was
+also the mart for merchandise, sent from Philadelphia and Baltimore to
+Kentucky.
+
+M. Michaux resolved to travel on foot, from this place to Lexington. The
+distance is sixty-five miles, and he performed the journey in two days
+and a half. In his journey he passed through _Mays Lick_, where there
+is a salt-work. The wells that supply the salt-water are about twenty
+feet in depth, and not more than fifty or sixty fathoms from the _River
+Salt Lick_; the waters of which, during the summer, are somewhat
+brackish. In this part of the country salt-springs are usually found in
+places which are described by the name of _Licks_; and where, before the
+arrival of Europeans, the bisons, elks, and stags, that existed in
+Kentucky, went, by hundreds, to lick the saline particles; with which
+the soil is impregnated.
+
+In the country around Mays Lick the soil is dry and sandy; and the road
+is covered with large, flat, chalky stones, of a bluish colour within,
+and the edges of which are round. The only trees that M. Michaux
+observed here, were white oaks and hickory; and the stinted growth and
+wretched appearance of these, clearly indicated the sterility of the
+soil.
+
+In the year 1796, _Lexington_ consisted of only eighteen houses; but it
+now contained more than a hundred and fifty, half of which were of
+brick. This town is situated on a delightful plain, and is watered by a
+small river, near which were several corn-mills. Every thing seemed to
+announce the comfort of its inhabitants. It is built on a regular plan.
+The streets are broad, and cross each other at right angles. The want of
+pavement, however, renders it very muddy in winter. There were, at this
+time, in Lexington, two printing-offices, at each of which a newspaper
+was published twice a week. Two extensive rope-walks, constantly in
+employ, supplied, with rigging, the ships that were built upon the Ohio.
+Independently of other manufactories which had been established in this
+town, there were several common potteries, and one or two
+gunpowder-mills. The sulphur for the latter was obtained from
+Philadelphia, and the saltpetre was manufactured from substances dug out
+of grottos, or caverns, that are found on the declivity of lofty hills,
+in the mountainous parts of the state. The soil of these is extremely
+rich in nitrous particles.
+
+[About fifty miles west of Lexington, on the bank of the Ohio, and near
+the falls of that river, is the town of _Louisville_. This place forms a
+connecting link between New Orleans and the whole western parts of the
+United States. Mechanics can here obtain full employment, and they are
+able to earn from forty to fifty-four shillings a week. Every article of
+clothing is excessively expensive; and the rents of houses are very
+high. This place was formerly very unhealthy, the inhabitants being
+subject to fevers, agues, and other complaints; but it is said to be
+improving in healthiness. Mr. Fearon, who visited this place in the year
+1817, does not speak favourably of the character of the Kentuckians. He
+says they drink a great deal, swear a great deal, and gamble a great
+deal; and that even their amusements are sometimes conducted with
+excessive barbarity. The expence of sending goods, by water, from New
+Orleans to Louisville, is about twenty shillings per hundred weight; and
+down the stream, to New Orleans, about four shillings. The boats usually
+make the voyage upward in about ninety days; and downward in
+twenty-eight days. Steam-vessels accomplish the former voyage in
+thirty-six, and the latter in twenty-eight days.
+
+There are in Louisville, two great hotels, one of which has, on an
+average, one hundred and forty, and the other eighty boarders. A person,
+on going to either of them, applies to the bar-keeper for admittance:
+and the accommodations are very different from those in an English
+hotel. The place for washing is not, as with us, in the bed-rooms; but
+in the court-yard, where there are a large cistern, several towels and a
+negro in attendance. The sleeping-room usually contains from four to
+eight bedsteads, having mattresses and not feather-beds; sheets of
+calico, two blankets, and a quilt: the bedsteads have no curtains. The
+public rooms are, a news-room, a boot-room, (in which the bar is
+situated,) and a dining-room. The fires are generally surrounded by
+parties of about six persons. The usual custom with Americans is to pace
+up and down the news-room, in a manner similar to walking the deck of a
+ship at sea. Smoking segars is practised by all, and at every hour of
+the day. Argument or discussion, in this part of the world, is of very
+rare occurrence; social intercourse seems still more unusual;
+conversation on general topics, or taking enlarged and enlightened views
+of things, rarely occurs: each man is in pursuit of his own individual
+interest. At half past seven, the first bell rings for the purpose of
+collecting all the boarders, and, at eight, the second bell rings;
+breakfast is then set, the dining-room is unlocked, a general rush
+commences, and some activity, as well as dexterity, is necessary to
+obtain a seat at the table. The breakfast consists of a profuse supply
+of fish, flesh, and fowl, which is consumed with a rapidity truly
+extraordinary. At half-past one, the first bell rings, announcing the
+approach of dinner; the avenues to the dining-room become thronged. At
+two o'clock the second bell rings, the doors are thrown open, and a
+repetition of the breakfast-scene succeeds. At six, tea, or what is here
+called supper, is announced, and partaken of in the same manner. This is
+the last meal, and it usually affords the same fare as breakfast. At
+table there is neither conversation nor drinking: the latter is effected
+by individuals taking their liquor at the bar, the keeper of which is in
+full employ from sunrise to bed-time. A large tub of water, with a
+ladle, is placed at the bar; and to this the customers go and help
+themselves. When spirits are called for, the decanter is handed; the
+person calling for them takes what quantity he pleases, and the charge
+is sixpence-halfpenny. The life of boarders at an American tavern,
+presents a senseless and comfortless mode of killing time. Most houses
+of this description are thronged to excess; and few of the persons who
+frequent them, appear to have any other object in view than spitting and
+smoking.
+
+In the state of Kentucky there are several subterraneous _caverns_,
+which have attracted much attention, and which are described as among
+the most extraordinary natural curiosities in the world. They are also
+of considerable importance in a commercial view, from the quantity of
+nitre they afford. The great cave, near Crooked Creek, is supposed to
+contain a million pounds of nitre. This cave has two mouths or
+entrances, about six hundred and fifty yards from each other, and one
+hundred and fifty yards from the creek.]
+
+
+
+
+Tenth Day's Instruction.
+
+UNITED STATES CONTINUED.
+
+
+_Narrative of the Journey of M. Michaux, from Lexington to Charleston in
+South Carolina._
+
+On the tenth of August, M. Michaux set out from Lexington to Nasheville,
+in the state of Tenessee; and, as an establishment for the purpose of
+naturalizing the vine in Kentucky, was not very far out of his road, he
+resolved to visit it. Consequently, about fourteen miles from Lexington,
+he quitted the road, turned to the left, strolled through some woods,
+and reached the vineyard in the evening. It was, at this time, under the
+superintendance of a M. Dufoux, the principal person of a small Swiss
+colony, which had settled in Kentucky some years before. The vines had
+been selected chiefly from the vicinity of New York and Philadelphia.
+Many of them had failed; but those of the kinds which produce the
+Madeira wines, appeared to give considerable hopes of success. The whole
+of the vines occupied a space of about six acres; and they were planted
+and fixed with props similar to those in the environs of Paris.
+
+From this place M. Michaux was conducted, through the woods, to a ferry
+over the _Kentucky River_. The borders of the river at this ferry are
+formed by an enormous mass of chalky stones, remarkably peaked, and
+about a hundred and fifty feet high.
+
+Near _Harrodsburgh_ M. Michaux visited the plantation and residence of
+General Adair. A spacious and commodious house, a great number of black
+servants, equipages: every thing announced the opulence of the general.
+Magnificent peach-orchards, and immense fields of Indian wheat,
+surrounded the house. The soil was extremely fertile, as was evident
+from the largeness of the blades of corn, their extraordinary height,
+and the abundance of the crops.
+
+About forty miles beyond the general's plantation, M. Michaux passed
+over _Mulder Hill_, a steep and lofty mountain, that forms a kind of
+amphitheatre. From its summit the neighbouring country presents the
+aspect of an immense valley, covered with forests of imperceptible
+extent. As far as the eye can reach, nothing but a gloomy verdant space
+is seen, formed by the tops of the close-connected trees, and, through
+which, not even the vestige of a plantation can be discerned. The
+profound silence that reigns in these woods, uninhabited by savage
+beasts, and the security of the place, forms an _ensemble_ rarely to be
+seen in other countries.
+
+About ten miles beyond _Green River_ commence what are called the
+_Barrens_, or _Kentucky Meadows_. On the first day of his journey over
+them, M. Michaux travelled fifteen miles; and, on the ensuing morning,
+having wandered to some distance out of the road, in search of a spring,
+at which to water his horse, he discovered a plantation in a low and
+narrow valley. The mistress of the house told him that she had resided
+there upwards of three years, and that, for eighteen months, she had not
+seen any individual except of her own family: that, weary of living thus
+isolated, her husband had been more than two months from home in quest
+of another spot, towards the mouth of the Ohio. A daughter, about
+fourteen years of age, and two children, considerably younger, were all
+the company she had: her house was abundantly stocked with vegetables
+and corn.
+
+This part of the Barrens was precisely similar to that which M. Michaux
+had traversed the day before; and the same kind of country extends as
+far as the line which separates the state of Tenessee from that of
+Kentucky. Here, to the great satisfaction of M. Michaux, he once more
+entered the woods. Nothing, he says, can be more tiresome than the
+doleful uniformity of these immense meadows, where there is no human
+creature to be met with; and where, except a great number of partridges,
+no species of living beings are to be seen.
+
+The Barrens comprise a portion of country from sixty to seventy miles in
+length, by sixty miles in breadth. According to the signification of the
+name, M. Michaux had imagined that he should have to cross a naked
+space, scattered here and there with a few plants; but he was agreeably
+surprised to find a beautiful meadow, where the grass was from two to
+three feet high. He here discovered a great variety of interesting
+plants. In some parts he observed several species of wild vines, and, in
+particular, one which is called by the inhabitants "summer grapes:" the
+bunches of fruit were as large, and the grapes as good in quality, as
+those in the vineyards round Paris. And it appeared to M. Michaux that
+the attempts which had been made in Kentucky, to establish the culture
+of the vine, would have been more successful in the Barrens, the soil of
+which appeared to him better adapted for this kind of culture, than that
+on the banks of the Kentucky. The Barrens are very thinly populated;
+for, on the road where the plantations are closest together, M. Michaux
+counted but eighteen in a space of sixty or seventy miles.
+
+_Nasheville_, the principal and the oldest town in this part of
+Tenessee, is situated on the _river Cumberland_, the borders of which
+are here formed by a mass of chalky stone, upwards of sixty feet in
+height. Except seven or eight houses, built of brick, the rest, to the
+number of about a hundred and twenty, were constructed of wood, and were
+distributed over a surface of twenty-five or thirty acres, where the
+rock appeared almost naked in every part.
+
+This little town, although it had been built more than fifteen years,
+contained no kind of manufactory or public establishment; but there was
+a printing-office, at which a newspaper was published once a week. A
+college had also been founded here; but it was yet in its infancy,
+having not more than seven or eight students, and only one professor.
+
+The price of labour in the vicinity of Nasheville was higher than at
+Lexington. There appeared to be from fifteen to twenty shops, which were
+supplied from Philadelphia and Baltimore; but they did not seem so well
+stocked as those of Lexington, and the articles, though dearer, were of
+inferior quality.
+
+All the inhabitants of the western country, who go by the river to New
+Orleans, return by land and pass through Nasheville, which is the first
+town beyond Natchez. The interval which separates these towns is about
+six hundred miles, and was, at this time, entirely uninhabited. Several
+persons who had travelled this road, assured M. Michaux that, for a
+space of four or five hundred miles beyond Natchez, the country was very
+irregular; that the soil was sandy, in some parts covered with pines,
+and not much adapted for culture; but that, on the contrary, the borders
+of the river Tenessee were fertile, and superior even to the richest
+parts of Kentucky.
+
+On the fifth of September, M. Michaux set out from Nasheville for
+Knoxville. He was accompanied by a Mr. Fisk, one of the commissioners
+who had been appointed to determine the boundaries between the states
+of Tenessee and Kentucky. They stopped on the road, with different
+friends of Mr. Fisk; among others, with General Smith, one of the oldest
+inhabitants of the country. M. Michaux saw, _en passant_, General
+Winchester. He was at a stone house which was building for him on the
+road. This mansion, the state of the country considered, bore the
+external marks of grandeur: it consisted of four large rooms on the
+ground-floor, one story, and a garret. The workmen employed to finish
+the inside had come from Baltimore, a distance of near seven hundred
+miles.
+
+A few miles from the residence of General Winchester, and at a short
+distance from the road, is a small town which had been founded but a few
+years, and to which the inhabitants had given the name of _Cairo_, in
+memory of the taking of Cairo by the French.
+
+Between Nasheville and Fort Blount the plantations, though always
+isolated in the woods, were, nevertheless, by the side of the road, and
+within two or three miles of each other: the inhabitants resided in
+log-houses, and most of them kept negroes, and appeared to live happily
+and in abundance. Through the whole of this space the soil was but
+slightly undulated: in some places it was level, and in general it was
+excellent.
+
+_Fort Blount_ had been constructed about eighteen years before M.
+Michaux was in America. It had been built for the purpose of protecting,
+against the attacks of the Indians, such emigrants as came, at that
+time, to settle in its vicinity. But peace having been concluded with
+the Indians, and the population having much increased, the
+fortifications now no longer existed.
+
+On the eleventh of September M. Michaux and Mr. Fisk left Fort Blount;
+and, at the house of Major Russel, some miles distant, they were
+obligingly furnished with provisions for two days' journey through the
+territory of the Cherokees.
+
+The country became now so mountainous, that they could not proceed more
+than forty-five miles the first day, though they travelled till
+midnight. They encamped near a small river, where there was an
+abundance of grass; and, after having lighted a fire, they slept in
+their rugs, keeping watch alternately, in order to guard their horses.
+During this day's journey they had seen no animals, except some flocks
+of wild turkeys.
+
+The second day after their departure, they met a party of eight or ten
+Indians, who were searching for grapes and chinquapins, a small species
+of chesnuts, superior in taste to those of Europe. As M. Michaux and his
+friend had only twenty miles to go before they reached West Point, they
+gave to these men the remainder of their provisions. With the American
+Indians bread is a great treat; for their usual food consists only of
+venison and wild-fowl.
+
+The road, which crosses this part of the Indian territory, cuts through
+the mountains of Cumberland; and, in consequence of the great number of
+emigrants who travel through it, to settle in the western country, it
+was, at this time, as broad and commodious as the roads were near
+Philadelphia. In some places, however, it was very rugged. Little boards
+painted black and nailed against the trees, every three miles, indicated
+to travellers the distance they had to go.
+
+In this part of Tenessee the mass of the forests is composed of all the
+species of trees which belong more particularly to the mountainous
+regions of North America; such as oaks, maples, hickory-nut trees, and
+pines.
+
+At _West Point_ there was a fort palisadoed round with trees, and built
+upon a lofty eminence, at the conflux of the _rivers Clinch_ and
+_Holstein_. A company of soldiers was kept here, for the purpose of
+holding the Indians in check, and also of protecting them against the
+inhabitants on the frontiers, whose cruelty and illiberal proceedings
+had frequently excited them to war.
+
+These _Indians_ are above the middle size, are well-proportioned, and
+healthy in appearance, notwithstanding the long fasting they are
+frequently obliged to endure, whilst in pursuit of animals, the flesh of
+which forms their chief subsistence. The carbine is the only weapon
+they use: they are very dexterous with it, and are able to kill animals
+at a great distance. The usual dress of the men consists of a shirt,
+which hangs loose, and of a slip of blue cloth, about half a yard in
+length, which serves them for breeches; they put it between their
+thighs, and fasten the two ends, before and behind, to a sort of girdle.
+They wear long gaiters, and shoes made of prepared goat-skins. When full
+dressed they wear a coat, waistcoat, and hat; but they never have
+breeches. On the top of their heads they have a tuft of hair, which they
+form into several tresses, that hang down the sides of their face; and
+they frequently attach quills or little silver tubes to the extremities.
+Many of them pierce their noses, in order to put rings through. They
+also cut holes in their ears, which are made to hang down two or three
+inches, by pieces of lead, which are fastened to them. They paint their
+faces red, blue, or black.
+
+A shirt and a short petticoat constitute the chief dress of the women,
+who also wear gaiters like the men. Their hair, which is of jet-black
+colour, they suffer to grow to its natural length; but they do not
+pierce their noses, nor disfigure their ears. In winter both the men and
+women, in order to guard against cold, wrap themselves in blue rugs,
+which they always carry with them, and which form an essential part of
+their luggage.
+
+M. Michaux was informed, at West Point, that the Cherokees had lately
+begun to cultivate their possessions, and that they had made a rapid
+progress in agriculture. Some of them had good plantations, and even
+negro slaves. Several of the women spin cotton and manufacture
+cotton-stuffs.
+
+The distance from West Point to Knoxville is thirty-five miles. About a
+mile from West Point the travellers passed through _Kingstown_, a place
+consisting of thirty or forty log-houses. After that the road extended,
+upwards of eighteen miles, through a rugged and flinty soil, covered
+with a kind of grass. The trees that occupied this space, grew within
+twenty or thirty yards of each other.
+
+_Knoxville_, the seat of government for the state of Tenessee, is
+situated on the _river Holstein_, here a hundred and fifty fathoms
+broad. The houses were, at this time, about two hundred in number, and
+were built chiefly of wood. Although it had been founded eighteen or
+twenty years, Knoxville did not yet possess any kind of commercial
+establishment, or manufactory, except two or three tan-yards. Baltimore
+and Richmond are the towns with which this part of the country transacts
+most business. The distance from Knoxville to Baltimore is seven hundred
+miles, and to Richmond four hundred and twenty. The inhabitants of
+Knoxville send flour, cotton, and lime, to New Orleans, by the river
+Tenessee; but the navigation of this river is much interrupted, in two
+places, by shallows interspersed with rocks.
+
+In the tavern at Knoxville travellers and their horses are accommodated
+at the rate of about five shillings per day; but this is considered dear
+for a country where the situation is by no means favourable to the sale
+of provisions. A newspaper is published at Knoxville twice a week.
+
+On the 17th of September, M. Michaux took leave of Mr. Fisk, and
+proceeded alone towards Jonesborough, a town about a hundred miles
+distant; and situated at the foot of the lofty mountains which separate
+North Carolina from Tenessee. On leaving Knoxville the soil was uneven,
+stony, and bad; and the forests contained a great number of pine-trees.
+Before he reached _Macby_, M. Michaux observed, for the space of two
+miles, a copse extremely full of young trees, the loftiest of which was
+not more than twenty feet high. The inhabitants of the country informed
+him that this place had formerly been part of a barren, or meadow, which
+had clothed itself again with trees, after its timber, about fifteen
+years before, had been totally destroyed by fire. This appears to
+prove, that the spacious meadows in Kentucky and Tenessee owe their
+origin to some great conflagration which has consumed the forests and
+that they continue as meadows, by the practice, still continued, of
+annually setting them on fire, for the purpose of clearing the land.
+
+M. Michaux stopped, the first day, at a place where most of the
+inhabitants were Quakers. One of these, with whom he lodged, had an
+excellent plantation, and his log-house was divided into two rooms.
+Around the house were growing some magnificent apple-trees: these,
+although produced from pips, bore fruit of extraordinary size and
+excellent flavour, a circumstance which proves how well this country is
+adapted for the culture of fruit-trees. At this house there were two
+emigrant families, consisting of ten or twelve persons, who were going
+to settle in Tenessee. Their clothes were ragged, and their children
+were barefooted and in their shirts.
+
+Beyond this place the road divided into two branches, both of which led
+to Jonesborough; and, as M. Michaux was desirous of surveying the banks
+of the _river Nolachuky_, renowned for their fertility, he took the
+branch which led him in that direction. As he proceeded he found many
+small rock crystals, two or three inches long, and beautifully
+transparent. They were loose, and disseminated upon the road, in a
+reddish kind of earth.
+
+On the twenty-first he arrived at _Greenville_, a town which contained
+scarcely forty houses, constructed with square beams, and somewhat in
+the manner of log-houses. The distance between this place and
+Jonesborough, is about twenty-five miles: the country was slightly
+mountainous, the soil was more adapted to the culture of corn than that
+of Indian wheat; and the plantations were situated near the road, two or
+three miles distant from each other.
+
+_Jonesborough_, the last town in Tenessee, consisted, at this time, of
+about a hundred and fifty houses, built of wood, and disposed on both
+sides of the road. Four or five respectable shops were established
+there, and the tradespeople, who kept them, received their goods from
+Richmond and Baltimore.
+
+On the twenty-first of September, M. Michaux set out from Jonesborough
+to cross the _Alleghany Mountains_, for North Carolina. In some places
+the road, or rather the path, was scarcely distinguishable, in
+consequence of the plants of various kinds that covered its surface. It
+was also encumbered by forests of rhododendron: shrubs, from eighteen to
+twenty feet in height, the branches of which, twisted and interwoven
+with each other, greatly impeded his progress. He had also to cross
+numerous streams; particularly a large torrent, called Rocky Creek, the
+winding course of which cut the path in twelve or fifteen directions.
+
+On the twenty-third this gentleman proceeded twenty-two miles, through a
+hilly country; and, in the evening, arrived at the house of a person
+named Davenport, the owner of a charming plantation upon _Doe River_. M.
+Michaux staid here a week, in order to rest himself and recruit his
+strength, after a journey of six hundred miles which he had just made.
+On the second of October, he again set out, and proceeded towards
+Morganton. About four miles from Doe River he passed the chain of the
+_Blue Ridges_, and afterwards that of the _Linneville Mountains_. From
+the summit of the latter he observed an immense extent of mountainous
+country, covered with forests. Only three small places appeared to be
+cleared, which formed as many plantations, three or four miles distant
+from each other.
+
+From the Linneville Mountains to Morganton, the distance is about
+twenty-five miles: in this interval the country was slightly
+mountainous, and the soil extremely bad.
+
+_Morganton_, the principal town of the county of Burke, contained about
+fifty houses built of wood, almost all of which were inhabited by
+tradesmen. There was only one warehouse, and this was supported by a
+commercial establishment at Charleston. To it the inhabitants of the
+country, for twenty miles round, came to purchase English manufactured
+goods and jewellery; or to exchange, for these, a portion of their own
+produce, consisting of dried hams, butter, tallow, bear-skins and
+stag-skins.
+
+From Morganton to Charleston the distance is two hundred and eighty-five
+miles. There are several roads; but M. Michaux took that which led
+through Lincolnton, Chester, and Columbia. The distance from Morganton
+to Lincolnton, is forty-five miles. Through the whole of this space the
+soil is extremely barren; and the plantations, straggling five or six
+miles from each other, have an unfavourable appearance. The woods are
+chiefly composed of different kinds of oaks; and the surface of the
+ground is covered with grass, intermixed with other plants.
+
+_Lincolnton_, at this time, consisted of forty houses, and, like all the
+small towns in the interior of the United States, was surrounded by
+woods. There were, at Lincolnton, two or three large shops, which
+transacted the same kind of business as that at Morganton. The tradesmen
+who kept them sent the produce of the adjacent country to Charleston,
+but they sometimes stocked themselves with goods from Philadelphia.
+
+At Lincolnton a newspaper was published twice a week. The price of
+subscription was two dollars per annum, but the printer, who was his own
+editor, took, by way of payment, flour, rye, wax, or other traffic, at
+the market-price. As in England, the advertisements were the most
+important source of profit. The foreign news was almost wholly extracted
+from papers published at the sea-ports.
+
+The district around Lincolnton was peopled, in a great measure, by
+Germans from Pennsylvania. Their plantations were kept in excellent
+order, and their lands were well cultivated. Almost all had negro
+slaves, and there reigned among them a greater independence than in the
+families of English origin.
+
+From Lincolnton to Chester, in the state of South Carolina, the distance
+is about seventy miles. Through the whole of this space the earth is
+light, and of a quality inferior to that between Morganton and
+Lincolnton, although the mass of the forests is composed of various
+species of oaks. In some places, however, pine-trees are in such
+abundance that, for several miles, the ground is covered with nothing
+else.
+
+_Chester_ contained about thirty houses, built of wood; and among the
+number were two inns and two respectable shops.
+
+From Chester the country becomes worse in every respect than before; and
+the traveller is obliged to put up at inns, where he is badly
+accommodated both in board and lodging, and at which he pays dearer than
+in any other part of the United States. The reputation of these inns is
+esteemed according to the quantity and different kinds of spirits which
+they sell.
+
+From Chester to Columbia the distance is fifty-five miles. M. Michaux
+passed through _Winesborough_, containing about a hundred and fifty
+houses. This place is one of the oldest inhabited towns in Carolina, and
+several planters of the low country go thither every year to spend the
+summer and autumn.
+
+[_Columbia_, now the seat of government for the state of South Carolina,
+is situated below the confluence of the _Broad_ and _Saluda Rivers_. It
+is laid out on a regular plan, the streets intersecting each other at
+right angles. The buildings are erected at the distance of about three
+quarters of a mile from the _Cangaree River_, on a ridge of high land,
+three hundred feet above the level of the water. In 1808, Columbia
+contained about one hundred and fifty houses. Vineyards, cotton, and
+hemp-plantations are successfully cultivated in its vicinity; and
+oil-mills, rope walks, and some other manufactories have been
+established here.]
+
+The distance from Columbia to Charleston is about a hundred and twenty
+miles; and, through the whole of this space, the road crosses an even
+country, sandy and dry during the summer, whilst in the autumn and
+winter, it is so covered with water that, in several places, for the
+space of eight or ten miles, the horses are up to their middle. Every
+two or three miles there were, by the side of the road, miserable
+log-houses, surrounded by little fields of Indian corn.
+
+The extreme unwholesomeness of the climate is shown by the pale and
+livid countenances of the inhabitants, who, during the months of
+September and October, are almost all affected with tertian fevers. Very
+few persons take any remedy for this complaint: they merely wait the
+approach of the first frosts, which, if they live so long, generally
+effect a cure.
+
+M. Michaux arrived at _Charleston_ on the eighteenth of October, 1802,
+three months and a half after his departure from Philadelphia, having,
+in that time, travelled over a space of nearly eighteen hundred miles.
+
+
+
+
+Eleventh Day's Instruction.
+
+UNITED STATES CONTINUED.
+
+
+_A Description of Charleston, and of some places in the adjacent parts
+of Carolina and Georgia._
+
+Charleston is situated at the conflux of the rivers Ashley and Cooper.
+The ground that it occupies is about a mile in length. From the middle
+of the principal street the two rivers might be clearly seen, were it
+not for a public edifice, built upon the banks of the Cooper, which
+intercepts the view. The most populous and commercial part of the town
+is situated along the Ashley. Several ill-constructed _quays_ project
+into the river, to facilitate the trading-vessels taking in their
+cargoes. These quays are formed of the trunks of palm-trees, fixed
+together, and laid out in squares, one above another. The _streets_ of
+Charleston are wide, but not paved; consequently, every time the foot
+slips, from a kind of brick pavement before the doors, it is immersed,
+nearly ancle deep, in sand. The rapid and almost incessant motion of
+carriages grinds this moving sand, and pulverizes it in such a manner,
+that the most gentle wind fills the shops with it, and renders it very
+disagreeable to foot-passengers. The principal streets extend east and
+west between the two rivers, and others intersect these nearly at right
+angles.
+
+From its exposure to the ocean, this place is subject to storms and
+inundations, which affect the security of its harbour. The town also has
+suffered much by fires. The last, in 1796, destroyed upwards of five
+hundred houses, and occasioned damage to the amount of £.300,000
+sterling.
+
+The _houses_, in the streets near the water-side, are, for the most
+part, lofty, and built close together. The bricks are of a peculiar
+nature, being porous, and capable of resisting weather better than the
+firm, close, and red bricks of the northern states. They are of a dark
+brown colour, which gives to the buildings a gloomy appearance. The
+roofs are tiled or slated. In this part of the town the principal
+shopkeepers and merchants have their stores and warehouses. Houses here
+bear a very high rent: those in Broad and Church-streets, which are
+valuable for shops, let for more than £.300 per annum; and those along
+the bay, with warehouses, let for £.700 and upwards, according to the
+size and situation of the buildings. The houses in Meeting-street and
+the back part of the town, are in general lofty and extensive, and are
+separated from each other by small gardens or yards, in which are the
+kitchens and out-offices. Almost every house is furnished with balconies
+and verandas, some of which occupy the whole side of the building, from
+top to bottom, having a gallery for each floor. The houses are sometimes
+shaded with Venetian blinds, and afford to the inhabitants a cool and
+pleasant retreat, from the scorching rays of the sun. Most of the modern
+houses are constructed with taste and elegance; but the chief design
+seems to be, to render them as cool as possible. The town is also
+crowded with wooden buildings, of an inferior description.
+
+Three of the _public buildings_ in Charleston, and the episcopal church
+of St. Michael, are situated at the corners, formed by the intersection
+of Broad and Meeting-streets. St. Michael's is a large and substantial
+edifice, with a lofty steeple and spire. The Branch Bank of the United
+States occupies one of the corners: this is a substantial, and, compared
+with others in the town, is a handsome building; but, from an
+injudicious intermixture of brick, stone, and marble, it has a very
+motley appearance. Another corner of the street is occupied by the gaol
+and armory: the fourth corner has a large and substantial brick
+building, cased with plaster. The ground-floor of this building is
+appropriated to the courts of law: in the first story are most of the
+public offices; and the upper story contains the public library and the
+museum.
+
+A kind of tree, called the "pride of India," (_melia azedarach_,) is
+planted, in rows, along the foot-paths and the streets of Charleston. It
+does not grow very high; but its umbrageous leaves and branches afford,
+to the inhabitants, an excellent shelter from the sun. It has the
+advantage also of not engendering insects; for, in consequence of its
+poisonous qualities, no insect can live upon it. When in blossom, the
+large clusters of its flowers resemble those of the lilac; these are
+succeeded by bunches of yellow berries, each about the size of a small
+cherry. It is a deciduous tree; but the berries remain during the
+winter, and drop off in the following spring.
+
+The health of the _inhabitants_ is very much injured, in consequence of
+their general neglect of cleanliness. The drains that are formed for
+carrying off the filth and putrid matter, which collect from all parts
+of the town, are too small for the purpose. This circumstance, added to
+the effluvia of the numerous swamps and stagnant pools in the
+neighbourhood, are known to be extremely injurious. Another neglect of
+health and comfort arises from a filthy practice, which prevails, of
+dragging dying horses, or the carcasses of dead ones, to a field in the
+outskirts of the town, near the high road, and there leaving them, to be
+devoured by troops of ravenous dogs and vultures. The latter, in
+appearance, are not much unlike turkeys, and thence have obtained the
+name of turkey buzzards; but, from their carnivorous habits, they have a
+most offensive smell. These birds hover over Charleston in great
+numbers; and are useful in destroying putrid substances, which lie in
+different parts of the city.
+
+At Charleston there is a garden dignified by the name of _Vauxhall_. It
+is situated in Broad-street, at a short distance from the theatre; but
+it possesses no decoration worthy of notice. It cannot even be compared
+with the common tea-gardens in the vicinity of London. On one side of it
+are warm and cold baths, for the accommodation of the inhabitants.
+During summer, vocal and instrumental concerts are performed here, and
+some of the singers from the theatre are engaged for the season. The
+situation and climate of Charleston are, however, by no means adapted
+for entertainments of this description.
+
+There are, in this town, four or five _hotels_ and coffee-houses; but,
+except the Planters' Hotel, in Meeting-street, not one of them is
+superior to an English public-house.
+
+Charleston contains a handsome and commodious _market-place_, which
+extends from Meeting-street to the water-side, and is as well supplied
+with _provisions_ as the country will permit. Compared, however, with
+the markets in the towns of the northern states, the supply is very
+inferior, both in quality and quantity. The beef, mutton, veal, and
+pork, of South Carolina, are seldom in perfection; and the hot weather
+renders it impossible to keep meat many hours after it is killed. Though
+the rivers abound in a great variety of fish, yet very few are brought
+to market. Oysters, however, are abundant, and are cried about the
+streets by negroes. They are generally shelled, put into small pails,
+which the negroes carry on their heads, and are sold, by measure, at the
+rate of about eight-pence per quart. Vegetables have been cultivated, of
+late years, with great success; and, of these, there is generally a
+tolerable supply in the market.
+
+In winter, the markets of Charleston are well supplied with fish, which
+are brought from the northern parts of the United States, in vessels so
+constructed as to keep them in a continual supply of water, and alive.
+The ships, engaged in this traffic, load, in return, with rice and
+cotton.
+
+At Charleston, wood is extravagantly dear: it costs from forty to fifty
+shillings a _cord_, notwithstanding forests of almost boundless extent,
+commence at six miles, and even at a less distance, from the town. Hence
+a great portion of the inhabitants burn coals that are brought from
+England.
+
+The pestilential marshes around Charleston yield a great abundance of
+rice. It is true that no European frame could support the labour of its
+cultivation; but Africa can produce slaves, and, amid contagion and
+suffering, both of oppressors and oppressed, Charleston has become a
+wealthy city.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The road from Charleston towards North Carolina, extends, for some
+distance, through the districts adjacent to the sea-coast; and much of
+the country is clad with bright evergreens, whence, in many places, it
+appears like the shrubbery of a park. In this part of America the trees
+are covered with a curious kind of vegetable drapery, which hangs from
+them in long curling tendrils, of gray or pale green colour. It bears a
+small blue flower, which is succeeded by a plumed seed, that adheres to
+the bark of the trees. Though the bark of the oak seems to afford the
+most favourite soil, it suspends itself to trees of every description;
+and, as it has no tenacity, but hangs like loose drapery, it probably
+does them no injury.
+
+In the interior of the country the road traverses a desolate tract of
+swamps and sandy pine-forests, and afterwards a series of granite rocks.
+
+The capital of North Carolina is _Raleigh_, a clean little country town.
+At one end of the only street stands the governor's brick house; and, at
+the other, the senate or court-house, surrounded by a grass-plot, neatly
+laid out. The houses are, in general, small, and built of wood; but some
+of them have foundations of granite, which is the only kind of stone in
+the country. The total want of limestone, and the scarcity of
+brick-earth, render it here extremely difficult and expensive to give to
+buildings any degree of stability.
+
+Although Raleigh is considered the capital of North Carolina, _Newbern_
+is the largest town in the state. So long ago as the year 1790, it
+contained four hundred houses; but these were chiefly built of wood. In
+September, 1791, about one-third of this town was consumed by fire; but,
+since that period, more of the houses have been built of brick than
+before. Newbern is situated on a flat, sandy point of land, near the
+junction of the two rivers Neus and Trent, and about thirty miles from
+the sea. It carries on a trade with the West Indies and the interior of
+Carolina, chiefly in tar, pitch, turpentine, lumber, and corn.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+About a hundred miles south-west of Charleston is the town of
+_Savannah_, situated upon an open, sandy plain, which forms a bluff or
+cliff, about fifty feet above the level of the river of the same name.
+It is laid out, in the form of a parallelogram, about a mile and a
+quarter long, and half a mile wide. The streets are broad, and open into
+spacious squares, each of which has in the middle a pump, surrounded by
+trees. There are neither foot-paths nor pavement in this place; and,
+consequently, every one walking in the streets, sinks, at each step, up
+to the ancles in sand; and, in windy weather, the eyes, mouth, and
+nostrils, are filled with sand.
+
+The houses in Savannah are, for the most part, built of wood, and stand
+at a little distance from each other. In two or three of the streets,
+however, they are close together, and many of them are built with brick:
+these contain the shops and stores. The principal street is that called
+the Bay; and in this there are several good houses, of brick and wood.
+It extends nearly three quarters of a mile in length; and opposite to it
+is a beautiful walk, planted with a double row of trees. Similar trees
+are planted in other parts of the town. This agreeable promenade is near
+the margin of the height, upon which the town stands; and the merchants'
+stores, warehouses, and wharfs, for the landing, housing, and shipping
+of goods, are immediately below. From the height there is a fine view of
+the Savannah river, as far as the sea; and, in a contrary direction, to
+the distance of several miles above the town.
+
+About the centre of the walk, and just on the verge of the cliff, stands
+the Exchange, a large brick building, which contains some public
+offices; and an assembly-room, where a concert and ball are held every
+fortnight, during the winter.
+
+The situation of Savannah, and the plan upon which it is laid out, if
+the town contained better houses, would render it far more agreeable, as
+a place of residence, than Charleston. Its greater elevation must also
+be more conducive to the health of the inhabitants, than the low and
+flat site of the other city. Both, however, are in the neighbourhood of
+swamps, marshes, and thick woods, which engender diseases, injurious to
+the constitution of white people. On the swamps, around Savannah, great
+quantities of rice are grown.
+
+
+
+
+Twelfth Day's Instruction.
+
+UNITED STATES CONTINUED.
+
+
+_Narrative of an excursion from Charleston into Georgia and West
+Florida. From Travels in North America, by_ WILLIAM BARTRAM.
+
+At the request of Dr. Fothergill, an eminent physician in London, Mr.
+Bartram went to North America, for the purpose, chiefly, of collecting,
+in Florida, Carolina, and Georgia, some of the rare and useful
+productions which had been described, by preceding travellers, to abound
+in those states. He left England in the month of April, 1773, and
+continued abroad several years.
+
+In 1776, he was at _Charleston_; and on the 22d of April, in that year,
+he set off on horseback, intending to make an excursion into the country
+of the Cherokee Indians. He directed his course towards Augusta, a town
+on the Savannah river.
+
+During his first day's journey he observed a large orchard of
+mulberry-trees, which were cultivated for the feeding of silkworms. The
+notes of the mocking-bird enlivened all the woods. He crossed into
+Georgia, by a ferry over the Savannah; and he thence passed through a
+range of pine-forests and swamps, about twelve miles in extent. Beyond
+these, in a forest, on the border of a swamp, and near the river, he
+reached a cow-pen, the proprietor of which possessed about fifteen
+hundred head of cattle. He was a man of amiable manners, and treated Mr.
+Bartram with great hospitality. The chief profits made by this person
+were obtained from beef, which he sent, by the river, for the supply of
+distant markets.
+
+About one hundred miles beyond this place is _Augusta_, in one of the
+most delightful and most eligible situations imaginable. It stands on
+an extensive plain, near the banks of the river Savannah, which is here
+navigable for vessels of twenty or thirty tons burden. Augusta, thus
+seated near the head of an important navigation, commands the trade and
+commerce of the vast and fertile regions above it; and, from every side,
+to a great distance. [Since Mr. Bartram was here, this place has become
+the metropolis of Georgia.]
+
+Below Augusta, and on the Georgia side of the river, the road crosses a
+ridge of high swelling hills, of uncommon elevation, and sixty or
+seventy feet higher than the surface of the river. These hills, from
+three feet below the common vegetative surface, to the depth of twenty
+or thirty feet, are entirely composed of fossil oyster-shells, which,
+internally, are of the colour and consistency of white marble. The
+shells are of immense magnitude; generally fifteen or twenty inches in
+length, from six to eight wide, and from two to four inches in
+thickness; and their hollows are sufficiently deep to receive a man's
+foot.
+
+From Augusta, Mr. Bartram proceeded to Fort James. For thirty miles the
+road led him near the banks of the Savannah. The surface of the land was
+uneven, in ridges or chains of swelling hills, and corresponding vales,
+with level downs. The latter afforded grass and various herbage; and the
+vales and hills produced forest-trees and shrubs of several kinds. In
+the rich and humid lands, which bordered the creeks and bases of the
+hills, Mr. Bartram discovered many species of plants which were entirely
+new to him.
+
+_Fort James_ enclosed about an acre of ground, and contained barracks
+for soldiers, and a house for the governor or commandant. It was
+situated at the extreme point of a promontory, formed by the junction of
+the _Broad_ and _Savannah rivers_; and, at the distance of two miles,
+there was a place laid out for the construction of a town, which was to
+have the name of _Dartmouth_.
+
+The surgeon of the garrison conducted Mr. Bartram, about five miles from
+the fort, to a spot where he showed him some remarkable Indian
+monuments. These were on a plain, about thirty yards from the river, and
+they consisted of conical mounds of earth, with square terraces. The
+principal mount was in the form of a cone, forty or fifty feet high, and
+two or three hundred yards in circumference at the base. It was flat at
+the top; a spiral track, leading from the ground to the summit, was
+still visible; and it was surmounted by a large and spreading
+cedar-tree. On the sides of the hill, facing the four cardinal points,
+were niches or centry-boxes, all entered from the winding path. The
+design of these structures Mr. Bartram was unable to ascertain. The
+adjacent grounds had been cleared, and were at this time planted with
+Indian corn.
+
+On the 10th of May, Mr. Bartram set out from Fort James. He rode six or
+eight miles along the bank of the river, and then crossed it into South
+Carolina. The road led him over a country, the surface of which was
+undulated by ridges or chains of hills, and sometimes rough with rocks
+and stones; yet generally productive of forests, and of a great variety
+of curious and interesting plants.
+
+The season was unusually wet: showers of rain fell almost daily, and
+were frequently attended with thunder. Hence travelling was rendered
+disagreeable, toilsome, and hazardous; particularly in the country
+through which he had to pass; an uninhabited wilderness, abounding in
+rivers and brooks.
+
+During his progress, Mr. Bartram was kindly received into the houses of
+such planters as lived near the road. In his journey betwixt Fort James
+and the Cherokee town of _Sinica_, he observed an abundance of
+grape-vines, which ramble and spread themselves over the shrubs and low
+trees. The grapes, when ripe, are of various colours, and yield
+excellent juice.
+
+_Sinica_ is a respectable Cherokee settlement, on the east bank of the
+_Keowe river_; but the greatest number of Indian habitations are on the
+opposite shore, where also stands the council-house, in a plain, betwixt
+the river and a range of lofty hills, which rise magnificently, and seem
+to bend over the green plains and the river. Sinica had not, at this
+time, been long built. The number of inhabitants was estimated at about
+five hundred, among whom about a hundred warriors could be mustered.
+
+From Sinica Mr. Bartram went to another Indian town, about sixteen miles
+distant, called _Keowe_. It stood in a fertile vale, which was now
+enamelled with scarlet strawberries and blooming plants, of innumerable
+kinds, through the midst of which the river meandered, in a most
+pleasing manner. The adjacent heights were so formed and disposed, that,
+with little, expence of military architecture, they might have been
+rendered almost unassailable. In the vicinity of Keowe, Mr. Bartram saw
+several ancient Indian mounts or tumuli, and terraces.
+
+On leaving this place he crossed the river at a ford, and, soon
+afterwards, began to ascend the steep ridges on the west side of the
+valley. The prospects of the surrounding country here presented to his
+view, were, in many instances, peculiarly beautiful. Having reached the
+summits of the mountains, he afterwards passed through a series of
+magnificent forests, and then approached an ample meadow, bordered with
+a high circular amphitheatre of hills, the ridges of which rose
+magnificently one above another. After this the surface of the land was
+level, and, in some places exhibited views of grand forests, and dark,
+detached groves, and in others of fertile vales and meadows.
+
+After having crossed a delightful river, a main branch of the _Tugilo_,
+Mr. Bartram passed through a mountainous country. Here, being overtaken
+by a tremendous hurricane, accompanied with torrents of rain, and the
+most awful thunder imaginable, in the midst of a solitary wilderness,
+he was glad to obtain shelter in a forsaken Indian dwelling. In this he
+lighted a fire, dried his clothes, comforted himself with a frugal
+repast of biscuit and dried beef, and afterwards passed the night.
+
+At some distance beyond this cottage, were the ruins of an Indian town
+called _Sticoe_. At this place was a vast Indian mount or tumulus, with
+a great terrace. Here also were old peach and plum-orchards, some of the
+trees of which still appeared to be thriving and fruitful. From Sticoe,
+proceeding along a vale, and crossing a delightful brook, which falls
+into the Tenessee, Mr. Bartram followed its course nearly as far as
+_Cowe_, an Indian town which stands in a valley on the bank of one of
+the branches of the _river Tenessee_. He had letters of introduction to
+a gentleman resident in this place, who had, for many years, been a
+trader with the Indians, and who was noted for his humanity, his
+probity, and his equitable dealings with them. By this gentleman he was
+received with every demonstration of hospitality and friendship.
+
+After having staid two days at Cowe, and, in the mean time, having made
+some excursions to places in its vicinity, Mr. Bartram proceeded on his
+journey, and was accompanied, about fifteen miles, by his hospitable
+friend, the trader. After this gentleman had left him, he was in the
+midst of solitude, surrounded by dreary and trackless mountains; and,
+for some time, he was unable to erase from his mind a notion that his
+present situation in some degree resembled that of Nebuchadnezzar, when
+expelled from the society of men, and constrained to roam in the
+wilderness, there to herd and to feed with the beasts of the forest. He,
+however, proceeded with all the alacrity which prudence would permit.
+His present object was, at all events, to cross the Jore Mountains, said
+to be the highest land in the Cherokee country. These he soon afterwards
+began to ascend; and, at length, he accomplished one part of his arduous
+task. From the most elevated peak of these mountains, he beheld, with
+rapture and astonishment, a sublimely awful scene of magnificence, a
+world of mountains piled upon mountains.
+
+On the ensuing day, still proceeding in his journey westward, Mr.
+Bartram, on descending from the heights, observed a company of Indians
+on horseback. They rapidly approached him; and, under an impression that
+one of them, who was at the head of the troop, was the emperor or grand
+chief of the Cherokees, Mr. Bartram turned out of the path in token of
+respect. In this supposition he was correct, and the compliment was
+accepted, for the chief, with a cheerful smile, came up to him, and
+placing his hand on his breast, then offered it to Mr. Bartram, and
+heartily shook hands with him. The chief made enquiry respecting a
+gentleman of Charleston, with whom he was acquainted, and afterwards
+welcomed Mr. Bartram into his country, as a friend and brother. Being,
+at this time, on a journey to Charleston, he shook hands with Mr.
+Bartram, bade him heartily farewell, and then proceeded.
+
+Describing the _Cherokee_ Indians, our traveller says that these people
+construct their habitations in a square form, each building being only
+one story high. The materials consist of logs or trunks of trees,
+stripped of their bark, notched at the ends, fixed one upon another, and
+afterwards plastered both inside and out, with clay well tempered with
+dry grass; and the whole covered or roofed with the bark of the
+chesnut-tree, or with broad shingles or wooden tiles. The principal
+building is partitioned transversely, so as to form three apartments,
+which communicate with each other by inside doors. Each habitation has
+also a little conical house, which is called the winter or hot-house;
+this stands a few yards from the mansion-house, and opposite to the
+front door.
+
+The council or town-house at Cowe, is a large rotunda, capable of
+accommodating several hundred people. It stands on the summit of an
+ancient artificial mount, about twenty feet high; and the rotunda at the
+top, being about thirty feet more, gives to the whole fabric an
+elevation of sixty feet from the ground. But the mount on which the
+rotunda stands, is of much more ancient date than the building, and
+perhaps was raised for some other purpose than to support it. The
+Cherokees themselves are ignorant by what people, or for what purpose,
+these artificial hills were raised. According to their traditions, they
+were found in much the same state as they now appear, when their
+forefathers arrived from the west, and possessed themselves of the
+country, after vanquishing the nations of red men who then inhabited it,
+and who themselves found these mounts when they took possession of the
+country.
+
+Mr. Bartram, in company with some Europeans that were resident here,
+went one evening to the rotunda, to witness a grand entertainment of
+music and dancing. This was held principally for the purpose of
+rehearsing what is called a ball-play dance; the inhabitants of Cowe
+having received a challenge to play against those of another town.
+
+The people, being assembled and seated, and the musicians having taken
+their station, the ball was opened, first with a long harangue or
+oration, spoken by an aged chief, in commendation of the manly exercise
+of ball-play. This chief recounted the many and brilliant victories
+which the town of Cowe had gained over the other towns in the nation;
+not forgetting to recite his own exploits, together with those of other
+aged men now present, coadjutors in the performance of these athletic
+games during their youthful days.
+
+This oration ended, the music, both vocal and instrumental, began.
+Presently a company of girls, hand in hand, dressed in clean white
+robes, and ornamented with beads, bracelets, and a profusion of gay
+ribbons, entering the door, sang responses in a gentle, low, and sweet
+tone of voice; and formed themselves in a semicircular file, or line of
+two ranks, back to back, facing the spectators, and moving slowly round.
+This continued about a quarter of an hour, when the strangers were
+surprised by a sudden loud and shrill whoop, uttered by a company of
+young men, who came in briskly, after one another, each with a racket or
+hurl in his hand. These champions likewise were well dressed, painted,
+and ornamented with silver bracelets, gorgets, and wampum, and having
+high waving plumes in their diadems: they immediately formed themselves
+in a semicircular rank in front of the girls; on which these changed
+their position, and formed a single rank parallel to that of the men.
+They raised their voices, in responses to the tunes of the young
+champions, the semicircles continually moving round during the time.
+
+The Cherokees, besides the ball-play dance, have several others, equally
+entertaining. The men, especially, exercise themselves in a variety of
+gesticulations and capers, some of which are extremely ludicrous. They
+have others of a martial kind, and others illustrative of the chase:
+these seem to be somewhat of a tragical nature, in which they exhibit
+astonishing feats of military prowess, masculine strength, and activity.
+Indeed, all their dances and musical entertainments seem to be
+theatrical exhibitions or plays, varied with comic, and sometimes
+indecent interludes.
+
+On the ensuing morning, Mr. Bartram set off on his return to Fort James;
+and, two days afterwards, he again arrived at _Keowe_, where he
+continued two or three days. In the environs of this place he observed
+some very singular Indian antiquities. They each consisted of four flat
+stones, two set on edge for the side, another closed one end, and a very
+large flat stone was laid horizontally on the top. Mr. Bartram
+conjectures that they must have been either altars for sacrifices, or
+sepulchres.
+
+This gentleman accompanied the traders to _Sinica_, where he continued
+some time, employing himself in observations, and in making collections
+of such things as were deserving of notice; and, not long afterwards, he
+once more reached _Fort James_.
+
+From this place he set out with a caravan, consisting of twenty men and
+sixty horses. Their first day's journey was, for the most part, over
+high gravelly ridges, and hills of considerable eminence. Many scarce
+and interesting plants were discovered along the sides of the roads.
+They passed several considerable creeks, branches of the _Ocone_, and,
+on the first of July, encamped, on the banks of that river, in a
+delightful grove. They forded the river at a place where it was about
+two hundred and fifty yards wide. Subsequently they crossed the
+_Oakmulge_ and _Flint rivers_. In many places they observed that the
+soil was rich, and admirably adapted to every branch of agriculture and
+grazing. The country was diversified with hills and dales, savannas, and
+vast cane-meadows, and watered by innumerable rivulets and brooks.
+During the day the horses were excessively tormented by flies of several
+kinds, and the numbers of which were almost incredible. They formed,
+around the caravan, a vast cloud, so thick as to obscure every distant
+object. The heads, necks, and shoulders of the leading horses were
+continually covered with blood, the consequence of the attacks of these
+tormenting insects. Some of them were horse-flies, as large as
+humble-bees; and others were different species of gnats and musquitoes.
+During the day the heat was often intense.
+
+After traversing a very delightful country, the party reached the _Chata
+Uche_ river, which was betwixt three and four hundred yards in width.
+They crossed it to _Uche_ town, situated on a vast plain. This, Mr.
+Bartram observes, was the most compact and best situated Indian town he
+had ever seen. The habitations were large and neatly built, having their
+walls constructed of a wooden frame, then lathed and plastered inside
+and out with a reddish, well-tempered clay or mortar, which gave them
+the appearance of brick. Uche appeared to be populous and thriving. The
+whole number of inhabitants was about fifteen hundred, of whom about
+five hundred are gun-men or warriors.
+
+Beyond this the travellers arrived at another Indian town called
+_Apalachucla_, the capital of the Creek Indians. This place is sacred to
+peace. No captives are here put to death, and no human blood is spilt.
+And when a general peace is proposed, deputies from all the towns in the
+confederacy assemble at this capital, in order to deliberate on the
+subject. On the contrary, the great _Coweta_ town; about twelve miles
+distant, is called the bloody town, for here the micos, chiefs, and
+warriors assemble, when a general war is proposed; and here captives and
+state malefactors are executed.
+
+The caravan continued at Apalachucla about a week, for the purpose of
+recruiting the strength of the horses, by turning them out into the
+swamps to feed. After this, having repaired their equipage, and
+replenished themselves with fresh supplies of provisions, on the
+thirteenth of July they resumed their journey for Mobile.
+
+Beyond _Talasse_, a town on the Tallapoose river, they changed their
+course to a southerly direction, and, not long afterwards, arrived at
+_Coloome_, a settlement, where they continued two days. The houses of
+this place are neat and commodious; each of the buildings consists of a
+wooden frame with plastered walls, and is roofed with cypress bark or
+shingles. Every habitation consists of four oblong square houses, of one
+story, and so arranged as to form an exact square, encompassing an area
+or court-yard of about a quarter of an acre of ground, and leaving an
+entrance at each corner. There was a beautiful square, in the centre of
+the new town; but the stores of the principal trader, and two or three
+Indian habitations, stood near the banks of the opposite shore, on the
+side of the old Coloome town. The Tallapoose river is here three hundred
+yards wide, and fifteen or twenty feet deep.
+
+Having procured a guide, to conduct them into the great trading path of
+West Florida, they set out for Mobile. Their progress, for about
+eighteen miles, was through a magnificent forest, which, at intervals,
+afforded them a view of distant Indian towns. At night, they encamped
+beneath a grove of oaks; but, shortly afterwards, there fell so
+extraordinary a shower of rain, that, suddenly, the whole adjacent
+ground was inundated, and they were obliged to continue standing through
+the whole of the night. Early in the morning, the guide, having
+performed his duty, returned home; and the travellers continued their
+journey, over an extended series of grassy plains, more than twenty
+miles in length, and eight or nine miles wide. These plains were bounded
+by high forests, which, in some places, presented magnificent and
+pleasing sylvan landscapes, of primitive and uncultivated nature. They
+crossed several rivulets and creeks, branches of the _Alabama_, the
+eastern arm of the Mobile. These rivulets were adorned with groves of
+various trees and shrubs. Immediately beyond the plains, the travellers
+entered a high, and grand forest; and the road, for several miles, led
+them near the banks of the _Alabama_. The surface of the land was broken
+into hills and vales; some of them of considerable elevation, and
+covered with forests of stately trees.
+
+After many miles' travelling, over a varied and interesting country,
+they arrived at the eastern channel of the _river Mobile_, and, on the
+same day, reached the city to which they were proceeding. _Mobile_
+stands on the easy ascent of a rising bank, near the western side of the
+bay of that name. This place has been nearly a mile in length; but it
+was now in ruins. Many of the houses were, at this time, unoccupied, and
+mouldering away; yet there were a few good buildings, inhabited by
+French, English, Scotch, and Irish, and emigrants from the northern
+parts of America. The principal French buildings were constructed of
+brick, and were one story high, but on an extensive scale. They were
+square, and were built so as to encompass, on three sides, a large area
+or court-yard. The principal apartment was on the side fronting the
+street. This plan of habitations seems to have been copied from that of
+the Creek Indians. The houses of the poorer class of inhabitants were
+constructed of a strong frame of cypress-timber, filled up with brick;
+plastered and white-washed inside and out.
+
+On the 5th of August, having procured a light canoe, Mr. Bartram set out
+on a voyage up the river. He sailed along the eastern channel, and
+passed several well-cultivated plantations, on fertile islands. Here the
+native productions exceeded, in luxuriance, any that he had ever seen:
+the reeds and canes, in particular, grew to an immense height and
+thickness. On one part of the shore of the river, he was delighted by
+the appearance of a great number of plants, of a species of oenothera,
+each plant being covered with hundreds of large golden yellow flowers.
+Near the ruins of several plantations, were seen peach and fig-trees,
+richly laden with fruit. Beyond these, were high forests and rich
+swamps, where canes and cypress-trees grew of astonishing magnitude. The
+_magnolia grandiflora_, here flourished in the utmost luxuriance; and
+flowering-trees and shrubs were observed, in great numbers and beauty.
+Several large alligators were seen basking on the shores, and others
+were swimming along the river. After having pursued his course for
+several miles, and made many important botanical discoveries, Mr.
+Bartram returned to _Mobile_, for the purpose of proceeding thence, in a
+trading-vessel, westward, to the Pearl river.
+
+Previously, however, to setting out on his voyage westward, he had an
+opportunity of visiting _Pensacola_, the capital of West Florida, about
+a hundred miles east of Mobile. This city possesses some natural
+advantages, superior to those of any other port in this province. It is
+situated on a gently rising ground, environing a harbour, sufficiently
+capacious to shelter all the navies of Europe. Several rivers fall into
+this _harbour_; but none of them are navigable for ships of burden, to
+any considerable distance. In Pensacola there are several hundred
+habitations. The governor's palace is a large brick building, ornamented
+with a tower. The town is defended by a fortress, within which is the
+council-chamber, houses for the officers, and barracks for the soldiers
+of the garrison. On the sand-hills, near this place, Mr. Bartram
+discovered several species of plants, which at that time had not been
+described.
+
+Having again returned to Mobile, he left that place, in a trading-boat,
+the property of a Frenchman, who was about to sail to his plantations,
+on the banks of the Pearl river. Before Mr. Bartram set out on this
+expedition, he had been attacked by a severe complaint in his eyes,
+which occasioned extreme pain, and almost deprived him of sight: it did
+not, however, deter him from proceeding. On his arrival at _Pearl
+river_, he was, however, so ill, as to be laid up, for several weeks, at
+the house of an English gentleman, who resided on an island in that
+river. As soon as he was sufficiently recovered to prosecute his
+journey, he proceeded, in a boat, to Manchac on the Mississippi.
+
+Having sailed westward for some days, he entered the _river Amite_, and,
+ascending it, arrived at a landing-place, from which he crossed, by
+land, to _Manchac_, about nine miles distant. The road was straight,
+spacious, and level, and extended beneath the shadow of a grand forest.
+On arriving at the banks of the _Mississippi_, Mr. Bartram stood, for
+some time, fascinated by the magnificence of this grand river. Its width
+was nearly a mile, and its depth at least two hundred and forty feet.
+But it is not merely the expansion of its surface which astonishes and
+delights: its lofty banks, the steady course of its mighty flood, the
+trees which overhang its waters, the magnificent forests by which it is
+bounded; all combine in exhibiting prospects the most sublime that can
+be imagined. At Manchac, the banks are at least fifty feet in
+perpendicular height.
+
+After having continued in this place a short time, Mr. Bartram made an
+excursion several miles up the Mississippi. At his return, he once more
+set sail for _Mobile_, where, not long afterwards, he safely arrived.
+
+On the 27th of November, he sailed up the river, from Mobile, in a large
+trading-boat, and the same evening arrived at _Taensa_. Here the
+merchandise, which the boat had conveyed, was formed into small
+packages, and placed on horses, for the purpose of being conveyed
+overland. The party now consisted of between twenty and thirty horses,
+two drivers, the owner of the goods, and Mr. Bartram; who found this
+mode of travelling very unpleasant. They seldom set out till the sun had
+been some hours risen. Each of the men had a whip, made of cow-skin;
+and, the horses having ranged themselves in a line, the chief drove them
+by the crack of his whip, and by a whoop or shriek, so loud as to ring
+through the forests and plains. The pace was a brisk trot, which was
+incessantly urged, and continued as long as the miserable creatures were
+able to move forward. Each horse had a bell; and the incessant
+clattering of the bells, smacking of the whips, and whooping of the men,
+caused an uproar and confusion which was inexpressibly disagreeable. The
+time for encamping was generally about the middle of the afternoon; a
+time which, to Mr. Bartram, would have been the pleasantest for
+travelling.
+
+After having proceeded on their journey several days, they came to the
+banks of a large and deep river, a branch of the _Alabama_. The waters
+ran furiously, being overcharged with the floods of a violent rain,
+which had fallen the day before. There was no possibility of crossing
+this river by fording it. With considerable difficulty, a kind of raft
+was made, of dry canes and pieces of timber, bound together by a species
+of vines or vegetable cords, which are common in the woods of the
+tropical districts of America. When this raft was completed, one of the
+Indians swam over the river, having in his mouth the end of a long vine
+attached to it; and, by hauling the raft backward and forward, all the
+goods were safely landed on the opposite side: the men and horses swam
+across.
+
+In the evening of the day on which they passed this stream, the party
+arrived at the banks of the great _Tallapoose river_; and encamped, for
+the night, under the shelter of some Indian cabins. On the ensuing day
+they were conducted across the river, in the canoes of a party of
+Indians who were resident in the neighbourhood. Not long afterwards, the
+travellers arrived at the Indian town of _Alabama_, situated near the
+junction of two fine rivers, the _Tallapoose_ and the _Coosa_. At this
+place were seen the traces of an ancient French fortress, with a few
+pieces of cannon, half-buried in the earth. This, says Mr. Bartram, is
+perhaps one of the most eligible situations in the world for a large
+town: it is a level plain, at the conflux of two majestic rivers, each
+navigable for vessels, to the distance of at least five hundred miles
+above it, and spreading their numerous branches over a great extent of
+fertile and delightful country.
+
+The travellers continued all night at Alabama, where a grand
+entertainment was made for them, with music and dancing, in the great
+square. They then proceeded along the Tallapoose to _Mucclasse_. In
+their journey they passed through numerous plantations and Indian towns,
+and were every where treated by the inhabitants with hospitality and
+friendship.
+
+About three weeks after this, Mr. Bartram joined a company of traders,
+and proceeded with them to Augusta. They set out in the morning of the
+2d of January, 1788, the whole surface of the ground being covered with
+a white and beautifully sparkling frost. The company, besides Mr.
+Bartram, consisted of four men, with about thirty horses, twenty of
+which were laden with leather and furs. In three days they arrived at
+the _Apalachula_ or _Chata Uche_ river, and crossed it at the towns of
+_Chehau_ and _Usseta_. These towns nearly join each other, yet the
+inhabitants speak different languages. Beyond this river nothing of
+importance occurred, till they arrived at _Oakmulge_. Here they
+encamped in expansive, ancient Indian fields, and within view of the
+foaming flood of the river, which now raged over its banks. There were,
+at this place, two companies of traders from Augusta, each consisting of
+fifteen or twenty men, with seventy or eighty horses. The traders whom
+Mr. Bartram accompanied, had with them a portable leather boat, eight
+feet long. It was made of thick sole-leather, was folded up, and carried
+on one of the horses. This boat was now put together, and rigged; and in
+it the party was ferried across the river. They afterwards crossed the
+_Ocone_, in the same manner; and encamped in fertile fields on the banks
+of that beautiful river. Proceeding thence, they encamped, the next day,
+on the banks of the _Ogeche_; and, after two days hard travelling,
+beyond this river, they arrived at _Augusta_, whence, shortly
+afterwards, Mr. Bartram proceeded to _Savannah_.
+
+
+
+
+Thirteenth Day's Instruction.
+
+UNITED STATES CONTINUED.
+
+
+_Narrative of_ MR. BARTRAM'S _Journey from Savannah into East
+Florida._
+
+Leaving _Savannah_ at the most beautiful season of the year, Mr. Bartram
+proceeded, on horseback, to _Sunbury_, a sea-port, about forty miles
+distant; and thence to Fort Barrington. Much of the intervening country
+was level, and well watered by large streams. The road was straight,
+spacious, and in excellent repair. For a considerable distance it was
+bordered on each side by groves, of various kinds of trees and shrubs,
+entwined with bands and garlands of flowering-plants. Extensive
+plantations of rice and corn, now in early verdure, were seen,
+decorated, here and there, with groves of floriferous and fragrant trees
+and shrubs, through which, at intervals, appeared the neat habitations
+of the proprietors.
+
+At Fort Barrington, Mr. Bartram crossed the river Alatamaha, here about
+five hundred yards in width. When safely landed on the opposite side, he
+mounted his horse, and followed the high road, through an uninhabited
+wilderness, to the ferry on _St. Ille_. The sudden transition, from rich
+cultivated settlements, to high pine-forests, and dark grassy savannas,
+formed, he says, no disagreeable contrast; and the new objects, in the
+works of nature, which here excited his attention, soon reconciled him
+to the change. In the midst of the woods he observed great numbers of
+dens, or caverns, which had been dug in the sand-hills, by the gopher,
+or great land tortoise.
+
+The next day's progress, presented scenes nearly similar to these;
+though the land was lower, more level and humid, and the produce was
+more varied. Mr. Bartram passed some troublesome cane-swamps, in which
+he saw several herds of horned-cattle, horses, and deer, and noticed
+many interesting plants.
+
+In the evening, he arrived at _St. Ille's_, where he lodged; and, next
+morning, having crossed the river in a ferry-boat, he proceeded towards
+St. Mary's. The appearance of the country, its soil, and productions,
+between these rivers, were nearly similar to those which he had already
+passed, except that the savannas were more frequent and extensive.
+
+Mr. Bartram had now passed the utmost frontier of the white settlements,
+on that border; and the day was drawing towards a close, when, on a
+sudden, an Indian, armed with a rifle, crossed the path, at a
+considerable distance before him. This man, turning short round, came up
+at full gallop. Though his intentions, at first, seemed hostile, he,
+after some hesitation, shook Mr. Bartram by the hand, directed him on
+his way, and then proceeded in his former course. Mr. Bartram again set
+forward, and, after riding eight or ten miles, arrived at the banks of
+_St. Mary's_, opposite to the stores, and got safely over that river,
+before dark.
+
+The savannas about St. Mary's displayed a very charming appearance, of
+flowers and verdure: their more elevated borders were varied with beds
+of violets, lupines, and amaryllis; and with a new and beautiful species
+of sensitive plant.
+
+In a subsequent excursion, Mr. Bartram, accompanied by some other
+gentlemen, passed the mouth of St. Mary's, and entered the _river St.
+Juan_, or _St. John_.
+
+At _Cowford_, a public ferry over this river, and about thirty miles
+from its mouth, he procured a neat little sail-boat; and, having stored
+it with necessaries for his voyage, he proceeded up the river alone, in
+search of new productions of nature; having his chief happiness centered
+in tracing and admiring the infinite power, majesty, and perfection of
+the great Creator, and in the contemplation that, through divine
+permission, he might be instrumental in introducing into his native
+country, some productions which might become useful to society. His
+little vessel, being furnished with a good sail, and with
+fishing-tackle, a swivel gun, powder, and ball, Mr. Bartram found
+himself well equipped for his voyage, of about one hundred miles, to the
+trading houses of the Indians.
+
+Having proceeded about eight miles above Cowford, to a place where the
+river was nearly three miles broad, he was obliged to land, as his boat
+had sustained some damage from the wind; and, a thunder-storm coming on,
+he resolved to continue on shore till the morning. Observing a large
+oak-tree, which had been thrown down by a hurricane, and which offered
+him a convenient shelter, as its branches bore up the trunk a sufficient
+height from the earth, to admit him either to, sit or to lie down
+beneath it, he spread his sail, slanting from the trunk of the tree to
+the ground, on the windward side; and, having collected a quantity of
+wood sufficient to keep up a fire during the night, he kindled one in
+front. He then spread skins on the ground, and upon these he placed a
+blanket, one half of which he lay down upon, and the other he turned
+over him for a covering.
+
+The wind was furious, and the thunder and lightning were tremendous;
+but, happily, not much-rain fell. Next morning, on reconnoitring the
+neighbourhood, he was roused by the report of a musket not far off; and,
+shortly afterwards, an Indian stepped out of a thicket, having a large
+turkey-cock slung across his shoulders. He saw Mr. Bartram, and,
+stepping up to him, spoke in English, bidding him good morning. He
+stated that he lived at an adjacent plantation, and that he was employed
+as a hunter. Mr. Bartram accompanied him to the house of his master,
+about half a mile distant, and was there received in the most polite and
+friendly manner imaginable. The owner of this plantation invited him to
+stay some days, for the purpose of resting and refreshing himself; and
+he immediately set his carpenters to work, to repair the damaged vessel.
+
+Mr. Bartram spent one day with this gentleman. The house in which he
+resided was on an eminence, about one hundred and fifty yards from the
+river. On the right of it was an orangery, consisting of many hundred
+trees, natives of the place, and left standing when the ground about it
+was cleared. Those trees were large, flourishing, in bloom, and, at the
+same time, loaded with ripe golden fruit. On the other side was a
+spacious garden, occupying a regular slope of ground, down to the water;
+and a pleasant lawn lay between. The owner of this plantation having,
+with great liberality, supplied him with an abundance of ammunition and
+provision, Mr. Bartram departed on the ensuing morning. He again
+embarked on board his little vessel, and had a favourable, steady gale.
+The day was extremely pleasant; the shores of the river were level and
+shallow; and, in some places, the water was not more than eighteen
+inches or two feet in depth. At a little distance it appeared like a
+green meadow; having water-grass, and other amphibious vegetables,
+growing from its oozy bottom, and floating upon its surface.
+
+Mr. Bartram kept as near the shore as possible; and he was greatly
+delighted with the prospect of cultivation, and the increase of human
+industry, which were often visible from the water. In pursuing his
+voyage, he sometimes slept at plantations that were near the banks of
+the river; but sometimes he was obliged to pitch his tent upon the
+shore, or to sleep under the protection of his sail. In the latter case
+he was, not unfrequently, disturbed at night, by the plunging and
+roaring of alligators, and the loud croaking of frogs; and, in the
+morning, by the noise of wild turkeys, hundreds of which roosted around
+him. During his progress he saw great numbers of alligators, some of
+them immensely large. He was successful in collecting seeds, and
+specimens of uncommon trees and plants. In some places he was astonished
+to see the immense magnitude to which the grape-vines grew. These were
+not unfrequently from nine to twelve inches in diameter: they twined
+round the trunks of trees, climbed to their very tops, and then spread
+along, from tree to tree, almost throughout the forest. The fruit,
+however, was small and ill-flavoured.
+
+As Mr. Bartram was coasting along the shore, he suddenly saw before him
+an Indian settlement or village. It was in a fine situation, on the
+slope of a bank which rose gradually from the water. There were eight or
+ten habitations, in a row or street, fronting the water, and about fifty
+yards distant from it. Some of the youths of this settlement were naked,
+and up to their hips in water, fishing with rods and lines; whilst
+others, younger, were diverting themselves in shooting frogs with bows
+and arrows. As Mr. Bartram passed, he observed some elderly people
+reclining on skins, spread upon the ground, beneath the cool shade of
+oaks and palm-trees, that were ranged in front of the houses. These
+persons arose, and eyed him as he passed; but, perceiving that he
+proceeded without stopping, they resumed their former position.
+
+There was an extensive orange-grove, at the upper end of the village:
+the trees were large, and had been carefully pruned; and the ground
+beneath them was clean, open, and airy. Around the village were several
+acres of cleared land, a considerable portion of which was planted with
+maize, batatas, beans, pompions, squashes, melons, and tobacco.
+
+After leaving this village, the river became much contracted, and
+continued so till Mr. Bartram reached _Charlotia_ or _Rolle's Town_,
+where it was not more than half a mile wide. Here he came to an anchor.
+This town was founded by Denis Rolle, Esq. and is situated on a cliff on
+the east side of the river.
+
+Having obtained directions for discovering a little remote island, where
+the traders and their goods were secreted, he set sail again, and, in
+about an hour and a half, arrived at the desired place. At this island
+he was received with great politeness; and he was induced to continue
+there several months, during which he was treated with the utmost
+hospitality, by the agents of one of the British mercantile houses.
+
+The numerous plains and groves in the vicinity of the island, afforded
+to Mr. Bartram much gratification in his botanical pursuits; and, at the
+termination of his residence here, he set out with a party of traders,
+who were about to proceed to the upper parts of the river. The traders,
+with their goods in a large boat, went first, and Mr. Bartram, in his
+little vessel, followed them. The day was pleasant, and the wind fair
+and moderate. In the evening they arrived at _Mount Royal_, a house
+belonging to a Mr. Kean. This place was surrounded by magnificent groves
+of orange-trees, oaks, palms, and magnolias; and commanded a most
+enchanting view of the great Lake George, about two miles distant.
+
+_Lake George_ is a beautiful piece of water, a dilatation of the river
+St. John, and about fifteen miles wide. It is ornamented with two or
+three fertile islands. Mr. Bartram landed, and passed the night on one
+of them; and he found, growing upon it, many curious flowering shrubs, a
+new and beautiful species of convolvulus, and some other species of
+plants, which he had never before seen.
+
+A favourable gale enabled the voyagers, towards the close of the ensuing
+day, to enter the river at the southern extremity of the lake. Here they
+found a safe and pleasant harbour, in a most desirable situation.
+Opposite to them was a vast cypress swamp, environed by a border of
+grassy marshes; and, around the harbour, was a grove of oaks, palm,
+magnolia, and orange-trees. The bay was, in some places, almost covered
+with the leaves of a beautiful water-lily, the large, sweet-scented
+yellow flowers of which grew two or three feet above the surface of the
+water. A great number of fine trout were caught, by fishing, with a hook
+and line, near the edges of the water-lilies; and many wild turkeys and
+deer were seen in the vicinity of this place.
+
+On the ensuing day the party reached a trading-house, called _Spalding's
+upper Store_, where Mr. Bartram resided for several weeks. Being
+afterwards desirous of continuing his travels and observations higher up
+the river, and, having received an invitation to visit a plantation, the
+property of an English gentleman, about sixty miles distant, he resolved
+to pursue his researches to that place. For several miles the left bank
+of the river had numerous islands of rich swamp land. The opposite coast
+was a perpendicular cliff ten or twelve feet high: this was crowned by
+trees and shrubs, which, in some places, rendered the scenery extremely
+beautiful. The straight trunks of the palm-trees were, in many
+instances, from sixty to ninety feet high, of a bright ash colour, and
+were terminated by plumes of leaves, some of them nearly fifteen feet in
+length.
+
+Mr. Bartram landed, for the night, in a little bay, not far from the
+entrance to a small lake, another expansion of the river. Near this
+place there was much low and swampy land, and the islands in the river
+were numerous. The evening was cool and calm, and he went out in his
+canoe, to fish for trout. As the evening closed, alligators appeared in
+great numbers along the shores and in the river. Mr. Bartram states that
+he was witness to a combat between these dreadful animals, which
+inspired him with horror, especially as his little harbour was
+surrounded by them. In endeavouring to paddle his canoe through a line
+of alligators, he was pursued by several large ones; and, before he
+could reach the shore, he was assailed on every side. His situation
+became extremely precarious. Two very large alligators attacked him
+closely, rushing with their heads and part of their bodies above the
+water, roaring terribly, and, from their mouths, throwing floods of
+water over him. They struck their jaws together so close to his ears as
+almost to stun him; and he, every moment, expected to be dragged out of
+the boat and devoured by them. He held in his hand a large club, which
+he used so efficaciously, as to beat them off: he then hastened towards
+the shore, as the only means of preservation left. Here the water was
+shallow; and his ferocious opponents, some of which were twelve feet in
+length, returned into deeper water. After this, as Mr. Bartram was
+stepping out of his canoe, an alligator rushed up to him, near his feet,
+and, with its head and shoulders out of the water, lay there for some
+time. Mr. Bartram ran for his gun, and, having a heavy charge in it, he
+shot the animal in the head and killed him. While Mr. Bartram was
+employed in cleansing some fish for his supper, he raised his head, and
+beheld, through the clear water, another of these animals of large size,
+moving slowly towards him; and he stepped back, at the instant the beast
+was preparing to spring upon him. This excessive boldness gave him great
+uneasiness, as he feared he should be obliged to keep on watch through
+the whole night. He had made the best preparation, in his power, for
+passing the night, when he was roused by a tumultuous noise, which
+seemed to come from the harbour. On going to the water's edge he beheld
+a scene so astonishing, that it was some time before he could credit the
+evidence even of his own senses. The river, though of great width,
+appeared, from shore to shore, to be almost a solid bank of fish. These
+were of various species, and were pushing along the river, towards the
+little lake, pursued by alligators in such incredible numbers, and so
+close together, that, had the animals been harmless, Mr. Bartram
+imagined it might have been possible to have walked across the water
+upon their heads. During this extraordinary passage, thousands of fish
+were caught and swallowed by them. The horrid noise of their closing
+jaws, their plunging amid the broken banks of fish, and rising with
+their prey some feet above the water, the floods of water and blood
+rushing from their mouths, and the clouds of vapour issuing from their
+nostrils, were truly frightful. This scene continued, at intervals,
+during the whole night. After it was ended, Mr. Bartram says he found
+himself more reconciled to his situation than he had before been; as he
+was convinced that the extraordinary assemblage of alligators at this
+place had been owing to the annual passage of these shoals of fish; and
+that they were so well employed in their own element, that he had little
+occasion to fear they would wander from the banks for the purpose of
+annoying him.
+
+It being now almost night, he returned to his tent, where he had left
+his fish broiling, and his kettle of rice stewing; and having, in his
+packages, oil, pepper, and salt, and, in place of vinegar, excellent
+oranges hanging in abundance over his head, he sat down and regaled
+himself cheerfully. Before he retired to rest, he was suddenly roused by
+a noise behind him, towards the land. He sprang up, seized his gun, and,
+going cautiously in the direction from which the sound approached, he
+beheld two large bears, advancing towards him. He waited till they were
+about thirty yards distant, when he snapped his piece at them. It
+flashed in the pan, but they both galloped off, and did not return.
+After this he passed the night without any other molestation than being
+occasionally awaked by the whooping of owls, the screaming of bitterns,
+or by wood-rats running among the leaves. When he arose in the morning
+there was perfect peace: very few alligators were to be seen, and these
+were asleep near the shore. His mind was not, however, free from alarm.
+He could not but entertain considerable dread lest, in pursuing his
+voyage up the river, he should, every evening, encounter difficulties
+similar to those which he had now experienced.
+
+Having loaded his gun and re-embarked, he set sail cautiously along the
+shore; and was, not long afterwards, attacked by an alligator, which he
+beat off with his club; another passed close by his boat, having a brood
+of young ones, a hundred or more in number, following her, in a long
+train. On one part of the shore Mr. Bartram beheld a great number of
+hillocks, or small pyramids, in shape resembling haycocks, and ranged
+like an encampment. They were on a high marsh, fifteen or twenty yards
+from the water, and each about four feet in height. He knew them to be
+the nests of alligators, and now expected a furious and general attack,
+as he saw several large alligators swimming near them. Notwithstanding
+this he was determined to land and examine them. Accordingly, he ran his
+canoe on shore; and, having ascended a sloping bank or road which led to
+the place, he found that most of the nests were deserted, and thick
+whitish egg-shells lay broken and scattered upon the ground around them.
+
+These nests were in the form of obtuse cones, and were constructed with
+mud, grass, and herbage. In the formation of them, the alligators had
+made a kind of floor of these substances, upon the ground; on this they
+had deposited a layer of eggs, and upon that a stratum of mortar, seven
+or eight inches in thickness, and then another layer of eggs; and, in
+this manner, one stratum upon another, nearly to the top. Mr. Bartram
+supposes that the eggs are hatched by the heat of the sun; and that the
+female alligator carefully watches her own nest of eggs until they are
+all hatched. He says it is certain that the young ones are not left to
+shift for themselves, for he had frequent opportunities of seeing female
+alligators leading about the shores their offspring, as a hen does her
+chickens.
+
+After having gratified his curiosity, he continued his voyage up the
+river. In his progress he observed several small floating islands. The
+swamps on the banks of the river were, in general, three or four feet
+above the level of the water; and the timber upon them was large, but
+thinly scattered. The black mould of these swamps was covered with a
+succulent and tender kind of grass, which, when chewed, was sweet and
+agreeable to the taste, somewhat like young sugar-canes. Alligators were
+still numerous. Exposed, during the day, to the rays of a vertical sun,
+Mr. Bartram experienced great inconvenience in rowing his canoe against
+the stream; and, at night, he was annoyed by the stings of musquitoes,
+and he was obliged to be constantly on guard against the attacks of
+alligators. In one instance an alligator, of immense size, came up to
+his tent, and approached within six feet of him, when he was awakened by
+the screaming owl. Starting up, he seized his musket, which, during the
+night, he always kept under his head; and the animal, alarmed by the
+noise, rushed again into the water.
+
+In many places the banks of the river were ornamented with hanging
+garlands of various climbing vegetables, both shrubs and plants. One of
+these had white flowers, each as big as a small funnel, the tube five or
+six inches in length, and not thicker than a tobacco-pipe. It was
+curious to observe the wild squash, (a species of cucurbita,) which grew
+upon the lofty limbs of the trees: its yellow fruit, somewhat of the
+size and shape of a large orange, pendant over the water. In some parts
+there were steep cliffs on each side of the river. During the middle of
+the day the weather was so intensely hot, that Mr. Bartram was obliged
+to seek for shelter under the shade of the trees which grew upon the
+banks.
+
+He passed another lake, the eastern shores of which were adorned with
+dark, high forests: on the north and south were apparently endless
+plains and meadows, embellished with islets and promontories covered
+with trees. Whilst he was navigating this lake, he was exposed to the
+most tremendous storm of thunder and lightning that he had ever
+witnessed. The lofty forests bent beneath the fury of the blast, and the
+sturdy limbs of the trees cracked under the weight of the wind. Groves
+were torn up; and the spreading branches of the trees were rent asunder,
+and, like leaves or stubble, were whirled aloft in the air. After a
+while the wind and rain abated. Mr. Bartram then crossed the lake, about
+a mile in length, and arrived in safety at a plantation near its
+southern extremity. Here he found that nearly all the buildings had been
+overturned by the hurricane; and that a hundred acres of indigo plants,
+almost ripe for cutting, and several acres of sugar-canes, had been
+ruined.
+
+About four miles beyond this plantation, Mr. Bartram was shown a vast
+fountain of hot mineral water, which issued from a ridge or bank of the
+river, in a great cove or bay. The water, though hot and of a
+disagreeable brassy and vitriolic taste, and very offensive to the
+smell, was perfectly transparent, and exhibited to view a prodigious
+number of fish, and alligators, which were lying about the bottom.
+
+Mr. Bartram now returned, in his canoe, to the station called the _Upper
+Store_. Thence, in company with five persons who had been commissioned
+to make some commercial arrangements with the Indians, he set out for an
+Indian town called _Cuscowilla_. For four or five miles they travelled
+westward, over a level plain, which, before and on each side of them,
+appeared like a green meadow, thinly planted with low and spreading
+pine-trees. The whole surface seemed clad with grass, herbage, and low
+shrubs, and with many kinds of plants, which were rare and highly
+interesting. Here also many species of birds were seen, the plumage of
+some of which was extremely beautiful. Snakes, lizards, and insects were
+also very abundant. Beyond this plain was a hill, ornamented with a
+great variety of herbaceous plants and grasses, and with a magnificent
+grove of pines. After the pine-groves were passed, the travellers
+entered a district called the _Sand-hills_.
+
+They encamped, for the first night, at the _Half-way Pond_. This is a
+lake, about three miles in circumference, which extends, through an
+apparently spacious meadow, and beneath a chain of elevated sand-hills.
+It is inhabited by numerous kinds of fish, by alligators, and by a kind
+of turtles with soft shells. The latter are so large as to weigh from
+twenty to thirty, and even forty pounds each. They are extremely fat and
+delicious; but, if eaten to excess, are unwholesome. Numerous herds of
+deer, and extensive flocks of turkeys, frequent the vicinity of this
+place.
+
+From Half-way Pond the travellers proceeded, still westward, through the
+high forests of Cuscowilla. The country, for five or six miles,
+presented nearly the same scenery as before. After this the sand-ridges
+became higher, and their bases proportionally more extensive. The
+savannahs and ponds were larger; the summits of the ridges more
+gravelly; and here and there rocks, formed of a sort of concrete of sand
+and shells, were seen above the sand and gravel.
+
+Having passed an extensive and fruitful orange-grove, through a
+pine-forest, and crossed two or three streams that were tributary to the
+river St. John, the travellers at length came within sight of the great
+and beautiful _Lake of Cuscowilla_. Their course now lay through a
+magnificent forest, about nine miles in extent, and consisting of
+orange-groves, overtopped by grand magnolias, palm-trees, oaks, beech,
+and other trees. This forest bounded one edge of the lake; and, beyond
+it, lay the town of _Cuscowilla_, the place of their destination. This
+place is situated on the banks of a brook, which, at a little distance,
+falls into the lake.
+
+They were welcomed to the town, and conducted, by a party of young men
+and maidens, to the house of the chief. This stood on an eminence, and
+was distinguished from the other dwellings by its superior magnitude,
+and by having a flag hoisted, on a high staff, at one corner. The chief,
+attended by several old men, came to them, and shook them by their
+hands, or rather their arms, (a form of salutation peculiar to the
+American Indians,) saying at the same time, "You are come." They
+followed him into an apartment prepared for their reception.
+
+The following customs are practised towards their guests, by the Indians
+in this part of America. The pipe being filled, it is handed round to
+each. After this a large bowl, containing what is called "thin drink,"
+is brought, and is set down on a low table. In the bowl is a great
+wooden ladle: each person takes up in the ladle as much of the liquor as
+he pleases; and, after drinking until he is satisfied, he returns it
+into the bowl, pushing the handle towards the next person in the circle;
+and so it goes round.
+
+On the present occasion, after the usual compliments had passed, the
+principal trader informed the Indian chief, in the presence of his
+council or attendants, respecting the purport of their business; and
+with this the chief expressed his satisfaction. When the latter was
+informed concerning the object of Mr. Bartram's journey, he received him
+with complaisance; giving him unlimited permission to travel over his
+country, for the purpose of collecting plants, and saluting him by the
+name of _Pug Puggy_, or "Flower-hunter."
+
+This chief was a tall, well-formed man, very affable and cheerful, about
+sixty years of age. His eyes were lively and full of lustre, his
+countenance was manly and placid, yet ferocious; his nose aquiline, and
+his dress extremely simple; but his head was ornamented in the manner of
+the Creek Indians. He had been a great warrior, and had now, attending
+him as slaves, many captives, which had been taken by himself when
+young. They were dressed better than he, and served and waited upon him
+with signs of the most abject humility. The manners and customs of these
+Indians, who are called _Alachuas_, and of most of the lower _Creeks_ or
+_Siminoles_, appear evidently tinctured with Spanish civilization. There
+are several Christians among them, many of whom wear little silver
+crucifixes, affixed to a collar round their necks, or suspended by a
+small chain upon their breasts.
+
+Mr. Bartram and his party had not long been here, before the repast was
+brought in. This consisted of venison stewed in bear's oil, of fresh
+corn-cakes, milk, and a dish called homony; and the drink was honey and
+water, very cool and agreeable.
+
+A few days after this some negotiations took place between the traders
+and the Indians, in the public square or council-house. These having
+terminated to the satisfaction of both parties, a banquet succeeded; the
+ribs and choicest fat pieces of bullocks, well barbecued, were brought
+into an apartment of the square: bowls and kettles of stewed flesh and
+broth constituted the next course; and with these was brought in a dish,
+made of the belly or paunch of an ox, not over-cleansed of its contents,
+cut and minced tolerably fine, and then made into a thin kind of soup,
+and seasoned with salt and aromatic herbs; but the seasoning was not
+quite strong enough to overpower the original taste and smell. This is a
+favourite dish with the Indians.
+
+Cuscowilla is the capital of the Alachua Indians; and it, at this time,
+contained about thirty habitations, each of which consisted of two
+houses, nearly of the same size, about thirty feet in length, twelve
+feet wide, and twelve high. Of these, one is divided into two
+apartments; the cook-room, or common hall, and the lodging-room. The
+other house is nearly of the same dimensions, and stands about twenty
+yards from the dwelling-house. This building is two stories high, and is
+constructed in a different manner from the former. Like that, it is
+divided across; but the end next the dwelling-house is open on three
+sides, and is supported by posts or columns. It has an open loft or
+platform, the ascent to which is by a portable stair or ladder: this is
+pleasant, cool, and airy; and here the master or chief of the family
+retires to repose, in the hot seasons, and receives his guests or
+visitors. The other half of this building is closed on all sides: the
+lowest or ground part is a potatoe-house; and the upper story a granary,
+for corn and other provisions.
+
+The town of Cuscowilla stands in an extremely pleasant situation, upon a
+high, swelling ridge of sand-hills, within three or four hundred yards
+of a large and beautiful lake, which continually washes a sandy beach,
+under a moderately high, sloping bank; terminated on one side by
+extensive forests of orange-groves, and overtopped with magnolias,
+palms, poplars, limes, live oaks, and other trees. The ground, between
+the town and the lake, is adorned by an open grove of tall pine-trees,
+which, standing at a considerable distance from each other, admit a
+delightful prospect of the sparkling waters. The lake abounds with
+various kinds of excellent fish and wild fowl.
+
+The inhabitants of Cuscowilla have each a small garden attached to their
+dwellings, for the purpose of producing corn, beans, tobacco, and other
+useful articles; but the plantation which supplies them with their chief
+vegetable provisions, is near the great Alachua savannah, and about two
+miles distant. This plantation has one common enclosure, and is worked
+and tended by the whole community: yet every family has its particular
+part, marked off when planted; and this portion receives the common
+labour and assistance, until the corn, or other articles cultivated upon
+it, are ripe. Each family then gathers and deposits in its store-house
+its own proper share, setting apart a small gift or contribution for a
+public granary, which stands near the centre of the plantation.
+
+Mr. Bartram made several excursions to places in the vicinity of
+Cuscowilla and the Alachua Swamp. In one of these, he came to a little
+clump of shrubs, where he observed several large snakes, entwined
+together. They were each about four feet in length, and as thick as a
+man's wrist. Mr. Bartram approached, and endeavoured to irritate them,
+but they appeared perfectly harmless. Numerous herds of cattle and deer,
+and many troops of horses were seen peacefully browsing on the grass of
+the savannah, or strolling through the groves on the surrounding
+heights. Large flocks of wild turkeys were also observed in the woods.
+
+At some distance from Cuscowilla, is an Indian town called
+_Talahasochte_, which Mr. Bartram some time afterwards visited. It is
+delightfully situated on the elevated east bank of a river called
+_Little St. John's_. The habitations were, at this time, about thirty in
+number, and constructed like those of Cuscowilla; but the council-house
+was neater and more spacious.
+
+The Indians of this town have large and handsome canoes, which they form
+out of the trunks of cypress-trees: some of them are sufficiently
+commodious to accommodate twenty or thirty persons. In these canoes they
+descend the river, on trading and hunting excursions, as far as the
+sea-coast, to the neighbouring islands and shores; and they sometimes
+even cross the Gulf of Florida to the West India Islands.
+
+In this neighbourhood are seen many singular and unaccountable cavities.
+These are funnel-shaped; and some of them are from twenty to forty yards
+across at the rim. Their perpendicular depth is, in many instances,
+upwards of twenty feet.
+
+At this time, nearly the whole of East Florida, and a great portion of
+West Florida, were in the possession of Indians; and these chiefly a
+tribe called _Siminoles_, an apparently contented and happy race of
+people, who enjoyed, in superabundance, the necessaries and the
+conveniences of life. With the skins of deer, bears, tigers, and wolves,
+together with honey, wax, and other productions of their country, this
+people purchased, from Europeans, clothing, equipage, and domestic
+utensils. They seemed to be free from want or desires: they had no enemy
+to dread; and, apparently, nothing to occasion disquietude, except the
+gradual encroachments of the white people.
+
+Mr. Bartram returned to the trading-store, on the bank of the river St.
+John; and, about the end of September, he reached the place from which
+he had commenced his voyage.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+We must now proceed, across the southern states, to the mouth of the
+Mississippi, for the purpose of tracing the course of that astonishing
+river, and describing the most important places in its vicinity.
+
+
+
+
+Fourteen Day's Instruction.
+
+UNITED STATES CONTINUED.
+
+
+_The River Mississippi._
+
+The Mississippi has its source in about forty-six degrees thirty minutes
+of north latitude; and terminates in the Gulf of Mexico, at some
+distance below the town of New Orleans. Its length, in a direct line,
+exceeds one thousand seven hundred miles; and it falls into the sea, by
+many mouths, most of which, like those of the Nile, are too shallow to
+be navigable. For a considerable distance, its banks are low, marshy,
+and covered with reeds; and are annually overflowed, from the melting
+of the snows in the interior of the country. The inundation usually
+commences in March, and continues about three months; and the slime
+which it deposits on the adjacent lands, tends, in a very important
+degree, to fertilize the soil. This river is navigable to a great
+distance; but, at spring-tides, the navigation is difficult, on account
+of the strength of the currents, and the innumerable islands, shoals,
+and sand-banks, with which it is interspersed. Vessels of three hundred
+tons burden can ascend it as high as Natchez, four hundred miles from
+the sea; and those of lighter burden can pass upward, as far as the
+Falls of St. Anthony, in latitude forty-four degrees fifty minutes.
+
+_New Orleans_, the capital of the state of Louisiana, is situated on the
+northern bank of the Mississippi, and is a place of great commercial
+importance. It was founded in the year 1717, and now contains near
+thirty thousand inhabitants. In 1787, it had eleven hundred houses; but,
+nine hundred of these having been consumed by fire, it has since been
+rebuilt on a regular plan, and a more enlarged scale. Most of the houses
+are constructed with wooden frames, raised about eight feet from the
+ground, and have galleries round them, and cellars under the floors:
+almost every house has a garden.
+
+Louisiana having, till lately, been a French colony, the French language
+is still predominant at New Orleans. The appearance of the people too is
+French; and even the negroes, by their antics and ludicrous gestures,
+exhibit their previous connexion with that nation. Their general manners
+and habits are very relaxed. Though New Orleans is now a city belonging
+to the United States, the markets, shops, theatre, circus, and public
+ball-rooms, are open on Sundays, in the same manner as they are in the
+catholic countries of the old continent. Gambling-houses, too, are
+numerous; and the coffee-houses and the Exchange are occupied, from
+morning till night, by gamesters. The general stile of living is
+luxurious. The houses are elegantly furnished; and the ladies dress in
+an expensive manner.
+
+Provisions are here of bad quality, and enormously dear. Hams and
+cheese, from England; potatoes, butter, and beef from Ireland, are
+common articles of import. The rents of houses, also, are very
+extravagant.
+
+The country around New Orleans is level, rich, and healthy, and has many
+extensive sugar-plantations. And, for the space of five leagues below,
+and ten above the town, the river has been embanked, to defend the
+adjacent fields from those inundations of the Mississippi which take
+place every spring. The land, adjacent to the town, yields abundant
+crops of rice, Indian corn, and vegetables.
+
+There is a regular communication, by means of steam-boats and other
+vessels, between New Orleans and the towns on the banks of the
+Mississippi, the Ohio, and other rivers, in the distant parts of North
+America.
+
+The scenery of the Mississippi, to the distance of one hundred and fifty
+miles and upwards, from New Orleans, is very uninteresting. The country
+is a dead flat; so that the banks of the river, and most of the adjacent
+grounds, are annually overflowed. In the vicinity of Natchez it becomes
+more varied and pleasing.
+
+_Natchez_ is a town in the state of Mississippi, near the banks of the
+river, and about four hundred miles from its mouth. It contains about
+thirty dwellings, most of which are whiskey-shops, gambling, and other
+houses, where an excess of profligacy prevails, which is not usual in
+the United States.
+
+Mr. Fearon visited Natchez in the year 1817; and in the port there were
+twenty-five flats, seven keels, and one steam-vessel. The flats are
+square covered vessels, of considerable capacity, used for carrying
+freight from Pittsburgh, on the Ohio, and other places below that town,
+down to New Orleans. Their construction is temporary and of slight
+materials; for they are broken up at New Orleans, as not sufficiently
+strong to be freighted up the river. The keel is a substantial,
+well-built boat, of considerable length; and, in form, somewhat
+resembles the floating-bath at Blackfriars' Bridge.
+
+Observing a great many coloured people in these boats, Mr. Fearon
+concluded that they were emigrants, who had proceeded thus far on their
+route towards a settlement. The fact, however, proved to be, that
+fourteen of the flats were freighted with human beings intended for
+sale. They had been collected in the United States, by slave-dealers,
+and shipped, up the Mississippi, to Kentucky for a market.
+
+There are, at Natchez, numerous stores, and three-fourths of the goods
+at every store are articles of British manufacture. Shopkeeping is here
+profitable, and mechanics are highly paid. Lotteries are very prevalent
+at Natchez. When Mr. Fearon was here, there was a lottery for _building
+a Presbyterian church_; and the scheme was preceded by a long address,
+on the advantages of religion, and the necessity of all citizens
+supporting Christianity, by purchasing tickets in this lottery!
+
+The streets of Natchez were literally crammed with bales of cotton for
+the Liverpool market. These are carried to the water-side in carts, each
+drawn by two mules, horses being here little used. During Mr. Fearon's
+residence at this town, he twice visited the State legislature, which
+was composed of men who appeared any thing but legislators. Their place
+of meeting was in a superior kind of hay-loft; and the imitation of the
+forms of the British parliament were perfectly ludicrous.
+
+Between Natchez, and the mouth of the Ohio, there is not one spot which
+could be recommended as a place for an Englishman to settle in.
+Throughout the whole of this space, the white population are the victims
+of demoralizing habits. The native Indians present, of course, nothing
+but a picture of mere savage life; and the negro slaves suffer even more
+misery than commonly falls to the lot of their oppressed and degraded
+condition. What a foul stain is it upon the American republic,
+professing, as they do, the principles of liberty and of equal rights,
+that, out of twenty states, there should be eleven in which slavery is
+an avowed part of the political constitution; and that, in those called
+free, New England excepted, the condition of blacks who are indentured,
+for terms of years, should practically amount to slavery!
+
+Beyond the state of Louisiana, the Mississippi divides the Missouri
+territory from the territory of Mississippi; and, north of that, from
+the states of Tenessee and Kentucky. About the 37th degree of north
+latitude, and on the western bank of the river, is a town called _New
+Madrid_. This place, from the advantages of its situation, about
+forty-five miles from the mouth of the Ohio, may at some future time
+become of considerable importance. The _Ohio_, at the place of its
+junction with the Mississippi, is about a mile in width, and is
+navigable, for vessels of considerable burden, to a distance of more
+than a thousand miles.
+
+Beyond the Ohio commences the _Illinois territory_. Here the general
+face of the country is flat; but, in some parts, the land is high and
+craggy. It abounds in deer, wolves, bears, squirrels, racoons, and
+foxes; in wild turkeys and quails; geese and ducks, partially; and
+hawks, buzzards, and pigeons in tolerable abundance; and the rivers
+contain several species of fish. In the prairies there are rattlesnakes.
+The woods supply grapes, pecan nuts, (similar to our walnut,) and
+hickory nuts. Hops, raspberries, and strawberries, here grow wild.
+Limestone abounds; and salt, copper, and coal have all been found in
+this district.
+
+The seat of the territorial government is _Kaskaski_, a town which
+stands on a plain, near the western bank of the Mississippi, and
+contains about one hundred and fifty houses. This place has been
+settled somewhat more than a century, and its inhabitants are chiefly
+French. Some parts of the district of Illinois are occupied by Indians.
+The other inhabitants are, first, what are here termed "squatters,"
+persons half civilized and half savage; and who, both in character and
+habits, are extremely wretched: second, a medley of land-jobbers,
+lawyers, doctors, and farmers, a portion of those who traverse this
+immense continent, founding settlements, and engaging in all kinds of
+speculation: and third, some old French settlers, who are possessed of
+considerable property, and who live in ease and comfort.
+
+About seventy miles north of Kaskaski, and on the opposite side of the
+river, is a town or large village, called _St. Louis_. It stands on a
+rock or bank of considerable height, in a beautiful and healthy
+situation, and is surrounded by a country of exuberant fertility. The
+inhabitants of this place are chiefly employed in the fur-trade, and
+seldom occupy themselves in agriculture.
+
+
+_Narrative of a Voyage from St. Louis to the source of the
+Mississippi. By_ ZEBULON MONTGOMERY PIKE.
+
+Major Pike, at that time a lieutenant in the American army, was employed
+by the government of the United States, to make a survey of the
+Mississippi, from the town of _St. Louis_, upwards, to its source. In
+pursuance of his instructions, he embarked, in a keel-boat, at this
+place, on the afternoon of Friday the 9th of August, 1805; and was
+accompanied by a serjeant and seventeen private soldiers of the American
+army.
+
+As far as the mouth of the river Missouri, he says, the eastern shore of
+the Mississippi consists of a sandy soil, and is covered with
+timber-trees of various kinds. The western shore is, for a little
+distance, composed of high land, bordered by prairie or natural
+meadow-ground; after which bottom-land occurs, with timber similar to
+that on the eastern shore. The current is rapid, and, at low water, the
+navigation is obstructed by sand-banks.
+
+Beyond the entrance of the Missouri, the stream is gentle, as far as the
+mouth of the _Illinois_; but there, owing to extensive sand-bars, and
+many islands, it becomes extremely rapid. From the Illinois to the
+_Buffalo River_, the eastern shore exhibits a series of gentle
+eminences; but, on the west, the land is a continued prairie. Timber is
+found on both sides; generally hackberry, cotton-wood, and ash. The
+Buffalo river enters from the west, and is about a hundred yards wide at
+its mouth.
+
+On the 14th of August the voyagers passed a camp of the _Sac Indians_,
+consisting of three men, with their families. The men were employed in
+spearing and landing a large fish. Mr. Pike gave them a small quantity
+of whiskey and biscuit; and they, in return, presented him with some
+fish. The Sacs are a tribe of Indians which hunt on the Mississippi, and
+its confluent streams, from the Illinois to the river Jowa; and on the
+plains west of them, which border upon the Missouri. They are much
+dreaded by other Indians, for their propensity to deceit, and their
+disposition to commit injury by stratagem.
+
+On the ensuing day, the voyagers reached the mouth of _Salt river_, a
+considerable stream, which, at high water, is navigable for at least two
+hundred miles. From the Illinois to this river, the western shore is
+either immediately bordered by beautiful cedar-cliffs, or the ridges of
+these cliffs may be seen at a distance. On the east the land is low, and
+the soil rich.
+
+On the 16th of August they passed the house of a Frenchman, on the
+western side of the river. The cattle belonging to this person appeared
+to be in fine order, but his corn-land was in a bad state of
+cultivation. Three days afterwards their boat was damaged by striking
+against a vessel carrying timber and planks down the stream. While they
+were engaged in repairing it, three canoes, with Indians, passed on the
+opposite side of the river. The men in the canoes called out, in
+English, "How do you do?" wishing for an invitation to come over; but
+this was not given, and they proceeded on their voyage.
+
+Beyond Salt river the western shore of the Mississippi is hilly, but the
+eastern side consists of lowland, timbered with hickory, oak, ash,
+maple, and other trees. The navigation here is easy, and the soil on
+both sides tolerably good.
+
+On the 20th of August the voyagers, with great difficulty, passed the
+_Rapids des Moines_. These are eleven miles in extent; and, with
+successive ledges and shoals, reach from shore to shore, across the bed
+of the river. Mr. Pike had here an interview with four chiefs, and
+fifteen men of the Sac nation, accompanied by a French interpreter, and
+an agent who had been sent from the United States to teach them
+agriculture. These men assisted him in his progress up the Rapids; and,
+in recompense for the service, they were presented with some tobacco,
+knives, and whiskey.
+
+At some distance beyond the Rapids the voyagers had a beautiful
+prospect, at least forty miles in extent, down the river. Their average
+daily progress appears to have been betwixt twenty and thirty miles.
+
+Above the _river Jowa_, which is one hundred and fifty yards wide at its
+mouth, the shore of the Mississippi consists of high prairie, with
+yellow clay-banks, and, in some places, banks of red sand: the western
+shore also is prairie, but bounded by wood. About ten miles up the Jowa
+is a village of _Jowa Indians_. This people subsist chiefly by hunting,
+but they cultivate some corn-land. Their chief residence is on the small
+streams in the rear of the Mississippi. From the Jowa to _Rock river_,
+there are, on the west, beautiful prairies, and, in some places, rich
+land, with black walnut and hickory timber.
+
+On the 28th of August the vessel was much injured in passing up a series
+of rapids nearly eighteen miles in extent, and, in some places,
+reaching from shore to shore. Four days after this they arrived in the
+vicinity of some extensive lead-mines, which belonged to a Frenchman
+named Dubuque. The only animals they had hitherto seen were a few wild
+turkeys and some deer.
+
+From the lead-mines to _Turkey river_, the Mississippi continues nearly
+of the same width, and the banks, soil, and productions appear precisely
+similar. On the bank of the Turkey river is a village of _Reynard
+Indians_, who raise there a considerable quantity of corn. The Reynards
+reside in three villages on the Mississippi, two of which Mr. Pike had
+already past. They grow corn, beans, and melons; and they annually sell
+many hundred bushels of corn to the inhabitants of the United States.
+
+On the 2d of September, Mr. Pike and some of his men landed for the
+purpose of shooting pigeons; but the guns were no sooner fired, than a
+party of Indians, who were on shore at a little distance, ran to the
+water, and escaped in their pirogues or canoes, with great
+precipitation. After this the voyagers passed the mouth of the
+_Ouisconsin river_, which enters the Mississippi in latitude 43 degrees
+44 minutes, and is nearly half a mile wide. This river is an important
+source of communication with the great American lakes, and is the route
+by which all the traders of Michillimackinac convey their goods to the
+Mississippi.
+
+On the 6th of September, a council was held with a party of _Puant_ or
+_Winebagoe Indians_, and one of the _Sioux_ chiefs. The former occupy
+seven villages, and are supposed to be a nation who originally emigrated
+from Mexico, to avoid the oppression of the Spaniards. They are reputed
+to be brave; but their bravery resembles the ferocity of tigers, rather
+than the deliberate resolution of men. They are so treacherous that, it
+is said, a white man should never lie down to sleep in their villages,
+without adopting the utmost caution to preserve himself from injury. The
+_Sioux_ are a powerful nation, the dread of whom is extended over all
+the adjacent country. They are divided into numerous bands, headed by
+celebrated chiefs. Few of them cultivate land; but they chiefly live on
+the production of the chase, and on a kind of bread which they make from
+wild oats. This species of grain is here produced in such abundance,
+that a sufficiency for their subsistence is easily collected in the
+autumn, without any trouble whatever in cultivating the land.
+
+Not long after their interview with these Indians, the voyagers reached
+the _Prairie des Chiens_. The houses of this village, about eighteen in
+number, are arranged in two streets, along the front of a marsh. They
+are chiefly built of wood; are daubed on the outside with clay, and
+white-washed within. The furniture in most of them is decent, and, in
+those of the most wealthy inhabitants, displays a considerable degree of
+taste. The Prairie des Chiens was first settled under the protection of
+the English government, in the year 1783; and derives its name from a
+family of Reynards, who formerly lived there, and were distinguished by
+the appellation of Dog Indians. It is a place of resort for Indian
+traders and others, who reside in the interior. Mr. Pike here engaged
+two interpreters to accompany him; one of whom was to perform the whole
+voyage, and the other to sail with him as high as the falls of St.
+Anthony.
+
+On the 9th of September he had an interview with a party of _Sioux
+Indians_. When he went towards the shore to meet them, they saluted him
+by firing three rounds from their muskets, loaded with ball. On landing,
+Mr. Pike was met by the chief, and invited to his lodge. This invitation
+he complied with, having first stationed some of his men as guards, to
+protect him in case of danger. In the lodge he found a clean mat and a
+pillow arranged for him to sit upon; and the complimentary pipe of peace
+was placed before him, on a pair of small crutches. The chief sate at his
+right hand, and the interpreter at his left. After they had satisfied
+each other of their mutual good wishes, and Mr. Pike had accepted the
+pipe, dinner was prepared. This consisted of wild rye and venison.
+
+Mr. Pike was afterwards conducted by the chief to a dance, the
+performance of which was accompanied by many curious gestures. Men and
+women danced indiscriminately. They were all dressed in the gayest
+manner imaginable. Each had, in his hand, a small skin of some kind of
+animal. They frequently ran up, pointed their skin, and gave a puff with
+their breath; on which the person blown at fell, and either appeared
+lifeless, or in great agony; but afterwards slowly recovered, rose, and
+joined in the dance. This was understood to be of a religious
+description; and the Indians believed that they actually puffed, into
+each others bodies, something which occasioned them to fall. For persons
+to be permitted to take a part in these dances, it was requisite that
+they should make valuable presents to the society, give a feast, and be
+admitted with great ceremony. When Mr. Pike returned to his boat, he
+sent for the chief, and presented him with a quantity of tobacco, four
+knives, half a pound of vermilion, a quart of salt, and several gallons
+of spirits.
+
+At some distance beyond this place, Mr. Pike was shewn several holes,
+which had been dug in the ground by the Sioux Indians. These were, in
+general, of circular shape, and about ten feet in diameter; but some of
+them were in the form of half moons. When this people apprehend an
+attack from their enemies, or discover an enemy near them, they dig into
+the ground, with their knives, tomahawks, and wooden ladles; and, in an
+incredibly short space of time, sink holes that are sufficiently
+capacious to protect both themselves and their families from the balls
+or arrows of their foe.
+
+Though the part of the river which the voyagers were now traversing was
+nearly two thousand miles distant from the sea, the width of the stream
+was supposed to be at least two miles.
+
+The wet season had commenced, and rain fell, in considerable quantity
+almost every day. In this part of his voyage, Mr. Pike was accompanied
+by a Mr. Frazer and two other persons, with three birch canoes. On the
+16th of September, they passed the mouth of the _Sauteaux_ or _Chippeway
+river_, a deep and majestic stream, which has a communication, by a
+short passage, with the Montreal river, and, by this river, with Lake
+Superior. The shores of the Mississippi were here, in many places, bold
+and precipitous, forming a succession of high perpendicular cliffs and
+low valleys; and they exhibited some of the most romantic and
+picturesque views imaginable. But this irregular scenery was sometimes
+interrupted by wide and extensive plains, which brought to the minds of
+the voyagers the verdant lawns of civilized countries, and almost
+induced them to imagine themselves in the midst of a highly-cultivated
+plantation. The timber of this part of the country was generally birch,
+elm, and cotton-wood; and all the cliffs were bordered with cedars. The
+prevailing species of game were deer and bears.
+
+On the 21st of September, the voyagers breakfasted at a Sioux village,
+on the eastern side of the river. It consisted of eleven lodges, and was
+situated at the head of an island, just below a ledge of rocks; but the
+inhabitants had all left it. About two miles beyond this village, they
+saw three bears, swimming over the river, but beyond the reach of
+gun-shot.
+
+In a camp of Sioux, which they afterwards passed, Mr. Pike was
+astonished by the garrulity of the women. At the other camps the women
+had not opened their lips; but here they flocked around the strangers,
+and talked without cessation. The cause of this freedom is supposed to
+have been the absence of their husbands. In a spot at which the voyagers
+arrived this day, the Mississippi was so narrow that Mr. Pike crossed
+it, in a boat, with forty strokes of his oars.
+
+From the _Canoe river_ to the _St. Croix_, it becomes still narrower,
+and the navigation is less obstructed by islands, than below. From the
+_Cannon river_ it is bounded on the east, by high ridges; but the left
+shore consists of low ground. The timber is generally ash and maple;
+except the cedars of the cliffs, the sugar-tree, and ash. Mr. Pike this
+day observed, on the shore, a white flag, and, on landing, he discovered
+it to be of silk. It was suspended over a scaffold, on which were laid
+four dead bodies; two enclosed between boards, and two between pieces of
+bark. They were wrapped in blankets, which appeared quite new; and were
+the bodies of two Sioux women, a child, and a relative. This is the
+manner in which the Sioux Indians bury such of their people as die a
+natural death: such as are killed, they suffer to lie unburied.
+
+On the 23d, the voyagers arrived at the _Falls of St. Anthony_. These
+are about seventeen feet in height, and the approach to them is through
+rapids, which vessels have great difficulty in passing. At the foot of
+the falls, the voyagers unloaded their boats, which they carried up the
+hill, and placed and reloaded in the river above. While this process was
+going on, a small party of Indians, painted black, and prepared for war,
+appeared on the heights. They were armed with guns, bows and arrows,
+clubs, and spears; and some of them had cases of pistols. Mr. Pike was
+desirous of purchasing from them a set of bows and arrows, and one of
+their war-clubs, made of elk-horn, and decorated with inlaid work; but
+they took offence at something which occurred, and suddenly went away.
+
+The weather was now so rainy, and the men had been so much fatigued with
+conveying the vessels and their lading, to the upper part of the falls,
+that seven of the twenty-two, who accompanied Mr. Pike, were taken ill.
+It is impossible for vessels of any description, or in any state of the
+river, to pass up these falls. The width of the river, immediately below
+them, is two hundred and nine yards, and above them, six hundred and
+twenty-seven yards. At high-water, the appearance is extremely sublime;
+as then, the quantity of water falling throws up a spray, which, in
+clear weather, reflects, from some positions, the colours of the
+rainbow; and, when the sky is overcast, this spray covers the falls in
+gloom and chaotic majesty.
+
+On Tuesday, the 1st of October, Mr. Pike and his men again embarked, to
+proceed on their voyage above the falls. At first the river was
+sufficiently deep for the easy passage of the boats; but, at the
+distance of about four miles, the shoals commenced, and there was much
+difficulty in proceeding. Nearly from the Falls of St. Anthony to the
+_Rum river_, the Mississippi is a continued chain of rapids, with
+eddies, formed by winding channels. The land, on both sides, consists of
+Prairie, with scarcely any timber, except small groves of scrubby oaks.
+Not far from this spot is _Red Cedar lake_, the grounds in the vicinity
+of which are considered, by the Indians, extremely valuable for hunting.
+
+In some parts of the river it was requisite for the men to wade for many
+successive hours, in order to force the boats over the shoals, and draw
+them through the rapids. The weather was now cold and rainy. On the 10th
+of October, in the course of four miles, the voyagers passed a cluster
+of more than twenty islands, which Mr. Pike called _Beaver islands_,
+from numerous dams and paths which had been made by these animals upon
+them. The passage up the river was still much impeded by rocks and
+shoals.
+
+About the beginning of October, the voyagers began to look out for a
+station in which they could pass the winter. Mr. Pike was determined, if
+possible, to reach the _Corbeau_ or _Raven river_, the highest point
+that had ever been reached by traders, in bark canoes. But he was not
+able to accomplish his intention; for, on the seventeenth, many of his
+men were so benumbed with cold, that their limbs became useless, and
+others were laid up with illness. He consequently fixed on a station
+near _Pine Creek_, where the borders of the Mississippi consisted of
+prairie, with groves of pine at the edge of the banks; and, in some
+places, with oak, ash, maple, and lime-trees. The banks of _Lake Clear_,
+a small and beautiful lake, about three miles distant, are the resort of
+immense herds of elks and buffaloes; and _Clear river_, which unites
+this lake with the Mississippi, is a delightful little stream, about
+eighty yards wide.
+
+On the seventeenth, snow fell during the whole day: Mr. Pike killed four
+bears, and his hunter three deer. Several ensuing days were occupied in
+cutting down trees, for the formation of winter-huts; and in
+constructing the huts, and forming a fence round them. When the latter
+was completed, the two boats were hauled out of the water, and turned
+over, on each side of the gateways, so as to form a defence against any
+Indians who might be inclined to attack the encampment.
+
+At this place, and in its vicinity, the voyagers continued several
+weeks, during which they suffered great hardships. Much of their time
+was occupied in hunting. They occasionally saw large herds of elks, some
+of them of immense size; the horns of the bucks measuring four feet and
+upwards in width. Many droves of buffaloes were also seen, and deer of
+various kinds: bears, wolves, racoons, and otters, were occasionally
+shot.
+
+On the 7th of November the Mississippi was nearly filled with snow; and,
+on the land, the snow was knee deep. Before the end of the month, the
+river was frozen over.
+
+During his residence at this place, Mr. Pike did not see many Indians.
+On one occasion he visited the tent or hut of an Indian chief, whom he
+found sitting amidst his children, and grand-children, ten in number.
+The hut was constructed of rushes, platted into mats.
+
+In the month of December, Mr. Pike and some of his men proceeded, in
+sledges, up the Mississippi. On the twenty-fourth, they reached _Corbeau
+river_; which, at its mouth, was nearly as wide as the Mississippi. For
+a considerable distance, the Mississippi was interrupted by a continued
+succession of rapids, shoals, and falls. One of the latter, called the
+_Falls of the Painted Rock_, formed the third important obstacle to the
+navigation of the river, which Mr. Pike had encountered. Most of the
+timber, now observed near the banks, consisted of pine-trees.
+
+On the thirty-first, Mr. Pike passed _Pine river_. For many miles, the
+Mississippi had been much narrower, and more free from islands, than in
+the lower parts of the stream. The shores, in general, presented a
+dreary prospect of high barren knobs, covered with dead and fallen
+pine-timber; and most of the adjacent country was interspersed with
+small lakes. Deer of various kinds, were plentiful; but no buffaloes,
+nor elks, had been seen.
+
+Near the mouth of the Pine river, an encampment of _Chippeway Indians_
+was observed. This had been occupied in the summer, but it was now
+vacant. By certain marks which had been left, the voyagers understood
+that these Indians had marched a party of fifty warriors against the
+Sioux, and had killed four men and four women, who were here represented
+by figures carved in wood. The figures of the men were painted, and put
+into the ground, to the middle; and, by their sides, were four painted
+poles, sharpened at the end, to represent the women. Near this spot were
+poles with deer-skins, plumes, silk-handkerchiefs, &c. and a circular
+hoop of cedar, with something attached to it which resembled a scalp.
+
+Beyond this place, Mr. Pike observed, on the bank of the river, six
+elegant bark-canoes, which had been laid up by the Chippeways, and a
+camp, which appeared to have been evacuated about ten days before. After
+having endured considerable hardship and much fatigue for some weeks
+longer, he accomplished the object of his expedition, by arriving, on
+the 1st of February, at _Leech Lake_, from which issues the main source
+of the Mississippi. He crossed this lake, (about twelve miles in width,)
+to an English fort, an establishment belonging to the North West
+Company, and was there received, with great hospitality, by a Mr. Hugh
+Mac Gillis. His men reached the fort on the sixth; but, in traversing
+the lake, some of them had their ears, some their noses, and others
+their chins frozen.
+
+Near this place, Mr. Pike effected some arrangements with the Indians,
+which were considered advantageous to the American government; and, not
+long afterwards, having examined the adjacent country, as well as the
+severity of the weather would permit, he set out on his return,
+accompanied by a deputation of Indian chiefs. The river still continued
+frozen, and the party travelled chiefly in sledges, drawn by dogs. On
+the 5th of March, they again reached the encampment near _Pine Creek_.
+
+About a fortnight after this, Mr. Pike visited a plantation of sugar
+maple-trees, at a little distance from the creek, one of the finest he
+had ever seen. He was conducted to the lodge of the chief, who received
+him in a truly patriarchal style. This person assisted him in taking off
+his clothes, conducted him to the best part of his lodge, and offered
+him dry clothes. He then presented him with syrup of the maple-tree, to
+drink, and asked whether he preferred eating beaver, swan, elk, or deer?
+Preference being given to the first, a large kettle was filled with
+beavers' flesh, for the purpose of its being made into soup. This was
+afterwards served up; and when the repast was ended, Mr. Pike visited
+other lodges, at each of which he was presented with something to eat.
+He continued here all night; and, on the ensuing day, having purchased
+two baskets filled with sugar, he departed, and returned to his camp.
+
+Some Indians, whom Mr. Pike and his men visited not long after this,
+were extremely well-formed and elegant people. They were about the
+middle size; and their complexions, for savages, were, in general, fair:
+their teeth were good: their eyes were large and somewhat languishing;
+and they had a mild but independent expression of countenance.
+
+In the evening, these Indians entertained their visitors with the
+calumet and dog-dance; and with another dance, in which some of the men
+struck a post, and related their war exploits. After the dance, was a
+feast of the dead. At this, every two or three persons had a pan or
+vessel full of meat set before him; a prayer was then said, and the
+eating commenced. Each was expected to devour his whole portion, and not
+to drop even a bone; for all the bones were carefully collected and put
+into a dish. When the eating was finished, the chief gave an
+exhortation, which concluded the ceremony.
+
+About the end of March, Mr. Pike ordered the boats to be prepared for
+the voyage, in return, down the river. The ice had not, indeed, yet
+broken up; but he was every day in anxious expectation of seeing it
+begin to move. On the 6th of April, the river was found sufficiently
+clear of ice, to permit the party to re-embark. They accordingly loaded
+the boats, and, on the ensuing morning, experienced inexpressible joy,
+in leaving the savage wilderness, in which they had been so long
+imprisoned. On the 10th, they again reached the _Falls of St. Anthony_.
+The appearance of this cataract was much more tremendous than it had
+been when they ascended; and the great increase of the water occasioned
+the spray to rise much higher than it had done before. The river was
+still nearly covered with floating-ice; and much snow continued to fall.
+
+After his arrival at the _Prairie des Chiens_, Mr. Pike held a council,
+with the Puant chiefs, respecting some murders which had been committed
+by the men of their nation; and, in the afternoon, he was entertained
+with a game of "the cross," between the Sioux on one side, and the
+Puants and the Reynards on the other. The ball used in this game is made
+of a hard substance, and covered with leather. When the parties are
+ready, and the bets have been agreed upon, (and these are sometimes to
+the amount of several thousand dollars,) the goals are erected on the
+prairie, about half a mile asunder. The ball is then thrown up, in the
+middle, and each party, with a kind of racket, strives to beat it to the
+opposite goal. After the first rubber is gained, which is done by the
+ball being driven round one of the posts, it is again taken to the
+centre, the ground is changed, and the contest is renewed; and this is
+continued until one of the parties has been four times victorious, on
+which the bets are decided.
+
+It is an interesting sight, says Mr. Pike, to behold two or three
+hundred naked savages contending, on the plain, who shall bear off the
+palm of victory; for the man who drives the ball round the goal,
+receives the shouts of his companions, in congratulation of his success.
+It sometimes happens, that one of them catches the ball in his racket,
+and, depending on his speed, endeavours to carry it to the goal; but if
+he finds himself too closely pursued, he hurls it, with great force and
+dexterity, to an amazing distance, where there are always flankers, of
+both parties, ready to receive it. The ball seldom touches the ground;
+but it is sometimes kept in the air, for hours, before either party can
+gain the victory.
+
+About ten miles above _Salt river_, the voyagers, on the 28th of April,
+stopped at some islands where there were numerous roosts of passenger
+pigeons; and, in about fifteen minutes, they knocked on the head, and
+brought on board the boat, about three hundred. Mr. Pike, though he had
+frequently heard of the fecundity of these birds, had never given credit
+to it; but, he says, that the most fervid imagination cannot conceive
+their numbers. The noise, which they made in the woods, was like the
+continued roaring of the wind. The young ones were still in their
+nests: these consisted only of small bunches of sticks; and their number
+was such, that all the small trees were covered with them.
+
+On the 30th of April, after an absence of eight months and twenty-two
+days, Mr. Pike once more reached St. Louis in safety.
+
+
+
+
+Fifteenth Day's Instruction.
+
+WESTERN TERRITORY OF AMERICA.
+
+
+_The river Missouri._
+
+Previously to the commencement of the expedition commanded by Mr. Pike,
+the government of the United States had directed arrangements to be made
+for examining the Missouri, from its mouth to its source; thence
+exploring the vast and dreary range of mountains, which form the highest
+land in the centre of that part of the American continent; and
+afterwards, of descending, by some one of the rivers which flow
+westward, to the Pacific ocean. This formidable undertaking was
+committed to captains Lewis and Clarke, two officers, in the American
+army, who were, in every respect, qualified for the arduous duties which
+it required; and who had, under their command, a party of forty-two
+soldiers and boatmen. Its professed object was to ascertain the
+possibility of opening an inland communication, between the Atlantic and
+Pacific oceans; but the American government had also in view the
+obtaining of information, respecting the country of Louisiana, which
+they were desirous of possessing, and which has since been ceded to
+them by France.
+
+
+_Narrative of a voyage from St. Louis to the source of the Missouri.
+From the travels of Captains_ LEWIS _and_ CLARKE.
+
+The party having embarked in three boats, set out from St. Louis, on the
+14th of May, 1804; and, for several days, they proceeded without
+interruption. Early in the morning of the twenty-fourth, they ascended a
+difficult rapid, called the _Devil's Race-ground_, and narrowly escaped
+having one of their boats upset. Beyond this place, they met two canoes,
+laden with furs, which had been eight weeks on their voyage from the
+Mahar nation, about seven hundred miles distant. On the banks of the
+river was much timber, consisting of cotton-wood, sycamore, hickory, and
+white walnut.
+
+On the 1st of June, they passed the mouth of the _Osage river_, which
+falls into the Missouri, at the distance of a hundred and thirty-three
+miles from its junction with the Mississippi. This stream gives name to
+a nation of Indians which inhabit its banks. The _Osage Indians_ are, in
+their persons, well formed: they reside in villages, and, having made
+considerable progress in agriculture, they seem less addicted to war
+than their northern neighbours.
+
+Beyond the Osage river, the southern bank of the Missouri was low, and
+covered with rushes; and occasionally with oak, ash, and walnut-trees.
+On the north, the land was, in some places, rich, and well adapted to
+agriculture. Near the mouth of _Big Manitou Creek_, the voyagers met a
+raft, formed of two canoes joined together. On this, two French traders
+were descending, from the river Kanzes: it was laden with beaver-skins,
+which they had collected during the winter. Not long afterwards,
+captains Lewis and Clarke landed, to examine a singular limestone rock,
+which was nearly covered with inscriptions and uncouth paintings of
+animals; but they found the place occupied by a nest of rattlesnakes,
+and left it. In several parts of their voyage, they passed canoes,
+boats, and rafts laden with furs.
+
+In many places the river was bordered with prairies or swampy meadows,
+on which grew several kinds of fruit, such as mulberries, plums, wild
+apples, raspberries, and strawberries. Numerous herds of deer were seen,
+pasturing in the plains, or feeding on the young willows of the river.
+
+Near the mouth of the _Kanzes_, the Missouri is about five hundred yards
+wide. On the south, the hills or highlands approach within a mile and
+half of the shore; but, on the north, they are several miles distant;
+and the country, on all sides, is fine. In some places the navigation
+was interrupted by sand-banks, and in others, by the remains of trees
+which had fallen into the water. On the second of July, the whole
+surface of the stream, for a considerable distance, was covered with
+drift wood. This had probably been occasioned by the giving way of some
+sand-bank, which had before detained the wood, as it floated down the
+stream.
+
+The weather was now so hot that some of the men experienced from it
+great inconvenience; but the air was occasionally cooled by showers. In
+the evenings the voyagers often landed and encamped, for the purpose of
+passing the night on shore. In that part of the river at which they
+arrived on the 16th, the width, from bank to bank, was about a mile; but
+the water was so shallow that they could perceive the remains of fallen
+timber scattered quite across the bottom. The Missouri is here wider
+than it is below, where the timber, which grows on its banks, resists
+the power of the current.
+
+On the 21st of July the voyagers reached the mouth of the great _river
+Platte_. Captains Lewis and Clarke ascended it for about a mile, and
+found the current very rapid; rolling over sands, and divided into
+several channels, none of which, however, appeared to be more than five
+or six feet deep.
+
+At this place they encamped for several days, in order to dry their
+provisions, make some oars, prepare an account and make maps of the
+country through which they had passed. The game they saw here were
+chiefly deer, turkeys, and grouse; and they obtained an abundance of
+ripe grapes. During the nights they were much annoyed by wolves. The
+country behind their camp was a plain, about five miles in extent, one
+half covered with wood, and the other dry and elevated.
+
+Not far from this place was a settlement of the _Pawnee Indians_; a race
+which had once been extremely numerous, but which now consisted of only
+four bands, comprising, in the whole, about one thousand four hundred
+persons.
+
+On the 30th of July, the commanders of the expedition directed an
+encampment to be formed on the southern bank of the river, for the
+purpose of their waiting the arrival of the chiefs of the Ottoe Indians,
+with whom an interview had been appointed to take place. From an
+elevated station near the camp, they had a beautiful view of the river
+and of the adjoining country. The hunters abundantly supplied them with
+deer, turkeys, geese, and beavers; and they were well supplied with
+fish.
+
+A party of fourteen _Ottoe_ and _Missouri Indians_, came, at sunset, on
+the 2d of August, accompanied by a Frenchman who had resided among them
+and acted as an interpreter. The next morning an awning was formed with
+the mainsail of the largest vessel; and, under this, Captains Lewis and
+Clarke received them. A speech was made to these Indians, announcing
+that the territory which they inhabited had been ceded to the American
+government, and advising them respecting their future conduct towards
+the Americans. They promised obedience, requested permission to trade
+with the Americans, asked for a supply of arms, and solicited the
+mediation of the voyagers, between them and the Mahars, with whom they
+were then at war. The chiefs were each presented with a medal, to be
+worn round his neck, some paint, garters, and cloth ornaments of dress:
+to these were added a canister of gunpowder, a bottle of whiskey, and a
+few other articles.
+
+Not long after the ceremonies of the council had concluded, the voyagers
+again embarked. The hills which now extended along the river, were
+nearly fifteen miles asunder: those on the north were clad with a
+considerable quantity of timber; but those on the south had only some
+scattered trees in the ravines or narrow valleys.
+
+On the 5th of August they passed round a peninsula; and, having encamped
+on the north side of it, Captain Clarke, in pursuing some game, about
+three hundred and seventy yards from the camp, found himself at a point
+of the river which they had already passed, and which, by water, was
+distant nearly twelve miles. Some miles beyond this, on traversing a
+part of the country, to reach one of the Indian villages, the vegetation
+was so luxuriant, that the men, who had been sent to explore it, were
+forced to break their way through grass, sunflowers, thistles, and other
+plants, more than ten feet high. This village had once consisted of
+three hundred huts; but, about four years before the voyagers were here,
+it had been burnt, in consequence of the small-pox having destroyed four
+hundred of the men, and a great number of women and children. On a hill
+behind the village were seen the graves of the nation.
+
+The accounts which the voyagers received of the effects of the small-pox
+among these Indians, were most distressing. They had been a military and
+a powerful people; but, when they saw their strength wasting before a
+malady which they were unable to resist, their phrensy was extreme. They
+burnt their village; and many of them put to death their wives and
+children, in order to save them from so cruel an affliction, and that
+they might all go together to the unknown and better country.
+
+A party of _Ottoe_ and _Missouri Indians_ with whom the voyagers had an
+interview after this, were almost naked, having no covering, except a
+cloth round their middle, and a loose blanket or buffalo robe thrown
+over their shoulders.
+
+In one place Captain Lewis noticed that the hills which extended to the
+edge of the river on the south side, contained alum, copperas, cobalt,
+(having the appearance of soft isinglass,) pyrites, and sand-stone: the
+two first very pure. In another cliff, seven miles distant, he observed
+an alum rock, of dark brown colour, containing, in its crevices, great
+quantities of cobalt, cemented shells, and red earth. The appearance of
+these mineral substances enabled him to account for some disorders of
+the stomach with which his men had of late been much afflicted. They had
+been in the habit of dipping up the water of the river inadvertently,
+and drinking it; and he had now no doubt but the sickness was occasioned
+by a scum which covered its surface along the southern shore. Always
+after this the men agitated the water, so as to disperse the scum,
+before they drank of it, and these disorders ceased.
+
+The soil of a plain over which the two commanders and some of the men
+walked, on the 25th, was exceedingly fine; and was encumbered with but
+little timber, except immediately on the banks of the Missouri. They
+found delicious plums, grapes, and blue currants. The musquitoes, and
+other insects which here abounded, seem, however, to have occasioned
+them some inconvenience.
+
+On the 29th they were joined by five chiefs and seventy men of the
+_Yanktons_, a tribe belonging to the Sioux Indians. The camps or huts of
+this people are of a conical form: they are covered with buffalo robes,
+painted with various figures and colours, and have an aperture at the
+top for the smoke to pass through. Each hut is calculated to contain
+from ten to fifteen persons, and the interior arrangement is compact and
+handsome: the kitchen or place for cooking is always detached. Captain
+Lewis delivered to these people a speech containing, as he says, the
+usual advice and counsel with regard to their future conduct towards the
+government and the "great father" (as the Indians are taught to call the
+president) of the United States. He gave to the grand chief a flag, a
+medal, a certificate, a laced uniform coat of the United States
+artillery corps, a cocked hat and a red feather; and to the other chiefs
+medals, tobacco, and clothing. Among the inferior men were distributed
+knives, tobacco, bells, tape, binding, and other articles of trifling
+value. After this the Indian chiefs, and Captains Lewis and Clarke,
+smoked together the pipes of peace. These chiefs begged the strangers to
+have pity on them, as they were very poor; to send traders to them, as
+they wanted powder and ball: they were also anxious to be supplied with
+some of "the great father's milk," by which they meant rum, or other
+ardent spirits. This people are stout and well proportioned, and have a
+peculiar air of dignity and boldness: they are fond of decorations, and
+use, for this purpose, paint, porcupine-quills, and feathers. Some of
+them wear a kind of necklace of white bear's claws, three inches long,
+and closely strung together round their necks. They had among them a few
+fowling-pieces, but they were, in general, armed with bows and arrows.
+
+Beyond the village of the Yanktons the country, on both sides of the
+river, was low, and, for the most part, destitute of timber; but, in
+some places, it was covered with cotton-wood, elm, and oak. The weather
+had been intensely hot; but, in the beginning of September, the wind was
+violent, and the weather cold and rainy. On the second of this month,
+the hunters killed four elks, and the whole party was supplied with an
+abundance of grapes and plums, which grew wild near the river. They this
+day observed, on the south side of the Missouri, the remains of an
+ancient Indian fortification, formed chiefly of walls of earth.
+
+On the 7th of September the weather was very cold. The voyagers, this
+evening, encamped at the foot of a round mountain, about three hundred
+feet in height, which, at a distance, had the appearance of a dome. In
+this part of the country the hunters chiefly killed elks, deer, and
+squirrels: and they occasionally brought in beavers, porcupines, and
+foxes. On the 12th they passed an island covered with timber; and they
+had great difficulty in struggling through the sand-bars, the water
+being both rapid and shallow. The weather was now becoming so cold, that
+it was requisite to give out flannel-shirts to the men; and several
+animals were killed, for the sake of their skins to cover the boats. In
+many places the strong current of the river had worn away the banks, to
+considerable extent.
+
+An interview took place, on the 25th, with some chiefs of the _Tetons_,
+a tribe of the Sioux Indians: nearly the same ceremonies and agreements
+were used and entered into, as with the preceding tribes; and similar
+presents were made. They promised obedience to the "great father," but
+they soon showed how little dependance could be placed on the promises
+of uncivilized nations. As they were going away, a party of them
+endeavoured to seize one of the boats, declaring that they had not
+received presents enough. On being told they should receive no more,
+they drew their arrows from their quivers, and were bending their bows,
+when the swivel-gun in one of the boats was levelled at them. Perceiving
+from this that the most determined resistance would be made, they at
+length ceased from their claims.
+
+On the ensuing day these Indians approached the banks of the river,
+accompanied by their wives and children, and by a great number of their
+friends. Their disposition now seemed friendly, and the voyagers
+accepted an invitation to remain, during the night, on shore, to witness
+a dance which was preparing for their entertainment.
+
+When Captains Lewis and Clarke landed, they were met by ten young men,
+who took each of them up in a robe highly decorated, and carried him to
+a large council-house, where he was placed on a dressed buffalo-skin,
+by the side of the grand chief. The hall or council-room was in the
+shape of three quarters of a circle, and covered, at the top and sides,
+with skins sewed together. Under this sate about seventy men, forming a
+circle round the chief. In the vacant part of the circle, between these
+men and the chief, the pipe of peace was raised, on two forked sticks,
+six or eight inches from the ground, and having the down of the swan
+scattered beneath it. At a little distance was a fire, at which some of
+the attendants were employed in cooking provisions. As soon as Captains
+Lewis and Clarke were seated, an old man rose up, and stating that he
+approved of what they had done, begged of their visitors to take pity on
+them. Satisfactory assurances of amity were made by both parties; and
+the chief, after some previous ceremony, held up the pipe of peace,
+first pointed it toward the heavens, then to the four quarters of the
+globe, and then to the earth, made a short speech, lighted it, and
+presented it to the strangers. They smoked it, and he harangued his
+people, after which the repast was served up. It consisted of the body
+of a dog, a favourite dish among the Sioux; to this was added a dish
+made of buffalo-meat dried, pounded, and mixed raw with grease, and a
+kind of potatoe. Of this the strangers ate freely, but they could not
+relish the roasted dog. The party ate and smoked till it was dark, when
+every thing was cleared away for the dance. A large fire was lighted in
+the centre of the room, for the purpose of giving, at the same time,
+light and warmth. The music was partly vocal and partly instrumental.
+The instruments consisted chiefly of a sort of tambourine, formed of
+skin stretched across a hoop; and a small skin bag with pebbles in it.
+The women then came forward, highly decorated: some with poles in their
+hands, on which were hung the scalps of their enemies; and others with
+guns, spears, or different trophies, taken in war by their husbands,
+brothers, or connexions. Having arranged themselves in two columns, one
+on each side of the fire, they danced towards each other till they met
+in the centre, when the rattles were shaken, and they all shouted and
+returned to their places. They had no step, but shuffled along the
+ground. The music appeared to be nothing more than a confusion of
+noises, distinguished only by hard or gentle blows upon the skin; and
+the song was extemporaneous. In the pauses of the dance, any man in the
+company, who chose it, came forward and recited, in a sort of low
+guttural tone, some story or incident: this was taken up by the
+orchestra and the dancers, who repeated it in a higher strain, and
+danced to it. These amusements continued till midnight, when the
+voyagers retired on board their vessels, accompanied by four of the
+chiefs.
+
+In their persons these Indians were rather ugly and ill made, their legs
+and arms being peculiarly slender, their cheek-bones high, and their
+eyes projecting. The females, with the same character of form, were
+somewhat more handsome. Both sexes appeared cheerful and sprightly, but
+afforded many indications of being both cunning and vicious. The men
+shave the hair off their heads, except a small tuft on the top, which
+they suffer to grow, so as to wear it in plats over the shoulders. In
+full dress, the principal chiefs wear a hawk's feather, worked with
+porcupine-quills, and fastened to the top of the head. Their face and
+body are generally painted with a mixture of grease and coal. The hair
+of the women is suffered to grow long, and is parted from the forehead,
+across the head; at the back of which it is either collected into a kind
+of bag, or hangs down over the shoulders. This people seem fond of
+finery. Their lodges are very neatly constructed: they consist of about
+one hundred cabins, made of white buffalo hides, supported on poles
+fifteen or twenty feet high; and, having a larger cabin in the centre,
+for councils and for dances. These lodges may be taken to pieces, packed
+up, and carried from place to place. The beasts of burden are dogs. Some
+of these Indians had their heads shaved, and others had arrows stuck
+through their flesh above and below the elbow: these were indications of
+mourning.
+
+On Friday the 28th of September, Captains Lewis and Clarke pursued their
+voyage up the river; and on the ensuing day, they passed a spot where a
+band of _Ricara Indians_ had had a village, about five years before: but
+there were now no remains of it, except a mound which encircled the
+town.
+
+Beyond this, the country, on the north side of the river, presented an
+extensive range of low prairie, covered with timber: on the south were
+high and barren hills; but, afterwards, the land assumed the same
+character as that on the opposite side. A great number of Indians were
+discovered on the hills at a distance: they approached the river, and
+proved to be _Tetons_, belonging to the band which the voyagers had just
+left. In the course of this day the navigation was much impeded by logs
+and sand-bars. The weather was now very cold. The voyagers next passed
+the _Chayenne river_, which flowed from the south-west, and the mouth of
+which was four hundred yards wide. On both sides of the Missouri, near
+this river, are richly timbered lowlands, with naked hills behind them.
+In this part of the country the hunters observed a great numbers of
+goats, white bears, prairie-cocks or grouse; and a species of quadrupeds
+described to resemble a small elk, but to have large, circular horns.
+
+For many successive days Indians were observed on the shores; and, if
+they had been more numerous, some of them seemed inclined to molest the
+voyagers. On the sand-bars, which here very much obstructed the course
+of the river, great number of geese, swans, brants, and ducks of
+different kinds were seen.
+
+On the 9th of October, the voyagers received visits from three chiefs of
+the _Ricara Indians_; and, though the wind was violent, and the waves
+ran very high, two or three squaws or females rowed off to them, in
+little canoes, each made of a single buffalo-skin, stretched over a
+frame of boughs, interwoven like a basket. These Indians did not use
+spirituous liquors; and had even rejected, with disgust, all attempts
+which the traders had hitherto made to introduce them: they said they
+were surprised that their "father," meaning the president of the United
+States, should present to them a liquor which would make them fools.
+Captains Lewis and Clarke visited two of the villages, where they were
+presented with corn and beans boiled; and also with bread made of corn
+and beans. The Ricara Indians are tall and well proportioned. The men
+wear skins round their legs, a cloth round their middle, and they
+occasionally have a buffalo robe thrown over their shoulders: their
+hair, arms, and ears, are decorated with ornaments of different kinds.
+The women, who are handsome and lively, wear long shirts made of goats'
+skin, generally white and fringed, and tied round the waist; and, in
+addition to these, they have a buffalo robe dressed without the hair.
+The lodges of the Ricara Indians are of a circular or octagonal form,
+and generally thirty or forty feet in diameter. They are made by placing
+forked posts, each about six feet high, round the circumference of a
+circle; joining these, by poles lying upon the forks; forming a sloping
+roof; interweaving the whole with branches and grass, and covering it
+with mud or clay. Before the door there is a sort of entrance about ten
+feet from the lodge. This people cultivate maize or Indian corn, beans,
+pumpkins, water-melons, and a species of tobacco which is peculiar to
+themselves. They are well armed with guns, and carry on a considerable
+traffic in furs.
+
+For many successive days the voyagers continued to see Indians every
+day. They had occasionally wet and unpleasant weather. In one place they
+saw, on the bank of the river, a great number of goats; and, soon
+afterwards, large flocks of these animals were driven into the river by
+a party of Indians, who gradually lined the shore, so as to prevent
+their escape, and fired on them, and beat them down with clubs, with so
+much success, that, in a short time, they killed more than fifty. Many
+buffaloes, elks, and deer were seen; and a great number of snakes.
+
+On Thursday the 18th, they passed the mouth of _Le Boulet_, or
+_Cannon-ball river_, the channel of which is about one hundred and forty
+yards wide. This stream, (which is indebted for its name to a great
+number of large stones, that are perfectly round and lie scattered about
+the shore and on the eminences above,) rises in the Black Mountains, and
+falls into the Missouri on the south. Great numbers of goats were
+observed to cross the river, and direct their course towards the west.
+The country, in general, was level and fine, with broken, short, high
+grounds, low timbered mounds near the river, and a range of rugged hills
+at a distance. The low grounds had here much more timber than had been
+observed lower down the river. So numerous are wild animals in this part
+of the country, that the voyagers counted, at a single view, fifty-two
+herds of buffaloes, and three of elks.
+
+On the 20th the weather was so cold, that the rain which fell froze on
+the ground; and, in the course of the night, the ground was covered with
+snow. A Ricara chief told Captain Lewis that, at some distance up one of
+the rivers, there was a large rock which was held in great veneration by
+the Indians, and was often consulted by them, as to their own, or their
+nations' destinies; all of which they imagine they are able to discern,
+in some rude figures or paintings, with which it is covered.
+
+The voyagers passed, on each side of the river, the ruins of several
+villages of _Mandan Indians_; and, on an island of the river, they found
+a Mandan chief, who, with some of his men, was on a hunting excursion.
+As they proceeded, several parties of Mandans, both on foot and on
+horseback, approached the shore to view them. The vessels here got
+aground several times, among the sand-bars and rocks. In this part of
+their voyage they saw two Europeans, belonging to the Hudson's Bay
+company. These men had arrived about nine days before, to trade for
+horses and buffalo robes.
+
+From one of the villages of the Mandans, a crowd of men, women, and
+children, came to see the strangers. Some of the chiefs had lost the two
+joints of their little fingers; for, with this people, it is customary
+to express grief for the death of relations, by some corporeal
+suffering, and the usual mode is to cut off the joints of the little
+fingers.
+
+There were, in this part of the country, many Indian villages, and
+Captains Lewis and Clarke held, with the chiefs, a council, similar in
+its nature to those already mentioned; and afterwards presented them
+with flags, medals, uniform-coats, and other articles.
+
+
+
+
+Sixteenth Day's Instruction
+
+WESTERN TERRITORY CONTINUED.
+
+
+_Conclusion of_ LEWIS _and_ CLARKE'S _Voyage from St.
+Louis to the Source of the Missouri._
+
+As the winter was now fast approaching, the commanders of the expedition
+considered it requisite to look out for some convenient place, where
+they might pass those months, during which the river would be frozen and
+unnavigable. Accordingly, on the 2d of November, they fixed upon a
+place, not far distant from the Indian villages. They cut down a
+considerable quantity of timber for the formation of huts; and
+constructed tolerably comfortable habitations. Food could here be
+procured in such abundance, that, in the course of two days, a Mandan
+Indian killed as many as two hundred goats.
+
+In the night of the 5th they were awaked by the man on guard, who called
+them to witness a peculiarly beautiful appearance of the aurora
+borealis, or northern lights. Along the sky, towards the north, a large
+space was occupied by a light of brilliant white colour, which rose from
+the horizon, and extended itself to nearly twenty degrees above it.
+After glittering for some time, its colours were occasionally overcast
+and obscured; but again it would burst out with renewed beauty. The
+uniform colour was pale; but its shapes were various and fantastic. At
+times the sky was lined with light-coloured streaks, rising
+perpendicularly from the horizon, and gradually expanding into a body of
+light, in which could be seen the trace of floating columns, sometimes
+advancing, sometimes retreating, and shaping into an infinite variety of
+forms.
+
+Before the middle of November a store-house was completed, in which the
+contents of the boats were laid up for the winter. On the 13th, ice
+began to float down the river for the first time; and, on the ensuing
+day, the ground was covered with snow. In some traps which had been set,
+twenty beavers were caught. On the 16th the men moved into the huts,
+although they were not finished. Three days after this the hunters
+brought in a supply of thirty-two deer, eleven elks, and five buffaloes,
+all of which were hung up to be smoked, for future subsistence.
+
+The huts were ranged in two rows, each row containing four rooms,
+fourteen feet square, and seven feet high. The place in which they were
+erected was called _Fort Mandan_, and was a point of low ground, on the
+north side of the Missouri, covered with tall and heavy cotton-wood. The
+computed distance from the mouth of the Missouri was sixteen hundred
+miles.
+
+In the vicinity of this place were five villages of three distinct
+nations: _Mandans_, _Ahanaways_, and _Minnetarees_. Not many years ago
+the Mandans were a very numerous race, occupying, in the whole,
+eighteen villages; but their numbers had been so much reduced, by the
+small-pox and by their wars with the Sioux, that they were compelled to
+emigrate in a body, and unite themselves with the Ricara nation; and
+they now occupy only two villages, on opposite sides of the Missouri,
+and about three miles asunder. Each of these contains forty or fifty
+lodges, built in the same manner as those of the Ricaras. The whole
+force of the Ahanaways is not, at present, more than fifty men. Their
+residence is on an elevated plain, near the mouth of the _Knife river_.
+On the south side of the same river, and about half a mile distant from
+this people, is a village of the _Minnetarees_; and there are four other
+villages of these Indians at a little distance.
+
+The religion of the Mandans consists in the belief that one great Spirit
+presides over their destinies; but they also believe that various
+beings, some imaginary and some existing in the form of animals, have
+the power of interceding for them with the great spirit. To these they
+pay their devotion. They believe in a future state; and that, after
+death, they shall go to the original seats of their forefathers, which
+they suppose to be underground, immediately beneath a spot on the banks
+of the Missouri, where they formerly had nine villages.
+
+On the 7th of December, the Missouri was frozen over, and the ice was an
+inch and half in thickness. The cold was so intense, that the air was
+filled with icy particles resembling a fog; and the snow was several
+inches deep. Notwithstanding this, one of the commanders, accompanied by
+some of the men, went out almost every day to hunt. On the tenth,
+Captain Clarke and his hunters, after having killed nine buffaloes, were
+obliged to spend a wretched night on the snow: having no other covering
+than a small blanket and the hides of the buffaloes they had killed. The
+next day the wind blew from the north; and the ice in the atmosphere was
+so thick, as to render the weather hazy, and to give the appearance of
+two suns reflecting each other. On the seventeenth, the mercury in the
+thermometer fell to seventy-four degrees below the freezing point. The
+fort was completed on the day before Christmas.
+
+The Indians, inured to the severity of the climate, are able to support
+the rigours of the season, in a way which Captains Lewis and Clarke had
+hitherto considered impossible. Many parts of their bodies were exposed;
+and one of the Indians, in particular, although his dress was very thin,
+was known to have passed the night on the snow, without a fire; and yet
+he did not suffer the slightest inconvenience.
+
+After having spent nearly five months in this dreary abode, the ice
+broke up, the boats were repaired and once more got into the river; and
+other preparations were made for the voyagers to pursue their course
+towards the sources of the Missouri.
+
+In the afternoon of Sunday, the 7th of April, the arrangements being all
+completed, the party, consisting of thirty-two persons, once more
+embarked. They now occupied six small canoes and two large pirogues. The
+barge was sent down the river, to the United States, with presents of
+natural curiosities, which had been collected, and with dispatches to
+the president.
+
+At some distance from Fort Mandan, the land, on each side of the
+Missouri, after ascending the hills near the water, exhibits the
+appearance of one fertile and unbroken plain, which extends as far as
+the eye can reach, without a solitary tree or shrub, except in moist
+situations, or in the steep declivities of hills. In some parts the
+plains were on fire; for, every spring, as soon as the ice breaks up in
+the river, these plains are set on fire by the Indians, for the purpose
+of driving out and attacking the buffaloes, and other wild animals which
+inhabit them. Beavers were here very abundant. A herd of antelopes, and
+the track of a large white bear, were seen in the plain: geese and
+swans were observed, in great numbers. The musquitoes now began to be
+very troublesome.
+
+Before the middle of April, the weather became so warm, that, in the
+day-time, the men worked with no clothes on, except round their waist.
+On the twelfth, the voyagers reached the mouth of the _Little Missouri_,
+where they remained during the day, for the purpose of making celestial
+observations. This river falls into the Missouri, on its south side, and
+at the distance of sixteen hundred and ninety-three miles above its
+confluence with the Mississippi. Its current is strong, and its width a
+hundred and thirty-four yards; but its greatest depth is only two feet
+and half. The adjacent country is hilly and irregular; and the soil is,
+for the most part, a rich dark-coloured loam, intermixed with a small
+proportion of sand.
+
+On the thirteenth, the voyagers passed the remains of forty-three
+temporary lodges, which were supposed to have belonged to the Assiniboin
+Indians. The waters of many of the creeks were found to be so strongly
+impregnated with mineral salts, that they were not fit to be drunk. On
+each bank of the Missouri the country presented the appearance of low
+plains and meadows; bounded, at the distance of a few miles, by broken
+hills, which end in high, level, and fertile lands: the quantity of
+timber was increasing. In the timbered-grounds, higher up the river, the
+voyagers observed a great quantity of old hornets' nests. Many of the
+hills exhibited a volcanic appearance, furnishing great quantities of
+lava and pumice stone: of the latter, several pieces were observed
+floating down the river. In all the copses there were remains of
+Assiniboin encampments.
+
+On the twentieth, near an Indian camp, the voyagers observed a scaffold,
+about seven feet high, on which were two sleds, with their harness; and
+under the scaffold was the body of a female, carefully wrapped in
+several dressed buffalo-skins. Near it lay a bag, made of buffalo-skin,
+and containing some articles of apparel, scrapers for dressing hides,
+some dried roots, plats of sweet grass, and a small quantity of tobacco.
+These, as well as the body, had probably fallen down by accident, as it
+is customary to place the dead bodies on scaffolds. At a little distance
+was the body of a dog, not yet decayed: he had, no doubt, been employed
+in dragging, in the sled, the body of his mistress, and, according to
+the Indian usage, had been sacrificed to her.
+
+From the sand-bars in the river, the wind sometimes blew such vast
+quantities of sand into the air, as to appear like clouds, and even to
+conceal the opposite bank from view. These clouds of sand floated, like
+columns of thick smoke, to the distance of many miles; and the particles
+were so penetrating, that nothing could be kept free from them.
+
+Near the junction of _Yellow-stone river_ with the Missouri, the country
+was much more woody than it had been in any other part, since the
+voyagers had passed the Chayenne; and the trees were chiefly of
+cotton-wood, elm, ash, box, and alder. In the low grounds were
+rose-bushes, the red-berry, service-berry, red-wood, and other shrubs;
+and among the bushes on the higher plains, were observed willows,
+gooseberry-trees, purple currant-trees, and honeysuckles. The sources of
+Yellow-stone river are said to be in the Rocky Mountains, near those of
+the Missouri and the Platte; and this river is navigable, in canoes,
+almost to its head.
+
+Near the junction of the Yellow-stone and Missouri rivers, there is a
+high plain, which extends three miles in width, and seven or eight miles
+in length; and which Captain Lewis says might be rendered a very
+advantageous station for a trading establishment.
+
+Beyond this place, the hills were rough and high, and almost overhung
+the river. As the voyagers advanced, the low grounds were fertile and
+extensive, with but little timber, and that cotton-wood. On the 3d of
+May, they reached the mouth of a river, which; from the unusual number
+of porcupines that were seen near it, they called _Porcupine river_. For
+several days after this, they continued their progress without much
+interruption. In many places the river was, at least, half a mile wide.
+During their excursions on the shore, in pursuit of food, they
+encountered many perils in shooting at bears. Some of these were of vast
+size and strength: one of them weighed nearly six hundred pounds, and
+measured eight feet seven inches and a half, from the nose to the
+extremity of the hind feet.
+
+Beyond the _Muscle-shell river_, which the voyagers reached on the 21st,
+the shores of the Missouri were abrupt and bold, and composed of a black
+and yellow clay.
+
+After a navigation of two months, and a progress of more than a thousand
+miles from their winter camp, the party became considerably embarrassed,
+at the conflux of two rivers, which were, apparently, of equal
+magnitude. It was important for them to decide which of the streams in
+question was the true Missouri; because the river, which it was their
+object to ascend, was described to be at no great distance from the head
+waters, running, from the opposite side of the Rocky Mountains, towards
+the Pacific ocean. Two canoes, with three men, were consequently
+dispatched, to survey each of these doubtful streams; and parties were
+sent out by land, to discover, if possible, from the rising grounds, the
+distant bearings of the lofty ranges of mountains, which were
+conspicuous in the west; and some of which, though it was now the month
+of June, were covered with snow. Hence, there was no doubt of their
+vicinity to the great central ridge of American mountains; but the
+direction of the rivers just mentioned, could not be distinguished to
+any considerable distance. Of the two, the one coming from the north,
+had the brown colour and thick appearance of the Missouri; while the
+southern river had a rapid current, a pebbly bed, and transparent
+water, as if it issued from a mountainous country. The resemblance of
+the former to the river already navigated, led nearly all the privates
+of the party to consider it as the Missouri; but the clearness of the
+other stream induced the two captains to the conclusion that it
+proceeded from those central mountains, which were the grand objects of
+their search. After a further investigation, they resolved to pursue the
+course of the latter.
+
+It was, however, requisite to make a deposit of all the heavy baggage,
+that could possibly be spared, as the increasing shallowness of the
+water would soon render the navigation much more laborious than it had
+hitherto been. They accordingly adopted a plan, common among traders who
+bring merchandise into the country of Indians of doubtful integrity,
+that of digging a hole in the ground, small at the top, but widened in
+the descent, somewhat like the shape of a kettle. Choice was made of a
+dry situation; and the sod, being carefully removed, the excavation was
+completed, a flooring of wood and hides was laid at the bottom, and the
+goods were covered with skins: the earth was then thrown into the river,
+and the sod laid on again with so much care, that not the slightest
+appearance remained of the surface having been disturbed.
+
+These arrangements being completed, Captain Clarke took charge of the
+canoes; while Captain Lewis, with four men, proceeded by land, in hopes
+of soon putting it beyond a doubt that the river which they were now
+ascending was the Missouri. The decisive proof was to be sought in its
+falls, which the Indians had described as not remote from the Rocky
+Mountains, and as of remarkable grandeur. Captain Lewis passed along the
+direction of the river, during two days, and, on the next day, found
+himself in a position which overlooked a most beautiful plain.
+
+Finding that the river here bore considerably to the south; and fearful
+of passing the falls before he reached the Rocky Mountains, he now
+changed, his course towards the south, and, leaving these hills to the
+right, proceeded across the plain. In this direction he had gone about
+two miles, when his ears were saluted with the agreeable sound of a fall
+of water; and, as he advanced, a spray, which seemed to be driven by the
+high south-west wind, arose above the plain, like a column of smoke, and
+vanished in an instant. Towards this point he directed his steps; and
+the noise, increasing as he approached, soon became too tremendous to be
+mistaken for any thing but the _Great Falls of the Missouri_. Having
+travelled seven miles after he first heard the sound, he at length
+reached the falls.
+
+The hills became difficult of access, and were two hundred feet high.
+Down these he hurried with impatience; and, seating himself on some
+rocks under the centre of the falls, he enjoyed the sublime spectacle of
+this stupendous object; which, since the creation of the world, had been
+lavishing its magnificence on the desert, unknown to civilization. For
+ninety or a hundred yards from the left cliff, the water falls in one
+smooth, even sheet, over a precipice of at least eighty feet. The
+remaining part of the river precipitates itself with a more rapid
+current; but, being received, as it falls, by the irregular and somewhat
+projecting rocks below, it forms a splendid prospect of perfectly white
+foam, two hundred yards in length, and eighty yards in perpendicular
+elevation. This spray is dissipated into a thousand shapes, sometimes
+flying up in columns fifteen or twenty feet high; and then being
+oppressed by larger masses of white foam, which exhibit all the
+brilliant colours of the rainbow.
+
+On the 14th of June, one of the men was sent to Captain Clarke, with an
+account of the discovery of the falls; and Captain Lewis proceeded to
+examine the rapids above. From the falls, he directed his course,
+south-west, up the river. After passing one continued rapid, and three
+small cascades, each three or four feet high, he reached, at the
+distance of five miles, a second fall. Above this, the river bends
+suddenly towards the north. Here captain Lewis heard a loud roar above
+him; and, crossing the point of a hill, for a few hundred yards, he saw
+one of the most beautiful objects in nature: the whole Missouri is
+suddenly stopped by one shelving rock, which, without a single niche,
+and with an edge as straight and regular as if formed by art, stretches
+from one side of the river to the other, for at least a quarter of a
+mile. Over this, the water precipitates itself, in an even,
+uninterrupted sheet, to the perpendicular depth of fifty feet; whence,
+dashing against the rocky bottom, it rushes rapidly down, leaving behind
+it a spray of the purest foam.
+
+The scene here presented was indeed singularly beautiful; since, without
+any of the wild, irregular, sublimity of the lower falls, it combined
+all the regular elegancies which the fancy of a painter would select to
+form a beautiful cataract. Captain Lewis now ascended the hill which was
+behind him, and saw, from its top, a delightful plain, extending from
+the river to the base of the Snowy Mountains. Along this wide, level
+country, the Missouri pursued its winding course, filled with water, to
+its even and grassy banks; while, about four miles above, it was joined
+by a large river, flowing from the north-west, through a valley three
+miles in width, and distinguished by the timber which adorned its
+shores: the Missouri itself stretched to the south, in one unruffled
+stream of water; and bearing on its bosom, vast flocks of geese, while
+numerous herds of buffaloes were feeding on the plains which surround
+it.
+
+Captain Lewis then descended the hills, and directed his course towards
+the river. Here he met a herd of at least a thousand buffaloes; and,
+being desirous of providing for his supper, he shot one of them. The
+animal immediately began to bleed; and the captain, having forgot to
+reload his rifle, was intently watching to see him fall, when he beheld
+a large brown bear, cautiously approaching him, and already within
+twenty yards. In the first moment of surprise, he lifted his rifle;
+but, recollecting that it was not charged, and that he had no time to
+reload, he felt that there was no safety but in flight. He was in an
+open, level plain; not a bush nor a tree was within three hundred yards
+of him; and the bank of the river was sloping, and not more than three
+feet high, so that there was no possible mode of concealment. Captain
+Lewis therefore thought of retreating, in a quick walk. He did so, but
+the bear approached, open mouth and at full speed, upon him. He ran
+about eighty yards; but finding that the animal gained on him fast, he
+plunged into the river, about waist deep, and, then facing about,
+presented the point of an espontoon or kind of spear, which he had
+carried in his hand. The bear arrived at the water's edge, within twenty
+feet of him; but, as soon as the captain put himself in this posture of
+defence, the animal seemed frightened, and, wheeling about, retreated
+with as much precipitation as he had pursued.
+
+With respect to Captain Clarke, he and his canoes advanced up the river,
+but they proceeded very slowly; for the rapidity of the current, the
+number of large stones, and the numerous shoals and islands, greatly
+impeded their progress. After they had passed a stream, to which he gave
+the name of _Maria's river_, they redoubled their exertions. It,
+however, soon became necessary for them once more to lighten the canoes.
+They did so, and filled another hole, with a portion of their provisions
+and ammunition.
+
+On the 29th of June, Captain Clarke left the canoes, and went on to the
+falls, accompanied by a black servant, named York, an Indian and his
+wife, with her young child. On arriving there, they observed a very dark
+cloud rising in the west, which threatened rain. They therefore looked
+around for shelter, but could find no place where they would be secure
+from being blown into the river, if the wind should prove as violent as
+it sometimes does in the plains. At length, about a quarter of a mile
+above the falls, they found a deep ravine, where there were some
+shelving rocks; and under these they took refuge. Being now perfectly
+safe from the rain, they laid down their guns and compass, and the other
+articles which they had brought with them. The shower was, at first,
+moderate; but it increased to a heavy rain, the effects of which they
+did not feel: soon afterwards, a torrent of intermingled hail and rain
+was poured from the clouds: the rain seemed to fall in a solid mass;
+and, collecting in the ravine, it came rolling down, like a cataract,
+carrying along with it mud and rocks, and every thing that opposed it.
+Captain Clarke saw the torrent a moment before it reached them; and,
+springing up, with his gun and shot-pouch in his left hand, he, with his
+right, clambered up the steep cliff, pushing on before him the Indian
+woman, with her child in her arms. Her husband, too, had seized her
+hand, and was dragging her up the hill; but he was so terrified at the
+danger, that, but for Captain Clarke, himself and his wife and child
+would have been lost. So instantaneous was the rise of the water, that
+before Captain Clarke had reached his gun, and had begun to ascend the
+bank, the water was up to his waist; and he could scarcely get up faster
+than it rose, till it reached the height of fifteen feet. Had they
+waited a moment longer, it would have swept them all into the river,
+just above the great cataract, down which they must inevitably have been
+precipitated. They had been obliged to escape so rapidly, that Captain
+Clarke lost his compass and umbrella: the Indian left his gun,
+shot-pouch, and tomahawk; and the Indian woman had just time to grasp
+her child, before the net, in which it had lain at her feet, was carried
+down the current.
+
+After the storm was over, they proceeded to a fountain, perhaps the
+largest in America. It is situated in a pleasant, level plain, and about
+twenty-five yards from the river, into which it falls over some steep,
+irregular rocks.
+
+In this part of the country a remarkable phenomenon was noticed. A loud
+report, precisely resembling the sound of a cannon, was repeatedly heard
+from the mountains, at different times, both of the day and night;
+sometimes in one stroke; at others, in five or six successive
+discharges. This report was occasionally heard when the air was
+perfectly still and without a cloud; and it was supposed to be
+occasioned by the bursting of rocks.
+
+The party, continuing indefatigable in their exertions, dragged the
+canoes, or pushed them along with poles, up the current of the Missouri.
+This they did, day after day, until the 27th of June, when they arrived
+at the _Three forks of the river_; that is, at the point at which three
+rivers, each of considerable size, flow together, and form the great
+stream. As it was difficult to determine the largest of the three,
+Captains Lewis and Clarke decided on discontinuing here the appellation
+of Missouri; and named the streams, respectively, Jefferson's,
+Madison's, and Gallatin's river. As the first of these flowed from the
+west, they ascended it in preference to the others; but they continued
+to experience great difficulty with the canoes, in consequence of the
+rapidity of the current.
+
+They were now approaching the termination of the first great division of
+their journey. The river continued to lessen as they proceeded: its
+width, in the part at which they arrived on the 8th of July, was not
+more than forty yards; and, on the 11th, it was diminished to twelve, so
+as to admit of being waded over without hazard. They had now proceeded,
+by computation, three thousand miles from the mouth of the Missouri; and
+they, not long afterwards, reached its extreme navigable point, in
+latitude 43 degrees 30 minutes, and nearly in longitude 112 degrees west
+from Greenwich.
+
+Here they laid up their canoes, until they should return from the
+Pacific ocean; and, proceeding by land, had the gratification of tracing
+the current to its _fountain head_, in the midst of the Rocky Mountains.
+
+
+
+
+Seventeenth Day's Instruction.
+
+WESTERN TERRITORY CONTINUED.
+
+
+_Narrative of_ LEWIS _and_ CLARKE'S _Travels from the
+Source of the Missouri to the Pacific Ocean._
+
+From the source of the Missouri, we will now accompany these gentlemen
+in their journey across the Rocky Mountains, and in their subsequent
+navigation of the Oregan or Columbia to the Pacific Ocean.
+
+They had reached the highest ground in the _Rocky Mountains_, or that
+elevated part of the continent which constitutes the boundary between
+the streams flowing to the Atlantic on the one side, and the Pacific on
+the other. Their next object was to prosecute their journey westward,
+through this cold and barren track, until they should come to a
+navigable stream flowing into the Columbia, the great channel of access
+to the western ocean.
+
+They had been told, by Indians in the Mandan country, that, immediately
+on crossing the central ridge, they would discover copious rivers
+running in a direction towards the Columbia. Captain Lewis accordingly
+found a clear stream forty yards wide, and three feet deep, which ran
+towards the west. It was bounded on each side by a range of high
+mountains, and was so closely confined between them, as not only to be
+unnavigable, but to be impassable along its banks. A still more
+discouraging circumstance was the total want, in this wintry region, of
+timber fit for building canoes.
+
+An old Indian, being consulted respecting these mountains, stated them
+to be so inaccessible, that neither he nor any of his nation had ever
+attempted to cross them; and another Indian, a native of the south-west
+mountains, described them in terms scarcely less terrific. The course to
+the Pacific lay, he said, along rocky steeps, inhabited by savages, who
+lived in holes, like bears, and fed on roots and on horse-flesh. On
+descending from the mountainous ridge, he stated that the traveller
+would find himself in a parched desert of sand, where no animals, of a
+nature to afford subsistence, could be discovered; and, although this
+plain was crossed by a large river running towards the Columbia, its
+banks had no timber for the construction of canoes.
+
+After all these mortifying communications, there appeared to be left, to
+the present travellers, only one route, that by which some individuals
+of the Chopunnish Indians, living to the west of the mountains, find
+means to make their way to this elevated region; and the accounts that
+had been given of this road, were very discouraging; the Indians being
+obliged to subsist for many days on berries, and suffering greatly from
+hunger. The commanders of the expedition were not, however,
+disheartened; for they were convinced that their men could accomplish a
+passage without enduring so much hardship as Indians, who are generally
+accompanied by women and children.
+
+Having ascertained that the accounts of the impractibility of navigating
+the river were well founded, it became indispensable to take measures
+for proceeding on horseback. The men had already begun to suffer from
+want of food, for the country afforded very little except berries, and a
+few river-fish.
+
+Captain Lewis describes the ravenous propensities of the Indians who
+reside in this part of America, to be very extraordinary. While some of
+them were with the travellers, a deer was killed. They all hastened to
+the spot, like so many beasts of prey, and actually tumbled over each
+other, to reach the intestines which had been thrown aside. Each tore
+away whatever part he could seize, and instantly began to devour it.
+Some had the liver, some the kidneys; in short, no part was left, on
+which we are accustomed to look with disgust. One of them, who had
+seized about nine feet of the entrails, was chewing, at one end, while,
+with his hand, he was diligently clearing his way by discharging the
+contents at the other. Yet, though suffering from excessive hunger, they
+did not attempt, as they might have done, to take by force the whole
+deer, but contented themselves with what had been thrown away by the
+hunters. After this, Captain Lewis gave one quarter of the body of the
+deer to the Indians; and they immediately devoured it raw. A second deer
+was killed, and nearly the whole of it was given to the Indians. This
+they also devoured, even to the soft parts of the hoofs; and they
+shortly afterwards ate nearly three quarters of a third.
+
+It happened fortunately for the travellers, in the prosecution of their
+journey by land, that the horses of the country were good, and that
+there was no difficulty in purchasing as many as were necessary, for the
+conveyance of themselves and their baggage. They were thus enabled to
+set out about the end of August, under the guidance of an old man, who,
+notwithstanding the dissuasion of his countrymen, undertook to conduct
+them to the Indians who live westward of the mountains.
+
+Arriving, soon afterwards, in a district where no tract could be
+discovered, they were obliged to cut their way through thickets of trees
+and brushwood, along the sides of hills. Here their horses suffered
+great fatigue; and the season was still so little advanced, that the
+ground was covered with snow. On the 9th of September they reached the
+road or path commonly taken by the Indians in crossing from the Columbia
+to the Missouri; and here they learned that they might have lessened the
+hardships of the mountain journey, had they laid up their canoes and
+struck off to the west, before they navigated the latter river to its
+furthest-point. A small creek at this station received the name of
+_Traveller's Rest-creek_.
+
+From this spot the party proceeded nearly due west, along the Indian
+path; but they still experienced considerable inconvenience, from a
+deficiency of provisions. On some days they killed only a few birds;
+and, being obliged to turn their horses loose at night to feed, the
+morning hours were frequently passed in finding and catching them. On
+the 15th of August, they reached the upper parts of the river
+_Koos-koos-kee_, which affords one of the most direct channels of
+communication with the Columbia; but there is no timber, in its
+neighbourhood, of size large enough for canoes; nor did its channel
+promise an easy navigation. The travellers were consequently obliged to
+continue their journey by land; and on the 19th they were cheered with
+the prospect, towards the south-west, of an extensive plain, which,
+though still distant, assured them of an outlet from the barren region
+which they were traversing. By this time they had suffered so much from
+hunger, that horse-flesh was deemed a luxury.
+
+At last, on the 22d, having reached the plain, they found themselves
+once more in an inhabited country. They explained their pacific
+intentions to the people, who were Indians of a tribe called
+_Chopunnish_. The removal, however, from a cold to a warm district, and,
+still more, the sudden change from scarcity to an abundance of food,
+proved very detrimental to the health of the men; and it was fortunate
+that the most laborious part of their task was now, for a time at least,
+at an end.
+
+The river Koos-koos-kee being navigable in the place which the party had
+now reached, it remained only to build the requisite canoes. The wood
+was soon obtained; and such of the men as had sufficient strength for
+the undertaking, worked at the canoes, during the intervals of cool
+weather, and were not very long in completing them. In this part of the
+country the weather was cool during an easterly wind; exactly as, on
+the opposite side of the mountains, it had been in a westerly one. Their
+horses, to the number of thirty-eight, they consigned to the care of
+three Indian chiefs, to be kept till their return; and the saddles, with
+a small supply of ammunition, they buried in a hole, dug for the
+purpose, near the river.
+
+On the 8th of October, the travellers once more proceeded by water; and
+they now occupied five canoes. Exertion was still requisite, in the
+shoals and other difficult places; but the change was, on the whole,
+extremely favourable to them, and their progress down the current was
+proportionally rapid.
+
+This part of the country is inhabited by the _Shoshonees_, a tribe of
+_Snake Indians_, which, at present, consists of about a hundred
+warriors, and thrice as many women and children. Within their own
+recollection these Indians had lived in the plains; but they had been
+driven thence by the Pawkees and other powerful tribes, and they now
+live a wandering and precarious life. From the middle of May till the
+beginning of September they reside on the western waters; but, when the
+salmon, on which they chiefly subsist there, disappear, they cross the
+ridge and descend, slowly and cautiously, till they are joined, near the
+Three Forks, by other bands, either of their own nation, or of the
+Flat-heads, who make common cause with them. They then venture to hunt
+buffaloes in the plains eastward; but such is their dread of the
+Pawkees, that, so long as they can obtain the scantiest subsistence,
+they do not leave the interior of the mountains; and, as soon as they
+collect a large stock of dried meat, they again retreat: thus they
+alternately obtain food at the hazard of their lives, and hide
+themselves to consume it. Two-thirds of the year they are forced to live
+in the mountains, passing whole weeks with no other subsistence than a
+few fish and roots. The salmon were, at this time, fast retiring; roots
+were becoming scarce, they had not yet attained strength to hazard a
+meeting with their enemies, and nothing could be imagined more wretched
+than their condition.
+
+Notwithstanding their miseries they were cheerful, and, in many
+important points of character, were superior to any other tribes whom
+the travellers had seen. They never begged: they were not tempted to a
+single act of dishonesty by the sight of the treasures which their
+visitors displayed; and they were ready to share with their guests, the
+little which they themselves possessed. They were also a high-spirited
+people. The Spaniards, the only white men with whom they had hitherto
+had any intercourse, would not supply them with fire-arms, alleging
+that, if they were possessed of such weapons, they would only be the
+more induced to kill one another. The Shoshonees, perhaps, do not
+perceive that policy is the real motive of the Spaniards; but they
+clearly see that the plea of humanity is fallacious, and they complain
+that they are thus left to the mercy of their enemies the Minnetarees,
+who, having fire-arms, plunder them of their horses, and slay them at
+pleasure.
+
+Though many of their stock had lately been stolen, the Shoshonees
+possessed, at this time, not fewer than seven hundred horses, of good
+size, vigorous, and patient of fatigue, as well as of hunger. They had
+also a few mules, which had been purchased or stolen from the Spaniards,
+by the frontier Indians. These were the finest animals of the kind, that
+Captain Clarke had ever seen; even the worst of them was considered
+worth the price of two horses.
+
+The horse is a favourite animal with this people. His main and tail,
+which are never mutilated, they decorate with feathers, and his ears
+they cut into various patterns. A favourite horse, also, is sometimes
+painted; and a warrior will suspend, at the breast of his horse, the
+finest ornaments which he possesses.
+
+The Shoshonees always fight on horseback. They have a few bad guns among
+them, which are reserved, exclusively, for war; but their common weapons
+are bows and arrows. The bows that are chiefly prized, are made of the
+argali's horn, flat pieces of which are cemented together with glue.
+They have also lances, and a formidable sort of club, consisting of a
+round stone, about two pounds in weight, fastened, by a short thong, to
+a wooden handle. Their defensive armour is a shield of buffalo's hide,
+manufactured with equal ingenuity and superstition. The skin must be the
+whole hide of a male buffalo, two years old, and never suffered to dry,
+since it was flayed off. A feast is held, to which all the warriors, old
+men, and jugglers, are invited. After the repast, a hole is dug in the
+ground, about eighteen inches deep, and of the same diameter as the
+intended shield. Red hot stones are thrown into this hole; and water is
+poured upon them, to produce a strong steam. Over this, the skin is
+laid, with the fleshy side to the ground; and stretched, in every
+direction, by as many persons as can take hold of it. As it becomes
+heated, the hair separates, and is taken off; and the skin is, at last,
+contracted into the compass designed for the shield. It is then removed,
+placed on a dry hide; and, during the remainder of the festival, is
+pounded by the bare heels of the guests. This operation sometimes
+continues for several days. The shield is then actually proof against
+any arrow; and, if the old men and the jugglers have been satisfied with
+the feast, they pronounce it impenetrable by bullets also, which many of
+the warriors believe. It is ornamented with feathers, with a fringe of
+dressed leather, and with paintings of strange figures. This people have
+also a sort of arrow-proof mail, with which they cover themselves and
+their horses. It is made of dressed antelope-skins, in many folds,
+united by a mixture of glue and sand.
+
+The Shoshonees are a diminutive and ill-formed race; with flat feet,
+thick ancles, and crooked legs. The hair of both sexes is usually worn
+loose over the face and shoulders; some of the men, however, divide it,
+by leather thongs, into two equal queues, which they allow to hang over
+the ears. Their tippet, or rheno, as it is called, is described to have
+been the most elegant article of Indian dress, that the travellers had
+ever seen. It is of otter-skin, tasselled with ermine; and not fewer
+than an hundred ermine-skins are required for each.
+
+The inhabitants of the plains, to the west of the Rocky Mountains,
+appear to differ considerably from their neighbours on the higher
+grounds. The _Chopunnish_ or _Pierced Nose nation_, who reside on the
+Kooskooskee, and the river now called Lewis's river, are, in person,
+stout, portly, and, good-looking men. The women are small, with regular
+features; and are generally handsome, though dark. Their chief ornaments
+are a buffalo or elk-skin robe, decorated with beads; and sea-shells, or
+mother-of-pearl, attached to an otter-skin collar, and hung in the hair,
+which falls in front in two queues. They likewise ornament themselves
+with feathers and paints of different kinds; principally white, green,
+and light blue, all of which they find in their own country. In winter,
+they wear a shirt of dressed skins, long painted leggings and moccasins,
+and a plat of twisted grass round the neck.
+
+The dress of the women is more simple: it consists of a long shirt of
+argali-skin, which reaches down to the ankles, and is without a girdle:
+to this are tied shells, little pieces of brass, and other small
+articles; but their head is not at all ornamented.
+
+The Chopunnish Indians have very few ornaments; for their life is
+painful and laborious; and all their exertions are necessary to earn
+their subsistence. During the summer and autumn they are busily occupied
+in fishing for salmon, and collecting their winter store of roots. In
+the winter, with snow-shoes on their feet, they hunt deer over the
+plains; and, towards the spring, they cross the mountains to the
+Missouri, for the purpose of trafficking for buffalo-robes.
+
+In descending the _Kooskooskee_, the travellers had many opportunities
+of observing the arrangements of the Indians for preserving fish,
+particularly salmon, which are here very abundant. In some places,
+especially in the Columbia, the water was so clear, that these fish were
+seen at the depth of fifteen or twenty feet. During the autumn, they
+float down the stream in such numbers, that the Indians have only to
+collect, split, and dry them. Scaffolds and wooden houses, piled up
+against each other, for the purpose of fishing, were frequently
+observed. Indeed fish are here so abundant, that, in a scarcity of wood,
+dried salmon are often used as fuel.
+
+A considerable trade is carried on in dried fish, which is thus
+prepared. The salmon, having been opened, and exposed some time to the
+sun, is pounded between two stones; then packed in baskets, neatly made
+of grass and rushes, which are lined and covered with salmon-skins,
+stretched and dried for that purpose. In these baskets, the pounded
+salmon is pressed down as hard as possible. Each basket contains from
+ninety to one hundred pounds; seven baskets are placed side by side, and
+five on the top. They are then covered with mats, and corded; and then
+again matted, thus forming a stack. In this manner the fish is kept
+sweet and sound for many years.
+
+The Koo-koos-kee is greatly augmented by the junction of Lewis's river
+from the south; and the united streams, after flowing a considerable
+distance, fall into the still larger flood of the Columbia. At their
+junction, the width of the Columbia is nine hundred and sixty yards.
+
+The Indians, in this part of America, are called _Solkuks_; and seem to
+be of a mild and peaceable disposition, and to live in a state of
+comparative happiness. Each man is contented with a single wife, with
+whom he shares the labours of procuring subsistence, much more than is
+usual among savages. What may be considered as an unequivocal proof of
+their good disposition, is the great respect which is shown to old age.
+Among other instances of it, the travellers observed, in one of the
+houses, an old woman perfectly blind; and who, as they were informed,
+had lived more than a hundred winters. In this state of decrepitude she
+occupied the best position in the house, seemed to be treated with great
+kindness, and whatever was said by her, was listened to with much
+attention.
+
+The fisheries supply the _Solkuks_ with a competent, if not an abundant
+subsistence. Fish is, indeed, their chief food; except roots, and the
+casual supplies of the antelope, which, to those who have only bows and
+arrows, must be very scanty. Most of the Solkuks have sore eyes, and
+many of them are blind of one or both eyes; and decayed teeth are very
+common among them.
+
+The party proceeded down the Columbia. Fish was here so abundant, that
+in one day's voyage, they counted no fewer than twenty stacks of dried
+salmon.
+
+They passed the falls of this river. These are not great; but, at a
+little distance below them, a very remarkable scene is presented to the
+view. At a place where the river is about four hundred yards wide, and
+where the stream flows with a current more rapid than usual, it widens
+into a large bend or basin, at the extremity of which a black rock,
+rising perpendicularly from the right shore, seems to run wholly across.
+So completely did it appear to block up the passage, that the travellers
+could not, as they approached, see where the water escaped; except that
+the current appeared to be drawn with peculiar velocity towards the left
+of the rock, where there was a great roaring. On landing, to survey it,
+they found that, for about half a mile, the river was confined within a
+channel only forty-five yards wide, whirling, swelling, and boiling, the
+whole way, with the wildest agitation imaginable. Tremendous as the pass
+was, they attempted it; and, to the astonishment of the Indians, they
+accomplished it in safety.
+
+In the vicinity of this place, a tribe of Indians, called _Echeloots_,
+were settled. Here the travellers, for the first time, since they had
+left the Illinois country, observed wooden buildings. The floors were
+sunk about six feet in the ground, a custom implying at the same time a
+cold and dry climate.
+
+Proceeding on their way, they saw an Indian, dressed in a round hat and
+a sailor's jacket, with his hair tied. Jackets, brass kettles, and other
+European or American articles, were observed to be common. These Indians
+are fond of ornamenting their boats and houses with rude sculptures and
+paintings. One of the chiefs exhibited, from what was called his great
+medicine-bag, fourteen fore-fingers, the trophies taken from as many
+enemies, whom he had killed in war. This was the first time that the
+travellers had known any other trophy preserved than the scalp. The
+great medicine-bag, among these Indians, is an useful invention; for, as
+it is deemed sacrilegious for any person, except the owner, to touch it,
+this bag serves the purpose of a strong-box, in which the most valuable
+articles may safely be deposited.
+
+The Echeloots in their mode of sepulture, differ much from the
+generality of North American Indians. They have common cemeteries, where
+the dead, carefully wrapt in skins, are laid on mats, in a direction
+east and west. The vaults, or rather chambers, in which the bodies are
+deposited, are about eighty feet square, and six in height. The whole of
+the sides are covered with strange figures, cut and painted; and wooden
+images are placed against them. At the top of these sepulchral chambers,
+and on poles attached to them, brass-kettles are hung, old frying-pans,
+shells, skins, and baskets, pieces of cloth, hair, and other similar
+offerings. Among some of the tribes, the body is laid in one canoe and
+covered with another. Every where the dead are carefully deposited, and
+with like marks of respect. Captain Clarke says it is obvious, from the
+different articles which are placed by the dead, that these people
+believe in a future state of existence.
+
+On the 2d of November, the travellers perceived the first tide-water;
+four days afterwards, they had the pleasure of hearing a few words of
+English, spoken by an Indian, who talked of a Mr. Haley, as the
+principal trader on the coast; and, on the 7th, a fog clearing off, gave
+them a sight of the _Pacific Ocean_.
+
+They suffered great hardships near the mouth of the river. At one place,
+where they were detained two nights by the violence of the wind, the
+waves broke over them, and large trees, which the stream had carried
+along with it, were drifted upon them, so that, with their utmost
+vigilance, they could scarcely save the canoes from being dashed to
+pieces. Their next haven was still more perilous: the hills rose steep
+over their heads, to the height of five hundred feet; and, as the rain
+fell in torrents, the stones, upon their crumbling sides, loosened, and
+came rolling down upon them. The canoes, in one place, were at the mercy
+of the waves; the baggage was in another place; and the men were
+scattered upon floating logs, or were sheltering themselves in the
+crevices of the rocks.
+
+The travellers, having now reached the farthest limits of their journey,
+once more began to look out for winter-quarters. But it was not till
+after a long search, that they discovered, at some distance from the
+shore, and near the banks of the Columbia, a situation in all respects
+convenient. But so incessant was the rain, that they were unable to
+complete their arrangements, till about the middle of December. Here, in
+latitude 46 degrees, 19 minutes, they passed three months, without
+experiencing any thing like the cold of the interior; but they were, in
+other respects, exposed to numerous inconveniences. The supply of food
+was precarious; being confined to the fish caught along the sea-coasts,
+and to a few elks and other animals, which were killed in the adjacent
+country.
+
+The Indians, in this part of America, had been accustomed to traffic,
+along the shore, with European vessels, and had learned to ask
+exorbitant prices for their commodities. Their circulating money
+consisted of blue beads; but with these, as well as with other
+merchandise, their visitors were, at this time, very scantily supplied.
+These Indians were unacquainted with the use of ardent spirits, but they
+were no strangers to the vice of gaming.
+
+During the winter, Captains Lewis and Clarke occupied much of their time
+in acquiring information concerning the country; and obtained some
+account of the number of tribes, languages, and population of the
+inhabitants, for about three hundred and sixty miles southward, along
+the coast; but of those in an opposite direction, they were unable to
+learn any thing more than their names.
+
+The people of the four nations with whom they had the most intercourse;
+the _Killamucks_, _Clatsops_, _Chinnoocks_, and _Cathlamahs_, were
+diminutive and ill-made. Their complexions were somewhat lighter than
+those of the other North American Indians: their mouths were wide, their
+lips thick, and their noses broad, and generally flat between the eyes.
+
+All the tribes who were seen west of the Rocky Mountain, have their
+foreheads flattened. The child, in order to be thus beautified, has its
+head placed in a kind of machine, where it is kept for ten or twelve
+months; the females longer than the males. The operation is gradual, and
+seems to give but little pain; but if it produces headache, the poor
+infant has no means of making its sufferings known. The head, when
+released from its bandage, Captain Clarke says, is not more than two
+inches thick, about the upper part of the forehead; and still thinner
+above. Nothing can appear more wonderful, than that the brain should
+have its shape thus altered, without any apparent injury to its
+functions.
+
+There is an extensive trade carried on upon the Columbia, which must
+have existed before the coast was frequented by foreign traders; but to
+which the foreign trade has given a new impulse. The great emporium of
+this trade is at the falls, the _Shilloots_ being the carriers between
+the inhabitants above and below. The Indians of the Rocky Mountains
+bring down bear's-grease, horses, and a few skins, which they exchange
+for beads, pounded fish, and the roots of a kind of water-plant, which
+are produced, in great abundance, in a tract of land between the
+Multomah and a branch of the Columbia. The mode of obtaining these roots
+is curious. A woman carries a canoe, large enough to contain herself,
+and several bushels of them, to one of the ponds where the plants grow;
+she goes into the water breast high, feels out the roots with her feet,
+and separates the bulbs from them with her toes. These, on being freed
+from the mud, float. The women often continue in the water at this
+employment for many successive hours, even in the depth of winter. The
+bulbs are about the size of a small potato, and, when roasted in wood
+ashes, constitute a palatable food.
+
+These Indians are a very ingenious race. Even with their own imperfect
+tools, they make, in a few weeks, a canoe, which, with such implements,
+might be thought the work of years. A canoe, however, is very highly
+prized: it is considered of equal value with a wife, and is what the
+lover generally gives a father in exchange for his daughter. The bow and
+stern are ornamented with a sort of comb, and with grotesque figures of
+men or animals, sometimes five feet high, composed of small pieces of
+wood, skilfully inlaid and morticed, without a spike of any kind. Their
+bowls or troughs are scooped out of a block of wood; in these they boil
+their food. Their best manufacture is a sort of basket, of straw-work or
+cedar bark, and bear-grass, so closely interwoven as to be water-tight.
+Further south the natives roast their corn and pulse over a slow
+charcoal-fire, in baskets of this description, moving the basket about
+in such manner that it is not injured, though every grain within it is
+completely browned.
+
+Among these Indians the women are well treated, and enjoy an
+extraordinary degree of influence. On many subjects their opinions are
+consulted: in matters of trade, their advice is generally asked and
+pursued. Sometimes they even take upon themselves a tone of authority;
+and the labours of the family are almost equally divided. No account is
+given by Captain Lewis of the superstitions of these people; and no
+inquiry seems to have been made concerning their religious belief.
+
+
+_Narrative of the return of Captains_ LEWIS _and_
+CLARKE, _from the Pacific Ocean to St. Louis._
+
+The commanders of the expedition were desirous of remaining on the coast
+of the Pacific till the arrival of the annual trading ships, hoping from
+them to be able to recruit their almost exhausted stores of merchandise;
+but, though these were expected in April, it was found impossible to
+wait. The elks, on which they chiefly depended for subsistence, had
+retreated to the mountains; and, if the Indians could have sold them
+food, they were too poor to purchase it. The whole stock of goods, on
+which they had to depend, for the purchase of horses and food, during a
+journey homeward, of nearly four thousand miles, was so much diminished,
+that it might all have been tied in two pocket-handkerchiefs. Their
+muskets, however, were in excellent order, and they had plenty of powder
+and shot.
+
+On the 23d of March, 1806, the canoes were loaded, and they took a final
+leave of their encampment. Previously to their departure, they
+deposited, in the hands of the Indian chiefs, some papers specifying the
+dates of the arrival and departure of the expedition. This was done in a
+hope that at least some one of them might find its way into a civilized
+country. The course homeward was, during the first month, by water; the
+canoes being dragged, or carried overland, in places where the current
+of the Columbia was too strong to be navigated. On these occasions, the
+travellers were exposed to much annoyance from the pilfering habits of
+the Indians; and their provisions were so scanty that they were obliged
+to subsist on dog's-flesh: a diet which, at first, was extremely
+loathsome to them, but to which they in time became reconciled.
+
+The difficulties of the navigation made it expedient for them to leave
+the canoes at some distance below the junction of the _Columbia_ with
+_Lewis's river_, after which they prosecuted their journey on horseback.
+Proceeding in an easterly direction, they arrived, on the seventh of
+May, within sight of the _Rocky Mountains_, and saw the tops of these
+mountains completely covered with snow. Anxious, however, to cross them
+as early as they could, they lost no time in recovering their horses
+from the Chopunnish Indians, and in extracting their stores from the
+hiding places in the ground. Still it was necessary for them to encamp
+for a few weeks, that they might occupy themselves in hunting, and that
+the health of the invalids might be reinstated.
+
+Here Captains Lewis and Clarke practised physic among the natives, as
+one means of supplying themselves with provisions. Their stock of
+merchandise was reduced so low, that they were obliged to cut off the
+buttons from their clothes, and to present them, with phials and small
+tin boxes, as articles of barter with the Indians; and, by means of
+these humble commodities, they were enabled to procure some roots and
+bread, as provision during their passage over the Rocky Mountains, which
+they commenced on the tenth of June.
+
+Towards the middle of June the fall of the rivers showed that the great
+body of snow on the mountains was at last melted; and they ventured to
+leave their encampment, against the advice of several of the Indians.
+They, however, soon found that they had been premature in their motions;
+for, on the higher grounds, there was no appearance whatever of
+vegetation. The snow, which covered the whole country, was indeed
+sufficiently hard to bear the horses, but it was still ten or twelve
+feet deep; so that a further prosecution of their journey was, at
+present, impossible; and the travellers, after having deposited, in this
+upper region, their baggage, and such provisions as they could spare,
+reluctantly traced back their steps to the plain. There they remained
+ten days; and, on the 26th, they again began to ascend the lofty ridge;
+the snow on which had, in the interval, melted nearly four feet, leaving
+still a depth of six or seven. They now implicitly followed the steps of
+their guides, who traversed this trackless region with a kind of
+instinctive sagacity: these men never hesitated respecting the path, and
+were never embarrassed. In three days they once more reached the stream
+which, in their former journey, they had named _Traveller's Rest Creek_.
+
+Here Captains Lewis and Clarke agreed to separate, for the purpose of
+taking a more comprehensive survey of the country in their journey
+homeward. It was considered desirable to acquire a further knowledge of
+the Yellow-stone, a large river which flows from the south-west, more
+than one thousand miles before it reaches the Missouri; and it was of
+importance to ascertain, more accurately than they had hitherto done,
+the course of Maria's river.
+
+The separation took place on the 3d of July; and Captain Lewis, holding
+on an eastern course, crossed a large stream which flowed towards the
+Columbia, and which had already been named _Clarke's river_. On the 18th
+of July he came to _Maria's river_, the object of his search; and he
+continued for several days, his route along its northern bank. After
+having ascertained the course of this river, he again set out on his
+journey homeward, that he might not lose the opportunity of returning
+before the winter.
+
+He and his companions were only four in number; and, in one part of
+their journey, they had an alarming intercourse with a party of Indians.
+Not very long after this they embarked on the _Missouri_; and, with the
+aid of their oars and the current, they proceeded at the rate of between
+sixty and eighty miles a day. On the 7th of August they reached the
+mouth of the _Yellow-stone river_, the place of rendezvous, appointed
+with Captain Clarke. Here, by a note stuck upon a pole, they were
+informed that he had accomplished his voyage along that river, and would
+wait for them lower down the Missouri.
+
+Captain Clarke, on quitting the central encampment at _Traveller's Rest
+Creek_, had marched in a southerly direction, and had traversed a
+distance of one hundred and sixty-four miles, to the head of
+_Jefferson's river_. This journey was performed, on horseback, and in
+six days, over a country by no means difficult; so that, in future, the
+passage of this elevated region will be divested of a considerable
+portion of its terrors. He also discovered that the communication
+between the _Upper Missouri_ and the _Yellow-stone river_, was attended
+with little trouble; for Gallatin's river, one of the tributary streams
+of the Missouri, approaches within eighteen miles of the Yellow-stone,
+and, at a place, where the latter is completely navigable.
+
+Being unable to find wood of sufficient magnitude for the formation of
+canoes, Captain Clarke and his men were obliged to proceed on horseback,
+about one hundred miles down the side of this river. At length they
+succeeded in constructing boats, and sailed down the remainder of this
+stream with great rapidity. On the 27th, at the distance of two hundred
+miles from the Rocky Mountains, they beheld that elevated region for the
+last time. The Yellow-stone being easy of navigation, they reached the
+place of rendezvous earlier than they had expected.
+
+The whole party being now assembled below the conflux of the
+Yellow-stone and Missouri rivers, they prosecuted the remainder of their
+voyage together; experiencing, in the prospect of home, and in the ease
+with which they descended the river, a compensation for all their
+fatigues; and receiving the visits of various tribes of Indians who
+resided upon its banks.
+
+The greatest change which was experienced by them, in their southward
+progress, was that of climate. They had passed nearly two years, in a
+cool, open country, and they were now descending into wooded plains,
+eight or ten degrees further to the south, but differing in heat much
+more than is usual in a correspondent distance in Europe. They were
+likewise greatly tormented by musquitoes.
+
+On landing at _La Charrette_, the first village on this side of the
+United States, they were joyfully received by the inhabitants, who had
+long abandoned all hopes of their return. On the 23d of September they
+descended the Mississippi to _St. Louis_, which place they reached about
+noon; having, in two years and nine months, completed a journey of
+nearly nine thousand miles.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+At St. Louis we shall resume the narrative of Mr. Pike, who, in the
+month of July, 1806, set out from that place on an expedition westward,
+through the immense territory of Louisiana, towards New Spain. The chief
+objects of this expedition were to arrange an amicable treaty between
+the Americans and Indians of this quarter; and to ascertain the
+direction, extent, and navigation, of two great rivers, known by the
+names of Arkansaw and Red River.
+
+
+
+
+Eighteenth Day's Instruction.
+
+WESTERN TERRITORY CONCLUDED.
+
+
+_Narrative of Mr. Pike's Journey from St. Louis, through Louisiana, to
+Santa Fé, New Spain._
+
+The party engaged in this expedition, were Mr. Pike and another
+lieutenant, a surgeon, a serjeant, two corporals, sixteen private
+soldiers, and one interpreter. They had, under their charge, some
+chiefs of the Osage and Pawnee nations, who, with several women and
+children, had been redeemed from captivity, and now, to the number of
+fifty-one, were about to be restored to their friends.
+
+They set out from _St. Louis_ on the 15th of July, 1806, and proceeded,
+in two boats, up the _Missouri_. About six miles from the village of
+_St. Charles_, they passed a hill of solid coal, so extensive that it
+would probably afford fuel sufficient for the whole population of
+Louisiana.
+
+Mr. Pike says that, every morning, he was awaked by the lamentations of
+the savages who accompanied him. These invariably began to cry about
+day-light, and continued to do so for an hour. On enquiry respecting
+this practice, he was informed that it was customary, not only with
+persons who had recently lost their friends; but also with others who
+called to mind the loss of some friend, dead long before. They seemed to
+be extremely affected: tears ran down their cheeks, and they sobbed
+bitterly; but, when the hour was expired, they, in a moment, ceased
+their cries, and dried their cheeks.
+
+In their progress up the river, the Indians walked along the banks, and,
+every night, encamped near the boats. On the 28th the boats reached the
+mouth of the _Osage river_. For some distance the southern shore of the
+Missouri had been hilly, and covered with trees; and on the north were
+low bottoms and heavy timber. The soil was rich, and well adapted for
+cultivation.
+
+They entered the Osage, and encountered few difficulties in their voyage
+up that river. From the shores, the hunters amply supplied the whole
+party with provisions; deer, turkeys, geese, and game of different
+kinds.
+
+From the mouth of the Osage to that of the _Gravel river_, a distance of
+one hundred and eighteen miles, the banks of the former are covered with
+timber, which grows in a rich soil. Low hills, with rocks, alternately
+border the eastern and western shores: the lower grounds have excellent
+soil, and the whole adjacent country abounds in game. From the
+Gravel-river to the _Yungar_, the Osage continues to exhibit the
+appearance of a fertile and well-timbered country.
+
+The Indians joined their friends on the 15th, after which Mr. Pike and
+his party proceeded alone. On the ensuing day they passed the mouth of
+the _Grand Fork_, which was nearly as wide as the Osage; and, soon
+afterwards, reached the villages of the Osage Indians. The country
+adjacent to these villages is extremely beautiful. Three branches of the
+river wind round them, giving to their vicinity the advantages of wood
+and water, and, at the same time, those of an extensive prairie, crowned
+with rich and luxuriant grass and flowers, diversified by rising swells
+and sloping lawns.
+
+The _Osage Indians_, in language, habits, and many of their customs,
+differ little from other tribes which inhabit the country near the
+Missouri and Mississippi. They raise great quantities of corn, beans,
+and pumpkins; and all the agricultural labour is performed by women. The
+government is vested in a few of the chiefs, whose office is, in most
+instances, hereditary; but these never undertake any affair of
+importance, without first assembling the warriors, and proposing the
+subject for discussion in council. The Osage Indians are divided into
+classes: those of the principal class are warriors and hunters; and the
+others are cooks and doctors. The last exercise the function of priests
+or magicians; and, by pretended divinations, interpretations of dreams,
+and magical performances, they have great influence in the councils of
+the nation: they also exercise the office of town-criers. Many old
+warriors assume the profession of cooks: these do not carry arms, and
+are supported by the public, or by particular families to which they are
+attached.
+
+When a stranger enters the Osage village, he is received, in a
+patriarchal style, at the lodge of the chief. He is then invited, by all
+the great men of the village, to a feast. The cooks proclaim the feast,
+in different parts of the village, "Come and eat: such a one gives a
+feast, come and partake of his bounty." The dishes are generally boiled
+sweet corn, served up in buffalo grease; or boiled meat and pumpkins.
+
+From the Osage villages, Mr. Pike, and his men, accompanied by several
+Indians, proceeded, on horseback, in a somewhat westerly direction,
+towards the river Arkansaw. In some places the country was hilly, and
+commanded beautiful prospects. The wild animals were so numerous, that
+Mr. Pike, standing on one of the hills, beheld, at a single view,
+buffaloes, elks, deer, and panthers. Beyond this they passed through
+numerous herds of buffaloes, elks, and other animals. In many places the
+country was very deficient in water.
+
+On the 17th of September they reached a branch of the _Kanzes river_,
+the water of which was strongly impregnated with salt, as was that of
+many of the creeks. At some distance beyond this river, they were met by
+a party of Pawnee Indians; one of whom wore a scarlet coat, and had two
+medals: each of the others had a buffalo robe thrown over his naked
+body.
+
+From the eastern branch of the Kanzes river, to the village of the
+Pawnee Indians, the prairies are low, the grass is high, the country
+abounds in saline places, and the soil appears to be impregnated with
+particles of nitre and of common salt. The immediate borders of the
+river near the village, consist of lofty ridges; but this is an
+exception to the general appearance of the country.
+
+The _Pawnees_ reside on the rivers Platte and Kanzes. They are divided
+into three tribes. Their form is slender, and their cheeks bones are
+high. They are neither so brave nor so honest as their more northern
+neighbours. Their government, like that of the Osage Indians, is an
+hereditary aristocracy; but the power of the chiefs is extremely
+limited. They cultivate the soil and raise corn and pumpkins: they also
+breed horses, and have vast numbers of excellent animals. The houses or
+huts of the Pawnees are circular, except at the part where the door is
+placed; and, from this part, there is a projection of about fifteen
+feet. The roofs are thatched with grass and earth, and have, at the top,
+an aperture for the smoke to pass out: the fire is always made on the
+ground, in the middle of the hut. In the interior there are, round the
+walls, many small and neat apartments, constructed of wicker-work: these
+are the sleeping places of the different members of the family. The
+Pawnees are extremely addicted to gaming, and have, for that purpose, a
+smooth piece of ground, about one hundred and fifty yards in length,
+cleared at each end of their village.
+
+On Monday, the 29th of September, Mr. Pike held a grand council with the
+Pawnees; at which were present not fewer than four hundred warriors.
+Some attempts were made, by the chief, to prevent the further progress
+of the travellers; but Mr. Pike says, that they were not to be deterred
+by any impediments that could be opposed to them by a band of savages.
+
+Proceeding onward they came to several places which had evidently been
+occupied by Spanish troops; and they were desirous of tracing the course
+along which these troops had marched; but the marks of their footsteps
+had been effaced by the numerous herds of buffaloes, which abound in
+this part of the country.
+
+On the 18th of October, the travellers crossed the _Arkansaw_. From the
+Pawnee town, on the Kanzes river, to the Arkansaw, the country may be
+termed mountainous; and it contains a vast number of buffaloes. In the
+vicinity of this river it is, in many places, low and swampy.
+
+The travellers were occupied several days in cutting down trees and
+constructing canoes. During this time the hunters killed several
+buffaloes, elks, and other animals. When the canoes were completed, Mr.
+Pike dispatched Lieutenant Wilkinson, and three men, down the river,
+with letters to the United States; and himself and the rest of his men
+proceeded, on horseback, up the side of the river. On the 29th of
+October, a considerable quantity of snow fell, and ice floated along the
+current. Three days after this, they observed a numerous herd of wild
+horses. When within about a quarter of a mile of them, the animals
+approached, making the earth tremble, as if under a charge of cavalry.
+They stopped; and, among them, were seen some beautiful bays, blacks,
+and greys, and, indeed, horses of all colours. The next day the party
+endeavoured to catch some of them, by riding up, and throwing nooses
+over them. The horses stood, neighing and whinnying, till the assailants
+approached within thirty or forty yards; but all attempts to ensnare
+them were vain.
+
+Buffaloes were so numerous, that Mr. Pike says he is confident there
+were, at one time, more than three thousand within view. Through all the
+region which the party had hitherto traversed, they had not seen more
+than one cow-buffalo; but now the whole face of the country appeared to
+be covered with cows. Numerous herds of them were seen nearly every day.
+
+The course of the travellers still lay along the banks of the river;
+which, in this part of the country, were covered with wood on both
+sides; but no other species of trees were observed than cotton-wood. On
+the 15th of November, a range of mountains was seen, at a great
+distance, towards the right: they appeared like a small blue cloud; and
+the party, with one accord, gave three cheers, to what they considered
+to be the Mexican mountains.
+
+On the 22d, a great number of Indians were seen in the act of running
+from the woods, towards the strangers. Mr. Pike and his men advanced to
+meet them; and observing that those in front, extended their hands, and
+appeared to be unarmed, he alighted from his horse. But he had no sooner
+done this, than one of the savages mounted the horse, and rode off with
+it. Two other horses were taken away in a similar manner; but, when
+tranquillity was restored, these were all afterwards recovered. This was
+a war-party of the _Grand Pawnees_, who had been in search of an Indian
+nation called Jetans; but, not finding them, they were now on their
+return. They were about sixty in number, armed partly with guns, and
+partly with bows, arrows, and lances. An attempt was made to
+tranquillize them, by assembling them in a circle, offering to smoke
+with them the pipe of peace, and presenting them with tobacco, knives,
+fire-steels, and flints. With some difficulty they were induced to
+accept these presents, for they had demanded many more; and, when the
+travellers began to load their horses, they stole whatever they could
+carry away.
+
+A few days after this, Mr. Pike and his men reached the Blue Mountain,
+which they had seen on the 15th; and, with great difficulty, some of
+them ascended it. Along the sides, which were, in many places, rocky,
+and difficult of ascent, grew yellow and pitch pine-trees, and the
+summit was several feet deep in snow.
+
+From the entrance of the _Arkansaw_ into the mountains, to its source,
+it is alternately bounded by perpendicular precipices, and small, narrow
+prairies. In many places, the river precipitates itself over rocks, so
+as to be at one moment visible only in the foaming and boiling of its
+waters, and at the next disappearing in the chasms of the overhanging
+precipices. The length of this river is one thousand nine hundred and
+eighty-one miles, from its junction with the Mississippi to the
+mountains; and thence to its source one hundred and ninety-two; making
+its total length two thousand one hundred and seventy-three miles. With
+light boats it is navigable all the way to the mountains. Its borders
+may be termed the terrestrial paradise of the wandering savages. Of all
+the countries ever visited by civilized man, there probably never was
+one that produced game in greater abundance than this.
+
+By the route of the Arkansaw and the _Rio Colorado_ of California, Mr.
+Pike is of opinion that a communication might be established betwixt
+the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The land-carriage, at the utmost, would
+not exceed two hundred miles; and this might be rendered as easy as
+along the public highways over the Alleghany Mountains. The Rio Colorado
+is, to the great Gulf of California, what the Mississippi is to the Gulf
+of Mexico; and is navigable for ships of considerable burden.
+
+The travellers left the vicinity of the Arkansaw on the 30th of
+November; and, though the ground was covered with snow, and they
+suffered excessively from the cold, they still persevered in their
+journey, and in their labour of examining and ascertaining the courses
+of the rivers. They killed a great number of buffaloes and turkeys.
+Steering their course in a south-westerly direction, for the head of the
+Red river, one of the party found a camp which had been occupied by at
+least three thousand Indians: it had a large cross in the middle. They
+subsequently found many evacuated camps of Indians.
+
+On the 18th of December, they came to a stream, about twenty-five yards
+in width, which they erroneously supposed to be a branch of the Red
+river. Its current flowed with great rapidity, and its bed was full of
+rocks. On ascending this river, to examine its source, it was found to
+run close to the mountains, in a narrow and rocky channel; and to have
+its banks bordered with pine-trees, cedar, and other kinds of timber.
+The whole party suffered extremely from cold; their clothing being
+frozen stiff, and their limbs considerably benumbed.
+
+Their situation, on Christmas-day, was not very enviable. All the food
+they possessed, was buffalo-flesh, without salt. Before this time, they
+had been accustomed to some degree of comfort, and had experienced even
+some enjoyments: but now, at the most inclement season of the year, and
+eight hundred miles distant from the frontiers of the United States, not
+one person was properly clad for the winter; many were even without
+blankets, having cut them up for socks and other articles; and all were
+obliged to lie down at night, upon the snow or wet ground, one side
+burning and the other frozen. For shoes and clothing they were obliged
+to adopt a miserable substitute in raw buffalo hides.
+
+In their further progress, they suffered excessive hardships for several
+days. Food became so scarce, that they were obliged to separate into
+eight different parties, in order to procure subsistence. The roads were
+so mountainous, stony, and slippery, that it was with the greatest
+difficulty the horses could be prevented from stumbling; and many of
+them fell. In one instance, the whole party were four days without food;
+and some of them had their feet frozen. At length, they were obliged to
+leave the horses; and each man had to carry a heavy load, and, at the
+same time, to march through snow two feet and half deep. Several of the
+men, unable to keep pace with the rest, were left behind.
+
+On the 27th of January, Mr. Pike observed, at a distance, a large river,
+which he imagined to be the Red river; and, on the 30th, he reached its
+banks. This, afterwards, proved to be the _Rio del Norte_. They
+proceeded along its banks, for about eighteen miles; and, at length,
+came to a spot, where they established a temporary residence, whilst
+they sent men to assist, and collect together the unfortunate stragglers
+who had been left in the rear.
+
+The region they had traversed betwixt the Arkansaw and the Rio del
+Norte, was covered with mountains and small prairies. From the Missouri
+to the head of the Osage river, a distance of about three hundred miles,
+Mr. Pike says that the country will admit of a numerous, extensive, and
+compact population. From the Osage to the rivers Kanzes, La Platte, and
+Arkansaw, the country could sustain only a limited population; but the
+inhabitants might, with advantage, rear cattle, horses, sheep, and
+goats.
+
+On the 16th of February, whilst Mr. Pike and one of his men were
+hunting, in the vicinity of their residence, they observed, at a
+distance, two horsemen, armed with lances. They proved to be a Spanish
+dragoon and an Indian, who had been sent from Santa Fé, a town of New
+Spain, about four days before. On the 17th, some of the stragglers
+arrived: several of them had lost the joints of their toes, by the
+intensity of the frost, and were rendered cripples for life.
+
+The Spanish dragoon and Indian had returned to Santa Fé; and the report
+which they made of the appearance of the strangers, induced the governor
+to send out fifty dragoons, and fifty mounted militia, for the purpose
+of ascertaining their state and numbers. In an interview which took
+place with the commanders of these troops, Mr. Pike learnt that the
+river, on the bank of which he had encamped, was the Rio del Norte, and
+not the Red river, as he had imagined. The officers stated to him that a
+hundred mules and horses had been sent to convey him, his men, and
+baggage, to Santa Fé; and that the governor was anxious to see them in
+that town, to receive an explanation respecting their business on his
+frontiers.
+
+Mr. Pike and some of his men accompanied the officers to Santa Fé, while
+others were left behind, to wait the arrival of those who had not yet
+come up.
+
+In their progress, they were treated, in all the villages, with the
+utmost hospitality. On their march, they were frequently stopped by
+women, who invited them into their houses to eat; and, in every place
+where they halted, there was a contest who should be their hosts. Those
+that had suffered by having their limbs frozen, were conducted home by
+old men, who caused their daughters to dress the sores, and to provide
+for them victuals and drink; and, at night, they gave them the best bed
+in the house.
+
+In the evening of the 3d of March, Mr. Pike reached _Santa Fé_. This
+city, the capital of New Mexico, is situated along the banks of a small
+creek, which issues from the mountains, and runs westward to the Rio
+del Norte. It is about a mile in length, and not more than three
+streets in width. The houses are, generally, only one story high, and
+have flat roofs. There are, in Santa Fé, two churches, the magnificence
+of whose steeples forms an extraordinary contrast to the miserable
+appearance of the other buildings. On the north side of the town is a
+square, constructed for soldiers' houses, each flank of which contains
+from a hundred and twenty to a hundred and forty. The public square is
+in the centre of the town. On one side of it is the palace or
+government-house, with the quarters for the guards; and the other sides
+are occupied by the houses of the clergy, and public officers. Most of
+the houses have sheds before them, which occasion the streets to be very
+narrow. The number of inhabitants in Santa Fé, is supposed to be about
+four thousand five hundred.
+
+On Mr. Pike and his men entering this town, the crowd assembled to view
+them was excessively great: and, indeed, their extremely miserable
+appearance seems to have excited much curiosity. This may easily be
+accounted for. After they had left the Arkansaw, they had been obliged
+to carry all their baggage on their backs; and, consequently, the useful
+were preferred to the ornamental articles. The ammunition, tools,
+leather-leggings, boots, and moccasins, had been considered absolutely
+requisite. They had left behind their uniform clothing; and, when they
+entered Santa Fé, Mr. Pike was dressed in a pair of blue trowsers,
+moccasins, a blanket-coat, and a red cap. His men had leggings, cloths
+round their waists, and leather coats: there was not a hat among the
+whole party. This appearance was extremely mortifying to them all,
+especially as soldiers; and it made no very favourable impression on the
+people of Santa Fé. They were asked, by many of the common people,
+whether they had lived in houses, or in camps, like the Indians; or
+whether, in their country, the people wore hats.
+
+They were conducted to the government-house, where they dismounted. On
+entering it they were conducted through various rooms, the floors of all
+which were covered with the skins of buffaloes, bears, or other animals.
+Here they underwent an examination, by the governor, respecting their
+objects and number. The conference terminated amicably; but the governor
+informed Mr. Pike that he must be conducted to Chihuahua, a town in the
+province of New Biscay, and upwards of three hundred leagues distant.
+
+
+
+
+Nineteenth Day's Instruction.
+
+MEXICO OR NEW SPAIN.
+
+
+The Spanish possessions in North America, extend from the isthmus of
+Darien, along the coast of the Pacific Ocean, to the distance of more
+than two thousand two hundred miles. One half of them is situated under
+the burning sky of the tropics, and the other belongs to the temperate
+zone. Their whole interior forms an immense plain, elevated from six to
+eight thousand feet above the level of the adjacent seas. The chain of
+_mountains_ which constitutes this vast plain, is a continuation of that
+which, under the name Andes, runs through South America. They are, in
+general, little interrupted by valleys, and, for the most part, their
+declivity is very gentle. In consequence of this elevation, the Mexican
+provinces, situated under the torrid zone, enjoy a cold rather than a
+temperate _climate_. The interior provinces, in the temperate zone,
+have, like the rest of North America, a climate essentially different
+from that of the same parallels in the European continent. A remarkable
+inequality prevails between the temperature of the different seasons:
+German winters succeed to Neapolitan and Sicilian summers.
+
+This country suffers many inconveniences from a want of water, and
+particularly of navigable rivers. The Rio del Norte and the Rio Colorado
+are almost the only _rivers_ of any importance. The _lakes_ with which
+Mexico abounds, are merely the remains of immense basins of water, which
+appear to have formerly existed on the high and extensive plains of the
+Cordilleras. The largest of these, the _Lake of Chapala_, contains
+nearly one hundred and sixty square leagues, and is about twice as large
+as the lake of Constance.
+
+A great portion of high land, in the interior of New Spain, is destitute
+of vegetation; and some of the loftiest summits are clad with perpetual
+snow. This country is not so much disturbed by earthquakes as several
+parts of South America; for, in the whole of New Spain there are only
+five _volcanos_; Orizaba, Popocatepetl, Tuxtla, Jorullo, and Colima.
+
+The _volcano of Jorullo_, in the province of Valladolid, was formed
+during the night of the 29th of September, 1759. The great catastrophe,
+in which this mountain rose from the earth, and by which a considerable
+space of ground changed its appearance, is, perhaps, one of the most
+extraordinary physical revolutions in the history of the earth. Geology
+points out parts of the ocean, where, at recent periods, near the
+Azores, in the Egean Sea, and to the south of Iceland, small volcanic
+islands have arisen above the surface of the water; but it gives no
+example of the formation, amidst a thousand small burning cones, of a
+mountain of scoria, near seventeen hundred feet in height, above the
+adjoining plain. Till the middle of the year 1759, fields cultivated
+with sugar-canes and indigo occupied the extent of ground between the
+two brooks called Cultamba and San Pedro. In the month of June, a
+subterraneous noise was heard. Hollow sounds of most alarming
+description, were accompanied by frequent earthquakes, which succeeded
+one another for fifty or sixty days, to the great consternation of the
+inhabitants. From the beginning of September every thing seemed to
+announce the complete re-establishment of tranquillity; when, in the
+night between the 28th and 29th, the subterraneous noises recommenced.
+The affrighted Indians fled to the mountains; and a tract of ground,
+from three to four square miles in extent, which goes by the name of
+_Malpays_, rose up in the shape of a bladder. The bounds of this
+convulsion are still distinguishable in the fractured strata. The
+Malpays, near its edges, is only about forty feet above the old level of
+the plain; but the convexity of the ground thus thrown up, increases
+progressively, towards the centre, to an elevation of more than five
+hundred and twenty feet.
+
+The persons who witnessed this astonishing catastrophe, assert that
+flames were seen to issue forth, for an extent of more than half a
+square league; that fragments of burning rocks were thrown up to
+prodigious heights; and that, through a thick cloud of ashes, illumined
+by the volcanic fire, the softened surface of the earth was seen to
+swell up like an agitated sea. The rivers of Cultamba and San Pedro
+precipitated themselves into the burning chasms. The decomposition of
+the water contributed to invigorate the flames, which were
+distinguishable at a vast distance. Eruptions of mud, and other
+substances, indicated that subterraneous water had no small share in
+producing this extraordinary revolution. Thousands of small cones, from
+six to nine feet in height, called by the Indians "hornitos," or ovens,
+issued forth from the Malpays. Each small cone is a "fumorola," from
+which a thick vapour ascends; and in many of them a subterraneous noise
+is heard, which appears to announce the proximity of a fluid in
+ebullition. In the midst of the ovens six large masses, elevated from
+one thousand three hundred to one thousand six hundred and forty feet
+above the old level of the plains, sprung up from a chasm. The most
+elevated of these is the great volcano of Jorullo. It is continually
+burning, and has thrown up an immense quantity of scorified and
+basaltic lavas, containing fragments of primitive rocks. These great
+eruptions of the central volcano continued till the month of February,
+1760. In the following year they became gradually less frequent. The
+Indians, frightened at the horrible noises of the new volcano, had
+abandoned all the villages, within seven or eight leagues of it. They,
+however, gradually became accustomed to them, and returned to their
+cottages. So violent were the eruptions of this mountain, that the roofs
+of houses in Queretaro, though at a distance of more than forty-eight
+leagues, in a straight line from the scene of explosion, were sometimes
+covered with ashes.
+
+The Mexican _population_ consists of seven races, 1. Individuals born in
+Europe; 2. Creoles, or Whites of European extraction, born in America;
+3. Mesti zos, or descendants of whites and Indians; 4. Mulattoes,
+descendants of whites and negroes; 5. Zambos, descendants of negroes and
+Indians; 6. Indians, or the copper-coloured indigenous race; and, 7.
+African negroes.
+
+The number of _Indians_, including those only who have no mixture of
+European or African blood, are more than two millions and a half in
+number; and these appear to constitute about two-fifths of the whole
+population of Mexico. They bear a general resemblance to the Indians of
+Canada, Florida, Peru, and Brazil: they have a similar swarthy and
+copper-coloured skin, smooth hair, little beard, squat body, long eyes,
+with the corners directed upward towards the temples, prominent cheek
+bones, and thick lips. There is a great diversity in their language, but
+they appear to have been all descendants from the same original stock.
+
+It is probable that these Indians would live to a great age, did they
+not often injure their constitution by drunkenness. Their intoxicating
+liquors are rum, a fermentation of maize, and the root of the jatropha;
+and especially a wine which is made from the juice of the great
+American aloe. The police, in the city of Mexico, sends round tumbrils,
+to collect such drunkards as are found lying in the streets. These are
+treated like dead bodies, and are carried to the principal guard-house.
+The next morning an iron ring is put round each of their ancles, and, as
+a punishment, they are made to cleanse the streets for three days.
+
+The Mexican Indian, when not under the influence of intoxicating
+liquors, is grave, melancholic, and silent. The most violent passions
+are never depicted in his features; and it is sometimes frightful to see
+him pass, at once, from a state of apparent repose, to the most violent
+and unrestrained agitation. It is stated that these Indians have
+preserved, from their ancestors, a particular relish for carving in wood
+and stone; and that it is astonishing to see what they are able to
+execute with a bad knife, on the hardest wood. Many Indian children,
+educated in the college of the capital, or instructed at the academy of
+painting, founded by the king of Spain, have considerably distinguished
+themselves, but without leaving the beaten track pursued by their
+forefathers; they chiefly display great aptitude in the arts of
+imitation; and in the purely mechanical arts.
+
+The _Spanish inhabitants_ and the _Creoles_ are noted for hospitality,
+generosity, and sobriety; but they are extremely deficient in energy,
+patriotism, enterprise, and independence of character. The women have
+black eyes and hair, and fine teeth: they are of dark colour, full habit
+of body, and have, in general, bad figures. They usually wear short
+jackets and petticoats, high-heeled shoes, and no head-dress. As an
+upper garment they have a silk wrapper, which, when they are in the
+presence of men, they affect to bring over their faces. In the towns on
+the frontiers and adjacent to the sea-coast, many of the ladies wear
+gowns, like those of our country-women. The lower classes of men are
+generally dressed in broad-brimmed hats, short coats, large waistcoats,
+smallclothes open at the knees, and a kind of boot or leather wrapper
+bound round the leg, and gartered at the knee. The spurs of the
+gentlemen are clumsy: they are ornamented with raised work; and the
+straps are embroidered with gold and silver thread. The Spanish
+Americans are always ready to mount their horses; and the inhabitants of
+the interior provinces pass nearly half their day on horseback. In the
+towns, and among the higher ranks, the men dress in the European style.
+
+The _amusements_ of this people are music, singing, dancing, and
+gambling: the latter is, indeed, officially prohibited; but the
+prohibition is not much attended to. At every large town there is a
+public walk, where the ladies and gentlemen meet and sing songs. The
+females have fine voices, and sing French, Italian, and Spanish music,
+the whole company joining in chorus. In their houses the ladies play on
+the guitar, and accompany this instrument with their voices. They either
+sit on the carpet cross-legged, or loll on a sofa: to sit upright, on a
+chair, appears to put them to great inconvenience.
+
+Both in _eating_ and _drinking_ the Spanish Americans are remarkably
+temperate. Early in the morning those of the higher class have
+chocolate. At twelve they dine on meat, fowls, and fish; after which
+different kinds of confectionary are placed on the table; they drink a
+few glasses of wine, sing a few songs, and then retire to take their
+_siesta_ or afternoon nap. The latter is a practice common both to rich
+and poor: the consequence of it is that, about two o'clock, every day,
+the windows and doors of the town are all closed, the streets are
+deserted, and the stillness of midnight reigns throughout. At four they
+rise, wash and dress, and prepare for the dissipation of the evening.
+About eleven o'clock refreshments are offered; but few take any thing
+except a little wine and water and candied sugar.
+
+The _commerce_ of New Spain, with Europe and the United States, is
+carried on through the port of Vera Cruz only; and with the East Indies
+and South America, through that of Acapulco. But all the commercial
+transactions, and all the productions and manufactures, are subjected to
+such severe restrictions, that they are at present of little importance
+to the prosperity of the country. Were the various bays and harbours of
+Mexico and California to be opened to the trade of the world; and were
+correct regulations to be adopted, New Spain might become both wealthy
+and powerful. Many parts of the country abound in iron ore, yet iron and
+steel articles, of every description, are brought from Europe; for the
+manufacturing or working of iron is here strictly prohibited. This
+occasions the requisite utensils of husbandry, arms, and tools, to be
+enormously dear; and forms a great check to the progress of agriculture,
+and to improvements in manufactures.
+
+The _ancient Mexicans_ preserved the memory of events by figures painted
+on skins, cloth, or the bark of trees. These hieroglyphical and
+symbolical characters, being considered by the ignorant and bigoted
+Spaniards to be monuments of idolatry, the first bishop of Mexico
+destroyed as many of them as could be collected. In consequence of this
+barbarous procedure, the knowledge of remote events was lost, except
+what could be derived from tradition, and from some fragments of those
+paintings which eluded the search of the monks.
+
+With regard to the _public edifices_ of the Mexicans: their temples were
+merely mounds of earth faced with stone; and it is probable that their
+other public buildings were equally rude. The ancient natives bestowed
+little attention on agriculture, and were strangers to the use of money;
+but their ornaments of gold and silver indicated considerable ingenuity.
+They were acquainted with the manufacture of paper, of coarse
+cotton-cloth, glass, and earthenware; and they possessed the arts of
+casting metals, of making mosaic work with shells and feathers, of
+spinning and weaving the hair of animals, and of dying with indelible
+colours.
+
+The _religion_ of the ancient Mexicans, like that of all unenlightened
+nations, seems to have been founded chiefly on fear; and consisted of a
+system of gloomy rites and practices, the object of which was to avert
+the evils that they suffered or dreaded. They had some notion of an
+invisible supreme Being; but their chief anxiety was to deprecate the
+wrath of certain imaginary malignant spirits, whom they regarded as the
+enemies of mankind. They worshipped idols, formed of wood and stone; and
+decorated their temples with the figures of serpents, tigers, and other
+destructive animals. They believed in the immortality of the soul; but
+their notions of a future state may be collected from their funeral
+rites: the bodies, or the ashes of the deceased, were generally buried
+with whatever was judged necessary for their accommodation or comfort in
+the other world, where it was believed they would experience the same
+desires, and be engaged in the same occupations, as in this. The
+religion established by the Spaniards is the Roman Catholic; and it is
+computed that one-fifth part of the Spanish inhabitants are
+ecclesiastics, monks, and nuns.
+
+The _Spanish government_ in America is vested in officers called
+viceroys, who represent the person of their sovereign; and who possess
+his royal prerogatives, within the precincts of their own territories.
+In its present state, New Spain is divided into twelve intendancies, and
+three districts, which are called provinces[2].
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+[2] For particulars respecting the conquest of Mexico by the Spaniards,
+see "Biographical Conversations on Eminent Voyagers," p. 59 to 73.
+
+
+
+
+Twentieth Day's Instruction.
+
+MEXICO CONTINUED.
+
+
+_Narrative of Mr. PIKE'S Journey from Santa Fé to Montelovez._
+
+Mr. Pike and his men were escorted from Santa Fé by a Spanish officer,
+and a troop of soldiers. On Thursday, the 5th of March, they arrived at
+a village called _St. Domingo_. The inhabitants of this place were about
+a thousand in number; and the chiefs were distinguished by canes, with
+silver heads and black tassels. Mr. Pike was permitted to visit the
+church; and he was much astonished to find, enclosed in mud-brick walls,
+many rich paintings, and a statue of the patron saint, as large as life,
+and elegantly ornamented with gold and silver.
+
+On the ensuing day, the party marched down the eastern side of the Rio
+del Norte, the snow being still a foot deep. Near the village of
+_Albuquerque_, they observed that the inhabitants were beginning to open
+the canals, for the purpose of letting in the water of the river, to
+fertilize the lands. They saw men, women, and children engaged in the
+joyful labour, which was to crown, with rich abundance, their future
+harvest, and to ensure them plenty for the ensuing year. A little below
+Albuquerque, the Rio del Norte was four hundred yards wide, but not more
+than three feet deep.
+
+In their journey southward, they passed through several villages. One of
+these, called _Sibilleta_, was in the form of a regular square,
+appearing, on the outside, like an immense mud-wall. All the doors and
+windows faced the interior of the square; and it was the neatest and
+most regular village Mr. Pike had ever seen.
+
+Beyond this village, the party met a caravan, consisting of three
+hundred men, escorted by an officer and thirty-five or forty troops, who
+were proceeding, with about fifteen thousand sheep, to the different
+provinces. They afterwards met a caravan of fifty men, and about two
+hundred horses, laden with traffic, for New Mexico. On the 21st of March
+they arrived at the _Passo del Norte_: the road now led them through a
+rough and mountainous country; and passing through _Carracal_, and some
+other villages, they reached _Chihuahua_ on the 2d of April.
+
+They were conducted into the presence of the commanding-officer of the
+place, before whom Mr. Pike underwent an examination, as he had
+previously done at Santa Fé. He was treated with great apparent respect,
+and was offered both assistance and money. He afterwards visited in the
+houses of some of the principal inhabitants. At the house of the
+governor, when wine was put on the table, after dinner, the company was
+entertained with songs in the French, Italian, Spanish, and English
+languages.
+
+There are, at Chihuahua, and in its vicinity, fifteen mines; thirteen of
+silver, one of gold, and one of copper; the furnaces for all of which
+are in the suburbs of the town, and present, except on Sundays, volumes
+of smoke, rising in every direction. Chihuahua is surrounded by piles of
+cinders, from ten to fifteen feet in height. In the public square, stand
+the church, the royal treasury, the town-house, and the richest shops;
+and, at the western extremity of the town, are two other churches, an
+hospital, and the military academy. About a mile south of the town, is a
+large aqueduct. The principal church of Chihuahua is a most superb
+edifice: its whole front is covered with statues of saints; figures of
+different saints are set in niches of the wall; and the windows, doors,
+&c. are ornamented with sculpture. The decorations in the interior are
+said to be immensely rich. On the south of the town is a public walk,
+formed by three rows of trees, the branches of which nearly form a
+junction over the heads of the passengers below. At different distances,
+there are seats for persons to repose themselves upon; and at each end
+of the walks, are circular seats, on, which, in the evenings, the
+inhabitants amuse themselves in singing to the music of guitars. This
+city contains about eleven thousand inhabitants.
+
+After a residence, in Chihuahua, of somewhat more than three weeks, Mr.
+Pike received an intimation that he and his men would be escorted out of
+the country. Accordingly, on the 28th of April, he was accompanied,
+towards the frontier, by a Spanish officer. Near Chihuahua they passed a
+small ridge of mountains, and then encamped in a hollow. At the distance
+of about fifty miles they reached the river _Florida_; on the banks of
+which are many important settlements, and well-timbered lands. One of
+the plantations on this river, extended thirty leagues; and had been
+valued at three hundred thousand dollars.
+
+The country through which they now passed was mountainous. On the 11th
+of May, they reached _Mauperne_, a village situated at the foot of the
+mountains, and near which eight or nine valuable copper-mines were
+worked; but the mass of the people were in a starving and wretched
+state. The proprietor of the mines, however, gave the travellers an
+elegant repast.
+
+They pursued their march three miles further, to a station, on a little
+stream, which flowed through gardens, and formed a terrestrial paradise.
+Here they remained all day, and at night slept under the shade of the
+fig-trees. In the morning, Mr. Pike was awakened by the singing of the
+birds, and the perfume of the trees around. This place, however, was no
+doubt rendered the more interesting to the travellers, in consequence of
+their having previously suffered much inconvenience from want of water.
+
+On the 20th, they arrived at the _Hacienda of Polloss_, a handsome
+place, at which the Marquis de San Miguel, a wealthy nobleman, who
+possessed extensive property in this part of New Spain, usually passed
+the summer. The Hacienda of Polloss is a square enclosure of about three
+hundred feet: the building is no more than one story high; but some of
+the apartments are very elegantly furnished. In the centre of the square
+is a fountain, which throws out water from eight spouts. There is also,
+at this place, a handsome church, which, with its ornaments, is said to
+have cost at least twenty thousand dollars. The inhabitants are about
+two thousand in number.
+
+_Montelovez_, situated on the banks of a small stream, is about a mile
+in length. It has two public squares, seven churches, some
+powder-magazines, mills, a royal hospital, and barracks. The number of
+inhabitants is about three thousand five hundred. This city is
+ornamented with public walks, columns, and fountains; and is one of the
+handsomest places in New Spain[3].
+
+South-west from Montelovez stands _Durango_, the chief city of the
+province of Biscay. In the vicinity of this place are many rich and
+valuable mines; and the soil is so fertile as to produce abundant crops
+of wheat, maize, and fruit. The climate is mild and healthy. Durango
+contains about twelve thousand inhabitants; and has four convents and
+three churches.
+
+
+_A Description of the City of Mexico._
+
+This magnificent city is the capital of New Spain, and the residence of
+the viceroy. In its _situation_ it possesses many important advantages.
+Standing on an isthmus, which is washed on one side by the Atlantic
+Ocean, and on the other by the South-sea, it might possess a powerful
+influence over the political events which agitate the world. A king of
+Spain, resident at this capital, might, in six weeks, transmit his
+orders to Europe, and, in three weeks, to the Philippine islands in
+Asia. There are, however, difficulties to be encountered, arising from
+the unfavourable state of the coasts, and the want of secure harbours.
+During several months in the year, these coasts are visited by tempests.
+The hurricanes, also, which occur in the months of September, October,
+and March, and which sometimes last for three or four successive days,
+are very tremendous.
+
+Mexico was originally founded in the lake of Tezcuco; and, at the time
+when the Spaniards first invaded America, it was a magnificent capital.
+Cortez, describing it in the year 1520, says, that it was in the midst
+of a salt-water lake, which had its tides, like the ocean; and that,
+from the city to the continent, there was a distance of two leagues.
+Four dikes or embankments, each two lances broad, led to the city. The
+principal streets were narrow: some of them had navigable canals running
+along them, furnished with bridges, wide enough for ten men on
+horseback, to pass at the same time. The market-place was surrounded
+with an immense portico, under which were sold all sorts of merchandise,
+eatables, ornaments made of gold, silver, lead, pewter, precious stones,
+bones, shells, and feathers; earthenware, leather, and spun cotton. In
+some places were exposed to sale hewn stone, tiles, and timber for
+building; in others game; and, in others, roots, garden-stuff, and
+fruit. There were houses where barbers shaved the head, with razors made
+of obsidian, a volcanic substance not much unlike bottle-glass; and
+there were others, resembling our apothecary-shops, where prepared
+medicines, unguents, and plasters were sold. The market abounded with so
+many things, that Cortez was unable to name them all. To avoid
+confusion, every species of merchandise was sold in a separate place. In
+the middle of the great square was a house, which he calls
+_L'Audiencia_; and in which ten or twelve persons sate every day, to
+determine any disputes which might arise respecting the sale of goods.
+
+The city was divided into four _quarters_: this division is still
+preserved, in the limits assigned to the quarters of St. Paul, St.
+Sebastian, St. John, and St. Mary; and the present streets have, for the
+most part, the same direction as the old ones. But what gives to this
+city a peculiar and distinctive character is, that it is entirely on the
+continent, between the extremities of the two lakes of Tezcuco and
+Chalco. This has been occasioned by the gradual draining of the great
+lake, and the consequent drying up of the waters around the city. Hence
+Mexico is now two miles and half from the banks of the former, and five
+miles and half from those of the latter.
+
+Adorned with numerous _teocallis_, (or temples,) like so many Mahometan
+steeples, surrounded with water and embankments, founded on islands
+covered with verdure, and receiving, hourly, in its streets, thousands
+of boats, which vivified the lake, the ancient Mexico, according to the
+accounts of the first conquerors, must have resembled some of the cities
+of Holland, China, or the Delta of Lower Egypt.
+
+As reconstructed by the Spaniards, it exhibits, at the present day,
+perhaps a less vivid, though a more august and majestic appearance, than
+the ancient city. With the exception of Petersburg, Berlin,
+Philadelphia, and some quarters of Westminster, there does not exist a
+place of the same extent, which can be compared to the capital of New
+Spain, for the uniform level of the ground on which it stands, for the
+regularity and breadth of the streets, and the extent of its public
+places. The architecture is, for the most part, in a pure style; and
+many of the edifices are of a very beautiful structure. The exterior of
+the houses is not loaded with ornaments. Two sorts of hewn stone, give
+to the Mexican buildings an air of solidity, and sometimes even of
+magnificence. There are none of those wooden balconies and galleries to
+be seen, which so much disfigure all the European cities in both the
+Indies. The balustrades and gates are all of iron, ornamented with
+bronze; and the houses, instead of roofs, have terraces, like those in
+Italy, and other southern countries of the old continent.
+
+Mexico has, of late, received many additional embellishments. An
+edifice, for the School of Mines, which was built at an expence of more
+than £.120,000 sterling, would adorn the principal places of Paris or
+London. Two great palaces have been constructed by Mexican artists,
+pupils of the Academy of Fine Arts. One of these has a beautiful
+interior, ornamented with columns.
+
+But, notwithstanding the progress of the arts, within the last thirty
+years, it is much less from the grandeur and beauty of the monuments,
+than from the breadth and straightness of the streets; and much less
+from its edifices, than from its uniform regularity, its extent and
+position, that the capital of New Spain attracts the admiration of
+Europeans. M. De Humboldt had successively visited, within a very short
+space of time, Lima, Mexico, Philadelphia, Washington, Paris, Rome,
+Naples, and the largest cities of Germany; and notwithstanding
+unavoidable comparisons, of which several might be supposed
+disadvantageous to the capital of Mexico, there was left on his mind, a
+recollection of grandeur, which he principally attributed to the
+majestic character of its situation, and the beauty of the surrounding
+scenery.
+
+In fact, nothing can present a more rich and varied appearance than the
+_valley of Mexico_, when, in a fine summer morning, a person ascends one
+of the towers of the cathedral, or the adjacent hill of Chapoltepec. A
+beautiful vegetation surrounds this hill. From its summit, the eye
+wanders over a vast plain of richly-cultivated fields, which extend to
+the very feet of colossal mountains, that are covered with perpetual
+snow, The city appears as if washed by the waters of the lake of
+Tezcuco, whose basin, surrounded by villages and hamlets, brings to mind
+the most beautiful lakes of the mountains of Switzerland. Large avenues
+of elms and poplars lead, in every direction, to the capital; and two
+aqueducts, constructed over arches of great elevation, cross the plain,
+and exhibit an appearance equally agreeable and interesting.
+
+Mexico is remarkable for its excellent police. Most of the _streets_
+have broad pavements; and they are clean, and well lighted. Water is,
+every where, to be had; but it is brackish, like the water of the lake.
+There are, however, two _aqueducts_, by which the city receives
+fresh-water, from distant springs. Some remains of the _dikes_ or
+_embankments_, are still to be seen: they, at present, form great paved
+causeys, across marshy ground; and, as they are considerably elevated,
+they possess the double advantage, of admitting the passage of
+carriages, and restraining the overflowings of the lake. This city has
+six principal _gates_; and is surrounded by a ditch, but is without
+walls.
+
+The objects which chiefly attract the attention of strangers, are 1. The
+_Cathedral_, which is partly in the Gothic style of architecture, and
+has two towers, ornamented with pilasters and statues, of very beautiful
+symmetry. 2. The _Treasury_, which adjoins to the palace of the
+viceroys: from this building, since the beginning of the 16th century,
+more than 270 millions sterling, in gold and silver coin, have been
+issued. 3. The _Convents_. 4. The _Hospital_, or rather the two united
+hospitals, of which one maintains six hundred, and the other eight
+hundred children and old people. 5. The _Acordada_, a fine edifice, of
+which the prisons are spacious and well aired. 6. The _School of Mines_.
+7. The _Botanical Garden_, in one of the courts of the viceroy's palace.
+8. The edifices of the _University_ and the _Public Library_, which,
+however, are very unworthy of so great and ancient an establishment. 9.
+The _Academy of Fine Arts_.
+
+Mexico is the see of an archbishop, and contains twenty-three convents
+for monks, and fifteen for nuns. Its whole population is estimated at
+one hundred and forty thousand persons.
+
+On the north-side of the city, near the suburbs, is a _public walk_,
+which forms a large square, having a basin in the middle, and where
+eight walks terminate.
+
+The _markets_ of Mexico are well supplied with eatables; particularly
+with roots and fruit. It is an interesting spectacle, which may be
+enjoyed every morning at sunrise, to see these provisions, and a great
+quantity of flowers, brought by Indians, in boats, along the canals.
+Most of the roots are cultivated on what are called _chinampas_, or
+"floating gardens." These are of two sorts: one moveable, and driven
+about by the winds, and the other fixed and attached to the shore. The
+first alone merit the denomination of floating-gardens.
+
+Simple lumps of earth, in lakes or rivers, carried away from the banks,
+have given rise to the invention of chinampas. The floating-gardens, of
+which very many were found by the Spaniards, when they first invaded
+Mexico, and of which many still exist in the lake of Chalco, were rafts
+formed of reeds, rushes, roots, and branches of underwood. The Indians
+cover these light and well connected materials with a black mould, which
+becomes extremely fertile. The chinampas sometimes contain the cottage
+of the Indian, who acts as guard for a group of floating gardens. When
+removed from one side of the banks to the other, they are either towed
+or are pushed with long poles. Every chinampa forms an oblong square
+about three hundred feet in length, and eighteen or nineteen feet broad.
+Narrow ditches, communicating symmetrically between them, separate these
+squares. The mould fit for cultivation rises about three feet above the
+surface of the surrounding water. On these chinampas are cultivated
+beans, peas, pimento, potatoes, artichokes, cauliflowers, and a great
+variety of other vegetables. Their sides are generally ornamented with
+flowers, and sometimes with hedges of rose-bushes. The promenade in
+boats, around the chinampas of the river Istracalco, is one of the most
+agreeable amusements that can be enjoyed in the environs of Mexico. The
+vegetation is extremely vigorous, on a soil which is continually
+refreshed with water.
+
+The _Hill of Chapoltepec_, near Mexico, was chosen by the young viceroy
+Galvez, as the site of a villa for himself and his successors. The
+castle has been finished externally, but the apartments were not
+completed when M. de Humboldt was here. This building cost the king of
+Spain more than £.62,000 sterling.
+
+With respect to the two great _lakes_, Tezcuco and Chalco, which are
+situated in the valley of Mexico, one is of fresh water, and the other
+salt. They are separated by a narrow range of mountains, which rise in
+the middle of the plain; and their waters mingle together, in a strait
+between the hills. On both these lakes there are numerous towns and
+villages, which carry on their commerce with each other in canoes,
+without touching the continent.
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+[3] From this place, Mr. Pike was conducted, through St. Antonio, in a
+north-westerly direction, to the territories of the United States; and
+he terminates the account of his travels at _Natchitoches_, on the
+southern bank of the Red river.
+
+
+
+
+Twenty-first Day's Instruction.
+
+MEXICO CONCLUDED.
+
+
+_A Description of some of the most important Places in Mexico._
+
+In an easterly direction from the city of Mexico lies _Tlascala_, a
+town, which, two hundred years ago, at the time of the Spanish invasion,
+had a numerous population, and was in a wealthy and flourishing state.
+The inhabitants of this place were implacable enemies of the Mexicans,
+and aided the Spaniards in the conquest of their country. It is now,
+however, little more than a village, containing about three thousand
+inhabitants. Some parts of the ancient walls still remain, and are
+composed of alternate strata of brick and clay.
+
+Six leagues south-west from Tlascala, and in the midst of a delightful
+valley, watered by a river which runs south-west to the Pacific Ocean,
+stands _Puebla_, the capital of an intendancy, and the see of a bishop.
+It is a large and regularly built manufacturing town, notorious for the
+profligacy of its inhabitants.
+
+_Cholula_, once a sacred Indian town, to which pilgrimages were
+frequent, but now a mean village, is not far from Puebla. This place is,
+at present, remarkable only for a curious monument of antiquity, a
+pyramid which consists of four stages, and is about one hundred and
+seventy-seven feet in perpendicular height, and one thousand four
+hundred and twenty-three feet at the base. Its structure appears to
+consist of alternate strata of bricks and clay. In the midst of this
+pyramid there is a church, where mass is, every morning, celebrated by
+an ecclesiastic of Indian extraction, whose residence is on the summit.
+
+Eastward of the intendancy of Puebla is that of _Vera Cruz_. This
+district is enriched with various natural productions, extremely
+valuable both in a commercial and economical view. The sugar-cane grows
+here in great luxuriance: chocolate, tobacco, cotton, sarsaparilla, are
+all abundant; but the indolence of the inhabitants is so great, and all
+their wants are so easily supplied, by the natural fertility of the
+soil, that the country does not produce one half of what, under good
+management, it might be made to produce. The sugar and cotton
+plantations are chiefly attended to; but the progress made in these is
+not great.
+
+The chief city of the province is _Vera Cruz_; a sea-port, the residence
+of the governor, and the centre of the Spanish West Indian and American
+commerce. This city is beautifully and regularly built; but on an arid
+plain, destitute of water, and covered with hills of moving sand, that
+are formed by the north winds, which blow; with impetuosity, every year,
+from October till April. These hills are incessantly changing their
+form and situation: they are from twenty to thirty feet in height; and,
+by the reflection of the sun's rays upon them, and the high temperature
+which they acquire during the summer months, they contribute much to
+increase the suffocating heat of the atmosphere.
+
+The houses in Vera Cruz are chiefly built of wood; for no stone whatever
+is found in the vicinity of the place. The public edifices are
+constructed of materials obtained from the bottom of the ocean: the
+stony habitations of a kind of marine animals called madrepores. The
+town is of great extent; and is surrounded by a wall, and defended by a
+kind of citadel, which stands on an adjacent rocky island. The harbour
+is well protected; but the entrance into it is so narrowed by rocks,
+that only one ship can pass at a time.
+
+On the annual arrival of the flota, or fleet of merchant-vessels from
+Old Spain, Vera Cruz is crowded, from all parts of the adjacent country;
+and a kind of fair is opened, which lasts many weeks. The principal
+inhabitants are merchants, but very few of them reside wholly in the
+town; for the heat of the climate, the stagnant water in the vicinity of
+the place, and the bad quality of the water used for drinking, are the
+cause of yellow fever and numerous other diseases.
+
+The churches of Vera Cruz are much decorated with silver ornaments. In
+the dwelling houses, the chief luxury consists of porcelain and other
+Chinese articles. The whole number of inhabitants is estimated at about
+thirteen thousand. They are, in general, proud and indolent. The women,
+few of whom are handsome, live much in retirement.
+
+During the rainy season, the marshes south of the town are haunted by
+alligators. Sea-fowl of various kinds are here innumerable; and the
+musquitoes, at certain seasons of the year, are very troublesome.
+Earthquakes are not unfrequent. The north winds are so tremendous as
+often to drive vessels on shore: these gales sometimes load the walls
+with sand; and so much inconvenience is occasioned by them, that,
+during their continuance, ladies are excused by the priests from going
+to mass.
+
+The richest merchants of this place have country-houses at _Xalapa_, a
+town, in a romantic situation, about twenty leagues distant. Here they
+enjoy a cool and agreeable retreat from the arid climate and noxious
+exhalations of Vera Cruz. In the vicinity of Xalapa, thick forests of
+styrax, piper, melastomata, and ferns resembling trees, afford the most
+delightful promenades imaginable.
+
+The intendancy of Vera Cruz contains, within its limits, two colossal
+summits; one of which, the _volcano of Orizaba_, is of great height, and
+has its top inclined towards the south-east, by which the crater is
+visible to a considerable distance. The other summit, the _Coffre de
+Perote_, according to M. de Humboldt's measurement, is one thousand
+three hundred feet higher than the Pic of Tenerife. It serves as a
+land-mark to vessels approaching Vera Cruz. A thick bed of pumice-stone
+environs this mountain. Nothing at the summit announces a crater; and
+the currents of lava observable between some adjacent villages, appear
+to be the effects of an ancient explosion.
+
+The small _volcano of Tuxtla_ is about four leagues from the coast, and
+near an Indian village, called Saint Jago di Tuxtla. The last eruption
+of this volcano took place on the 2d of March, 1793; and, during its
+continuance, the roofs of houses at Oaxaca, Vera Cruz, and Perote, were
+covered with volcanic ashes. At Perote, fifty-seven leagues distant, the
+subterraneous noises resembled heavy discharges of artillery.
+
+In the northern part of the intendancy of Vera Cruz, and two leagues
+from the village of _Papantla_, there is a _pyramidal edifice_ of great
+antiquity. It is in the midst of a forest; and the Indians, for more
+than two centuries, succeeded in concealing, from the knowledge of the
+Spaniards, this object of ancient veneration. It was accidentally
+discovered, by a party of hunters, about thirty years ago. The
+materials that have been employed in its construction are immense stones
+cemented with mortar; and it is remarkable for its general symmetry, for
+the polish of its stones, and the great regularity of their form. Its
+base is an exact square, each side being eighty-two feet in length. The
+perpendicular height is about sixty feet. This monument, like all the
+Mexican teocallis or temples, is composed of several stages. Six are
+still distinguishable, and a seventh appears to be concealed by the
+vegetation, with which the sides are covered. A great stair of
+fifty-seven steps, conducts to the top, where human victims were
+formerly sacrificed; and, on each side of the great stair, is a small
+one. The facing of the stories is adorned with hieroglyphics, in which
+serpents and alligators, carved in relief, are still discernible. Each
+story contains a great number of square niches, symmetrically
+distributed.
+
+On the coast of the Pacific Ocean, and at the distance of about three
+hundred miles south-west from Vera Cruz, stands _Acapulco_, the great
+western sea-port of Mexico. This place is the principal emporium for the
+Indian trade over the Pacific Ocean. The harbour is commodious, capable
+of containing several hundred ships, and defended by a strong castle.
+The town itself is mean and ill-built, but extremely populous.
+Earthquakes are here of such frequent occurrence, that the houses are
+all very slightly constructed; and the climate, also, is extremely
+unhealthy. These circumstances occasion most of the principal merchants
+to reside in the adjacent country, at all times except when business
+demands their attention in the town.
+
+Several vessels, called "galleons," laden with the precious metals, and
+with merchandise of other kinds, are every year sent, from this port, to
+Manila, in the Philippine islands; and others return, laden with the
+valuable productions of the East Indies. On the arrival of the latter,
+the town becomes populous and gay; and is then filled with the
+wealthiest merchants of Mexico and Peru. Such, however, is the general
+dread of its unhealthiness, that these do not sleep within the walls,
+but reside chiefly in tents in its vicinity.
+
+At some distance east of Acapulco, in a beautiful and populous valley,
+stands the town of _Guaxaca_ or _Oaxaca_; distinguished by the
+magnificence of its situation, the temperature and salubrity of its
+climate, the excellence of its soil, and its general majestic
+appearance. The streets are wide, straight, and well paved; and the
+houses are chiefly built of stone. The churches and monasteries are
+numerous, and richly decorated. On one side of the great square is the
+town-house, which is constructed with stone of a sea-green colour. The
+bishop's palace and the cathedral form two other sides of the same
+square: they are surrounded by arcades, as a shelter against both the
+sun and the rain. In the suburbs of Guaxaca are gardens, and plantations
+of cactus or prickly pear-trees, on which great numbers of cochineal
+insects feed. Guaxaca is not only watered by a beautiful river, but is
+abundantly supplied, by aqueducts, with pure water from the adjacent
+mountains. Its population, including Indians, mulattoes, and negroes,
+amounts to about twenty-four thousand persons.
+
+The _intendancy of Yucatan_ forms a peninsula, about a hundred leagues
+in length, between the bays of Campeachy and Honduras. A ridge of low
+hills extends along it, from south-west to north-east; and, between this
+ridge and the _Bay of Campeachy_, the dry and parched soil produces
+logwood in great abundance and of excellent quality. For nearly five
+months, during the rainy season, the low grounds are partially
+inundated: in February the waters are dried up; and, throughout the
+remainder of the year, there is scarcely any stream to be found. Hence
+the inhabitants can only be supplied with fresh water by pits and wells.
+The eastern coast of Yucatan is so shallow and muddy, that large vessels
+cannot approach within four leagues of the shore. The chief productions
+of this peninsula are maize, cotton, indigo, and logwood.
+
+The governor resides at a small inland town called _Merida_, situated on
+an arid plain, and containing about six thousand inhabitants. The
+principal sea-port is _Campeachy_, near the north-west extremity of the
+peninsula. This town has a good dock, and a fort which protects both the
+place and the harbour. The houses are chiefly built of stone. Campeachy
+has some cotton manufactories, and a trade in wax and salt; but its
+chief trade is in logwood.
+
+_Honduras_ is an important province, south of Yucatan. Its climate is
+superior to that of most other parts of America, within the torrid zone.
+With the exception of a few months in the year, it is refreshed by
+regular sea-breezes. The periodical rains are here excessively heavy.
+The dry season is usually comprehended within the months of April, May,
+and June; and the sun, during this time, is excessively powerful. This
+province is about three hundred and ninety miles in length, from east to
+west, and consists of mountains, valleys, and plains, watered by many
+rivers. Honduras abounds in honey, wax, cotton, corn, fruit, and dyeing
+woods. It has some gold and silver mines; and its pastures feed great
+numbers of sheep and cattle. Its vineyards yield grapes twice in the
+year; but, from indolence and want of cultivation, many parts of it have
+become desert.
+
+There is a British settlement at a place called _Balize_, near the mouth
+of a river of the same name. This town is immediately open to the sea;
+and, though in a low situation, the groups of lofty cocoa-nut trees, and
+the thickly-interspersed and lively foliage of the tamarind trees,
+contribute to give a picturesque and pleasing effect to the dwellings of
+the inhabitants. The number of houses, of all descriptions, is about two
+hundred; and many of them, particularly such as are the property of the
+most opulent merchants, are spacious, commodious, and well finished.
+They are built of wood, and are generally raised eight or ten feet from
+the ground, on pillars of mahogany. The stores and offices are always on
+the lower, and the dining and sleeping apartments on the upper story.
+Every habitation, likewise, has its upper and lower piazzas, which are
+indispensably necessary in hot climates. Balize stands at the edge of a
+swamp many miles in extent, which prevents nearly all intercourse with
+the interior of the country.
+
+The principal articles at present imported from Europe into Honduras,
+are linens, printed cottons, muslins of the most costly manufacture,
+negro clothing, broadcloths, hosiery, hats, shoes, boots, earthen and
+glass wares, silver and plated goods, hardware, and cutlery: salted
+provisions, from Britain or America, are also in continual demand for
+the food of the slaves.
+
+Few countries possess greater commercial advantages, in an agricultural
+view, than this. The productions of the West Indian islands, might all
+unquestionably be cultivated here, as well as most others which are
+grown within the tropics. But the cutting of logwood and mahogany is the
+chief occupation of the British settlers. The banks of the river Balize
+have long been occupied by mahogany-cutters, even to the distance of two
+hundred miles from its mouth.
+
+About thirty miles up the Balize, on its banks, are found what are
+denominated the Indian hills. These are small eminences, which are
+supposed to have been raised by Indians over their dead; human bones,
+and fragments of a coarse kind of earthenware, being frequently dug up
+from them.
+
+_Nicaragua_ is a Spanish province, between Honduras and the isthmus of
+Darien. It is about eighty leagues in length and fifty in breadth; and
+consists, for the most part, of high and wooded mountains, some of which
+are volcanic. The valleys are watered by many streams, but only one of
+these is of any importance. This is the river _Yare_, which runs, from
+west to east, through the northern part of the province. The most
+important productions of Nicaragua are timber, cotton, sugar, honey,
+and wax. The chief town is _Leon de Nicaragua_, a place of considerable
+trade, situated near the north-west border of the lake of Nicaragua; and
+in a sandy plain, at the foot of a volcanic mountain, several leagues
+from the sea.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+From New Spain we must return northward, for the purpose of describing
+the British dominions of Nova Scotia and Canada.
+
+
+
+
+Twenty-second Day's Instruction.
+
+BRITISH AMERICAN DOMINIONS.
+
+
+NOVA SCOTIA,
+
+Is a province bounded on the east by the _Gulf of St. Lawrence_, on the
+south by the Atlantic, and on the west by the United States. It is
+somewhat more than two hundred miles long, and one hundred and seventy
+miles broad. The southern division is a peninsula of triangular form,
+having an isthmus not more than thirty miles in breadth. Nova Scotia is
+divided into counties, and subdivided into townships; and, in the whole,
+contains somewhat more than fifty thousand inhabitants.
+
+The climate is unhealthy. During a considerable part of the year, the
+maritime and lower districts are enveloped in fog. The cold of winter is
+intense, and the heat of summer excessive. The soil is various. In many
+parts it is thin, barren, gravelly, and covered with forests: in others,
+especially on the borders of the rivers, it is fertile and agreeable.
+Some of the tracts yield hemp and flax; but the inhabitants have not
+hitherto made much progress in agriculture. Nova Scotia has many bays
+and harbours; but much of the coast is bordered with dangerous rocks.
+Great numbers of cod-fish are caught in some of the bays, and in many
+parts of the sea adjacent to the coast.
+
+_Halifax_, the capital of Nova Scotia, was built about the year 1749. It
+is now a flourishing town on the sea-coast, and has an excellent
+harbour, accessible at all seasons of the year, and with depth of water
+and anchorage sufficient for the largest vessels. The town is about two
+miles in length, and a quarter of a mile in width; and is laid out in
+oblong squares, and in streets that run parallel or at right angles to
+each other. It is defended by forts of timber, and contains about
+fifteen thousand inhabitants. At its northern extremity is the royal
+arsenal, which is well built, and amply supplied with naval stores.
+
+
+CANADA,
+
+Is an extensive but thinly-peopled district, lying between the same
+parallels of latitude as France and England, but in a climate infinitely
+more severe. During winter the frost is intense, and the surface of the
+ground is covered with snow to the depth of several feet. In many parts
+of the country, however, the summers are hot and pleasant.
+
+The _boundaries_ of Canada are, the United States on the south; the
+Atlantic Ocean, Labrador, and Hudson's Bay, on the east and north; and a
+wild and undescribed region on the west. This country is divided into
+two provinces of Upper and Lower Canada: the executive power in each
+province is vested in a _governor_; and a legislative council and an
+assembly are appointed for each, having power, with the consent of the
+governor, to make laws. In the legislative council of Lower Canada,
+there are fifteen members; and in that of Upper Canada seven; and the
+appointments are for life. In the assembly of Lower Canada there are
+fifty members; and in that of Upper Canada sixteen: these are chosen by
+the freeholders and do not continue in office longer than four years.
+
+Canada was originally discovered by Sebastian Cabot, a navigator sent
+out by the English about the year 1497; but in the beginning of the
+seventeenth century, it was colonized by the French, who kept possession
+of it till the year 1763, when it fell into the hands of the British, to
+whom it still belongs. The long possession of this country by the
+French, has occasioned the _French language_ to be chiefly spoken: it
+has also occasioned the prevailing _religion_ to be Roman Catholic. The
+British government permits a toleration of all religions; but by far the
+greatest number of inhabitants are catholics. The clergy of the church
+of England, in both provinces, are only twelve in number, including the
+bishop of Quebec; whereas, those of the church of Rome amount to one
+hundred and twenty, including a bishop, and three vicars-general.
+
+The whole number of _inhabitants_ is considered to be about two hundred
+thousand, of whom fifty thousand are Indians. "Essentially a Frenchman,
+(says Mr. Hall,) the Canadian is gay, courteous, and contented. If the
+rigours of the climate have somewhat chilled the overflowing vivacity
+derived from his parent stock, he has still a sufficient portion of good
+spirits and loquacity. To strangers and travellers he is invariably
+civil; and he seems to value their good word beyond their money. He is
+considered parsimonious, because all his gains arise from his savings,
+and he is satisfied with the humblest fare." The Canadians have a great
+antipathy to the inhabitants of the United States. At this day, many
+even of the better informed among them believe that the American
+government is constantly plotting the ruin of Canada.
+
+Whilst Canada was in the hands of the French, the _commerce_ of the
+country was chiefly confined to the fisheries and fur-trade: agriculture
+was neglected, and extensive tracts of fertile soil lay uncultivated.
+But the English have both peopled and improved a very considerable
+portion of territory; and the trade is now of much importance. The
+Canadians export to Britain and to different British establishments,
+wheat and other grain, biscuit, beef, pork, butter, salmon, oil, timber,
+hemp, and various other articles. In many parts of both Canadas the
+_soil_ is well adapted for the production of grain. Tobacco also thrives
+well in it; and culinary vegetables arrive at great perfection. The
+forests produce beech-trees, oaks, elms, ash, pine, sycamore, chesnut,
+and walnut; and a species of maple-tree, from the juice of which sugar
+is made, abounds throughout the country.
+
+Many extensive tracts in Canada are covered with lakes and marshes; and
+the country is intersected by numerous rivers, some of which are
+navigable to considerable distances. Of the _lakes_, the most important
+are lake Superior, lake Huron, lake Michigan, lake Ontario, and lake
+Erie. These are adjacent to the territory of the United States. Lake
+Winipic is an expanse of water, more than two hundred and fifty miles in
+length, situated about the 53d degree of north latitude. The largest and
+noblest _river_ in Canada is the St. Lawrence, which flows from lake
+Ontario, past the two towns of Montreal and Quebec, and falls into the
+Gulf of St. Lawrence. This river meets the tide four miles from the sea;
+and to this place it is navigable for large vessels.
+
+
+_A Description of Quebec._
+
+This city, the capital of Canada, stands at the northern extremity of a
+strip of high land, which follows the course of the river St. Lawrence,
+as far as the mouth of the Charles. The basis of these heights is a dark
+slate rock, of which most of the buildings in the town are constructed.
+_Cape Diamond_ terminates the promontory, with a bold precipice towards
+the river. This rock derives its name from numerous transparent
+crystals, which are found upon it; and which are so abundant that,
+after a shower of rain, the ground glitters with them.
+
+The Lower Town of Quebec is built at the foot of the heights; and the
+Upper Town occupies their crest. The former, snug and dirty, is the
+abode of persons engaged in trade, and of most of the lower classes: the
+latter, lofty and cold, is the seat of government, and the principal
+residence of the military.
+
+With few exceptions, the _houses_ in Quebec are built of stone. The
+roofs of the better sort are covered with sheets of iron or tin, and
+those of an inferior description, with boards. On the roofs ladders are
+usually placed, near the garret-windows, for the purpose of the
+chimney-sweepers ascending, on the outside, to clean the chimneys: for,
+in this country boys do not go up the chimneys, as in England; but two
+men, one at the top and the other at the bottom, sweep them, by pulling
+up and down a bundle of twigs or furze, tied to a rope.
+
+The _streets_ of the Lower Town are, for the most part, narrow and
+irregular. St. Peter's street is the best paved, and the widest of the
+whole. It contains several good and substantial _houses_, which are
+chiefly occupied by merchants and traders; but, from the colour of the
+stone of which the houses are constructed, and of the iron roofs, all
+the streets of Quebec have a heavy and gloomy appearance.
+
+A street, called _Mountain Street_, which leads to the Upper Town,
+winds, in a serpentine direction, from the market-place up the hill, and
+terminates near the Upper Town market-place. This street, in winter, is
+extremely dangerous. The quantity of snow and ice, which here accumulate
+in large masses, renders it necessary for the inhabitants to wear outer
+shoes, that are shod with iron spikes. The boys of Quebec have a
+favourite amusement, in lying at full length with their breast upon a
+small kind of sledge, and sliding along the snow, from the top of the
+hill to the bottom: they glide down with astonishing velocity; yet,
+with their feet, they can guide or stop themselves, at pleasure.
+
+The _shops_ or stores of the traders in the Lower Town, do not exhibit
+any of that diversified and pleasing appearance which is so remarkable
+in London. Here the stranger sees nothing but heavy stone buildings,
+gloomy casements, and iron-cased shutters, painted red. If any show is
+made at the window, it is with paltry articles of cooking, earthen and
+hardware: there is, however, a tolerable display of bear-skins,
+seal-skins, foxes-tails, and buffalo-robes.
+
+The _taverns_ in Quebec are numerous; yet a stranger is much surprised
+to find only two houses which deserve that high-sounding appellation.
+This arises from the vanity that possesses all our trans-Atlantic
+brethren, to designate their paltry public-houses or spirit-shops, by
+the more dignified title of "tavern;" for through the whole of America,
+every dirty hole, where a few glasses of rum, gin, or whisky, are sold,
+is so called.
+
+Of the _public buildings_ in Quebec, the most important is the
+government-house, or castle of St. Louis, a large, plain, stone edifice,
+which forms one side of an open place or square, called the parade. Its
+front resembles that of a country gentleman's house in England; and the
+interior contains comfortable family apartments. The furniture is
+inherited and paid for by the successive owners. Opposite to the
+government-house stand the English cathedral church, and the
+court-house, both handsome buildings of modern construction. The other
+sides of the parade are formed by the Union Hotel, and a row of
+buildings which form the commencement of St. Louis Street.
+
+The _Upper Town_ is by far the most agreeable part of Quebec: its
+streets are not, indeed, remarkable for width, but many of them are well
+paved. In the Upper Town the heat, during summer, is not so intense as
+in the Lower Town; nor, in winter, though the cold is much severer, is
+it, as a residence, so dreary and uncomfortable.
+
+There are, in Quebec, several catholic _charitable institutions_. Of
+these, the principal is the "Hotel Dieu," founded in 1637, for the
+accommodation and relief of poor sick people: it is under the management
+of a superior and thirty-six nuns. The "General Hospital," which stands
+at a little distance from the town, is a somewhat similar institution;
+and is governed by a superior and forty-three nuns. In the admission of
+patients into each of these establishments, no distinction is made, as
+to catholics or protestants. The Ursuline convent, founded in 1639, for
+the education of female children, stands within the city, and has a
+considerable appearance of wealth. Among the ornaments of the chapel are
+the skull and bones of a missionary, who had been murdered by the
+Indians for attempting their conversion.
+
+About two miles from the town is a break in the line of cliffs, which
+forms a little recess, called _Wolf's Cove_. A steep pathway leads
+thence to the heights of the plains of Abram. On these plains are still
+to be seen, in the turf, traces of field-works, which were thrown up by
+the British army, in the celebrated siege of Quebec; and a stone is
+pointed out as that on which General Wolf expired.
+
+The _markets_ of Quebec are well supplied with every thing that the
+country affords; and, in general, at a very cheap rate. In the autumn,
+as soon as the river betwixt the town and the island of Orleans, is
+frozen over, an abundance of provisions is received from that island.
+The Canadians, at the commencement of winter, kill the greatest part of
+their stock, and carry it to market in a frozen state. The inhabitants
+of the towns supply themselves, at this season, with butcher's meat,
+poultry, and vegetables, to serve them till spring. These are kept in
+garrets or cellars; and, so long as they continue frozen, their goodness
+is preserved. Before they are prepared for the table, they are laid for
+some hours in cold water, to be thawed. In wintertime, milk is brought
+to market in large frozen cakes.
+
+Great quantities of maple-sugar are sold, in Quebec, at about half the
+price of West India sugar. The manufacturing of this article takes place
+in the spring. The sap or juice, after it has been drawn from the trees,
+is boiled, and then poured into shallow dishes, where it takes the form
+of a thick and hard cake. Maple-sugar is very hard; and, when used, is
+scraped with a knife, as, otherwise, it would be a long time in
+dissolving.
+
+The fruit of Canada is not remarkable either for excellence or
+cheapness. Strawberries and raspberries are, however, brought to market
+in great abundance: they are gathered on the plains, at the back of
+Quebec, and in the neighbouring woods, where they grow wild, in the
+utmost luxuriance. Apples and pears are chiefly procured from the
+vicinity of Montreal. Walnuts and filberts are by no means common; but
+hickory-nuts and hazel-nuts are to be obtained in all the woods.
+
+The _climate_ of Lower Canada is subject to violent extremes of heat and
+cold. At Quebec, the thermometer, in summer, is sometimes as high as 103
+degrees of Fahrenheit's thermometer; and, in winter, is at 36 degrees
+below 0. The average of summer heat is, in general, from 75 to 80
+degrees; and the mean of the cold, in winter, is about 0.
+
+From Christmas to Lady-day the weather is remarkably clear and fine; the
+sky is of an azure blue colour, and seldom obscured by fogs or clouds;
+and the frost is not often interrupted by falls of snow or rain. These
+advantages render a Canadian winter so agreeable, that the inhabitants,
+from sudden alterations of the weather, are never under the necessity of
+changing their style of dress, unless it be to discard their greatcoats
+and fur-caps, which, in consequence of the powerful warmth of the sun,
+is sometimes necessary. In the early part of the winter there is always
+much snow.
+
+The spring, summer, and autumn of Canada, are all comprised within the
+five months of May, June, July, August, and September. The rest of the
+year may be considered as winter. During the month of October, the
+weather is sometimes pleasant, but nature has then put on her gloomy
+mantle; and the chilling blasts, from the north-west, remind the
+Canadians of the approach of snow and ice. November and April are the
+two most disagreeable months of the year: in one of these the snow is
+beginning to fall, and in the other it is going away.
+
+
+MR. HALL'S _Journey from Quebec to Montreal_.
+
+MR. HALL was in Canada during the summer of 1816; and, on the
+28th of July, he left Quebec, on a journey to Montreal. He deviated
+somewhat from the usual road, that he might pass by the _Jacques Cartier
+bridge_, six or seven miles above the ferry. Here the river falls wildly
+down, betwixt its wooded shores; and, after forming several cascades,
+foams through a narrow channel, which seems cut out of the solid rock,
+to receive it. The rock, which constitutes its bed, is formed into
+regular platforms, descending, by natural steps, to the edge of the
+torrent. The Jacques Cartier is a river famous for its salmon, which are
+caught of large size, and in great abundance, below the bridge. At the
+foot of this bridge stands a little inn, where the angler may have his
+game cooked for supper, and where he may sleep in the lull of the
+torrent, below his chamber-window. After quitting this neighbourhood,
+the scenery of the St. Lawrence becomes flat and uniform. The road
+follows the direction of the river, sometimes running along the cliff,
+which once embanked it, and sometimes descending to the water's edge.
+
+From Quebec to Montreal, the country may be considered as one long
+village. On each shore there is a stripe of land, seldom exceeding a
+mile in breadth, which is bounded by forests, and thickly studded with
+farm-houses, white-washed from top to bottom: to these, log-barns and
+stables are attached, and commonly a neat plot of garden-ground.
+
+Mr. Hall preferred the travelling in Lower Canada to that in every other
+part of the American continent. You arrive (he says) at the post-house,
+(as the words "_maison de poste_," scrawled over the door, give you
+notice;) "Have you horses, Madame?" "_Oui, Monsieur, tout de suite._" A
+loud cry of "_Oh! bon homme_," forwards the intelligence to her husband,
+at work, perhaps, in an adjacent field. "_Mais, asseyez vous,
+Monsieur_;" and, if you have patience to do this quietly, for a few
+minutes, you will see crebillion, papillon, or some other _on_ arrive,
+at a full canter, from pasture, mounted by honest _Jean_, in his blue
+nightcap, with all his habiliments shaking in the wind. The preliminary
+of splicing and compounding the broken harness having been adjusted, the
+whip cracks, and you start to the exhilarating cry of "_marche donc_,"
+at the rate of six, and often seven miles an hour.
+
+The village of "_Trois Rivieres_" stands at the three mouths of the
+_River St. Maurice_. It contains an Ursuline convent, which marks it for
+a place of some note, in a catholic country; but it is still more worthy
+of distinction, as being the residence of the amiable Abbé de la
+Colonne, brother to the unfortunate French minister of that name.
+
+Having engaged two experienced boatmen, and a bark canoe, Mr. Hall
+ascended the St. Maurice, to visit the _falls of Shawinne Gamme_,
+distant somewhat more than twenty miles. At his return, he left the St.
+Maurice, and, having been ferried from _Berthier_ to _Contrecoeur_, he
+proceeded, "_en caleche_," with two crebillions, towards _St. Ours_, in
+the direction of the _Beloeil Mountain_, which was seen before him in
+the misty horizon. The meadows were profusely decorated with orange
+lilies; and the banks and dingles with the crimson cones of the sumac,
+and a variety of flowering shrubs. Several brigs and merchants' ships
+were dropping down with the tide, their crowded sails scarcely swelling
+in the languid summer breeze.
+
+The Canadian summer, observes Mr. Hall, is hot in proportion to the
+severity of the winter; and the heat is sufficient to enable the
+cultivator to raise Indian corn, water-melons, gourds, capsicums, and
+such vegetables as require a short and intense heat. Hence the country
+assumes the aspect of a Portuguese summer, by way of appendix to a
+Russian winter.
+
+Mr. Hall passed through the village of _Beloeil_; again crossed the
+river, and proceeded towards the mountain, which towered, like an
+immense wall of rock, above the flat surrounding country. Scattered at
+its base were a few wretched houses, the inhabitants of which subsisted
+by the produce of their apple-orchards.
+
+The weather was excessively hot; and volumes of smoke, from the casual,
+or intentional burning of the woods, every where clouded the horizon,
+and seemed to give additional heat to the glowing landscape.
+
+The basis of the _Montreal Mountain_ is freestone; the ascent is
+consequently less steep, and the surface less broken, than that of
+Beloeil: it is thickly wooded, and, from the river, forms an elegant
+back-ground to the city.
+
+
+_A Description of Montreal._
+
+When approached from the water, the town of _Montreal_, which is
+situated on an island in the River St. Lawrence, has a very singular
+appearance. This is occasioned by the grey stone of the buildings, and
+their tin-covered roofs; the latter of which emit a strong glare, when
+the sun shines. The shore is steep, and forms a kind of natural wharf,
+upon which the vessels discharge their cargoes: hence the shipping which
+frequent the harbour of Montreal are often anchored close to the shore.
+Many English vessels visit this place; but the navigation of the St.
+Lawrence, above Quebec, is so hazardous, that few captains are willing
+to make the voyage a second time.
+
+The interior of the town of Montreal is extremely gloomy. The _streets_
+are regularly built, but the buildings are ponderous masses of stone,
+erected with little taste, and less judgment. Including the garrets,
+they have seldom more than two stories above the ground-floor. The doors
+and window-shutters are covered with large sheets of tin, painted red or
+lead-colour, and corresponding with the gloomy colour of the stone, with
+which most of the houses have been built; hence a heavy sameness of
+appearance pervades all the streets.
+
+The only _open places_ in the town, are the two markets, and a square,
+called the Place d'Armes, in which, under the French government, the
+troops of the garrison are accustomed to parade. The French catholic
+church occupies the whole east side of the square; and, on the south
+side, is a tavern, called the Montreal Hotel. Every thing, in this
+tavern, is neat, cleanly, well conducted, and perfectly agreeable to an
+Englishman's taste.
+
+Montreal is divided into the _Upper_ and _Lower towns_, though these
+have very little difference in elevation. The principal street of the
+latter, extends, from north to south, through the whole length of the
+place. This street contains the wholesale and retail stores of the
+merchants and traders, the lower market-place, the post-office, the
+Hotel Dieu, a large tavern, and several smaller ones. It is narrow, but
+it presents a scene of greater bustle than any other part of the town;
+and is the chief mart of the trade carried on in Montreal.
+
+Most of the streets are well paved; and the improvements which are going
+on throughout the town, will, in a few years, render it much more
+commodious and agreeable than it is at present. The four streets or
+_suburbs_ occupy a considerable space of ground, and the number of
+inhabitants is computed at twelve thousand. The _religious_ and
+_charitable institutions_ of this place, are counterparts to those at
+Quebec. There are a general hospital, and an Hotel Dieu, for the relief
+of sick poor. The principal catholic church is rich and handsome. The
+college or seminary, is a capacious stone building, and has lately been
+repaired and enlarged. It was originally endowed as a branch of the
+seminary at Paris; but, since the French Revolution, it has afforded an
+asylum to several members of the latter, whose learning and talents have
+been employed in its advancement. Among other _public edifices_ must be
+reckoned the English church, an unfinished building; the old monastery
+of Franciscan Friars, now converted into barracks; the court-house, and
+the government-house. The court-house is a neat and spacious building.
+In front of it, a column has been erected in honour of Lord Nelson, and
+is crowned with a statue of him. Near the court-house a gaol has been
+built, upon the site of the old college of Jesuits.
+
+There seems to be a greater spirit of municipal improvement in Montreal
+than in Quebec. It is also, probably, a richer place; for, being the
+emporium of the fur-trade, its merchants carry on a considerable traffic
+with the United States, and particularly with Vermont and New York.
+
+At the back of the town, and behind the court-house, is a _parade_,
+where the troops are exercised. The ground, along this part, is
+considerably elevated, and forms a steep bank, several hundred yards in
+length. Here the inhabitants walk in an evening, and enjoy a beautiful
+view of the suburbs of St. Lawrence and St. Antoine; and of numerous
+gardens, orchards, and plantations, adorned with neat, and, in many
+instances, even handsome villas. Green fields are interspersed amidst
+this rich variety of objects, which are concentrated in an extensive
+valley, that gradually rises towards a lofty mountain, about two miles
+and a half distant; and covered, towards its upper part, with trees and
+shrubs. It is from this mountain that the town obtained its name of
+Montreal, or "Royal Mount."
+
+All the principal north-west merchants reside in this town; which is the
+emporium of their trade, and the grand mart of the commerce carried on
+between Canada and the United States: they live in a splendid style, and
+keep expensive tables.
+
+The _markets_ of Montreal are plentifully supplied with provisions,
+which are much cheaper here than in Quebec. Large supplies are brought
+in, every winter, from the United States; particularly cod-fish, which
+is packed in ice, and conveyed in sledges from Boston. Two weekly
+newspapers, called the Gazette and the Canadian Courant, are published
+here.
+
+At Montreal, the winter is considered to be two months shorter than it
+is at Quebec; and the heat of summer is more oppressive.
+
+
+
+
+Twenty-third Day's Instruction.
+
+NORTH WESTERN TERRITORY.
+
+
+_The Route, from Montreal to Fort Chepewyan, pursued by a company of
+traders, called the North-west Company_.
+
+The requisite number of canoes being purchased, the goods being formed
+into packages, and the lakes and rivers being free from ice, which they
+usually are in the beginning of May, the persons employed by the
+North-west Company set out from _La Chine_, eight miles above Montreal.
+
+Each canoe carries eight or ten men, and a luggage consisting of
+sixty-five packages of goods, about six hundred weight of biscuit, two
+hundred weight of pork, and three bushels of peas, for the men's
+provisions: two oil-cloths to cover the goods, a sail, and an axe, a
+towing-line, a kettle, and a sponge to bail out the water; together with
+a quantity of gum, bark, and watape, to repair the canoe. An European,
+on seeing these slender vessels, thus laden, heaped up, and their sides
+not more than six inches out of the water, would imagine it impossible
+that they should perform a long and perilous voyage; but the Canadians
+are so expert in the management of them, that few accidents happen.
+
+Leaving La Chine, they proceed to _St. Ann's_, within two miles of the
+western extremity of the island of Montreal. At the rapid of St. Ann,
+the navigators are obliged to take out part, if not the whole of the
+lading; and to replace it when they have passed the cataract. The _Lake
+of the two Mountains_, which they next reach, is about twenty miles
+long, but not more than three miles wide, and is, nearly surrounded by
+cultivated fields.
+
+At the end of the lake, the water contracts into the _Utawas river_;
+which, after a course of fifteen miles, is interrupted by a succession
+of rapids and cascades for upwards of ten miles: at the foot of these
+the Canadian Seignories terminate. Here the voyagers are frequently
+obliged to unload their canoes, and carry the goods upon their backs, or
+rather suspended in slings from their heads. Each man's ordinary load is
+two packages, though some of the men carry three. In some places, the
+ground will not admit of their carrying the whole at once: in this case,
+they make two trips; that is, the men leave half their lading, land it
+at the distance required, and then return for that which was left. There
+are three carrying places; and, near the last of them, the river is a
+mile and a half wide, and has a regular current, for about sixty miles,
+to the first _portage de Chaudiere_. The whole body of water is here
+precipitated, twenty-five feet, down, craggy and excavated rocks, and in
+a most wild and romantic manner.
+
+Over this portage, it is requisite to carry the canoe and all its
+lading; but the rock is so steep, that the canoe cannot be taken out of
+the water by fewer than twelve men, and it is carried by six men.
+
+The next remarkable object which the traders approach, is a lake called
+_Nepisingui_, about twelve leagues long, and fifteen miles wide, in the
+widest part. The inhabitants of the country adjacent to this lake,
+consist of the remainder of a numerous tribe called _Nepisinguis_, of
+the Algonquin nation.
+
+Out of the lake flows the _Riviere de François_, over rocks of
+considerable height. This river is very irregular, both as to its
+breadth and form; and it is so interspersed with islands, that, in its
+whole course, its banks are seldom visible. Of its various channels,
+that which is generally followed by the canoes is obstructed by five
+portages. The distance hence to Lake Huron is about twenty-five leagues.
+There is scarcely a foot of soil to be seen from one end of the river to
+the other; for its banks consist entirely of rock.
+
+The coast of _Lake Huron_ is similar to this; but it is lower, and
+backed, at some distance, by high lands. The canoes pass along the
+northern bank of this lake, into _Lake Superior_, the largest and most
+magnificent body of fresh water in the world. It is clear, of great
+depth, and abounds in fish of various kinds. Sturgeon are caught here,
+and trout, some of which weigh from forty to fifty pounds each. The
+adjacent country is bleak, rocky, and desolate: it contains no large
+animals, except a few moose and fallow deer; and the little timber that
+is to be seen, is extremely stunted in its growth. The inhabitants of
+the coast of Lake Superior are all of the _Algonquin nation_, who
+subsist chiefly on fish. They do not, at present, exceed one hundred and
+fifty families; though, a century ago, the whole adjacent country is
+said to have been inhabited by them.
+
+Near the north-western shore of Lake Superior, and beneath a hill,
+three or four hundred feet in height, is a fort, containing several
+houses, erected for the accommodation of the North-west Company and
+their clerks. This place is called the _Grande Portage_. The traders,
+who leave Montreal in the beginning of May, usually arrive here about
+the middle of June. They are met by men who had spent the winter in the
+establishments; towards the north, and from whom they receive the furs
+which had been collected in the course of their winter traffic. Upwards
+of twelve hundred men are thus assembled, every summer, in this remote
+wilderness; and live together, for several days, in a comfortable and
+convivial manner. After their accounts are settled, the furs are
+embarked for Montreal; and the rest of the men proceed to the different
+posts and establishments in the Indian country. The canoes which are
+used from the Grande Portage, upwards, are but half the size of those
+from Montreal. They are each navigated by four, five, or six men,
+according to the distance which they have to go.
+
+Having embarked on the river _Au Tourt_; and, having overcome numerous
+obstacles, in cataracts, and other impediments to their course, the
+persons proceeding on this voyage, reach a trading establishment, on the
+north side of the river, in 48 degrees 37 minutes, north latitude. Here
+they are met by people from the Athabasca country, and exchange lading
+with them. This place also is the residence of the grand chief of the
+_Algonquin Indians_; and here the elders of these Indians meet in
+council, to treat of peace or war.
+
+The Au Tourt is one of the finest rivers in the north-western parts of
+America. Its banks are covered with a rich soil, and, in many parts, are
+clothed with groves of oak, maple, and cedar-trees. The southern bank is
+low, and displays the maple, the white birch, and cedar; with the
+spruce, the alder, and various kinds of underwood. Its waters abound in
+fish, particularly in sturgeons. In the low grounds, betwixt Lake
+Superior and this river, are seen vast quantities of rice, which the
+natives collect, in the month of August, for their winter stores.
+
+_Lake Winipic_, which the traders next approach, is the great reservoir
+of several large rivers. It is bounded, on the north, by banks of black
+and grey rock; and, on the south, by a low and level country,
+occasionally interrupted with ridges or banks of limestone, from twenty
+to forty feet in height, bearing timber, but only of moderate growth.
+From its peculiar situation, this lake seems calculated to become a
+grand depôt of traffic. It communicates, in a direct and short channel,
+with the southern shores of Hudson's Bay, by the rivers Severn and
+Nelson; and it is connected with the countries at the head of the
+Mississippi and Missouri, by the Assiniboin and Red rivers. The Indians,
+who inhabit its banks, are of the Knisteneaux and Algonquin tribes.
+
+Beyond lake Winipic, the canoes have to pass along many rapids, and
+through several small lakes, called _Cedar lake_, _Mud lake_, and
+_Sturgeon lake_. This part of the country is frequented by beavers, and
+numerous animals, valuable on account of their furs; and the plains are
+inhabited by buffaloes, wolves, and foxes.
+
+On the banks of the rivers, there are factories for the convenience of
+trade with the natives; and near each of these are tents of different
+nations of Indians; some of whom are hunters, and others deal in
+provisions, wolf, buffalo, and fox-skins.
+
+From the mouth of the _Saskatchiwine river_, the canoes proceed, in a
+northerly direction, through _Sturgeon lake_, and _Beaver lake_. The
+banks of the river are high, and clothed with cypress-trees; and the
+inhabitants of the adjacent districts are chiefly Knisteneaux Indians.
+This description of country, with some variation, prevails as far as the
+trading establishment of Fort Chepewyan, on the south-eastern bank of
+the _Lake of the Hills_.
+
+_Fort Chepewyan_ is the residence of a considerable number of persons,
+who are employed by the North-west Company. Except during a short time
+in the spring and autumn, when thousands of wild-fowl frequent the
+vicinity of the lake, these persons subsist almost wholly on fish. This
+they eat without the variety of any farinaceous grain for bread, any
+root, or vegetable; and without even salt to quicken its flavour.
+
+Every year, in the autumn, the Indians meet the traders, at this and
+other forts, where they barter such furs, or provisions, as they have
+procured. They are here fitted out, by the traders, with such articles
+as they may want, after which they proceed to hunt beavers; and they
+return about the end of March or the beginning of April, when they are
+again fitted out as before. During the summer, most of these Indians
+retire to the barren grounds, and live there, with their relations and
+friends.
+
+
+_Account of the Knisteneaux and Chepewyan Indians_.
+
+When, in the year 1777, the Europeans first penetrated into the
+north-western regions of America, these two tribes of Indians were very
+numerous; but the small-pox, introduced among them by the strangers,
+proved so fatal, that, at the end of fifteen years, not more than
+seventy families were left.
+
+The _Knisteneaux_, though at present few in number, occupy a great
+extent of country. They are of moderate stature, well-proportioned, and
+extremely active. Their complexion is of a copper-colour, and their hair
+black. In some of the tribes, the hair is cut into various forms,
+according to their fancy; and, by others, it is left in the long and
+lank flow of nature. These Indians, in general, pluck out their beards.
+Their eyes are black, keen, and penetrating; and their countenance is
+open and agreeable. Fond of decoration, they paint their bodies with
+different colours of red, blue, brown, white, and black.
+
+Their dress is, at once, simple and commodious. It consists of tight
+leggings or leather-gaiters, which reach nearly to the hip; a strip of
+cloth or leather, about a foot wide, and five feet long, the ends of
+which are drawn inward, and hang behind and before, over a belt, tied
+round the waist for that purpose; a close vest or shirt, reaching down
+to the former garment, and bound at the waist by a broad strip of
+parchment, fastened with thongs behind; and a cap for the head,
+consisting of a piece of fur, or a small skin, with the tail of the
+animal, as a suspended ornament. A kind of robe is occasionally thrown
+over the whole of this dress, and serves them to wear by day, and to
+sleep in at night. These articles, with the addition of shoes and
+mittens, constitute their chief apparel. The materials vary, according
+to the season, and consist of dressed moose-skin, beaver-skins, prepared
+with the fur, or European woollens. The leather is neatly painted, and,
+in some parts, is fancifully worked with porcupine-quills and moose-deer
+hair. The shirts and leggings are adorned with fringe and tassels; and
+the shoes and mittens have somewhat of appropriate decoration, and are
+worked with a considerable degree of skill and taste. Their head-dresses
+are composed of the feathers of the swan, the eagle, and other birds.
+The teeth, horns, and claws of different animals, are also the
+occasional ornaments of their head and neck.
+
+The female dress is composed of materials similar to those used by the
+men; but it is of a somewhat different form and arrangement. Several of
+the women have the skin of their faces tatooed or marked with three
+perpendicular lines: one from the centre of the chin to the under lip,
+and one on each side parallel to the corner of the mouth.
+
+The Knisteneaux women are very comely. Their figure is generally well
+proportioned, and the regularity of their features would be acknowledged
+even by the civilized nations of Europe.
+
+This people are naturally mild and affable. They are just in their
+dealings, not only among themselves, but with strangers. They are also
+generous and hospitable; and good-natured in the extreme, except when
+under the influence of spirituous liquors. Towards their children they
+are indulgent to a fault. The father, however, though he assumes no
+command over them, anxiously instructs them, in all the preparatory
+qualifications, for war and hunting; while the mother is equally
+attentive to her daughters, in teaching them every thing that is
+considered necessary to their character and situation.
+
+The Knisteneaux have frequent feasts; and, at some of these, they offer
+dogs as sacrifices, and make large offerings of their property. The
+scene of their most important ceremonies is usually an enclosure on the
+bank of some river or lake, and in a conspicuous situation. On
+particular occasions they have private sacrifices in their houses. The
+ceremony of smoking precedes every affair of importance. When a feast is
+proposed to be given, the chief sends quills or small pieces of wood, as
+tokens of invitation, to such persons as he wishes to partake of it. At
+the appointed time the guests arrive, each bringing with him a dish or
+platter, and a knife; and they take their seats on each side of the
+chief. The pipe is then lighted, and the chief makes an equal division
+of every thing that is provided for the occasion. During the eating the
+chief sings, and accompanies his song with a tambourine. The guest who
+has first eaten his share of provision is considered as the most
+distinguished person. At all these feasts a small quantity of meat or
+drink is sacrificed, by throwing it into the fire or on the earth,
+before the guests begin to eat. It is expected that each person should
+devour the whole food that is allotted to him, how great soever the
+quantity may be; and those who are unable to do this, endeavour to
+prevail with their friends to assist them. Care is always taken that the
+bones are burned, as it would be considered a profanation, if the dogs
+were to touch them.
+
+The medicinal virtues of many herbs are known to the Knisteneaux; and
+they apply the roots of plants and the bark of trees in the cure of
+various diseases. But there is among them a class of men, called
+conjurers, who monopolize the medical science; and who, blending mystery
+with their art, do not choose to communicate their knowledge.
+
+Like all their other solemn ceremonials, the funeral rites of the
+Knisteneaux begin with smoking, and are concluded by a feast. The body
+is dressed in the best habiliments of the deceased, or his relatives,
+and is then deposited in a grave lined with branches: some domestic
+utensils are placed on it, and a kind of canopy is erected over it.
+During this ceremony, great lamentations are made; and, if the deceased
+is much regretted, the near relations cut off their hair, pierce the
+fleshy part of their thighs and arms with arrows, knives, &c. and
+blacken their faces with charcoal. The whole property belonging to him
+is destroyed, and the relations take, in exchange for the wearing
+apparel, any rags that will cover their nakedness.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The _Chepewyans_ are a sober, timorous, and vagrant people, and of a
+disposition so selfish as sometimes to have excited suspicions of their
+integrity. Their complexion is swarthy; their features are coarse, and
+their hair is lank, but not always of a black colour; nor have they,
+universally, the piercing eye, which generally animates the Indian
+countenance. The women have a more agreeable aspect than the men; but,
+in consequence of their being accustomed, nine months in the year, to
+travel on snow-shoes, and to drag heavy sledges, their gait is awkward.
+They are very submissive to their husbands, who sometimes treat them
+with great cruelty. The men, in general, extract their beards; though
+some of them are seen to prefer a bushy beard to a smooth chin. They cut
+their hair in various forms, or leave it in a long, natural flow,
+according as caprice or fancy suggests. The women always have their
+hair of great length, and some of them are very attentive to its
+arrangement. Both sexes have blue or black marks, or from one to four
+straight lines on their cheeks or forehead, to distinguish the tribe to
+which they belong. These marks are either tatooed, or are made by
+drawing a thread, dipped in colour, beneath the skin.
+
+Few people are more attentive to the comforts of dress than these. In
+winter they wear the skins of deer or fawns, prepared with the hair on,
+and rendered as fine and soft as chamois leather. In summer their
+apparel is of similar skins, but prepared without the hair. A ruff or
+tippet surrounds the neck; and the skin of the head of a deer forms a
+curious kind of cap.
+
+Plurality of wives is allowed among the Chepewyans; and the ceremony of
+marriage is very simple. At a very early period, the girls are betrothed
+to such persons as the parents consider best able to support them. The
+desires of the women are never considered; and whenever a separation
+takes place, which sometimes happens, it depends entirely on the will of
+the husband.
+
+These Indians are not remarkable for activity as hunters: this is owing
+to the ease with which they snare deer, and spear fish. They are not
+addicted to the use of spirituous liquors; and are, on the whole, an
+extremely peaceful tribe. Their weapons and domestic apparatus, in
+addition to articles procured from Europeans, are spears, bows and
+arrows, fishing-nets, and lines made of deer-skin thongs. Their
+amusements are but few. Their music is so inharmonious, and their
+dancing so awkward, that they might be supposed to be ashamed of both,
+as they seldom practise either. They shoot at marks, and play at
+different games; but they prefer sleeping to any of these: and the
+greatest part of their time is passed in procuring food, and resting
+after the toil of obtaining it.
+
+The notion which these people entertain of the creation of the world is
+a very singular one. They believe that the globe was originally one vast
+ocean, inhabited by no living creature, except an immense bird, whose
+eyes were of fire, whose glances were lightning, and the clapping of
+whose wings was thunder. On the descent of this bird to the ocean, and
+at the instant of touching it, they say that the earth arose, and
+remained on the surface of the waters. This omnipotent bird then called
+forth all the variety of animals from the earth, except the Chepewyans,
+who were produced from a dog; and to this circumstance they attribute
+their aversion to dog's-flesh. The tradition proceeds to relate, that
+the great bird, having finished his work, made an arrow, which was to be
+preserved with great care, and to remain untouched; but that the
+Chepewyans were so devoid of understanding, as to carry it away; and
+this sacrilege so enraged the bird, that he has never since appeared.
+They believe also, that, in ancient times, their ancestors lived till
+their feet were worn out with walking, and their throats with eating;
+and they describe a deluge, in which the waters spread over the whole
+earth, except the highest mountains, on the tops of which the Chepewyans
+preserved themselves.
+
+They are superstitious in an extreme; and almost every action of their
+lives, however trivial, is more or less influenced by some superstitious
+notion. They believe in a good and evil spirit; and in a future state of
+rewards and punishments. They assert that the souls of persons deceased
+pass into another world, where they arrive at a large river, on which
+they embark, in a stone canoe, and that a gentle current bears them on
+to an extensive lake, in the centre of which is a beautiful island.
+Within view of this island they receive that judgment for their conduct
+during life, which terminates their state. If their good actions
+predominate, they are landed upon the island, where there is to be no
+end of their happiness. But if their bad actions prevail, the stone
+canoe sinks, and leaves them up to their chins in the water, to behold
+and regret the reward which is enjoyed by the good; and eternally to
+struggle, but with unavailing endeavours, to reach the bliss from which
+they are for ever excluded.
+
+
+
+
+Twenty-fourth Day's Instruction.
+
+NORTH-WESTERN TERRITORY CONCLUDED.
+
+
+Fort Chepewyan was, for eight years, the head quarters of Mr.
+(now Sir Alexander) Mackenzie, who held an official situation under the
+North-west Company; and who, from this place, made two important and
+laborious excursions, one northward, to the Frozen Sea; and the other
+westward, to the Pacific Ocean.
+
+
+_Narrative of a Voyage from Fort Chepewyan, along the Rivers to the
+north Frozen Ocean. From Voyages through the Continent of North America,
+by_ ALEXANDER MACKENZIE.
+
+In the first of his excursions, Mr Mackenzie embarked at _Fort
+Chepewyan_, about nine o'clock in the morning of the 3d of June, 1789.
+His vessel was a canoe formed of birch-bark, and his crew consisted of
+one German and four Canadians, two of whom were attended by their wives.
+He was also accompanied, in a small canoe, by an Indian chief and his
+two wives. The men were engaged to serve in the twofold capacity of
+interpreters and hunters.
+
+Mr. Mackenzie had also with him a canoe which he had equipped for the
+purpose of trade, and had given in charge to M. Le Roux, one of the
+Company's clerks. In this canoe was shipped part of his provision, the
+clothing necessary on the voyage, a requisite assortment of articles of
+merchandise as presents, to ensure them a friendly reception among the
+Indians; and such arms and ammunition as were considered necessary for
+defence, as well as for the use of the hunters.
+
+Crossing the south-western extremity of the _Lake of the Hills_, they
+entered the _Slave river_, and steered, along that river, in a northerly
+direction. On the ensuing day they arrived at the foot of a succession
+of rapids; and, in the course of twelve miles, were obliged five times
+to unload the canoes, and carry the luggage considerable distances
+overland. One of the Indian canoes was borne, by the fury of the
+current, down the last of the cataracts, and was dashed to pieces. The
+hunters here killed seven geese, four ducks, and a beaver. The progress
+of the boats was much impeded by ice.
+
+The banks of the river, both above and below the rapids, were covered
+with wood. This was more particularly the case on the western side,
+where the land was low, and had a black and rich soil. The eastern banks
+were somewhat elevated; and the soil was a yellow clay, mixed with
+gravel. At a little distance from the banks were extensive plains,
+frequented by numerous herds of buffaloes; and the woods, adjacent to
+the river, were inhabited by elks and rein-deer. The habitations of
+beavers were seen in all the small lakes and rivers; and the swamps
+adjacent to the Slave-river, were sometimes covered with wild-fowl.
+
+In the morning of the 9th the voyagers arrived at the _Great Slave
+Lake_. Here they experienced a most uncomfortable change in the weather,
+which became extremely cold. The lake was still frozen; and they were
+obliged to delay their progress for several days, until they could
+effect a passage across it. In the mean while they occupied themselves
+in fishing and hunting, for the purpose of adding to their stock of
+provisions. They had more or less rain almost every day.
+
+On the 20th the ice had somewhat given way, and they recommenced their
+voyage, in a north-westerly direction. A few days after this, they
+landed on the main land, at three lodges of _Red-knife Indians_, so
+called from the copper knives which they use. M. le Roux purchased, of
+these Indians, some packs of beaver and marten-skins; and Mr. Mackenzie
+had several consultations with them concerning the country he was about
+to traverse; but he could obtain from them no information that was
+important to the objects of his expedition. He, however, engaged one of
+them, as a guide, in navigating the bays of the lake.
+
+The musquitoes were now so troublesome as to occasion the voyagers much
+inconvenience. After having, with considerable difficulty, navigated the
+northern side of the lake, they entered the mouth of a river, which lay
+in a westerly direction. On the 2d of July, they perceived, at a
+distance before them, a high mountain, or rather a cluster of mountains,
+which stretched southward, as far as the view could reach, and had their
+tops lost in the clouds. The declivities of these mountains were covered
+with wood; and they were sprinkled with glistening patches of snow,
+which, at first, Mr. Mackenzie mistook for white stones.
+
+During their progress the voyagers saw several Indian encampments. The
+current, in some places, was so rapid as to produce a hissing noise,
+somewhat like the boiling of a kettle. Though it was now the month of
+July, the weather was extremely cold. The sun set at seven minutes
+before ten, and rose at seven minutes before two in the morning.
+
+Having passed several islands, and, not long afterwards having seen, on
+the northern shore, the smoke of several fires, the voyagers made every
+exertion to approach the spot; and, as they drew near, they observed a
+party of Indians, running about in great apparent confusion. Some of
+them were endeavouring to escape into the woods, and others were
+hurrying to their canoes. The hunters landed, and, in the Chepewyan
+language, addressed the few who had not escaped; but, so great was their
+terror, that they did not appear to understand it. When, however, they
+found it was impossible to conceal themselves, they made signs to the
+strangers to keep at a distance. With these the latter complied, and not
+only unloaded their canoe, but pitched their tents, before the Indians
+made any attempt to approach them. After considerable difficulty they
+became reconciled; and, as soon as their fears were dissipated, they
+called their fugitive companions from the woods.
+
+The inhabitants of this place were five families of _Slave_ and _Dog-rib
+Indians_. They were unacquainted with the use of tobacco and ardent
+spirits; but were delighted to receive, as presents, knives, beads,
+awls, rings, fire-steels, flints, and hatchets; and, after a little
+while, they became so familiar, that it was difficult to keep them out
+of the tents.
+
+These Indians seemed totally ignorant respecting the distant parts of
+the river, for they believed its course to be so long that it would
+occupy the voyagers several years to reach the sea. They also described
+the intervening regions to be inhabited by monsters of the most horrid
+shapes and destructive powers. One of them, however, by the bribe of a
+small kettle, an axe, a knife; and some other articles, was induced to
+accompany the voyagers as a guide.
+
+They amused the strangers by dancing and singing; but neither the dance
+nor the song had much variety. The men and women arranged themselves
+promiscuously in a ring. The former had each a bone-dagger, or a piece
+of stick, between the fingers of his right hand, which he kept extended
+above his head, in continual motion; while he held his left in an
+horizontal direction. They leaped about, and threw themselves into
+various antic postures, to the measure of their music, bringing their
+heels close together at every pause. Sometimes the men howled, like wild
+beasts; and he who continued to howl the longest, appeared to be
+considered the best performer. The women suffered their arms to hang
+down, as if they were without the power of motion.
+
+These people are of middle stature, thin, ugly, and ill made,
+particularly about the legs. Many of them appeared to be in a very
+unhealthy state, owing, probably, to their filthiness. As far as could
+be discerned, through the grease and dirt that covered them, they were
+of fairer complexion than the generality of Indians. The women have two
+double lines of black or blue colour upon each cheek, from the ear to
+the nose; and the gristle of the nose is perforated, so as to admit a
+goose-quill, or a small piece of wood to be passed through it. The
+clothing of these Indians is made of the dressed skins of the rein or
+moose-deer. Some of them, says Mr. Mackenzie, were decorated with a neat
+embroidery of porcupine-quills and hair, coloured red, black, yellow,
+and white; and they had bracelets for their wrists and arms, made of
+wood, horn, or bone. Round their head they had a kind of band,
+embroidered with porcupine quills, and ornamented with the claws of
+bears and wild-fowl.
+
+Their huts or lodges are very simple. A few poles, supported by forks,
+and forming a semicircle, with some branches or pieces of bark as a
+covering, constitute the whole of the architecture. Two of these huts
+are constructed facing each other, and a fire is made between them.
+Among the furniture are dishes of wood, bark, or horn; and vessels in
+which they cook their food, narrow at the top, and wide at the bottom.
+The latter are formed of roots of the spruce fir-tree, so closely
+interwoven as to hold water. This people have also small leather bags,
+to hold their embroidered work, their lines, and fishing-nets. They
+twist the fibres of willow-bark, and the sinews of rein-deer, into
+fishing-lines; and they make fishing-hooks of horn, wood, or bone. Their
+weapons for hunting are bows and arrows, spears, daggers, and clubs.
+They kindle fire, by striking together a piece of white or yellow
+pyrites and a flint-stone, over a piece of touchwood.
+
+Their canoes are small, pointed at both ends, flat-bottomed, and covered
+in the fore part. They are made of the bark of the birch-tree, and of
+fir-wood; but are so light, that the man whom one of these vessels bears
+on the water, is able to carry it overland, without any difficulty.
+
+On the 9th of July the voyagers had an interview with a party of
+Indians, who were more pleasing, both in appearance and manners, than
+any they had hitherto seen. They were stout, healthy, and clean in their
+persons; and their utensils and weapons resembled those of the Slave and
+Dog-rib Indians. They obtained iron, in small pieces, from the
+Esquimaux. Their garments were bordered with a kind of fringe; and their
+shirts tapered to a point, from the belt downward. One of the men whom
+Mr. Mackenzie saw, was clad in a shirt made of the skins of musk-rats.
+These Indians tie their hair in a very singular manner. That which grows
+on the temples, or on the fore part of the head, is formed into two
+queues, which hang down before the ears: and that on the crown of the
+head, is fashioned, in the same manner, towards the back of the neck,
+and is tied, with the rest of the hair, at some distance from the head.
+The women, and indeed some of the men, suffer their hair to hang loose
+on their shoulders.
+
+Mr. Mackenzie prevailed with one of these Indians to accompany him on
+his voyage; and this man, who was one of the most intelligent Indians he
+had seen, stated that it would be requisite to sleep ten nights before
+they could reach the sea; and that, after three nights, the voyagers
+would reach a settlement of Esquimaux, with whom his nation had formerly
+made war.
+
+He accompanied Mr. Mackenzie in a canoe; and two of his companions
+followed in two other canoes. The latter sung their native songs; and
+this new guide was so much enlivened by these, that the antics he
+performed, in keeping time to the singing, excited continual alarm lest
+he should overset his boat. He afterwards went on board Mr. Mackenzie's
+canoe, where he began to perform an Esquimaux dance, to the no small
+alarm of the voyagers.
+
+Lower down the river, Mr. Mackenzie had an interview with a party of
+Indians called _Quarrellers_. They consisted of about forty men, women,
+and children, and, at first, seemed inclined to offer resistance; but
+they were soon pacified by presents, of which blue beads were the most
+acceptable articles.
+
+These Indians represented the distance, over land, to the northern sea,
+as not very great; and the distance to the sea, westward, (the Pacific
+Ocean,) to be still shorter.
+
+The river here flowed between high rocks. Indeed, in this part of the
+country, the banks were, in general, lofty. In some places they were
+nearly naked, and in others thickly clad with small trees, particularly
+fir-trees and birch. The tops of the mountains, towards the north, were
+covered with snow. The channels of the river were so various, that the
+voyagers were at a loss which to take. They, however, directed their
+course chiefly towards the north-west.
+
+In this part of the voyage, Mr. Mackenzie was induced to sit up all
+night, for the purpose of observing the sun: which, at half-past twelve
+o'clock, was considerably above the horizon.
+
+At four in the morning he landed at three Indian huts. These were of an
+oval form, each about fifteen feet long, and ten feet wide; and in the
+middle, only, they were high enough for a person to stand upright. In
+one part of each the ground was strewed with willow branches, probably
+as a bed for the family. The door or entrance was about two feet and a
+half high, and had a covered way or porch, five feet in length; so that
+it was necessary to creep on all fours, in order to get into or out of
+these curious habitations. In the top of each hut there was a hole,
+about eighteen inches square, which served the threefold purpose of a
+window, a chimney, and occasionally a door. These edifices were formed
+of wood, covered with branches and grass. On each side of the huts were
+a few square holes in the ground, probably contrived for the
+preservation of the winter stock of provisions.
+
+On the 12th of July, the voyagers had reached what they imagined to be
+an immense lake; and, shortly after they had retired to rest, at night,
+the man on watch called them up, to remove the baggage, on account of
+the sudden rising of the water. Some fish were afterwards caught, about
+the size of a herring, and resembling a species of fish which abounds in
+Hudson's Bay. On the ensuing day, Mr. Mackenzie ascended an adjacent
+hill, and saw much ice; and, towards the north-west, two small islands
+in the ice. On the 14th, many animals were seen in the water, which, at
+first, were supposed to be pieces of floating-ice, but which were
+afterwards ascertained to be whales. Hence it became evident that this
+apparent lake was a part of the _Northern Ocean_. Mr. Mackenzie sailed
+upon it, to some distance from the shore, and landed at the eastern
+extremity of an island, which he called _Whale Island_, and which was
+about seven leagues in length, but not more than a mile broad. The
+ebbing and flowing of the tide were here observed. He subsequently
+landed on another island, where an Indian burying-place was observed.
+The latitude of the shore of this northern ocean, was ascertained to be
+69 degrees 14 minutes, north; and the longitude 135 degrees, west.
+
+
+_Narrative of the Return of_ MR. MACKENZIE _from the Frozen
+Ocean to Fort Chepewyan._
+
+This gentlemen embarked, on his return, at half-past one o'clock, of the
+21st of July, the weather being extremely cold and unpleasant. At ten,
+the canoes re-entered the river; but the opposing current was so strong,
+that the men were obliged, for a considerable distance, to tow them
+along. The land on both sides was elevated, and almost perpendicular.
+Much rain fell.
+
+Mr. Mackenzie subsequently encamped near an Indian village, the
+inhabitants of which were at first considerably alarmed. They
+afterwards, however, became familiar. Some of them, having kindled a
+fire, laid themselves round it, to sleep; and, notwithstanding the
+excessive coldness of the climate, they had neither skins nor garments
+to cover them.
+
+The people of this nation are continually at variance with the
+Esquimaux, who are said to take every opportunity of attacking them,
+when not in a state to defend themselves. From their account it appeared
+that a strong party of Esquimaux occasionally ascended the river, in
+large canoes, to search for flint-stones, which they used as points for
+their spears and arrows. These Esquimaux were said to wear their hair
+short; and to have a hole perforated on each side of their mouth, in a
+line with the under lip, and to place beads in the holes, by way of
+ornament. Their weapons were bows, arrows, and spears; but they also
+used slings, from which they threw stones with great dexterity.
+
+The weather was now fine; and Mr. Mackenzie and his men renewed their
+voyage on the 27th of July. At seven o'clock they once more reached the
+rapids. Here they found three families of Indians, from whom they
+obtained some information respecting the adjacent country, and
+particularly respecting a river which was stated to run on the opposite
+side of the mountains, in a westerly direction; and which, from the
+description given of it, Mr. Mackenzie conjectured to be that called
+_Cook's River_.
+
+At a subsequent interview, with another party of Indians, a
+misunderstanding took place, in which the Indians seized one of Mr.
+Mackenzie's boats, and dragged it on shore. Peace, however, being
+restored, Mr. Mackenzie endeavoured to obtain some further intelligence
+concerning the river to the westward. His enquiries, however, were to
+little purpose. The account given by these Indians was very vague; and
+their description of the inhabitants of the country adjacent to it, was
+extremely absurd. These, it was stated, were of gigantic stature, and
+furnished with wings; which, however, they never employed in flying:
+that they fed on large birds, which they killed with the greatest ease;
+though common men would be the certain victims of the voracity of such
+birds. The Indians also described the people who inhabited the mouth of
+the river, as possessing the extraordinary power of killing with their
+eyes; and as each being able to devour a large beaver at a single meal.
+They added that canoes, or vessels of immense size, visited that place.
+They did not, however, pretend to relate these particulars from their
+own observation, but from the report of other Indians; for they had
+themselves never ventured beyond the first range of mountains, from
+their own dwellings. It, however, appeared to Mr. Mackenzie that, either
+the Indians knew more of this country than they chose to communicate, or
+that his interpreter, who had long been tired of the voyage, gave him
+purposely a wrong account, in order that he might not be induced to
+extend his excursions.
+
+As soon as the conference was ended, the Indians began to dance; and, in
+this pastime, old and young, male and female, continued their exertions,
+till their strength was exhausted. Their actions were accompanied by
+various noises, in imitation of the rein-deer, the bear, and the wolf.
+
+When the dancing was ended, Mr. Mackenzie assumed an angry tone,
+expressed his suspicions that information had been purposely withheld
+from him; and concluded with a threat, that if they did not give him a
+more satisfactory account, he would compel one of them to accompany him,
+for the purpose of pointing out the road to the other river. No sooner
+did they hear this declaration, than they all, in a moment, became sick;
+and answered, in a faint tone, that they knew no more than what they had
+already communicated. Finding it useless to persevere in his enquiries,
+he ceased them; and having purchased a few beaver-skins, and obtained a
+plentiful supply of food, he continued his voyage.
+
+On the 1st of August, the weather was clear and cold. This was the first
+night, for many weeks, that the stars had been visible. Nine days
+afterwards, they arrived in the vicinity of a range of lofty mountains.
+Accompanied by a young Indian, Mr. Mackenzie landed, for the purpose of
+ascending one of them. They passed through a wood, chiefly of
+spruce-firs, so thick that it was with difficulty they could penetrate
+it. After they had walked more than an hour, the underwood decreased;
+and was succeeded by birch and poplar trees, the largest and tallest
+that Mr. Mackenzie had ever seen. The mountains, which had been
+concealed, by the woods, from their view, were again visible, but,
+apparently, at as great a distance as when they were first seen from the
+river. This was a very mortifying circumstance, for Mr. Mackenzie and
+his companion had been walking nearly three hours. The Indian expressed
+great anxiety to return; for his shoes and leggings had been torn to
+pieces, and he was alarmed at the idea of having to proceed all night,
+through this trackless country. Mr. Mackenzie was, however, determined
+to proceed, and to return the next day. As they approached the
+mountains, the ground became marshy; and they waded, in water and grass,
+up to their knees, till they came within a mile of them; when, suddenly,
+Mr. Mackenzie sank, up to his armpits, in mud and water. Having, with
+considerable difficulty, extricated himself, he found it impossible to
+proceed any further. To cross this unexpected morass was impracticable;
+and it extended so far, both to the right and left, that he could not
+attempt to make the circuit of either extremity. He therefore determined
+to return; and, about midnight, he again reached the river, excessively
+fatigued with his fruitless expedition.
+
+In the afternoon of the 13th, the voyagers continued their route, and
+with very favourable weather. They passed several places, where fires
+had recently been made; and beyond these, they observed a party of
+Indians, drawing their canoes on the beach, and endeavouring to escape
+into the woods. These had been so much terrified, by the appearance of
+the strangers, and the report of their guns, in shooting wild-geese,
+that they left, on the beach, several weapons and articles of dress. Mr.
+Mackenzie directed his men to go into the woods, in search of them, but
+in vain; for they had fled too rapidly to be overtaken.
+
+The voyagers had, for some time, subsisted chiefly on fish, which they
+had caught in their nets, and on deer and other game, which the hunters
+had killed.
+
+On Saturday, the 12th of September, at three o'clock in the afternoon,
+they again arrived at _Fort Chepewyan_; and thus concluded an arduous
+voyage, which, in the whole, had occupied the space of one hundred and
+two days.
+
+
+_The Western Coast of America, from California to Behring's Strait._
+
+On the western coast of North America, and lying between the
+twenty-second and thirty-second degrees of latitude, is a very singular
+promontory, near seven hundred miles in length, called _California_. It
+is at present subject to Spain; and is separated from New Mexico, by the
+_Gulf of California_, an arm of the sea, which is navigable by vessels
+of the largest size. The general surface of the country is barren,
+rugged, overrun with hills, rocks, and sand-banks, and unfit for
+agriculture. But, in a few places, where the Spanish missionaries have
+established settlements, the lands are fertile, and singularly
+productive of maize, barley, and peas. The plains, in the interior, are
+noted for the production of rock-salt.
+
+The Indians of California are very expert in the use of the bow, and
+subsist chiefly by hunting and fishing. Their skin is dark, and they
+paint their bodies, by way of ornament: they also pierce their ears, and
+wear in them trinkets of various kinds. The wealthiest of them wear
+cloaks made of sea-otter skins, which cover the loins, and reach below
+their middle. Others, however, have only a piece of cloth round their
+waist, and a little cloak, formed of rabbit-skin, which covers their
+shoulders, and is tied beneath the chin. The huts of these Indians are
+the most miserable that can be imagined. Their form is circular; and
+about six feet wide and four feet high. In the construction of them,
+stakes, eight or ten feet long, are driven into the ground, and are
+brought together so as to form an arch at the top; and trusses of straw,
+badly arranged upon these stakes, defend the inhabitants from the wind
+and rain.
+
+Near the Spanish settlement of _Monterey_, in north latitude 30 degrees
+35 minutes, M. de la Perouse, the French navigator, states that the soil
+is tolerably fertile and productive; and the climate is mild, though
+foggy. This part of California produces, in abundance, olives, figs,
+pomegranates, grapes, and peaches; the trees of which have all been
+planted by the missionaries. Beyond Monterey, the interior of the
+country is covered with immense forests of pines and other trees.
+
+North of California is _New Albion_, a country so called by Sir Francis
+Drake, who originally discovered it in the year 1578. It was visited
+about two hundred years afterwards, by Captain Cook. The country is
+mountainous; and, during the winter and spring, the mountains are
+covered with snow. The valleys and the grounds along the sea-coast, are
+clad with trees, and appear like a vast forest.
+
+Captain Cook sailed northward along the coast of New Albion, and
+anchored his vessels in an inlet called _Nootka Sound_. The inhabitants
+of the adjacent country approached his ships, and offered for sale the
+skins of various animals; garments of different kinds, some of fur, and
+others formed of the bark of trees. But, of all the articles brought to
+market, the most extraordinary, were human skulls, and hands not quite
+stripped of their flesh, some of which had evident marks of having been
+upon the fire. The articles which the natives took, in exchange for
+their commodities, were knives, chisels, pieces of iron and tin, nails,
+looking-glasses, buttons, or any kind of metal. Though the commerce was,
+in general, carried on with mutual honesty, there were some among these
+people who were much inclined to theft. And they were extremely
+dangerous thieves; for, possessing sharp iron instruments, they could
+cut a hook from a tackle, or any other piece of iron from a rope, the
+moment that the backs of the English were turned; and the dexterity with
+which they conducted their operations of this nature, frequently eluded
+the most cautious vigilance. In the progress of the commerce, they would
+deal for nothing but metal; and, at length, brass was so eagerly sought
+for, in preference to iron, that, before the navigators quitted the
+place, scarcely a bit of brass was left in the ships, except what
+belonged to the different instruments. Whole suits of clothes were
+stripped of every button; bureaus were deprived of their furniture;
+copper-kettles, tin-canisters, candlesticks, and whatever of the like
+kind could be found, all were seized and carried off.
+
+On Captain Cook's first arrival in this inlet, he had honoured it with
+the name of _King George's Sound_; but as it was called _Nootka_, by the
+natives, the latter appellation has since been generally adopted. The
+climate appeared to be much milder than that on the east coast of
+America, in the same parallel of latitude. With regard to trees, those
+of which the woods are chiefly composed, are the Canadian pine and white
+cypress; of the land animals, the most common were bears, deer, foxes,
+and wolves. The sea animals, which were seen off the coast, were whales,
+porpoises, seals, and sea-otters. Birds, in general, were not only rare
+as to the different species, but few in number.
+
+With respect to the inhabitants, their persons are generally under the
+common stature; but they are usually full or plump, though without being
+muscular. From their bringing to sale human skulls and bones, it may be
+inferred that they treat their enemies with a degree of brutal cruelty.
+To the navigators, however, they appeared to be a docile, courteous, and
+good-natured people. The chief employments of the men, were those of
+fishing, and of killing land or sea animals for the sustenance of
+themselves and their families; while the women were occupied in
+manufacturing flaxen or woollen garments, and in other domestic offices.
+
+North of Nootka Sound is _Port St. François_, which was visited by M. de
+la Perouse. There is, at this place, a deep bay which affords a safe
+anchorage. During three or four months of the year, vegetation near Port
+St. François is vigorous. In the interior of the country are forests of
+stately trees; and mountains of granite rise from the sea, and to such
+an elevation that their summits are capped with snow. Some of the
+highest mountains were computed by M. de la Perouse, to be ten thousand
+feet in perpendicular height.
+
+The inhabitants of this part of America are more robust, and better
+proportioned, than the Californians. The faces of the women are,
+however, disfigured by having, through the under lip, a piece of wood,
+by way of ornament. They paint their body and face, tatoo themselves,
+and pierce their ears and the cartilage of their nose, for the purpose
+of placing ornaments in them. Their food consists chiefly of game and
+fish. Their huts, or cabins, are constructed of rushes, or the branches
+of trees, and are covered with bark. The weapons of the men are bows,
+javelins, and daggers. The women are chiefly employed in domestic
+concerns: their dress consists of a leathern shirt, and a mantle of
+skins; and their feet are generally naked.
+
+The inhabitants of the country, adjacent to an inlet which Captain Cook
+named _Prince William's Sound_, appeared to have a strong resemblance to
+the Esquimaux and Greenlanders. Their canoes, their weapons, and their
+implements for fishing and hunting, are exactly similar, in materials
+and construction, to those used in Greenland; and the animals are, in
+general, similar to those that are found at Nootka. Humming-birds
+frequently flew about the ships while at anchor. Waterfowl were in
+considerable abundance: but torsk and holibut were almost the only kinds
+of fish that were caught. Vegetables were few in number; and the trees
+were chiefly the Canadian and spruce pine.
+
+North of Prince William's Sound, Captain Cook entered an inlet, which,
+it was hoped, would be found to communicate either with Baffin's or
+Hudson's Bay to the east; but, after an examination of it, to the
+distance of seventy leagues from the sea, it was proved to be a river.
+It is now called _Cook's River_.
+
+The inhabitants who were seen during the examinations of this river,
+appeared to resemble those of Prince William's Sound. They essentially
+differed from those of Nootka Sound, both in their persons and language.
+The only articles seen among them, which were not their own manufacture,
+were a few glass beads, the iron points of their spears, and their
+knives of the same metal. A very beneficial fur-trade, might be carried
+on with the inhabitants of this vast coast; but, without a practical
+northern passage, the situation is too remote to render such a trade of
+any advantage to Great Britain.
+
+A long peninsula, called _Alyaska_, extends, from the mouth of Cook's
+River, in a westerly direction; and, from its extremity a chain of
+islands stretches almost to the coast of Asia. The main land was
+observed, by Captain Cook, to be mountainous; and some of the mountains
+towered above the clouds. One of them, of conical shape, was discovered
+to be a volcano: smoke issued from its summit.
+
+Northward of Alyaska is a promontory to which Captain Cook gave the name
+of _Cape Newenham_. At this place he directed one of his lieutenants to
+land: this gentleman ascended the highest hill within sight, but from
+its summit he could not see a tree or shrub of any description. The
+lower grounds, however, were not destitute of grass and herbage.
+
+At the entrance of _Behring's Strait_, is a point of land which Captain
+Cook called _Cape Prince of Wales_, and which is remarkable as being the
+most westerly extremity of America hitherto explored. It is not forty
+miles distant from the coast of Siberia. From near this place, Captain
+Cook crossed to the opposite shore of Asia; and he continued to traverse
+the Frozen Sea, in various directions, and through innumerable
+difficulties, till, at length, the increase of the ice prevented his
+further progress northward, and he returned into the Pacific Ocean.
+
+
+
+
+Twenty-fifth Day's Instruction.
+
+DAVIS'S STRAIT AND BAFFIN'S BAY.
+
+
+Several expeditions have, at different times, been fitted out, for the
+purpose of ascertaining whether there exists a north-west passage, or
+navigable communication, between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The
+supposed points of communication are the north-western side of Baffin's
+Bay, on the east, and Behring's Strait on the west. Within the last four
+years the attention of the public has been more particularly called to
+this subject, by the fitting out, and progress, of two successive
+expeditions into Baffin's Bay. To the commander of each, instructions
+were given that he should, if possible, effect a passage thence,
+westward, into the Pacific. The first of these expeditions, under the
+command of Captain Ross, sailed from England in the month of April,
+1818: the other, under Captain Parry, who, in the previous expedition,
+had accompanied Captain Ross as the second in command, sailed on the
+10th of May, 1819. Some of the most interesting adventures which they
+each experienced, and of the most important discoveries which they
+effected, will now require our attention.
+
+
+_A Narrative of_ CAPTAIN ROSS'S _Voyage of Discovery, for the
+purpose of exploring Baffin's Bay, and enquiring into the probability of
+a North-west Passage._
+
+The Isabella and Alexander, commanded by Captain Ross and Lieutenant
+Parry, passed _Cape Farewell_, the south-eastern extremity of Greenland,
+on the 26th of May, 1818. The voyagers had previously seen a great
+number of icebergs, or islands of ice, of various shape and size, and of
+singular and grotesque figure. The height of one of them was estimated
+at three hundred and twenty-five feet; and a torrent of water was
+pouring down its side. On another, to which the ships were, for a while,
+made fast, a stratum of gravel, and stones of various kinds was
+observed.
+
+Whilst the vessels were near this iceberg, which was in latitude 68
+degrees, 22 minutes, they were visited by some Esquimaux, inhabitants of
+the adjacent country. From these persons they learnt that it had
+remained aground since the preceding year; and that there was ice all
+the way thence to _Disco Island_.
+
+In the evening of the 12th of June, the weather being clear and serene,
+the sky and the water presented one of the most beautiful scenes that
+can be imagined. The former, near the horizon, was interspersed with
+light and fleecy clouds, which decreased gradually in colour and
+density, according to their height; until, in the zenith, they
+disappeared entirely, and there the sky assumed a rich cerulean blue.
+The water, on the other hand, presented a spectacle superbly grand. Let
+any one fancy himself (says Captain Ross) in the midst of an immense
+plain, extending further than the eye can penetrate, and filled with
+masses of ice, which present a greater variety of form than the most
+fertile imagination can conceive; and as various in size as in shape,
+from the minutest fragments, to stupendous islands, more than one
+hundred feet in perpendicular height above the surface of the ocean.
+
+In the afternoon of the 14th of June, being near the Danish settlement,
+on _Kron Prins Island_, in latitude 63 degrees, 54 minutes, the governor
+of the settlement came on board the Isabella. This person stated that
+the weather of the preceding winter had been unusually severe; and that,
+during his residence of eleven years, in Greenland, the intensity of the
+cold had gradually continued to increase. The whole population of the
+island consisted of himself and family, six Danes, and one hundred
+Esquimaux, whose occupation consisted chiefly in the capture of whales
+and seals.
+
+The vessels proceeded northward, along the edge of the ice, through a
+crooked and narrow channel, in the midst of a firm field of ice, and a
+tremendous ridge of icebergs.
+
+At _Wayat's_ or _Hare Island_, the astronomical instruments were landed,
+and some important errors, both of latitude and longitude, were
+discovered and corrected. Thirty or forty whale-ships were seen fastened
+to the icebergs along the shore of this island. The only four-footed
+animals observed on it were white hares and a fox: the birds were
+ptarmigans, snipes, snow-buntings, and larks.
+
+Beyond Wayat's Island the ships were surrounded by ice of various and
+extensive forms; and much skill, ardour, and perseverance, were
+manifested by the navigators working through the narrow channels and
+floes. On the 23d, and at the distance of ten miles north of Wayat, they
+reached _Four Island Point_, where they found several whalers which had
+been stopped by the ice.
+
+A sort of Danish factory was established at this spot, and some Indian
+huts were seen; but they were in ruins and apparently deserted. Captain
+Ross sent to the shore one of his crew, an Esquimaux, named John
+Sacheuse. This man, who had been resident nearly two years in England,
+and had acquired some knowledge of the English language, had been taken
+on board the Isabella as an interpreter.
+
+He found a village, consisting of a few huts, formed of seal-skins, and
+sufficient for the residence of about fifty persons. Being desirous of
+obtaining from these persons a sledge and dogs, in exchange for a
+rifle-musket, he conducted seven of them, in their canoes, to the ship.
+As soon as the bargain was made, they went on shore, and returned, with
+the sledge and dogs, in a larger canoe, rowed by five women in a
+standing posture, and all dressed in deer-skins. These people were
+highly pleased with the treatment they received; and, having partaken of
+some refreshment in the cabin, they danced on the deck with the sailors,
+to the animating strains of a Shetland fiddler. Two of the women were
+daughters of a Danish resident, by an Esquimaux woman: one of the men
+was the son of a Dane; and they were all of the colour of Mulattoes.
+After the dance, coffee was served; and, at eight o'clock, the party
+returned to land.
+
+The progress of the vessels had hitherto been much impeded by the state
+of the ice. This, however, now began to separate, and they once more
+proceeded on their voyage; passing among hundreds of icebergs, of
+extraordinary colours, and the most fantastical shapes.
+
+In latitude 74 degrees 30 minutes, the Isabella was jammed in by the
+ice, and sustained a severe pressure; being lifted several feet out of
+the water, but she did not receive any material injury. On the 31st of
+July, whales were seen in great numbers; and, the boats being sent in
+pursuit of them, one was killed: it measured forty-six feet in length,
+and yielded thirteen tons of blubber.
+
+On the 6th and 7th of August, the two ships were again in great danger
+from the ice. Whilst they were in the midst of the icebergs, they were
+driven, by a gale of wind, so forcibly against each other, that their
+sterns came violently in contact, and crushed to pieces a boat that
+could not be removed in time; and, had not the vessels themselves been
+excessively strong, they must have been totally destroyed. Attempts were
+made to liberate them by sawing through the ice: not long after the
+commencement of the operation, two immense masses of ice came violently
+in contact, and one of them, fifty feet in height, suddenly broke. Its
+elevated part fell back with a terrible crash; and overwhelmed, with its
+ruins, the very spot which the officers had marked out as a place of
+safety for the ships. Soon afterwards the ice opened, and they were once
+more out of danger.
+
+The gale having abated, and the weather, which of late had been snowy,
+having cleared up, land was seen in latitude 75 degrees 54 minutes; and
+on the 9th of August, the voyagers beheld, at a distance, upon the ice,
+some people who seemed to be hallooing to the ships. At first they were
+supposed to be shipwrecked sailors, whose vessel had perished in the
+late gale; the ships, therefore, were steered nearer to the ice, and the
+colours were hoisted. It was, however, now discovered, that they were
+natives of the country, drawn by dogs on sledges, and with wonderful
+velocity.
+
+When they had approached near enough to the ships, for Sacheuse to be
+heard, he hailed them in his own language, and they answered him; but
+neither party seemed to be intelligible. For some time the strangers
+remained silent; but, on the ships' tacking, they set up a shout, and
+wheeled off, with amazing swiftness, towards the land.
+
+On the ensuing day eight sledges were seen to approach the ships.
+Sacheuse volunteered his services to go on the ice, with presents: this
+was done in the hope of bringing the people to a parley. They halted at
+some distance from the ships, and by the edge of a canal or chasm in the
+ice, which prevented any fear or danger of attack from either party.
+Sacheuse soon discovered that these Indians spoke a dialect of his own
+language; and he invited them to approach nearer, but they replied, "No,
+no, go you away;" and one of them, drawing a knife out of his boot,
+exclaimed: "Go away; I can kill you." Sacheuse told them that he wished
+to be their friend; and, as a proof of it, he threw them, across the
+canal, some strings of beads, and a checked shirt. These were beheld
+with great distrust, and Sacheuse threw them a knife. They approached
+with caution, took up the knife, and then shouted and pulled their
+noses. These actions were imitated by Sacheuse, who, in return, called
+out, "Heigh-yaw!" pulling his nose, with the same gesture. They then
+pointed to the shirt, and asked him of what skin it was made; but some
+time elapsed before they would venture to touch it. After this they
+pointed to the ships, and eagerly enquired, "What are those great
+creatures? Do they come from the sun or the moon? Do they give us light
+by night or by day?" Sacheuse said that they were houses made of wood;
+but this, they replied, could not be the case, for the creatures were
+alive: they had been seen to flap their wings. Sacheuse again assured
+them of the truth of all he had told them, and that he was a man like
+themselves; then pointing towards the south, he said he came, in those
+houses, from a distant country in that direction. To this they replied,
+"No, that cannot be: there is nothing but ice there."
+
+On Sacheuse asking these Indians who they were, they replied that they
+were men, and that they lived in a country towards which they pointed
+(in the north:) that they had there plenty of water; and that they had
+come to the present spot, to catch seals and sea-unicorns.
+
+Sacheuse, wishing to become better acquainted with them, returned to the
+ship, for a plank, to enable him to cross over the chasm. He crossed it;
+but, on approaching them, they entreated that he would not touch them,
+as, in that case, they should certainly die. One of them, however, more
+courageous than the rest, ventured to touch his hand; then, pulling his
+own nose, he set up a loud shout, in which he was joined by Sacheuse and
+the other three.
+
+The whole of the natives, eight in number, now came forward, and were
+met by the commanders of the vessels, and the other officers; but they
+were, evidently, in a state of great alarm, until the ceremony of
+pulling noses had been gone through by both parties, shouting, at the
+same time, _heigh-yaw_! With this people the pulling of noses is a mode
+of friendly salutation; and their interjection of "heigh-yaw!" is an
+expression of surprise and pleasure.
+
+The officers gave to the foremost of the natives a looking-glass and a
+knife; and presented similar articles to the others, as they came up in
+succession. On seeing their faces in the glasses, their astonishment
+appeared extreme. They looked round in silence, for a moment, at each
+other, and at their visitors, and immediately afterwards set up a
+general shout: this was succeeded by a loud laugh, expressive of delight
+and surprise. Having, at length, acquired some degree of confidence,
+they advanced, and, in return for knives, glasses, and beads, gave their
+own knives, sea-unicorn's horns, and sea-horse teeth.
+
+On approaching the ship, they halted, and were evidently much terrified;
+and one of the party, after surveying the Isabella, and examining every
+part of her with his eyes, thus addressed her, in a loud tone: "Who are
+you? Where do you come from? Is it from the sun or the moon?" pausing
+between every question, and pulling his nose with the greatest
+solemnity. This ceremony was repeated, in succession, by all the rest.
+
+Sacheuse again assured them that the ships were only wooden houses; and
+he showed them the boat, which had been hauled on the ice, for the
+purpose of being repaired, explaining to them, that it was a smaller
+vessel of the same kind. This immediately arrested their attention:
+they advanced to the boat, and examined her, and the carpenter's tools
+and the oars, very minutely; each object, in its turn, exciting the most
+ludicrous ejaculations of surprise. The boat was then ordered to be
+launched into the sea, with a man in it, and hauled up again; at the
+sight of this operation there seemed no bounds to their clamour. The
+cable and the ice-anchor, the latter a heavy piece of iron, shaped like
+the letter S, excited much interest. They tried in vain to remove it;
+and they eagerly enquired of what skins the cable was made.
+
+By this time the officers of both the ships had surrounded the Indians;
+while the bow of the Isabella, which was close to the ice, was crowded
+with sailors; and a more ludicrous, yet more interesting scene, was,
+perhaps, never beheld, than that which took place whilst the Indians
+were viewing the ship. Nor is it possible to convey to the imagination
+any thing like a just representation of the wild amazement, joy, and
+fear, by which they were successively agitated. The circumstance,
+however, which chiefly excited their admiration, was a sailor going
+aloft; for they kept their eyes intently fixed upon him, till he had
+reached the summit of the mast. The sails, which hung loose, they
+supposed to be skins.
+
+After this, they were conducted to the foot of a rope-ladder suspended
+from the deck of the ship; and the mode of ascending it was shown to
+them; but a considerable time elapsed before they could be prevailed
+with to ascend. At length one of them went up, and he was followed by
+the rest. The wonders with which they were now surrounded, excited
+additional astonishment.
+
+The knowledge which these Indians had of wood seemed to be confined to
+some kinds of heath, which had stems not thicker than the finger: hence
+they knew not what to think of the timber with which the ships were
+constructed. Not being aware of its weight, two or three of them,
+successively, seized hold of the spare topmast, and evidently with an
+intention of carrying it off. The only object on board which they
+seemed to view with contempt, was a little terrier dog; judging, no
+doubt, that it was too small for drawing a sledge: but they shrunk back,
+in terror, from a pig, whose pricked ears, and ferocious countenance,
+presented a somewhat formidable appearance. This animal happening to
+grunt, one of them was so much terrified, that he became, from that
+moment, uneasy, and impatient to get out of the ship. In carrying his
+purpose into effect, however, he did not lose his propensity to
+thieving, for he seized hold of, and endeavoured to carry off, the
+smith's anvil: but, finding it infinitely too heavy for his strength, he
+laid hold of the large hammer, threw it on the ice; and, following it
+himself, deliberately laid it on his sledge, and drove off. As this was
+an article that could not be spared, Captain Ross sent a man from the
+ship, who pursued the depredator, and, with some difficulty, recovered
+it.
+
+The officers and men on board were much amused by putting into the hands
+of these Indians a magnifying mirror. On beholding themselves in it,
+their grimaces were highly entertaining. They first looked into, and
+then behind it, in hopes of finding the monster which was exaggerating
+their hideous gestures. A watch was held to the ear of one of them; and
+he, supposing it alive, asked if it was good to eat. On being shown the
+glass of the skylight and binnacle, they touched it, and desired to know
+what kind of ice it was.
+
+Three of the men who remained on board were handed down into the
+captain's cabin, and shown the use of the chairs: this, however, they
+did not comprehend; for they appeared to have no notion of any other
+seat than the ground. They were shown paper, books, drawings, and
+various mathematical instruments, but these produced in them only the
+usual effect of astonishment. On being conducted to the gun-room, and
+afterwards round the ship, they did not appear to notice any thing
+particularly, except the wood that had been used in her construction.
+They stamped upon the deck, as if in surprise at the great quantity of
+this valuable material which they beheld. By the direction of the
+officers, Sacheuse enquired of these people, whether their country had
+as many inhabitants as there were pieces of ice, floating round the
+ship: they replied, "Many more;" and it was supposed that at least a
+thousand fragments could be distinguished.
+
+The men were now loaded with presents of various kinds, consisting of
+articles of clothing, biscuit, and pieces of wood; in addition to which
+the plank that had been used in crossing the chasm, was given to them.
+They then departed, promising to return as soon as they had eaten and
+slept. The parting was attended, on each side, by the ceremony of
+pulling noses.
+
+It has been remarked that these Indians were in possession of knives;
+and the iron of which their knives were made, was stated to have been
+procured from a mountain near the sea-shore. They informed Sacheuse that
+there was a rock, or great quantity of it; and that they cut off from
+this rock, with a sharp stone, such pieces as they wanted.
+
+In the course of the three following days, the Isabella changed her
+station some miles westward. At length she was again moored near the
+ice; and, shortly afterwards, three of the natives appeared at a
+distance. Sacheuse, who had been furnished with presents, and sent to
+speak with them, induced them to drive, on their sledges, close to the
+vessel. The dogs attached to each sledge were six in number. Each dog
+had a collar of seal-skin, two inches wide, to which one end of a thong,
+made of strong hide, and about three yards in length, was fastened: the
+other end was tied to the front of the sledge: thus the dogs were ranged
+nearly abreast, each dog drawing by a single trace, and without reins.
+No sooner did they hear the crack of the driver's whip, than they set
+off at full speed, while he managed them with the greatest apparent
+ease, guiding them partly by his voice, and partly by the sound of his
+whip. One of these men pointed out to Captain Ross his house, which was
+about three miles distant, and could be discerned with a telescope.
+
+A party of ten natives approached the ship, on the ensuing day. These
+having with them a seal-skin bag filled with air, they began to kick it
+at each other and at the strangers: in this play the Englishmen joined,
+to the great amusement of both parties. The inflated skin was what the
+men had been using as the buoy to a harpoon, in the killing of a
+sea-unicorn. They gave to Captain Ross a piece of dried sea-unicorn's
+flesh, which appeared to have been half roasted. This gentleman had
+already seen them eat dried flesh; and he now had an opportunity of
+ascertaining that they did not scruple to eat flesh in any state; for,
+one of them who had a bag full of marine-birds, took out one and
+devoured it raw.
+
+The officers, desirous of ascertaining whether these Indians had any
+amusements of music or dancing, prevailed with two of them to give a
+specimen of their dancing. One of them began to distort his features and
+turn up his eyes. He then proceeded to execute, in succession, a variety
+of strange gestures and attitudes, accompanied by hideous distortions of
+countenance. His body was generally in a stooping posture; and his hands
+rested on his knees. After a few minutes, he began to sing; and, in a
+little while, the second performer, who, hitherto, had been looking on,
+in silence, began to imitate his comrade. They then sang, in chorus, the
+word, "_hejaw! hejaw!_" After this had continued, with increasing
+energy, for several minutes, the tune was suddenly changed to one of
+shrill notes, in which the words "_weehee! weehee!_" were uttered with
+great rapidity. They then approached each other, by slipping their feet
+forward: they grinned, and, in great agitation, advanced until their
+noses touched, when a loud and savage laugh terminated the extraordinary
+performance.
+
+While this performance was going on, one of the Indians, seeing that the
+attention of every person was engaged, seized the opportunity of
+descending into the state-room, and of purloining Captain Ross's best
+telescope, a case of razors, and a pair of scissors, which he artfully
+concealed in his tunic, rejoining the party and the amusements, as if
+nothing had happened. He did not, however, escape detection, for the
+ship's steward had witnessed the theft, and, now charging him with it,
+made him return all the articles he had stolen.
+
+Captain Ross gave the name of _Arctic Highlands_ to the country
+inhabited by these Indians, and that of _Prince Regent's Bay_, to the
+place where the vessels had anchored. It is situated in the north-east
+corner of Baffin's Bay, between the latitudes of 76 and 79 degrees
+north; and is bounded, towards the south, by an immense barrier of
+mountains covered with ice. The interior of the country presents an
+irregular group of mountainous land, declining gradually towards the
+sea, which it reaches in an irregular manner, the cliffs ranging from
+five hundred to one thousand feet in height. This tract was almost
+covered with ice, and appeared to be impassable.
+
+On the surface of the land, above the cliffs, a scanty appearance of
+vegetation, of a yellowish green colour, and, in some places, of a
+heathy brown, was to be seen; and, at the foot of the cliffs, similar
+traces of a wretched verdure were also apparent. Among the cliffs were
+seen deep ravines filled with snow, through which the marks of torrents
+were perceptible. These cliffs run out, in many places, into capes, and
+are skirted by islands, which, at this time, were clear of ice, and
+consequently were washed by the waves. Many species of wild-fowl were
+seen.
+
+The vegetable productions of this country may be said to consist of
+heath, moss, and coarse grass. There is nothing like cultivation, nor
+did it appear that the natives used any kind of vegetable food. The moss
+is in great abundance: it is six or eight inches in length, and, when
+dried and immersed in oil or blubber, it serves for a wick, and
+produces a comfortable fire for cooking and warmth, as well as for
+light.
+
+The whale-fishery might, undoubtedly, be pursued with great success, in
+this bay and its vicinity. The whales are here not only large and
+numerous, but, probably from their having been undisturbed, they are
+tame, and easy to be approached.
+
+The dress of the Arctic Highlanders, as Captain Ross has denominated the
+people of this country, consists of three pieces, which are all
+comprised in the name of _tunic_. The upper piece is made of seal-skin,
+with the hair outside; and is open near the top, so as to admit the
+wearer's face. The hood part is neatly trimmed with fox's-skin, and is
+made to fall back on the shoulders, or to cover the head, as may be
+required. The next piece of dress, which scarcely reaches to the knee,
+is made of bear's or dog's skin. The boots are of seal-skin, with the
+hair inward. In the winter this people have a garment of bear-skin,
+which they put on as a cloak.
+
+The Arctic Highlanders are of a dirty copper colour. Their stature is
+about five feet: their bodies are corpulent, and their features much
+resemble those of the Esquimaux. Their cheeks are full and round. Their
+lips are thick, their eyes are small, and their hair is black, coarse,
+long, and lank. These people appear to be filthy in the extreme. The
+faces, hands, and bodies of such as were seen by the voyagers, were
+covered with oil and dirt; and they seemed never to have washed
+themselves since they were born: even their hair was matted with filth.
+
+Some attempts were made to ascertain the religious notions of the Arctic
+Highlanders, but these seem to have proved unsatisfactory; and, perhaps,
+from the inability of Sacheuse to question them on such a subject. They
+had a king, whom they represented to be a strong man, very good, and
+greatly beloved. His house was described to be of stone, and nearly as
+large as the ship; and they said that every man paid to him a portion of
+all which they caught or found. They could not be made to understand
+what was meant by war, nor did the voyagers see, among them, any warlike
+weapons. It is peculiarly deserving of remark, that these Indians, who
+derive much of their subsistence from the water, have no canoes or
+vessels of any description, in which they can go afloat; nor do they
+appear to have any names by which boats or canoes are designated. It is
+true that they have no wood for the construction of floating vessels;
+but such might, without difficulty, be constructed of bone covered with
+skins.
+
+On the 16th of August, the ice had become sufficiently open, to permit
+the passage of the vessels to the northward; and they consequently
+proceeded on their voyage.
+
+In these high latitudes, a kind of marine birds, called Little Awks
+(_alca alle_) were observed in countless multitudes, and afforded to the
+sailors, a grateful supply of fresh food. With three muskets, no fewer
+than one thousand two hundred and sixty-three of them were killed in one
+day; and, of this number, ninety-three were brought down by one
+discharge of the muskets.
+
+When the ships were in latitude 75 degrees 54 minutes, the snow on the
+face of the cliffs was observed to be stained of a deep crimson colour.
+Some of this snow being collected in buckets, it was found to resemble,
+in appearance, raspberry ice-cream: when dissolved, the liquor seemed
+not unlike muddy port-wine; and the sediment appeared, through a
+microscope, to be composed of dark-red globules. Some of this sediment
+was brought to England, and it is generally supposed to have been a
+vegetable substance, the seed, probably, of some species of fungus; or,
+perhaps, to have been itself a minute kind of fungus.
+
+On the 18th of August, the ships passed _Cape Dudley Digges_, six miles
+northward of which a majestic glacier, or mass of ice, was remarked to
+occupy a space of four miles square, extending one mile into the sea,
+and rising to the height of at least a hundred feet. On the same day
+the vessels passed _Wolstenholme_ and _Whale Sounds_.
+
+About midnight of the 19th, _Sir Thomas Smith's Sound_ was distinctly
+seen. Captain Ross considered the bottom of this sound to have been
+eighteen leagues distant; but its entrance, he says, was completely
+blocked up by ice. On the 21st, the ships stood over to explore an
+opening, supposed to have been that called _Alderman Jones's Sound_; but
+Captain Ross says that the ice and fog prevented a near approach.
+
+The night of the 24th of August was remarkable for having been the first
+on which the sun had been observed to set, since the 7th of June. The
+land was now seen to take a southerly direction; and the ships proceeded
+along it, as near as they could conveniently approach for the floating
+masses of ice.
+
+On the 30th they entered a wide opening in the land, the _Sir James
+Lancaster's Sound_ of Baffin. On each side of this opening was a chain
+of high mountains. The sea was perfectly free from ice, and the vessels
+proceeded on a westward course for several leagues. The weather had, for
+some time, been hazy; but, on its clearing up, Captain Ross states that
+a range of mountains about twenty-four miles distant, were seen to
+occupy the centre of the inlet. To these he gave the name of _Croker
+Mountains_, and, imagining that no passage existed through them, he
+returned into the open sea, and, not long afterwards, sailed for
+England.
+
+
+
+
+Twenty-sixth Day's Instruction.
+
+DAVIS'S STRAIT AND BAFFIN'S BAY CONCLUDED.
+
+
+The accounts that had been given by Captain Ross, particularly
+respecting the apparent mountains, named by him _Croker Mountains_,
+across Sir James Lancaster's Sound, not proving either conclusive or
+satisfactory, the Lords of the Admiralty ordered two ships, the Hecla
+and Griper, to be prepared for a further voyage of discovery in Baffin's
+Bay. The command of these vessels, as already stated, was given to
+Captain Parry, who, in the previous expedition, had been second in
+command under Captain Ross. It was one important part of his
+instructions, that he should advance to the northward, as far as the
+opening into Lancaster's Sound; that he should explore the bottom of
+that Sound, and, if possible, pass through it to Behring's Strait. The
+number of men in both the vessels was ninety-four; and many of them were
+those who had accompanied Captain Ross.
+
+
+_Narrative of_ CAPTAIN PARRY'S _Voyage for the Discovery of a
+North-West Passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean._
+
+Captain Parry arrived at the entrance into _Lancaster's Sound_, on the
+30th of July, 1819; and, this day, saw no fewer than eighty-two whales.
+Some of the officers and men landed at _Possession Bay_, and recognized
+many objects which they had seen there, when with Captain Ross. The
+tracks of human feet were observed upon the banks of a stream. These at
+first excited much surprise; but, on examination, they were discovered
+to have been made by the shoes of some of the same party, eleven months
+before.
+
+In sailing, westward, up the Sound, Captain Parry says that it is more
+easy to imagine than to describe the almost breathless anxiety which was
+visible in every countenance, as the breeze, which had hitherto impelled
+the vessels, increased to a fresh gale. The mast-heads were crowded by
+the officers and men looking out; and an unconcerned observer, if, on
+such an occasion, any could be unconcerned, would have been amused by
+the eagerness with which the various reports from those stations were
+received.
+
+After the vessels had proceeded a considerable distance, they passed
+some bold headlands, and high mountains. They also passed an inlet, to
+which Captain Parry gave the name of _Croker's Bay_, and which he is of
+opinion may, hereafter, be found a passage from Lancaster's Sound into
+the Northern Sea. They were thence carried along briskly for three days.
+On the 4th of August, there was, from the mast-head, an exclamation of
+"land!" and that sound, which, on ordinary occasions, is of all others
+the most joyful to a seaman's ears, was, on this, the signal for
+disappointment and mortification. The land, however, proved to be an
+island.
+
+The vessels continued their progress, and several bays, capes, and
+headlands, were successively discovered. On the 22d there was a clear
+and extensive view to the northward; the water was free from ice, and
+the voyagers now felt that they had entered the Polar Sea. The
+magnificent opening through which their passage had been effected, from
+Baffin's Bay, to a channel dignified with the name of _Wellington_, was
+called, by Captain Parry, _Barron's Straits_.
+
+In latitude 75 degrees 3 minutes, and longitude 103 degrees 44 minutes,
+an island was discovered; and Captain Sabine, with two other officers,
+landed on it. They found, in four different places, the remains of
+Esquimaux habitations. These were from seven to ten feet in diameter;
+and to each was attached a circle four or five feet in diameter, which
+had probably been the fire-place. The whole encampment appeared to have
+been deserted for several years; but recent footsteps of rein-deer and
+musk-oxen were seen in many places.
+
+The circumstances under which the voyagers were now sailing were,
+perhaps, such as had never occurred since the early days of navigation.
+There was land towards the north; ice, it was supposed, was towards the
+south; the compasses by which the vessels had been steered, now varied
+so much, that they had become useless; and all the surrounding objects
+were obscured by a dense fog: consequently, there was now no other mode
+of regulating the course of the ships, than by trusting to the
+steadiness of the wind.
+
+On the 2d of September a star was seen; the first that had been visible
+for more than two months. Two days afterwards, at a quarter past nine in
+the evening, the ships, in latitude 74 degrees 44 minutes, crossed the
+meridian of 110 degrees from Greenwich, by which they became entitled to
+£.5000; a reward offered by the British government to the first vessels
+which should cross that longitude, to the north of America. In order to
+commemorate the event, a lofty headland that they had just passed, was
+called _Bounty Cape_. On the following day the ships, for the first time
+since they had quitted the English coast, dropped anchor in a roadstead,
+which was called the _Bay of the Hecla and Griper_; and the crews landed
+on the largest of a group of islands, which Captain Parry named
+_Melville Island_. The ensigns and pendants were hoisted, as soon as the
+vessels had anchored; and it excited, in the voyagers, no ordinary
+sensations of pleasure, to see the British flag waving, for the first
+time, in regions, which, hitherto, had been considered beyond the limits
+of the habitable world.
+
+The wind now became unfavourable to their progress; and a rapid
+accumulation of the ice, exposed the vessels to the greatest danger, and
+the crews to incessant fatigue. For several days they were unable to
+proceed further than along the coast of the island. This was the more
+mortifying, as Captain Parry had looked forward to the month of
+September, as the period, of all others, favourable to the rapid
+prosecution of his voyage. To add to his anxiety, a party of seamen, who
+had been sent on shore, to hunt deer, lost their way, and, for three
+nights, were exposed to the inclemency of the weather. The most
+distressing apprehensions were entertained respecting the fate of these
+men; nor, were they finally recovered, without considerable danger to
+those who were sent in search of them, and who, had their recovery been
+delayed one day longer, must themselves have perished. In gratitude for
+this preservation, the nearest headland was named _Cape Providence_.
+
+The increasing dangers and difficulties attendant on continuing the
+navigation westward, prevented the vessels from proceeding further than
+to some distance along the coast of Melville Island. And, at length,
+Captain Parry, finding that no hope could be entertained, during the
+present season, of penetrating beyond this island, he was induced to
+return to Hecla and Griper Bay, for the purpose of passing there the
+winter.
+
+It was now, however, requisite to cut a canal through the ice, which,
+since their departure, had extended a considerable distance into the
+sea; and to draw the ships up it into the harbour. In this operation,
+two parallel lines were cut, distant from each other, little more than
+the breadth of the ships; and the ice was divided into square pieces,
+which were subdivided diagonally, and were either floated out of the
+canal, or sunk beneath the adjacent ice. The labour of cutting this
+canal may be imagined, when it is stated that the length was more than
+four thousand yards, and that the average thickness of the ice was seven
+inches. At three o'clock of September the 26th, the third day spent in
+this operation, the vessels reached their winter quarters; an event
+which was hailed with three hearty cheers, by the united ships' crews.
+The group of islands which had been discovered, were called the _North
+Georgian Islands_.
+
+As the ships had now attained that station where, in all probability,
+they were destined to remain for eight or nine months, every precaution
+was taken for their security, and for the preservation of the various
+stores which they contained. A regular system also was adopted, for the
+maintenance of good order, cleanliness, and the health of the crews,
+during the approaching long, dark, and dreary winter. All the masts,
+except the lower ones, were dismantled; and the boats, spars, ropes, and
+sails, were removed on shore, in order to give as much room as possible
+on the deck. The ropes and sails were all hard frozen, and it was
+requisite to keep them in that state, till the return of spring. A
+housing of planks, covered with wadding-tilt, such as is used for
+stage-waggons, was formed upon the deck of each of the vessels; and thus
+constituted a comfortable shelter from the snow and the wind.
+
+The crews were in excellent health, and every care was taken to preserve
+it. Regulations were made, in the allowances both of bread and meat: as
+a preservative against scurvy, the men were allowed a quantity of
+vinegar with their meat, and they, every day, took a portion of
+lime-juice and sugar. The next care was for the minds of the men, the
+health of which Captain Parry wisely considered to have no small
+influence on that of the body. This excellent officer, anxious for their
+amusement during the long and tedious interval of winter, proposed, that
+a play should occasionally be got up on board the Hecla. He considered
+this to be the readiest means of preserving, among the crews, that
+cheerfulness and good-humour which had hitherto subsisted. The proposal
+was readily seconded by the officers of both ships: Lieutenant Beechey
+was consequently elected stage-manager, and the first performance was
+fixed for the 5th of November. In order still further to promote
+good-humour, and to furnish amusing occupation, a weekly newspaper was
+set on foot, called the "North Georgia Gazette, and Winter Chronicle,"
+of which Captain Sabine undertook to be the editor, under a promise
+that it should be supported by original contributions from the officers
+of the two ships.
+
+On the 4th of November the sun sank beneath the horizon, not to appear
+again above it for the space of ninety-six days. On the 5th the theatre
+was opened, with the farce of "Miss in her Teens;" and Captain Parry
+found so much benefit accrue to his men, from the amusement which this
+kind of spectacle afforded them, and with the occupation of fitting up
+the theatre and taking it down again, that the dramatic representations
+were continued through the whole winter, and were performed and
+witnessed with equal pleasure, even when the cold upon the stage was
+intense.
+
+The sinking of the sun below the horizon, for so long a period, seemed
+to occasion a painful sensation to the animals, inhabitants of the
+island, as well as to the human beings who had sought a temporary asylum
+on it: for, from that time, the wolves began to approach the ships, as
+if drawn thither by a melancholy sympathy; and they often howled, most
+piteously, for many successive hours. They, however, seldom appeared in
+greater numbers than two or three together; and it was somewhat
+extraordinary, that although the crews of both vessels were, for many
+weeks, intent on killing or catching some of them, they never could
+succeed. Only one bear was seen during the whole winter: it was of the
+white kind, and had tracked Captain Sabine's servant quite to the ships;
+but, being there saluted by a volley of balls, it ran off and escaped.
+
+The circumstances under which the crews of these vessels were situated,
+being such as had never before occurred, it cannot be uninteresting to
+know in what manner they passed their time during three months of nearly
+total darkness, and in the midst of a severe winter.
+
+The officers and quarter-masters were divided into four watches, which
+were regularly kept, as at sea; while the remainder of the ship's
+company were allowed to enjoy their night's rest undisturbed. The hands
+were turned up at a quarter before six in the morning; and both the
+decks were well rubbed with stones and warm sand, before eight o'clock,
+at which time both officers and men went to breakfast. Three quarters of
+an hour being allowed, after breakfast, for the men to prepare
+themselves for muster, they were all assembled on the deck at a quarter
+past nine; and a strict inspection took place, as to their personal
+cleanliness, and the good condition, as well as sufficient warmth, of
+their clothing. The reports of the officers having been made to Captain
+Parry, the men were then allowed to walk about, or, more usually, to run
+round the upper deck; whilst he went down to examine the state of the
+deck below, accompanied by Lieutenant Beechey and Mr. Edwards the
+surgeon.
+
+The state of this deck may be said, indeed, to have constituted the
+chief source of anxiety; and, at this period, to have occupied by far
+the greatest share of attention. Whenever any dampness appeared, or,
+what more frequently happened, any accumulation of ice had taken place
+during the preceding night, the necessary means were immediately adopted
+for removing it: in the former case, usually by rubbing the wood with
+cloths, and then directing hot air to the place; and, in the latter, by
+scraping off the ice, so as to prevent its wetting the deck, by any
+accidental increase of temperature. In this respect the bed-places were
+peculiarly troublesome; the inner partition, or that next the ship's
+side, being, almost invariably, covered with more or less dampness or
+ice, according to the temperature of the deck during the preceding
+night.
+
+All the requisite examinations being finished, the men, when the weather
+would permit, were sent out to walk on shore till noon; but, when the
+day was too inclement to admit of this exercise, they were ordered to
+run round and round the deck, keeping step to the tune of an organ, or
+to a song of their own singing. A few of the men did not, at first,
+quite like this systematic mode of taking exercise; but, when they
+found that no plea, except that of illness, was admitted as an excuse,
+they not only willingly and cheerfully complied, but they made it the
+occasion of much humour and frolic among themselves.
+
+The officers, who dined at two o'clock, were also in the habit of
+occupying one or two hours, of the middle of the day, in rambling on
+shore, even in the darkest period; except when a fresh wind or a heavy
+snow-drift confined them within the housing of the ships. It may well be
+imagined, that, at this period, there was but little to be met with in
+their walks on shore, which could either amuse or interest them. The
+necessity of not exceeding the limited distance of one or two miles,
+lest a snow-drift, which often arose very suddenly, should prevent their
+return, added considerably to the dull and tedious monotony which, day
+after day, presented itself. Towards the south was the sea, covered with
+one unbroken surface of ice, uniform in its dazzling whiteness, except
+that, in some parts, a few hummocks were seen thrown up somewhat above
+the general level. Nor did the land offer much greater variety: it was
+covered with snow, except here and there a brown patch of bare ground in
+some exposed situations, where the wind had not allowed the snow to
+remain. When viewed from the summit of the neighbouring hills, on one of
+those calm, clear days, which not unfrequently occurred during the
+winter, the scene was such as to induce contemplations, that had,
+perhaps, more of melancholy than of any other feeling. Not an object was
+to be seen on which the eye could long rest with pleasure, unless when
+directed to the spot where the ships lay. The smoke which there issued
+from the several fires, affording a certain indication of the presence
+of man, gave a partial cheerfulness to this part of the prospect; and
+the sound of voices, which, during the cold weather, could be heard at a
+much greater distance than usual, served, now and then, to break the
+silence which reigned around,--a silence far different from that
+peaceable composure which characterizes the landscape of a cultivated
+country: it was the death-like stillness of the most dreary desolation,
+the total absence of animated existence.
+
+The weather became intensely severe; and, during the latter part of
+November, and the first half of December, Captain Parry's journal
+presents little more than observations on it; and oh the meteoric
+appearances and fantastic illusions of light and colour, with which the
+voyagers were often amused. At one time, the moon appeared to be
+curiously deformed by refraction; the lower edges of it seeming to be
+indented with deep notches, and afterwards to be cut off square at the
+bottom; whilst a single ray or column of light, of the same diameter as
+the moon, was observed to descend from it to the top of a hill. At
+another time, several transparent clouds were seen to emit, upward,
+columns of light, resembling the aurora borealis. The aurora borealis
+itself appears to have been seldom witnessed, in the splendour with
+which it occasionally illuminates even the northern parts of Scotland;
+still it was both frequent and vivid enough to give variety and beauty
+to the long nights which the voyagers had to endure.
+
+The new year was ushered in by weather comparatively mild; but it soon
+regained its former severity. Captain Parry and his crews did not,
+however, experience those effects from the cold, even when 49 degrees
+below 0, which preceding voyagers have stated; such as a dreadful
+sensation on the lungs, when the air is inhaled at a very low
+temperature; or the vapour with which an inhabited room is charged,
+condensing into a shower of snow, immediately on the opening of a door
+or window. What they did observe was this: on the opening of the doors,
+at the top and bottom of the hatch-way ladders, the vapour was
+condensed, by the sudden admission of the cold air, into a visible form,
+exactly resembling a very thick smoke. This apparent smoke settled on
+the pannels of the doors and on the bulk-heads, and immediately froze,
+by which the latter were covered with a thick coating of ice, which it
+was necessary frequently to scrape off.
+
+The extreme severity of the cold, which was sometimes prevalent, may be
+imagined from the following fact:--A house, erected on the shore, for
+scientific purposes, caught fire; and a servant of Captain Sabine, in
+his endeavours to extinguish it, exposed his hands, in the first
+instance, to the operation of considerable heat; and he afterwards, for
+some time, remained without gloves, in the open air. When taken on board
+the ship, his hands presented a strange appearance. They were perfectly
+hard, inflexible, and colourless; possessing a degree of translucency,
+and exhibiting more the external character of pieces of sculptured
+marble, than of animated matter. They were immediately plunged into the
+cold bath, where they were continued more than two hours, before their
+flexibility could be restored. The abstraction of heat had been so
+great, that the water, in contact with the fingers, congealed upon them,
+even half an hour after they had been immersed. During the cold
+application, the man suffered acute pain, by which he became so faint
+and exhausted, that it was requisite to put him to bed. In less than
+three hours, an inflammation came on, which extended high up the arm;
+and, soon afterwards, each hand, from the wrist downward, was enclosed
+in a kind of bladder, containing nearly a pint of viscid serous fluid.
+There were, however, three fingers of one hand, and two of the other, in
+which this vesication did not form. These fingers continued cold and
+insensible, nor could the circulation in them be restored; and,
+eventually, the amputation of them became necessary.
+
+The distance at which sounds were heard in the open air, during the
+continuance of intense cold, seems almost incredible. Captain Parry says
+that his people were distinctly heard, conversing in a common tone of
+voice, at the distance of a mile; and that he heard a man singing to
+himself, at even a still greater distance. Another circumstance
+occurred, scarcely less curious than this: the smell of smoke was so
+strong, two miles leeward of the ships, that it impeded the breathing.
+This shows to what a distance the smoke was carried horizontally, owing
+to the difficulty with which it rises, at a very low temperature of the
+atmosphere.
+
+In the severest weather, the officers sometimes amused themselves by
+freezing quicksilver, and beating it out on an anvil, so great was the
+severity of the cold; yet, not the slightest inconvenience was suffered,
+from exposure to the open air, by persons well clothed, so long as the
+weather was perfectly calm; but, in walking against even a very light
+wind, a smarting sensation was experienced all over the face,
+accompanied by a pain in the middle of the forehead, which soon became
+severe.
+
+As a specimen of the average proportion of ice formed in the harbour, it
+is stated that, where the depth of the water was twenty-five feet, the
+ice was found to be six feet and a half thick; and the snow on the
+surface was eight inches deep.
+
+Towards the end of January, some of the port-holes of one of the vessels
+were opened, in order to admit the carpenters and armorers to repair the
+main-top-sail-yard. On the 3d of February the sun was seen from the
+main-top of the Hecla, for the first time since the 11th of November. By
+the 7th, there was sufficient day-light, from eight o'clock till four,
+to enable the men to perform, with facility, any work on the outside of
+the ships.
+
+On the 15th, Captain Parry was induced, by the cheering presence of the
+sun, for several hours above the horizon, to open the dead-lights, or
+shutters, of his stern-windows, in order to admit the day-light, after a
+privation of it, for four months, in that part of the ship. The baize
+curtains, which had been nailed close to the windows, in the beginning
+of the winter, were, however, so firmly frozen to them, that it was
+necessary to cut them away; and twelve large buckets full of ice or
+frozen vapour, were taken from between the double sashes, before they
+could be got clear. This premature uncovering of the windows, however,
+caused such a change in the temperature of the Hecla, that, for several
+weeks afterwards, those on board were sensible of a more intense degree
+of cold, than they had felt during all the preceding part of the winter.
+
+The months of March and April seem to have passed tediously on, in
+watching the state of the weather. The crew of the Griper became
+somewhat sickly, in consequence of the extreme moisture, which it was
+found impossible to exclude from their bed-places. In May, Captain Parry
+laid out a small garden, planting it with radishes, onions, mustard, and
+cress; but the experiment failed, though some common ship-peas, planted
+by the men, throve extremely well.
+
+On the 12th of May, some ptarmigans were seen. These were hailed as a
+sure omen of returning summer. Several of the men went out on shooting
+excursions; and, being exposed, for several hours, to the glare of the
+sun and snow, became affected with that painful inflammation in the
+eyes, called "snow-blindness." As a preventive of this complaint, a
+piece of black crape was given to each man, to be worn as a kind of
+short veil, attached to the hat. This was found to be sufficiently
+efficacious. But a more convenient mode was adopted by some of the
+officers: they took out the glasses from spectacles, and substituted
+black or green crape in their place.
+
+In the beginning of May, the men cut the ice round the Hecla. This was
+done by means of axes and saws, and with astonishing labour; for the ice
+was still more than six feet thick. On the 17th, the operation was
+completed, and the ships were once more afloat.
+
+Captain Parry and Captain Sabine, accompanied by ten other persons,
+officers and men, set off, on the 1st of June, to make a tour through
+the island. They took with them tents, fuel, and provisions; and
+carried their luggage in a small, light cart, to which the sailors
+occasionally fastened their blankets, by way of sails. They travelled by
+night, as well to have the benefit which any warmth of the sun might
+give during their hours of rest, as to avoid the glare of its light upon
+the snow. The vegetable productions which they observed, were chiefly
+the dwarf willow, sorrel, poppy, saxifrage, and ranunculus. The animals
+were mice, deer, a musk ox, a pair of swallows, ducks, geese, plovers,
+and ptarmigans; with some of which they occasionally varied their fare.
+The tracks, both of deer and musk oxen, were numerous; and one deer
+followed the party for some time, and gambolled round them, at a
+distance of only thirty yards. The soil of the island was, in general,
+barren; but, in some places, it was rich, and abounded with the finest
+moss. On one part of the beach, the travellers found a point of land
+eighty feet above the sea: this they named _Point Nias_, after one of
+the officers of the party; and they had the patience to raise on it, as
+a memorial of their exertions, a monument of ice, of conical form,
+twelve feet broad at the base, and as many in height. They enclosed
+within the mass, in a tin cylinder, an account of the party who had
+erected it, with a few silver and copper English coins; and Mr. Fisher,
+the assistant surgeon, constructed it with a solidity which may make it
+last, for many years, as a land-mark; for it is visible at the distance
+of several miles, both by sea and land. In one place, within a hundred
+yards of the sea, the remains of six Esquimaux huts were discovered.
+After a fortnight's absence, the party returned to the ships.
+
+The approach of summer now began to be apparent, from the state of
+vegetation on the island; and, during the warm weather, a great quantity
+of sorrel was daily gathered. The hunting parties also brought in an
+abundance of animal food. The total quantity obtained, during the
+continuance of the vessels at Melville island, was 3 musk oxen, 68
+hares, 53 geese, 59 ducks, and 144 ptarmigans; affording, in the whole,
+3766 pounds of meat.
+
+On the 22d of June, the men were delighted to observe that the ice had
+begun to be in motion; and, on the 16th of July, the snow had entirely
+disappeared, except along the sides of caverns, and in other hollows,
+where it had formed considerable drifts. The appearance of the land was,
+consequently, much the same as it had been when the ships first reached
+the island. The walks which the men were now enabled to take, and the
+luxurious living afforded by the hunting-parties, together with the
+abundant supply of sorrel, which was always at command, were the means
+of completely eradicating the scurvy; and the whole of the ships'
+companies were now in as good health, and certainly in as good spirits,
+as when the expedition left England.
+
+After having made an accurate survey of Winter Harbour, where the
+vessels had been frozen up nearly eleven months, Captain Parry resolved
+to quit it. Accordingly, on the 1st of August, the vessels weighed
+anchor, and stood out to sea. Towards the west, the direction in which
+they were proceeding, the sea, at first, presented a very flattering
+appearance, being more clear of ice than it had been a month later in
+the preceding year, and presenting a fine navigable channel, two miles
+and a half in width, which, from the mast-head, appeared to continue as
+far as the eye could reach.
+
+They had not, however, proceeded many leagues westward of their winter
+quarters, when the wind blew directly against them, and their course was
+further opposed by a strong current, which set towards the east. To
+these difficulties, great danger was soon added, from the drifting and
+pressure of the ice, which threatened the Griper, in particular, with
+total destruction. They penetrated to the longitude of 113 degrees 48
+minutes, being the westernmost meridian hitherto reached, in the Polar
+Sea, to the north of America. But they had made so little progress, and
+were in such incessant danger; and the officers had so little hope of
+being able to effect any further discoveries of importance, during the
+present season, that Captain Parry at length determined to return.
+
+On a consultation with his officers, respecting the best course to be
+pursued, it was resolved that, in their voyage homeward, they should run
+along the edge of the ice, with the intention of availing themselves of
+any opening that might lead towards the coast of America. It was not
+till the 26th, that the ships got clear of _Cape Providence_; but, after
+that, they had an open channel, and sailed before the wind, with such
+rapidity, and so little interruption, that, in six days, they cleared
+_Sir James Lancaster's Sound_, and were once more in _Baffin's Bay_.
+They now stood along the western shore of this bay, which they found
+indented with several deep bays or inlets.
+
+On the 3d of September, they passed some icebergs, which were a hundred
+and fifty or two hundred feet above the surface of the water; and, soon
+afterwards, in an inlet, which Captain Ross had named the _River Clyde_,
+the voyagers saw four canoes, each of which contained an _Esquimaux_.
+These approached the ships; and the men, at their own desire, were taken
+on board. Three of them were young, and the fourth about sixty years of
+age. They appeared to be much pleased; and expressed their delight by
+jumping, and by loud and repeated ejaculations. Although there was no
+interpreter, they bartered several articles, in a manner that showed
+they were no strangers to traffic.
+
+Some of the officers landed, and went to visit two Esquimaux tents,
+which were situated within a low point of land, that formed the eastern
+side of the entrance to a considerable branch of the inlet. The
+inhabitants, men, women, and children, on beholding them, came running
+out, with loud and continued shouting. Two of the women had infants
+slung, in a kind of bag, at their back, much in the same manner as
+gypsies are accustomed to carry their children. There were seven other
+children, from twelve to three years of age, besides two infants in
+arms.
+
+The officers purchased whatever things these people had to dispose of,
+and, in exchange for them, gave knives, axes, brass kettles, needles,
+and other articles; and then added such presents as they considered
+might be further serviceable to them. Though they appeared anxious to
+possess whatever the visitors had to give they did not exhibit any
+disposition to pilfer. And, in some of the bargains, particularly for a
+sledge and a dog, the articles, though previously paid for, were all
+punctually delivered.
+
+In stature these Indians, like the Esquimaux in general, are much below
+the usual standard. The height of the men is from four feet and a half
+to five feet and a half, and of the women about four feet ten inches.
+Their faces, in the younger individuals, are round and plump: their skin
+is smooth, and their complexion not very dark: their teeth are very
+white, and their eyes small; their nose is small, and their hair black,
+straight, and glossy. All the women, except one, had their faces
+tatooed; and two of them had their hands tatooed also. The children
+were, in general, good-looking; and one of them, a boy about twelve
+years of age, was a remarkably fine, and even handsome lad.
+
+The dress of the men consists of a seal-skin jacket, with a hood, which
+is occasionally drawn over the head. The breeches are also, generally,
+of seal-skin; and the boots, which are formed so as to meet the
+breeches, are of the same material. In the dress of the women, the
+drawers cover the middle part of the body, from the hips to one-third
+down the thighs; the rest of which, as far as the knees, is naked. The
+children are all remarkably well clad; their dress, both in the males
+and females, being, in every respect, similar to that of the men.
+
+The tents which constitute the summer habitations of these Esquimaux,
+are principally supported by a pole of whalebone, about fourteen feet
+high. This pole stands perpendicularly, and has four or five feet of it
+projecting above the skins which form the roof and sides. The length of
+the tent is about seventeen feet, and the breadth from seven to nine;
+and the bed occupies nearly one-third of the whole apartment. The
+covering of the tent is fastened to the ground by curved pieces of bone.
+
+Captain Parry, after taking leave of these his new acquaintance,
+directed his course towards England; and arrived in the river Thames
+about the middle of November.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+With regard to the probable existence and accomplishment of a north-west
+passage into the Pacific Ocean, this indefatigable and accomplished
+officer remarks, that, as to the existence of such a passage, he does
+not entertain a doubt; but that he is not sanguine as to its ever being
+accomplished. The difficulties that are presented by the increasing
+breadth and thickness of the ice to the westward, after passing Barrow's
+Strait, added to the excessive severity of the climate, and the
+shortness of the season in which the Polar Sea can be navigated; these
+are circumstances which render almost hopeless any attempt to pass from
+the Atlantic westward. Captain Parry seems inclined to think that there
+is more probability of being able to effect the passage, by sailing from
+Behring's Strait, eastward, than from Baffin's Bay towards the west.
+But, in this case, it would be an impracticable passage for British
+ships. The great length of the voyage, the impossibility of taking out a
+sufficiency of provisions and fuel, and the severe trial to which the
+health of the crews would be subjected, by suddenly passing from the
+heat of the torrid zone, into the intense cold of a long winter, seem to
+render hopeless all our efforts to effect the voyage in this direction.
+
+
+
+
+Twenty-seventh Day's Instruction.
+
+LABRADOR AND GREENLAND.
+
+
+On the south-western side of Davis's Strait is the wild, extensive, and
+uncivilized country of _Labrador_. Its coast was first discovered by the
+Portuguese navigators; but the frigidity of its climate is such, that no
+settlements of any importance have ever been fixed upon its shores. Even
+the extent of the country has been but imperfectly ascertained; for all
+the knowledge we have hitherto obtained respecting it, relates only to
+the coast. The inland territory remains yet unexplored.
+
+Captain George Cartwright resided on the coast of Labrador, at different
+intervals, for sixteen years. He states that the face of the country, as
+far as he could discover it, was mountainous and desolate; and that some
+of the mountains were of considerable elevation. The soil, in some parts
+of the southern coast, appears, at first sight, to be fertile and
+covered with verdure; but, on examination, it is found to be poor, and
+the verdure is that of coarse plants, which would not serve as food for
+horses, cattle, or sheep. Some attempts have been made to cultivate this
+coast, but the depredations of bears and wolves have proved a formidable
+impediment; and such is the severity of the climate, that cattle must be
+housed for nine months in the year.
+
+The whole eastern coast of Labrador exhibits a very barren appearance:
+the mountains rise abruptly from the sea, and are composed of rocks,
+that are thinly covered with peat earth. This produces only stunted
+spruce trees, and a few plants; but the adjacent sea, and the various
+rivers and lakes, abound with fish, fowl, and amphibious animals.
+Springs are rare, and fresh water is chiefly supplied by melted snow. In
+the various bays of this coast, there are numerous islands, on which
+eider-ducks, and multitudes of other sea-fowl breed. On some of the
+larger islands there are deer, foxes, and hares. The fruits of Labrador
+consist chiefly of currants, raspberries, cranberries, whortle-berries,
+apples, and pears. Among the mineral productions is a kind of felspar,
+which, when polished, exhibits a display of brilliant and beautiful
+colours.
+
+The climate of this country, though severe, is healthy. There is little
+appearance of summer till about the middle of July; and, in September,
+winter indicates its approach. During summer the heat is sometimes
+unpleasant; and the cold of winter is of long duration, and generally
+intense. In Labrador, as in all other countries of northern climates,
+the quadrupeds are clothed with a longer and thicker fur during winter,
+than in summer; and many of the birds have a softer down, and feathers
+of a closer texture, than those of milder countries. Some of the animals
+also assume a white clothing at the commencement of winter.
+
+The native inhabitants of Labrador are _mountaineers_ and Esquimaux,
+between whom there subsists an invincible aversion. The former, who
+inhabit the interior districts towards the north, are of dark colour,
+and robust constitution, though their limbs are small. They subsist
+chiefly on rein-deer, which they are very dexterous in killing: they
+also kill foxes, martens, and beavers. As these people live a wandering
+life, they never build houses; but they construct a kind of tents, and
+cover them with branches of trees, and with deer-skins. Their summer
+dress consists of skins freed from the hair; and their winter-dress is
+formed of beaver and deer-skins, with the hair on. During the summer
+they traverse the country, in canoes, along the rivers and lakes. These
+canoes are covered with the bark of the birch-tree; and, although they
+are so light as to be easily carried, some of them are large enough to
+contain a whole family, together with the materials of their traffic. In
+winter the mountaineers of Labrador pass over the snow, by means of what
+are called snow-shoes.
+
+These mountaineers are esteemed an industrious people. They bear fatigue
+with almost incredible resolution and patience; and will often travel
+two successive days without food. They, every year, come to the Canada
+merchants, who have seal-fisheries on the southern coast, and bargain
+their furs, in exchange for blanketing, fire-arms, and ammunition; and
+they are immoderately fond of spirits. Some of them profess to be Roman
+Catholics; but their whole religion seems to consist in reciting a few
+prayers, and in counting their beads.
+
+It is customary with these Indians, to destroy such persons among them
+as become aged and decrepit. This practice they endeavour to vindicate
+from their mode of life: for they assert that those who are unable to
+procure the necessaries requisite for their existence, ought not live
+merely to consume them.
+
+The _Esquimaux_, who inhabit the northern parts of the country, are a
+race similar to the Greenlanders. They have a deep tawny or rather
+copper-coloured complexion; and are inferior in size to the generality
+of Europeans. Their faces are flat, and their noses short. Their hair is
+black and coarse; and their hands and feet are remarkably small. Their
+dress, like that of the mountaineers, is entirely of skins; and consists
+of a sort of hooded shirt, of breeches, stockings, and boots. The dress
+of the different sexes is similar, except that the women wear large
+boots, and have their upper garment ornamented with a kind of tail. In
+their boots they occasionally place their children; but the youngest
+child is always carried at the back of its mother, in the hood of her
+jacket. The women ornament their heads with large strings of beads,
+which they fasten to the hair above their ears.
+
+The weapons of these Esquimaux are darts, bows, and arrows; and their
+food consists chiefly of the flesh of seals, deer, and birds; and of
+fish. Some of their canoes are near twenty feet in length, and not more
+than two feet wide. They each contain only one person; are formed of a
+frame-work, covered with skins; and are so extremely light, that they
+are easily overset. Notwithstanding this, and the circumstance that few
+of the Esquimaux are able to swim, these people are able to navigate
+them, in safety, without a compass, and even in the thickest fogs. When
+the ground is covered with snow, they traverse the country in sledges,
+drawn by dogs.
+
+During winter, they live in houses, or rather in a kind of cavern, which
+they sink in the earth; and, during summer, they occupy tents, made
+circular with poles, and covered with skins. Their only beverage is
+water. The men are extremely indolent; and all the laborious
+occupations, except that of procuring food, are performed by the women.
+They sew with the sinews of deer; and much of their needlework is very
+neat. The Esquimaux cannot reckon, numerically, beyond six; and their
+compound numbers reach no further than 21: all beyond this are called a
+multitude.
+
+The principal articles of export, obtained from the coast of Labrador,
+are cod-fish, salmon, oil, whalebone, and furs of various kinds.
+
+
+NEWFOUNDLAND.
+
+Near the south-eastern extremity of Labrador is the island of
+_Newfoundland_; which, at present, constitutes an important station, for
+the British cod-fisheries. It is of triangular form, and about three
+hundred miles in circuit; and, though it lies between the same parallels
+of latitude as the south of France, its climate is very severe. In
+winter the rivers are frozen to the thickness of several feet; and,
+during this season, the earth is covered with snow, and the cold is so
+intense that the power of vegetation is destroyed. The coasts abound in
+creeks, roads, and harbours; and the interior of the island is full of
+steep rocks, woody hills, and sandy valleys; and of plains, interspersed
+with rocks, lakes, and marshes. A very small portion of it is at present
+cultivated; for neither the soil nor the climate is favourable to
+productions necessary to the support of human life. _St. John's_, the
+chief town of the island, is a mean and ill-built place, with narrow and
+dirty streets. It is situated on the south-eastern part of the coast,
+and has a considerable harbour.
+
+This island formerly belonged to the French; but, in 1713, it was ceded
+to the English, to whom it still belongs. Its chief importance is
+derived from its vicinity to an immense bank, beneath the surface of the
+ocean, which is frequented by myriads of cod-fish. On this bank there
+are annually employed more than two thousand fishing-vessels; and four
+hundred merchant-ships, in conveying the fish to different parts of the
+world. All the fish are caught by lines; and they are conveyed to the
+shores of Newfoundland, to be salted and dried, or otherwise prepared
+for exportation. The Newfoundland fishery usually commences about the
+middle of May, and continues till the end of September.
+
+
+GREENLAND,
+
+Is an extensive peninsula, or, as some geographers believe, an immense
+island, lying north of the 60th degree of latitude, and between the 48th
+and 70th degrees of west longitude. It is said to have been originally
+discovered, as early as the tenth century, by a party of exiled
+Icelanders, who gave to it the name of "Greenland," from its exhibiting
+a much greater appearance of verdure than Iceland. _Cape Farewell_, its
+southernmost point, is a small island divided from the shore by a narrow
+inlet.
+
+The interior of the country is dreary and mountainous; and some of the
+mountains are so lofty, that they are visible to the distance of more
+than forty leagues. They are covered with perpetual snow; and ice and
+snow, like the glaciers of Switzerland, fill the elevated plains, and
+even many of the valleys. The lowlands, adjacent to the sea-coast, are
+clothed with verdure during the summer season. The coast is indented
+with many bays and creeks, which extend far into the land; but many
+parts of it are altogether inaccessible by shipping, on account of the
+enormous masses of floating ice, which abound in the extreme northern
+seas.
+
+Christian Missionaries were settled in this country, by the Danes, many
+centuries ago; and they formed churches and monasteries in different
+parts, through an extent of country nearly two hundred miles in length.
+From authentic records it appears that Greenland was anciently divided
+into two districts, the westernmost of which contained four parishes and
+one hundred villages; and the other, twelve parishes, one hundred and
+twenty villages, the see of a bishop, and two monasteries. The present
+inhabitants of the western districts are, however, separated from those
+of the east by impassable deserts and mountains.
+
+This country is subject to Denmark; and the parts of it that are chiefly
+visited by Danes and Norwegians, lie between the 64th and 68th degrees
+of north latitude; and, to this distance, the climate is said not to be
+very severe. At one time there was a Danish factory as far north as the
+73d degree; but, beyond the 68th degree of latitude, the cold in winter
+is, in general, so intense, that even the rocks burst by the expansive
+power of the frost. Thunder and lightning seldom occur in Greenland; but
+the aurora borealis is frequently visible, particularly in the spring of
+the year; and is often so bright and vivid, as to afford sufficient
+light for a person to read by it.
+
+Some of the southern parts of Greenland are fertile; but, in general,
+the soil resembles that of other mountainous countries; the hills being
+barren, and the valleys and low grounds being rich and fruitful. The
+principal quadrupeds of this country are rein-deer, dogs resembling
+wolves, Arctic foxes, and white or polar bears. The walrus and several
+kinds of seals frequent the shores. Eagles and other birds of prey are
+numerous. Whales and porpesses abound along the coasts; and the
+adjacent sea and bays yield an abundance of holibut, turbot, cod,
+haddocks, and other fish.
+
+The inhabitants of Greenland are supposed to have had their origin from
+the Esquimaux of Labrador, for they nearly resemble that people. They
+are short, and somewhat corpulent; and have broad faces, flat noses,
+thick lips, black hair, and a yellowish tawny complexion. The keenness
+of the wind and the glare of the snow, render them subject to painful
+disorders in the eyes: they are also afflicted with many diseases, which
+tend to render them short lived. They are a quiet, orderly, and
+good-humoured people; but of a cold, phlegmatic, and indolent
+disposition. They never wash themselves with water, but lick their
+hands, and then rub their faces with them; in the same manner as a cat
+washes herself with her paws. In most of their habits they are extremely
+filthy.
+
+When animal food can be procured, they prefer it to any other; but, in
+times of scarcity, they are sometimes compelled to subsist on sea-weeds,
+and on roots dressed in train-oil and fat. The intestines of animals,
+and offals of various kinds, are accounted by them as dainties.
+
+Their clothes are chiefly made of the skins of rein-deer and seals. The
+men wear their hair short; and commonly hanging down from the crown of
+the head on every side. The women, on the contrary, seldom cut their
+hair.
+
+The Greenlanders all speak the same language, though different dialects
+prevail in different parts of the country; and so numerous are the words
+of their language, that, like the Chinese, they are said to have a
+proper word for every object or art that requires distinction.
+
+These people have no traditions respecting the memorable actions of
+their ancestors; further than that, many winters ago, some Norwegian
+settlers were slain by the population of the adjacent country, who
+unanimously rose in arms against them. Among other strange notions
+entertained by the Greenlanders, they imagine that rain is occasioned by
+the overflowing of reservoirs in the heavens; and they assert that, if
+the banks of these reservoirs should burst, the sky would fall down. The
+medical practice in this country is confined to a set of men who have
+the appellation of "Angekoks," or conjurers.
+
+When a Greenlander is at the point of death, his friends and relatives
+array him in his best clothes and boots. They silently bewail him for an
+hour, after which they prepare for his interment. The body, having been
+sewed up in his best seal or deer-skin, is laid in the burying-place,
+covered with a skin, and with green sods; and, over these, with heaps of
+stones, to defend it from the attack of predaceous animals. Near the
+place of interment, the survivors deposit the weapons of the deceased,
+and the tools he daily used. With the women are deposited their knives
+and sewing implements. The intention in so doing is, that the person
+departed may not be without employment in the next world.
+
+The Greenlanders are said to worship the sun, and to offer sacrifices to
+an imaginary evil spirit, that he may not prevent their success in
+hunting and fishing. They have a confused notion respecting the
+immortality of the soul, and the existence of a future state; and they
+believe that the spirits of deceased persons sometimes appear on the
+earth, and hold communication with the "Angekoks," or conjurers, to whom
+peculiar privileges and honours belong.
+
+The traffic that is carried on among the Greenlanders is simple and
+concise, and is wholly conducted by exchange or barter. These people
+very rarely cheat or take undue advantage of one another; and it is
+considered infamous to be guilty of theft. But they are said to glory in
+over-reaching or robbing an European; as they consider this a proof of
+superior talent and ingenuity.
+
+Wherever a great assembly or rendezvous of Greenlanders takes place, as
+at a dancing-match or any grand festival, there are always some persons
+who expose their wares to view, and who publicly announce what goods
+they want in exchange for them. The chief articles of traffic, with
+Europeans, are fox and seal-skins, whale and seal-oil, whalebone, and
+the horns of narwhals. For these, they receive, in exchange, iron points
+for their spears, knives, saws, gimlets, chisels, needles, chests,
+boxes, clothing, and utensils of various kinds.
+
+The chief festival of the Greenlanders is that which they call the
+sun-feast; but this is merely held for the purpose of dancing and other
+amusements, and not for any religious acts or ceremonies. It is held
+about the commencement of the new-year, and for the purpose of rejoicing
+at the return of the sun, and the renewal of weather for hunting and
+fishing. At this feast they assemble, in various parts of the country,
+and in large parties. After gorging themselves with food, they rise up
+to play and to dance. Their only musical instrument is a drum; and the
+sound of this they accompany with songs, in honour of seal-catching, and
+exploits in hunting. The Greenlanders do not, on these occasions,
+intoxicate themselves with ardent spirits, like some of the American
+Indians; for their only beverage is water. There are other
+dancing-meetings held in the course of the year; but these are all
+conducted in a similar manner. The Greenlanders occupy much of their
+time in hunting and fishing. On shore they hunt rein-deer and other
+animals; and at sea they pursue whales, seals, and walruses: they also
+catch great quantities of fish and sea-fowl. Their canoes are formed of
+thin boards, fastened together by the sinews of animals, and covered
+with a dressed seal-skin, both above and below; so that only a circular
+hole is left in the middle, large enough to admit the body of one man.
+Into this hole he thrusts himself, up to the waist; after which he
+fastens the skin so tight round his body, that no water can enter. Thus
+secured, and armed with a paddle, which is broad at both ends, he
+ventures out to sea, even in the most stormy weather; and, if he be
+unfortunate enough to have his canoe overset, he can easily raise
+himself by means of his paddle. Besides this description of canoes, the
+Greenlanders have boats so large that they will contain fifty persons,
+with all their tackle, baggage, and provisions. These carry a mast and a
+triangular sail; the latter of which is made of the membranes and
+entrails of seals. The management of the larger boats is always given to
+women; who also perform the whole drudgery of the household, even to the
+building and repairing of the dwellings.
+
+During winter, the Greenlanders live in houses, and, during the summer,
+in tents. The houses are constructed of stones, with layers of earth and
+sods between them; and the rafters are covered with bushes and turf. The
+entrance is through a hole in the roof, which serves also as a chimney.
+The walls are hung with skins, fastened on by pegs, made of the bones of
+seals. These huts are divided, by skins, into several apartments,
+according to the number of families which inhabit them; and the
+inhabitants sleep on skins, upon the ground. The huts are well warmed
+with fires; and are lighted by lamps, filled with train oil, and
+furnished with moss instead of a wick. These lamps burn so bright as to
+give considerable heat as well as warmth.
+
+At the outside of the dwelling-house are separate buildings, for
+store-houses, in which the inhabitants lay up their stock of provisions,
+train oil, and other useful articles. Near the store-houses they arrange
+their boats, with the bottoms upward; and they hang beneath these their
+hunting and fishing-tackle, and their skins. The summer-tents of the
+Greenlanders are of a conical form, and are constructed of poles,
+covered, both inside and out, with skins.
+
+The seas in the vicinity of Greenland are, every year, frequented by
+both European and American vessels, employed in the whale-fishery. Such
+of these as enter Davis's Strait, generally resort to Disco Bay; and a
+few have penetrated even still further north than this. It is stated
+that, in the year 1754, a whaler, under the command of a Captain Wilson,
+was conducted, on the eastern side of Greenland, as far north as to the
+83d degree of latitude: the sea was clear of ice, as far as the
+commander of this ship could descry; but as he did not meet with any
+whales, and began to apprehend some danger from proceeding onward, he
+returned; and, in the same year, another whale-fisher sailed as far
+north as to 84-½ degrees. These are the highest northern latitudes which
+any vessels have hitherto reached.
+
+
+
+
+FINIS.
+
+
+
+
+Harvey, Darton, and Co. Printers, Gracechurch-Street.
+
+
+
+    +------------------------------------------------------+
+    |                Transcriber's Note:                   |
+    |                                                      |
+    | Some inconsistent hyphenation and spelling in        |
+    | the original document have been preserved.           |
+    |                                                      |
+    | The author used a period after the £ sign.           |
+    |                                                      |
+    | Typographical errors corrected in the text:          |
+    |                                                      |
+    | Title   Pub^d. and Jan^y., abbreviations for         |
+    |  page   Published and January, have been retained    |
+    | ToC       Alachnas changed to Alachuas               |
+    | ToC       Oconne changed to Ocone                    |
+    | ToC       Missisippi changed to Mississippi          |
+    | ToC       Sata changed to Santa, under               |
+    | ToC       Minetarree changed to Minnetaree           |
+    | ToC       Skaneaetas changed to Skaneactas           |
+    | ToC       Riviers changed to Rivieres                |
+    | Page   4  Alleghanies changed to Alleghanys          |
+    | Page   6  Massachusets changed to Massachusetts      |
+    | Page   6  Tenassee changed to Tenessee               |
+    | Page  10  stile changed to style                     |
+    | Page  18  cotten changed to cotton                   |
+    | Page  19  island changed to Island                   |
+    | Page  29  Uttawa changed to Utawa                    |
+    | Page  29  superintendance changed to superintendence |
+    | Page  35  war changed to was                         |
+    | Page  39  whirpool changed to whirlpool              |
+    | Page  56  Potowmac changed to Potomac                |
+    | Page  59  towns changed to town                      |
+    | Page  61  headachs changed to headaches              |
+    | Page  61  Kenhaway changed to Kenaway                |
+    | Page  67  scite changed to site                      |
+    | Page  71  "a" added between "and great"              |
+    | Page  72  Birkbeek changed to Birkbeck               |
+    | Page  73  mocassins changed to moccasins             |
+    | Page  78  pertinaceous changaed to pertinacious      |
+    | Page  87  Washingington changed to Washington        |
+    | Page  96  Appamatox changed to Appomattox            |
+    | Page 100  "the the" changed to "of the"              |
+    | Page 119  pallisadoed changed to palisadoed          |
+    | Page 122  quakers changed to Quakers                 |
+    | Page 133  elegible changed to eligible               |
+    | Page 138  plaistered changed to plastered            |
+    | Page 141  plaistered changed to plastered            |
+    | Page 142  plaistered changed to plastered            |
+    | Page 142  Coolome changed to Coloome                 |
+    | Page 144  plaistered changed to plastered            |
+    | Page 148  Oconne changed to Ocone                    |
+    | Page 149  fragant changed to fragrant                |
+    | Page 162  Alachnas changed to Alachuas               |
+    | Page 162  barbacued changed to barbecued             |
+    | Page 171  hacberry changed to hackberry              |
+    | Page 172  recompence changed to recompense           |
+    | Page 173  perroques changed to pirogues              |
+    | Page 176  Sauteau changed to Sauteaux                |
+    | Page 188  Mahas changed to Mahars                    |
+    | Page 188  phrenzy chaned to phrensy                  |
+    | Page 194  numbers changed to number                  |
+    | Page 194  "the the" changed to "the"                 |
+    | Page 198  Ahanahaways changed to Ahanaways           |
+    | Page 200  perrioques changed to pirogues             |
+    | Page 204  captain changed to Captain                 |
+    | Page 209  phenomenomenon changed to phenomenon       |
+    | Page 214  buffalos changed to buffaloes              |
+    | Page 217  leggins changed to leggings                |
+    | Page 217  mockasins changed to moccasins             |
+    | Page 221  principle changed to principal             |
+    | Page 231  Arkanshaw changed to Arkansas              |
+    | Page 237  govenor changed to governor                |
+    | Page 238  leggins changed to leggings                |
+    | Page 238  mockinsons changed to moccasins            |
+    | Page 240  Tustla changed to Tuxtla                   |
+    | Page 242  Mulattos changed to Mulattoes              |
+    | Page 242  Mestozos changed to Mestizos               |
+    | Page 247  tassals changed to tassels                 |
+    | Page 251  Cortes changed to Cortez                   |
+    | Page 251  plaisters changed to plasters              |
+    | Page 255  groupe changed to group                    |
+    | Page 259  Teneriffe changed to Tenerife              |
+    | Page 260  Manilla changed to Manila                  |
+    | Page 263  earthern changed to earthen                |
+    | Page 264  NOVIA changed to NOVA                      |
+    | Page 280  latitute changed to latitude               |
+    | Page 283  leggins changed to leggings                |
+    | Page 284  profananation changed to profanation       |
+    | Page 290  martin-skins changed to marten-skins       |
+    | Page 298  leggins changed to leggings                |
+    | Page 300  Monterrey changed to Monterey              |
+    | Page 300  rabbet changed to rabbit                   |
+    | Page 306  in changed to on                           |
+    | Page 311  in added between "man it"                  |
+    | Page 323  "to this be" changed to "this to be"       |
+    | Page 323  lieutenant changed to Lieutenant           |
+    | Page 323  Beechy changed to Beechey                  |
+    | Page 334  tattooed changed to tatooed                |
+    | Page 338  decrepid changed to decrepit               |
+    | Page 339  caverns changed to cavern                  |
+    +------------------------------------------------------+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Travels in North America, From Modern
+Writers, by William Bingley
+
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+      The Project Gutenberg eBook of  Travels In North America, by William Bingley.
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+
+<pre>
+
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Travels in North America, From Modern
+Writers, by William Bingley
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Travels in North America, From Modern Writers
+       With Remarks and Observations; Exhibiting a Connected View
+              of the Geography and Present State of that Quarter of the
+              Globe
+
+Author: William Bingley
+
+Release Date: March 13, 2009 [EBook #28323]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Julia Miller, Barbara Kosker and the Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This
+file was produced from scans of public domain material
+produced by Microsoft for their Live Search Books site.)
+
+
+
+
+
+
+</pre>
+
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<h1> TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA,</h1>
+
+<h4>FROM</h4>
+
+<h2>MODERN WRITERS.</h2>
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+
+<div class="img" style="width: 80%; border: 2px black solid;">
+
+<p class="cen"><i>Frontispiece.</i> <i>Plate 1.</i></p>
+
+<a href="images/frontisa.jpg">
+<img border="0" src="images/frontisa.jpg" width="90%" alt="Washington." /></a><br />
+<p class="cen" style="margin-top: .2em;">WASHINGTON.</p>
+
+<a href="images/frontisb.jpg">
+<img border="0" src="images/frontisb.jpg" width="90%" alt="Pyramid of Cholula." /></a><br />
+<p class="cen" style="margin-top: .2em;">PYRAMID OF CHOLULA.</p>
+
+<a href="images/frontisc.jpg">
+<img border="0" src="images/frontisc.jpg" width="90%" alt="New York." /></a><br />
+<p class="cen" style="margin-top: .2em;">NEW YORK.</p>
+
+<p class="cen" style="font-size: 80%;"><i>Pub<span class="super">d</span>. by Harvey &amp; Darton,</i><br />
+<i>Jan<span class="super">y</span>. 1, 1823.</i></p>
+</div>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+
+<h1>TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA,</h1>
+
+<h4>FROM</h4>
+
+<h3>Modern Writers.</h3>
+
+<h5>WITH</h5>
+
+<h3>REMARKS AND OBSERVATIONS;</h3>
+
+<h5>EXHIBITING A CONNECTED VIEW OF</h5>
+
+<h3>THE GEOGRAPHY AND PRESENT STATE</h3>
+
+<h5>OF THAT</h5>
+
+<h3>QUARTER OF THE GLOBE.</h3>
+
+<hr style="width: 10%;" />
+<h5>BY THE</h5>
+
+<h2>REV. WILLIAM BINGLEY, M. A. F. L. S.</h2>
+
+<h4><i>Late of Peter-house, Cambridge, and Author of Animal Biography, &amp;c.</i></h4>
+<br />
+
+<div class="img">
+<a href="images/titlepage.jpg">
+<img border="0" src="images/titlepage.jpg" width="30%" alt="Title Page Image" /></a><br />
+</div>
+
+<br />
+
+<p class="cen">DESIGNED FOR THE USE OF YOUNG PERSONS.</p>
+<br />
+<hr style="width: 15%;" />
+<br />
+<h4>LONDON:</h4>
+
+<h5>PRINTED FOR HARVEY AND DARTON, GRACECHURCH-STREET.</h5>
+<hr style="width: 10%;" />
+<h5>1821.</h5>
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+
+<hr />
+<br />
+<h2>ADVERTISEMENT.</h2>
+<br />
+
+<p>In the preparation of this, and of the preceding volumes, of Travels in
+the South of Europe, in South America, and in Africa; as well as in the
+Biographical Conversations on Celebrated Voyagers and Travellers, it has
+been the design of the author, by a detail of anecdotes of extraordinary
+adventures, connected by illustrative remarks and observations, to
+allure young persons to a study of geography, and to the attainment of a
+knowledge of the character, habits, customs, and productions of foreign
+nations. The whole is supposed to be related in a series of daily
+instructions, from a parent to his children.</p>
+
+<p>The "Biographical Conversations on Celebrated Travellers," contain a
+further account of the United States and of Canada, in Professor's
+Kalm's Travels through those countries; and of the northern regions of
+America, in the Narratives of Hearne's Journeys from Hudson's Bay, to
+the Northern Ocean.</p>
+
+<p>The vignette represents the natural arch, called Rockbridge, described
+in page 102.</p>
+
+<p>
+<span style="margin-left: 0.2em;"><i>Charlotte Street, Bloomsbury,</i></span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1.9em;"><i>London, 22d July, 1821.</i></span><br />
+</p>
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+
+<hr />
+<br />
+<h2>INDEX OF THE COUNTRIES, AND PRINCIPAL PLACES AND OBJECTS DESCRIBED.</h2>
+
+<div class="centered">
+<table border="0" width="80%" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" summary="Index">
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdl" width="90%">&nbsp;</td>
+  <td class="tdr" width="10%" style="font-size: 80%;">Page</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">North America</span> in General</td>
+  <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_1">1</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">United States</span> in General</td>
+  <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_3">3</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#Page_12"><i>Account of New York and its vicinity.</i></a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdlh">Inhabitants of New York, 12&mdash;Situation, Streets, Population,
+     Hotels, 13&mdash;Stores, Public Buildings, Columbia College,
+    14&mdash;Town Hall, Trades and Professions, 15&mdash;House-rent,
+    Provisions, Religion, Courts of Law, 16&mdash;Long Island, New
+    Jersey, River Hudson, Newark, Fishkill, Steam-boats,
+    17&mdash;Emigrants, 18.</td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#Page_18"><i>Narrative of Fearon's Journey from New York
+    to Boston.</i></a></td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdlh">New Haven, 18&mdash;New London, Norwich, New Providence, 19&mdash;
+    Pawtucket, Boston, 20&mdash;Bunker's Hill, Cambridge, Harvard
+    College, 21.</td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#Page_22"><i>Weld's Voyage up the River Hudson, from New
+   York to<br /> Lake Champlain.</i></a></td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdlh">River Hudson, 22&mdash;West Point, Albany, 23&mdash;River Mohawk,
+    Cohoz Waterfall, Saratoga, 25&mdash;Skenesborough, Lake Champlain,
+    26&mdash;Ticonderoga, Crown Point, 27.</td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#Page_28"><i>Hall's Journey from Canada to the Cataract
+    of Niagara.</i></a></td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdlh">Prescott, 28&mdash;River St. Lawrence, Lake Ontario, Kingston,
+    29&mdash;Sackett's Harbour, Watertown, Utica, 30&mdash;Skaneactas,
+    Waterloo, Geneva, Canandaigua, Burning Spring, 32&mdash;Rochester,
+    33&mdash;Lewistown, Queenston, 34&mdash;York, Ancaster, Mohawk Indians,
+    35&mdash;Mohawk Village, 36&mdash;Falls of Niagara, 37.</td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#Page_41"><i>Hall's Journey from Niagara to
+    Philadelphia.</i></a></td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdlh">Fort Erie, Buffalo, Batavia, Caledonia, 41&mdash;Genesee River,
+    Bath, Painted Post, 42&mdash;Susquehanna River, Wilksbarre,
+    43&mdash;Wyoming, Blue Ridge, Bethlehem, Nazareth, 44&mdash;Moravians,
+    45&mdash;Lehigh Mountain, German Town, 46.</td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#Page_46"><i>Description of Philadelphia.</i></a></td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdlh">Streets, Houses, 46&mdash;Shops, Wharfs, Water-Street, Public
+    Buildings, 47&mdash;State-house, University, Prison, 48&mdash;Markets,
+    Inhabitants, 49&mdash;Funerals, Climate, 50&mdash;Carriages, 51&mdash;
+    Taverns, 52&mdash;Delaware River, Schuylkil River, 53.</td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdlh">Trenton, College, 53&mdash;Residence of Joseph Buonaparte, 54.</td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#Page_54"><i>Fearon's Journey from Philadelphia to
+    Pittsburg.</i></a></td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdlh">Great Valley, Mines, 54&mdash;Lancaster, Harrisburgh, Carlisle,
+    Chambersburgh, 55&mdash;London, Waggons, North Mountain,
+    56&mdash;Bloody Run, Bedford, Dry Ridge, Alleghany Mountains,
+    Inhabitants, Log-houses, 57&mdash;Laurel Hill, Little Chesnut
+    Ridge, Greensburg, Turtle Creek Hill, Inhabitants, 58&mdash;
+    Pittsburg, 59&mdash;Manufactures, 60&mdash;Climate, American Population,
+    61&mdash;Farms, Emigration, 62.</td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#Page_63"><i>Birkbeck's Expedition from Pittsburg into
+    the Illinois Territory.</i></a></td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdlh">Travelling, 63&mdash;Cannonsburg, Washington in Pennsylvania,
+    State of Ohio, Wheeling, 64&mdash;St. Clairsville, 65&mdash;Farms,
+    Zanesville, Rushville, Lancaster, 66&mdash;Chillicothe, Pike Town,
+    67&mdash;Hurricane tract, 68&mdash;Lebanon, Cincinnati, Schools, 69&mdash;
+    State of Indiana, 70&mdash;Camp Tavern, 71&mdash;Vincennes, Indians,
+    72&mdash;Princeton, 74&mdash;Harmony, Mount Vernon, Big Prairie, 75&mdash;
+    Woods, and Farms, 76&mdash;Hunters, Little Wabash, Skillet Fork,
+    77&mdash;Shawnee Town, 78&mdash;Harmony, 79&mdash;Animals, 80&mdash;English
+    Prairie, 81.</td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#Page_82"><i>Weld's Excursion from Philadelphia to
+    Washington.</i></a></td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdlh">Schuylkil River, Chester, Brandywine River, Wilmington,
+    82&mdash;Elkton, Susquehannah River, Havre de Grace, Baltimore, 83.</td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#Page_85"><i>Description of Washington.</i></a></td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdlh">Origin, situation, form, Streets, Inhabitants, Capitol,
+    85&mdash;President's House, Post-Office, River Potomac,
+    Tiber, 86&mdash;Markets, Shops, Inhabitants, Congress,
+    Senate, 87&mdash;Representative Chamber, George Town,
+    88&mdash;Alexandria, Mount Vernon, 89.</td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#Page_89"><i>Weld's Journey from Washington to Richmond
+    in Virginia.</i></a></td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdlh">Country, 89&mdash;Hoe's Ferry, Rappahannoc River, Plantations in
+    Virginia, 90&mdash;Tappahannoc or Hob's Hole, Urbanna, 91&mdash;Fires
+    in the Woods, 92&mdash;Gloucester, York, Williamsburgh, College,
+    93&mdash;Hampton, Chesapeak, Norfolk, 94&mdash;Dismal Swamp, James River,
+    95&mdash;Taverns, Petersburgh, Richmond, 96&mdash;Falls of the James
+    River, Inhabitants of Virginia, 97.</td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#Page_98"><i>Weld's Return from Richmond to
+    Philadelphia.</i></a></td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdlh">South-west or Green Mountains, Country and Animals, 98&mdash;
+    Fire-flies, 99&mdash;Seat of Mr. Jefferson, Lynchburgh, 100&mdash;Peaks
+    of Otter, Fincastle, Soil and Climate, 101&mdash;Sweet Springs,
+    Jackson's Mountains, Rockbridge, 102&mdash;Maddison's Cave,
+    Emigrants, 103&mdash;Lexington, Staunton, Winchester, Potomac
+    River, Stupendous Scene, 104&mdash;Frederic, Philadelphia, 105.</td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#Page_106"><i>Michaux's Journey from Pittsburgh to
+    Lexington.</i></a></td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdlh">Wheeling, River Ohio, 106&mdash;Marietta, Point Pleasant,
+    107&mdash;Gallipoli, Alexandria, 108&mdash;Limestone, Kentucky,
+    109&mdash;Inhabitants, 110&mdash;Mays Lick, Lexington, 111&mdash;
+    Louisville, 112&mdash;Caverns in Kentucky, 114.</td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#Page_114"><i>Michaux's Journey from Lexington to
+    Charleston.</i></a></td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdlh">Vineyards, 114&mdash;Kentucky River, Harrodsburgh, Mulder Hill,
+    Barrens or Kentucky Meadows, 115&mdash;Nasheville, 117&mdash;Cairo,
+    Fort Blount, 118&mdash;West Point, Cherokee Indians, 119&mdash;
+    Kingstown, 120&mdash;Knoxville, Holstein River, Tavern, Macby,
+    121&mdash;Woods, Log-houses, Greenville, Jonesborough, 122&mdash;
+    Alleghany Mountains, Linneville Mountains, Morganton,
+    123&mdash;Lincolnton, 124&mdash;Chester, Winesborough, Columbia,
+    125&mdash;Charleston, 126.</td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#Page_126"><i>Description of Charleston.</i></a></td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdlh">Situation, Quays, 126&mdash;Streets, Houses, 127&mdash;Public Buildings,
+    Trees in the Streets, Inhabitants, 128&mdash;Vauxhall, Hotels,
+    Market, Provisions, 129&mdash;Marshes, 130.</td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdlh">Adjacent country, 130&mdash;Raleigh, Newbern, Savannah, in Georgia, 131.</td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#Page_133"><i>Bartram's Excursion from Charleston into
+    Georgia and West.</i></a></td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdlh">Augusta, 133&mdash;Country, fossil shells, Fort James, Dartmouth,
+    134&mdash;Indian monuments, 135&mdash;Cherokee Settlements, Sinica, 135
+    &mdash;Keowe, Tugilo river, 136&mdash;Sticoe, Cowe, 137&mdash;Cherokee
+    Indians, 138&mdash;Fort James, 140&mdash;Country near the Oakmulge and
+    Flint rivers, Uche, 141&mdash;Apalachula, Coweta, Talasse,
+    Coloome, 142&mdash;Alabama river, Mobile, Pensacola, 144&mdash;Mobile,
+    Pearl river, Manchac, Mississippi river, 145&mdash;Mobile, Taensa,
+    146&mdash;Tallapoose river, Alabama, Mucclasse, Apalachula river,
+    Chehau, Usseta, 147&mdash;Oakmulge, Ocone river, Ogeche, Augusta,
+    Savannah, 148.</td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#Page_148"><i>Mr. Bartram's Journey from Savannah into
+    East Florida.</i></a></td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdlh">Sunbury, 148&mdash;Fort Barrington, St. Ille's, 149&mdash;Savannahs
+    near river St. Mary, River St. Juan, or St. John, Cowford,
+    150&mdash;Plantation, 151&mdash;Indian Village, 152 Charlotia or
+    Rolle's Town, Mount Royal, 153&mdash;Lake George, Spalding's
+    Upper Store, 154&mdash;Adventure with Alligators, 155&mdash;Alligators'
+    nests, 157&mdash;Lake, Forests, Plantation, Hot Fountain, Upper
+    Store, Cuscowilla, 159&mdash;Sand-hills, Half-way Pond, Turtles,
+    Lake of Cuscowilla, 160&mdash;Alachuas and Creek or Siminole
+    Indians, 161&mdash;Talahasochte, Little St. John's River, 162.</td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#Page_165"><i>The River Mississippi.</i></a></td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdlh">Source, Length, Banks, 165&mdash;Tides, New Orleans, 166&mdash;Adjacent
+    Country, Natchez, 167&mdash;Navigation of the Mississippi, 168&mdash;
+    New Madrid, the Ohio, Illinois Territory, Kaskaski, 169&mdash;St.
+    Louis, 170.</td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#Page_170"><i>Pike's Voyage from St. Louis to the Source
+    of the Mississippi.</i></a></td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdlh">St. Louis, 170&mdash;Illinois River, Buffalo River, Sac Indians,
+    Salt River, 171&mdash;Rapids des Moines, Jowa River, Jowa Indians,
+    Rock River, 172&mdash;Turkey River, Reynard Indians, Ouisconsin
+    River, Pecant or Winebagoe Indians, 173&mdash;Sioux Indians,
+    Prairie des Chiens, 174&mdash;Sauteaux or Chippeway River, Scenery
+    of the Mississippi, Sioux village, Canoe. River, St. Croix
+    River, 176&mdash;Cannon River, Indian Burying-place, Falls of St.
+    Anthony, 177&mdash;Rum River, Red Cedar Lake, Beaver Islands,
+    Corbeau or Raven River, 178&mdash;Pine Creek, Lake Clear, Clear
+    River, Winter Quarters, Indians, 179&mdash;Falls of the Painted
+    Rock, Pine River, Chippeway Indians, 180&mdash;Leech Lake, Pine
+    Creek, 181&mdash;Indians, Falls of St. Anthony, Prairie des Chiens,
+    182&mdash;Sioux and Puant Indians, Salt River, 183.</td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">Western Territory of America</span></td>
+  <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_184">184</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#Page_184"><i>The River Missouri.<br />
+    Lewis and Clarke's Voyage from St. Louis to the Source o f the Missouri.</i></a></td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdlh">St. Louis, Osage River, Osage Indians, Big Manitou Creek,
+    185&mdash;Kanzes River, Platte River, 186&mdash;Pawnee Indians, Ottoe
+    and Missouri Indians, 187&mdash;Indian Villages 188&mdash;Water of the
+    Missouri, Fruit, Yankton Indians, 189&mdash;Teton Indians, 191&mdash;
+    Ricara Indians, Chayenne River, 194&mdash;Le Boulet or Cannon-ball
+    River, Mandan Indians, 196&mdash;Winter Quarters, 197&mdash;Fort Mandan,
+    Ahanaway and Minnetaree Indians, 198&mdash;Knife River, 199&mdash;Little
+    Missouri, Indian Burying-place, 201&mdash;Yellow Stone River, 202
+    &mdash;Porcupine River, Muscle-shell River, 203&mdash;Great Falls of
+    the Missouri, 205&mdash;Maria's River, 207&mdash;Three Forks of the
+    Missouri, 209&mdash;Source of the Missouri, 210.</td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#Page_210"><i>Lewis and Clarke's Travels from the Source
+    of the Missouri<br /> to the Pacific Ocean.</i></a></td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdlh">Rocky Mountains, 210&mdash;Mountainous Country, Indians, 211&mdash;
+    Travellers' Rest Creek, Koos-koos-kee River, Chopunnish
+    Indians, 213&mdash;Shoshonees and Snake Indians, 214&mdash;Pierced-nose
+    Indians, 217&mdash;Indian Fisheries, 218&mdash;Solkuk Indians, 218&mdash;
+    Columbia or Oregan River, Echeloot Indians, 219&mdash;The Pacific
+    Ocean, Indians in the Vicinity of the Coast, 221.</td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#Page_225"><i>Lewis and Clarke's Return from the Pacific
+    Ocean to St. Louis.</i></a></td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdlh">Rocky Mountains, 225&mdash;Travellers' Rest Creek, Clarke's River,
+    Maria's River, Missouri River, 226&mdash;Yellow-stone River,
+    Jefferson's River, 227&mdash;La Charette, St. Louis, 228.</td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#Page_229"><i>Pike's Journey from St. Louis, through
+    Louisiana to Santa F&eacute;, New Spain.</i></a></td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdlh">Missouri River, St. Charles, Osage River, Gravel River, 229
+    &mdash;Yungar River, Grand Fork, Osage Indians, 230&mdash;Kanzes River,
+    Pawnee Indians, 231&mdash;Arkansaw River, 232&mdash;Indians, 233&mdash;Grand
+    Pawnees, Rio Colorado, 234&mdash;Rio del Norte, 236&mdash;Santa F&eacute;, 237.</td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">Mexico</span> or <span class="smcap">New Spain</span> in
+    general</td>
+  <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_239">239</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#Page_247"><i>Pike's Journey from Santa F&eacute; to
+    Montelovez</i></a></td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdlh">St. Domingo, Albuquerque, Sibilleta, 247&mdash;Passo del Norte,
+    Carracal, Chihuahua, 248&mdash;Florida River, Mauperne, Hacienda
+    of Polloss, 249&mdash;Montelovez, Durango, 250.</td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#Page_250"><i>Description of the City of Mexico.</i></a></td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdlh">Situation, 250&mdash;Ancient City, 251&mdash;Quarters, Teocallis or
+    Temples, 252&mdash;School of Mines, Valley of Mexico, 253&mdash;Streets,
+    Aqueducts, Dikes or Embankments, Public Edifices, 254&mdash;Public
+    Walk, Markets, Chinampas, 255&mdash;Hill of Chapoltepec, Lakes of
+    Tezcuco and Chalco, 256.</td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#Page_256"><i>Description of some of the most important
+    Places in Mexico.</i></a></td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdlh">Tlascala, 256&mdash;Puebla, Cholula, Vera Cruz, 257&mdash;Xalapa,
+    Volcano of Orizaba, Coffre de Perote, Volcano of Tuxtla,
+    Papantla, Indian Pyramid, 259&mdash;Acapulco, 260&mdash;Guaxaca or
+    Oaxaca, Intendancy of Yucatan, Bay of Campeachy, 261&mdash;
+    Merida, Campeachy, Honduras, Balize, 262&mdash;Nicaragua, Yare
+    River, 263&mdash;Leon de Nicaragua, 264.</td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">British American Dominions</span></td>
+  <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_264">264</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdl"><i>Nova Scotia</i> in general</td>
+  <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_264">ib.</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdl">Halifax</td>
+  <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_265">265</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdl"><i>Canada</i> in general</td>
+  <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_265">265</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#Page_267"><i>Description of Quebec.</i></a></td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdlh">Situation, Cape Diamond, 267&mdash;Lower Town, Houses, Streets,
+    Mountain Street, 268&mdash;Shops or Stores, Taverns, Public
+    Buildings, Upper Town, 269&mdash;Charitable Institutions, Wolf's
+    Cove, Heights of Abram, Markets, 270&mdash;Maple Sugar, Fruit,
+    Climate, 271.</td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#Page_272"><i>Mr. Hall's Journey from Quebec to Montreal.</i></a></td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdlh">Jacques Cartier Bridge, Cataract, Country Houses, 272&mdash;
+    Post-houses, Trois Rivieres, River St. Maurice, Falls of
+    Shawinne Gamme, Bel&oelig;il Mountain, 273&mdash;Bel&oelig;il, Montreal
+    Mountain, 274.</td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#Page_275"><i>Description of Montreal.</i></a></td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdlh">Situation, Buildings, Streets, Square, Upper and Lower Towns,
+    Suburbs, Religious and Charitable Institutions, 275&mdash;Public
+    Edifices, Parade, 276&mdash;Markets, Climate, 277.</td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#Page_277"><i>Route from Montreal to Fort Chepewyan.</i></a></td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdlh">La Chine, 277&mdash;St. Ann's, Lake of the two Mountains, Utawas
+    River, Portage de Chaudiere, 278&mdash;Lake Nepisingui, Nepisinguis
+    Indians, Riviere de Fran&ccedil;ois, Lake Huron, Lake Superior,
+    Algonquin Indians, 279&mdash;Grande Portage, River Au Tourt, 280&mdash;
+    Lake Winipic, Cedar Lake, Mud Lake, Sturgeon Lake, Saskatchiwine
+    River, Beaver Lake, Lake of the Hills, Fort Chepewyan, 281.</td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#Page_282"><i>Account of the Knisteneaux and Chepewyan
+    Indians.</i></a></td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdlh">Knisteneaux, 282&mdash;Chepewyans, 285.</td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#Page_288"><i>Mackenzie's Voyage from Fort Chepewyan,
+    along the Rivers<br /> to the Frozen Ocean.</i></a></td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdlh">Fort Chepewyan, 288&mdash;Lake of the Hills, Slave River, Great
+    Slave Lake, 289&mdash;Red-knife Indians, 290&mdash;Slave and Dog-rib
+    Indians, 291&mdash;Quarreller Indians, 294&mdash;North Frozen Ocean,
+    Whale Island, 295.</td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#Page_296"><i>Mackenzie's Return from the Frozen Ocean
+    to Fort Chepewyan.</i></a></td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdlh">Indians, 296&mdash;Account of the country, 297&mdash;Woods and Mountains,
+    298&mdash;Fort Chepewyan.</td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#Page_299"><i>Description of the Western Coast of
+    America, from California<br /> to Behring's Strait.</i></a></td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdlh">California, Gulf of California, Missionary Establishment,
+    Indians of California, 299&mdash;Monterey, New Albion, Nootka
+    Sound, 300&mdash;Indians of Nootka Sound, 301&mdash;Port St. Fran&ccedil;ois,
+    Indians, Prince William's Sound, 302&mdash;Cook's River, Alyaska,
+    Cape Newenham, 303&mdash;Behring's Strait, Cape Prince of Wales,
+    304.</td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">Davis's Strait</span> and <span class="smcap">Baffin's
+    Bay</span></td>
+  <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_304">304</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#Page_305"><i>Ross's Voyage of Discovery, for the purpose
+    of exploring Baffin's Bay, and enquiring into the Probability of a North-west Passage.</i></a></td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdlh">Cape Farewell, Icebergs, Disco Island, 305,&mdash;Kron Prin's
+    Island, Danish Settlement, Wayat's or Hare Island, Four Island
+    Point, Danish Factory, 306,&mdash;Esquimaux of Greenland, Danger
+    from the Ice, Whales, 307&mdash;Arctic Highlanders, 308&mdash;Arctic
+    Highlands, Prince Regent's Bay, 315&mdash;Sea Fowls, Crimson Snow,
+    Cape Dudley Digges, 317&mdash;Wolstenholme and Whale Sounds, Sir
+    Thomas Smith's Sound, Alderman Jones's Sound, Lancaster Sound,
+    Croker Mountains, 318, 319.</td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#Page_319"><i>Parry's Voyage for the Discovery of a
+    North-west Passage.</i></a></td>
+  <td class="tdr">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdlh">Lancaster's Sound, Possession Bay, 319&mdash;Croker's Bay,
+    Wellington Channel, Barrow's Straits, 320&mdash;Bounty Cape, Bay
+    of the Hecla and Griper, Melville Island, 321&mdash;Cape Providence,
+    North Georgian Islands, 322&mdash;Winter Quarters at Melville
+    Island, 323&mdash;Cape Providence, Lancaster's Sound, Baffin's Bay,
+    the Clyde, Esquimaux Indians, 333.</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">Labrador</span> in general</td>
+  <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_336">336</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">Greenland</span> in general</td>
+  <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_339">339</a></td>
+  </tr>
+</table>
+</div>
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+
+<h2><i>Explanation of the Plates in this Volume.</i></h2>
+
+<div class="centered">
+<table border="0" width="70%" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" summary="Plates">
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdc" width="10%"><span style="font-size: 80%;">Plate</span></td>
+  <td class="tdl" width="80%">&nbsp;</td>
+  <td class="tdr" width="10%"><span style="Font-size: 80%;">Page</span></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdc">&nbsp;</td>
+  <td class="tdl"><i>Vignette</i>, Rock Bridge</td>
+  <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_102">102</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdc">1.</td>
+  <td class="tdl">Washington (<i>Frontispiece</i>)</td>
+  <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_85">85</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdc">&nbsp;</td>
+  <td class="tdl">Pyramid of Cholula, near Mexico</td>
+  <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_257">257</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdc">&nbsp;</td>
+  <td class="tdl">New York</td>
+  <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_13">13</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdc" colspan="3">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdc">2.</td>
+  <td class="tdl">Philadelphia, Second Street</td>
+  <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_46">46</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdc">&nbsp;</td>
+  <td class="tdl">Philadelphia, United States Bank</td>
+  <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_48">48</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdc">&nbsp;</td>
+  <td class="tdl">Philadelphia, High Street</td>
+  <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_46">46</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdc" colspan="3">&nbsp;</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdc">3.</td>
+  <td class="tdl">Quebec</td>
+  <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_268">268</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdc">&nbsp;</td>
+  <td class="tdl">Cataract of Niagara</td>
+  <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_37">37</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdc">&nbsp;</td>
+  <td class="tdl">Montreal</td>
+  <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_276">276</a></td>
+  </tr>
+</table>
+</div>
+<br />
+<hr style="width: 10%;" />
+<br />
+<p>The Binder is requested to place the Frontispiece opposite to the Title,
+and the above Explanation, with the other Plates, together, after the
+Table of Contents.</p>
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+
+
+<hr />
+
+
+<div class="img" style="width: 80%; border: 2px black solid;">
+
+<p class="cen"><i>Plate 2.</i></p>
+
+<a href="images/plate2a.jpg">
+<img border="0" src="images/plate2a.jpg" width="90%" alt="Philadelphia, Second Street." /></a><br />
+<p class="cen" style="margin-top: .2em;">PHILADELPHIA, SECOND STREET.</p>
+
+<a href="images/plate2b.jpg">
+<img border="0" src="images/plate2b.jpg" width="90%" alt="United States Bank." /></a><br />
+<p class="cen" style="margin-top: .2em;">UNITED STATES BANK.</p>
+
+<a href="images/plate2c.jpg">
+<img border="0" src="images/plate2c.jpg" width="90%" alt="Philadelphia, High Street." /></a><br />
+<p class="cen" style="margin-top: .2em;">PHILADELPHIA, HIGH STREET.</p>
+</div>
+
+<br />
+
+<div class="img" style="width: 80%; border: 2px black solid;">
+
+<p class="cen"><i>Plate 3.</i></p>
+
+<a href="images/plate3a.jpg">
+<img border="0" src="images/plate3a.jpg" width="90%" alt="Quebec." /></a><br />
+<p class="cen" style="margin-top: .2em;">QUEBEC.</p>
+
+<a href="images/plate3b.jpg">
+<img border="0" src="images/plate3b.jpg" width="90%" alt="Cataract of Niagara." /></a><br />
+<p class="cen" style="margin-top: .2em;">CATARACT OF NIAGARA.</p>
+
+<a href="images/plate3c.jpg">
+<img border="0" src="images/plate3c.jpg" width="90%" alt="Montreal." /></a><br />
+<p class="cen" style="margin-top: .2em;">MONTREAL.</p>
+</div>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<hr /><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1">[Pg 1]</a></span>
+<br />
+<h2>TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA,</h2>
+
+<h4>FROM</h4>
+
+<h3>MODERN WRITERS.</h3>
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<hr />
+<br />
+<h2>First Day's Instruction.</h2>
+
+<h2>NORTH AMERICA.</h2>
+<br />
+
+<p>This division of the great western continent is more than five thousand
+miles in length; and, in some latitudes, is four thousand miles wide. It
+was originally discovered by Europeans, about the conclusion of the
+fifteenth century; and, a few years afterwards, a party of Spanish
+adventurers obtained possession of some of the southern districts. The
+inhabitants of these they treated like wild animals, who had no property
+in the woods through which they roamed. They expelled them from their
+habitations, established settlements; and, taking possession of the
+country in the name of their sovereign, they appropriated to themselves
+the choicest and most valuable provinces. Numerous other settlements
+have since been established in different parts of the country; and the
+native tribes have nearly been exterminated, while the European
+population and the descendants of Europeans, have so much increased
+that, in the United States only, there are now more than ten millions of
+white inhabitants.</p>
+
+<p>The <i>surface</i> of the country is extremely varied. A <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_2" id="Page_2">[Pg 2]</a></span>double range of
+mountains extends through the United States, in a direction, from
+south-west to north-east; and another range traverses nearly the whole
+western regions, from north to south. No part of the world is so well
+watered with rivulets, rivers, and lakes, as this. Some of the <i>lakes</i>
+resemble inland seas. Lake Superior is nearly 300 miles long, and is
+more than 150 miles wide; and lakes Huron, Michigan, Erie, Ontario, and
+Champlain, are all of great size. The principal navigable <i>rivers</i> of
+America are the Mississippi, the Ohio, the Missouri, and the Illinois.
+Of these the <i>Mississippi</i> flows from the north, and falls into the Gulf
+of Mexico. The <i>Ohio</i> flows into the Mississippi: it extends in a
+north-easterly direction, and receives fifteen large streams, all of
+which are navigable. The <i>Missouri</i> and the <i>Illinois</i> also flow into
+the Mississippi: and, by means of these several rivers, a commercial
+intercourse is effected, from the ocean to vast distances into the
+interior of the country. Other important rivers are the <i>Delaware</i> and
+the <i>Hudson</i>, in the United States, and the <i>St. Lawrence</i>, in Canada.
+The <i>bays</i> and harbours of North America are numerous, and many of them
+are well adapted for the reception and protection of ships. <i>Hudson's
+Bay</i> is of greater extent than the whole Baltic sea. <i>Delaware Bay</i> is
+60 miles long; and, in some parts, is so wide, that a vessel in the
+middle of it cannot be seen from either bank. <i>Chesapeak Bay</i> extends
+270 miles inland. The <i>Bay of Honduras</i> is on the south-eastern side of
+New Spain, and is noted for the trade in logwood and mahogany, which is
+carried on upon its banks.</p>
+
+<p>The <i>natural productions</i> of North America are, in many respects,
+important. The forests abound in valuable timber-trees; among which are
+enumerated no fewer than forty-two different species of oaks.
+Fruit-trees of various kinds are abundant; and, in many places, grapes
+grow wild: the other vegetable productions are numerous and important.
+Among the quadrupeds are enumerated some small species of tigers, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[Pg 3]</a></span>deer,
+elks of immense size, bisons, bears, wolves, foxes, beavers, porcupines,
+and opossums. The American forests abound in birds; and in those of
+districts that are distant from the settlements of men, wild turkeys,
+and several species of grouse are very numerous. In some of the forests
+of Canada, passenger-pigeons breed in myriads; and, during their
+periodical flight, from one part of the country to another, their
+numbers darken the air. The coasts, bays, and rivers, abound in fish;
+and various species of reptiles and serpents are known to inhabit the
+interior of the southern districts. Among the mountains most of the
+important metals are found: iron, lead, and copper, are all abundant;
+and coals are not uncommon.</p>
+<br />
+
+<p class="cen"><span class="smcap">THE UNITED STATES.</span></p>
+
+<p>That part of North America which is under the government of the United
+States, now constitutes one of the most powerful and most enlightened
+nations in the world. The inhabitants enjoy the advantage of a vast
+extent of territory, over which the daily increasing population is able,
+with facility, to expand itself; and much of this territory, though
+covered with forests, is capable of being cleared, and many parts of it
+are every day cleared, for the purposes of cultivation.</p>
+
+<p>The origin of the United States may be dated from the time of the
+formation of an English colony in Virginia, about the year 1606. Other
+English colonies were subsequently formed; and, during one hundred and
+fifty years, these gradually increased in strength and prosperity, till,
+at length, the inhabitants threw off their dependance upon England, and
+established an independent republican government. This, after a long and
+expensive war, was acknowledged by Great Britain, in a treaty signed at
+Paris on the 30th of November, 1782.</p>
+
+<p>The <i>boundaries</i> of the States were determined by this treaty; but, some
+important acquisitions of territory have since been made. In April,
+1803, <i>Louisiana</i> was <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[Pg 4]</a></span>ceded to them by France; and this district, in
+its most limited extent, includes a surface of country, which, with the
+exception of Russia, is equal to the whole of Europe. <i>Florida</i>, by its
+local position, is connected with the United States: it belonged to
+Spain, but, in the year 1820, it was annexed to the territories of the
+republic.</p>
+
+<p>Geographical writers have divided the United States into three regions:
+the <i>lowlands</i> or flat country; the highlands, and the mountains. Of
+these, the first extend from the Atlantic ocean to the falls of the
+great rivers. The <i>highlands</i> reach from the falls to the foot of the
+mountains; and the <i>mountains</i> stretch nearly through the whole country,
+in a direction from south-west to north-east. Their length is about 900
+miles, and their breadth from 60 to 200. They may be considered as
+separated into two distinct chains; of which the eastern chain has the
+name of <i>Blue Mountains</i>, and the western is known, at its southern
+extremity, by the name of <i>Cumberland</i> and <i>Gauley Mountains</i>, and
+afterwards by that of the <i>Alleghany Mountains</i>. The Alleghanies are
+about 250 miles distant from the shore of the Atlantic. Towards the
+north there are other eminences, called the <i>Green Mountains</i> and the
+<i>White Mountains</i>. The loftiest summits of the whole are said to be
+about 7000 feet in perpendicular height above the level of the sea.</p>
+
+<p>Few countries can boast a greater general fertility of <i>soil</i> than North
+America. The soil of the higher lands consists, for the most part, of a
+brown loamy earth, and a yellowish sandy clay. Marine shells, and other
+substances, in a fossil state, are found at the depth of eighteen or
+twenty feet below the surface of the ground. Some of these are of very
+extraordinary description. In the year 1712, several bones and teeth of
+a vast nondescript quadruped, were dug up at Albany in the state of New
+York. By the ignorant inhabitants these were considered to be the
+remains of gigantic human bodies. In 1799 the bones of other individuals
+of this animal, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[Pg 5]</a></span>which has since been denominated the <i>Mastodon</i> or
+<i>American Mammoth</i>, were discovered beneath the surface of the ground,
+in the vicinity of Newburgh, on the river Hudson. Induced by the hope of
+being able to obtain a perfect skeleton, a Mr. Peale, of Philadelphia,
+purchased these bones, with the right of digging for others. He was
+indefatigable in his exertions, but was unable, for some time, to
+procure any more. He made an attempt in a morass about twelve miles
+distant from Newburgh, where an entire set of ribs was found, but
+unaccompanied by any other remains. In another morass, in Ulster county,
+he found several bones; among the rest a complete under jaw, and upper
+part of the head. From the whole of the fragments that he obtained, he
+was enabled to form two skeletons. One of these, under the name of
+mammoth, was exhibited in London, about a year afterwards. Its height at
+the shoulder was eleven feet; its whole length was fifteen feet; and its
+weight about one thousand pounds. This skeleton was furnished with large
+and curved ivory tusks, different in shape from those of an elephant,
+but similar in quality. In 1817 another skeleton was dug up, from the
+depth of only four feet, in the town of <i>Goshen</i>, near Chester. The
+tusks of this were more than nine feet in length.</p>
+
+<p>In a region so extensive as the United States, there must necessarily be
+a great variety of <i>climate</i>. In general, the heat of summer and the
+cold of winter are more intense, and the transitions, from the one to
+the other, are more sudden than in the old continent. The predominant
+winds are from the west; and the severest cold is felt from the
+north-west. Between the forty-second and forty-fifth degrees of
+latitude, the same parallel as the south of France, the winters are very
+severe. During winter, the ice of the rivers is sufficiently strong to
+bear the passage of horses and waggons; and snow is so abundant, as to
+admit the use of sledges. In Georgia the winters are mild. South
+Carolina is subject to immoderate heat, to tremendous <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[Pg 6]</a></span>hurricanes, and
+to terrific storms of thunder and lightning.</p>
+
+<p>The United States are usually classed in three divisions: the northern,
+the middle, and the southern. The <i>northern states</i> have the general
+appellation of <i>New England</i>: they are Massachusetts, New Hampshire,
+Vermont, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. The <i>middle states</i> are New
+York, New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana. The
+<i>southern states</i> are Maryland, Virginia, Kentucky, North Carolina,
+South Carolina, Tenessee, and Louisiana.</p>
+
+<p>Besides these, the United States claim the government of the
+<i>territories</i> of the Illinois, Alabama, and Mississippi. By a public
+ordinance, passed in the year 1787, a territory cannot be admitted into
+the American Union, until its population amounts to 60,000 free
+inhabitants. In the mean time, however, it is subject to a regular
+provisional form of government. The administration of this is entrusted
+to a governor, who is appointed by the president and congress of the
+United States; and who is invested with extensive powers, for protection
+of the interests of the States, and the observance of a strict faith
+towards the Indians, in the exchange of commodities, and the purchase of
+lands.</p>
+
+<p>The <i>government</i> of the United States is denominated a "Federal
+Republic." Each state has a constitution for the management of its own
+internal affairs; and, by the federal constitution, they are all formed
+into one united body. The legislative power is vested in a <i>congress</i> of
+delegates from the several states; this congress is divided into two
+distinct bodies, the <i>senate</i> and the <i>house of representatives</i>. The
+members of the latter are elected every two years, by the people; and
+the senators are elected every six years, by the state legislatures. A
+senator must be thirty years of age, an inhabitant of the state in which
+he is elected, and must have been nine years a citizen of the United
+States: the present number of senators is thirty-eight. The executive
+power is vested in a <i>president</i>, who is chosen <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[Pg 7]</a></span>every four years. In
+the election both of members of congress, and of the president of the
+United States, it is asserted, that there is much man&oelig;uvering, and
+much corrupt influence exerted. In the electioneering addresses of the
+defeated parties, these are, perhaps, as often made a subject of
+complaint and reproach, as they are in those of defeated candidates for
+the representation of counties or boroughs in the British House of
+Commons.</p>
+
+<p>Washington is the seat of government; and the president, when there,
+lives in a house destined for his use, and furnished at the expense of
+the nation. His annual salary is 25,000 dollars, about &pound;.5600 sterling.
+The president, in virtue of his office, is commander-in-chief of the
+army and navy of the United States, and also of the militia, whenever it
+is called into actual service. He is empowered to make treaties, to
+appoint ambassadors, ministers, consuls, judges of the supreme court,
+and all military and other officers whose appointments are not otherwise
+provided for by the law.</p>
+
+<p>The <i>national council</i> is composed of the President and Vice President;
+and the heads of the treasury, war, navy, and post-office establishment.</p>
+
+<p>The <i>inhabitants</i> of the United States (says Mr. Warden<a name="FNanchor_1_1" id="FNanchor_1_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_1_1" class="fnanchor">[1]</a>) have not
+that uniform character which belongs to ancient nations, upon whom, time
+and the stability of institutions, have imprinted a particular and
+individual character. The general physiognomy is as varied as its origin
+is different. English, Irish, Germans, Scotch, French, and Swiss, all
+retain some characteristic of their ancient country.</p>
+
+<p>The account given by Mr. Birkbeck is somewhat different from this. He
+asserts that, as far as he had an opportunity of judging, the native
+inhabitants of the towns are much alike; nine out of <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[Pg 8]</a></span>ten (he says) are
+tall and long limbed, approaching or even exceeding six feet. They are
+seen in pantaloons and Wellington boots; either marching up and down,
+with their hands in their pockets, or seated in chairs poised on the
+hind feet, and the backs rested against the walls. If a hundred
+Americans, of any class, were to seat themselves, ninety-nine (observes
+this gentleman) would shuffle their chairs to the true distance, and
+then throw themselves back against the nearest prop. The women exhibit a
+great similarity of tall, relaxed forms, with consistent dress and
+demeanour; and are not remarkable for sprightliness of manners.
+Intellectual culture has not yet made much progress among the generality
+of either sex; but the men, from their habit of travelling, and their
+consequent intercourse with strangers, have greatly the advantage, in
+the means of acquiring information. Mr. Birkbeck says that, in every
+village and town, as he passed along, he observed groups of young
+able-bodied men, who seemed to be as perfectly at leisure as the
+loungers of Europe. This love of indolence, where labour is so
+profitable, is a strange affection. If these people be asked why they so
+much indulge in it, they answer, that "they live in freedom; and need
+not work, like the English."</p>
+
+<p>In the interior of the United States, and in the back settlements,
+<i>land</i> may be purchased, both of individuals and of the government, at
+very low rates. The price of uncleared land, or of land covered with
+trees, and not yet in a state fit for cultivation, is, in many
+instances, as low as two dollars an acre. The public lands are divided
+into townships of six miles square; each of which is subdivided into
+thirty-six sections, of one mile square, or 640 acres; and these are
+usually offered for sale, in quarter sections, of 160 acres. The
+purchase money may be paid by four equal instalments; the first within
+forty days, and the others within two, three, and four years after the
+completion of the purchase.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Birkbeck thus describes the mode in which <i>towns <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[Pg 9]</a></span>are formed</i> in
+America. On any spot, (says he,) where a few settlers cluster together,
+attracted by ancient neighbourhood, or by the goodness of the soil, or
+vicinity to a mill, or by whatever other cause, some enterprising
+proprietor perhaps finds, in his section, what he deems a good site for
+a town: he has it surveyed, and laid out in lots, which he sells, or
+offers to sale by auction. When these are disposed of, the new town
+assumes the name of its founder: a store-keeper builds a little framed
+store, and sends for a few cases of goods; and then a tavern starts up,
+which becomes the residence of a doctor and a lawyer, and the boarding
+house of the store-keeper, as well as the resort of the traveller. Soon
+follow a blacksmith, and other handicraftsmen, in useful succession. A
+school-master, who is also the minister of religion, becomes an
+important acquisition to this rising community. Thus the town proceeds,
+if it proceed at all, with accumulating force, until it becomes the
+metropolis of the neighbourhood. Hundreds of these speculations may have
+failed, but hundreds prosper; and thus trade begins and thrives, as
+population increases around favourite spots. The town being established,
+a cluster of inhabitants, however small it may be, acts as a stimulus on
+the cultivation of the neighbourhood: redundancy of supply is the
+consequence, and this demands a vent. Water-mills rise on the nearest
+navigable streams, and thus an effectual and constant market is secured
+for the increasing surplus of produce. Such are the elements of that
+accumulating mass of commerce which may, hereafter, render this one of
+the most important and most powerful countries in the world.</p>
+
+<p>Though the Americans boast of the freedom which they personally enjoy,
+they, most inconsistently, allow the importation and employment of
+<i>slaves</i>; and, with such unjust detestation are these unhappy beings
+treated, that a negro is not permitted to eat at the same table, nor
+even to frequent the same place of worship, as a white person. The white
+<i>servants</i>, on the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[Pg 10]</a></span>contrary, esteem themselves on an equality with
+their masters. They style themselves "helps," and will not suffer
+themselves to be called "servants." When they speak to their masters or
+mistresses, they either call them by their names; or they substitute the
+term "boss," for that of master. All this, however, is a difference
+merely of words; for the Americans exhibit no greater degree of feeling,
+nor are they at all more considerate in their conduct towards this class
+of society, than the inhabitants of other nations. Indeed the contrary
+is very often the case. Most persons, in America, engage their servants
+by the week, and no enquiry is ever made relative to character, as is
+customary with us.</p>
+
+<p>The <i>constitution</i> of the United States guarantees freedom of speech and
+liberty of the press. By law all the inhabitants are esteemed equal. The
+chief military strength of the country is in the militia; and, whenever
+this is embodied, every male inhabitant beyond a certain age, is
+compellable either to bear arms, or to pay an equivalent to be excused
+from this service. Trial by jury is to be preserved inviolate. A
+republican form of government is guaranteed to all the states, and
+hereditary titles and distinctions are prohibited by the law. With
+regard to religion, it is stipulated that no law shall ever be passed to
+establish any particular form of religion, or to prevent the free
+exercise of it; and, in the United States, no religious test is required
+as a qualification to any office of public trust.</p>
+
+<p>In <i>commerce</i> and <i>navigation</i> the progress of the States has been rapid
+beyond example. Besides the natural advantages of excellent harbours,
+extensive inland bays, and navigable rivers, the Americans assert that
+their trade is not fettered by monopolies, nor by exclusive privileges
+of any description. Goods or merchandise circulate through the whole
+country free of duty; and a full drawback, or restitution of the duties
+of importation, is granted upon articles exported to a foreign port, in
+the course of the year in which they have been <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[Pg 11]</a></span>imported. Commerce is
+here considered a highly honourable employment; and, in the sea-port
+towns, all the wealthiest members of the community are merchants. Nearly
+all the materials for manufactures are produced in this country. Fuel is
+inexhaustible; and the high wages of the manufacturers, and the want of
+an extensive capital, alone prevent the Americans from rivalling the
+English in trade. The produce of cultivation in America is of almost
+every variety that can be named: wheat, maize, rye, oats, barley, rice,
+and other grain; apples, pears, cherries, peaches, grapes, currants,
+gooseberries, plums, and other fruit, and a vast variety of vegetables.
+Lemons, oranges, and tropical fruits are raised in the southern States.
+Hops, flax, and hemp are abundant. Tobacco is an article of extensive
+cultivation in Virginia, Maryland, and some other districts. Cotton and
+sugar are staple commodities in several of the states. The northern and
+eastern states are well adapted for grazing, and furnish a great number
+of valuable horses, and of cattle and sheep; and an abundance of butter
+and cheese.</p>
+
+<hr style="width: 15%;" />
+
+<p>It will be possible to describe nearly all the most important places
+within the limits of the United States, by reciting, in succession, the
+narratives of different travellers through this interesting country. In
+so doing, however, it may perhaps be found requisite, in a few
+instances, to separate the parts of their narrations, for the purpose of
+more methodical illustration; but this alteration of arrangement will
+not often occur.</p>
+
+<h4>FOOTNOTES:</h4>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p class="noin"><a name="Footnote_1_1" id="Footnote_1_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_1_1"><span class="label">[1]</span></a> Statistical, political, and historical account of the
+United States.</p></div>
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<hr style="width: 25%;" /><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[Pg 12]</a></span>
+<br />
+<h2>Second Day's Instruction.</h2>
+
+<h2>UNITED STATES CONTINUED.</h2>
+<br />
+
+<p><i>An account of New York and its vicinity. From Sketches of America by</i>
+<span class="smcap">Henry Bradshaw Fearon</span>.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Fearon was deputed by several friends in England, to visit the
+United States, for the purpose of obtaining information, by which they
+should regulate their conduct, in emigrating from their native country,
+to settle in America. He arrived in the bay of New York, about the
+beginning of August, 1817.</p>
+
+<p>Here every object was interesting to him. The pilot brought on board the
+ship the newspapers of the morning. In these, many of the advertisements
+had, to Mr. Fearon, the character of singularity. One of them,
+announcing a play, terminated thus: "gentlemen are informed that no
+smoking is allowed in the theatre." Several sailing boats passed, with
+respectable persons in them, many of whom wore enormously large straw
+hats, turned up behind. At one o'clock, the vessel was anchored close to
+the city; and a great number of persons were collected on the wharf to
+witness her arrival. Many of these belonged to the labouring class;
+others were of the mercantile and genteeler orders. Large straw hats
+prevailed, and trowsers were universal. The general costume of these
+persons was inferior to that of men in the same rank of life in England:
+their whole appearance was loose, slovenly, careless, and not remarkable
+for cleanliness. The wholesale stores, which front the river, had not
+the most attractive appearance imaginable. The carts were long and
+narrow, and each was drawn by one horse. The hackney-coaches were open
+at the sides, an arrangement well suited to this warm climate; and the
+charge was about one fourth higher than in London.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[Pg 13]</a></span>This city, when approached from the sea, presents an appearance that is
+truly beautiful. It stands at the extreme point of Manhattan, or York
+island, which is thirteen miles long, and from one to two miles wide;
+and the houses are built from shore to shore. Vessels of any burden can
+come close up to the town, and lie there in perfect safety, in a natural
+harbour formed by the <i>East</i> and <i>Hudson's rivers</i>. New York contains
+120,000 inhabitants, and is, indisputably, the most important commercial
+city in America.</p>
+
+<p>The <i>streets</i> through which Mr. Fearon passed, to a boarding-house in
+State-street, were narrow and dirty. The <i>Battery</i>, however, is a
+delightful walk, at the edge of the bay; and several of the houses in
+State-street are as large as those in Bridge-street, Blackfriars,
+London. At the house in which Mr. Fearon resided, the hours of eating
+were, breakfast, eight o'clock; dinner half-past three, tea seven, and
+supper ten; and the whole expence of living amounted to about eighteen
+dollars per week.</p>
+
+<p>The <i>street population</i> of New York has an aspect very different from
+that of London, or the large towns in England. One striking feature of
+it is formed by the number of blacks, many of whom are finely dressed:
+the females are ludicrously so, generally in white muslin, with
+artificial flowers and pink shoes. Mr. Fearon saw very few well-dressed
+white ladies; but this was a time of the year when most of them were
+absent at the springs of Balston and Saratoga, places of fashionable
+resort, about 200 miles from New York.</p>
+
+<p>All the native inhabitants of this city have sallow complexions. To have
+colour in the cheeks is here considered a criterion by which a person is
+known to be an Englishman. The young men are tall, thin, and solemn:
+they all wear trowsers, and most of them walk about in loose great
+coats.</p>
+
+<p>There are, in New York, many <i>hotels</i>; some of which are on an extensive
+scale. The City Hotel is as large as the London Tavern. The dining-room
+and <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[Pg 14]</a></span>some of the private apartments seem to have been fitted up
+regardless of expense. The <i>shops</i>, or stores, as they are here called,
+have nothing in their exterior to recommend them to notice: there is not
+even an attempt at tasteful display. In this city the linen and
+woollen-drapers expose great quantities of their goods, loose on boxes,
+in the street, without any precaution against theft. This practice, a
+proof of their carelessness, is at the same time an evidence as to the
+political state of society which is worthy of attention. Great masses of
+the population cannot be unemployed, or robbery would be inevitable.</p>
+
+<p>There are, in New York, many excellent private dwellings, built of red
+painted brick, which gives them a peculiarly neat and clean appearance.
+In Broadway and Wall-street, trees are planted along the side of the
+pavement. The City Hall is a large and elegant building, in which the
+courts of law are held. Most of the <i>streets</i> are dirty: in many of them
+sawyers prepare their wood for sale, and all are infested with pigs.</p>
+
+<p>On the whole, a walk through New York will disappoint an Englishman:
+there is an apparent carelessness, a laziness, an unsocial indifference,
+which freezes the blood and disgusts the judgment. An evening stroll
+along Broadway, when the lamps are lighted, will please more than one at
+noonday. The shops will look rather better, but the manners of the
+proprietors will not greatly please an Englishman: their cold
+indifference may be mistaken, by themselves, for independence, but no
+person of thought and observation will ever concede to them that they
+have selected a wise mode of exhibiting that dignified feeling.</p>
+
+<p>[There is, in New York, a seminary for education, called <i>Columbia
+College</i>. This institution was originally named "King's College," and
+was founded in the year 1754. Its annual revenue is about 4000 dollars.
+A botanic garden, situated about four miles from the city, was, not long
+ago, purchased by the state, of Dr. Hosach, for 73,000 dollars, and
+given to the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[Pg 15]</a></span>college. The faculty of medicine, belonging to this
+institution, has been incorporated under the title of "The College of
+Physicians and Surgeons of the University of New York."]</p>
+
+<p>The <i>Town Hall</i> of this city is a noble building, of white marble; and
+the space around it is planted and railed off. The interior appears to
+be well arranged. In the rooms of the mayor and corporation, are
+portraits of several governors of this state, and of some distinguished
+officers. The state rooms and courts of justice are on the first floor.
+In the immediate vicinity of the hall is an extensive building,
+appropriated to the "New York Institution," the "Academy of fine Arts,"
+and the "American Museum." There are also a state prison, an hospital,
+and many splendid churches.</p>
+
+<p>When a traveller surveys this city, and recollects that, but two
+centuries since, the spot on which it stands was a wilderness, he cannot
+but be surprised at its present comparative extent and opulence.</p>
+
+<p>With regard to <i>trades</i> in New York, Mr. Fearon remarks that building
+appeared to be carried on to a considerable extent, and was generally
+performed by contract. There were many timber, or lumber-yards, (as they
+are here called,) but not on the same large and compact scale as in
+England. Cabinet-work was neatly executed, and at a reasonable price.
+Chair-making was an extensive business. Professional men, he says,
+literally swarm in the United States; and lawyers are as common in New
+York as paupers are in England. A gentleman, walking in the Broadway,
+seeing a friend pass, called out to him, "Doctor!" and immediately
+sixteen persons turned round, to answer the call. It is estimated that
+there are, in New York, no fewer than 1500 spirit shops, yet the
+Americans have not the character of being drunkards. There are several
+large carvers' and gilders' shops; and glass-mirrors and picture-frames
+are executed with taste and elegance. Plate-glass is imported from
+France, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[Pg 16]</a></span>Holland, and England. Booksellers' shops are extensive; but
+English novels and poetry are the primary articles of a bookseller's
+business. Many of the popular English books are here reprinted, but in a
+smaller size, and on worse paper than the original. There are, in this
+city, a few boarding-schools for ladies; but, in general, males and
+females, of all ages, are educated at the same establishment. No species
+of correction is allowed. Children, even at home, are perfectly
+independent; subordination being foreign to the comprehension of all
+persons in the United States.</p>
+
+<p>The <i>rents of houses</i> are here extremely high. Very small houses, in
+situations not convenient for business, and containing, in the whole,
+only six rooms, are worth from &pound;.75 to &pound;.80 per annum; and for similar
+houses, in first-rate situations, the rents as high as from &pound;.160 to
+&pound;.200 are paid. Houses like those in Oxford-street and the best part of
+Holborn, are let for &pound;.500 or &pound;.600 pounds per annum.</p>
+
+<p><i>Provisions</i> are somewhat cheaper than in London; but most of the
+articles of clothing are dear, being chiefly of British manufacture.
+With regard to <i>religion</i> in the United States, there is legally the
+most unlimited liberty. There is no established religion; but the
+professors of the presbyterian and the episcopalian, or church of
+England tenets, take the precedence, both in numbers and respectability.
+Their ministers receive each from two to eight thousand dollars per
+annum. All the churches are said to be well filled. The episcopalians,
+though they do not form any part of the state, have their bishops and
+other orders, as in England.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Fearon remarks, generally, respecting the United States, that every
+industrious man may obtain a living; but that America is not the
+political elysium which it has been so floridly described, and which the
+imaginations of many have fondly anticipated.</p>
+
+<p>In the <i>courts of law</i> there appears to be a perfect equality between
+the judge, the counsel, the jury, the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[Pg 17]</a></span>tipstaff, and the auditors; and
+Mr. Fearon was informed that great corruption exists in the minor
+courts.</p>
+
+<p>New York is called a "free state;" and it may perhaps be so termed
+theoretically, or in comparison with its southern neighbours; but, even
+here, there are multitudes of negroes in a state of slavery, and who are
+bought and sold as cattle would be in England. And so degrading do the
+white inhabitants consider it, to associate with blacks, that the latter
+are absolutely excluded from all places of public worship, which the
+whites attend. Even the most degraded white person will neither eat nor
+walk with a negro.</p>
+
+<p><i>Long Island</i> is a part of the state of New York, one hundred and twenty
+miles in length, and twelve in breadth. It is chiefly occupied by
+farmers; and is divided into two counties.</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>Mr. Fearon made several excursions into the state of <i>New Jersey</i>,
+situated opposite to that of New York, and on the southern side of the
+river <i>Hudson</i>. The valleys abound in black oaks, ash, palms, and poplar
+trees. Oak and hickory-nut trees grow in situations which are
+overflowed. The soil is not considered prolific. <i>Newark</i> is a
+manufacturing town, in this province, of considerable importance, and
+delightfully situated. It contains many excellent houses, and a
+population of about eight thousand persons, including slaves. Carriages
+and chairs are here made in great numbers, chiefly for sale in the
+southern markets.</p>
+
+<p>For the purpose of visiting the property of a gentleman who resided in
+the vicinity of <i>Fishkill</i>, a creek somewhat more than sixty miles from
+New York, Mr. Fearon took his passage in a steam-boat. He paid for his
+fare three dollars and a half, and the voyage occupied somewhat more
+than eight hours. The vessel was of the most splendid description. It
+contained one hundred and sixty beds; and the ladies had a distinct
+cabin. On the deck were numerous conveniences, such as baggage-rooms,
+smoking-rooms, &amp;c. The general <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[Pg 18]</a></span>occupation, during the voyage, was
+card-playing. In the houses of two gentlemen whom Mr. Fearon visited
+near Fishkill, he was much gratified by the style of living, the
+substantial elegance of the furniture, and the mental talents of the
+company. Here he found both comfort and cleanliness, requisites which
+are scarcely known in America.</p>
+
+<p>In a general summary of his opinion respecting persons desirous of
+emigrating from England to America, Mr. Fearon says, that the capitalist
+may obtain, for his money, seven per cent. with good security. The
+lawyer and the doctor will not succeed. An orthodox minister would do
+so. The proficient in the fine arts will find little encouragement. The
+literary man must starve. The tutor's posts are all occupied. The
+shopkeeper may do as well, but not better than in London, unless he be a
+man of superior talent, and have a large capital: for such requisites
+there is a fine opening. The farmer must labour hard, and be but
+scantily remunerated. The clerk and shopman will get but little more
+than their board and lodging. Mechanics, whose trades are of the <i>first
+necessity</i>, will do well: but men who are not mechanics, and who
+understand only the cotton, linen, woollen, glass, earthenware, silk, or
+stocking manufactories, cannot obtain employment. The labouring man will
+do well; particularly if he have a wife and children who are capable of
+contributing, not merely to the consuming, but also to the earning of
+the common stock.</p>
+<br />
+<hr style="width: 15%;" />
+<br />
+
+<p class="cen"><i>Narrative of</i> <span class="smcap">Mr. Fearon's</span> <i>Journey from New York to Boston.</i></p>
+
+<p>ON the 8th of September this gentleman left New York for Boston. After a
+passage of twelve hours, the vessel in which he sailed arrived at <i>New
+Haven</i>, a city in Connecticut, distant from New York, by water, about
+ninety miles. This place has a population of about five <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[Pg 19]</a></span>thousand
+persons, and has the reputation of ranking among the most beautiful
+towns in the United States. [It is situated at the head of a bay,
+between two rivers, and contains about five hundred houses, which are
+chiefly built of wood, but on a regular plan: it has also several public
+edifices, and about four thousand inhabitants. The harbour is spacious,
+well protected, and has good anchorage. There is at New Haven a college,
+superintended by a president, a professor in divinity, and three
+tutors.]</p>
+
+<p>From this place Mr. Fearon proceeded to <i>New London</i>, a small town on
+the west side of the river Thames. Here he took a place in the coach for
+Providence. American stages are a species of vehicles with which none in
+England can be compared. They carry twelve passengers: none outside. The
+coachman, or driver, sits inside with the company. In length they are
+nearly equal to two English stages. Few of them go on springs. The sides
+are open; the roof being supported by six small posts. The luggage is
+carried behind, and in the inside. The seats are pieces of plain board;
+and there are leathers which can be let down from the top, and which,
+though useful as a protection against wet, are of little service in cold
+weather.</p>
+
+<p>The passengers breakfasted at <i>Norwich</i>, a manufacturing and trading
+town, about fourteen miles from New London; and, at six o'clock in the
+evening, they arrived at <i>New Providence</i>, the capital of Rhode Island,
+having occupied thirteen hours in travelling only fifty miles. In the
+general appearance of the country, Mr. Fearon had been somewhat
+disappointed. All the houses within sight from the road were
+farm-houses. He remarks that, in Connecticut and Rhode Island, the land
+was stony, and the price of produce was not commensurate to that of
+labour.</p>
+
+<p>On entering Providence, Mr. Fearon was much pleased with the beauty of
+the place. In appearance, it combined the attractions of Southampton and
+Doncaster, in England. There are, in this town, an <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[Pg 20]</a></span>excellent
+market-house, a workhouse, four or five public schools, an university
+with a tolerable library, and an hospital. Several of the churches are
+handsome, but they, as well as many private houses, are built of wood
+painted white, and have green Venetian shutters. Mr. Fearon had not seen
+a town either in America or Europe which bore the appearance of general
+prosperity, equal to Providence. Ship and house-builders were fully
+occupied, as indeed were all classes of mechanics. The residents of this
+place are chiefly native Americans; for foreign emigrants seem never to
+think of New England. Rent and provisions are here much lower than in
+New York.</p>
+
+<p>At <i>Pawtucket</i>, four miles from Providence, are thirteen cotton
+manufactories; six of which are on a large scale. Mr. Fearon visited
+three of them. They had excellent machinery; but not more than one half
+of this was in operation, and the persons employed in all the
+manufactories combined, were not equal in number to those at one of
+moderate size in Lancashire.</p>
+
+<p>The road from Providence to Boston is much better than that which Mr.
+Fearon had already passed from New London. The aspect of the country
+also was improved; but there was nothing in either, as to mere
+appearance, which would be inviting to an inhabitant of England.</p>
+
+<p>From its irregularity, and from other circumstances, <i>Boston</i> is much
+more like an English town than New York. The names are English, and the
+inhabitants are by no means so uniformly sallow, as they are in many
+other parts of America. This town is considered the head quarters of
+Federalism in politics, and of Unitarianism in religion. It contains
+many rich families. The Bostonians are also the most enlightened, and
+the most hospitable people whom Mr. Fearon had yet seen in America:
+they, however, in common with all New Englanders, have the character of
+being greater sharpers, and more generally dishonourable, than the
+natives of other sections of the Union.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[Pg 21]</a></span>The <i>Ath&aelig;neum public library</i>, under the management of Mr. Shaw, is a
+valuable establishment. It contained, at this time, 18,000 volumes, four
+thousand of which were the property of the secretary of state.</p>
+
+<p>The society in Boston is considered better than that in New York. Many
+of the richer families live in great splendour, and in houses little
+inferior to those of Russell-square, London. Distinctions here exist to
+an extent rather ludicrous under a free and popular government: there
+are the first class, second class, third class, and the "old families."
+Titles, too, are diffusely distributed.</p>
+
+<p>Boston is not a thriving, that is, not an increasing town. It wants a
+fertile back country; and it is too far removed from the western states
+to have much trade.</p>
+
+<p>On an eminence, in the Mall, (a fine public walk,) is built the <i>State
+House</i>, in which the legislature holds its meetings. The view from the
+top of this building is peculiarly fine. The islands, the shipping, the
+town, the hill and dale scenery, for a distance of thirty miles, present
+an assemblage of objects which are beautifully picturesque. Boston was
+the birth-place of Dr. Franklin, and in this town the first dawnings of
+the American revolution broke forth. The heights of Dorchester and
+Bunker's Hill are in its immediate vicinity.</p>
+
+<p>On the 20th of September Mr. Fearon walked to <i>Bunker's Hill</i>. It is of
+moderate height. The monument, placed here in commemoration of the
+victory obtained by the English over the Americans, on the 17th of June,
+1776, is of brick and wood, and without inscription.</p>
+
+<p>[At <i>Cambridge</i>, four miles from Boston, is a college, called <i>Harvard
+College</i>, in honour of the Rev. John Harvard of Charleston, who left to
+it his library, and a considerable sum of money. This college is upon a
+scale so large and liberal, as to consist of seven spacious buildings,
+and to contain two hundred and fifty apartments for officers and
+students. It has an excellent library of about <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[Pg 22]</a></span>17,000 volumes, a
+philosophical apparatus, and a museum of natural history. The average
+number of students is about two hundred and sixty. Admission into this
+college requires a previous knowledge of mathematics, Latin, and Greek.
+All the students have equal rights; and each class has peculiar
+instructors. Degrees are here conferred, as in the English universities;
+and the period of study requisite for the degree of bachelor of arts is
+four years. The professorships are numerous. Harvard College furnishes
+instructors and teachers to the most distant parts of the union; and, in
+general, for the extent of its funds, the richness of its library, the
+number and character of its establishments, and the means it affords of
+acquiring, not only an academical, but a professional education, it is
+considered to be without an equal in the country. It is, however,
+remarked, that this college is somewhat heretical in matters of
+religion; as most of the theological students leave it disaffected
+towards the doctrine of the Trinity.]</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>From this place we must return to New York, for the purpose of
+accompanying Mr. Weld on a voyage up the river Hudson to Lake Champlain.</p>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<hr />
+<br />
+<h2>Third Day's Instruction.</h2>
+
+<h2>UNITED STATES, <span class="smcap">and</span> PART OF CANADA.</h2>
+<br />
+
+<p class="cen"><i>Narrative of a Voyage up the River Hudson, from New York to Lake
+Champlain.<br /> By</i> <span class="smcap">Isaac Weld</span>, Esq.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Weld, having taken his passage in one of the sloops which trade on
+the North or Hudson's river, betwixt New York and Albany, embarked on
+the second of July. Scarcely a breath of air was stirring, and the tide
+carried the vessel along at the rate of about two <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[Pg 23]</a></span>miles and a half an
+hour. The prospects that were presented to his view, in passing up this
+magnificent stream, were peculiarly grand and beautiful. In some places
+the river expands to the breadth of five or six miles, in others it
+narrows to that of a few hundred yards; and, in various parts, it is
+interspersed with islands. From several points of view its course can be
+traced to a great distance up the Hudson, whilst in others it is
+suddenly lost to the sight, as it winds between its lofty banks. Here
+mountains, covered with rocks and trees, rise almost perpendicularly out
+of the water; there a fine champaign country presents itself, cultivated
+to the very margin of the river, whilst neat farm-houses and distant
+towns embellish the charming landscapes.</p>
+
+<p>After sunset a brisk wind sprang up, which carried the vessel at the
+rate of six or seven miles an hour for a considerable part of the night;
+but for some hours it was requisite for her to lie at anchor, in a place
+where the navigation of the river was intricate.</p>
+
+<p>Early the next morning the voyagers found themselves opposite to <i>West
+Point</i>, a place rendered remarkable in the history of the American war,
+by the desertion of General Arnold, and the consequent death of the
+unfortunate Major Andr&eacute;. The fort stands about one hundred and fifty
+feet above the level of the water, and on the side of a barren hill. It
+had, at this time, a most melancholy aspect. Near West Point the
+Highlands, as they are called, commence, and extend along the river, on
+each side, for several miles.</p>
+
+<p>About four o'clock in the morning of the 4th of July, the vessel reached
+<i>Albany</i>, the place of its destination, one hundred and sixty miles
+distant from New York. Albany is a city which, at this time, contained
+about eleven hundred houses; and the number was fast increasing. In the
+old part of the town, the streets were very narrow, and the houses bad.
+The latter were all in the old Dutch taste, with the gable ends towards
+the street, and ornamented at the top with large iron weather-cocks; but
+in that part of the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[Pg 24]</a></span>town which had been lately erected, the streets
+were commodious, and many of the houses were handsome. Great pains had
+been taken to have the streets well paved and lighted. In summer time
+Albany is a disagreeable place; for it stands in a low situation on the
+margin of the river, which here runs very slowly, and which, towards the
+evening, often exhales clouds of vapour.</p>
+
+<p>[In 1817, Albany is described, by Mr. Hall, to have had a gay and
+thriving appearance, and nothing Dutch about it, except the names of
+some of its inhabitants. Being the seat of government for New York, it
+has a parliament-house, dignified with the name of Capitol. This stands
+upon an eminence, and has a lofty columnar porch; but, as the building
+is small, it seems to be all porch. There is a miserable little museum
+here, which contains a group of waxen figures brought from France,
+representing the execution of Louis the Sixteenth. Albany is now a place
+of considerable trade; and, if a canal be completed betwixt this town
+and Lake Erie, it will become a town of great importance.]</p>
+
+<p>The 4th of July, the day of Mr. Weld's arrival at Albany, was the
+anniversary of the declaration of American independence. About noon a
+drum and trumpet gave notice that the rejoicings would immediately
+commence; and, on walking to a hill, about a quarter of a mile from the
+town, Mr. Weld saw sixty men drawn up, partly militia, partly
+volunteers, partly infantry, partly cavalry. The last were clothed in
+scarlet, and were mounted on horses of various descriptions. About three
+hundred spectators attended. A few rounds from a three-pounder were
+fired, and some volleys of small-arms. When the firing ceased, the
+troops returned to the town, a party of militia officers, in uniform,
+marching in the rear, under the shade of umbrellas, as the day was
+excessively hot. Having reached the town, the whole body dispersed. The
+volunteers and militia officers afterwards dined together, and thus
+ended the rejoicings of the day.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Weld remained in Albany for a few days, and <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[Pg 25]</a></span>then set off for
+Skenesborough, upon Lake Champlain, in a carriage hired for the purpose.
+In about two hours he arrived at the small village of <i>Cohoz</i>, close to
+which is a remarkable cataract in the <i>Mohawk River</i>. This river takes
+its rise to the north-east of Lake Oneida, and, after a course of one
+hundred and forty miles, joins the Hudson about ten miles above Albany.
+The <i>Cohoz fall</i> is about three miles from the mouth of this river, and
+at a place where its width is about three hundred yards: a ledge of
+rocks extends quite across the stream, and from the top of these the
+water falls about fifty feet perpendicular: the line of the fall, from
+one side of the river to the other, is nearly straight. The appearance
+of this cataract varies much, according to the quantity of water: when
+the river is full, the water descends in an unbroken sheet from one bank
+to the other; but, at other times, the greater part of the rocks is left
+uncovered.</p>
+
+<p>From this place Mr. Weld proceeded along the banks of the <i>Hudson
+River</i>, and, late in the evening, reached <i>Saratoga</i>, thirty-five miles
+from Albany. This place contained about forty houses; but they were so
+scattered, that it had not the least appearance of a town.</p>
+
+<p>Near Saratoga, on the borders of a marsh, are several remarkable mineral
+springs: one of these, in the crater of a rock, of pyramidical form, and
+about five feet in height, is particularly curious. This rock seems to
+have been formed by the petrifaction of the water; and all the other
+springs are surrounded by similar petrifactions.</p>
+
+<p>Of the works thrown up at Saratoga, during the war, by the British and
+American armies, there were now scarcely any remains. The country around
+was well cultivated, and most of the trenches had been levelled by the
+plough. Mr. Weld here crossed the Hudson River, and proceeded, for some
+distance, along its eastern shore. After this the road was most
+wretched, particularly over a long causeway, which had been formed
+originally <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[Pg 26]</a></span>for the transporting of cannon. This causeway consisted of
+large, trees laid side by side. Some of them being decayed, great
+intervals were left, in which the wheels of the carriage were sometimes
+locked so fast, that the horses alone could not possibly extricate them.
+The woods on each side of the road had a much more majestic appearance
+than any that Mr. Weld had seen since he had left Philadelphia. This,
+however, was owing more to the great height than to the thickness of the
+trees, for he could not see one that appeared more than thirty inches in
+diameter. The trees here were chiefly oaks, hiccory, hemlock, and beech;
+intermixed with which appeared great numbers of smooth-barked, or
+Weymouth pines. A profusion of wild raspberries were growing in the
+woods.</p>
+
+<p>After having experienced almost inconceivable difficulty, in consequence
+of the badness of the road; and having occupied five hours in travelling
+only twelve miles, Mr. Weld arrived at <i>Skenesborough</i>. This is a little
+town, which stands near the southern extremity of Lake Champlain. It
+consisted, at this time, of only twelve houses, and was dreadfully
+infested with musquitoes, a large kind of gnats, which abound in the
+swampy parts of all hot countries. Such myriads of these insects
+attacked Mr. Weld, the first night of his sleeping there, that, when he
+rose in the morning, his face and hands were covered with large
+pustules, like those of a person in the small-pox. The situation of
+Skenesborough, on the margin of a piece of water which is almost
+stagnant, and which is shaded by thick woods, is peculiarly favourable
+to the increase of these insects.</p>
+
+<p>Shortly after their arrival in Skenesborough, Mr. Weld, and two
+gentlemen by whom he was accompanied, hired a boat of about ten tons
+burden, for the purpose of crossing <i>Lake Champlain</i>. The vessel sailed
+at one o'clock in the day; but, as the channel was narrow, and the wind
+adverse, they were only able to proceed about six miles before sunset.
+Having brought the vessel <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[Pg 27]</a></span>to an anchor, the party landed and walked to
+some adjacent farm-houses, in the hope of obtaining provisions; but they
+were not able to procure any thing except milk and cheese. The next day
+they reached <i>Ticonderoga</i>. Here the only dwelling was a tavern, a large
+house built of stone. On entering it, the party was shown into a
+spacious apartment, crowded with boatmen and other persons, who had just
+arrived from St. John's in Canada. The man of the house was a judge; a
+sullen, demure old gentleman, who sate by the fire, with tattered
+clothes and dishevelled locks, reading a book, and was totally
+regardless of every person in the house.</p>
+
+<p>The old fort and barracks of Ticonderoga, are on the top of a rising
+ground, just behind the tavern: they were at this time in ruins, and it
+is not likely that they ever will be rebuilt; for the situation is a
+very insecure one, being commanded by a lofty hill, called Mount
+Defiance. During the great American war, the British troops obtained
+possession of this place, by dragging cannon and mortars up the hill,
+and firing down upon the fort.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Weld and his friends, on leaving Ticonderoga, pursued their voyage
+to <i>Crown Point</i>: Here they landed to inspect the old fort. Nothing,
+however, was to be seen but a heap of ruins; for, shortly before it was
+surrendered by the British troops, the powder-magazine blew up, and a
+great part of the works was destroyed; and, since the final evacuation
+of the place, the people of the neighbourhood have been continually
+digging in different parts, in the hope of procuring lead and iron shot.
+At the south side only the ditches remain perfect: they are wide and
+deep, and are cut through immense rocks of limestone; and, from being
+overgrown, towards the top, with different kinds of shrubs, they have a
+grand and picturesque appearance.</p>
+
+<p>While the party were here, they were agreeably surprised with the sight
+of a large birch-canoe, upon the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[Pg 28]</a></span>lake, navigated by two or three
+Indians, in the dresses of their nation. These made for the shore, and
+soon landed; and, shortly afterwards, another party arrived, that had
+come by land.</p>
+
+<p><i>Lake Champlain</i> is about one hundred and twenty miles in length, and is
+of various breadths: for the first thirty miles it is, in no place, more
+than two miles wide; beyond this, for the distance of twelve miles, it
+is five or six miles across; but it afterwards narrows, and again, at
+the end of a few miles, expands. That part called the <i>Broad Lake</i>,
+because broader than any other, is eighteen miles across. Here the lake
+is interspersed with a great number of islands. The soundings of Lake
+Champlain are, in general, very deep; in many places they are sixty and
+seventy, and in some even one hundred fathoms in depth.</p>
+
+<p>The scenery, along the shores of the lake, is extremely grand and
+picturesque; particularly beyond Crown Point. Here they are beautifully
+ornamented with hanging woods and rocks; and the mountains, on the
+western side, rise in ranges one behind another, in the most magnificent
+manner possible.</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>Crossing from the head of Lake Champlain, westward to the river St.
+Lawrence, we shall describe the places adjacent to that river, and some
+of the north-western parts of the state of New York, in</p>
+<br />
+
+<p class="cen"><i>A Narrative of</i> <span class="smcap">Lieutenant Hall's</span> <i>Journey from Canada to the
+Cataract of Niagara.</i></p>
+
+<p>Mr. Hall had travelled from Montreal, in Canada, to Prescott, in a
+stage-waggon, which carried the mail; and he says that he can answer for
+its being one of the roughest conveyances on either side of the
+Atlantic.</p>
+
+<p>The face of the country is invariably flat; and settlements have not,
+hitherto, spread far from the banks of the <i>St. Lawrence</i>.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[Pg 29]</a></span><i>Prescott</i> is remarkable for nothing but a square redoubt, or fort,
+called Fort Wellington. The accommodations at this place were so bad
+that Mr. Hall, at midnight, seated himself in a light waggon, in which
+two gentlemen were proceeding to Brockville. These gentlemen afterwards
+offered him a passage to Kingston, in a boat belonging to the British
+navy, which was waiting for them at <i>Brockville</i>.</p>
+
+<p>The banks of the river St. Lawrence, from the neighbourhood of
+Brockville, are of limestone, and from twenty to fifty feet in height.
+Immense masses of reddish granite are also scattered along the bed of
+the stream, and sometimes project from the shore. The numerous islands
+which crowd the approach to <i>Lake Ontario</i>, have all a granite basis:
+they are clothed with cedar and pine-trees, and with an abundance of
+raspberry plants. The bed of the <i>Gananoqua</i> is also of granite. This
+river is rising into importance, from the circumstance of a new
+settlement being formed, under the auspices of the British government,
+on the waters with which it communicates.</p>
+
+<p>This settlement lies at the head of the lakes of the <i>Rideau</i>, and, in
+case of another American war, is meant to secure a communication betwixt
+Montreal and Kingston, by way of the Utawa. The settlers are chiefly
+disbanded soldiers, who clear and cultivate the land, under the
+superintendance of officers of the quarter-master-general's department.
+A canal has been cut to avoid the falls of the Rideau; and the
+communication, either by the Gananoqua, or Kingston, will be improved by
+locks. <i>Kingston</i>, which is within the Canadian dominions, is admirably
+situated for naval purposes.</p>
+
+<p>The basis of the soil on which this town is situated is limestone,
+disposed in horizontal strata. Kingston contains some good houses and
+stores; a small theatre, built by the military, for private theatricals;
+a large wooden government house, and all the appendages of an extensive
+military and naval establishment; with as <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[Pg 30]</a></span>much society as can
+reasonably be expected, in a town but lately created from the "howling
+desert." The adjacent country is flat, stony, and barren. Mr. Hall says
+that fleets of ships occasionally lie off Kingston, several of which are
+as large as any on the ocean. Vessels of large dimensions were at this
+time building, on the spot where, a few months before, their
+frame-timbers had been growing.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Hall left Kingston, in a packet, for the American station of
+<i>Sackett's harbour</i>. This, after Kingston, has a mean appearance: its
+situation is low, its harbour is small, and its fortifications are of
+very different construction, both as to form and materials, from those
+of the former town. The navy-yard consists merely of a narrow tongue of
+land, the point of which affords just space sufficient for the
+construction of one first-rate vessel; with room for work-shops, and
+stores, on the remaining part of it. One of the largest vessels in the
+world, was at this time on the stocks. The town consists of a long
+street, in the direction of the river, with a few smaller streets
+crossing it at right angles: it covers less ground than Kingston, and
+has fewer good houses; but it has an advantage which Kingston does not
+possess, in a broad flagged footway.</p>
+
+<p>The distance from Sackett's harbour to <i>Watertown</i> is about ten miles.
+This is an elegant village on the <i>Black River</i>. It contains about
+twelve hundred inhabitants, chiefly emigrants from New England. The
+houses are, for the most part, of wood, but tastefully finished; and a
+few are built of bricks.</p>
+
+<p>At Watertown there was a good tavern, which afforded to Mr. Hall and his
+companions a luxury unusual in America, a private sitting-room, and
+dinner at an hour appointed by themselves. Within a few miles of
+Watertown the country rises boldly, and presents a refreshing contrast,
+of hill and valley, to the flat, heavy woods, through which they had
+been labouring from Sackett's harbour.</p>
+
+<p><i>Utica</i>, the town at which the travellers next arrived <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[Pg 31]</a></span>stands on the
+right bank of the <i>River Mohawk</i>, over which it is approached by a
+covered wooden bridge, of considerable length. The appearance of this
+town is highly prepossessing: the streets are spacious; the houses are
+large and well built; and the stores, the name given to shops throughout
+America, are as well supplied, and as handsomely fitted up, as those of
+New York or Philadelphia.</p>
+
+<p>There are at Utica two hotels, on a large scale; one of which, the York
+House, was equal in arrangement and accommodation, to any hotel beyond
+the Atlantic: it was kept by an Englishman from Bath. The inhabitants,
+from three to four thousand in number, maintained four churches: one
+episcopal, one presbyterian, and two Welsh.</p>
+
+<p>This town is laid out on a very extensive scale. A small part of it only
+is yet completed; but little doubt is entertained that ten years will
+accomplish the whole. Fifteen years had not passed since there was here
+no other trace of habitation than a solitary log-house, built for the
+occasional reception of merchandise, on its way down the Mohawk. The
+overflowing population of New England, fixing its exertions on a new and
+fertile soil, has, within a few years, effected this change.</p>
+
+<p>Independently of its soil, Utica has great advantages of situation; for
+it is nearly at the point of junction betwixt the waters of the lakes
+and of the Atlantic.</p>
+
+<p>With Utica commences a succession of flourishing villages and
+settlements, which renders this tract of country the astonishment of
+travellers. That so large a portion of the soil should, in less than
+twenty years, have been cleared, brought into cultivation, and have
+acquired a numerous population, is, in itself, sufficiently surprising;
+but the surprise is considerably increased, when we consider the
+character of elegant opulence with which it every where smiles on the
+eye. Each village teems, like a hive, with activity and employment. The
+houses, taken in the mass, are on a large scale; <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[Pg 32]</a></span>for (except the few
+primitive log-huts that still survive) there is scarcely one below the
+appearance of an opulent London tradesman's country box. They are, in
+general, of wood, painted white, with green doors and shutters; and with
+porches, or verandas, in front.</p>
+
+<p>The travellers passed through <i>Skaneactas</i>, a village, pleasantly
+situated, at the head of the lake from which it is named. They then
+proceeded to <i>Cayuga</i>, which, besides its agreeable site, is remarkable
+for a bridge, nearly a mile in length, over the head of the Cayuga lake:
+it is built on piles, and level. Betwixt Cayuga and Geneva is the
+flourishing little village of <i>Waterloo</i>, formed since the battle so
+named. <i>Geneva</i> contains many elegant houses, beautifully placed, on the
+rising shore, at the head of the Geneva lake.</p>
+
+<p>From Geneva to <i>Canandaigua</i>, a tract of hill and vale extends, for
+sixteen miles, and having (within that space) only two houses.
+Canandaigua is a town of villas, built on the rising shore of the
+<i>Canandaigua lake</i>. The lower part of the main street is occupied by
+stores and warehouses; but the upper part of it, to the length of nearly
+two miles, consists of ornamented cottages, tastefully finished with
+colonnades, porches, and verandas; and each within its own garden or
+pleasure-ground. The prospect, down this long vista, to the lake, is
+peculiarly elegant.</p>
+
+<p>From Canandaigua the travellers turned from the main road, nine miles,
+south-west, to visit what is called "<i>the burning spring</i>." On arriving
+near the place, they entered a small but thick wood, of pine and
+maple-trees, enclosed within a narrow ravine. Down this glen, the width
+of which, at its entrance, may be about sixty yards, trickles a scanty
+streamlet. They had advanced on its course about fifty yards, when,
+close under the rocks of the right bank, they perceived a bright red
+flame, burning briskly on the water. Pieces of lighted wood were applied
+to different adjacent spots, and a space of several yards in extent was
+immediately in a blaze. Being informed by the guide that a repetition of
+this phenomenon <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[Pg 33]</a></span>might be seen higher up the glen, they scrambled on,
+for about a hundred yards, and, directed in some degree by a strong
+smell of sulphur, they applied their match to several places, with
+similar effect. These fires continue burning unceasingly, unless they
+are extinguished by accident. The ph&aelig;nomenon was originally discovered
+by the casual rolling of lighted embers, from the top of the bank,
+whilst some persons were clearing it for cultivation; and, in the
+intensity and duration of the flame, it probably exceeds any thing of
+the kind that is known.</p>
+
+<p><i>Rochester</i> stands immediately on the great falls of the Genesee, about
+eight miles above its entrance into lake Ontario. When Mr. Hall was
+here, this town had been built only four years, yet it contained a
+hundred good houses, furnished with all the conveniences of life;
+several comfortable taverns, a cotton-mill, and some large corn-mills.
+Its site is grand. The Genesee rushes through it, over a bed of
+limestone, and precipitates itself down three ledges of rock,
+ninety-three; thirty, and seventy-six feet in height, within the
+distance of a mile and a half from the town. The immediate vicinity of
+Rochester is still an unbroken forest, consisting of oak, hickory, ash,
+beech, bass, elm, and walnut-trees. The wild tenants of the woods have,
+naturally, retired before the sound of cultivation; but there are a few
+wolves and bears still in the neighbourhood. One of the latter had
+lately seized a pig close to the town. Racoons, porcupines, squirrels
+black and grey, and foxes, are still numerous. The hogs have done good
+service in destroying the rattlesnakes, which are already becoming rare.
+Pigeons, quails, and blackbirds abound. At Rochester, the line of
+settled country, in this direction, terminates; for, from this place to
+Lewistown, are eighty miles of wilderness.</p>
+
+<p>The traveller, halting on the verge of these aboriginal shades, is
+inclined to pause in thought, and to consider the interesting scenes
+through which he has been passing. They are such as reason must admire,
+for they <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[Pg 34]</a></span>are the result of industry, temperance, and freedom. Five or
+ten, or, at the utmost, twenty years before Mr. Hall was in America,
+where there are now corn-fields, towns, and villages, the whole country
+was one mass of forest.</p>
+
+<p>Notwithstanding the bad state of the roads, the stage-waggon runs from
+Rochester to Lewistown in two days. This journey is so heavy, that it is
+sometimes necessary to alight, and walk several miles, or to suffer
+almost a dislocation of limbs, in jolting over causeys or logged roads,
+formed of pine, or oak-trees, laid crossways. At different intervals,
+square patches seem cut out of the forest, in the centre of which low
+log-huts have been constructed, without the aid of saw or plane; and are
+surrounded by stumps of trees, black with the fires kindled for the
+purpose of clearing the land.</p>
+
+<p><i>Lewistown</i> was one of the frontier villages burnt during the last war,
+to retaliate upon the Americans for the destruction of Newark. It has,
+however, been since rebuilt, and all the marks of its devastation have
+been effaced. It is agreeably situated, at the foot of the limestone
+ridge, on the steep bank of the river St. Lawrence, which here rushes,
+with a boiling and eddying torrent, from the falls to Lake Ontario.
+Lewistown, notwithstanding its infancy, and its remote situation,
+contains several good stores.</p>
+
+<p><i>Queenston</i>, on the opposite side of the river, stands in the midst of
+corn-fields and farm-houses; a rare and interesting sight in Canada. It
+is built on the river's edge, at the foot of the heights. Before the
+late war it was embosomed in peach-orchards; but these were all felled,
+to aid the operations of the English troops. The heights are still
+crowned by a redoubt, and by the remains of batteries, raised to defend
+the passage of the river. It was near one of these that Sir Isaac Brocke
+was killed, on the 13th of October, 1812, while, with four hundred men,
+he gallantly opposed the landing of fifteen hundred Americans, the whole
+of whom were afterwards captured by g\General Sheaffe.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[Pg 35]</a></span>From Queenston Mr. Hall proceeded to <i>York</i>, a town within the British
+territory, situated on the north-western bank of lake Ontario. The
+country through which he passed abounded in game of various kinds. From
+the head of the lake it was, however, less varied than on the Niagara
+frontiers; and, for many miles, it was an uniform tract of sandy
+barrens, unsusceptible of culture.</p>
+
+<p>York, being the seat of government for Upper Canada, is a place of
+considerable importance in the eyes of its inhabitants. To a stranger,
+however, it presents little more than about one hundred wooden houses,
+several of them conveniently, and even elegantly built; one or two of
+brick. The public buildings were destroyed by the Americans.</p>
+
+<p>From York, Mr. Hall went, through the little town of <i>Ancaster</i>, to
+visit a <i>Settlement of Mohawk Indians</i>, on the banks of the <i>Grand
+River</i>. In the American war the Mohawks were strongly attached to the
+British interest, and first followed Sir William Johnson in Canada,
+under their chieftain, a celebrated warrior, whose name was Brandt. This
+man accustomed his people to the arts of civilized life, and made
+farmers of them. He built a church, and himself translated one of the
+gospels into the Mohawk language. His grave is to be seen under the
+walls of his church. The son of this extraordinary Indian is now living,
+and is a fine young man, of gentlemanly manners and appearance: he both
+speaks and writes the English language with correctness; and he dresses
+nearly in the English fashion. Brandt left also a daughter, who is
+living, and who would not disgrace the fashionable circles of Europe.
+Her face and person are fine and graceful: she speaks English, not only
+correctly, but elegantly; and, both in her speech and manners, she has a
+softness approaching oriental languor. She retains so much of her
+national dress as to identify her with her people; over whom she affects
+no superiority, but with whom she seems pleased to preserve all the ties
+and <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[Pg 36]</a></span>duties of relationship. She held the infant of one of her relations
+at the font, on the Sunday that Mr. Hall visited the church at Ancaster.
+The usual church and baptismal service was performed by a Dr. Aaron, an
+Indian, and an assistant priest; the congregation consisted of sixty or
+seventy persons, male and female. Many of the young men were dressed in
+the English fashion, but several of the old warriors came with their
+blankets, folded over them; and, in this dress, with a step and mien of
+quiet energy, they forcibly reminded Mr. Hall of ancient Romans. Some of
+them wore large silver crosses, medals, and other trinkets, on their
+backs and breasts; and a few had bandeaus, ornamented with feathers. Dr.
+Aaron, a grey-headed Mohawk, had touched his cheeks and forehead with a
+few spots of vermilion, in honour of Sunday: he wore a surplice, and
+preached at considerable length; but his delivery was unimpassioned and
+monotonous.</p>
+
+<p>The Mohawk village stands on a little plain, and looks down upon the
+Grand River. The houses of the inhabitants, built of logs, rudely put
+together, exhibit, externally, a great appearance of neglect and want of
+comfort: some few are in a better condition. The house belonging to
+Brandt's family resembled that of a petty English farmer: Dr. Aaron's
+was neat and clean. The doctor, who had been regularly ordained, and
+spoke very good English, told Mr. Hall that the village had been much
+injured by the wars, which had impeded its improvements, and had
+dispersed the inhabitants over the country.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Hall had little opportunity of observing the manners and character
+of these Indians. It may, however, be conjectured that European
+intercourse is fast obliterating the characteristic features of their
+former social system. Their increased knowledge of European arts and
+enjoyments, has been probably followed by a proportionate increase of
+wants and desires. Their manners seemed, to Mr. Hall, remarkable for
+nothing so much as for that quiet self-possession, which <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[Pg 37]</a></span>constitutes
+the reverse of vulgarity. Their women, before strangers, are extremely
+timid: most of those who lived at a distance from the church, came
+mounted, with their husbands walking by their sides; a symptom, perhaps,
+that the sex is rising among them into an European equality of rights
+and enjoyments. The whole of the settlements are reckoned to furnish
+about five hundred warriors to the British government.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Hall next describes the celebrated <i>Cataract</i> or <i>Falls of Niagara</i>.
+At the distance of about a mile from this cataract, a white cloud,
+hovering over the trees, indicates its situation: it is not, however,
+until the road emerges from a close country, into the space of open
+ground immediately in its vicinity, that white volumes of foam are seen,
+as if boiling up from a sulphureous gulph. Here a foot-path turns from
+the road, towards a wooded cliff. The rapids are beheld on the right,
+rushing for the space of a mile, like a tempestuous sea. A narrow tract
+descends about sixty feet down the cliff, and continues across a plashy
+meadow, through a copse, encumbered with masses of limestone. Beyond
+this, Mr. Hall found himself upon what is called the Table Rock, on the
+west side of the upper part of the cataract, at the very point where the
+river precipitates itself into the abyss. The rapid motion of the
+waters, the stunning noise, and the mounting clouds, almost persuade the
+startled senses, that the rock itself is tottering, and is on the point
+of being precipitated into the gulph, which swallows the mass of
+descending waters. He bent over it, to mark the clouds rolling white
+beneath him, as in an inverted sky, illuminated by a most brilliant
+rainbow; one of those features of softness which nature delights to
+pencil amid her wildest scenes, tempering her awfulness with beauty, and
+making even her terrors lovely.</p>
+
+<p>There is a ladder about half a mile below the Table Rock; and, by this,
+Mr. Hall descended the cliff, to reach the foot of the fall. There was
+formerly much difficulty in the descent, but a few years have made a
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[Pg 38]</a></span>great change: the present dangers and difficulties may easily be
+enumerated. The first is, the ordinary hazard that every one runs who
+goes up or down a ladder: this ladder is a very good one, of thirty
+steps, or about forty feet; and, from it, the path is a rough one, over
+the fragments and masses of rock which have gradually crumbled, or have
+been forcibly riven, from the cliff, and which cover a broad declining
+space, from its foot to the brink of the river. The only risk, in this
+part of the pilgrimage, is that of a broken shin from a false step. The
+path gradually becomes smooth as it advances towards the cataract. Mr.
+Hall, as he drew near, says that he felt a sensation of awe, like that
+caused by the first cannon, on the morning of a battle. He passed, from
+sunshine, into gloom and tempest. The spray beat down in a heavy rain; a
+violent wind rushed from behind the sheet of water: it was difficult to
+respire, and, for a moment, it seemed temerity to encounter the
+convulsive workings of the elements, and to intrude into the dark
+dwellings of their power. But the danger is in appearance only: it is
+possible to penetrate only a few yards beyond the curtain, and, in these
+few, there is no hazard; the footing is good, and the space is
+sufficiently broad and free. There is even no necessity for a guide: the
+eyes amply suffice to point out all that is to be seen or avoided.
+During Mr. Hall's first visit, there were two young American ladies on
+the same errand; and they, as well as himself, were drenched in the
+cloud of spray.</p>
+
+<p>The larger fall was formerly called the "Horse-shoe," but this name is
+no longer applicable; for its shape has become that of an acute angle.
+An officer, who had been stationed in the neighbourhood thirty years,
+pointed out to Mr. Hall the alteration which had taken place in the
+centre of the fall, and which he estimated at about eighteen feet in
+that time.</p>
+
+<p>The lesser fall, on the American side, had the appearance of a
+considerable elevation, above the bed of the greater: on enquiry, Mr.
+Hall found that there <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[Pg 39]</a></span>was a difference between them, of about fifteen
+feet, caused, probably, by the greater weight of water descending down
+one than the other.</p>
+
+<p>The island which divides the falls has, of late years, been frequently
+visited; nor is the visit to it an adventure of much hazard. At the
+point where the rapids commence, the current separates, and is drawn, on
+either side, towards the centre of the two falls, while the centre of
+the stream, being in the straight line of the island, descends towards
+it, without any violent attraction; and, down this still water, American
+boats, well manned, and furnished with poles to secure them from the
+action of the two currents, have frequently dropt to the island.</p>
+
+<p>There is a whirlpool about half way betwixt Niagara and Queenston. The
+river, boiling and eddying from the falls, enters a circular basin,
+round which the lofty cliff sweeps, like an antique wall, overgrown with
+trees at its base, and amid its clefts and crevices. The cause of the
+whirlpool is perceptible to the spectator, who looks down, and observes
+that the stream, being compelled into this basin, by the direction of
+its channel, and unable to escape with celerity, is forced to gain time
+by revolving within its own circumference.</p>
+
+<p>[Mr. Weld, who visited Niagara, about the year 1797, observes that,
+although the spray, and the noise of the cataract, are sometimes not
+observable so far as half a mile, yet, at other times, the noise has
+been heard at the distance of forty miles; and that he has himself seen
+the spray, like a cloud, at the distance of fifty-four miles. The river,
+as it approaches the falls, runs with astonishing impetuosity. Just at
+the precipice, down which it tumbles, it takes a considerable bend
+towards the right; and the line of the falls, instead of extending from
+bank to bank, in the shortest direction, runs obliquely across. The
+whole width of the fall is estimated to be about three quarters of a
+mile, including a rocky island, a quarter of a mile wide, by which the
+stream is divided. This cataract is divided, by islands, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[Pg 40]</a></span>into three
+distinct falls, the loftiest of which is one hundred and sixty feet in
+perpendicular height.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Weld observes that it is possible not merely to pass to the very
+foot of the great fall; but even to proceed behind the tremendous sheet
+of water which comes pouring down from the top of the precipice; for the
+water falls from the edge of a projecting rock, and, by its violent
+ebullition, caverns of considerable size have been hollowed out of the
+rocks at the bottom, and extend some way beneath the bed of the upper
+part of the river. Mr. Weld advanced within about six yards of the edge
+of the sheet of water, just far enough for him to peep into the caverns
+behind it. But here his breath was nearly taken away by the violent
+whirlwind, that always rages at the bottom of the cataract, occasioned
+by the concussion of such a vast body of water against the rocks. Indeed
+Mr. Weld had no inclination either to go further, or to explore the
+dreary confines of these caverns, where death seemed to await any one
+who should be daring enough to enter their threatening jaws. No words,
+he says, can convey an adequate idea of the awful grandeur of the scene,
+at this place. The senses are appalled by the sight of the immense body
+of water that comes pouring from the top of the precipice; and by the
+thundering sound of the billows dashing against the rocky sides of the
+cavern below. He trembled with reverential fear, when he considered that
+a blast of the whirlwind might have swept him from off the slippery
+rocks on which he stood, and have precipitated him into the dreadful
+gulph beneath; whence all the power of man could not have extricated
+him. He here felt what an insignificant being man is in the creation;
+and his mind was forcibly impressed with an awful idea of the power of
+that mighty Existence, who commanded the waters to flow.]</p>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<hr /><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[Pg 41]</a></span>
+<br />
+<h2>Fourth Day's Instruction.</h2>
+
+<h2>UNITED STATES CONTINUED.</h2>
+<br />
+
+<p class="cen"><i>Narrative of Lieutenant</i> <span class="smcap">Hall's</span> <i>Journey from Niagara to
+Philadelphia.</i></p>
+
+<p>Mr. Hall crossed the river from <i>Fort Erie</i>, and proceeded to <i>Buffalo</i>,
+one of the frontier villages which had been burnt during the great
+American war. Not a house had been left standing; yet, when Mr. Hall was
+there, it was not merely a flourishing village, but a considerable town,
+with good shops and hotels. The celerity with which Buffalo had risen
+from its ashes, indicates the juvenile spirit of life and increase,
+which so eminently distinguishes the American population.</p>
+
+<p>As Mr. Hall proceeded on his journey, he found the country thickly
+settled, but dull and uniform in feature; being an entire flat. The
+autumn had been dry, and water was, in many places, extremely scarce.
+This is an evil not uncommon in newly-settled districts. Draining
+follows clearing; the creeks, no longer fed by the swamps, disencumbered
+also of fallen trunks of trees, and other substances, by which their
+waters were, in a great degree, stayed, easily run dry in summer, and
+soon fail altogether.</p>
+
+<p>The principal inn at <i>Batavia</i> is large, and yet constructed upon an
+economical principle; for one roof covers hotel, prison, court-house,
+and assembly-room. The inhabitants were, at this time, building, by
+subscription, an episcopal church, the cost of which was to be twenty
+thousand dollars.</p>
+
+<p><i>Caledonia</i> is a small, but flourishing village, which has a handsome
+inn, with very comfortable accommodations; and, close to the road, is a
+large sheet of water, from which a clear and rapid stream descends,
+through a pleasing valley, into Allen's Creek, before <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[Pg 42]</a></span>the latter unites
+with the <i>Genesee River</i>. The banks of this creek are adorned with
+natural groves and copses, in which Mr. Hall observed the candleberry
+myrtle in great abundance: but a more interesting sight was afforded by
+numerous organic remains, with which the blocks of limestone, scattered
+through the low ground around it, are encrusted, as if with rude
+sculpture. These blocks are mixed with nodules of granite, and present
+innumerable forms, both of shells and aquatic plants. This district had
+been settled fifteen years; and, when Mr. Hall was here, cleared land
+was worth fifty dollars, and uncleared land about fifteen dollars per
+acre. At <i>Avon</i> Mr. Hall quitted the main road, and followed the right
+bank of the Genesee. The scenery, in the vicinity of this place, began
+to improve, but the roads were proportionally deteriorated. Wild even to
+savageness, mountain heights branched thickly across the country, with
+no seeming order or direction. The only level ground was in the narrow
+valleys, along the course of the streams.</p>
+
+<p>The woods in the vicinity of the Genesee abound in large black
+squirrels, some of which are as big as a small cat. They are destructive
+to grain, and are, therefore, keenly pursued by sportsmen, who
+frequently make parties to kill them, and who destroy several thousands
+at one chase: their flesh is considered a great delicacy. These animals
+migrate, at different seasons; and have the credit of ingeniously
+ferrying themselves over rivers, by using a piece of bark for a raft,
+and their tails for sails.</p>
+
+<p><i>Bath</i> is embosomed in wild mountains. The principal houses are
+constructed round the three sides of a square, or green; and, as most of
+them were at this time new, white, and tastefully finished, they had a
+lively appearance, and were agreeably contrasted with the dark adjacent
+mountain scenery.</p>
+
+<p>The road from Bath to <i>Painted Post</i>, though stony, is tolerably level.
+The adjacent mountains have a slaty appearance, with horizontal strata.
+Mr. Hall <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[Pg 43]</a></span>was disappointed at Painted Post, to find the post gone,
+broken down or rotted, within the last few years. It had been an Indian
+memorial, either of triumph or death, or of both.</p>
+
+<p>When he was at Ancaster, this gentleman had been shown the grave of an
+Indian, among the woods, near the head of the stream: it was covered
+with boards, and a pole was erected at each end, on which a kind of
+dance was rudely painted with vermilion. The relatives of the deceased
+brought offerings to it daily, during their stay in the neighbourhood.</p>
+
+<p>After passing through some other villages, Mr. Hall reached the banks of
+the <i>Susquehanna</i>: these have no great variety of scenery, though they
+frequently present grand features. The space betwixt the mountains and
+the river is often so narrow, that it barely suffices for one carriage
+to pass; and, in many places, the road, for a mile or two, seems to have
+been hewn from the rock. Near the creeks there is tolerable land, and
+two or three pleasant villages. The face of the landscape is no where
+naked: mountain and vale are alike clothed with pine and dwarf
+oak-trees; the swamp lands are covered with hemlock-trees, and the
+bottoms of the woods with rhododendrons.</p>
+
+<p><i>Wilksbarre</i> is a neat town, regularly laid out, on the left bank of the
+Susquehanna. Its locality is determined by the direction of one of the
+Alleghany ridges, which recedes from the course of the river, a few
+miles above the town, and, curving south-west, encloses a semicircular
+plot of land, towards the centre of which the town is built. Its
+neighbourhood abounds in coal. The pits are about a mile distant. They
+lie under a stratum of soft clay slate, which contains impressions of
+ferns, oak-leaves, and other vegetables, usually found in such
+situations. The town itself, in consequence of the frequent separation
+of its streets and houses, by grass-fields and gardens, has a quiet and
+rural aspect. It contains a neat church, appropriated to the alternate
+use of episcopalians and presbyterians. Wilkesbarre is <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[Pg 44]</a></span>built on the
+site of <i>Wyoming</i>: a small mound, near the river, is pointed out, as
+that on which the fort stood; and the incursion of the Indians, when
+most of the inhabitants fell, in an unsuccessful battle, is still
+remembered. Some few escaped, by swimming across the stream, and fled,
+naked, through the woods, for several days, till they reached the
+nearest settlement; and this is all the record that exists of Albert and
+Gertrude, the foundation of Campbell's poem of Gertrude of Wyoming.</p>
+
+<p>At Wilkesbarre the road quits the Susquehanna, and, ascending a ridge of
+the Alleghany Mountains, crosses through deep forests and hemlock
+swamps, sparingly interspersed with settlements. The Pokono Mountain,
+over which Mr. Hall passed, is famous with the sportsmen and epicures of
+Philadelphia, for its grouse. Mr. Hall crossed the <i>Blue Ridge</i>, at the
+stupendous fissure of the <i>Wind Gap</i>, where the mountain seems forcibly
+broken through, and is strewed with the ruin of rocks. There is a
+similar aperture, some miles north-east, called the Water Gap. This
+affords a passage to the Delaware; and all the principal rivers of the
+states, that rise in the Alleghanys, pass through similar apertures.</p>
+
+<p>Betwixt the Blue Ridge and the Lehigh River, are two Moravian
+settlements, called <i>Bethlehem</i> and <i>Nazareth</i>. [The inhabitants of the
+former constitute a large society, and occupy several farms. They have a
+spacious apartment, in which they all daily assemble, for the purpose of
+public worship. The single men and women have each a separate dwelling.
+The women are occupied in various domestic employments; in fancy and
+ornamental works; and, occasionally, in musical practice, under the
+direction of a superintendant. The walls of the large hall, where the
+society dine, are adorned with paintings, chiefly Scripture pieces,
+executed by members. Various branches of trade and manufacture are
+carried on, the profits of which go to the general stock; and, from
+this, all are supplied with <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[Pg 45]</a></span>the necessaries of life. Their whole time
+is spent in labour, and in prayer; except an hour in the evening, which
+is allotted for a concert. Among the Moravians marriage is contracted in
+a singular manner. If a young man has an inclination to marry, he makes
+application to the priest, who presents a young woman, designated by the
+superintendant as the next in rotation for marriage. Having left the
+parties together for an hour, the priest returns, and, if they consent
+to live together, they are married the next day; if otherwise, each is
+put at the bottom of the list, containing perhaps sixty or seventy
+names; and, on the part of the girl, there is no chance of marriage,
+unless the same young man should again feel disposed for matrimony. When
+united, a neat habitation, with a pleasant garden, is provided; and
+their children, at the age of six years, are placed in the seminary. If
+either of the parties die, the other returns to the apartment of the
+single people. In the Moravian establishment at Bethlehem, there is a
+tavern, with extensive and excellent accommodations.]</p>
+
+<p>Madame de Stael, in describing the Moravians, says, "Their houses and
+streets are peculiarly neat. The women all dress in the same manner,
+conceal their hair, and surround their heads with a ribbon, the colour
+of which indicates whether they are single, married, or widows. The men
+dress in brown, somewhat like quakers. A mercantile industry occupies
+nearly the whole community; and all their labours are performed with
+peculiar regularity and tranquillity." Mr. Hall attended one of the
+meetings which the inhabitants of Bethlehem commonly hold every evening,
+for the joint purposes of amusement and devotion. The women were ranged
+at one end of the room, and the men at the other. Their bishop presided:
+he was an old man, dressed in the plainest manner, and possessed a
+countenance singularly mild and placid. He gave out a psalm, and led the
+choir; and the singing was alternately in German and English.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[Pg 46]</a></span>There is another Moravian settlement about a mile and a half from
+Nazareth. This, though small, exceeds both the others, in the calm and
+pensive beauty of its appearance. The houses are built of limestone:
+they are all on a similar plan, and have their window-frames, doors, and
+other wood-work, painted fawn-colour: before each house are planted
+weeping willows, whose luxuriant shade seems to shut out worldly glare,
+and throws an air of monastic repose over the whole village.</p>
+
+<p>The <i>Lehigh Mountain</i> is the last of the Allegheny Ridges; the country
+is thenceforth level, fertile, and thickly inhabited, by steady Germans,
+who wear broad hats, and purple breeches; and whose houses and villages
+have the antique fashion of Flemish landscape. German is so generally
+spoken here, that the newspapers and public notices are all printed in
+that language.</p>
+
+<p>The approach to Philadelphia is announced by a good turnpike road.
+<i>German Town</i> is a large suburb to the city, and the traveller here
+feels himself within the precincts of a populous and long-established
+capital.</p>
+<br />
+
+<p class="cen"><i>A Description of Philadelphia.</i></p>
+
+<p>The first impressions, on entering this city, are decidedly favourable.
+It possesses a character essentially different from that of New York. It
+has not so much business, nor so much animation; but there is, in
+Philadelphia, a freedom from mere display; an evidence of solidity, of
+which its more commercial rival is nearly destitute.</p>
+
+<p>All the <i>streets</i> are spacious; the names of many of them, as Sassafras,
+Chesnut, and Locust, record their sylvan origin: rows of Lombardy
+poplars are planted in them. The private <i>houses</i> are characterized by
+elegant neatness; the steps and window-sills of many of them are of grey
+marble, and they have large mats <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[Pg 47]</a></span>placed before the doors. The streets
+are carefully swept, as well as the foot-paths, which are paved with
+brick. The <i>shops</i> do not yield, in display, to those of London. The
+principal street is one hundred feet wide; and the others vary from
+eighty to fifty. In the foot-paths a great inconvenience is experienced
+by the injudicious mode in which cellars are constructed, the openings
+of which project into the street; and also by the slovenly practice of
+the store or shopkeepers placing great quantities of loose goods on the
+outside of their doors.</p>
+
+<p>Philadelphia stands on the bank of the river <i>Delaware</i>; and, in 1795,
+when Mr. Weld was there, its appearance, as approached from the water,
+was not very prepossessing. Nothing was visible but confused heaps of
+wooden store-houses, crowded upon each other, and wharfs, which
+projected a considerable way into the river. The wharfs were built of
+wood; they jutted out, in every direction, and were well adapted for the
+accommodation of shipping; the largest merchant vessels being able to
+lie close alongside of them. Behind the wharfs, and parallel to the
+river, runs a street called <i>Water-street</i>. This is the first street
+which the stranger in America usually enters, after landing; and (says
+Mr. Weld) it will not give him a very favourable opinion either of the
+neatness or commodiousness of the public ways of Philadelphia. Such
+stenches, at times, prevail in it, owing in part to the quantity of
+filth and dirt that is suffered to remain on the pavement, and in part
+to what is deposited in waste-houses, of which there are several in the
+street, that it is really dreadful to pass through it. It was here, in
+the year 1793, that the malignant yellow fever broke out, which made
+such terrible ravages among the inhabitants; and, in the summer season,
+in general, this street is extremely unhealthy.</p>
+
+<p>Few of the <i>public buildings</i> in Philadelphia pretend to great
+architectural merit. The churches are neat, but plain. The Masonic Hall
+is an unsightly <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[Pg 48]</a></span>combination of brick and marble, in the Gothic style.
+The Philadelphia bank is in a similar style. The United States and
+Pennsylvania banks are the finest edifices in the city: the first has a
+handsome portico, with Corinthian columns of white marble, and the
+latter is a miniature representation of the temple of Minerva at Athens,
+and is the purest specimen of architecture in the states: the whole
+building is of marble.</p>
+
+<p>The <i>State House</i> is a plain brick building, which was finished in 1735,
+at the cost of &pound;.6000. The most interesting recollections of America are
+attached to this edifice. The Congress sat in it during the greatest
+part of the war; and the Declaration of Independence was read, from its
+steps, on the 4th of July, 1776. The Federal Convention also sat in it,
+in 1787. It is now occupied by the supreme and district courts below,
+and by Peale's Museum above. This museum, among other articles, contains
+an immense fossil skeleton of the great Mastodon, or American Mammoth,
+which, some years ago, was publicly exhibited in London.</p>
+
+<p>The <i>University</i> of Pennsylvania was instituted several years ago, by
+some of the citizens of Philadelphia; among whom was Dr. Franklin, who
+drew up the original plan. It is governed by a provost and vice-provost.
+In 1811, the number of students amounted to five hundred. The lectures
+commence the first Monday in November, and end on the first day of
+March. Among others, are professors of anatomy, surgery, midwifery,
+chemistry, moral philosophy, mathematics, and natural philosophy, belles
+lettres, and languages.</p>
+
+<p>The Philadelphia <i>prison</i> is a more interesting object to humanity than
+the most gorgeous palaces. Its exterior is simple, and has rather the
+air of an hospital than a gaol: a single grated door separates the
+interior from the street. On entering the court, Mr. Hall found it full
+of stone-cutters, employed in sawing and preparing large blocks of stone
+and marble; smiths' <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[Pg 49]</a></span>forges were at work on one side, and the whole
+court was surrounded by a gallery and a double tier of work-shops, in
+which were brush-makers, tailors, shoemakers, weavers, all at their
+several occupations, labouring, not only to defray, to the public, the
+expenses of their confinement, but to provide the means of their own
+honest subsistence for the future. It had none of the usual features of
+a prison; neither the hardened profligacy which scoffs down its own
+sense of guilt, nor the hollow-eyed sorrow which wastes away in a living
+death of unavailing expiation: there was neither the clank of chains,
+nor the yell of execration; but a hardworking body of men were seen,
+who, though separated by justice from society, were not supposed to have
+lost the distinctive attribute of human nature: they were treated as
+rational beings, were operated upon by rational motives; and they repaid
+this treatment by improved habits, by industry, and submission. They had
+been profligate, they were now sober and decent in their behaviour; they
+had been idle, they were now actively and usefully employed; they had
+disobeyed the laws, they now submitted (armed as they were with all
+kinds of utensils) to the government of a single turnkey, and the
+barrier of a single grating.</p>
+
+<p>The <i>markets</i> of Philadelphia are well supplied; and the price of
+provisions is considerably lower than in London. No butchers are
+permitted to slaughter cattle within the city, nor are live cattle
+permitted to be driven to the city markets.</p>
+
+<p>The <i>inhabitants</i> of this city are estimated at one hundred and twenty
+thousand, and many of them live in houses which would adorn any city in
+the world. They have, universally, a pallid and sallow countenance,
+except the younger females; and many of these, even quakers, adopt the
+disgusting practice of ornamenting their faces with rouge. In their
+dress, the gentlemen follow the fashions of England, and the ladies
+those of France. Mr. Fearon perceived here, what, he says, pervades the
+whole of the new world, an affectation of splendour, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[Pg 50]</a></span>or, what may be
+called style, in those things that are intended to meet the public eye;
+with a lamentable want, even of cleanliness, in such matters as are
+removed from that ordeal. To this may be added an appearance of
+uncomfortable extravagance, and an ignorance of that kind of order and
+neatness, which, in the eyes of those who have once enjoyed it,
+constitute the principal charm of domestic life. The Philadelphians
+consist of English, Irish, Scotch, Germans, and French; and of
+American-born citizens, descended from people of those different
+nations. It is a remark very generally made, not only by foreigners, but
+also by persons from distant parts of the United States, that they are
+extremely deficient in hospitality and politeness towards strangers.
+Among the uppermost circles in Philadelphia, pride, haughtiness, and
+ostentation, are conspicuous; and, in the manners of the people in
+general, there is much coldness and reserve.</p>
+
+<p>Philadelphia is the grand residence of the quakers in America, but their
+number does not now bear the same proportion to that of the other
+citizens, which it formerly did. This, however, is not occasioned by a
+diminution of quakers, so much as by the great influx, into the city, of
+persons of a different persuasion.</p>
+
+<p>In this city <i>funerals</i> are uniformly attended by large walking
+processions. The newspapers frequently contain advertisements, stating
+the deaths of individuals, and inviting all friends to attend the
+burial. The dead are seldom kept more than two days. At the time
+appointed, intimate friends enter the house; others assemble on the
+outside, and fall into the procession when the body is brought out.</p>
+
+<p>With regard to the <i>climate</i> of Philadelphia, it is observed that the
+heats of summer are excessive; and that the cold of winter is equally
+extreme. During the few days which Mr. Weld spent at Philadelphia, in
+the month of June, 1795, the heat was almost intolerable. For two or
+three days the thermometer stood at 93&deg;, and, during these days, no one
+stirred out of doors <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[Pg 51]</a></span>who was not compelled to do so. Light white hats
+were universally worn, and the young men appeared dressed in cotton or
+linen jackets and trowsers. The window-shutters of the houses were
+closed early in the mornings, so as to admit no more light than what was
+absolutely necessary for domestic business. Indeed, many of the houses
+were kept so dark, that, on going into them from the street, it was
+impossible, at first entrance, to perceive who was present. The best
+houses in the city are furnished with Venetian blinds, at the outside,
+to the windows and hall doors, which are made to fold together like
+common window-shutters. A very different scene was presented after
+sunset. Every house was then thrown open, and all the inhabitants
+crowded into the streets, to take their evening walks, and to visit
+their acquaintance. This usually lasted till about ten o'clock: at
+eleven all was quiet; and a person might have passed over half the town
+without seeing a single human being, except the watchmen. Heavy dews
+sometimes fall after the sun is down, and the nights are then very cold:
+at other times there are no dews, and the air continues hot all the
+night through. At this season of the year meat cannot be kept sweet,
+even for a single day, except in an icehouse or a remarkably cold
+cellar. Milk generally turns sour in an hour or two; and fish is never
+brought to market without being covered with lumps of ice. Poultry,
+intended for dinner, is never killed till about four hours before it is
+wanted, and even then it is kept immersed in water.</p>
+
+<p>The <i>carriages</i> used in Philadelphia consist of coaches, chariots,
+chaises, coachees, and light waggons. The equipages of a few individuals
+are extremely ostentatious; but there does not appear, in any, that
+neatness and elegance which might be expected among people who are
+desirous of imitating the fashions of England, and who are continually
+procuring models from that country. The coachee is a carriage peculiar
+to America; the body of it is somewhat longer than that of a <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[Pg 52]</a></span>coach, but
+of the same shape. In front it is left quite open, down to the bottom,
+and the driver sits on a bench under the roof. It has two seats for the
+passengers, who sit with their faces towards the horses. The roof is
+supported by small props, which are placed at the corners. On each side
+of the doors, above the pannels, it is quite open; and, to guard against
+bad weather, there are curtains, which are made to let down from the
+roof, and which fasten to buttons, placed for the purpose, on the
+outside. There is also a leathern curtain, to hang occasionally between
+the driver and passengers.</p>
+
+<p>The light waggons are on the same construction, but are calculated to
+accommodate from four to twelve people. The only difference between a
+small waggon and a coachee, is, that the latter is better finished, has
+varnished pannels, and doors at the side. The former has no doors; but
+the passengers scramble in, the best way they can, over the seat of the
+driver. These waggons are universally used for stage-carriages.</p>
+
+<p>The accommodations at the <i>taverns</i>, in Philadelphia, are very
+indifferent; as, indeed, with very few exceptions, they are throughout
+the country. The mode of conducting them is nearly the same every where.
+The traveller, on his arrival, is shown into a room, which is common to
+every person in the house, and which is generally the one set apart for
+breakfast, dinner, and supper. All the strangers that are in the house
+sit down, to these meals, promiscuously; and, excepting in the large
+towns, the family of the house also forms a part of the company. It is
+seldom that a private parlour or drawing-room can be procured at
+taverns, even in the towns; and it is always with reluctance that
+breakfast or dinner is served up separately to any individual. If a
+separate bed-room can be procured, more ought not to be expected; and it
+is not always that even this is to be had; and persons who travel
+through the country must often submit to be <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[Pg 53]</a></span>crammed into rooms where
+there is scarcely sufficient space to walk between the beds.</p>
+
+<p>The <i>Delaware</i>, on the banks of which this city is built, rises in the
+state of New York. At Philadelphia it is thirteen hundred and sixty
+yards wide, and is navigable for vessels of any burden. It is frozen in
+the winter months; a circumstance which materially affects the
+commercial interests of Philadelphia, and gives a great advantage to New
+York. The tide reaches as high as the falls of Trenton, thirty-five
+miles above Philadelphia, and one hundred and fifty-five miles from the
+sea. Six or seven steam-boats, of large size, ply on the Delaware, and
+form a communication with New York, by Trenton and Bordentown; and with
+Baltimore, by Wilmington and Newcastle. These vessels are all fitted up
+in an elegant manner.</p>
+
+<p>Over the river <i>Schuylkil</i>, near Philadelphia, there is a singular
+bridge of iron wire. It is four hundred feet in length, and extends,
+from the window of a wire factory, to a tree on the opposite shore. The
+wires which form the curve are six in number; three on each side, and
+each three-eighths of an inch in diameter. The floor of the bridge is
+elevated sixteen feet above the water; and the whole weight of the wires
+is about four thousand seven hundred pounds. It is possible to construct
+a bridge of this kind in the space of a fortnight; and the whole expense
+would not exceed three hundred dollars.</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>About thirty miles north-east of Philadelphia, and betwixt that city and
+New York, is <i>Trenton</i>, the capital of New Jersey. Mr. Weld visited this
+place in the year 1796; and he says that it then contained only about
+eighty dwellings, in one long street. It had a college, which was in
+considerable repute. The number of students was about seventy; but, from
+their appearance, and the course of their studies, it more correctly
+deserved the appellation of a grammar-school, than a college. The
+library was a miserable one; and, for <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[Pg 54]</a></span>the most part, contained only old
+theological books. There were an orrery out of repair, and a few
+detached parts of philosophical apparatus. At the opposite end of the
+room were two small cupboards, which were shown as the museum. These
+contained two small alligators, stuffed, and a few fishes, in a wretched
+state of preservation.</p>
+
+<p>Not far from Trenton, and on the bank of the Delaware, is the residence
+of Joseph Buonaparte, who, since the re-establishment of the ancient
+families on the thrones of Europe, has retired to America. The estate on
+which he lives he purchased for ten thousand dollars; and he is said to
+have expended, twenty thousand more in finishing the buildings, and
+laying out the grounds in a splendid style. At present it has much the
+appearance of the villa of a country gentleman in England.</p>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<hr />
+<br />
+<h2>Fifth Day's Instruction.</h2>
+
+<h2>UNITED STATES CONTINUED.</h2>
+<br />
+
+<p class="cen"><i>Narrative of Mr.</i> <span class="smcap">Fearon's</span> <i>Journey from Philadelphia to
+Pittsburgh.</i></p>
+
+<p>In the month of October, 1817, Mr. Fearon left Philadelphia for
+Pittsburgh. He passed through an extensive, fertile, well-cultivated,
+and beautiful tract of land called the <i>Great Valley</i>. Farms in this
+district are chiefly owned by Dutch and Germans, and their descendants.
+They consist of from fifty to two hundred acres each; and are
+purchasable at the rate of about &pound;.46 sterling per acre, the buildings
+included; and, in well-improved land, the average produce of wheat may
+be estimated at twenty-five bushels.</p>
+
+<p>At the distance of about twenty miles from Philadelphia there is a
+copper and zinc mine. Iron ore <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[Pg 55]</a></span>abounds throughout the state of
+Pennsylvania; and many of the rocks are of limestone. A coarse kind of
+grey marble is found in great quantity, and is used for steps and
+chimney-pieces.</p>
+
+<p>The towns of <i>Lancaster</i>, <i>Harrisburgh</i>, and <i>Carlisle</i>, through which
+Mr. Fearon passed, are all considerable, both in extent and population.
+[<i>Lancaster</i> is nearly the largest inland town of North America. It
+contains upwards of nine hundred houses, built chiefly of brick and
+stone, and, in general, two stories high. It has also six churches, a
+market-house, and a gaol. The streets are laid out regularly, and cross
+each other at right angles. Several different kinds of wares are
+manufactured here, and chiefly by German mechanics. The rifled barrel
+guns made at this place are considered to have great excellence. In
+1787, a college was founded at Lancaster, and named Franklin College, in
+honour of Dr. Franklin. The founders were an association of Germans, who
+were desirous of establishing a seminary for the education of their
+sons, in their own language and habits. But it has not flourished; and,
+in 1815, the number of students did not exceed fifty.]</p>
+
+<p>Lancaster, Harrisburgh, and Carlisle, each contain many excellent brick
+buildings, and the usual erections of market-houses, gaols, and
+churches, all evincing an extent of national property, and an
+advancement to European establishments, truly extraordinary, when we
+recollect that this is a country which may be said to be but of
+yesterday. The German character is very prevalent throughout this state;
+and even the original language is preserved.</p>
+
+<p>[At <i>Carlisle</i> there are many excellent shops and warehouses. This place
+has a college, which was founded in 1783, by Mr. John Dickenson of
+Pennsylvania. The number of students is about one hundred and forty; and
+there are professors of logic, metaphysics, languages, natural
+philosophy, and chemistry.]</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Fearon next arrived at <i>Chambersburgh</i>, a town <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[Pg 56]</a></span>which contains about
+two hundred and forty houses, and two or three churches. He here secured
+a place, in the stage, to Pittsburgh, and set off the next morning at
+three o'clock. About eight he arrived at <i>Loudon</i>, a small town at the
+foot of the north mountain, one of the Alleghany ridges, and at this
+time containing seventeen log and twenty frame or brick houses. The
+tavern was cheerless and dirty.</p>
+
+<p>On the road Mr. Fearon counted thirty regular stage-waggons, which were
+employed in conveying goods to and from Pittsburgh. Each of these was
+drawn by four horses; and the articles carried in them, were chiefly
+hardware, and silk, linen, cotton, and woollen goods. The waggons, in
+return, conveyed from Pittsburgh farming produce, and chiefly flour. It
+is, however, necessary to observe that this is the only trading waggon
+route to the whole western country; and that there is no water-carriage
+through this part of America.</p>
+
+<p>The road, for a considerable distance, was excellent, and was part of a
+new national turnpike, which had been projected to extend from the head
+of the river Potomac to Wheeling. This road, when completed, will be of
+great advantage to the whole western country. The stage passed over the
+<i>North Mountain</i>, whence there was a most extensive view, of a wide and
+beautiful valley, containing several thousand acres, which have not yet
+been cultivated. The prospect combined some grand mountain-scenery, and
+was the most magnificent that Mr. Fearon had ever beheld. The travellers
+passed through a little town situated in the midst of this apparently
+trackless wild.</p>
+
+<p>They afterwards overtook twenty small family waggons, those chiefly of
+emigrants from one part of the state to another. These persons were
+travelling in company, and thus formed an unity of interest, for the
+purpose of securing, when necessary, an interchange of assistance. The
+difficulties they experienced, in <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[Pg 57]</a></span>passing through this mountainous
+district, were very great.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Fearon and the other stage-passengers supped and slept at a place
+called <i>Bloody Run</i>, having, for several miles, proceeded over roads
+that were almost impassable. Early the next morning they again set out;
+and they arrived at <i>Bedford</i> about nine o'clock. [This little town,
+like most others on the great western road, trades in all kinds of corn,
+flour, and provisions.] They were not, however, permitted to stop here,
+as the stage-proprietor had a house further on, where they breakfasted.
+In passing over a range of mountains called the <i>Dry Ridge</i>, the view
+was peculiarly magnificent. The eye, at one glance, took in a varied and
+most interesting view of mountain scenery, intermingled with wooded
+vales, and much fertile land. The travellers continued to overtake many
+waggons of emigrants from different states.</p>
+
+<p>About five o'clock in the afternoon they reached the top of the
+<i>Alleghany Mountains</i>. The road had of late been so bad, that they had
+walked more than sixteen miles, leaving the stage far behind. The
+character of the mountain <i>inhabitants</i> appeared to be cold, friendless,
+unfeeling, callous, and selfish. All the emigrants with whom Mr. Fearon
+conversed, complained of the enormous charges at taverns. Log-houses are
+the only habitations for many miles. These are formed of the trunks of
+trees, about twenty feet in length, and six inches in diameter, cut at
+the ends, and placed on each other. The roof is framed in a similar
+manner. In some houses there are windows; in others the door performs
+the double office of window and entrance. The chimney is erected on the
+outside, and in a similar manner to the body of the house. The hinges of
+the doors are generally of wood; and locks are not used. In some of the
+houses there are two apartments; in others but one, for all the various
+operations of cooking, eating, and sleeping; and even the pigs come in
+for their due share of the log residence. About eleven o'clock at
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[Pg 58]</a></span>night, the travellers safely arrived at <i>Somerset</i>, a small town
+distant two hundred and thirty-seven miles from Philadelphia.</p>
+
+<p>In the morning of their third day's journey, they crossed <i>Laurel Hill</i>.
+The vegetation on this ridge appears superior to that of the Allegheny.
+The mountain called <i>Little Chesnut Ridge</i> succeeds Laurel Hill. The
+difficulties of the road were here extremely great. These arose not only
+from the height of the mountains, but from the enormous stones and deep
+mud-holes with which the road abounded. The trees on Chesnut Ridge are
+chiefly oak and chesnut; and the soil appeared to be chalky. At half
+past ten at night they arrived at <i>Greensburg</i>, [a town built upon the
+summit of a hill. The land, in its vicinity is, in general, very
+fertile; and the inhabitants, who are of German origin, cultivate wheat,
+rye, and oats, with great success.]</p>
+
+<p>The party started, on the fourth day, at four in the morning, and with
+the high treat of a turnpike-road; but the advantages, arising from
+this, were but of short continuance. They had to descend <i>Turtle Creek
+Hill</i>, the road over which, in consequence of late rains, had become, if
+possible, even worse than those across Laurel Hill. The passengers all
+got out; and, up to their knees in mud, they took their turns, in
+holding up the stage. This tract bore decided evidence of being embedded
+with coal. About two o'clock they reached <i>Pittsburg</i>.</p>
+
+<p>From Chambersburgh to Greensburgh the condition of the people is that of
+an absence of wealth and of the conveniences of life, with, however, the
+means of obtaining a sufficient quantity of food. The blacksmith and the
+tavern-keeper are almost the only occupations. The former earns from
+twenty shillings and sixpence to twenty-seven shillings per week; and
+the profits of the latter must be very great, if we may judge from the
+high charges and bad quality of the accommodations. From Greensburgh to
+Pittsburgh the improvement, in size and quality, of the houses, is
+evident, and the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[Pg 59]</a></span>cultivation and condition of the land is much superior
+to those of the country through which the travellers had before past.</p>
+
+<p><i>Pittsburg</i> is, in several points of view, a most interesting town. Its
+situation, which is truly picturesque, is at the termination of two
+rivers, and at the commencement of a third river, that has a direct
+communication with the ocean, though at the immense distance of two
+thousand five hundred miles. This place possesses an exhaustless store
+of coal.</p>
+
+<p>During the great American war, Pittsburg was an important military post
+called <i>Du Quesne</i>, and was remarkable for two signal defeats of the
+British troops. It is, at present, a place of great importance: the
+connecting link between <i>new</i> and <i>old</i> America; and though it is not a
+"Birmingham," as the natives bombastically style it, yet it certainly
+contains the seeds of numerous important and valuable manufactories.</p>
+
+<p>Agricultural produce finds here a ready and advantageous market. Farming
+in this neighbourhood is not, indeed, the most profitable mode of
+employing capital; but here, as in other parts of the union, it is an
+independent mode of life. The farmer, however, must labour hard with his
+own hands. The labourers, or "helps," as they style themselves, are paid
+high wages, and are not to be relied on. In many instances they expect
+to sit down at table with their master, to live as well as he, and to be
+on terms of equality with every branch of the family.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Fearon remained at Pittsburgh several days, during which time the
+rain never ceased. The smoke, also, from the different manufactories, is
+extreme, giving, to the town and its inhabitants, a very sombre aspect.
+The articles manufactured here are various, and chiefly of copper, iron,
+and glass. In one of the glass-warehouses, Mr. Fearon saw chandeliers
+and numerous other articles, of a very splendid description, in cut
+glass. Among the latter was a pair of decanters, cut from a London
+pattern, the price of which was to be <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[Pg 60]</a></span>eight guineas. And it is
+remarkable that the demand for these articles of elegant luxury lies in
+the western states; the inhabitants of eastern America being still
+importers from the "old country." Not thirty years ago, the whole right
+bank of the Ohio was termed the "Indian side." Spots in Tenessee, in
+Ohio and Kentucky, which, within the lifetime of even young men,
+witnessed only the arrow and the scalping knife, now present, to the
+traveller, articles of elegance, and modes of luxury, which might rival
+the displays of London and of Paris: within the last half century, the
+beasts of the forest, and men more savage than the beasts, were the only
+inhabitants of the whole of that immense tract, which is peculiarly
+denominated the western country. This tract is now partially inhabited;
+and promises soon to be generally so, by civilized man, possessed of the
+arts and pursuits of civilized life.</p>
+
+<p>On the whole, Pittsburgh is a very important town. When Mr. Fearon was
+here, it was supposed to contain about ten thousand inhabitants.</p>
+
+<p>The face of the country, beyond this town, is an uninterrupted level,
+and many parts of it are occupied by agriculturists. Mr. Fearon,
+however, was informed that there were still for sale one million of
+acres of United States' land, at the rate of two dollars per acre, or
+one dollar and sixty-four cents for prompt payment. The principal towns
+are situated on the banks of the river. There are no canals, nor, indeed
+is there much occasion for them, as the whole state abounds with rivers
+and creeks, which fall into the Ohio.</p>
+
+<p>The trees produced by the best kind of land are honey-locust, black
+walnut, and beech; by land of second quality, the sugar maple tree,
+sycamore, or butter-wood, and what is called white wood, which is used
+for building and joiner's work; and land of the third quality produces
+oak. There is but little underwood; for the great height and the
+spreading tops of the trees, prevent the sun from penetrating to the
+ground, and nourishing inferior articles of vegetation.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[Pg 61]</a></span>The winters are severe, and of from three to four months continuance,
+with a keen and dry air, and cloudless sky. During summer excessive heat
+prevails, with heavy dews at night. In the spring there are cold and
+heavy rains. The autumns are fine, and are followed by what is called
+"Indian summer," which is truly delightful. Along the route that Mr.
+Fearon had travelled in this state, there was scarcely an elevation
+which could be called a hill, with exception of rising grounds on the
+margins of rivers. The dreary monotony of limited views, of such endless
+uniformity, produces sensations of the most depressing melancholy. The
+atmosphere, after a hot day, causes headaches, which frequently
+terminate in intermittent fevers.</p>
+
+<p>Judging from the beds of the rivers, and the quality of the water, Mr.
+Fearon presumes that coal must be abundant. Salt is found in several
+situations, particularly on the Kenaway. There is much limestone. The
+wild animals, in this part of America, are neither numerous, nor
+troublesome.</p>
+
+<p>The interior population of the United States, Mr. Fearon considers, may
+be divided into three classes: first, the "squatter," or man, who "sets
+himself down," upon land which is not his own, and for which he pays
+nothing; cultivates a sufficient extent of ground to supply himself and
+his family with the necessaries of life, remains until he is
+dissatisfied with his choice, has realized a sufficiency to become a
+land-owner, or is expelled by the real proprietor. Second, the small
+farmer, who has recently emigrated, and has had barely sufficient to pay
+the first instalment for his eighty or one hundred and sixty acres, of
+two-dollar land; cultivates, or, what he calls, improves, from ten to
+thirty acres; raises a sufficient "feed" for his family; is in a
+condition, which, if compelled by legislative acts, or by external force
+to endure, would be considered truly wretched; but, from being his own
+master, and having made his own choice, joined with the consciousness,
+that, though slowly, he is regularly advancing towards <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[Pg 62]</a></span>wealth, the
+breath of complaint is seldom heard to escape from his lips. Third, the
+wealthy, or "strong-handed" farmer, who owns from five to twelve hundred
+acres, has from one-fourth to one-third under cultivation, of a kind
+much superior to the former; raises live stock for the home, and
+Atlantic city markets; sends beef, pork, cheese, lard, and butter, to
+New Orleans: is a man of plain, business-like sense, though not in
+possession, nor desirous, of a very cultivated intellect; understands
+his own interest, and that of his country; and lives in sufficient
+affluence, and is possessed of comfort, according to the American
+acceptation of the term, but to which, an Englishman must feel inclined
+to take an exception.</p>
+
+<p>The management of farms is here full a century behind that in England:
+there being a want of improved machinery for the promotion of economy in
+time and labour; and no regular attention being paid to the condition of
+live stock; while the mode of culture, in general, appears slovenly and
+unsystematic.</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>On the subject of emigration to America, Mr. Fearon remarks, that the
+capitalist will here receive legal interest of six or seven per cent.
+for his money; and perhaps eight per cent. might be made upon good
+security, as capital is wanted throughout the country. A London
+shopkeeper, with a capital of three thousand pounds or upwards, and who
+is well acquainted with the principles of business, might succeed.
+Lawyers, doctors, clerks, shopmen, literary men, artists, and
+schoolmasters, to use an American phrase, would "come to a bad market."
+Mechanics are able to obtain employment, but many who have emigrated
+have been lamentably deceived in their expectations. The person of small
+property, who is desirous to live on the interest of his money, and
+wants to remove to a cheaper country than England, should pause before
+the object of his choice is America. From what Mr. Fearon had hitherto
+seen of large towns, living is not, on the whole, cheaper than <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[Pg 63]</a></span>in the
+English cities. In the interior it may be less expensive than in the
+country parts of England; but such a man must, of necessity, have his
+ideas of happiness associated with many sources of comfort and
+gratification, which he would seek for in vain within the United States.
+With regard to certain Yorkshire and Leicestershire manufacturers, in
+whose welfare he was particularly interested, Mr. Fearon says, he was
+convinced that they could not profitably succeed here.</p>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<hr />
+<br />
+<h2>Sixth Day's Instruction.</h2>
+
+<h2>UNITED STATES CONTINUED.</h2>
+<br />
+
+<p class="cen"><i>Narrative of an Expedition from Pittsburg into the Illinois territory.
+From Notes on a<br /> Journey in America, by</i> <span class="smcap">Morris Birkbeck</span>.</p>
+
+<p>Leaving Mr. Fearon at Pittsburgh, we will thence accompany Mr. Birkbeck
+on his tour into the western settlements of the United States. About the
+end of May, 1817, this gentleman and his family, consisting of nine
+persons, five male and four female, arrived at <i>Pittsburgh</i>; and, on the
+5th of June, well mounted, and well furnished with saddle-bags and
+blankets, they set out on their journey westward, in search of a place
+where they might form an advantageous settlement. Each person had a
+blanket under his saddle, another upon it, and a pair of saddle-bags,
+with a great coat and an umbrella strapped behind.</p>
+
+<p>In this manner, says Mr. Birkbeck, even women, and those of advanced
+age, often take long journeys without inconvenience. The day before he
+left Pittsburgh, he was told of a lady who was coming from Tenessee to
+Pittsburgh, twelve hundred miles; and, although she <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[Pg 64]</a></span>had with her an
+infant, she preferred travelling on horseback to boating up the river.</p>
+
+<p>Seventeen miles of the ride from Pittsburgh on to <i>Cannonsburg</i>, was
+chiefly over clayey hills, well adapted for grass; but, in the present
+circumstances of the country, too stiff for profitable cultivation under
+the plough. From Cannonsburg to <i>Washington</i>, in Pennsylvania, eight
+miles, is a very desirable tract, containing much excellent land, with
+fine meadows.</p>
+
+<p>Washington is a pretty, thriving town, which contains about two thousand
+five hundred inhabitants. It has a college, with about a hundred
+students; but, from the dirty condition of the schools, and the
+loitering habits of the young men, Mr. Birkbeck suspected it to be an
+ill-regulated institution.</p>
+
+<p>From Washington, Mr. Birkbeck and his family proceeded still westward,
+and, on entering the <i>State of Ohio</i>, they found themselves in a country
+beautiful and fertile, and affording, to a plain, industrious, and
+thriving population, all that nature has decreed for the comfort of man.
+It contains rich land, good water, wholesome air; limestone, coal,
+mills, and navigation. It is also fully appropriated, and thickly
+settled; and land is worth from twenty to thirty dollars per acre: an
+advance of a thousand per cent. in about ten years!</p>
+
+<p>A heavy fall of wet had rendered the roads muddy and unpleasant. On the
+10th of June, the party arrived at <i>Wheeling</i>, a considerable but
+mean-looking town, of inns and stores, on the banks of the Ohio. Here
+they baited their horses, and took a repast of bread and milk. At this
+place the Ohio is divided into two channels, of five hundred yards each,
+by an island of three hundred acres.</p>
+
+<p>Between Wheeling and St. Clairsville, they had sundry foaming creeks to
+ford; and sundry log-bridges to pass, which are a sort of commutation of
+danger. They had also a very muddy road, over hills of clay; and thunder
+and rain during nearly the whole of this their first stage: <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[Pg 65]</a></span>such
+thunder, and such rain, as they had heard of, but had seldom witnessed
+in England.</p>
+
+<p>They were detained some days at <i>St. Clairsville</i>. This place consists
+of about one hundred and fifty houses; stores, taverns, doctors'-shops,
+and lawyers' offices, with the dwellings of sundry artisans; such as
+tailors, shoemakers, hatters, and smiths. Its chief street runs over one
+of the beautiful, round, and fertile hills which form this country. The
+court-house, a handsome brick edifice, on the summit, has a cheerful and
+a rather striking appearance. If the streets were paved, St. Clairsville
+would be a pleasant town, but, from the continued rains, they were, at
+this time, deep in mud.</p>
+
+<p>The rich clay of this country is very favourable to grass, and the
+pastures are extremely fine. When the timber is destroyed, a beautiful
+turf takes immediate possession of the surface.</p>
+
+<p>As they proceeded westward, towards Zanesville, the soil did not
+improve. It is here a yellow clay, well adapted for grass; but, when
+exhausted by repeated cropping, it will be unprofitable for tillage. In
+some places, the clay is over limestone, and exhibits marks of great and
+durable fertility.</p>
+
+<p>During their journey, on the 13th of June, they met a group of nymphs,
+with their attendant swains, ten in number, on horseback: for no
+American walks who can obtain a horse; and there are few indeed who
+cannot. The young men were carrying umbrellas over the heads of their
+partners; and the appearance of the whole was very decent and
+respectable.</p>
+
+<p>At the distance of eighteen miles east of Zanesville, whilst taking
+shelter from a thunder-storm, they were joined by four industrious
+pedestrians, who were returning eastward from a tour of observation
+through this state. These all agreed in one sentiment, that there is no
+part of the Union, either in the new settlements or in the old, where an
+industrious man need be at a loss for the comforts of a good
+livelihood.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[Pg 66]</a></span>The land continued of the same character as before, a weak yellow clay,
+under a thin covering of vegetable mould, profitable for cultivation
+merely because it is new. The timber is chiefly oak. Little farms, of
+from eight to one hundred and sixty acres, with simple erections, a
+cabin and a stable, may be purchased, at the rate of from five to twenty
+dollars per acre. This is a hilly and romantic country; and affords many
+pleasant situations. Sand-stone is common; limestone more rare; but
+clay-slate appears to be the common basis.</p>
+
+<p>The inhabitants are friendly and homely, not to say coarse; but they are
+well informed. This day the travellers passed various groups of
+emigrants, proceeding westward: one waggon, in particular, was the
+moving habitation of twenty souls.</p>
+
+<p><i>Zanesville</i> is a thriving town, on the beautiful <i>river Muskingum</i>,
+which is, at all times, navigable downward. The country around it is
+hilly and pleasant; not rich, but dry, and tolerably fertile. It abounds
+in coal and lime, and may, at some future period, become a grand station
+for manufactures.</p>
+
+<p>At <i>Rushville</i> Mr. Birkbeck, another gentleman, and three children, sat
+down to a breakfast, consisting of the following articles: coffee,
+rolls, biscuits, dry toast, waffles, (a kind of soft hot cake, of German
+extraction, covered with butter,) salted pickerell, (a fish from Lake
+Huron,) veal-cutlets, broiled ham, gooseberry-pie, stewed currants,
+preserved cranberries, butter, and cheese: and Mr. Birkbeck, for himself
+and three children, and four gallons of oats, and a sufficient quantity
+of hay for four horses, was charged only six shillings and ninepence
+sterling.</p>
+
+<p>South-west of Zanesville, instead of steep hills of yellow clay, the
+country assumes a more gently undulating surface; but it is sufficiently
+varied both for health and ornament, and has an absorbent, gravelly, or
+sandy soil, of moderate fertility.</p>
+
+<p><i>Lancaster</i> is on the edge of a marsh, or fen, which, at <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[Pg 67]</a></span>present,
+should seem to be a source of disease; though its bad effects, on the
+inhabitants of that town, are not by any means obvious.</p>
+
+<p>The three towns, Zanesville, Lancaster, and <i>Chillicothe</i>, were founded
+by a sagacious man of the name of Zane, one of the earliest of the
+settlers. They are admirably placed, geographically, but with little
+regard to the health of their future inhabitants. The local advantages
+of Zanesville might have been equally secured, had the site of the town
+been on the higher, rather than the lower bank of the Muskingum: and the
+Sciota might have afforded equal facilities to the commerce of the
+inhabitants of Chillicothe, had they viewed it flowing beneath them,
+from those lovely eminences which adorn its opposite banks. Chillicothe
+is surrounded by the most charming elevations, but is itself in a
+bottom; and Lancaster is on the brink of an extensive marsh.</p>
+
+<p>Seven miles north-west of Chillicothe the traveller enters on a tract of
+river bottom, the first rich land, for which this state, and indeed the
+whole western country, is so justly famous. It is agreeably varied in
+surface, occasionally rises into hills, and is never flat.</p>
+
+<p>At Chillicothe there is an office for the several transactions regarding
+the disposal of the public lands of this district; and, on Mr.
+Birkbeck's arrival, he repaired to this office, for the purpose of
+inspecting a map of the district; and he found a great quantity of
+unentered lands, comprehending many entire townships, of eight miles
+square, lying about twenty miles south of Chillicothe; and, in several
+parts, abutting on the Sciota. Though it appeared certain that
+substantial objections had deterred purchasers from this extensive
+tract, in a country so much settled, yet Mr. Birkbeck, accompanied by
+his son, determined to visit it. They rode over twenty miles of fertile
+country, on the bank of the Sciota, and crossed that river to <i>Pike
+Town</i>; not far from which place was the land they were seeking.</p>
+
+<p>Near Pike Town was a small cultivated prairie, the first Mr. Birkbeck
+had seen. It contained about two <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[Pg 68]</a></span>hundred acres of rich land, and was
+divided by a road, which ran through the middle; and nearly the whole of
+it was covered by fine Indian corn, neatly cultivated. The surrounding
+hills were crowned with woods. Nothing that Mr. Birkbeck had before seen
+in America at all resembled this delightful spot; but, from its low
+situation near the Sciota, it was unhealthy.</p>
+
+<p>Pike Town was laid out, and received its name, about the year 1815. When
+Mr. Birkbeck was here, it contained a tavern, a store, and about twenty
+other dwellings.</p>
+
+<p>The land of which Mr. Birkbeck came in quest was, as he supposed, of
+inferior quality. But though he found it unfit for his purpose, he had
+been repaid his trouble by the pleasure of his ride, through a fine
+portion of country. In leaving Chillicothe, to proceed towards
+Cincinnati, he and his party travelled through about seven miles of rich
+alluvial land, and over fertile uplands. But, as they proceeded, the
+country became level, with a cold heavy soil, better adapted to grass
+than tillage. Much of this tract remained in an unimproved state. They
+had passed some hills which were covered with the grandest white
+oak-timber imaginable. Within view from the road there were thousands of
+these magnificent trees, each of which measured fourteen or fifteen feet
+in circumference: their straight stems rising, without a branch, to the
+height of seventy or eighty feet, not tapering and slender, but
+surmounted by full, luxuriant heads.</p>
+
+<p>For the space of a mile in breadth, a hurricane, which had traversed the
+entire western country in a north-east direction, about seven years
+before Mr. Birkbeck was here, had opened itself a passage through the
+forests, and had left a scene of extraordinary desolation. The trees lay
+tumbled over each other, like scattered stubble; some torn up by the
+roots, others broken off at different heights, or splintered only, and
+their tops bent over, and touching the ground. These hurricane tracts
+afford strong holes for game, and for all animals of savage kind.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[Pg 69]</a></span>As Mr. Birkbeck approached the <i>Little Miami River</i>, the country became
+more broken, much more fertile, and better settled than before. After
+crossing this rapid and clear stream, he had a pleasant ride to Lebanon,
+which is not a mountain of cedars, but a valley, so beautiful and
+fertile that, at its first opening on the view, it seemed rather a
+region of fancy than a real back-settlement scene.</p>
+
+<p><i>Lebanon</i> is itself one of those wonders which are the natural growth of
+these back woods. In fourteen years, from two or three cabins of
+half-savage hunters, it has grown to be the residence of a thousand
+persons, with habits and looks in no respect differing from their
+brethren of the east. Before Mr. Birkbeck and his party entered the
+town, they heard the supper-bells of the taverns; and they arrived just
+in time to take their seats at one of the tables, together with
+travellers like themselves, and several store-keepers, lawyers, and
+doctors; men who regularly board at taverns, and make up a standing
+company for the daily public table.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Birkbeck and his family next passed through <i>Cincinnati</i>, [a town
+which presents a scene of great life and activity. The market-house is
+an excellent building; and the market is under judicious regulations.
+Provisions are here plentiful and cheap; but articles of clothing,
+house-rent, and journeymen's wages are all very high.</p>
+
+<p>This interesting town is situated on the banks of the <i>Ohio</i>, and
+contains from eight to ten thousand inhabitants, including blacks, who
+are numerous. It is built on the same plan as Philadelphia. There is a
+school, in which children are educated on the Lancasterian plan; and
+which, in 1817, contained one hundred and fifty children. Owing,
+however, to the "untamable insubordination of the scholars, it was found
+impossible to put in practice most of the punishments that are directed
+by the founder of the system. Two weekly newspapers are published at
+Cincinnati; one <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[Pg 70]</a></span>called "The Western Spy," and the other, "Liberty
+Hall."</p>
+
+<p>There are, at this place, a woollen manufactory, a steam corn-mill, and
+a glass-house, on a tolerably large scale; and, in the main street,
+English goods abound in as great profusion as in Cheapside. The
+tradesmen import some of their goods direct from England, but they
+usually purchase them at Philadelphia; the journey to and from which
+place occupies three months; and goods are generally about fifty days in
+arriving.</p>
+
+<p>There are, in Cincinnati, three banks; and paper-money is here so
+abundant, that specie, even of the smallest amount, is rarely to be
+seen. The little that does exist, consists chiefly of <i>cut</i> Spanish
+dollars. Notes of two shillings and two-pence, thirteen pence, sixpence
+halfpenny, and even of three-pence farthing, are very common: indeed,
+they constitute the chief part of the circulating medium.</p>
+
+<p>Cincinnati is a very handsome town; a town, in fact, which must astonish
+every traveller, when he considers how recently it has been formed. Some
+of the houses are on a large scale; and the number of moderate-sized and
+well-built brick buildings is considerable. The churches are neat; and
+the post-office, in arrangement and management, would bear comparison
+with that of London.]</p>
+
+<p>After having passed through Cincinnati, Mr. Birkbeck and his family
+entered the <i>state of Indiana</i>, and proceeded towards Vincennes. Indiana
+was, evidently, newer than the state of Ohio; and the character of the
+settlers appeared superior to that of the settlers in Ohio, who, in
+general, were a very indigent people. Those who fix themselves in
+Indiana, bring with them habits of comfort and the means of procuring
+the conveniences of life. These are observable in the construction of
+their cabins, and the neatness surrounding them; and, especially, in
+their well-stocked gardens, so frequent here, and so rare in the state
+of Ohio.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[Pg 71]</a></span>The country, from the town of Madison to the <i>Camp Tavern</i>, is not
+interesting, and a great part of the land is but of medium quality. At
+the latter place commences a broken country, approaching to mountainous,
+which, if well watered, would form a fine grazing district. In their
+progress, Mr. Birkbeck, one of the ladies, and a servant boy, were
+benighted at the foot of one of these rugged hills; and, without being
+well provided, they were compelled to make their first experiment of
+"camping out," as it is called.</p>
+
+<p>A traveller, in the woods, says this gentleman, should always carry with
+him a flint, steel, tinder, and matches; a few biscuits, a half-pint
+vial of spirits, a tin cup, and a large knife or tomahawk; then, with
+his two blankets, and his great coat and umbrella, he need not be
+uneasy, should any unforeseen delay require his sleeping under a tree.</p>
+
+<p>In the present instance, the important articles of tinder and matches
+were in the baggage of the division that had proceeded; and, as the
+night was rainy and excessively dark, the benighted party were, for some
+time, under considerable apprehension, lest they should be deprived of
+the comfort and security of a fire. Fortunately, Mr. Birkbeck's
+powder-flask was in his saddle-bags, and he succeeded in supplying the
+place of tinder, by moistening a piece of paper, and rubbing it with
+gunpowder. He then placed the touchpaper on an old cambric handkerchief.
+On this he scattered gunpowder pretty copiously, and with a flint and
+steel he soon succeeded in raising a flame: then, collecting together a
+quantity of dry wood, he made a noble fire. There was a mattress for the
+lady, a bear-skin for Mr. Birkbeck, and the load of the pack-horse
+served as a pallet for the boy. Thus, by means of great coats and
+blankets, and their umbrellas spread over their heads, they made their
+quarters tolerably comfortable; and, placing themselves to the leeward
+of the fire, with their feet towards it, they lay more at ease than they
+could have done in the generality of taverns. They had a <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[Pg 72]</a></span>few biscuits,
+a small bottle of spirits, and a phial of oil. By twisting some cord
+very hard, and dipping it in the oil, they contrived to make torches;
+and, after several fruitless attempts, they succeeded in finding water.
+"Camping out," when the tents are pitched by day-light, and the party
+are furnished with the articles, which Mr. Birkbeck was obliged to
+supply by expedients, is pleasant in fine weather. The lady was
+exceedingly ill, which had in fact occasioned their being benighted; and
+never was the night's charge of a sick friend undertaken with more
+dismal forebodings. The rain, however, having ceased, the invalid passed
+the night in safety; so that the morning found them more comfortable
+than they could have anticipated.</p>
+
+<p>The town of <i>Vincennes</i> is scattered over a plain, lying some feet lower
+than the banks of the <i>Wabash</i>: a situation seemingly unfavourable to
+health; and, in fact, agues and bilious fevers are frequent here during
+the autumn.</p>
+
+<p>The road from Sholt's Tavern to this place, thirty-six miles distant,
+lies partly across "barrens," that is, land of middling quality, thinly
+set with timber, or covered with long grass and shrubby underwood;
+generally level and dry, and gaudy with marigolds, sunflowers, martagon
+lilies, and many other beautiful flowers. On the whole, the country is
+tame, poorly watered, and not desirable as a place of settlement; but,
+from its varied character, it is pleasant to travel over. Vincennes
+exhibits a motley assemblage of inhabitants as well as visitors. The
+inhabitants are Americans, French Canadians, and Negroes. The visitors
+are chiefly Americans from various states; and Indians from various
+nations: Shawnees, Delawares, and Miamies, who live about a hundred
+miles northward, and who come here to trade for skins. The Indians were
+encamped, in considerable numbers, round the town, and were continually
+riding into the place, to the stores and the whiskey-shops. Their horses
+and accoutrements were generally mean, and their persons <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[Pg 73]</a></span>disagreeable.
+Their faces were painted in various ways, which gave an appearance of
+ferocity to their countenances.</p>
+
+<p>One of them, a Shawnee, had his eyes, or rather his eyelids and the
+surrounding parts, daubed with vermilion. He thus looked hideous enough
+at a distance; but, on a nearer view, he had good features, and was a
+fine, stout, and fierce-looking man. Some of the Indians were well
+dressed. One young man, in particular, of the Miami nation, wore a
+clear, light blue cotton vest, with sleeves; and had his head ornamented
+with black feathers.</p>
+
+<p>They all wear pantaloons, or rather long moccasins of buck-skin,
+covering the foot and leg, and reaching half way up the thigh, which is
+bare: a covering of cloth, a foot square, passes between the thighs, and
+hangs behind like an apron. Their complexion was various: some were
+dark, and others were not so swarthy as even Mr. Birkbeck; but he saw
+none of the copper-colour, which he had imagined to be their
+distinguishing characteristic. These Indians are addicted to drinking
+spirits, and are often intoxicated. They use much action in their
+discourse, and laugh immoderately. Their hair is straight and black, and
+their eyes are dark. Many of the women are decently dressed and
+good-looking.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Birkbeck remarks that, in Great Britain, the people are so
+circumscribed in their movements, that, with them, miles seem equal to
+tens of miles in America. He says that, in America, travellers will
+start on an expedition of three thousand miles, by boats, on horseback,
+or on foot, with as little deliberation or anxiety, as an Englishman
+would set out on a journey of three hundred.</p>
+
+<p>At Vincennes, the foundation had just been laid of a large establishment
+of mills to be worked by steam. Water-mills of great power were building
+on the Wabash, near Harmony; and undertakings of similar kind will, no
+doubt, be called for and executed, along <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[Pg 74]</a></span>the banks of this river, and
+of its various tributary streams.</p>
+
+<p>On entering Vincennes there is nothing which tends to make a favourable
+impression on a stranger; but it improves on acquaintance, for it
+contains agreeable people: and there is a spirit of cleanliness, and
+even of neatness, in the houses and manner of living. There is also a
+strain of politeness in the inhabitants, which marks the origin of this
+settlement to be French.</p>
+
+<p>At <i>Princeton</i>, a place scarcely three years old, Mr. Birkbeck and his
+family went to a log-tavern, where neatness was as well observed as at
+many taverns in the cities of England. The people of this town belong to
+America in dress and manners; but they would not disgrace old England in
+the general decorum of their deportment.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Birkbeck lamented here, as in other parts of America, the small
+account that is had of time. Subsistence is easily secured, and liberal
+pursuits are yet too rare to operate as a general stimulus to exertion:
+the consequence is, that life is whiled away in a painful state of
+yawning lassitude.</p>
+
+<p>Twenty or thirty miles west of this place, in the Illinois territory, is
+a large country where settlements were beginning; and where, Mr.
+Birkbeck says, there was an abundant choice of unentered lands, of a
+description, which, if the statements of travellers and surveyors, even
+after great abatements, can be relied on, he imagined would satisfy his
+wishes.</p>
+
+<p>Princeton affords a very encouraging situation for a temporary abode. It
+stands on an elevated spot, in an uneven country, ten miles from the
+river Wabash, and two from the navigable stream of the Patok; but the
+country is rich, and the timber is vast in bulk and height.</p>
+
+<p>The small-pox is likely soon to be excluded from this state; for
+vaccination is very generally adopted, and inoculation for the small-pox
+is prohibited altogether; not by law, but by common consent. If it
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[Pg 75]</a></span>should be known that an individual had undergone this operation, the
+inhabitants would compel him to withdraw from society. If he lived in a
+town, he must absent himself, or he would be driven away.</p>
+
+<p>On the 25th of July, Mr. Birkbeck explored the country as far as
+<i>Harmony</i> and the banks of the Ohio. He lodged in a cabin, at a very new
+town, on the banks of the Ohio, called <i>Mount Vernon</i>. Here he found the
+people of a character which confirmed the aversion he had previously
+entertained to a settlement in the immediate vicinity of a large
+navigable river. Every hamlet was demoralized, and every plantation was
+liable to outrage, within a short distance of such a thoroughfare.</p>
+
+<p>Yet, to persons who had been long buried in deep forests, the view of
+that noble expanse was like the opening of a bright day upon the gloom
+of night. To travel, day after day, among trees a hundred feet high,
+without a glimpse of the surrounding country, is oppressive to a degree
+which those cannot conceive who have not experienced it.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Birkbeck left Harmony after breakfast, on the ensuing day, and,
+crossing the Wabash, at a ferry, he proceeded to the <i>Big Prairie</i>,
+where, to his astonishment, he beheld a fertile plain of grass and
+arable; and some thousand acres of land covered with corn, more
+luxuriant than any he had before seen. The scene reminded him of some
+open well-cultivated vale in Europe, surrounded by wooded uplands. But
+the illusion vanished on his arrival at the habitation of Mr. Williams,
+the owner of an estate, on which, at this time, there were nearly three
+hundred acres of beautiful corn in one field; for this man lived in a
+way apparently as remote from comfort, as the settler of one year, who
+thinks only of the means of supporting existence.</p>
+
+<p>The inhabitants of the Prairie are healthy, and the females and children
+are better complexioned than their neighbours of the timber country. It
+is evident that they breathe better air: but they are in a low state of
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[Pg 76]</a></span>civilization, being about half Indian in their mode of life. They are
+hunters by profession, and would have the whole range of the forests for
+themselves and their cattle. Strangers appear, to them, invaders of
+their privileges; as they have intruded on the better founded and
+exclusive privileges of their Indian predecessors.</p>
+
+<p>After viewing several Prairies, which, with their surrounding woods,
+were so beautiful as to seem like the creation of fancy; (gardens of
+delight in a dreary wilderness;) and after losing their horses, and
+spending two days in recovering them, Mr. Birkbeck and his party took a
+hunter, as their guide, and proceeded across the little Wabash, to
+explore the country between that river and the Skillet Fork.</p>
+
+<p>The lonely settlers, in the districts north of Big Prairie, are in a
+miserable state: their bread-corn must be ground thirty miles off; and
+it occupied three days to carry to the mill, and bring back, the small
+horse-load of three bushels. To struggle with privations has now become
+the habit of their lives, most of them having made several successive
+plunges into the wilderness.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Birkbeck's journey across the little Wabash was a complete departure
+from all mark of civilization. Wandering without track, where even the
+sagacity of the hunter-guide had nearly failed, they at length arrived
+at the cabin of another hunter, in which they lodged. This man, his
+wife, his eldest son, a tall, half-naked youth, just initiated in the
+hunter's arts; his three daughters, growing up into great rude girls,
+and a squalling tribe of dirty brats, of both sexes, were of one pale
+yellow colour, without the slightest tint of healthful bloom. They were
+remarkable instances of the effect, on the complexion, produced by
+living perpetually in the midst of woods.</p>
+
+<p>Their cabin, which may serve as a specimen of these rudiments of houses,
+was formed of round logs, with apertures of three or four inches: there
+was no chimney, but large intervals were left between the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[Pg 77]</a></span>"clapboards,"
+for the escape of the smoke. The roof, however, was a more effectual
+covering, than Mr. Birkbeck had generally experienced, as it protected
+him and his party very tolerably from a drenching night. Two bedsteads,
+formed of unhewn logs, and cleft boards laid across; two chairs, (one of
+them without a bottom,) and a low stool, were all the furniture
+possessed by this numerous family. A string of buffalo-hide, stretched
+across the hovel, was a wardrobe for their rags; and their utensils,
+consisting of a large iron-pot, some baskets, one good rifle, and two
+that were useless, stood about in corners; and a fiddle, which was
+seldom silent, except when the inhabitants were asleep, hung by them.</p>
+
+<p>These hunters, in the back-settlements of America, are as persevering as
+savages, and as indolent. They cultivate indolence as a privilege: "You
+English (they say) are industrious, but we have freedom." And thus they
+exist, in yawning indifference, surrounded by nuisances and petty wants;
+the former of which might be removed, and the latter supplied, by the
+application of one tenth part of the time that is loitered away in their
+innumerable idle days.</p>
+
+<p>The <i>Little Wabash</i>, which Mr. Birkbeck crossed in search of some
+Prairies, that had been described to him in glowing colours, was, at
+this season, a sluggish and scanty stream; but, for three months of the
+latter part of winter and the beginning of spring, it covers a great
+space of ground, by the overflow of waters collected in its long course.
+The <i>Skillet Fork</i> is a river of similar character; and the country that
+lies between them must labour under the inconvenience of absolute
+seclusion, for many months every year, until bridges and ferries are
+established. Having made his way through this wildest of wildernesses to
+the Skillet Fork, Mr. Birkbeck crossed that river at a shoal. The
+country, on each side of it, is flat and swampy; so that the water, in
+many places, even at this season, rendered travelling disagreeable; yet
+here and there, at ten <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[Pg 78]</a></span>miles' distance, perhaps, the very solitude
+tempts persons to pitch their tents for a season.</p>
+
+<p>At one of these lone dwellings Mr. Birkbeck found a neat, respectable
+looking female, spinning under the little piazza at one side of the
+cabin, which shaded her from the sun. Her husband was absent on
+business, which would detain him some weeks: she had no family, and no
+companion except her husband's dog, which usually attended him during
+his bear-hunting, in the winter. She said she was quite overcome with
+"lone," and hoped the party would tie their horses in the wood, and sit
+awhile with her, during the heat of the day. They did so, and she
+rewarded them with a basin of coffee. She said her husband was kind and
+good, and never left her without necessity. He was a true lover of
+bear-hunting; and, in the preceding winter, had killed a great number of
+bears.</p>
+
+<p>On the second of August the party lodged at another cabin, where similar
+neatness prevailed, both within and without. The woman was neat, and the
+children were clean in skin, and whole in their clothes. The man
+possessed good sense and sound notions, and was ingenious and
+industrious. He lived on the edge of the Seven Miles' Prairie, a spot
+charming to the eye, but deficient in water.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Birkbeck considers <i>Shawnee Town</i> as a ph&aelig;nomenon, evincing the
+pertinacious adherence of man to the spot where he has once established
+himself. Once a year, for many successive springs, the Ohio, in its
+annual overflowings, has carried away the fences from the cleared lands
+of the inhabitants, till at length they have given them up, and ceased
+to cultivate them. Once a year the inhabitants of Shawnee Town either
+make their escape to higher lands, or take refuge in the upper stories
+of their houses, until the waters subside, when they recover their
+position on this desolate sand-bank.</p>
+
+<p>At Shawnee Town there is an office for the south-east district of
+Illinois. Here Mr. Birkbeck constituted himself a land-owner, by paying
+seven hundred and <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[Pg 79]</a></span>twenty dollars, as one-fourth part of the
+purchase-money of fourteen hundred and forty acres. This land, with a
+similar purchase made by a Mr. Flower, constituted part of a beautiful
+and rich Prairie, about six miles distant from the Big Wabash, and the
+same distance from the Little Wabash.</p>
+
+<p>The land was rich, natural meadow, bounded by timbered ground: it was
+within reach of two navigable rivers; and, at a small expence, was
+capable of being rendered immediately productive.</p>
+
+<p>The geographical position of this portion of territory appeared to be
+extremely favourable. The Big Wabash, a noble stream, which forms its
+eastern boundary, runs four hundred miles, through one of the most
+fertile portions of this most fertile region. By means of a portage of
+eight miles to the Miami of the lakes, it has a communication, well
+known to the Indian traders, with Lake Huron, and with all the
+navigation of the north.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Birkbeck left Shawnee town on the third of August. He had found here
+something of river-barbarism, the genuine Ohio character; but he had met
+with a greater number, than he had expected, of agreeable individuals:
+and the kind and hospitable treatment he experienced at the tavern,
+formed a good contrast to the rude society and wretched fare he had left
+at the Skillet Fork.</p>
+
+<p>On his return to <i>Harmony</i>, the day being Sunday, he had an opportunity
+of seeing, grouped and in their best attire, a large part of the members
+of this wonderful community. It was evening when he arrived, and he
+observed no human creature about the streets: soon the entire body of
+the people, about seven hundred in number, poured out of the church, and
+exhibited the appearance of health, neatness, and peace.</p>
+
+<p>This colony is useful to the neighbourhood. It furnishes, from its
+store, many articles of great value, not so well supplied elsewhere; and
+it is a market for all spare produce. Many kinds of culinary plants, and
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[Pg 80]</a></span>many fruit-trees are cultivated here; and the Harmonites set a good
+example of neatness and industry. When we contrast their neatness and
+order, with the slovenly habits of their neighbours, we see (says Mr.
+Birkbeck) the good that arises from association, which advances these
+poor people a century, at least, on the social scale, beyond the
+solitary beings who build their huts in the wilderness.</p>
+
+<p>At Harmony Mr. Birkbeck and his family lived at the tavern, and their
+board there cost two dollars per week, each person: for these they
+received twenty-one meals. Excellent coffee and tea, with broiled
+chickens, bacon, &amp;c. for breakfast and supper, and a variety of good,
+but simple fare at dinner. Except coffee, tea, or milk, no liquor but
+water is thought of at meals in this country.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Birkbeck observes that, when the back country of America is
+mentioned in England, musquitoes by night, and rattlesnakes by day,
+never fail to alarm the imagination: to say nothing of wolves and bears,
+and panthers, and Indians still more ferocious than these. His course of
+travelling, from the mouth of James River, and over the mountains, up to
+Pittsburg, about five hundred miles; then three hundred miles through
+the woods of the state of Ohio, down to Cincinnati; next, across the
+entire wilderness of Indiana, and to the extreme south of the
+Illinois:&mdash;this long and deliberate journey, (he says,) one would
+suppose, might have introduced his party to an intimate acquaintance
+with some of these pests of America. It is true that they killed several
+of the serpent tribe; black snakes, garter-snakes, &amp;c. and that they saw
+one rattlesnake of extraordinary size. They experienced inconvenience
+from musquitoes in a few damp spots, just as they would have done from
+gnats in England. In their late expeditions in the Illinois, where they
+led the lives of thorough backwoods-men, if they were so unfortunate as
+to pitch their tent on the edge of a creek, or near a swamp, and
+mismanaged their fire, they were teased <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[Pg 81]</a></span>with musquitoes, as they would
+have been in the fens of Cambridgeshire: but this was the sum total
+of their experience of these reported plagues.</p>
+
+<p>Wolves and bears are extremely numerous, and commit much injury in the
+newly-settled districts. Hogs, which are a main dependance for food as
+well as profit, are the constant prey of the bears; and the holds of
+these animals are so strong, that the hunters are unable to keep down
+their numbers.</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>[In the autumn of the year 1817, Mr. Birkbeck removed, with his family,
+to the property he had purchased, between the Great and Little Wabash,
+and to which he has given the name of "<i>English Prairie</i>." In his "Notes
+on America," and in his "Letters from the Illinois," he has described,
+in an interesting manner, the face of the country, its soil,
+productions, mode of culture, and capacities of improvement; and has
+pointed out the great advantages which it offers to settlers, especially
+to labourers and to farmers with small capital. The confidence that is
+reposed in his judgment and agricultural skill, has already induced
+several persons to emigrate into the same neighbourhood, both from
+England and the United States; but the singularity of his religious
+opinions, and his objection to the admission of religious instructors of
+any description into his settlement, had prevented many conscientious
+persons from joining him, who might have proved useful members of his
+little community.]</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>From this place we must return to <i>Philadelphia</i>, for the purpose of
+accompanying Mr. Weld on a journey to Washington, the federal city or
+metropolis of the United States.</p>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<hr /><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[Pg 82]</a></span>
+<br />
+<h2>Seventh Day's Instruction.</h2>
+
+<h2>UNITED STATES CONTINUED.</h2>
+<br />
+
+<p class="cen"><i>Narrative of</i> <span class="smcap">Mr. Weld's</span> <i>Excursion from Philadelphia to
+Washington</i>.</p>
+
+<p>On the 16th of November, 1795, Mr. Weld left <i>Philadelphia</i> in one of
+the public stage-waggons. The country around this city was well
+cultivated, and abounded with neat villas and farm-houses; but it had a
+naked appearance, for all the trees had been cut down, either for fuel
+or to make way for the plough.</p>
+
+<p>The road to Baltimore passed over the lowest of three floating bridges,
+which had been thrown across the <i>river Schuylkill</i>. The view, on
+crossing this river, which is about two hundred and fifty yards wide, is
+peculiarly beautiful. The banks on each side are high, and, for many
+miles, afford extremely delightful situations for villas.</p>
+
+<p>The country, after passing the Schuylkill, is pleasingly diversified
+with rising grounds and woods; and appears to be in a good state of
+cultivation. The first town of any note at which Mr. Weld arrived, was
+<i>Chester</i>; which at this time contained about sixty dwellings, and was
+remarkable for being the place where the first colonial assembly sat.
+From the vicinity of Chester, there is a grand view of the river
+Delaware.</p>
+
+<p>About half a mile from Wilmington is <i>Brandywine River</i>, remarkable for
+its mills: no fewer than thirteen having been built, almost close to
+each other, upon it.</p>
+
+<p><i>Wilmington</i> is the capital of the state of Delaware, and contained, at
+this time, about six hundred houses, which were chiefly of brick. The
+streets are laid out in a manner somewhat similar to those of
+Philadelphia. There is, however, nothing very interesting in this <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[Pg 83]</a></span>town,
+and the country around it is flat and unpleasant. <i>Elkton</i>, twenty-one
+miles from Wilmington, and the first town in Maryland, is a dirty and
+disagreeable place; which contains about ninety indifferent houses, that
+are built without any regularity.</p>
+
+<p>Every ten or twelve miles upon this road there are taverns. These are
+all built of wood, and much in the same style; with a porch in front,
+which extends the entire length of the house. Few of them have any
+signs, and they are only to be distinguished from other houses, by a
+number of handbills pasted upon the walls near the door. Each of them is
+named, not from the sign, but from the person who keeps it; as Jones's,
+Brown's, &amp;c. and all are kept nearly in the same manner. At each house
+there are regular hours for breakfast, dinner, and supper: and, if a
+traveller arrive somewhat before the time appointed for any one of these
+meals, it is in vain to desire a separate repast for himself: he must
+patiently wait till the regulated hour; and must then sit down with such
+other guests as happen to be in the house.</p>
+
+<p>The <i>Susquehannah</i> river is crossed, on the way to Baltimore, at a ferry
+five miles above its entrance into the Chesapeak. The river is here
+about a mile and a quarter wide, and deep enough for vessels of any
+burden. The banks are high and thickly wooded, and the scenery is grand
+and picturesque. A small town, called <i>Havre de Grace</i>, which contains
+about forty houses, stands on this river at the ferry. From Havre to
+Baltimore the country is extremely poor; the soil is of a yellow gravel
+mixed with clay, and the road is execrable.</p>
+
+<p><i>Baltimore</i> is supposed to have, at this time, contained about sixteen
+thousand <i>inhabitants</i>. Though not the capital of the state, it is the
+largest town in Maryland; and, after Philadelphia and New York, is the
+most considerable place of trade in North America. [It is built round
+the head of a bay or inlet of the <i>river Patuxent</i>, and about eight
+miles above its junction with the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[Pg 84]</a></span>Chesapeak.] The <i>plan</i> of the town is
+somewhat similar to that of Philadelphia. Most of the <i>streets</i> cross
+each other at right angles. The main street, which runs nearly east and
+west, is about eighty feet wide, and the others measure from forty to
+sixty feet. The streets are not all paved, so that, in wet weather, they
+are almost impassable; the soil being a stiff yellow clay, which retains
+the water a long time. On the south of the town is the harbour, which
+affords about nine feet water, and is large enough to contain two
+thousand sail of merchant-vessels.</p>
+
+<p>The greatest number of private <i>houses</i> in Baltimore, are of brick; but
+many, particularly in the skirts of the town, are of wood. In some of
+the new streets, a few appeared to be well built; but, in general, they
+are small, heavy, and inconvenient. [The public buildings have very
+little architectural beauty.</p>
+
+<p>In the year 1817, Baltimore contained fifty thousand inhabitants; and
+was still rapidly increasing.] Among the inhabitants are to be found
+English, Irish, Scotch, and French; but the Irish appear to be most
+numerous. With a few exceptions, they are all engaged in trade; and they
+are, for the most part, a plain people, sociable among themselves, and
+friendly and hospitable towards strangers. Cards and dancing are here
+favourite amusements. During the autumn, Baltimore is unhealthy, and
+such persons as can afford it, retire to country-seats in the
+neighbourhood, some of which are delightfully situated.</p>
+
+<p>From Baltimore to Washington, a distance of forty miles, the country has
+but a poor appearance. The soil, in some parts, consists of yellow clay
+mixed with gravel: in other parts it is sandy. In the neighbourhood of
+the creeks, and between the hills, there are patches of rich black
+earth, called bottoms, the trees upon which grow to a large size.</p>
+<br />
+
+<p class="cen"><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[Pg 85]</a></span><i>A description of the City of Washington.</i></p>
+
+<p>This city was laid out in the year 1792; and was expressly designed for
+the seat of government, and the metropolis of the United States.
+Accordingly, in the month of November, 1800, the congress assembled here
+for the first time. It stands on a neck of land, between the forks
+formed by the eastern and western branches of the river <i>Potomac</i>. This
+neck of land, together with an adjacent territory, ten miles square, was
+ceded to the American congress by the states of Maryland and Virginia.
+The ground on which the city has been built, was the property of private
+individuals, who readily relinquished their claim to one half of it in
+favour of congress, conscious that the value of what was left to them
+would increase, and amply compensate them for their loss.</p>
+
+<p>The <i>plan</i> of the buildings was drawn by a Frenchman, whose name was
+L'Enfant; and the ground, marked out for them, was fourteen miles in
+circumference. The <i>streets</i> run north and south, east and west; but, to
+prevent that sameness which would result from their all crossing each
+other at right angles, several avenues have been laid out, in different
+parts of the city, which run transversely. The streets are, in general,
+from ninety to a hundred feet, and the avenues one hundred and sixty
+feet wide. There is also an arrangement for several squares.</p>
+
+<p>Including the suburb of George Town, this city contains about twenty
+thousand <i>inhabitants</i>, who are scattered over a vast space, in detached
+masses of buildings, which appear like petty hamlets in a populous
+country. The intended <i>streets</i> are, for the most part, only
+distinguishable from the rugged waste, by a slight trace, like that of a
+newly-formed road; or, in some instances, by rows of poplar trees, which
+afford neither ornament nor shade.</p>
+
+<p>The <i>Capitol</i>, and the house appropriated to the president of the United
+States, are situated on opposite <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[Pg 86]</a></span>hills, and are the chief public
+buildings in Washington. During the late war, they were both nearly
+destroyed by the British forces; but they are now rising into increased
+splendour. The capitol, in which are the houses of the legislature, and
+several public offices, stands on a bank of the Potomac, seventy feet
+above the level of that river. It as yet consists of only two wings; but
+these are intended to be connected by a centre, surmounted by a dome.</p>
+
+<p>The <i>president's house</i> is at the opposite end of "Pennsylvania Avenue,"
+and commands a most beautiful prospect. On each side of it stands a
+large brick building: one of which is the treasury, and the other is
+appropriated to the war and navy offices. These are hereafter to be
+connected with the palace.</p>
+
+<p>The <i>post office</i> is a large brick edifice, situated at about an equal
+distance from the president's house and the capitol. Under the same roof
+is the patent-office, and the national library, for the use of members
+of the congress. In 1817 there were, in Washington, many brick
+buildings, two and three stories high. There were also some small wooden
+houses; though, according to the original plan, no houses were to be
+built less than three stories high, and all were to have marble steps.</p>
+
+<p>The <i>river Potomac</i>, at Washington, is navigable only for small craft;
+but, besides this, there is a river, about the width of the Paddington
+canal, which is dignified by the name of <i>Tiber</i>. The ridiculous, though
+characteristic vanity displayed in changing its original appellation
+from "Goose-creek" to that of "Tiber," has been happily exposed by the
+English poet Moore. Speaking of this city, he says,</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i6">In fancy now, beneath the twilight gloom,<br /></span>
+<span class="i6">Come, let me lead thee o'er this modern Rome,<br /></span>
+<span class="i6">Where tribunes rule, where dusky Davi bow,<br /></span>
+<span class="i6">And what was Goose-creek once is Tiber now.<br /></span>
+<span class="i6">This fam'd metropolis, where fancy sees<br /></span>
+<span class="i6">Squares in morasses, obelisks in trees.<br /></span>
+</div></div>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[Pg 87]</a></span>There are, at Washington, four market-days in the week, and negroes are
+the chief sellers of provisions; but the supplies are neither good nor
+various. In this city rents are very high; and mechanics are fully
+employed and well paid. Shopkeepers too are numerous; but its increase
+cannot be rapid, for it has no decidedly great natural advantages. It
+has little external commerce, a barren soil, and a scanty population; is
+enfeebled by the deadly weight of absolute slavery, and has no direct
+communication with the western country.</p>
+
+<p>With regard to the manners of the <i>inhabitants</i>, it is remarked that
+both sexes, whether on horseback or on foot, carry umbrellas at all
+seasons: in summer, to keep off the sunbeams; in winter, as a shelter
+from the rain and snow; and in spring and autumn, to intercept the dews
+of the evening. At dinner and at tea parties, the ladies sit together,
+and seldom mix with the gentlemen, whose conversation usually turns upon
+political subjects. In almost all houses toddy, or spirits and water, is
+offered to guests a few minutes before dinner. Boarders in
+boarding-houses, or in taverns, sometimes throw off their coats during
+the heat of summer; and, in winter, their shoes, for the purpose of
+warming their feet at the fire; customs which the climate only can
+excuse. The barber always arrives on horseback, to perform the operation
+of shaving; and here, as in some towns of Europe, he is the organ of all
+the news and scandal of the place.</p>
+
+<p>In the year 1817, when Mr. Fearon was in Washington, the congress was
+sitting, and that gentleman several times attended the debates. The
+place of meeting was a temporary one: it had been designed for an hotel,
+and was in the immediate vicinity of the capitol. The congress assembled
+at eleven o'clock in the morning, and adjourned at four in the
+afternoon. Mr. Fearon's first visit was to the <i>senate</i>. This body is
+composed of forty members, the states having increased their original
+number of thirteen to that of twenty; and each state, regardless of its
+population, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[Pg 88]</a></span>sends two. The gallery of the senate-house is open to all;
+and the only form observed, is that of taking off the hat. When Mr.
+Fearon was at Washington, the chairman's seat was central, under a
+handsome canopy; and the members were seated, on rich scarlet cushions,
+some at double, and some at single desks. There were two large fires;
+and the room was carpeted, as was also the gallery. In the congress, the
+forms of business, with a few minor exceptions, are taken from those of
+the British parliament. There is, however, one point of variation: every
+speech is apparently listened to; and all the speeches, whether good or
+bad, seem regarded with equal apathy, and with a complete lifeless
+endurance, neither applause nor censure being allowed.</p>
+
+<p>The <i>Representative Chamber</i> was in the same building, and about twice
+the extent. A gallery was here also open to the public of both sexes.
+This assembly consists of nearly two hundred members. These want, in
+appearance, the age, experience, dignity, and respectability, which an
+Englishman associates with the idea of legislators, and which are
+possessed by the superior branch of the congress. The members sat on
+very common chairs, and at unpainted desks, which were placed in rows. A
+few of the speakers commanded attention; but others talked on as long
+they pleased, while the rest were occupied in writing letters or reading
+newspapers. A spitting-box was placed at the feet of each member, and,
+contrary to the practice of the upper house, both the members and
+visitors wore their hats.</p>
+
+<p>During the sitting of congress, the president, or rather his lady, holds
+a drawing-room weekly. He takes by the hand all those persons who are
+presented to him; shaking of hands being here considered more rational
+and more manly than kissing them.</p>
+
+<p><i>George Town</i> may be described as a suburb of Washington. It is finely
+situated, on the north-east side of the Potomac river, and is divided,
+from Washington, by the Rock Creek, over which are two bridges. The
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[Pg 89]</a></span>houses are chiefly of brick, and have a neat appearance. Several of
+them were built before the streets were formed, which gave rise to an
+observation by a French lady, that "George Town had houses without
+streets; Washington, streets without houses."</p>
+
+<p><i>Alexandria</i>, formerly called Belhaven, is a small, but peculiarly neat
+town, on the western side of the Potomac, and about six miles south of
+Washington. Its streets, like those of Philadelphia, run in straight
+lines, and intersect each other at right angles. The houses are of neat
+construction. The public buildings are an episcopal church, an academy,
+a court-house, a bank, and gaol. This place carries on a considerable
+trade; and the warehouses and wharfs are very commodious. The distance
+from Alexandria to George Town is about ten miles; and there is a daily
+communication between the two places, by means of a packet-boat.</p>
+
+<p>Nine miles below Alexandria, and also on the bank of the Potomac, stands
+<i>Mount Vernon</i>, formerly the country-seat of general Washington. The
+house is of wood, but cut and painted so as to resemble stone. It has a
+lawn in front; and, when Mr. Weld was here, the garden had the
+appearance of a nursery-ground.</p>
+<br />
+
+<p class="cen"><i>Narrative of Mr.</i> <span class="smcap">Weld's</span> <i>Journey from Washington to Richmond
+in Virginia</i>.</p>
+
+<p>In proceeding from Washington southward, Mr. Weld passed through a part
+of the country which was flat, sandy, and had a most dreary aspect. For
+many successive miles nothing was to be seen but extensive plains, that
+had been worn out by the culture of tobacco, and were overgrown with
+yellow sedge, and interspersed with groves of pine and cedar-trees, the
+dark green colour of which formed a singular contrast with the yellow of
+the sedge. In the midst of these plains there were, however, the remains
+of several good houses, which showed that the country had once been in a
+flourishing state.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[Pg 90]</a></span>Mr. Weld crossed the Potomac at a place called <i>Hoe's Ferry</i>, The
+ferry-man told him that, in the river, was a bank of oysters, and that,
+if he wished it, the men should take up some. The singularity of
+obtaining oysters from fresh water induced Mr. Weld to stop at the bank;
+and the men, in a few minutes, collected as many as would have filled a
+bushel. The oysters were extremely good when cooked, but were
+disagreeable when eaten raw. The Potomac, as well as the other rivers in
+Virginia, abounds with excellent fish of various kinds. At the ferry it
+is about three miles wide.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Weld prevailed with the ferry-man to take him about ten miles down
+the river, and land him on the Virginian shore, in a part of the country
+which appeared to be a perfect wilderness. No traces of a road or
+pathway were visible on the loose white sand; and the cedar and
+pine-trees grew so closely together, on all sides, that it was scarcely
+possible to see further forward, in any direction, than a hundred yards.
+Taking a course, as nearly as he could guess, in a direct line from the
+river, at the end of about an hour, he found a narrow road, which led to
+a large and ancient brick house. The master of it was from home, and Mr.
+Weld was obliged to proceed onward, several miles further, to a wretched
+hovel which had the name of a tavern. On the ensuing morning he
+proceeded to the residence of a gentleman, which was between the rivers
+Potomac and <i>Rappahannoc</i>, and where he had been invited to pass a few
+weeks.</p>
+
+<p>The principal planters in Virginia possess large estates, and have, on
+them, nearly every thing they can want. Among their slaves are found
+tailors, shoemakers, carpenters, smiths, turners, wheelwrights, weavers,
+and tanners. Woollen cloths and cotton goods, of several kinds, are
+manufactured at this province. Cotton grows here in great luxuriance:
+the plants, indeed, are often killed by the frost in winter, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[Pg 91]</a></span>but they
+always produce abundantly, the first year in which they are sown.</p>
+
+<p>The large estates in Virginia are managed by stewards and overseers; and
+the work is done wholly by slaves. The cottages of the slaves are
+usually at the distance of a few hundred yards from the dwelling-house,
+and give the appearance of a village, to the residence of every planter.
+Adjoining to these cottages the slaves usually have small gardens, and
+yards for poultry. They have ample time to attend to their own concerns:
+their gardens are generally well stocked, and their flocks of poultry
+numerous. Many of their little huts are comfortably furnished, and they
+are themselves, in general, well clad. But Mr. Weld remarked, that this
+class of persons is much more kindly treated in Virginia, than in the
+other states of America.</p>
+
+<p>The part of Virginia in which Mr. Weld was now passing his time, was, in
+general, flat and sandy, and abounded in pine and cedar-trees: some
+districts, however, were well cultivated, and afforded good crops of
+corn; but these were intermixed with extensive tracts of waste land,
+worn out by the culture of tobacco, and almost destitute of verdure.</p>
+
+<p>The common people, in the lower parts of Virginia, have very sallow
+complexions, owing to the burning rays of the sun in summer, and the
+bilious complaints to which they are subject during the fall of the
+year; but those in the upper parts of the country, towards the
+mountains, have a healthy and comely appearance.</p>
+
+<p>After Mr. Weld had left the house of his friend, he crossed the
+<i>Rappahannoc River</i>, to a small town called <i>Tappahannoc</i>, or <i>Hob's
+Hole</i>, containing about one hundred houses. The river is here about
+three quarters of a mile wide, and, though the distance from its mouth
+is seventy miles, sharks are very often seen.</p>
+
+<p>From Tappahannoc to <i>Urbanna</i>, another small town on the Rappahannoc,
+and about twenty-five <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[Pg 92]</a></span>miles lower down, the country wears but a poor
+aspect. The road, which is level and sandy, runs, for many successive
+miles, through woods. The habitations that are seen from it are but few,
+and these of the poorest description. The woods chiefly consist of black
+oak, pine, and cedar-trees, which only grow on land of the worst
+quality.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Weld observed many traces of fires in the woods. Such fires, he was
+informed, were frequent in the spring of the year; and they were usually
+occasioned by the negligence of people who burnt the underwood, for the
+purpose of clearing the lands. He was himself witness to one of them.
+The day had been remarkably serene, and the underwood had been fired in
+several places. During the afternoon, the weather was sultry, and, about
+five o'clock, the horizon, towards the north, became dark, and a
+terrible whirlwind arose. Mr. Weld was standing, with some gentlemen, on
+an eminence, and perceived it gradually advancing. It carried along with
+it a cloud of dust, dried leaves, and pieces of rotten wood; and, in
+many places, as it passed along, it levelled the fence-rails, and
+unroofed the cattle-sheds. Mr. Weld and his friends endeavoured, but in
+vain, to reach a place of shelter. In the course of two minutes the
+whirlwind overtook them: the shock was violent; it was hardly possible
+to stand, and was difficult to breathe. It passed over in about three
+minutes; but a storm, accompanied by heavy thunder and lightning,
+succeeded: this lasted more than half an hour. On looking round,
+immediately after the whirlwind had passed, a prodigious column of fire
+appeared in a part of the wood where some underwood had been burning. In
+many places the flames rose considerably above the summit of the trees,
+which were of large growth. It was a tremendous, and, at the same time,
+a sublime sight. The Negroes, on the surrounding plantations, were all
+assembled with their hoes; and guards were stationed, at every corner,
+to give alarm, if the fire appeared <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[Pg 93]</a></span>elsewhere, lest the conflagration
+should become general. To one plantation a spark was carried by the wind
+more than half a mile; happily, however, a torrent of rain, shortly
+afterwards, came pouring down, and enabled the people to extinguish the
+flames in every quarter.</p>
+
+<p>The country between Urbanna and Gloucester is neither so sandy nor so
+flat as that bordering upon the Rappahannoc. The trees, chiefly pines,
+are of large size, and afford abundance of turpentine, which is
+extracted from them, in great quantities, by the inhabitants.</p>
+
+<p><i>Gloucester</i> contained, at this time, only ten or twelve houses. It is
+situated on a neck of land nearly opposite to the town of York, and on
+the bank of the <i>York River</i>, here about a mile and half wide. <i>York</i>
+consisted of about seventy houses, an episcopalian church, and a gaol.
+It is remarkable for having been the place where lord Cornwallis
+surrendered his army to the combined forces of the Americans and French.
+The banks of the river are, for the most part, high and inaccessible;
+and the principal part of the town is built upon them; only a few
+fishing-huts and store-houses standing at the bottom.</p>
+
+<p>Twelve miles from York is <i>Williamsburgh</i>, formerly the seat of
+government in Virginia. At this time it consisted of one principal
+street, and two others, which ran parallel to it. At one end of the main
+street stands the college, and, at the other end, the old capitol or
+State-house, a capacious building of brick, which was crumbling to
+pieces, from neglect. The houses around it were mostly uninhabited, and
+presented a melancholy appearance.</p>
+
+<p>The college of William and Mary, as it is still called, is at the
+opposite end of the main street: it is a heavy pile of building,
+somewhat resembling a large brick-kiln. The students were, at this time,
+about thirty in number; but, from their boyish appearance, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[Pg 94]</a></span>the seminary
+ought rather to be termed a grammar-school than a college.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Weld dined with the president of the college. Half a dozen, or more,
+of the students, the eldest about twelve years old, were at table; some
+without shoes and stockings, and others without coats. A couple of
+dishes of salted meat, and some oyster-soup, formed the whole of the
+repast.</p>
+
+<p>The town of Williamsburgh contained, at this time, about twelve hundred
+inhabitants; and the society in it was thought to be more extensive, and
+at the same time more genteel, than in any other place of its size in
+America. No manufactures were carried on here, and there was scarcely
+any trade.</p>
+
+<p>From Williamsburgh to Hampton the country is flat and uninteresting.
+<i>Hampton</i> is a small town, situated at the head of a bay, near the mouth
+of James River. It contained about thirty houses and an episcopal
+church; and was a dirty, disagreeable place.</p>
+
+<p>From this town there is a regular ferry to Norfolk, across Hampton
+Roads, eighteen miles over. <i>Norfolk</i> stands nearly at the mouth of the
+eastern branch of Elizabeth River, the most southern of the rivers which
+fall into <i>Chesapeak Bay</i>. This is the largest commercial town in
+Virginia, and carries on a flourishing trade to the West Indies. Its
+exports consist principally of tobacco, flour, and corn, and various
+kinds of timber. Of the latter it derives an inexhaustible supply, from
+the great "Dismal Swamp," which is immediately in its neighbourhood.</p>
+
+<p>The houses in Norfolk were about five hundred in number; but most of
+them were of wood, and meanly built. These had all been erected since
+the year 1776; when the place had been totally burnt, by order of lord
+Dunmore, then the British governor of Virginia. The losses sustained, on
+this occasion, were estimated at three hundred thousand pounds sterling.
+Near the harbour the streets are narrow and irregular: <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[Pg 95]</a></span>in the other
+parts of the town they are tolerably wide. None of them, however, are
+paved, and all are filthy. During the hot months of summer, the stench
+that proceeds from some of them is horrid.</p>
+
+<p>There were, at this time, two churches, one for episcopalians, and the
+other for methodists; but, in the former, service was not performed more
+than once in two or three weeks. Indeed, throughout all the lower parts
+of Virginia, that is, between the mountains, and the sea, the people
+seemed to have scarcely any sense of religion; and, in the country
+districts, all the churches were falling into decay.</p>
+
+<p>From Norfolk Mr. Weld went to the <i>Dismal Swamp</i>. This commences at the
+distance of nine miles from the town, extends into North Carolina, and
+occupies, in the whole, about one hundred and fifty thousand acres. The
+entire tract is covered with trees, some of which are of enormous size;
+and between them, the underwood springs up so thick, that the swamp is,
+in many parts, absolutely impervious. It abounds also with cane-reeds,
+and with long rich grass, on which cattle feed with great avidity, and
+become fat in a short time. In the interior of the swamp, large herds of
+wild cattle are found; the offspring, probably, of animals which have at
+different times been lost, or turned out to feed. Bears, wolves, deer,
+and other wild indigenous animals, are also found here.</p>
+
+<p>As the Dismal Swamp lies so very near to Norfolk, where there is a
+constant demand for timber, staves, and other similar articles, for
+exportation; and, as the best of these are made from trees grown upon
+the swamp, it of course becomes a valuable species of property. A canal,
+which the inhabitants of Norfolk were, at this time, cutting through it,
+would also tend to enhance its value.</p>
+
+<p>From the Dismal Swamp to Richmond, a distance of about one hundred and
+forty miles, along the south side of <i>James River</i>, the country is flat
+and sandy, and, for many successive miles, is covered with pine-trees.
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[Pg 96]</a></span>In some parts there are peach-orchards, which are very profitable. From
+the peaches, the inhabitants make brandy, which, when properly matured,
+is an excellent liquor, and much esteemed: they give it a delicious
+flavour by infusing dried pears in it.</p>
+
+<p>The accommodation at the taverns along this road, was most wretched;
+nothing was to be had but rancid fish, fat salt pork, and bread made of
+Indian corn. Mr. Weld's horses were almost starved. Hay is scarcely ever
+used in this part of the country, but, in place of it, the inhabitants
+feed their cattle with what they call fodder, the leaves of the Indian
+corn-plant. Not a bit of fodder, however, was to be had on the whole
+road from Norfolk to Richmond, except at two places.</p>
+
+<p><i>Petersburgh</i> stands at the head of the navigable part of <i>Appommattox
+River</i>, and is the only place of importance between Norfolk and
+Richmond. The houses in Petersburgh were about three hundred in number,
+and built without regularity. A flourishing trade was carried on in this
+place. About two thousand four hundred hogsheads of tobacco were
+inspected annually at the warehouses; and, at the falls of the
+Appamatox, near the upper end of the town, were some of the best
+flour-mills in Virginia.</p>
+
+<p><i>Richmond</i>, the capital of Virginia, is situated immediately below the
+Falls of <i>James River</i>, which is here about four hundred yards wide, and
+was at this time crossed by two bridges, separated from each other by an
+island. The houses in Richmond were not more than seven hundred in
+number, yet they extended nearly a mile and a half along the banks of
+the river. The lower part of the town is built close to the water; and
+opposite to it, lies the shipping. It is connected with the upper town
+by a long street, which runs parallel to the course of the river, and
+about fifty yards from the banks. The situation of the upper town is
+very pleasing: it is on an elevated spot, and commands a fine prospect
+of the falls of the river, and of the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[Pg 97]</a></span>adjacent country. The best houses
+stand here, and also the capitol or state-house, which is a clumsy,
+ill-shaped edifice. Richmond, at this time, contained about four
+thousand inhabitants, one half of whom were slaves.</p>
+
+<p>The <i>Falls</i> in the river, or the <i>Rapids</i>, as they ought to be called,
+extend six miles above the city. Here the river is full of large rocks;
+and the water rushes along in some places with great impetuosity. At the
+north side of the falls is a canal, which renders the navigation
+complete from Richmond to the Blue Mountains.</p>
+
+<p>There is, perhaps, no place in the world of equal size, in which more
+gambling is carried on, than in Richmond. Mr. Weld had scarcely alighted
+from his horse, when the landlord of the tavern at which he stopped,
+inquired what game he was most partial to, as in such a room there was a
+faro-table, in another a hazard-table, in a third a billiard-table; to
+any of which he was ready to conduct him. Not the slightest secrecy is
+employed in keeping these tables. They are always crowded with people,
+and the doors of the apartments are only closed to prevent the rabble
+from entering. Cock-fighting is another favourite diversion. The lower
+classes of people, however, are those chiefly who partake of such
+amusements; but the circumstance of having the taverns thus infested,
+renders travelling extremely unpleasant.</p>
+
+<p>The common people of Virginia are usually represented to be more
+quarrelsome than those of any other American state; and, when they come
+to blows, they fight like wild beasts. They bite and kick each other
+with indescribable fury; and endeavour to tear each other's eyes out
+with their nails.</p>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<hr /><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[Pg 98]</a></span>
+<br />
+<h2>Eighth Day's Instruction.</h2>
+
+<h2>UNITED STATES CONTINUED.</h2>
+<br />
+
+<p class="cen"><i>Narrative of</i> <span class="smcap">Mr. Weld's</span> <i>return from Richmond to
+Philadelphia, through the<br /> central parts of Virginia.</i></p>
+
+<p>Having continued at <i>Richmond</i> somewhat more than a week, Mr. Weld
+mounted his horse, and, accompanied by his servant, proceeded towards
+the <i>South-west</i> or <i>Green Mountains</i>.</p>
+
+<p>The country around Richmond is sandy; but it is not so much so, nor so
+flat, as on the south side of James River, towards the sea. When Mr.
+Weld was here it wore a most pleasing aspect. The first week in May had
+arrived; the trees had acquired a considerable part of their foliage;
+and the air, in the woods, was perfumed with the fragrant smell of
+numberless flowers and flowering shrubs. The music of the birds also was
+delightful: the notes of the mocking-bird or Virginia nightingale, in
+particular, were extremely melodious.</p>
+
+<p>In this part of America there is a singular bird, called whipper-will,
+or whip-poor-will, which has obtained its name from the plaintive noise
+that it makes. This it commences every evening about dusk, and continues
+through the greatest part of the night. The frogs in America make a most
+singular noise. Some of them absolutely whistle; and others croak so
+loudly, that it is difficult, at times, to tell whether the sound
+proceeds from a calf or a frog. Mr. Weld, whilst walking in the meadows,
+was more than once deceived by it. The largest kinds are called
+bull-frogs: they chiefly live in pairs, and are never found but where
+there is good water; their bodies measure from four to seven inches, and
+their legs are of proportionate length. These animals are extremely
+active, and take prodigious leaps.</p>
+
+<p>In one part of his journey, the road extended almost wholly through
+pine-forests, and was very lonely. <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[Pg 99]</a></span>Night came on before he reached the
+end of it; and, as commonly happens with travellers in this part of the
+world, he soon lost his way. A light, however, seen through the trees,
+seemed to indicate that a house was not far distant. His servant eagerly
+rode up to it, but the poor fellow's consternation was great indeed when
+he observed it moving from him, presently coming back, and then, with
+swiftness, departing into the woods. Mr. Weld was himself at a loss to
+account for this singular appearance, till, after having proceeded a
+little further, he observed the same sort of light in many other places;
+and, dismounting from his horse to examine a bush, where one of these
+sparks appeared to have fallen, he found that it proceeded from a
+fire-fly. In the present instance Mr. Weld was much surprised; but, as
+the summer advanced, these flies appeared every night. After a light
+shower in the afternoon, this gentleman says he has seen the woods
+sparkling with them in every direction. The light is emitted from the
+tail, and the animal has the power of emitting it or not at pleasure.</p>
+
+<p>After wandering about till near eleven o'clock, he came at last to a
+house, where he obtained information respecting the road: and, about
+midnight, he arrived at a miserable tavern. During the next day's ride
+he observed a great number of snakes, which were now beginning to come
+forth from their holes.</p>
+
+<p>The <i>South-west Mountains</i> run nearly parallel to the <i>Blue Ridge</i>, and
+are the first that are seen in Virginia, on going up the country, from
+the sea-coast. They are not lofty, and ought indeed rather to be called
+hills than mountains. These mountains are not seen till the traveller
+comes within a few miles of them; and the ascent is so gradual, that he
+reaches their top almost without perceiving it.</p>
+
+<p>The soil is here a deep clay, particularly well suited to the culture of
+grain and clover, and it produces abundant crops.</p>
+
+<p>The salubrity of the climate, in this part of Virginia, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[Pg 100]</a></span>is equal also
+to that of any part of the United States; and the inhabitants have, in
+consequence, a healthy and ruddy appearance, totally different from that
+of the residents in the low country.</p>
+
+<p>In these mountains live several gentlemen of large property, who farm
+their own land. Among the number was Mr. Jefferson, the vice-president
+of the United States. His house was about three miles from
+Charlottesville, and was most singularly situated, being built on the
+top of a small mountain, the apex of which had been cut off. At this
+time it was in an unfinished state; but, if carried on, according to a
+plan which had been laid down, it promised to be one of the most elegant
+private habitations in America. Several attempts have been made in this
+neighbourhood, to bring the manufacture of wine to perfection; none of
+them, however, have succeeded to the wish of the parties concerned in
+it.</p>
+
+<p>The country between the South-west Mountains and the Blue Ridge is very
+fertile, and is much more closely inhabited than that in the lower parts
+of Virginia. The climate is good, and the people have a healthy and
+robust appearance. Several valuable mines of iron and copper have been
+discovered here.</p>
+
+<p>Having crossed the South-west Mountains, Mr. Weld proceeded to
+<i>Lynchburgh</i>, a town on the south side of <i>Fluvanna River</i>, and one
+hundred and fifty miles beyond Richmond. This town contained about one
+hundred houses; and a warehouse for the inspection of tobacco, where
+about two thousand hogsheads were annually inspected. It had been built
+within the last fifteen years, and, in consequence of its advantageous
+situation for trade, was rapidly increasing.</p>
+
+<p>Between Lynchburgh and the Blue Mountains, the country is rough and
+hilly, and but thinly inhabited. The few inhabitants, however, who are
+seen here, are uncommonly robust and tall: it is rare to observe a man
+amongst them who is not six feet high. The Blue Ridge is thickly covered
+with large trees, to the very summit. Some of the mountains are rugged
+and <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[Pg 101]</a></span>stony; others are not so; and on the latter the soil is rich and
+fertile. It is only in particular places that this ridge can be crossed;
+and at some of the gaps the ascent is steep and difficult.</p>
+
+<p>The <i>Peaks of Otter</i>, near which Mr. Weld crossed it, are the highest
+mountains in the Blue Ridge, and, measured from their bases, they are
+supposed to be more lofty than any others in North America. The
+principal peak is said to be about four thousand feet in perpendicular
+height.</p>
+
+<p>Beyond the Blue Ridge, Mr. Weld observed very few settlements, till he
+approached <i>Fincastle</i>. This town is about twenty miles from the
+mountains, and fifteen south of <i>Fluvanna River</i>. It was only begun
+about the year 1790; yet, when Mr. Weld was there, it contained sixty
+houses, and was rapidly increasing. The inhabitants consisted
+principally of Germans.</p>
+
+<p>On the eastern side of the Blue Mountains, cotton grows extremely well;
+and, in winter, the snow scarcely ever remains more than a day or two
+upon the ground. On the opposite side, cotton never comes to perfection;
+the winters are severe, and the fields are covered with snow for many
+successive weeks. In every farm-yard are seen sleighs or sledges, a kind
+of carriages that are used for travelling upon the snow.</p>
+
+<p>In this part of America, the soil consists chiefly of a rich brown
+mould, in which white clover grows spontaneously. To have a fertile
+meadow, it is only necessary to leave a piece of ground to the hand of
+nature for one year. A bed of limestone also runs entirely through the
+country.</p>
+
+<p>It appeared to Mr. Weld that there was no part of America where the
+climate would be more congenial to the constitution of a native of Great
+Britain or Ireland than this. The frost in winter is more regular, but
+is not more severe than what commonly takes place in those islands.
+During summer the heat is somewhat greater; but there is not a night in
+the year in which a blanket is not found comfortable. Fever and ague are
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[Pg 102]</a></span>disorders here unknown; and the air is so salubrious, that persons who
+come from the low country, afflicted with those disorders; get rid of
+them in a short time.</p>
+
+<p>In the western part of the country there are several medicinal springs,
+to which, about the end of summer, great numbers of people resort, as
+much for the sake of escaping the heat in the low country, as for
+drinking the waters. Those that are most frequented are called the
+<i>Sweet Springs</i>; but there are others in <i>Jackson's Mountains</i>, a ridge
+that runs between the Blue Mountains and the Alleghany. One of these is
+warm, and another quite hot. There is also a sulphur spring near them,
+into which, if the leaves of trees fall, they become thickly incrusted
+with sulphur, in a very short time; and silver, if put into them, will
+be turned black almost immediately.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Weld, now bending his course in a northerly direction, again crossed
+the <i>Fluvanna River</i>. About ten miles from this stream, there is, among
+the mountains, a deep cleft or chasm, about two miles long, and, in some
+places, three hundred feet deep. Over one part of this is a natural
+arch, called <i>Rockbridge</i>, which consists of a solid mass of stone, or
+of several stones so strongly cemented together that they appear but as
+one. The road extends over this natural bridge. On one side of it is a
+parapet or wall of fixed rocks, but on the other there is a gradual
+slope, to the very brink of the chasm. The slope is thickly covered with
+large trees, principally cedars and pines. The whole width of the bridge
+is about eighty feet: the road runs nearly along the middle of it, and
+is passed daily by waggons.</p>
+
+<p>At the distance of a few yards from the bridge there is a narrow path,
+which winds, along the sides of the fissure, and amidst immense rocks
+and trees, down to the bottom of the chasm. Here the stupendous arch
+appears in all its glory, and seems even to touch the skies. The height,
+to the top of the parapet, is two hundred and thirteen feet. The rocks
+are of <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[Pg 103]</a></span>limestone, and nearly perpendicular; and the sides of the chasm
+are thickly clad with trees, wherever there is space sufficient to admit
+of their growth. A small stream runs at the bottom of the fissure, over
+beds of rock, and adds much to the beauty of the scene.</p>
+
+<p>About fifty miles beyond Rockbridge, there is another remarkable natural
+curiosity: a large cavern, known by the name of <i>Maddison's Cave</i>. It is
+in the heart of a mountain, and about two hundred feet high. Persons who
+reside in a house, not far distant from this cave, act as guides, and
+use, as lights, splinters from the wood of the pitch pine-tree, a bundle
+of which they carry with them for this purpose. This cave is of great
+extent, and is divided into many large, and singularly-shaped
+apartments, covered with stalactites, or petrifactions, at the top and
+sides. Before these were blackened by the smoke of the torches, they are
+said to have been extremely beautiful. The floor is of a deep sandy
+earth, which has been repeatedly dug up, for the purpose of obtaining
+saltpetre, with which it is strongly impregnated.</p>
+
+<p>The country immediately behind the Blue Mountains, is agreeably
+diversified with hill and dale, and abounds in extensive tracts of rich
+land. Clover grows here in great luxuriance. Wheat also is raised, and
+in crops as abundant as in any part of the United States. Tobacco is not
+grown, except for private use. The climate is not here so warm as in the
+lower parts of the country, on the eastern side of the mountains.</p>
+
+<p>As Mr. Weld passed along, he met great numbers of people who were
+proceeding from Kentucky, and from the state of Tenessee, towards
+Philadelphia and Baltimore. He also saw many others, who were going in a
+contrary direction, to "explore," as they called it; that is, to search
+for, lands in the western country, conveniently situated for new
+settlements. These all travelled on horseback, armed with pistols and
+swords; and each had a large blanket, folded up under his <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[Pg 104]</a></span>saddle, for
+sleeping in, whenever they were obliged to pass the night in the woods.</p>
+
+<p>Of all the uncouth human beings that Mr. Weld met with in America, the
+people from the western country were the most so. Their curiosity was
+boundless. Often has he been stopped abruptly by them, even in solitary
+parts of the road; and, without any further preface, has been asked
+where he came from? if he was acquainted with any news? where bound to?
+and what was his name?</p>
+
+<p>The first town that Mr. Weld reached was <i>Lexington</i>, a neat little
+place, which had contained about one hundred dwelling-houses, a
+court-house, and a gaol; but most of these had been destroyed by fire,
+just before he was there. Great numbers of Irish are settled in this
+place. Thirty miles further on is <i>Staunton</i>. This town carries on a
+considerable trade with the back country, and contains nearly two
+hundred dwellings, mostly built of stone.</p>
+
+<p><i>Winchester</i> stands one hundred miles north of Staunton, and is the
+largest town in the United States, on the western side of the Blue
+Mountains. The houses were, at this time, estimated at three hundred and
+fifty, and the inhabitants at two thousand. There were four churches,
+which, as well as the houses, were plainly built. The streets were
+regular, but very narrow. There was nothing particularly deserving of
+attention, either in this place, or in any of the small towns that have
+been mentioned.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Weld reached the <i>Potomac</i>, at the place where that river passes
+through the Blue Ridge; and where a scene is exhibited which has been
+represented as one of the most "stupendous in nature, and even worth a
+voyage across the Atlantic." The approach towards it is wild and
+romantic. After crossing a number of small hills, which rise in
+succession, one above another, the traveller at last perceives a break
+in the Blue Ridge; at the same time, the road, suddenly turning, winds
+down a long and steep hill, shaded with lofty <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[Pg 105]</a></span>trees, whose branches
+unite above. On one side of the road are large heaps of rocks, overhead,
+which threaten destruction to any one who passes beneath them; on the
+other, a deep precipice presents itself, at the bottom of which is heard
+the roaring of the waters, that are concealed from the eye, by the
+thickness of the foliage. Towards the end of this hill, about sixty feet
+above the level of the water, stand a tavern and a few houses; and from
+some fields in the rear of them, the passage of the river, through the
+mountain, is seen to great advantage.</p>
+
+<p>The Potomac, on the left, winds through a fertile country, towards the
+mountain. On the right flows the <i>Shenandoah</i>. Uniting together, they
+roll on, in conjunction, through the gap; then, suddenly expanding to
+the breadth of about four hundred yards, they pass on towards the sea,
+and are finally lost to the view, amidst surrounding hills.</p>
+
+<p>After crossing the Potomac, Mr. Weld passed on to <i>Frederic</i>, in
+Maryland, which has already been mentioned, and thence to Baltimore. The
+country between Frederic and Baltimore is by no means so rich as that
+west of the Blue Ridge, but it is tolerably well cultivated. Iron and
+copper are found here in many places.</p>
+
+<p>From Baltimore Mr. Weld returned to <i>Philadelphia</i>, where he arrived on
+the fourteenth of June, after an absence of about three months.</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>We must now return to Pittsburgh, for the purpose of proceeding, from
+that place, with M. Michaux a French naturalist of considerable
+eminence, in a journey through Kentucky, Tenessee, North and South
+Carolina.</p>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<hr /><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[Pg 106]</a></span>
+<br />
+<h2>Ninth Day's Instruction.</h2>
+
+<h2>UNITED STATES CONTINUED.</h2>
+<br />
+
+<p class="cen"><i>Narrative of a Journey from Pittsburgh to Lexington in Kentucky. From<br />
+Travels in North America, by</i> <span class="smcap">F. A. Michaux</span>.</p>
+
+<p>This gentleman, in company with a Mr. Craft, set out from Pittsburgh, on
+the 14th of July, 1802; and, two days afterwards, arrived at Wheeling, a
+small town on the bank of the Ohio, and about eighty miles distant from
+Pittsburgh. <i>Wheeling</i> had not been more than twelve years in existence,
+yet it contained, at this time, about seventy houses, built of wood. It
+is bounded by a long hill, nearly two hundred fathoms high, and the base
+of which is not more than four hundred yards from the river. In this
+space the houses are built: they form but one street, along which runs
+the main road. From fifteen to twenty large shops supply the
+inhabitants, twenty miles, round, with provisions. This little town
+shares largely in the export trade that is carried on with the western
+country at Pittsburgh.</p>
+
+<p>At Wheeling the travellers purchased a canoe, twenty-four feet long,
+eighteen inches wide, and about as many in depth. Canoes of this
+description are made from the single trunk of a tree: they are too
+narrow for the use of oars, and, in shallow water, they are generally
+forced along either with a paddle or a staff. As a shelter from the sun,
+M. Michaux and his friend covered their canoe, a quarter of its length,
+with a piece of cloth thrown upon two hoops; and, having placed on board
+of it a sufficient stock of provisions, they embarked about five o'clock
+in the afternoon of the ensuing day. They floated twelve miles down the
+stream that evening, and slept on the right bank of the Ohio. Both M.
+Michaux and his friend were excessively <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[Pg 107]</a></span>fatigued with their first day's
+voyage; but not so much by paddling their canoe along, as by remaining
+constantly seated in one position. For, the canoe being very narrow at
+the bottom, they were obliged to keep their legs extended; as the least
+motion of the vessel would have exposed them to the danger of being
+overset. In the course, however, of a few days, they became accustomed
+to these inconveniences, and attained the art of travelling comfortably.</p>
+
+<p>They were three days and a half in proceeding to <i>Marietta</i>, about a
+hundred miles from Wheeling. This town is situated on the right bank of
+the <i>Great Muskingum</i>, and near the place of its junction with the Ohio.
+Although fifteen years before M. Michaux was here, it was not in
+existence, Marietta now contained more than two hundred houses, some of
+which were built of brick; but the greatest number were of wood. Several
+of them were from two to three stories high, and somewhat elegantly
+constructed. The mountains which, from Pittsburgh, extend along the side
+of the river, are, at Marietta, distant from its banks, and leave a
+considerable space of level ground, which will facilitate, in every
+respect, the enlarging of the town.</p>
+
+<p>The inhabitants of Marietta were the first, in the interior of America,
+who entertained an idea of exporting, directly to the Caribbee Islands,
+the produce of their country. This they did in a vessel, built in their
+own town. The vessel was sent to Jamaica, and the success which crowned
+this first attempt, excited great emulation among the inhabitants of the
+western country. The ship-yard at Marietta is near the town, on the
+great Muskingum. When M. Michaux was there, the inhabitants were
+building three brigs, one of which was of two hundred and twenty tons
+burden.</p>
+
+<p>On the 21st of July the voyagers set out from Marietta, for Gallipoli,
+distant about a hundred miles. On the 23rd, at ten in the morning, they
+discovered <i>Point Pleasant</i>, situated a little above the mouth of the
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[Pg 108]</a></span><i>Great Kenaway</i>, and on a promontory which is formed by the right bank
+of that river. Its situation is peculiarly beautiful. The Ohio, into
+which the Kenaway falls, is here four hundred fathoms wide, and
+continues of the same width for four or five miles. Its borders, sloping
+and elevated from twenty-five to forty feet, are, in the whole of its
+windings, overgrown, at their base, with willow, from fifteen to
+eighteen feet in height, the drooping branches and foliage of which form
+a pleasing contrast to the sugar-maples, red-maples, and ash-trees,
+which are seen immediately above. The latter are overhung by palms,
+poplars, beeches, and magnolias, of the highest elevation; the enormous
+branches of which, attracted by a more splendid light and an easier
+expansion, extend towards the borders, overshadowing the river, at the
+same time that they completely cover the trees that are beneath them.
+This natural display, which reigns upon the two banks, forms, from each
+side, a regular arch, the shadow of which, reflected by the stream,
+embellishes, in an extraordinary degree, the magnificent <i>coup
+d'&oelig;il</i>.</p>
+
+<p><i>Gallipoli</i> is on the right bank of the Ohio, four miles below Point
+Pleasant. It was, at this time, composed of about sixty log-houses, most
+of which, being uninhabited, were falling into ruins; the rest were
+occupied by Frenchmen, two only of whom appeared to enjoy the smallest
+comfort.</p>
+
+<p>On the 25th of July, M. Michaux and his friend set out, in their canoe,
+for <i>Alexandria</i>, about a hundred and four miles distant; and they
+arrived there in three days and a half. The ground designed for this
+town is at the mouth of the <i>Great Scioto</i>, and in the angle which the
+right bank of this river forms with the north-west border of the Ohio.
+Although the plan of Alexandria had long been laid out, few people had
+settled there: the number of its edifices was not, at this time, more
+than twenty, and the major part of these were constructed of wood. The
+inhabitants are <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[Pg 109]</a></span>subject, every autumn, to intermittent fevers, which
+seldom abate till the approach of winter.</p>
+
+<p>On the 1st of April the voyagers arrived at <i>Limestone</i> in Kentucky,
+fifty miles lower than Alexandria; and, at this place, their voyage on
+the Ohio terminated. They had floated, in their canoe, three hundred and
+forty miles from Wheeling; and, during the ten days which their voyage
+had occupied, they had been obliged, almost incessantly, to paddle their
+vessel along. This labour, although in itself painful to persons who are
+unaccustomed to it, was, in the present instance, still more so, on
+account of the intense heat which prevailed. They also suffered much
+inconvenience from thirst, not being able to procure any thing to drink,
+but by stopping at the plantations on the banks of the river; for,
+during summer, the water of the Ohio acquires such a degree of heat,
+that it is not fit to be drunk till it has been kept twenty-four hours.
+At Limestone M. Michaux relinquished an intention which he had formed of
+proceeding further down the Ohio; and here he took leave of Mr. Craft,
+who prosecuted the remaining part of the voyage alone.</p>
+
+<p>The banks of the Ohio, though elevated from twenty to sixty feet,
+scarcely afford any hard substances, betwixt Pittsburgh and Limestone;
+except large detached stones, of a greyish colour, which M. Michaux
+observed, in an extent of ten or twelve miles, below Wheeling: the
+remainder of the country seems wholly covered with vegetable earth. A
+few miles before this gentleman reached Limestone, he observed a chalky
+bank, the thickness of which, being very considerable, left no room to
+doubt that it must be of great extent. The Ohio abounds in fish, some of
+which are of great size and weight.</p>
+
+<p>Till the years 1796 and 1797, the banks of the Ohio were so little
+populated, that there were scarcely thirty families in the space of four
+hundred miles; but, since that time, a great number of emigrants had
+settled here, from the mountainous parts of Pennsylvania and <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[Pg 110]</a></span>Virginia;
+consequently the plantations had, at this time, so much increased, that
+they were not further than two or three miles asunder; and, when M.
+Michaux was on the river, he always had some of them in view.</p>
+
+<p>The inhabitants of the banks of the Ohio employ the greatest part of
+their time in stag and bear-hunting, for the sake of the skins, which
+are important articles of traffic. The dwellings of this people are, for
+the most part, in pleasant situations; but they are only log-houses,
+without windows, and so small that they hold no more than two beds each.
+A couple of men, in less than ten days, could erect and finish one of
+them. No attention is here paid to any other culture than that of Indian
+corn.</p>
+
+<p>The favourable situation of the Ohio entitles this river to be
+considered as the centre of commercial activity, between the eastern and
+western states; and it is the only open communication with the ocean,
+for the exportation of provisions, from that part of the United States,
+which is comprised between the Alleghany Mountains, the lakes, and the
+left bank of the Mississippi.</p>
+
+<p>All these advantages, blended with the salubrity of the climate and the
+general beauty of the country, induced M. Michaux to imagine that, in
+the course of twenty years, the banks of the Ohio, from Pittsburgh to
+Louisville, would become the most populous and the most commercial part
+of the United States. <i>Limestone</i> consisted only of thirty or forty
+houses, constructed with wood. This little town had been built upwards
+of fifteen years. It was for some time the place where such emigrants
+landed as came from the northern states, by way of Pittsburgh: it was
+also the mart for merchandise, sent from Philadelphia and Baltimore to
+Kentucky.</p>
+
+<p>M. Michaux resolved to travel on foot, from this place to Lexington. The
+distance is sixty-five miles, and he performed the journey in two days
+and a half. <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[Pg 111]</a></span>In his journey he passed through <i>Mays Lick</i>, where there
+is a salt-work. The wells that supply the salt-water are about twenty
+feet in depth, and not more than fifty or sixty fathoms from the <i>River
+Salt Lick</i>; the waters of which, during the summer, are somewhat
+brackish. In this part of the country salt-springs are usually found in
+places which are described by the name of <i>Licks</i>; and where, before the
+arrival of Europeans, the bisons, elks, and stags, that existed in
+Kentucky, went, by hundreds, to lick the saline particles; with which
+the soil is impregnated.</p>
+
+<p>In the country around Mays Lick the soil is dry and sandy; and the road
+is covered with large, flat, chalky stones, of a bluish colour within,
+and the edges of which are round. The only trees that M. Michaux
+observed here, were white oaks and hickory; and the stinted growth and
+wretched appearance of these, clearly indicated the sterility of the
+soil.</p>
+
+<p>In the year 1796, <i>Lexington</i> consisted of only eighteen houses; but it
+now contained more than a hundred and fifty, half of which were of
+brick. This town is situated on a delightful plain, and is watered by a
+small river, near which were several corn-mills. Every thing seemed to
+announce the comfort of its inhabitants. It is built on a regular plan.
+The streets are broad, and cross each other at right angles. The want of
+pavement, however, renders it very muddy in winter. There were, at this
+time, in Lexington, two printing-offices, at each of which a newspaper
+was published twice a week. Two extensive rope-walks, constantly in
+employ, supplied, with rigging, the ships that were built upon the Ohio.
+Independently of other manufactories which had been established in this
+town, there were several common potteries, and one or two
+gunpowder-mills. The sulphur for the latter was obtained from
+Philadelphia, and the saltpetre was manufactured from substances dug out
+of grottos, or caverns, that are found on the declivity of lofty hills,
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[Pg 112]</a></span>in the mountainous parts of the state. The soil of these is extremely
+rich in nitrous particles.</p>
+
+<p>[About fifty miles west of Lexington, on the bank of the Ohio, and near
+the falls of that river, is the town of <i>Louisville</i>. This place forms a
+connecting link between New Orleans and the whole western parts of the
+United States. Mechanics can here obtain full employment, and they are
+able to earn from forty to fifty-four shillings a week. Every article of
+clothing is excessively expensive; and the rents of houses are very
+high. This place was formerly very unhealthy, the inhabitants being
+subject to fevers, agues, and other complaints; but it is said to be
+improving in healthiness. Mr. Fearon, who visited this place in the year
+1817, does not speak favourably of the character of the Kentuckians. He
+says they drink a great deal, swear a great deal, and gamble a great
+deal; and that even their amusements are sometimes conducted with
+excessive barbarity. The expence of sending goods, by water, from New
+Orleans to Louisville, is about twenty shillings per hundred weight; and
+down the stream, to New Orleans, about four shillings. The boats usually
+make the voyage upward in about ninety days; and downward in
+twenty-eight days. Steam-vessels accomplish the former voyage in
+thirty-six, and the latter in twenty-eight days.</p>
+
+<p>There are in Louisville, two great hotels, one of which has, on an
+average, one hundred and forty, and the other eighty boarders. A person,
+on going to either of them, applies to the bar-keeper for admittance:
+and the accommodations are very different from those in an English
+hotel. The place for washing is not, as with us, in the bed-rooms; but
+in the court-yard, where there are a large cistern, several towels and a
+negro in attendance. The sleeping-room usually contains from four to
+eight bedsteads, having mattresses and not feather-beds; sheets of
+calico, two blankets, and a quilt: the bedsteads have no curtains. The
+public rooms are, a news-room, a boot-room, (in which the bar is
+situated,) <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[Pg 113]</a></span>and a dining-room. The fires are generally surrounded by
+parties of about six persons. The usual custom with Americans is to pace
+up and down the news-room, in a manner similar to walking the deck of a
+ship at sea. Smoking segars is practised by all, and at every hour of
+the day. Argument or discussion, in this part of the world, is of very
+rare occurrence; social intercourse seems still more unusual;
+conversation on general topics, or taking enlarged and enlightened views
+of things, rarely occurs: each man is in pursuit of his own individual
+interest. At half past seven, the first bell rings for the purpose of
+collecting all the boarders, and, at eight, the second bell rings;
+breakfast is then set, the dining-room is unlocked, a general rush
+commences, and some activity, as well as dexterity, is necessary to
+obtain a seat at the table. The breakfast consists of a profuse supply
+of fish, flesh, and fowl, which is consumed with a rapidity truly
+extraordinary. At half-past one, the first bell rings, announcing the
+approach of dinner; the avenues to the dining-room become thronged. At
+two o'clock the second bell rings, the doors are thrown open, and a
+repetition of the breakfast-scene succeeds. At six, tea, or what is here
+called supper, is announced, and partaken of in the same manner. This is
+the last meal, and it usually affords the same fare as breakfast. At
+table there is neither conversation nor drinking: the latter is effected
+by individuals taking their liquor at the bar, the keeper of which is in
+full employ from sunrise to bed-time. A large tub of water, with a
+ladle, is placed at the bar; and to this the customers go and help
+themselves. When spirits are called for, the decanter is handed; the
+person calling for them takes what quantity he pleases, and the charge
+is sixpence-halfpenny. The life of boarders at an American tavern,
+presents a senseless and comfortless mode of killing time. Most houses
+of this description are thronged to excess; and few of the persons who
+frequent them, appear to have any other object in view than spitting and
+smoking.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[Pg 114]</a></span>In the state of Kentucky there are several subterraneous <i>caverns</i>,
+which have attracted much attention, and which are described as among
+the most extraordinary natural curiosities in the world. They are also
+of considerable importance in a commercial view, from the quantity of
+nitre they afford. The great cave, near Crooked Creek, is supposed to
+contain a million pounds of nitre. This cave has two mouths or
+entrances, about six hundred and fifty yards from each other, and one
+hundred and fifty yards from the creek.]</p>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<hr />
+<br />
+<h2>Tenth Day's Instruction.</h2>
+
+<h2>UNITED STATES CONTINUED.</h2>
+<br />
+
+<p class="cen"><i>Narrative of the Journey of M. Michaux, from Lexington to Charleston in
+South Carolina.</i></p>
+
+<p>On the tenth of August, M. Michaux set out from Lexington to Nasheville,
+in the state of Tenessee; and, as an establishment for the purpose of
+naturalizing the vine in Kentucky, was not very far out of his road, he
+resolved to visit it. Consequently, about fourteen miles from Lexington,
+he quitted the road, turned to the left, strolled through some woods,
+and reached the vineyard in the evening. It was, at this time, under the
+superintendance of a M. Dufoux, the principal person of a small Swiss
+colony, which had settled in Kentucky some years before. The vines had
+been selected chiefly from the vicinity of New York and Philadelphia.
+Many of them had failed; but those of the kinds which produce the
+Madeira wines, appeared to give considerable hopes of success. The whole
+of the vines occupied a space of about six acres; and they were planted
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[Pg 115]</a></span>and fixed with props similar to those in the environs of Paris.</p>
+
+<p>From this place M. Michaux was conducted, through the woods, to a ferry
+over the <i>Kentucky River</i>. The borders of the river at this ferry are
+formed by an enormous mass of chalky stones, remarkably peaked, and
+about a hundred and fifty feet high.</p>
+
+<p>Near <i>Harrodsburgh</i> M. Michaux visited the plantation and residence of
+General Adair. A spacious and commodious house, a great number of black
+servants, equipages: every thing announced the opulence of the general.
+Magnificent peach-orchards, and immense fields of Indian wheat,
+surrounded the house. The soil was extremely fertile, as was evident
+from the largeness of the blades of corn, their extraordinary height,
+and the abundance of the crops.</p>
+
+<p>About forty miles beyond the general's plantation, M. Michaux passed
+over <i>Mulder Hill</i>, a steep and lofty mountain, that forms a kind of
+amphitheatre. From its summit the neighbouring country presents the
+aspect of an immense valley, covered with forests of imperceptible
+extent. As far as the eye can reach, nothing but a gloomy verdant space
+is seen, formed by the tops of the close-connected trees, and, through
+which, not even the vestige of a plantation can be discerned. The
+profound silence that reigns in these woods, uninhabited by savage
+beasts, and the security of the place, forms an <i>ensemble</i> rarely to be
+seen in other countries.</p>
+
+<p>About ten miles beyond <i>Green River</i> commence what are called the
+<i>Barrens</i>, or <i>Kentucky Meadows</i>. On the first day of his journey over
+them, M. Michaux travelled fifteen miles; and, on the ensuing morning,
+having wandered to some distance out of the road, in search of a spring,
+at which to water his horse, he discovered a plantation in a low and
+narrow valley. The mistress of the house told him that she had resided
+there upwards of three years, and that, for eighteen months, she had not
+seen any individual except of her own family: that, weary of living thus
+isolated, her husband had <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[Pg 116]</a></span>been more than two months from home in quest
+of another spot, towards the mouth of the Ohio. A daughter, about
+fourteen years of age, and two children, considerably younger, were all
+the company she had: her house was abundantly stocked with vegetables
+and corn.</p>
+
+<p>This part of the Barrens was precisely similar to that which M. Michaux
+had traversed the day before; and the same kind of country extends as
+far as the line which separates the state of Tenessee from that of
+Kentucky. Here, to the great satisfaction of M. Michaux, he once more
+entered the woods. Nothing, he says, can be more tiresome than the
+doleful uniformity of these immense meadows, where there is no human
+creature to be met with; and where, except a great number of partridges,
+no species of living beings are to be seen.</p>
+
+<p>The Barrens comprise a portion of country from sixty to seventy miles in
+length, by sixty miles in breadth. According to the signification of the
+name, M. Michaux had imagined that he should have to cross a naked
+space, scattered here and there with a few plants; but he was agreeably
+surprised to find a beautiful meadow, where the grass was from two to
+three feet high. He here discovered a great variety of interesting
+plants. In some parts he observed several species of wild vines, and, in
+particular, one which is called by the inhabitants "summer grapes:" the
+bunches of fruit were as large, and the grapes as good in quality, as
+those in the vineyards round Paris. And it appeared to M. Michaux that
+the attempts which had been made in Kentucky, to establish the culture
+of the vine, would have been more successful in the Barrens, the soil of
+which appeared to him better adapted for this kind of culture, than that
+on the banks of the Kentucky. The Barrens are very thinly populated;
+for, on the road where the plantations are closest together, M. Michaux
+counted but eighteen in a space of sixty or seventy miles.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[Pg 117]</a></span><i>Nasheville</i>, the principal and the oldest town in this part of
+Tenessee, is situated on the <i>river Cumberland</i>, the borders of which
+are here formed by a mass of chalky stone, upwards of sixty feet in
+height. Except seven or eight houses, built of brick, the rest, to the
+number of about a hundred and twenty, were constructed of wood, and were
+distributed over a surface of twenty-five or thirty acres, where the
+rock appeared almost naked in every part.</p>
+
+<p>This little town, although it had been built more than fifteen years,
+contained no kind of manufactory or public establishment; but there was
+a printing-office, at which a newspaper was published once a week. A
+college had also been founded here; but it was yet in its infancy,
+having not more than seven or eight students, and only one professor.</p>
+
+<p>The price of labour in the vicinity of Nasheville was higher than at
+Lexington. There appeared to be from fifteen to twenty shops, which were
+supplied from Philadelphia and Baltimore; but they did not seem so well
+stocked as those of Lexington, and the articles, though dearer, were of
+inferior quality.</p>
+
+<p>All the inhabitants of the western country, who go by the river to New
+Orleans, return by land and pass through Nasheville, which is the first
+town beyond Natchez. The interval which separates these towns is about
+six hundred miles, and was, at this time, entirely uninhabited. Several
+persons who had travelled this road, assured M. Michaux that, for a
+space of four or five hundred miles beyond Natchez, the country was very
+irregular; that the soil was sandy, in some parts covered with pines,
+and not much adapted for culture; but that, on the contrary, the borders
+of the river Tenessee were fertile, and superior even to the richest
+parts of Kentucky.</p>
+
+<p>On the fifth of September, M. Michaux set out from Nasheville for
+Knoxville. He was accompanied by a Mr. Fisk, one of the commissioners
+who had been appointed to determine the boundaries between the states
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[Pg 118]</a></span>of Tenessee and Kentucky. They stopped on the road, with different
+friends of Mr. Fisk; among others, with General Smith, one of the oldest
+inhabitants of the country. M. Michaux saw, <i>en passant</i>, General
+Winchester. He was at a stone house which was building for him on the
+road. This mansion, the state of the country considered, bore the
+external marks of grandeur: it consisted of four large rooms on the
+ground-floor, one story, and a garret. The workmen employed to finish
+the inside had come from Baltimore, a distance of near seven hundred
+miles.</p>
+
+<p>A few miles from the residence of General Winchester, and at a short
+distance from the road, is a small town which had been founded but a few
+years, and to which the inhabitants had given the name of <i>Cairo</i>, in
+memory of the taking of Cairo by the French.</p>
+
+<p>Between Nasheville and Fort Blount the plantations, though always
+isolated in the woods, were, nevertheless, by the side of the road, and
+within two or three miles of each other: the inhabitants resided in
+log-houses, and most of them kept negroes, and appeared to live happily
+and in abundance. Through the whole of this space the soil was but
+slightly undulated: in some places it was level, and in general it was
+excellent.</p>
+
+<p><i>Fort Blount</i> had been constructed about eighteen years before M.
+Michaux was in America. It had been built for the purpose of protecting,
+against the attacks of the Indians, such emigrants as came, at that
+time, to settle in its vicinity. But peace having been concluded with
+the Indians, and the population having much increased, the
+fortifications now no longer existed.</p>
+
+<p>On the eleventh of September M. Michaux and Mr. Fisk left Fort Blount;
+and, at the house of Major Russel, some miles distant, they were
+obligingly furnished with provisions for two days' journey through the
+territory of the Cherokees.</p>
+
+<p>The country became now so mountainous, that they could not proceed more
+than forty-five miles the first day, though they travelled till
+midnight. They encamped <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[Pg 119]</a></span>near a small river, where there was an
+abundance of grass; and, after having lighted a fire, they slept in
+their rugs, keeping watch alternately, in order to guard their horses.
+During this day's journey they had seen no animals, except some flocks
+of wild turkeys.</p>
+
+<p>The second day after their departure, they met a party of eight or ten
+Indians, who were searching for grapes and chinquapins, a small species
+of chesnuts, superior in taste to those of Europe. As M. Michaux and his
+friend had only twenty miles to go before they reached West Point, they
+gave to these men the remainder of their provisions. With the American
+Indians bread is a great treat; for their usual food consists only of
+venison and wild-fowl.</p>
+
+<p>The road, which crosses this part of the Indian territory, cuts through
+the mountains of Cumberland; and, in consequence of the great number of
+emigrants who travel through it, to settle in the western country, it
+was, at this time, as broad and commodious as the roads were near
+Philadelphia. In some places, however, it was very rugged. Little boards
+painted black and nailed against the trees, every three miles, indicated
+to travellers the distance they had to go.</p>
+
+<p>In this part of Tenessee the mass of the forests is composed of all the
+species of trees which belong more particularly to the mountainous
+regions of North America; such as oaks, maples, hickory-nut trees, and
+pines.</p>
+
+<p>At <i>West Point</i> there was a fort palisadoed round with trees, and built
+upon a lofty eminence, at the conflux of the <i>rivers Clinch</i> and
+<i>Holstein</i>. A company of soldiers was kept here, for the purpose of
+holding the Indians in check, and also of protecting them against the
+inhabitants on the frontiers, whose cruelty and illiberal proceedings
+had frequently excited them to war.</p>
+
+<p>These <i>Indians</i> are above the middle size, are well-proportioned, and
+healthy in appearance, notwithstanding the long fasting they are
+frequently obliged to endure, whilst in pursuit of animals, the flesh of
+which <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[Pg 120]</a></span>forms their chief subsistence. The carbine is the only weapon
+they use: they are very dexterous with it, and are able to kill animals
+at a great distance. The usual dress of the men consists of a shirt,
+which hangs loose, and of a slip of blue cloth, about half a yard in
+length, which serves them for breeches; they put it between their
+thighs, and fasten the two ends, before and behind, to a sort of girdle.
+They wear long gaiters, and shoes made of prepared goat-skins. When full
+dressed they wear a coat, waistcoat, and hat; but they never have
+breeches. On the top of their heads they have a tuft of hair, which they
+form into several tresses, that hang down the sides of their face; and
+they frequently attach quills or little silver tubes to the extremities.
+Many of them pierce their noses, in order to put rings through. They
+also cut holes in their ears, which are made to hang down two or three
+inches, by pieces of lead, which are fastened to them. They paint their
+faces red, blue, or black.</p>
+
+<p>A shirt and a short petticoat constitute the chief dress of the women,
+who also wear gaiters like the men. Their hair, which is of jet-black
+colour, they suffer to grow to its natural length; but they do not
+pierce their noses, nor disfigure their ears. In winter both the men and
+women, in order to guard against cold, wrap themselves in blue rugs,
+which they always carry with them, and which form an essential part of
+their luggage.</p>
+
+<p>M. Michaux was informed, at West Point, that the Cherokees had lately
+begun to cultivate their possessions, and that they had made a rapid
+progress in agriculture. Some of them had good plantations, and even
+negro slaves. Several of the women spin cotton and manufacture
+cotton-stuffs.</p>
+
+<p>The distance from West Point to Knoxville is thirty-five miles. About a
+mile from West Point the travellers passed through <i>Kingstown</i>, a place
+consisting of thirty or forty log-houses. After that the road extended,
+upwards of eighteen miles, through a rugged <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[Pg 121]</a></span>and flinty soil, covered
+with a kind of grass. The trees that occupied this space, grew within
+twenty or thirty yards of each other.</p>
+
+<p><i>Knoxville</i>, the seat of government for the state of Tenessee, is
+situated on the <i>river Holstein</i>, here a hundred and fifty fathoms
+broad. The houses were, at this time, about two hundred in number, and
+were built chiefly of wood. Although it had been founded eighteen or
+twenty years, Knoxville did not yet possess any kind of commercial
+establishment, or manufactory, except two or three tan-yards. Baltimore
+and Richmond are the towns with which this part of the country transacts
+most business. The distance from Knoxville to Baltimore is seven hundred
+miles, and to Richmond four hundred and twenty. The inhabitants of
+Knoxville send flour, cotton, and lime, to New Orleans, by the river
+Tenessee; but the navigation of this river is much interrupted, in two
+places, by shallows interspersed with rocks.</p>
+
+<p>In the tavern at Knoxville travellers and their horses are accommodated
+at the rate of about five shillings per day; but this is considered dear
+for a country where the situation is by no means favourable to the sale
+of provisions. A newspaper is published at Knoxville twice a week.</p>
+
+<p>On the 17th of September, M. Michaux took leave of Mr. Fisk, and
+proceeded alone towards Jonesborough, a town about a hundred miles
+distant; and situated at the foot of the lofty mountains which separate
+North Carolina from Tenessee. On leaving Knoxville the soil was uneven,
+stony, and bad; and the forests contained a great number of pine-trees.
+Before he reached <i>Macby</i>, M. Michaux observed, for the space of two
+miles, a copse extremely full of young trees, the loftiest of which was
+not more than twenty feet high. The inhabitants of the country informed
+him that this place had formerly been part of a barren, or meadow, which
+had clothed itself again with trees, after its timber, about fifteen
+years before, had been totally destroyed by <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[Pg 122]</a></span>fire. This appears to
+prove, that the spacious meadows in Kentucky and Tenessee owe their
+origin to some great conflagration which has consumed the forests and
+that they continue as meadows, by the practice, still continued, of
+annually setting them on fire, for the purpose of clearing the land.</p>
+
+<p>M. Michaux stopped, the first day, at a place where most of the
+inhabitants were Quakers. One of these, with whom he lodged, had an
+excellent plantation, and his log-house was divided into two rooms.
+Around the house were growing some magnificent apple-trees: these,
+although produced from pips, bore fruit of extraordinary size and
+excellent flavour, a circumstance which proves how well this country is
+adapted for the culture of fruit-trees. At this house there were two
+emigrant families, consisting of ten or twelve persons, who were going
+to settle in Tenessee. Their clothes were ragged, and their children
+were barefooted and in their shirts.</p>
+
+<p>Beyond this place the road divided into two branches, both of which led
+to Jonesborough; and, as M. Michaux was desirous of surveying the banks
+of the <i>river Nolachuky</i>, renowned for their fertility, he took the
+branch which led him in that direction. As he proceeded he found many
+small rock crystals, two or three inches long, and beautifully
+transparent. They were loose, and disseminated upon the road, in a
+reddish kind of earth.</p>
+
+<p>On the twenty-first he arrived at <i>Greenville</i>, a town which contained
+scarcely forty houses, constructed with square beams, and somewhat in
+the manner of log-houses. The distance between this place and
+Jonesborough, is about twenty-five miles: the country was slightly
+mountainous, the soil was more adapted to the culture of corn than that
+of Indian wheat; and the plantations were situated near the road, two or
+three miles distant from each other.</p>
+
+<p><i>Jonesborough</i>, the last town in Tenessee, consisted, at this time, of
+about a hundred and fifty houses, built of <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[Pg 123]</a></span>wood, and disposed on both
+sides of the road. Four or five respectable shops were established
+there, and the tradespeople, who kept them, received their goods from
+Richmond and Baltimore.</p>
+
+<p>On the twenty-first of September, M. Michaux set out from Jonesborough
+to cross the <i>Alleghany Mountains</i>, for North Carolina. In some places
+the road, or rather the path, was scarcely distinguishable, in
+consequence of the plants of various kinds that covered its surface. It
+was also encumbered by forests of rhododendron: shrubs, from eighteen to
+twenty feet in height, the branches of which, twisted and interwoven
+with each other, greatly impeded his progress. He had also to cross
+numerous streams; particularly a large torrent, called Rocky Creek, the
+winding course of which cut the path in twelve or fifteen directions.</p>
+
+<p>On the twenty-third this gentleman proceeded twenty-two miles, through a
+hilly country; and, in the evening, arrived at the house of a person
+named Davenport, the owner of a charming plantation upon <i>Doe River</i>. M.
+Michaux staid here a week, in order to rest himself and recruit his
+strength, after a journey of six hundred miles which he had just made.
+On the second of October, he again set out, and proceeded towards
+Morganton. About four miles from Doe River he passed the chain of the
+<i>Blue Ridges</i>, and afterwards that of the <i>Linneville Mountains</i>. From
+the summit of the latter he observed an immense extent of mountainous
+country, covered with forests. Only three small places appeared to be
+cleared, which formed as many plantations, three or four miles distant
+from each other.</p>
+
+<p>From the Linneville Mountains to Morganton, the distance is about
+twenty-five miles: in this interval the country was slightly
+mountainous, and the soil extremely bad.</p>
+
+<p><i>Morganton</i>, the principal town of the county of Burke, contained about
+fifty houses built of wood, almost all of which were inhabited by
+tradesmen. <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[Pg 124]</a></span>There was only one warehouse, and this was supported by a
+commercial establishment at Charleston. To it the inhabitants of the
+country, for twenty miles round, came to purchase English manufactured
+goods and jewellery; or to exchange, for these, a portion of their own
+produce, consisting of dried hams, butter, tallow, bear-skins and
+stag-skins.</p>
+
+<p>From Morganton to Charleston the distance is two hundred and eighty-five
+miles. There are several roads; but M. Michaux took that which led
+through Lincolnton, Chester, and Columbia. The distance from Morganton
+to Lincolnton, is forty-five miles. Through the whole of this space the
+soil is extremely barren; and the plantations, straggling five or six
+miles from each other, have an unfavourable appearance. The woods are
+chiefly composed of different kinds of oaks; and the surface of the
+ground is covered with grass, intermixed with other plants.</p>
+
+<p><i>Lincolnton</i>, at this time, consisted of forty houses, and, like all the
+small towns in the interior of the United States, was surrounded by
+woods. There were, at Lincolnton, two or three large shops, which
+transacted the same kind of business as that at Morganton. The tradesmen
+who kept them sent the produce of the adjacent country to Charleston,
+but they sometimes stocked themselves with goods from Philadelphia.</p>
+
+<p>At Lincolnton a newspaper was published twice a week. The price of
+subscription was two dollars per annum, but the printer, who was his own
+editor, took, by way of payment, flour, rye, wax, or other traffic, at
+the market-price. As in England, the advertisements were the most
+important source of profit. The foreign news was almost wholly extracted
+from papers published at the sea-ports.</p>
+
+<p>The district around Lincolnton was peopled, in a great measure, by
+Germans from Pennsylvania. Their plantations were kept in excellent
+order, and their lands were well cultivated. Almost all had negro
+slaves, and there reigned among them a greater independence than in the
+families of English origin.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[Pg 125]</a></span>From Lincolnton to Chester, in the state of South Carolina, the distance
+is about seventy miles. Through the whole of this space the earth is
+light, and of a quality inferior to that between Morganton and
+Lincolnton, although the mass of the forests is composed of various
+species of oaks. In some places, however, pine-trees are in such
+abundance that, for several miles, the ground is covered with nothing
+else.</p>
+
+<p><i>Chester</i> contained about thirty houses, built of wood; and among the
+number were two inns and two respectable shops.</p>
+
+<p>From Chester the country becomes worse in every respect than before; and
+the traveller is obliged to put up at inns, where he is badly
+accommodated both in board and lodging, and at which he pays dearer than
+in any other part of the United States. The reputation of these inns is
+esteemed according to the quantity and different kinds of spirits which
+they sell.</p>
+
+<p>From Chester to Columbia the distance is fifty-five miles. M. Michaux
+passed through <i>Winesborough</i>, containing about a hundred and fifty
+houses. This place is one of the oldest inhabited towns in Carolina, and
+several planters of the low country go thither every year to spend the
+summer and autumn.</p>
+
+<p>[<i>Columbia</i>, now the seat of government for the state of South Carolina,
+is situated below the confluence of the <i>Broad</i> and <i>Saluda Rivers</i>. It
+is laid out on a regular plan, the streets intersecting each other at
+right angles. The buildings are erected at the distance of about three
+quarters of a mile from the <i>Cangaree River</i>, on a ridge of high land,
+three hundred feet above the level of the water. In 1808, Columbia
+contained about one hundred and fifty houses. Vineyards, cotton, and
+hemp-plantations are successfully cultivated in its vicinity; and
+oil-mills, rope walks, and some other manufactories have been
+established here.]</p>
+
+<p>The distance from Columbia to Charleston is about a hundred and twenty
+miles; and, through the whole of this space, the road crosses an even
+country, sandy and <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[Pg 126]</a></span>dry during the summer, whilst in the autumn and
+winter, it is so covered with water that, in several places, for the
+space of eight or ten miles, the horses are up to their middle. Every
+two or three miles there were, by the side of the road, miserable
+log-houses, surrounded by little fields of Indian corn.</p>
+
+<p>The extreme unwholesomeness of the climate is shown by the pale and
+livid countenances of the inhabitants, who, during the months of
+September and October, are almost all affected with tertian fevers. Very
+few persons take any remedy for this complaint: they merely wait the
+approach of the first frosts, which, if they live so long, generally
+effect a cure.</p>
+
+<p>M. Michaux arrived at <i>Charleston</i> on the eighteenth of October, 1802,
+three months and a half after his departure from Philadelphia, having,
+in that time, travelled over a space of nearly eighteen hundred miles.</p>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<hr />
+<br />
+<h2>Eleventh Day's Instruction.</h2>
+
+<h2>UNITED STATES CONTINUED.</h2>
+<br />
+
+<p class="cen"><i>A Description of Charleston, and of some places in the adjacent parts
+of<br /> Carolina and Georgia.</i></p>
+
+<p>Charleston is situated at the conflux of the rivers Ashley and Cooper.
+The ground that it occupies is about a mile in length. From the middle
+of the principal street the two rivers might be clearly seen, were it
+not for a public edifice, built upon the banks of the Cooper, which
+intercepts the view. The most populous and commercial part of the town
+is situated along the Ashley. Several ill-constructed <i>quays</i> project
+into the river, to facilitate the trading-vessels taking in their
+cargoes. These quays are formed of the trunks of <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[Pg 127]</a></span>palm-trees, fixed
+together, and laid out in squares, one above another. The <i>streets</i> of
+Charleston are wide, but not paved; consequently, every time the foot
+slips, from a kind of brick pavement before the doors, it is immersed,
+nearly ancle deep, in sand. The rapid and almost incessant motion of
+carriages grinds this moving sand, and pulverizes it in such a manner,
+that the most gentle wind fills the shops with it, and renders it very
+disagreeable to foot-passengers. The principal streets extend east and
+west between the two rivers, and others intersect these nearly at right
+angles.</p>
+
+<p>From its exposure to the ocean, this place is subject to storms and
+inundations, which affect the security of its harbour. The town also has
+suffered much by fires. The last, in 1796, destroyed upwards of five
+hundred houses, and occasioned damage to the amount of &pound;.300,000
+sterling.</p>
+
+<p>The <i>houses</i>, in the streets near the water-side, are, for the most
+part, lofty, and built close together. The bricks are of a peculiar
+nature, being porous, and capable of resisting weather better than the
+firm, close, and red bricks of the northern states. They are of a dark
+brown colour, which gives to the buildings a gloomy appearance. The
+roofs are tiled or slated. In this part of the town the principal
+shopkeepers and merchants have their stores and warehouses. Houses here
+bear a very high rent: those in Broad and Church-streets, which are
+valuable for shops, let for more than &pound;.300 per annum; and those along
+the bay, with warehouses, let for &pound;.700 and upwards, according to the
+size and situation of the buildings. The houses in Meeting-street and
+the back part of the town, are in general lofty and extensive, and are
+separated from each other by small gardens or yards, in which are the
+kitchens and out-offices. Almost every house is furnished with balconies
+and verandas, some of which occupy the whole side of the building, from
+top to bottom, having a gallery for each floor. The houses are sometimes
+shaded with <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[Pg 128]</a></span>Venetian blinds, and afford to the inhabitants a cool and
+pleasant retreat, from the scorching rays of the sun. Most of the modern
+houses are constructed with taste and elegance; but the chief design
+seems to be, to render them as cool as possible. The town is also
+crowded with wooden buildings, of an inferior description.</p>
+
+<p>Three of the <i>public buildings</i> in Charleston, and the episcopal church
+of St. Michael, are situated at the corners, formed by the intersection
+of Broad and Meeting-streets. St. Michael's is a large and substantial
+edifice, with a lofty steeple and spire. The Branch Bank of the United
+States occupies one of the corners: this is a substantial, and, compared
+with others in the town, is a handsome building; but, from an
+injudicious intermixture of brick, stone, and marble, it has a very
+motley appearance. Another corner of the street is occupied by the gaol
+and armory: the fourth corner has a large and substantial brick
+building, cased with plaster. The ground-floor of this building is
+appropriated to the courts of law: in the first story are most of the
+public offices; and the upper story contains the public library and the
+museum.</p>
+
+<p>A kind of tree, called the "pride of India," (<i>melia azedarach</i>,) is
+planted, in rows, along the foot-paths and the streets of Charleston. It
+does not grow very high; but its umbrageous leaves and branches afford,
+to the inhabitants, an excellent shelter from the sun. It has the
+advantage also of not engendering insects; for, in consequence of its
+poisonous qualities, no insect can live upon it. When in blossom, the
+large clusters of its flowers resemble those of the lilac; these are
+succeeded by bunches of yellow berries, each about the size of a small
+cherry. It is a deciduous tree; but the berries remain during the
+winter, and drop off in the following spring.</p>
+
+<p>The health of the <i>inhabitants</i> is very much injured, in consequence of
+their general neglect of cleanliness. The drains that are formed for
+carrying off the filth <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[Pg 129]</a></span>and putrid matter, which collect from all parts
+of the town, are too small for the purpose. This circumstance, added to
+the effluvia of the numerous swamps and stagnant pools in the
+neighbourhood, are known to be extremely injurious. Another neglect of
+health and comfort arises from a filthy practice, which prevails, of
+dragging dying horses, or the carcasses of dead ones, to a field in the
+outskirts of the town, near the high road, and there leaving them, to be
+devoured by troops of ravenous dogs and vultures. The latter, in
+appearance, are not much unlike turkeys, and thence have obtained the
+name of turkey buzzards; but, from their carnivorous habits, they have a
+most offensive smell. These birds hover over Charleston in great
+numbers; and are useful in destroying putrid substances, which lie in
+different parts of the city.</p>
+
+<p>At Charleston there is a garden dignified by the name of <i>Vauxhall</i>. It
+is situated in Broad-street, at a short distance from the theatre; but
+it possesses no decoration worthy of notice. It cannot even be compared
+with the common tea-gardens in the vicinity of London. On one side of it
+are warm and cold baths, for the accommodation of the inhabitants.
+During summer, vocal and instrumental concerts are performed here, and
+some of the singers from the theatre are engaged for the season. The
+situation and climate of Charleston are, however, by no means adapted
+for entertainments of this description.</p>
+
+<p>There are, in this town, four or five <i>hotels</i> and coffee-houses; but,
+except the Planters' Hotel, in Meeting-street, not one of them is
+superior to an English public-house.</p>
+
+<p>Charleston contains a handsome and commodious <i>market-place</i>, which
+extends from Meeting-street to the water-side, and is as well supplied
+with <i>provisions</i> as the country will permit. Compared, however, with
+the markets in the towns of the northern states, the supply is very
+inferior, both in quality and quantity. The beef, mutton, veal, and
+pork, of South Carolina, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[Pg 130]</a></span>are seldom in perfection; and the hot weather
+renders it impossible to keep meat many hours after it is killed. Though
+the rivers abound in a great variety of fish, yet very few are brought
+to market. Oysters, however, are abundant, and are cried about the
+streets by negroes. They are generally shelled, put into small pails,
+which the negroes carry on their heads, and are sold, by measure, at the
+rate of about eight-pence per quart. Vegetables have been cultivated, of
+late years, with great success; and, of these, there is generally a
+tolerable supply in the market.</p>
+
+<p>In winter, the markets of Charleston are well supplied with fish, which
+are brought from the northern parts of the United States, in vessels so
+constructed as to keep them in a continual supply of water, and alive.
+The ships, engaged in this traffic, load, in return, with rice and
+cotton.</p>
+
+<p>At Charleston, wood is extravagantly dear: it costs from forty to fifty
+shillings a <i>cord</i>, notwithstanding forests of almost boundless extent,
+commence at six miles, and even at a less distance, from the town. Hence
+a great portion of the inhabitants burn coals that are brought from
+England.</p>
+
+<p>The pestilential marshes around Charleston yield a great abundance of
+rice. It is true that no European frame could support the labour of its
+cultivation; but Africa can produce slaves, and, amid contagion and
+suffering, both of oppressors and oppressed, Charleston has become a
+wealthy city.</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>The road from Charleston towards North Carolina, extends, for some
+distance, through the districts adjacent to the sea-coast; and much of
+the country is clad with bright evergreens, whence, in many places, it
+appears like the shrubbery of a park. In this part of America the trees
+are covered with a curious kind of vegetable drapery, which hangs from
+them in long curling tendrils, of gray or pale green colour. It bears a
+small blue flower, which is succeeded by a plumed seed, that <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[Pg 131]</a></span>adheres to
+the bark of the trees. Though the bark of the oak seems to afford the
+most favourite soil, it suspends itself to trees of every description;
+and, as it has no tenacity, but hangs like loose drapery, it probably
+does them no injury.</p>
+
+<p>In the interior of the country the road traverses a desolate tract of
+swamps and sandy pine-forests, and afterwards a series of granite rocks.</p>
+
+<p>The capital of North Carolina is <i>Raleigh</i>, a clean little country town.
+At one end of the only street stands the governor's brick house; and, at
+the other, the senate or court-house, surrounded by a grass-plot, neatly
+laid out. The houses are, in general, small, and built of wood; but some
+of them have foundations of granite, which is the only kind of stone in
+the country. The total want of limestone, and the scarcity of
+brick-earth, render it here extremely difficult and expensive to give to
+buildings any degree of stability.</p>
+
+<p>Although Raleigh is considered the capital of North Carolina, <i>Newbern</i>
+is the largest town in the state. So long ago as the year 1790, it
+contained four hundred houses; but these were chiefly built of wood. In
+September, 1791, about one-third of this town was consumed by fire; but,
+since that period, more of the houses have been built of brick than
+before. Newbern is situated on a flat, sandy point of land, near the
+junction of the two rivers Neus and Trent, and about thirty miles from
+the sea. It carries on a trade with the West Indies and the interior of
+Carolina, chiefly in tar, pitch, turpentine, lumber, and corn.</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>About a hundred miles south-west of Charleston is the town of
+<i>Savannah</i>, situated upon an open, sandy plain, which forms a bluff or
+cliff, about fifty feet above the level of the river of the same name.
+It is laid out, in the form of a parallelogram, about a mile and a
+quarter long, and half a mile wide. The streets are broad, and open into
+spacious squares, each of which has in the middle a pump, surrounded by
+trees. <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[Pg 132]</a></span>There are neither foot-paths nor pavement in this place; and,
+consequently, every one walking in the streets, sinks, at each step, up
+to the ancles in sand; and, in windy weather, the eyes, mouth, and
+nostrils, are filled with sand.</p>
+
+<p>The houses in Savannah are, for the most part, built of wood, and stand
+at a little distance from each other. In two or three of the streets,
+however, they are close together, and many of them are built with brick:
+these contain the shops and stores. The principal street is that called
+the Bay; and in this there are several good houses, of brick and wood.
+It extends nearly three quarters of a mile in length; and opposite to it
+is a beautiful walk, planted with a double row of trees. Similar trees
+are planted in other parts of the town. This agreeable promenade is near
+the margin of the height, upon which the town stands; and the merchants'
+stores, warehouses, and wharfs, for the landing, housing, and shipping
+of goods, are immediately below. From the height there is a fine view of
+the Savannah river, as far as the sea; and, in a contrary direction, to
+the distance of several miles above the town.</p>
+
+<p>About the centre of the walk, and just on the verge of the cliff, stands
+the Exchange, a large brick building, which contains some public
+offices; and an assembly-room, where a concert and ball are held every
+fortnight, during the winter.</p>
+
+<p>The situation of Savannah, and the plan upon which it is laid out, if
+the town contained better houses, would render it far more agreeable, as
+a place of residence, than Charleston. Its greater elevation must also
+be more conducive to the health of the inhabitants, than the low and
+flat site of the other city. Both, however, are in the neighbourhood of
+swamps, marshes, and thick woods, which engender diseases, injurious to
+the constitution of white people. On the swamps, around Savannah, great
+quantities of rice are grown.</p>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<hr /><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[Pg 133]</a></span>
+<br />
+<h2>Twelfth Day's Instruction.</h2>
+
+<h2>UNITED STATES CONTINUED.</h2>
+<br />
+
+<p class="cen"><i>Narrative of an excursion from Charleston into Georgia and West
+Florida. From<br /> Travels in North America, by</i> <span class="smcap">William Bartram</span>.</p>
+
+<p>At the request of Dr. Fothergill, an eminent physician in London, Mr.
+Bartram went to North America, for the purpose, chiefly, of collecting,
+in Florida, Carolina, and Georgia, some of the rare and useful
+productions which had been described, by preceding travellers, to abound
+in those states. He left England in the month of April, 1773, and
+continued abroad several years.</p>
+
+<p>In 1776, he was at <i>Charleston</i>; and on the 22d of April, in that year,
+he set off on horseback, intending to make an excursion into the country
+of the Cherokee Indians. He directed his course towards Augusta, a town
+on the Savannah river.</p>
+
+<p>During his first day's journey he observed a large orchard of
+mulberry-trees, which were cultivated for the feeding of silkworms. The
+notes of the mocking-bird enlivened all the woods. He crossed into
+Georgia, by a ferry over the Savannah; and he thence passed through a
+range of pine-forests and swamps, about twelve miles in extent. Beyond
+these, in a forest, on the border of a swamp, and near the river, he
+reached a cow-pen, the proprietor of which possessed about fifteen
+hundred head of cattle. He was a man of amiable manners, and treated Mr.
+Bartram with great hospitality. The chief profits made by this person
+were obtained from beef, which he sent, by the river, for the supply of
+distant markets.</p>
+
+<p>About one hundred miles beyond this place is <i>Augusta</i>, in one of the
+most delightful and most eligible <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[Pg 134]</a></span>situations imaginable. It stands on
+an extensive plain, near the banks of the river Savannah, which is here
+navigable for vessels of twenty or thirty tons burden. Augusta, thus
+seated near the head of an important navigation, commands the trade and
+commerce of the vast and fertile regions above it; and, from every side,
+to a great distance. [Since Mr. Bartram was here, this place has become
+the metropolis of Georgia.]</p>
+
+<p>Below Augusta, and on the Georgia side of the river, the road crosses a
+ridge of high swelling hills, of uncommon elevation, and sixty or
+seventy feet higher than the surface of the river. These hills, from
+three feet below the common vegetative surface, to the depth of twenty
+or thirty feet, are entirely composed of fossil oyster-shells, which,
+internally, are of the colour and consistency of white marble. The
+shells are of immense magnitude; generally fifteen or twenty inches in
+length, from six to eight wide, and from two to four inches in
+thickness; and their hollows are sufficiently deep to receive a man's
+foot.</p>
+
+<p>From Augusta, Mr. Bartram proceeded to Fort James. For thirty miles the
+road led him near the banks of the Savannah. The surface of the land was
+uneven, in ridges or chains of swelling hills, and corresponding vales,
+with level downs. The latter afforded grass and various herbage; and the
+vales and hills produced forest-trees and shrubs of several kinds. In
+the rich and humid lands, which bordered the creeks and bases of the
+hills, Mr. Bartram discovered many species of plants which were entirely
+new to him.</p>
+
+<p><i>Fort James</i> enclosed about an acre of ground, and contained barracks
+for soldiers, and a house for the governor or commandant. It was
+situated at the extreme point of a promontory, formed by the junction of
+the <i>Broad</i> and <i>Savannah rivers</i>; and, at the distance of two miles,
+there was a place laid out for the construction of a town, which was to
+have the name of <i>Dartmouth</i>.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[Pg 135]</a></span>The surgeon of the garrison conducted Mr. Bartram, about five miles from
+the fort, to a spot where he showed him some remarkable Indian
+monuments. These were on a plain, about thirty yards from the river, and
+they consisted of conical mounds of earth, with square terraces. The
+principal mount was in the form of a cone, forty or fifty feet high, and
+two or three hundred yards in circumference at the base. It was flat at
+the top; a spiral track, leading from the ground to the summit, was
+still visible; and it was surmounted by a large and spreading
+cedar-tree. On the sides of the hill, facing the four cardinal points,
+were niches or centry-boxes, all entered from the winding path. The
+design of these structures Mr. Bartram was unable to ascertain. The
+adjacent grounds had been cleared, and were at this time planted with
+Indian corn.</p>
+
+<p>On the 10th of May, Mr. Bartram set out from Fort James. He rode six or
+eight miles along the bank of the river, and then crossed it into South
+Carolina. The road led him over a country, the surface of which was
+undulated by ridges or chains of hills, and sometimes rough with rocks
+and stones; yet generally productive of forests, and of a great variety
+of curious and interesting plants.</p>
+
+<p>The season was unusually wet: showers of rain fell almost daily, and
+were frequently attended with thunder. Hence travelling was rendered
+disagreeable, toilsome, and hazardous; particularly in the country
+through which he had to pass; an uninhabited wilderness, abounding in
+rivers and brooks.</p>
+
+<p>During his progress, Mr. Bartram was kindly received into the houses of
+such planters as lived near the road. In his journey betwixt Fort James
+and the Cherokee town of <i>Sinica</i>, he observed an abundance of
+grape-vines, which ramble and spread themselves over the shrubs and low
+trees. The grapes, when ripe, are of various colours, and yield
+excellent juice.</p>
+
+<p><i>Sinica</i> is a respectable Cherokee settlement, on the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[Pg 136]</a></span>east bank of the
+<i>Keowe river</i>; but the greatest number of Indian habitations are on the
+opposite shore, where also stands the council-house, in a plain, betwixt
+the river and a range of lofty hills, which rise magnificently, and seem
+to bend over the green plains and the river. Sinica had not, at this
+time, been long built. The number of inhabitants was estimated at about
+five hundred, among whom about a hundred warriors could be mustered.</p>
+
+<p>From Sinica Mr. Bartram went to another Indian town, about sixteen miles
+distant, called <i>Keowe</i>. It stood in a fertile vale, which was now
+enamelled with scarlet strawberries and blooming plants, of innumerable
+kinds, through the midst of which the river meandered, in a most
+pleasing manner. The adjacent heights were so formed and disposed, that,
+with little, expence of military architecture, they might have been
+rendered almost unassailable. In the vicinity of Keowe, Mr. Bartram saw
+several ancient Indian mounts or tumuli, and terraces.</p>
+
+<p>On leaving this place he crossed the river at a ford, and, soon
+afterwards, began to ascend the steep ridges on the west side of the
+valley. The prospects of the surrounding country here presented to his
+view, were, in many instances, peculiarly beautiful. Having reached the
+summits of the mountains, he afterwards passed through a series of
+magnificent forests, and then approached an ample meadow, bordered with
+a high circular amphitheatre of hills, the ridges of which rose
+magnificently one above another. After this the surface of the land was
+level, and, in some places exhibited views of grand forests, and dark,
+detached groves, and in others of fertile vales and meadows.</p>
+
+<p>After having crossed a delightful river, a main branch of the <i>Tugilo</i>,
+Mr. Bartram passed through a mountainous country. Here, being overtaken
+by a tremendous hurricane, accompanied with torrents of rain, and the
+most awful thunder imaginable, in the midst of a <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[Pg 137]</a></span>solitary wilderness,
+he was glad to obtain shelter in a forsaken Indian dwelling. In this he
+lighted a fire, dried his clothes, comforted himself with a frugal
+repast of biscuit and dried beef, and afterwards passed the night.</p>
+
+<p>At some distance beyond this cottage, were the ruins of an Indian town
+called <i>Sticoe</i>. At this place was a vast Indian mount or tumulus, with
+a great terrace. Here also were old peach and plum-orchards, some of the
+trees of which still appeared to be thriving and fruitful. From Sticoe,
+proceeding along a vale, and crossing a delightful brook, which falls
+into the Tenessee, Mr. Bartram followed its course nearly as far as
+<i>Cowe</i>, an Indian town which stands in a valley on the bank of one of
+the branches of the <i>river Tenessee</i>. He had letters of introduction to
+a gentleman resident in this place, who had, for many years, been a
+trader with the Indians, and who was noted for his humanity, his
+probity, and his equitable dealings with them. By this gentleman he was
+received with every demonstration of hospitality and friendship.</p>
+
+<p>After having staid two days at Cowe, and, in the mean time, having made
+some excursions to places in its vicinity, Mr. Bartram proceeded on his
+journey, and was accompanied, about fifteen miles, by his hospitable
+friend, the trader. After this gentleman had left him, he was in the
+midst of solitude, surrounded by dreary and trackless mountains; and,
+for some time, he was unable to erase from his mind a notion that his
+present situation in some degree resembled that of Nebuchadnezzar, when
+expelled from the society of men, and constrained to roam in the
+wilderness, there to herd and to feed with the beasts of the forest. He,
+however, proceeded with all the alacrity which prudence would permit.
+His present object was, at all events, to cross the Jore Mountains, said
+to be the highest land in the Cherokee country. These he soon afterwards
+began to ascend; and, at length, he accomplished one part of his arduous
+task. From the most elevated peak of these <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[Pg 138]</a></span>mountains, he beheld, with
+rapture and astonishment, a sublimely awful scene of magnificence, a
+world of mountains piled upon mountains.</p>
+
+<p>On the ensuing day, still proceeding in his journey westward, Mr.
+Bartram, on descending from the heights, observed a company of Indians
+on horseback. They rapidly approached him; and, under an impression that
+one of them, who was at the head of the troop, was the emperor or grand
+chief of the Cherokees, Mr. Bartram turned out of the path in token of
+respect. In this supposition he was correct, and the compliment was
+accepted, for the chief, with a cheerful smile, came up to him, and
+placing his hand on his breast, then offered it to Mr. Bartram, and
+heartily shook hands with him. The chief made enquiry respecting a
+gentleman of Charleston, with whom he was acquainted, and afterwards
+welcomed Mr. Bartram into his country, as a friend and brother. Being,
+at this time, on a journey to Charleston, he shook hands with Mr.
+Bartram, bade him heartily farewell, and then proceeded.</p>
+
+<p>Describing the <i>Cherokee</i> Indians, our traveller says that these people
+construct their habitations in a square form, each building being only
+one story high. The materials consist of logs or trunks of trees,
+stripped of their bark, notched at the ends, fixed one upon another, and
+afterwards plastered both inside and out, with clay well tempered with
+dry grass; and the whole covered or roofed with the bark of the
+chesnut-tree, or with broad shingles or wooden tiles. The principal
+building is partitioned transversely, so as to form three apartments,
+which communicate with each other by inside doors. Each habitation has
+also a little conical house, which is called the winter or hot-house;
+this stands a few yards from the mansion-house, and opposite to the
+front door.</p>
+
+<p>The council or town-house at Cowe, is a large rotunda, capable of
+accommodating several hundred people. It stands on the summit of an
+ancient artificial mount, about twenty feet high; and the rotunda at the
+top, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[Pg 139]</a></span>being about thirty feet more, gives to the whole fabric an
+elevation of sixty feet from the ground. But the mount on which the
+rotunda stands, is of much more ancient date than the building, and
+perhaps was raised for some other purpose than to support it. The
+Cherokees themselves are ignorant by what people, or for what purpose,
+these artificial hills were raised. According to their traditions, they
+were found in much the same state as they now appear, when their
+forefathers arrived from the west, and possessed themselves of the
+country, after vanquishing the nations of red men who then inhabited it,
+and who themselves found these mounts when they took possession of the
+country.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Bartram, in company with some Europeans that were resident here,
+went one evening to the rotunda, to witness a grand entertainment of
+music and dancing. This was held principally for the purpose of
+rehearsing what is called a ball-play dance; the inhabitants of Cowe
+having received a challenge to play against those of another town.</p>
+
+<p>The people, being assembled and seated, and the musicians having taken
+their station, the ball was opened, first with a long harangue or
+oration, spoken by an aged chief, in commendation of the manly exercise
+of ball-play. This chief recounted the many and brilliant victories
+which the town of Cowe had gained over the other towns in the nation;
+not forgetting to recite his own exploits, together with those of other
+aged men now present, coadjutors in the performance of these athletic
+games during their youthful days.</p>
+
+<p>This oration ended, the music, both vocal and instrumental, began.
+Presently a company of girls, hand in hand, dressed in clean white
+robes, and ornamented with beads, bracelets, and a profusion of gay
+ribbons, entering the door, sang responses in a gentle, low, and sweet
+tone of voice; and formed themselves in a semicircular file, or line of
+two ranks, back to back, facing the spectators, and moving slowly round.
+This continued about a quarter of an hour, when the strangers <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[Pg 140]</a></span>were
+surprised by a sudden loud and shrill whoop, uttered by a company of
+young men, who came in briskly, after one another, each with a racket or
+hurl in his hand. These champions likewise were well dressed, painted,
+and ornamented with silver bracelets, gorgets, and wampum, and having
+high waving plumes in their diadems: they immediately formed themselves
+in a semicircular rank in front of the girls; on which these changed
+their position, and formed a single rank parallel to that of the men.
+They raised their voices, in responses to the tunes of the young
+champions, the semicircles continually moving round during the time.</p>
+
+<p>The Cherokees, besides the ball-play dance, have several others, equally
+entertaining. The men, especially, exercise themselves in a variety of
+gesticulations and capers, some of which are extremely ludicrous. They
+have others of a martial kind, and others illustrative of the chase:
+these seem to be somewhat of a tragical nature, in which they exhibit
+astonishing feats of military prowess, masculine strength, and activity.
+Indeed, all their dances and musical entertainments seem to be
+theatrical exhibitions or plays, varied with comic, and sometimes
+indecent interludes.</p>
+
+<p>On the ensuing morning, Mr. Bartram set off on his return to Fort James;
+and, two days afterwards, he again arrived at <i>Keowe</i>, where he
+continued two or three days. In the environs of this place he observed
+some very singular Indian antiquities. They each consisted of four flat
+stones, two set on edge for the side, another closed one end, and a very
+large flat stone was laid horizontally on the top. Mr. Bartram
+conjectures that they must have been either altars for sacrifices, or
+sepulchres.</p>
+
+<p>This gentleman accompanied the traders to <i>Sinica</i>, where he continued
+some time, employing himself in observations, and in making collections
+of such things as were deserving of notice; and, not long afterwards, he
+once more reached <i>Fort James</i>.</p>
+
+<p>From this place he set out with a caravan, consisting <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[Pg 141]</a></span>of twenty men and
+sixty horses. Their first day's journey was, for the most part, over
+high gravelly ridges, and hills of considerable eminence. Many scarce
+and interesting plants were discovered along the sides of the roads.
+They passed several considerable creeks, branches of the <i>Ocone</i>, and,
+on the first of July, encamped, on the banks of that river, in a
+delightful grove. They forded the river at a place where it was about
+two hundred and fifty yards wide. Subsequently they crossed the
+<i>Oakmulge</i> and <i>Flint rivers</i>. In many places they observed that the
+soil was rich, and admirably adapted to every branch of agriculture and
+grazing. The country was diversified with hills and dales, savannas, and
+vast cane-meadows, and watered by innumerable rivulets and brooks.
+During the day the horses were excessively tormented by flies of several
+kinds, and the numbers of which were almost incredible. They formed,
+around the caravan, a vast cloud, so thick as to obscure every distant
+object. The heads, necks, and shoulders of the leading horses were
+continually covered with blood, the consequence of the attacks of these
+tormenting insects. Some of them were horse-flies, as large as
+humble-bees; and others were different species of gnats and musquitoes.
+During the day the heat was often intense.</p>
+
+<p>After traversing a very delightful country, the party reached the <i>Chata
+Uche</i> river, which was betwixt three and four hundred yards in width.
+They crossed it to <i>Uche</i> town, situated on a vast plain. This, Mr.
+Bartram observes, was the most compact and best situated Indian town he
+had ever seen. The habitations were large and neatly built, having their
+walls constructed of a wooden frame, then lathed and plastered inside
+and out with a reddish, well-tempered clay or mortar, which gave them
+the appearance of brick. Uche appeared to be populous and thriving. The
+whole number of inhabitants was about fifteen hundred, of whom about
+five hundred are gun-men or warriors.</p>
+
+<p>Beyond this the travellers arrived at another Indian <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[Pg 142]</a></span>town called
+<i>Apalachucla</i>, the capital of the Creek Indians. This place is sacred to
+peace. No captives are here put to death, and no human blood is spilt.
+And when a general peace is proposed, deputies from all the towns in the
+confederacy assemble at this capital, in order to deliberate on the
+subject. On the contrary, the great <i>Coweta</i> town; about twelve miles
+distant, is called the bloody town, for here the micos, chiefs, and
+warriors assemble, when a general war is proposed; and here captives and
+state malefactors are executed.</p>
+
+<p>The caravan continued at Apalachucla about a week, for the purpose of
+recruiting the strength of the horses, by turning them out into the
+swamps to feed. After this, having repaired their equipage, and
+replenished themselves with fresh supplies of provisions, on the
+thirteenth of July they resumed their journey for Mobile.</p>
+
+<p>Beyond <i>Talasse</i>, a town on the Tallapoose river, they changed their
+course to a southerly direction, and, not long afterwards, arrived at
+<i>Coloome</i>, a settlement, where they continued two days. The houses of
+this place are neat and commodious; each of the buildings consists of a
+wooden frame with plastered walls, and is roofed with cypress bark or
+shingles. Every habitation consists of four oblong square houses, of one
+story, and so arranged as to form an exact square, encompassing an area
+or court-yard of about a quarter of an acre of ground, and leaving an
+entrance at each corner. There was a beautiful square, in the centre of
+the new town; but the stores of the principal trader, and two or three
+Indian habitations, stood near the banks of the opposite shore, on the
+side of the old Coloome town. The Tallapoose river is here three hundred
+yards wide, and fifteen or twenty feet deep.</p>
+
+<p>Having procured a guide, to conduct them into the great trading path of
+West Florida, they set out for Mobile. Their progress, for about
+eighteen miles, was through a magnificent forest, which, at intervals,
+afforded them a view of distant Indian towns. At <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[Pg 143]</a></span>night, they encamped
+beneath a grove of oaks; but, shortly afterwards, there fell so
+extraordinary a shower of rain, that, suddenly, the whole adjacent
+ground was inundated, and they were obliged to continue standing through
+the whole of the night. Early in the morning, the guide, having
+performed his duty, returned home; and the travellers continued their
+journey, over an extended series of grassy plains, more than twenty
+miles in length, and eight or nine miles wide. These plains were bounded
+by high forests, which, in some places, presented magnificent and
+pleasing sylvan landscapes, of primitive and uncultivated nature. They
+crossed several rivulets and creeks, branches of the <i>Alabama</i>, the
+eastern arm of the Mobile. These rivulets were adorned with groves of
+various trees and shrubs. Immediately beyond the plains, the travellers
+entered a high, and grand forest; and the road, for several miles, led
+them near the banks of the <i>Alabama</i>. The surface of the land was broken
+into hills and vales; some of them of considerable elevation, and
+covered with forests of stately trees.</p>
+
+<p>After many miles' travelling, over a varied and interesting country,
+they arrived at the eastern channel of the <i>river Mobile</i>, and, on the
+same day, reached the city to which they were proceeding. <i>Mobile</i>
+stands on the easy ascent of a rising bank, near the western side of the
+bay of that name. This place has been nearly a mile in length; but it
+was now in ruins. Many of the houses were, at this time, unoccupied, and
+mouldering away; yet there were a few good buildings, inhabited by
+French, English, Scotch, and Irish, and emigrants from the northern
+parts of America. The principal French buildings were constructed of
+brick, and were one story high, but on an extensive scale. They were
+square, and were built so as to encompass, on three sides, a large area
+or court-yard. The principal apartment was on the side fronting the
+street. This plan of habitations seems to have been copied from that of
+the Creek Indians. The houses of the poorer class of <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[Pg 144]</a></span>inhabitants were
+constructed of a strong frame of cypress-timber, filled up with brick;
+plastered and white-washed inside and out.</p>
+
+<p>On the 5th of August, having procured a light canoe, Mr. Bartram set out
+on a voyage up the river. He sailed along the eastern channel, and
+passed several well-cultivated plantations, on fertile islands. Here the
+native productions exceeded, in luxuriance, any that he had ever seen:
+the reeds and canes, in particular, grew to an immense height and
+thickness. On one part of the shore of the river, he was delighted by
+the appearance of a great number of plants, of a species of oenothera,
+each plant being covered with hundreds of large golden yellow flowers.
+Near the ruins of several plantations, were seen peach and fig-trees,
+richly laden with fruit. Beyond these, were high forests and rich
+swamps, where canes and cypress-trees grew of astonishing magnitude. The
+<i>magnolia grandiflora</i>, here flourished in the utmost luxuriance; and
+flowering-trees and shrubs were observed, in great numbers and beauty.
+Several large alligators were seen basking on the shores, and others
+were swimming along the river. After having pursued his course for
+several miles, and made many important botanical discoveries, Mr.
+Bartram returned to <i>Mobile</i>, for the purpose of proceeding thence, in a
+trading-vessel, westward, to the Pearl river.</p>
+
+<p>Previously, however, to setting out on his voyage westward, he had an
+opportunity of visiting <i>Pensacola</i>, the capital of West Florida, about
+a hundred miles east of Mobile. This city possesses some natural
+advantages, superior to those of any other port in this province. It is
+situated on a gently rising ground, environing a harbour, sufficiently
+capacious to shelter all the navies of Europe. Several rivers fall into
+this <i>harbour</i>; but none of them are navigable for ships of burden, to
+any considerable distance. In Pensacola there are several hundred
+habitations. The governor's palace is a large brick building, ornamented
+with a <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[Pg 145]</a></span>tower. The town is defended by a fortress, within which is the
+council-chamber, houses for the officers, and barracks for the soldiers
+of the garrison. On the sand-hills, near this place, Mr. Bartram
+discovered several species of plants, which at that time had not been
+described.</p>
+
+<p>Having again returned to Mobile, he left that place, in a trading-boat,
+the property of a Frenchman, who was about to sail to his plantations,
+on the banks of the Pearl river. Before Mr. Bartram set out on this
+expedition, he had been attacked by a severe complaint in his eyes,
+which occasioned extreme pain, and almost deprived him of sight: it did
+not, however, deter him from proceeding. On his arrival at <i>Pearl
+river</i>, he was, however, so ill, as to be laid up, for several weeks, at
+the house of an English gentleman, who resided on an island in that
+river. As soon as he was sufficiently recovered to prosecute his
+journey, he proceeded, in a boat, to Manchac on the Mississippi.</p>
+
+<p>Having sailed westward for some days, he entered the <i>river Amite</i>, and,
+ascending it, arrived at a landing-place, from which he crossed, by
+land, to <i>Manchac</i>, about nine miles distant. The road was straight,
+spacious, and level, and extended beneath the shadow of a grand forest.
+On arriving at the banks of the <i>Mississippi</i>, Mr. Bartram stood, for
+some time, fascinated by the magnificence of this grand river. Its width
+was nearly a mile, and its depth at least two hundred and forty feet.
+But it is not merely the expansion of its surface which astonishes and
+delights: its lofty banks, the steady course of its mighty flood, the
+trees which overhang its waters, the magnificent forests by which it is
+bounded; all combine in exhibiting prospects the most sublime that can
+be imagined. At Manchac, the banks are at least fifty feet in
+perpendicular height.</p>
+
+<p>After having continued in this place a short time, Mr. Bartram made an
+excursion several miles up the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[Pg 146]</a></span>Mississippi. At his return, he once more
+set sail for <i>Mobile</i>, where, not long afterwards, he safely arrived.</p>
+
+<p>On the 27th of November, he sailed up the river, from Mobile, in a large
+trading-boat, and the same evening arrived at <i>Taensa</i>. Here the
+merchandise, which the boat had conveyed, was formed into small
+packages, and placed on horses, for the purpose of being conveyed
+overland. The party now consisted of between twenty and thirty horses,
+two drivers, the owner of the goods, and Mr. Bartram; who found this
+mode of travelling very unpleasant. They seldom set out till the sun had
+been some hours risen. Each of the men had a whip, made of cow-skin;
+and, the horses having ranged themselves in a line, the chief drove them
+by the crack of his whip, and by a whoop or shriek, so loud as to ring
+through the forests and plains. The pace was a brisk trot, which was
+incessantly urged, and continued as long as the miserable creatures were
+able to move forward. Each horse had a bell; and the incessant
+clattering of the bells, smacking of the whips, and whooping of the men,
+caused an uproar and confusion which was inexpressibly disagreeable. The
+time for encamping was generally about the middle of the afternoon; a
+time which, to Mr. Bartram, would have been the pleasantest for
+travelling.</p>
+
+<p>After having proceeded on their journey several days, they came to the
+banks of a large and deep river, a branch of the <i>Alabama</i>. The waters
+ran furiously, being overcharged with the floods of a violent rain,
+which had fallen the day before. There was no possibility of crossing
+this river by fording it. With considerable difficulty, a kind of raft
+was made, of dry canes and pieces of timber, bound together by a species
+of vines or vegetable cords, which are common in the woods of the
+tropical districts of America. When this raft was completed, one of the
+Indians swam over the river, having in his mouth the end of a long vine
+attached to it; and, by hauling the raft backward and forward, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[Pg 147]</a></span>all the
+goods were safely landed on the opposite side: the men and horses swam
+across.</p>
+
+<p>In the evening of the day on which they passed this stream, the party
+arrived at the banks of the great <i>Tallapoose river</i>; and encamped, for
+the night, under the shelter of some Indian cabins. On the ensuing day
+they were conducted across the river, in the canoes of a party of
+Indians who were resident in the neighbourhood. Not long afterwards, the
+travellers arrived at the Indian town of <i>Alabama</i>, situated near the
+junction of two fine rivers, the <i>Tallapoose</i> and the <i>Coosa</i>. At this
+place were seen the traces of an ancient French fortress, with a few
+pieces of cannon, half-buried in the earth. This, says Mr. Bartram, is
+perhaps one of the most eligible situations in the world for a large
+town: it is a level plain, at the conflux of two majestic rivers, each
+navigable for vessels, to the distance of at least five hundred miles
+above it, and spreading their numerous branches over a great extent of
+fertile and delightful country.</p>
+
+<p>The travellers continued all night at Alabama, where a grand
+entertainment was made for them, with music and dancing, in the great
+square. They then proceeded along the Tallapoose to <i>Mucclasse</i>. In
+their journey they passed through numerous plantations and Indian towns,
+and were every where treated by the inhabitants with hospitality and
+friendship.</p>
+
+<p>About three weeks after this, Mr. Bartram joined a company of traders,
+and proceeded with them to Augusta. They set out in the morning of the
+2d of January, 1788, the whole surface of the ground being covered with
+a white and beautifully sparkling frost. The company, besides Mr.
+Bartram, consisted of four men, with about thirty horses, twenty of
+which were laden with leather and furs. In three days they arrived at
+the <i>Apalachula</i> or <i>Chata Uche</i> river, and crossed it at the towns of
+<i>Chehau</i> and <i>Usseta</i>. These towns nearly join each other, yet the
+inhabitants speak different languages. Beyond this river nothing of
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[Pg 148]</a></span>importance occurred, till they arrived at <i>Oakmulge</i>. Here they
+encamped in expansive, ancient Indian fields, and within view of the
+foaming flood of the river, which now raged over its banks. There were,
+at this place, two companies of traders from Augusta, each consisting of
+fifteen or twenty men, with seventy or eighty horses. The traders whom
+Mr. Bartram accompanied, had with them a portable leather boat, eight
+feet long. It was made of thick sole-leather, was folded up, and carried
+on one of the horses. This boat was now put together, and rigged; and in
+it the party was ferried across the river. They afterwards crossed the
+<i>Ocone</i>, in the same manner; and encamped in fertile fields on the banks
+of that beautiful river. Proceeding thence, they encamped, the next day,
+on the banks of the <i>Ogeche</i>; and, after two days hard travelling,
+beyond this river, they arrived at <i>Augusta</i>, whence, shortly
+afterwards, Mr. Bartram proceeded to <i>Savannah</i>.</p>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<hr />
+<br />
+<h2>Thirteenth Day's Instruction.</h2>
+
+<h2>UNITED STATES CONTINUED.</h2>
+<br />
+
+<p class="cen"><i>Narrative of</i> <span class="smcap">Mr. Bartram's</span> <i>Journey from Savannah into East
+Florida.</i></p>
+
+<p>Leaving <i>Savannah</i> at the most beautiful season of the year, Mr. Bartram
+proceeded, on horseback, to <i>Sunbury</i>, a sea-port, about forty miles
+distant; and thence to Fort Barrington. Much of the intervening country
+was level, and well watered by large streams. The road was straight,
+spacious, and in excellent repair. For a considerable distance it was
+bordered on each side by groves, of various kinds of trees and shrubs,
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[Pg 149]</a></span>entwined with bands and garlands of flowering-plants. Extensive
+plantations of rice and corn, now in early verdure, were seen,
+decorated, here and there, with groves of floriferous and fragrant trees
+and shrubs, through which, at intervals, appeared the neat habitations
+of the proprietors.</p>
+
+<p>At Fort Barrington, Mr. Bartram crossed the river Alatamaha, here about
+five hundred yards in width. When safely landed on the opposite side, he
+mounted his horse, and followed the high road, through an uninhabited
+wilderness, to the ferry on <i>St. Ille</i>. The sudden transition, from rich
+cultivated settlements, to high pine-forests, and dark grassy savannas,
+formed, he says, no disagreeable contrast; and the new objects, in the
+works of nature, which here excited his attention, soon reconciled him
+to the change. In the midst of the woods he observed great numbers of
+dens, or caverns, which had been dug in the sand-hills, by the gopher,
+or great land tortoise.</p>
+
+<p>The next day's progress, presented scenes nearly similar to these;
+though the land was lower, more level and humid, and the produce was
+more varied. Mr. Bartram passed some troublesome cane-swamps, in which
+he saw several herds of horned-cattle, horses, and deer, and noticed
+many interesting plants.</p>
+
+<p>In the evening, he arrived at <i>St. Ille's</i>, where he lodged; and, next
+morning, having crossed the river in a ferry-boat, he proceeded towards
+St. Mary's. The appearance of the country, its soil, and productions,
+between these rivers, were nearly similar to those which he had already
+passed, except that the savannas were more frequent and extensive.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Bartram had now passed the utmost frontier of the white settlements,
+on that border; and the day was drawing towards a close, when, on a
+sudden, an Indian, armed with a rifle, crossed the path, at a
+considerable distance before him. This man, turning short round, came up
+at full gallop. Though his intentions, at first, seemed hostile, he,
+after some <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[Pg 150]</a></span>hesitation, shook Mr. Bartram by the hand, directed him on
+his way, and then proceeded in his former course. Mr. Bartram again set
+forward, and, after riding eight or ten miles, arrived at the banks of
+<i>St. Mary's</i>, opposite to the stores, and got safely over that river,
+before dark.</p>
+
+<p>The savannas about St. Mary's displayed a very charming appearance, of
+flowers and verdure: their more elevated borders were varied with beds
+of violets, lupines, and amaryllis; and with a new and beautiful species
+of sensitive plant.</p>
+
+<p>In a subsequent excursion, Mr. Bartram, accompanied by some other
+gentlemen, passed the mouth of St. Mary's, and entered the <i>river St.
+Juan</i>, or <i>St. John</i>.</p>
+
+<p>At <i>Cowford</i>, a public ferry over this river, and about thirty miles
+from its mouth, he procured a neat little sail-boat; and, having stored
+it with necessaries for his voyage, he proceeded up the river alone, in
+search of new productions of nature; having his chief happiness centered
+in tracing and admiring the infinite power, majesty, and perfection of
+the great Creator, and in the contemplation that, through divine
+permission, he might be instrumental in introducing into his native
+country, some productions which might become useful to society. His
+little vessel, being furnished with a good sail, and with
+fishing-tackle, a swivel gun, powder, and ball, Mr. Bartram found
+himself well equipped for his voyage, of about one hundred miles, to the
+trading houses of the Indians.</p>
+
+<p>Having proceeded about eight miles above Cowford, to a place where the
+river was nearly three miles broad, he was obliged to land, as his boat
+had sustained some damage from the wind; and, a thunder-storm coming on,
+he resolved to continue on shore till the morning. Observing a large
+oak-tree, which had been thrown down by a hurricane, and which offered
+him a convenient shelter, as its branches bore up the trunk a sufficient
+height from the earth, to admit him either to, sit <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[Pg 151]</a></span>or to lie down
+beneath it, he spread his sail, slanting from the trunk of the tree to
+the ground, on the windward side; and, having collected a quantity of
+wood sufficient to keep up a fire during the night, he kindled one in
+front. He then spread skins on the ground, and upon these he placed a
+blanket, one half of which he lay down upon, and the other he turned
+over him for a covering.</p>
+
+<p>The wind was furious, and the thunder and lightning were tremendous;
+but, happily, not much-rain fell. Next morning, on reconnoitring the
+neighbourhood, he was roused by the report of a musket not far off; and,
+shortly afterwards, an Indian stepped out of a thicket, having a large
+turkey-cock slung across his shoulders. He saw Mr. Bartram, and,
+stepping up to him, spoke in English, bidding him good morning. He
+stated that he lived at an adjacent plantation, and that he was employed
+as a hunter. Mr. Bartram accompanied him to the house of his master,
+about half a mile distant, and was there received in the most polite and
+friendly manner imaginable. The owner of this plantation invited him to
+stay some days, for the purpose of resting and refreshing himself; and
+he immediately set his carpenters to work, to repair the damaged vessel.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Bartram spent one day with this gentleman. The house in which he
+resided was on an eminence, about one hundred and fifty yards from the
+river. On the right of it was an orangery, consisting of many hundred
+trees, natives of the place, and left standing when the ground about it
+was cleared. Those trees were large, flourishing, in bloom, and, at the
+same time, loaded with ripe golden fruit. On the other side was a
+spacious garden, occupying a regular slope of ground, down to the water;
+and a pleasant lawn lay between. The owner of this plantation having,
+with great liberality, supplied him with an abundance of ammunition and
+provision, Mr. Bartram departed on the ensuing morning. He again
+embarked on board his little vessel, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[Pg 152]</a></span>and had a favourable, steady gale.
+The day was extremely pleasant; the shores of the river were level and
+shallow; and, in some places, the water was not more than eighteen
+inches or two feet in depth. At a little distance it appeared like a
+green meadow; having water-grass, and other amphibious vegetables,
+growing from its oozy bottom, and floating upon its surface.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Bartram kept as near the shore as possible; and he was greatly
+delighted with the prospect of cultivation, and the increase of human
+industry, which were often visible from the water. In pursuing his
+voyage, he sometimes slept at plantations that were near the banks of
+the river; but sometimes he was obliged to pitch his tent upon the
+shore, or to sleep under the protection of his sail. In the latter case
+he was, not unfrequently, disturbed at night, by the plunging and
+roaring of alligators, and the loud croaking of frogs; and, in the
+morning, by the noise of wild turkeys, hundreds of which roosted around
+him. During his progress he saw great numbers of alligators, some of
+them immensely large. He was successful in collecting seeds, and
+specimens of uncommon trees and plants. In some places he was astonished
+to see the immense magnitude to which the grape-vines grew. These were
+not unfrequently from nine to twelve inches in diameter: they twined
+round the trunks of trees, climbed to their very tops, and then spread
+along, from tree to tree, almost throughout the forest. The fruit,
+however, was small and ill-flavoured.</p>
+
+<p>As Mr. Bartram was coasting along the shore, he suddenly saw before him
+an Indian settlement or village. It was in a fine situation, on the
+slope of a bank which rose gradually from the water. There were eight or
+ten habitations, in a row or street, fronting the water, and about fifty
+yards distant from it. Some of the youths of this settlement were naked,
+and up to their hips in water, fishing with rods and lines; whilst
+others, younger, were diverting themselves in shooting frogs with bows
+and arrows. As Mr. Bartram passed, he observed some elderly people
+reclining on skins, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[Pg 153]</a></span>spread upon the ground, beneath the cool shade of
+oaks and palm-trees, that were ranged in front of the houses. These
+persons arose, and eyed him as he passed; but, perceiving that he
+proceeded without stopping, they resumed their former position.</p>
+
+<p>There was an extensive orange-grove, at the upper end of the village:
+the trees were large, and had been carefully pruned; and the ground
+beneath them was clean, open, and airy. Around the village were several
+acres of cleared land, a considerable portion of which was planted with
+maize, batatas, beans, pompions, squashes, melons, and tobacco.</p>
+
+<p>After leaving this village, the river became much contracted, and
+continued so till Mr. Bartram reached <i>Charlotia</i> or <i>Rolle's Town</i>,
+where it was not more than half a mile wide. Here he came to an anchor.
+This town was founded by Denis Rolle, Esq. and is situated on a cliff on
+the east side of the river.</p>
+
+<p>Having obtained directions for discovering a little remote island, where
+the traders and their goods were secreted, he set sail again, and, in
+about an hour and a half, arrived at the desired place. At this island
+he was received with great politeness; and he was induced to continue
+there several months, during which he was treated with the utmost
+hospitality, by the agents of one of the British mercantile houses.</p>
+
+<p>The numerous plains and groves in the vicinity of the island, afforded
+to Mr. Bartram much gratification in his botanical pursuits; and, at the
+termination of his residence here, he set out with a party of traders,
+who were about to proceed to the upper parts of the river. The traders,
+with their goods in a large boat, went first, and Mr. Bartram, in his
+little vessel, followed them. The day was pleasant, and the wind fair
+and moderate. In the evening they arrived at <i>Mount Royal</i>, a house
+belonging to a Mr. Kean. This place was surrounded by magnificent groves
+of orange-trees, oaks, palms, and magnolias; and commanded a most
+enchanting view of the great Lake George, about two miles distant.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[Pg 154]</a></span><i>Lake George</i> is a beautiful piece of water, a dilatation of the river
+St. John, and about fifteen miles wide. It is ornamented with two or
+three fertile islands. Mr. Bartram landed, and passed the night on one
+of them; and he found, growing upon it, many curious flowering shrubs, a
+new and beautiful species of convolvulus, and some other species of
+plants, which he had never before seen.</p>
+
+<p>A favourable gale enabled the voyagers, towards the close of the ensuing
+day, to enter the river at the southern extremity of the lake. Here they
+found a safe and pleasant harbour, in a most desirable situation.
+Opposite to them was a vast cypress swamp, environed by a border of
+grassy marshes; and, around the harbour, was a grove of oaks, palm,
+magnolia, and orange-trees. The bay was, in some places, almost covered
+with the leaves of a beautiful water-lily, the large, sweet-scented
+yellow flowers of which grew two or three feet above the surface of the
+water. A great number of fine trout were caught, by fishing, with a hook
+and line, near the edges of the water-lilies; and many wild turkeys and
+deer were seen in the vicinity of this place.</p>
+
+<p>On the ensuing day the party reached a trading-house, called <i>Spalding's
+upper Store</i>, where Mr. Bartram resided for several weeks. Being
+afterwards desirous of continuing his travels and observations higher up
+the river, and, having received an invitation to visit a plantation, the
+property of an English gentleman, about sixty miles distant, he resolved
+to pursue his researches to that place. For several miles the left bank
+of the river had numerous islands of rich swamp land. The opposite coast
+was a perpendicular cliff ten or twelve feet high: this was crowned by
+trees and shrubs, which, in some places, rendered the scenery extremely
+beautiful. The straight trunks of the palm-trees were, in many
+instances, from sixty to ninety feet high, of a bright ash colour, and
+were terminated by plumes of leaves, some of them nearly fifteen feet in
+length.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Bartram landed, for the night, in a little bay, not <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[Pg 155]</a></span>far from the
+entrance to a small lake, another expansion of the river. Near this
+place there was much low and swampy land, and the islands in the river
+were numerous. The evening was cool and calm, and he went out in his
+canoe, to fish for trout. As the evening closed, alligators appeared in
+great numbers along the shores and in the river. Mr. Bartram states that
+he was witness to a combat between these dreadful animals, which
+inspired him with horror, especially as his little harbour was
+surrounded by them. In endeavouring to paddle his canoe through a line
+of alligators, he was pursued by several large ones; and, before he
+could reach the shore, he was assailed on every side. His situation
+became extremely precarious. Two very large alligators attacked him
+closely, rushing with their heads and part of their bodies above the
+water, roaring terribly, and, from their mouths, throwing floods of
+water over him. They struck their jaws together so close to his ears as
+almost to stun him; and he, every moment, expected to be dragged out of
+the boat and devoured by them. He held in his hand a large club, which
+he used so efficaciously, as to beat them off: he then hastened towards
+the shore, as the only means of preservation left. Here the water was
+shallow; and his ferocious opponents, some of which were twelve feet in
+length, returned into deeper water. After this, as Mr. Bartram was
+stepping out of his canoe, an alligator rushed up to him, near his feet,
+and, with its head and shoulders out of the water, lay there for some
+time. Mr. Bartram ran for his gun, and, having a heavy charge in it, he
+shot the animal in the head and killed him. While Mr. Bartram was
+employed in cleansing some fish for his supper, he raised his head, and
+beheld, through the clear water, another of these animals of large size,
+moving slowly towards him; and he stepped back, at the instant the beast
+was preparing to spring upon him. This excessive boldness gave him great
+uneasiness, as he feared he should be obliged to keep on watch through
+the whole night. He had made the best <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[Pg 156]</a></span>preparation, in his power, for
+passing the night, when he was roused by a tumultuous noise, which
+seemed to come from the harbour. On going to the water's edge he beheld
+a scene so astonishing, that it was some time before he could credit the
+evidence even of his own senses. The river, though of great width,
+appeared, from shore to shore, to be almost a solid bank of fish. These
+were of various species, and were pushing along the river, towards the
+little lake, pursued by alligators in such incredible numbers, and so
+close together, that, had the animals been harmless, Mr. Bartram
+imagined it might have been possible to have walked across the water
+upon their heads. During this extraordinary passage, thousands of fish
+were caught and swallowed by them. The horrid noise of their closing
+jaws, their plunging amid the broken banks of fish, and rising with
+their prey some feet above the water, the floods of water and blood
+rushing from their mouths, and the clouds of vapour issuing from their
+nostrils, were truly frightful. This scene continued, at intervals,
+during the whole night. After it was ended, Mr. Bartram says he found
+himself more reconciled to his situation than he had before been; as he
+was convinced that the extraordinary assemblage of alligators at this
+place had been owing to the annual passage of these shoals of fish; and
+that they were so well employed in their own element, that he had little
+occasion to fear they would wander from the banks for the purpose of
+annoying him.</p>
+
+<p>It being now almost night, he returned to his tent, where he had left
+his fish broiling, and his kettle of rice stewing; and having, in his
+packages, oil, pepper, and salt, and, in place of vinegar, excellent
+oranges hanging in abundance over his head, he sat down and regaled
+himself cheerfully. Before he retired to rest, he was suddenly roused by
+a noise behind him, towards the land. He sprang up, seized his gun, and,
+going cautiously in the direction from which the sound approached, he
+beheld two large bears, advancing towards him. He waited till they were
+about thirty yards distant, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[Pg 157]</a></span>when he snapped his piece at them. It
+flashed in the pan, but they both galloped off, and did not return.
+After this he passed the night without any other molestation than being
+occasionally awaked by the whooping of owls, the screaming of bitterns,
+or by wood-rats running among the leaves. When he arose in the morning
+there was perfect peace: very few alligators were to be seen, and these
+were asleep near the shore. His mind was not, however, free from alarm.
+He could not but entertain considerable dread lest, in pursuing his
+voyage up the river, he should, every evening, encounter difficulties
+similar to those which he had now experienced.</p>
+
+<p>Having loaded his gun and re-embarked, he set sail cautiously along the
+shore; and was, not long afterwards, attacked by an alligator, which he
+beat off with his club; another passed close by his boat, having a brood
+of young ones, a hundred or more in number, following her, in a long
+train. On one part of the shore Mr. Bartram beheld a great number of
+hillocks, or small pyramids, in shape resembling haycocks, and ranged
+like an encampment. They were on a high marsh, fifteen or twenty yards
+from the water, and each about four feet in height. He knew them to be
+the nests of alligators, and now expected a furious and general attack,
+as he saw several large alligators swimming near them. Notwithstanding
+this he was determined to land and examine them. Accordingly, he ran his
+canoe on shore; and, having ascended a sloping bank or road which led to
+the place, he found that most of the nests were deserted, and thick
+whitish egg-shells lay broken and scattered upon the ground around them.</p>
+
+<p>These nests were in the form of obtuse cones, and were constructed with
+mud, grass, and herbage. In the formation of them, the alligators had
+made a kind of floor of these substances, upon the ground; on this they
+had deposited a layer of eggs, and upon that a stratum of mortar, seven
+or eight inches in thickness, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[Pg 158]</a></span>and then another layer of eggs; and, in
+this manner, one stratum upon another, nearly to the top. Mr. Bartram
+supposes that the eggs are hatched by the heat of the sun; and that the
+female alligator carefully watches her own nest of eggs until they are
+all hatched. He says it is certain that the young ones are not left to
+shift for themselves, for he had frequent opportunities of seeing female
+alligators leading about the shores their offspring, as a hen does her
+chickens.</p>
+
+<p>After having gratified his curiosity, he continued his voyage up the
+river. In his progress he observed several small floating islands. The
+swamps on the banks of the river were, in general, three or four feet
+above the level of the water; and the timber upon them was large, but
+thinly scattered. The black mould of these swamps was covered with a
+succulent and tender kind of grass, which, when chewed, was sweet and
+agreeable to the taste, somewhat like young sugar-canes. Alligators were
+still numerous. Exposed, during the day, to the rays of a vertical sun,
+Mr. Bartram experienced great inconvenience in rowing his canoe against
+the stream; and, at night, he was annoyed by the stings of musquitoes,
+and he was obliged to be constantly on guard against the attacks of
+alligators. In one instance an alligator, of immense size, came up to
+his tent, and approached within six feet of him, when he was awakened by
+the screaming owl. Starting up, he seized his musket, which, during the
+night, he always kept under his head; and the animal, alarmed by the
+noise, rushed again into the water.</p>
+
+<p>In many places the banks of the river were ornamented with hanging
+garlands of various climbing vegetables, both shrubs and plants. One of
+these had white flowers, each as big as a small funnel, the tube five or
+six inches in length, and not thicker than a tobacco-pipe. It was
+curious to observe the wild squash, (a species of cucurbita,) which grew
+upon the lofty limbs of the trees: its yellow fruit, somewhat of the
+size and shape of a large orange, pendant over the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[Pg 159]</a></span>water. In some parts
+there were steep cliffs on each side of the river. During the middle of
+the day the weather was so intensely hot, that Mr. Bartram was obliged
+to seek for shelter under the shade of the trees which grew upon the
+banks.</p>
+
+<p>He passed another lake, the eastern shores of which were adorned with
+dark, high forests: on the north and south were apparently endless
+plains and meadows, embellished with islets and promontories covered
+with trees. Whilst he was navigating this lake, he was exposed to the
+most tremendous storm of thunder and lightning that he had ever
+witnessed. The lofty forests bent beneath the fury of the blast, and the
+sturdy limbs of the trees cracked under the weight of the wind. Groves
+were torn up; and the spreading branches of the trees were rent asunder,
+and, like leaves or stubble, were whirled aloft in the air. After a
+while the wind and rain abated. Mr. Bartram then crossed the lake, about
+a mile in length, and arrived in safety at a plantation near its
+southern extremity. Here he found that nearly all the buildings had been
+overturned by the hurricane; and that a hundred acres of indigo plants,
+almost ripe for cutting, and several acres of sugar-canes, had been
+ruined.</p>
+
+<p>About four miles beyond this plantation, Mr. Bartram was shown a vast
+fountain of hot mineral water, which issued from a ridge or bank of the
+river, in a great cove or bay. The water, though hot and of a
+disagreeable brassy and vitriolic taste, and very offensive to the
+smell, was perfectly transparent, and exhibited to view a prodigious
+number of fish, and alligators, which were lying about the bottom.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Bartram now returned, in his canoe, to the station called the <i>Upper
+Store</i>. Thence, in company with five persons who had been commissioned
+to make some commercial arrangements with the Indians, he set out for an
+Indian town called <i>Cuscowilla</i>. For four or five miles they travelled
+westward, over a level plain, which, before and on each side of them,
+appeared like a green <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[Pg 160]</a></span>meadow, thinly planted with low and spreading
+pine-trees. The whole surface seemed clad with grass, herbage, and low
+shrubs, and with many kinds of plants, which were rare and highly
+interesting. Here also many species of birds were seen, the plumage of
+some of which was extremely beautiful. Snakes, lizards, and insects were
+also very abundant. Beyond this plain was a hill, ornamented with a
+great variety of herbaceous plants and grasses, and with a magnificent
+grove of pines. After the pine-groves were passed, the travellers
+entered a district called the <i>Sand-hills</i>.</p>
+
+<p>They encamped, for the first night, at the <i>Half-way Pond</i>. This is a
+lake, about three miles in circumference, which extends, through an
+apparently spacious meadow, and beneath a chain of elevated sand-hills.
+It is inhabited by numerous kinds of fish, by alligators, and by a kind
+of turtles with soft shells. The latter are so large as to weigh from
+twenty to thirty, and even forty pounds each. They are extremely fat and
+delicious; but, if eaten to excess, are unwholesome. Numerous herds of
+deer, and extensive flocks of turkeys, frequent the vicinity of this
+place.</p>
+
+<p>From Half-way Pond the travellers proceeded, still westward, through the
+high forests of Cuscowilla. The country, for five or six miles,
+presented nearly the same scenery as before. After this the sand-ridges
+became higher, and their bases proportionally more extensive. The
+savannahs and ponds were larger; the summits of the ridges more
+gravelly; and here and there rocks, formed of a sort of concrete of sand
+and shells, were seen above the sand and gravel.</p>
+
+<p>Having passed an extensive and fruitful orange-grove, through a
+pine-forest, and crossed two or three streams that were tributary to the
+river St. John, the travellers at length came within sight of the great
+and beautiful <i>Lake of Cuscowilla</i>. Their course now lay through a
+magnificent forest, about nine miles in extent, and consisting of
+orange-groves, overtopped by grand magnolias, palm-trees, oaks, beech,
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[Pg 161]</a></span>and other trees. This forest bounded one edge of the lake; and, beyond
+it, lay the town of <i>Cuscowilla</i>, the place of their destination. This
+place is situated on the banks of a brook, which, at a little distance,
+falls into the lake.</p>
+
+<p>They were welcomed to the town, and conducted, by a party of young men
+and maidens, to the house of the chief. This stood on an eminence, and
+was distinguished from the other dwellings by its superior magnitude,
+and by having a flag hoisted, on a high staff, at one corner. The chief,
+attended by several old men, came to them, and shook them by their
+hands, or rather their arms, (a form of salutation peculiar to the
+American Indians,) saying at the same time, "You are come." They
+followed him into an apartment prepared for their reception.</p>
+
+<p>The following customs are practised towards their guests, by the Indians
+in this part of America. The pipe being filled, it is handed round to
+each. After this a large bowl, containing what is called "thin drink,"
+is brought, and is set down on a low table. In the bowl is a great
+wooden ladle: each person takes up in the ladle as much of the liquor as
+he pleases; and, after drinking until he is satisfied, he returns it
+into the bowl, pushing the handle towards the next person in the circle;
+and so it goes round.</p>
+
+<p>On the present occasion, after the usual compliments had passed, the
+principal trader informed the Indian chief, in the presence of his
+council or attendants, respecting the purport of their business; and
+with this the chief expressed his satisfaction. When the latter was
+informed concerning the object of Mr. Bartram's journey, he received him
+with complaisance; giving him unlimited permission to travel over his
+country, for the purpose of collecting plants, and saluting him by the
+name of <i>Pug Puggy</i>, or "Flower-hunter."</p>
+
+<p>This chief was a tall, well-formed man, very affable and cheerful, about
+sixty years of age. His eyes were lively and full of lustre, his
+countenance was manly <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[Pg 162]</a></span>and placid, yet ferocious; his nose aquiline, and
+his dress extremely simple; but his head was ornamented in the manner of
+the Creek Indians. He had been a great warrior, and had now, attending
+him as slaves, many captives, which had been taken by himself when
+young. They were dressed better than he, and served and waited upon him
+with signs of the most abject humility. The manners and customs of these
+Indians, who are called <i>Alachuas</i>, and of most of the lower <i>Creeks</i> or
+<i>Siminoles</i>, appear evidently tinctured with Spanish civilization. There
+are several Christians among them, many of whom wear little silver
+crucifixes, affixed to a collar round their necks, or suspended by a
+small chain upon their breasts.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Bartram and his party had not long been here, before the repast was
+brought in. This consisted of venison stewed in bear's oil, of fresh
+corn-cakes, milk, and a dish called homony; and the drink was honey and
+water, very cool and agreeable.</p>
+
+<p>A few days after this some negotiations took place between the traders
+and the Indians, in the public square or council-house. These having
+terminated to the satisfaction of both parties, a banquet succeeded; the
+ribs and choicest fat pieces of bullocks, well barbecued, were brought
+into an apartment of the square: bowls and kettles of stewed flesh and
+broth constituted the next course; and with these was brought in a dish,
+made of the belly or paunch of an ox, not over-cleansed of its contents,
+cut and minced tolerably fine, and then made into a thin kind of soup,
+and seasoned with salt and aromatic herbs; but the seasoning was not
+quite strong enough to overpower the original taste and smell. This is a
+favourite dish with the Indians.</p>
+
+<p>Cuscowilla is the capital of the Alachua Indians; and it, at this time,
+contained about thirty habitations, each of which consisted of two
+houses, nearly of the same size, about thirty feet in length, twelve
+feet wide, and twelve high. Of these, one is divided into two
+apartments; the cook-room, or common hall, and the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[Pg 163]</a></span>lodging-room. The
+other house is nearly of the same dimensions, and stands about twenty
+yards from the dwelling-house. This building is two stories high, and is
+constructed in a different manner from the former. Like that, it is
+divided across; but the end next the dwelling-house is open on three
+sides, and is supported by posts or columns. It has an open loft or
+platform, the ascent to which is by a portable stair or ladder: this is
+pleasant, cool, and airy; and here the master or chief of the family
+retires to repose, in the hot seasons, and receives his guests or
+visitors. The other half of this building is closed on all sides: the
+lowest or ground part is a potatoe-house; and the upper story a granary,
+for corn and other provisions.</p>
+
+<p>The town of Cuscowilla stands in an extremely pleasant situation, upon a
+high, swelling ridge of sand-hills, within three or four hundred yards
+of a large and beautiful lake, which continually washes a sandy beach,
+under a moderately high, sloping bank; terminated on one side by
+extensive forests of orange-groves, and overtopped with magnolias,
+palms, poplars, limes, live oaks, and other trees. The ground, between
+the town and the lake, is adorned by an open grove of tall pine-trees,
+which, standing at a considerable distance from each other, admit a
+delightful prospect of the sparkling waters. The lake abounds with
+various kinds of excellent fish and wild fowl.</p>
+
+<p>The inhabitants of Cuscowilla have each a small garden attached to their
+dwellings, for the purpose of producing corn, beans, tobacco, and other
+useful articles; but the plantation which supplies them with their chief
+vegetable provisions, is near the great Alachua savannah, and about two
+miles distant. This plantation has one common enclosure, and is worked
+and tended by the whole community: yet every family has its particular
+part, marked off when planted; and this portion receives the common
+labour and assistance, until the corn, or other articles cultivated upon
+it, are ripe. Each family then gathers and deposits in its <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[Pg 164]</a></span>store-house
+its own proper share, setting apart a small gift or contribution for a
+public granary, which stands near the centre of the plantation.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Bartram made several excursions to places in the vicinity of
+Cuscowilla and the Alachua Swamp. In one of these, he came to a little
+clump of shrubs, where he observed several large snakes, entwined
+together. They were each about four feet in length, and as thick as a
+man's wrist. Mr. Bartram approached, and endeavoured to irritate them,
+but they appeared perfectly harmless. Numerous herds of cattle and deer,
+and many troops of horses were seen peacefully browsing on the grass of
+the savannah, or strolling through the groves on the surrounding
+heights. Large flocks of wild turkeys were also observed in the woods.</p>
+
+<p>At some distance from Cuscowilla, is an Indian town called
+<i>Talahasochte</i>, which Mr. Bartram some time afterwards visited. It is
+delightfully situated on the elevated east bank of a river called
+<i>Little St. John's</i>. The habitations were, at this time, about thirty in
+number, and constructed like those of Cuscowilla; but the council-house
+was neater and more spacious.</p>
+
+<p>The Indians of this town have large and handsome canoes, which they form
+out of the trunks of cypress-trees: some of them are sufficiently
+commodious to accommodate twenty or thirty persons. In these canoes they
+descend the river, on trading and hunting excursions, as far as the
+sea-coast, to the neighbouring islands and shores; and they sometimes
+even cross the Gulf of Florida to the West India Islands.</p>
+
+<p>In this neighbourhood are seen many singular and unaccountable cavities.
+These are funnel-shaped; and some of them are from twenty to forty yards
+across at the rim. Their perpendicular depth is, in many instances,
+upwards of twenty feet.</p>
+
+<p>At this time, nearly the whole of East Florida, and a great portion of
+West Florida, were in the possession of Indians; and these chiefly a
+tribe called <i>Siminoles</i>, an apparently contented and happy race of
+people, who <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[Pg 165]</a></span>enjoyed, in superabundance, the necessaries and the
+conveniences of life. With the skins of deer, bears, tigers, and wolves,
+together with honey, wax, and other productions of their country, this
+people purchased, from Europeans, clothing, equipage, and domestic
+utensils. They seemed to be free from want or desires: they had no enemy
+to dread; and, apparently, nothing to occasion disquietude, except the
+gradual encroachments of the white people.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Bartram returned to the trading-store, on the bank of the river St.
+John; and, about the end of September, he reached the place from which
+he had commenced his voyage.</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>We must now proceed, across the southern states, to the mouth of the
+Mississippi, for the purpose of tracing the course of that astonishing
+river, and describing the most important places in its vicinity.</p>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<hr />
+<br />
+<h2>Fourteen Day's Instruction.</h2>
+
+<h2>UNITED STATES CONTINUED.</h2>
+<br />
+
+<p class="cen"><i>The River Mississippi.</i></p>
+
+<p>The Mississippi has its source in about forty-six degrees thirty minutes
+of north latitude; and terminates in the Gulf of Mexico, at some
+distance below the town of New Orleans. Its length, in a direct line,
+exceeds one thousand seven hundred miles; and it falls into the sea, by
+many mouths, most of which, like those of the Nile, are too shallow to
+be navigable. For a considerable distance, its banks are low, marshy,
+and covered with reeds; and are annually overflowed, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[Pg 166]</a></span>from the melting
+of the snows in the interior of the country. The inundation usually
+commences in March, and continues about three months; and the slime
+which it deposits on the adjacent lands, tends, in a very important
+degree, to fertilize the soil. This river is navigable to a great
+distance; but, at spring-tides, the navigation is difficult, on account
+of the strength of the currents, and the innumerable islands, shoals,
+and sand-banks, with which it is interspersed. Vessels of three hundred
+tons burden can ascend it as high as Natchez, four hundred miles from
+the sea; and those of lighter burden can pass upward, as far as the
+Falls of St. Anthony, in latitude forty-four degrees fifty minutes.</p>
+
+<p><i>New Orleans</i>, the capital of the state of Louisiana, is situated on the
+northern bank of the Mississippi, and is a place of great commercial
+importance. It was founded in the year 1717, and now contains near
+thirty thousand inhabitants. In 1787, it had eleven hundred houses; but,
+nine hundred of these having been consumed by fire, it has since been
+rebuilt on a regular plan, and a more enlarged scale. Most of the houses
+are constructed with wooden frames, raised about eight feet from the
+ground, and have galleries round them, and cellars under the floors:
+almost every house has a garden.</p>
+
+<p>Louisiana having, till lately, been a French colony, the French language
+is still predominant at New Orleans. The appearance of the people too is
+French; and even the negroes, by their antics and ludicrous gestures,
+exhibit their previous connexion with that nation. Their general manners
+and habits are very relaxed. Though New Orleans is now a city belonging
+to the United States, the markets, shops, theatre, circus, and public
+ball-rooms, are open on Sundays, in the same manner as they are in the
+catholic countries of the old continent. Gambling-houses, too, are
+numerous; and the coffee-houses and the Exchange are occupied, from
+morning till night, by <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[Pg 167]</a></span>gamesters. The general stile of living is
+luxurious. The houses are elegantly furnished; and the ladies dress in
+an expensive manner.</p>
+
+<p>Provisions are here of bad quality, and enormously dear. Hams and
+cheese, from England; potatoes, butter, and beef from Ireland, are
+common articles of import. The rents of houses, also, are very
+extravagant.</p>
+
+<p>The country around New Orleans is level, rich, and healthy, and has many
+extensive sugar-plantations. And, for the space of five leagues below,
+and ten above the town, the river has been embanked, to defend the
+adjacent fields from those inundations of the Mississippi which take
+place every spring. The land, adjacent to the town, yields abundant
+crops of rice, Indian corn, and vegetables.</p>
+
+<p>There is a regular communication, by means of steam-boats and other
+vessels, between New Orleans and the towns on the banks of the
+Mississippi, the Ohio, and other rivers, in the distant parts of North
+America.</p>
+
+<p>The scenery of the Mississippi, to the distance of one hundred and fifty
+miles and upwards, from New Orleans, is very uninteresting. The country
+is a dead flat; so that the banks of the river, and most of the adjacent
+grounds, are annually overflowed. In the vicinity of Natchez it becomes
+more varied and pleasing.</p>
+
+<p><i>Natchez</i> is a town in the state of Mississippi, near the banks of the
+river, and about four hundred miles from its mouth. It contains about
+thirty dwellings, most of which are whiskey-shops, gambling, and other
+houses, where an excess of profligacy prevails, which is not usual in
+the United States.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Fearon visited Natchez in the year 1817; and in the port there were
+twenty-five flats, seven keels, and one steam-vessel. The flats are
+square covered vessels, of considerable capacity, used for carrying
+freight from Pittsburgh, on the Ohio, and other <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[Pg 168]</a></span>places below that town,
+down to New Orleans. Their construction is temporary and of slight
+materials; for they are broken up at New Orleans, as not sufficiently
+strong to be freighted up the river. The keel is a substantial,
+well-built boat, of considerable length; and, in form, somewhat
+resembles the floating-bath at Blackfriars' Bridge.</p>
+
+<p>Observing a great many coloured people in these boats, Mr. Fearon
+concluded that they were emigrants, who had proceeded thus far on their
+route towards a settlement. The fact, however, proved to be, that
+fourteen of the flats were freighted with human beings intended for
+sale. They had been collected in the United States, by slave-dealers,
+and shipped, up the Mississippi, to Kentucky for a market.</p>
+
+<p>There are, at Natchez, numerous stores, and three-fourths of the goods
+at every store are articles of British manufacture. Shopkeeping is here
+profitable, and mechanics are highly paid. Lotteries are very prevalent
+at Natchez. When Mr. Fearon was here, there was a lottery for <i>building
+a Presbyterian church</i>; and the scheme was preceded by a long address,
+on the advantages of religion, and the necessity of all citizens
+supporting Christianity, by purchasing tickets in this lottery!</p>
+
+<p>The streets of Natchez were literally crammed with bales of cotton for
+the Liverpool market. These are carried to the water-side in carts, each
+drawn by two mules, horses being here little used. During Mr. Fearon's
+residence at this town, he twice visited the State legislature, which
+was composed of men who appeared any thing but legislators. Their place
+of meeting was in a superior kind of hay-loft; and the imitation of the
+forms of the British parliament were perfectly ludicrous.</p>
+
+<p>Between Natchez, and the mouth of the Ohio, there is not one spot which
+could be recommended as a place for an Englishman to settle in.
+Throughout the whole of this space, the white population are the victims
+of <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[Pg 169]</a></span>demoralizing habits. The native Indians present, of course, nothing
+but a picture of mere savage life; and the negro slaves suffer even more
+misery than commonly falls to the lot of their oppressed and degraded
+condition. What a foul stain is it upon the American republic,
+professing, as they do, the principles of liberty and of equal rights,
+that, out of twenty states, there should be eleven in which slavery is
+an avowed part of the political constitution; and that, in those called
+free, New England excepted, the condition of blacks who are indentured,
+for terms of years, should practically amount to slavery!</p>
+
+<p>Beyond the state of Louisiana, the Mississippi divides the Missouri
+territory from the territory of Mississippi; and, north of that, from
+the states of Tenessee and Kentucky. About the 37th degree of north
+latitude, and on the western bank of the river, is a town called <i>New
+Madrid</i>. This place, from the advantages of its situation, about
+forty-five miles from the mouth of the Ohio, may at some future time
+become of considerable importance. The <i>Ohio</i>, at the place of its
+junction with the Mississippi, is about a mile in width, and is
+navigable, for vessels of considerable burden, to a distance of more
+than a thousand miles.</p>
+
+<p>Beyond the Ohio commences the <i>Illinois territory</i>. Here the general
+face of the country is flat; but, in some parts, the land is high and
+craggy. It abounds in deer, wolves, bears, squirrels, racoons, and
+foxes; in wild turkeys and quails; geese and ducks, partially; and
+hawks, buzzards, and pigeons in tolerable abundance; and the rivers
+contain several species of fish. In the prairies there are rattlesnakes.
+The woods supply grapes, pecan nuts, (similar to our walnut,) and
+hickory nuts. Hops, raspberries, and strawberries, here grow wild.
+Limestone abounds; and salt, copper, and coal have all been found in
+this district.</p>
+
+<p>The seat of the territorial government is <i>Kaskaski</i>, a town which
+stands on a plain, near the western bank of the Mississippi, and
+contains about one hundred and <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[Pg 170]</a></span>fifty houses. This place has been
+settled somewhat more than a century, and its inhabitants are chiefly
+French. Some parts of the district of Illinois are occupied by Indians.
+The other inhabitants are, first, what are here termed "squatters,"
+persons half civilized and half savage; and who, both in character and
+habits, are extremely wretched: second, a medley of land-jobbers,
+lawyers, doctors, and farmers, a portion of those who traverse this
+immense continent, founding settlements, and engaging in all kinds of
+speculation: and third, some old French settlers, who are possessed of
+considerable property, and who live in ease and comfort.</p>
+
+<p>About seventy miles north of Kaskaski, and on the opposite side of the
+river, is a town or large village, called <i>St. Louis</i>. It stands on a
+rock or bank of considerable height, in a beautiful and healthy
+situation, and is surrounded by a country of exuberant fertility. The
+inhabitants of this place are chiefly employed in the fur-trade, and
+seldom occupy themselves in agriculture.</p>
+<br />
+
+<p class="cen"><i>Narrative of a Voyage from St. Louis to the source of the
+Mississippi.<br /> By</i> <span class="smcap">Zebulon Montgomery Pike</span>.</p>
+
+<p>Major Pike, at that time a lieutenant in the American army, was employed
+by the government of the United States, to make a survey of the
+Mississippi, from the town of <i>St. Louis</i>, upwards, to its source. In
+pursuance of his instructions, he embarked, in a keel-boat, at this
+place, on the afternoon of Friday the 9th of August, 1805; and was
+accompanied by a serjeant and seventeen private soldiers of the American
+army.</p>
+
+<p>As far as the mouth of the river Missouri, he says, the eastern shore of
+the Mississippi consists of a sandy soil, and is covered with
+timber-trees of various kinds. The western shore is, for a little
+distance, composed of high land, bordered by prairie or natural
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[Pg 171]</a></span>meadow-ground; after which bottom-land occurs, with timber similar to
+that on the eastern shore. The current is rapid, and, at low water, the
+navigation is obstructed by sand-banks.</p>
+
+<p>Beyond the entrance of the Missouri, the stream is gentle, as far as the
+mouth of the <i>Illinois</i>; but there, owing to extensive sand-bars, and
+many islands, it becomes extremely rapid. From the Illinois to the
+<i>Buffalo River</i>, the eastern shore exhibits a series of gentle
+eminences; but, on the west, the land is a continued prairie. Timber is
+found on both sides; generally hackberry, cotton-wood, and ash. The
+Buffalo river enters from the west, and is about a hundred yards wide at
+its mouth.</p>
+
+<p>On the 14th of August the voyagers passed a camp of the <i>Sac Indians</i>,
+consisting of three men, with their families. The men were employed in
+spearing and landing a large fish. Mr. Pike gave them a small quantity
+of whiskey and biscuit; and they, in return, presented him with some
+fish. The Sacs are a tribe of Indians which hunt on the Mississippi, and
+its confluent streams, from the Illinois to the river Jowa; and on the
+plains west of them, which border upon the Missouri. They are much
+dreaded by other Indians, for their propensity to deceit, and their
+disposition to commit injury by stratagem.</p>
+
+<p>On the ensuing day, the voyagers reached the mouth of <i>Salt river</i>, a
+considerable stream, which, at high water, is navigable for at least two
+hundred miles. From the Illinois to this river, the western shore is
+either immediately bordered by beautiful cedar-cliffs, or the ridges of
+these cliffs may be seen at a distance. On the east the land is low, and
+the soil rich.</p>
+
+<p>On the 16th of August they passed the house of a Frenchman, on the
+western side of the river. The cattle belonging to this person appeared
+to be in fine order, but his corn-land was in a bad state of
+cultivation. Three days afterwards their boat was damaged by striking
+against a vessel carrying timber and planks down the stream. While they
+were engaged in <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[Pg 172]</a></span>repairing it, three canoes, with Indians, passed on the
+opposite side of the river. The men in the canoes called out, in
+English, "How do you do?" wishing for an invitation to come over; but
+this was not given, and they proceeded on their voyage.</p>
+
+<p>Beyond Salt river the western shore of the Mississippi is hilly, but the
+eastern side consists of lowland, timbered with hickory, oak, ash,
+maple, and other trees. The navigation here is easy, and the soil on
+both sides tolerably good.</p>
+
+<p>On the 20th of August the voyagers, with great difficulty, passed the
+<i>Rapids des Moines</i>. These are eleven miles in extent; and, with
+successive ledges and shoals, reach from shore to shore, across the bed
+of the river. Mr. Pike had here an interview with four chiefs, and
+fifteen men of the Sac nation, accompanied by a French interpreter, and
+an agent who had been sent from the United States to teach them
+agriculture. These men assisted him in his progress up the Rapids; and,
+in recompense for the service, they were presented with some tobacco,
+knives, and whiskey.</p>
+
+<p>At some distance beyond the Rapids the voyagers had a beautiful
+prospect, at least forty miles in extent, down the river. Their average
+daily progress appears to have been betwixt twenty and thirty miles.</p>
+
+<p>Above the <i>river Jowa</i>, which is one hundred and fifty yards wide at its
+mouth, the shore of the Mississippi consists of high prairie, with
+yellow clay-banks, and, in some places, banks of red sand: the western
+shore also is prairie, but bounded by wood. About ten miles up the Jowa
+is a village of <i>Jowa Indians</i>. This people subsist chiefly by hunting,
+but they cultivate some corn-land. Their chief residence is on the small
+streams in the rear of the Mississippi. From the Jowa to <i>Rock river</i>,
+there are, on the west, beautiful prairies, and, in some places, rich
+land, with black walnut and hickory timber.</p>
+
+<p>On the 28th of August the vessel was much injured in passing up a series
+of rapids nearly eighteen miles in <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[Pg 173]</a></span>extent, and, in some places,
+reaching from shore to shore. Four days after this they arrived in the
+vicinity of some extensive lead-mines, which belonged to a Frenchman
+named Dubuque. The only animals they had hitherto seen were a few wild
+turkeys and some deer.</p>
+
+<p>From the lead-mines to <i>Turkey river</i>, the Mississippi continues nearly
+of the same width, and the banks, soil, and productions appear precisely
+similar. On the bank of the Turkey river is a village of <i>Reynard
+Indians</i>, who raise there a considerable quantity of corn. The Reynards
+reside in three villages on the Mississippi, two of which Mr. Pike had
+already past. They grow corn, beans, and melons; and they annually sell
+many hundred bushels of corn to the inhabitants of the United States.</p>
+
+<p>On the 2d of September, Mr. Pike and some of his men landed for the
+purpose of shooting pigeons; but the guns were no sooner fired, than a
+party of Indians, who were on shore at a little distance, ran to the
+water, and escaped in their pirogues or canoes, with great
+precipitation. After this the voyagers passed the mouth of the
+<i>Ouisconsin river</i>, which enters the Mississippi in latitude 43 degrees
+44 minutes, and is nearly half a mile wide. This river is an important
+source of communication with the great American lakes, and is the route
+by which all the traders of Michillimackinac convey their goods to the
+Mississippi.</p>
+
+<p>On the 6th of September, a council was held with a party of <i>Puant</i> or
+<i>Winebagoe Indians</i>, and one of the <i>Sioux</i> chiefs. The former occupy
+seven villages, and are supposed to be a nation who originally emigrated
+from Mexico, to avoid the oppression of the Spaniards. They are reputed
+to be brave; but their bravery resembles the ferocity of tigers, rather
+than the deliberate resolution of men. They are so treacherous that, it
+is said, a white man should never lie down to sleep in their villages,
+without adopting the utmost caution to preserve himself from injury. The
+<i>Sioux</i> are a <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[Pg 174]</a></span>powerful nation, the dread of whom is extended over all
+the adjacent country. They are divided into numerous bands, headed by
+celebrated chiefs. Few of them cultivate land; but they chiefly live on
+the production of the chase, and on a kind of bread which they make from
+wild oats. This species of grain is here produced in such abundance,
+that a sufficiency for their subsistence is easily collected in the
+autumn, without any trouble whatever in cultivating the land.</p>
+
+<p>Not long after their interview with these Indians, the voyagers reached
+the <i>Prairie des Chiens</i>. The houses of this village, about eighteen in
+number, are arranged in two streets, along the front of a marsh. They
+are chiefly built of wood; are daubed on the outside with clay, and
+white-washed within. The furniture in most of them is decent, and, in
+those of the most wealthy inhabitants, displays a considerable degree of
+taste. The Prairie des Chiens was first settled under the protection of
+the English government, in the year 1783; and derives its name from a
+family of Reynards, who formerly lived there, and were distinguished by
+the appellation of Dog Indians. It is a place of resort for Indian
+traders and others, who reside in the interior. Mr. Pike here engaged
+two interpreters to accompany him; one of whom was to perform the whole
+voyage, and the other to sail with him as high as the falls of St.
+Anthony.</p>
+
+<p>On the 9th of September he had an interview with a party of <i>Sioux
+Indians</i>. When he went towards the shore to meet them, they saluted him
+by firing three rounds from their muskets, loaded with ball. On landing,
+Mr. Pike was met by the chief, and invited to his lodge. This invitation
+he complied with, having first stationed some of his men as guards, to
+protect him in case of danger. In the lodge he found a clean mat and a
+pillow arranged for him to sit upon; and the complimentary pipe of peace
+was placed before him, on a pair of small crutches. The chief sate at his
+right hand, and the interpreter at his left. After they <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[Pg 175]</a></span>had satisfied
+each other of their mutual good wishes, and Mr. Pike had accepted the
+pipe, dinner was prepared. This consisted of wild rye and venison.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Pike was afterwards conducted by the chief to a dance, the
+performance of which was accompanied by many curious gestures. Men and
+women danced indiscriminately. They were all dressed in the gayest
+manner imaginable. Each had, in his hand, a small skin of some kind of
+animal. They frequently ran up, pointed their skin, and gave a puff with
+their breath; on which the person blown at fell, and either appeared
+lifeless, or in great agony; but afterwards slowly recovered, rose, and
+joined in the dance. This was understood to be of a religious
+description; and the Indians believed that they actually puffed, into
+each others bodies, something which occasioned them to fall. For persons
+to be permitted to take a part in these dances, it was requisite that
+they should make valuable presents to the society, give a feast, and be
+admitted with great ceremony. When Mr. Pike returned to his boat, he
+sent for the chief, and presented him with a quantity of tobacco, four
+knives, half a pound of vermilion, a quart of salt, and several gallons
+of spirits.</p>
+
+<p>At some distance beyond this place, Mr. Pike was shewn several holes,
+which had been dug in the ground by the Sioux Indians. These were, in
+general, of circular shape, and about ten feet in diameter; but some of
+them were in the form of half moons. When this people apprehend an
+attack from their enemies, or discover an enemy near them, they dig into
+the ground, with their knives, tomahawks, and wooden ladles; and, in an
+incredibly short space of time, sink holes that are sufficiently
+capacious to protect both themselves and their families from the balls
+or arrows of their foe.</p>
+
+<p>Though the part of the river which the voyagers were now traversing was
+nearly two thousand miles distant from the sea, the width of the stream
+was supposed to be at least two miles.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[Pg 176]</a></span>The wet season had commenced, and rain fell, in considerable quantity
+almost every day. In this part of his voyage, Mr. Pike was accompanied
+by a Mr. Frazer and two other persons, with three birch canoes. On the
+16th of September, they passed the mouth of the <i>Sauteaux</i> or <i>Chippeway
+river</i>, a deep and majestic stream, which has a communication, by a
+short passage, with the Montreal river, and, by this river, with Lake
+Superior. The shores of the Mississippi were here, in many places, bold
+and precipitous, forming a succession of high perpendicular cliffs and
+low valleys; and they exhibited some of the most romantic and
+picturesque views imaginable. But this irregular scenery was sometimes
+interrupted by wide and extensive plains, which brought to the minds of
+the voyagers the verdant lawns of civilized countries, and almost
+induced them to imagine themselves in the midst of a highly-cultivated
+plantation. The timber of this part of the country was generally birch,
+elm, and cotton-wood; and all the cliffs were bordered with cedars. The
+prevailing species of game were deer and bears.</p>
+
+<p>On the 21st of September, the voyagers breakfasted at a Sioux village,
+on the eastern side of the river. It consisted of eleven lodges, and was
+situated at the head of an island, just below a ledge of rocks; but the
+inhabitants had all left it. About two miles beyond this village, they
+saw three bears, swimming over the river, but beyond the reach of
+gun-shot.</p>
+
+<p>In a camp of Sioux, which they afterwards passed, Mr. Pike was
+astonished by the garrulity of the women. At the other camps the women
+had not opened their lips; but here they flocked around the strangers,
+and talked without cessation. The cause of this freedom is supposed to
+have been the absence of their husbands. In a spot at which the voyagers
+arrived this day, the Mississippi was so narrow that Mr. Pike crossed
+it, in a boat, with forty strokes of his oars.</p>
+
+<p>From the <i>Canoe river</i> to the <i>St. Croix</i>, it <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[Pg 177]</a></span>becomes still narrower,
+and the navigation is less obstructed by islands, than below. From the
+<i>Cannon river</i> it is bounded on the east, by high ridges; but the left
+shore consists of low ground. The timber is generally ash and maple;
+except the cedars of the cliffs, the sugar-tree, and ash. Mr. Pike this
+day observed, on the shore, a white flag, and, on landing, he discovered
+it to be of silk. It was suspended over a scaffold, on which were laid
+four dead bodies; two enclosed between boards, and two between pieces of
+bark. They were wrapped in blankets, which appeared quite new; and were
+the bodies of two Sioux women, a child, and a relative. This is the
+manner in which the Sioux Indians bury such of their people as die a
+natural death: such as are killed, they suffer to lie unburied.</p>
+
+<p>On the 23d, the voyagers arrived at the <i>Falls of St. Anthony</i>. These
+are about seventeen feet in height, and the approach to them is through
+rapids, which vessels have great difficulty in passing. At the foot of
+the falls, the voyagers unloaded their boats, which they carried up the
+hill, and placed and reloaded in the river above. While this process was
+going on, a small party of Indians, painted black, and prepared for war,
+appeared on the heights. They were armed with guns, bows and arrows,
+clubs, and spears; and some of them had cases of pistols. Mr. Pike was
+desirous of purchasing from them a set of bows and arrows, and one of
+their war-clubs, made of elk-horn, and decorated with inlaid work; but
+they took offence at something which occurred, and suddenly went away.</p>
+
+<p>The weather was now so rainy, and the men had been so much fatigued with
+conveying the vessels and their lading, to the upper part of the falls,
+that seven of the twenty-two, who accompanied Mr. Pike, were taken ill.
+It is impossible for vessels of any description, or in any state of the
+river, to pass up these falls. The width of the river, immediately below
+them, is two hundred and nine yards, and above them, six hundred <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[Pg 178]</a></span>and
+twenty-seven yards. At high-water, the appearance is extremely sublime;
+as then, the quantity of water falling throws up a spray, which, in
+clear weather, reflects, from some positions, the colours of the
+rainbow; and, when the sky is overcast, this spray covers the falls in
+gloom and chaotic majesty.</p>
+
+<p>On Tuesday, the 1st of October, Mr. Pike and his men again embarked, to
+proceed on their voyage above the falls. At first the river was
+sufficiently deep for the easy passage of the boats; but, at the
+distance of about four miles, the shoals commenced, and there was much
+difficulty in proceeding. Nearly from the Falls of St. Anthony to the
+<i>Rum river</i>, the Mississippi is a continued chain of rapids, with
+eddies, formed by winding channels. The land, on both sides, consists of
+Prairie, with scarcely any timber, except small groves of scrubby oaks.
+Not far from this spot is <i>Red Cedar lake</i>, the grounds in the vicinity
+of which are considered, by the Indians, extremely valuable for hunting.</p>
+
+<p>In some parts of the river it was requisite for the men to wade for many
+successive hours, in order to force the boats over the shoals, and draw
+them through the rapids. The weather was now cold and rainy. On the 10th
+of October, in the course of four miles, the voyagers passed a cluster
+of more than twenty islands, which Mr. Pike called <i>Beaver islands</i>,
+from numerous dams and paths which had been made by these animals upon
+them. The passage up the river was still much impeded by rocks and
+shoals.</p>
+
+<p>About the beginning of October, the voyagers began to look out for a
+station in which they could pass the winter. Mr. Pike was determined, if
+possible, to reach the <i>Corbeau</i> or <i>Raven river</i>, the highest point
+that had ever been reached by traders, in bark canoes. But he was not
+able to accomplish his intention; for, on the seventeenth, many of his
+men were so benumbed with cold, that their limbs became useless, and
+others were laid up with illness. He <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[Pg 179]</a></span>consequently fixed on a station
+near <i>Pine Creek</i>, where the borders of the Mississippi consisted of
+prairie, with groves of pine at the edge of the banks; and, in some
+places, with oak, ash, maple, and lime-trees. The banks of <i>Lake Clear</i>,
+a small and beautiful lake, about three miles distant, are the resort of
+immense herds of elks and buffaloes; and <i>Clear river</i>, which unites
+this lake with the Mississippi, is a delightful little stream, about
+eighty yards wide.</p>
+
+<p>On the seventeenth, snow fell during the whole day: Mr. Pike killed four
+bears, and his hunter three deer. Several ensuing days were occupied in
+cutting down trees, for the formation of winter-huts; and in
+constructing the huts, and forming a fence round them. When the latter
+was completed, the two boats were hauled out of the water, and turned
+over, on each side of the gateways, so as to form a defence against any
+Indians who might be inclined to attack the encampment.</p>
+
+<p>At this place, and in its vicinity, the voyagers continued several
+weeks, during which they suffered great hardships. Much of their time
+was occupied in hunting. They occasionally saw large herds of elks, some
+of them of immense size; the horns of the bucks measuring four feet and
+upwards in width. Many droves of buffaloes were also seen, and deer of
+various kinds: bears, wolves, racoons, and otters, were occasionally
+shot.</p>
+
+<p>On the 7th of November the Mississippi was nearly filled with snow; and,
+on the land, the snow was knee deep. Before the end of the month, the
+river was frozen over.</p>
+
+<p>During his residence at this place, Mr. Pike did not see many Indians.
+On one occasion he visited the tent or hut of an Indian chief, whom he
+found sitting amidst his children, and grand-children, ten in number.
+The hut was constructed of rushes, platted into mats.</p>
+
+<p>In the month of December, Mr. Pike and some <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[Pg 180]</a></span>of his men proceeded, in
+sledges, up the Mississippi. On the twenty-fourth, they reached <i>Corbeau
+river</i>; which, at its mouth, was nearly as wide as the Mississippi. For
+a considerable distance, the Mississippi was interrupted by a continued
+succession of rapids, shoals, and falls. One of the latter, called the
+<i>Falls of the Painted Rock</i>, formed the third important obstacle to the
+navigation of the river, which Mr. Pike had encountered. Most of the
+timber, now observed near the banks, consisted of pine-trees.</p>
+
+<p>On the thirty-first, Mr. Pike passed <i>Pine river</i>. For many miles, the
+Mississippi had been much narrower, and more free from islands, than in
+the lower parts of the stream. The shores, in general, presented a
+dreary prospect of high barren knobs, covered with dead and fallen
+pine-timber; and most of the adjacent country was interspersed with
+small lakes. Deer of various kinds, were plentiful; but no buffaloes,
+nor elks, had been seen.</p>
+
+<p>Near the mouth of the Pine river, an encampment of <i>Chippeway Indians</i>
+was observed. This had been occupied in the summer, but it was now
+vacant. By certain marks which had been left, the voyagers understood
+that these Indians had marched a party of fifty warriors against the
+Sioux, and had killed four men and four women, who were here represented
+by figures carved in wood. The figures of the men were painted, and put
+into the ground, to the middle; and, by their sides, were four painted
+poles, sharpened at the end, to represent the women. Near this spot were
+poles with deer-skins, plumes, silk-handkerchiefs, &amp;c. and a circular
+hoop of cedar, with something attached to it which resembled a scalp.</p>
+
+<p>Beyond this place, Mr. Pike observed, on the bank of the river, six
+elegant bark-canoes, which had been laid up by the Chippeways, and a
+camp, which appeared to have been evacuated about ten days before. After
+having endured considerable hardship and much fatigue for some weeks
+longer, he <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[Pg 181]</a></span>accomplished the object of his expedition, by arriving, on
+the 1st of February, at <i>Leech Lake</i>, from which issues the main source
+of the Mississippi. He crossed this lake, (about twelve miles in width,)
+to an English fort, an establishment belonging to the North West
+Company, and was there received, with great hospitality, by a Mr. Hugh
+Mac Gillis. His men reached the fort on the sixth; but, in traversing
+the lake, some of them had their ears, some their noses, and others
+their chins frozen.</p>
+
+<p>Near this place, Mr. Pike effected some arrangements with the Indians,
+which were considered advantageous to the American government; and, not
+long afterwards, having examined the adjacent country, as well as the
+severity of the weather would permit, he set out on his return,
+accompanied by a deputation of Indian chiefs. The river still continued
+frozen, and the party travelled chiefly in sledges, drawn by dogs. On
+the 5th of March, they again reached the encampment near <i>Pine Creek</i>.</p>
+
+<p>About a fortnight after this, Mr. Pike visited a plantation of sugar
+maple-trees, at a little distance from the creek, one of the finest he
+had ever seen. He was conducted to the lodge of the chief, who received
+him in a truly patriarchal style. This person assisted him in taking off
+his clothes, conducted him to the best part of his lodge, and offered
+him dry clothes. He then presented him with syrup of the maple-tree, to
+drink, and asked whether he preferred eating beaver, swan, elk, or deer?
+Preference being given to the first, a large kettle was filled with
+beavers' flesh, for the purpose of its being made into soup. This was
+afterwards served up; and when the repast was ended, Mr. Pike visited
+other lodges, at each of which he was presented with something to eat.
+He continued here all night; and, on the ensuing day, having purchased
+two baskets filled with sugar, he departed, and returned to his camp.</p>
+
+<p>Some Indians, whom Mr. Pike and his men visited <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">[Pg 182]</a></span>not long after this,
+were extremely well-formed and elegant people. They were about the
+middle size; and their complexions, for savages, were, in general, fair:
+their teeth were good: their eyes were large and somewhat languishing;
+and they had a mild but independent expression of countenance.</p>
+
+<p>In the evening, these Indians entertained their visitors with the
+calumet and dog-dance; and with another dance, in which some of the men
+struck a post, and related their war exploits. After the dance, was a
+feast of the dead. At this, every two or three persons had a pan or
+vessel full of meat set before him; a prayer was then said, and the
+eating commenced. Each was expected to devour his whole portion, and not
+to drop even a bone; for all the bones were carefully collected and put
+into a dish. When the eating was finished, the chief gave an
+exhortation, which concluded the ceremony.</p>
+
+<p>About the end of March, Mr. Pike ordered the boats to be prepared for
+the voyage, in return, down the river. The ice had not, indeed, yet
+broken up; but he was every day in anxious expectation of seeing it
+begin to move. On the 6th of April, the river was found sufficiently
+clear of ice, to permit the party to re-embark. They accordingly loaded
+the boats, and, on the ensuing morning, experienced inexpressible joy,
+in leaving the savage wilderness, in which they had been so long
+imprisoned. On the 10th, they again reached the <i>Falls of St. Anthony</i>.
+The appearance of this cataract was much more tremendous than it had
+been when they ascended; and the great increase of the water occasioned
+the spray to rise much higher than it had done before. The river was
+still nearly covered with floating-ice; and much snow continued to fall.</p>
+
+<p>After his arrival at the <i>Prairie des Chiens</i>, Mr. Pike held a council,
+with the Puant chiefs, respecting some murders which had been committed
+by the men of their nation; and, in the afternoon, he was entertained
+with <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[Pg 183]</a></span>a game of "the cross," between the Sioux on one side, and the
+Puants and the Reynards on the other. The ball used in this game is made
+of a hard substance, and covered with leather. When the parties are
+ready, and the bets have been agreed upon, (and these are sometimes to
+the amount of several thousand dollars,) the goals are erected on the
+prairie, about half a mile asunder. The ball is then thrown up, in the
+middle, and each party, with a kind of racket, strives to beat it to the
+opposite goal. After the first rubber is gained, which is done by the
+ball being driven round one of the posts, it is again taken to the
+centre, the ground is changed, and the contest is renewed; and this is
+continued until one of the parties has been four times victorious, on
+which the bets are decided.</p>
+
+<p>It is an interesting sight, says Mr. Pike, to behold two or three
+hundred naked savages contending, on the plain, who shall bear off the
+palm of victory; for the man who drives the ball round the goal,
+receives the shouts of his companions, in congratulation of his success.
+It sometimes happens, that one of them catches the ball in his racket,
+and, depending on his speed, endeavours to carry it to the goal; but if
+he finds himself too closely pursued, he hurls it, with great force and
+dexterity, to an amazing distance, where there are always flankers, of
+both parties, ready to receive it. The ball seldom touches the ground;
+but it is sometimes kept in the air, for hours, before either party can
+gain the victory.</p>
+
+<p>About ten miles above <i>Salt river</i>, the voyagers, on the 28th of April,
+stopped at some islands where there were numerous roosts of passenger
+pigeons; and, in about fifteen minutes, they knocked on the head, and
+brought on board the boat, about three hundred. Mr. Pike, though he had
+frequently heard of the fecundity of these birds, had never given credit
+to it; but, he says, that the most fervid imagination cannot conceive
+their numbers. The noise, which they made in the woods, was like the
+continued roaring of the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[Pg 184]</a></span>wind. The young ones were still in their
+nests: these consisted only of small bunches of sticks; and their number
+was such, that all the small trees were covered with them.</p>
+
+<p>On the 30th of April, after an absence of eight months and twenty-two
+days, Mr. Pike once more reached St. Louis in safety.</p>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<hr />
+<br />
+<h2>Fifteenth Day's Instruction.</h2>
+
+<h2>WESTERN TERRITORY OF AMERICA.</h2>
+<br />
+
+<p class="cen"><i>The river Missouri.</i></p>
+
+<p>Previously to the commencement of the expedition commanded by Mr. Pike,
+the government of the United States had directed arrangements to be made
+for examining the Missouri, from its mouth to its source; thence
+exploring the vast and dreary range of mountains, which form the highest
+land in the centre of that part of the American continent; and
+afterwards, of descending, by some one of the rivers which flow
+westward, to the Pacific ocean. This formidable undertaking was
+committed to captains Lewis and Clarke, two officers, in the American
+army, who were, in every respect, qualified for the arduous duties which
+it required; and who had, under their command, a party of forty-two
+soldiers and boatmen. Its professed object was to ascertain the
+possibility of opening an inland communication, between the Atlantic and
+Pacific oceans; but the American government had also in view the
+obtaining of information, respecting the country of Louisiana, which
+they were desirous of <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">[Pg 185]</a></span>possessing, and which has since been ceded to
+them by France.</p>
+<br />
+
+<p class="cen"><i>Narrative of a voyage from St. Louis to the source of the Missouri.<br />
+From the travels of Captains</i> <span class="smcap">Lewis</span> <i>and</i> <span class="smcap">Clarke</span>.</p>
+
+<p>The party having embarked in three boats, set out from St. Louis, on the
+14th of May, 1804; and, for several days, they proceeded without
+interruption. Early in the morning of the twenty-fourth, they ascended a
+difficult rapid, called the <i>Devil's Race-ground</i>, and narrowly escaped
+having one of their boats upset. Beyond this place, they met two canoes,
+laden with furs, which had been eight weeks on their voyage from the
+Mahar nation, about seven hundred miles distant. On the banks of the
+river was much timber, consisting of cotton-wood, sycamore, hickory, and
+white walnut.</p>
+
+<p>On the 1st of June, they passed the mouth of the <i>Osage river</i>, which
+falls into the Missouri, at the distance of a hundred and thirty-three
+miles from its junction with the Mississippi. This stream gives name to
+a nation of Indians which inhabit its banks. The <i>Osage Indians</i> are, in
+their persons, well formed: they reside in villages, and, having made
+considerable progress in agriculture, they seem less addicted to war
+than their northern neighbours.</p>
+
+<p>Beyond the Osage river, the southern bank of the Missouri was low, and
+covered with rushes; and occasionally with oak, ash, and walnut-trees.
+On the north, the land was, in some places, rich, and well adapted to
+agriculture. Near the mouth of <i>Big Manitou Creek</i>, the voyagers met a
+raft, formed of two canoes joined together. On this, two French traders
+were descending, from the river Kanzes: it was laden with beaver-skins,
+which they had collected during the winter. Not long afterwards,
+captains Lewis and Clarke landed, to examine a singular limestone rock,
+which was nearly covered with inscriptions and uncouth <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">[Pg 186]</a></span>paintings of
+animals; but they found the place occupied by a nest of rattlesnakes,
+and left it. In several parts of their voyage, they passed canoes,
+boats, and rafts laden with furs.</p>
+
+<p>In many places the river was bordered with prairies or swampy meadows,
+on which grew several kinds of fruit, such as mulberries, plums, wild
+apples, raspberries, and strawberries. Numerous herds of deer were seen,
+pasturing in the plains, or feeding on the young willows of the river.</p>
+
+<p>Near the mouth of the <i>Kanzes</i>, the Missouri is about five hundred yards
+wide. On the south, the hills or highlands approach within a mile and
+half of the shore; but, on the north, they are several miles distant;
+and the country, on all sides, is fine. In some places the navigation
+was interrupted by sand-banks, and in others, by the remains of trees
+which had fallen into the water. On the second of July, the whole
+surface of the stream, for a considerable distance, was covered with
+drift wood. This had probably been occasioned by the giving way of some
+sand-bank, which had before detained the wood, as it floated down the
+stream.</p>
+
+<p>The weather was now so hot that some of the men experienced from it
+great inconvenience; but the air was occasionally cooled by showers. In
+the evenings the voyagers often landed and encamped, for the purpose of
+passing the night on shore. In that part of the river at which they
+arrived on the 16th, the width, from bank to bank, was about a mile; but
+the water was so shallow that they could perceive the remains of fallen
+timber scattered quite across the bottom. The Missouri is here wider
+than it is below, where the timber, which grows on its banks, resists
+the power of the current.</p>
+
+<p>On the 21st of July the voyagers reached the mouth of the great <i>river
+Platte</i>. Captains Lewis and Clarke ascended it for about a mile, and
+found the current very rapid; rolling over sands, and divided into
+several <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">[Pg 187]</a></span>channels, none of which, however, appeared to be more than five
+or six feet deep.</p>
+
+<p>At this place they encamped for several days, in order to dry their
+provisions, make some oars, prepare an account and make maps of the
+country through which they had passed. The game they saw here were
+chiefly deer, turkeys, and grouse; and they obtained an abundance of
+ripe grapes. During the nights they were much annoyed by wolves. The
+country behind their camp was a plain, about five miles in extent, one
+half covered with wood, and the other dry and elevated.</p>
+
+<p>Not far from this place was a settlement of the <i>Pawnee Indians</i>; a race
+which had once been extremely numerous, but which now consisted of only
+four bands, comprising, in the whole, about one thousand four hundred
+persons.</p>
+
+<p>On the 30th of July, the commanders of the expedition directed an
+encampment to be formed on the southern bank of the river, for the
+purpose of their waiting the arrival of the chiefs of the Ottoe Indians,
+with whom an interview had been appointed to take place. From an
+elevated station near the camp, they had a beautiful view of the river
+and of the adjoining country. The hunters abundantly supplied them with
+deer, turkeys, geese, and beavers; and they were well supplied with
+fish.</p>
+
+<p>A party of fourteen <i>Ottoe</i> and <i>Missouri Indians</i>, came, at sunset, on
+the 2d of August, accompanied by a Frenchman who had resided among them
+and acted as an interpreter. The next morning an awning was formed with
+the mainsail of the largest vessel; and, under this, Captains Lewis and
+Clarke received them. A speech was made to these Indians, announcing
+that the territory which they inhabited had been ceded to the American
+government, and advising them respecting their future conduct towards
+the Americans. They promised obedience, requested permission to trade
+with the Americans, asked for a supply of arms, and solicited <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">[Pg 188]</a></span>the
+mediation of the voyagers, between them and the Mahars, with whom they
+were then at war. The chiefs were each presented with a medal, to be
+worn round his neck, some paint, garters, and cloth ornaments of dress:
+to these were added a canister of gunpowder, a bottle of whiskey, and a
+few other articles.</p>
+
+<p>Not long after the ceremonies of the council had concluded, the voyagers
+again embarked. The hills which now extended along the river, were
+nearly fifteen miles asunder: those on the north were clad with a
+considerable quantity of timber; but those on the south had only some
+scattered trees in the ravines or narrow valleys.</p>
+
+<p>On the 5th of August they passed round a peninsula; and, having encamped
+on the north side of it, Captain Clarke, in pursuing some game, about
+three hundred and seventy yards from the camp, found himself at a point
+of the river which they had already passed, and which, by water, was
+distant nearly twelve miles. Some miles beyond this, on traversing a
+part of the country, to reach one of the Indian villages, the vegetation
+was so luxuriant, that the men, who had been sent to explore it, were
+forced to break their way through grass, sunflowers, thistles, and other
+plants, more than ten feet high. This village had once consisted of
+three hundred huts; but, about four years before the voyagers were here,
+it had been burnt, in consequence of the small-pox having destroyed four
+hundred of the men, and a great number of women and children. On a hill
+behind the village were seen the graves of the nation.</p>
+
+<p>The accounts which the voyagers received of the effects of the small-pox
+among these Indians, were most distressing. They had been a military and
+a powerful people; but, when they saw their strength wasting before a
+malady which they were unable to resist, their phrensy was extreme. They
+burnt their village; and many of them put to death their wives and
+children, in order to save them from so cruel an affliction, and that
+they might all go together to the unknown and better country.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">[Pg 189]</a></span>A party of <i>Ottoe</i> and <i>Missouri Indians</i> with whom the voyagers had an
+interview after this, were almost naked, having no covering, except a
+cloth round their middle, and a loose blanket or buffalo robe thrown
+over their shoulders.</p>
+
+<p>In one place Captain Lewis noticed that the hills which extended to the
+edge of the river on the south side, contained alum, copperas, cobalt,
+(having the appearance of soft isinglass,) pyrites, and sand-stone: the
+two first very pure. In another cliff, seven miles distant, he observed
+an alum rock, of dark brown colour, containing, in its crevices, great
+quantities of cobalt, cemented shells, and red earth. The appearance of
+these mineral substances enabled him to account for some disorders of
+the stomach with which his men had of late been much afflicted. They had
+been in the habit of dipping up the water of the river inadvertently,
+and drinking it; and he had now no doubt but the sickness was occasioned
+by a scum which covered its surface along the southern shore. Always
+after this the men agitated the water, so as to disperse the scum,
+before they drank of it, and these disorders ceased.</p>
+
+<p>The soil of a plain over which the two commanders and some of the men
+walked, on the 25th, was exceedingly fine; and was encumbered with but
+little timber, except immediately on the banks of the Missouri. They
+found delicious plums, grapes, and blue currants. The musquitoes, and
+other insects which here abounded, seem, however, to have occasioned
+them some inconvenience.</p>
+
+<p>On the 29th they were joined by five chiefs and seventy men of the
+<i>Yanktons</i>, a tribe belonging to the Sioux Indians. The camps or huts of
+this people are of a conical form: they are covered with buffalo robes,
+painted with various figures and colours, and have an aperture at the
+top for the smoke to pass through. Each hut is calculated to contain
+from ten to fifteen persons, and the interior arrangement is compact and
+handsome: the kitchen or place for cooking is always detached. <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">[Pg 190]</a></span>Captain
+Lewis delivered to these people a speech containing, as he says, the
+usual advice and counsel with regard to their future conduct towards the
+government and the "great father" (as the Indians are taught to call the
+president) of the United States. He gave to the grand chief a flag, a
+medal, a certificate, a laced uniform coat of the United States
+artillery corps, a cocked hat and a red feather; and to the other chiefs
+medals, tobacco, and clothing. Among the inferior men were distributed
+knives, tobacco, bells, tape, binding, and other articles of trifling
+value. After this the Indian chiefs, and Captains Lewis and Clarke,
+smoked together the pipes of peace. These chiefs begged the strangers to
+have pity on them, as they were very poor; to send traders to them, as
+they wanted powder and ball: they were also anxious to be supplied with
+some of "the great father's milk," by which they meant rum, or other
+ardent spirits. This people are stout and well proportioned, and have a
+peculiar air of dignity and boldness: they are fond of decorations, and
+use, for this purpose, paint, porcupine-quills, and feathers. Some of
+them wear a kind of necklace of white bear's claws, three inches long,
+and closely strung together round their necks. They had among them a few
+fowling-pieces, but they were, in general, armed with bows and arrows.</p>
+
+<p>Beyond the village of the Yanktons the country, on both sides of the
+river, was low, and, for the most part, destitute of timber; but, in
+some places, it was covered with cotton-wood, elm, and oak. The weather
+had been intensely hot; but, in the beginning of September, the wind was
+violent, and the weather cold and rainy. On the second of this month,
+the hunters killed four elks, and the whole party was supplied with an
+abundance of grapes and plums, which grew wild near the river. They this
+day observed, on the south side of the Missouri, the remains of an
+ancient Indian fortification, formed chiefly of walls of earth.</p>
+
+<p>On the 7th of September the weather was very cold. The voyagers, this
+evening, encamped at the foot of a <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">[Pg 191]</a></span>round mountain, about three hundred
+feet in height, which, at a distance, had the appearance of a dome. In
+this part of the country the hunters chiefly killed elks, deer, and
+squirrels: and they occasionally brought in beavers, porcupines, and
+foxes. On the 12th they passed an island covered with timber; and they
+had great difficulty in struggling through the sand-bars, the water
+being both rapid and shallow. The weather was now becoming so cold, that
+it was requisite to give out flannel-shirts to the men; and several
+animals were killed, for the sake of their skins to cover the boats. In
+many places the strong current of the river had worn away the banks, to
+considerable extent.</p>
+
+<p>An interview took place, on the 25th, with some chiefs of the <i>Tetons</i>,
+a tribe of the Sioux Indians: nearly the same ceremonies and agreements
+were used and entered into, as with the preceding tribes; and similar
+presents were made. They promised obedience to the "great father," but
+they soon showed how little dependance could be placed on the promises
+of uncivilized nations. As they were going away, a party of them
+endeavoured to seize one of the boats, declaring that they had not
+received presents enough. On being told they should receive no more,
+they drew their arrows from their quivers, and were bending their bows,
+when the swivel-gun in one of the boats was levelled at them. Perceiving
+from this that the most determined resistance would be made, they at
+length ceased from their claims.</p>
+
+<p>On the ensuing day these Indians approached the banks of the river,
+accompanied by their wives and children, and by a great number of their
+friends. Their disposition now seemed friendly, and the voyagers
+accepted an invitation to remain, during the night, on shore, to witness
+a dance which was preparing for their entertainment.</p>
+
+<p>When Captains Lewis and Clarke landed, they were met by ten young men,
+who took each of them up in a robe highly decorated, and carried him to
+a large <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">[Pg 192]</a></span>council-house, where he was placed on a dressed buffalo-skin,
+by the side of the grand chief. The hall or council-room was in the
+shape of three quarters of a circle, and covered, at the top and sides,
+with skins sewed together. Under this sate about seventy men, forming a
+circle round the chief. In the vacant part of the circle, between these
+men and the chief, the pipe of peace was raised, on two forked sticks,
+six or eight inches from the ground, and having the down of the swan
+scattered beneath it. At a little distance was a fire, at which some of
+the attendants were employed in cooking provisions. As soon as Captains
+Lewis and Clarke were seated, an old man rose up, and stating that he
+approved of what they had done, begged of their visitors to take pity on
+them. Satisfactory assurances of amity were made by both parties; and
+the chief, after some previous ceremony, held up the pipe of peace,
+first pointed it toward the heavens, then to the four quarters of the
+globe, and then to the earth, made a short speech, lighted it, and
+presented it to the strangers. They smoked it, and he harangued his
+people, after which the repast was served up. It consisted of the body
+of a dog, a favourite dish among the Sioux; to this was added a dish
+made of buffalo-meat dried, pounded, and mixed raw with grease, and a
+kind of potatoe. Of this the strangers ate freely, but they could not
+relish the roasted dog. The party ate and smoked till it was dark, when
+every thing was cleared away for the dance. A large fire was lighted in
+the centre of the room, for the purpose of giving, at the same time,
+light and warmth. The music was partly vocal and partly instrumental.
+The instruments consisted chiefly of a sort of tambourine, formed of
+skin stretched across a hoop; and a small skin bag with pebbles in it.
+The women then came forward, highly decorated: some with poles in their
+hands, on which were hung the scalps of their enemies; and others with
+guns, spears, or different trophies, taken in war by their husbands,
+brothers, or connexions. Having <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">[Pg 193]</a></span>arranged themselves in two columns, one
+on each side of the fire, they danced towards each other till they met
+in the centre, when the rattles were shaken, and they all shouted and
+returned to their places. They had no step, but shuffled along the
+ground. The music appeared to be nothing more than a confusion of
+noises, distinguished only by hard or gentle blows upon the skin; and
+the song was extemporaneous. In the pauses of the dance, any man in the
+company, who chose it, came forward and recited, in a sort of low
+guttural tone, some story or incident: this was taken up by the
+orchestra and the dancers, who repeated it in a higher strain, and
+danced to it. These amusements continued till midnight, when the
+voyagers retired on board their vessels, accompanied by four of the
+chiefs.</p>
+
+<p>In their persons these Indians were rather ugly and ill made, their legs
+and arms being peculiarly slender, their cheek-bones high, and their
+eyes projecting. The females, with the same character of form, were
+somewhat more handsome. Both sexes appeared cheerful and sprightly, but
+afforded many indications of being both cunning and vicious. The men
+shave the hair off their heads, except a small tuft on the top, which
+they suffer to grow, so as to wear it in plats over the shoulders. In
+full dress, the principal chiefs wear a hawk's feather, worked with
+porcupine-quills, and fastened to the top of the head. Their face and
+body are generally painted with a mixture of grease and coal. The hair
+of the women is suffered to grow long, and is parted from the forehead,
+across the head; at the back of which it is either collected into a kind
+of bag, or hangs down over the shoulders. This people seem fond of
+finery. Their lodges are very neatly constructed: they consist of about
+one hundred cabins, made of white buffalo hides, supported on poles
+fifteen or twenty feet high; and, having a larger cabin in the centre,
+for councils and for dances. These lodges may be taken to pieces, packed
+up, and carried from place to place. The beasts of burden are dogs. Some
+of <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">[Pg 194]</a></span>these Indians had their heads shaved, and others had arrows stuck
+through their flesh above and below the elbow: these were indications of
+mourning.</p>
+
+<p>On Friday the 28th of September, Captains Lewis and Clarke pursued their
+voyage up the river; and on the ensuing day, they passed a spot where a
+band of <i>Ricara Indians</i> had had a village, about five years before: but
+there were now no remains of it, except a mound which encircled the
+town.</p>
+
+<p>Beyond this, the country, on the north side of the river, presented an
+extensive range of low prairie, covered with timber: on the south were
+high and barren hills; but, afterwards, the land assumed the same
+character as that on the opposite side. A great number of Indians were
+discovered on the hills at a distance: they approached the river, and
+proved to be <i>Tetons</i>, belonging to the band which the voyagers had just
+left. In the course of this day the navigation was much impeded by logs
+and sand-bars. The weather was now very cold. The voyagers next passed
+the <i>Chayenne river</i>, which flowed from the south-west, and the mouth of
+which was four hundred yards wide. On both sides of the Missouri, near
+this river, are richly timbered lowlands, with naked hills behind them.
+In this part of the country the hunters observed a great numbers of
+goats, white bears, prairie-cocks or grouse; and a species of quadrupeds
+described to resemble a small elk, but to have large, circular horns.</p>
+
+<p>For many successive days Indians were observed on the shores; and, if
+they had been more numerous, some of them seemed inclined to molest the
+voyagers. On the sand-bars, which here very much obstructed the course
+of the river, great number of geese, swans, brants, and ducks of
+different kinds were seen.</p>
+
+<p>On the 9th of October, the voyagers received visits from three chiefs of
+the <i>Ricara Indians</i>; and, though the wind was violent, and the waves
+ran very high, two or three squaws or females rowed off to them, in
+little canoes, each made of a single <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">[Pg 195]</a></span>buffalo-skin, stretched over a
+frame of boughs, interwoven like a basket. These Indians did not use
+spirituous liquors; and had even rejected, with disgust, all attempts
+which the traders had hitherto made to introduce them: they said they
+were surprised that their "father," meaning the president of the United
+States, should present to them a liquor which would make them fools.
+Captains Lewis and Clarke visited two of the villages, where they were
+presented with corn and beans boiled; and also with bread made of corn
+and beans. The Ricara Indians are tall and well proportioned. The men
+wear skins round their legs, a cloth round their middle, and they
+occasionally have a buffalo robe thrown over their shoulders: their
+hair, arms, and ears, are decorated with ornaments of different kinds.
+The women, who are handsome and lively, wear long shirts made of goats'
+skin, generally white and fringed, and tied round the waist; and, in
+addition to these, they have a buffalo robe dressed without the hair.
+The lodges of the Ricara Indians are of a circular or octagonal form,
+and generally thirty or forty feet in diameter. They are made by placing
+forked posts, each about six feet high, round the circumference of a
+circle; joining these, by poles lying upon the forks; forming a sloping
+roof; interweaving the whole with branches and grass, and covering it
+with mud or clay. Before the door there is a sort of entrance about ten
+feet from the lodge. This people cultivate maize or Indian corn, beans,
+pumpkins, water-melons, and a species of tobacco which is peculiar to
+themselves. They are well armed with guns, and carry on a considerable
+traffic in furs.</p>
+
+<p>For many successive days the voyagers continued to see Indians every
+day. They had occasionally wet and unpleasant weather. In one place they
+saw, on the bank of the river, a great number of goats; and, soon
+afterwards, large flocks of these animals were driven into the river by
+a party of Indians, who gradually lined the shore, so as to prevent
+their escape, and fired on them, and beat them down with clubs, with so
+much <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">[Pg 196]</a></span>success, that, in a short time, they killed more than fifty. Many
+buffaloes, elks, and deer were seen; and a great number of snakes.</p>
+
+<p>On Thursday the 18th, they passed the mouth of <i>Le Boulet</i>, or
+<i>Cannon-ball river</i>, the channel of which is about one hundred and forty
+yards wide. This stream, (which is indebted for its name to a great
+number of large stones, that are perfectly round and lie scattered about
+the shore and on the eminences above,) rises in the Black Mountains, and
+falls into the Missouri on the south. Great numbers of goats were
+observed to cross the river, and direct their course towards the west.
+The country, in general, was level and fine, with broken, short, high
+grounds, low timbered mounds near the river, and a range of rugged hills
+at a distance. The low grounds had here much more timber than had been
+observed lower down the river. So numerous are wild animals in this part
+of the country, that the voyagers counted, at a single view, fifty-two
+herds of buffaloes, and three of elks.</p>
+
+<p>On the 20th the weather was so cold, that the rain which fell froze on
+the ground; and, in the course of the night, the ground was covered with
+snow. A Ricara chief told Captain Lewis that, at some distance up one of
+the rivers, there was a large rock which was held in great veneration by
+the Indians, and was often consulted by them, as to their own, or their
+nations' destinies; all of which they imagine they are able to discern,
+in some rude figures or paintings, with which it is covered.</p>
+
+<p>The voyagers passed, on each side of the river, the ruins of several
+villages of <i>Mandan Indians</i>; and, on an island of the river, they found
+a Mandan chief, who, with some of his men, was on a hunting excursion.
+As they proceeded, several parties of Mandans, both on foot and on
+horseback, approached the shore to view them. The vessels here got
+aground several times, among the sand-bars and rocks. In this part of
+their voyage they saw two Europeans, belonging to <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">[Pg 197]</a></span>the Hudson's Bay
+company. These men had arrived about nine days before, to trade for
+horses and buffalo robes.</p>
+
+<p>From one of the villages of the Mandans, a crowd of men, women, and
+children, came to see the strangers. Some of the chiefs had lost the two
+joints of their little fingers; for, with this people, it is customary
+to express grief for the death of relations, by some corporeal
+suffering, and the usual mode is to cut off the joints of the little
+fingers.</p>
+
+<p>There were, in this part of the country, many Indian villages, and
+Captains Lewis and Clarke held, with the chiefs, a council, similar in
+its nature to those already mentioned; and afterwards presented them
+with flags, medals, uniform-coats, and other articles.</p>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<hr />
+<br />
+<h2>Sixteenth Day's Instruction</h2>
+
+<h2>WESTERN TERRITORY CONTINUED.</h2>
+<br />
+
+<p class="cen"><i>Conclusion of</i> <span class="smcap">Lewis</span> <i>and</i> <span class="smcap">Clarke's</span> <i>Voyage from St.
+Louis to the Source of the Missouri.</i></p>
+
+<p>As the winter was now fast approaching, the commanders of the expedition
+considered it requisite to look out for some convenient place, where
+they might pass those months, during which the river would be frozen and
+unnavigable. Accordingly, on the 2d of November, they fixed upon a
+place, not far distant from the Indian villages. They cut down a
+considerable quantity of timber for the formation of huts; and
+constructed tolerably comfortable habitations. Food could here be
+procured in such abundance, that, in the course of two <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">[Pg 198]</a></span>days, a Mandan
+Indian killed as many as two hundred goats.</p>
+
+<p>In the night of the 5th they were awaked by the man on guard, who called
+them to witness a peculiarly beautiful appearance of the aurora
+borealis, or northern lights. Along the sky, towards the north, a large
+space was occupied by a light of brilliant white colour, which rose from
+the horizon, and extended itself to nearly twenty degrees above it.
+After glittering for some time, its colours were occasionally overcast
+and obscured; but again it would burst out with renewed beauty. The
+uniform colour was pale; but its shapes were various and fantastic. At
+times the sky was lined with light-coloured streaks, rising
+perpendicularly from the horizon, and gradually expanding into a body of
+light, in which could be seen the trace of floating columns, sometimes
+advancing, sometimes retreating, and shaping into an infinite variety of
+forms.</p>
+
+<p>Before the middle of November a store-house was completed, in which the
+contents of the boats were laid up for the winter. On the 13th, ice
+began to float down the river for the first time; and, on the ensuing
+day, the ground was covered with snow. In some traps which had been set,
+twenty beavers were caught. On the 16th the men moved into the huts,
+although they were not finished. Three days after this the hunters
+brought in a supply of thirty-two deer, eleven elks, and five buffaloes,
+all of which were hung up to be smoked, for future subsistence.</p>
+
+<p>The huts were ranged in two rows, each row containing four rooms,
+fourteen feet square, and seven feet high. The place in which they were
+erected was called <i>Fort Mandan</i>, and was a point of low ground, on the
+north side of the Missouri, covered with tall and heavy cotton-wood. The
+computed distance from the mouth of the Missouri was sixteen hundred
+miles.</p>
+
+<p>In the vicinity of this place were five villages of three distinct
+nations: <i>Mandans</i>, <i>Ahanaways</i>, and <i>Minnetarees</i>. Not many years ago
+the Mandans were a very <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">[Pg 199]</a></span>numerous race, occupying, in the whole,
+eighteen villages; but their numbers had been so much reduced, by the
+small-pox and by their wars with the Sioux, that they were compelled to
+emigrate in a body, and unite themselves with the Ricara nation; and
+they now occupy only two villages, on opposite sides of the Missouri,
+and about three miles asunder. Each of these contains forty or fifty
+lodges, built in the same manner as those of the Ricaras. The whole
+force of the Ahanaways is not, at present, more than fifty men. Their
+residence is on an elevated plain, near the mouth of the <i>Knife river</i>.
+On the south side of the same river, and about half a mile distant from
+this people, is a village of the <i>Minnetarees</i>; and there are four other
+villages of these Indians at a little distance.</p>
+
+<p>The religion of the Mandans consists in the belief that one great Spirit
+presides over their destinies; but they also believe that various
+beings, some imaginary and some existing in the form of animals, have
+the power of interceding for them with the great spirit. To these they
+pay their devotion. They believe in a future state; and that, after
+death, they shall go to the original seats of their forefathers, which
+they suppose to be underground, immediately beneath a spot on the banks
+of the Missouri, where they formerly had nine villages.</p>
+
+<p>On the 7th of December, the Missouri was frozen over, and the ice was an
+inch and half in thickness. The cold was so intense, that the air was
+filled with icy particles resembling a fog; and the snow was several
+inches deep. Notwithstanding this, one of the commanders, accompanied by
+some of the men, went out almost every day to hunt. On the tenth,
+Captain Clarke and his hunters, after having killed nine buffaloes, were
+obliged to spend a wretched night on the snow: having no other covering
+than a small blanket and the hides of the buffaloes they had killed. The
+next day the wind blew from the north; and the ice in the atmosphere was
+so thick, as to render the weather <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">[Pg 200]</a></span>hazy, and to give the appearance of
+two suns reflecting each other. On the seventeenth, the mercury in the
+thermometer fell to seventy-four degrees below the freezing point. The
+fort was completed on the day before Christmas.</p>
+
+<p>The Indians, inured to the severity of the climate, are able to support
+the rigours of the season, in a way which Captains Lewis and Clarke had
+hitherto considered impossible. Many parts of their bodies were exposed;
+and one of the Indians, in particular, although his dress was very thin,
+was known to have passed the night on the snow, without a fire; and yet
+he did not suffer the slightest inconvenience.</p>
+
+<p>After having spent nearly five months in this dreary abode, the ice
+broke up, the boats were repaired and once more got into the river; and
+other preparations were made for the voyagers to pursue their course
+towards the sources of the Missouri.</p>
+
+<p>In the afternoon of Sunday, the 7th of April, the arrangements being all
+completed, the party, consisting of thirty-two persons, once more
+embarked. They now occupied six small canoes and two large pirogues. The
+barge was sent down the river, to the United States, with presents of
+natural curiosities, which had been collected, and with dispatches to
+the president.</p>
+
+<p>At some distance from Fort Mandan, the land, on each side of the
+Missouri, after ascending the hills near the water, exhibits the
+appearance of one fertile and unbroken plain, which extends as far as
+the eye can reach, without a solitary tree or shrub, except in moist
+situations, or in the steep declivities of hills. In some parts the
+plains were on fire; for, every spring, as soon as the ice breaks up in
+the river, these plains are set on fire by the Indians, for the purpose
+of driving out and attacking the buffaloes, and other wild animals which
+inhabit them. Beavers were here very abundant. A herd of antelopes, and
+the track of a large white bear, were seen in the plain: geese and
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">[Pg 201]</a></span>swans were observed, in great numbers. The musquitoes now began to be
+very troublesome.</p>
+
+<p>Before the middle of April, the weather became so warm, that, in the
+day-time, the men worked with no clothes on, except round their waist.
+On the twelfth, the voyagers reached the mouth of the <i>Little Missouri</i>,
+where they remained during the day, for the purpose of making celestial
+observations. This river falls into the Missouri, on its south side, and
+at the distance of sixteen hundred and ninety-three miles above its
+confluence with the Mississippi. Its current is strong, and its width a
+hundred and thirty-four yards; but its greatest depth is only two feet
+and half. The adjacent country is hilly and irregular; and the soil is,
+for the most part, a rich dark-coloured loam, intermixed with a small
+proportion of sand.</p>
+
+<p>On the thirteenth, the voyagers passed the remains of forty-three
+temporary lodges, which were supposed to have belonged to the Assiniboin
+Indians. The waters of many of the creeks were found to be so strongly
+impregnated with mineral salts, that they were not fit to be drunk. On
+each bank of the Missouri the country presented the appearance of low
+plains and meadows; bounded, at the distance of a few miles, by broken
+hills, which end in high, level, and fertile lands: the quantity of
+timber was increasing. In the timbered-grounds, higher up the river, the
+voyagers observed a great quantity of old hornets' nests. Many of the
+hills exhibited a volcanic appearance, furnishing great quantities of
+lava and pumice stone: of the latter, several pieces were observed
+floating down the river. In all the copses there were remains of
+Assiniboin encampments.</p>
+
+<p>On the twentieth, near an Indian camp, the voyagers observed a scaffold,
+about seven feet high, on which were two sleds, with their harness; and
+under the scaffold was the body of a female, carefully wrapped in
+several dressed buffalo-skins. Near it lay a bag, made of buffalo-skin,
+and containing some articles of <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">[Pg 202]</a></span>apparel, scrapers for dressing hides,
+some dried roots, plats of sweet grass, and a small quantity of tobacco.
+These, as well as the body, had probably fallen down by accident, as it
+is customary to place the dead bodies on scaffolds. At a little distance
+was the body of a dog, not yet decayed: he had, no doubt, been employed
+in dragging, in the sled, the body of his mistress, and, according to
+the Indian usage, had been sacrificed to her.</p>
+
+<p>From the sand-bars in the river, the wind sometimes blew such vast
+quantities of sand into the air, as to appear like clouds, and even to
+conceal the opposite bank from view. These clouds of sand floated, like
+columns of thick smoke, to the distance of many miles; and the particles
+were so penetrating, that nothing could be kept free from them.</p>
+
+<p>Near the junction of <i>Yellow-stone river</i> with the Missouri, the country
+was much more woody than it had been in any other part, since the
+voyagers had passed the Chayenne; and the trees were chiefly of
+cotton-wood, elm, ash, box, and alder. In the low grounds were
+rose-bushes, the red-berry, service-berry, red-wood, and other shrubs;
+and among the bushes on the higher plains, were observed willows,
+gooseberry-trees, purple currant-trees, and honeysuckles. The sources of
+Yellow-stone river are said to be in the Rocky Mountains, near those of
+the Missouri and the Platte; and this river is navigable, in canoes,
+almost to its head.</p>
+
+<p>Near the junction of the Yellow-stone and Missouri rivers, there is a
+high plain, which extends three miles in width, and seven or eight miles
+in length; and which Captain Lewis says might be rendered a very
+advantageous station for a trading establishment.</p>
+
+<p>Beyond this place, the hills were rough and high, and almost overhung
+the river. As the voyagers advanced, the low grounds were fertile and
+extensive, with but little timber, and that cotton-wood. On the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">[Pg 203]</a></span>3d of
+May, they reached the mouth of a river, which; from the unusual number
+of porcupines that were seen near it, they called <i>Porcupine river</i>. For
+several days after this, they continued their progress without much
+interruption. In many places the river was, at least, half a mile wide.
+During their excursions on the shore, in pursuit of food, they
+encountered many perils in shooting at bears. Some of these were of vast
+size and strength: one of them weighed nearly six hundred pounds, and
+measured eight feet seven inches and a half, from the nose to the
+extremity of the hind feet.</p>
+
+<p>Beyond the <i>Muscle-shell river</i>, which the voyagers reached on the 21st,
+the shores of the Missouri were abrupt and bold, and composed of a black
+and yellow clay.</p>
+
+<p>After a navigation of two months, and a progress of more than a thousand
+miles from their winter camp, the party became considerably embarrassed,
+at the conflux of two rivers, which were, apparently, of equal
+magnitude. It was important for them to decide which of the streams in
+question was the true Missouri; because the river, which it was their
+object to ascend, was described to be at no great distance from the head
+waters, running, from the opposite side of the Rocky Mountains, towards
+the Pacific ocean. Two canoes, with three men, were consequently
+dispatched, to survey each of these doubtful streams; and parties were
+sent out by land, to discover, if possible, from the rising grounds, the
+distant bearings of the lofty ranges of mountains, which were
+conspicuous in the west; and some of which, though it was now the month
+of June, were covered with snow. Hence, there was no doubt of their
+vicinity to the great central ridge of American mountains; but the
+direction of the rivers just mentioned, could not be distinguished to
+any considerable distance. Of the two, the one coming from the north,
+had the brown colour and thick appearance of the Missouri; while the
+southern river had a rapid current, a pebbly bed, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">[Pg 204]</a></span>and transparent
+water, as if it issued from a mountainous country. The resemblance of
+the former to the river already navigated, led nearly all the privates
+of the party to consider it as the Missouri; but the clearness of the
+other stream induced the two captains to the conclusion that it
+proceeded from those central mountains, which were the grand objects of
+their search. After a further investigation, they resolved to pursue the
+course of the latter.</p>
+
+<p>It was, however, requisite to make a deposit of all the heavy baggage,
+that could possibly be spared, as the increasing shallowness of the
+water would soon render the navigation much more laborious than it had
+hitherto been. They accordingly adopted a plan, common among traders who
+bring merchandise into the country of Indians of doubtful integrity,
+that of digging a hole in the ground, small at the top, but widened in
+the descent, somewhat like the shape of a kettle. Choice was made of a
+dry situation; and the sod, being carefully removed, the excavation was
+completed, a flooring of wood and hides was laid at the bottom, and the
+goods were covered with skins: the earth was then thrown into the river,
+and the sod laid on again with so much care, that not the slightest
+appearance remained of the surface having been disturbed.</p>
+
+<p>These arrangements being completed, Captain Clarke took charge of the
+canoes; while Captain Lewis, with four men, proceeded by land, in hopes
+of soon putting it beyond a doubt that the river which they were now
+ascending was the Missouri. The decisive proof was to be sought in its
+falls, which the Indians had described as not remote from the Rocky
+Mountains, and as of remarkable grandeur. Captain Lewis passed along the
+direction of the river, during two days, and, on the next day, found
+himself in a position which overlooked a most beautiful plain.</p>
+
+<p>Finding that the river here bore considerably to the south; and fearful
+of passing the falls before he reached <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">[Pg 205]</a></span>the Rocky Mountains, he now
+changed, his course towards the south, and, leaving these hills to the
+right, proceeded across the plain. In this direction he had gone about
+two miles, when his ears were saluted with the agreeable sound of a fall
+of water; and, as he advanced, a spray, which seemed to be driven by the
+high south-west wind, arose above the plain, like a column of smoke, and
+vanished in an instant. Towards this point he directed his steps; and
+the noise, increasing as he approached, soon became too tremendous to be
+mistaken for any thing but the <i>Great Falls of the Missouri</i>. Having
+travelled seven miles after he first heard the sound, he at length
+reached the falls.</p>
+
+<p>The hills became difficult of access, and were two hundred feet high.
+Down these he hurried with impatience; and, seating himself on some
+rocks under the centre of the falls, he enjoyed the sublime spectacle of
+this stupendous object; which, since the creation of the world, had been
+lavishing its magnificence on the desert, unknown to civilization. For
+ninety or a hundred yards from the left cliff, the water falls in one
+smooth, even sheet, over a precipice of at least eighty feet. The
+remaining part of the river precipitates itself with a more rapid
+current; but, being received, as it falls, by the irregular and somewhat
+projecting rocks below, it forms a splendid prospect of perfectly white
+foam, two hundred yards in length, and eighty yards in perpendicular
+elevation. This spray is dissipated into a thousand shapes, sometimes
+flying up in columns fifteen or twenty feet high; and then being
+oppressed by larger masses of white foam, which exhibit all the
+brilliant colours of the rainbow.</p>
+
+<p>On the 14th of June, one of the men was sent to Captain Clarke, with an
+account of the discovery of the falls; and Captain Lewis proceeded to
+examine the rapids above. From the falls, he directed his course,
+south-west, up the river. After passing one continued rapid, and three
+small cascades, each three or four feet high, he reached, at the
+distance of <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">[Pg 206]</a></span>five miles, a second fall. Above this, the river bends
+suddenly towards the north. Here captain Lewis heard a loud roar above
+him; and, crossing the point of a hill, for a few hundred yards, he saw
+one of the most beautiful objects in nature: the whole Missouri is
+suddenly stopped by one shelving rock, which, without a single niche,
+and with an edge as straight and regular as if formed by art, stretches
+from one side of the river to the other, for at least a quarter of a
+mile. Over this, the water precipitates itself, in an even,
+uninterrupted sheet, to the perpendicular depth of fifty feet; whence,
+dashing against the rocky bottom, it rushes rapidly down, leaving behind
+it a spray of the purest foam.</p>
+
+<p>The scene here presented was indeed singularly beautiful; since, without
+any of the wild, irregular, sublimity of the lower falls, it combined
+all the regular elegancies which the fancy of a painter would select to
+form a beautiful cataract. Captain Lewis now ascended the hill which was
+behind him, and saw, from its top, a delightful plain, extending from
+the river to the base of the Snowy Mountains. Along this wide, level
+country, the Missouri pursued its winding course, filled with water, to
+its even and grassy banks; while, about four miles above, it was joined
+by a large river, flowing from the north-west, through a valley three
+miles in width, and distinguished by the timber which adorned its
+shores: the Missouri itself stretched to the south, in one unruffled
+stream of water; and bearing on its bosom, vast flocks of geese, while
+numerous herds of buffaloes were feeding on the plains which surround
+it.</p>
+
+<p>Captain Lewis then descended the hills, and directed his course towards
+the river. Here he met a herd of at least a thousand buffaloes; and,
+being desirous of providing for his supper, he shot one of them. The
+animal immediately began to bleed; and the captain, having forgot to
+reload his rifle, was intently watching to see him fall, when he beheld
+a large brown bear, cautiously approaching him, and already within
+twenty <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">[Pg 207]</a></span>yards. In the first moment of surprise, he lifted his rifle;
+but, recollecting that it was not charged, and that he had no time to
+reload, he felt that there was no safety but in flight. He was in an
+open, level plain; not a bush nor a tree was within three hundred yards
+of him; and the bank of the river was sloping, and not more than three
+feet high, so that there was no possible mode of concealment. Captain
+Lewis therefore thought of retreating, in a quick walk. He did so, but
+the bear approached, open mouth and at full speed, upon him. He ran
+about eighty yards; but finding that the animal gained on him fast, he
+plunged into the river, about waist deep, and, then facing about,
+presented the point of an espontoon or kind of spear, which he had
+carried in his hand. The bear arrived at the water's edge, within twenty
+feet of him; but, as soon as the captain put himself in this posture of
+defence, the animal seemed frightened, and, wheeling about, retreated
+with as much precipitation as he had pursued.</p>
+
+<p>With respect to Captain Clarke, he and his canoes advanced up the river,
+but they proceeded very slowly; for the rapidity of the current, the
+number of large stones, and the numerous shoals and islands, greatly
+impeded their progress. After they had passed a stream, to which he gave
+the name of <i>Maria's river</i>, they redoubled their exertions. It,
+however, soon became necessary for them once more to lighten the canoes.
+They did so, and filled another hole, with a portion of their provisions
+and ammunition.</p>
+
+<p>On the 29th of June, Captain Clarke left the canoes, and went on to the
+falls, accompanied by a black servant, named York, an Indian and his
+wife, with her young child. On arriving there, they observed a very dark
+cloud rising in the west, which threatened rain. They therefore looked
+around for shelter, but could find no place where they would be secure
+from being blown into the river, if the wind should prove as violent as
+it sometimes does in the plains. At length, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">[Pg 208]</a></span>about a quarter of a mile
+above the falls, they found a deep ravine, where there were some
+shelving rocks; and under these they took refuge. Being now perfectly
+safe from the rain, they laid down their guns and compass, and the other
+articles which they had brought with them. The shower was, at first,
+moderate; but it increased to a heavy rain, the effects of which they
+did not feel: soon afterwards, a torrent of intermingled hail and rain
+was poured from the clouds: the rain seemed to fall in a solid mass;
+and, collecting in the ravine, it came rolling down, like a cataract,
+carrying along with it mud and rocks, and every thing that opposed it.
+Captain Clarke saw the torrent a moment before it reached them; and,
+springing up, with his gun and shot-pouch in his left hand, he, with his
+right, clambered up the steep cliff, pushing on before him the Indian
+woman, with her child in her arms. Her husband, too, had seized her
+hand, and was dragging her up the hill; but he was so terrified at the
+danger, that, but for Captain Clarke, himself and his wife and child
+would have been lost. So instantaneous was the rise of the water, that
+before Captain Clarke had reached his gun, and had begun to ascend the
+bank, the water was up to his waist; and he could scarcely get up faster
+than it rose, till it reached the height of fifteen feet. Had they
+waited a moment longer, it would have swept them all into the river,
+just above the great cataract, down which they must inevitably have been
+precipitated. They had been obliged to escape so rapidly, that Captain
+Clarke lost his compass and umbrella: the Indian left his gun,
+shot-pouch, and tomahawk; and the Indian woman had just time to grasp
+her child, before the net, in which it had lain at her feet, was carried
+down the current.</p>
+
+<p>After the storm was over, they proceeded to a fountain, perhaps the
+largest in America. It is situated in a pleasant, level plain, and about
+twenty-five yards <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">[Pg 209]</a></span>from the river, into which it falls over some steep,
+irregular rocks.</p>
+
+<p>In this part of the country a remarkable phenomenon was noticed. A loud
+report, precisely resembling the sound of a cannon, was repeatedly heard
+from the mountains, at different times, both of the day and night;
+sometimes in one stroke; at others, in five or six successive
+discharges. This report was occasionally heard when the air was
+perfectly still and without a cloud; and it was supposed to be
+occasioned by the bursting of rocks.</p>
+
+<p>The party, continuing indefatigable in their exertions, dragged the
+canoes, or pushed them along with poles, up the current of the Missouri.
+This they did, day after day, until the 27th of June, when they arrived
+at the <i>Three forks of the river</i>; that is, at the point at which three
+rivers, each of considerable size, flow together, and form the great
+stream. As it was difficult to determine the largest of the three,
+Captains Lewis and Clarke decided on discontinuing here the appellation
+of Missouri; and named the streams, respectively, Jefferson's,
+Madison's, and Gallatin's river. As the first of these flowed from the
+west, they ascended it in preference to the others; but they continued
+to experience great difficulty with the canoes, in consequence of the
+rapidity of the current.</p>
+
+<p>They were now approaching the termination of the first great division of
+their journey. The river continued to lessen as they proceeded: its
+width, in the part at which they arrived on the 8th of July, was not
+more than forty yards; and, on the 11th, it was diminished to twelve, so
+as to admit of being waded over without hazard. They had now proceeded,
+by computation, three thousand miles from the mouth of the Missouri; and
+they, not long afterwards, reached its extreme navigable point, in
+latitude 43 degrees 30 minutes, and nearly in longitude 112 degrees west
+from Greenwich.</p>
+
+<p>Here they laid up their canoes, until they should <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">[Pg 210]</a></span>return from the
+Pacific ocean; and, proceeding by land, had the gratification of tracing
+the current to its <i>fountain head</i>, in the midst of the Rocky Mountains.</p>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<hr />
+<br />
+<h2>Seventeenth Day's Instruction.</h2>
+
+<h2>WESTERN TERRITORY CONTINUED.</h2>
+<br />
+
+<p class="cen"><i>Narrative of</i> <span class="smcap">Lewis</span> <i>and</i> <span class="smcap">Clarke's</span> <i>Travels from the
+Source of the Missouri to the Pacific Ocean.</i></p>
+
+<p>From the source of the Missouri, we will now accompany these gentlemen
+in their journey across the Rocky Mountains, and in their subsequent
+navigation of the Oregan or Columbia to the Pacific Ocean.</p>
+
+<p>They had reached the highest ground in the <i>Rocky Mountains</i>, or that
+elevated part of the continent which constitutes the boundary between
+the streams flowing to the Atlantic on the one side, and the Pacific on
+the other. Their next object was to prosecute their journey westward,
+through this cold and barren track, until they should come to a
+navigable stream flowing into the Columbia, the great channel of access
+to the western ocean.</p>
+
+<p>They had been told, by Indians in the Mandan country, that, immediately
+on crossing the central ridge, they would discover copious rivers
+running in a direction towards the Columbia. Captain Lewis accordingly
+found a clear stream forty yards wide, and three feet deep, which ran
+towards the west. It was bounded on each side by a range of high
+mountains, and was so closely confined between them, as not only to be
+unnavigable, but to be impassable along its banks. A still more
+discouraging circumstance was the total want, in this wintry region, of
+timber fit for building canoes.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">[Pg 211]</a></span>An old Indian, being consulted respecting these mountains, stated them
+to be so inaccessible, that neither he nor any of his nation had ever
+attempted to cross them; and another Indian, a native of the south-west
+mountains, described them in terms scarcely less terrific. The course to
+the Pacific lay, he said, along rocky steeps, inhabited by savages, who
+lived in holes, like bears, and fed on roots and on horse-flesh. On
+descending from the mountainous ridge, he stated that the traveller
+would find himself in a parched desert of sand, where no animals, of a
+nature to afford subsistence, could be discovered; and, although this
+plain was crossed by a large river running towards the Columbia, its
+banks had no timber for the construction of canoes.</p>
+
+<p>After all these mortifying communications, there appeared to be left, to
+the present travellers, only one route, that by which some individuals
+of the Chopunnish Indians, living to the west of the mountains, find
+means to make their way to this elevated region; and the accounts that
+had been given of this road, were very discouraging; the Indians being
+obliged to subsist for many days on berries, and suffering greatly from
+hunger. The commanders of the expedition were not, however,
+disheartened; for they were convinced that their men could accomplish a
+passage without enduring so much hardship as Indians, who are generally
+accompanied by women and children.</p>
+
+<p>Having ascertained that the accounts of the impractibility of navigating
+the river were well founded, it became indispensable to take measures
+for proceeding on horseback. The men had already begun to suffer from
+want of food, for the country afforded very little except berries, and a
+few river-fish.</p>
+
+<p>Captain Lewis describes the ravenous propensities of the Indians who
+reside in this part of America, to be very extraordinary. While some of
+them were with the travellers, a deer was killed. They all hastened to
+the spot, like so many beasts of prey, and actually tumbled over each
+other, to reach the intestines which <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">[Pg 212]</a></span>had been thrown aside. Each tore
+away whatever part he could seize, and instantly began to devour it.
+Some had the liver, some the kidneys; in short, no part was left, on
+which we are accustomed to look with disgust. One of them, who had
+seized about nine feet of the entrails, was chewing, at one end, while,
+with his hand, he was diligently clearing his way by discharging the
+contents at the other. Yet, though suffering from excessive hunger, they
+did not attempt, as they might have done, to take by force the whole
+deer, but contented themselves with what had been thrown away by the
+hunters. After this, Captain Lewis gave one quarter of the body of the
+deer to the Indians; and they immediately devoured it raw. A second deer
+was killed, and nearly the whole of it was given to the Indians. This
+they also devoured, even to the soft parts of the hoofs; and they
+shortly afterwards ate nearly three quarters of a third.</p>
+
+<p>It happened fortunately for the travellers, in the prosecution of their
+journey by land, that the horses of the country were good, and that
+there was no difficulty in purchasing as many as were necessary, for the
+conveyance of themselves and their baggage. They were thus enabled to
+set out about the end of August, under the guidance of an old man, who,
+notwithstanding the dissuasion of his countrymen, undertook to conduct
+them to the Indians who live westward of the mountains.</p>
+
+<p>Arriving, soon afterwards, in a district where no tract could be
+discovered, they were obliged to cut their way through thickets of trees
+and brushwood, along the sides of hills. Here their horses suffered
+great fatigue; and the season was still so little advanced, that the
+ground was covered with snow. On the 9th of September they reached the
+road or path commonly taken by the Indians in crossing from the Columbia
+to the Missouri; and here they learned that they might have lessened the
+hardships of the mountain journey, had they laid up their canoes and
+struck off to the west, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213">[Pg 213]</a></span>before they navigated the latter river to its
+furthest-point. A small creek at this station received the name of
+<i>Traveller's Rest-creek</i>.</p>
+
+<p>From this spot the party proceeded nearly due west, along the Indian
+path; but they still experienced considerable inconvenience, from a
+deficiency of provisions. On some days they killed only a few birds;
+and, being obliged to turn their horses loose at night to feed, the
+morning hours were frequently passed in finding and catching them. On
+the 15th of August, they reached the upper parts of the river
+<i>Koos-koos-kee</i>, which affords one of the most direct channels of
+communication with the Columbia; but there is no timber, in its
+neighbourhood, of size large enough for canoes; nor did its channel
+promise an easy navigation. The travellers were consequently obliged to
+continue their journey by land; and on the 19th they were cheered with
+the prospect, towards the south-west, of an extensive plain, which,
+though still distant, assured them of an outlet from the barren region
+which they were traversing. By this time they had suffered so much from
+hunger, that horse-flesh was deemed a luxury.</p>
+
+<p>At last, on the 22d, having reached the plain, they found themselves
+once more in an inhabited country. They explained their pacific
+intentions to the people, who were Indians of a tribe called
+<i>Chopunnish</i>. The removal, however, from a cold to a warm district, and,
+still more, the sudden change from scarcity to an abundance of food,
+proved very detrimental to the health of the men; and it was fortunate
+that the most laborious part of their task was now, for a time at least,
+at an end.</p>
+
+<p>The river Koos-koos-kee being navigable in the place which the party had
+now reached, it remained only to build the requisite canoes. The wood
+was soon obtained; and such of the men as had sufficient strength for
+the undertaking, worked at the canoes, during the intervals of cool
+weather, and were not very long in completing them. In this part of the
+country the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">[Pg 214]</a></span>weather was cool during an easterly wind; exactly as, on
+the opposite side of the mountains, it had been in a westerly one. Their
+horses, to the number of thirty-eight, they consigned to the care of
+three Indian chiefs, to be kept till their return; and the saddles, with
+a small supply of ammunition, they buried in a hole, dug for the
+purpose, near the river.</p>
+
+<p>On the 8th of October, the travellers once more proceeded by water; and
+they now occupied five canoes. Exertion was still requisite, in the
+shoals and other difficult places; but the change was, on the whole,
+extremely favourable to them, and their progress down the current was
+proportionally rapid.</p>
+
+<p>This part of the country is inhabited by the <i>Shoshonees</i>, a tribe of
+<i>Snake Indians</i>, which, at present, consists of about a hundred
+warriors, and thrice as many women and children. Within their own
+recollection these Indians had lived in the plains; but they had been
+driven thence by the Pawkees and other powerful tribes, and they now
+live a wandering and precarious life. From the middle of May till the
+beginning of September they reside on the western waters; but, when the
+salmon, on which they chiefly subsist there, disappear, they cross the
+ridge and descend, slowly and cautiously, till they are joined, near the
+Three Forks, by other bands, either of their own nation, or of the
+Flat-heads, who make common cause with them. They then venture to hunt
+buffaloes in the plains eastward; but such is their dread of the
+Pawkees, that, so long as they can obtain the scantiest subsistence,
+they do not leave the interior of the mountains; and, as soon as they
+collect a large stock of dried meat, they again retreat: thus they
+alternately obtain food at the hazard of their lives, and hide
+themselves to consume it. Two-thirds of the year they are forced to live
+in the mountains, passing whole weeks with no other subsistence than a
+few fish and roots. The salmon were, at this time, fast retiring; roots
+were becoming scarce, they had not yet attained strength to hazard a
+meeting with their enemies, and <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">[Pg 215]</a></span>nothing could be imagined more wretched
+than their condition.</p>
+
+<p>Notwithstanding their miseries they were cheerful, and, in many
+important points of character, were superior to any other tribes whom
+the travellers had seen. They never begged: they were not tempted to a
+single act of dishonesty by the sight of the treasures which their
+visitors displayed; and they were ready to share with their guests, the
+little which they themselves possessed. They were also a high-spirited
+people. The Spaniards, the only white men with whom they had hitherto
+had any intercourse, would not supply them with fire-arms, alleging
+that, if they were possessed of such weapons, they would only be the
+more induced to kill one another. The Shoshonees, perhaps, do not
+perceive that policy is the real motive of the Spaniards; but they
+clearly see that the plea of humanity is fallacious, and they complain
+that they are thus left to the mercy of their enemies the Minnetarees,
+who, having fire-arms, plunder them of their horses, and slay them at
+pleasure.</p>
+
+<p>Though many of their stock had lately been stolen, the Shoshonees
+possessed, at this time, not fewer than seven hundred horses, of good
+size, vigorous, and patient of fatigue, as well as of hunger. They had
+also a few mules, which had been purchased or stolen from the Spaniards,
+by the frontier Indians. These were the finest animals of the kind, that
+Captain Clarke had ever seen; even the worst of them was considered
+worth the price of two horses.</p>
+
+<p>The horse is a favourite animal with this people. His main and tail,
+which are never mutilated, they decorate with feathers, and his ears
+they cut into various patterns. A favourite horse, also, is sometimes
+painted; and a warrior will suspend, at the breast of his horse, the
+finest ornaments which he possesses.</p>
+
+<p>The Shoshonees always fight on horseback. They have a few bad guns among
+them, which are reserved, exclusively, for war; but their common weapons
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">[Pg 216]</a></span>are bows and arrows. The bows that are chiefly prized, are made of the
+argali's horn, flat pieces of which are cemented together with glue.
+They have also lances, and a formidable sort of club, consisting of a
+round stone, about two pounds in weight, fastened, by a short thong, to
+a wooden handle. Their defensive armour is a shield of buffalo's hide,
+manufactured with equal ingenuity and superstition. The skin must be the
+whole hide of a male buffalo, two years old, and never suffered to dry,
+since it was flayed off. A feast is held, to which all the warriors, old
+men, and jugglers, are invited. After the repast, a hole is dug in the
+ground, about eighteen inches deep, and of the same diameter as the
+intended shield. Red hot stones are thrown into this hole; and water is
+poured upon them, to produce a strong steam. Over this, the skin is
+laid, with the fleshy side to the ground; and stretched, in every
+direction, by as many persons as can take hold of it. As it becomes
+heated, the hair separates, and is taken off; and the skin is, at last,
+contracted into the compass designed for the shield. It is then removed,
+placed on a dry hide; and, during the remainder of the festival, is
+pounded by the bare heels of the guests. This operation sometimes
+continues for several days. The shield is then actually proof against
+any arrow; and, if the old men and the jugglers have been satisfied with
+the feast, they pronounce it impenetrable by bullets also, which many of
+the warriors believe. It is ornamented with feathers, with a fringe of
+dressed leather, and with paintings of strange figures. This people have
+also a sort of arrow-proof mail, with which they cover themselves and
+their horses. It is made of dressed antelope-skins, in many folds,
+united by a mixture of glue and sand.</p>
+
+<p>The Shoshonees are a diminutive and ill-formed race; with flat feet,
+thick ancles, and crooked legs. The hair of both sexes is usually worn
+loose over the face and shoulders; some of the men, however, divide it,
+by leather thongs, into two equal queues, which they <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">[Pg 217]</a></span>allow to hang over
+the ears. Their tippet, or rheno, as it is called, is described to have
+been the most elegant article of Indian dress, that the travellers had
+ever seen. It is of otter-skin, tasselled with ermine; and not fewer
+than an hundred ermine-skins are required for each.</p>
+
+<p>The inhabitants of the plains, to the west of the Rocky Mountains,
+appear to differ considerably from their neighbours on the higher
+grounds. The <i>Chopunnish</i> or <i>Pierced Nose nation</i>, who reside on the
+Kooskooskee, and the river now called Lewis's river, are, in person,
+stout, portly, and, good-looking men. The women are small, with regular
+features; and are generally handsome, though dark. Their chief ornaments
+are a buffalo or elk-skin robe, decorated with beads; and sea-shells, or
+mother-of-pearl, attached to an otter-skin collar, and hung in the hair,
+which falls in front in two queues. They likewise ornament themselves
+with feathers and paints of different kinds; principally white, green,
+and light blue, all of which they find in their own country. In winter,
+they wear a shirt of dressed skins, long painted leggings and moccasins,
+and a plat of twisted grass round the neck.</p>
+
+<p>The dress of the women is more simple: it consists of a long shirt of
+argali-skin, which reaches down to the ankles, and is without a girdle:
+to this are tied shells, little pieces of brass, and other small
+articles; but their head is not at all ornamented.</p>
+
+<p>The Chopunnish Indians have very few ornaments; for their life is
+painful and laborious; and all their exertions are necessary to earn
+their subsistence. During the summer and autumn they are busily occupied
+in fishing for salmon, and collecting their winter store of roots. In
+the winter, with snow-shoes on their feet, they hunt deer over the
+plains; and, towards the spring, they cross the mountains to the
+Missouri, for the purpose of trafficking for buffalo-robes.</p>
+
+<p>In descending the <i>Kooskooskee</i>, the travellers had many opportunities
+of observing the arrangements of <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218">[Pg 218]</a></span>the Indians for preserving fish,
+particularly salmon, which are here very abundant. In some places,
+especially in the Columbia, the water was so clear, that these fish were
+seen at the depth of fifteen or twenty feet. During the autumn, they
+float down the stream in such numbers, that the Indians have only to
+collect, split, and dry them. Scaffolds and wooden houses, piled up
+against each other, for the purpose of fishing, were frequently
+observed. Indeed fish are here so abundant, that, in a scarcity of wood,
+dried salmon are often used as fuel.</p>
+
+<p>A considerable trade is carried on in dried fish, which is thus
+prepared. The salmon, having been opened, and exposed some time to the
+sun, is pounded between two stones; then packed in baskets, neatly made
+of grass and rushes, which are lined and covered with salmon-skins,
+stretched and dried for that purpose. In these baskets, the pounded
+salmon is pressed down as hard as possible. Each basket contains from
+ninety to one hundred pounds; seven baskets are placed side by side, and
+five on the top. They are then covered with mats, and corded; and then
+again matted, thus forming a stack. In this manner the fish is kept
+sweet and sound for many years.</p>
+
+<p>The Koo-koos-kee is greatly augmented by the junction of Lewis's river
+from the south; and the united streams, after flowing a considerable
+distance, fall into the still larger flood of the Columbia. At their
+junction, the width of the Columbia is nine hundred and sixty yards.</p>
+
+<p>The Indians, in this part of America, are called <i>Solkuks</i>; and seem to
+be of a mild and peaceable disposition, and to live in a state of
+comparative happiness. Each man is contented with a single wife, with
+whom he shares the labours of procuring subsistence, much more than is
+usual among savages. What may be considered as an unequivocal proof of
+their good disposition, is the great respect which is shown to old age.
+Among other instances of it, the travellers observed, in one of the
+houses, an old woman perfectly blind; <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_219" id="Page_219">[Pg 219]</a></span>and who, as they were informed,
+had lived more than a hundred winters. In this state of decrepitude she
+occupied the best position in the house, seemed to be treated with great
+kindness, and whatever was said by her, was listened to with much
+attention.</p>
+
+<p>The fisheries supply the <i>Solkuks</i> with a competent, if not an abundant
+subsistence. Fish is, indeed, their chief food; except roots, and the
+casual supplies of the antelope, which, to those who have only bows and
+arrows, must be very scanty. Most of the Solkuks have sore eyes, and
+many of them are blind of one or both eyes; and decayed teeth are very
+common among them.</p>
+
+<p>The party proceeded down the Columbia. Fish was here so abundant, that
+in one day's voyage, they counted no fewer than twenty stacks of dried
+salmon.</p>
+
+<p>They passed the falls of this river. These are not great; but, at a
+little distance below them, a very remarkable scene is presented to the
+view. At a place where the river is about four hundred yards wide, and
+where the stream flows with a current more rapid than usual, it widens
+into a large bend or basin, at the extremity of which a black rock,
+rising perpendicularly from the right shore, seems to run wholly across.
+So completely did it appear to block up the passage, that the travellers
+could not, as they approached, see where the water escaped; except that
+the current appeared to be drawn with peculiar velocity towards the left
+of the rock, where there was a great roaring. On landing, to survey it,
+they found that, for about half a mile, the river was confined within a
+channel only forty-five yards wide, whirling, swelling, and boiling, the
+whole way, with the wildest agitation imaginable. Tremendous as the pass
+was, they attempted it; and, to the astonishment of the Indians, they
+accomplished it in safety.</p>
+
+<p>In the vicinity of this place, a tribe of Indians, called <i>Echeloots</i>,
+were settled. Here the travellers, for the first time, since they had
+left the Illinois country, observed <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_220" id="Page_220">[Pg 220]</a></span>wooden buildings. The floors were
+sunk about six feet in the ground, a custom implying at the same time a
+cold and dry climate.</p>
+
+<p>Proceeding on their way, they saw an Indian, dressed in a round hat and
+a sailor's jacket, with his hair tied. Jackets, brass kettles, and other
+European or American articles, were observed to be common. These Indians
+are fond of ornamenting their boats and houses with rude sculptures and
+paintings. One of the chiefs exhibited, from what was called his great
+medicine-bag, fourteen fore-fingers, the trophies taken from as many
+enemies, whom he had killed in war. This was the first time that the
+travellers had known any other trophy preserved than the scalp. The
+great medicine-bag, among these Indians, is an useful invention; for, as
+it is deemed sacrilegious for any person, except the owner, to touch it,
+this bag serves the purpose of a strong-box, in which the most valuable
+articles may safely be deposited.</p>
+
+<p>The Echeloots in their mode of sepulture, differ much from the
+generality of North American Indians. They have common cemeteries, where
+the dead, carefully wrapt in skins, are laid on mats, in a direction
+east and west. The vaults, or rather chambers, in which the bodies are
+deposited, are about eighty feet square, and six in height. The whole of
+the sides are covered with strange figures, cut and painted; and wooden
+images are placed against them. At the top of these sepulchral chambers,
+and on poles attached to them, brass-kettles are hung, old frying-pans,
+shells, skins, and baskets, pieces of cloth, hair, and other similar
+offerings. Among some of the tribes, the body is laid in one canoe and
+covered with another. Every where the dead are carefully deposited, and
+with like marks of respect. Captain Clarke says it is obvious, from the
+different articles which are placed by the dead, that these people
+believe in a future state of existence.</p>
+
+<p>On the 2d of November, the travellers perceived <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_221" id="Page_221">[Pg 221]</a></span>the first tide-water;
+four days afterwards, they had the pleasure of hearing a few words of
+English, spoken by an Indian, who talked of a Mr. Haley, as the
+principal trader on the coast; and, on the 7th, a fog clearing off, gave
+them a sight of the <i>Pacific Ocean</i>.</p>
+
+<p>They suffered great hardships near the mouth of the river. At one place,
+where they were detained two nights by the violence of the wind, the
+waves broke over them, and large trees, which the stream had carried
+along with it, were drifted upon them, so that, with their utmost
+vigilance, they could scarcely save the canoes from being dashed to
+pieces. Their next haven was still more perilous: the hills rose steep
+over their heads, to the height of five hundred feet; and, as the rain
+fell in torrents, the stones, upon their crumbling sides, loosened, and
+came rolling down upon them. The canoes, in one place, were at the mercy
+of the waves; the baggage was in another place; and the men were
+scattered upon floating logs, or were sheltering themselves in the
+crevices of the rocks.</p>
+
+<p>The travellers, having now reached the farthest limits of their journey,
+once more began to look out for winter-quarters. But it was not till
+after a long search, that they discovered, at some distance from the
+shore, and near the banks of the Columbia, a situation in all respects
+convenient. But so incessant was the rain, that they were unable to
+complete their arrangements, till about the middle of December. Here, in
+latitude 46 degrees, 19 minutes, they passed three months, without
+experiencing any thing like the cold of the interior; but they were, in
+other respects, exposed to numerous inconveniences. The supply of food
+was precarious; being confined to the fish caught along the sea-coasts,
+and to a few elks and other animals, which were killed in the adjacent
+country.</p>
+
+<p>The Indians, in this part of America, had been accustomed to traffic,
+along the shore, with European vessels, and had learned to ask
+exorbitant prices for their commodities. Their circulating money
+consisted <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_222" id="Page_222">[Pg 222]</a></span>of blue beads; but with these, as well as with other
+merchandise, their visitors were, at this time, very scantily supplied.
+These Indians were unacquainted with the use of ardent spirits, but they
+were no strangers to the vice of gaming.</p>
+
+<p>During the winter, Captains Lewis and Clarke occupied much of their time
+in acquiring information concerning the country; and obtained some
+account of the number of tribes, languages, and population of the
+inhabitants, for about three hundred and sixty miles southward, along
+the coast; but of those in an opposite direction, they were unable to
+learn any thing more than their names.</p>
+
+<p>The people of the four nations with whom they had the most intercourse;
+the <i>Killamucks</i>, <i>Clatsops</i>, <i>Chinnoocks</i>, and <i>Cathlamahs</i>, were
+diminutive and ill-made. Their complexions were somewhat lighter than
+those of the other North American Indians: their mouths were wide, their
+lips thick, and their noses broad, and generally flat between the eyes.</p>
+
+<p>All the tribes who were seen west of the Rocky Mountain, have their
+foreheads flattened. The child, in order to be thus beautified, has its
+head placed in a kind of machine, where it is kept for ten or twelve
+months; the females longer than the males. The operation is gradual, and
+seems to give but little pain; but if it produces headache, the poor
+infant has no means of making its sufferings known. The head, when
+released from its bandage, Captain Clarke says, is not more than two
+inches thick, about the upper part of the forehead; and still thinner
+above. Nothing can appear more wonderful, than that the brain should
+have its shape thus altered, without any apparent injury to its
+functions.</p>
+
+<p>There is an extensive trade carried on upon the Columbia, which must
+have existed before the coast was frequented by foreign traders; but to
+which the foreign trade has given a new impulse. The great emporium of
+this trade is at the falls, the <i>Shilloots</i> being the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_223" id="Page_223">[Pg 223]</a></span>carriers between
+the inhabitants above and below. The Indians of the Rocky Mountains
+bring down bear's-grease, horses, and a few skins, which they exchange
+for beads, pounded fish, and the roots of a kind of water-plant, which
+are produced, in great abundance, in a tract of land between the
+Multomah and a branch of the Columbia. The mode of obtaining these roots
+is curious. A woman carries a canoe, large enough to contain herself,
+and several bushels of them, to one of the ponds where the plants grow;
+she goes into the water breast high, feels out the roots with her feet,
+and separates the bulbs from them with her toes. These, on being freed
+from the mud, float. The women often continue in the water at this
+employment for many successive hours, even in the depth of winter. The
+bulbs are about the size of a small potato, and, when roasted in wood
+ashes, constitute a palatable food.</p>
+
+<p>These Indians are a very ingenious race. Even with their own imperfect
+tools, they make, in a few weeks, a canoe, which, with such implements,
+might be thought the work of years. A canoe, however, is very highly
+prized: it is considered of equal value with a wife, and is what the
+lover generally gives a father in exchange for his daughter. The bow and
+stern are ornamented with a sort of comb, and with grotesque figures of
+men or animals, sometimes five feet high, composed of small pieces of
+wood, skilfully inlaid and morticed, without a spike of any kind. Their
+bowls or troughs are scooped out of a block of wood; in these they boil
+their food. Their best manufacture is a sort of basket, of straw-work or
+cedar bark, and bear-grass, so closely interwoven as to be water-tight.
+Further south the natives roast their corn and pulse over a slow
+charcoal-fire, in baskets of this description, moving the basket about
+in such manner that it is not injured, though every grain within it is
+completely browned.</p>
+
+<p>Among these Indians the women are well treated, and enjoy an
+extraordinary degree of influence. On many subjects their opinions are
+consulted: in matters <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_224" id="Page_224">[Pg 224]</a></span>of trade, their advice is generally asked and
+pursued. Sometimes they even take upon themselves a tone of authority;
+and the labours of the family are almost equally divided. No account is
+given by Captain Lewis of the superstitions of these people; and no
+inquiry seems to have been made concerning their religious belief.</p>
+<br />
+
+<p class="cen"><i>Narrative of the return of Captains</i> <span class="smcap">Lewis</span> <i>and</i>
+<span class="smcap">Clarke</span>, <i>from the Pacific Ocean to St. Louis.</i></p>
+
+<p>The commanders of the expedition were desirous of remaining on the coast
+of the Pacific till the arrival of the annual trading ships, hoping from
+them to be able to recruit their almost exhausted stores of merchandise;
+but, though these were expected in April, it was found impossible to
+wait. The elks, on which they chiefly depended for subsistence, had
+retreated to the mountains; and, if the Indians could have sold them
+food, they were too poor to purchase it. The whole stock of goods, on
+which they had to depend, for the purchase of horses and food, during a
+journey homeward, of nearly four thousand miles, was so much diminished,
+that it might all have been tied in two pocket-handkerchiefs. Their
+muskets, however, were in excellent order, and they had plenty of powder
+and shot.</p>
+
+<p>On the 23d of March, 1806, the canoes were loaded, and they took a final
+leave of their encampment. Previously to their departure, they
+deposited, in the hands of the Indian chiefs, some papers specifying the
+dates of the arrival and departure of the expedition. This was done in a
+hope that at least some one of them might find its way into a civilized
+country. The course homeward was, during the first month, by water; the
+canoes being dragged, or carried overland, in places where the current
+of the Columbia was too strong to be navigated. On these occasions, the
+travellers were exposed to much annoyance from the pilfering habits of
+the Indians; and their provisions were so scanty that <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_225" id="Page_225">[Pg 225]</a></span>they were obliged
+to subsist on dog's-flesh: a diet which, at first, was extremely
+loathsome to them, but to which they in time became reconciled.</p>
+
+<p>The difficulties of the navigation made it expedient for them to leave
+the canoes at some distance below the junction of the <i>Columbia</i> with
+<i>Lewis's river</i>, after which they prosecuted their journey on horseback.
+Proceeding in an easterly direction, they arrived, on the seventh of
+May, within sight of the <i>Rocky Mountains</i>, and saw the tops of these
+mountains completely covered with snow. Anxious, however, to cross them
+as early as they could, they lost no time in recovering their horses
+from the Chopunnish Indians, and in extracting their stores from the
+hiding places in the ground. Still it was necessary for them to encamp
+for a few weeks, that they might occupy themselves in hunting, and that
+the health of the invalids might be reinstated.</p>
+
+<p>Here Captains Lewis and Clarke practised physic among the natives, as
+one means of supplying themselves with provisions. Their stock of
+merchandise was reduced so low, that they were obliged to cut off the
+buttons from their clothes, and to present them, with phials and small
+tin boxes, as articles of barter with the Indians; and, by means of
+these humble commodities, they were enabled to procure some roots and
+bread, as provision during their passage over the Rocky Mountains, which
+they commenced on the tenth of June.</p>
+
+<p>Towards the middle of June the fall of the rivers showed that the great
+body of snow on the mountains was at last melted; and they ventured to
+leave their encampment, against the advice of several of the Indians.
+They, however, soon found that they had been premature in their motions;
+for, on the higher grounds, there was no appearance whatever of
+vegetation. The snow, which covered the whole country, was indeed
+sufficiently hard to bear the horses, but it was still ten or twelve
+feet deep; so that a further prosecution of <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_226" id="Page_226">[Pg 226]</a></span>their journey was, at
+present, impossible; and the travellers, after having deposited, in this
+upper region, their baggage, and such provisions as they could spare,
+reluctantly traced back their steps to the plain. There they remained
+ten days; and, on the 26th, they again began to ascend the lofty ridge;
+the snow on which had, in the interval, melted nearly four feet, leaving
+still a depth of six or seven. They now implicitly followed the steps of
+their guides, who traversed this trackless region with a kind of
+instinctive sagacity: these men never hesitated respecting the path, and
+were never embarrassed. In three days they once more reached the stream
+which, in their former journey, they had named <i>Traveller's Rest Creek</i>.</p>
+
+<p>Here Captains Lewis and Clarke agreed to separate, for the purpose of
+taking a more comprehensive survey of the country in their journey
+homeward. It was considered desirable to acquire a further knowledge of
+the Yellow-stone, a large river which flows from the south-west, more
+than one thousand miles before it reaches the Missouri; and it was of
+importance to ascertain, more accurately than they had hitherto done,
+the course of Maria's river.</p>
+
+<p>The separation took place on the 3d of July; and Captain Lewis, holding
+on an eastern course, crossed a large stream which flowed towards the
+Columbia, and which had already been named <i>Clarke's river</i>. On the 18th
+of July he came to <i>Maria's river</i>, the object of his search; and he
+continued for several days, his route along its northern bank. After
+having ascertained the course of this river, he again set out on his
+journey homeward, that he might not lose the opportunity of returning
+before the winter.</p>
+
+<p>He and his companions were only four in number; and, in one part of
+their journey, they had an alarming intercourse with a party of Indians.
+Not very long after this they embarked on the <i>Missouri</i>; and, with the
+aid of their oars and the current, they proceeded at the rate of between
+sixty and eighty miles a day. On <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_227" id="Page_227">[Pg 227]</a></span>the 7th of August they reached the
+mouth of the <i>Yellow-stone river</i>, the place of rendezvous, appointed
+with Captain Clarke. Here, by a note stuck upon a pole, they were
+informed that he had accomplished his voyage along that river, and would
+wait for them lower down the Missouri.</p>
+
+<p>Captain Clarke, on quitting the central encampment at <i>Traveller's Rest
+Creek</i>, had marched in a southerly direction, and had traversed a
+distance of one hundred and sixty-four miles, to the head of
+<i>Jefferson's river</i>. This journey was performed, on horseback, and in
+six days, over a country by no means difficult; so that, in future, the
+passage of this elevated region will be divested of a considerable
+portion of its terrors. He also discovered that the communication
+between the <i>Upper Missouri</i> and the <i>Yellow-stone river</i>, was attended
+with little trouble; for Gallatin's river, one of the tributary streams
+of the Missouri, approaches within eighteen miles of the Yellow-stone,
+and, at a place, where the latter is completely navigable.</p>
+
+<p>Being unable to find wood of sufficient magnitude for the formation of
+canoes, Captain Clarke and his men were obliged to proceed on horseback,
+about one hundred miles down the side of this river. At length they
+succeeded in constructing boats, and sailed down the remainder of this
+stream with great rapidity. On the 27th, at the distance of two hundred
+miles from the Rocky Mountains, they beheld that elevated region for the
+last time. The Yellow-stone being easy of navigation, they reached the
+place of rendezvous earlier than they had expected.</p>
+
+<p>The whole party being now assembled below the conflux of the
+Yellow-stone and Missouri rivers, they prosecuted the remainder of their
+voyage together; experiencing, in the prospect of home, and in the ease
+with which they descended the river, a compensation for all their
+fatigues; and receiving the visits of various tribes of Indians who
+resided upon its banks.</p>
+
+<p>The greatest change which was experienced by them, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_228" id="Page_228">[Pg 228]</a></span>in their southward
+progress, was that of climate. They had passed nearly two years, in a
+cool, open country, and they were now descending into wooded plains,
+eight or ten degrees further to the south, but differing in heat much
+more than is usual in a correspondent distance in Europe. They were
+likewise greatly tormented by musquitoes.</p>
+
+<p>On landing at <i>La Charrette</i>, the first village on this side of the
+United States, they were joyfully received by the inhabitants, who had
+long abandoned all hopes of their return. On the 23d of September they
+descended the Mississippi to <i>St. Louis</i>, which place they reached about
+noon; having, in two years and nine months, completed a journey of
+nearly nine thousand miles.</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>At St. Louis we shall resume the narrative of Mr. Pike, who, in the
+month of July, 1806, set out from that place on an expedition westward,
+through the immense territory of Louisiana, towards New Spain. The chief
+objects of this expedition were to arrange an amicable treaty between
+the Americans and Indians of this quarter; and to ascertain the
+direction, extent, and navigation, of two great rivers, known by the
+names of Arkansaw and Red River.</p>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<hr />
+<br />
+<h2>Eighteenth Day's Instruction.</h2>
+
+<h2>WESTERN TERRITORY CONCLUDED.</h2>
+<br />
+
+<p class="cen"><i>Narrative of Mr. Pike's Journey from St. Louis, through Louisiana, to
+Santa F&eacute;, New Spain.</i></p>
+
+<p>The party engaged in this expedition, were Mr. Pike and another
+lieutenant, a surgeon, a serjeant, two corporals, sixteen private
+soldiers, and one interpreter. <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_229" id="Page_229">[Pg 229]</a></span>They had, under their charge, some
+chiefs of the Osage and Pawnee nations, who, with several women and
+children, had been redeemed from captivity, and now, to the number of
+fifty-one, were about to be restored to their friends.</p>
+
+<p>They set out from <i>St. Louis</i> on the 15th of July, 1806, and proceeded,
+in two boats, up the <i>Missouri</i>. About six miles from the village of
+<i>St. Charles</i>, they passed a hill of solid coal, so extensive that it
+would probably afford fuel sufficient for the whole population of
+Louisiana.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Pike says that, every morning, he was awaked by the lamentations of
+the savages who accompanied him. These invariably began to cry about
+day-light, and continued to do so for an hour. On enquiry respecting
+this practice, he was informed that it was customary, not only with
+persons who had recently lost their friends; but also with others who
+called to mind the loss of some friend, dead long before. They seemed to
+be extremely affected: tears ran down their cheeks, and they sobbed
+bitterly; but, when the hour was expired, they, in a moment, ceased
+their cries, and dried their cheeks.</p>
+
+<p>In their progress up the river, the Indians walked along the banks, and,
+every night, encamped near the boats. On the 28th the boats reached the
+mouth of the <i>Osage river</i>. For some distance the southern shore of the
+Missouri had been hilly, and covered with trees; and on the north were
+low bottoms and heavy timber. The soil was rich, and well adapted for
+cultivation.</p>
+
+<p>They entered the Osage, and encountered few difficulties in their voyage
+up that river. From the shores, the hunters amply supplied the whole
+party with provisions; deer, turkeys, geese, and game of different
+kinds.</p>
+
+<p>From the mouth of the Osage to that of the <i>Gravel river</i>, a distance of
+one hundred and eighteen miles, the banks of the former are covered with
+timber, which grows in a rich soil. Low hills, with rocks, alternately
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_230" id="Page_230">[Pg 230]</a></span>border the eastern and western shores: the lower grounds have excellent
+soil, and the whole adjacent country abounds in game. From the
+Gravel-river to to the <i>Yungar</i>, the Osage continues to exhibit the
+appearance of a fertile and well-timbered country.</p>
+
+<p>The Indians joined their friends on the 15th, after which Mr. Pike and
+his party proceeded alone. On the ensuing day they passed the mouth of
+the <i>Grand Fork</i>, which was nearly as wide as the Osage; and, soon
+afterwards, reached the villages of the Osage Indians. The country
+adjacent to these villages is extremely beautiful. Three branches of the
+river wind round them, giving to their vicinity the advantages of wood
+and water, and, at the same time, those of an extensive prairie, crowned
+with rich and luxuriant grass and flowers, diversified by rising swells
+and sloping lawns.</p>
+
+<p>The <i>Osage Indians</i>, in language, habits, and many of their customs,
+differ little from other tribes which inhabit the country near the
+Missouri and Mississippi. They raise great quantities of corn, beans,
+and pumpkins; and all the agricultural labour is performed by women. The
+government is vested in a few of the chiefs, whose office is, in most
+instances, hereditary; but these never undertake any affair of
+importance, without first assembling the warriors, and proposing the
+subject for discussion in council. The Osage Indians are divided into
+classes: those of the principal class are warriors and hunters; and the
+others are cooks and doctors. The last exercise the function of priests
+or magicians; and, by pretended divinations, interpretations of dreams,
+and magical performances, they have great influence in the councils of
+the nation: they also exercise the office of town-criers. Many old
+warriors assume the profession of cooks: these do not carry arms, and
+are supported by the public, or by particular families to which they are
+attached.</p>
+
+<p>When a stranger enters the Osage village, he is received, in a
+patriarchal style, at the lodge of the chief. He is then invited, by all
+the great men of the village, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_231" id="Page_231">[Pg 231]</a></span>to a feast. The cooks proclaim the feast,
+in different parts of the village, "Come and eat: such a one gives a
+feast, come and partake of his bounty." The dishes are generally boiled
+sweet corn, served up in buffalo grease; or boiled meat and pumpkins.</p>
+
+<p>From the Osage villages, Mr. Pike, and his men, accompanied by several
+Indians, proceeded, on horseback, in a somewhat westerly direction,
+towards the river Arkansaw. In some places the country was hilly, and
+commanded beautiful prospects. The wild animals were so numerous, that
+Mr. Pike, standing on one of the hills, beheld, at a single view,
+buffaloes, elks, deer, and panthers. Beyond this they passed through
+numerous herds of buffaloes, elks, and other animals. In many places the
+country was very deficient in water.</p>
+
+<p>On the 17th of September they reached a branch of the <i>Kanzes river</i>,
+the water of which was strongly impregnated with salt, as was that of
+many of the creeks. At some distance beyond this river, they were met by
+a party of Pawnee Indians; one of whom wore a scarlet coat, and had two
+medals: each of the others had a buffalo robe thrown over his naked
+body.</p>
+
+<p>From the eastern branch of the Kanzes river, to the village of the
+Pawnee Indians, the prairies are low, the grass is high, the country
+abounds in saline places, and the soil appears to be impregnated with
+particles of nitre and of common salt. The immediate borders of the
+river near the village, consist of lofty ridges; but this is an
+exception to the general appearance of the country.</p>
+
+<p>The <i>Pawnees</i> reside on the rivers Platte and Kanzes. They are divided
+into three tribes. Their form is slender, and their cheeks bones are
+high. They are neither so brave nor so honest as their more northern
+neighbours. Their government, like that of the Osage Indians, is an
+hereditary aristocracy; but the power of the chiefs is extremely
+limited. They cultivate the soil and raise corn and pumpkins: they also
+breed <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_232" id="Page_232">[Pg 232]</a></span>horses, and have vast numbers of excellent animals. The houses or
+huts of the Pawnees are circular, except at the part where the door is
+placed; and, from this part, there is a projection of about fifteen
+feet. The roofs are thatched with grass and earth, and have, at the top,
+an aperture for the smoke to pass out: the fire is always made on the
+ground, in the middle of the hut. In the interior there are, round the
+walls, many small and neat apartments, constructed of wicker-work: these
+are the sleeping places of the different members of the family. The
+Pawnees are extremely addicted to gaming, and have, for that purpose, a
+smooth piece of ground, about one hundred and fifty yards in length,
+cleared at each end of their village.</p>
+
+<p>On Monday, the 29th of September, Mr. Pike held a grand council with the
+Pawnees; at which were present not fewer than four hundred warriors.
+Some attempts were made, by the chief, to prevent the further progress
+of the travellers; but Mr. Pike says, that they were not to be deterred
+by any impediments that could be opposed to them by a band of savages.</p>
+
+<p>Proceeding onward they came to several places which had evidently been
+occupied by Spanish troops; and they were desirous of tracing the course
+along which these troops had marched; but the marks of their footsteps
+had been effaced by the numerous herds of buffaloes, which abound in
+this part of the country.</p>
+
+<p>On the 18th of October, the travellers crossed the <i>Arkansaw</i>. From the
+Pawnee town, on the Kanzes river, to the Arkansaw, the country may be
+termed mountainous; and it contains a vast number of buffaloes. In the
+vicinity of this river it is, in many places, low and swampy.</p>
+
+<p>The travellers were occupied several days in cutting down trees and
+constructing canoes. During this time the hunters killed several
+buffaloes, elks, and other animals. When the canoes were completed, Mr.
+Pike dispatched Lieutenant Wilkinson, and three men, down the river,
+with letters to the United States; and himself and <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_233" id="Page_233">[Pg 233]</a></span>the rest of his men
+proceeded, on horseback, up the side of the river. On the 29th of
+October, a considerable quantity of snow fell, and ice floated along the
+current. Three days after this, they observed a numerous herd of wild
+horses. When within about a quarter of a mile of them, the animals
+approached, making the earth tremble, as if under a charge of cavalry.
+They stopped; and, among them, were seen some beautiful bays, blacks,
+and greys, and, indeed, horses of all colours. The next day the party
+endeavoured to catch some of them, by riding up, and throwing nooses
+over them. The horses stood, neighing and whinnying, till the assailants
+approached within thirty or forty yards; but all attempts to ensnare
+them were vain.</p>
+
+<p>Buffaloes were so numerous, that Mr. Pike says he is confident there
+were, at one time, more than three thousand within view. Through all the
+region which the party had hitherto traversed, they had not seen more
+than one cow-buffalo; but now the whole face of the country appeared to
+be covered with cows. Numerous herds of them were seen nearly every day.</p>
+
+<p>The course of the travellers still lay along the banks of the river;
+which, in this part of the country, were covered with wood on both
+sides; but no other species of trees were observed than cotton-wood. On
+the 15th of November, a range of mountains was seen, at a great
+distance, towards the right: they appeared like a small blue cloud; and
+the party, with one accord, gave three cheers, to what they considered
+to be the Mexican mountains.</p>
+
+<p>On the 22d, a great number of Indians were seen in the act of running
+from the woods, towards the strangers. Mr. Pike and his men advanced to
+meet them; and observing that those in front, extended their hands, and
+appeared to be unarmed, he alighted from his horse. But he had no sooner
+done this, than one of the savages mounted the horse, and rode off with
+it. Two other horses were taken away in a similar manner; <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_234" id="Page_234">[Pg 234]</a></span>but, when
+tranquillity was restored, these were all afterwards recovered. This was
+a war-party of the <i>Grand Pawnees</i>, who had been in search of an Indian
+nation called Jetans; but, not finding them, they were now on their
+return. They were about sixty in number, armed partly with guns, and
+partly with bows, arrows, and lances. An attempt was made to
+tranquillize them, by assembling them in a circle, offering to smoke
+with them the pipe of peace, and presenting them with tobacco, knives,
+fire-steels, and flints. With some difficulty they were induced to
+accept these presents, for they had demanded many more; and, when the
+travellers began to load their horses, they stole whatever they could
+carry away.</p>
+
+<p>A few days after this, Mr. Pike and his men reached the Blue Mountain,
+which they had seen on the 15th; and, with great difficulty, some of
+them ascended it. Along the sides, which were, in many places, rocky,
+and difficult of ascent, grew yellow and pitch pine-trees, and the
+summit was several feet deep in snow.</p>
+
+<p>From the entrance of the <i>Arkansaw</i> into the mountains, to its source,
+it is alternately bounded by perpendicular precipices, and small, narrow
+prairies. In many places, the river precipitates itself over rocks, so
+as to be at one moment visible only in the foaming and boiling of its
+waters, and at the next disappearing in the chasms of the overhanging
+precipices. The length of this river is one thousand nine hundred and
+eighty-one miles, from its junction with the Mississippi to the
+mountains; and thence to its source one hundred and ninety-two; making
+its total length two thousand one hundred and seventy-three miles. With
+light boats it is navigable all the way to the mountains. Its borders
+may be termed the terrestrial paradise of the wandering savages. Of all
+the countries ever visited by civilized man, there probably never was
+one that produced game in greater abundance than this.</p>
+
+<p>By the route of the Arkansaw and the <i>Rio Colorado</i> of California, Mr.
+Pike is of opinion that a <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_235" id="Page_235">[Pg 235]</a></span>communication might be established betwixt
+the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The land-carriage, at the utmost, would
+not exceed two hundred miles; and this might be rendered as easy as
+along the public highways over the Alleghany Mountains. The Rio Colorado
+is, to the great Gulf of California, what the Mississippi is to the Gulf
+of Mexico; and is navigable for ships of considerable burden.</p>
+
+<p>The travellers left the vicinity of the Arkansaw on the 30th of
+November; and, though the ground was covered with snow, and they
+suffered excessively from the cold, they still persevered in their
+journey, and in their labour of examining and ascertaining the courses
+of the rivers. They killed a great number of buffaloes and turkeys.
+Steering their course in a south-westerly direction, for the head of the
+Red river, one of the party found a camp which had been occupied by at
+least three thousand Indians: it had a large cross in the middle. They
+subsequently found many evacuated camps of Indians.</p>
+
+<p>On the 18th of December, they came to a stream, about twenty-five yards
+in width, which they erroneously supposed to be a branch of the Red
+river. Its current flowed with great rapidity, and its bed was full of
+rocks. On ascending this river, to examine its source, it was found to
+run close to the mountains, in a narrow and rocky channel; and to have
+its banks bordered with pine-trees, cedar, and other kinds of timber.
+The whole party suffered extremely from cold; their clothing being
+frozen stiff, and their limbs considerably benumbed.</p>
+
+<p>Their situation, on Christmas-day, was not very enviable. All the food
+they possessed, was buffalo-flesh, without salt. Before this time, they
+had been accustomed to some degree of comfort, and had experienced even
+some enjoyments: but now, at the most inclement season of the year, and
+eight hundred miles distant from the frontiers of the United States, not
+one person was properly clad for the winter; many were even <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_236" id="Page_236">[Pg 236]</a></span>without
+blankets, having cut them up for socks and other articles; and all were
+obliged to lie down at night, upon the snow or wet ground, one side
+burning and the other frozen. For shoes and clothing they were obliged
+to adopt a miserable substitute in raw buffalo hides.</p>
+
+<p>In their further progress, they suffered excessive hardships for several
+days. Food became so scarce, that they were obliged to separate into
+eight different parties, in order to procure subsistence. The roads were
+so mountainous, stony, and slippery, that it was with the greatest
+difficulty the horses could be prevented from stumbling; and many of
+them fell. In one instance, the whole party were four days without food;
+and some of them had their feet frozen. At length, they were obliged to
+leave the horses; and each man had to carry a heavy load, and, at the
+same time, to march through snow two feet and half deep. Several of the
+men, unable to keep pace with the rest, were left behind.</p>
+
+<p>On the 27th of January, Mr. Pike observed, at a distance, a large river,
+which he imagined to be the Red river; and, on the 30th, he reached its
+banks. This, afterwards, proved to be the <i>Rio del Norte</i>. They
+proceeded along its banks, for about eighteen miles; and, at length,
+came to a spot, where they established a temporary residence, whilst
+they sent men to assist, and collect together the unfortunate stragglers
+who had been left in the rear.</p>
+
+<p>The region they had traversed betwixt the Arkansaw and the Rio del
+Norte, was covered with mountains and small prairies. From the Missouri
+to the head of the Osage river, a distance of about three hundred miles,
+Mr. Pike says that the country will admit of a numerous, extensive, and
+compact population. From the Osage to the rivers Kanzes, La Platte, and
+Arkansaw, the country could sustain only a limited population; but the
+inhabitants might, with advantage, rear cattle, horses, sheep, and
+goats.</p>
+
+<p>On the 16th of February, whilst Mr. Pike and one <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_237" id="Page_237">[Pg 237]</a></span>of his men were
+hunting, in the vicinity of their residence, they observed, at a
+distance, two horsemen, armed with lances. They proved to be a Spanish
+dragoon and an Indian, who had been sent from Santa F&eacute;, a town of New
+Spain, about four days before. On the 17th, some of the stragglers
+arrived: several of them had lost the joints of their toes, by the
+intensity of the frost, and were rendered cripples for life.</p>
+
+<p>The Spanish dragoon and Indian had returned to Santa F&eacute;; and the report
+which they made of the appearance of the strangers, induced the governor
+to send out fifty dragoons, and fifty mounted militia, for the purpose
+of ascertaining their state and numbers. In an interview which took
+place with the commanders of these troops, Mr. Pike learnt that the
+river, on the bank of which he had encamped, was the Rio del Norte, and
+not the Red river, as he had imagined. The officers stated to him that a
+hundred mules and horses had been sent to convey him, his men, and
+baggage, to Santa F&eacute;; and that the governor was anxious to see them in
+that town, to receive an explanation respecting their business on his
+frontiers.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Pike and some of his men accompanied the officers to Santa F&eacute;, while
+others were left behind, to wait the arrival of those who had not yet
+come up.</p>
+
+<p>In their progress, they were treated, in all the villages, with the
+utmost hospitality. On their march, they were frequently stopped by
+women, who invited them into their houses to eat; and, in every place
+where they halted, there was a contest who should be their hosts. Those
+that had suffered by having their limbs frozen, were conducted home by
+old men, who caused their daughters to dress the sores, and to provide
+for them victuals and drink; and, at night, they gave them the best bed
+in the house.</p>
+
+<p>In the evening of the 3d of March, Mr. Pike reached <i>Santa F&eacute;</i>. This
+city, the capital of New Mexico, is situated along the banks of a small
+creek, which issues from the mountains, and runs westward to the Rio
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_238" id="Page_238">[Pg 238]</a></span>del Norte. It is about a mile in length, and not more than three
+streets in width. The houses are, generally, only one story high, and
+have flat roofs. There are, in Santa F&eacute;, two churches, the magnificence
+of whose steeples forms an extraordinary contrast to the miserable
+appearance of the other buildings. On the north side of the town is a
+square, constructed for soldiers' houses, each flank of which contains
+from a hundred and twenty to a hundred and forty. The public square is
+in the centre of the town. On one side of it is the palace or
+government-house, with the quarters for the guards; and the other sides
+are occupied by the houses of the clergy, and public officers. Most of
+the houses have sheds before them, which occasion the streets to be very
+narrow. The number of inhabitants in Santa F&eacute;, is supposed to be about
+four thousand five hundred.</p>
+
+<p>On Mr. Pike and his men entering this town, the crowd assembled to view
+them was excessively great: and, indeed, their extremely miserable
+appearance seems to have excited much curiosity. This may easily be
+accounted for. After they had left the Arkansaw, they had been obliged
+to carry all their baggage on their backs; and, consequently, the useful
+were preferred to the ornamental articles. The ammunition, tools,
+leather-leggings, boots, and moccasins, had been considered absolutely
+requisite. They had left behind their uniform clothing; and, when they
+entered Santa F&eacute;, Mr. Pike was dressed in a pair of blue trowsers,
+moccasins, a blanket-coat, and a red cap. His men had leggings, cloths
+round their waists, and leather coats: there was not a hat among the
+whole party. This appearance was extremely mortifying to them all,
+especially as soldiers; and it made no very favourable impression on the
+people of Santa F&eacute;. They were asked, by many of the common people,
+whether they had lived in houses, or in camps, like the Indians; or
+whether, in their country, the people wore hats.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_239" id="Page_239">[Pg 239]</a></span>They were conducted to the government-house, where they dismounted. On
+entering it they were conducted through various rooms, the floors of all
+which were covered with the skins of buffaloes, bears, or other animals.
+Here they underwent an examination, by the governor, respecting their
+objects and number. The conference terminated amicably; but the governor
+informed Mr. Pike that he must be conducted to Chihuahua, a town in the
+province of New Biscay, and upwards of three hundred leagues distant.</p>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<hr />
+<br />
+<h2>Nineteenth Day's Instruction.</h2>
+
+<h2>MEXICO <span class="smcap">or</span> NEW SPAIN.</h2>
+<br />
+
+<p>The Spanish possessions in North America, extend from the isthmus of
+Darien, along the coast of the Pacific Ocean, to the distance of more
+than two thousand two hundred miles. One half of them is situated under
+the burning sky of the tropics, and the other belongs to the temperate
+zone. Their whole interior forms an immense plain, elevated from six to
+eight thousand feet above the level of the adjacent seas. The chain of
+<i>mountains</i> which constitutes this vast plain, is a continuation of that
+which, under the name Andes, runs through South America. They are, in
+general, little interrupted by valleys, and, for the most part, their
+declivity is very gentle. In consequence of this elevation, the Mexican
+provinces, situated under the torrid zone, enjoy a cold rather than a
+temperate <i>climate</i>. The interior provinces, in the temperate zone,
+have, like the rest of North America, a climate essentially different
+from that of the same parallels in the European continent. A remarkable
+inequality prevails between the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_240" id="Page_240">[Pg 240]</a></span>temperature of the different seasons:
+German winters succeed to Neapolitan and Sicilian summers.</p>
+
+<p>This country suffers many inconveniences from a want of water, and
+particularly of navigable rivers. The Rio del Norte and the Rio Colorado
+are almost the only <i>rivers</i> of any importance. The <i>lakes</i> with which
+Mexico abounds, are merely the remains of immense basins of water, which
+appear to have formerly existed on the high and extensive plains of the
+Cordilleras. The largest of these, the <i>Lake of Chapala</i>, contains
+nearly one hundred and sixty square leagues, and is about twice as large
+as the lake of Constance.</p>
+
+<p>A great portion of high land, in the interior of New Spain, is destitute
+of vegetation; and some of the loftiest summits are clad with perpetual
+snow. This country is not so much disturbed by earthquakes as several
+parts of South America; for, in the whole of New Spain there are only
+five <i>volcanos</i>; Orizaba, Popocatepetl, Tuxtla, Jorullo, and Colima.</p>
+
+<p>The <i>volcano of Jorullo</i>, in the province of Valladolid, was formed
+during the night of the 29th of September, 1759. The great catastrophe,
+in which this mountain rose from the earth, and by which a considerable
+space of ground changed its appearance, is, perhaps, one of the most
+extraordinary physical revolutions in the history of the earth. Geology
+points out parts of the ocean, where, at recent periods, near the
+Azores, in the Egean Sea, and to the south of Iceland, small volcanic
+islands have arisen above the surface of the water; but it gives no
+example of the formation, amidst a thousand small burning cones, of a
+mountain of scoria, near seventeen hundred feet in height, above the
+adjoining plain. Till the middle of the year 1759, fields cultivated
+with sugar-canes and indigo occupied the extent of ground between the
+two brooks called Cultamba and San Pedro. In the month of June, a
+subterraneous noise was heard. Hollow sounds of most alarming
+description, were accompanied by frequent earthquakes, which succeeded
+one another for fifty or <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_241" id="Page_241">[Pg 241]</a></span>sixty days, to the great consternation of the
+inhabitants. From the beginning of September every thing seemed to
+announce the complete re-establishment of tranquillity; when, in the
+night between the 28th and 29th, the subterraneous noises recommenced.
+The affrighted Indians fled to the mountains; and a tract of ground,
+from three to four square miles in extent, which goes by the name of
+<i>Malpays</i>, rose up in the shape of a bladder. The bounds of this
+convulsion are still distinguishable in the fractured strata. The
+Malpays, near its edges, is only about forty feet above the old level of
+the plain; but the convexity of the ground thus thrown up, increases
+progressively, towards the centre, to an elevation of more than five
+hundred and twenty feet.</p>
+
+<p>The persons who witnessed this astonishing catastrophe, assert that
+flames were seen to issue forth, for an extent of more than half a
+square league; that fragments of burning rocks were thrown up to
+prodigious heights; and that, through a thick cloud of ashes, illumined
+by the volcanic fire, the softened surface of the earth was seen to
+swell up like an agitated sea. The rivers of Cultamba and San Pedro
+precipitated themselves into the burning chasms. The decomposition of
+the water contributed to invigorate the flames, which were
+distinguishable at a vast distance. Eruptions of mud, and other
+substances, indicated that subterraneous water had no small share in
+producing this extraordinary revolution. Thousands of small cones, from
+six to nine feet in height, called by the Indians "hornitos," or ovens,
+issued forth from the Malpays. Each small cone is a "fumorola," from
+which a thick vapour ascends; and in many of them a subterraneous noise
+is heard, which appears to announce the proximity of a fluid in
+ebullition. In the midst of the ovens six large masses, elevated from
+one thousand three hundred to one thousand six hundred and forty feet
+above the old level of the plains, sprung up from a chasm. The most
+elevated of these is the great volcano of Jorullo. It is continually
+burning, and has thrown up an immense <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_242" id="Page_242">[Pg 242]</a></span>quantity of scorified and
+basaltic lavas, containing fragments of primitive rocks. These great
+eruptions of the central volcano continued till the month of February,
+1760. In the following year they became gradually less frequent. The
+Indians, frightened at the horrible noises of the new volcano, had
+abandoned all the villages, within seven or eight leagues of it. They,
+however, gradually became accustomed to them, and returned to their
+cottages. So violent were the eruptions of this mountain, that the roofs
+of houses in Queretaro, though at a distance of more than forty-eight
+leagues, in a straight line from the scene of explosion, were sometimes
+covered with ashes.</p>
+
+<p>The Mexican <i>population</i> consists of seven races, 1. Individuals born in
+Europe; 2. Creoles, or Whites of European extraction, born in America;
+3. Mesti zos, or descendants of whites and Indians; 4. Mulattoes,
+descendants of whites and negroes; 5. Zambos, descendants of negroes and
+Indians; 6. Indians, or the copper-coloured indigenous race; and, 7.
+African negroes.</p>
+
+<p>The number of <i>Indians</i>, including those only who have no mixture of
+European or African blood, are more than two millions and a half in
+number; and these appear to constitute about two-fifths of the whole
+population of Mexico. They bear a general resemblance to the Indians of
+Canada, Florida, Peru, and Brazil: they have a similar swarthy and
+copper-coloured skin, smooth hair, little beard, squat body, long eyes,
+with the corners directed upward towards the temples, prominent cheek
+bones, and thick lips. There is a great diversity in their language, but
+they appear to have been all descendants from the same original stock.</p>
+
+<p>It is probable that these Indians would live to a great age, did they
+not often injure their constitution by drunkenness. Their intoxicating
+liquors are rum, a fermentation of maize, and the root of the jatropha;
+and especially a wine which is made from the juice of <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_243" id="Page_243">[Pg 243]</a></span>the great
+American aloe. The police, in the city of Mexico, sends round tumbrils,
+to collect such drunkards as are found lying in the streets. These are
+treated like dead bodies, and are carried to the principal guard-house.
+The next morning an iron ring is put round each of their ancles, and, as
+a punishment, they are made to cleanse the streets for three days.</p>
+
+<p>The Mexican Indian, when not under the influence of intoxicating
+liquors, is grave, melancholic, and silent. The most violent passions
+are never depicted in his features; and it is sometimes frightful to see
+him pass, at once, from a state of apparent repose, to the most violent
+and unrestrained agitation. It is stated that these Indians have
+preserved, from their ancestors, a particular relish for carving in wood
+and stone; and that it is astonishing to see what they are able to
+execute with a bad knife, on the hardest wood. Many Indian children,
+educated in the college of the capital, or instructed at the academy of
+painting, founded by the king of Spain, have considerably distinguished
+themselves, but without leaving the beaten track pursued by their
+forefathers; they chiefly display great aptitude in the arts of
+imitation; and in the purely mechanical arts.</p>
+
+<p>The <i>Spanish inhabitants</i> and the <i>Creoles</i> are noted for hospitality,
+generosity, and sobriety; but they are extremely deficient in energy,
+patriotism, enterprise, and independence of character. The women have
+black eyes and hair, and fine teeth: they are of dark colour, full habit
+of body, and have, in general, bad figures. They usually wear short
+jackets and petticoats, high-heeled shoes, and no head-dress. As an
+upper garment they have a silk wrapper, which, when they are in the
+presence of men, they affect to bring over their faces. In the towns on
+the frontiers and adjacent to the sea-coast, many of the ladies wear
+gowns, like those of our country-women. The lower classes of men are
+generally dressed in broad-brimmed hats, short coats, large waistcoats,
+smallclothes open at the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_244" id="Page_244">[Pg 244]</a></span>knees, and a kind of boot or leather wrapper
+bound round the leg, and gartered at the knee. The spurs of the
+gentlemen are clumsy: they are ornamented with raised work; and the
+straps are embroidered with gold and silver thread. The Spanish
+Americans are always ready to mount their horses; and the inhabitants of
+the interior provinces pass nearly half their day on horseback. In the
+towns, and among the higher ranks, the men dress in the European style.</p>
+
+<p>The <i>amusements</i> of this people are music, singing, dancing, and
+gambling: the latter is, indeed, officially prohibited; but the
+prohibition is not much attended to. At every large town there is a
+public walk, where the ladies and gentlemen meet and sing songs. The
+females have fine voices, and sing French, Italian, and Spanish music,
+the whole company joining in chorus. In their houses the ladies play on
+the guitar, and accompany this instrument with their voices. They either
+sit on the carpet cross-legged, or loll on a sofa: to sit upright, on a
+chair, appears to put them to great inconvenience.</p>
+
+<p>Both in <i>eating</i> and <i>drinking</i> the Spanish Americans are remarkably
+temperate. Early in the morning those of the higher class have
+chocolate. At twelve they dine on meat, fowls, and fish; after which
+different kinds of confectionary are placed on the table; they drink a
+few glasses of wine, sing a few songs, and then retire to take their
+<i>siesta</i> or afternoon nap. The latter is a practice common both to rich
+and poor: the consequence of it is that, about two o'clock, every day,
+the windows and doors of the town are all closed, the streets are
+deserted, and the stillness of midnight reigns throughout. At four they
+rise, wash and dress, and prepare for the dissipation of the evening.
+About eleven o'clock refreshments are offered; but few take any thing
+except a little wine and water and candied sugar.</p>
+
+<p>The <i>commerce</i> of New Spain, with Europe and the United States, is
+carried on through the port of Vera <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_245" id="Page_245">[Pg 245]</a></span>Cruz only; and with the East Indies
+and South America, through that of Acapulco. But all the commercial
+transactions, and all the productions and manufactures, are subjected to
+such severe restrictions, that they are at present of little importance
+to the prosperity of the country. Were the various bays and harbours of
+Mexico and California to be opened to the trade of the world; and were
+correct regulations to be adopted, New Spain might become both wealthy
+and powerful. Many parts of the country abound in iron ore, yet iron and
+steel articles, of every description, are brought from Europe; for the
+manufacturing or working of iron is here strictly prohibited. This
+occasions the requisite utensils of husbandry, arms, and tools, to be
+enormously dear; and forms a great check to the progress of agriculture,
+and to improvements in manufactures.</p>
+
+<p>The <i>ancient Mexicans</i> preserved the memory of events by figures painted
+on skins, cloth, or the bark of trees. These hieroglyphical and
+symbolical characters, being considered by the ignorant and bigoted
+Spaniards to be monuments of idolatry, the first bishop of Mexico
+destroyed as many of them as could be collected. In consequence of this
+barbarous procedure, the knowledge of remote events was lost, except
+what could be derived from tradition, and from some fragments of those
+paintings which eluded the search of the monks.</p>
+
+<p>With regard to the <i>public edifices</i> of the Mexicans: their temples were
+merely mounds of earth faced with stone; and it is probable that their
+other public buildings were equally rude. The ancient natives bestowed
+little attention on agriculture, and were strangers to the use of money;
+but their ornaments of gold and silver indicated considerable ingenuity.
+They were acquainted with the manufacture of paper, of coarse
+cotton-cloth, glass, and earthenware; and they possessed the arts of
+casting metals, of making mosaic work with shells and feathers, of
+spinning and weaving the hair of animals, and of dying with indelible
+colours.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_246" id="Page_246">[Pg 246]</a></span>The <i>religion</i> of the ancient Mexicans, like that of all unenlightened
+nations, seems to have been founded chiefly on fear; and consisted of a
+system of gloomy rites and practices, the object of which was to avert
+the evils that they suffered or dreaded. They had some notion of an
+invisible supreme Being; but their chief anxiety was to deprecate the
+wrath of certain imaginary malignant spirits, whom they regarded as the
+enemies of mankind. They worshipped idols, formed of wood and stone; and
+decorated their temples with the figures of serpents, tigers, and other
+destructive animals. They believed in the immortality of the soul; but
+their notions of a future state may be collected from their funeral
+rites: the bodies, or the ashes of the deceased, were generally buried
+with whatever was judged necessary for their accommodation or comfort in
+the other world, where it was believed they would experience the same
+desires, and be engaged in the same occupations, as in this. The
+religion established by the Spaniards is the Roman Catholic; and it is
+computed that one-fifth part of the Spanish inhabitants are
+ecclesiastics, monks, and nuns.</p>
+
+<p>The <i>Spanish government</i> in America is vested in officers called
+viceroys, who represent the person of their sovereign; and who possess
+his royal prerogatives, within the precincts of their own territories.
+In its present state, New Spain is divided into twelve intendancies, and
+three districts, which are called provinces<a name="FNanchor_2_2" id="FNanchor_2_2"></a><a href="#Footnote_2_2" class="fnanchor">[2]</a>.</p>
+
+<h4>FOOTNOTES:</h4>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p class="noin"><a name="Footnote_2_2" id="Footnote_2_2"></a><a href="#FNanchor_2_2"><span class="label">[2]</span></a> For particulars respecting the conquest of Mexico by the
+Spaniards, see "Biographical Conversations on Eminent Voyagers," p. 59
+to 73.</p></div>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<hr /><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_247" id="Page_247">[Pg 247]</a></span>
+<h2>Twentieth Day's Instruction.</h2>
+
+<h2>MEXICO CONTINUED.</h2>
+<br />
+
+<p class="cen"><i>Narrative of Mr.</i> <span class="smcap">Pike's</span> <i>Journey from Santa F&eacute; to Montelovez.</i></p>
+
+<p>Mr. Pike and his men were escorted from Santa F&eacute; by a Spanish officer,
+and a troop of soldiers. On Thursday, the 5th of March, they arrived at
+a village called <i>St. Domingo</i>. The inhabitants of this place were about
+a thousand in number; and the chiefs were distinguished by canes, with
+silver heads and black tassels. Mr. Pike was permitted to visit the
+church; and he was much astonished to find, enclosed in mud-brick walls,
+many rich paintings, and a statue of the patron saint, as large as life,
+and elegantly ornamented with gold and silver.</p>
+
+<p>On the ensuing day, the party marched down the eastern side of the Rio
+del Norte, the snow being still a foot deep. Near the village of
+<i>Albuquerque</i>, they observed that the inhabitants were beginning to open
+the canals, for the purpose of letting in the water of the river, to
+fertilize the lands. They saw men, women, and children engaged in the
+joyful labour, which was to crown, with rich abundance, their future
+harvest, and to ensure them plenty for the ensuing year. A little below
+Albuquerque, the Rio del Norte was four hundred yards wide, but not more
+than three feet deep.</p>
+
+<p>In their journey southward, they passed through several villages. One of
+these, called <i>Sibilleta</i>, was in the form of a regular square,
+appearing, on the outside, like an immense mud-wall. All the doors and
+windows faced the interior of the square; and it was <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_248" id="Page_248">[Pg 248]</a></span>the neatest and
+most regular village Mr. Pike had ever seen.</p>
+
+<p>Beyond this village, the party met a caravan, consisting of three
+hundred men, escorted by an officer and thirty-five or forty troops, who
+were proceeding, with about fifteen thousand sheep, to the different
+provinces. They afterwards met a caravan of fifty men, and about two
+hundred horses, laden with traffic, for New Mexico. On the 21st of March
+they arrived at the <i>Passo del Norte</i>: the road now led them through a
+rough and mountainous country; and passing through <i>Carracal</i>, and some
+other villages, they reached <i>Chihuahua</i> on the 2d of April.</p>
+
+<p>They were conducted into the presence of the commanding-officer of the
+place, before whom Mr. Pike underwent an examination, as he had
+previously done at Santa F&eacute;. He was treated with great apparent respect,
+and was offered both assistance and money. He afterwards visited in the
+houses of some of the principal inhabitants. At the house of the
+governor, when wine was put on the table, after dinner, the company was
+entertained with songs in the French, Italian, Spanish, and English
+languages.</p>
+
+<p>There are, at Chihuahua, and in its vicinity, fifteen mines; thirteen of
+silver, one of gold, and one of copper; the furnaces for all of which
+are in the suburbs of the town, and present, except on Sundays, volumes
+of smoke, rising in every direction. Chihuahua is surrounded by piles of
+cinders, from ten to fifteen feet in height. In the public square, stand
+the church, the royal treasury, the town-house, and the richest shops;
+and, at the western extremity of the town, are two other churches, an
+hospital, and the military academy. About a mile south of the town, is a
+large aqueduct. The principal church of Chihuahua is a most superb
+edifice: its whole front is covered with statues of saints; figures of
+different saints are set in niches of the wall; and the windows, doors,
+&amp;c. are ornamented with sculpture. The decorations in the interior are
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_249" id="Page_249">[Pg 249]</a></span>said to be immensely rich. On the south of the town is a public walk,
+formed by three rows of trees, the branches of which nearly form a
+junction over the heads of the passengers below. At different distances,
+there are seats for persons to repose themselves upon; and at each end
+of the walks, are circular seats, on, which, in the evenings, the
+inhabitants amuse themselves in singing to the music of guitars. This
+city contains about eleven thousand inhabitants.</p>
+
+<p>After a residence, in Chihuahua, of somewhat more than three weeks, Mr.
+Pike received an intimation that he and his men would be escorted out of
+the country. Accordingly, on the 28th of April, he was accompanied,
+towards the frontier, by a Spanish officer. Near Chihuahua they passed a
+small ridge of mountains, and then encamped in a hollow. At the distance
+of about fifty miles they reached the river <i>Florida</i>; on the banks of
+which are many important settlements, and well-timbered lands. One of
+the plantations on this river, extended thirty leagues; and had been
+valued at three hundred thousand dollars.</p>
+
+<p>The country through which they now passed was mountainous. On the 11th
+of May, they reached <i>Mauperne</i>, a village situated at the foot of the
+mountains, and near which eight or nine valuable copper-mines were
+worked; but the mass of the people were in a starving and wretched
+state. The proprietor of the mines, however, gave the travellers an
+elegant repast.</p>
+
+<p>They pursued their march three miles further, to a station, on a little
+stream, which flowed through gardens, and formed a terrestrial paradise.
+Here they remained all day, and at night slept under the shade of the
+fig-trees. In the morning, Mr. Pike was awakened by the singing of the
+birds, and the perfume of the trees around. This place, however, was no
+doubt rendered the more interesting to the travellers, in consequence of
+their having previously suffered much inconvenience from want of water.</p>
+
+<p>On the 20th, they arrived at the <i>Hacienda of <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_250" id="Page_250">[Pg 250]</a></span>Polloss</i>, a handsome
+place, at which the Marquis de San Miguel, a wealthy nobleman, who
+possessed extensive property in this part of New Spain, usually passed
+the summer. The Hacienda of Polloss is a square enclosure of about three
+hundred feet: the building is no more than one story high; but some of
+the apartments are very elegantly furnished. In the centre of the square
+is a fountain, which throws out water from eight spouts. There is also,
+at this place, a handsome church, which, with its ornaments, is said to
+have cost at least twenty thousand dollars. The inhabitants are about
+two thousand in number.</p>
+
+<p><i>Montelovez</i>, situated on the banks of a small stream, is about a mile
+in length. It has two public squares, seven churches, some
+powder-magazines, mills, a royal hospital, and barracks. The number of
+inhabitants is about three thousand five hundred. This city is
+ornamented with public walks, columns, and fountains; and is one of the
+handsomest places in New Spain<a name="FNanchor_3_3" id="FNanchor_3_3"></a><a href="#Footnote_3_3" class="fnanchor">[3]</a>.</p>
+
+<p>South-west from Montelovez stands <i>Durango</i>, the chief city of the
+province of Biscay. In the vicinity of this place are many rich and
+valuable mines; and the soil is so fertile as to produce abundant crops
+of wheat, maize, and fruit. The climate is mild and healthy. Durango
+contains about twelve thousand inhabitants; and has four convents and
+three churches.</p>
+<br />
+
+<p class="cen"><i>A Description of the City of Mexico.</i></p>
+
+<p>This magnificent city is the capital of New Spain, and the residence of
+the viceroy. In its <i>situation</i> it possesses many important advantages.
+Standing on an isthmus, which is washed on one side by the Atlantic
+Ocean, and on the other by the South-sea, it might <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_251" id="Page_251">[Pg 251]</a></span>possess a powerful
+influence over the political events which agitate the world. A king of
+Spain, resident at this capital, might, in six weeks, transmit his
+orders to Europe, and, in three weeks, to the Philippine islands in
+Asia. There are, however, difficulties to be encountered, arising from
+the unfavourable state of the coasts, and the want of secure harbours.
+During several months in the year, these coasts are visited by tempests.
+The hurricanes, also, which occur in the months of September, October,
+and March, and which sometimes last for three or four successive days,
+are very tremendous.</p>
+
+<p>Mexico was originally founded in the lake of Tezcuco; and, at the time
+when the Spaniards first invaded America, it was a magnificent capital.
+Cortez, describing it in the year 1520, says, that it was in the midst
+of a salt-water lake, which had its tides, like the ocean; and that,
+from the city to the continent, there was a distance of two leagues.
+Four dikes or embankments, each two lances broad, led to the city. The
+principal streets were narrow: some of them had navigable canals running
+along them, furnished with bridges, wide enough for ten men on
+horseback, to pass at the same time. The market-place was surrounded
+with an immense portico, under which were sold all sorts of merchandise,
+eatables, ornaments made of gold, silver, lead, pewter, precious stones,
+bones, shells, and feathers; earthenware, leather, and spun cotton. In
+some places were exposed to sale hewn stone, tiles, and timber for
+building; in others game; and, in others, roots, garden-stuff, and
+fruit. There were houses where barbers shaved the head, with razors made
+of obsidian, a volcanic substance not much unlike bottle-glass; and
+there were others, resembling our apothecary-shops, where prepared
+medicines, unguents, and plasters were sold. The market abounded with so
+many things, that Cortez was unable to name them all. To avoid
+confusion, every species of merchandise was sold in a separate place. In
+the middle <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_252" id="Page_252">[Pg 252]</a></span>of the great square was a house, which he calls
+<i>L'Audiencia</i>; and in which ten or twelve persons sate every day, to
+determine any disputes which might arise respecting the sale of goods.</p>
+
+<p>The city was divided into four <i>quarters</i>: this division is still
+preserved, in the limits assigned to the quarters of St. Paul, St.
+Sebastian, St. John, and St. Mary; and the present streets have, for the
+most part, the same direction as the old ones. But what gives to this
+city a peculiar and distinctive character is, that it is entirely on the
+continent, between the extremities of the two lakes of Tezcuco and
+Chalco. This has been occasioned by the gradual draining of the great
+lake, and the consequent drying up of the waters around the city. Hence
+Mexico is now two miles and half from the banks of the former, and five
+miles and half from those of the latter.</p>
+
+<p>Adorned with numerous <i>teocallis</i>, (or temples,) like so many Mahometan
+steeples, surrounded with water and embankments, founded on islands
+covered with verdure, and receiving, hourly, in its streets, thousands
+of boats, which vivified the lake, the ancient Mexico, according to the
+accounts of the first conquerors, must have resembled some of the cities
+of Holland, China, or the Delta of Lower Egypt.</p>
+
+<p>As reconstructed by the Spaniards, it exhibits, at the present day,
+perhaps a less vivid, though a more august and majestic appearance, than
+the ancient city. With the exception of Petersburg, Berlin,
+Philadelphia, and some quarters of Westminster, there does not exist a
+place of the same extent, which can be compared to the capital of New
+Spain, for the uniform level of the ground on which it stands, for the
+regularity and breadth of the streets, and the extent of its public
+places. The architecture is, for the most part, in a pure style; and
+many of the edifices are of a very beautiful structure. The exterior of
+the houses is not loaded with ornaments. Two sorts of hewn stone, give
+to the Mexican buildings an air of solidity, and <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_253" id="Page_253">[Pg 253]</a></span>sometimes even of
+magnificence. There are none of those wooden balconies and galleries to
+be seen, which so much disfigure all the European cities in both the
+Indies. The balustrades and gates are all of iron, ornamented with
+bronze; and the houses, instead of roofs, have terraces, like those in
+Italy, and other southern countries of the old continent.</p>
+
+<p>Mexico has, of late, received many additional embellishments. An
+edifice, for the School of Mines, which was built at an expence of more
+than &pound;.120,000 sterling, would adorn the principal places of Paris or
+London. Two great palaces have been constructed by Mexican artists,
+pupils of the Academy of Fine Arts. One of these has a beautiful
+interior, ornamented with columns.</p>
+
+<p>But, notwithstanding the progress of the arts, within the last thirty
+years, it is much less from the grandeur and beauty of the monuments,
+than from the breadth and straightness of the streets; and much less
+from its edifices, than from its uniform regularity, its extent and
+position, that the capital of New Spain attracts the admiration of
+Europeans. M. De Humboldt had successively visited, within a very short
+space of time, Lima, Mexico, Philadelphia, Washington, Paris, Rome,
+Naples, and the largest cities of Germany; and notwithstanding
+unavoidable comparisons, of which several might be supposed
+disadvantageous to the capital of Mexico, there was left on his mind, a
+recollection of grandeur, which he principally attributed to the
+majestic character of its situation, and the beauty of the surrounding
+scenery.</p>
+
+<p>In fact, nothing can present a more rich and varied appearance than the
+<i>valley of Mexico</i>, when, in a fine summer morning, a person ascends one
+of the towers of the cathedral, or the adjacent hill of Chapoltepec. A
+beautiful vegetation surrounds this hill. From its summit, the eye
+wanders over a vast plain of richly-cultivated fields, which extend to
+the very feet of colossal mountains, that are covered with perpetual
+snow. <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_254" id="Page_254">[Pg 254]</a></span>The city appears as if washed by the waters of the lake of
+Tezcuco, whose basin, surrounded by villages and hamlets, brings to mind
+the most beautiful lakes of the mountains of Switzerland. Large avenues
+of elms and poplars lead, in every direction, to the capital; and two
+aqueducts, constructed over arches of great elevation, cross the plain,
+and exhibit an appearance equally agreeable and interesting.</p>
+
+<p>Mexico is remarkable for its excellent police. Most of the <i>streets</i>
+have broad pavements; and they are clean, and well lighted. Water is,
+every where, to be had; but it is brackish, like the water of the lake.
+There are, however, two <i>aqueducts</i>, by which the city receives
+fresh-water, from distant springs. Some remains of the <i>dikes</i> or
+<i>embankments</i>, are still to be seen: they, at present, form great paved
+causeys, across marshy ground; and, as they are considerably elevated,
+they possess the double advantage, of admitting the passage of
+carriages, and restraining the overflowings of the lake. This city has
+six principal <i>gates</i>; and is surrounded by a ditch, but is without
+walls.</p>
+
+<p>The objects which chiefly attract the attention of strangers, are 1. The
+<i>Cathedral</i>, which is partly in the Gothic style of architecture, and
+has two towers, ornamented with pilasters and statues, of very beautiful
+symmetry. 2. The <i>Treasury</i>, which adjoins to the palace of the
+viceroys: from this building, since the beginning of the 16th century,
+more than 270 millions sterling, in gold and silver coin, have been
+issued. 3. The <i>Convents</i>. 4. The <i>Hospital</i>, or rather the two united
+hospitals, of which one maintains six hundred, and the other eight
+hundred children and old people. 5. The <i>Acordada</i>, a fine edifice, of
+which the prisons are spacious and well aired. 6. The <i>School of Mines</i>.
+7. The <i>Botanical Garden</i>, in one of the courts of the viceroy's palace.
+8. The edifices of the <i>University</i> and the <i>Public Library</i>, which,
+however, are very unworthy of so great and ancient an establishment. 9.
+The <i>Academy of Fine Arts</i>.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_255" id="Page_255">[Pg 255]</a></span>Mexico is the see of an archbishop, and contains twenty-three convents
+for monks, and fifteen for nuns. Its whole population is estimated at
+one hundred and forty thousand persons.</p>
+
+<p>On the north-side of the city, near the suburbs, is a <i>public walk</i>,
+which forms a large square, having a basin in the middle, and where
+eight walks terminate.</p>
+
+<p>The <i>markets</i> of Mexico are well supplied with eatables; particularly
+with roots and fruit. It is an interesting spectacle, which may be
+enjoyed every morning at sunrise, to see these provisions, and a great
+quantity of flowers, brought by Indians, in boats, along the canals.
+Most of the roots are cultivated on what are called <i>chinampas</i>, or
+"floating gardens." These are of two sorts: one moveable, and driven
+about by the winds, and the other fixed and attached to the shore. The
+first alone merit the denomination of floating-gardens.</p>
+
+<p>Simple lumps of earth, in lakes or rivers, carried away from the banks,
+have given rise to the invention of chinampas. The floating-gardens, of
+which very many were found by the Spaniards, when they first invaded
+Mexico, and of which many still exist in the lake of Chalco, were rafts
+formed of reeds, rushes, roots, and branches of underwood. The Indians
+cover these light and well connected materials with a black mould, which
+becomes extremely fertile. The chinampas sometimes contain the cottage
+of the Indian, who acts as guard for a group of floating gardens. When
+removed from one side of the banks to the other, they are either towed
+or are pushed with long poles. Every chinampa forms an oblong square
+about three hundred feet in length, and eighteen or nineteen feet broad.
+Narrow ditches, communicating symmetrically between them, separate these
+squares. The mould fit for cultivation rises about three feet above the
+surface of the surrounding water. On these chinampas are cultivated
+beans, peas, pimento, potatoes, artichokes, cauliflowers, and a great
+variety of other vegetables. Their sides are generally ornamented with
+flowers, and sometimes with <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_256" id="Page_256">[Pg 256]</a></span>hedges of rose-bushes. The promenade in
+boats, around the chinampas of the river Istracalco, is one of the most
+agreeable amusements that can be enjoyed in the environs of Mexico. The
+vegetation is extremely vigorous, on a soil which is continually
+refreshed with water.</p>
+
+<p>The <i>Hill of Chapoltepec</i>, near Mexico, was chosen by the young viceroy
+Galvez, as the site of a villa for himself and his successors. The
+castle has been finished externally, but the apartments were not
+completed when M. de Humboldt was here. This building cost the king of
+Spain more than &pound;.62,000 sterling.</p>
+
+<p>With respect to the two great <i>lakes</i>, Tezcuco and Chalco, which are
+situated in the valley of Mexico, one is of fresh water, and the other
+salt. They are separated by a narrow range of mountains, which rise in
+the middle of the plain; and their waters mingle together, in a strait
+between the hills. On both these lakes there are numerous towns and
+villages, which carry on their commerce with each other in canoes,
+without touching the continent.</p>
+
+<h4>FOOTNOTES:</h4>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p class="noin"><a name="Footnote_3_3" id="Footnote_3_3"></a><a href="#FNanchor_3_3"><span class="label">[3]</span></a> From this place, Mr. Pike was conducted, through St.
+Antonio, in a north-westerly direction, to the territories of the United
+States; and he terminates the account of his travels at <i>Natchitoches</i>,
+on the southern bank of the Red river.</p></div>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<hr  />
+<br />
+<h2>Twenty-first Day's Instruction.</h2>
+
+<h2>MEXICO CONCLUDED.</h2>
+<br />
+
+<p class="cen"><i>A Description of some of the most important Places in Mexico.</i></p>
+
+<p>In an easterly direction from the city of Mexico lies <i>Tlascala</i>, a
+town, which, two hundred years ago, at the time of the Spanish invasion,
+had a numerous population, and was in a wealthy and flourishing state.
+The inhabitants of this place were implacable enemies of the Mexicans,
+and aided the Spaniards in the conquest of their country. It is now,
+however, little more than a village, containing about three thousand
+inhabitants. Some <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_257" id="Page_257">[Pg 257]</a></span>parts of the ancient walls still remain, and are
+composed of alternate strata of brick and clay.</p>
+
+<p>Six leagues south-west from Tlascala, and in the midst of a delightful
+valley, watered by a river which runs south-west to the Pacific Ocean,
+stands <i>Puebla</i>, the capital of an intendancy, and the see of a bishop.
+It is a large and regularly built manufacturing town, notorious for the
+profligacy of its inhabitants.</p>
+
+<p><i>Cholula</i>, once a sacred Indian town, to which pilgrimages were
+frequent, but now a mean village, is not far from Puebla. This place is,
+at present, remarkable only for a curious monument of antiquity, a
+pyramid which consists of four stages, and is about one hundred and
+seventy-seven feet in perpendicular height, and one thousand four
+hundred and twenty-three feet at the base. Its structure appears to
+consist of alternate strata of bricks and clay. In the midst of this
+pyramid there is a church, where mass is, every morning, celebrated by
+an ecclesiastic of Indian extraction, whose residence is on the summit.</p>
+
+<p>Eastward of the intendancy of Puebla is that of <i>Vera Cruz</i>. This
+district is enriched with various natural productions, extremely
+valuable both in a commercial and economical view. The sugar-cane grows
+here in great luxuriance: chocolate, tobacco, cotton, sarsaparilla, are
+all abundant; but the indolence of the inhabitants is so great, and all
+their wants are so easily supplied, by the natural fertility of the
+soil, that the country does not produce one half of what, under good
+management, it might be made to produce. The sugar and cotton
+plantations are chiefly attended to; but the progress made in these is
+not great.</p>
+
+<p>The chief city of the province is <i>Vera Cruz</i>; a sea-port, the residence
+of the governor, and the centre of the Spanish West Indian and American
+commerce. This city is beautifully and regularly built; but on an arid
+plain, destitute of water, and covered with hills of moving sand, that
+are formed by the north winds, which blow; with impetuosity, every year,
+from October till April. <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_258" id="Page_258">[Pg 258]</a></span>These hills are incessantly changing their
+form and situation: they are from twenty to thirty feet in height; and,
+by the reflection of the sun's rays upon them, and the high temperature
+which they acquire during the summer months, they contribute much to
+increase the suffocating heat of the atmosphere.</p>
+
+<p>The houses in Vera Cruz are chiefly built of wood; for no stone whatever
+is found in the vicinity of the place. The public edifices are
+constructed of materials obtained from the bottom of the ocean: the
+stony habitations of a kind of marine animals called madrepores. The
+town is of great extent; and is surrounded by a wall, and defended by a
+kind of citadel, which stands on an adjacent rocky island. The harbour
+is well protected; but the entrance into it is so narrowed by rocks,
+that only one ship can pass at a time.</p>
+
+<p>On the annual arrival of the flota, or fleet of merchant-vessels from
+Old Spain, Vera Cruz is crowded, from all parts of the adjacent country;
+and a kind of fair is opened, which lasts many weeks. The principal
+inhabitants are merchants, but very few of them reside wholly in the
+town; for the heat of the climate, the stagnant water in the vicinity of
+the place, and the bad quality of the water used for drinking, are the
+cause of yellow fever and numerous other diseases.</p>
+
+<p>The churches of Vera Cruz are much decorated with silver ornaments. In
+the dwelling houses, the chief luxury consists of porcelain and other
+Chinese articles. The whole number of inhabitants is estimated at about
+thirteen thousand. They are, in general, proud and indolent. The women,
+few of whom are handsome, live much in retirement.</p>
+
+<p>During the rainy season, the marshes south of the town are haunted by
+alligators. Sea-fowl of various kinds are here innumerable; and the
+musquitoes, at certain seasons of the year, are very troublesome.
+Earthquakes are not unfrequent. The north winds are so tremendous as
+often to drive vessels on shore: these gales sometimes load the walls
+with sand; and so <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_259" id="Page_259">[Pg 259]</a></span>much inconvenience is occasioned by them, that,
+during their continuance, ladies are excused by the priests from going
+to mass.</p>
+
+<p>The richest merchants of this place have country-houses at <i>Xalapa</i>, a
+town, in a romantic situation, about twenty leagues distant. Here they
+enjoy a cool and agreeable retreat from the arid climate and noxious
+exhalations of Vera Cruz. In the vicinity of Xalapa, thick forests of
+styrax, piper, melastomata, and ferns resembling trees, afford the most
+delightful promenades imaginable.</p>
+
+<p>The intendancy of Vera Cruz contains, within its limits, two colossal
+summits; one of which, the <i>volcano of Orizaba</i>, is of great height, and
+has its top inclined towards the south-east, by which the crater is
+visible to a considerable distance. The other summit, the <i>Coffre de
+Perote</i>, according to M. de Humboldt's measurement, is one thousand
+three hundred feet higher than the Pic of Tenerife. It serves as a
+land-mark to vessels approaching Vera Cruz. A thick bed of pumice-stone
+environs this mountain. Nothing at the summit announces a crater; and
+the currents of lava observable between some adjacent villages, appear
+to be the effects of an ancient explosion.</p>
+
+<p>The small <i>volcano of Tuxtla</i> is about four leagues from the coast, and
+near an Indian village, called Saint Jago di Tuxtla. The last eruption
+of this volcano took place on the 2d of March, 1793; and, during its
+continuance, the roofs of houses at Oaxaca, Vera Cruz, and Perote, were
+covered with volcanic ashes. At Perote, fifty-seven leagues distant, the
+subterraneous noises resembled heavy discharges of artillery.</p>
+
+<p>In the northern part of the intendancy of Vera Cruz, and two leagues
+from the village of <i>Papantla</i>, there is a <i>pyramidal edifice</i> of great
+antiquity. It is in the midst of a forest; and the Indians, for more
+than two centuries, succeeded in concealing, from the knowledge of the
+Spaniards, this object of ancient veneration. It was accidentally
+discovered, by a party of hunters, about <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_260" id="Page_260">[Pg 260]</a></span>thirty years ago. The
+materials that have been employed in its construction are immense stones
+cemented with mortar; and it is remarkable for its general symmetry, for
+the polish of its stones, and the great regularity of their form. Its
+base is an exact square, each side being eighty-two feet in length. The
+perpendicular height is about sixty feet. This monument, like all the
+Mexican teocallis or temples, is composed of several stages. Six are
+still distinguishable, and a seventh appears to be concealed by the
+vegetation, with which the sides are covered. A great stair of
+fifty-seven steps, conducts to the top, where human victims were
+formerly sacrificed; and, on each side of the great stair, is a small
+one. The facing of the stories is adorned with hieroglyphics, in which
+serpents and alligators, carved in relief, are still discernible. Each
+story contains a great number of square niches, symmetrically
+distributed.</p>
+
+<p>On the coast of the Pacific Ocean, and at the distance of about three
+hundred miles south-west from Vera Cruz, stands <i>Acapulco</i>, the great
+western sea-port of Mexico. This place is the principal emporium for the
+Indian trade over the Pacific Ocean. The harbour is commodious, capable
+of containing several hundred ships, and defended by a strong castle.
+The town itself is mean and ill-built, but extremely populous.
+Earthquakes are here of such frequent occurrence, that the houses are
+all very slightly constructed; and the climate, also, is extremely
+unhealthy. These circumstances occasion most of the principal merchants
+to reside in the adjacent country, at all times except when business
+demands their attention in the town.</p>
+
+<p>Several vessels, called "galleons," laden with the precious metals, and
+with merchandise of other kinds, are every year sent, from this port, to
+Manila, in the Philippine islands; and others return, laden with the
+valuable productions of the East Indies. On the arrival of the latter,
+the town becomes populous and gay; and is then filled with the
+wealthiest merchants of Mexico and <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_261" id="Page_261">[Pg 261]</a></span>Peru. Such, however, is the general
+dread of its unhealthiness, that these do not sleep within the walls,
+but reside chiefly in tents in its vicinity.</p>
+
+<p>At some distance east of Acapulco, in a beautiful and populous valley,
+stands the town of <i>Guaxaca</i> or <i>Oaxaca</i>; distinguished by the
+magnificence of its situation, the temperature and salubrity of its
+climate, the excellence of its soil, and its general majestic
+appearance. The streets are wide, straight, and well paved; and the
+houses are chiefly built of stone. The churches and monasteries are
+numerous, and richly decorated. On one side of the great square is the
+town-house, which is constructed with stone of a sea-green colour. The
+bishop's palace and the cathedral form two other sides of the same
+square: they are surrounded by arcades, as a shelter against both the
+sun and the rain. In the suburbs of Guaxaca are gardens, and plantations
+of cactus or prickly pear-trees, on which great numbers of cochineal
+insects feed. Guaxaca is not only watered by a beautiful river, but is
+abundantly supplied, by aqueducts, with pure water from the adjacent
+mountains. Its population, including Indians, mulattoes, and negroes,
+amounts to about twenty-four thousand persons.</p>
+
+<p>The <i>intendancy of Yucatan</i> forms a peninsula, about a hundred leagues
+in length, between the bays of Campeachy and Honduras. A ridge of low
+hills extends along it, from south-west to north-east; and, between this
+ridge and the <i>Bay of Campeachy</i>, the dry and parched soil produces
+logwood in great abundance and of excellent quality. For nearly five
+months, during the rainy season, the low grounds are partially
+inundated: in February the waters are dried up; and, throughout the
+remainder of the year, there is scarcely any stream to be found. Hence
+the inhabitants can only be supplied with fresh water by pits and wells.
+The eastern coast of Yucatan is so shallow and muddy, that large vessels
+cannot approach within four leagues <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_262" id="Page_262">[Pg 262]</a></span>of the shore. The chief productions
+of this peninsula are maize, cotton, indigo, and logwood.</p>
+
+<p>The governor resides at a small inland town called <i>Merida</i>, situated on
+an arid plain, and containing about six thousand inhabitants. The
+principal sea-port is <i>Campeachy</i>, near the north-west extremity of the
+peninsula. This town has a good dock, and a fort which protects both the
+place and the harbour. The houses are chiefly built of stone. Campeachy
+has some cotton manufactories, and a trade in wax and salt; but its
+chief trade is in logwood.</p>
+
+<p><i>Honduras</i> is an important province, south of Yucatan. Its climate is
+superior to that of most other parts of America, within the torrid zone.
+With the exception of a few months in the year, it is refreshed by
+regular sea-breezes. The periodical rains are here excessively heavy.
+The dry season is usually comprehended within the months of April, May,
+and June; and the sun, during this time, is excessively powerful. This
+province is about three hundred and ninety miles in length, from east to
+west, and consists of mountains, valleys, and plains, watered by many
+rivers. Honduras abounds in honey, wax, cotton, corn, fruit, and dyeing
+woods. It has some gold and silver mines; and its pastures feed great
+numbers of sheep and cattle. Its vineyards yield grapes twice in the
+year; but, from indolence and want of cultivation, many parts of it have
+become desert.</p>
+
+<p>There is a British settlement at a place called <i>Balize</i>, near the mouth
+of a river of the same name. This town is immediately open to the sea;
+and, though in a low situation, the groups of lofty cocoa-nut trees, and
+the thickly-interspersed and lively foliage of the tamarind trees,
+contribute to give a picturesque and pleasing effect to the dwellings of
+the inhabitants. The number of houses, of all descriptions, is about two
+hundred; and many of them, particularly such as are the property of the
+most opulent merchants, are spacious, commodious, and well finished.
+They are built of wood, and are <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_263" id="Page_263">[Pg 263]</a></span>generally raised eight or ten feet from
+the ground, on pillars of mahogany. The stores and offices are always on
+the lower, and the dining and sleeping apartments on the upper story.
+Every habitation, likewise, has its upper and lower piazzas, which are
+indispensably necessary in hot climates. Balize stands at the edge of a
+swamp many miles in extent, which prevents nearly all intercourse with
+the interior of the country.</p>
+
+<p>The principal articles at present imported from Europe into Honduras,
+are linens, printed cottons, muslins of the most costly manufacture,
+negro clothing, broadcloths, hosiery, hats, shoes, boots, earthen and
+glass wares, silver and plated goods, hardware, and cutlery: salted
+provisions, from Britain or America, are also in continual demand for
+the food of the slaves.</p>
+
+<p>Few countries possess greater commercial advantages, in an agricultural
+view, than this. The productions of the West Indian islands, might all
+unquestionably be cultivated here, as well as most others which are
+grown within the tropics. But the cutting of logwood and mahogany is the
+chief occupation of the British settlers. The banks of the river Balize
+have long been occupied by mahogany-cutters, even to the distance of two
+hundred miles from its mouth.</p>
+
+<p>About thirty miles up the Balize, on its banks, are found what are
+denominated the Indian hills. These are small eminences, which are
+supposed to have been raised by Indians over their dead; human bones,
+and fragments of a coarse kind of earthenware, being frequently dug up
+from them.</p>
+
+<p><i>Nicaragua</i> is a Spanish province, between Honduras and the isthmus of
+Darien. It is about eighty leagues in length and fifty in breadth; and
+consists, for the most part, of high and wooded mountains, some of which
+are volcanic. The valleys are watered by many streams, but only one of
+these is of any importance. This is the river <i>Yare</i>, which runs, from
+west to east, through the northern part of the province. The most
+important productions of Nicaragua are timber, cotton, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_264" id="Page_264">[Pg 264]</a></span>sugar, honey,
+and wax. The chief town is <i>Leon de Nicaragua</i>, a place of considerable
+trade, situated near the north-west border of the lake of Nicaragua; and
+in a sandy plain, at the foot of a volcanic mountain, several leagues
+from the sea.</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>From New Spain we must return northward, for the purpose of describing
+the British dominions of Nova Scotia and Canada.</p>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<hr />
+<br />
+<h2>Twenty-second Day's Instruction.</h2>
+
+<h2>BRITISH AMERICAN DOMINIONS.</h2>
+<br />
+
+<p class="cen"><span class="smcap">NOVA SCOTIA,</span></p>
+
+<p>Is a province bounded on the east by the <i>Gulf of St. Lawrence</i>, on the
+south by the Atlantic, and on the west by the United States. It is
+somewhat more than two hundred miles long, and one hundred and seventy
+miles broad. The southern division is a peninsula of triangular form,
+having an isthmus not more than thirty miles in breadth. Nova Scotia is
+divided into counties, and subdivided into townships; and, in the whole,
+contains somewhat more than fifty thousand inhabitants.</p>
+
+<p>The climate is unhealthy. During a considerable part of the year, the
+maritime and lower districts are enveloped in fog. The cold of winter is
+intense, and the heat of summer excessive. The soil is various. In many
+parts it is thin, barren, gravelly, and covered with forests: in others,
+especially on the borders of the rivers, it is fertile and agreeable.
+Some of the tracts yield hemp and flax; but the inhabitants have not
+hitherto made much progress in agriculture. Nova Scotia has <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_265" id="Page_265">[Pg 265]</a></span>many bays
+and harbours; but much of the coast is bordered with dangerous rocks.
+Great numbers of cod-fish are caught in some of the bays, and in many
+parts of the sea adjacent to the coast.</p>
+
+<p><i>Halifax</i>, the capital of Nova Scotia, was built about the year 1749. It
+is now a flourishing town on the sea-coast, and has an excellent
+harbour, accessible at all seasons of the year, and with depth of water
+and anchorage sufficient for the largest vessels. The town is about two
+miles in length, and a quarter of a mile in width; and is laid out in
+oblong squares, and in streets that run parallel or at right angles to
+each other. It is defended by forts of timber, and contains about
+fifteen thousand inhabitants. At its northern extremity is the royal
+arsenal, which is well built, and amply supplied with naval stores.</p>
+<br />
+
+<p class="cen"><span class="smcap">CANADA</span>,</p>
+
+<p>Is an extensive but thinly-peopled district, lying between the same
+parallels of latitude as France and England, but in a climate infinitely
+more severe. During winter the frost is intense, and the surface of the
+ground is covered with snow to the depth of several feet. In many parts
+of the country, however, the summers are hot and pleasant.</p>
+
+<p>The <i>boundaries</i> of Canada are, the United States on the south; the
+Atlantic Ocean, Labrador, and Hudson's Bay, on the east and north; and a
+wild and undescribed region on the west. This country is divided into
+two provinces of Upper and Lower Canada: the executive power in each
+province is vested in a <i>governor</i>; and a legislative council and an
+assembly are appointed for each, having power, with the consent of the
+governor, to make laws. In the legislative council of Lower Canada,
+there are fifteen members; and in that of Upper Canada seven; and the
+appointments are for life. In the assembly of Lower Canada there are
+fifty members; and in that of Upper <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_266" id="Page_266">[Pg 266]</a></span>Canada sixteen: these are chosen by
+the freeholders and do not continue in office longer than four years.</p>
+
+<p>Canada was originally discovered by Sebastian Cabot, a navigator sent
+out by the English about the year 1497; but in the beginning of the
+seventeenth century, it was colonized by the French, who kept possession
+of it till the year 1763, when it fell into the hands of the British, to
+whom it still belongs. The long possession of this country by the
+French, has occasioned the <i>French language</i> to be chiefly spoken: it
+has also occasioned the prevailing <i>religion</i> to be Roman Catholic. The
+British government permits a toleration of all religions; but by far the
+greatest number of inhabitants are catholics. The clergy of the church
+of England, in both provinces, are only twelve in number, including the
+bishop of Quebec; whereas, those of the church of Rome amount to one
+hundred and twenty, including a bishop, and three vicars-general.</p>
+
+<p>The whole number of <i>inhabitants</i> is considered to be about two hundred
+thousand, of whom fifty thousand are Indians. "Essentially a Frenchman,
+(says Mr. Hall,) the Canadian is gay, courteous, and contented. If the
+rigours of the climate have somewhat chilled the overflowing vivacity
+derived from his parent stock, he has still a sufficient portion of good
+spirits and loquacity. To strangers and travellers he is invariably
+civil; and he seems to value their good word beyond their money. He is
+considered parsimonious, because all his gains arise from his savings,
+and he is satisfied with the humblest fare." The Canadians have a great
+antipathy to the inhabitants of the United States. At this day, many
+even of the better informed among them believe that the American
+government is constantly plotting the ruin of Canada.</p>
+
+<p>Whilst Canada was in the hands of the French, the <i>commerce</i> of the
+country was chiefly confined to the fisheries and fur-trade: agriculture
+was neglected, and extensive tracts of fertile soil lay uncultivated.
+But the English have both peopled and improved a very <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_267" id="Page_267">[Pg 267]</a></span>considerable
+portion of territory; and the trade is now of much importance. The
+Canadians export to Britain and to different British establishments,
+wheat and other grain, biscuit, beef, pork, butter, salmon, oil, timber,
+hemp, and various other articles. In many parts of both Canadas the
+<i>soil</i> is well adapted for the production of grain. Tobacco also thrives
+well in it; and culinary vegetables arrive at great perfection. The
+forests produce beech-trees, oaks, elms, ash, pine, sycamore, chesnut,
+and walnut; and a species of maple-tree, from the juice of which sugar
+is made, abounds throughout the country.</p>
+
+<p>Many extensive tracts in Canada are covered with lakes and marshes; and
+the country is intersected by numerous rivers, some of which are
+navigable to considerable distances. Of the <i>lakes</i>, the most important
+are lake Superior, lake Huron, lake Michigan, lake Ontario, and lake
+Erie. These are adjacent to the territory of the United States. Lake
+Winipic is an expanse of water, more than two hundred and fifty miles in
+length, situated about the 53d degree of north latitude. The largest and
+noblest <i>river</i> in Canada is the St. Lawrence, which flows from lake
+Ontario, past the two towns of Montreal and Quebec, and falls into the
+Gulf of St. Lawrence. This river meets the tide four miles from the sea;
+and to this place it is navigable for large vessels.</p>
+<br />
+
+<p class="cen"><i>A Description of Quebec.</i></p>
+
+<p>This city, the capital of Canada, stands at the northern extremity of a
+strip of high land, which follows the course of the river St. Lawrence,
+as far as the mouth of the Charles. The basis of these heights is a dark
+slate rock, of which most of the buildings in the town are constructed.
+<i>Cape Diamond</i> terminates the promontory, with a bold precipice towards
+the river. This rock derives its name from numerous transparent
+crystals, which are found upon it; and which are so <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_268" id="Page_268">[Pg 268]</a></span>abundant that,
+after a shower of rain, the ground glitters with them.</p>
+
+<p>The Lower Town of Quebec is built at the foot of the heights; and the
+Upper Town occupies their crest. The former, snug and dirty, is the
+abode of persons engaged in trade, and of most of the lower classes: the
+latter, lofty and cold, is the seat of government, and the principal
+residence of the military.</p>
+
+<p>With few exceptions, the <i>houses</i> in Quebec are built of stone. The
+roofs of the better sort are covered with sheets of iron or tin, and
+those of an inferior description, with boards. On the roofs ladders are
+usually placed, near the garret-windows, for the purpose of the
+chimney-sweepers ascending, on the outside, to clean the chimneys: for,
+in this country boys do not go up the chimneys, as in England; but two
+men, one at the top and the other at the bottom, sweep them, by pulling
+up and down a bundle of twigs or furze, tied to a rope.</p>
+
+<p>The <i>streets</i> of the Lower Town are, for the most part, narrow and
+irregular. St. Peter's street is the best paved, and the widest of the
+whole. It contains several good and substantial <i>houses</i>, which are
+chiefly occupied by merchants and traders; but, from the colour of the
+stone of which the houses are constructed, and of the iron roofs, all
+the streets of Quebec have a heavy and gloomy appearance.</p>
+
+<p>A street, called <i>Mountain Street</i>, which leads to the Upper Town,
+winds, in a serpentine direction, from the market-place up the hill, and
+terminates near the Upper Town market-place. This street, in winter, is
+extremely dangerous. The quantity of snow and ice, which here accumulate
+in large masses, renders it necessary for the inhabitants to wear outer
+shoes, that are shod with iron spikes. The boys of Quebec have a
+favourite amusement, in lying at full length with their breast upon a
+small kind of sledge, and sliding along the snow, from the top of the
+hill to the bottom: they <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_269" id="Page_269">[Pg 269]</a></span>glide down with astonishing velocity; yet,
+with their feet, they can guide or stop themselves, at pleasure.</p>
+
+<p>The <i>shops</i> or stores of the traders in the Lower Town, do not exhibit
+any of that diversified and pleasing appearance which is so remarkable
+in London. Here the stranger sees nothing but heavy stone buildings,
+gloomy casements, and iron-cased shutters, painted red. If any show is
+made at the window, it is with paltry articles of cooking, earthen and
+hardware: there is, however, a tolerable display of bear-skins,
+seal-skins, foxes-tails, and buffalo-robes.</p>
+
+<p>The <i>taverns</i> in Quebec are numerous; yet a stranger is much surprised
+to find only two houses which deserve that high-sounding appellation.
+This arises from the vanity that possesses all our trans-Atlantic
+brethren, to designate their paltry public-houses or spirit-shops, by
+the more dignified title of "tavern;" for through the whole of America,
+every dirty hole, where a few glasses of rum, gin, or whisky, are sold,
+is so called.</p>
+
+<p>Of the <i>public buildings</i> in Quebec, the most important is the
+government-house, or castle of St. Louis, a large, plain, stone edifice,
+which forms one side of an open place or square, called the parade. Its
+front resembles that of a country gentleman's house in England; and the
+interior contains comfortable family apartments. The furniture is
+inherited and paid for by the successive owners. Opposite to the
+government-house stand the English cathedral church, and the
+court-house, both handsome buildings of modern construction. The other
+sides of the parade are formed by the Union Hotel, and a row of
+buildings which form the commencement of St. Louis Street.</p>
+
+<p>The <i>Upper Town</i> is by far the most agreeable part of Quebec: its
+streets are not, indeed, remarkable for width, but many of them are well
+paved. In the Upper Town the heat, during summer, is not so intense as
+in the Lower Town; nor, in winter, though the cold is much severer, is
+it, as a residence, so dreary and uncomfortable.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_270" id="Page_270">[Pg 270]</a></span>There are, in Quebec, several catholic <i>charitable institutions</i>. Of
+these, the principal is the "Hotel Dieu," founded in 1637, for the
+accommodation and relief of poor sick people: it is under the management
+of a superior and thirty-six nuns. The "General Hospital," which stands
+at a little distance from the town, is a somewhat similar institution;
+and is governed by a superior and forty-three nuns. In the admission of
+patients into each of these establishments, no distinction is made, as
+to catholics or protestants. The Ursuline convent, founded in 1639, for
+the education of female children, stands within the city, and has a
+considerable appearance of wealth. Among the ornaments of the chapel are
+the skull and bones of a missionary, who had been murdered by the
+Indians for attempting their conversion.</p>
+
+<p>About two miles from the town is a break in the line of cliffs, which
+forms a little recess, called <i>Wolf's Cove</i>. A steep pathway leads
+thence to the heights of the plains of Abram. On these plains are still
+to be seen, in the turf, traces of field-works, which were thrown up by
+the British army, in the celebrated siege of Quebec; and a stone is
+pointed out as that on which General Wolf expired.</p>
+
+<p>The <i>markets</i> of Quebec are well supplied with every thing that the
+country affords; and, in general, at a very cheap rate. In the autumn,
+as soon as the river betwixt the town and the island of Orleans, is
+frozen over, an abundance of provisions is received from that island.
+The Canadians, at the commencement of winter, kill the greatest part of
+their stock, and carry it to market in a frozen state. The inhabitants
+of the towns supply themselves, at this season, with butcher's meat,
+poultry, and vegetables, to serve them till spring. These are kept in
+garrets or cellars; and, so long as they continue frozen, their goodness
+is preserved. Before they are prepared for the table, they are laid for
+some hours in cold water, to be thawed. In wintertime, milk is brought
+to market in large frozen cakes.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_271" id="Page_271">[Pg 271]</a></span>Great quantities of maple-sugar are sold, in Quebec, at about half the
+price of West India sugar. The manufacturing of this article takes place
+in the spring. The sap or juice, after it has been drawn from the trees,
+is boiled, and then poured into shallow dishes, where it takes the form
+of a thick and hard cake. Maple-sugar is very hard; and, when used, is
+scraped with a knife, as, otherwise, it would be a long time in
+dissolving.</p>
+
+<p>The fruit of Canada is not remarkable either for excellence or
+cheapness. Strawberries and raspberries are, however, brought to market
+in great abundance: they are gathered on the plains, at the back of
+Quebec, and in the neighbouring woods, where they grow wild, in the
+utmost luxuriance. Apples and pears are chiefly procured from the
+vicinity of Montreal. Walnuts and filberts are by no means common; but
+hickory-nuts and hazel-nuts are to be obtained in all the woods.</p>
+
+<p>The <i>climate</i> of Lower Canada is subject to violent extremes of heat and
+cold. At Quebec, the thermometer, in summer, is sometimes as high as 103
+degrees of Fahrenheit's thermometer; and, in winter, is at 36 degrees
+below 0. The average of summer heat is, in general, from 75 to 80
+degrees; and the mean of the cold, in winter, is about 0.</p>
+
+<p>From Christmas to Lady-day the weather is remarkably clear and fine; the
+sky is of an azure blue colour, and seldom obscured by fogs or clouds;
+and the frost is not often interrupted by falls of snow or rain. These
+advantages render a Canadian winter so agreeable, that the inhabitants,
+from sudden alterations of the weather, are never under the necessity of
+changing their style of dress, unless it be to discard their greatcoats
+and fur-caps, which, in consequence of the powerful warmth of the sun,
+is sometimes necessary. In the early part of the winter there is always
+much snow.</p>
+
+<p>The spring, summer, and autumn of Canada, are all comprised within the
+five months of May, June, July, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_272" id="Page_272">[Pg 272]</a></span>August, and September. The rest of the
+year may be considered as winter. During the month of October, the
+weather is sometimes pleasant, but nature has then put on her gloomy
+mantle; and the chilling blasts, from the north-west, remind the
+Canadians of the approach of snow and ice. November and April are the
+two most disagreeable months of the year: in one of these the snow is
+beginning to fall, and in the other it is going away.</p>
+<br />
+
+<p class="cen"><span class="smcap">Mr. Hall's</span> <i>Journey from Quebec to Montreal</i>.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Mr. Hall</span> was in Canada during the summer of 1816; and, on the
+28th of July, he left Quebec, on a journey to Montreal. He deviated
+somewhat from the usual road, that he might pass by the <i>Jacques Cartier
+bridge</i>, six or seven miles above the ferry. Here the river falls wildly
+down, betwixt its wooded shores; and, after forming several cascades,
+foams through a narrow channel, which seems cut out of the solid rock,
+to receive it. The rock, which constitutes its bed, is formed into
+regular platforms, descending, by natural steps, to the edge of the
+torrent. The Jacques Cartier is a river famous for its salmon, which are
+caught of large size, and in great abundance, below the bridge. At the
+foot of this bridge stands a little inn, where the angler may have his
+game cooked for supper, and where he may sleep in the lull of the
+torrent, below his chamber-window. After quitting this neighbourhood,
+the scenery of the St. Lawrence becomes flat and uniform. The road
+follows the direction of the river, sometimes running along the cliff,
+which once embanked it, and sometimes descending to the water's edge.</p>
+
+<p>From Quebec to Montreal, the country may be considered as one long
+village. On each shore there is a stripe of land, seldom exceeding a
+mile in breadth, which is bounded by forests, and thickly studded with
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_273" id="Page_273">[Pg 273]</a></span>farm-houses, white-washed from top to bottom: to these, log-barns and
+stables are attached, and commonly a neat plot of garden-ground.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Hall preferred the travelling in Lower Canada to that in every other
+part of the American continent. You arrive (he says) at the post-house,
+(as the words "<i>maison de poste</i>," scrawled over the door, give you
+notice;) "Have you horses, Madame?" "<i>Oui, Monsieur, tout de suite.</i>" A
+loud cry of "<i>Oh! bon homme</i>," forwards the intelligence to her husband,
+at work, perhaps, in an adjacent field. "<i>Mais, asseyez vous,
+Monsieur</i>;" and, if you have patience to do this quietly, for a few
+minutes, you will see crebillion, papillon, or some other <i>on</i> arrive,
+at a full canter, from pasture, mounted by honest <i>Jean</i>, in his blue
+nightcap, with all his habiliments shaking in the wind. The preliminary
+of splicing and compounding the broken harness having been adjusted, the
+whip cracks, and you start to the exhilarating cry of "<i>marche donc</i>,"
+at the rate of six, and often seven miles an hour.</p>
+
+<p>The village of "<i>Trois Rivieres</i>" stands at the three mouths of the
+<i>River St. Maurice</i>. It contains an Ursuline convent, which marks it for
+a place of some note, in a catholic country; but it is still more worthy
+of distinction, as being the residence of the amiable Abb&eacute; de la
+Colonne, brother to the unfortunate French minister of that name.</p>
+
+<p>Having engaged two experienced boatmen, and a bark canoe, Mr. Hall
+ascended the St. Maurice, to visit the <i>falls of Shawinne Gamme</i>,
+distant somewhat more than twenty miles. At his return, he left the St.
+Maurice, and, having been ferried from <i>Berthier</i> to <i>Contrec&oelig;ur</i>, he
+proceeded, "<i>en caleche</i>," with two crebillions, towards <i>St. Ours</i>, in
+the direction of the <i>Bel&oelig;il Mountain</i>, which was seen before him in
+the misty horizon. The meadows were profusely decorated with orange
+lilies; and the banks and dingles with the crimson cones of the sumac,
+and a variety of flowering shrubs. Several brigs and merchants' ships
+were <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_274" id="Page_274">[Pg 274]</a></span>dropping down with the tide, their crowded sails scarcely swelling
+in the languid summer breeze.</p>
+
+<p>The Canadian summer, observes Mr. Hall, is hot in proportion to the
+severity of the winter; and the heat is sufficient to enable the
+cultivator to raise Indian corn, water-melons, gourds, capsicums, and
+such vegetables as require a short and intense heat. Hence the country
+assumes the aspect of a Portuguese summer, by way of appendix to a
+Russian winter.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Hall passed through the village of <i>Bel&oelig;il</i>; again crossed the
+river, and proceeded towards the mountain, which towered, like an
+immense wall of rock, above the flat surrounding country. Scattered at
+its base were a few wretched houses, the inhabitants of which subsisted
+by the produce of their apple-orchards.</p>
+
+<p>The weather was excessively hot; and volumes of smoke, from the casual,
+or intentional burning of the woods, every where clouded the horizon,
+and seemed to give additional heat to the glowing landscape.</p>
+
+<p>The basis of the <i>Montreal Mountain</i> is freestone; the ascent is
+consequently less steep, and the surface less broken, than that of
+Bel&oelig;il: it is thickly wooded, and, from the river, forms an elegant
+back-ground to the city.</p>
+<br />
+
+<p class="cen"><i>A Description of Montreal.</i></p>
+
+<p>When approached from the water, the town of <i>Montreal</i>, which is
+situated on an island in the River St. Lawrence, has a very singular
+appearance. This is occasioned by the grey stone of the buildings, and
+their tin-covered roofs; the latter of which emit a strong glare, when
+the sun shines. The shore is steep, and forms a kind of natural wharf,
+upon which the vessels discharge their cargoes: hence the shipping which
+frequent the harbour of Montreal are often anchored close to the shore.
+Many English vessels visit this place; but the navigation of the St.
+Lawrence, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_275" id="Page_275">[Pg 275]</a></span>above Quebec, is so hazardous, that few captains are willing
+to make the voyage a second time.</p>
+
+<p>The interior of the town of Montreal is extremely gloomy. The <i>streets</i>
+are regularly built, but the buildings are ponderous masses of stone,
+erected with little taste, and less judgment. Including the garrets,
+they have seldom more than two stories above the ground-floor. The doors
+and window-shutters are covered with large sheets of tin, painted red or
+lead-colour, and corresponding with the gloomy colour of the stone, with
+which most of the houses have been built; hence a heavy sameness of
+appearance pervades all the streets.</p>
+
+<p>The only <i>open places</i> in the town, are the two markets, and a square,
+called the Place d'Armes, in which, under the French government, the
+troops of the garrison are accustomed to parade. The French catholic
+church occupies the whole east side of the square; and, on the south
+side, is a tavern, called the Montreal Hotel. Every thing, in this
+tavern, is neat, cleanly, well conducted, and perfectly agreeable to an
+Englishman's taste.</p>
+
+<p>Montreal is divided into the <i>Upper</i> and <i>Lower towns</i>, though these
+have very little difference in elevation. The principal street of the
+latter, extends, from north to south, through the whole length of the
+place. This street contains the wholesale and retail stores of the
+merchants and traders, the lower market-place, the post-office, the
+Hotel Dieu, a large tavern, and several smaller ones. It is narrow, but
+it presents a scene of greater bustle than any other part of the town;
+and is the chief mart of the trade carried on in Montreal.</p>
+
+<p>Most of the streets are well paved; and the improvements which are going
+on throughout the town, will, in a few years, render it much more
+commodious and agreeable than it is at present. The four streets or
+<i>suburbs</i> occupy a considerable space of ground, and the number of
+inhabitants is computed at twelve thousand. The <i>religious</i> and
+<i>charitable institutions</i> of this <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_276" id="Page_276">[Pg 276]</a></span>place, are counterparts to those at
+Quebec. There are a general hospital, and an Hotel Dieu, for the relief
+of sick poor. The principal catholic church is rich and handsome. The
+college or seminary, is a capacious stone building, and has lately been
+repaired and enlarged. It was originally endowed as a branch of the
+seminary at Paris; but, since the French Revolution, it has afforded an
+asylum to several members of the latter, whose learning and talents have
+been employed in its advancement. Among other <i>public edifices</i> must be
+reckoned the English church, an unfinished building; the old monastery
+of Franciscan Friars, now converted into barracks; the court-house, and
+the government-house. The court-house is a neat and spacious building.
+In front of it, a column has been erected in honour of Lord Nelson, and
+is crowned with a statue of him. Near the court-house a gaol has been
+built, upon the site of the old college of Jesuits.</p>
+
+<p>There seems to be a greater spirit of municipal improvement in Montreal
+than in Quebec. It is also, probably, a richer place; for, being the
+emporium of the fur-trade, its merchants carry on a considerable traffic
+with the United States, and particularly with Vermont and New York.</p>
+
+<p>At the back of the town, and behind the court-house, is a <i>parade</i>,
+where the troops are exercised. The ground, along this part, is
+considerably elevated, and forms a steep bank, several hundred yards in
+length. Here the inhabitants walk in an evening, and enjoy a beautiful
+view of the suburbs of St. Lawrence and St. Antoine; and of numerous
+gardens, orchards, and plantations, adorned with neat, and, in many
+instances, even handsome villas. Green fields are interspersed amidst
+this rich variety of objects, which are concentrated in an extensive
+valley, that gradually rises towards a lofty mountain, about two miles
+and a half distant; and covered, towards its upper part, with trees and
+shrubs. It is from this mountain that the town obtained its name of
+Montreal, or "Royal Mount."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_277" id="Page_277">[Pg 277]</a></span>All the principal north-west merchants reside in this town; which is the
+emporium of their trade, and the grand mart of the commerce carried on
+between Canada and the United States: they live in a splendid style, and
+keep expensive tables.</p>
+
+<p>The <i>markets</i> of Montreal are plentifully supplied with provisions,
+which are much cheaper here than in Quebec. Large supplies are brought
+in, every winter, from the United States; particularly cod-fish, which
+is packed in ice, and conveyed in sledges from Boston. Two weekly
+newspapers, called the Gazette and the Canadian Courant, are published
+here.</p>
+
+<p>At Montreal, the winter is considered to be two months shorter than it
+is at Quebec; and the heat of summer is more oppressive.</p>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<hr />
+<br />
+<h2>Twenty-third Day's Instruction.</h2>
+
+<h2>NORTH WESTERN TERRITORY.</h2>
+<br />
+
+<p class="cen"><i>The Route, from Montreal to Fort Chepewyan, pursued by a company of
+traders,<br /> called the North-west Company</i>.</p>
+
+<p>The requisite number of canoes being purchased, the goods being formed
+into packages, and the lakes and rivers being free from ice, which they
+usually are in the beginning of May, the persons employed by the
+North-west Company set out from <i>La Chine</i>, eight miles above Montreal.</p>
+
+<p>Each canoe carries eight or ten men, and a luggage consisting of
+sixty-five packages of goods, about six hundred weight of biscuit, two
+hundred weight of pork, and three bushels of peas, for the men's
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_278" id="Page_278">[Pg 278]</a></span>provisions: two oil-cloths to cover the goods, a sail, and an axe, a
+towing-line, a kettle, and a sponge to bail out the water; together with
+a quantity of gum, bark, and watape, to repair the canoe. An European,
+on seeing these slender vessels, thus laden, heaped up, and their sides
+not more than six inches out of the water, would imagine it impossible
+that they should perform a long and perilous voyage; but the Canadians
+are so expert in the management of them, that few accidents happen.</p>
+
+<p>Leaving La Chine, they proceed to <i>St. Ann's</i>, within two miles of the
+western extremity of the island of Montreal. At the rapid of St. Ann,
+the navigators are obliged to take out part, if not the whole of the
+lading; and to replace it when they have passed the cataract. The <i>Lake
+of the two Mountains</i>, which they next reach, is about twenty miles
+long, but not more than three miles wide, and is, nearly surrounded by
+cultivated fields.</p>
+
+<p>At the end of the lake, the water contracts into the <i>Utawas river</i>;
+which, after a course of fifteen miles, is interrupted by a succession
+of rapids and cascades for upwards of ten miles: at the foot of these
+the Canadian Seignories terminate. Here the voyagers are frequently
+obliged to unload their canoes, and carry the goods upon their backs, or
+rather suspended in slings from their heads. Each man's ordinary load is
+two packages, though some of the men carry three. In some places, the
+ground will not admit of their carrying the whole at once: in this case,
+they make two trips; that is, the men leave half their lading, land it
+at the distance required, and then return for that which was left. There
+are three carrying places; and, near the last of them, the river is a
+mile and a half wide, and has a regular current, for about sixty miles,
+to the first <i>portage de Chaudiere</i>. The whole body of water is here
+precipitated, twenty-five feet, down, craggy and excavated rocks, and in
+a most wild and romantic manner.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_279" id="Page_279">[Pg 279]</a></span>Over this portage, it is requisite to carry the canoe and all its
+lading; but the rock is so steep, that the canoe cannot be taken out of
+the water by fewer than twelve men, and it is carried by six men.</p>
+
+<p>The next remarkable object which the traders approach, is a lake called
+<i>Nepisingui</i>, about twelve leagues long, and fifteen miles wide, in the
+widest part. The inhabitants of the country adjacent to this lake,
+consist of the remainder of a numerous tribe called <i>Nepisinguis</i>, of
+the Algonquin nation.</p>
+
+<p>Out of the lake flows the <i>Riviere de Fran&ccedil;ois</i>, over rocks of
+considerable height. This river is very irregular, both as to its
+breadth and form; and it is so interspersed with islands, that, in its
+whole course, its banks are seldom visible. Of its various channels,
+that which is generally followed by the canoes is obstructed by five
+portages. The distance hence to Lake Huron is about twenty-five leagues.
+There is scarcely a foot of soil to be seen from one end of the river to
+the other; for its banks consist entirely of rock.</p>
+
+<p>The coast of <i>Lake Huron</i> is similar to this; but it is lower, and
+backed, at some distance, by high lands. The canoes pass along the
+northern bank of this lake, into <i>Lake Superior</i>, the largest and most
+magnificent body of fresh water in the world. It is clear, of great
+depth, and abounds in fish of various kinds. Sturgeon are caught here,
+and trout, some of which weigh from forty to fifty pounds each. The
+adjacent country is bleak, rocky, and desolate: it contains no large
+animals, except a few moose and fallow deer; and the little timber that
+is to be seen, is extremely stunted in its growth. The inhabitants of
+the coast of Lake Superior are all of the <i>Algonquin nation</i>, who
+subsist chiefly on fish. They do not, at present, exceed one hundred and
+fifty families; though, a century ago, the whole adjacent country is
+said to have been inhabited by them.</p>
+
+<p>Near the north-western shore of Lake Superior, and <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_280" id="Page_280">[Pg 280]</a></span>beneath a hill,
+three or four hundred feet in height, is a fort, containing several
+houses, erected for the accommodation of the North-west Company and
+their clerks. This place is called the <i>Grande Portage</i>. The traders,
+who leave Montreal in the beginning of May, usually arrive here about
+the middle of June. They are met by men who had spent the winter in the
+establishments; towards the north, and from whom they receive the furs
+which had been collected in the course of their winter traffic. Upwards
+of twelve hundred men are thus assembled, every summer, in this remote
+wilderness; and live together, for several days, in a comfortable and
+convivial manner. After their accounts are settled, the furs are
+embarked for Montreal; and the rest of the men proceed to the different
+posts and establishments in the Indian country. The canoes which are
+used from the Grande Portage, upwards, are but half the size of those
+from Montreal. They are each navigated by four, five, or six men,
+according to the distance which they have to go.</p>
+
+<p>Having embarked on the river <i>Au Tourt</i>; and, having overcome numerous
+obstacles, in cataracts, and other impediments to their course, the
+persons proceeding on this voyage, reach a trading establishment, on the
+north side of the river, in 48 degrees 37 minutes, north latitude. Here
+they are met by people from the Athabasca country, and exchange lading
+with them. This place also is the residence of the grand chief of the
+<i>Algonquin Indians</i>; and here the elders of these Indians meet in
+council, to treat of peace or war.</p>
+
+<p>The Au Tourt is one of the finest rivers in the north-western parts of
+America. Its banks are covered with a rich soil, and, in many parts, are
+clothed with groves of oak, maple, and cedar-trees. The southern bank is
+low, and displays the maple, the white birch, and cedar; with the
+spruce, the alder, and various kinds of underwood. Its waters abound in
+fish, particularly in sturgeons. In the low grounds, betwixt Lake
+Superior and this river, are seen vast quantities <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_281" id="Page_281">[Pg 281]</a></span>of rice, which the
+natives collect, in the month of August, for their winter stores.</p>
+
+<p><i>Lake Winipic</i>, which the traders next approach, is the great reservoir
+of several large rivers. It is bounded, on the north, by banks of black
+and grey rock; and, on the south, by a low and level country,
+occasionally interrupted with ridges or banks of limestone, from twenty
+to forty feet in height, bearing timber, but only of moderate growth.
+From its peculiar situation, this lake seems calculated to become a
+grand dep&ocirc;t of traffic. It communicates, in a direct and short channel,
+with the southern shores of Hudson's Bay, by the rivers Severn and
+Nelson; and it is connected with the countries at the head of the
+Mississippi and Missouri, by the Assiniboin and Red rivers. The Indians,
+who inhabit its banks, are of the Knisteneaux and Algonquin tribes.</p>
+
+<p>Beyond lake Winipic, the canoes have to pass along many rapids, and
+through several small lakes, called <i>Cedar lake</i>, <i>Mud lake</i>, and
+<i>Sturgeon lake</i>. This part of the country is frequented by beavers, and
+numerous animals, valuable on account of their furs; and the plains are
+inhabited by buffaloes, wolves, and foxes.</p>
+
+<p>On the banks of the rivers, there are factories for the convenience of
+trade with the natives; and near each of these are tents of different
+nations of Indians; some of whom are hunters, and others deal in
+provisions, wolf, buffalo, and fox-skins.</p>
+
+<p>From the mouth of the <i>Saskatchiwine river</i>, the canoes proceed, in a
+northerly direction, through <i>Sturgeon lake</i>, and <i>Beaver lake</i>. The
+banks of the river are high, and clothed with cypress-trees; and the
+inhabitants of the adjacent districts are chiefly Knisteneaux Indians.
+This description of country, with some variation, prevails as far as the
+trading establishment of Fort Chepewyan, on the south-eastern bank of
+the <i>Lake of the Hills</i>.</p>
+
+<p><i>Fort Chepewyan</i> is the residence of a considerable number of persons,
+who are employed by the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_282" id="Page_282">[Pg 282]</a></span>North-west Company. Except during a short time
+in the spring and autumn, when thousands of wild-fowl frequent the
+vicinity of the lake, these persons subsist almost wholly on fish. This
+they eat without the variety of any farinaceous grain for bread, any
+root, or vegetable; and without even salt to quicken its flavour.</p>
+
+<p>Every year, in the autumn, the Indians meet the traders, at this and
+other forts, where they barter such furs, or provisions, as they have
+procured. They are here fitted out, by the traders, with such articles
+as they may want, after which they proceed to hunt beavers; and they
+return about the end of March or the beginning of April, when they are
+again fitted out as before. During the summer, most of these Indians
+retire to the barren grounds, and live there, with their relations and
+friends.</p>
+<br />
+
+<p class="cen"><i>Account of the Knisteneaux and Chepewyan Indians</i>.</p>
+
+<p>When, in the year 1777, the Europeans first penetrated into the
+north-western regions of America, these two tribes of Indians were very
+numerous; but the small-pox, introduced among them by the strangers,
+proved so fatal, that, at the end of fifteen years, not more than
+seventy families were left.</p>
+
+<p>The <i>Knisteneaux</i>, though at present few in number, occupy a great
+extent of country. They are of moderate stature, well-proportioned, and
+extremely active. Their complexion is of a copper-colour, and their hair
+black. In some of the tribes, the hair is cut into various forms,
+according to their fancy; and, by others, it is left in the long and
+lank flow of nature. These Indians, in general, pluck out their beards.
+Their eyes are black, keen, and penetrating; and their countenance is
+open and agreeable. Fond of decoration, they paint their bodies with
+different colours of red, blue, brown, white, and black.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_283" id="Page_283">[Pg 283]</a></span>Their dress is, at once, simple and commodious. It consists of tight
+leggings or leather-gaiters, which reach nearly to the hip; a strip of
+cloth or leather, about a foot wide, and five feet long, the ends of
+which are drawn inward, and hang behind and before, over a belt, tied
+round the waist for that purpose; a close vest or shirt, reaching down
+to the former garment, and bound at the waist by a broad strip of
+parchment, fastened with thongs behind; and a cap for the head,
+consisting of a piece of fur, or a small skin, with the tail of the
+animal, as a suspended ornament. A kind of robe is occasionally thrown
+over the whole of this dress, and serves them to wear by day, and to
+sleep in at night. These articles, with the addition of shoes and
+mittens, constitute their chief apparel. The materials vary, according
+to the season, and consist of dressed moose-skin, beaver-skins, prepared
+with the fur, or European woollens. The leather is neatly painted, and,
+in some parts, is fancifully worked with porcupine-quills and moose-deer
+hair. The shirts and leggings are adorned with fringe and tassels; and
+the shoes and mittens have somewhat of appropriate decoration, and are
+worked with a considerable degree of skill and taste. Their head-dresses
+are composed of the feathers of the swan, the eagle, and other birds.
+The teeth, horns, and claws of different animals, are also the
+occasional ornaments of their head and neck.</p>
+
+<p>The female dress is composed of materials similar to those used by the
+men; but it is of a somewhat different form and arrangement. Several of
+the women have the skin of their faces tatooed or marked with three
+perpendicular lines: one from the centre of the chin to the under lip,
+and one on each side parallel to the corner of the mouth.</p>
+
+<p>The Knisteneaux women are very comely. Their figure is generally well
+proportioned, and the regularity of their features would be acknowledged
+even by the civilized nations of Europe.</p>
+
+<p>This people are naturally mild and affable. They <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_284" id="Page_284">[Pg 284]</a></span>are just in their
+dealings, not only among themselves, but with strangers. They are also
+generous and hospitable; and good-natured in the extreme, except when
+under the influence of spirituous liquors. Towards their children they
+are indulgent to a fault. The father, however, though he assumes no
+command over them, anxiously instructs them, in all the preparatory
+qualifications, for war and hunting; while the mother is equally
+attentive to her daughters, in teaching them every thing that is
+considered necessary to their character and situation.</p>
+
+<p>The Knisteneaux have frequent feasts; and, at some of these, they offer
+dogs as sacrifices, and make large offerings of their property. The
+scene of their most important ceremonies is usually an enclosure on the
+bank of some river or lake, and in a conspicuous situation. On
+particular occasions they have private sacrifices in their houses. The
+ceremony of smoking precedes every affair of importance. When a feast is
+proposed to be given, the chief sends quills or small pieces of wood, as
+tokens of invitation, to such persons as he wishes to partake of it. At
+the appointed time the guests arrive, each bringing with him a dish or
+platter, and a knife; and they take their seats on each side of the
+chief. The pipe is then lighted, and the chief makes an equal division
+of every thing that is provided for the occasion. During the eating the
+chief sings, and accompanies his song with a tambourine. The guest who
+has first eaten his share of provision is considered as the most
+distinguished person. At all these feasts a small quantity of meat or
+drink is sacrificed, by throwing it into the fire or on the earth,
+before the guests begin to eat. It is expected that each person should
+devour the whole food that is allotted to him, how great soever the
+quantity may be; and those who are unable to do this, endeavour to
+prevail with their friends to assist them. Care is always taken that the
+bones are burned, as it would be considered a profanation, if the dogs
+were to touch them.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_285" id="Page_285">[Pg 285]</a></span>The medicinal virtues of many herbs are known to the Knisteneaux; and
+they apply the roots of plants and the bark of trees in the cure of
+various diseases. But there is among them a class of men, called
+conjurers, who monopolize the medical science; and who, blending mystery
+with their art, do not choose to communicate their knowledge.</p>
+
+<p>Like all their other solemn ceremonials, the funeral rites of the
+Knisteneaux begin with smoking, and are concluded by a feast. The body
+is dressed in the best habiliments of the deceased, or his relatives,
+and is then deposited in a grave lined with branches: some domestic
+utensils are placed on it, and a kind of canopy is erected over it.
+During this ceremony, great lamentations are made; and, if the deceased
+is much regretted, the near relations cut off their hair, pierce the
+fleshy part of their thighs and arms with arrows, knives, &amp;c. and
+blacken their faces with charcoal. The whole property belonging to him
+is destroyed, and the relations take, in exchange for the wearing
+apparel, any rags that will cover their nakedness.</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>The <i>Chepewyans</i> are a sober, timorous, and vagrant people, and of a
+disposition so selfish as sometimes to have excited suspicions of their
+integrity. Their complexion is swarthy; their features are coarse, and
+their hair is lank, but not always of a black colour; nor have they,
+universally, the piercing eye, which generally animates the Indian
+countenance. The women have a more agreeable aspect than the men; but,
+in consequence of their being accustomed, nine months in the year, to
+travel on snow-shoes, and to drag heavy sledges, their gait is awkward.
+They are very submissive to their husbands, who sometimes treat them
+with great cruelty. The men, in general, extract their beards; though
+some of them are seen to prefer a bushy beard to a smooth chin. They cut
+their hair in various forms, or leave it in a long, natural flow,
+according as caprice or fancy suggests. The women always have <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_286" id="Page_286">[Pg 286]</a></span>their
+hair of great length, and some of them are very attentive to its
+arrangement. Both sexes have blue or black marks, or from one to four
+straight lines on their cheeks or forehead, to distinguish the tribe to
+which they belong. These marks are either tatooed, or are made by
+drawing a thread, dipped in colour, beneath the skin.</p>
+
+<p>Few people are more attentive to the comforts of dress than these. In
+winter they wear the skins of deer or fawns, prepared with the hair on,
+and rendered as fine and soft as chamois leather. In summer their
+apparel is of similar skins, but prepared without the hair. A ruff or
+tippet surrounds the neck; and the skin of the head of a deer forms a
+curious kind of cap.</p>
+
+<p>Plurality of wives is allowed among the Chepewyans; and the ceremony of
+marriage is very simple. At a very early period, the girls are betrothed
+to such persons as the parents consider best able to support them. The
+desires of the women are never considered; and whenever a separation
+takes place, which sometimes happens, it depends entirely on the will of
+the husband.</p>
+
+<p>These Indians are not remarkable for activity as hunters: this is owing
+to the ease with which they snare deer, and spear fish. They are not
+addicted to the use of spirituous liquors; and are, on the whole, an
+extremely peaceful tribe. Their weapons and domestic apparatus, in
+addition to articles procured from Europeans, are spears, bows and
+arrows, fishing-nets, and lines made of deer-skin thongs. Their
+amusements are but few. Their music is so inharmonious, and their
+dancing so awkward, that they might be supposed to be ashamed of both,
+as they seldom practise either. They shoot at marks, and play at
+different games; but they prefer sleeping to any of these: and the
+greatest part of their time is passed in procuring food, and resting
+after the toil of obtaining it.</p>
+
+<p>The notion which these people entertain of the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_287" id="Page_287">[Pg 287]</a></span>creation of the world is
+a very singular one. They believe that the globe was originally one vast
+ocean, inhabited by no living creature, except an immense bird, whose
+eyes were of fire, whose glances were lightning, and the clapping of
+whose wings was thunder. On the descent of this bird to the ocean, and
+at the instant of touching it, they say that the earth arose, and
+remained on the surface of the waters. This omnipotent bird then called
+forth all the variety of animals from the earth, except the Chepewyans,
+who were produced from a dog; and to this circumstance they attribute
+their aversion to dog's-flesh. The tradition proceeds to relate, that
+the great bird, having finished his work, made an arrow, which was to be
+preserved with great care, and to remain untouched; but that the
+Chepewyans were so devoid of understanding, as to carry it away; and
+this sacrilege so enraged the bird, that he has never since appeared.
+They believe also, that, in ancient times, their ancestors lived till
+their feet were worn out with walking, and their throats with eating;
+and they describe a deluge, in which the waters spread over the whole
+earth, except the highest mountains, on the tops of which the Chepewyans
+preserved themselves.</p>
+
+<p>They are superstitious in an extreme; and almost every action of their
+lives, however trivial, is more or less influenced by some superstitious
+notion. They believe in a good and evil spirit; and in a future state of
+rewards and punishments. They assert that the souls of persons deceased
+pass into another world, where they arrive at a large river, on which
+they embark, in a stone canoe, and that a gentle current bears them on
+to an extensive lake, in the centre of which is a beautiful island.
+Within view of this island they receive that judgment for their conduct
+during life, which terminates their state. If their good actions
+predominate, they are landed upon the island, where there is to be no
+end of their happiness. But if their bad actions prevail, the stone
+canoe sinks, and leaves them up to their chins in the water, to behold
+and regret the reward which is <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_288" id="Page_288">[Pg 288]</a></span>enjoyed by the good; and eternally to
+struggle, but with unavailing endeavours, to reach the bliss from which
+they are for ever excluded.</p>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<hr />
+<br />
+<h2>Twenty-fourth Day's Instruction.</h2>
+
+<h2>NORTH-WESTERN TERRITORY CONCLUDED.</h2>
+<br />
+
+<p>Fort Chepewyan was, for eight years, the head quarters of Mr.
+(now Sir Alexander) Mackenzie, who held an official situation under the
+North-west Company; and who, from this place, made two important and
+laborious excursions, one northward, to the Frozen Sea; and the other
+westward, to the Pacific Ocean.</p>
+<br />
+
+<p class="cen"><i>Narrative of a Voyage from Fort Chepewyan, along the Rivers to the
+north Frozen Ocean.<br /> From Voyages through the Continent of North America,
+by</i> <span class="smcap">Alexander Mackenzie</span>.</p>
+
+<p>In the first of his excursions, Mr Mackenzie embarked at <i>Fort
+Chepewyan</i>, about nine o'clock in the morning of the 3d of June, 1789.
+His vessel was a canoe formed of birch-bark, and his crew consisted of
+one German and four Canadians, two of whom were attended by their wives.
+He was also accompanied, in a small canoe, by an Indian chief and his
+two wives. The men were engaged to serve in the twofold capacity of
+interpreters and hunters.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Mackenzie had also with him a canoe which he had equipped for the
+purpose of trade, and had given in charge to M. Le Roux, one of the
+Company's clerks. In this canoe was shipped part of his provision, the
+clothing necessary on the voyage, a requisite assortment of articles of
+merchandise as presents, to ensure <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_289" id="Page_289">[Pg 289]</a></span>them a friendly reception among the
+Indians; and such arms and ammunition as were considered necessary for
+defence, as well as for the use of the hunters.</p>
+
+<p>Crossing the south-western extremity of the <i>Lake of the Hills</i>, they
+entered the <i>Slave river</i>, and steered, along that river, in a northerly
+direction. On the ensuing day they arrived at the foot of a succession
+of rapids; and, in the course of twelve miles, were obliged five times
+to unload the canoes, and carry the luggage considerable distances
+overland. One of the Indian canoes was borne, by the fury of the
+current, down the last of the cataracts, and was dashed to pieces. The
+hunters here killed seven geese, four ducks, and a beaver. The progress
+of the boats was much impeded by ice.</p>
+
+<p>The banks of the river, both above and below the rapids, were covered
+with wood. This was more particularly the case on the western side,
+where the land was low, and had a black and rich soil. The eastern banks
+were somewhat elevated; and the soil was a yellow clay, mixed with
+gravel. At a little distance from the banks were extensive plains,
+frequented by numerous herds of buffaloes; and the woods, adjacent to
+the river, were inhabited by elks and rein-deer. The habitations of
+beavers were seen in all the small lakes and rivers; and the swamps
+adjacent to the Slave-river, were sometimes covered with wild-fowl.</p>
+
+<p>In the morning of the 9th the voyagers arrived at the <i>Great Slave
+Lake</i>. Here they experienced a most uncomfortable change in the weather,
+which became extremely cold. The lake was still frozen; and they were
+obliged to delay their progress for several days, until they could
+effect a passage across it. In the mean while they occupied themselves
+in fishing and hunting, for the purpose of adding to their stock of
+provisions. They had more or less rain almost every day.</p>
+
+<p>On the 20th the ice had somewhat given way, and they recommenced their
+voyage, in a north-westerly <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_290" id="Page_290">[Pg 290]</a></span>direction. A few days after this, they
+landed on the main land, at three lodges of <i>Red-knife Indians</i>, so
+called from the copper knives which they use. M. le Roux purchased, of
+these Indians, some packs of beaver and marten-skins; and Mr. Mackenzie
+had several consultations with them concerning the country he was about
+to traverse; but he could obtain from them no information that was
+important to the objects of his expedition. He, however, engaged one of
+them, as a guide, in navigating the bays of the lake.</p>
+
+<p>The musquitoes were now so troublesome as to occasion the voyagers much
+inconvenience. After having, with considerable difficulty, navigated the
+northern side of the lake, they entered the mouth of a river, which lay
+in a westerly direction. On the 2d of July, they perceived, at a
+distance before them, a high mountain, or rather a cluster of mountains,
+which stretched southward, as far as the view could reach, and had their
+tops lost in the clouds. The declivities of these mountains were covered
+with wood; and they were sprinkled with glistening patches of snow,
+which, at first, Mr. Mackenzie mistook for white stones.</p>
+
+<p>During their progress the voyagers saw several Indian encampments. The
+current, in some places, was so rapid as to produce a hissing noise,
+somewhat like the boiling of a kettle. Though it was now the month of
+July, the weather was extremely cold. The sun set at seven minutes
+before ten, and rose at seven minutes before two in the morning.</p>
+
+<p>Having passed several islands, and, not long afterwards having seen, on
+the northern shore, the smoke of several fires, the voyagers made every
+exertion to approach the spot; and, as they drew near, they observed a
+party of Indians, running about in great apparent confusion. Some of
+them were endeavouring to escape into the woods, and others were
+hurrying to their canoes. The hunters landed, and, in the Chepewyan
+language, addressed the few who had not escaped; but, so great was their
+terror, that they did not appear to <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_291" id="Page_291">[Pg 291]</a></span>understand it. When, however, they
+found it was impossible to conceal themselves, they made signs to the
+strangers to keep at a distance. With these the latter complied, and not
+only unloaded their canoe, but pitched their tents, before the Indians
+made any attempt to approach them. After considerable difficulty they
+became reconciled; and, as soon as their fears were dissipated, they
+called their fugitive companions from the woods.</p>
+
+<p>The inhabitants of this place were five families of <i>Slave</i> and <i>Dog-rib
+Indians</i>. They were unacquainted with the use of tobacco and ardent
+spirits; but were delighted to receive, as presents, knives, beads,
+awls, rings, fire-steels, flints, and hatchets; and, after a little
+while, they became so familiar, that it was difficult to keep them out
+of the tents.</p>
+
+<p>These Indians seemed totally ignorant respecting the distant parts of
+the river, for they believed its course to be so long that it would
+occupy the voyagers several years to reach the sea. They also described
+the intervening regions to be inhabited by monsters of the most horrid
+shapes and destructive powers. One of them, however, by the bribe of a
+small kettle, an axe, a knife; and some other articles, was induced to
+accompany the voyagers as a guide.</p>
+
+<p>They amused the strangers by dancing and singing; but neither the dance
+nor the song had much variety. The men and women arranged themselves
+promiscuously in a ring. The former had each a bone-dagger, or a piece
+of stick, between the fingers of his right hand, which he kept extended
+above his head, in continual motion; while he held his left in an
+horizontal direction. They leaped about, and threw themselves into
+various antic postures, to the measure of their music, bringing their
+heels close together at every pause. Sometimes the men howled, like wild
+beasts; and he who continued to howl the longest, appeared to be
+considered the best performer. The women suffered their <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_292" id="Page_292">[Pg 292]</a></span>arms to hang
+down, as if they were without the power of motion.</p>
+
+<p>These people are of middle stature, thin, ugly, and ill made,
+particularly about the legs. Many of them appeared to be in a very
+unhealthy state, owing, probably, to their filthiness. As far as could
+be discerned, through the grease and dirt that covered them, they were
+of fairer complexion than the generality of Indians. The women have two
+double lines of black or blue colour upon each cheek, from the ear to
+the nose; and the gristle of the nose is perforated, so as to admit a
+goose-quill, or a small piece of wood to be passed through it. The
+clothing of these Indians is made of the dressed skins of the rein or
+moose-deer. Some of them, says Mr. Mackenzie, were decorated with a neat
+embroidery of porcupine-quills and hair, coloured red, black, yellow,
+and white; and they had bracelets for their wrists and arms, made of
+wood, horn, or bone. Round their head they had a kind of band,
+embroidered with porcupine quills, and ornamented with the claws of
+bears and wild-fowl.</p>
+
+<p>Their huts or lodges are very simple. A few poles, supported by forks,
+and forming a semicircle, with some branches or pieces of bark as a
+covering, constitute the whole of the architecture. Two of these huts
+are constructed facing each other, and a fire is made between them.
+Among the furniture are dishes of wood, bark, or horn; and vessels in
+which they cook their food, narrow at the top, and wide at the bottom.
+The latter are formed of roots of the spruce fir-tree, so closely
+interwoven as to hold water. This people have also small leather bags,
+to hold their embroidered work, their lines, and fishing-nets. They
+twist the fibres of willow-bark, and the sinews of rein-deer, into
+fishing-lines; and they make fishing-hooks of horn, wood, or bone. Their
+weapons for hunting are bows and arrows, spears, daggers, and clubs.
+They kindle fire, by striking together a piece of white or yellow
+pyrites and a flint-stone, over a piece of touchwood.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_293" id="Page_293">[Pg 293]</a></span>Their canoes are small, pointed at both ends, flat-bottomed, and covered
+in the fore part. They are made of the bark of the birch-tree, and of
+fir-wood; but are so light, that the man whom one of these vessels bears
+on the water, is able to carry it overland, without any difficulty.</p>
+
+<p>On the 9th of July the voyagers had an interview with a party of
+Indians, who were more pleasing, both in appearance and manners, than
+any they had hitherto seen. They were stout, healthy, and clean in their
+persons; and their utensils and weapons resembled those of the Slave and
+Dog-rib Indians. They obtained iron, in small pieces, from the
+Esquimaux. Their garments were bordered with a kind of fringe; and their
+shirts tapered to a point, from the belt downward. One of the men whom
+Mr. Mackenzie saw, was clad in a shirt made of the skins of musk-rats.
+These Indians tie their hair in a very singular manner. That which grows
+on the temples, or on the fore part of the head, is formed into two
+queues, which hang down before the ears: and that on the crown of the
+head, is fashioned, in the same manner, towards the back of the neck,
+and is tied, with the rest of the hair, at some distance from the head.
+The women, and indeed some of the men, suffer their hair to hang loose
+on their shoulders.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Mackenzie prevailed with one of these Indians to accompany him on
+his voyage; and this man, who was one of the most intelligent Indians he
+had seen, stated that it would be requisite to sleep ten nights before
+they could reach the sea; and that, after three nights, the voyagers
+would reach a settlement of Esquimaux, with whom his nation had formerly
+made war.</p>
+
+<p>He accompanied Mr. Mackenzie in a canoe; and two of his companions
+followed in two other canoes. The latter sung their native songs; and
+this new guide was so much enlivened by these, that the antics he
+performed, in keeping time to the singing, excited continual alarm lest
+he should overset his boat. He afterwards went on <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_294" id="Page_294">[Pg 294]</a></span>board Mr. Mackenzie's
+canoe, where he began to perform an Esquimaux dance, to the no small
+alarm of the voyagers.</p>
+
+<p>Lower down the river, Mr. Mackenzie had an interview with a party of
+Indians called <i>Quarrellers</i>. They consisted of about forty men, women,
+and children, and, at first, seemed inclined to offer resistance; but
+they were soon pacified by presents, of which blue beads were the most
+acceptable articles.</p>
+
+<p>These Indians represented the distance, over land, to the northern sea,
+as not very great; and the distance to the sea, westward, (the Pacific
+Ocean,) to be still shorter.</p>
+
+<p>The river here flowed between high rocks. Indeed, in this part of the
+country, the banks were, in general, lofty. In some places they were
+nearly naked, and in others thickly clad with small trees, particularly
+fir-trees and birch. The tops of the mountains, towards the north, were
+covered with snow. The channels of the river were so various, that the
+voyagers were at a loss which to take. They, however, directed their
+course chiefly towards the north-west.</p>
+
+<p>In this part of the voyage, Mr. Mackenzie was induced to sit up all
+night, for the purpose of observing the sun: which, at half-past twelve
+o'clock, was considerably above the horizon.</p>
+
+<p>At four in the morning he landed at three Indian huts. These were of an
+oval form, each about fifteen feet long, and ten feet wide; and in the
+middle, only, they were high enough for a person to stand upright. In
+one part of each the ground was strewed with willow branches, probably
+as a bed for the family. The door or entrance was about two feet and a
+half high, and had a covered way or porch, five feet in length; so that
+it was necessary to creep on all fours, in order to get into or out of
+these curious habitations. In the top of each hut there was a hole,
+about eighteen inches square, which served the threefold purpose of a
+window, a chimney, and occasionally <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_295" id="Page_295">[Pg 295]</a></span>a door. These edifices were formed
+of wood, covered with branches and grass. On each side of the huts were
+a few square holes in the ground, probably contrived for the
+preservation of the winter stock of provisions.</p>
+
+<p>On the 12th of July, the voyagers had reached what they imagined to be
+an immense lake; and, shortly after they had retired to rest, at night,
+the man on watch called them up, to remove the baggage, on account of
+the sudden rising of the water. Some fish were afterwards caught, about
+the size of a herring, and resembling a species of fish which abounds in
+Hudson's Bay. On the ensuing day, Mr. Mackenzie ascended an adjacent
+hill, and saw much ice; and, towards the north-west, two small islands
+in the ice. On the 14th, many animals were seen in the water, which, at
+first, were supposed to be pieces of floating-ice, but which were
+afterwards ascertained to be whales. Hence it became evident that this
+apparent lake was a part of the <i>Northern Ocean</i>. Mr. Mackenzie sailed
+upon it, to some distance from the shore, and landed at the eastern
+extremity of an island, which he called <i>Whale Island</i>, and which was
+about seven leagues in length, but not more than a mile broad. The
+ebbing and flowing of the tide were here observed. He subsequently
+landed on another island, where an Indian burying-place was observed.
+The latitude of the shore of this northern ocean, was ascertained to be
+69 degrees 14 minutes, north; and the longitude 135 degrees, west.</p>
+<br />
+
+<p class="cen"><i>Narrative of the Return of</i> <span class="smcap">Mr. Mackenzie</span> <i>from the Frozen
+Ocean to Fort Chepewyan.</i></p>
+
+<p>This gentlemen embarked, on his return, at half-past one o'clock, of the
+21st of July, the weather being extremely cold and unpleasant. At ten,
+the canoes re-entered the river; but the opposing current was so strong,
+that the men were obliged, for a considerable distance, to tow them
+along. The land on both sides <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_296" id="Page_296">[Pg 296]</a></span>was elevated, and almost perpendicular.
+Much rain fell.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Mackenzie subsequently encamped near an Indian village, the
+inhabitants of which were at first considerably alarmed. They
+afterwards, however, became familiar. Some of them, having kindled a
+fire, laid themselves round it, to sleep; and, notwithstanding the
+excessive coldness of the climate, they had neither skins nor garments
+to cover them.</p>
+
+<p>The people of this nation are continually at variance with the
+Esquimaux, who are said to take every opportunity of attacking them,
+when not in a state to defend themselves. From their account it appeared
+that a strong party of Esquimaux occasionally ascended the river, in
+large canoes, to search for flint-stones, which they used as points for
+their spears and arrows. These Esquimaux were said to wear their hair
+short; and to have a hole perforated on each side of their mouth, in a
+line with the under lip, and to place beads in the holes, by way of
+ornament. Their weapons were bows, arrows, and spears; but they also
+used slings, from which they threw stones with great dexterity.</p>
+
+<p>The weather was now fine; and Mr. Mackenzie and his men renewed their
+voyage on the 27th of July. At seven o'clock they once more reached the
+rapids. Here they found three families of Indians, from whom they
+obtained some information respecting the adjacent country, and
+particularly respecting a river which was stated to run on the opposite
+side of the mountains, in a westerly direction; and which, from the
+description given of it, Mr. Mackenzie conjectured to be that called
+<i>Cook's River</i>.</p>
+
+<p>At a subsequent interview, with another party of Indians, a
+misunderstanding took place, in which the Indians seized one of Mr.
+Mackenzie's boats, and dragged it on shore. Peace, however, being
+restored, Mr. Mackenzie endeavoured to obtain some further intelligence
+concerning the river to the westward. His enquiries, however, were to
+little purpose. The <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_297" id="Page_297">[Pg 297]</a></span>account given by these Indians was very vague; and
+their description of the inhabitants of the country adjacent to it, was
+extremely absurd. These, it was stated, were of gigantic stature, and
+furnished with wings; which, however, they never employed in flying:
+that they fed on large birds, which they killed with the greatest ease;
+though common men would be the certain victims of the voracity of such
+birds. The Indians also described the people who inhabited the mouth of
+the river, as possessing the extraordinary power of killing with their
+eyes; and as each being able to devour a large beaver at a single meal.
+They added that canoes, or vessels of immense size, visited that place.
+They did not, however, pretend to relate these particulars from their
+own observation, but from the report of other Indians; for they had
+themselves never ventured beyond the first range of mountains, from
+their own dwellings. It, however, appeared to Mr. Mackenzie that, either
+the Indians knew more of this country than they chose to communicate, or
+that his interpreter, who had long been tired of the voyage, gave him
+purposely a wrong account, in order that he might not be induced to
+extend his excursions.</p>
+
+<p>As soon as the conference was ended, the Indians began to dance; and, in
+this pastime, old and young, male and female, continued their exertions,
+till their strength was exhausted. Their actions were accompanied by
+various noises, in imitation of the rein-deer, the bear, and the wolf.</p>
+
+<p>When the dancing was ended, Mr. Mackenzie assumed an angry tone,
+expressed his suspicions that information had been purposely withheld
+from him; and concluded with a threat, that if they did not give him a
+more satisfactory account, he would compel one of them to accompany him,
+for the purpose of pointing out the road to the other river. No sooner
+did they hear this declaration, than they all, in a moment, became sick;
+and answered, in a faint tone, that they knew no more than what they had
+already communicated. <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_298" id="Page_298">[Pg 298]</a></span>Finding it useless to persevere in his enquiries,
+he ceased them; and having purchased a few beaver-skins, and obtained a
+plentiful supply of food, he continued his voyage.</p>
+
+<p>On the 1st of August, the weather was clear and cold. This was the first
+night, for many weeks, that the stars had been visible. Nine days
+afterwards, they arrived in the vicinity of a range of lofty mountains.
+Accompanied by a young Indian, Mr. Mackenzie landed, for the purpose of
+ascending one of them. They passed through a wood, chiefly of
+spruce-firs, so thick that it was with difficulty they could penetrate
+it. After they had walked more than an hour, the underwood decreased;
+and was succeeded by birch and poplar trees, the largest and tallest
+that Mr. Mackenzie had ever seen. The mountains, which had been
+concealed, by the woods, from their view, were again visible, but,
+apparently, at as great a distance as when they were first seen from the
+river. This was a very mortifying circumstance, for Mr. Mackenzie and
+his companion had been walking nearly three hours. The Indian expressed
+great anxiety to return; for his shoes and leggings had been torn to
+pieces, and he was alarmed at the idea of having to proceed all night,
+through this trackless country. Mr. Mackenzie was, however, determined
+to proceed, and to return the next day. As they approached the
+mountains, the ground became marshy; and they waded, in water and grass,
+up to their knees, till they came within a mile of them; when, suddenly,
+Mr. Mackenzie sank, up to his armpits, in mud and water. Having, with
+considerable difficulty, extricated himself, he found it impossible to
+proceed any further. To cross this unexpected morass was impracticable;
+and it extended so far, both to the right and left, that he could not
+attempt to make the circuit of either extremity. He therefore determined
+to return; and, about midnight, he again reached the river, excessively
+fatigued with his fruitless expedition.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_299" id="Page_299">[Pg 299]</a></span>In the afternoon of the 13th, the voyagers continued their route, and
+with very favourable weather. They passed several places, where fires
+had recently been made; and beyond these, they observed a party of
+Indians, drawing their canoes on the beach, and endeavouring to escape
+into the woods. These had been so much terrified, by the appearance of
+the strangers, and the report of their guns, in shooting wild-geese,
+that they left, on the beach, several weapons and articles of dress. Mr.
+Mackenzie directed his men to go into the woods, in search of them, but
+in vain; for they had fled too rapidly to be overtaken.</p>
+
+<p>The voyagers had, for some time, subsisted chiefly on fish, which they
+had caught in their nets, and on deer and other game, which the hunters
+had killed.</p>
+
+<p>On Saturday, the 12th of September, at three o'clock in the afternoon,
+they again arrived at <i>Fort Chepewyan</i>; and thus concluded an arduous
+voyage, which, in the whole, had occupied the space of one hundred and
+two days.</p>
+<br />
+
+<p class="cen"><i>The Western Coast of America, from California to Behring's Strait.</i></p>
+
+<p>On the western coast of North America, and lying between the
+twenty-second and thirty-second degrees of latitude, is a very singular
+promontory, near seven hundred miles in length, called <i>California</i>. It
+is at present subject to Spain; and is separated from New Mexico, by the
+<i>Gulf of California</i>, an arm of the sea, which is navigable by vessels
+of the largest size. The general surface of the country is barren,
+rugged, overrun with hills, rocks, and sand-banks, and unfit for
+agriculture. But, in a few places, where the Spanish missionaries have
+established settlements, the lands are fertile, and singularly
+productive of maize, barley, and peas. The plains, in the interior, are
+noted for the production of rock-salt.</p>
+
+<p>The Indians of California are very expert in the use <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_300" id="Page_300">[Pg 300]</a></span>of the bow, and
+subsist chiefly by hunting and fishing. Their skin is dark, and they
+paint their bodies, by way of ornament: they also pierce their ears, and
+wear in them trinkets of various kinds. The wealthiest of them wear
+cloaks made of sea-otter skins, which cover the loins, and reach below
+their middle. Others, however, have only a piece of cloth round their
+waist, and a little cloak, formed of rabbit-skin, which covers their
+shoulders, and is tied beneath the chin. The huts of these Indians are
+the most miserable that can be imagined. Their form is circular; and
+about six feet wide and four feet high. In the construction of them,
+stakes, eight or ten feet long, are driven into the ground, and are
+brought together so as to form an arch at the top; and trusses of straw,
+badly arranged upon these stakes, defend the inhabitants from the wind
+and rain.</p>
+
+<p>Near the Spanish settlement of <i>Monterey</i>, in north latitude 30 degrees
+35 minutes, M. de la Perouse, the French navigator, states that the soil
+is tolerably fertile and productive; and the climate is mild, though
+foggy. This part of California produces, in abundance, olives, figs,
+pomegranates, grapes, and peaches; the trees of which have all been
+planted by the missionaries. Beyond Monterey, the interior of the
+country is covered with immense forests of pines and other trees.</p>
+
+<p>North of California is <i>New Albion</i>, a country so called by Sir Francis
+Drake, who originally discovered it in the year 1578. It was visited
+about two hundred years afterwards, by Captain Cook. The country is
+mountainous; and, during the winter and spring, the mountains are
+covered with snow. The valleys and the grounds along the sea-coast, are
+clad with trees, and appear like a vast forest.</p>
+
+<p>Captain Cook sailed northward along the coast of New Albion, and
+anchored his vessels in an inlet called <i>Nootka Sound</i>. The inhabitants
+of the adjacent country approached his ships, and offered for sale the
+skins of various animals; garments of different kinds, some of <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_301" id="Page_301">[Pg 301]</a></span>fur, and
+others formed of the bark of trees. But, of all the articles brought to
+market, the most extraordinary, were human skulls, and hands not quite
+stripped of their flesh, some of which had evident marks of having been
+upon the fire. The articles which the natives took, in exchange for
+their commodities, were knives, chisels, pieces of iron and tin, nails,
+looking-glasses, buttons, or any kind of metal. Though the commerce was,
+in general, carried on with mutual honesty, there were some among these
+people who were much inclined to theft. And they were extremely
+dangerous thieves; for, possessing sharp iron instruments, they could
+cut a hook from a tackle, or any other piece of iron from a rope, the
+moment that the backs of the English were turned; and the dexterity with
+which they conducted their operations of this nature, frequently eluded
+the most cautious vigilance. In the progress of the commerce, they would
+deal for nothing but metal; and, at length, brass was so eagerly sought
+for, in preference to iron, that, before the navigators quitted the
+place, scarcely a bit of brass was left in the ships, except what
+belonged to the different instruments. Whole suits of clothes were
+stripped of every button; bureaus were deprived of their furniture;
+copper-kettles, tin-canisters, candlesticks, and whatever of the like
+kind could be found, all were seized and carried off.</p>
+
+<p>On Captain Cook's first arrival in this inlet, he had honoured it with
+the name of <i>King George's Sound</i>; but as it was called <i>Nootka</i>, by the
+natives, the latter appellation has since been generally adopted. The
+climate appeared to be much milder than that on the east coast of
+America, in the same parallel of latitude. With regard to trees, those
+of which the woods are chiefly composed, are the Canadian pine and white
+cypress; of the land animals, the most common were bears, deer, foxes,
+and wolves. The sea animals, which were seen off the coast, were whales,
+porpoises, seals, and sea-otters. Birds, in general, were not only rare
+as to the different species, but few in number.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_302" id="Page_302">[Pg 302]</a></span>With respect to the inhabitants, their persons are generally under the
+common stature; but they are usually full or plump, though without being
+muscular. From their bringing to sale human skulls and bones, it may be
+inferred that they treat their enemies with a degree of brutal cruelty.
+To the navigators, however, they appeared to be a docile, courteous, and
+good-natured people. The chief employments of the men, were those of
+fishing, and of killing land or sea animals for the sustenance of
+themselves and their families; while the women were occupied in
+manufacturing flaxen or woollen garments, and in other domestic offices.</p>
+
+<p>North of Nootka Sound is <i>Port St. Fran&ccedil;ois</i>, which was visited by M. de
+la Perouse. There is, at this place, a deep bay which affords a safe
+anchorage. During three or four months of the year, vegetation near Port
+St. Fran&ccedil;ois is vigorous. In the interior of the country are forests of
+stately trees; and mountains of granite rise from the sea, and to such
+an elevation that their summits are capped with snow. Some of the
+highest mountains were computed by M. de la Perouse, to be ten thousand
+feet in perpendicular height.</p>
+
+<p>The inhabitants of this part of America are more robust, and better
+proportioned, than the Californians. The faces of the women are,
+however, disfigured by having, through the under lip, a piece of wood,
+by way of ornament. They paint their body and face, tatoo themselves,
+and pierce their ears and the cartilage of their nose, for the purpose
+of placing ornaments in them. Their food consists chiefly of game and
+fish. Their huts, or cabins, are constructed of rushes, or the branches
+of trees, and are covered with bark. The weapons of the men are bows,
+javelins, and daggers. The women are chiefly employed in domestic
+concerns: their dress consists of a leathern shirt, and a mantle of
+skins; and their feet are generally naked.</p>
+
+<p>The inhabitants of the country, adjacent to an inlet which Captain Cook
+named <i>Prince William's Sound</i>, appeared to have a strong resemblance to
+the Esquimaux <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_303" id="Page_303">[Pg 303]</a></span>and Greenlanders. Their canoes, their weapons, and their
+implements for fishing and hunting, are exactly similar, in materials
+and construction, to those used in Greenland; and the animals are, in
+general, similar to those that are found at Nootka. Humming-birds
+frequently flew about the ships while at anchor. Waterfowl were in
+considerable abundance: but torsk and holibut were almost the only kinds
+of fish that were caught. Vegetables were few in number; and the trees
+were chiefly the Canadian and spruce pine.</p>
+
+<p>North of Prince William's Sound, Captain Cook entered an inlet, which,
+it was hoped, would be found to communicate either with Baffin's or
+Hudson's Bay to the east; but, after an examination of it, to the
+distance of seventy leagues from the sea, it was proved to be a river.
+It is now called <i>Cook's River</i>.</p>
+
+<p>The inhabitants who were seen during the examinations of this river,
+appeared to resemble those of Prince William's Sound. They essentially
+differed from those of Nootka Sound, both in their persons and language.
+The only articles seen among them, which were not their own manufacture,
+were a few glass beads, the iron points of their spears, and their
+knives of the same metal. A very beneficial fur-trade, might be carried
+on with the inhabitants of this vast coast; but, without a practical
+northern passage, the situation is too remote to render such a trade of
+any advantage to Great Britain.</p>
+
+<p>A long peninsula, called <i>Alyaska</i>, extends, from the mouth of Cook's
+River, in a westerly direction; and, from its extremity a chain of
+islands stretches almost to the coast of Asia. The main land was
+observed, by Captain Cook, to be mountainous; and some of the mountains
+towered above the clouds. One of them, of conical shape, was discovered
+to be a volcano: smoke issued from its summit.</p>
+
+<p>Northward of Alyaska is a promontory to which Captain Cook gave the name
+of <i>Cape Newenham</i>. At this place he directed one of his lieutenants to
+land: this gentleman ascended the highest hill within sight, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_304" id="Page_304">[Pg 304]</a></span>but from
+its summit he could not see a tree or shrub of any description. The
+lower grounds, however, were not destitute of grass and herbage.</p>
+
+<p>At the entrance of <i>Behring's Strait</i>, is a point of land which Captain
+Cook called <i>Cape Prince of Wales</i>, and which is remarkable as being the
+most westerly extremity of America hitherto explored. It is not forty
+miles distant from the coast of Siberia. From near this place, Captain
+Cook crossed to the opposite shore of Asia; and he continued to traverse
+the Frozen Sea, in various directions, and through innumerable
+difficulties, till, at length, the increase of the ice prevented his
+further progress northward, and he returned into the Pacific Ocean.</p>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<hr />
+<br />
+<h2>Twenty-fifth Day's Instruction.</h2>
+
+<h2>DAVIS'S STRAIT AND BAFFIN'S BAY.</h2>
+<br />
+
+<p>Several expeditions have, at different times, been fitted out, for the
+purpose of ascertaining whether there exists a north-west passage, or
+navigable communication, between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The
+supposed points of communication are the north-western side of Baffin's
+Bay, on the east, and Behring's Strait on the west. Within the last four
+years the attention of the public has been more particularly called to
+this subject, by the fitting out, and progress, of two successive
+expeditions into Baffin's Bay. To the commander of each, instructions
+were given that he should, if possible, effect a passage thence,
+westward, into the Pacific. The first of these expeditions, under the
+command of Captain Ross, sailed from England in the month of April,
+1818: the other, under Captain Parry, who, in <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_305" id="Page_305">[Pg 305]</a></span>the previous expedition,
+had accompanied Captain Ross as the second in command, sailed on the
+10th of May, 1819. Some of the most interesting adventures which they
+each experienced, and of the most important discoveries which they
+effected, will now require our attention.</p>
+<br />
+
+<p class="cen"><i>A Narrative of</i> <span class="smcap">Captain Ross's</span> <i>Voyage of Discovery, for the
+purpose of exploring<br /> Baffin's Bay, and enquiring into the probability of
+a North-west Passage.</i></p>
+
+<p>The Isabella and Alexander, commanded by Captain Ross and Lieutenant
+Parry, passed <i>Cape Farewell</i>, the south-eastern extremity of Greenland,
+on the 26th of May, 1818. The voyagers had previously seen a great
+number of icebergs, or islands of ice, of various shape and size, and of
+singular and grotesque figure. The height of one of them was estimated
+at three hundred and twenty-five feet; and a torrent of water was
+pouring down its side. On another, to which the ships were, for a while,
+made fast, a stratum of gravel, and stones of various kinds was
+observed.</p>
+
+<p>Whilst the vessels were near this iceberg, which was in latitude 68
+degrees, 22 minutes, they were visited by some Esquimaux, inhabitants of
+the adjacent country. From these persons they learnt that it had
+remained aground since the preceding year; and that there was ice all
+the way thence to <i>Disco Island</i>.</p>
+
+<p>In the evening of the 12th of June, the weather being clear and serene,
+the sky and the water presented one of the most beautiful scenes that
+can be imagined. The former, near the horizon, was interspersed with
+light and fleecy clouds, which decreased gradually in colour and
+density, according to their height; until, in the zenith, they
+disappeared entirely, and there the sky assumed a rich cerulean blue.
+The water, on the other hand, presented a spectacle superbly grand. Let
+any one fancy himself (says Captain Ross) in the midst of an immense
+plain, extending further than the eye can <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_306" id="Page_306">[Pg 306]</a></span>penetrate, and filled with
+masses of ice, which present a greater variety of form than the most
+fertile imagination can conceive; and as various in size as in shape,
+from the minutest fragments, to stupendous islands, more than one
+hundred feet in perpendicular height above the surface of the ocean.</p>
+
+<p>In the afternoon of the 14th of June, being near the Danish settlement,
+on <i>Kron Prins Island</i>, in latitude 63 degrees, 54 minutes, the governor
+of the settlement came on board the Isabella. This person stated that
+the weather of the preceding winter had been unusually severe; and that,
+during his residence of eleven years, in Greenland, the intensity of the
+cold had gradually continued to increase. The whole population of the
+island consisted of himself and family, six Danes, and one hundred
+Esquimaux, whose occupation consisted chiefly in the capture of whales
+and seals.</p>
+
+<p>The vessels proceeded northward, along the edge of the ice, through a
+crooked and narrow channel, in the midst of a firm field of ice, and a
+tremendous ridge of icebergs.</p>
+
+<p>At <i>Wayat's</i> or <i>Hare Island</i>, the astronomical instruments were landed,
+and some important errors, both of latitude and longitude, were
+discovered and corrected. Thirty or forty whale-ships were seen fastened
+to the icebergs along the shore of this island. The only four-footed
+animals observed on it were white hares and a fox: the birds were
+ptarmigans, snipes, snow-buntings, and larks.</p>
+
+<p>Beyond Wayat's Island the ships were surrounded by ice of various and
+extensive forms; and much skill, ardour, and perseverance, were
+manifested by the navigators working through the narrow channels and
+floes. On the 23d, and at the distance of ten miles north of Wayat, they
+reached <i>Four Island Point</i>, where they found several whalers which had
+been stopped by the ice.</p>
+
+<p>A sort of Danish factory was established at this spot, and some Indian
+huts were seen; but they were in ruins and apparently deserted. Captain
+Ross sent to the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_307" id="Page_307">[Pg 307]</a></span>shore one of his crew, an Esquimaux, named John
+Sacheuse. This man, who had been resident nearly two years in England,
+and had acquired some knowledge of the English language, had been taken
+on board the Isabella as an interpreter.</p>
+
+<p>He found a village, consisting of a few huts, formed of seal-skins, and
+sufficient for the residence of about fifty persons. Being desirous of
+obtaining from these persons a sledge and dogs, in exchange for a
+rifle-musket, he conducted seven of them, in their canoes, to the ship.
+As soon as the bargain was made, they went on shore, and returned, with
+the sledge and dogs, in a larger canoe, rowed by five women in a
+standing posture, and all dressed in deer-skins. These people were
+highly pleased with the treatment they received; and, having partaken of
+some refreshment in the cabin, they danced on the deck with the sailors,
+to the animating strains of a Shetland fiddler. Two of the women were
+daughters of a Danish resident, by an Esquimaux woman: one of the men
+was the son of a Dane; and they were all of the colour of Mulattoes.
+After the dance, coffee was served; and, at eight o'clock, the party
+returned to land.</p>
+
+<p>The progress of the vessels had hitherto been much impeded by the state
+of the ice. This, however, now began to separate, and they once more
+proceeded on their voyage; passing among hundreds of icebergs, of
+extraordinary colours, and the most fantastical shapes.</p>
+
+<p>In latitude 74 degrees 30 minutes, the Isabella was jammed in by the
+ice, and sustained a severe pressure; being lifted several feet out of
+the water, but she did not receive any material injury. On the 31st of
+July, whales were seen in great numbers; and, the boats being sent in
+pursuit of them, one was killed: it measured forty-six feet in length,
+and yielded thirteen tons of blubber.</p>
+
+<p>On the 6th and 7th of August, the two ships were again in great danger
+from the ice. Whilst they were in the midst of the icebergs, they were
+driven, by a gale <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_308" id="Page_308">[Pg 308]</a></span>of wind, so forcibly against each other, that their
+sterns came violently in contact, and crushed to pieces a boat that
+could not be removed in time; and, had not the vessels themselves been
+excessively strong, they must have been totally destroyed. Attempts were
+made to liberate them by sawing through the ice: not long after the
+commencement of the operation, two immense masses of ice came violently
+in contact, and one of them, fifty feet in height, suddenly broke. Its
+elevated part fell back with a terrible crash; and overwhelmed, with its
+ruins, the very spot which the officers had marked out as a place of
+safety for the ships. Soon afterwards the ice opened, and they were once
+more out of danger.</p>
+
+<p>The gale having abated, and the weather, which of late had been snowy,
+having cleared up, land was seen in latitude 75 degrees 54 minutes; and
+on the 9th of August, the voyagers beheld, at a distance, upon the ice,
+some people who seemed to be hallooing to the ships. At first they were
+supposed to be shipwrecked sailors, whose vessel had perished in the
+late gale; the ships, therefore, were steered nearer to the ice, and the
+colours were hoisted. It was, however, now discovered, that they were
+natives of the country, drawn by dogs on sledges, and with wonderful
+velocity.</p>
+
+<p>When they had approached near enough to the ships, for Sacheuse to be
+heard, he hailed them in his own language, and they answered him; but
+neither party seemed to be intelligible. For some time the strangers
+remained silent; but, on the ships' tacking, they set up a shout, and
+wheeled off, with amazing swiftness, towards the land.</p>
+
+<p>On the ensuing day eight sledges were seen to approach the ships.
+Sacheuse volunteered his services to go on the ice, with presents: this
+was done in the hope of bringing the people to a parley. They halted at
+some distance from the ships, and by the edge of a canal or chasm in the
+ice, which prevented any fear or danger of attack from either <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_309" id="Page_309">[Pg 309]</a></span>party.
+Sacheuse soon discovered that these Indians spoke a dialect of his own
+language; and he invited them to approach nearer, but they replied, "No,
+no, go you away;" and one of them, drawing a knife out of his boot,
+exclaimed: "Go away; I can kill you." Sacheuse told them that he wished
+to be their friend; and, as a proof of it, he threw them, across the
+canal, some strings of beads, and a checked shirt. These were beheld
+with great distrust, and Sacheuse threw them a knife. They approached
+with caution, took up the knife, and then shouted and pulled their
+noses. These actions were imitated by Sacheuse, who, in return, called
+out, "Heigh-yaw!" pulling his nose, with the same gesture. They then
+pointed to the shirt, and asked him of what skin it was made; but some
+time elapsed before they would venture to touch it. After this they
+pointed to the ships, and eagerly enquired, "What are those great
+creatures? Do they come from the sun or the moon? Do they give us light
+by night or by day?" Sacheuse said that they were houses made of wood;
+but this, they replied, could not be the case, for the creatures were
+alive: they had been seen to flap their wings. Sacheuse again assured
+them of the truth of all he had told them, and that he was a man like
+themselves; then pointing towards the south, he said he came, in those
+houses, from a distant country in that direction. To this they replied,
+"No, that cannot be: there is nothing but ice there."</p>
+
+<p>On Sacheuse asking these Indians who they were, they replied that they
+were men, and that they lived in a country towards which they pointed
+(in the north:) that they had there plenty of water; and that they had
+come to the present spot, to catch seals and sea-unicorns.</p>
+
+<p>Sacheuse, wishing to become better acquainted with them, returned to the
+ship, for a plank, to enable him to cross over the chasm. He crossed it;
+but, on approaching them, they entreated that he would not touch them,
+as, in that case, they should certainly die. One <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_310" id="Page_310">[Pg 310]</a></span>of them, however, more
+courageous than the rest, ventured to touch his hand; then, pulling his
+own nose, he set up a loud shout, in which he was joined by Sacheuse and
+the other three.</p>
+
+<p>The whole of the natives, eight in number, now came forward, and were
+met by the commanders of the vessels, and the other officers; but they
+were, evidently, in a state of great alarm, until the ceremony of
+pulling noses had been gone through by both parties, shouting, at the
+same time, <i>heigh-yaw</i>! With this people the pulling of noses is a mode
+of friendly salutation; and their interjection of "heigh-yaw!" is an
+expression of surprise and pleasure.</p>
+
+<p>The officers gave to the foremost of the natives a looking-glass and a
+knife; and presented similar articles to the others, as they came up in
+succession. On seeing their faces in the glasses, their astonishment
+appeared extreme. They looked round in silence, for a moment, at each
+other, and at their visitors, and immediately afterwards set up a
+general shout: this was succeeded by a loud laugh, expressive of delight
+and surprise. Having, at length, acquired some degree of confidence,
+they advanced, and, in return for knives, glasses, and beads, gave their
+own knives, sea-unicorn's horns, and sea-horse teeth.</p>
+
+<p>On approaching the ship, they halted, and were evidently much terrified;
+and one of the party, after surveying the Isabella, and examining every
+part of her with his eyes, thus addressed her, in a loud tone: "Who are
+you? Where do you come from? Is it from the sun or the moon?" pausing
+between every question, and pulling his nose with the greatest
+solemnity. This ceremony was repeated, in succession, by all the rest.</p>
+
+<p>Sacheuse again assured them that the ships were only wooden houses; and
+he showed them the boat, which had been hauled on the ice, for the
+purpose of being repaired, explaining to them, that it was a smaller
+vessel of the same kind. This immediately arrested their <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_311" id="Page_311">[Pg 311]</a></span>attention:
+they advanced to the boat, and examined her, and the carpenter's tools
+and the oars, very minutely; each object, in its turn, exciting the most
+ludicrous ejaculations of surprise. The boat was then ordered to be
+launched into the sea, with a man in it, and hauled up again; at the
+sight of this operation there seemed no bounds to their clamour. The
+cable and the ice-anchor, the latter a heavy piece of iron, shaped like
+the letter S, excited much interest. They tried in vain to remove it;
+and they eagerly enquired of what skins the cable was made.</p>
+
+<p>By this time the officers of both the ships had surrounded the Indians;
+while the bow of the Isabella, which was close to the ice, was crowded
+with sailors; and a more ludicrous, yet more interesting scene, was,
+perhaps, never beheld, than that which took place whilst the Indians
+were viewing the ship. Nor is it possible to convey to the imagination
+any thing like a just representation of the wild amazement, joy, and
+fear, by which they were successively agitated. The circumstance,
+however, which chiefly excited their admiration, was a sailor going
+aloft; for they kept their eyes intently fixed upon him, till he had
+reached the summit of the mast. The sails, which hung loose, they
+supposed to be skins.</p>
+
+<p>After this, they were conducted to the foot of a rope-ladder suspended
+from the deck of the ship; and the mode of ascending it was shown to
+them; but a considerable time elapsed before they could be prevailed
+with to ascend. At length one of them went up, and he was followed by
+the rest. The wonders with which they were now surrounded, excited
+additional astonishment.</p>
+
+<p>The knowledge which these Indians had of wood seemed to be confined to
+some kinds of heath, which had stems not thicker than the finger: hence
+they knew not what to think of the timber with which the ships were
+constructed. Not being aware of its weight, two or three of them,
+successively, seized hold of the spare topmast, and evidently with an
+intention of carrying it <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_312" id="Page_312">[Pg 312]</a></span>off. The only object on board which they
+seemed to view with contempt, was a little terrier dog; judging, no
+doubt, that it was too small for drawing a sledge: but they shrunk back,
+in terror, from a pig, whose pricked ears, and ferocious countenance,
+presented a somewhat formidable appearance. This animal happening to
+grunt, one of them was so much terrified, that he became, from that
+moment, uneasy, and impatient to get out of the ship. In carrying his
+purpose into effect, however, he did not lose his propensity to
+thieving, for he seized hold of, and endeavoured to carry off, the
+smith's anvil: but, finding it infinitely too heavy for his strength, he
+laid hold of the large hammer, threw it on the ice; and, following it
+himself, deliberately laid it on his sledge, and drove off. As this was
+an article that could not be spared, Captain Ross sent a man from the
+ship, who pursued the depredator, and, with some difficulty, recovered
+it.</p>
+
+<p>The officers and men on board were much amused by putting into the hands
+of these Indians a magnifying mirror. On beholding themselves in it,
+their grimaces were highly entertaining. They first looked into, and
+then behind it, in hopes of finding the monster which was exaggerating
+their hideous gestures. A watch was held to the ear of one of them; and
+he, supposing it alive, asked if it was good to eat. On being shown the
+glass of the skylight and binnacle, they touched it, and desired to know
+what kind of ice it was.</p>
+
+<p>Three of the men who remained on board were handed down into the
+captain's cabin, and shown the use of the chairs: this, however, they
+did not comprehend; for they appeared to have no notion of any other
+seat than the ground. They were shown paper, books, drawings, and
+various mathematical instruments, but these produced in them only the
+usual effect of astonishment. On being conducted to the gun-room, and
+afterwards round the ship, they did not appear to notice any thing
+particularly, except the wood that had been used in her construction.
+They stamped upon the deck, as <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_313" id="Page_313">[Pg 313]</a></span>if in surprise at the great quantity of
+this valuable material which they beheld. By the direction of the
+officers, Sacheuse enquired of these people, whether their country had
+as many inhabitants as there were pieces of ice, floating round the
+ship: they replied, "Many more;" and it was supposed that at least a
+thousand fragments could be distinguished.</p>
+
+<p>The men were now loaded with presents of various kinds, consisting of
+articles of clothing, biscuit, and pieces of wood; in addition to which
+the plank that had been used in crossing the chasm, was given to them.
+They then departed, promising to return as soon as they had eaten and
+slept. The parting was attended, on each side, by the ceremony of
+pulling noses.</p>
+
+<p>It has been remarked that these Indians were in possession of knives;
+and the iron of which their knives were made, was stated to have been
+procured from a mountain near the sea-shore. They informed Sacheuse that
+there was a rock, or great quantity of it; and that they cut off from
+this rock, with a sharp stone, such pieces as they wanted.</p>
+
+<p>In the course of the three following days, the Isabella changed her
+station some miles westward. At length she was again moored near the
+ice; and, shortly afterwards, three of the natives appeared at a
+distance. Sacheuse, who had been furnished with presents, and sent to
+speak with them, induced them to drive, on their sledges, close to the
+vessel. The dogs attached to each sledge were six in number. Each dog
+had a collar of seal-skin, two inches wide, to which one end of a thong,
+made of strong hide, and about three yards in length, was fastened: the
+other end was tied to the front of the sledge: thus the dogs were ranged
+nearly abreast, each dog drawing by a single trace, and without reins.
+No sooner did they hear the crack of the driver's whip, than they set
+off at full speed, while he managed them with the greatest apparent
+ease, guiding them partly by his voice, and partly by the sound of his
+whip. One of these men pointed out to Captain Ross <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_314" id="Page_314">[Pg 314]</a></span>his house, which was
+about three miles distant, and could be discerned with a telescope.</p>
+
+<p>A party of ten natives approached the ship, on the ensuing day. These
+having with them a seal-skin bag filled with air, they began to kick it
+at each other and at the strangers: in this play the Englishmen joined,
+to the great amusement of both parties. The inflated skin was what the
+men had been using as the buoy to a harpoon, in the killing of a
+sea-unicorn. They gave to Captain Ross a piece of dried sea-unicorn's
+flesh, which appeared to have been half roasted. This gentleman had
+already seen them eat dried flesh; and he now had an opportunity of
+ascertaining that they did not scruple to eat flesh in any state; for,
+one of them who had a bag full of marine-birds, took out one and
+devoured it raw.</p>
+
+<p>The officers, desirous of ascertaining whether these Indians had any
+amusements of music or dancing, prevailed with two of them to give a
+specimen of their dancing. One of them began to distort his features and
+turn up his eyes. He then proceeded to execute, in succession, a variety
+of strange gestures and attitudes, accompanied by hideous distortions of
+countenance. His body was generally in a stooping posture; and his hands
+rested on his knees. After a few minutes, he began to sing; and, in a
+little while, the second performer, who, hitherto, had been looking on,
+in silence, began to imitate his comrade. They then sang, in chorus, the
+word, "<i>hejaw! hejaw!</i>" After this had continued, with increasing
+energy, for several minutes, the tune was suddenly changed to one of
+shrill notes, in which the words "<i>weehee! weehee!</i>" were uttered with
+great rapidity. They then approached each other, by slipping their feet
+forward: they grinned, and, in great agitation, advanced until their
+noses touched, when a loud and savage laugh terminated the extraordinary
+performance.</p>
+
+<p>While this performance was going on, one of the Indians, seeing that the
+attention of every person was <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_315" id="Page_315">[Pg 315]</a></span>engaged, seized the opportunity of
+descending into the state-room, and of purloining Captain Ross's best
+telescope, a case of razors, and a pair of scissors, which he artfully
+concealed in his tunic, rejoining the party and the amusements, as if
+nothing had happened. He did not, however, escape detection, for the
+ship's steward had witnessed the theft, and, now charging him with it,
+made him return all the articles he had stolen.</p>
+
+<p>Captain Ross gave the name of <i>Arctic Highlands</i> to the country
+inhabited by these Indians, and that of <i>Prince Regent's Bay</i>, to the
+place where the vessels had anchored. It is situated in the north-east
+corner of Baffin's Bay, between the latitudes of 76 and 79 degrees
+north; and is bounded, towards the south, by an immense barrier of
+mountains covered with ice. The interior of the country presents an
+irregular group of mountainous land, declining gradually towards the
+sea, which it reaches in an irregular manner, the cliffs ranging from
+five hundred to one thousand feet in height. This tract was almost
+covered with ice, and appeared to be impassable.</p>
+
+<p>On the surface of the land, above the cliffs, a scanty appearance of
+vegetation, of a yellowish green colour, and, in some places, of a
+heathy brown, was to be seen; and, at the foot of the cliffs, similar
+traces of a wretched verdure were also apparent. Among the cliffs were
+seen deep ravines filled with snow, through which the marks of torrents
+were perceptible. These cliffs run out, in many places, into capes, and
+are skirted by islands, which, at this time, were clear of ice, and
+consequently were washed by the waves. Many species of wild-fowl were
+seen.</p>
+
+<p>The vegetable productions of this country may be said to consist of
+heath, moss, and coarse grass. There is nothing like cultivation, nor
+did it appear that the natives used any kind of vegetable food. The moss
+is in great abundance: it is six or eight inches in length, and, when
+dried and immersed in oil or blubber, it <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_316" id="Page_316">[Pg 316]</a></span>serves for a wick, and
+produces a comfortable fire for cooking and warmth, as well as for
+light.</p>
+
+<p>The whale-fishery might, undoubtedly, be pursued with great success, in
+this bay and its vicinity. The whales are here not only large and
+numerous, but, probably from their having been undisturbed, they are
+tame, and easy to be approached.</p>
+
+<p>The dress of the Arctic Highlanders, as Captain Ross has denominated the
+people of this country, consists of three pieces, which are all
+comprised in the name of <i>tunic</i>. The upper piece is made of seal-skin,
+with the hair outside; and is open near the top, so as to admit the
+wearer's face. The hood part is neatly trimmed with fox's-skin, and is
+made to fall back on the shoulders, or to cover the head, as may be
+required. The next piece of dress, which scarcely reaches to the knee,
+is made of bear's or dog's skin. The boots are of seal-skin, with the
+hair inward. In the winter this people have a garment of bear-skin,
+which they put on as a cloak.</p>
+
+<p>The Arctic Highlanders are of a dirty copper colour. Their stature is
+about five feet: their bodies are corpulent, and their features much
+resemble those of the Esquimaux. Their cheeks are full and round. Their
+lips are thick, their eyes are small, and their hair is black, coarse,
+long, and lank. These people appear to be filthy in the extreme. The
+faces, hands, and bodies of such as were seen by the voyagers, were
+covered with oil and dirt; and they seemed never to have washed
+themselves since they were born: even their hair was matted with filth.</p>
+
+<p>Some attempts were made to ascertain the religious notions of the Arctic
+Highlanders, but these seem to have proved unsatisfactory; and, perhaps,
+from the inability of Sacheuse to question them on such a subject. They
+had a king, whom they represented to be a strong man, very good, and
+greatly beloved. His house was described to be of stone, and nearly as
+large as the ship; and they said that every man paid to him a portion of
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_317" id="Page_317">[Pg 317]</a></span>all which they caught or found. They could not be made to understand
+what was meant by war, nor did the voyagers see, among them, any warlike
+weapons. It is peculiarly deserving of remark, that these Indians, who
+derive much of their subsistence from the water, have no canoes or
+vessels of any description, in which they can go afloat; nor do they
+appear to have any names by which boats or canoes are designated. It is
+true that they have no wood for the construction of floating vessels;
+but such might, without difficulty, be constructed of bone covered with
+skins.</p>
+
+<p>On the 16th of August, the ice had become sufficiently open, to permit
+the passage of the vessels to the northward; and they consequently
+proceeded on their voyage.</p>
+
+<p>In these high latitudes, a kind of marine birds, called Little Awks
+(<i>alca alle</i>) were observed in countless multitudes, and afforded to the
+sailors, a grateful supply of fresh food. With three muskets, no fewer
+than one thousand two hundred and sixty-three of them were killed in one
+day; and, of this number, ninety-three were brought down by one
+discharge of the muskets.</p>
+
+<p>When the ships were in latitude 75 degrees 54 minutes, the snow on the
+face of the cliffs was observed to be stained of a deep crimson colour.
+Some of this snow being collected in buckets, it was found to resemble,
+in appearance, raspberry ice-cream: when dissolved, the liquor seemed
+not unlike muddy port-wine; and the sediment appeared, through a
+microscope, to be composed of dark-red globules. Some of this sediment
+was brought to England, and it is generally supposed to have been a
+vegetable substance, the seed, probably, of some species of fungus; or,
+perhaps, to have been itself a minute kind of fungus.</p>
+
+<p>On the 18th of August, the ships passed <i>Cape Dudley Digges</i>, six miles
+northward of which a majestic glacier, or mass of ice, was remarked to
+occupy a space of four miles square, extending one mile into the sea,
+and rising to the height of at least a hundred feet. <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_318" id="Page_318">[Pg 318]</a></span>On the same day
+the vessels passed <i>Wolstenholme</i> and <i>Whale Sounds</i>.</p>
+
+<p>About midnight of the 19th, <i>Sir Thomas Smith's Sound</i> was distinctly
+seen. Captain Ross considered the bottom of this sound to have been
+eighteen leagues distant; but its entrance, he says, was completely
+blocked up by ice. On the 21st, the ships stood over to explore an
+opening, supposed to have been that called <i>Alderman Jones's Sound</i>; but
+Captain Ross says that the ice and fog prevented a near approach.</p>
+
+<p>The night of the 24th of August was remarkable for having been the first
+on which the sun had been observed to set, since the 7th of June. The
+land was now seen to take a southerly direction; and the ships proceeded
+along it, as near as they could conveniently approach for the floating
+masses of ice.</p>
+
+<p>On the 30th they entered a wide opening in the land, the <i>Sir James
+Lancaster's Sound</i> of Baffin. On each side of this opening was a chain
+of high mountains. The sea was perfectly free from ice, and the vessels
+proceeded on a westward course for several leagues. The weather had, for
+some time, been hazy; but, on its clearing up, Captain Ross states that
+a range of mountains about twenty-four miles distant, were seen to
+occupy the centre of the inlet. To these he gave the name of <i>Croker
+Mountains</i>, and, imagining that no passage existed through them, he
+returned into the open sea, and, not long afterwards, sailed for
+England.</p>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<hr /><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_319" id="Page_319">[Pg 319]</a></span>
+<br />
+<h2>Twenty-sixth Day's Instruction.</h2>
+
+<h2>DAVIS'S STRAIT AND BAFFIN'S BAY CONCLUDED.</h2>
+<br />
+
+<p>The accounts that had been given by Captain Ross, particularly
+respecting the apparent mountains, named by him <i>Croker Mountains</i>,
+across Sir James Lancaster's Sound, not proving either conclusive or
+satisfactory, the Lords of the Admiralty ordered two ships, the Hecla
+and Griper, to be prepared for a further voyage of discovery in Baffin's
+Bay. The command of these vessels, as already stated, was given to
+Captain Parry, who, in the previous expedition, had been second in
+command under Captain Ross. It was one important part of his
+instructions, that he should advance to the northward, as far as the
+opening into Lancaster's Sound; that he should explore the bottom of
+that Sound, and, if possible, pass through it to Behring's Strait. The
+number of men in both the vessels was ninety-four; and many of them were
+those who had accompanied Captain Ross.</p>
+<br />
+
+<p class="cen"><i>Narrative of</i> <span class="smcap">Captain Parry's</span> <i>Voyage for the Discovery of a
+North-West Passage<br /> from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean.</i></p>
+
+<p>Captain Parry arrived at the entrance into <i>Lancaster's Sound</i>, on the
+30th of July, 1819; and, this day, saw no fewer than eighty-two whales.
+Some of the officers and men landed at <i>Possession Bay</i>, and recognized
+many objects which they had seen there, when with Captain Ross. The
+tracks of human feet were observed upon the banks of a stream. These at
+first excited much surprise; but, on examination, they were discovered
+to have been made by the shoes of some of the same party, eleven months
+before.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_320" id="Page_320">[Pg 320]</a></span>In sailing, westward, up the Sound, Captain Parry says that it is more
+easy to imagine than to describe the almost breathless anxiety which was
+visible in every countenance, as the breeze, which had hitherto impelled
+the vessels, increased to a fresh gale. The mast-heads were crowded by
+the officers and men looking out; and an unconcerned observer, if, on
+such an occasion, any could be unconcerned, would have been amused by
+the eagerness with which the various reports from those stations were
+received.</p>
+
+<p>After the vessels had proceeded a considerable distance, they passed
+some bold headlands, and high mountains. They also passed an inlet, to
+which Captain Parry gave the name of <i>Croker's Bay</i>, and which he is of
+opinion may, hereafter, be found a passage from Lancaster's Sound into
+the Northern Sea. They were thence carried along briskly for three days.
+On the 4th of August, there was, from the mast-head, an exclamation of
+"land!" and that sound, which, on ordinary occasions, is of all others
+the most joyful to a seaman's ears, was, on this, the signal for
+disappointment and mortification. The land, however, proved to be an
+island.</p>
+
+<p>The vessels continued their progress, and several bays, capes, and
+headlands, were successively discovered. On the 22d there was a clear
+and extensive view to the northward; the water was free from ice, and
+the voyagers now felt that they had entered the Polar Sea. The
+magnificent opening through which their passage had been effected, from
+Baffin's Bay, to a channel dignified with the name of <i>Wellington</i>, was
+called, by Captain Parry, <i>Barron's Straits</i>.</p>
+
+<p>In latitude 75 degrees 3 minutes, and longitude 103 degrees 44 minutes,
+an island was discovered; and Captain Sabine, with two other officers,
+landed on it. They found, in four different places, the remains of
+Esquimaux habitations. These were from seven to ten feet in diameter;
+and to each was attached a circle four or five feet in diameter, which
+had probably been the fire-place. The whole encampment appeared to have
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_321" id="Page_321">[Pg 321]</a></span>been deserted for several years; but recent footsteps of rein-deer and
+musk-oxen were seen in many places.</p>
+
+<p>The circumstances under which the voyagers were now sailing were,
+perhaps, such as had never occurred since the early days of navigation.
+There was land towards the north; ice, it was supposed, was towards the
+south; the compasses by which the vessels had been steered, now varied
+so much, that they had become useless; and all the surrounding objects
+were obscured by a dense fog: consequently, there was now no other mode
+of regulating the course of the ships, than by trusting to the
+steadiness of the wind.</p>
+
+<p>On the 2d of September a star was seen; the first that had been visible
+for more than two months. Two days afterwards, at a quarter past nine in
+the evening, the ships, in latitude 74 degrees 44 minutes, crossed the
+meridian of 110 degrees from Greenwich, by which they became entitled to
+&pound;.5000; a reward offered by the British government to the first vessels
+which should cross that longitude, to the north of America. In order to
+commemorate the event, a lofty headland that they had just passed, was
+called <i>Bounty Cape</i>. On the following day the ships, for the first time
+since they had quitted the English coast, dropped anchor in a roadstead,
+which was called the <i>Bay of the Hecla and Griper</i>; and the crews landed
+on the largest of a group of islands, which Captain Parry named
+<i>Melville Island</i>. The ensigns and pendants were hoisted, as soon as the
+vessels had anchored; and it excited, in the voyagers, no ordinary
+sensations of pleasure, to see the British flag waving, for the first
+time, in regions, which, hitherto, had been considered beyond the limits
+of the habitable world.</p>
+
+<p>The wind now became unfavourable to their progress; and a rapid
+accumulation of the ice, exposed the vessels to the greatest danger, and
+the crews to incessant fatigue. For several days they were unable to
+proceed further than along the coast of the island. This was the more
+mortifying, as Captain Parry had <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_322" id="Page_322">[Pg 322]</a></span>looked forward to the month of
+September, as the period, of all others, favourable to the rapid
+prosecution of his voyage. To add to his anxiety, a party of seamen, who
+had been sent on shore, to hunt deer, lost their way, and, for three
+nights, were exposed to the inclemency of the weather. The most
+distressing apprehensions were entertained respecting the fate of these
+men; nor, were they finally recovered, without considerable danger to
+those who were sent in search of them, and who, had their recovery been
+delayed one day longer, must themselves have perished. In gratitude for
+this preservation, the nearest headland was named <i>Cape Providence</i>.</p>
+
+<p>The increasing dangers and difficulties attendant on continuing the
+navigation westward, prevented the vessels from proceeding further than
+to some distance along the coast of Melville Island. And, at length,
+Captain Parry, finding that no hope could be entertained, during the
+present season, of penetrating beyond this island, he was induced to
+return to Hecla and Griper Bay, for the purpose of passing there the
+winter.</p>
+
+<p>It was now, however, requisite to cut a canal through the ice, which,
+since their departure, had extended a considerable distance into the
+sea; and to draw the ships up it into the harbour. In this operation,
+two parallel lines were cut, distant from each other, little more than
+the breadth of the ships; and the ice was divided into square pieces,
+which were subdivided diagonally, and were either floated out of the
+canal, or sunk beneath the adjacent ice. The labour of cutting this
+canal may be imagined, when it is stated that the length was more than
+four thousand yards, and that the average thickness of the ice was seven
+inches. At three o'clock of September the 26th, the third day spent in
+this operation, the vessels reached their winter quarters; an event
+which was hailed with three hearty cheers, by the united ships' crews.
+The group of islands which had been discovered, were called the <i>North
+Georgian Islands</i>.</p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_323" id="Page_323">[Pg 323]</a></span>
+
+<p>As the ships had now attained that station where, in all probability,
+they were destined to remain for eight or nine months, every precaution
+was taken for their security, and for the preservation of the various
+stores which they contained. A regular system also was adopted, for the
+maintenance of good order, cleanliness, and the health of the crews,
+during the approaching long, dark, and dreary winter. All the masts,
+except the lower ones, were dismantled; and the boats, spars, ropes, and
+sails, were removed on shore, in order to give as much room as possible
+on the deck. The ropes and sails were all hard frozen, and it was
+requisite to keep them in that state, till the return of spring. A
+housing of planks, covered with wadding-tilt, such as is used for
+stage-waggons, was formed upon the deck of each of the vessels; and thus
+constituted a comfortable shelter from the snow and the wind.</p>
+
+<p>The crews were in excellent health, and every care was taken to preserve
+it. Regulations were made, in the allowances both of bread and meat: as
+a preservative against scurvy, the men were allowed a quantity of
+vinegar with their meat, and they, every day, took a portion of
+lime-juice and sugar. The next care was for the minds of the men, the
+health of which Captain Parry wisely considered to have no small
+influence on that of the body. This excellent officer, anxious for their
+amusement during the long and tedious interval of winter, proposed, that
+a play should occasionally be got up on board the Hecla. He considered
+this to be the readiest means of preserving, among the crews, that
+cheerfulness and good-humour which had hitherto subsisted. The proposal
+was readily seconded by the officers of both ships: Lieutenant Beechey
+was consequently elected stage-manager, and the first performance was
+fixed for the 5th of November. In order still further to promote
+good-humour, and to furnish amusing occupation, a weekly newspaper was
+set on foot, called the "North Georgia Gazette, and Winter Chronicle,"
+of which Captain Sabine undertook to be <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_324" id="Page_324">[Pg 324]</a></span>the editor, under a promise
+that it should be supported by original contributions from the officers
+of the two ships.</p>
+
+<p>On the 4th of November the sun sank beneath the horizon, not to appear
+again above it for the space of ninety-six days. On the 5th the theatre
+was opened, with the farce of "Miss in her Teens;" and Captain Parry
+found so much benefit accrue to his men, from the amusement which this
+kind of spectacle afforded them, and with the occupation of fitting up
+the theatre and taking it down again, that the dramatic representations
+were continued through the whole winter, and were performed and
+witnessed with equal pleasure, even when the cold upon the stage was
+intense.</p>
+
+<p>The sinking of the sun below the horizon, for so long a period, seemed
+to occasion a painful sensation to the animals, inhabitants of the
+island, as well as to the human beings who had sought a temporary asylum
+on it: for, from that time, the wolves began to approach the ships, as
+if drawn thither by a melancholy sympathy; and they often howled, most
+piteously, for many successive hours. They, however, seldom appeared in
+greater numbers than two or three together; and it was somewhat
+extraordinary, that although the crews of both vessels were, for many
+weeks, intent on killing or catching some of them, they never could
+succeed. Only one bear was seen during the whole winter: it was of the
+white kind, and had tracked Captain Sabine's servant quite to the ships;
+but, being there saluted by a volley of balls, it ran off and escaped.</p>
+
+<p>The circumstances under which the crews of these vessels were situated,
+being such as had never before occurred, it cannot be uninteresting to
+know in what manner they passed their time during three months of nearly
+total darkness, and in the midst of a severe winter.</p>
+
+<p>The officers and quarter-masters were divided into four watches, which
+were regularly kept, as at sea; while the remainder of the ship's
+company were allowed to enjoy <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_325" id="Page_325">[Pg 325]</a></span>their night's rest undisturbed. The hands
+were turned up at a quarter before six in the morning; and both the
+decks were well rubbed with stones and warm sand, before eight o'clock,
+at which time both officers and men went to breakfast. Three quarters of
+an hour being allowed, after breakfast, for the men to prepare
+themselves for muster, they were all assembled on the deck at a quarter
+past nine; and a strict inspection took place, as to their personal
+cleanliness, and the good condition, as well as sufficient warmth, of
+their clothing. The reports of the officers having been made to Captain
+Parry, the men were then allowed to walk about, or, more usually, to run
+round the upper deck; whilst he went down to examine the state of the
+deck below, accompanied by Lieutenant Beechey and Mr. Edwards the
+surgeon.</p>
+
+<p>The state of this deck may be said, indeed, to have constituted the
+chief source of anxiety; and, at this period, to have occupied by far
+the greatest share of attention. Whenever any dampness appeared, or,
+what more frequently happened, any accumulation of ice had taken place
+during the preceding night, the necessary means were immediately adopted
+for removing it: in the former case, usually by rubbing the wood with
+cloths, and then directing hot air to the place; and, in the latter, by
+scraping off the ice, so as to prevent its wetting the deck, by any
+accidental increase of temperature. In this respect the bed-places were
+peculiarly troublesome; the inner partition, or that next the ship's
+side, being, almost invariably, covered with more or less dampness or
+ice, according to the temperature of the deck during the preceding
+night.</p>
+
+<p>All the requisite examinations being finished, the men, when the weather
+would permit, were sent out to walk on shore till noon; but, when the
+day was too inclement to admit of this exercise, they were ordered to
+run round and round the deck, keeping step to the tune of an organ, or
+to a song of their own singing. A few of the men did not, at first,
+quite <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_326" id="Page_326">[Pg 326]</a></span>like this systematic mode of taking exercise; but, when they
+found that no plea, except that of illness, was admitted as an excuse,
+they not only willingly and cheerfully complied, but they made it the
+occasion of much humour and frolic among themselves.</p>
+
+<p>The officers, who dined at two o'clock, were also in the habit of
+occupying one or two hours, of the middle of the day, in rambling on
+shore, even in the darkest period; except when a fresh wind or a heavy
+snow-drift confined them within the housing of the ships. It may well be
+imagined, that, at this period, there was but little to be met with in
+their walks on shore, which could either amuse or interest them. The
+necessity of not exceeding the limited distance of one or two miles,
+lest a snow-drift, which often arose very suddenly, should prevent their
+return, added considerably to the dull and tedious monotony which, day
+after day, presented itself. Towards the south was the sea, covered with
+one unbroken surface of ice, uniform in its dazzling whiteness, except
+that, in some parts, a few hummocks were seen thrown up somewhat above
+the general level. Nor did the land offer much greater variety: it was
+covered with snow, except here and there a brown patch of bare ground in
+some exposed situations, where the wind had not allowed the snow to
+remain. When viewed from the summit of the neighbouring hills, on one of
+those calm, clear days, which not unfrequently occurred during the
+winter, the scene was such as to induce contemplations, that had,
+perhaps, more of melancholy than of any other feeling. Not an object was
+to be seen on which the eye could long rest with pleasure, unless when
+directed to the spot where the ships lay. The smoke which there issued
+from the several fires, affording a certain indication of the presence
+of man, gave a partial cheerfulness to this part of the prospect; and
+the sound of voices, which, during the cold weather, could be heard at a
+much greater distance than usual, served, now and then, to break the
+silence which reigned <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_327" id="Page_327">[Pg 327]</a></span>around,&mdash;a silence far different from that
+peaceable composure which characterizes the landscape of a cultivated
+country: it was the death-like stillness of the most dreary desolation,
+the total absence of animated existence.</p>
+
+<p>The weather became intensely severe; and, during the latter part of
+November, and the first half of December, Captain Parry's journal
+presents little more than observations on it; and oh the meteoric
+appearances and fantastic illusions of light and colour, with which the
+voyagers were often amused. At one time, the moon appeared to be
+curiously deformed by refraction; the lower edges of it seeming to be
+indented with deep notches, and afterwards to be cut off square at the
+bottom; whilst a single ray or column of light, of the same diameter as
+the moon, was observed to descend from it to the top of a hill. At
+another time, several transparent clouds were seen to emit, upward,
+columns of light, resembling the aurora borealis. The aurora borealis
+itself appears to have been seldom witnessed, in the splendour with
+which it occasionally illuminates even the northern parts of Scotland;
+still it was both frequent and vivid enough to give variety and beauty
+to the long nights which the voyagers had to endure.</p>
+
+<p>The new year was ushered in by weather comparatively mild; but it soon
+regained its former severity. Captain Parry and his crews did not,
+however, experience those effects from the cold, even when 49 degrees
+below 0, which preceding voyagers have stated; such as a dreadful
+sensation on the lungs, when the air is inhaled at a very low
+temperature; or the vapour with which an inhabited room is charged,
+condensing into a shower of snow, immediately on the opening of a door
+or window. What they did observe was this: on the opening of the doors,
+at the top and bottom of the hatch-way ladders, the vapour was
+condensed, by the sudden admission of the cold air, into a visible form,
+exactly resembling a very thick smoke. This apparent smoke settled on
+the pannels of the doors and on the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_328" id="Page_328">[Pg 328]</a></span>bulk-heads, and immediately froze,
+by which the latter were covered with a thick coating of ice, which it
+was necessary frequently to scrape off.</p>
+
+<p>The extreme severity of the cold, which was sometimes prevalent, may be
+imagined from the following fact:&mdash;A house, erected on the shore, for
+scientific purposes, caught fire; and a servant of Captain Sabine, in
+his endeavours to extinguish it, exposed his hands, in the first
+instance, to the operation of considerable heat; and he afterwards, for
+some time, remained without gloves, in the open air. When taken on board
+the ship, his hands presented a strange appearance. They were perfectly
+hard, inflexible, and colourless; possessing a degree of translucency,
+and exhibiting more the external character of pieces of sculptured
+marble, than of animated matter. They were immediately plunged into the
+cold bath, where they were continued more than two hours, before their
+flexibility could be restored. The abstraction of heat had been so
+great, that the water, in contact with the fingers, congealed upon them,
+even half an hour after they had been immersed. During the cold
+application, the man suffered acute pain, by which he became so faint
+and exhausted, that it was requisite to put him to bed. In less than
+three hours, an inflammation came on, which extended high up the arm;
+and, soon afterwards, each hand, from the wrist downward, was enclosed
+in a kind of bladder, containing nearly a pint of viscid serous fluid.
+There were, however, three fingers of one hand, and two of the other, in
+which this vesication did not form. These fingers continued cold and
+insensible, nor could the circulation in them be restored; and,
+eventually, the amputation of them became necessary.</p>
+
+<p>The distance at which sounds were heard in the open air, during the
+continuance of intense cold, seems almost incredible. Captain Parry says
+that his people were distinctly heard, conversing in a common tone of
+voice, at the distance of a mile; and that he heard a man singing to
+himself, at even a still greater distance. <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_329" id="Page_329">[Pg 329]</a></span>Another circumstance
+occurred, scarcely less curious than this: the smell of smoke was so
+strong, two miles leeward of the ships, that it impeded the breathing.
+This shows to what a distance the smoke was carried horizontally, owing
+to the difficulty with which it rises, at a very low temperature of the
+atmosphere.</p>
+
+<p>In the severest weather, the officers sometimes amused themselves by
+freezing quicksilver, and beating it out on an anvil, so great was the
+severity of the cold; yet, not the slightest inconvenience was suffered,
+from exposure to the open air, by persons well clothed, so long as the
+weather was perfectly calm; but, in walking against even a very light
+wind, a smarting sensation was experienced all over the face,
+accompanied by a pain in the middle of the forehead, which soon became
+severe.</p>
+
+<p>As a specimen of the average proportion of ice formed in the harbour, it
+is stated that, where the depth of the water was twenty-five feet, the
+ice was found to be six feet and a half thick; and the snow on the
+surface was eight inches deep.</p>
+
+<p>Towards the end of January, some of the port-holes of one of the vessels
+were opened, in order to admit the carpenters and armorers to repair the
+main-top-sail-yard. On the 3d of February the sun was seen from the
+main-top of the Hecla, for the first time since the 11th of November. By
+the 7th, there was sufficient day-light, from eight o'clock till four,
+to enable the men to perform, with facility, any work on the outside of
+the ships.</p>
+
+<p>On the 15th, Captain Parry was induced, by the cheering presence of the
+sun, for several hours above the horizon, to open the dead-lights, or
+shutters, of his stern-windows, in order to admit the day-light, after a
+privation of it, for four months, in that part of the ship. The baize
+curtains, which had been nailed close to the windows, in the beginning
+of the winter, were, however, so firmly frozen to them, that it was
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_330" id="Page_330">[Pg 330]</a></span>necessary to cut them away; and twelve large buckets full of ice or
+frozen vapour, were taken from between the double sashes, before they
+could be got clear. This premature uncovering of the windows, however,
+caused such a change in the temperature of the Hecla, that, for several
+weeks afterwards, those on board were sensible of a more intense degree
+of cold, than they had felt during all the preceding part of the winter.</p>
+
+<p>The months of March and April seem to have passed tediously on, in
+watching the state of the weather. The crew of the Griper became
+somewhat sickly, in consequence of the extreme moisture, which it was
+found impossible to exclude from their bed-places. In May, Captain Parry
+laid out a small garden, planting it with radishes, onions, mustard, and
+cress; but the experiment failed, though some common ship-peas, planted
+by the men, throve extremely well.</p>
+
+<p>On the 12th of May, some ptarmigans were seen. These were hailed as a
+sure omen of returning summer. Several of the men went out on shooting
+excursions; and, being exposed, for several hours, to the glare of the
+sun and snow, became affected with that painful inflammation in the
+eyes, called "snow-blindness." As a preventive of this complaint, a
+piece of black crape was given to each man, to be worn as a kind of
+short veil, attached to the hat. This was found to be sufficiently
+efficacious. But a more convenient mode was adopted by some of the
+officers: they took out the glasses from spectacles, and substituted
+black or green crape in their place.</p>
+
+<p>In the beginning of May, the men cut the ice round the Hecla. This was
+done by means of axes and saws, and with astonishing labour; for the ice
+was still more than six feet thick. On the 17th, the operation was
+completed, and the ships were once more afloat.</p>
+
+<p>Captain Parry and Captain Sabine, accompanied by ten other persons,
+officers and men, set off, on the 1st of June, to make a tour through
+the island. They <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_331" id="Page_331">[Pg 331]</a></span>took with them tents, fuel, and provisions; and
+carried their luggage in a small, light cart, to which the sailors
+occasionally fastened their blankets, by way of sails. They travelled by
+night, as well to have the benefit which any warmth of the sun might
+give during their hours of rest, as to avoid the glare of its light upon
+the snow. The vegetable productions which they observed, were chiefly
+the dwarf willow, sorrel, poppy, saxifrage, and ranunculus. The animals
+were mice, deer, a musk ox, a pair of swallows, ducks, geese, plovers,
+and ptarmigans; with some of which they occasionally varied their fare.
+The tracks, both of deer and musk oxen, were numerous; and one deer
+followed the party for some time, and gambolled round them, at a
+distance of only thirty yards. The soil of the island was, in general,
+barren; but, in some places, it was rich, and abounded with the finest
+moss. On one part of the beach, the travellers found a point of land
+eighty feet above the sea: this they named <i>Point Nias</i>, after one of
+the officers of the party; and they had the patience to raise on it, as
+a memorial of their exertions, a monument of ice, of conical form,
+twelve feet broad at the base, and as many in height. They enclosed
+within the mass, in a tin cylinder, an account of the party who had
+erected it, with a few silver and copper English coins; and Mr. Fisher,
+the assistant surgeon, constructed it with a solidity which may make it
+last, for many years, as a land-mark; for it is visible at the distance
+of several miles, both by sea and land. In one place, within a hundred
+yards of the sea, the remains of six Esquimaux huts were discovered.
+After a fortnight's absence, the party returned to the ships.</p>
+
+<p>The approach of summer now began to be apparent, from the state of
+vegetation on the island; and, during the warm weather, a great quantity
+of sorrel was daily gathered. The hunting parties also brought in an
+abundance of animal food. The total quantity obtained, during the
+continuance of the vessels at <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_332" id="Page_332">[Pg 332]</a></span>Melville island, was 3 musk oxen, 68
+hares, 53 geese, 59 ducks, and 144 ptarmigans; affording, in the whole,
+3766 pounds of meat.</p>
+
+<p>On the 22d of June, the men were delighted to observe that the ice had
+begun to be in motion; and, on the 16th of July, the snow had entirely
+disappeared, except along the sides of caverns, and in other hollows,
+where it had formed considerable drifts. The appearance of the land was,
+consequently, much the same as it had been when the ships first reached
+the island. The walks which the men were now enabled to take, and the
+luxurious living afforded by the hunting-parties, together with the
+abundant supply of sorrel, which was always at command, were the means
+of completely eradicating the scurvy; and the whole of the ships'
+companies were now in as good health, and certainly in as good spirits,
+as when the expedition left England.</p>
+
+<p>After having made an accurate survey of Winter Harbour, where the
+vessels had been frozen up nearly eleven months, Captain Parry resolved
+to quit it. Accordingly, on the 1st of August, the vessels weighed
+anchor, and stood out to sea. Towards the west, the direction in which
+they were proceeding, the sea, at first, presented a very flattering
+appearance, being more clear of ice than it had been a month later in
+the preceding year, and presenting a fine navigable channel, two miles
+and a half in width, which, from the mast-head, appeared to continue as
+far as the eye could reach.</p>
+
+<p>They had not, however, proceeded many leagues westward of their winter
+quarters, when the wind blew directly against them, and their course was
+further opposed by a strong current, which set towards the east. To
+these difficulties, great danger was soon added, from the drifting and
+pressure of the ice, which threatened the Griper, in particular, with
+total destruction. They penetrated to the longitude of 113 degrees 48
+minutes, being the westernmost meridian <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_333" id="Page_333">[Pg 333]</a></span>hitherto reached, in the Polar
+Sea, to the north of America. But they had made so little progress, and
+were in such incessant danger; and the officers had so little hope of
+being able to effect any further discoveries of importance, during the
+present season, that Captain Parry at length determined to return.</p>
+
+<p>On a consultation with his officers, respecting the best course to be
+pursued, it was resolved that, in their voyage homeward, they should run
+along the edge of the ice, with the intention of availing themselves of
+any opening that might lead towards the coast of America. It was not
+till the 26th, that the ships got clear of <i>Cape Providence</i>; but, after
+that, they had an open channel, and sailed before the wind, with such
+rapidity, and so little interruption, that, in six days, they cleared
+<i>Sir James Lancaster's Sound</i>, and were once more in <i>Baffin's Bay</i>.
+They now stood along the western shore of this bay, which they found
+indented with several deep bays or inlets.</p>
+
+<p>On the 3d of September, they passed some icebergs, which were a hundred
+and fifty or two hundred feet above the surface of the water; and, soon
+afterwards, in an inlet, which Captain Ross had named the <i>River Clyde</i>,
+the voyagers saw four canoes, each of which contained an <i>Esquimaux</i>.
+These approached the ships; and the men, at their own desire, were taken
+on board. Three of them were young, and the fourth about sixty years of
+age. They appeared to be much pleased; and expressed their delight by
+jumping, and by loud and repeated ejaculations. Although there was no
+interpreter, they bartered several articles, in a manner that showed
+they were no strangers to traffic.</p>
+
+<p>Some of the officers landed, and went to visit two Esquimaux tents,
+which were situated within a low point of land, that formed the eastern
+side of the entrance to a considerable branch of the inlet. The
+inhabitants, men, women, and children, on beholding them, came running
+out, with loud and continued shouting. Two of the women had infants
+slung, in a <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_334" id="Page_334">[Pg 334]</a></span>kind of bag, at their back, much in the same manner as
+gypsies are accustomed to carry their children. There were seven other
+children, from twelve to three years of age, besides two infants in
+arms.</p>
+
+<p>The officers purchased whatever things these people had to dispose of,
+and, in exchange for them, gave knives, axes, brass kettles, needles,
+and other articles; and then added such presents as they considered
+might be further serviceable to them. Though they appeared anxious to
+possess whatever the visitors had to give they did not exhibit any
+disposition to pilfer. And, in some of the bargains, particularly for a
+sledge and a dog, the articles, though previously paid for, were all
+punctually delivered.</p>
+
+<p>In stature these Indians, like the Esquimaux in general, are much below
+the usual standard. The height of the men is from four feet and a half
+to five feet and a half, and of the women about four feet ten inches.
+Their faces, in the younger individuals, are round and plump: their skin
+is smooth, and their complexion not very dark: their teeth are very
+white, and their eyes small; their nose is small, and their hair black,
+straight, and glossy. All the women, except one, had their faces
+tatooed; and two of them had their hands tatooed also. The children
+were, in general, good-looking; and one of them, a boy about twelve
+years of age, was a remarkably fine, and even handsome lad.</p>
+
+<p>The dress of the men consists of a seal-skin jacket, with a hood, which
+is occasionally drawn over the head. The breeches are also, generally,
+of seal-skin; and the boots, which are formed so as to meet the
+breeches, are of the same material. In the dress of the women, the
+drawers cover the middle part of the body, from the hips to one-third
+down the thighs; the rest of which, as far as the knees, is naked. The
+children are all remarkably well clad; their dress, both in the males
+and females, being, in every respect, similar to that of the men.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_335" id="Page_335">[Pg 335]</a></span>The tents which constitute the summer habitations of these Esquimaux,
+are principally supported by a pole of whalebone, about fourteen feet
+high. This pole stands perpendicularly, and has four or five feet of it
+projecting above the skins which form the roof and sides. The length of
+the tent is about seventeen feet, and the breadth from seven to nine;
+and the bed occupies nearly one-third of the whole apartment. The
+covering of the tent is fastened to the ground by curved pieces of bone.</p>
+
+<p>Captain Parry, after taking leave of these his new acquaintance,
+directed his course towards England; and arrived in the river Thames
+about the middle of November.</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>With regard to the probable existence and accomplishment of a north-west
+passage into the Pacific Ocean, this indefatigable and accomplished
+officer remarks, that, as to the existence of such a passage, he does
+not entertain a doubt; but that he is not sanguine as to its ever being
+accomplished. The difficulties that are presented by the increasing
+breadth and thickness of the ice to the westward, after passing Barrow's
+Strait, added to the excessive severity of the climate, and the
+shortness of the season in which the Polar Sea can be navigated; these
+are circumstances which render almost hopeless any attempt to pass from
+the Atlantic westward. Captain Parry seems inclined to think that there
+is more probability of being able to effect the passage, by sailing from
+Behring's Strait, eastward, than from Baffin's Bay towards the west.
+But, in this case, it would be an impracticable passage for British
+ships. The great length of the voyage, the impossibility of taking out a
+sufficiency of provisions and fuel, and the severe trial to which the
+health of the crews would be subjected, by suddenly passing from the
+heat of the torrid zone, into the intense cold of a long winter, seem to
+render hopeless all our efforts to effect the voyage in this direction.</p>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<hr /><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_336" id="Page_336">[Pg 336]</a></span>
+<br />
+<h2>Twenty-seventh Day's Instruction.</h2>
+
+<h2>LABRADOR AND GREENLAND.</h2>
+<br />
+
+<p>On the south-western side of Davis's Strait is the wild, extensive, and
+uncivilized country of <i>Labrador</i>. Its coast was first discovered by the
+Portuguese navigators; but the frigidity of its climate is such, that no
+settlements of any importance have ever been fixed upon its shores. Even
+the extent of the country has been but imperfectly ascertained; for all
+the knowledge we have hitherto obtained respecting it, relates only to
+the coast. The inland territory remains yet unexplored.</p>
+
+<p>Captain George Cartwright resided on the coast of Labrador, at different
+intervals, for sixteen years. He states that the face of the country, as
+far as he could discover it, was mountainous and desolate; and that some
+of the mountains were of considerable elevation. The soil, in some parts
+of the southern coast, appears, at first sight, to be fertile and
+covered with verdure; but, on examination, it is found to be poor, and
+the verdure is that of coarse plants, which would not serve as food for
+horses, cattle, or sheep. Some attempts have been made to cultivate this
+coast, but the depredations of bears and wolves have proved a formidable
+impediment; and such is the severity of the climate, that cattle must be
+housed for nine months in the year.</p>
+
+<p>The whole eastern coast of Labrador exhibits a very barren appearance:
+the mountains rise abruptly from the sea, and are composed of rocks,
+that are thinly covered with peat earth. This produces only stunted
+spruce trees, and a few plants; but the adjacent sea, and the various
+rivers and lakes, abound with fish, fowl, and amphibious animals.
+Springs are rare, and fresh water is chiefly supplied by melted snow. In
+the various bays of this coast, there are numerous islands, on which
+eider-ducks, and multitudes of other sea-fowl breed. On some of the
+larger islands there are deer, foxes, and <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_337" id="Page_337">[Pg 337]</a></span>hares. The fruits of Labrador
+consist chiefly of currants, raspberries, cranberries, whortle-berries,
+apples, and pears. Among the mineral productions is a kind of felspar,
+which, when polished, exhibits a display of brilliant and beautiful
+colours.</p>
+
+<p>The climate of this country, though severe, is healthy. There is little
+appearance of summer till about the middle of July; and, in September,
+winter indicates its approach. During summer the heat is sometimes
+unpleasant; and the cold of winter is of long duration, and generally
+intense. In Labrador, as in all other countries of northern climates,
+the quadrupeds are clothed with a longer and thicker fur during winter,
+than in summer; and many of the birds have a softer down, and feathers
+of a closer texture, than those of milder countries. Some of the animals
+also assume a white clothing at the commencement of winter.</p>
+
+<p>The native inhabitants of Labrador are <i>mountaineers</i> and Esquimaux,
+between whom there subsists an invincible aversion. The former, who
+inhabit the interior districts towards the north, are of dark colour,
+and robust constitution, though their limbs are small. They subsist
+chiefly on rein-deer, which they are very dexterous in killing: they
+also kill foxes, martens, and beavers. As these people live a wandering
+life, they never build houses; but they construct a kind of tents, and
+cover them with branches of trees, and with deer-skins. Their summer
+dress consists of skins freed from the hair; and their winter-dress is
+formed of beaver and deer-skins, with the hair on. During the summer
+they traverse the country, in canoes, along the rivers and lakes. These
+canoes are covered with the bark of the birch-tree; and, although they
+are so light as to be easily carried, some of them are large enough to
+contain a whole family, together with the materials of their traffic. In
+winter the mountaineers of Labrador pass over the snow, by means of what
+are called snow-shoes.</p>
+
+<p>These mountaineers are esteemed an industrious people. They bear fatigue
+with almost incredible <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_338" id="Page_338">[Pg 338]</a></span>resolution and patience; and will often travel
+two successive days without food. They, every year, come to the Canada
+merchants, who have seal-fisheries on the southern coast, and bargain
+their furs, in exchange for blanketing, fire-arms, and ammunition; and
+they are immoderately fond of spirits. Some of them profess to be Roman
+Catholics; but their whole religion seems to consist in reciting a few
+prayers, and in counting their beads.</p>
+
+<p>It is customary with these Indians, to destroy such persons among them
+as become aged and decrepit. This practice they endeavour to vindicate
+from their mode of life: for they assert that those who are unable to
+procure the necessaries requisite for their existence, ought not live
+merely to consume them.</p>
+
+<p>The <i>Esquimaux</i>, who inhabit the northern parts of the country, are a
+race similar to the Greenlanders. They have a deep tawny or rather
+copper-coloured complexion; and are inferior in size to the generality
+of Europeans. Their faces are flat, and their noses short. Their hair is
+black and coarse; and their hands and feet are remarkably small. Their
+dress, like that of the mountaineers, is entirely of skins; and consists
+of a sort of hooded shirt, of breeches, stockings, and boots. The dress
+of the different sexes is similar, except that the women wear large
+boots, and have their upper garment ornamented with a kind of tail. In
+their boots they occasionally place their children; but the youngest
+child is always carried at the back of its mother, in the hood of her
+jacket. The women ornament their heads with large strings of beads,
+which they fasten to the hair above their ears.</p>
+
+<p>The weapons of these Esquimaux are darts, bows, and arrows; and their
+food consists chiefly of the flesh of seals, deer, and birds; and of
+fish. Some of their canoes are near twenty feet in length, and not more
+than two feet wide. They each contain only one person; are formed of a
+frame-work, covered with skins; and are so extremely light, that they
+are easily overset. <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_339" id="Page_339">[Pg 339]</a></span>Notwithstanding this, and the circumstance that few
+of the Esquimaux are able to swim, these people are able to navigate
+them, in safety, without a compass, and even in the thickest fogs. When
+the ground is covered with snow, they traverse the country in sledges,
+drawn by dogs.</p>
+
+<p>During winter, they live in houses, or rather in a kind of cavern, which
+they sink in the earth; and, during summer, they occupy tents, made
+circular with poles, and covered with skins. Their only beverage is
+water. The men are extremely indolent; and all the laborious
+occupations, except that of procuring food, are performed by the women.
+They sew with the sinews of deer; and much of their needlework is very
+neat. The Esquimaux cannot reckon, numerically, beyond six; and their
+compound numbers reach no further than 21: all beyond this are called a
+multitude.</p>
+
+<p>The principal articles of export, obtained from the coast of Labrador,
+are cod-fish, salmon, oil, whalebone, and furs of various kinds.</p>
+<br />
+
+<p class="cen"><span class="smcap">NEWFOUNDLAND.</span></p>
+
+<p>Near the south-eastern extremity of Labrador is the island of
+<i>Newfoundland</i>; which, at present, constitutes an important station, for
+the British cod-fisheries. It is of triangular form, and about three
+hundred miles in circuit; and, though it lies between the same parallels
+of latitude as the south of France, its climate is very severe. In
+winter the rivers are frozen to the thickness of several feet; and,
+during this season, the earth is covered with snow, and the cold is so
+intense that the power of vegetation is destroyed. The coasts abound in
+creeks, roads, and harbours; and the interior of the island is full of
+steep rocks, woody hills, and sandy valleys; and of plains, interspersed
+with rocks, lakes, and marshes. A very small portion of it is at present
+cultivated; for neither the soil nor the climate is <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_340" id="Page_340">[Pg 340]</a></span>favourable to
+productions necessary to the support of human life. <i>St. John's</i>, the
+chief town of the island, is a mean and ill-built place, with narrow and
+dirty streets. It is situated on the south-eastern part of the coast,
+and has a considerable harbour.</p>
+
+<p>This island formerly belonged to the French; but, in 1713, it was ceded
+to the English, to whom it still belongs. Its chief importance is
+derived from its vicinity to an immense bank, beneath the surface of the
+ocean, which is frequented by myriads of cod-fish. On this bank there
+are annually employed more than two thousand fishing-vessels; and four
+hundred merchant-ships, in conveying the fish to different parts of the
+world. All the fish are caught by lines; and they are conveyed to the
+shores of Newfoundland, to be salted and dried, or otherwise prepared
+for exportation. The Newfoundland fishery usually commences about the
+middle of May, and continues till the end of September.</p>
+<br />
+
+<p class="cen"><span class="smcap">GREENLAND,</span></p>
+
+<p>Is an extensive peninsula, or, as some geographers believe, an immense
+island, lying north of the 60th degree of latitude, and between the 48th
+and 70th degrees of west longitude. It is said to have been originally
+discovered, as early as the tenth century, by a party of exiled
+Icelanders, who gave to it the name of "Greenland," from its exhibiting
+a much greater appearance of verdure than Iceland. <i>Cape Farewell</i>, its
+southernmost point, is a small island divided from the shore by a narrow
+inlet.</p>
+
+<p>The interior of the country is dreary and mountainous; and some of the
+mountains are so lofty, that they are visible to the distance of more
+than forty leagues. They are covered with perpetual snow; and ice and
+snow, like the glaciers of Switzerland, fill the elevated plains, and
+even many of the valleys. The lowlands, adjacent to the sea-coast, are
+clothed with verdure <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_341" id="Page_341">[Pg 341]</a></span>during the summer season. The coast is indented
+with many bays and creeks, which extend far into the land; but many
+parts of it are altogether inaccessible by shipping, on account of the
+enormous masses of floating ice, which abound in the extreme northern
+seas.</p>
+
+<p>Christian Missionaries were settled in this country, by the Danes, many
+centuries ago; and they formed churches and monasteries in different
+parts, through an extent of country nearly two hundred miles in length.
+From authentic records it appears that Greenland was anciently divided
+into two districts, the westernmost of which contained four parishes and
+one hundred villages; and the other, twelve parishes, one hundred and
+twenty villages, the see of a bishop, and two monasteries. The present
+inhabitants of the western districts are, however, separated from those
+of the east by impassable deserts and mountains.</p>
+
+<p>This country is subject to Denmark; and the parts of it that are chiefly
+visited by Danes and Norwegians, lie between the 64th and 68th degrees
+of north latitude; and, to this distance, the climate is said not to be
+very severe. At one time there was a Danish factory as far north as the
+73d degree; but, beyond the 68th degree of latitude, the cold in winter
+is, in general, so intense, that even the rocks burst by the expansive
+power of the frost. Thunder and lightning seldom occur in Greenland; but
+the aurora borealis is frequently visible, particularly in the spring of
+the year; and is often so bright and vivid, as to afford sufficient
+light for a person to read by it.</p>
+
+<p>Some of the southern parts of Greenland are fertile; but, in general,
+the soil resembles that of other mountainous countries; the hills being
+barren, and the valleys and low grounds being rich and fruitful. The
+principal quadrupeds of this country are rein-deer, dogs resembling
+wolves, Arctic foxes, and white or polar bears. The walrus and several
+kinds of seals frequent the shores. Eagles and other birds of prey are
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_342" id="Page_342">[Pg 342]</a></span>numerous. Whales and porpesses abound along the coasts; and the
+adjacent sea and bays yield an abundance of holibut, turbot, cod,
+haddocks, and other fish.</p>
+
+<p>The inhabitants of Greenland are supposed to have had their origin from
+the Esquimaux of Labrador, for they nearly resemble that people. They
+are short, and somewhat corpulent; and have broad faces, flat noses,
+thick lips, black hair, and a yellowish tawny complexion. The keenness
+of the wind and the glare of the snow, render them subject to painful
+disorders in the eyes: they are also afflicted with many diseases, which
+tend to render them short lived. They are a quiet, orderly, and
+good-humoured people; but of a cold, phlegmatic, and indolent
+disposition. They never wash themselves with water, but lick their
+hands, and then rub their faces with them; in the same manner as a cat
+washes herself with her paws. In most of their habits they are extremely
+filthy.</p>
+
+<p>When animal food can be procured, they prefer it to any other; but, in
+times of scarcity, they are sometimes compelled to subsist on sea-weeds,
+and on roots dressed in train-oil and fat. The intestines of animals,
+and offals of various kinds, are accounted by them as dainties.</p>
+
+<p>Their clothes are chiefly made of the skins of rein-deer and seals. The
+men wear their hair short; and commonly hanging down from the crown of
+the head on every side. The women, on the contrary, seldom cut their
+hair.</p>
+
+<p>The Greenlanders all speak the same language, though different dialects
+prevail in different parts of the country; and so numerous are the words
+of their language, that, like the Chinese, they are said to have a
+proper word for every object or art that requires distinction.</p>
+
+<p>These people have no traditions respecting the memorable actions of
+their ancestors; further than that, many winters ago, some Norwegian
+settlers were slain <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_343" id="Page_343">[Pg 343]</a></span>by the population of the adjacent country, who
+unanimously rose in arms against them. Among other strange notions
+entertained by the Greenlanders, they imagine that rain is occasioned by
+the overflowing of reservoirs in the heavens; and they assert that, if
+the banks of these reservoirs should burst, the sky would fall down. The
+medical practice in this country is confined to a set of men who have
+the appellation of "Angekoks," or conjurers.</p>
+
+<p>When a Greenlander is at the point of death, his friends and relatives
+array him in his best clothes and boots. They silently bewail him for an
+hour, after which they prepare for his interment. The body, having been
+sewed up in his best seal or deer-skin, is laid in the burying-place,
+covered with a skin, and with green sods; and, over these, with heaps of
+stones, to defend it from the attack of predaceous animals. Near the
+place of interment, the survivors deposit the weapons of the deceased,
+and the tools he daily used. With the women are deposited their knives
+and sewing implements. The intention in so doing is, that the person
+departed may not be without employment in the next world.</p>
+
+<p>The Greenlanders are said to worship the sun, and to offer sacrifices to
+an imaginary evil spirit, that he may not prevent their success in
+hunting and fishing. They have a confused notion respecting the
+immortality of the soul, and the existence of a future state; and they
+believe that the spirits of deceased persons sometimes appear on the
+earth, and hold communication with the "Angekoks," or conjurers, to whom
+peculiar privileges and honours belong.</p>
+
+<p>The traffic that is carried on among the Greenlanders is simple and
+concise, and is wholly conducted by exchange or barter. These people
+very rarely cheat or take undue advantage of one another; and it is
+considered infamous to be guilty of theft. But they are said to glory in
+over-reaching or robbing an <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_344" id="Page_344">[Pg 344]</a></span>European; as they consider this a proof of
+superior talent and ingenuity.</p>
+
+<p>Wherever a great assembly or rendezvous of Greenlanders takes place, as
+at a dancing-match or any grand festival, there are always some persons
+who expose their wares to view, and who publicly announce what goods
+they want in exchange for them. The chief articles of traffic, with
+Europeans, are fox and seal-skins, whale and seal-oil, whalebone, and
+the horns of narwhals. For these, they receive, in exchange, iron points
+for their spears, knives, saws, gimlets, chisels, needles, chests,
+boxes, clothing, and utensils of various kinds.</p>
+
+<p>The chief festival of the Greenlanders is that which they call the
+sun-feast; but this is merely held for the purpose of dancing and other
+amusements, and not for any religious acts or ceremonies. It is held
+about the commencement of the new-year, and for the purpose of rejoicing
+at the return of the sun, and the renewal of weather for hunting and
+fishing. At this feast they assemble, in various parts of the country,
+and in large parties. After gorging themselves with food, they rise up
+to play and to dance. Their only musical instrument is a drum; and the
+sound of this they accompany with songs, in honour of seal-catching, and
+exploits in hunting. The Greenlanders do not, on these occasions,
+intoxicate themselves with ardent spirits, like some of the American
+Indians; for their only beverage is water. There are other
+dancing-meetings held in the course of the year; but these are all
+conducted in a similar manner. The Greenlanders occupy much of their
+time in hunting and fishing. On shore they hunt rein-deer and other
+animals; and at sea they pursue whales, seals, and walruses: they also
+catch great quantities of fish and sea-fowl. Their canoes are formed of
+thin boards, fastened together by the sinews of animals, and covered
+with a dressed seal-skin, both above and below; so that only a circular
+hole is left in the middle, large enough to <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_345" id="Page_345">[Pg 345]</a></span>admit the body of one man.
+Into this hole he thrusts himself, up to the waist; after which he
+fastens the skin so tight round his body, that no water can enter. Thus
+secured, and armed with a paddle, which is broad at both ends, he
+ventures out to sea, even in the most stormy weather; and, if he be
+unfortunate enough to have his canoe overset, he can easily raise
+himself by means of his paddle. Besides this description of canoes, the
+Greenlanders have boats so large that they will contain fifty persons,
+with all their tackle, baggage, and provisions. These carry a mast and a
+triangular sail; the latter of which is made of the membranes and
+entrails of seals. The management of the larger boats is always given to
+women; who also perform the whole drudgery of the household, even to the
+building and repairing of the dwellings.</p>
+
+<p>During winter, the Greenlanders live in houses, and, during the summer,
+in tents. The houses are constructed of stones, with layers of earth and
+sods between them; and the rafters are covered with bushes and turf. The
+entrance is through a hole in the roof, which serves also as a chimney.
+The walls are hung with skins, fastened on by pegs, made of the bones of
+seals. These huts are divided, by skins, into several apartments,
+according to the number of families which inhabit them; and the
+inhabitants sleep on skins, upon the ground. The huts are well warmed
+with fires; and are lighted by lamps, filled with train oil, and
+furnished with moss instead of a wick. These lamps burn so bright as to
+give considerable heat as well as warmth.</p>
+
+<p>At the outside of the dwelling-house are separate buildings, for
+store-houses, in which the inhabitants lay up their stock of provisions,
+train oil, and other useful articles. Near the store-houses they arrange
+their boats, with the bottoms upward; and they hang beneath these their
+hunting and fishing-tackle, and their skins. The summer-tents of the
+Greenlanders are of a conical form, and are constructed of poles,
+covered, both inside and out, with skins.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_346" id="Page_346">[Pg 346]</a></span>The seas in the vicinity of Greenland are, every year, frequented by
+both European and American vessels, employed in the whale-fishery. Such
+of these as enter Davis's Strait, generally resort to Disco Bay; and a
+few have penetrated even still further north than this. It is stated
+that, in the year 1754, a whaler, under the command of a Captain Wilson,
+was conducted, on the eastern side of Greenland, as far north as to the
+83d degree of latitude: the sea was clear of ice, as far as the
+commander of this ship could descry; but as he did not meet with any
+whales, and began to apprehend some danger from proceeding onward, he
+returned; and, in the same year, another whale-fisher sailed as far
+north as to 84&frac12; degrees. These are the highest northern latitudes which
+any vessels have hitherto reached.</p>
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<h3>FINIS.</h3>
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<h4>Harvey, Darton, and Co. Printers, Gracechurch-Street.</h4>
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+
+<div class="tr">
+<p class="cen"><a name="TN" id="TN"></a>Transcriber's Note</p>
+<br />
+
+Some inconsistent hyphenation and spelling in
+the original document has been preserved.<br />
+<br />
+The author used a period after the £ sign<br />
+<br />
+Typographical errors corrected in the text:<br />
+<br />
+ToC&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;       &nbsp;Alachnas changed to Alachuas<br />
+ToC&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;       &nbsp;Oconne changed to Ocone<br />
+ToC&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;       &nbsp;Missisippi changed to Mississippi<br />
+ToC&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;       &nbsp;Sata changed to Santa<br />
+ToC&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;       &nbsp;Minetarree changed to Minnetaree<br />
+ToC&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;       &nbsp;Skaneaetas changed to Skaneactas<br />
+ToC&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;       &nbsp;Riviers changed to Rivieres<br />
+Page&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   4&nbsp;  Alleghanies changed to Alleghanys<br />
+Page&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   6&nbsp;  Massachusets changed to Massachusetts<br />
+Page&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   6&nbsp;  Tenassee changed to Tenessee<br />
+Page&nbsp;&nbsp;  10&nbsp;  stile changed to style<br />
+Page&nbsp;&nbsp;  18&nbsp;  cotten changed to cotton<br />
+Page&nbsp;&nbsp;  19&nbsp;  island changed to Island<br />
+Page&nbsp;&nbsp;  29&nbsp;  Uttawa changed to Utawa<br />
+Page&nbsp;&nbsp;  29&nbsp;  superintendance changed to superintendence<br />
+Page&nbsp;&nbsp;  35&nbsp;  war changed to was<br />
+Page&nbsp;&nbsp;  39&nbsp;  whirpool changed to whirlpool<br />
+Page&nbsp;&nbsp;  56&nbsp;  Potowmac changed to Potomac<br />
+Page&nbsp;&nbsp;  59&nbsp;  towns changed to town<br />
+Page&nbsp;&nbsp;  61&nbsp;  headachs changed to headaches<br />
+Page&nbsp;&nbsp;  61&nbsp;  Kenhaway changed to Kenaway<br />
+Page&nbsp;&nbsp;  67&nbsp;  scite changed to site<br />
+Page&nbsp;&nbsp;  71&nbsp;  "a" added between "and great"<br />
+Page&nbsp;&nbsp;  72&nbsp;  Birkbeek changed to Birkbeck<br />
+Page&nbsp;&nbsp;  73&nbsp;  mocassins changed to moccasins<br />
+Page&nbsp;&nbsp;  78&nbsp;  pertinaceous changaed to pertinacious<br />
+Page&nbsp;&nbsp;  87&nbsp;  Washingington changed to Washington<br />
+Page&nbsp;&nbsp;  96&nbsp;  Appamatox changed to Appomattox<br />
+Page 100&nbsp;  "the the" changed to "of the"<br />
+Page 119&nbsp;  pallisadoed changed to palisadoed<br />
+Page 122&nbsp;  quakers changed to Quakers<br />
+Page 133&nbsp;  elegible changed to eligible<br />
+Page 138&nbsp;  plaistered changed to plastered<br />
+Page 141&nbsp;  plaistered changed to plastered<br />
+Page 142&nbsp;  plaistered changed to plastered<br />
+Page 142&nbsp;  Coolome changed to Coloome<br />
+Page 144&nbsp;  plaistered changed to plastered<br />
+Page 148&nbsp;  Oconne changed to Ocone<br />
+Page 149&nbsp;  fragant changed to fragrant<br />
+Page 162&nbsp;  Alachnas changed to Alachuas<br />
+Page 162&nbsp;  barbacued changed to barbecued<br />
+Page 171&nbsp;  hacberry changed to hackberry<br />
+Page 172&nbsp;  recompence changed to recompense<br />
+Page 173&nbsp;  perroques changed to pirogues<br />
+Page 176&nbsp;  Sauteau changed to Sauteaux<br />
+Page 188&nbsp;  Mahas changed to Mahars<br />
+Page 188&nbsp;  phrenzy chaned to phrensy<br />
+Page 194&nbsp;  numbers changed to number<br />
+Page 194&nbsp;  "the the" changed to "the"<br />
+Page 198&nbsp;  Ahanahaways changed to Ahanaways<br />
+Page 200&nbsp;  perrioques changed to pirogues<br />
+Page 204&nbsp;  captain changed to Captain<br />
+Page 209&nbsp;  phenomenomenon changed to phenomenon<br />
+Page 214&nbsp;  buffalos changed to buffaloes<br />
+Page 217&nbsp;  leggins changed to leggings<br />
+Page 217&nbsp;  mockasins changed to moccasins<br />
+Page 221&nbsp;  principle changed to principal<br />
+Page 231&nbsp;  Arkanshaw changed to Arkansas<br />
+Page 237&nbsp;  govenor changed to governor<br />
+Page 238&nbsp;  leggins changed to leggings<br />
+Page 238&nbsp;  mockinsons changed to moccasins<br />
+Page 240&nbsp;  Tustla changed to Tuxtla<br />
+Page 242&nbsp;  Mulattos changed to Mulattoes<br />
+Page 242&nbsp;  Mestozos changed to Mestizos<br />
+Page 247&nbsp;  tassals changed to tassels<br />
+Page 251&nbsp;  Cortes changed to Cortez<br />
+Page 251&nbsp;  plaisters changed to plasters<br />
+Page 255&nbsp;  groupe changed to group<br />
+Page 259&nbsp;  Teneriffe changed to Tenerife<br />
+Page 260&nbsp;  Manilla changed to Manila<br />
+Page 263&nbsp;  earthern changed to earthen<br />
+Page 264&nbsp;  NOVIA changed to NOVA<br />
+Page 280&nbsp;  latitute changed to latitude<br />
+Page 283&nbsp;  leggins changed to leggings<br />
+Page 284&nbsp;  profananation changed to profanation<br />
+Page 290&nbsp;  martin-skins changed to marten-skins<br />
+Page 298&nbsp;  leggins changed to leggings<br />
+Page 300&nbsp;  Monterrey changed to Monterey<br />
+Page 300&nbsp;  rabbet changed to rabbit<br />
+Page 306&nbsp;  in changed to on<br />
+Page 311&nbsp;  in added between "man it"<br />
+Page 323&nbsp;  "to this be" changed to "this to be"<br />
+Page 323&nbsp;  lieutenant changed to Lieutenant<br />
+Page 323&nbsp;  Beechy changed to Beechey<br />
+Page 334&nbsp;  tattooed changed to tatooed<br />
+Page 338&nbsp;  decrepid changed to decrepit<br />
+Page 339&nbsp;  caverns changed to cavern<br />
+</div>
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<pre>
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Travels in North America, From Modern
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+</body>
+</html>
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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Travels in North America, From Modern
+Writers, by William Bingley
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Travels in North America, From Modern Writers
+       With Remarks and Observations; Exhibiting a Connected View
+       of the Geography and Present State of that Quarter of the
+       Globe
+
+Author: William Bingley
+
+Release Date: March 13, 2009 [EBook #28323]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Julia Miller, Barbara Kosker and the Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This
+file was produced from scans of public domain material
+produced by Microsoft for their Live Search Books site.)
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+ TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA,
+
+ FROM
+
+ MODERN WRITERS.
+
+
+
+
+ [Illustration:
+
+ _Frontispiece._ _Plate 1._
+
+ WASHINGTON.
+
+ PYRAMID OF CHOLULA.
+
+ NEW YORK.]
+
+
+ _Pub^d. by Harvey & Darton,_
+
+ _Jan^y. 1, 1823._
+
+
+
+
+ TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA,
+
+ FROM
+
+ Modern Writers.
+
+ WITH
+
+ REMARKS AND OBSERVATIONS;
+
+ EXHIBITING A CONNECTED VIEW OF
+
+ THE GEOGRAPHY AND PRESENT STATE
+
+ OF THAT
+
+ QUARTER OF THE GLOBE.
+
+ BY THE
+
+ REV. WILLIAM BINGLEY, M. A. F. L. S.
+
+ _Late of Peter-house, Cambridge, and Author of Animal Biography, &c._
+
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+ DESIGNED FOR THE USE OF YOUNG PERSONS.
+
+
+
+ LONDON:
+
+ PRINTED FOR HARVEY AND DARTON, GRACECHURCH-STREET.
+
+ 1821.
+
+
+
+
+ADVERTISEMENT.
+
+
+In the preparation of this, and of the preceding volumes, of Travels in
+the South of Europe, in South America, and in Africa; as well as in the
+Biographical Conversations on Celebrated Voyagers and Travellers, it has
+been the design of the author, by a detail of anecdotes of extraordinary
+adventures, connected by illustrative remarks and observations, to
+allure young persons to a study of geography, and to the attainment of a
+knowledge of the character, habits, customs, and productions of foreign
+nations. The whole is supposed to be related in a series of daily
+instructions, from a parent to his children.
+
+The "Biographical Conversations on Celebrated Travellers," contain a
+further account of the United States and of Canada, in Professor's
+Kalm's Travels through those countries; and of the northern regions of
+America, in the Narratives of Hearne's Journeys from Hudson's Bay, to
+the Northern Ocean.
+
+The vignette represents the natural arch, called Rockbridge, described
+in page 102.
+
+ _Charlotte Street, Bloomsbury,
+ London, 22d July, 1821._
+
+
+
+
+INDEX OF THE COUNTRIES, AND PRINCIPAL PLACES AND OBJECTS DESCRIBED.
+
+
+                                                                 Page
+
+ NORTH AMERICA in General,                                          1
+
+ UNITED STATES in General,                                          3
+
+
+ _Account of New York and its vicinity._
+
+ Inhabitants of New York, 12--Situation, Streets, Population,
+ Hotels, 13--Stores, Public Buildings, Columbia College,
+ 14--Town Hall, Trades and Professions, 15--House-rent,
+ Provisions, Religion, Courts of Law, 16--Long Island, New
+ Jersey, River Hudson, Newark, Fishkill, Steam-boats,
+ 17--Emigrants, 18.
+
+
+ _Narrative of Fearon's Journey from New York to Boston._
+
+ New Haven, 18--New London, Norwich, New Providence, 19--
+ Pawtucket, Boston, 20--Bunker's Hill, Cambridge, Harvard
+ College, 21.
+
+
+ _Weld's Voyage up the River Hudson, from New York to Lake
+ Champlain._
+
+ River Hudson, 22--West Point, Albany, 23--River Mohawk,
+ Cohoz Waterfall, Saratoga, 25--Skenesborough, Lake Champlain,
+ 26--Ticonderoga, Crown Point, 27.
+
+
+ _Hall's Journey from Canada to the Cataract of Niagara._
+
+ Prescott, 28--River St. Lawrence, Lake Ontario, Kingston,
+ 29--Sackett's Harbour, Watertown, Utica, 30--Skaneactas,
+ Waterloo, Geneva, Canandaigua, Burning Spring, 32--Rochester,
+ 33--Lewistown, Queenston, 34--York, Ancaster, Mohawk Indians,
+ 35--Mohawk Village, 36--Falls of Niagara, 37.
+
+
+ _Hall's Journey from Niagara to Philadelphia._
+
+ Fort Erie, Buffalo, Batavia, Caledonia, 41--Genesee River,
+ Bath, Painted Post, 42--Susquehanna River, Wilksbarre,
+ 43--Wyoming, Blue Ridge, Bethlehem, Nazareth, 44--Moravians,
+ 45--Lehigh Mountain, German Town, 46.
+
+
+ _Description of Philadelphia._
+
+ Streets, Houses, 46--Shops, Wharfs, Water-Street, Public
+ Buildings, 47--State-house, University, Prison, 48--Markets,
+ Inhabitants, 49--Funerals, Climate, 50--Carriages, 51--
+ Taverns, 52--Delaware River, Schuylkil River, 53.
+
+ Trenton, College, 53--Residence of Joseph Buonaparte, 54.
+
+
+ _Fearon's Journey from Philadelphia to Pittsburg._
+
+ Great Valley, Mines, 54--Lancaster, Harrisburgh, Carlisle,
+ Chambersburgh, 55--London, Waggons, North Mountain,
+ 56--Bloody Run, Bedford, Dry Ridge, Alleghany Mountains,
+ Inhabitants, Log-houses, 57--Laurel Hill, Little Chesnut
+ Ridge, Greensburg, Turtle Creek Hill, Inhabitants, 58--
+ Pittsburg, 59--Manufactures, 60--Climate, American Population,
+ 61--Farms, Emigration, 62.
+
+
+ _Birkbeck's Expedition from Pittsburg into the Illinois
+ Territory._
+
+ Travelling, 63--Cannonsburg, Washington in Pennsylvania,
+ State of Ohio, Wheeling, 64--St. Clairsville, 65--Farms,
+ Zanesville, Rushville, Lancaster, 66--Chillicothe, Pike Town,
+ 67--Hurricane tract, 68--Lebanon, Cincinnati, Schools, 69--
+ State of Indiana, 70--Camp Tavern, 71--Vincennes, Indians,
+ 72--Princeton, 74--Harmony, Mount Vernon, Big Prairie, 75--
+ Woods, and Farms, 76--Hunters, Little Wabash, Skillet Fork,
+ 77--Shawnee Town, 78--Harmony, 79--Animals, 80--English
+ Prairie, 81.
+
+
+ _Weld's Excursion from Philadelphia to Washington._
+
+ Schuylkil River, Chester, Brandywine River, Wilmington,
+ 82--Elkton, Susquehannah River, Havre de Grace, Baltimore, 83.
+
+
+ _Description of Washington._
+
+ Origin, situation, form, Streets, Inhabitants, Capitol,
+ 85--President's House, Post-Office, River Potomac,
+ Tiber, 86--Markets, Shops, Inhabitants, Congress,
+ Senate, 87--Representative Chamber, George Town,
+ 88--Alexandria, Mount Vernon, 89.
+
+
+ _Weld's Journey from Washington to Richmond in Virginia._
+
+ Country, 89--Hoe's Ferry, Rappahannoc River, Plantations in
+ Virginia, 90--Tappahannoc or Hob's Hole, Urbanna, 91--Fires
+ in the Woods, 92--Gloucester, York, Williamsburgh, College,
+ 93--Hampton, Chesapeak, Norfolk, 94--Dismal Swamp, James River,
+ 95--Taverns, Petersburgh, Richmond, 96--Falls of the James
+ River, Inhabitants of Virginia, 97.
+
+
+ _Weld's Return from Richmond to Philadelphia._
+
+ South-west or Green Mountains, Country and Animals, 98--
+ Fire-flies, 99--Seat of Mr. Jefferson, Lynchburgh, 100--Peaks
+ of Otter, Fincastle, Soil and Climate, 101--Sweet Springs,
+ Jackson's Mountains, Rockbridge, 102--Maddison's Cave,
+ Emigrants, 103--Lexington, Staunton, Winchester, Potomac
+ River, Stupendous Scene, 104--Frederic, Philadelphia, 105.
+
+
+ _Michaux's Journey from Pittsburgh to Lexington._
+
+ Wheeling, River Ohio, 106--Marietta, Point Pleasant,
+ 107--Gallipoli, Alexandria, 108--Limestone, Kentucky,
+ 109--Inhabitants, 110--Mays Lick, Lexington, 111--
+ Louisville, 112--Caverns in Kentucky, 114.
+
+
+ _Michaux's Journey from Lexington to Charleston._
+
+ Vineyards, 114--Kentucky River, Harrodsburgh, Mulder Hill,
+ Barrens or Kentucky Meadows, 115--Nasheville, 117--Cairo,
+ Fort Blount, 118--West Point, Cherokee Indians, 119--
+ Kingstown, 120--Knoxville, Holstein River, Tavern, Macby,
+ 121--Woods, Log-houses, Greenville, Jonesborough, 122--
+ Alleghany Mountains, Linneville Mountains, Morganton,
+ 123--Lincolnton, 124--Chester, Winesborough, Columbia,
+ 125--Charleston, 126.
+
+
+ _Description of Charleston._
+
+ Situation, Quays, 126--Streets, Houses, 127--Public Buildings,
+ Trees in the Streets, Inhabitants, 128--Vauxhall, Hotels,
+ Market, Provisions, 129--Marshes, 130.
+
+ Adjacent country, 130--Raleigh, Newbern, Savannah, in Georgia,
+ 131.
+
+
+ _Bartram's Excursion from Charleston into Georgia and West
+ Florida._
+
+ Augusta, 133--Country, fossil shells, Fort James, Dartmouth,
+ 134--Indian monuments, 135--Cherokee Settlements, Sinica, 135
+ --Keowe, Tugilo river, 136--Sticoe, Cowe, 137--Cherokee
+ Indians, 138--Fort James, 140--Country near the Oakmulge and
+ Flint rivers, Uche, 141--Apalachula, Coweta, Talasse,
+ Coloome, 142--Alabama river, Mobile, Pensacola, 144--Mobile,
+ Pearl river, Manchac, Mississippi river, 145--Mobile, Taensa,
+ 146--Tallapoose river, Alabama, Mucclasse, Apalachula river,
+ Chehau, Usseta, 147--Oakmulge, Ocone river, Ogeche, Augusta,
+ Savannah, 148.
+
+
+ _Mr. Bartram's Journey from Savannah into East Florida._
+
+ Sunbury, 148--Fort Barrington, St. Ille's, 149--Savannahs
+ near river St. Mary, River St. Juan, or St. John, Cowford,
+ 150--Plantation, 151--Indian Village, 152 Charlotia or
+ Rolle's Town, Mount Royal, 153--Lake George, Spalding's
+ Upper Store, 154--Adventure with Alligators, 155--Alligators'
+ nests, 157--Lake, Forests, Plantation, Hot Fountain, Upper
+ Store, Cuscowilla, 159--Sand-hills, Half-way Pond, Turtles,
+ Lake of Cuscowilla, 160--Alachuas and Creek or Siminole
+ Indians, 161--Talahasochte, Little St. John's River, 162.
+
+
+ _The River Mississippi._
+
+ Source, Length, Banks, 165--Tides, New Orleans, 166--Adjacent
+ Country, Natchez, 167--Navigation of the Mississippi, 168--
+ New Madrid, the Ohio, Illinois Territory, Kaskaski, 169--St.
+ Louis, 170.
+
+
+ _Pike's Voyage from St. Louis to the Source of the Mississippi._
+
+ St. Louis, 170--Illinois River, Buffalo River, Sac Indians,
+ Salt River, 171--Rapids des Moines, Jowa River, Jowa Indians,
+ Rock River, 172--Turkey River, Reynard Indians, Ouisconsin
+ River, Pecant or Winebagoe Indians, 173--Sioux Indians,
+ Prairie des Chiens, 174--Sauteaux or Chippeway River, Scenery
+ of the Mississippi, Sioux village, Canoe. River, St. Croix
+ River, 176--Cannon River, Indian Burying-place, Falls of St.
+ Anthony, 177--Rum River, Red Cedar Lake, Beaver Islands,
+ Corbeau or Raven River, 178--Pine Creek, Lake Clear, Clear
+ River, Winter Quarters, Indians, 179--Falls of the Painted
+ Rock, Pine River, Chippeway Indians, 180--Leech Lake, Pine
+ Creek, 181--Indians, Falls of St. Anthony, Prairie des Chiens,
+ 182--Sioux and Puant Indians, Salt River, 183.
+
+
+ WESTERN TERRITORY OF AMERICA                                     184
+
+
+ _The River Missouri._
+
+ _Lewis and Clarke's Voyage from St. Louis to the Source of
+ the Missouri._
+
+ St. Louis, Osage River, Osage Indians, Big Manitou Creek,
+ 185--Kanzes River, Platte River, 186--Pawnee Indians, Ottoe
+ and Missouri Indians, 187--Indian Villages 188--Water of the
+ Missouri, Fruit, Yankton Indians, 189--Teton Indians, 191--
+ Ricara Indians, Chayenne River, 194--Le Boulet or Cannon-ball
+ River, Mandan Indians, 196--Winter Quarters, 197--Fort Mandan,
+ Ahanaway and Minnetaree Indians, 198--Knife River, 199--Little
+ Missouri, Indian Burying-place, 201--Yellow Stone River, 202
+ --Porcupine River, Muscle-shell River, 203--Great Falls of
+ the Missouri, 205--Maria's River, 207--Three Forks of the
+ Missouri, 209--Source of the Missouri, 210.
+
+
+ _Lewis and Clarke's Travels from the Source of the Missouri
+ to the Pacific Ocean._
+
+ Rocky Mountains, 210--Mountainous Country, Indians, 211--
+ Travellers' Rest Creek, Koos-koos-kee River, Chopunnish
+ Indians, 213--Shoshonees and Snake Indians, 214--Pierced-nose
+ Indians, 217--Indian Fisheries, 218--Solkuk Indians, 218--
+ Columbia or Oregan River, Echeloot Indians, 219--The Pacific
+ Ocean, Indians in the Vicinity of the Coast, 221.
+
+
+ _Lewis and Clarke's Return from the Pacific Ocean to St. Louis._
+
+ Rocky Mountains, 225--Travellers' Rest Creek, Clarke's River,
+ Maria's River, Missouri River, 226--Yellow-stone River,
+ Jefferson's River, 227--La Charette, St. Louis, 228.
+
+
+ _Pike's Journey from St. Louis, through Louisiana to Santa
+ Fe, New Spain._
+
+ Missouri River, St. Charles, Osage River, Gravel River, 229
+ --Yungar River, Grand Fork, Osage Indians, 230--Kanzes River,
+ Pawnee Indians, 231--Arkansaw River, 232--Indians, 233--Grand
+ Pawnees, Rio Colorado, 234--Rio del Norte, 236--Santa Fe, 237.
+
+
+ MEXICO or NEW SPAIN in general                                   239
+
+
+ _Pike's Journey from Santa Fe to Montelovez._
+
+ St. Domingo, Albuquerque, Sibilleta, 247--Passo del Norte,
+ Carracal, Chihuahua, 248--Florida River, Mauperne, Hacienda
+ of Polloss, 249--Montelovez, Durango, 250.
+
+
+ _Description of the City of Mexico._
+
+ Situation, 250--Ancient City, 251--Quarters, Teocallis or
+ Temples, 252--School of Mines, Valley of Mexico, 253--Streets,
+ Aqueducts, Dikes or Embankments, Public Edifices, 254--Public
+ Walk, Markets, Chinampas, 255--Hill of Chapoltepec, Lakes of
+ Tezcuco and Chalco, 256.
+
+
+ _Description of some of the most important Places in Mexico._
+
+ Tlascala, 256--Puebla, Cholula, Vera Cruz, 257--Xalapa,
+ Volcano of Orizaba, Coffre de Perote, Volcano of Tuxtla,
+ Papantla, Indian Pyramid, 259--Acapulco, 260--Guaxaca or
+ Oaxaca, Intendancy of Yucatan, Bay of Campeachy, 261--
+ Merida, Campeachy, Honduras, Balize, 262--Nicaragua, Yare
+ River, 263--Leon de Nicaragua, 264.
+
+
+ BRITISH AMERICAN DOMINIONS                                       264
+
+ _Nova Scotia_ in general                                         ib.
+
+ Halifax                                                          265
+
+ _Canada_ in general                                              265
+
+
+ _Description of Quebec._
+
+ Situation, Cape Diamond, 267--Lower Town, Houses, Streets,
+ Mountain Street, 268--Shops or Stores, Taverns, Public
+ Buildings, Upper Town, 269--Charitable Institutions, Wolf's
+ Cove, Heights of Abram, Markets, 270--Maple Sugar, Fruit,
+ Climate, 271.
+
+
+ _Mr. Hall's Journey from Quebec to Montreal._
+
+ Jacques Cartier Bridge, Cataract, Country Houses, 272--
+ Post-houses, Trois Rivieres, River St. Maurice, Falls of
+ Shawinne Gamme, Beloeil Mountain, 273--Beloeil, Montreal
+ Mountain, 274.
+
+
+ _Description of Montreal._
+
+ Situation, Buildings, Streets, Square, Upper and Lower Towns,
+ Suburbs, Religious and Charitable Institutions, 275--Public
+ Edifices, Parade, 276--Markets, Climate, 277.
+
+
+ _Route from Montreal to Fort Chepewyan._
+
+ La Chine, 277--St. Ann's, Lake of the two Mountains, Utawas
+ River, Portage de Chaudiere, 278--Lake Nepisingui, Nepisinguis
+ Indians, Riviere de Francois, Lake Huron, Lake Superior,
+ Algonquin Indians, 279--Grande Portage, River Au Tourt, 280--
+ Lake Winipic, Cedar Lake, Mud Lake, Sturgeon Lake, Saskatchiwine
+ River, Beaver Lake, Lake of the Hills, Fort Chepewyan, 281.
+
+
+ _Account of the Knisteneaux and Chepewyan Indians._
+
+ Knisteneaux, 282--Chepewyans, 285.
+
+
+ _Mackenzie's Voyage from Fort Chepewyan, along the Rivers
+ to the Frozen Ocean._
+
+ Fort Chepewyan, 288--Lake of the Hills, Slave River, Great
+ Slave Lake, 289--Red-knife Indians, 290--Slave and Dog-rib
+ Indians, 291--Quarreller Indians, 294--North Frozen Ocean,
+ Whale Island, 295.
+
+
+ _Mackenzie's Return from the Frozen Ocean to Fort Chepewyan._
+
+ Indians, 296--Account of the country, 297--Woods and Mountains,
+ 298--Fort Chepewyan.
+
+
+ _Description of the Western Coast of America, from California
+ to Behring's Strait._
+
+ California, Gulf of California, Missionary Establishment,
+ Indians of California, 299--Monterey, New Albion, Nootka
+ Sound, 300--Indians of Nootka Sound, 301--Port St. Francois,
+ Indians, Prince William's Sound, 302--Cook's River, Alyaska,
+ Cape Newenham, 303--Behring's Strait, Cape Prince of Wales,
+ 304.
+
+
+ DAVIS'S STRAIT and BAFFIN'S BAY                                  304
+
+
+ _Ross's Voyage of Discovery, for the purpose of exploring
+ Baffin's Bay, and enquiring into the Probability of a
+ North-west Passage._
+
+ Cape Farewell, Icebergs, Disco Island, 305,--Kron Prin's
+ Island, Danish Settlement, Wayat's or Hare Island, Four Island
+ Point, Danish Factory, 306,--Esquimaux of Greenland, Danger
+ from the Ice, Whales, 307--Arctic Highlanders, 308--Arctic
+ Highlands, Prince Regent's Bay, 315--Sea Fowls, Crimson Snow,
+ Cape Dudley Digges, 317--Wolstenholme and Whale Sounds, Sir
+ Thomas Smith's Sound, Alderman Jones's Sound, Lancaster Sound,
+ Croker Mountains, 318, 319.
+
+
+ _Parry's Voyage for the Discovery of a North-west Passage._
+
+ Lancaster's Sound, Possession Bay, 319--Croker's Bay,
+ Wellington Channel, Barrow's Straits, 320--Bounty Cape, Bay
+ of the Hecla and Griper, Melville Island, 321--Cape Providence,
+ North Georgian Islands, 322--Winter Quarters at Melville
+ Island, 323--Cape Providence, Lancaster's Sound, Baffin's Bay,
+ the Clyde, Esquimaux Indians, 333.
+
+
+ LABRADOR in general                                              336
+
+ GREENLAND in general                                             339
+
+
+
+
+ _Explanation of the Plates in this Volume._
+
+ Plate                                          Page
+
+    _Vignette_, Rock Bridge                      102
+
+ 1. Washington (_Frontispiece_)                   85
+    Pyramid of Cholula, near Mexico              257
+    New York                                      13
+
+ 2. Philadelphia, Second Street                   46
+    Philadelphia, United States Bank              48
+    Philadelphia, High Street                     46
+
+ 3. Quebec                                       268
+    Cataract of Niagara                           37
+    Montreal                                     276
+
+The Binder is requested to place the Frontispiece opposite to the Title,
+and the above Explanation, with the other Plates, together, after the
+Table of Contents.
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: _Plate 2._
+
+PHILADELPHIA, SECOND STREET.
+
+UNITED STATES BANK.
+
+PHILADELPHIA, HIGH STREET.]
+
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: _Plate 3._
+
+QUEBEC.
+
+CATARACT OF NIAGARA.
+
+MONTREAL.]
+
+
+
+
+TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA,
+
+FROM
+
+MODERN WRITERS.
+
+
+
+
+First Day's Instruction.
+
+NORTH AMERICA.
+
+
+This division of the great western continent is more than five thousand
+miles in length; and, in some latitudes, is four thousand miles wide. It
+was originally discovered by Europeans, about the conclusion of the
+fifteenth century; and, a few years afterwards, a party of Spanish
+adventurers obtained possession of some of the southern districts. The
+inhabitants of these they treated like wild animals, who had no property
+in the woods through which they roamed. They expelled them from their
+habitations, established settlements; and, taking possession of the
+country in the name of their sovereign, they appropriated to themselves
+the choicest and most valuable provinces. Numerous other settlements
+have since been established in different parts of the country; and the
+native tribes have nearly been exterminated, while the European
+population and the descendants of Europeans, have so much increased
+that, in the United States only, there are now more than ten millions of
+white inhabitants.
+
+The _surface_ of the country is extremely varied. A double range of
+mountains extends through the United States, in a direction, from
+south-west to north-east; and another range traverses nearly the whole
+western regions, from north to south. No part of the world is so well
+watered with rivulets, rivers, and lakes, as this. Some of the _lakes_
+resemble inland seas. Lake Superior is nearly 300 miles long, and is
+more than 150 miles wide; and lakes Huron, Michigan, Erie, Ontario, and
+Champlain, are all of great size. The principal navigable _rivers_ of
+America are the Mississippi, the Ohio, the Missouri, and the Illinois.
+Of these the _Mississippi_ flows from the north, and falls into the Gulf
+of Mexico. The _Ohio_ flows into the Mississippi: it extends in a
+north-easterly direction, and receives fifteen large streams, all of
+which are navigable. The _Missouri_ and the _Illinois_ also flow into
+the Mississippi: and, by means of these several rivers, a commercial
+intercourse is effected, from the ocean to vast distances into the
+interior of the country. Other important rivers are the _Delaware_ and
+the _Hudson_, in the United States, and the _St. Lawrence_, in Canada.
+The _bays_ and harbours of North America are numerous, and many of them
+are well adapted for the reception and protection of ships. _Hudson's
+Bay_ is of greater extent than the whole Baltic sea. _Delaware Bay_ is
+60 miles long; and, in some parts, is so wide, that a vessel in the
+middle of it cannot be seen from either bank. _Chesapeak Bay_ extends
+270 miles inland. The _Bay of Honduras_ is on the south-eastern side of
+New Spain, and is noted for the trade in logwood and mahogany, which is
+carried on upon its banks.
+
+The _natural productions_ of North America are, in many respects,
+important. The forests abound in valuable timber-trees; among which are
+enumerated no fewer than forty-two different species of oaks.
+Fruit-trees of various kinds are abundant; and, in many places, grapes
+grow wild: the other vegetable productions are numerous and important.
+Among the quadrupeds are enumerated some small species of tigers, deer,
+elks of immense size, bisons, bears, wolves, foxes, beavers, porcupines,
+and opossums. The American forests abound in birds; and in those of
+districts that are distant from the settlements of men, wild turkeys,
+and several species of grouse are very numerous. In some of the forests
+of Canada, passenger-pigeons breed in myriads; and, during their
+periodical flight, from one part of the country to another, their
+numbers darken the air. The coasts, bays, and rivers, abound in fish;
+and various species of reptiles and serpents are known to inhabit the
+interior of the southern districts. Among the mountains most of the
+important metals are found: iron, lead, and copper, are all abundant;
+and coals are not uncommon.
+
+
+THE UNITED STATES.
+
+That part of North America which is under the government of the United
+States, now constitutes one of the most powerful and most enlightened
+nations in the world. The inhabitants enjoy the advantage of a vast
+extent of territory, over which the daily increasing population is able,
+with facility, to expand itself; and much of this territory, though
+covered with forests, is capable of being cleared, and many parts of it
+are every day cleared, for the purposes of cultivation.
+
+The origin of the United States may be dated from the time of the
+formation of an English colony in Virginia, about the year 1606. Other
+English colonies were subsequently formed; and, during one hundred and
+fifty years, these gradually increased in strength and prosperity, till,
+at length, the inhabitants threw off their dependance upon England, and
+established an independent republican government. This, after a long and
+expensive war, was acknowledged by Great Britain, in a treaty signed at
+Paris on the 30th of November, 1782.
+
+The _boundaries_ of the States were determined by this treaty; but, some
+important acquisitions of territory have since been made. In April,
+1803, _Louisiana_ was ceded to them by France; and this district, in
+its most limited extent, includes a surface of country, which, with the
+exception of Russia, is equal to the whole of Europe. _Florida_, by its
+local position, is connected with the United States: it belonged to
+Spain, but, in the year 1820, it was annexed to the territories of the
+republic.
+
+Geographical writers have divided the United States into three regions:
+the _lowlands_ or flat country; the highlands, and the mountains. Of
+these, the first extend from the Atlantic ocean to the falls of the
+great rivers. The _highlands_ reach from the falls to the foot of the
+mountains; and the _mountains_ stretch nearly through the whole country,
+in a direction from south-west to north-east. Their length is about 900
+miles, and their breadth from 60 to 200. They may be considered as
+separated into two distinct chains; of which the eastern chain has the
+name of _Blue Mountains_, and the western is known, at its southern
+extremity, by the name of _Cumberland_ and _Gauley Mountains_, and
+afterwards by that of the _Alleghany Mountains_. The Alleghanies are
+about 250 miles distant from the shore of the Atlantic. Towards the
+north there are other eminences, called the _Green Mountains_ and the
+_White Mountains_. The loftiest summits of the whole are said to be
+about 7000 feet in perpendicular height above the level of the sea.
+
+Few countries can boast a greater general fertility of _soil_ than North
+America. The soil of the higher lands consists, for the most part, of a
+brown loamy earth, and a yellowish sandy clay. Marine shells, and other
+substances, in a fossil state, are found at the depth of eighteen or
+twenty feet below the surface of the ground. Some of these are of very
+extraordinary description. In the year 1712, several bones and teeth of
+a vast nondescript quadruped, were dug up at Albany in the state of New
+York. By the ignorant inhabitants these were considered to be the
+remains of gigantic human bodies. In 1799 the bones of other individuals
+of this animal, which has since been denominated the _Mastodon_ or
+_American Mammoth_, were discovered beneath the surface of the ground,
+in the vicinity of Newburgh, on the river Hudson. Induced by the hope of
+being able to obtain a perfect skeleton, a Mr. Peale, of Philadelphia,
+purchased these bones, with the right of digging for others. He was
+indefatigable in his exertions, but was unable, for some time, to
+procure any more. He made an attempt in a morass about twelve miles
+distant from Newburgh, where an entire set of ribs was found, but
+unaccompanied by any other remains. In another morass, in Ulster county,
+he found several bones; among the rest a complete under jaw, and upper
+part of the head. From the whole of the fragments that he obtained, he
+was enabled to form two skeletons. One of these, under the name of
+mammoth, was exhibited in London, about a year afterwards. Its height at
+the shoulder was eleven feet; its whole length was fifteen feet; and its
+weight about one thousand pounds. This skeleton was furnished with large
+and curved ivory tusks, different in shape from those of an elephant,
+but similar in quality. In 1817 another skeleton was dug up, from the
+depth of only four feet, in the town of _Goshen_, near Chester. The
+tusks of this were more than nine feet in length.
+
+In a region so extensive as the United States, there must necessarily be
+a great variety of _climate_. In general, the heat of summer and the
+cold of winter are more intense, and the transitions, from the one to
+the other, are more sudden than in the old continent. The predominant
+winds are from the west; and the severest cold is felt from the
+north-west. Between the forty-second and forty-fifth degrees of
+latitude, the same parallel as the south of France, the winters are very
+severe. During winter, the ice of the rivers is sufficiently strong to
+bear the passage of horses and waggons; and snow is so abundant, as to
+admit the use of sledges. In Georgia the winters are mild. South
+Carolina is subject to immoderate heat, to tremendous hurricanes, and
+to terrific storms of thunder and lightning.
+
+The United States are usually classed in three divisions: the northern,
+the middle, and the southern. The _northern states_ have the general
+appellation of _New England_: they are Massachusetts, New Hampshire,
+Vermont, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. The _middle states_ are New
+York, New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana. The
+_southern states_ are Maryland, Virginia, Kentucky, North Carolina,
+South Carolina, Tenessee, and Louisiana.
+
+Besides these, the United States claim the government of the
+_territories_ of the Illinois, Alabama, and Mississippi. By a public
+ordinance, passed in the year 1787, a territory cannot be admitted into
+the American Union, until its population amounts to 60,000 free
+inhabitants. In the mean time, however, it is subject to a regular
+provisional form of government. The administration of this is entrusted
+to a governor, who is appointed by the president and congress of the
+United States; and who is invested with extensive powers, for protection
+of the interests of the States, and the observance of a strict faith
+towards the Indians, in the exchange of commodities, and the purchase of
+lands.
+
+The _government_ of the United States is denominated a "Federal
+Republic." Each state has a constitution for the management of its own
+internal affairs; and, by the federal constitution, they are all formed
+into one united body. The legislative power is vested in a _congress_ of
+delegates from the several states; this congress is divided into two
+distinct bodies, the _senate_ and the _house of representatives_. The
+members of the latter are elected every two years, by the people; and
+the senators are elected every six years, by the state legislatures. A
+senator must be thirty years of age, an inhabitant of the state in which
+he is elected, and must have been nine years a citizen of the United
+States: the present number of senators is thirty-eight. The executive
+power is vested in a _president_, who is chosen every four years. In
+the election both of members of congress, and of the president of the
+United States, it is asserted, that there is much manoeuvering, and
+much corrupt influence exerted. In the electioneering addresses of the
+defeated parties, these are, perhaps, as often made a subject of
+complaint and reproach, as they are in those of defeated candidates for
+the representation of counties or boroughs in the British House of
+Commons.
+
+Washington is the seat of government; and the president, when there,
+lives in a house destined for his use, and furnished at the expense of
+the nation. His annual salary is 25,000 dollars, about L.5600 sterling.
+The president, in virtue of his office, is commander-in-chief of the
+army and navy of the United States, and also of the militia, whenever it
+is called into actual service. He is empowered to make treaties, to
+appoint ambassadors, ministers, consuls, judges of the supreme court,
+and all military and other officers whose appointments are not otherwise
+provided for by the law.
+
+The _national council_ is composed of the President and Vice President;
+and the heads of the treasury, war, navy, and post-office establishment.
+
+The _inhabitants_ of the United States (says Mr. Warden[1]) have not
+that uniform character which belongs to ancient nations, upon whom, time
+and the stability of institutions, have imprinted a particular and
+individual character. The general physiognomy is as varied as its origin
+is different. English, Irish, Germans, Scotch, French, and Swiss, all
+retain some characteristic of their ancient country.
+
+The account given by Mr. Birkbeck is somewhat different from this. He
+asserts that, as far as he had an opportunity of judging, the native
+inhabitants of the towns are much alike; nine out of ten (he says) are
+tall and long limbed, approaching or even exceeding six feet. They are
+seen in pantaloons and Wellington boots; either marching up and down,
+with their hands in their pockets, or seated in chairs poised on the
+hind feet, and the backs rested against the walls. If a hundred
+Americans, of any class, were to seat themselves, ninety-nine (observes
+this gentleman) would shuffle their chairs to the true distance, and
+then throw themselves back against the nearest prop. The women exhibit a
+great similarity of tall, relaxed forms, with consistent dress and
+demeanour; and are not remarkable for sprightliness of manners.
+Intellectual culture has not yet made much progress among the generality
+of either sex; but the men, from their habit of travelling, and their
+consequent intercourse with strangers, have greatly the advantage, in
+the means of acquiring information. Mr. Birkbeck says that, in every
+village and town, as he passed along, he observed groups of young
+able-bodied men, who seemed to be as perfectly at leisure as the
+loungers of Europe. This love of indolence, where labour is so
+profitable, is a strange affection. If these people be asked why they so
+much indulge in it, they answer, that "they live in freedom; and need
+not work, like the English."
+
+In the interior of the United States, and in the back settlements,
+_land_ may be purchased, both of individuals and of the government, at
+very low rates. The price of uncleared land, or of land covered with
+trees, and not yet in a state fit for cultivation, is, in many
+instances, as low as two dollars an acre. The public lands are divided
+into townships of six miles square; each of which is subdivided into
+thirty-six sections, of one mile square, or 640 acres; and these are
+usually offered for sale, in quarter sections, of 160 acres. The
+purchase money may be paid by four equal instalments; the first within
+forty days, and the others within two, three, and four years after the
+completion of the purchase.
+
+Mr. Birkbeck thus describes the mode in which _towns_ _are formed_ in
+America. On any spot, (says he,) where a few settlers cluster together,
+attracted by ancient neighbourhood, or by the goodness of the soil, or
+vicinity to a mill, or by whatever other cause, some enterprising
+proprietor perhaps finds, in his section, what he deems a good site for
+a town: he has it surveyed, and laid out in lots, which he sells, or
+offers to sale by auction. When these are disposed of, the new town
+assumes the name of its founder: a store-keeper builds a little framed
+store, and sends for a few cases of goods; and then a tavern starts up,
+which becomes the residence of a doctor and a lawyer, and the boarding
+house of the store-keeper, as well as the resort of the traveller. Soon
+follow a blacksmith, and other handicraftsmen, in useful succession. A
+school-master, who is also the minister of religion, becomes an
+important acquisition to this rising community. Thus the town proceeds,
+if it proceed at all, with accumulating force, until it becomes the
+metropolis of the neighbourhood. Hundreds of these speculations may have
+failed, but hundreds prosper; and thus trade begins and thrives, as
+population increases around favourite spots. The town being established,
+a cluster of inhabitants, however small it may be, acts as a stimulus on
+the cultivation of the neighbourhood: redundancy of supply is the
+consequence, and this demands a vent. Water-mills rise on the nearest
+navigable streams, and thus an effectual and constant market is secured
+for the increasing surplus of produce. Such are the elements of that
+accumulating mass of commerce which may, hereafter, render this one of
+the most important and most powerful countries in the world.
+
+Though the Americans boast of the freedom which they personally enjoy,
+they, most inconsistently, allow the importation and employment of
+_slaves_; and, with such unjust detestation are these unhappy beings
+treated, that a negro is not permitted to eat at the same table, nor
+even to frequent the same place of worship, as a white person. The white
+_servants_, on the contrary, esteem themselves on an equality with
+their masters. They style themselves "helps," and will not suffer
+themselves to be called "servants." When they speak to their masters or
+mistresses, they either call them by their names; or they substitute the
+term "boss," for that of master. All this, however, is a difference
+merely of words; for the Americans exhibit no greater degree of feeling,
+nor are they at all more considerate in their conduct towards this class
+of society, than the inhabitants of other nations. Indeed the contrary
+is very often the case. Most persons, in America, engage their servants
+by the week, and no enquiry is ever made relative to character, as is
+customary with us.
+
+The _constitution_ of the United States guarantees freedom of speech and
+liberty of the press. By law all the inhabitants are esteemed equal. The
+chief military strength of the country is in the militia; and, whenever
+this is embodied, every male inhabitant beyond a certain age, is
+compellable either to bear arms, or to pay an equivalent to be excused
+from this service. Trial by jury is to be preserved inviolate. A
+republican form of government is guaranteed to all the states, and
+hereditary titles and distinctions are prohibited by the law. With
+regard to religion, it is stipulated that no law shall ever be passed to
+establish any particular form of religion, or to prevent the free
+exercise of it; and, in the United States, no religious test is required
+as a qualification to any office of public trust.
+
+In _commerce_ and _navigation_ the progress of the States has been rapid
+beyond example. Besides the natural advantages of excellent harbours,
+extensive inland bays, and navigable rivers, the Americans assert that
+their trade is not fettered by monopolies, nor by exclusive privileges
+of any description. Goods or merchandise circulate through the whole
+country free of duty; and a full drawback, or restitution of the duties
+of importation, is granted upon articles exported to a foreign port, in
+the course of the year in which they have been imported. Commerce is
+here considered a highly honourable employment; and, in the sea-port
+towns, all the wealthiest members of the community are merchants. Nearly
+all the materials for manufactures are produced in this country. Fuel is
+inexhaustible; and the high wages of the manufacturers, and the want of
+an extensive capital, alone prevent the Americans from rivalling the
+English in trade. The produce of cultivation in America is of almost
+every variety that can be named: wheat, maize, rye, oats, barley, rice,
+and other grain; apples, pears, cherries, peaches, grapes, currants,
+gooseberries, plums, and other fruit, and a vast variety of vegetables.
+Lemons, oranges, and tropical fruits are raised in the southern States.
+Hops, flax, and hemp are abundant. Tobacco is an article of extensive
+cultivation in Virginia, Maryland, and some other districts. Cotton and
+sugar are staple commodities in several of the states. The northern and
+eastern states are well adapted for grazing, and furnish a great number
+of valuable horses, and of cattle and sheep; and an abundance of butter
+and cheese.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+It will be possible to describe nearly all the most important places
+within the limits of the United States, by reciting, in succession, the
+narratives of different travellers through this interesting country. In
+so doing, however, it may perhaps be found requisite, in a few
+instances, to separate the parts of their narrations, for the purpose of
+more methodical illustration; but this alteration of arrangement will
+not often occur.
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+[1] Statistical, political, and historical account of the United
+States.
+
+
+
+
+Second Day's Instruction.
+
+UNITED STATES CONTINUED.
+
+
+_An account of New York and its vicinity. From Sketches of America by_
+HENRY BRADSHAW FEARON.
+
+Mr. Fearon was deputed by several friends in England, to visit the
+United States, for the purpose of obtaining information, by which they
+should regulate their conduct, in emigrating from their native country,
+to settle in America. He arrived in the bay of New York, about the
+beginning of August, 1817.
+
+Here every object was interesting to him. The pilot brought on board the
+ship the newspapers of the morning. In these, many of the advertisements
+had, to Mr. Fearon, the character of singularity. One of them,
+announcing a play, terminated thus: "gentlemen are informed that no
+smoking is allowed in the theatre." Several sailing boats passed, with
+respectable persons in them, many of whom wore enormously large straw
+hats, turned up behind. At one o'clock, the vessel was anchored close to
+the city; and a great number of persons were collected on the wharf to
+witness her arrival. Many of these belonged to the labouring class;
+others were of the mercantile and genteeler orders. Large straw hats
+prevailed, and trowsers were universal. The general costume of these
+persons was inferior to that of men in the same rank of life in England:
+their whole appearance was loose, slovenly, careless, and not remarkable
+for cleanliness. The wholesale stores, which front the river, had not
+the most attractive appearance imaginable. The carts were long and
+narrow, and each was drawn by one horse. The hackney-coaches were open
+at the sides, an arrangement well suited to this warm climate; and the
+charge was about one fourth higher than in London.
+
+This city, when approached from the sea, presents an appearance that is
+truly beautiful. It stands at the extreme point of Manhattan, or York
+island, which is thirteen miles long, and from one to two miles wide;
+and the houses are built from shore to shore. Vessels of any burden can
+come close up to the town, and lie there in perfect safety, in a natural
+harbour formed by the _East_ and _Hudson's rivers_. New York contains
+120,000 inhabitants, and is, indisputably, the most important commercial
+city in America.
+
+The _streets_ through which Mr. Fearon passed, to a boarding-house in
+State-street, were narrow and dirty. The _Battery_, however, is a
+delightful walk, at the edge of the bay; and several of the houses in
+State-street are as large as those in Bridge-street, Blackfriars,
+London. At the house in which Mr. Fearon resided, the hours of eating
+were, breakfast, eight o'clock; dinner half-past three, tea seven, and
+supper ten; and the whole expence of living amounted to about eighteen
+dollars per week.
+
+The _street population_ of New York has an aspect very different from
+that of London, or the large towns in England. One striking feature of
+it is formed by the number of blacks, many of whom are finely dressed:
+the females are ludicrously so, generally in white muslin, with
+artificial flowers and pink shoes. Mr. Fearon saw very few well-dressed
+white ladies; but this was a time of the year when most of them were
+absent at the springs of Balston and Saratoga, places of fashionable
+resort, about 200 miles from New York.
+
+All the native inhabitants of this city have sallow complexions. To have
+colour in the cheeks is here considered a criterion by which a person is
+known to be an Englishman. The young men are tall, thin, and solemn:
+they all wear trowsers, and most of them walk about in loose great
+coats.
+
+There are, in New York, many _hotels_; some of which are on an extensive
+scale. The City Hotel is as large as the London Tavern. The dining-room
+and some of the private apartments seem to have been fitted up
+regardless of expense. The _shops_, or stores, as they are here called,
+have nothing in their exterior to recommend them to notice: there is not
+even an attempt at tasteful display. In this city the linen and
+woollen-drapers expose great quantities of their goods, loose on boxes,
+in the street, without any precaution against theft. This practice, a
+proof of their carelessness, is at the same time an evidence as to the
+political state of society which is worthy of attention. Great masses of
+the population cannot be unemployed, or robbery would be inevitable.
+
+There are, in New York, many excellent private dwellings, built of red
+painted brick, which gives them a peculiarly neat and clean appearance.
+In Broadway and Wall-street, trees are planted along the side of the
+pavement. The City Hall is a large and elegant building, in which the
+courts of law are held. Most of the _streets_ are dirty: in many of them
+sawyers prepare their wood for sale, and all are infested with pigs.
+
+On the whole, a walk through New York will disappoint an Englishman:
+there is an apparent carelessness, a laziness, an unsocial indifference,
+which freezes the blood and disgusts the judgment. An evening stroll
+along Broadway, when the lamps are lighted, will please more than one at
+noonday. The shops will look rather better, but the manners of the
+proprietors will not greatly please an Englishman: their cold
+indifference may be mistaken, by themselves, for independence, but no
+person of thought and observation will ever concede to them that they
+have selected a wise mode of exhibiting that dignified feeling.
+
+[There is, in New York, a seminary for education, called _Columbia
+College_. This institution was originally named "King's College," and
+was founded in the year 1754. Its annual revenue is about 4000 dollars.
+A botanic garden, situated about four miles from the city, was, not long
+ago, purchased by the state, of Dr. Hosach, for 73,000 dollars, and
+given to the college. The faculty of medicine, belonging to this
+institution, has been incorporated under the title of "The College of
+Physicians and Surgeons of the University of New York."]
+
+The _Town Hall_ of this city is a noble building, of white marble; and
+the space around it is planted and railed off. The interior appears to
+be well arranged. In the rooms of the mayor and corporation, are
+portraits of several governors of this state, and of some distinguished
+officers. The state rooms and courts of justice are on the first floor.
+In the immediate vicinity of the hall is an extensive building,
+appropriated to the "New York Institution," the "Academy of fine Arts,"
+and the "American Museum." There are also a state prison, an hospital,
+and many splendid churches.
+
+When a traveller surveys this city, and recollects that, but two
+centuries since, the spot on which it stands was a wilderness, he cannot
+but be surprised at its present comparative extent and opulence.
+
+With regard to _trades_ in New York, Mr. Fearon remarks that building
+appeared to be carried on to a considerable extent, and was generally
+performed by contract. There were many timber, or lumber-yards, (as they
+are here called,) but not on the same large and compact scale as in
+England. Cabinet-work was neatly executed, and at a reasonable price.
+Chair-making was an extensive business. Professional men, he says,
+literally swarm in the United States; and lawyers are as common in New
+York as paupers are in England. A gentleman, walking in the Broadway,
+seeing a friend pass, called out to him, "Doctor!" and immediately
+sixteen persons turned round, to answer the call. It is estimated that
+there are, in New York, no fewer than 1500 spirit shops, yet the
+Americans have not the character of being drunkards. There are several
+large carvers' and gilders' shops; and glass-mirrors and picture-frames
+are executed with taste and elegance. Plate-glass is imported from
+France, Holland, and England. Booksellers' shops are extensive; but
+English novels and poetry are the primary articles of a bookseller's
+business. Many of the popular English books are here reprinted, but in a
+smaller size, and on worse paper than the original. There are, in this
+city, a few boarding-schools for ladies; but, in general, males and
+females, of all ages, are educated at the same establishment. No species
+of correction is allowed. Children, even at home, are perfectly
+independent; subordination being foreign to the comprehension of all
+persons in the United States.
+
+The _rents of houses_ are here extremely high. Very small houses, in
+situations not convenient for business, and containing, in the whole,
+only six rooms, are worth from L.75 to L.80 per annum; and for similar
+houses, in first-rate situations, the rents as high as from L.160 to
+L.200 are paid. Houses like those in Oxford-street and the best part of
+Holborn, are let for L.500 or L.600 pounds per annum.
+
+_Provisions_ are somewhat cheaper than in London; but most of the
+articles of clothing are dear, being chiefly of British manufacture.
+With regard to _religion_ in the United States, there is legally the
+most unlimited liberty. There is no established religion; but the
+professors of the presbyterian and the episcopalian, or church of
+England tenets, take the precedence, both in numbers and respectability.
+Their ministers receive each from two to eight thousand dollars per
+annum. All the churches are said to be well filled. The episcopalians,
+though they do not form any part of the state, have their bishops and
+other orders, as in England.
+
+Mr. Fearon remarks, generally, respecting the United States, that every
+industrious man may obtain a living; but that America is not the
+political elysium which it has been so floridly described, and which the
+imaginations of many have fondly anticipated.
+
+In the _courts of law_ there appears to be a perfect equality between
+the judge, the counsel, the jury, the tipstaff, and the auditors; and
+Mr. Fearon was informed that great corruption exists in the minor
+courts.
+
+New York is called a "free state;" and it may perhaps be so termed
+theoretically, or in comparison with its southern neighbours; but, even
+here, there are multitudes of negroes in a state of slavery, and who are
+bought and sold as cattle would be in England. And so degrading do the
+white inhabitants consider it, to associate with blacks, that the latter
+are absolutely excluded from all places of public worship, which the
+whites attend. Even the most degraded white person will neither eat nor
+walk with a negro.
+
+_Long Island_ is a part of the state of New York, one hundred and twenty
+miles in length, and twelve in breadth. It is chiefly occupied by
+farmers; and is divided into two counties.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Mr. Fearon made several excursions into the state of _New Jersey_,
+situated opposite to that of New York, and on the southern side of the
+river _Hudson_. The valleys abound in black oaks, ash, palms, and poplar
+trees. Oak and hickory-nut trees grow in situations which are
+overflowed. The soil is not considered prolific. _Newark_ is a
+manufacturing town, in this province, of considerable importance, and
+delightfully situated. It contains many excellent houses, and a
+population of about eight thousand persons, including slaves. Carriages
+and chairs are here made in great numbers, chiefly for sale in the
+southern markets.
+
+For the purpose of visiting the property of a gentleman who resided in
+the vicinity of _Fishkill_, a creek somewhat more than sixty miles from
+New York, Mr. Fearon took his passage in a steam-boat. He paid for his
+fare three dollars and a half, and the voyage occupied somewhat more
+than eight hours. The vessel was of the most splendid description. It
+contained one hundred and sixty beds; and the ladies had a distinct
+cabin. On the deck were numerous conveniences, such as baggage-rooms,
+smoking-rooms, &c. The general occupation, during the voyage, was
+card-playing. In the houses of two gentlemen whom Mr. Fearon visited
+near Fishkill, he was much gratified by the style of living, the
+substantial elegance of the furniture, and the mental talents of the
+company. Here he found both comfort and cleanliness, requisites which
+are scarcely known in America.
+
+In a general summary of his opinion respecting persons desirous of
+emigrating from England to America, Mr. Fearon says, that the capitalist
+may obtain, for his money, seven per cent. with good security. The
+lawyer and the doctor will not succeed. An orthodox minister would do
+so. The proficient in the fine arts will find little encouragement. The
+literary man must starve. The tutor's posts are all occupied. The
+shopkeeper may do as well, but not better than in London, unless he be a
+man of superior talent, and have a large capital: for such requisites
+there is a fine opening. The farmer must labour hard, and be but
+scantily remunerated. The clerk and shopman will get but little more
+than their board and lodging. Mechanics, whose trades are of the _first
+necessity_, will do well: but men who are not mechanics, and who
+understand only the cotton, linen, woollen, glass, earthenware, silk, or
+stocking manufactories, cannot obtain employment. The labouring man will
+do well; particularly if he have a wife and children who are capable of
+contributing, not merely to the consuming, but also to the earning of
+the common stock.
+
+
+_Narrative of_ MR. FEARON'S _Journey from New York to Boston._
+
+ON the 8th of September this gentleman left New York for Boston. After a
+passage of twelve hours, the vessel in which he sailed arrived at _New
+Haven_, a city in Connecticut, distant from New York, by water, about
+ninety miles. This place has a population of about five thousand
+persons, and has the reputation of ranking among the most beautiful
+towns in the United States. [It is situated at the head of a bay,
+between two rivers, and contains about five hundred houses, which are
+chiefly built of wood, but on a regular plan: it has also several public
+edifices, and about four thousand inhabitants. The harbour is spacious,
+well protected, and has good anchorage. There is at New Haven a college,
+superintended by a president, a professor in divinity, and three
+tutors.]
+
+From this place Mr. Fearon proceeded to _New London_, a small town on
+the west side of the river Thames. Here he took a place in the coach for
+Providence. American stages are a species of vehicles with which none in
+England can be compared. They carry twelve passengers: none outside. The
+coachman, or driver, sits inside with the company. In length they are
+nearly equal to two English stages. Few of them go on springs. The sides
+are open; the roof being supported by six small posts. The luggage is
+carried behind, and in the inside. The seats are pieces of plain board;
+and there are leathers which can be let down from the top, and which,
+though useful as a protection against wet, are of little service in cold
+weather.
+
+The passengers breakfasted at _Norwich_, a manufacturing and trading
+town, about fourteen miles from New London; and, at six o'clock in the
+evening, they arrived at _New Providence_, the capital of Rhode Island,
+having occupied thirteen hours in travelling only fifty miles. In the
+general appearance of the country, Mr. Fearon had been somewhat
+disappointed. All the houses within sight from the road were
+farm-houses. He remarks that, in Connecticut and Rhode Island, the land
+was stony, and the price of produce was not commensurate to that of
+labour.
+
+On entering Providence, Mr. Fearon was much pleased with the beauty of
+the place. In appearance, it combined the attractions of Southampton and
+Doncaster, in England. There are, in this town, an excellent
+market-house, a workhouse, four or five public schools, an university
+with a tolerable library, and an hospital. Several of the churches are
+handsome, but they, as well as many private houses, are built of wood
+painted white, and have green Venetian shutters. Mr. Fearon had not seen
+a town either in America or Europe which bore the appearance of general
+prosperity, equal to Providence. Ship and house-builders were fully
+occupied, as indeed were all classes of mechanics. The residents of this
+place are chiefly native Americans; for foreign emigrants seem never to
+think of New England. Rent and provisions are here much lower than in
+New York.
+
+At _Pawtucket_, four miles from Providence, are thirteen cotton
+manufactories; six of which are on a large scale. Mr. Fearon visited
+three of them. They had excellent machinery; but not more than one half
+of this was in operation, and the persons employed in all the
+manufactories combined, were not equal in number to those at one of
+moderate size in Lancashire.
+
+The road from Providence to Boston is much better than that which Mr.
+Fearon had already passed from New London. The aspect of the country
+also was improved; but there was nothing in either, as to mere
+appearance, which would be inviting to an inhabitant of England.
+
+From its irregularity, and from other circumstances, _Boston_ is much
+more like an English town than New York. The names are English, and the
+inhabitants are by no means so uniformly sallow, as they are in many
+other parts of America. This town is considered the head quarters of
+Federalism in politics, and of Unitarianism in religion. It contains
+many rich families. The Bostonians are also the most enlightened, and
+the most hospitable people whom Mr. Fearon had yet seen in America:
+they, however, in common with all New Englanders, have the character of
+being greater sharpers, and more generally dishonourable, than the
+natives of other sections of the Union.
+
+The _Athaeneum public library_, under the management of Mr. Shaw, is a
+valuable establishment. It contained, at this time, 18,000 volumes, four
+thousand of which were the property of the secretary of state.
+
+The society in Boston is considered better than that in New York. Many
+of the richer families live in great splendour, and in houses little
+inferior to those of Russell-square, London. Distinctions here exist to
+an extent rather ludicrous under a free and popular government: there
+are the first class, second class, third class, and the "old families."
+Titles, too, are diffusely distributed.
+
+Boston is not a thriving, that is, not an increasing town. It wants a
+fertile back country; and it is too far removed from the western states
+to have much trade.
+
+On an eminence, in the Mall, (a fine public walk,) is built the _State
+House_, in which the legislature holds its meetings. The view from the
+top of this building is peculiarly fine. The islands, the shipping, the
+town, the hill and dale scenery, for a distance of thirty miles, present
+an assemblage of objects which are beautifully picturesque. Boston was
+the birth-place of Dr. Franklin, and in this town the first dawnings of
+the American revolution broke forth. The heights of Dorchester and
+Bunker's Hill are in its immediate vicinity.
+
+On the 20th of September Mr. Fearon walked to _Bunker's Hill_. It is of
+moderate height. The monument, placed here in commemoration of the
+victory obtained by the English over the Americans, on the 17th of June,
+1776, is of brick and wood, and without inscription.
+
+[At _Cambridge_, four miles from Boston, is a college, called _Harvard
+College_, in honour of the Rev. John Harvard of Charleston, who left to
+it his library, and a considerable sum of money. This college is upon a
+scale so large and liberal, as to consist of seven spacious buildings,
+and to contain two hundred and fifty apartments for officers and
+students. It has an excellent library of about 17,000 volumes, a
+philosophical apparatus, and a museum of natural history. The average
+number of students is about two hundred and sixty. Admission into this
+college requires a previous knowledge of mathematics, Latin, and Greek.
+All the students have equal rights; and each class has peculiar
+instructors. Degrees are here conferred, as in the English universities;
+and the period of study requisite for the degree of bachelor of arts is
+four years. The professorships are numerous. Harvard College furnishes
+instructors and teachers to the most distant parts of the union; and, in
+general, for the extent of its funds, the richness of its library, the
+number and character of its establishments, and the means it affords of
+acquiring, not only an academical, but a professional education, it is
+considered to be without an equal in the country. It is, however,
+remarked, that this college is somewhat heretical in matters of
+religion; as most of the theological students leave it disaffected
+towards the doctrine of the Trinity.]
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+From this place we must return to New York, for the purpose of
+accompanying Mr. Weld on a voyage up the river Hudson to Lake Champlain.
+
+
+
+
+Third Day's Instruction.
+
+UNITED STATES, AND PART OF CANADA.
+
+
+_Narrative of a Voyage up the River Hudson, from New York to Lake
+Champlain. By_ ISAAC WELD, Esq.
+
+Mr. Weld, having taken his passage in one of the sloops which trade on
+the North or Hudson's river, betwixt New York and Albany, embarked on
+the second of July. Scarcely a breath of air was stirring, and the tide
+carried the vessel along at the rate of about two miles and a half an
+hour. The prospects that were presented to his view, in passing up this
+magnificent stream, were peculiarly grand and beautiful. In some places
+the river expands to the breadth of five or six miles, in others it
+narrows to that of a few hundred yards; and, in various parts, it is
+interspersed with islands. From several points of view its course can be
+traced to a great distance up the Hudson, whilst in others it is
+suddenly lost to the sight, as it winds between its lofty banks. Here
+mountains, covered with rocks and trees, rise almost perpendicularly out
+of the water; there a fine champaign country presents itself, cultivated
+to the very margin of the river, whilst neat farm-houses and distant
+towns embellish the charming landscapes.
+
+After sunset a brisk wind sprang up, which carried the vessel at the
+rate of six or seven miles an hour for a considerable part of the night;
+but for some hours it was requisite for her to lie at anchor, in a place
+where the navigation of the river was intricate.
+
+Early the next morning the voyagers found themselves opposite to _West
+Point_, a place rendered remarkable in the history of the American war,
+by the desertion of General Arnold, and the consequent death of the
+unfortunate Major Andre. The fort stands about one hundred and fifty
+feet above the level of the water, and on the side of a barren hill. It
+had, at this time, a most melancholy aspect. Near West Point the
+Highlands, as they are called, commence, and extend along the river, on
+each side, for several miles.
+
+About four o'clock in the morning of the 4th of July, the vessel reached
+_Albany_, the place of its destination, one hundred and sixty miles
+distant from New York. Albany is a city which, at this time, contained
+about eleven hundred houses; and the number was fast increasing. In the
+old part of the town, the streets were very narrow, and the houses bad.
+The latter were all in the old Dutch taste, with the gable ends towards
+the street, and ornamented at the top with large iron weather-cocks; but
+in that part of the town which had been lately erected, the streets
+were commodious, and many of the houses were handsome. Great pains had
+been taken to have the streets well paved and lighted. In summer time
+Albany is a disagreeable place; for it stands in a low situation on the
+margin of the river, which here runs very slowly, and which, towards the
+evening, often exhales clouds of vapour.
+
+[In 1817, Albany is described, by Mr. Hall, to have had a gay and
+thriving appearance, and nothing Dutch about it, except the names of
+some of its inhabitants. Being the seat of government for New York, it
+has a parliament-house, dignified with the name of Capitol. This stands
+upon an eminence, and has a lofty columnar porch; but, as the building
+is small, it seems to be all porch. There is a miserable little museum
+here, which contains a group of waxen figures brought from France,
+representing the execution of Louis the Sixteenth. Albany is now a place
+of considerable trade; and, if a canal be completed betwixt this town
+and Lake Erie, it will become a town of great importance.]
+
+The 4th of July, the day of Mr. Weld's arrival at Albany, was the
+anniversary of the declaration of American independence. About noon a
+drum and trumpet gave notice that the rejoicings would immediately
+commence; and, on walking to a hill, about a quarter of a mile from the
+town, Mr. Weld saw sixty men drawn up, partly militia, partly
+volunteers, partly infantry, partly cavalry. The last were clothed in
+scarlet, and were mounted on horses of various descriptions. About three
+hundred spectators attended. A few rounds from a three-pounder were
+fired, and some volleys of small-arms. When the firing ceased, the
+troops returned to the town, a party of militia officers, in uniform,
+marching in the rear, under the shade of umbrellas, as the day was
+excessively hot. Having reached the town, the whole body dispersed. The
+volunteers and militia officers afterwards dined together, and thus
+ended the rejoicings of the day.
+
+Mr. Weld remained in Albany for a few days, and then set off for
+Skenesborough, upon Lake Champlain, in a carriage hired for the purpose.
+In about two hours he arrived at the small village of _Cohoz_, close to
+which is a remarkable cataract in the _Mohawk River_. This river takes
+its rise to the north-east of Lake Oneida, and, after a course of one
+hundred and forty miles, joins the Hudson about ten miles above Albany.
+The _Cohoz fall_ is about three miles from the mouth of this river, and
+at a place where its width is about three hundred yards: a ledge of
+rocks extends quite across the stream, and from the top of these the
+water falls about fifty feet perpendicular: the line of the fall, from
+one side of the river to the other, is nearly straight. The appearance
+of this cataract varies much, according to the quantity of water: when
+the river is full, the water descends in an unbroken sheet from one bank
+to the other; but, at other times, the greater part of the rocks is left
+uncovered.
+
+From this place Mr. Weld proceeded along the banks of the _Hudson
+River_, and, late in the evening, reached _Saratoga_, thirty-five miles
+from Albany. This place contained about forty houses; but they were so
+scattered, that it had not the least appearance of a town.
+
+Near Saratoga, on the borders of a marsh, are several remarkable mineral
+springs: one of these, in the crater of a rock, of pyramidical form, and
+about five feet in height, is particularly curious. This rock seems to
+have been formed by the petrifaction of the water; and all the other
+springs are surrounded by similar petrifactions.
+
+Of the works thrown up at Saratoga, during the war, by the British and
+American armies, there were now scarcely any remains. The country around
+was well cultivated, and most of the trenches had been levelled by the
+plough. Mr. Weld here crossed the Hudson River, and proceeded, for some
+distance, along its eastern shore. After this the road was most
+wretched, particularly over a long causeway, which had been formed
+originally for the transporting of cannon. This causeway consisted of
+large, trees laid side by side. Some of them being decayed, great
+intervals were left, in which the wheels of the carriage were sometimes
+locked so fast, that the horses alone could not possibly extricate them.
+The woods on each side of the road had a much more majestic appearance
+than any that Mr. Weld had seen since he had left Philadelphia. This,
+however, was owing more to the great height than to the thickness of the
+trees, for he could not see one that appeared more than thirty inches in
+diameter. The trees here were chiefly oaks, hiccory, hemlock, and beech;
+intermixed with which appeared great numbers of smooth-barked, or
+Weymouth pines. A profusion of wild raspberries were growing in the
+woods.
+
+After having experienced almost inconceivable difficulty, in consequence
+of the badness of the road; and having occupied five hours in travelling
+only twelve miles, Mr. Weld arrived at _Skenesborough_. This is a little
+town, which stands near the southern extremity of Lake Champlain. It
+consisted, at this time, of only twelve houses, and was dreadfully
+infested with musquitoes, a large kind of gnats, which abound in the
+swampy parts of all hot countries. Such myriads of these insects
+attacked Mr. Weld, the first night of his sleeping there, that, when he
+rose in the morning, his face and hands were covered with large
+pustules, like those of a person in the small-pox. The situation of
+Skenesborough, on the margin of a piece of water which is almost
+stagnant, and which is shaded by thick woods, is peculiarly favourable
+to the increase of these insects.
+
+Shortly after their arrival in Skenesborough, Mr. Weld, and two
+gentlemen by whom he was accompanied, hired a boat of about ten tons
+burden, for the purpose of crossing _Lake Champlain_. The vessel sailed
+at one o'clock in the day; but, as the channel was narrow, and the wind
+adverse, they were only able to proceed about six miles before sunset.
+Having brought the vessel to an anchor, the party landed and walked to
+some adjacent farm-houses, in the hope of obtaining provisions; but they
+were not able to procure any thing except milk and cheese. The next day
+they reached _Ticonderoga_. Here the only dwelling was a tavern, a large
+house built of stone. On entering it, the party was shown into a
+spacious apartment, crowded with boatmen and other persons, who had just
+arrived from St. John's in Canada. The man of the house was a judge; a
+sullen, demure old gentleman, who sate by the fire, with tattered
+clothes and dishevelled locks, reading a book, and was totally
+regardless of every person in the house.
+
+The old fort and barracks of Ticonderoga, are on the top of a rising
+ground, just behind the tavern: they were at this time in ruins, and it
+is not likely that they ever will be rebuilt; for the situation is a
+very insecure one, being commanded by a lofty hill, called Mount
+Defiance. During the great American war, the British troops obtained
+possession of this place, by dragging cannon and mortars up the hill,
+and firing down upon the fort.
+
+Mr. Weld and his friends, on leaving Ticonderoga, pursued their voyage
+to _Crown Point_: Here they landed to inspect the old fort. Nothing,
+however, was to be seen but a heap of ruins; for, shortly before it was
+surrendered by the British troops, the powder-magazine blew up, and a
+great part of the works was destroyed; and, since the final evacuation
+of the place, the people of the neighbourhood have been continually
+digging in different parts, in the hope of procuring lead and iron shot.
+At the south side only the ditches remain perfect: they are wide and
+deep, and are cut through immense rocks of limestone; and, from being
+overgrown, towards the top, with different kinds of shrubs, they have a
+grand and picturesque appearance.
+
+While the party were here, they were agreeably surprised with the sight
+of a large birch-canoe, upon the lake, navigated by two or three
+Indians, in the dresses of their nation. These made for the shore, and
+soon landed; and, shortly afterwards, another party arrived, that had
+come by land.
+
+_Lake Champlain_ is about one hundred and twenty miles in length, and is
+of various breadths: for the first thirty miles it is, in no place, more
+than two miles wide; beyond this, for the distance of twelve miles, it
+is five or six miles across; but it afterwards narrows, and again, at
+the end of a few miles, expands. That part called the _Broad Lake_,
+because broader than any other, is eighteen miles across. Here the lake
+is interspersed with a great number of islands. The soundings of Lake
+Champlain are, in general, very deep; in many places they are sixty and
+seventy, and in some even one hundred fathoms in depth.
+
+The scenery, along the shores of the lake, is extremely grand and
+picturesque; particularly beyond Crown Point. Here they are beautifully
+ornamented with hanging woods and rocks; and the mountains, on the
+western side, rise in ranges one behind another, in the most magnificent
+manner possible.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Crossing from the head of Lake Champlain, westward to the river St.
+Lawrence, we shall describe the places adjacent to that river, and some
+of the north-western parts of the state of New York, in
+
+
+_A Narrative of_ LIEUTENANT HALL'S _Journey from Canada to the
+Cataract of Niagara._
+
+Mr. Hall had travelled from Montreal, in Canada, to Prescott, in a
+stage-waggon, which carried the mail; and he says that he can answer for
+its being one of the roughest conveyances on either side of the
+Atlantic.
+
+The face of the country is invariably flat; and settlements have not,
+hitherto, spread far from the banks of the _St. Lawrence_.
+
+_Prescott_ is remarkable for nothing but a square redoubt, or fort,
+called Fort Wellington. The accommodations at this place were so bad
+that Mr. Hall, at midnight, seated himself in a light waggon, in which
+two gentlemen were proceeding to Brockville. These gentlemen afterwards
+offered him a passage to Kingston, in a boat belonging to the British
+navy, which was waiting for them at _Brockville_.
+
+The banks of the river St. Lawrence, from the neighbourhood of
+Brockville, are of limestone, and from twenty to fifty feet in height.
+Immense masses of reddish granite are also scattered along the bed of
+the stream, and sometimes project from the shore. The numerous islands
+which crowd the approach to _Lake Ontario_, have all a granite basis:
+they are clothed with cedar and pine-trees, and with an abundance of
+raspberry plants. The bed of the _Gananoqua_ is also of granite. This
+river is rising into importance, from the circumstance of a new
+settlement being formed, under the auspices of the British government,
+on the waters with which it communicates.
+
+This settlement lies at the head of the lakes of the _Rideau_, and, in
+case of another American war, is meant to secure a communication betwixt
+Montreal and Kingston, by way of the Utawa. The settlers are chiefly
+disbanded soldiers, who clear and cultivate the land, under the
+superintendance of officers of the quarter-master-general's department.
+A canal has been cut to avoid the falls of the Rideau; and the
+communication, either by the Gananoqua, or Kingston, will be improved by
+locks. _Kingston_, which is within the Canadian dominions, is admirably
+situated for naval purposes.
+
+The basis of the soil on which this town is situated is limestone,
+disposed in horizontal strata. Kingston contains some good houses and
+stores; a small theatre, built by the military, for private theatricals;
+a large wooden government house, and all the appendages of an extensive
+military and naval establishment; with as much society as can
+reasonably be expected, in a town but lately created from the "howling
+desert." The adjacent country is flat, stony, and barren. Mr. Hall says
+that fleets of ships occasionally lie off Kingston, several of which are
+as large as any on the ocean. Vessels of large dimensions were at this
+time building, on the spot where, a few months before, their
+frame-timbers had been growing.
+
+Mr. Hall left Kingston, in a packet, for the American station of
+_Sackett's harbour_. This, after Kingston, has a mean appearance: its
+situation is low, its harbour is small, and its fortifications are of
+very different construction, both as to form and materials, from those
+of the former town. The navy-yard consists merely of a narrow tongue of
+land, the point of which affords just space sufficient for the
+construction of one first-rate vessel; with room for work-shops, and
+stores, on the remaining part of it. One of the largest vessels in the
+world, was at this time on the stocks. The town consists of a long
+street, in the direction of the river, with a few smaller streets
+crossing it at right angles: it covers less ground than Kingston, and
+has fewer good houses; but it has an advantage which Kingston does not
+possess, in a broad flagged footway.
+
+The distance from Sackett's harbour to _Watertown_ is about ten miles.
+This is an elegant village on the _Black River_. It contains about
+twelve hundred inhabitants, chiefly emigrants from New England. The
+houses are, for the most part, of wood, but tastefully finished; and a
+few are built of bricks.
+
+At Watertown there was a good tavern, which afforded to Mr. Hall and his
+companions a luxury unusual in America, a private sitting-room, and
+dinner at an hour appointed by themselves. Within a few miles of
+Watertown the country rises boldly, and presents a refreshing contrast,
+of hill and valley, to the flat, heavy woods, through which they had
+been labouring from Sackett's harbour.
+
+_Utica_, the town at which the travellers next arrived stands on the
+right bank of the _River Mohawk_, over which it is approached by a
+covered wooden bridge, of considerable length. The appearance of this
+town is highly prepossessing: the streets are spacious; the houses are
+large and well built; and the stores, the name given to shops throughout
+America, are as well supplied, and as handsomely fitted up, as those of
+New York or Philadelphia.
+
+There are at Utica two hotels, on a large scale; one of which, the York
+House, was equal in arrangement and accommodation, to any hotel beyond
+the Atlantic: it was kept by an Englishman from Bath. The inhabitants,
+from three to four thousand in number, maintained four churches: one
+episcopal, one presbyterian, and two Welsh.
+
+This town is laid out on a very extensive scale. A small part of it only
+is yet completed; but little doubt is entertained that ten years will
+accomplish the whole. Fifteen years had not passed since there was here
+no other trace of habitation than a solitary log-house, built for the
+occasional reception of merchandise, on its way down the Mohawk. The
+overflowing population of New England, fixing its exertions on a new and
+fertile soil, has, within a few years, effected this change.
+
+Independently of its soil, Utica has great advantages of situation; for
+it is nearly at the point of junction betwixt the waters of the lakes
+and of the Atlantic.
+
+With Utica commences a succession of flourishing villages and
+settlements, which renders this tract of country the astonishment of
+travellers. That so large a portion of the soil should, in less than
+twenty years, have been cleared, brought into cultivation, and have
+acquired a numerous population, is, in itself, sufficiently surprising;
+but the surprise is considerably increased, when we consider the
+character of elegant opulence with which it every where smiles on the
+eye. Each village teems, like a hive, with activity and employment. The
+houses, taken in the mass, are on a large scale; for (except the few
+primitive log-huts that still survive) there is scarcely one below the
+appearance of an opulent London tradesman's country box. They are, in
+general, of wood, painted white, with green doors and shutters; and with
+porches, or verandas, in front.
+
+The travellers passed through _Skaneactas_, a village, pleasantly
+situated, at the head of the lake from which it is named. They then
+proceeded to _Cayuga_, which, besides its agreeable site, is remarkable
+for a bridge, nearly a mile in length, over the head of the Cayuga lake:
+it is built on piles, and level. Betwixt Cayuga and Geneva is the
+flourishing little village of _Waterloo_, formed since the battle so
+named. _Geneva_ contains many elegant houses, beautifully placed, on the
+rising shore, at the head of the Geneva lake.
+
+From Geneva to _Canandaigua_, a tract of hill and vale extends, for
+sixteen miles, and having (within that space) only two houses.
+Canandaigua is a town of villas, built on the rising shore of the
+_Canandaigua lake_. The lower part of the main street is occupied by
+stores and warehouses; but the upper part of it, to the length of nearly
+two miles, consists of ornamented cottages, tastefully finished with
+colonnades, porches, and verandas; and each within its own garden or
+pleasure-ground. The prospect, down this long vista, to the lake, is
+peculiarly elegant.
+
+From Canandaigua the travellers turned from the main road, nine miles,
+south-west, to visit what is called "_the burning spring_." On arriving
+near the place, they entered a small but thick wood, of pine and
+maple-trees, enclosed within a narrow ravine. Down this glen, the width
+of which, at its entrance, may be about sixty yards, trickles a scanty
+streamlet. They had advanced on its course about fifty yards, when,
+close under the rocks of the right bank, they perceived a bright red
+flame, burning briskly on the water. Pieces of lighted wood were applied
+to different adjacent spots, and a space of several yards in extent was
+immediately in a blaze. Being informed by the guide that a repetition of
+this phenomenon might be seen higher up the glen, they scrambled on,
+for about a hundred yards, and, directed in some degree by a strong
+smell of sulphur, they applied their match to several places, with
+similar effect. These fires continue burning unceasingly, unless they
+are extinguished by accident. The phaenomenon was originally discovered
+by the casual rolling of lighted embers, from the top of the bank,
+whilst some persons were clearing it for cultivation; and, in the
+intensity and duration of the flame, it probably exceeds any thing of
+the kind that is known.
+
+_Rochester_ stands immediately on the great falls of the Genesee, about
+eight miles above its entrance into lake Ontario. When Mr. Hall was
+here, this town had been built only four years, yet it contained a
+hundred good houses, furnished with all the conveniences of life;
+several comfortable taverns, a cotton-mill, and some large corn-mills.
+Its site is grand. The Genesee rushes through it, over a bed of
+limestone, and precipitates itself down three ledges of rock,
+ninety-three; thirty, and seventy-six feet in height, within the
+distance of a mile and a half from the town. The immediate vicinity of
+Rochester is still an unbroken forest, consisting of oak, hickory, ash,
+beech, bass, elm, and walnut-trees. The wild tenants of the woods have,
+naturally, retired before the sound of cultivation; but there are a few
+wolves and bears still in the neighbourhood. One of the latter had
+lately seized a pig close to the town. Racoons, porcupines, squirrels
+black and grey, and foxes, are still numerous. The hogs have done good
+service in destroying the rattlesnakes, which are already becoming rare.
+Pigeons, quails, and blackbirds abound. At Rochester, the line of
+settled country, in this direction, terminates; for, from this place to
+Lewistown, are eighty miles of wilderness.
+
+The traveller, halting on the verge of these aboriginal shades, is
+inclined to pause in thought, and to consider the interesting scenes
+through which he has been passing. They are such as reason must admire,
+for they are the result of industry, temperance, and freedom. Five or
+ten, or, at the utmost, twenty years before Mr. Hall was in America,
+where there are now corn-fields, towns, and villages, the whole country
+was one mass of forest.
+
+Notwithstanding the bad state of the roads, the stage-waggon runs from
+Rochester to Lewistown in two days. This journey is so heavy, that it is
+sometimes necessary to alight, and walk several miles, or to suffer
+almost a dislocation of limbs, in jolting over causeys or logged roads,
+formed of pine, or oak-trees, laid crossways. At different intervals,
+square patches seem cut out of the forest, in the centre of which low
+log-huts have been constructed, without the aid of saw or plane; and are
+surrounded by stumps of trees, black with the fires kindled for the
+purpose of clearing the land.
+
+_Lewistown_ was one of the frontier villages burnt during the last war,
+to retaliate upon the Americans for the destruction of Newark. It has,
+however, been since rebuilt, and all the marks of its devastation have
+been effaced. It is agreeably situated, at the foot of the limestone
+ridge, on the steep bank of the river St. Lawrence, which here rushes,
+with a boiling and eddying torrent, from the falls to Lake Ontario.
+Lewistown, notwithstanding its infancy, and its remote situation,
+contains several good stores.
+
+_Queenston_, on the opposite side of the river, stands in the midst of
+corn-fields and farm-houses; a rare and interesting sight in Canada. It
+is built on the river's edge, at the foot of the heights. Before the
+late war it was embosomed in peach-orchards; but these were all felled,
+to aid the operations of the English troops. The heights are still
+crowned by a redoubt, and by the remains of batteries, raised to defend
+the passage of the river. It was near one of these that Sir Isaac Brocke
+was killed, on the 13th of October, 1812, while, with four hundred men,
+he gallantly opposed the landing of fifteen hundred Americans, the whole
+of whom were afterwards captured by g\General Sheaffe.
+
+From Queenston Mr. Hall proceeded to _York_, a town within the British
+territory, situated on the north-western bank of lake Ontario. The
+country through which he passed abounded in game of various kinds. From
+the head of the lake it was, however, less varied than on the Niagara
+frontiers; and, for many miles, it was an uniform tract of sandy
+barrens, unsusceptible of culture.
+
+York, being the seat of government for Upper Canada, is a place of
+considerable importance in the eyes of its inhabitants. To a stranger,
+however, it presents little more than about one hundred wooden houses,
+several of them conveniently, and even elegantly built; one or two of
+brick. The public buildings were destroyed by the Americans.
+
+From York, Mr. Hall went, through the little town of _Ancaster_, to
+visit a _Settlement of Mohawk Indians_, on the banks of the _Grand
+River_. In the American war the Mohawks were strongly attached to the
+British interest, and first followed Sir William Johnson in Canada,
+under their chieftain, a celebrated warrior, whose name was Brandt. This
+man accustomed his people to the arts of civilized life, and made
+farmers of them. He built a church, and himself translated one of the
+gospels into the Mohawk language. His grave is to be seen under the
+walls of his church. The son of this extraordinary Indian is now living,
+and is a fine young man, of gentlemanly manners and appearance: he both
+speaks and writes the English language with correctness; and he dresses
+nearly in the English fashion. Brandt left also a daughter, who is
+living, and who would not disgrace the fashionable circles of Europe.
+Her face and person are fine and graceful: she speaks English, not only
+correctly, but elegantly; and, both in her speech and manners, she has a
+softness approaching oriental languor. She retains so much of her
+national dress as to identify her with her people; over whom she affects
+no superiority, but with whom she seems pleased to preserve all the ties
+and duties of relationship. She held the infant of one of her relations
+at the font, on the Sunday that Mr. Hall visited the church at Ancaster.
+The usual church and baptismal service was performed by a Dr. Aaron, an
+Indian, and an assistant priest; the congregation consisted of sixty or
+seventy persons, male and female. Many of the young men were dressed in
+the English fashion, but several of the old warriors came with their
+blankets, folded over them; and, in this dress, with a step and mien of
+quiet energy, they forcibly reminded Mr. Hall of ancient Romans. Some of
+them wore large silver crosses, medals, and other trinkets, on their
+backs and breasts; and a few had bandeaus, ornamented with feathers. Dr.
+Aaron, a grey-headed Mohawk, had touched his cheeks and forehead with a
+few spots of vermilion, in honour of Sunday: he wore a surplice, and
+preached at considerable length; but his delivery was unimpassioned and
+monotonous.
+
+The Mohawk village stands on a little plain, and looks down upon the
+Grand River. The houses of the inhabitants, built of logs, rudely put
+together, exhibit, externally, a great appearance of neglect and want of
+comfort: some few are in a better condition. The house belonging to
+Brandt's family resembled that of a petty English farmer: Dr. Aaron's
+was neat and clean. The doctor, who had been regularly ordained, and
+spoke very good English, told Mr. Hall that the village had been much
+injured by the wars, which had impeded its improvements, and had
+dispersed the inhabitants over the country.
+
+Mr. Hall had little opportunity of observing the manners and character
+of these Indians. It may, however, be conjectured that European
+intercourse is fast obliterating the characteristic features of their
+former social system. Their increased knowledge of European arts and
+enjoyments, has been probably followed by a proportionate increase of
+wants and desires. Their manners seemed, to Mr. Hall, remarkable for
+nothing so much as for that quiet self-possession, which constitutes
+the reverse of vulgarity. Their women, before strangers, are extremely
+timid: most of those who lived at a distance from the church, came
+mounted, with their husbands walking by their sides; a symptom, perhaps,
+that the sex is rising among them into an European equality of rights
+and enjoyments. The whole of the settlements are reckoned to furnish
+about five hundred warriors to the British government.
+
+Mr. Hall next describes the celebrated _Cataract_ or _Falls of Niagara_.
+At the distance of about a mile from this cataract, a white cloud,
+hovering over the trees, indicates its situation: it is not, however,
+until the road emerges from a close country, into the space of open
+ground immediately in its vicinity, that white volumes of foam are seen,
+as if boiling up from a sulphureous gulph. Here a foot-path turns from
+the road, towards a wooded cliff. The rapids are beheld on the right,
+rushing for the space of a mile, like a tempestuous sea. A narrow tract
+descends about sixty feet down the cliff, and continues across a plashy
+meadow, through a copse, encumbered with masses of limestone. Beyond
+this, Mr. Hall found himself upon what is called the Table Rock, on the
+west side of the upper part of the cataract, at the very point where the
+river precipitates itself into the abyss. The rapid motion of the
+waters, the stunning noise, and the mounting clouds, almost persuade the
+startled senses, that the rock itself is tottering, and is on the point
+of being precipitated into the gulph, which swallows the mass of
+descending waters. He bent over it, to mark the clouds rolling white
+beneath him, as in an inverted sky, illuminated by a most brilliant
+rainbow; one of those features of softness which nature delights to
+pencil amid her wildest scenes, tempering her awfulness with beauty, and
+making even her terrors lovely.
+
+There is a ladder about half a mile below the Table Rock; and, by this,
+Mr. Hall descended the cliff, to reach the foot of the fall. There was
+formerly much difficulty in the descent, but a few years have made a
+great change: the present dangers and difficulties may easily be
+enumerated. The first is, the ordinary hazard that every one runs who
+goes up or down a ladder: this ladder is a very good one, of thirty
+steps, or about forty feet; and, from it, the path is a rough one, over
+the fragments and masses of rock which have gradually crumbled, or have
+been forcibly riven, from the cliff, and which cover a broad declining
+space, from its foot to the brink of the river. The only risk, in this
+part of the pilgrimage, is that of a broken shin from a false step. The
+path gradually becomes smooth as it advances towards the cataract. Mr.
+Hall, as he drew near, says that he felt a sensation of awe, like that
+caused by the first cannon, on the morning of a battle. He passed, from
+sunshine, into gloom and tempest. The spray beat down in a heavy rain; a
+violent wind rushed from behind the sheet of water: it was difficult to
+respire, and, for a moment, it seemed temerity to encounter the
+convulsive workings of the elements, and to intrude into the dark
+dwellings of their power. But the danger is in appearance only: it is
+possible to penetrate only a few yards beyond the curtain, and, in these
+few, there is no hazard; the footing is good, and the space is
+sufficiently broad and free. There is even no necessity for a guide: the
+eyes amply suffice to point out all that is to be seen or avoided.
+During Mr. Hall's first visit, there were two young American ladies on
+the same errand; and they, as well as himself, were drenched in the
+cloud of spray.
+
+The larger fall was formerly called the "Horse-shoe," but this name is
+no longer applicable; for its shape has become that of an acute angle.
+An officer, who had been stationed in the neighbourhood thirty years,
+pointed out to Mr. Hall the alteration which had taken place in the
+centre of the fall, and which he estimated at about eighteen feet in
+that time.
+
+The lesser fall, on the American side, had the appearance of a
+considerable elevation, above the bed of the greater: on enquiry, Mr.
+Hall found that there was a difference between them, of about fifteen
+feet, caused, probably, by the greater weight of water descending down
+one than the other.
+
+The island which divides the falls has, of late years, been frequently
+visited; nor is the visit to it an adventure of much hazard. At the
+point where the rapids commence, the current separates, and is drawn, on
+either side, towards the centre of the two falls, while the centre of
+the stream, being in the straight line of the island, descends towards
+it, without any violent attraction; and, down this still water, American
+boats, well manned, and furnished with poles to secure them from the
+action of the two currents, have frequently dropt to the island.
+
+There is a whirlpool about half way betwixt Niagara and Queenston. The
+river, boiling and eddying from the falls, enters a circular basin,
+round which the lofty cliff sweeps, like an antique wall, overgrown with
+trees at its base, and amid its clefts and crevices. The cause of the
+whirlpool is perceptible to the spectator, who looks down, and observes
+that the stream, being compelled into this basin, by the direction of
+its channel, and unable to escape with celerity, is forced to gain time
+by revolving within its own circumference.
+
+[Mr. Weld, who visited Niagara, about the year 1797, observes that,
+although the spray, and the noise of the cataract, are sometimes not
+observable so far as half a mile, yet, at other times, the noise has
+been heard at the distance of forty miles; and that he has himself seen
+the spray, like a cloud, at the distance of fifty-four miles. The river,
+as it approaches the falls, runs with astonishing impetuosity. Just at
+the precipice, down which it tumbles, it takes a considerable bend
+towards the right; and the line of the falls, instead of extending from
+bank to bank, in the shortest direction, runs obliquely across. The
+whole width of the fall is estimated to be about three quarters of a
+mile, including a rocky island, a quarter of a mile wide, by which the
+stream is divided. This cataract is divided, by islands, into three
+distinct falls, the loftiest of which is one hundred and sixty feet in
+perpendicular height.
+
+Mr. Weld observes that it is possible not merely to pass to the very
+foot of the great fall; but even to proceed behind the tremendous sheet
+of water which comes pouring down from the top of the precipice; for the
+water falls from the edge of a projecting rock, and, by its violent
+ebullition, caverns of considerable size have been hollowed out of the
+rocks at the bottom, and extend some way beneath the bed of the upper
+part of the river. Mr. Weld advanced within about six yards of the edge
+of the sheet of water, just far enough for him to peep into the caverns
+behind it. But here his breath was nearly taken away by the violent
+whirlwind, that always rages at the bottom of the cataract, occasioned
+by the concussion of such a vast body of water against the rocks. Indeed
+Mr. Weld had no inclination either to go further, or to explore the
+dreary confines of these caverns, where death seemed to await any one
+who should be daring enough to enter their threatening jaws. No words,
+he says, can convey an adequate idea of the awful grandeur of the scene,
+at this place. The senses are appalled by the sight of the immense body
+of water that comes pouring from the top of the precipice; and by the
+thundering sound of the billows dashing against the rocky sides of the
+cavern below. He trembled with reverential fear, when he considered that
+a blast of the whirlwind might have swept him from off the slippery
+rocks on which he stood, and have precipitated him into the dreadful
+gulph beneath; whence all the power of man could not have extricated
+him. He here felt what an insignificant being man is in the creation;
+and his mind was forcibly impressed with an awful idea of the power of
+that mighty Existence, who commanded the waters to flow.]
+
+
+
+
+Fourth Day's Instruction.
+
+UNITED STATES CONTINUED.
+
+
+_Narrative of Lieutenant_ HALL'S _Journey from Niagara to
+Philadelphia._
+
+Mr. Hall crossed the river from _Fort Erie_, and proceeded to _Buffalo_,
+one of the frontier villages which had been burnt during the great
+American war. Not a house had been left standing; yet, when Mr. Hall was
+there, it was not merely a flourishing village, but a considerable town,
+with good shops and hotels. The celerity with which Buffalo had risen
+from its ashes, indicates the juvenile spirit of life and increase,
+which so eminently distinguishes the American population.
+
+As Mr. Hall proceeded on his journey, he found the country thickly
+settled, but dull and uniform in feature; being an entire flat. The
+autumn had been dry, and water was, in many places, extremely scarce.
+This is an evil not uncommon in newly-settled districts. Draining
+follows clearing; the creeks, no longer fed by the swamps, disencumbered
+also of fallen trunks of trees, and other substances, by which their
+waters were, in a great degree, stayed, easily run dry in summer, and
+soon fail altogether.
+
+The principal inn at _Batavia_ is large, and yet constructed upon an
+economical principle; for one roof covers hotel, prison, court-house,
+and assembly-room. The inhabitants were, at this time, building, by
+subscription, an episcopal church, the cost of which was to be twenty
+thousand dollars.
+
+_Caledonia_ is a small, but flourishing village, which has a handsome
+inn, with very comfortable accommodations; and, close to the road, is a
+large sheet of water, from which a clear and rapid stream descends,
+through a pleasing valley, into Allen's Creek, before the latter unites
+with the _Genesee River_. The banks of this creek are adorned with
+natural groves and copses, in which Mr. Hall observed the candleberry
+myrtle in great abundance: but a more interesting sight was afforded by
+numerous organic remains, with which the blocks of limestone, scattered
+through the low ground around it, are encrusted, as if with rude
+sculpture. These blocks are mixed with nodules of granite, and present
+innumerable forms, both of shells and aquatic plants. This district had
+been settled fifteen years; and, when Mr. Hall was here, cleared land
+was worth fifty dollars, and uncleared land about fifteen dollars per
+acre. At _Avon_ Mr. Hall quitted the main road, and followed the right
+bank of the Genesee. The scenery, in the vicinity of this place, began
+to improve, but the roads were proportionally deteriorated. Wild even to
+savageness, mountain heights branched thickly across the country, with
+no seeming order or direction. The only level ground was in the narrow
+valleys, along the course of the streams.
+
+The woods in the vicinity of the Genesee abound in large black
+squirrels, some of which are as big as a small cat. They are destructive
+to grain, and are, therefore, keenly pursued by sportsmen, who
+frequently make parties to kill them, and who destroy several thousands
+at one chase: their flesh is considered a great delicacy. These animals
+migrate, at different seasons; and have the credit of ingeniously
+ferrying themselves over rivers, by using a piece of bark for a raft,
+and their tails for sails.
+
+_Bath_ is embosomed in wild mountains. The principal houses are
+constructed round the three sides of a square, or green; and, as most of
+them were at this time new, white, and tastefully finished, they had a
+lively appearance, and were agreeably contrasted with the dark adjacent
+mountain scenery.
+
+The road from Bath to _Painted Post_, though stony, is tolerably level.
+The adjacent mountains have a slaty appearance, with horizontal strata.
+Mr. Hall was disappointed at Painted Post, to find the post gone,
+broken down or rotted, within the last few years. It had been an Indian
+memorial, either of triumph or death, or of both.
+
+When he was at Ancaster, this gentleman had been shown the grave of an
+Indian, among the woods, near the head of the stream: it was covered
+with boards, and a pole was erected at each end, on which a kind of
+dance was rudely painted with vermilion. The relatives of the deceased
+brought offerings to it daily, during their stay in the neighbourhood.
+
+After passing through some other villages, Mr. Hall reached the banks of
+the _Susquehanna_: these have no great variety of scenery, though they
+frequently present grand features. The space betwixt the mountains and
+the river is often so narrow, that it barely suffices for one carriage
+to pass; and, in many places, the road, for a mile or two, seems to have
+been hewn from the rock. Near the creeks there is tolerable land, and
+two or three pleasant villages. The face of the landscape is no where
+naked: mountain and vale are alike clothed with pine and dwarf
+oak-trees; the swamp lands are covered with hemlock-trees, and the
+bottoms of the woods with rhododendrons.
+
+_Wilksbarre_ is a neat town, regularly laid out, on the left bank of the
+Susquehanna. Its locality is determined by the direction of one of the
+Alleghany ridges, which recedes from the course of the river, a few
+miles above the town, and, curving south-west, encloses a semicircular
+plot of land, towards the centre of which the town is built. Its
+neighbourhood abounds in coal. The pits are about a mile distant. They
+lie under a stratum of soft clay slate, which contains impressions of
+ferns, oak-leaves, and other vegetables, usually found in such
+situations. The town itself, in consequence of the frequent separation
+of its streets and houses, by grass-fields and gardens, has a quiet and
+rural aspect. It contains a neat church, appropriated to the alternate
+use of episcopalians and presbyterians. Wilkesbarre is built on the
+site of _Wyoming_: a small mound, near the river, is pointed out, as
+that on which the fort stood; and the incursion of the Indians, when
+most of the inhabitants fell, in an unsuccessful battle, is still
+remembered. Some few escaped, by swimming across the stream, and fled,
+naked, through the woods, for several days, till they reached the
+nearest settlement; and this is all the record that exists of Albert and
+Gertrude, the foundation of Campbell's poem of Gertrude of Wyoming.
+
+At Wilkesbarre the road quits the Susquehanna, and, ascending a ridge of
+the Alleghany Mountains, crosses through deep forests and hemlock
+swamps, sparingly interspersed with settlements. The Pokono Mountain,
+over which Mr. Hall passed, is famous with the sportsmen and epicures of
+Philadelphia, for its grouse. Mr. Hall crossed the _Blue Ridge_, at the
+stupendous fissure of the _Wind Gap_, where the mountain seems forcibly
+broken through, and is strewed with the ruin of rocks. There is a
+similar aperture, some miles north-east, called the Water Gap. This
+affords a passage to the Delaware; and all the principal rivers of the
+states, that rise in the Alleghanys, pass through similar apertures.
+
+Betwixt the Blue Ridge and the Lehigh River, are two Moravian
+settlements, called _Bethlehem_ and _Nazareth_. [The inhabitants of the
+former constitute a large society, and occupy several farms. They have a
+spacious apartment, in which they all daily assemble, for the purpose of
+public worship. The single men and women have each a separate dwelling.
+The women are occupied in various domestic employments; in fancy and
+ornamental works; and, occasionally, in musical practice, under the
+direction of a superintendant. The walls of the large hall, where the
+society dine, are adorned with paintings, chiefly Scripture pieces,
+executed by members. Various branches of trade and manufacture are
+carried on, the profits of which go to the general stock; and, from
+this, all are supplied with the necessaries of life. Their whole time
+is spent in labour, and in prayer; except an hour in the evening, which
+is allotted for a concert. Among the Moravians marriage is contracted in
+a singular manner. If a young man has an inclination to marry, he makes
+application to the priest, who presents a young woman, designated by the
+superintendant as the next in rotation for marriage. Having left the
+parties together for an hour, the priest returns, and, if they consent
+to live together, they are married the next day; if otherwise, each is
+put at the bottom of the list, containing perhaps sixty or seventy
+names; and, on the part of the girl, there is no chance of marriage,
+unless the same young man should again feel disposed for matrimony. When
+united, a neat habitation, with a pleasant garden, is provided; and
+their children, at the age of six years, are placed in the seminary. If
+either of the parties die, the other returns to the apartment of the
+single people. In the Moravian establishment at Bethlehem, there is a
+tavern, with extensive and excellent accommodations.]
+
+Madame de Stael, in describing the Moravians, says, "Their houses and
+streets are peculiarly neat. The women all dress in the same manner,
+conceal their hair, and surround their heads with a ribbon, the colour
+of which indicates whether they are single, married, or widows. The men
+dress in brown, somewhat like quakers. A mercantile industry occupies
+nearly the whole community; and all their labours are performed with
+peculiar regularity and tranquillity." Mr. Hall attended one of the
+meetings which the inhabitants of Bethlehem commonly hold every evening,
+for the joint purposes of amusement and devotion. The women were ranged
+at one end of the room, and the men at the other. Their bishop presided:
+he was an old man, dressed in the plainest manner, and possessed a
+countenance singularly mild and placid. He gave out a psalm, and led the
+choir; and the singing was alternately in German and English.
+
+There is another Moravian settlement about a mile and a half from
+Nazareth. This, though small, exceeds both the others, in the calm and
+pensive beauty of its appearance. The houses are built of limestone:
+they are all on a similar plan, and have their window-frames, doors, and
+other wood-work, painted fawn-colour: before each house are planted
+weeping willows, whose luxuriant shade seems to shut out worldly glare,
+and throws an air of monastic repose over the whole village.
+
+The _Lehigh Mountain_ is the last of the Allegheny Ridges; the country
+is thenceforth level, fertile, and thickly inhabited, by steady Germans,
+who wear broad hats, and purple breeches; and whose houses and villages
+have the antique fashion of Flemish landscape. German is so generally
+spoken here, that the newspapers and public notices are all printed in
+that language.
+
+The approach to Philadelphia is announced by a good turnpike road.
+_German Town_ is a large suburb to the city, and the traveller here
+feels himself within the precincts of a populous and long-established
+capital.
+
+
+_A Description of Philadelphia._
+
+The first impressions, on entering this city, are decidedly favourable.
+It possesses a character essentially different from that of New York. It
+has not so much business, nor so much animation; but there is, in
+Philadelphia, a freedom from mere display; an evidence of solidity, of
+which its more commercial rival is nearly destitute.
+
+All the _streets_ are spacious; the names of many of them, as Sassafras,
+Chesnut, and Locust, record their sylvan origin: rows of Lombardy
+poplars are planted in them. The private _houses_ are characterized by
+elegant neatness; the steps and window-sills of many of them are of grey
+marble, and they have large mats placed before the doors. The streets
+are carefully swept, as well as the foot-paths, which are paved with
+brick. The _shops_ do not yield, in display, to those of London. The
+principal street is one hundred feet wide; and the others vary from
+eighty to fifty. In the foot-paths a great inconvenience is experienced
+by the injudicious mode in which cellars are constructed, the openings
+of which project into the street; and also by the slovenly practice of
+the store or shopkeepers placing great quantities of loose goods on the
+outside of their doors.
+
+Philadelphia stands on the bank of the river _Delaware_; and, in 1795,
+when Mr. Weld was there, its appearance, as approached from the water,
+was not very prepossessing. Nothing was visible but confused heaps of
+wooden store-houses, crowded upon each other, and wharfs, which
+projected a considerable way into the river. The wharfs were built of
+wood; they jutted out, in every direction, and were well adapted for the
+accommodation of shipping; the largest merchant vessels being able to
+lie close alongside of them. Behind the wharfs, and parallel to the
+river, runs a street called _Water-street_. This is the first street
+which the stranger in America usually enters, after landing; and (says
+Mr. Weld) it will not give him a very favourable opinion either of the
+neatness or commodiousness of the public ways of Philadelphia. Such
+stenches, at times, prevail in it, owing in part to the quantity of
+filth and dirt that is suffered to remain on the pavement, and in part
+to what is deposited in waste-houses, of which there are several in the
+street, that it is really dreadful to pass through it. It was here, in
+the year 1793, that the malignant yellow fever broke out, which made
+such terrible ravages among the inhabitants; and, in the summer season,
+in general, this street is extremely unhealthy.
+
+Few of the _public buildings_ in Philadelphia pretend to great
+architectural merit. The churches are neat, but plain. The Masonic Hall
+is an unsightly combination of brick and marble, in the Gothic style.
+The Philadelphia bank is in a similar style. The United States and
+Pennsylvania banks are the finest edifices in the city: the first has a
+handsome portico, with Corinthian columns of white marble, and the
+latter is a miniature representation of the temple of Minerva at Athens,
+and is the purest specimen of architecture in the states: the whole
+building is of marble.
+
+The _State House_ is a plain brick building, which was finished in 1735,
+at the cost of L.6000. The most interesting recollections of America are
+attached to this edifice. The Congress sat in it during the greatest
+part of the war; and the Declaration of Independence was read, from its
+steps, on the 4th of July, 1776. The Federal Convention also sat in it,
+in 1787. It is now occupied by the supreme and district courts below,
+and by Peale's Museum above. This museum, among other articles, contains
+an immense fossil skeleton of the great Mastodon, or American Mammoth,
+which, some years ago, was publicly exhibited in London.
+
+The _University_ of Pennsylvania was instituted several years ago, by
+some of the citizens of Philadelphia; among whom was Dr. Franklin, who
+drew up the original plan. It is governed by a provost and vice-provost.
+In 1811, the number of students amounted to five hundred. The lectures
+commence the first Monday in November, and end on the first day of
+March. Among others, are professors of anatomy, surgery, midwifery,
+chemistry, moral philosophy, mathematics, and natural philosophy, belles
+lettres, and languages.
+
+The Philadelphia _prison_ is a more interesting object to humanity than
+the most gorgeous palaces. Its exterior is simple, and has rather the
+air of an hospital than a gaol: a single grated door separates the
+interior from the street. On entering the court, Mr. Hall found it full
+of stone-cutters, employed in sawing and preparing large blocks of stone
+and marble; smiths' forges were at work on one side, and the whole
+court was surrounded by a gallery and a double tier of work-shops, in
+which were brush-makers, tailors, shoemakers, weavers, all at their
+several occupations, labouring, not only to defray, to the public, the
+expenses of their confinement, but to provide the means of their own
+honest subsistence for the future. It had none of the usual features of
+a prison; neither the hardened profligacy which scoffs down its own
+sense of guilt, nor the hollow-eyed sorrow which wastes away in a living
+death of unavailing expiation: there was neither the clank of chains,
+nor the yell of execration; but a hardworking body of men were seen,
+who, though separated by justice from society, were not supposed to have
+lost the distinctive attribute of human nature: they were treated as
+rational beings, were operated upon by rational motives; and they repaid
+this treatment by improved habits, by industry, and submission. They had
+been profligate, they were now sober and decent in their behaviour; they
+had been idle, they were now actively and usefully employed; they had
+disobeyed the laws, they now submitted (armed as they were with all
+kinds of utensils) to the government of a single turnkey, and the
+barrier of a single grating.
+
+The _markets_ of Philadelphia are well supplied; and the price of
+provisions is considerably lower than in London. No butchers are
+permitted to slaughter cattle within the city, nor are live cattle
+permitted to be driven to the city markets.
+
+The _inhabitants_ of this city are estimated at one hundred and twenty
+thousand, and many of them live in houses which would adorn any city in
+the world. They have, universally, a pallid and sallow countenance,
+except the younger females; and many of these, even quakers, adopt the
+disgusting practice of ornamenting their faces with rouge. In their
+dress, the gentlemen follow the fashions of England, and the ladies
+those of France. Mr. Fearon perceived here, what, he says, pervades the
+whole of the new world, an affectation of splendour, or, what may be
+called style, in those things that are intended to meet the public eye;
+with a lamentable want, even of cleanliness, in such matters as are
+removed from that ordeal. To this may be added an appearance of
+uncomfortable extravagance, and an ignorance of that kind of order and
+neatness, which, in the eyes of those who have once enjoyed it,
+constitute the principal charm of domestic life. The Philadelphians
+consist of English, Irish, Scotch, Germans, and French; and of
+American-born citizens, descended from people of those different
+nations. It is a remark very generally made, not only by foreigners, but
+also by persons from distant parts of the United States, that they are
+extremely deficient in hospitality and politeness towards strangers.
+Among the uppermost circles in Philadelphia, pride, haughtiness, and
+ostentation, are conspicuous; and, in the manners of the people in
+general, there is much coldness and reserve.
+
+Philadelphia is the grand residence of the quakers in America, but their
+number does not now bear the same proportion to that of the other
+citizens, which it formerly did. This, however, is not occasioned by a
+diminution of quakers, so much as by the great influx, into the city, of
+persons of a different persuasion.
+
+In this city _funerals_ are uniformly attended by large walking
+processions. The newspapers frequently contain advertisements, stating
+the deaths of individuals, and inviting all friends to attend the
+burial. The dead are seldom kept more than two days. At the time
+appointed, intimate friends enter the house; others assemble on the
+outside, and fall into the procession when the body is brought out.
+
+With regard to the _climate_ of Philadelphia, it is observed that the
+heats of summer are excessive; and that the cold of winter is equally
+extreme. During the few days which Mr. Weld spent at Philadelphia, in
+the month of June, 1795, the heat was almost intolerable. For two or
+three days the thermometer stood at 93 deg., and, during these days, no one
+stirred out of doors who was not compelled to do so. Light white hats
+were universally worn, and the young men appeared dressed in cotton or
+linen jackets and trowsers. The window-shutters of the houses were
+closed early in the mornings, so as to admit no more light than what was
+absolutely necessary for domestic business. Indeed, many of the houses
+were kept so dark, that, on going into them from the street, it was
+impossible, at first entrance, to perceive who was present. The best
+houses in the city are furnished with Venetian blinds, at the outside,
+to the windows and hall doors, which are made to fold together like
+common window-shutters. A very different scene was presented after
+sunset. Every house was then thrown open, and all the inhabitants
+crowded into the streets, to take their evening walks, and to visit
+their acquaintance. This usually lasted till about ten o'clock: at
+eleven all was quiet; and a person might have passed over half the town
+without seeing a single human being, except the watchmen. Heavy dews
+sometimes fall after the sun is down, and the nights are then very cold:
+at other times there are no dews, and the air continues hot all the
+night through. At this season of the year meat cannot be kept sweet,
+even for a single day, except in an icehouse or a remarkably cold
+cellar. Milk generally turns sour in an hour or two; and fish is never
+brought to market without being covered with lumps of ice. Poultry,
+intended for dinner, is never killed till about four hours before it is
+wanted, and even then it is kept immersed in water.
+
+The _carriages_ used in Philadelphia consist of coaches, chariots,
+chaises, coachees, and light waggons. The equipages of a few individuals
+are extremely ostentatious; but there does not appear, in any, that
+neatness and elegance which might be expected among people who are
+desirous of imitating the fashions of England, and who are continually
+procuring models from that country. The coachee is a carriage peculiar
+to America; the body of it is somewhat longer than that of a coach, but
+of the same shape. In front it is left quite open, down to the bottom,
+and the driver sits on a bench under the roof. It has two seats for the
+passengers, who sit with their faces towards the horses. The roof is
+supported by small props, which are placed at the corners. On each side
+of the doors, above the pannels, it is quite open; and, to guard against
+bad weather, there are curtains, which are made to let down from the
+roof, and which fasten to buttons, placed for the purpose, on the
+outside. There is also a leathern curtain, to hang occasionally between
+the driver and passengers.
+
+The light waggons are on the same construction, but are calculated to
+accommodate from four to twelve people. The only difference between a
+small waggon and a coachee, is, that the latter is better finished, has
+varnished pannels, and doors at the side. The former has no doors; but
+the passengers scramble in, the best way they can, over the seat of the
+driver. These waggons are universally used for stage-carriages.
+
+The accommodations at the _taverns_, in Philadelphia, are very
+indifferent; as, indeed, with very few exceptions, they are throughout
+the country. The mode of conducting them is nearly the same every where.
+The traveller, on his arrival, is shown into a room, which is common to
+every person in the house, and which is generally the one set apart for
+breakfast, dinner, and supper. All the strangers that are in the house
+sit down, to these meals, promiscuously; and, excepting in the large
+towns, the family of the house also forms a part of the company. It is
+seldom that a private parlour or drawing-room can be procured at
+taverns, even in the towns; and it is always with reluctance that
+breakfast or dinner is served up separately to any individual. If a
+separate bed-room can be procured, more ought not to be expected; and it
+is not always that even this is to be had; and persons who travel
+through the country must often submit to be crammed into rooms where
+there is scarcely sufficient space to walk between the beds.
+
+The _Delaware_, on the banks of which this city is built, rises in the
+state of New York. At Philadelphia it is thirteen hundred and sixty
+yards wide, and is navigable for vessels of any burden. It is frozen in
+the winter months; a circumstance which materially affects the
+commercial interests of Philadelphia, and gives a great advantage to New
+York. The tide reaches as high as the falls of Trenton, thirty-five
+miles above Philadelphia, and one hundred and fifty-five miles from the
+sea. Six or seven steam-boats, of large size, ply on the Delaware, and
+form a communication with New York, by Trenton and Bordentown; and with
+Baltimore, by Wilmington and Newcastle. These vessels are all fitted up
+in an elegant manner.
+
+Over the river _Schuylkil_, near Philadelphia, there is a singular
+bridge of iron wire. It is four hundred feet in length, and extends,
+from the window of a wire factory, to a tree on the opposite shore. The
+wires which form the curve are six in number; three on each side, and
+each three-eighths of an inch in diameter. The floor of the bridge is
+elevated sixteen feet above the water; and the whole weight of the wires
+is about four thousand seven hundred pounds. It is possible to construct
+a bridge of this kind in the space of a fortnight; and the whole expense
+would not exceed three hundred dollars.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+About thirty miles north-east of Philadelphia, and betwixt that city and
+New York, is _Trenton_, the capital of New Jersey. Mr. Weld visited this
+place in the year 1796; and he says that it then contained only about
+eighty dwellings, in one long street. It had a college, which was in
+considerable repute. The number of students was about seventy; but, from
+their appearance, and the course of their studies, it more correctly
+deserved the appellation of a grammar-school, than a college. The
+library was a miserable one; and, for the most part, contained only old
+theological books. There were an orrery out of repair, and a few
+detached parts of philosophical apparatus. At the opposite end of the
+room were two small cupboards, which were shown as the museum. These
+contained two small alligators, stuffed, and a few fishes, in a wretched
+state of preservation.
+
+Not far from Trenton, and on the bank of the Delaware, is the residence
+of Joseph Buonaparte, who, since the re-establishment of the ancient
+families on the thrones of Europe, has retired to America. The estate on
+which he lives he purchased for ten thousand dollars; and he is said to
+have expended, twenty thousand more in finishing the buildings, and
+laying out the grounds in a splendid style. At present it has much the
+appearance of the villa of a country gentleman in England.
+
+
+
+
+Fifth Day's Instruction.
+
+UNITED STATES CONTINUED.
+
+
+_Narrative of Mr._ FEARON'S _Journey from Philadelphia to
+Pittsburgh._
+
+In the month of October, 1817, Mr. Fearon left Philadelphia for
+Pittsburgh. He passed through an extensive, fertile, well-cultivated,
+and beautiful tract of land called the _Great Valley_. Farms in this
+district are chiefly owned by Dutch and Germans, and their descendants.
+They consist of from fifty to two hundred acres each; and are
+purchasable at the rate of about L.46 sterling per acre, the buildings
+included; and, in well-improved land, the average produce of wheat may
+be estimated at twenty-five bushels.
+
+At the distance of about twenty miles from Philadelphia there is a
+copper and zinc mine. Iron ore abounds throughout the state of
+Pennsylvania; and many of the rocks are of limestone. A coarse kind of
+grey marble is found in great quantity, and is used for steps and
+chimney-pieces.
+
+The towns of _Lancaster_, _Harrisburgh_, and _Carlisle_, through which
+Mr. Fearon passed, are all considerable, both in extent and population.
+[_Lancaster_ is nearly the largest inland town of North America. It
+contains upwards of nine hundred houses, built chiefly of brick and
+stone, and, in general, two stories high. It has also six churches, a
+market-house, and a gaol. The streets are laid out regularly, and cross
+each other at right angles. Several different kinds of wares are
+manufactured here, and chiefly by German mechanics. The rifled barrel
+guns made at this place are considered to have great excellence. In
+1787, a college was founded at Lancaster, and named Franklin College, in
+honour of Dr. Franklin. The founders were an association of Germans, who
+were desirous of establishing a seminary for the education of their
+sons, in their own language and habits. But it has not flourished; and,
+in 1815, the number of students did not exceed fifty.]
+
+Lancaster, Harrisburgh, and Carlisle, each contain many excellent brick
+buildings, and the usual erections of market-houses, gaols, and
+churches, all evincing an extent of national property, and an
+advancement to European establishments, truly extraordinary, when we
+recollect that this is a country which may be said to be but of
+yesterday. The German character is very prevalent throughout this state;
+and even the original language is preserved.
+
+[At _Carlisle_ there are many excellent shops and warehouses. This place
+has a college, which was founded in 1783, by Mr. John Dickenson of
+Pennsylvania. The number of students is about one hundred and forty; and
+there are professors of logic, metaphysics, languages, natural
+philosophy, and chemistry.]
+
+Mr. Fearon next arrived at _Chambersburgh_, a town which contains about
+two hundred and forty houses, and two or three churches. He here secured
+a place, in the stage, to Pittsburgh, and set off the next morning at
+three o'clock. About eight he arrived at _Loudon_, a small town at the
+foot of the north mountain, one of the Alleghany ridges, and at this
+time containing seventeen log and twenty frame or brick houses. The
+tavern was cheerless and dirty.
+
+On the road Mr. Fearon counted thirty regular stage-waggons, which were
+employed in conveying goods to and from Pittsburgh. Each of these was
+drawn by four horses; and the articles carried in them, were chiefly
+hardware, and silk, linen, cotton, and woollen goods. The waggons, in
+return, conveyed from Pittsburgh farming produce, and chiefly flour. It
+is, however, necessary to observe that this is the only trading waggon
+route to the whole western country; and that there is no water-carriage
+through this part of America.
+
+The road, for a considerable distance, was excellent, and was part of a
+new national turnpike, which had been projected to extend from the head
+of the river Potomac to Wheeling. This road, when completed, will be of
+great advantage to the whole western country. The stage passed over the
+_North Mountain_, whence there was a most extensive view, of a wide and
+beautiful valley, containing several thousand acres, which have not yet
+been cultivated. The prospect combined some grand mountain-scenery, and
+was the most magnificent that Mr. Fearon had ever beheld. The travellers
+passed through a little town situated in the midst of this apparently
+trackless wild.
+
+They afterwards overtook twenty small family waggons, those chiefly of
+emigrants from one part of the state to another. These persons were
+travelling in company, and thus formed an unity of interest, for the
+purpose of securing, when necessary, an interchange of assistance. The
+difficulties they experienced, in passing through this mountainous
+district, were very great.
+
+Mr. Fearon and the other stage-passengers supped and slept at a place
+called _Bloody Run_, having, for several miles, proceeded over roads
+that were almost impassable. Early the next morning they again set out;
+and they arrived at _Bedford_ about nine o'clock. [This little town,
+like most others on the great western road, trades in all kinds of corn,
+flour, and provisions.] They were not, however, permitted to stop here,
+as the stage-proprietor had a house further on, where they breakfasted.
+In passing over a range of mountains called the _Dry Ridge_, the view
+was peculiarly magnificent. The eye, at one glance, took in a varied and
+most interesting view of mountain scenery, intermingled with wooded
+vales, and much fertile land. The travellers continued to overtake many
+waggons of emigrants from different states.
+
+About five o'clock in the afternoon they reached the top of the
+_Alleghany Mountains_. The road had of late been so bad, that they had
+walked more than sixteen miles, leaving the stage far behind. The
+character of the mountain _inhabitants_ appeared to be cold, friendless,
+unfeeling, callous, and selfish. All the emigrants with whom Mr. Fearon
+conversed, complained of the enormous charges at taverns. Log-houses are
+the only habitations for many miles. These are formed of the trunks of
+trees, about twenty feet in length, and six inches in diameter, cut at
+the ends, and placed on each other. The roof is framed in a similar
+manner. In some houses there are windows; in others the door performs
+the double office of window and entrance. The chimney is erected on the
+outside, and in a similar manner to the body of the house. The hinges of
+the doors are generally of wood; and locks are not used. In some of the
+houses there are two apartments; in others but one, for all the various
+operations of cooking, eating, and sleeping; and even the pigs come in
+for their due share of the log residence. About eleven o'clock at
+night, the travellers safely arrived at _Somerset_, a small town
+distant two hundred and thirty-seven miles from Philadelphia.
+
+In the morning of their third day's journey, they crossed _Laurel Hill_.
+The vegetation on this ridge appears superior to that of the Allegheny.
+The mountain called _Little Chesnut Ridge_ succeeds Laurel Hill. The
+difficulties of the road were here extremely great. These arose not only
+from the height of the mountains, but from the enormous stones and deep
+mud-holes with which the road abounded. The trees on Chesnut Ridge are
+chiefly oak and chesnut; and the soil appeared to be chalky. At half
+past ten at night they arrived at _Greensburg_, [a town built upon the
+summit of a hill. The land, in its vicinity is, in general, very
+fertile; and the inhabitants, who are of German origin, cultivate wheat,
+rye, and oats, with great success.]
+
+The party started, on the fourth day, at four in the morning, and with
+the high treat of a turnpike-road; but the advantages, arising from
+this, were but of short continuance. They had to descend _Turtle Creek
+Hill_, the road over which, in consequence of late rains, had become, if
+possible, even worse than those across Laurel Hill. The passengers all
+got out; and, up to their knees in mud, they took their turns, in
+holding up the stage. This tract bore decided evidence of being embedded
+with coal. About two o'clock they reached _Pittsburg_.
+
+From Chambersburgh to Greensburgh the condition of the people is that of
+an absence of wealth and of the conveniences of life, with, however, the
+means of obtaining a sufficient quantity of food. The blacksmith and the
+tavern-keeper are almost the only occupations. The former earns from
+twenty shillings and sixpence to twenty-seven shillings per week; and
+the profits of the latter must be very great, if we may judge from the
+high charges and bad quality of the accommodations. From Greensburgh to
+Pittsburgh the improvement, in size and quality, of the houses, is
+evident, and the cultivation and condition of the land is much superior
+to those of the country through which the travellers had before past.
+
+_Pittsburg_ is, in several points of view, a most interesting town. Its
+situation, which is truly picturesque, is at the termination of two
+rivers, and at the commencement of a third river, that has a direct
+communication with the ocean, though at the immense distance of two
+thousand five hundred miles. This place possesses an exhaustless store
+of coal.
+
+During the great American war, Pittsburg was an important military post
+called _Du Quesne_, and was remarkable for two signal defeats of the
+British troops. It is, at present, a place of great importance: the
+connecting link between _new_ and _old_ America; and though it is not a
+"Birmingham," as the natives bombastically style it, yet it certainly
+contains the seeds of numerous important and valuable manufactories.
+
+Agricultural produce finds here a ready and advantageous market. Farming
+in this neighbourhood is not, indeed, the most profitable mode of
+employing capital; but here, as in other parts of the union, it is an
+independent mode of life. The farmer, however, must labour hard with his
+own hands. The labourers, or "helps," as they style themselves, are paid
+high wages, and are not to be relied on. In many instances they expect
+to sit down at table with their master, to live as well as he, and to be
+on terms of equality with every branch of the family.
+
+Mr. Fearon remained at Pittsburgh several days, during which time the
+rain never ceased. The smoke, also, from the different manufactories, is
+extreme, giving, to the town and its inhabitants, a very sombre aspect.
+The articles manufactured here are various, and chiefly of copper, iron,
+and glass. In one of the glass-warehouses, Mr. Fearon saw chandeliers
+and numerous other articles, of a very splendid description, in cut
+glass. Among the latter was a pair of decanters, cut from a London
+pattern, the price of which was to be eight guineas. And it is
+remarkable that the demand for these articles of elegant luxury lies in
+the western states; the inhabitants of eastern America being still
+importers from the "old country." Not thirty years ago, the whole right
+bank of the Ohio was termed the "Indian side." Spots in Tenessee, in
+Ohio and Kentucky, which, within the lifetime of even young men,
+witnessed only the arrow and the scalping knife, now present, to the
+traveller, articles of elegance, and modes of luxury, which might rival
+the displays of London and of Paris: within the last half century, the
+beasts of the forest, and men more savage than the beasts, were the only
+inhabitants of the whole of that immense tract, which is peculiarly
+denominated the western country. This tract is now partially inhabited;
+and promises soon to be generally so, by civilized man, possessed of the
+arts and pursuits of civilized life.
+
+On the whole, Pittsburgh is a very important town. When Mr. Fearon was
+here, it was supposed to contain about ten thousand inhabitants.
+
+The face of the country, beyond this town, is an uninterrupted level,
+and many parts of it are occupied by agriculturists. Mr. Fearon,
+however, was informed that there were still for sale one million of
+acres of United States' land, at the rate of two dollars per acre, or
+one dollar and sixty-four cents for prompt payment. The principal towns
+are situated on the banks of the river. There are no canals, nor, indeed
+is there much occasion for them, as the whole state abounds with rivers
+and creeks, which fall into the Ohio.
+
+The trees produced by the best kind of land are honey-locust, black
+walnut, and beech; by land of second quality, the sugar maple tree,
+sycamore, or butter-wood, and what is called white wood, which is used
+for building and joiner's work; and land of the third quality produces
+oak. There is but little underwood; for the great height and the
+spreading tops of the trees, prevent the sun from penetrating to the
+ground, and nourishing inferior articles of vegetation.
+
+The winters are severe, and of from three to four months continuance,
+with a keen and dry air, and cloudless sky. During summer excessive heat
+prevails, with heavy dews at night. In the spring there are cold and
+heavy rains. The autumns are fine, and are followed by what is called
+"Indian summer," which is truly delightful. Along the route that Mr.
+Fearon had travelled in this state, there was scarcely an elevation
+which could be called a hill, with exception of rising grounds on the
+margins of rivers. The dreary monotony of limited views, of such endless
+uniformity, produces sensations of the most depressing melancholy. The
+atmosphere, after a hot day, causes headaches, which frequently
+terminate in intermittent fevers.
+
+Judging from the beds of the rivers, and the quality of the water, Mr.
+Fearon presumes that coal must be abundant. Salt is found in several
+situations, particularly on the Kenaway. There is much limestone. The
+wild animals, in this part of America, are neither numerous, nor
+troublesome.
+
+The interior population of the United States, Mr. Fearon considers, may
+be divided into three classes: first, the "squatter," or man, who "sets
+himself down," upon land which is not his own, and for which he pays
+nothing; cultivates a sufficient extent of ground to supply himself and
+his family with the necessaries of life, remains until he is
+dissatisfied with his choice, has realized a sufficiency to become a
+land-owner, or is expelled by the real proprietor. Second, the small
+farmer, who has recently emigrated, and has had barely sufficient to pay
+the first instalment for his eighty or one hundred and sixty acres, of
+two-dollar land; cultivates, or, what he calls, improves, from ten to
+thirty acres; raises a sufficient "feed" for his family; is in a
+condition, which, if compelled by legislative acts, or by external force
+to endure, would be considered truly wretched; but, from being his own
+master, and having made his own choice, joined with the consciousness,
+that, though slowly, he is regularly advancing towards wealth, the
+breath of complaint is seldom heard to escape from his lips. Third, the
+wealthy, or "strong-handed" farmer, who owns from five to twelve hundred
+acres, has from one-fourth to one-third under cultivation, of a kind
+much superior to the former; raises live stock for the home, and
+Atlantic city markets; sends beef, pork, cheese, lard, and butter, to
+New Orleans: is a man of plain, business-like sense, though not in
+possession, nor desirous, of a very cultivated intellect; understands
+his own interest, and that of his country; and lives in sufficient
+affluence, and is possessed of comfort, according to the American
+acceptation of the term, but to which, an Englishman must feel inclined
+to take an exception.
+
+The management of farms is here full a century behind that in England:
+there being a want of improved machinery for the promotion of economy in
+time and labour; and no regular attention being paid to the condition of
+live stock; while the mode of culture, in general, appears slovenly and
+unsystematic.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+On the subject of emigration to America, Mr. Fearon remarks, that the
+capitalist will here receive legal interest of six or seven per cent.
+for his money; and perhaps eight per cent. might be made upon good
+security, as capital is wanted throughout the country. A London
+shopkeeper, with a capital of three thousand pounds or upwards, and who
+is well acquainted with the principles of business, might succeed.
+Lawyers, doctors, clerks, shopmen, literary men, artists, and
+schoolmasters, to use an American phrase, would "come to a bad market."
+Mechanics are able to obtain employment, but many who have emigrated
+have been lamentably deceived in their expectations. The person of small
+property, who is desirous to live on the interest of his money, and
+wants to remove to a cheaper country than England, should pause before
+the object of his choice is America. From what Mr. Fearon had hitherto
+seen of large towns, living is not, on the whole, cheaper than in the
+English cities. In the interior it may be less expensive than in the
+country parts of England; but such a man must, of necessity, have his
+ideas of happiness associated with many sources of comfort and
+gratification, which he would seek for in vain within the United States.
+With regard to certain Yorkshire and Leicestershire manufacturers, in
+whose welfare he was particularly interested, Mr. Fearon says, he was
+convinced that they could not profitably succeed here.
+
+
+
+
+Sixth Day's Instruction.
+
+UNITED STATES CONTINUED.
+
+
+_Narrative of an Expedition from Pittsburg into the Illinois territory.
+From Notes on a Journey in America, by MORRIS BIRKBECK._
+
+Leaving Mr. Fearon at Pittsburgh, we will thence accompany Mr. Birkbeck
+on his tour into the western settlements of the United States. About the
+end of May, 1817, this gentleman and his family, consisting of nine
+persons, five male and four female, arrived at _Pittsburgh_; and, on the
+5th of June, well mounted, and well furnished with saddle-bags and
+blankets, they set out on their journey westward, in search of a place
+where they might form an advantageous settlement. Each person had a
+blanket under his saddle, another upon it, and a pair of saddle-bags,
+with a great coat and an umbrella strapped behind.
+
+In this manner, says Mr. Birkbeck, even women, and those of advanced
+age, often take long journeys without inconvenience. The day before he
+left Pittsburgh, he was told of a lady who was coming from Tenessee to
+Pittsburgh, twelve hundred miles; and, although she had with her an
+infant, she preferred travelling on horseback to boating up the river.
+
+Seventeen miles of the ride from Pittsburgh on to _Cannonsburg_, was
+chiefly over clayey hills, well adapted for grass; but, in the present
+circumstances of the country, too stiff for profitable cultivation under
+the plough. From Cannonsburg to _Washington_, in Pennsylvania, eight
+miles, is a very desirable tract, containing much excellent land, with
+fine meadows.
+
+Washington is a pretty, thriving town, which contains about two thousand
+five hundred inhabitants. It has a college, with about a hundred
+students; but, from the dirty condition of the schools, and the
+loitering habits of the young men, Mr. Birkbeck suspected it to be an
+ill-regulated institution.
+
+From Washington, Mr. Birkbeck and his family proceeded still westward,
+and, on entering the _State of Ohio_, they found themselves in a country
+beautiful and fertile, and affording, to a plain, industrious, and
+thriving population, all that nature has decreed for the comfort of man.
+It contains rich land, good water, wholesome air; limestone, coal,
+mills, and navigation. It is also fully appropriated, and thickly
+settled; and land is worth from twenty to thirty dollars per acre: an
+advance of a thousand per cent. in about ten years!
+
+A heavy fall of wet had rendered the roads muddy and unpleasant. On the
+10th of June, the party arrived at _Wheeling_, a considerable but
+mean-looking town, of inns and stores, on the banks of the Ohio. Here
+they baited their horses, and took a repast of bread and milk. At this
+place the Ohio is divided into two channels, of five hundred yards each,
+by an island of three hundred acres.
+
+Between Wheeling and St. Clairsville, they had sundry foaming creeks to
+ford; and sundry log-bridges to pass, which are a sort of commutation of
+danger. They had also a very muddy road, over hills of clay; and thunder
+and rain during nearly the whole of this their first stage: such
+thunder, and such rain, as they had heard of, but had seldom witnessed
+in England.
+
+They were detained some days at _St. Clairsville_. This place consists
+of about one hundred and fifty houses; stores, taverns, doctors'-shops,
+and lawyers' offices, with the dwellings of sundry artisans; such as
+tailors, shoemakers, hatters, and smiths. Its chief street runs over one
+of the beautiful, round, and fertile hills which form this country. The
+court-house, a handsome brick edifice, on the summit, has a cheerful and
+a rather striking appearance. If the streets were paved, St. Clairsville
+would be a pleasant town, but, from the continued rains, they were, at
+this time, deep in mud.
+
+The rich clay of this country is very favourable to grass, and the
+pastures are extremely fine. When the timber is destroyed, a beautiful
+turf takes immediate possession of the surface.
+
+As they proceeded westward, towards Zanesville, the soil did not
+improve. It is here a yellow clay, well adapted for grass; but, when
+exhausted by repeated cropping, it will be unprofitable for tillage. In
+some places, the clay is over limestone, and exhibits marks of great and
+durable fertility.
+
+During their journey, on the 13th of June, they met a group of nymphs,
+with their attendant swains, ten in number, on horseback: for no
+American walks who can obtain a horse; and there are few indeed who
+cannot. The young men were carrying umbrellas over the heads of their
+partners; and the appearance of the whole was very decent and
+respectable.
+
+At the distance of eighteen miles east of Zanesville, whilst taking
+shelter from a thunder-storm, they were joined by four industrious
+pedestrians, who were returning eastward from a tour of observation
+through this state. These all agreed in one sentiment, that there is no
+part of the Union, either in the new settlements or in the old, where an
+industrious man need be at a loss for the comforts of a good
+livelihood.
+
+The land continued of the same character as before, a weak yellow clay,
+under a thin covering of vegetable mould, profitable for cultivation
+merely because it is new. The timber is chiefly oak. Little farms, of
+from eight to one hundred and sixty acres, with simple erections, a
+cabin and a stable, may be purchased, at the rate of from five to twenty
+dollars per acre. This is a hilly and romantic country; and affords many
+pleasant situations. Sand-stone is common; limestone more rare; but
+clay-slate appears to be the common basis.
+
+The inhabitants are friendly and homely, not to say coarse; but they are
+well informed. This day the travellers passed various groups of
+emigrants, proceeding westward: one waggon, in particular, was the
+moving habitation of twenty souls.
+
+_Zanesville_ is a thriving town, on the beautiful _river Muskingum_,
+which is, at all times, navigable downward. The country around it is
+hilly and pleasant; not rich, but dry, and tolerably fertile. It abounds
+in coal and lime, and may, at some future period, become a grand station
+for manufactures.
+
+At _Rushville_ Mr. Birkbeck, another gentleman, and three children, sat
+down to a breakfast, consisting of the following articles: coffee,
+rolls, biscuits, dry toast, waffles, (a kind of soft hot cake, of German
+extraction, covered with butter,) salted pickerell, (a fish from Lake
+Huron,) veal-cutlets, broiled ham, gooseberry-pie, stewed currants,
+preserved cranberries, butter, and cheese: and Mr. Birkbeck, for himself
+and three children, and four gallons of oats, and a sufficient quantity
+of hay for four horses, was charged only six shillings and ninepence
+sterling.
+
+South-west of Zanesville, instead of steep hills of yellow clay, the
+country assumes a more gently undulating surface; but it is sufficiently
+varied both for health and ornament, and has an absorbent, gravelly, or
+sandy soil, of moderate fertility.
+
+_Lancaster_ is on the edge of a marsh, or fen, which, at present,
+should seem to be a source of disease; though its bad effects, on the
+inhabitants of that town, are not by any means obvious.
+
+The three towns, Zanesville, Lancaster, and _Chillicothe_, were founded
+by a sagacious man of the name of Zane, one of the earliest of the
+settlers. They are admirably placed, geographically, but with little
+regard to the health of their future inhabitants. The local advantages
+of Zanesville might have been equally secured, had the site of the town
+been on the higher, rather than the lower bank of the Muskingum: and the
+Sciota might have afforded equal facilities to the commerce of the
+inhabitants of Chillicothe, had they viewed it flowing beneath them,
+from those lovely eminences which adorn its opposite banks. Chillicothe
+is surrounded by the most charming elevations, but is itself in a
+bottom; and Lancaster is on the brink of an extensive marsh.
+
+Seven miles north-west of Chillicothe the traveller enters on a tract of
+river bottom, the first rich land, for which this state, and indeed the
+whole western country, is so justly famous. It is agreeably varied in
+surface, occasionally rises into hills, and is never flat.
+
+At Chillicothe there is an office for the several transactions regarding
+the disposal of the public lands of this district; and, on Mr.
+Birkbeck's arrival, he repaired to this office, for the purpose of
+inspecting a map of the district; and he found a great quantity of
+unentered lands, comprehending many entire townships, of eight miles
+square, lying about twenty miles south of Chillicothe; and, in several
+parts, abutting on the Sciota. Though it appeared certain that
+substantial objections had deterred purchasers from this extensive
+tract, in a country so much settled, yet Mr. Birkbeck, accompanied by
+his son, determined to visit it. They rode over twenty miles of fertile
+country, on the bank of the Sciota, and crossed that river to _Pike
+Town_; not far from which place was the land they were seeking.
+
+Near Pike Town was a small cultivated prairie, the first Mr. Birkbeck
+had seen. It contained about two hundred acres of rich land, and was
+divided by a road, which ran through the middle; and nearly the whole of
+it was covered by fine Indian corn, neatly cultivated. The surrounding
+hills were crowned with woods. Nothing that Mr. Birkbeck had before seen
+in America at all resembled this delightful spot; but, from its low
+situation near the Sciota, it was unhealthy.
+
+Pike Town was laid out, and received its name, about the year 1815. When
+Mr. Birkbeck was here, it contained a tavern, a store, and about twenty
+other dwellings.
+
+The land of which Mr. Birkbeck came in quest was, as he supposed, of
+inferior quality. But though he found it unfit for his purpose, he had
+been repaid his trouble by the pleasure of his ride, through a fine
+portion of country. In leaving Chillicothe, to proceed towards
+Cincinnati, he and his party travelled through about seven miles of rich
+alluvial land, and over fertile uplands. But, as they proceeded, the
+country became level, with a cold heavy soil, better adapted to grass
+than tillage. Much of this tract remained in an unimproved state. They
+had passed some hills which were covered with the grandest white
+oak-timber imaginable. Within view from the road there were thousands of
+these magnificent trees, each of which measured fourteen or fifteen feet
+in circumference: their straight stems rising, without a branch, to the
+height of seventy or eighty feet, not tapering and slender, but
+surmounted by full, luxuriant heads.
+
+For the space of a mile in breadth, a hurricane, which had traversed the
+entire western country in a north-east direction, about seven years
+before Mr. Birkbeck was here, had opened itself a passage through the
+forests, and had left a scene of extraordinary desolation. The trees lay
+tumbled over each other, like scattered stubble; some torn up by the
+roots, others broken off at different heights, or splintered only, and
+their tops bent over, and touching the ground. These hurricane tracts
+afford strong holes for game, and for all animals of savage kind.
+
+As Mr. Birkbeck approached the _Little Miami River_, the country became
+more broken, much more fertile, and better settled than before. After
+crossing this rapid and clear stream, he had a pleasant ride to Lebanon,
+which is not a mountain of cedars, but a valley, so beautiful and
+fertile that, at its first opening on the view, it seemed rather a
+region of fancy than a real back-settlement scene.
+
+_Lebanon_ is itself one of those wonders which are the natural growth of
+these back woods. In fourteen years, from two or three cabins of
+half-savage hunters, it has grown to be the residence of a thousand
+persons, with habits and looks in no respect differing from their
+brethren of the east. Before Mr. Birkbeck and his party entered the
+town, they heard the supper-bells of the taverns; and they arrived just
+in time to take their seats at one of the tables, together with
+travellers like themselves, and several store-keepers, lawyers, and
+doctors; men who regularly board at taverns, and make up a standing
+company for the daily public table.
+
+Mr. Birkbeck and his family next passed through _Cincinnati_, [a town
+which presents a scene of great life and activity. The market-house is
+an excellent building; and the market is under judicious regulations.
+Provisions are here plentiful and cheap; but articles of clothing,
+house-rent, and journeymen's wages are all very high.
+
+This interesting town is situated on the banks of the _Ohio_, and
+contains from eight to ten thousand inhabitants, including blacks, who
+are numerous. It is built on the same plan as Philadelphia. There is a
+school, in which children are educated on the Lancasterian plan; and
+which, in 1817, contained one hundred and fifty children. Owing,
+however, to the "untamable insubordination of the scholars, it was found
+impossible to put in practice most of the punishments that are directed
+by the founder of the system. Two weekly newspapers are published at
+Cincinnati; one called "The Western Spy," and the other, "Liberty
+Hall."
+
+There are, at this place, a woollen manufactory, a steam corn-mill, and
+a glass-house, on a tolerably large scale; and, in the main street,
+English goods abound in as great profusion as in Cheapside. The
+tradesmen import some of their goods direct from England, but they
+usually purchase them at Philadelphia; the journey to and from which
+place occupies three months; and goods are generally about fifty days in
+arriving.
+
+There are, in Cincinnati, three banks; and paper-money is here so
+abundant, that specie, even of the smallest amount, is rarely to be
+seen. The little that does exist, consists chiefly of _cut_ Spanish
+dollars. Notes of two shillings and two-pence, thirteen pence, sixpence
+halfpenny, and even of three-pence farthing, are very common: indeed,
+they constitute the chief part of the circulating medium.
+
+Cincinnati is a very handsome town; a town, in fact, which must astonish
+every traveller, when he considers how recently it has been formed. Some
+of the houses are on a large scale; and the number of moderate-sized and
+well-built brick buildings is considerable. The churches are neat; and
+the post-office, in arrangement and management, would bear comparison
+with that of London.]
+
+After having passed through Cincinnati, Mr. Birkbeck and his family
+entered the _state of Indiana_, and proceeded towards Vincennes. Indiana
+was, evidently, newer than the state of Ohio; and the character of the
+settlers appeared superior to that of the settlers in Ohio, who, in
+general, were a very indigent people. Those who fix themselves in
+Indiana, bring with them habits of comfort and the means of procuring
+the conveniences of life. These are observable in the construction of
+their cabins, and the neatness surrounding them; and, especially, in
+their well-stocked gardens, so frequent here, and so rare in the state
+of Ohio.
+
+The country, from the town of Madison to the _Camp Tavern_, is not
+interesting, and a great part of the land is but of medium quality. At
+the latter place commences a broken country, approaching to mountainous,
+which, if well watered, would form a fine grazing district. In their
+progress, Mr. Birkbeck, one of the ladies, and a servant boy, were
+benighted at the foot of one of these rugged hills; and, without being
+well provided, they were compelled to make their first experiment of
+"camping out," as it is called.
+
+A traveller, in the woods, says this gentleman, should always carry with
+him a flint, steel, tinder, and matches; a few biscuits, a half-pint
+vial of spirits, a tin cup, and a large knife or tomahawk; then, with
+his two blankets, and his great coat and umbrella, he need not be
+uneasy, should any unforeseen delay require his sleeping under a tree.
+
+In the present instance, the important articles of tinder and matches
+were in the baggage of the division that had proceeded; and, as the
+night was rainy and excessively dark, the benighted party were, for some
+time, under considerable apprehension, lest they should be deprived of
+the comfort and security of a fire. Fortunately, Mr. Birkbeck's
+powder-flask was in his saddle-bags, and he succeeded in supplying the
+place of tinder, by moistening a piece of paper, and rubbing it with
+gunpowder. He then placed the touchpaper on an old cambric handkerchief.
+On this he scattered gunpowder pretty copiously, and with a flint and
+steel he soon succeeded in raising a flame: then, collecting together a
+quantity of dry wood, he made a noble fire. There was a mattress for the
+lady, a bear-skin for Mr. Birkbeck, and the load of the pack-horse
+served as a pallet for the boy. Thus, by means of great coats and
+blankets, and their umbrellas spread over their heads, they made their
+quarters tolerably comfortable; and, placing themselves to the leeward
+of the fire, with their feet towards it, they lay more at ease than they
+could have done in the generality of taverns. They had a few biscuits,
+a small bottle of spirits, and a phial of oil. By twisting some cord
+very hard, and dipping it in the oil, they contrived to make torches;
+and, after several fruitless attempts, they succeeded in finding water.
+"Camping out," when the tents are pitched by day-light, and the party
+are furnished with the articles, which Mr. Birkbeck was obliged to
+supply by expedients, is pleasant in fine weather. The lady was
+exceedingly ill, which had in fact occasioned their being benighted; and
+never was the night's charge of a sick friend undertaken with more
+dismal forebodings. The rain, however, having ceased, the invalid passed
+the night in safety; so that the morning found them more comfortable
+than they could have anticipated.
+
+The town of _Vincennes_ is scattered over a plain, lying some feet lower
+than the banks of the _Wabash_: a situation seemingly unfavourable to
+health; and, in fact, agues and bilious fevers are frequent here during
+the autumn.
+
+The road from Sholt's Tavern to this place, thirty-six miles distant,
+lies partly across "barrens," that is, land of middling quality, thinly
+set with timber, or covered with long grass and shrubby underwood;
+generally level and dry, and gaudy with marigolds, sunflowers, martagon
+lilies, and many other beautiful flowers. On the whole, the country is
+tame, poorly watered, and not desirable as a place of settlement; but,
+from its varied character, it is pleasant to travel over. Vincennes
+exhibits a motley assemblage of inhabitants as well as visitors. The
+inhabitants are Americans, French Canadians, and Negroes. The visitors
+are chiefly Americans from various states; and Indians from various
+nations: Shawnees, Delawares, and Miamies, who live about a hundred
+miles northward, and who come here to trade for skins. The Indians were
+encamped, in considerable numbers, round the town, and were continually
+riding into the place, to the stores and the whiskey-shops. Their horses
+and accoutrements were generally mean, and their persons disagreeable.
+Their faces were painted in various ways, which gave an appearance of
+ferocity to their countenances.
+
+One of them, a Shawnee, had his eyes, or rather his eyelids and the
+surrounding parts, daubed with vermilion. He thus looked hideous enough
+at a distance; but, on a nearer view, he had good features, and was a
+fine, stout, and fierce-looking man. Some of the Indians were well
+dressed. One young man, in particular, of the Miami nation, wore a
+clear, light blue cotton vest, with sleeves; and had his head ornamented
+with black feathers.
+
+They all wear pantaloons, or rather long moccasins of buck-skin,
+covering the foot and leg, and reaching half way up the thigh, which is
+bare: a covering of cloth, a foot square, passes between the thighs, and
+hangs behind like an apron. Their complexion was various: some were
+dark, and others were not so swarthy as even Mr. Birkbeck; but he saw
+none of the copper-colour, which he had imagined to be their
+distinguishing characteristic. These Indians are addicted to drinking
+spirits, and are often intoxicated. They use much action in their
+discourse, and laugh immoderately. Their hair is straight and black, and
+their eyes are dark. Many of the women are decently dressed and
+good-looking.
+
+Mr. Birkbeck remarks that, in Great Britain, the people are so
+circumscribed in their movements, that, with them, miles seem equal to
+tens of miles in America. He says that, in America, travellers will
+start on an expedition of three thousand miles, by boats, on horseback,
+or on foot, with as little deliberation or anxiety, as an Englishman
+would set out on a journey of three hundred.
+
+At Vincennes, the foundation had just been laid of a large establishment
+of mills to be worked by steam. Water-mills of great power were building
+on the Wabash, near Harmony; and undertakings of similar kind will, no
+doubt, be called for and executed, along the banks of this river, and
+of its various tributary streams.
+
+On entering Vincennes there is nothing which tends to make a favourable
+impression on a stranger; but it improves on acquaintance, for it
+contains agreeable people: and there is a spirit of cleanliness, and
+even of neatness, in the houses and manner of living. There is also a
+strain of politeness in the inhabitants, which marks the origin of this
+settlement to be French.
+
+At _Princeton_, a place scarcely three years old, Mr. Birkbeck and his
+family went to a log-tavern, where neatness was as well observed as at
+many taverns in the cities of England. The people of this town belong to
+America in dress and manners; but they would not disgrace old England in
+the general decorum of their deportment.
+
+Mr. Birkbeck lamented here, as in other parts of America, the small
+account that is had of time. Subsistence is easily secured, and liberal
+pursuits are yet too rare to operate as a general stimulus to exertion:
+the consequence is, that life is whiled away in a painful state of
+yawning lassitude.
+
+Twenty or thirty miles west of this place, in the Illinois territory, is
+a large country where settlements were beginning; and where, Mr.
+Birkbeck says, there was an abundant choice of unentered lands, of a
+description, which, if the statements of travellers and surveyors, even
+after great abatements, can be relied on, he imagined would satisfy his
+wishes.
+
+Princeton affords a very encouraging situation for a temporary abode. It
+stands on an elevated spot, in an uneven country, ten miles from the
+river Wabash, and two from the navigable stream of the Patok; but the
+country is rich, and the timber is vast in bulk and height.
+
+The small-pox is likely soon to be excluded from this state; for
+vaccination is very generally adopted, and inoculation for the small-pox
+is prohibited altogether; not by law, but by common consent. If it
+should be known that an individual had undergone this operation, the
+inhabitants would compel him to withdraw from society. If he lived in a
+town, he must absent himself, or he would be driven away.
+
+On the 25th of July, Mr. Birkbeck explored the country as far as
+_Harmony_ and the banks of the Ohio. He lodged in a cabin, at a very new
+town, on the banks of the Ohio, called _Mount Vernon_. Here he found the
+people of a character which confirmed the aversion he had previously
+entertained to a settlement in the immediate vicinity of a large
+navigable river. Every hamlet was demoralized, and every plantation was
+liable to outrage, within a short distance of such a thoroughfare.
+
+Yet, to persons who had been long buried in deep forests, the view of
+that noble expanse was like the opening of a bright day upon the gloom
+of night. To travel, day after day, among trees a hundred feet high,
+without a glimpse of the surrounding country, is oppressive to a degree
+which those cannot conceive who have not experienced it.
+
+Mr. Birkbeck left Harmony after breakfast, on the ensuing day, and,
+crossing the Wabash, at a ferry, he proceeded to the _Big Prairie_,
+where, to his astonishment, he beheld a fertile plain of grass and
+arable; and some thousand acres of land covered with corn, more
+luxuriant than any he had before seen. The scene reminded him of some
+open well-cultivated vale in Europe, surrounded by wooded uplands. But
+the illusion vanished on his arrival at the habitation of Mr. Williams,
+the owner of an estate, on which, at this time, there were nearly three
+hundred acres of beautiful corn in one field; for this man lived in a
+way apparently as remote from comfort, as the settler of one year, who
+thinks only of the means of supporting existence.
+
+The inhabitants of the Prairie are healthy, and the females and children
+are better complexioned than their neighbours of the timber country. It
+is evident that they breathe better air: but they are in a low state of
+civilization, being about half Indian in their mode of life. They are
+hunters by profession, and would have the whole range of the forests for
+themselves and their cattle. Strangers appear, to them, invaders of
+their privileges; as they have intruded on the better founded and
+exclusive privileges of their Indian predecessors.
+
+After viewing several Prairies, which, with their surrounding woods,
+were so beautiful as to seem like the creation of fancy; (gardens of
+delight in a dreary wilderness;) and after losing their horses, and
+spending two days in recovering them, Mr. Birkbeck and his party took a
+hunter, as their guide, and proceeded across the little Wabash, to
+explore the country between that river and the Skillet Fork.
+
+The lonely settlers, in the districts north of Big Prairie, are in a
+miserable state: their bread-corn must be ground thirty miles off; and
+it occupied three days to carry to the mill, and bring back, the small
+horse-load of three bushels. To struggle with privations has now become
+the habit of their lives, most of them having made several successive
+plunges into the wilderness.
+
+Mr. Birkbeck's journey across the little Wabash was a complete departure
+from all mark of civilization. Wandering without track, where even the
+sagacity of the hunter-guide had nearly failed, they at length arrived
+at the cabin of another hunter, in which they lodged. This man, his
+wife, his eldest son, a tall, half-naked youth, just initiated in the
+hunter's arts; his three daughters, growing up into great rude girls,
+and a squalling tribe of dirty brats, of both sexes, were of one pale
+yellow colour, without the slightest tint of healthful bloom. They were
+remarkable instances of the effect, on the complexion, produced by
+living perpetually in the midst of woods.
+
+Their cabin, which may serve as a specimen of these rudiments of houses,
+was formed of round logs, with apertures of three or four inches: there
+was no chimney, but large intervals were left between the "clapboards,"
+for the escape of the smoke. The roof, however, was a more effectual
+covering, than Mr. Birkbeck had generally experienced, as it protected
+him and his party very tolerably from a drenching night. Two bedsteads,
+formed of unhewn logs, and cleft boards laid across; two chairs, (one of
+them without a bottom,) and a low stool, were all the furniture
+possessed by this numerous family. A string of buffalo-hide, stretched
+across the hovel, was a wardrobe for their rags; and their utensils,
+consisting of a large iron-pot, some baskets, one good rifle, and two
+that were useless, stood about in corners; and a fiddle, which was
+seldom silent, except when the inhabitants were asleep, hung by them.
+
+These hunters, in the back-settlements of America, are as persevering as
+savages, and as indolent. They cultivate indolence as a privilege: "You
+English (they say) are industrious, but we have freedom." And thus they
+exist, in yawning indifference, surrounded by nuisances and petty wants;
+the former of which might be removed, and the latter supplied, by the
+application of one tenth part of the time that is loitered away in their
+innumerable idle days.
+
+The _Little Wabash_, which Mr. Birkbeck crossed in search of some
+Prairies, that had been described to him in glowing colours, was, at
+this season, a sluggish and scanty stream; but, for three months of the
+latter part of winter and the beginning of spring, it covers a great
+space of ground, by the overflow of waters collected in its long course.
+The _Skillet Fork_ is a river of similar character; and the country that
+lies between them must labour under the inconvenience of absolute
+seclusion, for many months every year, until bridges and ferries are
+established. Having made his way through this wildest of wildernesses to
+the Skillet Fork, Mr. Birkbeck crossed that river at a shoal. The
+country, on each side of it, is flat and swampy; so that the water, in
+many places, even at this season, rendered travelling disagreeable; yet
+here and there, at ten miles' distance, perhaps, the very solitude
+tempts persons to pitch their tents for a season.
+
+At one of these lone dwellings Mr. Birkbeck found a neat, respectable
+looking female, spinning under the little piazza at one side of the
+cabin, which shaded her from the sun. Her husband was absent on
+business, which would detain him some weeks: she had no family, and no
+companion except her husband's dog, which usually attended him during
+his bear-hunting, in the winter. She said she was quite overcome with
+"lone," and hoped the party would tie their horses in the wood, and sit
+awhile with her, during the heat of the day. They did so, and she
+rewarded them with a basin of coffee. She said her husband was kind and
+good, and never left her without necessity. He was a true lover of
+bear-hunting; and, in the preceding winter, had killed a great number of
+bears.
+
+On the second of August the party lodged at another cabin, where similar
+neatness prevailed, both within and without. The woman was neat, and the
+children were clean in skin, and whole in their clothes. The man
+possessed good sense and sound notions, and was ingenious and
+industrious. He lived on the edge of the Seven Miles' Prairie, a spot
+charming to the eye, but deficient in water.
+
+Mr. Birkbeck considers _Shawnee Town_ as a phaenomenon, evincing the
+pertinacious adherence of man to the spot where he has once established
+himself. Once a year, for many successive springs, the Ohio, in its
+annual overflowings, has carried away the fences from the cleared lands
+of the inhabitants, till at length they have given them up, and ceased
+to cultivate them. Once a year the inhabitants of Shawnee Town either
+make their escape to higher lands, or take refuge in the upper stories
+of their houses, until the waters subside, when they recover their
+position on this desolate sand-bank.
+
+At Shawnee Town there is an office for the south-east district of
+Illinois. Here Mr. Birkbeck constituted himself a land-owner, by paying
+seven hundred and twenty dollars, as one-fourth part of the
+purchase-money of fourteen hundred and forty acres. This land, with a
+similar purchase made by a Mr. Flower, constituted part of a beautiful
+and rich Prairie, about six miles distant from the Big Wabash, and the
+same distance from the Little Wabash.
+
+The land was rich, natural meadow, bounded by timbered ground: it was
+within reach of two navigable rivers; and, at a small expence, was
+capable of being rendered immediately productive.
+
+The geographical position of this portion of territory appeared to be
+extremely favourable. The Big Wabash, a noble stream, which forms its
+eastern boundary, runs four hundred miles, through one of the most
+fertile portions of this most fertile region. By means of a portage of
+eight miles to the Miami of the lakes, it has a communication, well
+known to the Indian traders, with Lake Huron, and with all the
+navigation of the north.
+
+Mr. Birkbeck left Shawnee town on the third of August. He had found here
+something of river-barbarism, the genuine Ohio character; but he had met
+with a greater number, than he had expected, of agreeable individuals:
+and the kind and hospitable treatment he experienced at the tavern,
+formed a good contrast to the rude society and wretched fare he had left
+at the Skillet Fork.
+
+On his return to _Harmony_, the day being Sunday, he had an opportunity
+of seeing, grouped and in their best attire, a large part of the members
+of this wonderful community. It was evening when he arrived, and he
+observed no human creature about the streets: soon the entire body of
+the people, about seven hundred in number, poured out of the church, and
+exhibited the appearance of health, neatness, and peace.
+
+This colony is useful to the neighbourhood. It furnishes, from its
+store, many articles of great value, not so well supplied elsewhere; and
+it is a market for all spare produce. Many kinds of culinary plants, and
+many fruit-trees are cultivated here; and the Harmonites set a good
+example of neatness and industry. When we contrast their neatness and
+order, with the slovenly habits of their neighbours, we see (says Mr.
+Birkbeck) the good that arises from association, which advances these
+poor people a century, at least, on the social scale, beyond the
+solitary beings who build their huts in the wilderness.
+
+At Harmony Mr. Birkbeck and his family lived at the tavern, and their
+board there cost two dollars per week, each person: for these they
+received twenty-one meals. Excellent coffee and tea, with broiled
+chickens, bacon, &c. for breakfast and supper, and a variety of good,
+but simple fare at dinner. Except coffee, tea, or milk, no liquor but
+water is thought of at meals in this country.
+
+Mr. Birkbeck observes that, when the back country of America is
+mentioned in England, musquitoes by night, and rattlesnakes by day,
+never fail to alarm the imagination: to say nothing of wolves and bears,
+and panthers, and Indians still more ferocious than these. His course of
+travelling, from the mouth of James River, and over the mountains, up to
+Pittsburg, about five hundred miles; then three hundred miles through
+the woods of the state of Ohio, down to Cincinnati; next, across the
+entire wilderness of Indiana, and to the extreme south of the
+Illinois:--this long and deliberate journey, (he says,) one would
+suppose, might have introduced his party to an intimate acquaintance
+with some of these pests of America. It is true that they killed several
+of the serpent tribe; black snakes, garter-snakes, &c. and that they saw
+one rattlesnake of extraordinary size. They experienced inconvenience
+from musquitoes in a few damp spots, just as they would have done from
+gnats in England. In their late expeditions in the Illinois, where they
+led the lives of thorough backwoods-men, if they were so unfortunate as
+to pitch their tent on the edge of a creek, or near a swamp, and
+mismanaged their fire, they were teased with musquitoes, as they would
+have been in the fens of Cambridgeshire: but this was the sum total
+of their experience of these reported plagues.
+
+Wolves and bears are extremely numerous, and commit much injury in the
+newly-settled districts. Hogs, which are a main dependance for food as
+well as profit, are the constant prey of the bears; and the holds of
+these animals are so strong, that the hunters are unable to keep down
+their numbers.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+[In the autumn of the year 1817, Mr. Birkbeck removed, with his family,
+to the property he had purchased, between the Great and Little Wabash,
+and to which he has given the name of "_English Prairie_." In his "Notes
+on America," and in his "Letters from the Illinois," he has described,
+in an interesting manner, the face of the country, its soil,
+productions, mode of culture, and capacities of improvement; and has
+pointed out the great advantages which it offers to settlers, especially
+to labourers and to farmers with small capital. The confidence that is
+reposed in his judgment and agricultural skill, has already induced
+several persons to emigrate into the same neighbourhood, both from
+England and the United States; but the singularity of his religious
+opinions, and his objection to the admission of religious instructors of
+any description into his settlement, had prevented many conscientious
+persons from joining him, who might have proved useful members of his
+little community.]
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+From this place we must return to _Philadelphia_, for the purpose of
+accompanying Mr. Weld on a journey to Washington, the federal city or
+metropolis of the United States.
+
+
+
+
+Seventh Day's Instruction.
+
+UNITED STATES CONTINUED.
+
+
+_Narrative of_ MR. WELD'S _Excursion from Philadelphia to
+Washington_.
+
+On the 16th of November, 1795, Mr. Weld left _Philadelphia_ in one of
+the public stage-waggons. The country around this city was well
+cultivated, and abounded with neat villas and farm-houses; but it had a
+naked appearance, for all the trees had been cut down, either for fuel
+or to make way for the plough.
+
+The road to Baltimore passed over the lowest of three floating bridges,
+which had been thrown across the _river Schuylkill_. The view, on
+crossing this river, which is about two hundred and fifty yards wide, is
+peculiarly beautiful. The banks on each side are high, and, for many
+miles, afford extremely delightful situations for villas.
+
+The country, after passing the Schuylkill, is pleasingly diversified
+with rising grounds and woods; and appears to be in a good state of
+cultivation. The first town of any note at which Mr. Weld arrived, was
+_Chester_; which at this time contained about sixty dwellings, and was
+remarkable for being the place where the first colonial assembly sat.
+From the vicinity of Chester, there is a grand view of the river
+Delaware.
+
+About half a mile from Wilmington is _Brandywine River_, remarkable for
+its mills: no fewer than thirteen having been built, almost close to
+each other, upon it.
+
+_Wilmington_ is the capital of the state of Delaware, and contained, at
+this time, about six hundred houses, which were chiefly of brick. The
+streets are laid out in a manner somewhat similar to those of
+Philadelphia. There is, however, nothing very interesting in this town,
+and the country around it is flat and unpleasant. _Elkton_, twenty-one
+miles from Wilmington, and the first town in Maryland, is a dirty and
+disagreeable place; which contains about ninety indifferent houses, that
+are built without any regularity.
+
+Every ten or twelve miles upon this road there are taverns. These are
+all built of wood, and much in the same style; with a porch in front,
+which extends the entire length of the house. Few of them have any
+signs, and they are only to be distinguished from other houses, by a
+number of handbills pasted upon the walls near the door. Each of them is
+named, not from the sign, but from the person who keeps it; as Jones's,
+Brown's, &c. and all are kept nearly in the same manner. At each house
+there are regular hours for breakfast, dinner, and supper: and, if a
+traveller arrive somewhat before the time appointed for any one of these
+meals, it is in vain to desire a separate repast for himself: he must
+patiently wait till the regulated hour; and must then sit down with such
+other guests as happen to be in the house.
+
+The _Susquehannah_ river is crossed, on the way to Baltimore, at a ferry
+five miles above its entrance into the Chesapeak. The river is here
+about a mile and a quarter wide, and deep enough for vessels of any
+burden. The banks are high and thickly wooded, and the scenery is grand
+and picturesque. A small town, called _Havre de Grace_, which contains
+about forty houses, stands on this river at the ferry. From Havre to
+Baltimore the country is extremely poor; the soil is of a yellow gravel
+mixed with clay, and the road is execrable.
+
+_Baltimore_ is supposed to have, at this time, contained about sixteen
+thousand _inhabitants_. Though not the capital of the state, it is the
+largest town in Maryland; and, after Philadelphia and New York, is the
+most considerable place of trade in North America. [It is built round
+the head of a bay or inlet of the _river Patuxent_, and about eight
+miles above its junction with the Chesapeak.] The _plan_ of the town is
+somewhat similar to that of Philadelphia. Most of the _streets_ cross
+each other at right angles. The main street, which runs nearly east and
+west, is about eighty feet wide, and the others measure from forty to
+sixty feet. The streets are not all paved, so that, in wet weather, they
+are almost impassable; the soil being a stiff yellow clay, which retains
+the water a long time. On the south of the town is the harbour, which
+affords about nine feet water, and is large enough to contain two
+thousand sail of merchant-vessels.
+
+The greatest number of private _houses_ in Baltimore, are of brick; but
+many, particularly in the skirts of the town, are of wood. In some of
+the new streets, a few appeared to be well built; but, in general, they
+are small, heavy, and inconvenient. [The public buildings have very
+little architectural beauty.
+
+In the year 1817, Baltimore contained fifty thousand inhabitants; and
+was still rapidly increasing.] Among the inhabitants are to be found
+English, Irish, Scotch, and French; but the Irish appear to be most
+numerous. With a few exceptions, they are all engaged in trade; and they
+are, for the most part, a plain people, sociable among themselves, and
+friendly and hospitable towards strangers. Cards and dancing are here
+favourite amusements. During the autumn, Baltimore is unhealthy, and
+such persons as can afford it, retire to country-seats in the
+neighbourhood, some of which are delightfully situated.
+
+From Baltimore to Washington, a distance of forty miles, the country has
+but a poor appearance. The soil, in some parts, consists of yellow clay
+mixed with gravel: in other parts it is sandy. In the neighbourhood of
+the creeks, and between the hills, there are patches of rich black
+earth, called bottoms, the trees upon which grow to a large size.
+
+
+_A description of the City of Washington._
+
+This city was laid out in the year 1792; and was expressly designed for
+the seat of government, and the metropolis of the United States.
+Accordingly, in the month of November, 1800, the congress assembled here
+for the first time. It stands on a neck of land, between the forks
+formed by the eastern and western branches of the river _Potomac_. This
+neck of land, together with an adjacent territory, ten miles square, was
+ceded to the American congress by the states of Maryland and Virginia.
+The ground on which the city has been built, was the property of private
+individuals, who readily relinquished their claim to one half of it in
+favour of congress, conscious that the value of what was left to them
+would increase, and amply compensate them for their loss.
+
+The _plan_ of the buildings was drawn by a Frenchman, whose name was
+L'Enfant; and the ground, marked out for them, was fourteen miles in
+circumference. The _streets_ run north and south, east and west; but, to
+prevent that sameness which would result from their all crossing each
+other at right angles, several avenues have been laid out, in different
+parts of the city, which run transversely. The streets are, in general,
+from ninety to a hundred feet, and the avenues one hundred and sixty
+feet wide. There is also an arrangement for several squares.
+
+Including the suburb of George Town, this city contains about twenty
+thousand _inhabitants_, who are scattered over a vast space, in detached
+masses of buildings, which appear like petty hamlets in a populous
+country. The intended _streets_ are, for the most part, only
+distinguishable from the rugged waste, by a slight trace, like that of a
+newly-formed road; or, in some instances, by rows of poplar trees, which
+afford neither ornament nor shade.
+
+The _Capitol_, and the house appropriated to the president of the United
+States, are situated on opposite hills, and are the chief public
+buildings in Washington. During the late war, they were both nearly
+destroyed by the British forces; but they are now rising into increased
+splendour. The capitol, in which are the houses of the legislature, and
+several public offices, stands on a bank of the Potomac, seventy feet
+above the level of that river. It as yet consists of only two wings; but
+these are intended to be connected by a centre, surmounted by a dome.
+
+The _president's house_ is at the opposite end of "Pennsylvania Avenue,"
+and commands a most beautiful prospect. On each side of it stands a
+large brick building: one of which is the treasury, and the other is
+appropriated to the war and navy offices. These are hereafter to be
+connected with the palace.
+
+The _post office_ is a large brick edifice, situated at about an equal
+distance from the president's house and the capitol. Under the same roof
+is the patent-office, and the national library, for the use of members
+of the congress. In 1817 there were, in Washington, many brick
+buildings, two and three stories high. There were also some small wooden
+houses; though, according to the original plan, no houses were to be
+built less than three stories high, and all were to have marble steps.
+
+The _river Potomac_, at Washington, is navigable only for small craft;
+but, besides this, there is a river, about the width of the Paddington
+canal, which is dignified by the name of _Tiber_. The ridiculous, though
+characteristic vanity displayed in changing its original appellation
+from "Goose-creek" to that of "Tiber," has been happily exposed by the
+English poet Moore. Speaking of this city, he says,
+
+    In fancy now, beneath the twilight gloom,
+    Come, let me lead thee o'er this modern Rome,
+    Where tribunes rule, where dusky Davi bow,
+    And what was Goose-creek once is Tiber now.
+    This fam'd metropolis, where fancy sees
+    Squares in morasses, obelisks in trees.
+
+There are, at Washington, four market-days in the week, and negroes are
+the chief sellers of provisions; but the supplies are neither good nor
+various. In this city rents are very high; and mechanics are fully
+employed and well paid. Shopkeepers too are numerous; but its increase
+cannot be rapid, for it has no decidedly great natural advantages. It
+has little external commerce, a barren soil, and a scanty population; is
+enfeebled by the deadly weight of absolute slavery, and has no direct
+communication with the western country.
+
+With regard to the manners of the _inhabitants_, it is remarked that
+both sexes, whether on horseback or on foot, carry umbrellas at all
+seasons: in summer, to keep off the sunbeams; in winter, as a shelter
+from the rain and snow; and in spring and autumn, to intercept the dews
+of the evening. At dinner and at tea parties, the ladies sit together,
+and seldom mix with the gentlemen, whose conversation usually turns upon
+political subjects. In almost all houses toddy, or spirits and water, is
+offered to guests a few minutes before dinner. Boarders in
+boarding-houses, or in taverns, sometimes throw off their coats during
+the heat of summer; and, in winter, their shoes, for the purpose of
+warming their feet at the fire; customs which the climate only can
+excuse. The barber always arrives on horseback, to perform the operation
+of shaving; and here, as in some towns of Europe, he is the organ of all
+the news and scandal of the place.
+
+In the year 1817, when Mr. Fearon was in Washington, the congress was
+sitting, and that gentleman several times attended the debates. The
+place of meeting was a temporary one: it had been designed for an hotel,
+and was in the immediate vicinity of the capitol. The congress assembled
+at eleven o'clock in the morning, and adjourned at four in the
+afternoon. Mr. Fearon's first visit was to the _senate_. This body is
+composed of forty members, the states having increased their original
+number of thirteen to that of twenty; and each state, regardless of its
+population, sends two. The gallery of the senate-house is open to all;
+and the only form observed, is that of taking off the hat. When Mr.
+Fearon was at Washington, the chairman's seat was central, under a
+handsome canopy; and the members were seated, on rich scarlet cushions,
+some at double, and some at single desks. There were two large fires;
+and the room was carpeted, as was also the gallery. In the congress, the
+forms of business, with a few minor exceptions, are taken from those of
+the British parliament. There is, however, one point of variation: every
+speech is apparently listened to; and all the speeches, whether good or
+bad, seem regarded with equal apathy, and with a complete lifeless
+endurance, neither applause nor censure being allowed.
+
+The _Representative Chamber_ was in the same building, and about twice
+the extent. A gallery was here also open to the public of both sexes.
+This assembly consists of nearly two hundred members. These want, in
+appearance, the age, experience, dignity, and respectability, which an
+Englishman associates with the idea of legislators, and which are
+possessed by the superior branch of the congress. The members sat on
+very common chairs, and at unpainted desks, which were placed in rows. A
+few of the speakers commanded attention; but others talked on as long
+they pleased, while the rest were occupied in writing letters or reading
+newspapers. A spitting-box was placed at the feet of each member, and,
+contrary to the practice of the upper house, both the members and
+visitors wore their hats.
+
+During the sitting of congress, the president, or rather his lady, holds
+a drawing-room weekly. He takes by the hand all those persons who are
+presented to him; shaking of hands being here considered more rational
+and more manly than kissing them.
+
+_George Town_ may be described as a suburb of Washington. It is finely
+situated, on the north-east side of the Potomac river, and is divided,
+from Washington, by the Rock Creek, over which are two bridges. The
+houses are chiefly of brick, and have a neat appearance. Several of
+them were built before the streets were formed, which gave rise to an
+observation by a French lady, that "George Town had houses without
+streets; Washington, streets without houses."
+
+_Alexandria_, formerly called Belhaven, is a small, but peculiarly neat
+town, on the western side of the Potomac, and about six miles south of
+Washington. Its streets, like those of Philadelphia, run in straight
+lines, and intersect each other at right angles. The houses are of neat
+construction. The public buildings are an episcopal church, an academy,
+a court-house, a bank, and gaol. This place carries on a considerable
+trade; and the warehouses and wharfs are very commodious. The distance
+from Alexandria to George Town is about ten miles; and there is a daily
+communication between the two places, by means of a packet-boat.
+
+Nine miles below Alexandria, and also on the bank of the Potomac, stands
+_Mount Vernon_, formerly the country-seat of general Washington. The
+house is of wood, but cut and painted so as to resemble stone. It has a
+lawn in front; and, when Mr. Weld was here, the garden had the
+appearance of a nursery-ground.
+
+
+_Narrative of Mr._ WELD'S _Journey from Washington to Richmond
+in Virginia_.
+
+In proceeding from Washington southward, Mr. Weld passed through a part
+of the country which was flat, sandy, and had a most dreary aspect. For
+many successive miles nothing was to be seen but extensive plains, that
+had been worn out by the culture of tobacco, and were overgrown with
+yellow sedge, and interspersed with groves of pine and cedar-trees, the
+dark green colour of which formed a singular contrast with the yellow of
+the sedge. In the midst of these plains there were, however, the remains
+of several good houses, which showed that the country had once been in a
+flourishing state.
+
+Mr. Weld crossed the Potomac at a place called _Hoe's Ferry_, The
+ferry-man told him that, in the river, was a bank of oysters, and that,
+if he wished it, the men should take up some. The singularity of
+obtaining oysters from fresh water induced Mr. Weld to stop at the bank;
+and the men, in a few minutes, collected as many as would have filled a
+bushel. The oysters were extremely good when cooked, but were
+disagreeable when eaten raw. The Potomac, as well as the other rivers in
+Virginia, abounds with excellent fish of various kinds. At the ferry it
+is about three miles wide.
+
+Mr. Weld prevailed with the ferry-man to take him about ten miles down
+the river, and land him on the Virginian shore, in a part of the country
+which appeared to be a perfect wilderness. No traces of a road or
+pathway were visible on the loose white sand; and the cedar and
+pine-trees grew so closely together, on all sides, that it was scarcely
+possible to see further forward, in any direction, than a hundred yards.
+Taking a course, as nearly as he could guess, in a direct line from the
+river, at the end of about an hour, he found a narrow road, which led to
+a large and ancient brick house. The master of it was from home, and Mr.
+Weld was obliged to proceed onward, several miles further, to a wretched
+hovel which had the name of a tavern. On the ensuing morning he
+proceeded to the residence of a gentleman, which was between the rivers
+Potomac and _Rappahannoc_, and where he had been invited to pass a few
+weeks.
+
+The principal planters in Virginia possess large estates, and have, on
+them, nearly every thing they can want. Among their slaves are found
+tailors, shoemakers, carpenters, smiths, turners, wheelwrights, weavers,
+and tanners. Woollen cloths and cotton goods, of several kinds, are
+manufactured at this province. Cotton grows here in great luxuriance:
+the plants, indeed, are often killed by the frost in winter, but they
+always produce abundantly, the first year in which they are sown.
+
+The large estates in Virginia are managed by stewards and overseers; and
+the work is done wholly by slaves. The cottages of the slaves are
+usually at the distance of a few hundred yards from the dwelling-house,
+and give the appearance of a village, to the residence of every planter.
+Adjoining to these cottages the slaves usually have small gardens, and
+yards for poultry. They have ample time to attend to their own concerns:
+their gardens are generally well stocked, and their flocks of poultry
+numerous. Many of their little huts are comfortably furnished, and they
+are themselves, in general, well clad. But Mr. Weld remarked, that this
+class of persons is much more kindly treated in Virginia, than in the
+other states of America.
+
+The part of Virginia in which Mr. Weld was now passing his time, was, in
+general, flat and sandy, and abounded in pine and cedar-trees: some
+districts, however, were well cultivated, and afforded good crops of
+corn; but these were intermixed with extensive tracts of waste land,
+worn out by the culture of tobacco, and almost destitute of verdure.
+
+The common people, in the lower parts of Virginia, have very sallow
+complexions, owing to the burning rays of the sun in summer, and the
+bilious complaints to which they are subject during the fall of the
+year; but those in the upper parts of the country, towards the
+mountains, have a healthy and comely appearance.
+
+After Mr. Weld had left the house of his friend, he crossed the
+_Rappahannoc River_, to a small town called _Tappahannoc_, or _Hob's
+Hole_, containing about one hundred houses. The river is here about
+three quarters of a mile wide, and, though the distance from its mouth
+is seventy miles, sharks are very often seen.
+
+From Tappahannoc to _Urbanna_, another small town on the Rappahannoc,
+and about twenty-five miles lower down, the country wears but a poor
+aspect. The road, which is level and sandy, runs, for many successive
+miles, through woods. The habitations that are seen from it are but few,
+and these of the poorest description. The woods chiefly consist of black
+oak, pine, and cedar-trees, which only grow on land of the worst
+quality.
+
+Mr. Weld observed many traces of fires in the woods. Such fires, he was
+informed, were frequent in the spring of the year; and they were usually
+occasioned by the negligence of people who burnt the underwood, for the
+purpose of clearing the lands. He was himself witness to one of them.
+The day had been remarkably serene, and the underwood had been fired in
+several places. During the afternoon, the weather was sultry, and, about
+five o'clock, the horizon, towards the north, became dark, and a
+terrible whirlwind arose. Mr. Weld was standing, with some gentlemen, on
+an eminence, and perceived it gradually advancing. It carried along with
+it a cloud of dust, dried leaves, and pieces of rotten wood; and, in
+many places, as it passed along, it levelled the fence-rails, and
+unroofed the cattle-sheds. Mr. Weld and his friends endeavoured, but in
+vain, to reach a place of shelter. In the course of two minutes the
+whirlwind overtook them: the shock was violent; it was hardly possible
+to stand, and was difficult to breathe. It passed over in about three
+minutes; but a storm, accompanied by heavy thunder and lightning,
+succeeded: this lasted more than half an hour. On looking round,
+immediately after the whirlwind had passed, a prodigious column of fire
+appeared in a part of the wood where some underwood had been burning. In
+many places the flames rose considerably above the summit of the trees,
+which were of large growth. It was a tremendous, and, at the same time,
+a sublime sight. The Negroes, on the surrounding plantations, were all
+assembled with their hoes; and guards were stationed, at every corner,
+to give alarm, if the fire appeared elsewhere, lest the conflagration
+should become general. To one plantation a spark was carried by the wind
+more than half a mile; happily, however, a torrent of rain, shortly
+afterwards, came pouring down, and enabled the people to extinguish the
+flames in every quarter.
+
+The country between Urbanna and Gloucester is neither so sandy nor so
+flat as that bordering upon the Rappahannoc. The trees, chiefly pines,
+are of large size, and afford abundance of turpentine, which is
+extracted from them, in great quantities, by the inhabitants.
+
+_Gloucester_ contained, at this time, only ten or twelve houses. It is
+situated on a neck of land nearly opposite to the town of York, and on
+the bank of the _York River_, here about a mile and half wide. _York_
+consisted of about seventy houses, an episcopalian church, and a gaol.
+It is remarkable for having been the place where lord Cornwallis
+surrendered his army to the combined forces of the Americans and French.
+The banks of the river are, for the most part, high and inaccessible;
+and the principal part of the town is built upon them; only a few
+fishing-huts and store-houses standing at the bottom.
+
+Twelve miles from York is _Williamsburgh_, formerly the seat of
+government in Virginia. At this time it consisted of one principal
+street, and two others, which ran parallel to it. At one end of the main
+street stands the college, and, at the other end, the old capitol or
+State-house, a capacious building of brick, which was crumbling to
+pieces, from neglect. The houses around it were mostly uninhabited, and
+presented a melancholy appearance.
+
+The college of William and Mary, as it is still called, is at the
+opposite end of the main street: it is a heavy pile of building,
+somewhat resembling a large brick-kiln. The students were, at this time,
+about thirty in number; but, from their boyish appearance, the seminary
+ought rather to be termed a grammar-school than a college.
+
+Mr. Weld dined with the president of the college. Half a dozen, or more,
+of the students, the eldest about twelve years old, were at table; some
+without shoes and stockings, and others without coats. A couple of
+dishes of salted meat, and some oyster-soup, formed the whole of the
+repast.
+
+The town of Williamsburgh contained, at this time, about twelve hundred
+inhabitants; and the society in it was thought to be more extensive, and
+at the same time more genteel, than in any other place of its size in
+America. No manufactures were carried on here, and there was scarcely
+any trade.
+
+From Williamsburgh to Hampton the country is flat and uninteresting.
+_Hampton_ is a small town, situated at the head of a bay, near the mouth
+of James River. It contained about thirty houses and an episcopal
+church; and was a dirty, disagreeable place.
+
+From this town there is a regular ferry to Norfolk, across Hampton
+Roads, eighteen miles over. _Norfolk_ stands nearly at the mouth of the
+eastern branch of Elizabeth River, the most southern of the rivers which
+fall into _Chesapeak Bay_. This is the largest commercial town in
+Virginia, and carries on a flourishing trade to the West Indies. Its
+exports consist principally of tobacco, flour, and corn, and various
+kinds of timber. Of the latter it derives an inexhaustible supply, from
+the great "Dismal Swamp," which is immediately in its neighbourhood.
+
+The houses in Norfolk were about five hundred in number; but most of
+them were of wood, and meanly built. These had all been erected since
+the year 1776; when the place had been totally burnt, by order of lord
+Dunmore, then the British governor of Virginia. The losses sustained, on
+this occasion, were estimated at three hundred thousand pounds sterling.
+Near the harbour the streets are narrow and irregular: in the other
+parts of the town they are tolerably wide. None of them, however, are
+paved, and all are filthy. During the hot months of summer, the stench
+that proceeds from some of them is horrid.
+
+There were, at this time, two churches, one for episcopalians, and the
+other for methodists; but, in the former, service was not performed more
+than once in two or three weeks. Indeed, throughout all the lower parts
+of Virginia, that is, between the mountains, and the sea, the people
+seemed to have scarcely any sense of religion; and, in the country
+districts, all the churches were falling into decay.
+
+From Norfolk Mr. Weld went to the _Dismal Swamp_. This commences at the
+distance of nine miles from the town, extends into North Carolina, and
+occupies, in the whole, about one hundred and fifty thousand acres. The
+entire tract is covered with trees, some of which are of enormous size;
+and between them, the underwood springs up so thick, that the swamp is,
+in many parts, absolutely impervious. It abounds also with cane-reeds,
+and with long rich grass, on which cattle feed with great avidity, and
+become fat in a short time. In the interior of the swamp, large herds of
+wild cattle are found; the offspring, probably, of animals which have at
+different times been lost, or turned out to feed. Bears, wolves, deer,
+and other wild indigenous animals, are also found here.
+
+As the Dismal Swamp lies so very near to Norfolk, where there is a
+constant demand for timber, staves, and other similar articles, for
+exportation; and, as the best of these are made from trees grown upon
+the swamp, it of course becomes a valuable species of property. A canal,
+which the inhabitants of Norfolk were, at this time, cutting through it,
+would also tend to enhance its value.
+
+From the Dismal Swamp to Richmond, a distance of about one hundred and
+forty miles, along the south side of _James River_, the country is flat
+and sandy, and, for many successive miles, is covered with pine-trees.
+In some parts there are peach-orchards, which are very profitable. From
+the peaches, the inhabitants make brandy, which, when properly matured,
+is an excellent liquor, and much esteemed: they give it a delicious
+flavour by infusing dried pears in it.
+
+The accommodation at the taverns along this road, was most wretched;
+nothing was to be had but rancid fish, fat salt pork, and bread made of
+Indian corn. Mr. Weld's horses were almost starved. Hay is scarcely ever
+used in this part of the country, but, in place of it, the inhabitants
+feed their cattle with what they call fodder, the leaves of the Indian
+corn-plant. Not a bit of fodder, however, was to be had on the whole
+road from Norfolk to Richmond, except at two places.
+
+_Petersburgh_ stands at the head of the navigable part of _Appommattox
+River_, and is the only place of importance between Norfolk and
+Richmond. The houses in Petersburgh were about three hundred in number,
+and built without regularity. A flourishing trade was carried on in this
+place. About two thousand four hundred hogsheads of tobacco were
+inspected annually at the warehouses; and, at the falls of the
+Appamatox, near the upper end of the town, were some of the best
+flour-mills in Virginia.
+
+_Richmond_, the capital of Virginia, is situated immediately below the
+Falls of _James River_, which is here about four hundred yards wide, and
+was at this time crossed by two bridges, separated from each other by an
+island. The houses in Richmond were not more than seven hundred in
+number, yet they extended nearly a mile and a half along the banks of
+the river. The lower part of the town is built close to the water; and
+opposite to it, lies the shipping. It is connected with the upper town
+by a long street, which runs parallel to the course of the river, and
+about fifty yards from the banks. The situation of the upper town is
+very pleasing: it is on an elevated spot, and commands a fine prospect
+of the falls of the river, and of the adjacent country. The best houses
+stand here, and also the capitol or state-house, which is a clumsy,
+ill-shaped edifice. Richmond, at this time, contained about four
+thousand inhabitants, one half of whom were slaves.
+
+The _Falls_ in the river, or the _Rapids_, as they ought to be called,
+extend six miles above the city. Here the river is full of large rocks;
+and the water rushes along in some places with great impetuosity. At the
+north side of the falls is a canal, which renders the navigation
+complete from Richmond to the Blue Mountains.
+
+There is, perhaps, no place in the world of equal size, in which more
+gambling is carried on, than in Richmond. Mr. Weld had scarcely alighted
+from his horse, when the landlord of the tavern at which he stopped,
+inquired what game he was most partial to, as in such a room there was a
+faro-table, in another a hazard-table, in a third a billiard-table; to
+any of which he was ready to conduct him. Not the slightest secrecy is
+employed in keeping these tables. They are always crowded with people,
+and the doors of the apartments are only closed to prevent the rabble
+from entering. Cock-fighting is another favourite diversion. The lower
+classes of people, however, are those chiefly who partake of such
+amusements; but the circumstance of having the taverns thus infested,
+renders travelling extremely unpleasant.
+
+The common people of Virginia are usually represented to be more
+quarrelsome than those of any other American state; and, when they come
+to blows, they fight like wild beasts. They bite and kick each other
+with indescribable fury; and endeavour to tear each other's eyes out
+with their nails.
+
+
+
+
+Eighth Day's Instruction.
+
+UNITED STATES CONTINUED.
+
+
+_Narrative of_ MR. WELD'S _return from Richmond to
+Philadelphia, through the central parts of Virginia._
+
+Having continued at _Richmond_ somewhat more than a week, Mr. Weld
+mounted his horse, and, accompanied by his servant, proceeded towards
+the _South-west_ or _Green Mountains_.
+
+The country around Richmond is sandy; but it is not so much so, nor so
+flat, as on the south side of James River, towards the sea. When Mr.
+Weld was here it wore a most pleasing aspect. The first week in May had
+arrived; the trees had acquired a considerable part of their foliage;
+and the air, in the woods, was perfumed with the fragrant smell of
+numberless flowers and flowering shrubs. The music of the birds also was
+delightful: the notes of the mocking-bird or Virginia nightingale, in
+particular, were extremely melodious.
+
+In this part of America there is a singular bird, called whipper-will,
+or whip-poor-will, which has obtained its name from the plaintive noise
+that it makes. This it commences every evening about dusk, and continues
+through the greatest part of the night. The frogs in America make a most
+singular noise. Some of them absolutely whistle; and others croak so
+loudly, that it is difficult, at times, to tell whether the sound
+proceeds from a calf or a frog. Mr. Weld, whilst walking in the meadows,
+was more than once deceived by it. The largest kinds are called
+bull-frogs: they chiefly live in pairs, and are never found but where
+there is good water; their bodies measure from four to seven inches, and
+their legs are of proportionate length. These animals are extremely
+active, and take prodigious leaps.
+
+In one part of his journey, the road extended almost wholly through
+pine-forests, and was very lonely. Night came on before he reached the
+end of it; and, as commonly happens with travellers in this part of the
+world, he soon lost his way. A light, however, seen through the trees,
+seemed to indicate that a house was not far distant. His servant eagerly
+rode up to it, but the poor fellow's consternation was great indeed when
+he observed it moving from him, presently coming back, and then, with
+swiftness, departing into the woods. Mr. Weld was himself at a loss to
+account for this singular appearance, till, after having proceeded a
+little further, he observed the same sort of light in many other places;
+and, dismounting from his horse to examine a bush, where one of these
+sparks appeared to have fallen, he found that it proceeded from a
+fire-fly. In the present instance Mr. Weld was much surprised; but, as
+the summer advanced, these flies appeared every night. After a light
+shower in the afternoon, this gentleman says he has seen the woods
+sparkling with them in every direction. The light is emitted from the
+tail, and the animal has the power of emitting it or not at pleasure.
+
+After wandering about till near eleven o'clock, he came at last to a
+house, where he obtained information respecting the road: and, about
+midnight, he arrived at a miserable tavern. During the next day's ride
+he observed a great number of snakes, which were now beginning to come
+forth from their holes.
+
+The _South-west Mountains_ run nearly parallel to the _Blue Ridge_, and
+are the first that are seen in Virginia, on going up the country, from
+the sea-coast. They are not lofty, and ought indeed rather to be called
+hills than mountains. These mountains are not seen till the traveller
+comes within a few miles of them; and the ascent is so gradual, that he
+reaches their top almost without perceiving it.
+
+The soil is here a deep clay, particularly well suited to the culture of
+grain and clover, and it produces abundant crops.
+
+The salubrity of the climate, in this part of Virginia, is equal also
+to that of any part of the United States; and the inhabitants have, in
+consequence, a healthy and ruddy appearance, totally different from that
+of the residents in the low country.
+
+In these mountains live several gentlemen of large property, who farm
+their own land. Among the number was Mr. Jefferson, the vice-president
+of the United States. His house was about three miles from
+Charlottesville, and was most singularly situated, being built on the
+top of a small mountain, the apex of which had been cut off. At this
+time it was in an unfinished state; but, if carried on, according to a
+plan which had been laid down, it promised to be one of the most elegant
+private habitations in America. Several attempts have been made in this
+neighbourhood, to bring the manufacture of wine to perfection; none of
+them, however, have succeeded to the wish of the parties concerned in
+it.
+
+The country between the South-west Mountains and the Blue Ridge is very
+fertile, and is much more closely inhabited than that in the lower parts
+of Virginia. The climate is good, and the people have a healthy and
+robust appearance. Several valuable mines of iron and copper have been
+discovered here.
+
+Having crossed the South-west Mountains, Mr. Weld proceeded to
+_Lynchburgh_, a town on the south side of _Fluvanna River_, and one
+hundred and fifty miles beyond Richmond. This town contained about one
+hundred houses; and a warehouse for the inspection of tobacco, where
+about two thousand hogsheads were annually inspected. It had been built
+within the last fifteen years, and, in consequence of its advantageous
+situation for trade, was rapidly increasing.
+
+Between Lynchburgh and the Blue Mountains, the country is rough and
+hilly, and but thinly inhabited. The few inhabitants, however, who are
+seen here, are uncommonly robust and tall: it is rare to observe a man
+amongst them who is not six feet high. The Blue Ridge is thickly covered
+with large trees, to the very summit. Some of the mountains are rugged
+and stony; others are not so; and on the latter the soil is rich and
+fertile. It is only in particular places that this ridge can be crossed;
+and at some of the gaps the ascent is steep and difficult.
+
+The _Peaks of Otter_, near which Mr. Weld crossed it, are the highest
+mountains in the Blue Ridge, and, measured from their bases, they are
+supposed to be more lofty than any others in North America. The
+principal peak is said to be about four thousand feet in perpendicular
+height.
+
+Beyond the Blue Ridge, Mr. Weld observed very few settlements, till he
+approached _Fincastle_. This town is about twenty miles from the
+mountains, and fifteen south of _Fluvanna River_. It was only begun
+about the year 1790; yet, when Mr. Weld was there, it contained sixty
+houses, and was rapidly increasing. The inhabitants consisted
+principally of Germans.
+
+On the eastern side of the Blue Mountains, cotton grows extremely well;
+and, in winter, the snow scarcely ever remains more than a day or two
+upon the ground. On the opposite side, cotton never comes to perfection;
+the winters are severe, and the fields are covered with snow for many
+successive weeks. In every farm-yard are seen sleighs or sledges, a kind
+of carriages that are used for travelling upon the snow.
+
+In this part of America, the soil consists chiefly of a rich brown
+mould, in which white clover grows spontaneously. To have a fertile
+meadow, it is only necessary to leave a piece of ground to the hand of
+nature for one year. A bed of limestone also runs entirely through the
+country.
+
+It appeared to Mr. Weld that there was no part of America where the
+climate would be more congenial to the constitution of a native of Great
+Britain or Ireland than this. The frost in winter is more regular, but
+is not more severe than what commonly takes place in those islands.
+During summer the heat is somewhat greater; but there is not a night in
+the year in which a blanket is not found comfortable. Fever and ague are
+disorders here unknown; and the air is so salubrious, that persons who
+come from the low country, afflicted with those disorders; get rid of
+them in a short time.
+
+In the western part of the country there are several medicinal springs,
+to which, about the end of summer, great numbers of people resort, as
+much for the sake of escaping the heat in the low country, as for
+drinking the waters. Those that are most frequented are called the
+_Sweet Springs_; but there are others in _Jackson's Mountains_, a ridge
+that runs between the Blue Mountains and the Alleghany. One of these is
+warm, and another quite hot. There is also a sulphur spring near them,
+into which, if the leaves of trees fall, they become thickly incrusted
+with sulphur, in a very short time; and silver, if put into them, will
+be turned black almost immediately.
+
+Mr. Weld, now bending his course in a northerly direction, again crossed
+the _Fluvanna River_. About ten miles from this stream, there is, among
+the mountains, a deep cleft or chasm, about two miles long, and, in some
+places, three hundred feet deep. Over one part of this is a natural
+arch, called _Rockbridge_, which consists of a solid mass of stone, or
+of several stones so strongly cemented together that they appear but as
+one. The road extends over this natural bridge. On one side of it is a
+parapet or wall of fixed rocks, but on the other there is a gradual
+slope, to the very brink of the chasm. The slope is thickly covered with
+large trees, principally cedars and pines. The whole width of the bridge
+is about eighty feet: the road runs nearly along the middle of it, and
+is passed daily by waggons.
+
+At the distance of a few yards from the bridge there is a narrow path,
+which winds, along the sides of the fissure, and amidst immense rocks
+and trees, down to the bottom of the chasm. Here the stupendous arch
+appears in all its glory, and seems even to touch the skies. The height,
+to the top of the parapet, is two hundred and thirteen feet. The rocks
+are of limestone, and nearly perpendicular; and the sides of the chasm
+are thickly clad with trees, wherever there is space sufficient to admit
+of their growth. A small stream runs at the bottom of the fissure, over
+beds of rock, and adds much to the beauty of the scene.
+
+About fifty miles beyond Rockbridge, there is another remarkable natural
+curiosity: a large cavern, known by the name of _Maddison's Cave_. It is
+in the heart of a mountain, and about two hundred feet high. Persons who
+reside in a house, not far distant from this cave, act as guides, and
+use, as lights, splinters from the wood of the pitch pine-tree, a bundle
+of which they carry with them for this purpose. This cave is of great
+extent, and is divided into many large, and singularly-shaped
+apartments, covered with stalactites, or petrifactions, at the top and
+sides. Before these were blackened by the smoke of the torches, they are
+said to have been extremely beautiful. The floor is of a deep sandy
+earth, which has been repeatedly dug up, for the purpose of obtaining
+saltpetre, with which it is strongly impregnated.
+
+The country immediately behind the Blue Mountains, is agreeably
+diversified with hill and dale, and abounds in extensive tracts of rich
+land. Clover grows here in great luxuriance. Wheat also is raised, and
+in crops as abundant as in any part of the United States. Tobacco is not
+grown, except for private use. The climate is not here so warm as in the
+lower parts of the country, on the eastern side of the mountains.
+
+As Mr. Weld passed along, he met great numbers of people who were
+proceeding from Kentucky, and from the state of Tenessee, towards
+Philadelphia and Baltimore. He also saw many others, who were going in a
+contrary direction, to "explore," as they called it; that is, to search
+for, lands in the western country, conveniently situated for new
+settlements. These all travelled on horseback, armed with pistols and
+swords; and each had a large blanket, folded up under his saddle, for
+sleeping in, whenever they were obliged to pass the night in the woods.
+
+Of all the uncouth human beings that Mr. Weld met with in America, the
+people from the western country were the most so. Their curiosity was
+boundless. Often has he been stopped abruptly by them, even in solitary
+parts of the road; and, without any further preface, has been asked
+where he came from? if he was acquainted with any news? where bound to?
+and what was his name?
+
+The first town that Mr. Weld reached was _Lexington_, a neat little
+place, which had contained about one hundred dwelling-houses, a
+court-house, and a gaol; but most of these had been destroyed by fire,
+just before he was there. Great numbers of Irish are settled in this
+place. Thirty miles further on is _Staunton_. This town carries on a
+considerable trade with the back country, and contains nearly two
+hundred dwellings, mostly built of stone.
+
+_Winchester_ stands one hundred miles north of Staunton, and is the
+largest town in the United States, on the western side of the Blue
+Mountains. The houses were, at this time, estimated at three hundred and
+fifty, and the inhabitants at two thousand. There were four churches,
+which, as well as the houses, were plainly built. The streets were
+regular, but very narrow. There was nothing particularly deserving of
+attention, either in this place, or in any of the small towns that have
+been mentioned.
+
+Mr. Weld reached the _Potomac_, at the place where that river passes
+through the Blue Ridge; and where a scene is exhibited which has been
+represented as one of the most "stupendous in nature, and even worth a
+voyage across the Atlantic." The approach towards it is wild and
+romantic. After crossing a number of small hills, which rise in
+succession, one above another, the traveller at last perceives a break
+in the Blue Ridge; at the same time, the road, suddenly turning, winds
+down a long and steep hill, shaded with lofty trees, whose branches
+unite above. On one side of the road are large heaps of rocks, overhead,
+which threaten destruction to any one who passes beneath them; on the
+other, a deep precipice presents itself, at the bottom of which is heard
+the roaring of the waters, that are concealed from the eye, by the
+thickness of the foliage. Towards the end of this hill, about sixty feet
+above the level of the water, stand a tavern and a few houses; and from
+some fields in the rear of them, the passage of the river, through the
+mountain, is seen to great advantage.
+
+The Potomac, on the left, winds through a fertile country, towards the
+mountain. On the right flows the _Shenandoah_. Uniting together, they
+roll on, in conjunction, through the gap; then, suddenly expanding to
+the breadth of about four hundred yards, they pass on towards the sea,
+and are finally lost to the view, amidst surrounding hills.
+
+After crossing the Potomac, Mr. Weld passed on to _Frederic_, in
+Maryland, which has already been mentioned, and thence to Baltimore. The
+country between Frederic and Baltimore is by no means so rich as that
+west of the Blue Ridge, but it is tolerably well cultivated. Iron and
+copper are found here in many places.
+
+From Baltimore Mr. Weld returned to _Philadelphia_, where he arrived on
+the fourteenth of June, after an absence of about three months.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+We must now return to Pittsburgh, for the purpose of proceeding, from
+that place, with M. Michaux a French naturalist of considerable
+eminence, in a journey through Kentucky, Tenessee, North and South
+Carolina.
+
+
+
+
+Ninth Day's Instruction.
+
+UNITED STATES CONTINUED.
+
+
+_Narrative of a Journey from Pittsburgh to Lexington in Kentucky. From
+Travels in North America, by_ F. A. MICHAUX.
+
+This gentleman, in company with a Mr. Craft, set out from Pittsburgh, on
+the 14th of July, 1802; and, two days afterwards, arrived at Wheeling, a
+small town on the bank of the Ohio, and about eighty miles distant from
+Pittsburgh. _Wheeling_ had not been more than twelve years in existence,
+yet it contained, at this time, about seventy houses, built of wood. It
+is bounded by a long hill, nearly two hundred fathoms high, and the base
+of which is not more than four hundred yards from the river. In this
+space the houses are built: they form but one street, along which runs
+the main road. From fifteen to twenty large shops supply the
+inhabitants, twenty miles, round, with provisions. This little town
+shares largely in the export trade that is carried on with the western
+country at Pittsburgh.
+
+At Wheeling the travellers purchased a canoe, twenty-four feet long,
+eighteen inches wide, and about as many in depth. Canoes of this
+description are made from the single trunk of a tree: they are too
+narrow for the use of oars, and, in shallow water, they are generally
+forced along either with a paddle or a staff. As a shelter from the sun,
+M. Michaux and his friend covered their canoe, a quarter of its length,
+with a piece of cloth thrown upon two hoops; and, having placed on board
+of it a sufficient stock of provisions, they embarked about five o'clock
+in the afternoon of the ensuing day. They floated twelve miles down the
+stream that evening, and slept on the right bank of the Ohio. Both M.
+Michaux and his friend were excessively fatigued with their first day's
+voyage; but not so much by paddling their canoe along, as by remaining
+constantly seated in one position. For, the canoe being very narrow at
+the bottom, they were obliged to keep their legs extended; as the least
+motion of the vessel would have exposed them to the danger of being
+overset. In the course, however, of a few days, they became accustomed
+to these inconveniences, and attained the art of travelling comfortably.
+
+They were three days and a half in proceeding to _Marietta_, about a
+hundred miles from Wheeling. This town is situated on the right bank of
+the _Great Muskingum_, and near the place of its junction with the Ohio.
+Although fifteen years before M. Michaux was here, it was not in
+existence, Marietta now contained more than two hundred houses, some of
+which were built of brick; but the greatest number were of wood. Several
+of them were from two to three stories high, and somewhat elegantly
+constructed. The mountains which, from Pittsburgh, extend along the side
+of the river, are, at Marietta, distant from its banks, and leave a
+considerable space of level ground, which will facilitate, in every
+respect, the enlarging of the town.
+
+The inhabitants of Marietta were the first, in the interior of America,
+who entertained an idea of exporting, directly to the Caribbee Islands,
+the produce of their country. This they did in a vessel, built in their
+own town. The vessel was sent to Jamaica, and the success which crowned
+this first attempt, excited great emulation among the inhabitants of the
+western country. The ship-yard at Marietta is near the town, on the
+great Muskingum. When M. Michaux was there, the inhabitants were
+building three brigs, one of which was of two hundred and twenty tons
+burden.
+
+On the 21st of July the voyagers set out from Marietta, for Gallipoli,
+distant about a hundred miles. On the 23rd, at ten in the morning, they
+discovered _Point Pleasant_, situated a little above the mouth of the
+_Great Kenaway_, and on a promontory which is formed by the right bank
+of that river. Its situation is peculiarly beautiful. The Ohio, into
+which the Kenaway falls, is here four hundred fathoms wide, and
+continues of the same width for four or five miles. Its borders, sloping
+and elevated from twenty-five to forty feet, are, in the whole of its
+windings, overgrown, at their base, with willow, from fifteen to
+eighteen feet in height, the drooping branches and foliage of which form
+a pleasing contrast to the sugar-maples, red-maples, and ash-trees,
+which are seen immediately above. The latter are overhung by palms,
+poplars, beeches, and magnolias, of the highest elevation; the enormous
+branches of which, attracted by a more splendid light and an easier
+expansion, extend towards the borders, overshadowing the river, at the
+same time that they completely cover the trees that are beneath them.
+This natural display, which reigns upon the two banks, forms, from each
+side, a regular arch, the shadow of which, reflected by the stream,
+embellishes, in an extraordinary degree, the magnificent _coup
+d'oeil_.
+
+_Gallipoli_ is on the right bank of the Ohio, four miles below Point
+Pleasant. It was, at this time, composed of about sixty log-houses, most
+of which, being uninhabited, were falling into ruins; the rest were
+occupied by Frenchmen, two only of whom appeared to enjoy the smallest
+comfort.
+
+On the 25th of July, M. Michaux and his friend set out, in their canoe,
+for _Alexandria_, about a hundred and four miles distant; and they
+arrived there in three days and a half. The ground designed for this
+town is at the mouth of the _Great Scioto_, and in the angle which the
+right bank of this river forms with the north-west border of the Ohio.
+Although the plan of Alexandria had long been laid out, few people had
+settled there: the number of its edifices was not, at this time, more
+than twenty, and the major part of these were constructed of wood. The
+inhabitants are subject, every autumn, to intermittent fevers, which
+seldom abate till the approach of winter.
+
+On the 1st of April the voyagers arrived at _Limestone_ in Kentucky,
+fifty miles lower than Alexandria; and, at this place, their voyage on
+the Ohio terminated. They had floated, in their canoe, three hundred and
+forty miles from Wheeling; and, during the ten days which their voyage
+had occupied, they had been obliged, almost incessantly, to paddle their
+vessel along. This labour, although in itself painful to persons who are
+unaccustomed to it, was, in the present instance, still more so, on
+account of the intense heat which prevailed. They also suffered much
+inconvenience from thirst, not being able to procure any thing to drink,
+but by stopping at the plantations on the banks of the river; for,
+during summer, the water of the Ohio acquires such a degree of heat,
+that it is not fit to be drunk till it has been kept twenty-four hours.
+At Limestone M. Michaux relinquished an intention which he had formed of
+proceeding further down the Ohio; and here he took leave of Mr. Craft,
+who prosecuted the remaining part of the voyage alone.
+
+The banks of the Ohio, though elevated from twenty to sixty feet,
+scarcely afford any hard substances, betwixt Pittsburgh and Limestone;
+except large detached stones, of a greyish colour, which M. Michaux
+observed, in an extent of ten or twelve miles, below Wheeling: the
+remainder of the country seems wholly covered with vegetable earth. A
+few miles before this gentleman reached Limestone, he observed a chalky
+bank, the thickness of which, being very considerable, left no room to
+doubt that it must be of great extent. The Ohio abounds in fish, some of
+which are of great size and weight.
+
+Till the years 1796 and 1797, the banks of the Ohio were so little
+populated, that there were scarcely thirty families in the space of four
+hundred miles; but, since that time, a great number of emigrants had
+settled here, from the mountainous parts of Pennsylvania and Virginia;
+consequently the plantations had, at this time, so much increased, that
+they were not further than two or three miles asunder; and, when M.
+Michaux was on the river, he always had some of them in view.
+
+The inhabitants of the banks of the Ohio employ the greatest part of
+their time in stag and bear-hunting, for the sake of the skins, which
+are important articles of traffic. The dwellings of this people are, for
+the most part, in pleasant situations; but they are only log-houses,
+without windows, and so small that they hold no more than two beds each.
+A couple of men, in less than ten days, could erect and finish one of
+them. No attention is here paid to any other culture than that of Indian
+corn.
+
+The favourable situation of the Ohio entitles this river to be
+considered as the centre of commercial activity, between the eastern and
+western states; and it is the only open communication with the ocean,
+for the exportation of provisions, from that part of the United States,
+which is comprised between the Alleghany Mountains, the lakes, and the
+left bank of the Mississippi.
+
+All these advantages, blended with the salubrity of the climate and the
+general beauty of the country, induced M. Michaux to imagine that, in
+the course of twenty years, the banks of the Ohio, from Pittsburgh to
+Louisville, would become the most populous and the most commercial part
+of the United States. _Limestone_ consisted only of thirty or forty
+houses, constructed with wood. This little town had been built upwards
+of fifteen years. It was for some time the place where such emigrants
+landed as came from the northern states, by way of Pittsburgh: it was
+also the mart for merchandise, sent from Philadelphia and Baltimore to
+Kentucky.
+
+M. Michaux resolved to travel on foot, from this place to Lexington. The
+distance is sixty-five miles, and he performed the journey in two days
+and a half. In his journey he passed through _Mays Lick_, where there
+is a salt-work. The wells that supply the salt-water are about twenty
+feet in depth, and not more than fifty or sixty fathoms from the _River
+Salt Lick_; the waters of which, during the summer, are somewhat
+brackish. In this part of the country salt-springs are usually found in
+places which are described by the name of _Licks_; and where, before the
+arrival of Europeans, the bisons, elks, and stags, that existed in
+Kentucky, went, by hundreds, to lick the saline particles; with which
+the soil is impregnated.
+
+In the country around Mays Lick the soil is dry and sandy; and the road
+is covered with large, flat, chalky stones, of a bluish colour within,
+and the edges of which are round. The only trees that M. Michaux
+observed here, were white oaks and hickory; and the stinted growth and
+wretched appearance of these, clearly indicated the sterility of the
+soil.
+
+In the year 1796, _Lexington_ consisted of only eighteen houses; but it
+now contained more than a hundred and fifty, half of which were of
+brick. This town is situated on a delightful plain, and is watered by a
+small river, near which were several corn-mills. Every thing seemed to
+announce the comfort of its inhabitants. It is built on a regular plan.
+The streets are broad, and cross each other at right angles. The want of
+pavement, however, renders it very muddy in winter. There were, at this
+time, in Lexington, two printing-offices, at each of which a newspaper
+was published twice a week. Two extensive rope-walks, constantly in
+employ, supplied, with rigging, the ships that were built upon the Ohio.
+Independently of other manufactories which had been established in this
+town, there were several common potteries, and one or two
+gunpowder-mills. The sulphur for the latter was obtained from
+Philadelphia, and the saltpetre was manufactured from substances dug out
+of grottos, or caverns, that are found on the declivity of lofty hills,
+in the mountainous parts of the state. The soil of these is extremely
+rich in nitrous particles.
+
+[About fifty miles west of Lexington, on the bank of the Ohio, and near
+the falls of that river, is the town of _Louisville_. This place forms a
+connecting link between New Orleans and the whole western parts of the
+United States. Mechanics can here obtain full employment, and they are
+able to earn from forty to fifty-four shillings a week. Every article of
+clothing is excessively expensive; and the rents of houses are very
+high. This place was formerly very unhealthy, the inhabitants being
+subject to fevers, agues, and other complaints; but it is said to be
+improving in healthiness. Mr. Fearon, who visited this place in the year
+1817, does not speak favourably of the character of the Kentuckians. He
+says they drink a great deal, swear a great deal, and gamble a great
+deal; and that even their amusements are sometimes conducted with
+excessive barbarity. The expence of sending goods, by water, from New
+Orleans to Louisville, is about twenty shillings per hundred weight; and
+down the stream, to New Orleans, about four shillings. The boats usually
+make the voyage upward in about ninety days; and downward in
+twenty-eight days. Steam-vessels accomplish the former voyage in
+thirty-six, and the latter in twenty-eight days.
+
+There are in Louisville, two great hotels, one of which has, on an
+average, one hundred and forty, and the other eighty boarders. A person,
+on going to either of them, applies to the bar-keeper for admittance:
+and the accommodations are very different from those in an English
+hotel. The place for washing is not, as with us, in the bed-rooms; but
+in the court-yard, where there are a large cistern, several towels and a
+negro in attendance. The sleeping-room usually contains from four to
+eight bedsteads, having mattresses and not feather-beds; sheets of
+calico, two blankets, and a quilt: the bedsteads have no curtains. The
+public rooms are, a news-room, a boot-room, (in which the bar is
+situated,) and a dining-room. The fires are generally surrounded by
+parties of about six persons. The usual custom with Americans is to pace
+up and down the news-room, in a manner similar to walking the deck of a
+ship at sea. Smoking segars is practised by all, and at every hour of
+the day. Argument or discussion, in this part of the world, is of very
+rare occurrence; social intercourse seems still more unusual;
+conversation on general topics, or taking enlarged and enlightened views
+of things, rarely occurs: each man is in pursuit of his own individual
+interest. At half past seven, the first bell rings for the purpose of
+collecting all the boarders, and, at eight, the second bell rings;
+breakfast is then set, the dining-room is unlocked, a general rush
+commences, and some activity, as well as dexterity, is necessary to
+obtain a seat at the table. The breakfast consists of a profuse supply
+of fish, flesh, and fowl, which is consumed with a rapidity truly
+extraordinary. At half-past one, the first bell rings, announcing the
+approach of dinner; the avenues to the dining-room become thronged. At
+two o'clock the second bell rings, the doors are thrown open, and a
+repetition of the breakfast-scene succeeds. At six, tea, or what is here
+called supper, is announced, and partaken of in the same manner. This is
+the last meal, and it usually affords the same fare as breakfast. At
+table there is neither conversation nor drinking: the latter is effected
+by individuals taking their liquor at the bar, the keeper of which is in
+full employ from sunrise to bed-time. A large tub of water, with a
+ladle, is placed at the bar; and to this the customers go and help
+themselves. When spirits are called for, the decanter is handed; the
+person calling for them takes what quantity he pleases, and the charge
+is sixpence-halfpenny. The life of boarders at an American tavern,
+presents a senseless and comfortless mode of killing time. Most houses
+of this description are thronged to excess; and few of the persons who
+frequent them, appear to have any other object in view than spitting and
+smoking.
+
+In the state of Kentucky there are several subterraneous _caverns_,
+which have attracted much attention, and which are described as among
+the most extraordinary natural curiosities in the world. They are also
+of considerable importance in a commercial view, from the quantity of
+nitre they afford. The great cave, near Crooked Creek, is supposed to
+contain a million pounds of nitre. This cave has two mouths or
+entrances, about six hundred and fifty yards from each other, and one
+hundred and fifty yards from the creek.]
+
+
+
+
+Tenth Day's Instruction.
+
+UNITED STATES CONTINUED.
+
+
+_Narrative of the Journey of M. Michaux, from Lexington to Charleston in
+South Carolina._
+
+On the tenth of August, M. Michaux set out from Lexington to Nasheville,
+in the state of Tenessee; and, as an establishment for the purpose of
+naturalizing the vine in Kentucky, was not very far out of his road, he
+resolved to visit it. Consequently, about fourteen miles from Lexington,
+he quitted the road, turned to the left, strolled through some woods,
+and reached the vineyard in the evening. It was, at this time, under the
+superintendance of a M. Dufoux, the principal person of a small Swiss
+colony, which had settled in Kentucky some years before. The vines had
+been selected chiefly from the vicinity of New York and Philadelphia.
+Many of them had failed; but those of the kinds which produce the
+Madeira wines, appeared to give considerable hopes of success. The whole
+of the vines occupied a space of about six acres; and they were planted
+and fixed with props similar to those in the environs of Paris.
+
+From this place M. Michaux was conducted, through the woods, to a ferry
+over the _Kentucky River_. The borders of the river at this ferry are
+formed by an enormous mass of chalky stones, remarkably peaked, and
+about a hundred and fifty feet high.
+
+Near _Harrodsburgh_ M. Michaux visited the plantation and residence of
+General Adair. A spacious and commodious house, a great number of black
+servants, equipages: every thing announced the opulence of the general.
+Magnificent peach-orchards, and immense fields of Indian wheat,
+surrounded the house. The soil was extremely fertile, as was evident
+from the largeness of the blades of corn, their extraordinary height,
+and the abundance of the crops.
+
+About forty miles beyond the general's plantation, M. Michaux passed
+over _Mulder Hill_, a steep and lofty mountain, that forms a kind of
+amphitheatre. From its summit the neighbouring country presents the
+aspect of an immense valley, covered with forests of imperceptible
+extent. As far as the eye can reach, nothing but a gloomy verdant space
+is seen, formed by the tops of the close-connected trees, and, through
+which, not even the vestige of a plantation can be discerned. The
+profound silence that reigns in these woods, uninhabited by savage
+beasts, and the security of the place, forms an _ensemble_ rarely to be
+seen in other countries.
+
+About ten miles beyond _Green River_ commence what are called the
+_Barrens_, or _Kentucky Meadows_. On the first day of his journey over
+them, M. Michaux travelled fifteen miles; and, on the ensuing morning,
+having wandered to some distance out of the road, in search of a spring,
+at which to water his horse, he discovered a plantation in a low and
+narrow valley. The mistress of the house told him that she had resided
+there upwards of three years, and that, for eighteen months, she had not
+seen any individual except of her own family: that, weary of living thus
+isolated, her husband had been more than two months from home in quest
+of another spot, towards the mouth of the Ohio. A daughter, about
+fourteen years of age, and two children, considerably younger, were all
+the company she had: her house was abundantly stocked with vegetables
+and corn.
+
+This part of the Barrens was precisely similar to that which M. Michaux
+had traversed the day before; and the same kind of country extends as
+far as the line which separates the state of Tenessee from that of
+Kentucky. Here, to the great satisfaction of M. Michaux, he once more
+entered the woods. Nothing, he says, can be more tiresome than the
+doleful uniformity of these immense meadows, where there is no human
+creature to be met with; and where, except a great number of partridges,
+no species of living beings are to be seen.
+
+The Barrens comprise a portion of country from sixty to seventy miles in
+length, by sixty miles in breadth. According to the signification of the
+name, M. Michaux had imagined that he should have to cross a naked
+space, scattered here and there with a few plants; but he was agreeably
+surprised to find a beautiful meadow, where the grass was from two to
+three feet high. He here discovered a great variety of interesting
+plants. In some parts he observed several species of wild vines, and, in
+particular, one which is called by the inhabitants "summer grapes:" the
+bunches of fruit were as large, and the grapes as good in quality, as
+those in the vineyards round Paris. And it appeared to M. Michaux that
+the attempts which had been made in Kentucky, to establish the culture
+of the vine, would have been more successful in the Barrens, the soil of
+which appeared to him better adapted for this kind of culture, than that
+on the banks of the Kentucky. The Barrens are very thinly populated;
+for, on the road where the plantations are closest together, M. Michaux
+counted but eighteen in a space of sixty or seventy miles.
+
+_Nasheville_, the principal and the oldest town in this part of
+Tenessee, is situated on the _river Cumberland_, the borders of which
+are here formed by a mass of chalky stone, upwards of sixty feet in
+height. Except seven or eight houses, built of brick, the rest, to the
+number of about a hundred and twenty, were constructed of wood, and were
+distributed over a surface of twenty-five or thirty acres, where the
+rock appeared almost naked in every part.
+
+This little town, although it had been built more than fifteen years,
+contained no kind of manufactory or public establishment; but there was
+a printing-office, at which a newspaper was published once a week. A
+college had also been founded here; but it was yet in its infancy,
+having not more than seven or eight students, and only one professor.
+
+The price of labour in the vicinity of Nasheville was higher than at
+Lexington. There appeared to be from fifteen to twenty shops, which were
+supplied from Philadelphia and Baltimore; but they did not seem so well
+stocked as those of Lexington, and the articles, though dearer, were of
+inferior quality.
+
+All the inhabitants of the western country, who go by the river to New
+Orleans, return by land and pass through Nasheville, which is the first
+town beyond Natchez. The interval which separates these towns is about
+six hundred miles, and was, at this time, entirely uninhabited. Several
+persons who had travelled this road, assured M. Michaux that, for a
+space of four or five hundred miles beyond Natchez, the country was very
+irregular; that the soil was sandy, in some parts covered with pines,
+and not much adapted for culture; but that, on the contrary, the borders
+of the river Tenessee were fertile, and superior even to the richest
+parts of Kentucky.
+
+On the fifth of September, M. Michaux set out from Nasheville for
+Knoxville. He was accompanied by a Mr. Fisk, one of the commissioners
+who had been appointed to determine the boundaries between the states
+of Tenessee and Kentucky. They stopped on the road, with different
+friends of Mr. Fisk; among others, with General Smith, one of the oldest
+inhabitants of the country. M. Michaux saw, _en passant_, General
+Winchester. He was at a stone house which was building for him on the
+road. This mansion, the state of the country considered, bore the
+external marks of grandeur: it consisted of four large rooms on the
+ground-floor, one story, and a garret. The workmen employed to finish
+the inside had come from Baltimore, a distance of near seven hundred
+miles.
+
+A few miles from the residence of General Winchester, and at a short
+distance from the road, is a small town which had been founded but a few
+years, and to which the inhabitants had given the name of _Cairo_, in
+memory of the taking of Cairo by the French.
+
+Between Nasheville and Fort Blount the plantations, though always
+isolated in the woods, were, nevertheless, by the side of the road, and
+within two or three miles of each other: the inhabitants resided in
+log-houses, and most of them kept negroes, and appeared to live happily
+and in abundance. Through the whole of this space the soil was but
+slightly undulated: in some places it was level, and in general it was
+excellent.
+
+_Fort Blount_ had been constructed about eighteen years before M.
+Michaux was in America. It had been built for the purpose of protecting,
+against the attacks of the Indians, such emigrants as came, at that
+time, to settle in its vicinity. But peace having been concluded with
+the Indians, and the population having much increased, the
+fortifications now no longer existed.
+
+On the eleventh of September M. Michaux and Mr. Fisk left Fort Blount;
+and, at the house of Major Russel, some miles distant, they were
+obligingly furnished with provisions for two days' journey through the
+territory of the Cherokees.
+
+The country became now so mountainous, that they could not proceed more
+than forty-five miles the first day, though they travelled till
+midnight. They encamped near a small river, where there was an
+abundance of grass; and, after having lighted a fire, they slept in
+their rugs, keeping watch alternately, in order to guard their horses.
+During this day's journey they had seen no animals, except some flocks
+of wild turkeys.
+
+The second day after their departure, they met a party of eight or ten
+Indians, who were searching for grapes and chinquapins, a small species
+of chesnuts, superior in taste to those of Europe. As M. Michaux and his
+friend had only twenty miles to go before they reached West Point, they
+gave to these men the remainder of their provisions. With the American
+Indians bread is a great treat; for their usual food consists only of
+venison and wild-fowl.
+
+The road, which crosses this part of the Indian territory, cuts through
+the mountains of Cumberland; and, in consequence of the great number of
+emigrants who travel through it, to settle in the western country, it
+was, at this time, as broad and commodious as the roads were near
+Philadelphia. In some places, however, it was very rugged. Little boards
+painted black and nailed against the trees, every three miles, indicated
+to travellers the distance they had to go.
+
+In this part of Tenessee the mass of the forests is composed of all the
+species of trees which belong more particularly to the mountainous
+regions of North America; such as oaks, maples, hickory-nut trees, and
+pines.
+
+At _West Point_ there was a fort palisadoed round with trees, and built
+upon a lofty eminence, at the conflux of the _rivers Clinch_ and
+_Holstein_. A company of soldiers was kept here, for the purpose of
+holding the Indians in check, and also of protecting them against the
+inhabitants on the frontiers, whose cruelty and illiberal proceedings
+had frequently excited them to war.
+
+These _Indians_ are above the middle size, are well-proportioned, and
+healthy in appearance, notwithstanding the long fasting they are
+frequently obliged to endure, whilst in pursuit of animals, the flesh of
+which forms their chief subsistence. The carbine is the only weapon
+they use: they are very dexterous with it, and are able to kill animals
+at a great distance. The usual dress of the men consists of a shirt,
+which hangs loose, and of a slip of blue cloth, about half a yard in
+length, which serves them for breeches; they put it between their
+thighs, and fasten the two ends, before and behind, to a sort of girdle.
+They wear long gaiters, and shoes made of prepared goat-skins. When full
+dressed they wear a coat, waistcoat, and hat; but they never have
+breeches. On the top of their heads they have a tuft of hair, which they
+form into several tresses, that hang down the sides of their face; and
+they frequently attach quills or little silver tubes to the extremities.
+Many of them pierce their noses, in order to put rings through. They
+also cut holes in their ears, which are made to hang down two or three
+inches, by pieces of lead, which are fastened to them. They paint their
+faces red, blue, or black.
+
+A shirt and a short petticoat constitute the chief dress of the women,
+who also wear gaiters like the men. Their hair, which is of jet-black
+colour, they suffer to grow to its natural length; but they do not
+pierce their noses, nor disfigure their ears. In winter both the men and
+women, in order to guard against cold, wrap themselves in blue rugs,
+which they always carry with them, and which form an essential part of
+their luggage.
+
+M. Michaux was informed, at West Point, that the Cherokees had lately
+begun to cultivate their possessions, and that they had made a rapid
+progress in agriculture. Some of them had good plantations, and even
+negro slaves. Several of the women spin cotton and manufacture
+cotton-stuffs.
+
+The distance from West Point to Knoxville is thirty-five miles. About a
+mile from West Point the travellers passed through _Kingstown_, a place
+consisting of thirty or forty log-houses. After that the road extended,
+upwards of eighteen miles, through a rugged and flinty soil, covered
+with a kind of grass. The trees that occupied this space, grew within
+twenty or thirty yards of each other.
+
+_Knoxville_, the seat of government for the state of Tenessee, is
+situated on the _river Holstein_, here a hundred and fifty fathoms
+broad. The houses were, at this time, about two hundred in number, and
+were built chiefly of wood. Although it had been founded eighteen or
+twenty years, Knoxville did not yet possess any kind of commercial
+establishment, or manufactory, except two or three tan-yards. Baltimore
+and Richmond are the towns with which this part of the country transacts
+most business. The distance from Knoxville to Baltimore is seven hundred
+miles, and to Richmond four hundred and twenty. The inhabitants of
+Knoxville send flour, cotton, and lime, to New Orleans, by the river
+Tenessee; but the navigation of this river is much interrupted, in two
+places, by shallows interspersed with rocks.
+
+In the tavern at Knoxville travellers and their horses are accommodated
+at the rate of about five shillings per day; but this is considered dear
+for a country where the situation is by no means favourable to the sale
+of provisions. A newspaper is published at Knoxville twice a week.
+
+On the 17th of September, M. Michaux took leave of Mr. Fisk, and
+proceeded alone towards Jonesborough, a town about a hundred miles
+distant; and situated at the foot of the lofty mountains which separate
+North Carolina from Tenessee. On leaving Knoxville the soil was uneven,
+stony, and bad; and the forests contained a great number of pine-trees.
+Before he reached _Macby_, M. Michaux observed, for the space of two
+miles, a copse extremely full of young trees, the loftiest of which was
+not more than twenty feet high. The inhabitants of the country informed
+him that this place had formerly been part of a barren, or meadow, which
+had clothed itself again with trees, after its timber, about fifteen
+years before, had been totally destroyed by fire. This appears to
+prove, that the spacious meadows in Kentucky and Tenessee owe their
+origin to some great conflagration which has consumed the forests and
+that they continue as meadows, by the practice, still continued, of
+annually setting them on fire, for the purpose of clearing the land.
+
+M. Michaux stopped, the first day, at a place where most of the
+inhabitants were Quakers. One of these, with whom he lodged, had an
+excellent plantation, and his log-house was divided into two rooms.
+Around the house were growing some magnificent apple-trees: these,
+although produced from pips, bore fruit of extraordinary size and
+excellent flavour, a circumstance which proves how well this country is
+adapted for the culture of fruit-trees. At this house there were two
+emigrant families, consisting of ten or twelve persons, who were going
+to settle in Tenessee. Their clothes were ragged, and their children
+were barefooted and in their shirts.
+
+Beyond this place the road divided into two branches, both of which led
+to Jonesborough; and, as M. Michaux was desirous of surveying the banks
+of the _river Nolachuky_, renowned for their fertility, he took the
+branch which led him in that direction. As he proceeded he found many
+small rock crystals, two or three inches long, and beautifully
+transparent. They were loose, and disseminated upon the road, in a
+reddish kind of earth.
+
+On the twenty-first he arrived at _Greenville_, a town which contained
+scarcely forty houses, constructed with square beams, and somewhat in
+the manner of log-houses. The distance between this place and
+Jonesborough, is about twenty-five miles: the country was slightly
+mountainous, the soil was more adapted to the culture of corn than that
+of Indian wheat; and the plantations were situated near the road, two or
+three miles distant from each other.
+
+_Jonesborough_, the last town in Tenessee, consisted, at this time, of
+about a hundred and fifty houses, built of wood, and disposed on both
+sides of the road. Four or five respectable shops were established
+there, and the tradespeople, who kept them, received their goods from
+Richmond and Baltimore.
+
+On the twenty-first of September, M. Michaux set out from Jonesborough
+to cross the _Alleghany Mountains_, for North Carolina. In some places
+the road, or rather the path, was scarcely distinguishable, in
+consequence of the plants of various kinds that covered its surface. It
+was also encumbered by forests of rhododendron: shrubs, from eighteen to
+twenty feet in height, the branches of which, twisted and interwoven
+with each other, greatly impeded his progress. He had also to cross
+numerous streams; particularly a large torrent, called Rocky Creek, the
+winding course of which cut the path in twelve or fifteen directions.
+
+On the twenty-third this gentleman proceeded twenty-two miles, through a
+hilly country; and, in the evening, arrived at the house of a person
+named Davenport, the owner of a charming plantation upon _Doe River_. M.
+Michaux staid here a week, in order to rest himself and recruit his
+strength, after a journey of six hundred miles which he had just made.
+On the second of October, he again set out, and proceeded towards
+Morganton. About four miles from Doe River he passed the chain of the
+_Blue Ridges_, and afterwards that of the _Linneville Mountains_. From
+the summit of the latter he observed an immense extent of mountainous
+country, covered with forests. Only three small places appeared to be
+cleared, which formed as many plantations, three or four miles distant
+from each other.
+
+From the Linneville Mountains to Morganton, the distance is about
+twenty-five miles: in this interval the country was slightly
+mountainous, and the soil extremely bad.
+
+_Morganton_, the principal town of the county of Burke, contained about
+fifty houses built of wood, almost all of which were inhabited by
+tradesmen. There was only one warehouse, and this was supported by a
+commercial establishment at Charleston. To it the inhabitants of the
+country, for twenty miles round, came to purchase English manufactured
+goods and jewellery; or to exchange, for these, a portion of their own
+produce, consisting of dried hams, butter, tallow, bear-skins and
+stag-skins.
+
+From Morganton to Charleston the distance is two hundred and eighty-five
+miles. There are several roads; but M. Michaux took that which led
+through Lincolnton, Chester, and Columbia. The distance from Morganton
+to Lincolnton, is forty-five miles. Through the whole of this space the
+soil is extremely barren; and the plantations, straggling five or six
+miles from each other, have an unfavourable appearance. The woods are
+chiefly composed of different kinds of oaks; and the surface of the
+ground is covered with grass, intermixed with other plants.
+
+_Lincolnton_, at this time, consisted of forty houses, and, like all the
+small towns in the interior of the United States, was surrounded by
+woods. There were, at Lincolnton, two or three large shops, which
+transacted the same kind of business as that at Morganton. The tradesmen
+who kept them sent the produce of the adjacent country to Charleston,
+but they sometimes stocked themselves with goods from Philadelphia.
+
+At Lincolnton a newspaper was published twice a week. The price of
+subscription was two dollars per annum, but the printer, who was his own
+editor, took, by way of payment, flour, rye, wax, or other traffic, at
+the market-price. As in England, the advertisements were the most
+important source of profit. The foreign news was almost wholly extracted
+from papers published at the sea-ports.
+
+The district around Lincolnton was peopled, in a great measure, by
+Germans from Pennsylvania. Their plantations were kept in excellent
+order, and their lands were well cultivated. Almost all had negro
+slaves, and there reigned among them a greater independence than in the
+families of English origin.
+
+From Lincolnton to Chester, in the state of South Carolina, the distance
+is about seventy miles. Through the whole of this space the earth is
+light, and of a quality inferior to that between Morganton and
+Lincolnton, although the mass of the forests is composed of various
+species of oaks. In some places, however, pine-trees are in such
+abundance that, for several miles, the ground is covered with nothing
+else.
+
+_Chester_ contained about thirty houses, built of wood; and among the
+number were two inns and two respectable shops.
+
+From Chester the country becomes worse in every respect than before; and
+the traveller is obliged to put up at inns, where he is badly
+accommodated both in board and lodging, and at which he pays dearer than
+in any other part of the United States. The reputation of these inns is
+esteemed according to the quantity and different kinds of spirits which
+they sell.
+
+From Chester to Columbia the distance is fifty-five miles. M. Michaux
+passed through _Winesborough_, containing about a hundred and fifty
+houses. This place is one of the oldest inhabited towns in Carolina, and
+several planters of the low country go thither every year to spend the
+summer and autumn.
+
+[_Columbia_, now the seat of government for the state of South Carolina,
+is situated below the confluence of the _Broad_ and _Saluda Rivers_. It
+is laid out on a regular plan, the streets intersecting each other at
+right angles. The buildings are erected at the distance of about three
+quarters of a mile from the _Cangaree River_, on a ridge of high land,
+three hundred feet above the level of the water. In 1808, Columbia
+contained about one hundred and fifty houses. Vineyards, cotton, and
+hemp-plantations are successfully cultivated in its vicinity; and
+oil-mills, rope walks, and some other manufactories have been
+established here.]
+
+The distance from Columbia to Charleston is about a hundred and twenty
+miles; and, through the whole of this space, the road crosses an even
+country, sandy and dry during the summer, whilst in the autumn and
+winter, it is so covered with water that, in several places, for the
+space of eight or ten miles, the horses are up to their middle. Every
+two or three miles there were, by the side of the road, miserable
+log-houses, surrounded by little fields of Indian corn.
+
+The extreme unwholesomeness of the climate is shown by the pale and
+livid countenances of the inhabitants, who, during the months of
+September and October, are almost all affected with tertian fevers. Very
+few persons take any remedy for this complaint: they merely wait the
+approach of the first frosts, which, if they live so long, generally
+effect a cure.
+
+M. Michaux arrived at _Charleston_ on the eighteenth of October, 1802,
+three months and a half after his departure from Philadelphia, having,
+in that time, travelled over a space of nearly eighteen hundred miles.
+
+
+
+
+Eleventh Day's Instruction.
+
+UNITED STATES CONTINUED.
+
+
+_A Description of Charleston, and of some places in the adjacent parts
+of Carolina and Georgia._
+
+Charleston is situated at the conflux of the rivers Ashley and Cooper.
+The ground that it occupies is about a mile in length. From the middle
+of the principal street the two rivers might be clearly seen, were it
+not for a public edifice, built upon the banks of the Cooper, which
+intercepts the view. The most populous and commercial part of the town
+is situated along the Ashley. Several ill-constructed _quays_ project
+into the river, to facilitate the trading-vessels taking in their
+cargoes. These quays are formed of the trunks of palm-trees, fixed
+together, and laid out in squares, one above another. The _streets_ of
+Charleston are wide, but not paved; consequently, every time the foot
+slips, from a kind of brick pavement before the doors, it is immersed,
+nearly ancle deep, in sand. The rapid and almost incessant motion of
+carriages grinds this moving sand, and pulverizes it in such a manner,
+that the most gentle wind fills the shops with it, and renders it very
+disagreeable to foot-passengers. The principal streets extend east and
+west between the two rivers, and others intersect these nearly at right
+angles.
+
+From its exposure to the ocean, this place is subject to storms and
+inundations, which affect the security of its harbour. The town also has
+suffered much by fires. The last, in 1796, destroyed upwards of five
+hundred houses, and occasioned damage to the amount of L.300,000
+sterling.
+
+The _houses_, in the streets near the water-side, are, for the most
+part, lofty, and built close together. The bricks are of a peculiar
+nature, being porous, and capable of resisting weather better than the
+firm, close, and red bricks of the northern states. They are of a dark
+brown colour, which gives to the buildings a gloomy appearance. The
+roofs are tiled or slated. In this part of the town the principal
+shopkeepers and merchants have their stores and warehouses. Houses here
+bear a very high rent: those in Broad and Church-streets, which are
+valuable for shops, let for more than L.300 per annum; and those along
+the bay, with warehouses, let for L.700 and upwards, according to the
+size and situation of the buildings. The houses in Meeting-street and
+the back part of the town, are in general lofty and extensive, and are
+separated from each other by small gardens or yards, in which are the
+kitchens and out-offices. Almost every house is furnished with balconies
+and verandas, some of which occupy the whole side of the building, from
+top to bottom, having a gallery for each floor. The houses are sometimes
+shaded with Venetian blinds, and afford to the inhabitants a cool and
+pleasant retreat, from the scorching rays of the sun. Most of the modern
+houses are constructed with taste and elegance; but the chief design
+seems to be, to render them as cool as possible. The town is also
+crowded with wooden buildings, of an inferior description.
+
+Three of the _public buildings_ in Charleston, and the episcopal church
+of St. Michael, are situated at the corners, formed by the intersection
+of Broad and Meeting-streets. St. Michael's is a large and substantial
+edifice, with a lofty steeple and spire. The Branch Bank of the United
+States occupies one of the corners: this is a substantial, and, compared
+with others in the town, is a handsome building; but, from an
+injudicious intermixture of brick, stone, and marble, it has a very
+motley appearance. Another corner of the street is occupied by the gaol
+and armory: the fourth corner has a large and substantial brick
+building, cased with plaster. The ground-floor of this building is
+appropriated to the courts of law: in the first story are most of the
+public offices; and the upper story contains the public library and the
+museum.
+
+A kind of tree, called the "pride of India," (_melia azedarach_,) is
+planted, in rows, along the foot-paths and the streets of Charleston. It
+does not grow very high; but its umbrageous leaves and branches afford,
+to the inhabitants, an excellent shelter from the sun. It has the
+advantage also of not engendering insects; for, in consequence of its
+poisonous qualities, no insect can live upon it. When in blossom, the
+large clusters of its flowers resemble those of the lilac; these are
+succeeded by bunches of yellow berries, each about the size of a small
+cherry. It is a deciduous tree; but the berries remain during the
+winter, and drop off in the following spring.
+
+The health of the _inhabitants_ is very much injured, in consequence of
+their general neglect of cleanliness. The drains that are formed for
+carrying off the filth and putrid matter, which collect from all parts
+of the town, are too small for the purpose. This circumstance, added to
+the effluvia of the numerous swamps and stagnant pools in the
+neighbourhood, are known to be extremely injurious. Another neglect of
+health and comfort arises from a filthy practice, which prevails, of
+dragging dying horses, or the carcasses of dead ones, to a field in the
+outskirts of the town, near the high road, and there leaving them, to be
+devoured by troops of ravenous dogs and vultures. The latter, in
+appearance, are not much unlike turkeys, and thence have obtained the
+name of turkey buzzards; but, from their carnivorous habits, they have a
+most offensive smell. These birds hover over Charleston in great
+numbers; and are useful in destroying putrid substances, which lie in
+different parts of the city.
+
+At Charleston there is a garden dignified by the name of _Vauxhall_. It
+is situated in Broad-street, at a short distance from the theatre; but
+it possesses no decoration worthy of notice. It cannot even be compared
+with the common tea-gardens in the vicinity of London. On one side of it
+are warm and cold baths, for the accommodation of the inhabitants.
+During summer, vocal and instrumental concerts are performed here, and
+some of the singers from the theatre are engaged for the season. The
+situation and climate of Charleston are, however, by no means adapted
+for entertainments of this description.
+
+There are, in this town, four or five _hotels_ and coffee-houses; but,
+except the Planters' Hotel, in Meeting-street, not one of them is
+superior to an English public-house.
+
+Charleston contains a handsome and commodious _market-place_, which
+extends from Meeting-street to the water-side, and is as well supplied
+with _provisions_ as the country will permit. Compared, however, with
+the markets in the towns of the northern states, the supply is very
+inferior, both in quality and quantity. The beef, mutton, veal, and
+pork, of South Carolina, are seldom in perfection; and the hot weather
+renders it impossible to keep meat many hours after it is killed. Though
+the rivers abound in a great variety of fish, yet very few are brought
+to market. Oysters, however, are abundant, and are cried about the
+streets by negroes. They are generally shelled, put into small pails,
+which the negroes carry on their heads, and are sold, by measure, at the
+rate of about eight-pence per quart. Vegetables have been cultivated, of
+late years, with great success; and, of these, there is generally a
+tolerable supply in the market.
+
+In winter, the markets of Charleston are well supplied with fish, which
+are brought from the northern parts of the United States, in vessels so
+constructed as to keep them in a continual supply of water, and alive.
+The ships, engaged in this traffic, load, in return, with rice and
+cotton.
+
+At Charleston, wood is extravagantly dear: it costs from forty to fifty
+shillings a _cord_, notwithstanding forests of almost boundless extent,
+commence at six miles, and even at a less distance, from the town. Hence
+a great portion of the inhabitants burn coals that are brought from
+England.
+
+The pestilential marshes around Charleston yield a great abundance of
+rice. It is true that no European frame could support the labour of its
+cultivation; but Africa can produce slaves, and, amid contagion and
+suffering, both of oppressors and oppressed, Charleston has become a
+wealthy city.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The road from Charleston towards North Carolina, extends, for some
+distance, through the districts adjacent to the sea-coast; and much of
+the country is clad with bright evergreens, whence, in many places, it
+appears like the shrubbery of a park. In this part of America the trees
+are covered with a curious kind of vegetable drapery, which hangs from
+them in long curling tendrils, of gray or pale green colour. It bears a
+small blue flower, which is succeeded by a plumed seed, that adheres to
+the bark of the trees. Though the bark of the oak seems to afford the
+most favourite soil, it suspends itself to trees of every description;
+and, as it has no tenacity, but hangs like loose drapery, it probably
+does them no injury.
+
+In the interior of the country the road traverses a desolate tract of
+swamps and sandy pine-forests, and afterwards a series of granite rocks.
+
+The capital of North Carolina is _Raleigh_, a clean little country town.
+At one end of the only street stands the governor's brick house; and, at
+the other, the senate or court-house, surrounded by a grass-plot, neatly
+laid out. The houses are, in general, small, and built of wood; but some
+of them have foundations of granite, which is the only kind of stone in
+the country. The total want of limestone, and the scarcity of
+brick-earth, render it here extremely difficult and expensive to give to
+buildings any degree of stability.
+
+Although Raleigh is considered the capital of North Carolina, _Newbern_
+is the largest town in the state. So long ago as the year 1790, it
+contained four hundred houses; but these were chiefly built of wood. In
+September, 1791, about one-third of this town was consumed by fire; but,
+since that period, more of the houses have been built of brick than
+before. Newbern is situated on a flat, sandy point of land, near the
+junction of the two rivers Neus and Trent, and about thirty miles from
+the sea. It carries on a trade with the West Indies and the interior of
+Carolina, chiefly in tar, pitch, turpentine, lumber, and corn.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+About a hundred miles south-west of Charleston is the town of
+_Savannah_, situated upon an open, sandy plain, which forms a bluff or
+cliff, about fifty feet above the level of the river of the same name.
+It is laid out, in the form of a parallelogram, about a mile and a
+quarter long, and half a mile wide. The streets are broad, and open into
+spacious squares, each of which has in the middle a pump, surrounded by
+trees. There are neither foot-paths nor pavement in this place; and,
+consequently, every one walking in the streets, sinks, at each step, up
+to the ancles in sand; and, in windy weather, the eyes, mouth, and
+nostrils, are filled with sand.
+
+The houses in Savannah are, for the most part, built of wood, and stand
+at a little distance from each other. In two or three of the streets,
+however, they are close together, and many of them are built with brick:
+these contain the shops and stores. The principal street is that called
+the Bay; and in this there are several good houses, of brick and wood.
+It extends nearly three quarters of a mile in length; and opposite to it
+is a beautiful walk, planted with a double row of trees. Similar trees
+are planted in other parts of the town. This agreeable promenade is near
+the margin of the height, upon which the town stands; and the merchants'
+stores, warehouses, and wharfs, for the landing, housing, and shipping
+of goods, are immediately below. From the height there is a fine view of
+the Savannah river, as far as the sea; and, in a contrary direction, to
+the distance of several miles above the town.
+
+About the centre of the walk, and just on the verge of the cliff, stands
+the Exchange, a large brick building, which contains some public
+offices; and an assembly-room, where a concert and ball are held every
+fortnight, during the winter.
+
+The situation of Savannah, and the plan upon which it is laid out, if
+the town contained better houses, would render it far more agreeable, as
+a place of residence, than Charleston. Its greater elevation must also
+be more conducive to the health of the inhabitants, than the low and
+flat site of the other city. Both, however, are in the neighbourhood of
+swamps, marshes, and thick woods, which engender diseases, injurious to
+the constitution of white people. On the swamps, around Savannah, great
+quantities of rice are grown.
+
+
+
+
+Twelfth Day's Instruction.
+
+UNITED STATES CONTINUED.
+
+
+_Narrative of an excursion from Charleston into Georgia and West
+Florida. From Travels in North America, by_ WILLIAM BARTRAM.
+
+At the request of Dr. Fothergill, an eminent physician in London, Mr.
+Bartram went to North America, for the purpose, chiefly, of collecting,
+in Florida, Carolina, and Georgia, some of the rare and useful
+productions which had been described, by preceding travellers, to abound
+in those states. He left England in the month of April, 1773, and
+continued abroad several years.
+
+In 1776, he was at _Charleston_; and on the 22d of April, in that year,
+he set off on horseback, intending to make an excursion into the country
+of the Cherokee Indians. He directed his course towards Augusta, a town
+on the Savannah river.
+
+During his first day's journey he observed a large orchard of
+mulberry-trees, which were cultivated for the feeding of silkworms. The
+notes of the mocking-bird enlivened all the woods. He crossed into
+Georgia, by a ferry over the Savannah; and he thence passed through a
+range of pine-forests and swamps, about twelve miles in extent. Beyond
+these, in a forest, on the border of a swamp, and near the river, he
+reached a cow-pen, the proprietor of which possessed about fifteen
+hundred head of cattle. He was a man of amiable manners, and treated Mr.
+Bartram with great hospitality. The chief profits made by this person
+were obtained from beef, which he sent, by the river, for the supply of
+distant markets.
+
+About one hundred miles beyond this place is _Augusta_, in one of the
+most delightful and most eligible situations imaginable. It stands on
+an extensive plain, near the banks of the river Savannah, which is here
+navigable for vessels of twenty or thirty tons burden. Augusta, thus
+seated near the head of an important navigation, commands the trade and
+commerce of the vast and fertile regions above it; and, from every side,
+to a great distance. [Since Mr. Bartram was here, this place has become
+the metropolis of Georgia.]
+
+Below Augusta, and on the Georgia side of the river, the road crosses a
+ridge of high swelling hills, of uncommon elevation, and sixty or
+seventy feet higher than the surface of the river. These hills, from
+three feet below the common vegetative surface, to the depth of twenty
+or thirty feet, are entirely composed of fossil oyster-shells, which,
+internally, are of the colour and consistency of white marble. The
+shells are of immense magnitude; generally fifteen or twenty inches in
+length, from six to eight wide, and from two to four inches in
+thickness; and their hollows are sufficiently deep to receive a man's
+foot.
+
+From Augusta, Mr. Bartram proceeded to Fort James. For thirty miles the
+road led him near the banks of the Savannah. The surface of the land was
+uneven, in ridges or chains of swelling hills, and corresponding vales,
+with level downs. The latter afforded grass and various herbage; and the
+vales and hills produced forest-trees and shrubs of several kinds. In
+the rich and humid lands, which bordered the creeks and bases of the
+hills, Mr. Bartram discovered many species of plants which were entirely
+new to him.
+
+_Fort James_ enclosed about an acre of ground, and contained barracks
+for soldiers, and a house for the governor or commandant. It was
+situated at the extreme point of a promontory, formed by the junction of
+the _Broad_ and _Savannah rivers_; and, at the distance of two miles,
+there was a place laid out for the construction of a town, which was to
+have the name of _Dartmouth_.
+
+The surgeon of the garrison conducted Mr. Bartram, about five miles from
+the fort, to a spot where he showed him some remarkable Indian
+monuments. These were on a plain, about thirty yards from the river, and
+they consisted of conical mounds of earth, with square terraces. The
+principal mount was in the form of a cone, forty or fifty feet high, and
+two or three hundred yards in circumference at the base. It was flat at
+the top; a spiral track, leading from the ground to the summit, was
+still visible; and it was surmounted by a large and spreading
+cedar-tree. On the sides of the hill, facing the four cardinal points,
+were niches or centry-boxes, all entered from the winding path. The
+design of these structures Mr. Bartram was unable to ascertain. The
+adjacent grounds had been cleared, and were at this time planted with
+Indian corn.
+
+On the 10th of May, Mr. Bartram set out from Fort James. He rode six or
+eight miles along the bank of the river, and then crossed it into South
+Carolina. The road led him over a country, the surface of which was
+undulated by ridges or chains of hills, and sometimes rough with rocks
+and stones; yet generally productive of forests, and of a great variety
+of curious and interesting plants.
+
+The season was unusually wet: showers of rain fell almost daily, and
+were frequently attended with thunder. Hence travelling was rendered
+disagreeable, toilsome, and hazardous; particularly in the country
+through which he had to pass; an uninhabited wilderness, abounding in
+rivers and brooks.
+
+During his progress, Mr. Bartram was kindly received into the houses of
+such planters as lived near the road. In his journey betwixt Fort James
+and the Cherokee town of _Sinica_, he observed an abundance of
+grape-vines, which ramble and spread themselves over the shrubs and low
+trees. The grapes, when ripe, are of various colours, and yield
+excellent juice.
+
+_Sinica_ is a respectable Cherokee settlement, on the east bank of the
+_Keowe river_; but the greatest number of Indian habitations are on the
+opposite shore, where also stands the council-house, in a plain, betwixt
+the river and a range of lofty hills, which rise magnificently, and seem
+to bend over the green plains and the river. Sinica had not, at this
+time, been long built. The number of inhabitants was estimated at about
+five hundred, among whom about a hundred warriors could be mustered.
+
+From Sinica Mr. Bartram went to another Indian town, about sixteen miles
+distant, called _Keowe_. It stood in a fertile vale, which was now
+enamelled with scarlet strawberries and blooming plants, of innumerable
+kinds, through the midst of which the river meandered, in a most
+pleasing manner. The adjacent heights were so formed and disposed, that,
+with little, expence of military architecture, they might have been
+rendered almost unassailable. In the vicinity of Keowe, Mr. Bartram saw
+several ancient Indian mounts or tumuli, and terraces.
+
+On leaving this place he crossed the river at a ford, and, soon
+afterwards, began to ascend the steep ridges on the west side of the
+valley. The prospects of the surrounding country here presented to his
+view, were, in many instances, peculiarly beautiful. Having reached the
+summits of the mountains, he afterwards passed through a series of
+magnificent forests, and then approached an ample meadow, bordered with
+a high circular amphitheatre of hills, the ridges of which rose
+magnificently one above another. After this the surface of the land was
+level, and, in some places exhibited views of grand forests, and dark,
+detached groves, and in others of fertile vales and meadows.
+
+After having crossed a delightful river, a main branch of the _Tugilo_,
+Mr. Bartram passed through a mountainous country. Here, being overtaken
+by a tremendous hurricane, accompanied with torrents of rain, and the
+most awful thunder imaginable, in the midst of a solitary wilderness,
+he was glad to obtain shelter in a forsaken Indian dwelling. In this he
+lighted a fire, dried his clothes, comforted himself with a frugal
+repast of biscuit and dried beef, and afterwards passed the night.
+
+At some distance beyond this cottage, were the ruins of an Indian town
+called _Sticoe_. At this place was a vast Indian mount or tumulus, with
+a great terrace. Here also were old peach and plum-orchards, some of the
+trees of which still appeared to be thriving and fruitful. From Sticoe,
+proceeding along a vale, and crossing a delightful brook, which falls
+into the Tenessee, Mr. Bartram followed its course nearly as far as
+_Cowe_, an Indian town which stands in a valley on the bank of one of
+the branches of the _river Tenessee_. He had letters of introduction to
+a gentleman resident in this place, who had, for many years, been a
+trader with the Indians, and who was noted for his humanity, his
+probity, and his equitable dealings with them. By this gentleman he was
+received with every demonstration of hospitality and friendship.
+
+After having staid two days at Cowe, and, in the mean time, having made
+some excursions to places in its vicinity, Mr. Bartram proceeded on his
+journey, and was accompanied, about fifteen miles, by his hospitable
+friend, the trader. After this gentleman had left him, he was in the
+midst of solitude, surrounded by dreary and trackless mountains; and,
+for some time, he was unable to erase from his mind a notion that his
+present situation in some degree resembled that of Nebuchadnezzar, when
+expelled from the society of men, and constrained to roam in the
+wilderness, there to herd and to feed with the beasts of the forest. He,
+however, proceeded with all the alacrity which prudence would permit.
+His present object was, at all events, to cross the Jore Mountains, said
+to be the highest land in the Cherokee country. These he soon afterwards
+began to ascend; and, at length, he accomplished one part of his arduous
+task. From the most elevated peak of these mountains, he beheld, with
+rapture and astonishment, a sublimely awful scene of magnificence, a
+world of mountains piled upon mountains.
+
+On the ensuing day, still proceeding in his journey westward, Mr.
+Bartram, on descending from the heights, observed a company of Indians
+on horseback. They rapidly approached him; and, under an impression that
+one of them, who was at the head of the troop, was the emperor or grand
+chief of the Cherokees, Mr. Bartram turned out of the path in token of
+respect. In this supposition he was correct, and the compliment was
+accepted, for the chief, with a cheerful smile, came up to him, and
+placing his hand on his breast, then offered it to Mr. Bartram, and
+heartily shook hands with him. The chief made enquiry respecting a
+gentleman of Charleston, with whom he was acquainted, and afterwards
+welcomed Mr. Bartram into his country, as a friend and brother. Being,
+at this time, on a journey to Charleston, he shook hands with Mr.
+Bartram, bade him heartily farewell, and then proceeded.
+
+Describing the _Cherokee_ Indians, our traveller says that these people
+construct their habitations in a square form, each building being only
+one story high. The materials consist of logs or trunks of trees,
+stripped of their bark, notched at the ends, fixed one upon another, and
+afterwards plastered both inside and out, with clay well tempered with
+dry grass; and the whole covered or roofed with the bark of the
+chesnut-tree, or with broad shingles or wooden tiles. The principal
+building is partitioned transversely, so as to form three apartments,
+which communicate with each other by inside doors. Each habitation has
+also a little conical house, which is called the winter or hot-house;
+this stands a few yards from the mansion-house, and opposite to the
+front door.
+
+The council or town-house at Cowe, is a large rotunda, capable of
+accommodating several hundred people. It stands on the summit of an
+ancient artificial mount, about twenty feet high; and the rotunda at the
+top, being about thirty feet more, gives to the whole fabric an
+elevation of sixty feet from the ground. But the mount on which the
+rotunda stands, is of much more ancient date than the building, and
+perhaps was raised for some other purpose than to support it. The
+Cherokees themselves are ignorant by what people, or for what purpose,
+these artificial hills were raised. According to their traditions, they
+were found in much the same state as they now appear, when their
+forefathers arrived from the west, and possessed themselves of the
+country, after vanquishing the nations of red men who then inhabited it,
+and who themselves found these mounts when they took possession of the
+country.
+
+Mr. Bartram, in company with some Europeans that were resident here,
+went one evening to the rotunda, to witness a grand entertainment of
+music and dancing. This was held principally for the purpose of
+rehearsing what is called a ball-play dance; the inhabitants of Cowe
+having received a challenge to play against those of another town.
+
+The people, being assembled and seated, and the musicians having taken
+their station, the ball was opened, first with a long harangue or
+oration, spoken by an aged chief, in commendation of the manly exercise
+of ball-play. This chief recounted the many and brilliant victories
+which the town of Cowe had gained over the other towns in the nation;
+not forgetting to recite his own exploits, together with those of other
+aged men now present, coadjutors in the performance of these athletic
+games during their youthful days.
+
+This oration ended, the music, both vocal and instrumental, began.
+Presently a company of girls, hand in hand, dressed in clean white
+robes, and ornamented with beads, bracelets, and a profusion of gay
+ribbons, entering the door, sang responses in a gentle, low, and sweet
+tone of voice; and formed themselves in a semicircular file, or line of
+two ranks, back to back, facing the spectators, and moving slowly round.
+This continued about a quarter of an hour, when the strangers were
+surprised by a sudden loud and shrill whoop, uttered by a company of
+young men, who came in briskly, after one another, each with a racket or
+hurl in his hand. These champions likewise were well dressed, painted,
+and ornamented with silver bracelets, gorgets, and wampum, and having
+high waving plumes in their diadems: they immediately formed themselves
+in a semicircular rank in front of the girls; on which these changed
+their position, and formed a single rank parallel to that of the men.
+They raised their voices, in responses to the tunes of the young
+champions, the semicircles continually moving round during the time.
+
+The Cherokees, besides the ball-play dance, have several others, equally
+entertaining. The men, especially, exercise themselves in a variety of
+gesticulations and capers, some of which are extremely ludicrous. They
+have others of a martial kind, and others illustrative of the chase:
+these seem to be somewhat of a tragical nature, in which they exhibit
+astonishing feats of military prowess, masculine strength, and activity.
+Indeed, all their dances and musical entertainments seem to be
+theatrical exhibitions or plays, varied with comic, and sometimes
+indecent interludes.
+
+On the ensuing morning, Mr. Bartram set off on his return to Fort James;
+and, two days afterwards, he again arrived at _Keowe_, where he
+continued two or three days. In the environs of this place he observed
+some very singular Indian antiquities. They each consisted of four flat
+stones, two set on edge for the side, another closed one end, and a very
+large flat stone was laid horizontally on the top. Mr. Bartram
+conjectures that they must have been either altars for sacrifices, or
+sepulchres.
+
+This gentleman accompanied the traders to _Sinica_, where he continued
+some time, employing himself in observations, and in making collections
+of such things as were deserving of notice; and, not long afterwards, he
+once more reached _Fort James_.
+
+From this place he set out with a caravan, consisting of twenty men and
+sixty horses. Their first day's journey was, for the most part, over
+high gravelly ridges, and hills of considerable eminence. Many scarce
+and interesting plants were discovered along the sides of the roads.
+They passed several considerable creeks, branches of the _Ocone_, and,
+on the first of July, encamped, on the banks of that river, in a
+delightful grove. They forded the river at a place where it was about
+two hundred and fifty yards wide. Subsequently they crossed the
+_Oakmulge_ and _Flint rivers_. In many places they observed that the
+soil was rich, and admirably adapted to every branch of agriculture and
+grazing. The country was diversified with hills and dales, savannas, and
+vast cane-meadows, and watered by innumerable rivulets and brooks.
+During the day the horses were excessively tormented by flies of several
+kinds, and the numbers of which were almost incredible. They formed,
+around the caravan, a vast cloud, so thick as to obscure every distant
+object. The heads, necks, and shoulders of the leading horses were
+continually covered with blood, the consequence of the attacks of these
+tormenting insects. Some of them were horse-flies, as large as
+humble-bees; and others were different species of gnats and musquitoes.
+During the day the heat was often intense.
+
+After traversing a very delightful country, the party reached the _Chata
+Uche_ river, which was betwixt three and four hundred yards in width.
+They crossed it to _Uche_ town, situated on a vast plain. This, Mr.
+Bartram observes, was the most compact and best situated Indian town he
+had ever seen. The habitations were large and neatly built, having their
+walls constructed of a wooden frame, then lathed and plastered inside
+and out with a reddish, well-tempered clay or mortar, which gave them
+the appearance of brick. Uche appeared to be populous and thriving. The
+whole number of inhabitants was about fifteen hundred, of whom about
+five hundred are gun-men or warriors.
+
+Beyond this the travellers arrived at another Indian town called
+_Apalachucla_, the capital of the Creek Indians. This place is sacred to
+peace. No captives are here put to death, and no human blood is spilt.
+And when a general peace is proposed, deputies from all the towns in the
+confederacy assemble at this capital, in order to deliberate on the
+subject. On the contrary, the great _Coweta_ town; about twelve miles
+distant, is called the bloody town, for here the micos, chiefs, and
+warriors assemble, when a general war is proposed; and here captives and
+state malefactors are executed.
+
+The caravan continued at Apalachucla about a week, for the purpose of
+recruiting the strength of the horses, by turning them out into the
+swamps to feed. After this, having repaired their equipage, and
+replenished themselves with fresh supplies of provisions, on the
+thirteenth of July they resumed their journey for Mobile.
+
+Beyond _Talasse_, a town on the Tallapoose river, they changed their
+course to a southerly direction, and, not long afterwards, arrived at
+_Coloome_, a settlement, where they continued two days. The houses of
+this place are neat and commodious; each of the buildings consists of a
+wooden frame with plastered walls, and is roofed with cypress bark or
+shingles. Every habitation consists of four oblong square houses, of one
+story, and so arranged as to form an exact square, encompassing an area
+or court-yard of about a quarter of an acre of ground, and leaving an
+entrance at each corner. There was a beautiful square, in the centre of
+the new town; but the stores of the principal trader, and two or three
+Indian habitations, stood near the banks of the opposite shore, on the
+side of the old Coloome town. The Tallapoose river is here three hundred
+yards wide, and fifteen or twenty feet deep.
+
+Having procured a guide, to conduct them into the great trading path of
+West Florida, they set out for Mobile. Their progress, for about
+eighteen miles, was through a magnificent forest, which, at intervals,
+afforded them a view of distant Indian towns. At night, they encamped
+beneath a grove of oaks; but, shortly afterwards, there fell so
+extraordinary a shower of rain, that, suddenly, the whole adjacent
+ground was inundated, and they were obliged to continue standing through
+the whole of the night. Early in the morning, the guide, having
+performed his duty, returned home; and the travellers continued their
+journey, over an extended series of grassy plains, more than twenty
+miles in length, and eight or nine miles wide. These plains were bounded
+by high forests, which, in some places, presented magnificent and
+pleasing sylvan landscapes, of primitive and uncultivated nature. They
+crossed several rivulets and creeks, branches of the _Alabama_, the
+eastern arm of the Mobile. These rivulets were adorned with groves of
+various trees and shrubs. Immediately beyond the plains, the travellers
+entered a high, and grand forest; and the road, for several miles, led
+them near the banks of the _Alabama_. The surface of the land was broken
+into hills and vales; some of them of considerable elevation, and
+covered with forests of stately trees.
+
+After many miles' travelling, over a varied and interesting country,
+they arrived at the eastern channel of the _river Mobile_, and, on the
+same day, reached the city to which they were proceeding. _Mobile_
+stands on the easy ascent of a rising bank, near the western side of the
+bay of that name. This place has been nearly a mile in length; but it
+was now in ruins. Many of the houses were, at this time, unoccupied, and
+mouldering away; yet there were a few good buildings, inhabited by
+French, English, Scotch, and Irish, and emigrants from the northern
+parts of America. The principal French buildings were constructed of
+brick, and were one story high, but on an extensive scale. They were
+square, and were built so as to encompass, on three sides, a large area
+or court-yard. The principal apartment was on the side fronting the
+street. This plan of habitations seems to have been copied from that of
+the Creek Indians. The houses of the poorer class of inhabitants were
+constructed of a strong frame of cypress-timber, filled up with brick;
+plastered and white-washed inside and out.
+
+On the 5th of August, having procured a light canoe, Mr. Bartram set out
+on a voyage up the river. He sailed along the eastern channel, and
+passed several well-cultivated plantations, on fertile islands. Here the
+native productions exceeded, in luxuriance, any that he had ever seen:
+the reeds and canes, in particular, grew to an immense height and
+thickness. On one part of the shore of the river, he was delighted by
+the appearance of a great number of plants, of a species of oenothera,
+each plant being covered with hundreds of large golden yellow flowers.
+Near the ruins of several plantations, were seen peach and fig-trees,
+richly laden with fruit. Beyond these, were high forests and rich
+swamps, where canes and cypress-trees grew of astonishing magnitude. The
+_magnolia grandiflora_, here flourished in the utmost luxuriance; and
+flowering-trees and shrubs were observed, in great numbers and beauty.
+Several large alligators were seen basking on the shores, and others
+were swimming along the river. After having pursued his course for
+several miles, and made many important botanical discoveries, Mr.
+Bartram returned to _Mobile_, for the purpose of proceeding thence, in a
+trading-vessel, westward, to the Pearl river.
+
+Previously, however, to setting out on his voyage westward, he had an
+opportunity of visiting _Pensacola_, the capital of West Florida, about
+a hundred miles east of Mobile. This city possesses some natural
+advantages, superior to those of any other port in this province. It is
+situated on a gently rising ground, environing a harbour, sufficiently
+capacious to shelter all the navies of Europe. Several rivers fall into
+this _harbour_; but none of them are navigable for ships of burden, to
+any considerable distance. In Pensacola there are several hundred
+habitations. The governor's palace is a large brick building, ornamented
+with a tower. The town is defended by a fortress, within which is the
+council-chamber, houses for the officers, and barracks for the soldiers
+of the garrison. On the sand-hills, near this place, Mr. Bartram
+discovered several species of plants, which at that time had not been
+described.
+
+Having again returned to Mobile, he left that place, in a trading-boat,
+the property of a Frenchman, who was about to sail to his plantations,
+on the banks of the Pearl river. Before Mr. Bartram set out on this
+expedition, he had been attacked by a severe complaint in his eyes,
+which occasioned extreme pain, and almost deprived him of sight: it did
+not, however, deter him from proceeding. On his arrival at _Pearl
+river_, he was, however, so ill, as to be laid up, for several weeks, at
+the house of an English gentleman, who resided on an island in that
+river. As soon as he was sufficiently recovered to prosecute his
+journey, he proceeded, in a boat, to Manchac on the Mississippi.
+
+Having sailed westward for some days, he entered the _river Amite_, and,
+ascending it, arrived at a landing-place, from which he crossed, by
+land, to _Manchac_, about nine miles distant. The road was straight,
+spacious, and level, and extended beneath the shadow of a grand forest.
+On arriving at the banks of the _Mississippi_, Mr. Bartram stood, for
+some time, fascinated by the magnificence of this grand river. Its width
+was nearly a mile, and its depth at least two hundred and forty feet.
+But it is not merely the expansion of its surface which astonishes and
+delights: its lofty banks, the steady course of its mighty flood, the
+trees which overhang its waters, the magnificent forests by which it is
+bounded; all combine in exhibiting prospects the most sublime that can
+be imagined. At Manchac, the banks are at least fifty feet in
+perpendicular height.
+
+After having continued in this place a short time, Mr. Bartram made an
+excursion several miles up the Mississippi. At his return, he once more
+set sail for _Mobile_, where, not long afterwards, he safely arrived.
+
+On the 27th of November, he sailed up the river, from Mobile, in a large
+trading-boat, and the same evening arrived at _Taensa_. Here the
+merchandise, which the boat had conveyed, was formed into small
+packages, and placed on horses, for the purpose of being conveyed
+overland. The party now consisted of between twenty and thirty horses,
+two drivers, the owner of the goods, and Mr. Bartram; who found this
+mode of travelling very unpleasant. They seldom set out till the sun had
+been some hours risen. Each of the men had a whip, made of cow-skin;
+and, the horses having ranged themselves in a line, the chief drove them
+by the crack of his whip, and by a whoop or shriek, so loud as to ring
+through the forests and plains. The pace was a brisk trot, which was
+incessantly urged, and continued as long as the miserable creatures were
+able to move forward. Each horse had a bell; and the incessant
+clattering of the bells, smacking of the whips, and whooping of the men,
+caused an uproar and confusion which was inexpressibly disagreeable. The
+time for encamping was generally about the middle of the afternoon; a
+time which, to Mr. Bartram, would have been the pleasantest for
+travelling.
+
+After having proceeded on their journey several days, they came to the
+banks of a large and deep river, a branch of the _Alabama_. The waters
+ran furiously, being overcharged with the floods of a violent rain,
+which had fallen the day before. There was no possibility of crossing
+this river by fording it. With considerable difficulty, a kind of raft
+was made, of dry canes and pieces of timber, bound together by a species
+of vines or vegetable cords, which are common in the woods of the
+tropical districts of America. When this raft was completed, one of the
+Indians swam over the river, having in his mouth the end of a long vine
+attached to it; and, by hauling the raft backward and forward, all the
+goods were safely landed on the opposite side: the men and horses swam
+across.
+
+In the evening of the day on which they passed this stream, the party
+arrived at the banks of the great _Tallapoose river_; and encamped, for
+the night, under the shelter of some Indian cabins. On the ensuing day
+they were conducted across the river, in the canoes of a party of
+Indians who were resident in the neighbourhood. Not long afterwards, the
+travellers arrived at the Indian town of _Alabama_, situated near the
+junction of two fine rivers, the _Tallapoose_ and the _Coosa_. At this
+place were seen the traces of an ancient French fortress, with a few
+pieces of cannon, half-buried in the earth. This, says Mr. Bartram, is
+perhaps one of the most eligible situations in the world for a large
+town: it is a level plain, at the conflux of two majestic rivers, each
+navigable for vessels, to the distance of at least five hundred miles
+above it, and spreading their numerous branches over a great extent of
+fertile and delightful country.
+
+The travellers continued all night at Alabama, where a grand
+entertainment was made for them, with music and dancing, in the great
+square. They then proceeded along the Tallapoose to _Mucclasse_. In
+their journey they passed through numerous plantations and Indian towns,
+and were every where treated by the inhabitants with hospitality and
+friendship.
+
+About three weeks after this, Mr. Bartram joined a company of traders,
+and proceeded with them to Augusta. They set out in the morning of the
+2d of January, 1788, the whole surface of the ground being covered with
+a white and beautifully sparkling frost. The company, besides Mr.
+Bartram, consisted of four men, with about thirty horses, twenty of
+which were laden with leather and furs. In three days they arrived at
+the _Apalachula_ or _Chata Uche_ river, and crossed it at the towns of
+_Chehau_ and _Usseta_. These towns nearly join each other, yet the
+inhabitants speak different languages. Beyond this river nothing of
+importance occurred, till they arrived at _Oakmulge_. Here they
+encamped in expansive, ancient Indian fields, and within view of the
+foaming flood of the river, which now raged over its banks. There were,
+at this place, two companies of traders from Augusta, each consisting of
+fifteen or twenty men, with seventy or eighty horses. The traders whom
+Mr. Bartram accompanied, had with them a portable leather boat, eight
+feet long. It was made of thick sole-leather, was folded up, and carried
+on one of the horses. This boat was now put together, and rigged; and in
+it the party was ferried across the river. They afterwards crossed the
+_Ocone_, in the same manner; and encamped in fertile fields on the banks
+of that beautiful river. Proceeding thence, they encamped, the next day,
+on the banks of the _Ogeche_; and, after two days hard travelling,
+beyond this river, they arrived at _Augusta_, whence, shortly
+afterwards, Mr. Bartram proceeded to _Savannah_.
+
+
+
+
+Thirteenth Day's Instruction.
+
+UNITED STATES CONTINUED.
+
+
+_Narrative of_ MR. BARTRAM'S _Journey from Savannah into East
+Florida._
+
+Leaving _Savannah_ at the most beautiful season of the year, Mr. Bartram
+proceeded, on horseback, to _Sunbury_, a sea-port, about forty miles
+distant; and thence to Fort Barrington. Much of the intervening country
+was level, and well watered by large streams. The road was straight,
+spacious, and in excellent repair. For a considerable distance it was
+bordered on each side by groves, of various kinds of trees and shrubs,
+entwined with bands and garlands of flowering-plants. Extensive
+plantations of rice and corn, now in early verdure, were seen,
+decorated, here and there, with groves of floriferous and fragrant trees
+and shrubs, through which, at intervals, appeared the neat habitations
+of the proprietors.
+
+At Fort Barrington, Mr. Bartram crossed the river Alatamaha, here about
+five hundred yards in width. When safely landed on the opposite side, he
+mounted his horse, and followed the high road, through an uninhabited
+wilderness, to the ferry on _St. Ille_. The sudden transition, from rich
+cultivated settlements, to high pine-forests, and dark grassy savannas,
+formed, he says, no disagreeable contrast; and the new objects, in the
+works of nature, which here excited his attention, soon reconciled him
+to the change. In the midst of the woods he observed great numbers of
+dens, or caverns, which had been dug in the sand-hills, by the gopher,
+or great land tortoise.
+
+The next day's progress, presented scenes nearly similar to these;
+though the land was lower, more level and humid, and the produce was
+more varied. Mr. Bartram passed some troublesome cane-swamps, in which
+he saw several herds of horned-cattle, horses, and deer, and noticed
+many interesting plants.
+
+In the evening, he arrived at _St. Ille's_, where he lodged; and, next
+morning, having crossed the river in a ferry-boat, he proceeded towards
+St. Mary's. The appearance of the country, its soil, and productions,
+between these rivers, were nearly similar to those which he had already
+passed, except that the savannas were more frequent and extensive.
+
+Mr. Bartram had now passed the utmost frontier of the white settlements,
+on that border; and the day was drawing towards a close, when, on a
+sudden, an Indian, armed with a rifle, crossed the path, at a
+considerable distance before him. This man, turning short round, came up
+at full gallop. Though his intentions, at first, seemed hostile, he,
+after some hesitation, shook Mr. Bartram by the hand, directed him on
+his way, and then proceeded in his former course. Mr. Bartram again set
+forward, and, after riding eight or ten miles, arrived at the banks of
+_St. Mary's_, opposite to the stores, and got safely over that river,
+before dark.
+
+The savannas about St. Mary's displayed a very charming appearance, of
+flowers and verdure: their more elevated borders were varied with beds
+of violets, lupines, and amaryllis; and with a new and beautiful species
+of sensitive plant.
+
+In a subsequent excursion, Mr. Bartram, accompanied by some other
+gentlemen, passed the mouth of St. Mary's, and entered the _river St.
+Juan_, or _St. John_.
+
+At _Cowford_, a public ferry over this river, and about thirty miles
+from its mouth, he procured a neat little sail-boat; and, having stored
+it with necessaries for his voyage, he proceeded up the river alone, in
+search of new productions of nature; having his chief happiness centered
+in tracing and admiring the infinite power, majesty, and perfection of
+the great Creator, and in the contemplation that, through divine
+permission, he might be instrumental in introducing into his native
+country, some productions which might become useful to society. His
+little vessel, being furnished with a good sail, and with
+fishing-tackle, a swivel gun, powder, and ball, Mr. Bartram found
+himself well equipped for his voyage, of about one hundred miles, to the
+trading houses of the Indians.
+
+Having proceeded about eight miles above Cowford, to a place where the
+river was nearly three miles broad, he was obliged to land, as his boat
+had sustained some damage from the wind; and, a thunder-storm coming on,
+he resolved to continue on shore till the morning. Observing a large
+oak-tree, which had been thrown down by a hurricane, and which offered
+him a convenient shelter, as its branches bore up the trunk a sufficient
+height from the earth, to admit him either to, sit or to lie down
+beneath it, he spread his sail, slanting from the trunk of the tree to
+the ground, on the windward side; and, having collected a quantity of
+wood sufficient to keep up a fire during the night, he kindled one in
+front. He then spread skins on the ground, and upon these he placed a
+blanket, one half of which he lay down upon, and the other he turned
+over him for a covering.
+
+The wind was furious, and the thunder and lightning were tremendous;
+but, happily, not much-rain fell. Next morning, on reconnoitring the
+neighbourhood, he was roused by the report of a musket not far off; and,
+shortly afterwards, an Indian stepped out of a thicket, having a large
+turkey-cock slung across his shoulders. He saw Mr. Bartram, and,
+stepping up to him, spoke in English, bidding him good morning. He
+stated that he lived at an adjacent plantation, and that he was employed
+as a hunter. Mr. Bartram accompanied him to the house of his master,
+about half a mile distant, and was there received in the most polite and
+friendly manner imaginable. The owner of this plantation invited him to
+stay some days, for the purpose of resting and refreshing himself; and
+he immediately set his carpenters to work, to repair the damaged vessel.
+
+Mr. Bartram spent one day with this gentleman. The house in which he
+resided was on an eminence, about one hundred and fifty yards from the
+river. On the right of it was an orangery, consisting of many hundred
+trees, natives of the place, and left standing when the ground about it
+was cleared. Those trees were large, flourishing, in bloom, and, at the
+same time, loaded with ripe golden fruit. On the other side was a
+spacious garden, occupying a regular slope of ground, down to the water;
+and a pleasant lawn lay between. The owner of this plantation having,
+with great liberality, supplied him with an abundance of ammunition and
+provision, Mr. Bartram departed on the ensuing morning. He again
+embarked on board his little vessel, and had a favourable, steady gale.
+The day was extremely pleasant; the shores of the river were level and
+shallow; and, in some places, the water was not more than eighteen
+inches or two feet in depth. At a little distance it appeared like a
+green meadow; having water-grass, and other amphibious vegetables,
+growing from its oozy bottom, and floating upon its surface.
+
+Mr. Bartram kept as near the shore as possible; and he was greatly
+delighted with the prospect of cultivation, and the increase of human
+industry, which were often visible from the water. In pursuing his
+voyage, he sometimes slept at plantations that were near the banks of
+the river; but sometimes he was obliged to pitch his tent upon the
+shore, or to sleep under the protection of his sail. In the latter case
+he was, not unfrequently, disturbed at night, by the plunging and
+roaring of alligators, and the loud croaking of frogs; and, in the
+morning, by the noise of wild turkeys, hundreds of which roosted around
+him. During his progress he saw great numbers of alligators, some of
+them immensely large. He was successful in collecting seeds, and
+specimens of uncommon trees and plants. In some places he was astonished
+to see the immense magnitude to which the grape-vines grew. These were
+not unfrequently from nine to twelve inches in diameter: they twined
+round the trunks of trees, climbed to their very tops, and then spread
+along, from tree to tree, almost throughout the forest. The fruit,
+however, was small and ill-flavoured.
+
+As Mr. Bartram was coasting along the shore, he suddenly saw before him
+an Indian settlement or village. It was in a fine situation, on the
+slope of a bank which rose gradually from the water. There were eight or
+ten habitations, in a row or street, fronting the water, and about fifty
+yards distant from it. Some of the youths of this settlement were naked,
+and up to their hips in water, fishing with rods and lines; whilst
+others, younger, were diverting themselves in shooting frogs with bows
+and arrows. As Mr. Bartram passed, he observed some elderly people
+reclining on skins, spread upon the ground, beneath the cool shade of
+oaks and palm-trees, that were ranged in front of the houses. These
+persons arose, and eyed him as he passed; but, perceiving that he
+proceeded without stopping, they resumed their former position.
+
+There was an extensive orange-grove, at the upper end of the village:
+the trees were large, and had been carefully pruned; and the ground
+beneath them was clean, open, and airy. Around the village were several
+acres of cleared land, a considerable portion of which was planted with
+maize, batatas, beans, pompions, squashes, melons, and tobacco.
+
+After leaving this village, the river became much contracted, and
+continued so till Mr. Bartram reached _Charlotia_ or _Rolle's Town_,
+where it was not more than half a mile wide. Here he came to an anchor.
+This town was founded by Denis Rolle, Esq. and is situated on a cliff on
+the east side of the river.
+
+Having obtained directions for discovering a little remote island, where
+the traders and their goods were secreted, he set sail again, and, in
+about an hour and a half, arrived at the desired place. At this island
+he was received with great politeness; and he was induced to continue
+there several months, during which he was treated with the utmost
+hospitality, by the agents of one of the British mercantile houses.
+
+The numerous plains and groves in the vicinity of the island, afforded
+to Mr. Bartram much gratification in his botanical pursuits; and, at the
+termination of his residence here, he set out with a party of traders,
+who were about to proceed to the upper parts of the river. The traders,
+with their goods in a large boat, went first, and Mr. Bartram, in his
+little vessel, followed them. The day was pleasant, and the wind fair
+and moderate. In the evening they arrived at _Mount Royal_, a house
+belonging to a Mr. Kean. This place was surrounded by magnificent groves
+of orange-trees, oaks, palms, and magnolias; and commanded a most
+enchanting view of the great Lake George, about two miles distant.
+
+_Lake George_ is a beautiful piece of water, a dilatation of the river
+St. John, and about fifteen miles wide. It is ornamented with two or
+three fertile islands. Mr. Bartram landed, and passed the night on one
+of them; and he found, growing upon it, many curious flowering shrubs, a
+new and beautiful species of convolvulus, and some other species of
+plants, which he had never before seen.
+
+A favourable gale enabled the voyagers, towards the close of the ensuing
+day, to enter the river at the southern extremity of the lake. Here they
+found a safe and pleasant harbour, in a most desirable situation.
+Opposite to them was a vast cypress swamp, environed by a border of
+grassy marshes; and, around the harbour, was a grove of oaks, palm,
+magnolia, and orange-trees. The bay was, in some places, almost covered
+with the leaves of a beautiful water-lily, the large, sweet-scented
+yellow flowers of which grew two or three feet above the surface of the
+water. A great number of fine trout were caught, by fishing, with a hook
+and line, near the edges of the water-lilies; and many wild turkeys and
+deer were seen in the vicinity of this place.
+
+On the ensuing day the party reached a trading-house, called _Spalding's
+upper Store_, where Mr. Bartram resided for several weeks. Being
+afterwards desirous of continuing his travels and observations higher up
+the river, and, having received an invitation to visit a plantation, the
+property of an English gentleman, about sixty miles distant, he resolved
+to pursue his researches to that place. For several miles the left bank
+of the river had numerous islands of rich swamp land. The opposite coast
+was a perpendicular cliff ten or twelve feet high: this was crowned by
+trees and shrubs, which, in some places, rendered the scenery extremely
+beautiful. The straight trunks of the palm-trees were, in many
+instances, from sixty to ninety feet high, of a bright ash colour, and
+were terminated by plumes of leaves, some of them nearly fifteen feet in
+length.
+
+Mr. Bartram landed, for the night, in a little bay, not far from the
+entrance to a small lake, another expansion of the river. Near this
+place there was much low and swampy land, and the islands in the river
+were numerous. The evening was cool and calm, and he went out in his
+canoe, to fish for trout. As the evening closed, alligators appeared in
+great numbers along the shores and in the river. Mr. Bartram states that
+he was witness to a combat between these dreadful animals, which
+inspired him with horror, especially as his little harbour was
+surrounded by them. In endeavouring to paddle his canoe through a line
+of alligators, he was pursued by several large ones; and, before he
+could reach the shore, he was assailed on every side. His situation
+became extremely precarious. Two very large alligators attacked him
+closely, rushing with their heads and part of their bodies above the
+water, roaring terribly, and, from their mouths, throwing floods of
+water over him. They struck their jaws together so close to his ears as
+almost to stun him; and he, every moment, expected to be dragged out of
+the boat and devoured by them. He held in his hand a large club, which
+he used so efficaciously, as to beat them off: he then hastened towards
+the shore, as the only means of preservation left. Here the water was
+shallow; and his ferocious opponents, some of which were twelve feet in
+length, returned into deeper water. After this, as Mr. Bartram was
+stepping out of his canoe, an alligator rushed up to him, near his feet,
+and, with its head and shoulders out of the water, lay there for some
+time. Mr. Bartram ran for his gun, and, having a heavy charge in it, he
+shot the animal in the head and killed him. While Mr. Bartram was
+employed in cleansing some fish for his supper, he raised his head, and
+beheld, through the clear water, another of these animals of large size,
+moving slowly towards him; and he stepped back, at the instant the beast
+was preparing to spring upon him. This excessive boldness gave him great
+uneasiness, as he feared he should be obliged to keep on watch through
+the whole night. He had made the best preparation, in his power, for
+passing the night, when he was roused by a tumultuous noise, which
+seemed to come from the harbour. On going to the water's edge he beheld
+a scene so astonishing, that it was some time before he could credit the
+evidence even of his own senses. The river, though of great width,
+appeared, from shore to shore, to be almost a solid bank of fish. These
+were of various species, and were pushing along the river, towards the
+little lake, pursued by alligators in such incredible numbers, and so
+close together, that, had the animals been harmless, Mr. Bartram
+imagined it might have been possible to have walked across the water
+upon their heads. During this extraordinary passage, thousands of fish
+were caught and swallowed by them. The horrid noise of their closing
+jaws, their plunging amid the broken banks of fish, and rising with
+their prey some feet above the water, the floods of water and blood
+rushing from their mouths, and the clouds of vapour issuing from their
+nostrils, were truly frightful. This scene continued, at intervals,
+during the whole night. After it was ended, Mr. Bartram says he found
+himself more reconciled to his situation than he had before been; as he
+was convinced that the extraordinary assemblage of alligators at this
+place had been owing to the annual passage of these shoals of fish; and
+that they were so well employed in their own element, that he had little
+occasion to fear they would wander from the banks for the purpose of
+annoying him.
+
+It being now almost night, he returned to his tent, where he had left
+his fish broiling, and his kettle of rice stewing; and having, in his
+packages, oil, pepper, and salt, and, in place of vinegar, excellent
+oranges hanging in abundance over his head, he sat down and regaled
+himself cheerfully. Before he retired to rest, he was suddenly roused by
+a noise behind him, towards the land. He sprang up, seized his gun, and,
+going cautiously in the direction from which the sound approached, he
+beheld two large bears, advancing towards him. He waited till they were
+about thirty yards distant, when he snapped his piece at them. It
+flashed in the pan, but they both galloped off, and did not return.
+After this he passed the night without any other molestation than being
+occasionally awaked by the whooping of owls, the screaming of bitterns,
+or by wood-rats running among the leaves. When he arose in the morning
+there was perfect peace: very few alligators were to be seen, and these
+were asleep near the shore. His mind was not, however, free from alarm.
+He could not but entertain considerable dread lest, in pursuing his
+voyage up the river, he should, every evening, encounter difficulties
+similar to those which he had now experienced.
+
+Having loaded his gun and re-embarked, he set sail cautiously along the
+shore; and was, not long afterwards, attacked by an alligator, which he
+beat off with his club; another passed close by his boat, having a brood
+of young ones, a hundred or more in number, following her, in a long
+train. On one part of the shore Mr. Bartram beheld a great number of
+hillocks, or small pyramids, in shape resembling haycocks, and ranged
+like an encampment. They were on a high marsh, fifteen or twenty yards
+from the water, and each about four feet in height. He knew them to be
+the nests of alligators, and now expected a furious and general attack,
+as he saw several large alligators swimming near them. Notwithstanding
+this he was determined to land and examine them. Accordingly, he ran his
+canoe on shore; and, having ascended a sloping bank or road which led to
+the place, he found that most of the nests were deserted, and thick
+whitish egg-shells lay broken and scattered upon the ground around them.
+
+These nests were in the form of obtuse cones, and were constructed with
+mud, grass, and herbage. In the formation of them, the alligators had
+made a kind of floor of these substances, upon the ground; on this they
+had deposited a layer of eggs, and upon that a stratum of mortar, seven
+or eight inches in thickness, and then another layer of eggs; and, in
+this manner, one stratum upon another, nearly to the top. Mr. Bartram
+supposes that the eggs are hatched by the heat of the sun; and that the
+female alligator carefully watches her own nest of eggs until they are
+all hatched. He says it is certain that the young ones are not left to
+shift for themselves, for he had frequent opportunities of seeing female
+alligators leading about the shores their offspring, as a hen does her
+chickens.
+
+After having gratified his curiosity, he continued his voyage up the
+river. In his progress he observed several small floating islands. The
+swamps on the banks of the river were, in general, three or four feet
+above the level of the water; and the timber upon them was large, but
+thinly scattered. The black mould of these swamps was covered with a
+succulent and tender kind of grass, which, when chewed, was sweet and
+agreeable to the taste, somewhat like young sugar-canes. Alligators were
+still numerous. Exposed, during the day, to the rays of a vertical sun,
+Mr. Bartram experienced great inconvenience in rowing his canoe against
+the stream; and, at night, he was annoyed by the stings of musquitoes,
+and he was obliged to be constantly on guard against the attacks of
+alligators. In one instance an alligator, of immense size, came up to
+his tent, and approached within six feet of him, when he was awakened by
+the screaming owl. Starting up, he seized his musket, which, during the
+night, he always kept under his head; and the animal, alarmed by the
+noise, rushed again into the water.
+
+In many places the banks of the river were ornamented with hanging
+garlands of various climbing vegetables, both shrubs and plants. One of
+these had white flowers, each as big as a small funnel, the tube five or
+six inches in length, and not thicker than a tobacco-pipe. It was
+curious to observe the wild squash, (a species of cucurbita,) which grew
+upon the lofty limbs of the trees: its yellow fruit, somewhat of the
+size and shape of a large orange, pendant over the water. In some parts
+there were steep cliffs on each side of the river. During the middle of
+the day the weather was so intensely hot, that Mr. Bartram was obliged
+to seek for shelter under the shade of the trees which grew upon the
+banks.
+
+He passed another lake, the eastern shores of which were adorned with
+dark, high forests: on the north and south were apparently endless
+plains and meadows, embellished with islets and promontories covered
+with trees. Whilst he was navigating this lake, he was exposed to the
+most tremendous storm of thunder and lightning that he had ever
+witnessed. The lofty forests bent beneath the fury of the blast, and the
+sturdy limbs of the trees cracked under the weight of the wind. Groves
+were torn up; and the spreading branches of the trees were rent asunder,
+and, like leaves or stubble, were whirled aloft in the air. After a
+while the wind and rain abated. Mr. Bartram then crossed the lake, about
+a mile in length, and arrived in safety at a plantation near its
+southern extremity. Here he found that nearly all the buildings had been
+overturned by the hurricane; and that a hundred acres of indigo plants,
+almost ripe for cutting, and several acres of sugar-canes, had been
+ruined.
+
+About four miles beyond this plantation, Mr. Bartram was shown a vast
+fountain of hot mineral water, which issued from a ridge or bank of the
+river, in a great cove or bay. The water, though hot and of a
+disagreeable brassy and vitriolic taste, and very offensive to the
+smell, was perfectly transparent, and exhibited to view a prodigious
+number of fish, and alligators, which were lying about the bottom.
+
+Mr. Bartram now returned, in his canoe, to the station called the _Upper
+Store_. Thence, in company with five persons who had been commissioned
+to make some commercial arrangements with the Indians, he set out for an
+Indian town called _Cuscowilla_. For four or five miles they travelled
+westward, over a level plain, which, before and on each side of them,
+appeared like a green meadow, thinly planted with low and spreading
+pine-trees. The whole surface seemed clad with grass, herbage, and low
+shrubs, and with many kinds of plants, which were rare and highly
+interesting. Here also many species of birds were seen, the plumage of
+some of which was extremely beautiful. Snakes, lizards, and insects were
+also very abundant. Beyond this plain was a hill, ornamented with a
+great variety of herbaceous plants and grasses, and with a magnificent
+grove of pines. After the pine-groves were passed, the travellers
+entered a district called the _Sand-hills_.
+
+They encamped, for the first night, at the _Half-way Pond_. This is a
+lake, about three miles in circumference, which extends, through an
+apparently spacious meadow, and beneath a chain of elevated sand-hills.
+It is inhabited by numerous kinds of fish, by alligators, and by a kind
+of turtles with soft shells. The latter are so large as to weigh from
+twenty to thirty, and even forty pounds each. They are extremely fat and
+delicious; but, if eaten to excess, are unwholesome. Numerous herds of
+deer, and extensive flocks of turkeys, frequent the vicinity of this
+place.
+
+From Half-way Pond the travellers proceeded, still westward, through the
+high forests of Cuscowilla. The country, for five or six miles,
+presented nearly the same scenery as before. After this the sand-ridges
+became higher, and their bases proportionally more extensive. The
+savannahs and ponds were larger; the summits of the ridges more
+gravelly; and here and there rocks, formed of a sort of concrete of sand
+and shells, were seen above the sand and gravel.
+
+Having passed an extensive and fruitful orange-grove, through a
+pine-forest, and crossed two or three streams that were tributary to the
+river St. John, the travellers at length came within sight of the great
+and beautiful _Lake of Cuscowilla_. Their course now lay through a
+magnificent forest, about nine miles in extent, and consisting of
+orange-groves, overtopped by grand magnolias, palm-trees, oaks, beech,
+and other trees. This forest bounded one edge of the lake; and, beyond
+it, lay the town of _Cuscowilla_, the place of their destination. This
+place is situated on the banks of a brook, which, at a little distance,
+falls into the lake.
+
+They were welcomed to the town, and conducted, by a party of young men
+and maidens, to the house of the chief. This stood on an eminence, and
+was distinguished from the other dwellings by its superior magnitude,
+and by having a flag hoisted, on a high staff, at one corner. The chief,
+attended by several old men, came to them, and shook them by their
+hands, or rather their arms, (a form of salutation peculiar to the
+American Indians,) saying at the same time, "You are come." They
+followed him into an apartment prepared for their reception.
+
+The following customs are practised towards their guests, by the Indians
+in this part of America. The pipe being filled, it is handed round to
+each. After this a large bowl, containing what is called "thin drink,"
+is brought, and is set down on a low table. In the bowl is a great
+wooden ladle: each person takes up in the ladle as much of the liquor as
+he pleases; and, after drinking until he is satisfied, he returns it
+into the bowl, pushing the handle towards the next person in the circle;
+and so it goes round.
+
+On the present occasion, after the usual compliments had passed, the
+principal trader informed the Indian chief, in the presence of his
+council or attendants, respecting the purport of their business; and
+with this the chief expressed his satisfaction. When the latter was
+informed concerning the object of Mr. Bartram's journey, he received him
+with complaisance; giving him unlimited permission to travel over his
+country, for the purpose of collecting plants, and saluting him by the
+name of _Pug Puggy_, or "Flower-hunter."
+
+This chief was a tall, well-formed man, very affable and cheerful, about
+sixty years of age. His eyes were lively and full of lustre, his
+countenance was manly and placid, yet ferocious; his nose aquiline, and
+his dress extremely simple; but his head was ornamented in the manner of
+the Creek Indians. He had been a great warrior, and had now, attending
+him as slaves, many captives, which had been taken by himself when
+young. They were dressed better than he, and served and waited upon him
+with signs of the most abject humility. The manners and customs of these
+Indians, who are called _Alachuas_, and of most of the lower _Creeks_ or
+_Siminoles_, appear evidently tinctured with Spanish civilization. There
+are several Christians among them, many of whom wear little silver
+crucifixes, affixed to a collar round their necks, or suspended by a
+small chain upon their breasts.
+
+Mr. Bartram and his party had not long been here, before the repast was
+brought in. This consisted of venison stewed in bear's oil, of fresh
+corn-cakes, milk, and a dish called homony; and the drink was honey and
+water, very cool and agreeable.
+
+A few days after this some negotiations took place between the traders
+and the Indians, in the public square or council-house. These having
+terminated to the satisfaction of both parties, a banquet succeeded; the
+ribs and choicest fat pieces of bullocks, well barbecued, were brought
+into an apartment of the square: bowls and kettles of stewed flesh and
+broth constituted the next course; and with these was brought in a dish,
+made of the belly or paunch of an ox, not over-cleansed of its contents,
+cut and minced tolerably fine, and then made into a thin kind of soup,
+and seasoned with salt and aromatic herbs; but the seasoning was not
+quite strong enough to overpower the original taste and smell. This is a
+favourite dish with the Indians.
+
+Cuscowilla is the capital of the Alachua Indians; and it, at this time,
+contained about thirty habitations, each of which consisted of two
+houses, nearly of the same size, about thirty feet in length, twelve
+feet wide, and twelve high. Of these, one is divided into two
+apartments; the cook-room, or common hall, and the lodging-room. The
+other house is nearly of the same dimensions, and stands about twenty
+yards from the dwelling-house. This building is two stories high, and is
+constructed in a different manner from the former. Like that, it is
+divided across; but the end next the dwelling-house is open on three
+sides, and is supported by posts or columns. It has an open loft or
+platform, the ascent to which is by a portable stair or ladder: this is
+pleasant, cool, and airy; and here the master or chief of the family
+retires to repose, in the hot seasons, and receives his guests or
+visitors. The other half of this building is closed on all sides: the
+lowest or ground part is a potatoe-house; and the upper story a granary,
+for corn and other provisions.
+
+The town of Cuscowilla stands in an extremely pleasant situation, upon a
+high, swelling ridge of sand-hills, within three or four hundred yards
+of a large and beautiful lake, which continually washes a sandy beach,
+under a moderately high, sloping bank; terminated on one side by
+extensive forests of orange-groves, and overtopped with magnolias,
+palms, poplars, limes, live oaks, and other trees. The ground, between
+the town and the lake, is adorned by an open grove of tall pine-trees,
+which, standing at a considerable distance from each other, admit a
+delightful prospect of the sparkling waters. The lake abounds with
+various kinds of excellent fish and wild fowl.
+
+The inhabitants of Cuscowilla have each a small garden attached to their
+dwellings, for the purpose of producing corn, beans, tobacco, and other
+useful articles; but the plantation which supplies them with their chief
+vegetable provisions, is near the great Alachua savannah, and about two
+miles distant. This plantation has one common enclosure, and is worked
+and tended by the whole community: yet every family has its particular
+part, marked off when planted; and this portion receives the common
+labour and assistance, until the corn, or other articles cultivated upon
+it, are ripe. Each family then gathers and deposits in its store-house
+its own proper share, setting apart a small gift or contribution for a
+public granary, which stands near the centre of the plantation.
+
+Mr. Bartram made several excursions to places in the vicinity of
+Cuscowilla and the Alachua Swamp. In one of these, he came to a little
+clump of shrubs, where he observed several large snakes, entwined
+together. They were each about four feet in length, and as thick as a
+man's wrist. Mr. Bartram approached, and endeavoured to irritate them,
+but they appeared perfectly harmless. Numerous herds of cattle and deer,
+and many troops of horses were seen peacefully browsing on the grass of
+the savannah, or strolling through the groves on the surrounding
+heights. Large flocks of wild turkeys were also observed in the woods.
+
+At some distance from Cuscowilla, is an Indian town called
+_Talahasochte_, which Mr. Bartram some time afterwards visited. It is
+delightfully situated on the elevated east bank of a river called
+_Little St. John's_. The habitations were, at this time, about thirty in
+number, and constructed like those of Cuscowilla; but the council-house
+was neater and more spacious.
+
+The Indians of this town have large and handsome canoes, which they form
+out of the trunks of cypress-trees: some of them are sufficiently
+commodious to accommodate twenty or thirty persons. In these canoes they
+descend the river, on trading and hunting excursions, as far as the
+sea-coast, to the neighbouring islands and shores; and they sometimes
+even cross the Gulf of Florida to the West India Islands.
+
+In this neighbourhood are seen many singular and unaccountable cavities.
+These are funnel-shaped; and some of them are from twenty to forty yards
+across at the rim. Their perpendicular depth is, in many instances,
+upwards of twenty feet.
+
+At this time, nearly the whole of East Florida, and a great portion of
+West Florida, were in the possession of Indians; and these chiefly a
+tribe called _Siminoles_, an apparently contented and happy race of
+people, who enjoyed, in superabundance, the necessaries and the
+conveniences of life. With the skins of deer, bears, tigers, and wolves,
+together with honey, wax, and other productions of their country, this
+people purchased, from Europeans, clothing, equipage, and domestic
+utensils. They seemed to be free from want or desires: they had no enemy
+to dread; and, apparently, nothing to occasion disquietude, except the
+gradual encroachments of the white people.
+
+Mr. Bartram returned to the trading-store, on the bank of the river St.
+John; and, about the end of September, he reached the place from which
+he had commenced his voyage.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+We must now proceed, across the southern states, to the mouth of the
+Mississippi, for the purpose of tracing the course of that astonishing
+river, and describing the most important places in its vicinity.
+
+
+
+
+Fourteen Day's Instruction.
+
+UNITED STATES CONTINUED.
+
+
+_The River Mississippi._
+
+The Mississippi has its source in about forty-six degrees thirty minutes
+of north latitude; and terminates in the Gulf of Mexico, at some
+distance below the town of New Orleans. Its length, in a direct line,
+exceeds one thousand seven hundred miles; and it falls into the sea, by
+many mouths, most of which, like those of the Nile, are too shallow to
+be navigable. For a considerable distance, its banks are low, marshy,
+and covered with reeds; and are annually overflowed, from the melting
+of the snows in the interior of the country. The inundation usually
+commences in March, and continues about three months; and the slime
+which it deposits on the adjacent lands, tends, in a very important
+degree, to fertilize the soil. This river is navigable to a great
+distance; but, at spring-tides, the navigation is difficult, on account
+of the strength of the currents, and the innumerable islands, shoals,
+and sand-banks, with which it is interspersed. Vessels of three hundred
+tons burden can ascend it as high as Natchez, four hundred miles from
+the sea; and those of lighter burden can pass upward, as far as the
+Falls of St. Anthony, in latitude forty-four degrees fifty minutes.
+
+_New Orleans_, the capital of the state of Louisiana, is situated on the
+northern bank of the Mississippi, and is a place of great commercial
+importance. It was founded in the year 1717, and now contains near
+thirty thousand inhabitants. In 1787, it had eleven hundred houses; but,
+nine hundred of these having been consumed by fire, it has since been
+rebuilt on a regular plan, and a more enlarged scale. Most of the houses
+are constructed with wooden frames, raised about eight feet from the
+ground, and have galleries round them, and cellars under the floors:
+almost every house has a garden.
+
+Louisiana having, till lately, been a French colony, the French language
+is still predominant at New Orleans. The appearance of the people too is
+French; and even the negroes, by their antics and ludicrous gestures,
+exhibit their previous connexion with that nation. Their general manners
+and habits are very relaxed. Though New Orleans is now a city belonging
+to the United States, the markets, shops, theatre, circus, and public
+ball-rooms, are open on Sundays, in the same manner as they are in the
+catholic countries of the old continent. Gambling-houses, too, are
+numerous; and the coffee-houses and the Exchange are occupied, from
+morning till night, by gamesters. The general stile of living is
+luxurious. The houses are elegantly furnished; and the ladies dress in
+an expensive manner.
+
+Provisions are here of bad quality, and enormously dear. Hams and
+cheese, from England; potatoes, butter, and beef from Ireland, are
+common articles of import. The rents of houses, also, are very
+extravagant.
+
+The country around New Orleans is level, rich, and healthy, and has many
+extensive sugar-plantations. And, for the space of five leagues below,
+and ten above the town, the river has been embanked, to defend the
+adjacent fields from those inundations of the Mississippi which take
+place every spring. The land, adjacent to the town, yields abundant
+crops of rice, Indian corn, and vegetables.
+
+There is a regular communication, by means of steam-boats and other
+vessels, between New Orleans and the towns on the banks of the
+Mississippi, the Ohio, and other rivers, in the distant parts of North
+America.
+
+The scenery of the Mississippi, to the distance of one hundred and fifty
+miles and upwards, from New Orleans, is very uninteresting. The country
+is a dead flat; so that the banks of the river, and most of the adjacent
+grounds, are annually overflowed. In the vicinity of Natchez it becomes
+more varied and pleasing.
+
+_Natchez_ is a town in the state of Mississippi, near the banks of the
+river, and about four hundred miles from its mouth. It contains about
+thirty dwellings, most of which are whiskey-shops, gambling, and other
+houses, where an excess of profligacy prevails, which is not usual in
+the United States.
+
+Mr. Fearon visited Natchez in the year 1817; and in the port there were
+twenty-five flats, seven keels, and one steam-vessel. The flats are
+square covered vessels, of considerable capacity, used for carrying
+freight from Pittsburgh, on the Ohio, and other places below that town,
+down to New Orleans. Their construction is temporary and of slight
+materials; for they are broken up at New Orleans, as not sufficiently
+strong to be freighted up the river. The keel is a substantial,
+well-built boat, of considerable length; and, in form, somewhat
+resembles the floating-bath at Blackfriars' Bridge.
+
+Observing a great many coloured people in these boats, Mr. Fearon
+concluded that they were emigrants, who had proceeded thus far on their
+route towards a settlement. The fact, however, proved to be, that
+fourteen of the flats were freighted with human beings intended for
+sale. They had been collected in the United States, by slave-dealers,
+and shipped, up the Mississippi, to Kentucky for a market.
+
+There are, at Natchez, numerous stores, and three-fourths of the goods
+at every store are articles of British manufacture. Shopkeeping is here
+profitable, and mechanics are highly paid. Lotteries are very prevalent
+at Natchez. When Mr. Fearon was here, there was a lottery for _building
+a Presbyterian church_; and the scheme was preceded by a long address,
+on the advantages of religion, and the necessity of all citizens
+supporting Christianity, by purchasing tickets in this lottery!
+
+The streets of Natchez were literally crammed with bales of cotton for
+the Liverpool market. These are carried to the water-side in carts, each
+drawn by two mules, horses being here little used. During Mr. Fearon's
+residence at this town, he twice visited the State legislature, which
+was composed of men who appeared any thing but legislators. Their place
+of meeting was in a superior kind of hay-loft; and the imitation of the
+forms of the British parliament were perfectly ludicrous.
+
+Between Natchez, and the mouth of the Ohio, there is not one spot which
+could be recommended as a place for an Englishman to settle in.
+Throughout the whole of this space, the white population are the victims
+of demoralizing habits. The native Indians present, of course, nothing
+but a picture of mere savage life; and the negro slaves suffer even more
+misery than commonly falls to the lot of their oppressed and degraded
+condition. What a foul stain is it upon the American republic,
+professing, as they do, the principles of liberty and of equal rights,
+that, out of twenty states, there should be eleven in which slavery is
+an avowed part of the political constitution; and that, in those called
+free, New England excepted, the condition of blacks who are indentured,
+for terms of years, should practically amount to slavery!
+
+Beyond the state of Louisiana, the Mississippi divides the Missouri
+territory from the territory of Mississippi; and, north of that, from
+the states of Tenessee and Kentucky. About the 37th degree of north
+latitude, and on the western bank of the river, is a town called _New
+Madrid_. This place, from the advantages of its situation, about
+forty-five miles from the mouth of the Ohio, may at some future time
+become of considerable importance. The _Ohio_, at the place of its
+junction with the Mississippi, is about a mile in width, and is
+navigable, for vessels of considerable burden, to a distance of more
+than a thousand miles.
+
+Beyond the Ohio commences the _Illinois territory_. Here the general
+face of the country is flat; but, in some parts, the land is high and
+craggy. It abounds in deer, wolves, bears, squirrels, racoons, and
+foxes; in wild turkeys and quails; geese and ducks, partially; and
+hawks, buzzards, and pigeons in tolerable abundance; and the rivers
+contain several species of fish. In the prairies there are rattlesnakes.
+The woods supply grapes, pecan nuts, (similar to our walnut,) and
+hickory nuts. Hops, raspberries, and strawberries, here grow wild.
+Limestone abounds; and salt, copper, and coal have all been found in
+this district.
+
+The seat of the territorial government is _Kaskaski_, a town which
+stands on a plain, near the western bank of the Mississippi, and
+contains about one hundred and fifty houses. This place has been
+settled somewhat more than a century, and its inhabitants are chiefly
+French. Some parts of the district of Illinois are occupied by Indians.
+The other inhabitants are, first, what are here termed "squatters,"
+persons half civilized and half savage; and who, both in character and
+habits, are extremely wretched: second, a medley of land-jobbers,
+lawyers, doctors, and farmers, a portion of those who traverse this
+immense continent, founding settlements, and engaging in all kinds of
+speculation: and third, some old French settlers, who are possessed of
+considerable property, and who live in ease and comfort.
+
+About seventy miles north of Kaskaski, and on the opposite side of the
+river, is a town or large village, called _St. Louis_. It stands on a
+rock or bank of considerable height, in a beautiful and healthy
+situation, and is surrounded by a country of exuberant fertility. The
+inhabitants of this place are chiefly employed in the fur-trade, and
+seldom occupy themselves in agriculture.
+
+
+_Narrative of a Voyage from St. Louis to the source of the
+Mississippi. By_ ZEBULON MONTGOMERY PIKE.
+
+Major Pike, at that time a lieutenant in the American army, was employed
+by the government of the United States, to make a survey of the
+Mississippi, from the town of _St. Louis_, upwards, to its source. In
+pursuance of his instructions, he embarked, in a keel-boat, at this
+place, on the afternoon of Friday the 9th of August, 1805; and was
+accompanied by a serjeant and seventeen private soldiers of the American
+army.
+
+As far as the mouth of the river Missouri, he says, the eastern shore of
+the Mississippi consists of a sandy soil, and is covered with
+timber-trees of various kinds. The western shore is, for a little
+distance, composed of high land, bordered by prairie or natural
+meadow-ground; after which bottom-land occurs, with timber similar to
+that on the eastern shore. The current is rapid, and, at low water, the
+navigation is obstructed by sand-banks.
+
+Beyond the entrance of the Missouri, the stream is gentle, as far as the
+mouth of the _Illinois_; but there, owing to extensive sand-bars, and
+many islands, it becomes extremely rapid. From the Illinois to the
+_Buffalo River_, the eastern shore exhibits a series of gentle
+eminences; but, on the west, the land is a continued prairie. Timber is
+found on both sides; generally hackberry, cotton-wood, and ash. The
+Buffalo river enters from the west, and is about a hundred yards wide at
+its mouth.
+
+On the 14th of August the voyagers passed a camp of the _Sac Indians_,
+consisting of three men, with their families. The men were employed in
+spearing and landing a large fish. Mr. Pike gave them a small quantity
+of whiskey and biscuit; and they, in return, presented him with some
+fish. The Sacs are a tribe of Indians which hunt on the Mississippi, and
+its confluent streams, from the Illinois to the river Jowa; and on the
+plains west of them, which border upon the Missouri. They are much
+dreaded by other Indians, for their propensity to deceit, and their
+disposition to commit injury by stratagem.
+
+On the ensuing day, the voyagers reached the mouth of _Salt river_, a
+considerable stream, which, at high water, is navigable for at least two
+hundred miles. From the Illinois to this river, the western shore is
+either immediately bordered by beautiful cedar-cliffs, or the ridges of
+these cliffs may be seen at a distance. On the east the land is low, and
+the soil rich.
+
+On the 16th of August they passed the house of a Frenchman, on the
+western side of the river. The cattle belonging to this person appeared
+to be in fine order, but his corn-land was in a bad state of
+cultivation. Three days afterwards their boat was damaged by striking
+against a vessel carrying timber and planks down the stream. While they
+were engaged in repairing it, three canoes, with Indians, passed on the
+opposite side of the river. The men in the canoes called out, in
+English, "How do you do?" wishing for an invitation to come over; but
+this was not given, and they proceeded on their voyage.
+
+Beyond Salt river the western shore of the Mississippi is hilly, but the
+eastern side consists of lowland, timbered with hickory, oak, ash,
+maple, and other trees. The navigation here is easy, and the soil on
+both sides tolerably good.
+
+On the 20th of August the voyagers, with great difficulty, passed the
+_Rapids des Moines_. These are eleven miles in extent; and, with
+successive ledges and shoals, reach from shore to shore, across the bed
+of the river. Mr. Pike had here an interview with four chiefs, and
+fifteen men of the Sac nation, accompanied by a French interpreter, and
+an agent who had been sent from the United States to teach them
+agriculture. These men assisted him in his progress up the Rapids; and,
+in recompense for the service, they were presented with some tobacco,
+knives, and whiskey.
+
+At some distance beyond the Rapids the voyagers had a beautiful
+prospect, at least forty miles in extent, down the river. Their average
+daily progress appears to have been betwixt twenty and thirty miles.
+
+Above the _river Jowa_, which is one hundred and fifty yards wide at its
+mouth, the shore of the Mississippi consists of high prairie, with
+yellow clay-banks, and, in some places, banks of red sand: the western
+shore also is prairie, but bounded by wood. About ten miles up the Jowa
+is a village of _Jowa Indians_. This people subsist chiefly by hunting,
+but they cultivate some corn-land. Their chief residence is on the small
+streams in the rear of the Mississippi. From the Jowa to _Rock river_,
+there are, on the west, beautiful prairies, and, in some places, rich
+land, with black walnut and hickory timber.
+
+On the 28th of August the vessel was much injured in passing up a series
+of rapids nearly eighteen miles in extent, and, in some places,
+reaching from shore to shore. Four days after this they arrived in the
+vicinity of some extensive lead-mines, which belonged to a Frenchman
+named Dubuque. The only animals they had hitherto seen were a few wild
+turkeys and some deer.
+
+From the lead-mines to _Turkey river_, the Mississippi continues nearly
+of the same width, and the banks, soil, and productions appear precisely
+similar. On the bank of the Turkey river is a village of _Reynard
+Indians_, who raise there a considerable quantity of corn. The Reynards
+reside in three villages on the Mississippi, two of which Mr. Pike had
+already past. They grow corn, beans, and melons; and they annually sell
+many hundred bushels of corn to the inhabitants of the United States.
+
+On the 2d of September, Mr. Pike and some of his men landed for the
+purpose of shooting pigeons; but the guns were no sooner fired, than a
+party of Indians, who were on shore at a little distance, ran to the
+water, and escaped in their pirogues or canoes, with great
+precipitation. After this the voyagers passed the mouth of the
+_Ouisconsin river_, which enters the Mississippi in latitude 43 degrees
+44 minutes, and is nearly half a mile wide. This river is an important
+source of communication with the great American lakes, and is the route
+by which all the traders of Michillimackinac convey their goods to the
+Mississippi.
+
+On the 6th of September, a council was held with a party of _Puant_ or
+_Winebagoe Indians_, and one of the _Sioux_ chiefs. The former occupy
+seven villages, and are supposed to be a nation who originally emigrated
+from Mexico, to avoid the oppression of the Spaniards. They are reputed
+to be brave; but their bravery resembles the ferocity of tigers, rather
+than the deliberate resolution of men. They are so treacherous that, it
+is said, a white man should never lie down to sleep in their villages,
+without adopting the utmost caution to preserve himself from injury. The
+_Sioux_ are a powerful nation, the dread of whom is extended over all
+the adjacent country. They are divided into numerous bands, headed by
+celebrated chiefs. Few of them cultivate land; but they chiefly live on
+the production of the chase, and on a kind of bread which they make from
+wild oats. This species of grain is here produced in such abundance,
+that a sufficiency for their subsistence is easily collected in the
+autumn, without any trouble whatever in cultivating the land.
+
+Not long after their interview with these Indians, the voyagers reached
+the _Prairie des Chiens_. The houses of this village, about eighteen in
+number, are arranged in two streets, along the front of a marsh. They
+are chiefly built of wood; are daubed on the outside with clay, and
+white-washed within. The furniture in most of them is decent, and, in
+those of the most wealthy inhabitants, displays a considerable degree of
+taste. The Prairie des Chiens was first settled under the protection of
+the English government, in the year 1783; and derives its name from a
+family of Reynards, who formerly lived there, and were distinguished by
+the appellation of Dog Indians. It is a place of resort for Indian
+traders and others, who reside in the interior. Mr. Pike here engaged
+two interpreters to accompany him; one of whom was to perform the whole
+voyage, and the other to sail with him as high as the falls of St.
+Anthony.
+
+On the 9th of September he had an interview with a party of _Sioux
+Indians_. When he went towards the shore to meet them, they saluted him
+by firing three rounds from their muskets, loaded with ball. On landing,
+Mr. Pike was met by the chief, and invited to his lodge. This invitation
+he complied with, having first stationed some of his men as guards, to
+protect him in case of danger. In the lodge he found a clean mat and a
+pillow arranged for him to sit upon; and the complimentary pipe of peace
+was placed before him, on a pair of small crutches. The chief sate at his
+right hand, and the interpreter at his left. After they had satisfied
+each other of their mutual good wishes, and Mr. Pike had accepted the
+pipe, dinner was prepared. This consisted of wild rye and venison.
+
+Mr. Pike was afterwards conducted by the chief to a dance, the
+performance of which was accompanied by many curious gestures. Men and
+women danced indiscriminately. They were all dressed in the gayest
+manner imaginable. Each had, in his hand, a small skin of some kind of
+animal. They frequently ran up, pointed their skin, and gave a puff with
+their breath; on which the person blown at fell, and either appeared
+lifeless, or in great agony; but afterwards slowly recovered, rose, and
+joined in the dance. This was understood to be of a religious
+description; and the Indians believed that they actually puffed, into
+each others bodies, something which occasioned them to fall. For persons
+to be permitted to take a part in these dances, it was requisite that
+they should make valuable presents to the society, give a feast, and be
+admitted with great ceremony. When Mr. Pike returned to his boat, he
+sent for the chief, and presented him with a quantity of tobacco, four
+knives, half a pound of vermilion, a quart of salt, and several gallons
+of spirits.
+
+At some distance beyond this place, Mr. Pike was shewn several holes,
+which had been dug in the ground by the Sioux Indians. These were, in
+general, of circular shape, and about ten feet in diameter; but some of
+them were in the form of half moons. When this people apprehend an
+attack from their enemies, or discover an enemy near them, they dig into
+the ground, with their knives, tomahawks, and wooden ladles; and, in an
+incredibly short space of time, sink holes that are sufficiently
+capacious to protect both themselves and their families from the balls
+or arrows of their foe.
+
+Though the part of the river which the voyagers were now traversing was
+nearly two thousand miles distant from the sea, the width of the stream
+was supposed to be at least two miles.
+
+The wet season had commenced, and rain fell, in considerable quantity
+almost every day. In this part of his voyage, Mr. Pike was accompanied
+by a Mr. Frazer and two other persons, with three birch canoes. On the
+16th of September, they passed the mouth of the _Sauteaux_ or _Chippeway
+river_, a deep and majestic stream, which has a communication, by a
+short passage, with the Montreal river, and, by this river, with Lake
+Superior. The shores of the Mississippi were here, in many places, bold
+and precipitous, forming a succession of high perpendicular cliffs and
+low valleys; and they exhibited some of the most romantic and
+picturesque views imaginable. But this irregular scenery was sometimes
+interrupted by wide and extensive plains, which brought to the minds of
+the voyagers the verdant lawns of civilized countries, and almost
+induced them to imagine themselves in the midst of a highly-cultivated
+plantation. The timber of this part of the country was generally birch,
+elm, and cotton-wood; and all the cliffs were bordered with cedars. The
+prevailing species of game were deer and bears.
+
+On the 21st of September, the voyagers breakfasted at a Sioux village,
+on the eastern side of the river. It consisted of eleven lodges, and was
+situated at the head of an island, just below a ledge of rocks; but the
+inhabitants had all left it. About two miles beyond this village, they
+saw three bears, swimming over the river, but beyond the reach of
+gun-shot.
+
+In a camp of Sioux, which they afterwards passed, Mr. Pike was
+astonished by the garrulity of the women. At the other camps the women
+had not opened their lips; but here they flocked around the strangers,
+and talked without cessation. The cause of this freedom is supposed to
+have been the absence of their husbands. In a spot at which the voyagers
+arrived this day, the Mississippi was so narrow that Mr. Pike crossed
+it, in a boat, with forty strokes of his oars.
+
+From the _Canoe river_ to the _St. Croix_, it becomes still narrower,
+and the navigation is less obstructed by islands, than below. From the
+_Cannon river_ it is bounded on the east, by high ridges; but the left
+shore consists of low ground. The timber is generally ash and maple;
+except the cedars of the cliffs, the sugar-tree, and ash. Mr. Pike this
+day observed, on the shore, a white flag, and, on landing, he discovered
+it to be of silk. It was suspended over a scaffold, on which were laid
+four dead bodies; two enclosed between boards, and two between pieces of
+bark. They were wrapped in blankets, which appeared quite new; and were
+the bodies of two Sioux women, a child, and a relative. This is the
+manner in which the Sioux Indians bury such of their people as die a
+natural death: such as are killed, they suffer to lie unburied.
+
+On the 23d, the voyagers arrived at the _Falls of St. Anthony_. These
+are about seventeen feet in height, and the approach to them is through
+rapids, which vessels have great difficulty in passing. At the foot of
+the falls, the voyagers unloaded their boats, which they carried up the
+hill, and placed and reloaded in the river above. While this process was
+going on, a small party of Indians, painted black, and prepared for war,
+appeared on the heights. They were armed with guns, bows and arrows,
+clubs, and spears; and some of them had cases of pistols. Mr. Pike was
+desirous of purchasing from them a set of bows and arrows, and one of
+their war-clubs, made of elk-horn, and decorated with inlaid work; but
+they took offence at something which occurred, and suddenly went away.
+
+The weather was now so rainy, and the men had been so much fatigued with
+conveying the vessels and their lading, to the upper part of the falls,
+that seven of the twenty-two, who accompanied Mr. Pike, were taken ill.
+It is impossible for vessels of any description, or in any state of the
+river, to pass up these falls. The width of the river, immediately below
+them, is two hundred and nine yards, and above them, six hundred and
+twenty-seven yards. At high-water, the appearance is extremely sublime;
+as then, the quantity of water falling throws up a spray, which, in
+clear weather, reflects, from some positions, the colours of the
+rainbow; and, when the sky is overcast, this spray covers the falls in
+gloom and chaotic majesty.
+
+On Tuesday, the 1st of October, Mr. Pike and his men again embarked, to
+proceed on their voyage above the falls. At first the river was
+sufficiently deep for the easy passage of the boats; but, at the
+distance of about four miles, the shoals commenced, and there was much
+difficulty in proceeding. Nearly from the Falls of St. Anthony to the
+_Rum river_, the Mississippi is a continued chain of rapids, with
+eddies, formed by winding channels. The land, on both sides, consists of
+Prairie, with scarcely any timber, except small groves of scrubby oaks.
+Not far from this spot is _Red Cedar lake_, the grounds in the vicinity
+of which are considered, by the Indians, extremely valuable for hunting.
+
+In some parts of the river it was requisite for the men to wade for many
+successive hours, in order to force the boats over the shoals, and draw
+them through the rapids. The weather was now cold and rainy. On the 10th
+of October, in the course of four miles, the voyagers passed a cluster
+of more than twenty islands, which Mr. Pike called _Beaver islands_,
+from numerous dams and paths which had been made by these animals upon
+them. The passage up the river was still much impeded by rocks and
+shoals.
+
+About the beginning of October, the voyagers began to look out for a
+station in which they could pass the winter. Mr. Pike was determined, if
+possible, to reach the _Corbeau_ or _Raven river_, the highest point
+that had ever been reached by traders, in bark canoes. But he was not
+able to accomplish his intention; for, on the seventeenth, many of his
+men were so benumbed with cold, that their limbs became useless, and
+others were laid up with illness. He consequently fixed on a station
+near _Pine Creek_, where the borders of the Mississippi consisted of
+prairie, with groves of pine at the edge of the banks; and, in some
+places, with oak, ash, maple, and lime-trees. The banks of _Lake Clear_,
+a small and beautiful lake, about three miles distant, are the resort of
+immense herds of elks and buffaloes; and _Clear river_, which unites
+this lake with the Mississippi, is a delightful little stream, about
+eighty yards wide.
+
+On the seventeenth, snow fell during the whole day: Mr. Pike killed four
+bears, and his hunter three deer. Several ensuing days were occupied in
+cutting down trees, for the formation of winter-huts; and in
+constructing the huts, and forming a fence round them. When the latter
+was completed, the two boats were hauled out of the water, and turned
+over, on each side of the gateways, so as to form a defence against any
+Indians who might be inclined to attack the encampment.
+
+At this place, and in its vicinity, the voyagers continued several
+weeks, during which they suffered great hardships. Much of their time
+was occupied in hunting. They occasionally saw large herds of elks, some
+of them of immense size; the horns of the bucks measuring four feet and
+upwards in width. Many droves of buffaloes were also seen, and deer of
+various kinds: bears, wolves, racoons, and otters, were occasionally
+shot.
+
+On the 7th of November the Mississippi was nearly filled with snow; and,
+on the land, the snow was knee deep. Before the end of the month, the
+river was frozen over.
+
+During his residence at this place, Mr. Pike did not see many Indians.
+On one occasion he visited the tent or hut of an Indian chief, whom he
+found sitting amidst his children, and grand-children, ten in number.
+The hut was constructed of rushes, platted into mats.
+
+In the month of December, Mr. Pike and some of his men proceeded, in
+sledges, up the Mississippi. On the twenty-fourth, they reached _Corbeau
+river_; which, at its mouth, was nearly as wide as the Mississippi. For
+a considerable distance, the Mississippi was interrupted by a continued
+succession of rapids, shoals, and falls. One of the latter, called the
+_Falls of the Painted Rock_, formed the third important obstacle to the
+navigation of the river, which Mr. Pike had encountered. Most of the
+timber, now observed near the banks, consisted of pine-trees.
+
+On the thirty-first, Mr. Pike passed _Pine river_. For many miles, the
+Mississippi had been much narrower, and more free from islands, than in
+the lower parts of the stream. The shores, in general, presented a
+dreary prospect of high barren knobs, covered with dead and fallen
+pine-timber; and most of the adjacent country was interspersed with
+small lakes. Deer of various kinds, were plentiful; but no buffaloes,
+nor elks, had been seen.
+
+Near the mouth of the Pine river, an encampment of _Chippeway Indians_
+was observed. This had been occupied in the summer, but it was now
+vacant. By certain marks which had been left, the voyagers understood
+that these Indians had marched a party of fifty warriors against the
+Sioux, and had killed four men and four women, who were here represented
+by figures carved in wood. The figures of the men were painted, and put
+into the ground, to the middle; and, by their sides, were four painted
+poles, sharpened at the end, to represent the women. Near this spot were
+poles with deer-skins, plumes, silk-handkerchiefs, &c. and a circular
+hoop of cedar, with something attached to it which resembled a scalp.
+
+Beyond this place, Mr. Pike observed, on the bank of the river, six
+elegant bark-canoes, which had been laid up by the Chippeways, and a
+camp, which appeared to have been evacuated about ten days before. After
+having endured considerable hardship and much fatigue for some weeks
+longer, he accomplished the object of his expedition, by arriving, on
+the 1st of February, at _Leech Lake_, from which issues the main source
+of the Mississippi. He crossed this lake, (about twelve miles in width,)
+to an English fort, an establishment belonging to the North West
+Company, and was there received, with great hospitality, by a Mr. Hugh
+Mac Gillis. His men reached the fort on the sixth; but, in traversing
+the lake, some of them had their ears, some their noses, and others
+their chins frozen.
+
+Near this place, Mr. Pike effected some arrangements with the Indians,
+which were considered advantageous to the American government; and, not
+long afterwards, having examined the adjacent country, as well as the
+severity of the weather would permit, he set out on his return,
+accompanied by a deputation of Indian chiefs. The river still continued
+frozen, and the party travelled chiefly in sledges, drawn by dogs. On
+the 5th of March, they again reached the encampment near _Pine Creek_.
+
+About a fortnight after this, Mr. Pike visited a plantation of sugar
+maple-trees, at a little distance from the creek, one of the finest he
+had ever seen. He was conducted to the lodge of the chief, who received
+him in a truly patriarchal style. This person assisted him in taking off
+his clothes, conducted him to the best part of his lodge, and offered
+him dry clothes. He then presented him with syrup of the maple-tree, to
+drink, and asked whether he preferred eating beaver, swan, elk, or deer?
+Preference being given to the first, a large kettle was filled with
+beavers' flesh, for the purpose of its being made into soup. This was
+afterwards served up; and when the repast was ended, Mr. Pike visited
+other lodges, at each of which he was presented with something to eat.
+He continued here all night; and, on the ensuing day, having purchased
+two baskets filled with sugar, he departed, and returned to his camp.
+
+Some Indians, whom Mr. Pike and his men visited not long after this,
+were extremely well-formed and elegant people. They were about the
+middle size; and their complexions, for savages, were, in general, fair:
+their teeth were good: their eyes were large and somewhat languishing;
+and they had a mild but independent expression of countenance.
+
+In the evening, these Indians entertained their visitors with the
+calumet and dog-dance; and with another dance, in which some of the men
+struck a post, and related their war exploits. After the dance, was a
+feast of the dead. At this, every two or three persons had a pan or
+vessel full of meat set before him; a prayer was then said, and the
+eating commenced. Each was expected to devour his whole portion, and not
+to drop even a bone; for all the bones were carefully collected and put
+into a dish. When the eating was finished, the chief gave an
+exhortation, which concluded the ceremony.
+
+About the end of March, Mr. Pike ordered the boats to be prepared for
+the voyage, in return, down the river. The ice had not, indeed, yet
+broken up; but he was every day in anxious expectation of seeing it
+begin to move. On the 6th of April, the river was found sufficiently
+clear of ice, to permit the party to re-embark. They accordingly loaded
+the boats, and, on the ensuing morning, experienced inexpressible joy,
+in leaving the savage wilderness, in which they had been so long
+imprisoned. On the 10th, they again reached the _Falls of St. Anthony_.
+The appearance of this cataract was much more tremendous than it had
+been when they ascended; and the great increase of the water occasioned
+the spray to rise much higher than it had done before. The river was
+still nearly covered with floating-ice; and much snow continued to fall.
+
+After his arrival at the _Prairie des Chiens_, Mr. Pike held a council,
+with the Puant chiefs, respecting some murders which had been committed
+by the men of their nation; and, in the afternoon, he was entertained
+with a game of "the cross," between the Sioux on one side, and the
+Puants and the Reynards on the other. The ball used in this game is made
+of a hard substance, and covered with leather. When the parties are
+ready, and the bets have been agreed upon, (and these are sometimes to
+the amount of several thousand dollars,) the goals are erected on the
+prairie, about half a mile asunder. The ball is then thrown up, in the
+middle, and each party, with a kind of racket, strives to beat it to the
+opposite goal. After the first rubber is gained, which is done by the
+ball being driven round one of the posts, it is again taken to the
+centre, the ground is changed, and the contest is renewed; and this is
+continued until one of the parties has been four times victorious, on
+which the bets are decided.
+
+It is an interesting sight, says Mr. Pike, to behold two or three
+hundred naked savages contending, on the plain, who shall bear off the
+palm of victory; for the man who drives the ball round the goal,
+receives the shouts of his companions, in congratulation of his success.
+It sometimes happens, that one of them catches the ball in his racket,
+and, depending on his speed, endeavours to carry it to the goal; but if
+he finds himself too closely pursued, he hurls it, with great force and
+dexterity, to an amazing distance, where there are always flankers, of
+both parties, ready to receive it. The ball seldom touches the ground;
+but it is sometimes kept in the air, for hours, before either party can
+gain the victory.
+
+About ten miles above _Salt river_, the voyagers, on the 28th of April,
+stopped at some islands where there were numerous roosts of passenger
+pigeons; and, in about fifteen minutes, they knocked on the head, and
+brought on board the boat, about three hundred. Mr. Pike, though he had
+frequently heard of the fecundity of these birds, had never given credit
+to it; but, he says, that the most fervid imagination cannot conceive
+their numbers. The noise, which they made in the woods, was like the
+continued roaring of the wind. The young ones were still in their
+nests: these consisted only of small bunches of sticks; and their number
+was such, that all the small trees were covered with them.
+
+On the 30th of April, after an absence of eight months and twenty-two
+days, Mr. Pike once more reached St. Louis in safety.
+
+
+
+
+Fifteenth Day's Instruction.
+
+WESTERN TERRITORY OF AMERICA.
+
+
+_The river Missouri._
+
+Previously to the commencement of the expedition commanded by Mr. Pike,
+the government of the United States had directed arrangements to be made
+for examining the Missouri, from its mouth to its source; thence
+exploring the vast and dreary range of mountains, which form the highest
+land in the centre of that part of the American continent; and
+afterwards, of descending, by some one of the rivers which flow
+westward, to the Pacific ocean. This formidable undertaking was
+committed to captains Lewis and Clarke, two officers, in the American
+army, who were, in every respect, qualified for the arduous duties which
+it required; and who had, under their command, a party of forty-two
+soldiers and boatmen. Its professed object was to ascertain the
+possibility of opening an inland communication, between the Atlantic and
+Pacific oceans; but the American government had also in view the
+obtaining of information, respecting the country of Louisiana, which
+they were desirous of possessing, and which has since been ceded to
+them by France.
+
+
+_Narrative of a voyage from St. Louis to the source of the Missouri.
+From the travels of Captains_ LEWIS _and_ CLARKE.
+
+The party having embarked in three boats, set out from St. Louis, on the
+14th of May, 1804; and, for several days, they proceeded without
+interruption. Early in the morning of the twenty-fourth, they ascended a
+difficult rapid, called the _Devil's Race-ground_, and narrowly escaped
+having one of their boats upset. Beyond this place, they met two canoes,
+laden with furs, which had been eight weeks on their voyage from the
+Mahar nation, about seven hundred miles distant. On the banks of the
+river was much timber, consisting of cotton-wood, sycamore, hickory, and
+white walnut.
+
+On the 1st of June, they passed the mouth of the _Osage river_, which
+falls into the Missouri, at the distance of a hundred and thirty-three
+miles from its junction with the Mississippi. This stream gives name to
+a nation of Indians which inhabit its banks. The _Osage Indians_ are, in
+their persons, well formed: they reside in villages, and, having made
+considerable progress in agriculture, they seem less addicted to war
+than their northern neighbours.
+
+Beyond the Osage river, the southern bank of the Missouri was low, and
+covered with rushes; and occasionally with oak, ash, and walnut-trees.
+On the north, the land was, in some places, rich, and well adapted to
+agriculture. Near the mouth of _Big Manitou Creek_, the voyagers met a
+raft, formed of two canoes joined together. On this, two French traders
+were descending, from the river Kanzes: it was laden with beaver-skins,
+which they had collected during the winter. Not long afterwards,
+captains Lewis and Clarke landed, to examine a singular limestone rock,
+which was nearly covered with inscriptions and uncouth paintings of
+animals; but they found the place occupied by a nest of rattlesnakes,
+and left it. In several parts of their voyage, they passed canoes,
+boats, and rafts laden with furs.
+
+In many places the river was bordered with prairies or swampy meadows,
+on which grew several kinds of fruit, such as mulberries, plums, wild
+apples, raspberries, and strawberries. Numerous herds of deer were seen,
+pasturing in the plains, or feeding on the young willows of the river.
+
+Near the mouth of the _Kanzes_, the Missouri is about five hundred yards
+wide. On the south, the hills or highlands approach within a mile and
+half of the shore; but, on the north, they are several miles distant;
+and the country, on all sides, is fine. In some places the navigation
+was interrupted by sand-banks, and in others, by the remains of trees
+which had fallen into the water. On the second of July, the whole
+surface of the stream, for a considerable distance, was covered with
+drift wood. This had probably been occasioned by the giving way of some
+sand-bank, which had before detained the wood, as it floated down the
+stream.
+
+The weather was now so hot that some of the men experienced from it
+great inconvenience; but the air was occasionally cooled by showers. In
+the evenings the voyagers often landed and encamped, for the purpose of
+passing the night on shore. In that part of the river at which they
+arrived on the 16th, the width, from bank to bank, was about a mile; but
+the water was so shallow that they could perceive the remains of fallen
+timber scattered quite across the bottom. The Missouri is here wider
+than it is below, where the timber, which grows on its banks, resists
+the power of the current.
+
+On the 21st of July the voyagers reached the mouth of the great _river
+Platte_. Captains Lewis and Clarke ascended it for about a mile, and
+found the current very rapid; rolling over sands, and divided into
+several channels, none of which, however, appeared to be more than five
+or six feet deep.
+
+At this place they encamped for several days, in order to dry their
+provisions, make some oars, prepare an account and make maps of the
+country through which they had passed. The game they saw here were
+chiefly deer, turkeys, and grouse; and they obtained an abundance of
+ripe grapes. During the nights they were much annoyed by wolves. The
+country behind their camp was a plain, about five miles in extent, one
+half covered with wood, and the other dry and elevated.
+
+Not far from this place was a settlement of the _Pawnee Indians_; a race
+which had once been extremely numerous, but which now consisted of only
+four bands, comprising, in the whole, about one thousand four hundred
+persons.
+
+On the 30th of July, the commanders of the expedition directed an
+encampment to be formed on the southern bank of the river, for the
+purpose of their waiting the arrival of the chiefs of the Ottoe Indians,
+with whom an interview had been appointed to take place. From an
+elevated station near the camp, they had a beautiful view of the river
+and of the adjoining country. The hunters abundantly supplied them with
+deer, turkeys, geese, and beavers; and they were well supplied with
+fish.
+
+A party of fourteen _Ottoe_ and _Missouri Indians_, came, at sunset, on
+the 2d of August, accompanied by a Frenchman who had resided among them
+and acted as an interpreter. The next morning an awning was formed with
+the mainsail of the largest vessel; and, under this, Captains Lewis and
+Clarke received them. A speech was made to these Indians, announcing
+that the territory which they inhabited had been ceded to the American
+government, and advising them respecting their future conduct towards
+the Americans. They promised obedience, requested permission to trade
+with the Americans, asked for a supply of arms, and solicited the
+mediation of the voyagers, between them and the Mahars, with whom they
+were then at war. The chiefs were each presented with a medal, to be
+worn round his neck, some paint, garters, and cloth ornaments of dress:
+to these were added a canister of gunpowder, a bottle of whiskey, and a
+few other articles.
+
+Not long after the ceremonies of the council had concluded, the voyagers
+again embarked. The hills which now extended along the river, were
+nearly fifteen miles asunder: those on the north were clad with a
+considerable quantity of timber; but those on the south had only some
+scattered trees in the ravines or narrow valleys.
+
+On the 5th of August they passed round a peninsula; and, having encamped
+on the north side of it, Captain Clarke, in pursuing some game, about
+three hundred and seventy yards from the camp, found himself at a point
+of the river which they had already passed, and which, by water, was
+distant nearly twelve miles. Some miles beyond this, on traversing a
+part of the country, to reach one of the Indian villages, the vegetation
+was so luxuriant, that the men, who had been sent to explore it, were
+forced to break their way through grass, sunflowers, thistles, and other
+plants, more than ten feet high. This village had once consisted of
+three hundred huts; but, about four years before the voyagers were here,
+it had been burnt, in consequence of the small-pox having destroyed four
+hundred of the men, and a great number of women and children. On a hill
+behind the village were seen the graves of the nation.
+
+The accounts which the voyagers received of the effects of the small-pox
+among these Indians, were most distressing. They had been a military and
+a powerful people; but, when they saw their strength wasting before a
+malady which they were unable to resist, their phrensy was extreme. They
+burnt their village; and many of them put to death their wives and
+children, in order to save them from so cruel an affliction, and that
+they might all go together to the unknown and better country.
+
+A party of _Ottoe_ and _Missouri Indians_ with whom the voyagers had an
+interview after this, were almost naked, having no covering, except a
+cloth round their middle, and a loose blanket or buffalo robe thrown
+over their shoulders.
+
+In one place Captain Lewis noticed that the hills which extended to the
+edge of the river on the south side, contained alum, copperas, cobalt,
+(having the appearance of soft isinglass,) pyrites, and sand-stone: the
+two first very pure. In another cliff, seven miles distant, he observed
+an alum rock, of dark brown colour, containing, in its crevices, great
+quantities of cobalt, cemented shells, and red earth. The appearance of
+these mineral substances enabled him to account for some disorders of
+the stomach with which his men had of late been much afflicted. They had
+been in the habit of dipping up the water of the river inadvertently,
+and drinking it; and he had now no doubt but the sickness was occasioned
+by a scum which covered its surface along the southern shore. Always
+after this the men agitated the water, so as to disperse the scum,
+before they drank of it, and these disorders ceased.
+
+The soil of a plain over which the two commanders and some of the men
+walked, on the 25th, was exceedingly fine; and was encumbered with but
+little timber, except immediately on the banks of the Missouri. They
+found delicious plums, grapes, and blue currants. The musquitoes, and
+other insects which here abounded, seem, however, to have occasioned
+them some inconvenience.
+
+On the 29th they were joined by five chiefs and seventy men of the
+_Yanktons_, a tribe belonging to the Sioux Indians. The camps or huts of
+this people are of a conical form: they are covered with buffalo robes,
+painted with various figures and colours, and have an aperture at the
+top for the smoke to pass through. Each hut is calculated to contain
+from ten to fifteen persons, and the interior arrangement is compact and
+handsome: the kitchen or place for cooking is always detached. Captain
+Lewis delivered to these people a speech containing, as he says, the
+usual advice and counsel with regard to their future conduct towards the
+government and the "great father" (as the Indians are taught to call the
+president) of the United States. He gave to the grand chief a flag, a
+medal, a certificate, a laced uniform coat of the United States
+artillery corps, a cocked hat and a red feather; and to the other chiefs
+medals, tobacco, and clothing. Among the inferior men were distributed
+knives, tobacco, bells, tape, binding, and other articles of trifling
+value. After this the Indian chiefs, and Captains Lewis and Clarke,
+smoked together the pipes of peace. These chiefs begged the strangers to
+have pity on them, as they were very poor; to send traders to them, as
+they wanted powder and ball: they were also anxious to be supplied with
+some of "the great father's milk," by which they meant rum, or other
+ardent spirits. This people are stout and well proportioned, and have a
+peculiar air of dignity and boldness: they are fond of decorations, and
+use, for this purpose, paint, porcupine-quills, and feathers. Some of
+them wear a kind of necklace of white bear's claws, three inches long,
+and closely strung together round their necks. They had among them a few
+fowling-pieces, but they were, in general, armed with bows and arrows.
+
+Beyond the village of the Yanktons the country, on both sides of the
+river, was low, and, for the most part, destitute of timber; but, in
+some places, it was covered with cotton-wood, elm, and oak. The weather
+had been intensely hot; but, in the beginning of September, the wind was
+violent, and the weather cold and rainy. On the second of this month,
+the hunters killed four elks, and the whole party was supplied with an
+abundance of grapes and plums, which grew wild near the river. They this
+day observed, on the south side of the Missouri, the remains of an
+ancient Indian fortification, formed chiefly of walls of earth.
+
+On the 7th of September the weather was very cold. The voyagers, this
+evening, encamped at the foot of a round mountain, about three hundred
+feet in height, which, at a distance, had the appearance of a dome. In
+this part of the country the hunters chiefly killed elks, deer, and
+squirrels: and they occasionally brought in beavers, porcupines, and
+foxes. On the 12th they passed an island covered with timber; and they
+had great difficulty in struggling through the sand-bars, the water
+being both rapid and shallow. The weather was now becoming so cold, that
+it was requisite to give out flannel-shirts to the men; and several
+animals were killed, for the sake of their skins to cover the boats. In
+many places the strong current of the river had worn away the banks, to
+considerable extent.
+
+An interview took place, on the 25th, with some chiefs of the _Tetons_,
+a tribe of the Sioux Indians: nearly the same ceremonies and agreements
+were used and entered into, as with the preceding tribes; and similar
+presents were made. They promised obedience to the "great father," but
+they soon showed how little dependance could be placed on the promises
+of uncivilized nations. As they were going away, a party of them
+endeavoured to seize one of the boats, declaring that they had not
+received presents enough. On being told they should receive no more,
+they drew their arrows from their quivers, and were bending their bows,
+when the swivel-gun in one of the boats was levelled at them. Perceiving
+from this that the most determined resistance would be made, they at
+length ceased from their claims.
+
+On the ensuing day these Indians approached the banks of the river,
+accompanied by their wives and children, and by a great number of their
+friends. Their disposition now seemed friendly, and the voyagers
+accepted an invitation to remain, during the night, on shore, to witness
+a dance which was preparing for their entertainment.
+
+When Captains Lewis and Clarke landed, they were met by ten young men,
+who took each of them up in a robe highly decorated, and carried him to
+a large council-house, where he was placed on a dressed buffalo-skin,
+by the side of the grand chief. The hall or council-room was in the
+shape of three quarters of a circle, and covered, at the top and sides,
+with skins sewed together. Under this sate about seventy men, forming a
+circle round the chief. In the vacant part of the circle, between these
+men and the chief, the pipe of peace was raised, on two forked sticks,
+six or eight inches from the ground, and having the down of the swan
+scattered beneath it. At a little distance was a fire, at which some of
+the attendants were employed in cooking provisions. As soon as Captains
+Lewis and Clarke were seated, an old man rose up, and stating that he
+approved of what they had done, begged of their visitors to take pity on
+them. Satisfactory assurances of amity were made by both parties; and
+the chief, after some previous ceremony, held up the pipe of peace,
+first pointed it toward the heavens, then to the four quarters of the
+globe, and then to the earth, made a short speech, lighted it, and
+presented it to the strangers. They smoked it, and he harangued his
+people, after which the repast was served up. It consisted of the body
+of a dog, a favourite dish among the Sioux; to this was added a dish
+made of buffalo-meat dried, pounded, and mixed raw with grease, and a
+kind of potatoe. Of this the strangers ate freely, but they could not
+relish the roasted dog. The party ate and smoked till it was dark, when
+every thing was cleared away for the dance. A large fire was lighted in
+the centre of the room, for the purpose of giving, at the same time,
+light and warmth. The music was partly vocal and partly instrumental.
+The instruments consisted chiefly of a sort of tambourine, formed of
+skin stretched across a hoop; and a small skin bag with pebbles in it.
+The women then came forward, highly decorated: some with poles in their
+hands, on which were hung the scalps of their enemies; and others with
+guns, spears, or different trophies, taken in war by their husbands,
+brothers, or connexions. Having arranged themselves in two columns, one
+on each side of the fire, they danced towards each other till they met
+in the centre, when the rattles were shaken, and they all shouted and
+returned to their places. They had no step, but shuffled along the
+ground. The music appeared to be nothing more than a confusion of
+noises, distinguished only by hard or gentle blows upon the skin; and
+the song was extemporaneous. In the pauses of the dance, any man in the
+company, who chose it, came forward and recited, in a sort of low
+guttural tone, some story or incident: this was taken up by the
+orchestra and the dancers, who repeated it in a higher strain, and
+danced to it. These amusements continued till midnight, when the
+voyagers retired on board their vessels, accompanied by four of the
+chiefs.
+
+In their persons these Indians were rather ugly and ill made, their legs
+and arms being peculiarly slender, their cheek-bones high, and their
+eyes projecting. The females, with the same character of form, were
+somewhat more handsome. Both sexes appeared cheerful and sprightly, but
+afforded many indications of being both cunning and vicious. The men
+shave the hair off their heads, except a small tuft on the top, which
+they suffer to grow, so as to wear it in plats over the shoulders. In
+full dress, the principal chiefs wear a hawk's feather, worked with
+porcupine-quills, and fastened to the top of the head. Their face and
+body are generally painted with a mixture of grease and coal. The hair
+of the women is suffered to grow long, and is parted from the forehead,
+across the head; at the back of which it is either collected into a kind
+of bag, or hangs down over the shoulders. This people seem fond of
+finery. Their lodges are very neatly constructed: they consist of about
+one hundred cabins, made of white buffalo hides, supported on poles
+fifteen or twenty feet high; and, having a larger cabin in the centre,
+for councils and for dances. These lodges may be taken to pieces, packed
+up, and carried from place to place. The beasts of burden are dogs. Some
+of these Indians had their heads shaved, and others had arrows stuck
+through their flesh above and below the elbow: these were indications of
+mourning.
+
+On Friday the 28th of September, Captains Lewis and Clarke pursued their
+voyage up the river; and on the ensuing day, they passed a spot where a
+band of _Ricara Indians_ had had a village, about five years before: but
+there were now no remains of it, except a mound which encircled the
+town.
+
+Beyond this, the country, on the north side of the river, presented an
+extensive range of low prairie, covered with timber: on the south were
+high and barren hills; but, afterwards, the land assumed the same
+character as that on the opposite side. A great number of Indians were
+discovered on the hills at a distance: they approached the river, and
+proved to be _Tetons_, belonging to the band which the voyagers had just
+left. In the course of this day the navigation was much impeded by logs
+and sand-bars. The weather was now very cold. The voyagers next passed
+the _Chayenne river_, which flowed from the south-west, and the mouth of
+which was four hundred yards wide. On both sides of the Missouri, near
+this river, are richly timbered lowlands, with naked hills behind them.
+In this part of the country the hunters observed a great numbers of
+goats, white bears, prairie-cocks or grouse; and a species of quadrupeds
+described to resemble a small elk, but to have large, circular horns.
+
+For many successive days Indians were observed on the shores; and, if
+they had been more numerous, some of them seemed inclined to molest the
+voyagers. On the sand-bars, which here very much obstructed the course
+of the river, great number of geese, swans, brants, and ducks of
+different kinds were seen.
+
+On the 9th of October, the voyagers received visits from three chiefs of
+the _Ricara Indians_; and, though the wind was violent, and the waves
+ran very high, two or three squaws or females rowed off to them, in
+little canoes, each made of a single buffalo-skin, stretched over a
+frame of boughs, interwoven like a basket. These Indians did not use
+spirituous liquors; and had even rejected, with disgust, all attempts
+which the traders had hitherto made to introduce them: they said they
+were surprised that their "father," meaning the president of the United
+States, should present to them a liquor which would make them fools.
+Captains Lewis and Clarke visited two of the villages, where they were
+presented with corn and beans boiled; and also with bread made of corn
+and beans. The Ricara Indians are tall and well proportioned. The men
+wear skins round their legs, a cloth round their middle, and they
+occasionally have a buffalo robe thrown over their shoulders: their
+hair, arms, and ears, are decorated with ornaments of different kinds.
+The women, who are handsome and lively, wear long shirts made of goats'
+skin, generally white and fringed, and tied round the waist; and, in
+addition to these, they have a buffalo robe dressed without the hair.
+The lodges of the Ricara Indians are of a circular or octagonal form,
+and generally thirty or forty feet in diameter. They are made by placing
+forked posts, each about six feet high, round the circumference of a
+circle; joining these, by poles lying upon the forks; forming a sloping
+roof; interweaving the whole with branches and grass, and covering it
+with mud or clay. Before the door there is a sort of entrance about ten
+feet from the lodge. This people cultivate maize or Indian corn, beans,
+pumpkins, water-melons, and a species of tobacco which is peculiar to
+themselves. They are well armed with guns, and carry on a considerable
+traffic in furs.
+
+For many successive days the voyagers continued to see Indians every
+day. They had occasionally wet and unpleasant weather. In one place they
+saw, on the bank of the river, a great number of goats; and, soon
+afterwards, large flocks of these animals were driven into the river by
+a party of Indians, who gradually lined the shore, so as to prevent
+their escape, and fired on them, and beat them down with clubs, with so
+much success, that, in a short time, they killed more than fifty. Many
+buffaloes, elks, and deer were seen; and a great number of snakes.
+
+On Thursday the 18th, they passed the mouth of _Le Boulet_, or
+_Cannon-ball river_, the channel of which is about one hundred and forty
+yards wide. This stream, (which is indebted for its name to a great
+number of large stones, that are perfectly round and lie scattered about
+the shore and on the eminences above,) rises in the Black Mountains, and
+falls into the Missouri on the south. Great numbers of goats were
+observed to cross the river, and direct their course towards the west.
+The country, in general, was level and fine, with broken, short, high
+grounds, low timbered mounds near the river, and a range of rugged hills
+at a distance. The low grounds had here much more timber than had been
+observed lower down the river. So numerous are wild animals in this part
+of the country, that the voyagers counted, at a single view, fifty-two
+herds of buffaloes, and three of elks.
+
+On the 20th the weather was so cold, that the rain which fell froze on
+the ground; and, in the course of the night, the ground was covered with
+snow. A Ricara chief told Captain Lewis that, at some distance up one of
+the rivers, there was a large rock which was held in great veneration by
+the Indians, and was often consulted by them, as to their own, or their
+nations' destinies; all of which they imagine they are able to discern,
+in some rude figures or paintings, with which it is covered.
+
+The voyagers passed, on each side of the river, the ruins of several
+villages of _Mandan Indians_; and, on an island of the river, they found
+a Mandan chief, who, with some of his men, was on a hunting excursion.
+As they proceeded, several parties of Mandans, both on foot and on
+horseback, approached the shore to view them. The vessels here got
+aground several times, among the sand-bars and rocks. In this part of
+their voyage they saw two Europeans, belonging to the Hudson's Bay
+company. These men had arrived about nine days before, to trade for
+horses and buffalo robes.
+
+From one of the villages of the Mandans, a crowd of men, women, and
+children, came to see the strangers. Some of the chiefs had lost the two
+joints of their little fingers; for, with this people, it is customary
+to express grief for the death of relations, by some corporeal
+suffering, and the usual mode is to cut off the joints of the little
+fingers.
+
+There were, in this part of the country, many Indian villages, and
+Captains Lewis and Clarke held, with the chiefs, a council, similar in
+its nature to those already mentioned; and afterwards presented them
+with flags, medals, uniform-coats, and other articles.
+
+
+
+
+Sixteenth Day's Instruction
+
+WESTERN TERRITORY CONTINUED.
+
+
+_Conclusion of_ LEWIS _and_ CLARKE'S _Voyage from St.
+Louis to the Source of the Missouri._
+
+As the winter was now fast approaching, the commanders of the expedition
+considered it requisite to look out for some convenient place, where
+they might pass those months, during which the river would be frozen and
+unnavigable. Accordingly, on the 2d of November, they fixed upon a
+place, not far distant from the Indian villages. They cut down a
+considerable quantity of timber for the formation of huts; and
+constructed tolerably comfortable habitations. Food could here be
+procured in such abundance, that, in the course of two days, a Mandan
+Indian killed as many as two hundred goats.
+
+In the night of the 5th they were awaked by the man on guard, who called
+them to witness a peculiarly beautiful appearance of the aurora
+borealis, or northern lights. Along the sky, towards the north, a large
+space was occupied by a light of brilliant white colour, which rose from
+the horizon, and extended itself to nearly twenty degrees above it.
+After glittering for some time, its colours were occasionally overcast
+and obscured; but again it would burst out with renewed beauty. The
+uniform colour was pale; but its shapes were various and fantastic. At
+times the sky was lined with light-coloured streaks, rising
+perpendicularly from the horizon, and gradually expanding into a body of
+light, in which could be seen the trace of floating columns, sometimes
+advancing, sometimes retreating, and shaping into an infinite variety of
+forms.
+
+Before the middle of November a store-house was completed, in which the
+contents of the boats were laid up for the winter. On the 13th, ice
+began to float down the river for the first time; and, on the ensuing
+day, the ground was covered with snow. In some traps which had been set,
+twenty beavers were caught. On the 16th the men moved into the huts,
+although they were not finished. Three days after this the hunters
+brought in a supply of thirty-two deer, eleven elks, and five buffaloes,
+all of which were hung up to be smoked, for future subsistence.
+
+The huts were ranged in two rows, each row containing four rooms,
+fourteen feet square, and seven feet high. The place in which they were
+erected was called _Fort Mandan_, and was a point of low ground, on the
+north side of the Missouri, covered with tall and heavy cotton-wood. The
+computed distance from the mouth of the Missouri was sixteen hundred
+miles.
+
+In the vicinity of this place were five villages of three distinct
+nations: _Mandans_, _Ahanaways_, and _Minnetarees_. Not many years ago
+the Mandans were a very numerous race, occupying, in the whole,
+eighteen villages; but their numbers had been so much reduced, by the
+small-pox and by their wars with the Sioux, that they were compelled to
+emigrate in a body, and unite themselves with the Ricara nation; and
+they now occupy only two villages, on opposite sides of the Missouri,
+and about three miles asunder. Each of these contains forty or fifty
+lodges, built in the same manner as those of the Ricaras. The whole
+force of the Ahanaways is not, at present, more than fifty men. Their
+residence is on an elevated plain, near the mouth of the _Knife river_.
+On the south side of the same river, and about half a mile distant from
+this people, is a village of the _Minnetarees_; and there are four other
+villages of these Indians at a little distance.
+
+The religion of the Mandans consists in the belief that one great Spirit
+presides over their destinies; but they also believe that various
+beings, some imaginary and some existing in the form of animals, have
+the power of interceding for them with the great spirit. To these they
+pay their devotion. They believe in a future state; and that, after
+death, they shall go to the original seats of their forefathers, which
+they suppose to be underground, immediately beneath a spot on the banks
+of the Missouri, where they formerly had nine villages.
+
+On the 7th of December, the Missouri was frozen over, and the ice was an
+inch and half in thickness. The cold was so intense, that the air was
+filled with icy particles resembling a fog; and the snow was several
+inches deep. Notwithstanding this, one of the commanders, accompanied by
+some of the men, went out almost every day to hunt. On the tenth,
+Captain Clarke and his hunters, after having killed nine buffaloes, were
+obliged to spend a wretched night on the snow: having no other covering
+than a small blanket and the hides of the buffaloes they had killed. The
+next day the wind blew from the north; and the ice in the atmosphere was
+so thick, as to render the weather hazy, and to give the appearance of
+two suns reflecting each other. On the seventeenth, the mercury in the
+thermometer fell to seventy-four degrees below the freezing point. The
+fort was completed on the day before Christmas.
+
+The Indians, inured to the severity of the climate, are able to support
+the rigours of the season, in a way which Captains Lewis and Clarke had
+hitherto considered impossible. Many parts of their bodies were exposed;
+and one of the Indians, in particular, although his dress was very thin,
+was known to have passed the night on the snow, without a fire; and yet
+he did not suffer the slightest inconvenience.
+
+After having spent nearly five months in this dreary abode, the ice
+broke up, the boats were repaired and once more got into the river; and
+other preparations were made for the voyagers to pursue their course
+towards the sources of the Missouri.
+
+In the afternoon of Sunday, the 7th of April, the arrangements being all
+completed, the party, consisting of thirty-two persons, once more
+embarked. They now occupied six small canoes and two large pirogues. The
+barge was sent down the river, to the United States, with presents of
+natural curiosities, which had been collected, and with dispatches to
+the president.
+
+At some distance from Fort Mandan, the land, on each side of the
+Missouri, after ascending the hills near the water, exhibits the
+appearance of one fertile and unbroken plain, which extends as far as
+the eye can reach, without a solitary tree or shrub, except in moist
+situations, or in the steep declivities of hills. In some parts the
+plains were on fire; for, every spring, as soon as the ice breaks up in
+the river, these plains are set on fire by the Indians, for the purpose
+of driving out and attacking the buffaloes, and other wild animals which
+inhabit them. Beavers were here very abundant. A herd of antelopes, and
+the track of a large white bear, were seen in the plain: geese and
+swans were observed, in great numbers. The musquitoes now began to be
+very troublesome.
+
+Before the middle of April, the weather became so warm, that, in the
+day-time, the men worked with no clothes on, except round their waist.
+On the twelfth, the voyagers reached the mouth of the _Little Missouri_,
+where they remained during the day, for the purpose of making celestial
+observations. This river falls into the Missouri, on its south side, and
+at the distance of sixteen hundred and ninety-three miles above its
+confluence with the Mississippi. Its current is strong, and its width a
+hundred and thirty-four yards; but its greatest depth is only two feet
+and half. The adjacent country is hilly and irregular; and the soil is,
+for the most part, a rich dark-coloured loam, intermixed with a small
+proportion of sand.
+
+On the thirteenth, the voyagers passed the remains of forty-three
+temporary lodges, which were supposed to have belonged to the Assiniboin
+Indians. The waters of many of the creeks were found to be so strongly
+impregnated with mineral salts, that they were not fit to be drunk. On
+each bank of the Missouri the country presented the appearance of low
+plains and meadows; bounded, at the distance of a few miles, by broken
+hills, which end in high, level, and fertile lands: the quantity of
+timber was increasing. In the timbered-grounds, higher up the river, the
+voyagers observed a great quantity of old hornets' nests. Many of the
+hills exhibited a volcanic appearance, furnishing great quantities of
+lava and pumice stone: of the latter, several pieces were observed
+floating down the river. In all the copses there were remains of
+Assiniboin encampments.
+
+On the twentieth, near an Indian camp, the voyagers observed a scaffold,
+about seven feet high, on which were two sleds, with their harness; and
+under the scaffold was the body of a female, carefully wrapped in
+several dressed buffalo-skins. Near it lay a bag, made of buffalo-skin,
+and containing some articles of apparel, scrapers for dressing hides,
+some dried roots, plats of sweet grass, and a small quantity of tobacco.
+These, as well as the body, had probably fallen down by accident, as it
+is customary to place the dead bodies on scaffolds. At a little distance
+was the body of a dog, not yet decayed: he had, no doubt, been employed
+in dragging, in the sled, the body of his mistress, and, according to
+the Indian usage, had been sacrificed to her.
+
+From the sand-bars in the river, the wind sometimes blew such vast
+quantities of sand into the air, as to appear like clouds, and even to
+conceal the opposite bank from view. These clouds of sand floated, like
+columns of thick smoke, to the distance of many miles; and the particles
+were so penetrating, that nothing could be kept free from them.
+
+Near the junction of _Yellow-stone river_ with the Missouri, the country
+was much more woody than it had been in any other part, since the
+voyagers had passed the Chayenne; and the trees were chiefly of
+cotton-wood, elm, ash, box, and alder. In the low grounds were
+rose-bushes, the red-berry, service-berry, red-wood, and other shrubs;
+and among the bushes on the higher plains, were observed willows,
+gooseberry-trees, purple currant-trees, and honeysuckles. The sources of
+Yellow-stone river are said to be in the Rocky Mountains, near those of
+the Missouri and the Platte; and this river is navigable, in canoes,
+almost to its head.
+
+Near the junction of the Yellow-stone and Missouri rivers, there is a
+high plain, which extends three miles in width, and seven or eight miles
+in length; and which Captain Lewis says might be rendered a very
+advantageous station for a trading establishment.
+
+Beyond this place, the hills were rough and high, and almost overhung
+the river. As the voyagers advanced, the low grounds were fertile and
+extensive, with but little timber, and that cotton-wood. On the 3d of
+May, they reached the mouth of a river, which; from the unusual number
+of porcupines that were seen near it, they called _Porcupine river_. For
+several days after this, they continued their progress without much
+interruption. In many places the river was, at least, half a mile wide.
+During their excursions on the shore, in pursuit of food, they
+encountered many perils in shooting at bears. Some of these were of vast
+size and strength: one of them weighed nearly six hundred pounds, and
+measured eight feet seven inches and a half, from the nose to the
+extremity of the hind feet.
+
+Beyond the _Muscle-shell river_, which the voyagers reached on the 21st,
+the shores of the Missouri were abrupt and bold, and composed of a black
+and yellow clay.
+
+After a navigation of two months, and a progress of more than a thousand
+miles from their winter camp, the party became considerably embarrassed,
+at the conflux of two rivers, which were, apparently, of equal
+magnitude. It was important for them to decide which of the streams in
+question was the true Missouri; because the river, which it was their
+object to ascend, was described to be at no great distance from the head
+waters, running, from the opposite side of the Rocky Mountains, towards
+the Pacific ocean. Two canoes, with three men, were consequently
+dispatched, to survey each of these doubtful streams; and parties were
+sent out by land, to discover, if possible, from the rising grounds, the
+distant bearings of the lofty ranges of mountains, which were
+conspicuous in the west; and some of which, though it was now the month
+of June, were covered with snow. Hence, there was no doubt of their
+vicinity to the great central ridge of American mountains; but the
+direction of the rivers just mentioned, could not be distinguished to
+any considerable distance. Of the two, the one coming from the north,
+had the brown colour and thick appearance of the Missouri; while the
+southern river had a rapid current, a pebbly bed, and transparent
+water, as if it issued from a mountainous country. The resemblance of
+the former to the river already navigated, led nearly all the privates
+of the party to consider it as the Missouri; but the clearness of the
+other stream induced the two captains to the conclusion that it
+proceeded from those central mountains, which were the grand objects of
+their search. After a further investigation, they resolved to pursue the
+course of the latter.
+
+It was, however, requisite to make a deposit of all the heavy baggage,
+that could possibly be spared, as the increasing shallowness of the
+water would soon render the navigation much more laborious than it had
+hitherto been. They accordingly adopted a plan, common among traders who
+bring merchandise into the country of Indians of doubtful integrity,
+that of digging a hole in the ground, small at the top, but widened in
+the descent, somewhat like the shape of a kettle. Choice was made of a
+dry situation; and the sod, being carefully removed, the excavation was
+completed, a flooring of wood and hides was laid at the bottom, and the
+goods were covered with skins: the earth was then thrown into the river,
+and the sod laid on again with so much care, that not the slightest
+appearance remained of the surface having been disturbed.
+
+These arrangements being completed, Captain Clarke took charge of the
+canoes; while Captain Lewis, with four men, proceeded by land, in hopes
+of soon putting it beyond a doubt that the river which they were now
+ascending was the Missouri. The decisive proof was to be sought in its
+falls, which the Indians had described as not remote from the Rocky
+Mountains, and as of remarkable grandeur. Captain Lewis passed along the
+direction of the river, during two days, and, on the next day, found
+himself in a position which overlooked a most beautiful plain.
+
+Finding that the river here bore considerably to the south; and fearful
+of passing the falls before he reached the Rocky Mountains, he now
+changed, his course towards the south, and, leaving these hills to the
+right, proceeded across the plain. In this direction he had gone about
+two miles, when his ears were saluted with the agreeable sound of a fall
+of water; and, as he advanced, a spray, which seemed to be driven by the
+high south-west wind, arose above the plain, like a column of smoke, and
+vanished in an instant. Towards this point he directed his steps; and
+the noise, increasing as he approached, soon became too tremendous to be
+mistaken for any thing but the _Great Falls of the Missouri_. Having
+travelled seven miles after he first heard the sound, he at length
+reached the falls.
+
+The hills became difficult of access, and were two hundred feet high.
+Down these he hurried with impatience; and, seating himself on some
+rocks under the centre of the falls, he enjoyed the sublime spectacle of
+this stupendous object; which, since the creation of the world, had been
+lavishing its magnificence on the desert, unknown to civilization. For
+ninety or a hundred yards from the left cliff, the water falls in one
+smooth, even sheet, over a precipice of at least eighty feet. The
+remaining part of the river precipitates itself with a more rapid
+current; but, being received, as it falls, by the irregular and somewhat
+projecting rocks below, it forms a splendid prospect of perfectly white
+foam, two hundred yards in length, and eighty yards in perpendicular
+elevation. This spray is dissipated into a thousand shapes, sometimes
+flying up in columns fifteen or twenty feet high; and then being
+oppressed by larger masses of white foam, which exhibit all the
+brilliant colours of the rainbow.
+
+On the 14th of June, one of the men was sent to Captain Clarke, with an
+account of the discovery of the falls; and Captain Lewis proceeded to
+examine the rapids above. From the falls, he directed his course,
+south-west, up the river. After passing one continued rapid, and three
+small cascades, each three or four feet high, he reached, at the
+distance of five miles, a second fall. Above this, the river bends
+suddenly towards the north. Here captain Lewis heard a loud roar above
+him; and, crossing the point of a hill, for a few hundred yards, he saw
+one of the most beautiful objects in nature: the whole Missouri is
+suddenly stopped by one shelving rock, which, without a single niche,
+and with an edge as straight and regular as if formed by art, stretches
+from one side of the river to the other, for at least a quarter of a
+mile. Over this, the water precipitates itself, in an even,
+uninterrupted sheet, to the perpendicular depth of fifty feet; whence,
+dashing against the rocky bottom, it rushes rapidly down, leaving behind
+it a spray of the purest foam.
+
+The scene here presented was indeed singularly beautiful; since, without
+any of the wild, irregular, sublimity of the lower falls, it combined
+all the regular elegancies which the fancy of a painter would select to
+form a beautiful cataract. Captain Lewis now ascended the hill which was
+behind him, and saw, from its top, a delightful plain, extending from
+the river to the base of the Snowy Mountains. Along this wide, level
+country, the Missouri pursued its winding course, filled with water, to
+its even and grassy banks; while, about four miles above, it was joined
+by a large river, flowing from the north-west, through a valley three
+miles in width, and distinguished by the timber which adorned its
+shores: the Missouri itself stretched to the south, in one unruffled
+stream of water; and bearing on its bosom, vast flocks of geese, while
+numerous herds of buffaloes were feeding on the plains which surround
+it.
+
+Captain Lewis then descended the hills, and directed his course towards
+the river. Here he met a herd of at least a thousand buffaloes; and,
+being desirous of providing for his supper, he shot one of them. The
+animal immediately began to bleed; and the captain, having forgot to
+reload his rifle, was intently watching to see him fall, when he beheld
+a large brown bear, cautiously approaching him, and already within
+twenty yards. In the first moment of surprise, he lifted his rifle;
+but, recollecting that it was not charged, and that he had no time to
+reload, he felt that there was no safety but in flight. He was in an
+open, level plain; not a bush nor a tree was within three hundred yards
+of him; and the bank of the river was sloping, and not more than three
+feet high, so that there was no possible mode of concealment. Captain
+Lewis therefore thought of retreating, in a quick walk. He did so, but
+the bear approached, open mouth and at full speed, upon him. He ran
+about eighty yards; but finding that the animal gained on him fast, he
+plunged into the river, about waist deep, and, then facing about,
+presented the point of an espontoon or kind of spear, which he had
+carried in his hand. The bear arrived at the water's edge, within twenty
+feet of him; but, as soon as the captain put himself in this posture of
+defence, the animal seemed frightened, and, wheeling about, retreated
+with as much precipitation as he had pursued.
+
+With respect to Captain Clarke, he and his canoes advanced up the river,
+but they proceeded very slowly; for the rapidity of the current, the
+number of large stones, and the numerous shoals and islands, greatly
+impeded their progress. After they had passed a stream, to which he gave
+the name of _Maria's river_, they redoubled their exertions. It,
+however, soon became necessary for them once more to lighten the canoes.
+They did so, and filled another hole, with a portion of their provisions
+and ammunition.
+
+On the 29th of June, Captain Clarke left the canoes, and went on to the
+falls, accompanied by a black servant, named York, an Indian and his
+wife, with her young child. On arriving there, they observed a very dark
+cloud rising in the west, which threatened rain. They therefore looked
+around for shelter, but could find no place where they would be secure
+from being blown into the river, if the wind should prove as violent as
+it sometimes does in the plains. At length, about a quarter of a mile
+above the falls, they found a deep ravine, where there were some
+shelving rocks; and under these they took refuge. Being now perfectly
+safe from the rain, they laid down their guns and compass, and the other
+articles which they had brought with them. The shower was, at first,
+moderate; but it increased to a heavy rain, the effects of which they
+did not feel: soon afterwards, a torrent of intermingled hail and rain
+was poured from the clouds: the rain seemed to fall in a solid mass;
+and, collecting in the ravine, it came rolling down, like a cataract,
+carrying along with it mud and rocks, and every thing that opposed it.
+Captain Clarke saw the torrent a moment before it reached them; and,
+springing up, with his gun and shot-pouch in his left hand, he, with his
+right, clambered up the steep cliff, pushing on before him the Indian
+woman, with her child in her arms. Her husband, too, had seized her
+hand, and was dragging her up the hill; but he was so terrified at the
+danger, that, but for Captain Clarke, himself and his wife and child
+would have been lost. So instantaneous was the rise of the water, that
+before Captain Clarke had reached his gun, and had begun to ascend the
+bank, the water was up to his waist; and he could scarcely get up faster
+than it rose, till it reached the height of fifteen feet. Had they
+waited a moment longer, it would have swept them all into the river,
+just above the great cataract, down which they must inevitably have been
+precipitated. They had been obliged to escape so rapidly, that Captain
+Clarke lost his compass and umbrella: the Indian left his gun,
+shot-pouch, and tomahawk; and the Indian woman had just time to grasp
+her child, before the net, in which it had lain at her feet, was carried
+down the current.
+
+After the storm was over, they proceeded to a fountain, perhaps the
+largest in America. It is situated in a pleasant, level plain, and about
+twenty-five yards from the river, into which it falls over some steep,
+irregular rocks.
+
+In this part of the country a remarkable phenomenon was noticed. A loud
+report, precisely resembling the sound of a cannon, was repeatedly heard
+from the mountains, at different times, both of the day and night;
+sometimes in one stroke; at others, in five or six successive
+discharges. This report was occasionally heard when the air was
+perfectly still and without a cloud; and it was supposed to be
+occasioned by the bursting of rocks.
+
+The party, continuing indefatigable in their exertions, dragged the
+canoes, or pushed them along with poles, up the current of the Missouri.
+This they did, day after day, until the 27th of June, when they arrived
+at the _Three forks of the river_; that is, at the point at which three
+rivers, each of considerable size, flow together, and form the great
+stream. As it was difficult to determine the largest of the three,
+Captains Lewis and Clarke decided on discontinuing here the appellation
+of Missouri; and named the streams, respectively, Jefferson's,
+Madison's, and Gallatin's river. As the first of these flowed from the
+west, they ascended it in preference to the others; but they continued
+to experience great difficulty with the canoes, in consequence of the
+rapidity of the current.
+
+They were now approaching the termination of the first great division of
+their journey. The river continued to lessen as they proceeded: its
+width, in the part at which they arrived on the 8th of July, was not
+more than forty yards; and, on the 11th, it was diminished to twelve, so
+as to admit of being waded over without hazard. They had now proceeded,
+by computation, three thousand miles from the mouth of the Missouri; and
+they, not long afterwards, reached its extreme navigable point, in
+latitude 43 degrees 30 minutes, and nearly in longitude 112 degrees west
+from Greenwich.
+
+Here they laid up their canoes, until they should return from the
+Pacific ocean; and, proceeding by land, had the gratification of tracing
+the current to its _fountain head_, in the midst of the Rocky Mountains.
+
+
+
+
+Seventeenth Day's Instruction.
+
+WESTERN TERRITORY CONTINUED.
+
+
+_Narrative of_ LEWIS _and_ CLARKE'S _Travels from the
+Source of the Missouri to the Pacific Ocean._
+
+From the source of the Missouri, we will now accompany these gentlemen
+in their journey across the Rocky Mountains, and in their subsequent
+navigation of the Oregan or Columbia to the Pacific Ocean.
+
+They had reached the highest ground in the _Rocky Mountains_, or that
+elevated part of the continent which constitutes the boundary between
+the streams flowing to the Atlantic on the one side, and the Pacific on
+the other. Their next object was to prosecute their journey westward,
+through this cold and barren track, until they should come to a
+navigable stream flowing into the Columbia, the great channel of access
+to the western ocean.
+
+They had been told, by Indians in the Mandan country, that, immediately
+on crossing the central ridge, they would discover copious rivers
+running in a direction towards the Columbia. Captain Lewis accordingly
+found a clear stream forty yards wide, and three feet deep, which ran
+towards the west. It was bounded on each side by a range of high
+mountains, and was so closely confined between them, as not only to be
+unnavigable, but to be impassable along its banks. A still more
+discouraging circumstance was the total want, in this wintry region, of
+timber fit for building canoes.
+
+An old Indian, being consulted respecting these mountains, stated them
+to be so inaccessible, that neither he nor any of his nation had ever
+attempted to cross them; and another Indian, a native of the south-west
+mountains, described them in terms scarcely less terrific. The course to
+the Pacific lay, he said, along rocky steeps, inhabited by savages, who
+lived in holes, like bears, and fed on roots and on horse-flesh. On
+descending from the mountainous ridge, he stated that the traveller
+would find himself in a parched desert of sand, where no animals, of a
+nature to afford subsistence, could be discovered; and, although this
+plain was crossed by a large river running towards the Columbia, its
+banks had no timber for the construction of canoes.
+
+After all these mortifying communications, there appeared to be left, to
+the present travellers, only one route, that by which some individuals
+of the Chopunnish Indians, living to the west of the mountains, find
+means to make their way to this elevated region; and the accounts that
+had been given of this road, were very discouraging; the Indians being
+obliged to subsist for many days on berries, and suffering greatly from
+hunger. The commanders of the expedition were not, however,
+disheartened; for they were convinced that their men could accomplish a
+passage without enduring so much hardship as Indians, who are generally
+accompanied by women and children.
+
+Having ascertained that the accounts of the impractibility of navigating
+the river were well founded, it became indispensable to take measures
+for proceeding on horseback. The men had already begun to suffer from
+want of food, for the country afforded very little except berries, and a
+few river-fish.
+
+Captain Lewis describes the ravenous propensities of the Indians who
+reside in this part of America, to be very extraordinary. While some of
+them were with the travellers, a deer was killed. They all hastened to
+the spot, like so many beasts of prey, and actually tumbled over each
+other, to reach the intestines which had been thrown aside. Each tore
+away whatever part he could seize, and instantly began to devour it.
+Some had the liver, some the kidneys; in short, no part was left, on
+which we are accustomed to look with disgust. One of them, who had
+seized about nine feet of the entrails, was chewing, at one end, while,
+with his hand, he was diligently clearing his way by discharging the
+contents at the other. Yet, though suffering from excessive hunger, they
+did not attempt, as they might have done, to take by force the whole
+deer, but contented themselves with what had been thrown away by the
+hunters. After this, Captain Lewis gave one quarter of the body of the
+deer to the Indians; and they immediately devoured it raw. A second deer
+was killed, and nearly the whole of it was given to the Indians. This
+they also devoured, even to the soft parts of the hoofs; and they
+shortly afterwards ate nearly three quarters of a third.
+
+It happened fortunately for the travellers, in the prosecution of their
+journey by land, that the horses of the country were good, and that
+there was no difficulty in purchasing as many as were necessary, for the
+conveyance of themselves and their baggage. They were thus enabled to
+set out about the end of August, under the guidance of an old man, who,
+notwithstanding the dissuasion of his countrymen, undertook to conduct
+them to the Indians who live westward of the mountains.
+
+Arriving, soon afterwards, in a district where no tract could be
+discovered, they were obliged to cut their way through thickets of trees
+and brushwood, along the sides of hills. Here their horses suffered
+great fatigue; and the season was still so little advanced, that the
+ground was covered with snow. On the 9th of September they reached the
+road or path commonly taken by the Indians in crossing from the Columbia
+to the Missouri; and here they learned that they might have lessened the
+hardships of the mountain journey, had they laid up their canoes and
+struck off to the west, before they navigated the latter river to its
+furthest-point. A small creek at this station received the name of
+_Traveller's Rest-creek_.
+
+From this spot the party proceeded nearly due west, along the Indian
+path; but they still experienced considerable inconvenience, from a
+deficiency of provisions. On some days they killed only a few birds;
+and, being obliged to turn their horses loose at night to feed, the
+morning hours were frequently passed in finding and catching them. On
+the 15th of August, they reached the upper parts of the river
+_Koos-koos-kee_, which affords one of the most direct channels of
+communication with the Columbia; but there is no timber, in its
+neighbourhood, of size large enough for canoes; nor did its channel
+promise an easy navigation. The travellers were consequently obliged to
+continue their journey by land; and on the 19th they were cheered with
+the prospect, towards the south-west, of an extensive plain, which,
+though still distant, assured them of an outlet from the barren region
+which they were traversing. By this time they had suffered so much from
+hunger, that horse-flesh was deemed a luxury.
+
+At last, on the 22d, having reached the plain, they found themselves
+once more in an inhabited country. They explained their pacific
+intentions to the people, who were Indians of a tribe called
+_Chopunnish_. The removal, however, from a cold to a warm district, and,
+still more, the sudden change from scarcity to an abundance of food,
+proved very detrimental to the health of the men; and it was fortunate
+that the most laborious part of their task was now, for a time at least,
+at an end.
+
+The river Koos-koos-kee being navigable in the place which the party had
+now reached, it remained only to build the requisite canoes. The wood
+was soon obtained; and such of the men as had sufficient strength for
+the undertaking, worked at the canoes, during the intervals of cool
+weather, and were not very long in completing them. In this part of the
+country the weather was cool during an easterly wind; exactly as, on
+the opposite side of the mountains, it had been in a westerly one. Their
+horses, to the number of thirty-eight, they consigned to the care of
+three Indian chiefs, to be kept till their return; and the saddles, with
+a small supply of ammunition, they buried in a hole, dug for the
+purpose, near the river.
+
+On the 8th of October, the travellers once more proceeded by water; and
+they now occupied five canoes. Exertion was still requisite, in the
+shoals and other difficult places; but the change was, on the whole,
+extremely favourable to them, and their progress down the current was
+proportionally rapid.
+
+This part of the country is inhabited by the _Shoshonees_, a tribe of
+_Snake Indians_, which, at present, consists of about a hundred
+warriors, and thrice as many women and children. Within their own
+recollection these Indians had lived in the plains; but they had been
+driven thence by the Pawkees and other powerful tribes, and they now
+live a wandering and precarious life. From the middle of May till the
+beginning of September they reside on the western waters; but, when the
+salmon, on which they chiefly subsist there, disappear, they cross the
+ridge and descend, slowly and cautiously, till they are joined, near the
+Three Forks, by other bands, either of their own nation, or of the
+Flat-heads, who make common cause with them. They then venture to hunt
+buffaloes in the plains eastward; but such is their dread of the
+Pawkees, that, so long as they can obtain the scantiest subsistence,
+they do not leave the interior of the mountains; and, as soon as they
+collect a large stock of dried meat, they again retreat: thus they
+alternately obtain food at the hazard of their lives, and hide
+themselves to consume it. Two-thirds of the year they are forced to live
+in the mountains, passing whole weeks with no other subsistence than a
+few fish and roots. The salmon were, at this time, fast retiring; roots
+were becoming scarce, they had not yet attained strength to hazard a
+meeting with their enemies, and nothing could be imagined more wretched
+than their condition.
+
+Notwithstanding their miseries they were cheerful, and, in many
+important points of character, were superior to any other tribes whom
+the travellers had seen. They never begged: they were not tempted to a
+single act of dishonesty by the sight of the treasures which their
+visitors displayed; and they were ready to share with their guests, the
+little which they themselves possessed. They were also a high-spirited
+people. The Spaniards, the only white men with whom they had hitherto
+had any intercourse, would not supply them with fire-arms, alleging
+that, if they were possessed of such weapons, they would only be the
+more induced to kill one another. The Shoshonees, perhaps, do not
+perceive that policy is the real motive of the Spaniards; but they
+clearly see that the plea of humanity is fallacious, and they complain
+that they are thus left to the mercy of their enemies the Minnetarees,
+who, having fire-arms, plunder them of their horses, and slay them at
+pleasure.
+
+Though many of their stock had lately been stolen, the Shoshonees
+possessed, at this time, not fewer than seven hundred horses, of good
+size, vigorous, and patient of fatigue, as well as of hunger. They had
+also a few mules, which had been purchased or stolen from the Spaniards,
+by the frontier Indians. These were the finest animals of the kind, that
+Captain Clarke had ever seen; even the worst of them was considered
+worth the price of two horses.
+
+The horse is a favourite animal with this people. His main and tail,
+which are never mutilated, they decorate with feathers, and his ears
+they cut into various patterns. A favourite horse, also, is sometimes
+painted; and a warrior will suspend, at the breast of his horse, the
+finest ornaments which he possesses.
+
+The Shoshonees always fight on horseback. They have a few bad guns among
+them, which are reserved, exclusively, for war; but their common weapons
+are bows and arrows. The bows that are chiefly prized, are made of the
+argali's horn, flat pieces of which are cemented together with glue.
+They have also lances, and a formidable sort of club, consisting of a
+round stone, about two pounds in weight, fastened, by a short thong, to
+a wooden handle. Their defensive armour is a shield of buffalo's hide,
+manufactured with equal ingenuity and superstition. The skin must be the
+whole hide of a male buffalo, two years old, and never suffered to dry,
+since it was flayed off. A feast is held, to which all the warriors, old
+men, and jugglers, are invited. After the repast, a hole is dug in the
+ground, about eighteen inches deep, and of the same diameter as the
+intended shield. Red hot stones are thrown into this hole; and water is
+poured upon them, to produce a strong steam. Over this, the skin is
+laid, with the fleshy side to the ground; and stretched, in every
+direction, by as many persons as can take hold of it. As it becomes
+heated, the hair separates, and is taken off; and the skin is, at last,
+contracted into the compass designed for the shield. It is then removed,
+placed on a dry hide; and, during the remainder of the festival, is
+pounded by the bare heels of the guests. This operation sometimes
+continues for several days. The shield is then actually proof against
+any arrow; and, if the old men and the jugglers have been satisfied with
+the feast, they pronounce it impenetrable by bullets also, which many of
+the warriors believe. It is ornamented with feathers, with a fringe of
+dressed leather, and with paintings of strange figures. This people have
+also a sort of arrow-proof mail, with which they cover themselves and
+their horses. It is made of dressed antelope-skins, in many folds,
+united by a mixture of glue and sand.
+
+The Shoshonees are a diminutive and ill-formed race; with flat feet,
+thick ancles, and crooked legs. The hair of both sexes is usually worn
+loose over the face and shoulders; some of the men, however, divide it,
+by leather thongs, into two equal queues, which they allow to hang over
+the ears. Their tippet, or rheno, as it is called, is described to have
+been the most elegant article of Indian dress, that the travellers had
+ever seen. It is of otter-skin, tasselled with ermine; and not fewer
+than an hundred ermine-skins are required for each.
+
+The inhabitants of the plains, to the west of the Rocky Mountains,
+appear to differ considerably from their neighbours on the higher
+grounds. The _Chopunnish_ or _Pierced Nose nation_, who reside on the
+Kooskooskee, and the river now called Lewis's river, are, in person,
+stout, portly, and, good-looking men. The women are small, with regular
+features; and are generally handsome, though dark. Their chief ornaments
+are a buffalo or elk-skin robe, decorated with beads; and sea-shells, or
+mother-of-pearl, attached to an otter-skin collar, and hung in the hair,
+which falls in front in two queues. They likewise ornament themselves
+with feathers and paints of different kinds; principally white, green,
+and light blue, all of which they find in their own country. In winter,
+they wear a shirt of dressed skins, long painted leggings and moccasins,
+and a plat of twisted grass round the neck.
+
+The dress of the women is more simple: it consists of a long shirt of
+argali-skin, which reaches down to the ankles, and is without a girdle:
+to this are tied shells, little pieces of brass, and other small
+articles; but their head is not at all ornamented.
+
+The Chopunnish Indians have very few ornaments; for their life is
+painful and laborious; and all their exertions are necessary to earn
+their subsistence. During the summer and autumn they are busily occupied
+in fishing for salmon, and collecting their winter store of roots. In
+the winter, with snow-shoes on their feet, they hunt deer over the
+plains; and, towards the spring, they cross the mountains to the
+Missouri, for the purpose of trafficking for buffalo-robes.
+
+In descending the _Kooskooskee_, the travellers had many opportunities
+of observing the arrangements of the Indians for preserving fish,
+particularly salmon, which are here very abundant. In some places,
+especially in the Columbia, the water was so clear, that these fish were
+seen at the depth of fifteen or twenty feet. During the autumn, they
+float down the stream in such numbers, that the Indians have only to
+collect, split, and dry them. Scaffolds and wooden houses, piled up
+against each other, for the purpose of fishing, were frequently
+observed. Indeed fish are here so abundant, that, in a scarcity of wood,
+dried salmon are often used as fuel.
+
+A considerable trade is carried on in dried fish, which is thus
+prepared. The salmon, having been opened, and exposed some time to the
+sun, is pounded between two stones; then packed in baskets, neatly made
+of grass and rushes, which are lined and covered with salmon-skins,
+stretched and dried for that purpose. In these baskets, the pounded
+salmon is pressed down as hard as possible. Each basket contains from
+ninety to one hundred pounds; seven baskets are placed side by side, and
+five on the top. They are then covered with mats, and corded; and then
+again matted, thus forming a stack. In this manner the fish is kept
+sweet and sound for many years.
+
+The Koo-koos-kee is greatly augmented by the junction of Lewis's river
+from the south; and the united streams, after flowing a considerable
+distance, fall into the still larger flood of the Columbia. At their
+junction, the width of the Columbia is nine hundred and sixty yards.
+
+The Indians, in this part of America, are called _Solkuks_; and seem to
+be of a mild and peaceable disposition, and to live in a state of
+comparative happiness. Each man is contented with a single wife, with
+whom he shares the labours of procuring subsistence, much more than is
+usual among savages. What may be considered as an unequivocal proof of
+their good disposition, is the great respect which is shown to old age.
+Among other instances of it, the travellers observed, in one of the
+houses, an old woman perfectly blind; and who, as they were informed,
+had lived more than a hundred winters. In this state of decrepitude she
+occupied the best position in the house, seemed to be treated with great
+kindness, and whatever was said by her, was listened to with much
+attention.
+
+The fisheries supply the _Solkuks_ with a competent, if not an abundant
+subsistence. Fish is, indeed, their chief food; except roots, and the
+casual supplies of the antelope, which, to those who have only bows and
+arrows, must be very scanty. Most of the Solkuks have sore eyes, and
+many of them are blind of one or both eyes; and decayed teeth are very
+common among them.
+
+The party proceeded down the Columbia. Fish was here so abundant, that
+in one day's voyage, they counted no fewer than twenty stacks of dried
+salmon.
+
+They passed the falls of this river. These are not great; but, at a
+little distance below them, a very remarkable scene is presented to the
+view. At a place where the river is about four hundred yards wide, and
+where the stream flows with a current more rapid than usual, it widens
+into a large bend or basin, at the extremity of which a black rock,
+rising perpendicularly from the right shore, seems to run wholly across.
+So completely did it appear to block up the passage, that the travellers
+could not, as they approached, see where the water escaped; except that
+the current appeared to be drawn with peculiar velocity towards the left
+of the rock, where there was a great roaring. On landing, to survey it,
+they found that, for about half a mile, the river was confined within a
+channel only forty-five yards wide, whirling, swelling, and boiling, the
+whole way, with the wildest agitation imaginable. Tremendous as the pass
+was, they attempted it; and, to the astonishment of the Indians, they
+accomplished it in safety.
+
+In the vicinity of this place, a tribe of Indians, called _Echeloots_,
+were settled. Here the travellers, for the first time, since they had
+left the Illinois country, observed wooden buildings. The floors were
+sunk about six feet in the ground, a custom implying at the same time a
+cold and dry climate.
+
+Proceeding on their way, they saw an Indian, dressed in a round hat and
+a sailor's jacket, with his hair tied. Jackets, brass kettles, and other
+European or American articles, were observed to be common. These Indians
+are fond of ornamenting their boats and houses with rude sculptures and
+paintings. One of the chiefs exhibited, from what was called his great
+medicine-bag, fourteen fore-fingers, the trophies taken from as many
+enemies, whom he had killed in war. This was the first time that the
+travellers had known any other trophy preserved than the scalp. The
+great medicine-bag, among these Indians, is an useful invention; for, as
+it is deemed sacrilegious for any person, except the owner, to touch it,
+this bag serves the purpose of a strong-box, in which the most valuable
+articles may safely be deposited.
+
+The Echeloots in their mode of sepulture, differ much from the
+generality of North American Indians. They have common cemeteries, where
+the dead, carefully wrapt in skins, are laid on mats, in a direction
+east and west. The vaults, or rather chambers, in which the bodies are
+deposited, are about eighty feet square, and six in height. The whole of
+the sides are covered with strange figures, cut and painted; and wooden
+images are placed against them. At the top of these sepulchral chambers,
+and on poles attached to them, brass-kettles are hung, old frying-pans,
+shells, skins, and baskets, pieces of cloth, hair, and other similar
+offerings. Among some of the tribes, the body is laid in one canoe and
+covered with another. Every where the dead are carefully deposited, and
+with like marks of respect. Captain Clarke says it is obvious, from the
+different articles which are placed by the dead, that these people
+believe in a future state of existence.
+
+On the 2d of November, the travellers perceived the first tide-water;
+four days afterwards, they had the pleasure of hearing a few words of
+English, spoken by an Indian, who talked of a Mr. Haley, as the
+principal trader on the coast; and, on the 7th, a fog clearing off, gave
+them a sight of the _Pacific Ocean_.
+
+They suffered great hardships near the mouth of the river. At one place,
+where they were detained two nights by the violence of the wind, the
+waves broke over them, and large trees, which the stream had carried
+along with it, were drifted upon them, so that, with their utmost
+vigilance, they could scarcely save the canoes from being dashed to
+pieces. Their next haven was still more perilous: the hills rose steep
+over their heads, to the height of five hundred feet; and, as the rain
+fell in torrents, the stones, upon their crumbling sides, loosened, and
+came rolling down upon them. The canoes, in one place, were at the mercy
+of the waves; the baggage was in another place; and the men were
+scattered upon floating logs, or were sheltering themselves in the
+crevices of the rocks.
+
+The travellers, having now reached the farthest limits of their journey,
+once more began to look out for winter-quarters. But it was not till
+after a long search, that they discovered, at some distance from the
+shore, and near the banks of the Columbia, a situation in all respects
+convenient. But so incessant was the rain, that they were unable to
+complete their arrangements, till about the middle of December. Here, in
+latitude 46 degrees, 19 minutes, they passed three months, without
+experiencing any thing like the cold of the interior; but they were, in
+other respects, exposed to numerous inconveniences. The supply of food
+was precarious; being confined to the fish caught along the sea-coasts,
+and to a few elks and other animals, which were killed in the adjacent
+country.
+
+The Indians, in this part of America, had been accustomed to traffic,
+along the shore, with European vessels, and had learned to ask
+exorbitant prices for their commodities. Their circulating money
+consisted of blue beads; but with these, as well as with other
+merchandise, their visitors were, at this time, very scantily supplied.
+These Indians were unacquainted with the use of ardent spirits, but they
+were no strangers to the vice of gaming.
+
+During the winter, Captains Lewis and Clarke occupied much of their time
+in acquiring information concerning the country; and obtained some
+account of the number of tribes, languages, and population of the
+inhabitants, for about three hundred and sixty miles southward, along
+the coast; but of those in an opposite direction, they were unable to
+learn any thing more than their names.
+
+The people of the four nations with whom they had the most intercourse;
+the _Killamucks_, _Clatsops_, _Chinnoocks_, and _Cathlamahs_, were
+diminutive and ill-made. Their complexions were somewhat lighter than
+those of the other North American Indians: their mouths were wide, their
+lips thick, and their noses broad, and generally flat between the eyes.
+
+All the tribes who were seen west of the Rocky Mountain, have their
+foreheads flattened. The child, in order to be thus beautified, has its
+head placed in a kind of machine, where it is kept for ten or twelve
+months; the females longer than the males. The operation is gradual, and
+seems to give but little pain; but if it produces headache, the poor
+infant has no means of making its sufferings known. The head, when
+released from its bandage, Captain Clarke says, is not more than two
+inches thick, about the upper part of the forehead; and still thinner
+above. Nothing can appear more wonderful, than that the brain should
+have its shape thus altered, without any apparent injury to its
+functions.
+
+There is an extensive trade carried on upon the Columbia, which must
+have existed before the coast was frequented by foreign traders; but to
+which the foreign trade has given a new impulse. The great emporium of
+this trade is at the falls, the _Shilloots_ being the carriers between
+the inhabitants above and below. The Indians of the Rocky Mountains
+bring down bear's-grease, horses, and a few skins, which they exchange
+for beads, pounded fish, and the roots of a kind of water-plant, which
+are produced, in great abundance, in a tract of land between the
+Multomah and a branch of the Columbia. The mode of obtaining these roots
+is curious. A woman carries a canoe, large enough to contain herself,
+and several bushels of them, to one of the ponds where the plants grow;
+she goes into the water breast high, feels out the roots with her feet,
+and separates the bulbs from them with her toes. These, on being freed
+from the mud, float. The women often continue in the water at this
+employment for many successive hours, even in the depth of winter. The
+bulbs are about the size of a small potato, and, when roasted in wood
+ashes, constitute a palatable food.
+
+These Indians are a very ingenious race. Even with their own imperfect
+tools, they make, in a few weeks, a canoe, which, with such implements,
+might be thought the work of years. A canoe, however, is very highly
+prized: it is considered of equal value with a wife, and is what the
+lover generally gives a father in exchange for his daughter. The bow and
+stern are ornamented with a sort of comb, and with grotesque figures of
+men or animals, sometimes five feet high, composed of small pieces of
+wood, skilfully inlaid and morticed, without a spike of any kind. Their
+bowls or troughs are scooped out of a block of wood; in these they boil
+their food. Their best manufacture is a sort of basket, of straw-work or
+cedar bark, and bear-grass, so closely interwoven as to be water-tight.
+Further south the natives roast their corn and pulse over a slow
+charcoal-fire, in baskets of this description, moving the basket about
+in such manner that it is not injured, though every grain within it is
+completely browned.
+
+Among these Indians the women are well treated, and enjoy an
+extraordinary degree of influence. On many subjects their opinions are
+consulted: in matters of trade, their advice is generally asked and
+pursued. Sometimes they even take upon themselves a tone of authority;
+and the labours of the family are almost equally divided. No account is
+given by Captain Lewis of the superstitions of these people; and no
+inquiry seems to have been made concerning their religious belief.
+
+
+_Narrative of the return of Captains_ LEWIS _and_
+CLARKE, _from the Pacific Ocean to St. Louis._
+
+The commanders of the expedition were desirous of remaining on the coast
+of the Pacific till the arrival of the annual trading ships, hoping from
+them to be able to recruit their almost exhausted stores of merchandise;
+but, though these were expected in April, it was found impossible to
+wait. The elks, on which they chiefly depended for subsistence, had
+retreated to the mountains; and, if the Indians could have sold them
+food, they were too poor to purchase it. The whole stock of goods, on
+which they had to depend, for the purchase of horses and food, during a
+journey homeward, of nearly four thousand miles, was so much diminished,
+that it might all have been tied in two pocket-handkerchiefs. Their
+muskets, however, were in excellent order, and they had plenty of powder
+and shot.
+
+On the 23d of March, 1806, the canoes were loaded, and they took a final
+leave of their encampment. Previously to their departure, they
+deposited, in the hands of the Indian chiefs, some papers specifying the
+dates of the arrival and departure of the expedition. This was done in a
+hope that at least some one of them might find its way into a civilized
+country. The course homeward was, during the first month, by water; the
+canoes being dragged, or carried overland, in places where the current
+of the Columbia was too strong to be navigated. On these occasions, the
+travellers were exposed to much annoyance from the pilfering habits of
+the Indians; and their provisions were so scanty that they were obliged
+to subsist on dog's-flesh: a diet which, at first, was extremely
+loathsome to them, but to which they in time became reconciled.
+
+The difficulties of the navigation made it expedient for them to leave
+the canoes at some distance below the junction of the _Columbia_ with
+_Lewis's river_, after which they prosecuted their journey on horseback.
+Proceeding in an easterly direction, they arrived, on the seventh of
+May, within sight of the _Rocky Mountains_, and saw the tops of these
+mountains completely covered with snow. Anxious, however, to cross them
+as early as they could, they lost no time in recovering their horses
+from the Chopunnish Indians, and in extracting their stores from the
+hiding places in the ground. Still it was necessary for them to encamp
+for a few weeks, that they might occupy themselves in hunting, and that
+the health of the invalids might be reinstated.
+
+Here Captains Lewis and Clarke practised physic among the natives, as
+one means of supplying themselves with provisions. Their stock of
+merchandise was reduced so low, that they were obliged to cut off the
+buttons from their clothes, and to present them, with phials and small
+tin boxes, as articles of barter with the Indians; and, by means of
+these humble commodities, they were enabled to procure some roots and
+bread, as provision during their passage over the Rocky Mountains, which
+they commenced on the tenth of June.
+
+Towards the middle of June the fall of the rivers showed that the great
+body of snow on the mountains was at last melted; and they ventured to
+leave their encampment, against the advice of several of the Indians.
+They, however, soon found that they had been premature in their motions;
+for, on the higher grounds, there was no appearance whatever of
+vegetation. The snow, which covered the whole country, was indeed
+sufficiently hard to bear the horses, but it was still ten or twelve
+feet deep; so that a further prosecution of their journey was, at
+present, impossible; and the travellers, after having deposited, in this
+upper region, their baggage, and such provisions as they could spare,
+reluctantly traced back their steps to the plain. There they remained
+ten days; and, on the 26th, they again began to ascend the lofty ridge;
+the snow on which had, in the interval, melted nearly four feet, leaving
+still a depth of six or seven. They now implicitly followed the steps of
+their guides, who traversed this trackless region with a kind of
+instinctive sagacity: these men never hesitated respecting the path, and
+were never embarrassed. In three days they once more reached the stream
+which, in their former journey, they had named _Traveller's Rest Creek_.
+
+Here Captains Lewis and Clarke agreed to separate, for the purpose of
+taking a more comprehensive survey of the country in their journey
+homeward. It was considered desirable to acquire a further knowledge of
+the Yellow-stone, a large river which flows from the south-west, more
+than one thousand miles before it reaches the Missouri; and it was of
+importance to ascertain, more accurately than they had hitherto done,
+the course of Maria's river.
+
+The separation took place on the 3d of July; and Captain Lewis, holding
+on an eastern course, crossed a large stream which flowed towards the
+Columbia, and which had already been named _Clarke's river_. On the 18th
+of July he came to _Maria's river_, the object of his search; and he
+continued for several days, his route along its northern bank. After
+having ascertained the course of this river, he again set out on his
+journey homeward, that he might not lose the opportunity of returning
+before the winter.
+
+He and his companions were only four in number; and, in one part of
+their journey, they had an alarming intercourse with a party of Indians.
+Not very long after this they embarked on the _Missouri_; and, with the
+aid of their oars and the current, they proceeded at the rate of between
+sixty and eighty miles a day. On the 7th of August they reached the
+mouth of the _Yellow-stone river_, the place of rendezvous, appointed
+with Captain Clarke. Here, by a note stuck upon a pole, they were
+informed that he had accomplished his voyage along that river, and would
+wait for them lower down the Missouri.
+
+Captain Clarke, on quitting the central encampment at _Traveller's Rest
+Creek_, had marched in a southerly direction, and had traversed a
+distance of one hundred and sixty-four miles, to the head of
+_Jefferson's river_. This journey was performed, on horseback, and in
+six days, over a country by no means difficult; so that, in future, the
+passage of this elevated region will be divested of a considerable
+portion of its terrors. He also discovered that the communication
+between the _Upper Missouri_ and the _Yellow-stone river_, was attended
+with little trouble; for Gallatin's river, one of the tributary streams
+of the Missouri, approaches within eighteen miles of the Yellow-stone,
+and, at a place, where the latter is completely navigable.
+
+Being unable to find wood of sufficient magnitude for the formation of
+canoes, Captain Clarke and his men were obliged to proceed on horseback,
+about one hundred miles down the side of this river. At length they
+succeeded in constructing boats, and sailed down the remainder of this
+stream with great rapidity. On the 27th, at the distance of two hundred
+miles from the Rocky Mountains, they beheld that elevated region for the
+last time. The Yellow-stone being easy of navigation, they reached the
+place of rendezvous earlier than they had expected.
+
+The whole party being now assembled below the conflux of the
+Yellow-stone and Missouri rivers, they prosecuted the remainder of their
+voyage together; experiencing, in the prospect of home, and in the ease
+with which they descended the river, a compensation for all their
+fatigues; and receiving the visits of various tribes of Indians who
+resided upon its banks.
+
+The greatest change which was experienced by them, in their southward
+progress, was that of climate. They had passed nearly two years, in a
+cool, open country, and they were now descending into wooded plains,
+eight or ten degrees further to the south, but differing in heat much
+more than is usual in a correspondent distance in Europe. They were
+likewise greatly tormented by musquitoes.
+
+On landing at _La Charrette_, the first village on this side of the
+United States, they were joyfully received by the inhabitants, who had
+long abandoned all hopes of their return. On the 23d of September they
+descended the Mississippi to _St. Louis_, which place they reached about
+noon; having, in two years and nine months, completed a journey of
+nearly nine thousand miles.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+At St. Louis we shall resume the narrative of Mr. Pike, who, in the
+month of July, 1806, set out from that place on an expedition westward,
+through the immense territory of Louisiana, towards New Spain. The chief
+objects of this expedition were to arrange an amicable treaty between
+the Americans and Indians of this quarter; and to ascertain the
+direction, extent, and navigation, of two great rivers, known by the
+names of Arkansaw and Red River.
+
+
+
+
+Eighteenth Day's Instruction.
+
+WESTERN TERRITORY CONCLUDED.
+
+
+_Narrative of Mr. Pike's Journey from St. Louis, through Louisiana, to
+Santa Fe, New Spain._
+
+The party engaged in this expedition, were Mr. Pike and another
+lieutenant, a surgeon, a serjeant, two corporals, sixteen private
+soldiers, and one interpreter. They had, under their charge, some
+chiefs of the Osage and Pawnee nations, who, with several women and
+children, had been redeemed from captivity, and now, to the number of
+fifty-one, were about to be restored to their friends.
+
+They set out from _St. Louis_ on the 15th of July, 1806, and proceeded,
+in two boats, up the _Missouri_. About six miles from the village of
+_St. Charles_, they passed a hill of solid coal, so extensive that it
+would probably afford fuel sufficient for the whole population of
+Louisiana.
+
+Mr. Pike says that, every morning, he was awaked by the lamentations of
+the savages who accompanied him. These invariably began to cry about
+day-light, and continued to do so for an hour. On enquiry respecting
+this practice, he was informed that it was customary, not only with
+persons who had recently lost their friends; but also with others who
+called to mind the loss of some friend, dead long before. They seemed to
+be extremely affected: tears ran down their cheeks, and they sobbed
+bitterly; but, when the hour was expired, they, in a moment, ceased
+their cries, and dried their cheeks.
+
+In their progress up the river, the Indians walked along the banks, and,
+every night, encamped near the boats. On the 28th the boats reached the
+mouth of the _Osage river_. For some distance the southern shore of the
+Missouri had been hilly, and covered with trees; and on the north were
+low bottoms and heavy timber. The soil was rich, and well adapted for
+cultivation.
+
+They entered the Osage, and encountered few difficulties in their voyage
+up that river. From the shores, the hunters amply supplied the whole
+party with provisions; deer, turkeys, geese, and game of different
+kinds.
+
+From the mouth of the Osage to that of the _Gravel river_, a distance of
+one hundred and eighteen miles, the banks of the former are covered with
+timber, which grows in a rich soil. Low hills, with rocks, alternately
+border the eastern and western shores: the lower grounds have excellent
+soil, and the whole adjacent country abounds in game. From the
+Gravel-river to the _Yungar_, the Osage continues to exhibit the
+appearance of a fertile and well-timbered country.
+
+The Indians joined their friends on the 15th, after which Mr. Pike and
+his party proceeded alone. On the ensuing day they passed the mouth of
+the _Grand Fork_, which was nearly as wide as the Osage; and, soon
+afterwards, reached the villages of the Osage Indians. The country
+adjacent to these villages is extremely beautiful. Three branches of the
+river wind round them, giving to their vicinity the advantages of wood
+and water, and, at the same time, those of an extensive prairie, crowned
+with rich and luxuriant grass and flowers, diversified by rising swells
+and sloping lawns.
+
+The _Osage Indians_, in language, habits, and many of their customs,
+differ little from other tribes which inhabit the country near the
+Missouri and Mississippi. They raise great quantities of corn, beans,
+and pumpkins; and all the agricultural labour is performed by women. The
+government is vested in a few of the chiefs, whose office is, in most
+instances, hereditary; but these never undertake any affair of
+importance, without first assembling the warriors, and proposing the
+subject for discussion in council. The Osage Indians are divided into
+classes: those of the principal class are warriors and hunters; and the
+others are cooks and doctors. The last exercise the function of priests
+or magicians; and, by pretended divinations, interpretations of dreams,
+and magical performances, they have great influence in the councils of
+the nation: they also exercise the office of town-criers. Many old
+warriors assume the profession of cooks: these do not carry arms, and
+are supported by the public, or by particular families to which they are
+attached.
+
+When a stranger enters the Osage village, he is received, in a
+patriarchal style, at the lodge of the chief. He is then invited, by all
+the great men of the village, to a feast. The cooks proclaim the feast,
+in different parts of the village, "Come and eat: such a one gives a
+feast, come and partake of his bounty." The dishes are generally boiled
+sweet corn, served up in buffalo grease; or boiled meat and pumpkins.
+
+From the Osage villages, Mr. Pike, and his men, accompanied by several
+Indians, proceeded, on horseback, in a somewhat westerly direction,
+towards the river Arkansaw. In some places the country was hilly, and
+commanded beautiful prospects. The wild animals were so numerous, that
+Mr. Pike, standing on one of the hills, beheld, at a single view,
+buffaloes, elks, deer, and panthers. Beyond this they passed through
+numerous herds of buffaloes, elks, and other animals. In many places the
+country was very deficient in water.
+
+On the 17th of September they reached a branch of the _Kanzes river_,
+the water of which was strongly impregnated with salt, as was that of
+many of the creeks. At some distance beyond this river, they were met by
+a party of Pawnee Indians; one of whom wore a scarlet coat, and had two
+medals: each of the others had a buffalo robe thrown over his naked
+body.
+
+From the eastern branch of the Kanzes river, to the village of the
+Pawnee Indians, the prairies are low, the grass is high, the country
+abounds in saline places, and the soil appears to be impregnated with
+particles of nitre and of common salt. The immediate borders of the
+river near the village, consist of lofty ridges; but this is an
+exception to the general appearance of the country.
+
+The _Pawnees_ reside on the rivers Platte and Kanzes. They are divided
+into three tribes. Their form is slender, and their cheeks bones are
+high. They are neither so brave nor so honest as their more northern
+neighbours. Their government, like that of the Osage Indians, is an
+hereditary aristocracy; but the power of the chiefs is extremely
+limited. They cultivate the soil and raise corn and pumpkins: they also
+breed horses, and have vast numbers of excellent animals. The houses or
+huts of the Pawnees are circular, except at the part where the door is
+placed; and, from this part, there is a projection of about fifteen
+feet. The roofs are thatched with grass and earth, and have, at the top,
+an aperture for the smoke to pass out: the fire is always made on the
+ground, in the middle of the hut. In the interior there are, round the
+walls, many small and neat apartments, constructed of wicker-work: these
+are the sleeping places of the different members of the family. The
+Pawnees are extremely addicted to gaming, and have, for that purpose, a
+smooth piece of ground, about one hundred and fifty yards in length,
+cleared at each end of their village.
+
+On Monday, the 29th of September, Mr. Pike held a grand council with the
+Pawnees; at which were present not fewer than four hundred warriors.
+Some attempts were made, by the chief, to prevent the further progress
+of the travellers; but Mr. Pike says, that they were not to be deterred
+by any impediments that could be opposed to them by a band of savages.
+
+Proceeding onward they came to several places which had evidently been
+occupied by Spanish troops; and they were desirous of tracing the course
+along which these troops had marched; but the marks of their footsteps
+had been effaced by the numerous herds of buffaloes, which abound in
+this part of the country.
+
+On the 18th of October, the travellers crossed the _Arkansaw_. From the
+Pawnee town, on the Kanzes river, to the Arkansaw, the country may be
+termed mountainous; and it contains a vast number of buffaloes. In the
+vicinity of this river it is, in many places, low and swampy.
+
+The travellers were occupied several days in cutting down trees and
+constructing canoes. During this time the hunters killed several
+buffaloes, elks, and other animals. When the canoes were completed, Mr.
+Pike dispatched Lieutenant Wilkinson, and three men, down the river,
+with letters to the United States; and himself and the rest of his men
+proceeded, on horseback, up the side of the river. On the 29th of
+October, a considerable quantity of snow fell, and ice floated along the
+current. Three days after this, they observed a numerous herd of wild
+horses. When within about a quarter of a mile of them, the animals
+approached, making the earth tremble, as if under a charge of cavalry.
+They stopped; and, among them, were seen some beautiful bays, blacks,
+and greys, and, indeed, horses of all colours. The next day the party
+endeavoured to catch some of them, by riding up, and throwing nooses
+over them. The horses stood, neighing and whinnying, till the assailants
+approached within thirty or forty yards; but all attempts to ensnare
+them were vain.
+
+Buffaloes were so numerous, that Mr. Pike says he is confident there
+were, at one time, more than three thousand within view. Through all the
+region which the party had hitherto traversed, they had not seen more
+than one cow-buffalo; but now the whole face of the country appeared to
+be covered with cows. Numerous herds of them were seen nearly every day.
+
+The course of the travellers still lay along the banks of the river;
+which, in this part of the country, were covered with wood on both
+sides; but no other species of trees were observed than cotton-wood. On
+the 15th of November, a range of mountains was seen, at a great
+distance, towards the right: they appeared like a small blue cloud; and
+the party, with one accord, gave three cheers, to what they considered
+to be the Mexican mountains.
+
+On the 22d, a great number of Indians were seen in the act of running
+from the woods, towards the strangers. Mr. Pike and his men advanced to
+meet them; and observing that those in front, extended their hands, and
+appeared to be unarmed, he alighted from his horse. But he had no sooner
+done this, than one of the savages mounted the horse, and rode off with
+it. Two other horses were taken away in a similar manner; but, when
+tranquillity was restored, these were all afterwards recovered. This was
+a war-party of the _Grand Pawnees_, who had been in search of an Indian
+nation called Jetans; but, not finding them, they were now on their
+return. They were about sixty in number, armed partly with guns, and
+partly with bows, arrows, and lances. An attempt was made to
+tranquillize them, by assembling them in a circle, offering to smoke
+with them the pipe of peace, and presenting them with tobacco, knives,
+fire-steels, and flints. With some difficulty they were induced to
+accept these presents, for they had demanded many more; and, when the
+travellers began to load their horses, they stole whatever they could
+carry away.
+
+A few days after this, Mr. Pike and his men reached the Blue Mountain,
+which they had seen on the 15th; and, with great difficulty, some of
+them ascended it. Along the sides, which were, in many places, rocky,
+and difficult of ascent, grew yellow and pitch pine-trees, and the
+summit was several feet deep in snow.
+
+From the entrance of the _Arkansaw_ into the mountains, to its source,
+it is alternately bounded by perpendicular precipices, and small, narrow
+prairies. In many places, the river precipitates itself over rocks, so
+as to be at one moment visible only in the foaming and boiling of its
+waters, and at the next disappearing in the chasms of the overhanging
+precipices. The length of this river is one thousand nine hundred and
+eighty-one miles, from its junction with the Mississippi to the
+mountains; and thence to its source one hundred and ninety-two; making
+its total length two thousand one hundred and seventy-three miles. With
+light boats it is navigable all the way to the mountains. Its borders
+may be termed the terrestrial paradise of the wandering savages. Of all
+the countries ever visited by civilized man, there probably never was
+one that produced game in greater abundance than this.
+
+By the route of the Arkansaw and the _Rio Colorado_ of California, Mr.
+Pike is of opinion that a communication might be established betwixt
+the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The land-carriage, at the utmost, would
+not exceed two hundred miles; and this might be rendered as easy as
+along the public highways over the Alleghany Mountains. The Rio Colorado
+is, to the great Gulf of California, what the Mississippi is to the Gulf
+of Mexico; and is navigable for ships of considerable burden.
+
+The travellers left the vicinity of the Arkansaw on the 30th of
+November; and, though the ground was covered with snow, and they
+suffered excessively from the cold, they still persevered in their
+journey, and in their labour of examining and ascertaining the courses
+of the rivers. They killed a great number of buffaloes and turkeys.
+Steering their course in a south-westerly direction, for the head of the
+Red river, one of the party found a camp which had been occupied by at
+least three thousand Indians: it had a large cross in the middle. They
+subsequently found many evacuated camps of Indians.
+
+On the 18th of December, they came to a stream, about twenty-five yards
+in width, which they erroneously supposed to be a branch of the Red
+river. Its current flowed with great rapidity, and its bed was full of
+rocks. On ascending this river, to examine its source, it was found to
+run close to the mountains, in a narrow and rocky channel; and to have
+its banks bordered with pine-trees, cedar, and other kinds of timber.
+The whole party suffered extremely from cold; their clothing being
+frozen stiff, and their limbs considerably benumbed.
+
+Their situation, on Christmas-day, was not very enviable. All the food
+they possessed, was buffalo-flesh, without salt. Before this time, they
+had been accustomed to some degree of comfort, and had experienced even
+some enjoyments: but now, at the most inclement season of the year, and
+eight hundred miles distant from the frontiers of the United States, not
+one person was properly clad for the winter; many were even without
+blankets, having cut them up for socks and other articles; and all were
+obliged to lie down at night, upon the snow or wet ground, one side
+burning and the other frozen. For shoes and clothing they were obliged
+to adopt a miserable substitute in raw buffalo hides.
+
+In their further progress, they suffered excessive hardships for several
+days. Food became so scarce, that they were obliged to separate into
+eight different parties, in order to procure subsistence. The roads were
+so mountainous, stony, and slippery, that it was with the greatest
+difficulty the horses could be prevented from stumbling; and many of
+them fell. In one instance, the whole party were four days without food;
+and some of them had their feet frozen. At length, they were obliged to
+leave the horses; and each man had to carry a heavy load, and, at the
+same time, to march through snow two feet and half deep. Several of the
+men, unable to keep pace with the rest, were left behind.
+
+On the 27th of January, Mr. Pike observed, at a distance, a large river,
+which he imagined to be the Red river; and, on the 30th, he reached its
+banks. This, afterwards, proved to be the _Rio del Norte_. They
+proceeded along its banks, for about eighteen miles; and, at length,
+came to a spot, where they established a temporary residence, whilst
+they sent men to assist, and collect together the unfortunate stragglers
+who had been left in the rear.
+
+The region they had traversed betwixt the Arkansaw and the Rio del
+Norte, was covered with mountains and small prairies. From the Missouri
+to the head of the Osage river, a distance of about three hundred miles,
+Mr. Pike says that the country will admit of a numerous, extensive, and
+compact population. From the Osage to the rivers Kanzes, La Platte, and
+Arkansaw, the country could sustain only a limited population; but the
+inhabitants might, with advantage, rear cattle, horses, sheep, and
+goats.
+
+On the 16th of February, whilst Mr. Pike and one of his men were
+hunting, in the vicinity of their residence, they observed, at a
+distance, two horsemen, armed with lances. They proved to be a Spanish
+dragoon and an Indian, who had been sent from Santa Fe, a town of New
+Spain, about four days before. On the 17th, some of the stragglers
+arrived: several of them had lost the joints of their toes, by the
+intensity of the frost, and were rendered cripples for life.
+
+The Spanish dragoon and Indian had returned to Santa Fe; and the report
+which they made of the appearance of the strangers, induced the governor
+to send out fifty dragoons, and fifty mounted militia, for the purpose
+of ascertaining their state and numbers. In an interview which took
+place with the commanders of these troops, Mr. Pike learnt that the
+river, on the bank of which he had encamped, was the Rio del Norte, and
+not the Red river, as he had imagined. The officers stated to him that a
+hundred mules and horses had been sent to convey him, his men, and
+baggage, to Santa Fe; and that the governor was anxious to see them in
+that town, to receive an explanation respecting their business on his
+frontiers.
+
+Mr. Pike and some of his men accompanied the officers to Santa Fe, while
+others were left behind, to wait the arrival of those who had not yet
+come up.
+
+In their progress, they were treated, in all the villages, with the
+utmost hospitality. On their march, they were frequently stopped by
+women, who invited them into their houses to eat; and, in every place
+where they halted, there was a contest who should be their hosts. Those
+that had suffered by having their limbs frozen, were conducted home by
+old men, who caused their daughters to dress the sores, and to provide
+for them victuals and drink; and, at night, they gave them the best bed
+in the house.
+
+In the evening of the 3d of March, Mr. Pike reached _Santa Fe_. This
+city, the capital of New Mexico, is situated along the banks of a small
+creek, which issues from the mountains, and runs westward to the Rio
+del Norte. It is about a mile in length, and not more than three
+streets in width. The houses are, generally, only one story high, and
+have flat roofs. There are, in Santa Fe, two churches, the magnificence
+of whose steeples forms an extraordinary contrast to the miserable
+appearance of the other buildings. On the north side of the town is a
+square, constructed for soldiers' houses, each flank of which contains
+from a hundred and twenty to a hundred and forty. The public square is
+in the centre of the town. On one side of it is the palace or
+government-house, with the quarters for the guards; and the other sides
+are occupied by the houses of the clergy, and public officers. Most of
+the houses have sheds before them, which occasion the streets to be very
+narrow. The number of inhabitants in Santa Fe, is supposed to be about
+four thousand five hundred.
+
+On Mr. Pike and his men entering this town, the crowd assembled to view
+them was excessively great: and, indeed, their extremely miserable
+appearance seems to have excited much curiosity. This may easily be
+accounted for. After they had left the Arkansaw, they had been obliged
+to carry all their baggage on their backs; and, consequently, the useful
+were preferred to the ornamental articles. The ammunition, tools,
+leather-leggings, boots, and moccasins, had been considered absolutely
+requisite. They had left behind their uniform clothing; and, when they
+entered Santa Fe, Mr. Pike was dressed in a pair of blue trowsers,
+moccasins, a blanket-coat, and a red cap. His men had leggings, cloths
+round their waists, and leather coats: there was not a hat among the
+whole party. This appearance was extremely mortifying to them all,
+especially as soldiers; and it made no very favourable impression on the
+people of Santa Fe. They were asked, by many of the common people,
+whether they had lived in houses, or in camps, like the Indians; or
+whether, in their country, the people wore hats.
+
+They were conducted to the government-house, where they dismounted. On
+entering it they were conducted through various rooms, the floors of all
+which were covered with the skins of buffaloes, bears, or other animals.
+Here they underwent an examination, by the governor, respecting their
+objects and number. The conference terminated amicably; but the governor
+informed Mr. Pike that he must be conducted to Chihuahua, a town in the
+province of New Biscay, and upwards of three hundred leagues distant.
+
+
+
+
+Nineteenth Day's Instruction.
+
+MEXICO OR NEW SPAIN.
+
+
+The Spanish possessions in North America, extend from the isthmus of
+Darien, along the coast of the Pacific Ocean, to the distance of more
+than two thousand two hundred miles. One half of them is situated under
+the burning sky of the tropics, and the other belongs to the temperate
+zone. Their whole interior forms an immense plain, elevated from six to
+eight thousand feet above the level of the adjacent seas. The chain of
+_mountains_ which constitutes this vast plain, is a continuation of that
+which, under the name Andes, runs through South America. They are, in
+general, little interrupted by valleys, and, for the most part, their
+declivity is very gentle. In consequence of this elevation, the Mexican
+provinces, situated under the torrid zone, enjoy a cold rather than a
+temperate _climate_. The interior provinces, in the temperate zone,
+have, like the rest of North America, a climate essentially different
+from that of the same parallels in the European continent. A remarkable
+inequality prevails between the temperature of the different seasons:
+German winters succeed to Neapolitan and Sicilian summers.
+
+This country suffers many inconveniences from a want of water, and
+particularly of navigable rivers. The Rio del Norte and the Rio Colorado
+are almost the only _rivers_ of any importance. The _lakes_ with which
+Mexico abounds, are merely the remains of immense basins of water, which
+appear to have formerly existed on the high and extensive plains of the
+Cordilleras. The largest of these, the _Lake of Chapala_, contains
+nearly one hundred and sixty square leagues, and is about twice as large
+as the lake of Constance.
+
+A great portion of high land, in the interior of New Spain, is destitute
+of vegetation; and some of the loftiest summits are clad with perpetual
+snow. This country is not so much disturbed by earthquakes as several
+parts of South America; for, in the whole of New Spain there are only
+five _volcanos_; Orizaba, Popocatepetl, Tuxtla, Jorullo, and Colima.
+
+The _volcano of Jorullo_, in the province of Valladolid, was formed
+during the night of the 29th of September, 1759. The great catastrophe,
+in which this mountain rose from the earth, and by which a considerable
+space of ground changed its appearance, is, perhaps, one of the most
+extraordinary physical revolutions in the history of the earth. Geology
+points out parts of the ocean, where, at recent periods, near the
+Azores, in the Egean Sea, and to the south of Iceland, small volcanic
+islands have arisen above the surface of the water; but it gives no
+example of the formation, amidst a thousand small burning cones, of a
+mountain of scoria, near seventeen hundred feet in height, above the
+adjoining plain. Till the middle of the year 1759, fields cultivated
+with sugar-canes and indigo occupied the extent of ground between the
+two brooks called Cultamba and San Pedro. In the month of June, a
+subterraneous noise was heard. Hollow sounds of most alarming
+description, were accompanied by frequent earthquakes, which succeeded
+one another for fifty or sixty days, to the great consternation of the
+inhabitants. From the beginning of September every thing seemed to
+announce the complete re-establishment of tranquillity; when, in the
+night between the 28th and 29th, the subterraneous noises recommenced.
+The affrighted Indians fled to the mountains; and a tract of ground,
+from three to four square miles in extent, which goes by the name of
+_Malpays_, rose up in the shape of a bladder. The bounds of this
+convulsion are still distinguishable in the fractured strata. The
+Malpays, near its edges, is only about forty feet above the old level of
+the plain; but the convexity of the ground thus thrown up, increases
+progressively, towards the centre, to an elevation of more than five
+hundred and twenty feet.
+
+The persons who witnessed this astonishing catastrophe, assert that
+flames were seen to issue forth, for an extent of more than half a
+square league; that fragments of burning rocks were thrown up to
+prodigious heights; and that, through a thick cloud of ashes, illumined
+by the volcanic fire, the softened surface of the earth was seen to
+swell up like an agitated sea. The rivers of Cultamba and San Pedro
+precipitated themselves into the burning chasms. The decomposition of
+the water contributed to invigorate the flames, which were
+distinguishable at a vast distance. Eruptions of mud, and other
+substances, indicated that subterraneous water had no small share in
+producing this extraordinary revolution. Thousands of small cones, from
+six to nine feet in height, called by the Indians "hornitos," or ovens,
+issued forth from the Malpays. Each small cone is a "fumorola," from
+which a thick vapour ascends; and in many of them a subterraneous noise
+is heard, which appears to announce the proximity of a fluid in
+ebullition. In the midst of the ovens six large masses, elevated from
+one thousand three hundred to one thousand six hundred and forty feet
+above the old level of the plains, sprung up from a chasm. The most
+elevated of these is the great volcano of Jorullo. It is continually
+burning, and has thrown up an immense quantity of scorified and
+basaltic lavas, containing fragments of primitive rocks. These great
+eruptions of the central volcano continued till the month of February,
+1760. In the following year they became gradually less frequent. The
+Indians, frightened at the horrible noises of the new volcano, had
+abandoned all the villages, within seven or eight leagues of it. They,
+however, gradually became accustomed to them, and returned to their
+cottages. So violent were the eruptions of this mountain, that the roofs
+of houses in Queretaro, though at a distance of more than forty-eight
+leagues, in a straight line from the scene of explosion, were sometimes
+covered with ashes.
+
+The Mexican _population_ consists of seven races, 1. Individuals born in
+Europe; 2. Creoles, or Whites of European extraction, born in America;
+3. Mesti zos, or descendants of whites and Indians; 4. Mulattoes,
+descendants of whites and negroes; 5. Zambos, descendants of negroes and
+Indians; 6. Indians, or the copper-coloured indigenous race; and, 7.
+African negroes.
+
+The number of _Indians_, including those only who have no mixture of
+European or African blood, are more than two millions and a half in
+number; and these appear to constitute about two-fifths of the whole
+population of Mexico. They bear a general resemblance to the Indians of
+Canada, Florida, Peru, and Brazil: they have a similar swarthy and
+copper-coloured skin, smooth hair, little beard, squat body, long eyes,
+with the corners directed upward towards the temples, prominent cheek
+bones, and thick lips. There is a great diversity in their language, but
+they appear to have been all descendants from the same original stock.
+
+It is probable that these Indians would live to a great age, did they
+not often injure their constitution by drunkenness. Their intoxicating
+liquors are rum, a fermentation of maize, and the root of the jatropha;
+and especially a wine which is made from the juice of the great
+American aloe. The police, in the city of Mexico, sends round tumbrils,
+to collect such drunkards as are found lying in the streets. These are
+treated like dead bodies, and are carried to the principal guard-house.
+The next morning an iron ring is put round each of their ancles, and, as
+a punishment, they are made to cleanse the streets for three days.
+
+The Mexican Indian, when not under the influence of intoxicating
+liquors, is grave, melancholic, and silent. The most violent passions
+are never depicted in his features; and it is sometimes frightful to see
+him pass, at once, from a state of apparent repose, to the most violent
+and unrestrained agitation. It is stated that these Indians have
+preserved, from their ancestors, a particular relish for carving in wood
+and stone; and that it is astonishing to see what they are able to
+execute with a bad knife, on the hardest wood. Many Indian children,
+educated in the college of the capital, or instructed at the academy of
+painting, founded by the king of Spain, have considerably distinguished
+themselves, but without leaving the beaten track pursued by their
+forefathers; they chiefly display great aptitude in the arts of
+imitation; and in the purely mechanical arts.
+
+The _Spanish inhabitants_ and the _Creoles_ are noted for hospitality,
+generosity, and sobriety; but they are extremely deficient in energy,
+patriotism, enterprise, and independence of character. The women have
+black eyes and hair, and fine teeth: they are of dark colour, full habit
+of body, and have, in general, bad figures. They usually wear short
+jackets and petticoats, high-heeled shoes, and no head-dress. As an
+upper garment they have a silk wrapper, which, when they are in the
+presence of men, they affect to bring over their faces. In the towns on
+the frontiers and adjacent to the sea-coast, many of the ladies wear
+gowns, like those of our country-women. The lower classes of men are
+generally dressed in broad-brimmed hats, short coats, large waistcoats,
+smallclothes open at the knees, and a kind of boot or leather wrapper
+bound round the leg, and gartered at the knee. The spurs of the
+gentlemen are clumsy: they are ornamented with raised work; and the
+straps are embroidered with gold and silver thread. The Spanish
+Americans are always ready to mount their horses; and the inhabitants of
+the interior provinces pass nearly half their day on horseback. In the
+towns, and among the higher ranks, the men dress in the European style.
+
+The _amusements_ of this people are music, singing, dancing, and
+gambling: the latter is, indeed, officially prohibited; but the
+prohibition is not much attended to. At every large town there is a
+public walk, where the ladies and gentlemen meet and sing songs. The
+females have fine voices, and sing French, Italian, and Spanish music,
+the whole company joining in chorus. In their houses the ladies play on
+the guitar, and accompany this instrument with their voices. They either
+sit on the carpet cross-legged, or loll on a sofa: to sit upright, on a
+chair, appears to put them to great inconvenience.
+
+Both in _eating_ and _drinking_ the Spanish Americans are remarkably
+temperate. Early in the morning those of the higher class have
+chocolate. At twelve they dine on meat, fowls, and fish; after which
+different kinds of confectionary are placed on the table; they drink a
+few glasses of wine, sing a few songs, and then retire to take their
+_siesta_ or afternoon nap. The latter is a practice common both to rich
+and poor: the consequence of it is that, about two o'clock, every day,
+the windows and doors of the town are all closed, the streets are
+deserted, and the stillness of midnight reigns throughout. At four they
+rise, wash and dress, and prepare for the dissipation of the evening.
+About eleven o'clock refreshments are offered; but few take any thing
+except a little wine and water and candied sugar.
+
+The _commerce_ of New Spain, with Europe and the United States, is
+carried on through the port of Vera Cruz only; and with the East Indies
+and South America, through that of Acapulco. But all the commercial
+transactions, and all the productions and manufactures, are subjected to
+such severe restrictions, that they are at present of little importance
+to the prosperity of the country. Were the various bays and harbours of
+Mexico and California to be opened to the trade of the world; and were
+correct regulations to be adopted, New Spain might become both wealthy
+and powerful. Many parts of the country abound in iron ore, yet iron and
+steel articles, of every description, are brought from Europe; for the
+manufacturing or working of iron is here strictly prohibited. This
+occasions the requisite utensils of husbandry, arms, and tools, to be
+enormously dear; and forms a great check to the progress of agriculture,
+and to improvements in manufactures.
+
+The _ancient Mexicans_ preserved the memory of events by figures painted
+on skins, cloth, or the bark of trees. These hieroglyphical and
+symbolical characters, being considered by the ignorant and bigoted
+Spaniards to be monuments of idolatry, the first bishop of Mexico
+destroyed as many of them as could be collected. In consequence of this
+barbarous procedure, the knowledge of remote events was lost, except
+what could be derived from tradition, and from some fragments of those
+paintings which eluded the search of the monks.
+
+With regard to the _public edifices_ of the Mexicans: their temples were
+merely mounds of earth faced with stone; and it is probable that their
+other public buildings were equally rude. The ancient natives bestowed
+little attention on agriculture, and were strangers to the use of money;
+but their ornaments of gold and silver indicated considerable ingenuity.
+They were acquainted with the manufacture of paper, of coarse
+cotton-cloth, glass, and earthenware; and they possessed the arts of
+casting metals, of making mosaic work with shells and feathers, of
+spinning and weaving the hair of animals, and of dying with indelible
+colours.
+
+The _religion_ of the ancient Mexicans, like that of all unenlightened
+nations, seems to have been founded chiefly on fear; and consisted of a
+system of gloomy rites and practices, the object of which was to avert
+the evils that they suffered or dreaded. They had some notion of an
+invisible supreme Being; but their chief anxiety was to deprecate the
+wrath of certain imaginary malignant spirits, whom they regarded as the
+enemies of mankind. They worshipped idols, formed of wood and stone; and
+decorated their temples with the figures of serpents, tigers, and other
+destructive animals. They believed in the immortality of the soul; but
+their notions of a future state may be collected from their funeral
+rites: the bodies, or the ashes of the deceased, were generally buried
+with whatever was judged necessary for their accommodation or comfort in
+the other world, where it was believed they would experience the same
+desires, and be engaged in the same occupations, as in this. The
+religion established by the Spaniards is the Roman Catholic; and it is
+computed that one-fifth part of the Spanish inhabitants are
+ecclesiastics, monks, and nuns.
+
+The _Spanish government_ in America is vested in officers called
+viceroys, who represent the person of their sovereign; and who possess
+his royal prerogatives, within the precincts of their own territories.
+In its present state, New Spain is divided into twelve intendancies, and
+three districts, which are called provinces[2].
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+[2] For particulars respecting the conquest of Mexico by the Spaniards,
+see "Biographical Conversations on Eminent Voyagers," p. 59 to 73.
+
+
+
+
+Twentieth Day's Instruction.
+
+MEXICO CONTINUED.
+
+
+_Narrative of Mr. PIKE'S Journey from Santa Fe to Montelovez._
+
+Mr. Pike and his men were escorted from Santa Fe by a Spanish officer,
+and a troop of soldiers. On Thursday, the 5th of March, they arrived at
+a village called _St. Domingo_. The inhabitants of this place were about
+a thousand in number; and the chiefs were distinguished by canes, with
+silver heads and black tassels. Mr. Pike was permitted to visit the
+church; and he was much astonished to find, enclosed in mud-brick walls,
+many rich paintings, and a statue of the patron saint, as large as life,
+and elegantly ornamented with gold and silver.
+
+On the ensuing day, the party marched down the eastern side of the Rio
+del Norte, the snow being still a foot deep. Near the village of
+_Albuquerque_, they observed that the inhabitants were beginning to open
+the canals, for the purpose of letting in the water of the river, to
+fertilize the lands. They saw men, women, and children engaged in the
+joyful labour, which was to crown, with rich abundance, their future
+harvest, and to ensure them plenty for the ensuing year. A little below
+Albuquerque, the Rio del Norte was four hundred yards wide, but not more
+than three feet deep.
+
+In their journey southward, they passed through several villages. One of
+these, called _Sibilleta_, was in the form of a regular square,
+appearing, on the outside, like an immense mud-wall. All the doors and
+windows faced the interior of the square; and it was the neatest and
+most regular village Mr. Pike had ever seen.
+
+Beyond this village, the party met a caravan, consisting of three
+hundred men, escorted by an officer and thirty-five or forty troops, who
+were proceeding, with about fifteen thousand sheep, to the different
+provinces. They afterwards met a caravan of fifty men, and about two
+hundred horses, laden with traffic, for New Mexico. On the 21st of March
+they arrived at the _Passo del Norte_: the road now led them through a
+rough and mountainous country; and passing through _Carracal_, and some
+other villages, they reached _Chihuahua_ on the 2d of April.
+
+They were conducted into the presence of the commanding-officer of the
+place, before whom Mr. Pike underwent an examination, as he had
+previously done at Santa Fe. He was treated with great apparent respect,
+and was offered both assistance and money. He afterwards visited in the
+houses of some of the principal inhabitants. At the house of the
+governor, when wine was put on the table, after dinner, the company was
+entertained with songs in the French, Italian, Spanish, and English
+languages.
+
+There are, at Chihuahua, and in its vicinity, fifteen mines; thirteen of
+silver, one of gold, and one of copper; the furnaces for all of which
+are in the suburbs of the town, and present, except on Sundays, volumes
+of smoke, rising in every direction. Chihuahua is surrounded by piles of
+cinders, from ten to fifteen feet in height. In the public square, stand
+the church, the royal treasury, the town-house, and the richest shops;
+and, at the western extremity of the town, are two other churches, an
+hospital, and the military academy. About a mile south of the town, is a
+large aqueduct. The principal church of Chihuahua is a most superb
+edifice: its whole front is covered with statues of saints; figures of
+different saints are set in niches of the wall; and the windows, doors,
+&c. are ornamented with sculpture. The decorations in the interior are
+said to be immensely rich. On the south of the town is a public walk,
+formed by three rows of trees, the branches of which nearly form a
+junction over the heads of the passengers below. At different distances,
+there are seats for persons to repose themselves upon; and at each end
+of the walks, are circular seats, on, which, in the evenings, the
+inhabitants amuse themselves in singing to the music of guitars. This
+city contains about eleven thousand inhabitants.
+
+After a residence, in Chihuahua, of somewhat more than three weeks, Mr.
+Pike received an intimation that he and his men would be escorted out of
+the country. Accordingly, on the 28th of April, he was accompanied,
+towards the frontier, by a Spanish officer. Near Chihuahua they passed a
+small ridge of mountains, and then encamped in a hollow. At the distance
+of about fifty miles they reached the river _Florida_; on the banks of
+which are many important settlements, and well-timbered lands. One of
+the plantations on this river, extended thirty leagues; and had been
+valued at three hundred thousand dollars.
+
+The country through which they now passed was mountainous. On the 11th
+of May, they reached _Mauperne_, a village situated at the foot of the
+mountains, and near which eight or nine valuable copper-mines were
+worked; but the mass of the people were in a starving and wretched
+state. The proprietor of the mines, however, gave the travellers an
+elegant repast.
+
+They pursued their march three miles further, to a station, on a little
+stream, which flowed through gardens, and formed a terrestrial paradise.
+Here they remained all day, and at night slept under the shade of the
+fig-trees. In the morning, Mr. Pike was awakened by the singing of the
+birds, and the perfume of the trees around. This place, however, was no
+doubt rendered the more interesting to the travellers, in consequence of
+their having previously suffered much inconvenience from want of water.
+
+On the 20th, they arrived at the _Hacienda of Polloss_, a handsome
+place, at which the Marquis de San Miguel, a wealthy nobleman, who
+possessed extensive property in this part of New Spain, usually passed
+the summer. The Hacienda of Polloss is a square enclosure of about three
+hundred feet: the building is no more than one story high; but some of
+the apartments are very elegantly furnished. In the centre of the square
+is a fountain, which throws out water from eight spouts. There is also,
+at this place, a handsome church, which, with its ornaments, is said to
+have cost at least twenty thousand dollars. The inhabitants are about
+two thousand in number.
+
+_Montelovez_, situated on the banks of a small stream, is about a mile
+in length. It has two public squares, seven churches, some
+powder-magazines, mills, a royal hospital, and barracks. The number of
+inhabitants is about three thousand five hundred. This city is
+ornamented with public walks, columns, and fountains; and is one of the
+handsomest places in New Spain[3].
+
+South-west from Montelovez stands _Durango_, the chief city of the
+province of Biscay. In the vicinity of this place are many rich and
+valuable mines; and the soil is so fertile as to produce abundant crops
+of wheat, maize, and fruit. The climate is mild and healthy. Durango
+contains about twelve thousand inhabitants; and has four convents and
+three churches.
+
+
+_A Description of the City of Mexico._
+
+This magnificent city is the capital of New Spain, and the residence of
+the viceroy. In its _situation_ it possesses many important advantages.
+Standing on an isthmus, which is washed on one side by the Atlantic
+Ocean, and on the other by the South-sea, it might possess a powerful
+influence over the political events which agitate the world. A king of
+Spain, resident at this capital, might, in six weeks, transmit his
+orders to Europe, and, in three weeks, to the Philippine islands in
+Asia. There are, however, difficulties to be encountered, arising from
+the unfavourable state of the coasts, and the want of secure harbours.
+During several months in the year, these coasts are visited by tempests.
+The hurricanes, also, which occur in the months of September, October,
+and March, and which sometimes last for three or four successive days,
+are very tremendous.
+
+Mexico was originally founded in the lake of Tezcuco; and, at the time
+when the Spaniards first invaded America, it was a magnificent capital.
+Cortez, describing it in the year 1520, says, that it was in the midst
+of a salt-water lake, which had its tides, like the ocean; and that,
+from the city to the continent, there was a distance of two leagues.
+Four dikes or embankments, each two lances broad, led to the city. The
+principal streets were narrow: some of them had navigable canals running
+along them, furnished with bridges, wide enough for ten men on
+horseback, to pass at the same time. The market-place was surrounded
+with an immense portico, under which were sold all sorts of merchandise,
+eatables, ornaments made of gold, silver, lead, pewter, precious stones,
+bones, shells, and feathers; earthenware, leather, and spun cotton. In
+some places were exposed to sale hewn stone, tiles, and timber for
+building; in others game; and, in others, roots, garden-stuff, and
+fruit. There were houses where barbers shaved the head, with razors made
+of obsidian, a volcanic substance not much unlike bottle-glass; and
+there were others, resembling our apothecary-shops, where prepared
+medicines, unguents, and plasters were sold. The market abounded with so
+many things, that Cortez was unable to name them all. To avoid
+confusion, every species of merchandise was sold in a separate place. In
+the middle of the great square was a house, which he calls
+_L'Audiencia_; and in which ten or twelve persons sate every day, to
+determine any disputes which might arise respecting the sale of goods.
+
+The city was divided into four _quarters_: this division is still
+preserved, in the limits assigned to the quarters of St. Paul, St.
+Sebastian, St. John, and St. Mary; and the present streets have, for the
+most part, the same direction as the old ones. But what gives to this
+city a peculiar and distinctive character is, that it is entirely on the
+continent, between the extremities of the two lakes of Tezcuco and
+Chalco. This has been occasioned by the gradual draining of the great
+lake, and the consequent drying up of the waters around the city. Hence
+Mexico is now two miles and half from the banks of the former, and five
+miles and half from those of the latter.
+
+Adorned with numerous _teocallis_, (or temples,) like so many Mahometan
+steeples, surrounded with water and embankments, founded on islands
+covered with verdure, and receiving, hourly, in its streets, thousands
+of boats, which vivified the lake, the ancient Mexico, according to the
+accounts of the first conquerors, must have resembled some of the cities
+of Holland, China, or the Delta of Lower Egypt.
+
+As reconstructed by the Spaniards, it exhibits, at the present day,
+perhaps a less vivid, though a more august and majestic appearance, than
+the ancient city. With the exception of Petersburg, Berlin,
+Philadelphia, and some quarters of Westminster, there does not exist a
+place of the same extent, which can be compared to the capital of New
+Spain, for the uniform level of the ground on which it stands, for the
+regularity and breadth of the streets, and the extent of its public
+places. The architecture is, for the most part, in a pure style; and
+many of the edifices are of a very beautiful structure. The exterior of
+the houses is not loaded with ornaments. Two sorts of hewn stone, give
+to the Mexican buildings an air of solidity, and sometimes even of
+magnificence. There are none of those wooden balconies and galleries to
+be seen, which so much disfigure all the European cities in both the
+Indies. The balustrades and gates are all of iron, ornamented with
+bronze; and the houses, instead of roofs, have terraces, like those in
+Italy, and other southern countries of the old continent.
+
+Mexico has, of late, received many additional embellishments. An
+edifice, for the School of Mines, which was built at an expence of more
+than L.120,000 sterling, would adorn the principal places of Paris or
+London. Two great palaces have been constructed by Mexican artists,
+pupils of the Academy of Fine Arts. One of these has a beautiful
+interior, ornamented with columns.
+
+But, notwithstanding the progress of the arts, within the last thirty
+years, it is much less from the grandeur and beauty of the monuments,
+than from the breadth and straightness of the streets; and much less
+from its edifices, than from its uniform regularity, its extent and
+position, that the capital of New Spain attracts the admiration of
+Europeans. M. De Humboldt had successively visited, within a very short
+space of time, Lima, Mexico, Philadelphia, Washington, Paris, Rome,
+Naples, and the largest cities of Germany; and notwithstanding
+unavoidable comparisons, of which several might be supposed
+disadvantageous to the capital of Mexico, there was left on his mind, a
+recollection of grandeur, which he principally attributed to the
+majestic character of its situation, and the beauty of the surrounding
+scenery.
+
+In fact, nothing can present a more rich and varied appearance than the
+_valley of Mexico_, when, in a fine summer morning, a person ascends one
+of the towers of the cathedral, or the adjacent hill of Chapoltepec. A
+beautiful vegetation surrounds this hill. From its summit, the eye
+wanders over a vast plain of richly-cultivated fields, which extend to
+the very feet of colossal mountains, that are covered with perpetual
+snow, The city appears as if washed by the waters of the lake of
+Tezcuco, whose basin, surrounded by villages and hamlets, brings to mind
+the most beautiful lakes of the mountains of Switzerland. Large avenues
+of elms and poplars lead, in every direction, to the capital; and two
+aqueducts, constructed over arches of great elevation, cross the plain,
+and exhibit an appearance equally agreeable and interesting.
+
+Mexico is remarkable for its excellent police. Most of the _streets_
+have broad pavements; and they are clean, and well lighted. Water is,
+every where, to be had; but it is brackish, like the water of the lake.
+There are, however, two _aqueducts_, by which the city receives
+fresh-water, from distant springs. Some remains of the _dikes_ or
+_embankments_, are still to be seen: they, at present, form great paved
+causeys, across marshy ground; and, as they are considerably elevated,
+they possess the double advantage, of admitting the passage of
+carriages, and restraining the overflowings of the lake. This city has
+six principal _gates_; and is surrounded by a ditch, but is without
+walls.
+
+The objects which chiefly attract the attention of strangers, are 1. The
+_Cathedral_, which is partly in the Gothic style of architecture, and
+has two towers, ornamented with pilasters and statues, of very beautiful
+symmetry. 2. The _Treasury_, which adjoins to the palace of the
+viceroys: from this building, since the beginning of the 16th century,
+more than 270 millions sterling, in gold and silver coin, have been
+issued. 3. The _Convents_. 4. The _Hospital_, or rather the two united
+hospitals, of which one maintains six hundred, and the other eight
+hundred children and old people. 5. The _Acordada_, a fine edifice, of
+which the prisons are spacious and well aired. 6. The _School of Mines_.
+7. The _Botanical Garden_, in one of the courts of the viceroy's palace.
+8. The edifices of the _University_ and the _Public Library_, which,
+however, are very unworthy of so great and ancient an establishment. 9.
+The _Academy of Fine Arts_.
+
+Mexico is the see of an archbishop, and contains twenty-three convents
+for monks, and fifteen for nuns. Its whole population is estimated at
+one hundred and forty thousand persons.
+
+On the north-side of the city, near the suburbs, is a _public walk_,
+which forms a large square, having a basin in the middle, and where
+eight walks terminate.
+
+The _markets_ of Mexico are well supplied with eatables; particularly
+with roots and fruit. It is an interesting spectacle, which may be
+enjoyed every morning at sunrise, to see these provisions, and a great
+quantity of flowers, brought by Indians, in boats, along the canals.
+Most of the roots are cultivated on what are called _chinampas_, or
+"floating gardens." These are of two sorts: one moveable, and driven
+about by the winds, and the other fixed and attached to the shore. The
+first alone merit the denomination of floating-gardens.
+
+Simple lumps of earth, in lakes or rivers, carried away from the banks,
+have given rise to the invention of chinampas. The floating-gardens, of
+which very many were found by the Spaniards, when they first invaded
+Mexico, and of which many still exist in the lake of Chalco, were rafts
+formed of reeds, rushes, roots, and branches of underwood. The Indians
+cover these light and well connected materials with a black mould, which
+becomes extremely fertile. The chinampas sometimes contain the cottage
+of the Indian, who acts as guard for a group of floating gardens. When
+removed from one side of the banks to the other, they are either towed
+or are pushed with long poles. Every chinampa forms an oblong square
+about three hundred feet in length, and eighteen or nineteen feet broad.
+Narrow ditches, communicating symmetrically between them, separate these
+squares. The mould fit for cultivation rises about three feet above the
+surface of the surrounding water. On these chinampas are cultivated
+beans, peas, pimento, potatoes, artichokes, cauliflowers, and a great
+variety of other vegetables. Their sides are generally ornamented with
+flowers, and sometimes with hedges of rose-bushes. The promenade in
+boats, around the chinampas of the river Istracalco, is one of the most
+agreeable amusements that can be enjoyed in the environs of Mexico. The
+vegetation is extremely vigorous, on a soil which is continually
+refreshed with water.
+
+The _Hill of Chapoltepec_, near Mexico, was chosen by the young viceroy
+Galvez, as the site of a villa for himself and his successors. The
+castle has been finished externally, but the apartments were not
+completed when M. de Humboldt was here. This building cost the king of
+Spain more than L.62,000 sterling.
+
+With respect to the two great _lakes_, Tezcuco and Chalco, which are
+situated in the valley of Mexico, one is of fresh water, and the other
+salt. They are separated by a narrow range of mountains, which rise in
+the middle of the plain; and their waters mingle together, in a strait
+between the hills. On both these lakes there are numerous towns and
+villages, which carry on their commerce with each other in canoes,
+without touching the continent.
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+[3] From this place, Mr. Pike was conducted, through St. Antonio, in a
+north-westerly direction, to the territories of the United States; and
+he terminates the account of his travels at _Natchitoches_, on the
+southern bank of the Red river.
+
+
+
+
+Twenty-first Day's Instruction.
+
+MEXICO CONCLUDED.
+
+
+_A Description of some of the most important Places in Mexico._
+
+In an easterly direction from the city of Mexico lies _Tlascala_, a
+town, which, two hundred years ago, at the time of the Spanish invasion,
+had a numerous population, and was in a wealthy and flourishing state.
+The inhabitants of this place were implacable enemies of the Mexicans,
+and aided the Spaniards in the conquest of their country. It is now,
+however, little more than a village, containing about three thousand
+inhabitants. Some parts of the ancient walls still remain, and are
+composed of alternate strata of brick and clay.
+
+Six leagues south-west from Tlascala, and in the midst of a delightful
+valley, watered by a river which runs south-west to the Pacific Ocean,
+stands _Puebla_, the capital of an intendancy, and the see of a bishop.
+It is a large and regularly built manufacturing town, notorious for the
+profligacy of its inhabitants.
+
+_Cholula_, once a sacred Indian town, to which pilgrimages were
+frequent, but now a mean village, is not far from Puebla. This place is,
+at present, remarkable only for a curious monument of antiquity, a
+pyramid which consists of four stages, and is about one hundred and
+seventy-seven feet in perpendicular height, and one thousand four
+hundred and twenty-three feet at the base. Its structure appears to
+consist of alternate strata of bricks and clay. In the midst of this
+pyramid there is a church, where mass is, every morning, celebrated by
+an ecclesiastic of Indian extraction, whose residence is on the summit.
+
+Eastward of the intendancy of Puebla is that of _Vera Cruz_. This
+district is enriched with various natural productions, extremely
+valuable both in a commercial and economical view. The sugar-cane grows
+here in great luxuriance: chocolate, tobacco, cotton, sarsaparilla, are
+all abundant; but the indolence of the inhabitants is so great, and all
+their wants are so easily supplied, by the natural fertility of the
+soil, that the country does not produce one half of what, under good
+management, it might be made to produce. The sugar and cotton
+plantations are chiefly attended to; but the progress made in these is
+not great.
+
+The chief city of the province is _Vera Cruz_; a sea-port, the residence
+of the governor, and the centre of the Spanish West Indian and American
+commerce. This city is beautifully and regularly built; but on an arid
+plain, destitute of water, and covered with hills of moving sand, that
+are formed by the north winds, which blow; with impetuosity, every year,
+from October till April. These hills are incessantly changing their
+form and situation: they are from twenty to thirty feet in height; and,
+by the reflection of the sun's rays upon them, and the high temperature
+which they acquire during the summer months, they contribute much to
+increase the suffocating heat of the atmosphere.
+
+The houses in Vera Cruz are chiefly built of wood; for no stone whatever
+is found in the vicinity of the place. The public edifices are
+constructed of materials obtained from the bottom of the ocean: the
+stony habitations of a kind of marine animals called madrepores. The
+town is of great extent; and is surrounded by a wall, and defended by a
+kind of citadel, which stands on an adjacent rocky island. The harbour
+is well protected; but the entrance into it is so narrowed by rocks,
+that only one ship can pass at a time.
+
+On the annual arrival of the flota, or fleet of merchant-vessels from
+Old Spain, Vera Cruz is crowded, from all parts of the adjacent country;
+and a kind of fair is opened, which lasts many weeks. The principal
+inhabitants are merchants, but very few of them reside wholly in the
+town; for the heat of the climate, the stagnant water in the vicinity of
+the place, and the bad quality of the water used for drinking, are the
+cause of yellow fever and numerous other diseases.
+
+The churches of Vera Cruz are much decorated with silver ornaments. In
+the dwelling houses, the chief luxury consists of porcelain and other
+Chinese articles. The whole number of inhabitants is estimated at about
+thirteen thousand. They are, in general, proud and indolent. The women,
+few of whom are handsome, live much in retirement.
+
+During the rainy season, the marshes south of the town are haunted by
+alligators. Sea-fowl of various kinds are here innumerable; and the
+musquitoes, at certain seasons of the year, are very troublesome.
+Earthquakes are not unfrequent. The north winds are so tremendous as
+often to drive vessels on shore: these gales sometimes load the walls
+with sand; and so much inconvenience is occasioned by them, that,
+during their continuance, ladies are excused by the priests from going
+to mass.
+
+The richest merchants of this place have country-houses at _Xalapa_, a
+town, in a romantic situation, about twenty leagues distant. Here they
+enjoy a cool and agreeable retreat from the arid climate and noxious
+exhalations of Vera Cruz. In the vicinity of Xalapa, thick forests of
+styrax, piper, melastomata, and ferns resembling trees, afford the most
+delightful promenades imaginable.
+
+The intendancy of Vera Cruz contains, within its limits, two colossal
+summits; one of which, the _volcano of Orizaba_, is of great height, and
+has its top inclined towards the south-east, by which the crater is
+visible to a considerable distance. The other summit, the _Coffre de
+Perote_, according to M. de Humboldt's measurement, is one thousand
+three hundred feet higher than the Pic of Tenerife. It serves as a
+land-mark to vessels approaching Vera Cruz. A thick bed of pumice-stone
+environs this mountain. Nothing at the summit announces a crater; and
+the currents of lava observable between some adjacent villages, appear
+to be the effects of an ancient explosion.
+
+The small _volcano of Tuxtla_ is about four leagues from the coast, and
+near an Indian village, called Saint Jago di Tuxtla. The last eruption
+of this volcano took place on the 2d of March, 1793; and, during its
+continuance, the roofs of houses at Oaxaca, Vera Cruz, and Perote, were
+covered with volcanic ashes. At Perote, fifty-seven leagues distant, the
+subterraneous noises resembled heavy discharges of artillery.
+
+In the northern part of the intendancy of Vera Cruz, and two leagues
+from the village of _Papantla_, there is a _pyramidal edifice_ of great
+antiquity. It is in the midst of a forest; and the Indians, for more
+than two centuries, succeeded in concealing, from the knowledge of the
+Spaniards, this object of ancient veneration. It was accidentally
+discovered, by a party of hunters, about thirty years ago. The
+materials that have been employed in its construction are immense stones
+cemented with mortar; and it is remarkable for its general symmetry, for
+the polish of its stones, and the great regularity of their form. Its
+base is an exact square, each side being eighty-two feet in length. The
+perpendicular height is about sixty feet. This monument, like all the
+Mexican teocallis or temples, is composed of several stages. Six are
+still distinguishable, and a seventh appears to be concealed by the
+vegetation, with which the sides are covered. A great stair of
+fifty-seven steps, conducts to the top, where human victims were
+formerly sacrificed; and, on each side of the great stair, is a small
+one. The facing of the stories is adorned with hieroglyphics, in which
+serpents and alligators, carved in relief, are still discernible. Each
+story contains a great number of square niches, symmetrically
+distributed.
+
+On the coast of the Pacific Ocean, and at the distance of about three
+hundred miles south-west from Vera Cruz, stands _Acapulco_, the great
+western sea-port of Mexico. This place is the principal emporium for the
+Indian trade over the Pacific Ocean. The harbour is commodious, capable
+of containing several hundred ships, and defended by a strong castle.
+The town itself is mean and ill-built, but extremely populous.
+Earthquakes are here of such frequent occurrence, that the houses are
+all very slightly constructed; and the climate, also, is extremely
+unhealthy. These circumstances occasion most of the principal merchants
+to reside in the adjacent country, at all times except when business
+demands their attention in the town.
+
+Several vessels, called "galleons," laden with the precious metals, and
+with merchandise of other kinds, are every year sent, from this port, to
+Manila, in the Philippine islands; and others return, laden with the
+valuable productions of the East Indies. On the arrival of the latter,
+the town becomes populous and gay; and is then filled with the
+wealthiest merchants of Mexico and Peru. Such, however, is the general
+dread of its unhealthiness, that these do not sleep within the walls,
+but reside chiefly in tents in its vicinity.
+
+At some distance east of Acapulco, in a beautiful and populous valley,
+stands the town of _Guaxaca_ or _Oaxaca_; distinguished by the
+magnificence of its situation, the temperature and salubrity of its
+climate, the excellence of its soil, and its general majestic
+appearance. The streets are wide, straight, and well paved; and the
+houses are chiefly built of stone. The churches and monasteries are
+numerous, and richly decorated. On one side of the great square is the
+town-house, which is constructed with stone of a sea-green colour. The
+bishop's palace and the cathedral form two other sides of the same
+square: they are surrounded by arcades, as a shelter against both the
+sun and the rain. In the suburbs of Guaxaca are gardens, and plantations
+of cactus or prickly pear-trees, on which great numbers of cochineal
+insects feed. Guaxaca is not only watered by a beautiful river, but is
+abundantly supplied, by aqueducts, with pure water from the adjacent
+mountains. Its population, including Indians, mulattoes, and negroes,
+amounts to about twenty-four thousand persons.
+
+The _intendancy of Yucatan_ forms a peninsula, about a hundred leagues
+in length, between the bays of Campeachy and Honduras. A ridge of low
+hills extends along it, from south-west to north-east; and, between this
+ridge and the _Bay of Campeachy_, the dry and parched soil produces
+logwood in great abundance and of excellent quality. For nearly five
+months, during the rainy season, the low grounds are partially
+inundated: in February the waters are dried up; and, throughout the
+remainder of the year, there is scarcely any stream to be found. Hence
+the inhabitants can only be supplied with fresh water by pits and wells.
+The eastern coast of Yucatan is so shallow and muddy, that large vessels
+cannot approach within four leagues of the shore. The chief productions
+of this peninsula are maize, cotton, indigo, and logwood.
+
+The governor resides at a small inland town called _Merida_, situated on
+an arid plain, and containing about six thousand inhabitants. The
+principal sea-port is _Campeachy_, near the north-west extremity of the
+peninsula. This town has a good dock, and a fort which protects both the
+place and the harbour. The houses are chiefly built of stone. Campeachy
+has some cotton manufactories, and a trade in wax and salt; but its
+chief trade is in logwood.
+
+_Honduras_ is an important province, south of Yucatan. Its climate is
+superior to that of most other parts of America, within the torrid zone.
+With the exception of a few months in the year, it is refreshed by
+regular sea-breezes. The periodical rains are here excessively heavy.
+The dry season is usually comprehended within the months of April, May,
+and June; and the sun, during this time, is excessively powerful. This
+province is about three hundred and ninety miles in length, from east to
+west, and consists of mountains, valleys, and plains, watered by many
+rivers. Honduras abounds in honey, wax, cotton, corn, fruit, and dyeing
+woods. It has some gold and silver mines; and its pastures feed great
+numbers of sheep and cattle. Its vineyards yield grapes twice in the
+year; but, from indolence and want of cultivation, many parts of it have
+become desert.
+
+There is a British settlement at a place called _Balize_, near the mouth
+of a river of the same name. This town is immediately open to the sea;
+and, though in a low situation, the groups of lofty cocoa-nut trees, and
+the thickly-interspersed and lively foliage of the tamarind trees,
+contribute to give a picturesque and pleasing effect to the dwellings of
+the inhabitants. The number of houses, of all descriptions, is about two
+hundred; and many of them, particularly such as are the property of the
+most opulent merchants, are spacious, commodious, and well finished.
+They are built of wood, and are generally raised eight or ten feet from
+the ground, on pillars of mahogany. The stores and offices are always on
+the lower, and the dining and sleeping apartments on the upper story.
+Every habitation, likewise, has its upper and lower piazzas, which are
+indispensably necessary in hot climates. Balize stands at the edge of a
+swamp many miles in extent, which prevents nearly all intercourse with
+the interior of the country.
+
+The principal articles at present imported from Europe into Honduras,
+are linens, printed cottons, muslins of the most costly manufacture,
+negro clothing, broadcloths, hosiery, hats, shoes, boots, earthen and
+glass wares, silver and plated goods, hardware, and cutlery: salted
+provisions, from Britain or America, are also in continual demand for
+the food of the slaves.
+
+Few countries possess greater commercial advantages, in an agricultural
+view, than this. The productions of the West Indian islands, might all
+unquestionably be cultivated here, as well as most others which are
+grown within the tropics. But the cutting of logwood and mahogany is the
+chief occupation of the British settlers. The banks of the river Balize
+have long been occupied by mahogany-cutters, even to the distance of two
+hundred miles from its mouth.
+
+About thirty miles up the Balize, on its banks, are found what are
+denominated the Indian hills. These are small eminences, which are
+supposed to have been raised by Indians over their dead; human bones,
+and fragments of a coarse kind of earthenware, being frequently dug up
+from them.
+
+_Nicaragua_ is a Spanish province, between Honduras and the isthmus of
+Darien. It is about eighty leagues in length and fifty in breadth; and
+consists, for the most part, of high and wooded mountains, some of which
+are volcanic. The valleys are watered by many streams, but only one of
+these is of any importance. This is the river _Yare_, which runs, from
+west to east, through the northern part of the province. The most
+important productions of Nicaragua are timber, cotton, sugar, honey,
+and wax. The chief town is _Leon de Nicaragua_, a place of considerable
+trade, situated near the north-west border of the lake of Nicaragua; and
+in a sandy plain, at the foot of a volcanic mountain, several leagues
+from the sea.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+From New Spain we must return northward, for the purpose of describing
+the British dominions of Nova Scotia and Canada.
+
+
+
+
+Twenty-second Day's Instruction.
+
+BRITISH AMERICAN DOMINIONS.
+
+
+NOVA SCOTIA,
+
+Is a province bounded on the east by the _Gulf of St. Lawrence_, on the
+south by the Atlantic, and on the west by the United States. It is
+somewhat more than two hundred miles long, and one hundred and seventy
+miles broad. The southern division is a peninsula of triangular form,
+having an isthmus not more than thirty miles in breadth. Nova Scotia is
+divided into counties, and subdivided into townships; and, in the whole,
+contains somewhat more than fifty thousand inhabitants.
+
+The climate is unhealthy. During a considerable part of the year, the
+maritime and lower districts are enveloped in fog. The cold of winter is
+intense, and the heat of summer excessive. The soil is various. In many
+parts it is thin, barren, gravelly, and covered with forests: in others,
+especially on the borders of the rivers, it is fertile and agreeable.
+Some of the tracts yield hemp and flax; but the inhabitants have not
+hitherto made much progress in agriculture. Nova Scotia has many bays
+and harbours; but much of the coast is bordered with dangerous rocks.
+Great numbers of cod-fish are caught in some of the bays, and in many
+parts of the sea adjacent to the coast.
+
+_Halifax_, the capital of Nova Scotia, was built about the year 1749. It
+is now a flourishing town on the sea-coast, and has an excellent
+harbour, accessible at all seasons of the year, and with depth of water
+and anchorage sufficient for the largest vessels. The town is about two
+miles in length, and a quarter of a mile in width; and is laid out in
+oblong squares, and in streets that run parallel or at right angles to
+each other. It is defended by forts of timber, and contains about
+fifteen thousand inhabitants. At its northern extremity is the royal
+arsenal, which is well built, and amply supplied with naval stores.
+
+
+CANADA,
+
+Is an extensive but thinly-peopled district, lying between the same
+parallels of latitude as France and England, but in a climate infinitely
+more severe. During winter the frost is intense, and the surface of the
+ground is covered with snow to the depth of several feet. In many parts
+of the country, however, the summers are hot and pleasant.
+
+The _boundaries_ of Canada are, the United States on the south; the
+Atlantic Ocean, Labrador, and Hudson's Bay, on the east and north; and a
+wild and undescribed region on the west. This country is divided into
+two provinces of Upper and Lower Canada: the executive power in each
+province is vested in a _governor_; and a legislative council and an
+assembly are appointed for each, having power, with the consent of the
+governor, to make laws. In the legislative council of Lower Canada,
+there are fifteen members; and in that of Upper Canada seven; and the
+appointments are for life. In the assembly of Lower Canada there are
+fifty members; and in that of Upper Canada sixteen: these are chosen by
+the freeholders and do not continue in office longer than four years.
+
+Canada was originally discovered by Sebastian Cabot, a navigator sent
+out by the English about the year 1497; but in the beginning of the
+seventeenth century, it was colonized by the French, who kept possession
+of it till the year 1763, when it fell into the hands of the British, to
+whom it still belongs. The long possession of this country by the
+French, has occasioned the _French language_ to be chiefly spoken: it
+has also occasioned the prevailing _religion_ to be Roman Catholic. The
+British government permits a toleration of all religions; but by far the
+greatest number of inhabitants are catholics. The clergy of the church
+of England, in both provinces, are only twelve in number, including the
+bishop of Quebec; whereas, those of the church of Rome amount to one
+hundred and twenty, including a bishop, and three vicars-general.
+
+The whole number of _inhabitants_ is considered to be about two hundred
+thousand, of whom fifty thousand are Indians. "Essentially a Frenchman,
+(says Mr. Hall,) the Canadian is gay, courteous, and contented. If the
+rigours of the climate have somewhat chilled the overflowing vivacity
+derived from his parent stock, he has still a sufficient portion of good
+spirits and loquacity. To strangers and travellers he is invariably
+civil; and he seems to value their good word beyond their money. He is
+considered parsimonious, because all his gains arise from his savings,
+and he is satisfied with the humblest fare." The Canadians have a great
+antipathy to the inhabitants of the United States. At this day, many
+even of the better informed among them believe that the American
+government is constantly plotting the ruin of Canada.
+
+Whilst Canada was in the hands of the French, the _commerce_ of the
+country was chiefly confined to the fisheries and fur-trade: agriculture
+was neglected, and extensive tracts of fertile soil lay uncultivated.
+But the English have both peopled and improved a very considerable
+portion of territory; and the trade is now of much importance. The
+Canadians export to Britain and to different British establishments,
+wheat and other grain, biscuit, beef, pork, butter, salmon, oil, timber,
+hemp, and various other articles. In many parts of both Canadas the
+_soil_ is well adapted for the production of grain. Tobacco also thrives
+well in it; and culinary vegetables arrive at great perfection. The
+forests produce beech-trees, oaks, elms, ash, pine, sycamore, chesnut,
+and walnut; and a species of maple-tree, from the juice of which sugar
+is made, abounds throughout the country.
+
+Many extensive tracts in Canada are covered with lakes and marshes; and
+the country is intersected by numerous rivers, some of which are
+navigable to considerable distances. Of the _lakes_, the most important
+are lake Superior, lake Huron, lake Michigan, lake Ontario, and lake
+Erie. These are adjacent to the territory of the United States. Lake
+Winipic is an expanse of water, more than two hundred and fifty miles in
+length, situated about the 53d degree of north latitude. The largest and
+noblest _river_ in Canada is the St. Lawrence, which flows from lake
+Ontario, past the two towns of Montreal and Quebec, and falls into the
+Gulf of St. Lawrence. This river meets the tide four miles from the sea;
+and to this place it is navigable for large vessels.
+
+
+_A Description of Quebec._
+
+This city, the capital of Canada, stands at the northern extremity of a
+strip of high land, which follows the course of the river St. Lawrence,
+as far as the mouth of the Charles. The basis of these heights is a dark
+slate rock, of which most of the buildings in the town are constructed.
+_Cape Diamond_ terminates the promontory, with a bold precipice towards
+the river. This rock derives its name from numerous transparent
+crystals, which are found upon it; and which are so abundant that,
+after a shower of rain, the ground glitters with them.
+
+The Lower Town of Quebec is built at the foot of the heights; and the
+Upper Town occupies their crest. The former, snug and dirty, is the
+abode of persons engaged in trade, and of most of the lower classes: the
+latter, lofty and cold, is the seat of government, and the principal
+residence of the military.
+
+With few exceptions, the _houses_ in Quebec are built of stone. The
+roofs of the better sort are covered with sheets of iron or tin, and
+those of an inferior description, with boards. On the roofs ladders are
+usually placed, near the garret-windows, for the purpose of the
+chimney-sweepers ascending, on the outside, to clean the chimneys: for,
+in this country boys do not go up the chimneys, as in England; but two
+men, one at the top and the other at the bottom, sweep them, by pulling
+up and down a bundle of twigs or furze, tied to a rope.
+
+The _streets_ of the Lower Town are, for the most part, narrow and
+irregular. St. Peter's street is the best paved, and the widest of the
+whole. It contains several good and substantial _houses_, which are
+chiefly occupied by merchants and traders; but, from the colour of the
+stone of which the houses are constructed, and of the iron roofs, all
+the streets of Quebec have a heavy and gloomy appearance.
+
+A street, called _Mountain Street_, which leads to the Upper Town,
+winds, in a serpentine direction, from the market-place up the hill, and
+terminates near the Upper Town market-place. This street, in winter, is
+extremely dangerous. The quantity of snow and ice, which here accumulate
+in large masses, renders it necessary for the inhabitants to wear outer
+shoes, that are shod with iron spikes. The boys of Quebec have a
+favourite amusement, in lying at full length with their breast upon a
+small kind of sledge, and sliding along the snow, from the top of the
+hill to the bottom: they glide down with astonishing velocity; yet,
+with their feet, they can guide or stop themselves, at pleasure.
+
+The _shops_ or stores of the traders in the Lower Town, do not exhibit
+any of that diversified and pleasing appearance which is so remarkable
+in London. Here the stranger sees nothing but heavy stone buildings,
+gloomy casements, and iron-cased shutters, painted red. If any show is
+made at the window, it is with paltry articles of cooking, earthen and
+hardware: there is, however, a tolerable display of bear-skins,
+seal-skins, foxes-tails, and buffalo-robes.
+
+The _taverns_ in Quebec are numerous; yet a stranger is much surprised
+to find only two houses which deserve that high-sounding appellation.
+This arises from the vanity that possesses all our trans-Atlantic
+brethren, to designate their paltry public-houses or spirit-shops, by
+the more dignified title of "tavern;" for through the whole of America,
+every dirty hole, where a few glasses of rum, gin, or whisky, are sold,
+is so called.
+
+Of the _public buildings_ in Quebec, the most important is the
+government-house, or castle of St. Louis, a large, plain, stone edifice,
+which forms one side of an open place or square, called the parade. Its
+front resembles that of a country gentleman's house in England; and the
+interior contains comfortable family apartments. The furniture is
+inherited and paid for by the successive owners. Opposite to the
+government-house stand the English cathedral church, and the
+court-house, both handsome buildings of modern construction. The other
+sides of the parade are formed by the Union Hotel, and a row of
+buildings which form the commencement of St. Louis Street.
+
+The _Upper Town_ is by far the most agreeable part of Quebec: its
+streets are not, indeed, remarkable for width, but many of them are well
+paved. In the Upper Town the heat, during summer, is not so intense as
+in the Lower Town; nor, in winter, though the cold is much severer, is
+it, as a residence, so dreary and uncomfortable.
+
+There are, in Quebec, several catholic _charitable institutions_. Of
+these, the principal is the "Hotel Dieu," founded in 1637, for the
+accommodation and relief of poor sick people: it is under the management
+of a superior and thirty-six nuns. The "General Hospital," which stands
+at a little distance from the town, is a somewhat similar institution;
+and is governed by a superior and forty-three nuns. In the admission of
+patients into each of these establishments, no distinction is made, as
+to catholics or protestants. The Ursuline convent, founded in 1639, for
+the education of female children, stands within the city, and has a
+considerable appearance of wealth. Among the ornaments of the chapel are
+the skull and bones of a missionary, who had been murdered by the
+Indians for attempting their conversion.
+
+About two miles from the town is a break in the line of cliffs, which
+forms a little recess, called _Wolf's Cove_. A steep pathway leads
+thence to the heights of the plains of Abram. On these plains are still
+to be seen, in the turf, traces of field-works, which were thrown up by
+the British army, in the celebrated siege of Quebec; and a stone is
+pointed out as that on which General Wolf expired.
+
+The _markets_ of Quebec are well supplied with every thing that the
+country affords; and, in general, at a very cheap rate. In the autumn,
+as soon as the river betwixt the town and the island of Orleans, is
+frozen over, an abundance of provisions is received from that island.
+The Canadians, at the commencement of winter, kill the greatest part of
+their stock, and carry it to market in a frozen state. The inhabitants
+of the towns supply themselves, at this season, with butcher's meat,
+poultry, and vegetables, to serve them till spring. These are kept in
+garrets or cellars; and, so long as they continue frozen, their goodness
+is preserved. Before they are prepared for the table, they are laid for
+some hours in cold water, to be thawed. In wintertime, milk is brought
+to market in large frozen cakes.
+
+Great quantities of maple-sugar are sold, in Quebec, at about half the
+price of West India sugar. The manufacturing of this article takes place
+in the spring. The sap or juice, after it has been drawn from the trees,
+is boiled, and then poured into shallow dishes, where it takes the form
+of a thick and hard cake. Maple-sugar is very hard; and, when used, is
+scraped with a knife, as, otherwise, it would be a long time in
+dissolving.
+
+The fruit of Canada is not remarkable either for excellence or
+cheapness. Strawberries and raspberries are, however, brought to market
+in great abundance: they are gathered on the plains, at the back of
+Quebec, and in the neighbouring woods, where they grow wild, in the
+utmost luxuriance. Apples and pears are chiefly procured from the
+vicinity of Montreal. Walnuts and filberts are by no means common; but
+hickory-nuts and hazel-nuts are to be obtained in all the woods.
+
+The _climate_ of Lower Canada is subject to violent extremes of heat and
+cold. At Quebec, the thermometer, in summer, is sometimes as high as 103
+degrees of Fahrenheit's thermometer; and, in winter, is at 36 degrees
+below 0. The average of summer heat is, in general, from 75 to 80
+degrees; and the mean of the cold, in winter, is about 0.
+
+From Christmas to Lady-day the weather is remarkably clear and fine; the
+sky is of an azure blue colour, and seldom obscured by fogs or clouds;
+and the frost is not often interrupted by falls of snow or rain. These
+advantages render a Canadian winter so agreeable, that the inhabitants,
+from sudden alterations of the weather, are never under the necessity of
+changing their style of dress, unless it be to discard their greatcoats
+and fur-caps, which, in consequence of the powerful warmth of the sun,
+is sometimes necessary. In the early part of the winter there is always
+much snow.
+
+The spring, summer, and autumn of Canada, are all comprised within the
+five months of May, June, July, August, and September. The rest of the
+year may be considered as winter. During the month of October, the
+weather is sometimes pleasant, but nature has then put on her gloomy
+mantle; and the chilling blasts, from the north-west, remind the
+Canadians of the approach of snow and ice. November and April are the
+two most disagreeable months of the year: in one of these the snow is
+beginning to fall, and in the other it is going away.
+
+
+MR. HALL'S _Journey from Quebec to Montreal_.
+
+MR. HALL was in Canada during the summer of 1816; and, on the
+28th of July, he left Quebec, on a journey to Montreal. He deviated
+somewhat from the usual road, that he might pass by the _Jacques Cartier
+bridge_, six or seven miles above the ferry. Here the river falls wildly
+down, betwixt its wooded shores; and, after forming several cascades,
+foams through a narrow channel, which seems cut out of the solid rock,
+to receive it. The rock, which constitutes its bed, is formed into
+regular platforms, descending, by natural steps, to the edge of the
+torrent. The Jacques Cartier is a river famous for its salmon, which are
+caught of large size, and in great abundance, below the bridge. At the
+foot of this bridge stands a little inn, where the angler may have his
+game cooked for supper, and where he may sleep in the lull of the
+torrent, below his chamber-window. After quitting this neighbourhood,
+the scenery of the St. Lawrence becomes flat and uniform. The road
+follows the direction of the river, sometimes running along the cliff,
+which once embanked it, and sometimes descending to the water's edge.
+
+From Quebec to Montreal, the country may be considered as one long
+village. On each shore there is a stripe of land, seldom exceeding a
+mile in breadth, which is bounded by forests, and thickly studded with
+farm-houses, white-washed from top to bottom: to these, log-barns and
+stables are attached, and commonly a neat plot of garden-ground.
+
+Mr. Hall preferred the travelling in Lower Canada to that in every other
+part of the American continent. You arrive (he says) at the post-house,
+(as the words "_maison de poste_," scrawled over the door, give you
+notice;) "Have you horses, Madame?" "_Oui, Monsieur, tout de suite._" A
+loud cry of "_Oh! bon homme_," forwards the intelligence to her husband,
+at work, perhaps, in an adjacent field. "_Mais, asseyez vous,
+Monsieur_;" and, if you have patience to do this quietly, for a few
+minutes, you will see crebillion, papillon, or some other _on_ arrive,
+at a full canter, from pasture, mounted by honest _Jean_, in his blue
+nightcap, with all his habiliments shaking in the wind. The preliminary
+of splicing and compounding the broken harness having been adjusted, the
+whip cracks, and you start to the exhilarating cry of "_marche donc_,"
+at the rate of six, and often seven miles an hour.
+
+The village of "_Trois Rivieres_" stands at the three mouths of the
+_River St. Maurice_. It contains an Ursuline convent, which marks it for
+a place of some note, in a catholic country; but it is still more worthy
+of distinction, as being the residence of the amiable Abbe de la
+Colonne, brother to the unfortunate French minister of that name.
+
+Having engaged two experienced boatmen, and a bark canoe, Mr. Hall
+ascended the St. Maurice, to visit the _falls of Shawinne Gamme_,
+distant somewhat more than twenty miles. At his return, he left the St.
+Maurice, and, having been ferried from _Berthier_ to _Contrecoeur_, he
+proceeded, "_en caleche_," with two crebillions, towards _St. Ours_, in
+the direction of the _Beloeil Mountain_, which was seen before him in
+the misty horizon. The meadows were profusely decorated with orange
+lilies; and the banks and dingles with the crimson cones of the sumac,
+and a variety of flowering shrubs. Several brigs and merchants' ships
+were dropping down with the tide, their crowded sails scarcely swelling
+in the languid summer breeze.
+
+The Canadian summer, observes Mr. Hall, is hot in proportion to the
+severity of the winter; and the heat is sufficient to enable the
+cultivator to raise Indian corn, water-melons, gourds, capsicums, and
+such vegetables as require a short and intense heat. Hence the country
+assumes the aspect of a Portuguese summer, by way of appendix to a
+Russian winter.
+
+Mr. Hall passed through the village of _Beloeil_; again crossed the
+river, and proceeded towards the mountain, which towered, like an
+immense wall of rock, above the flat surrounding country. Scattered at
+its base were a few wretched houses, the inhabitants of which subsisted
+by the produce of their apple-orchards.
+
+The weather was excessively hot; and volumes of smoke, from the casual,
+or intentional burning of the woods, every where clouded the horizon,
+and seemed to give additional heat to the glowing landscape.
+
+The basis of the _Montreal Mountain_ is freestone; the ascent is
+consequently less steep, and the surface less broken, than that of
+Beloeil: it is thickly wooded, and, from the river, forms an elegant
+back-ground to the city.
+
+
+_A Description of Montreal._
+
+When approached from the water, the town of _Montreal_, which is
+situated on an island in the River St. Lawrence, has a very singular
+appearance. This is occasioned by the grey stone of the buildings, and
+their tin-covered roofs; the latter of which emit a strong glare, when
+the sun shines. The shore is steep, and forms a kind of natural wharf,
+upon which the vessels discharge their cargoes: hence the shipping which
+frequent the harbour of Montreal are often anchored close to the shore.
+Many English vessels visit this place; but the navigation of the St.
+Lawrence, above Quebec, is so hazardous, that few captains are willing
+to make the voyage a second time.
+
+The interior of the town of Montreal is extremely gloomy. The _streets_
+are regularly built, but the buildings are ponderous masses of stone,
+erected with little taste, and less judgment. Including the garrets,
+they have seldom more than two stories above the ground-floor. The doors
+and window-shutters are covered with large sheets of tin, painted red or
+lead-colour, and corresponding with the gloomy colour of the stone, with
+which most of the houses have been built; hence a heavy sameness of
+appearance pervades all the streets.
+
+The only _open places_ in the town, are the two markets, and a square,
+called the Place d'Armes, in which, under the French government, the
+troops of the garrison are accustomed to parade. The French catholic
+church occupies the whole east side of the square; and, on the south
+side, is a tavern, called the Montreal Hotel. Every thing, in this
+tavern, is neat, cleanly, well conducted, and perfectly agreeable to an
+Englishman's taste.
+
+Montreal is divided into the _Upper_ and _Lower towns_, though these
+have very little difference in elevation. The principal street of the
+latter, extends, from north to south, through the whole length of the
+place. This street contains the wholesale and retail stores of the
+merchants and traders, the lower market-place, the post-office, the
+Hotel Dieu, a large tavern, and several smaller ones. It is narrow, but
+it presents a scene of greater bustle than any other part of the town;
+and is the chief mart of the trade carried on in Montreal.
+
+Most of the streets are well paved; and the improvements which are going
+on throughout the town, will, in a few years, render it much more
+commodious and agreeable than it is at present. The four streets or
+_suburbs_ occupy a considerable space of ground, and the number of
+inhabitants is computed at twelve thousand. The _religious_ and
+_charitable institutions_ of this place, are counterparts to those at
+Quebec. There are a general hospital, and an Hotel Dieu, for the relief
+of sick poor. The principal catholic church is rich and handsome. The
+college or seminary, is a capacious stone building, and has lately been
+repaired and enlarged. It was originally endowed as a branch of the
+seminary at Paris; but, since the French Revolution, it has afforded an
+asylum to several members of the latter, whose learning and talents have
+been employed in its advancement. Among other _public edifices_ must be
+reckoned the English church, an unfinished building; the old monastery
+of Franciscan Friars, now converted into barracks; the court-house, and
+the government-house. The court-house is a neat and spacious building.
+In front of it, a column has been erected in honour of Lord Nelson, and
+is crowned with a statue of him. Near the court-house a gaol has been
+built, upon the site of the old college of Jesuits.
+
+There seems to be a greater spirit of municipal improvement in Montreal
+than in Quebec. It is also, probably, a richer place; for, being the
+emporium of the fur-trade, its merchants carry on a considerable traffic
+with the United States, and particularly with Vermont and New York.
+
+At the back of the town, and behind the court-house, is a _parade_,
+where the troops are exercised. The ground, along this part, is
+considerably elevated, and forms a steep bank, several hundred yards in
+length. Here the inhabitants walk in an evening, and enjoy a beautiful
+view of the suburbs of St. Lawrence and St. Antoine; and of numerous
+gardens, orchards, and plantations, adorned with neat, and, in many
+instances, even handsome villas. Green fields are interspersed amidst
+this rich variety of objects, which are concentrated in an extensive
+valley, that gradually rises towards a lofty mountain, about two miles
+and a half distant; and covered, towards its upper part, with trees and
+shrubs. It is from this mountain that the town obtained its name of
+Montreal, or "Royal Mount."
+
+All the principal north-west merchants reside in this town; which is the
+emporium of their trade, and the grand mart of the commerce carried on
+between Canada and the United States: they live in a splendid style, and
+keep expensive tables.
+
+The _markets_ of Montreal are plentifully supplied with provisions,
+which are much cheaper here than in Quebec. Large supplies are brought
+in, every winter, from the United States; particularly cod-fish, which
+is packed in ice, and conveyed in sledges from Boston. Two weekly
+newspapers, called the Gazette and the Canadian Courant, are published
+here.
+
+At Montreal, the winter is considered to be two months shorter than it
+is at Quebec; and the heat of summer is more oppressive.
+
+
+
+
+Twenty-third Day's Instruction.
+
+NORTH WESTERN TERRITORY.
+
+
+_The Route, from Montreal to Fort Chepewyan, pursued by a company of
+traders, called the North-west Company_.
+
+The requisite number of canoes being purchased, the goods being formed
+into packages, and the lakes and rivers being free from ice, which they
+usually are in the beginning of May, the persons employed by the
+North-west Company set out from _La Chine_, eight miles above Montreal.
+
+Each canoe carries eight or ten men, and a luggage consisting of
+sixty-five packages of goods, about six hundred weight of biscuit, two
+hundred weight of pork, and three bushels of peas, for the men's
+provisions: two oil-cloths to cover the goods, a sail, and an axe, a
+towing-line, a kettle, and a sponge to bail out the water; together with
+a quantity of gum, bark, and watape, to repair the canoe. An European,
+on seeing these slender vessels, thus laden, heaped up, and their sides
+not more than six inches out of the water, would imagine it impossible
+that they should perform a long and perilous voyage; but the Canadians
+are so expert in the management of them, that few accidents happen.
+
+Leaving La Chine, they proceed to _St. Ann's_, within two miles of the
+western extremity of the island of Montreal. At the rapid of St. Ann,
+the navigators are obliged to take out part, if not the whole of the
+lading; and to replace it when they have passed the cataract. The _Lake
+of the two Mountains_, which they next reach, is about twenty miles
+long, but not more than three miles wide, and is, nearly surrounded by
+cultivated fields.
+
+At the end of the lake, the water contracts into the _Utawas river_;
+which, after a course of fifteen miles, is interrupted by a succession
+of rapids and cascades for upwards of ten miles: at the foot of these
+the Canadian Seignories terminate. Here the voyagers are frequently
+obliged to unload their canoes, and carry the goods upon their backs, or
+rather suspended in slings from their heads. Each man's ordinary load is
+two packages, though some of the men carry three. In some places, the
+ground will not admit of their carrying the whole at once: in this case,
+they make two trips; that is, the men leave half their lading, land it
+at the distance required, and then return for that which was left. There
+are three carrying places; and, near the last of them, the river is a
+mile and a half wide, and has a regular current, for about sixty miles,
+to the first _portage de Chaudiere_. The whole body of water is here
+precipitated, twenty-five feet, down, craggy and excavated rocks, and in
+a most wild and romantic manner.
+
+Over this portage, it is requisite to carry the canoe and all its
+lading; but the rock is so steep, that the canoe cannot be taken out of
+the water by fewer than twelve men, and it is carried by six men.
+
+The next remarkable object which the traders approach, is a lake called
+_Nepisingui_, about twelve leagues long, and fifteen miles wide, in the
+widest part. The inhabitants of the country adjacent to this lake,
+consist of the remainder of a numerous tribe called _Nepisinguis_, of
+the Algonquin nation.
+
+Out of the lake flows the _Riviere de Francois_, over rocks of
+considerable height. This river is very irregular, both as to its
+breadth and form; and it is so interspersed with islands, that, in its
+whole course, its banks are seldom visible. Of its various channels,
+that which is generally followed by the canoes is obstructed by five
+portages. The distance hence to Lake Huron is about twenty-five leagues.
+There is scarcely a foot of soil to be seen from one end of the river to
+the other; for its banks consist entirely of rock.
+
+The coast of _Lake Huron_ is similar to this; but it is lower, and
+backed, at some distance, by high lands. The canoes pass along the
+northern bank of this lake, into _Lake Superior_, the largest and most
+magnificent body of fresh water in the world. It is clear, of great
+depth, and abounds in fish of various kinds. Sturgeon are caught here,
+and trout, some of which weigh from forty to fifty pounds each. The
+adjacent country is bleak, rocky, and desolate: it contains no large
+animals, except a few moose and fallow deer; and the little timber that
+is to be seen, is extremely stunted in its growth. The inhabitants of
+the coast of Lake Superior are all of the _Algonquin nation_, who
+subsist chiefly on fish. They do not, at present, exceed one hundred and
+fifty families; though, a century ago, the whole adjacent country is
+said to have been inhabited by them.
+
+Near the north-western shore of Lake Superior, and beneath a hill,
+three or four hundred feet in height, is a fort, containing several
+houses, erected for the accommodation of the North-west Company and
+their clerks. This place is called the _Grande Portage_. The traders,
+who leave Montreal in the beginning of May, usually arrive here about
+the middle of June. They are met by men who had spent the winter in the
+establishments; towards the north, and from whom they receive the furs
+which had been collected in the course of their winter traffic. Upwards
+of twelve hundred men are thus assembled, every summer, in this remote
+wilderness; and live together, for several days, in a comfortable and
+convivial manner. After their accounts are settled, the furs are
+embarked for Montreal; and the rest of the men proceed to the different
+posts and establishments in the Indian country. The canoes which are
+used from the Grande Portage, upwards, are but half the size of those
+from Montreal. They are each navigated by four, five, or six men,
+according to the distance which they have to go.
+
+Having embarked on the river _Au Tourt_; and, having overcome numerous
+obstacles, in cataracts, and other impediments to their course, the
+persons proceeding on this voyage, reach a trading establishment, on the
+north side of the river, in 48 degrees 37 minutes, north latitude. Here
+they are met by people from the Athabasca country, and exchange lading
+with them. This place also is the residence of the grand chief of the
+_Algonquin Indians_; and here the elders of these Indians meet in
+council, to treat of peace or war.
+
+The Au Tourt is one of the finest rivers in the north-western parts of
+America. Its banks are covered with a rich soil, and, in many parts, are
+clothed with groves of oak, maple, and cedar-trees. The southern bank is
+low, and displays the maple, the white birch, and cedar; with the
+spruce, the alder, and various kinds of underwood. Its waters abound in
+fish, particularly in sturgeons. In the low grounds, betwixt Lake
+Superior and this river, are seen vast quantities of rice, which the
+natives collect, in the month of August, for their winter stores.
+
+_Lake Winipic_, which the traders next approach, is the great reservoir
+of several large rivers. It is bounded, on the north, by banks of black
+and grey rock; and, on the south, by a low and level country,
+occasionally interrupted with ridges or banks of limestone, from twenty
+to forty feet in height, bearing timber, but only of moderate growth.
+From its peculiar situation, this lake seems calculated to become a
+grand depot of traffic. It communicates, in a direct and short channel,
+with the southern shores of Hudson's Bay, by the rivers Severn and
+Nelson; and it is connected with the countries at the head of the
+Mississippi and Missouri, by the Assiniboin and Red rivers. The Indians,
+who inhabit its banks, are of the Knisteneaux and Algonquin tribes.
+
+Beyond lake Winipic, the canoes have to pass along many rapids, and
+through several small lakes, called _Cedar lake_, _Mud lake_, and
+_Sturgeon lake_. This part of the country is frequented by beavers, and
+numerous animals, valuable on account of their furs; and the plains are
+inhabited by buffaloes, wolves, and foxes.
+
+On the banks of the rivers, there are factories for the convenience of
+trade with the natives; and near each of these are tents of different
+nations of Indians; some of whom are hunters, and others deal in
+provisions, wolf, buffalo, and fox-skins.
+
+From the mouth of the _Saskatchiwine river_, the canoes proceed, in a
+northerly direction, through _Sturgeon lake_, and _Beaver lake_. The
+banks of the river are high, and clothed with cypress-trees; and the
+inhabitants of the adjacent districts are chiefly Knisteneaux Indians.
+This description of country, with some variation, prevails as far as the
+trading establishment of Fort Chepewyan, on the south-eastern bank of
+the _Lake of the Hills_.
+
+_Fort Chepewyan_ is the residence of a considerable number of persons,
+who are employed by the North-west Company. Except during a short time
+in the spring and autumn, when thousands of wild-fowl frequent the
+vicinity of the lake, these persons subsist almost wholly on fish. This
+they eat without the variety of any farinaceous grain for bread, any
+root, or vegetable; and without even salt to quicken its flavour.
+
+Every year, in the autumn, the Indians meet the traders, at this and
+other forts, where they barter such furs, or provisions, as they have
+procured. They are here fitted out, by the traders, with such articles
+as they may want, after which they proceed to hunt beavers; and they
+return about the end of March or the beginning of April, when they are
+again fitted out as before. During the summer, most of these Indians
+retire to the barren grounds, and live there, with their relations and
+friends.
+
+
+_Account of the Knisteneaux and Chepewyan Indians_.
+
+When, in the year 1777, the Europeans first penetrated into the
+north-western regions of America, these two tribes of Indians were very
+numerous; but the small-pox, introduced among them by the strangers,
+proved so fatal, that, at the end of fifteen years, not more than
+seventy families were left.
+
+The _Knisteneaux_, though at present few in number, occupy a great
+extent of country. They are of moderate stature, well-proportioned, and
+extremely active. Their complexion is of a copper-colour, and their hair
+black. In some of the tribes, the hair is cut into various forms,
+according to their fancy; and, by others, it is left in the long and
+lank flow of nature. These Indians, in general, pluck out their beards.
+Their eyes are black, keen, and penetrating; and their countenance is
+open and agreeable. Fond of decoration, they paint their bodies with
+different colours of red, blue, brown, white, and black.
+
+Their dress is, at once, simple and commodious. It consists of tight
+leggings or leather-gaiters, which reach nearly to the hip; a strip of
+cloth or leather, about a foot wide, and five feet long, the ends of
+which are drawn inward, and hang behind and before, over a belt, tied
+round the waist for that purpose; a close vest or shirt, reaching down
+to the former garment, and bound at the waist by a broad strip of
+parchment, fastened with thongs behind; and a cap for the head,
+consisting of a piece of fur, or a small skin, with the tail of the
+animal, as a suspended ornament. A kind of robe is occasionally thrown
+over the whole of this dress, and serves them to wear by day, and to
+sleep in at night. These articles, with the addition of shoes and
+mittens, constitute their chief apparel. The materials vary, according
+to the season, and consist of dressed moose-skin, beaver-skins, prepared
+with the fur, or European woollens. The leather is neatly painted, and,
+in some parts, is fancifully worked with porcupine-quills and moose-deer
+hair. The shirts and leggings are adorned with fringe and tassels; and
+the shoes and mittens have somewhat of appropriate decoration, and are
+worked with a considerable degree of skill and taste. Their head-dresses
+are composed of the feathers of the swan, the eagle, and other birds.
+The teeth, horns, and claws of different animals, are also the
+occasional ornaments of their head and neck.
+
+The female dress is composed of materials similar to those used by the
+men; but it is of a somewhat different form and arrangement. Several of
+the women have the skin of their faces tatooed or marked with three
+perpendicular lines: one from the centre of the chin to the under lip,
+and one on each side parallel to the corner of the mouth.
+
+The Knisteneaux women are very comely. Their figure is generally well
+proportioned, and the regularity of their features would be acknowledged
+even by the civilized nations of Europe.
+
+This people are naturally mild and affable. They are just in their
+dealings, not only among themselves, but with strangers. They are also
+generous and hospitable; and good-natured in the extreme, except when
+under the influence of spirituous liquors. Towards their children they
+are indulgent to a fault. The father, however, though he assumes no
+command over them, anxiously instructs them, in all the preparatory
+qualifications, for war and hunting; while the mother is equally
+attentive to her daughters, in teaching them every thing that is
+considered necessary to their character and situation.
+
+The Knisteneaux have frequent feasts; and, at some of these, they offer
+dogs as sacrifices, and make large offerings of their property. The
+scene of their most important ceremonies is usually an enclosure on the
+bank of some river or lake, and in a conspicuous situation. On
+particular occasions they have private sacrifices in their houses. The
+ceremony of smoking precedes every affair of importance. When a feast is
+proposed to be given, the chief sends quills or small pieces of wood, as
+tokens of invitation, to such persons as he wishes to partake of it. At
+the appointed time the guests arrive, each bringing with him a dish or
+platter, and a knife; and they take their seats on each side of the
+chief. The pipe is then lighted, and the chief makes an equal division
+of every thing that is provided for the occasion. During the eating the
+chief sings, and accompanies his song with a tambourine. The guest who
+has first eaten his share of provision is considered as the most
+distinguished person. At all these feasts a small quantity of meat or
+drink is sacrificed, by throwing it into the fire or on the earth,
+before the guests begin to eat. It is expected that each person should
+devour the whole food that is allotted to him, how great soever the
+quantity may be; and those who are unable to do this, endeavour to
+prevail with their friends to assist them. Care is always taken that the
+bones are burned, as it would be considered a profanation, if the dogs
+were to touch them.
+
+The medicinal virtues of many herbs are known to the Knisteneaux; and
+they apply the roots of plants and the bark of trees in the cure of
+various diseases. But there is among them a class of men, called
+conjurers, who monopolize the medical science; and who, blending mystery
+with their art, do not choose to communicate their knowledge.
+
+Like all their other solemn ceremonials, the funeral rites of the
+Knisteneaux begin with smoking, and are concluded by a feast. The body
+is dressed in the best habiliments of the deceased, or his relatives,
+and is then deposited in a grave lined with branches: some domestic
+utensils are placed on it, and a kind of canopy is erected over it.
+During this ceremony, great lamentations are made; and, if the deceased
+is much regretted, the near relations cut off their hair, pierce the
+fleshy part of their thighs and arms with arrows, knives, &c. and
+blacken their faces with charcoal. The whole property belonging to him
+is destroyed, and the relations take, in exchange for the wearing
+apparel, any rags that will cover their nakedness.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The _Chepewyans_ are a sober, timorous, and vagrant people, and of a
+disposition so selfish as sometimes to have excited suspicions of their
+integrity. Their complexion is swarthy; their features are coarse, and
+their hair is lank, but not always of a black colour; nor have they,
+universally, the piercing eye, which generally animates the Indian
+countenance. The women have a more agreeable aspect than the men; but,
+in consequence of their being accustomed, nine months in the year, to
+travel on snow-shoes, and to drag heavy sledges, their gait is awkward.
+They are very submissive to their husbands, who sometimes treat them
+with great cruelty. The men, in general, extract their beards; though
+some of them are seen to prefer a bushy beard to a smooth chin. They cut
+their hair in various forms, or leave it in a long, natural flow,
+according as caprice or fancy suggests. The women always have their
+hair of great length, and some of them are very attentive to its
+arrangement. Both sexes have blue or black marks, or from one to four
+straight lines on their cheeks or forehead, to distinguish the tribe to
+which they belong. These marks are either tatooed, or are made by
+drawing a thread, dipped in colour, beneath the skin.
+
+Few people are more attentive to the comforts of dress than these. In
+winter they wear the skins of deer or fawns, prepared with the hair on,
+and rendered as fine and soft as chamois leather. In summer their
+apparel is of similar skins, but prepared without the hair. A ruff or
+tippet surrounds the neck; and the skin of the head of a deer forms a
+curious kind of cap.
+
+Plurality of wives is allowed among the Chepewyans; and the ceremony of
+marriage is very simple. At a very early period, the girls are betrothed
+to such persons as the parents consider best able to support them. The
+desires of the women are never considered; and whenever a separation
+takes place, which sometimes happens, it depends entirely on the will of
+the husband.
+
+These Indians are not remarkable for activity as hunters: this is owing
+to the ease with which they snare deer, and spear fish. They are not
+addicted to the use of spirituous liquors; and are, on the whole, an
+extremely peaceful tribe. Their weapons and domestic apparatus, in
+addition to articles procured from Europeans, are spears, bows and
+arrows, fishing-nets, and lines made of deer-skin thongs. Their
+amusements are but few. Their music is so inharmonious, and their
+dancing so awkward, that they might be supposed to be ashamed of both,
+as they seldom practise either. They shoot at marks, and play at
+different games; but they prefer sleeping to any of these: and the
+greatest part of their time is passed in procuring food, and resting
+after the toil of obtaining it.
+
+The notion which these people entertain of the creation of the world is
+a very singular one. They believe that the globe was originally one vast
+ocean, inhabited by no living creature, except an immense bird, whose
+eyes were of fire, whose glances were lightning, and the clapping of
+whose wings was thunder. On the descent of this bird to the ocean, and
+at the instant of touching it, they say that the earth arose, and
+remained on the surface of the waters. This omnipotent bird then called
+forth all the variety of animals from the earth, except the Chepewyans,
+who were produced from a dog; and to this circumstance they attribute
+their aversion to dog's-flesh. The tradition proceeds to relate, that
+the great bird, having finished his work, made an arrow, which was to be
+preserved with great care, and to remain untouched; but that the
+Chepewyans were so devoid of understanding, as to carry it away; and
+this sacrilege so enraged the bird, that he has never since appeared.
+They believe also, that, in ancient times, their ancestors lived till
+their feet were worn out with walking, and their throats with eating;
+and they describe a deluge, in which the waters spread over the whole
+earth, except the highest mountains, on the tops of which the Chepewyans
+preserved themselves.
+
+They are superstitious in an extreme; and almost every action of their
+lives, however trivial, is more or less influenced by some superstitious
+notion. They believe in a good and evil spirit; and in a future state of
+rewards and punishments. They assert that the souls of persons deceased
+pass into another world, where they arrive at a large river, on which
+they embark, in a stone canoe, and that a gentle current bears them on
+to an extensive lake, in the centre of which is a beautiful island.
+Within view of this island they receive that judgment for their conduct
+during life, which terminates their state. If their good actions
+predominate, they are landed upon the island, where there is to be no
+end of their happiness. But if their bad actions prevail, the stone
+canoe sinks, and leaves them up to their chins in the water, to behold
+and regret the reward which is enjoyed by the good; and eternally to
+struggle, but with unavailing endeavours, to reach the bliss from which
+they are for ever excluded.
+
+
+
+
+Twenty-fourth Day's Instruction.
+
+NORTH-WESTERN TERRITORY CONCLUDED.
+
+
+Fort Chepewyan was, for eight years, the head quarters of Mr.
+(now Sir Alexander) Mackenzie, who held an official situation under the
+North-west Company; and who, from this place, made two important and
+laborious excursions, one northward, to the Frozen Sea; and the other
+westward, to the Pacific Ocean.
+
+
+_Narrative of a Voyage from Fort Chepewyan, along the Rivers to the
+north Frozen Ocean. From Voyages through the Continent of North America,
+by_ ALEXANDER MACKENZIE.
+
+In the first of his excursions, Mr Mackenzie embarked at _Fort
+Chepewyan_, about nine o'clock in the morning of the 3d of June, 1789.
+His vessel was a canoe formed of birch-bark, and his crew consisted of
+one German and four Canadians, two of whom were attended by their wives.
+He was also accompanied, in a small canoe, by an Indian chief and his
+two wives. The men were engaged to serve in the twofold capacity of
+interpreters and hunters.
+
+Mr. Mackenzie had also with him a canoe which he had equipped for the
+purpose of trade, and had given in charge to M. Le Roux, one of the
+Company's clerks. In this canoe was shipped part of his provision, the
+clothing necessary on the voyage, a requisite assortment of articles of
+merchandise as presents, to ensure them a friendly reception among the
+Indians; and such arms and ammunition as were considered necessary for
+defence, as well as for the use of the hunters.
+
+Crossing the south-western extremity of the _Lake of the Hills_, they
+entered the _Slave river_, and steered, along that river, in a northerly
+direction. On the ensuing day they arrived at the foot of a succession
+of rapids; and, in the course of twelve miles, were obliged five times
+to unload the canoes, and carry the luggage considerable distances
+overland. One of the Indian canoes was borne, by the fury of the
+current, down the last of the cataracts, and was dashed to pieces. The
+hunters here killed seven geese, four ducks, and a beaver. The progress
+of the boats was much impeded by ice.
+
+The banks of the river, both above and below the rapids, were covered
+with wood. This was more particularly the case on the western side,
+where the land was low, and had a black and rich soil. The eastern banks
+were somewhat elevated; and the soil was a yellow clay, mixed with
+gravel. At a little distance from the banks were extensive plains,
+frequented by numerous herds of buffaloes; and the woods, adjacent to
+the river, were inhabited by elks and rein-deer. The habitations of
+beavers were seen in all the small lakes and rivers; and the swamps
+adjacent to the Slave-river, were sometimes covered with wild-fowl.
+
+In the morning of the 9th the voyagers arrived at the _Great Slave
+Lake_. Here they experienced a most uncomfortable change in the weather,
+which became extremely cold. The lake was still frozen; and they were
+obliged to delay their progress for several days, until they could
+effect a passage across it. In the mean while they occupied themselves
+in fishing and hunting, for the purpose of adding to their stock of
+provisions. They had more or less rain almost every day.
+
+On the 20th the ice had somewhat given way, and they recommenced their
+voyage, in a north-westerly direction. A few days after this, they
+landed on the main land, at three lodges of _Red-knife Indians_, so
+called from the copper knives which they use. M. le Roux purchased, of
+these Indians, some packs of beaver and marten-skins; and Mr. Mackenzie
+had several consultations with them concerning the country he was about
+to traverse; but he could obtain from them no information that was
+important to the objects of his expedition. He, however, engaged one of
+them, as a guide, in navigating the bays of the lake.
+
+The musquitoes were now so troublesome as to occasion the voyagers much
+inconvenience. After having, with considerable difficulty, navigated the
+northern side of the lake, they entered the mouth of a river, which lay
+in a westerly direction. On the 2d of July, they perceived, at a
+distance before them, a high mountain, or rather a cluster of mountains,
+which stretched southward, as far as the view could reach, and had their
+tops lost in the clouds. The declivities of these mountains were covered
+with wood; and they were sprinkled with glistening patches of snow,
+which, at first, Mr. Mackenzie mistook for white stones.
+
+During their progress the voyagers saw several Indian encampments. The
+current, in some places, was so rapid as to produce a hissing noise,
+somewhat like the boiling of a kettle. Though it was now the month of
+July, the weather was extremely cold. The sun set at seven minutes
+before ten, and rose at seven minutes before two in the morning.
+
+Having passed several islands, and, not long afterwards having seen, on
+the northern shore, the smoke of several fires, the voyagers made every
+exertion to approach the spot; and, as they drew near, they observed a
+party of Indians, running about in great apparent confusion. Some of
+them were endeavouring to escape into the woods, and others were
+hurrying to their canoes. The hunters landed, and, in the Chepewyan
+language, addressed the few who had not escaped; but, so great was their
+terror, that they did not appear to understand it. When, however, they
+found it was impossible to conceal themselves, they made signs to the
+strangers to keep at a distance. With these the latter complied, and not
+only unloaded their canoe, but pitched their tents, before the Indians
+made any attempt to approach them. After considerable difficulty they
+became reconciled; and, as soon as their fears were dissipated, they
+called their fugitive companions from the woods.
+
+The inhabitants of this place were five families of _Slave_ and _Dog-rib
+Indians_. They were unacquainted with the use of tobacco and ardent
+spirits; but were delighted to receive, as presents, knives, beads,
+awls, rings, fire-steels, flints, and hatchets; and, after a little
+while, they became so familiar, that it was difficult to keep them out
+of the tents.
+
+These Indians seemed totally ignorant respecting the distant parts of
+the river, for they believed its course to be so long that it would
+occupy the voyagers several years to reach the sea. They also described
+the intervening regions to be inhabited by monsters of the most horrid
+shapes and destructive powers. One of them, however, by the bribe of a
+small kettle, an axe, a knife; and some other articles, was induced to
+accompany the voyagers as a guide.
+
+They amused the strangers by dancing and singing; but neither the dance
+nor the song had much variety. The men and women arranged themselves
+promiscuously in a ring. The former had each a bone-dagger, or a piece
+of stick, between the fingers of his right hand, which he kept extended
+above his head, in continual motion; while he held his left in an
+horizontal direction. They leaped about, and threw themselves into
+various antic postures, to the measure of their music, bringing their
+heels close together at every pause. Sometimes the men howled, like wild
+beasts; and he who continued to howl the longest, appeared to be
+considered the best performer. The women suffered their arms to hang
+down, as if they were without the power of motion.
+
+These people are of middle stature, thin, ugly, and ill made,
+particularly about the legs. Many of them appeared to be in a very
+unhealthy state, owing, probably, to their filthiness. As far as could
+be discerned, through the grease and dirt that covered them, they were
+of fairer complexion than the generality of Indians. The women have two
+double lines of black or blue colour upon each cheek, from the ear to
+the nose; and the gristle of the nose is perforated, so as to admit a
+goose-quill, or a small piece of wood to be passed through it. The
+clothing of these Indians is made of the dressed skins of the rein or
+moose-deer. Some of them, says Mr. Mackenzie, were decorated with a neat
+embroidery of porcupine-quills and hair, coloured red, black, yellow,
+and white; and they had bracelets for their wrists and arms, made of
+wood, horn, or bone. Round their head they had a kind of band,
+embroidered with porcupine quills, and ornamented with the claws of
+bears and wild-fowl.
+
+Their huts or lodges are very simple. A few poles, supported by forks,
+and forming a semicircle, with some branches or pieces of bark as a
+covering, constitute the whole of the architecture. Two of these huts
+are constructed facing each other, and a fire is made between them.
+Among the furniture are dishes of wood, bark, or horn; and vessels in
+which they cook their food, narrow at the top, and wide at the bottom.
+The latter are formed of roots of the spruce fir-tree, so closely
+interwoven as to hold water. This people have also small leather bags,
+to hold their embroidered work, their lines, and fishing-nets. They
+twist the fibres of willow-bark, and the sinews of rein-deer, into
+fishing-lines; and they make fishing-hooks of horn, wood, or bone. Their
+weapons for hunting are bows and arrows, spears, daggers, and clubs.
+They kindle fire, by striking together a piece of white or yellow
+pyrites and a flint-stone, over a piece of touchwood.
+
+Their canoes are small, pointed at both ends, flat-bottomed, and covered
+in the fore part. They are made of the bark of the birch-tree, and of
+fir-wood; but are so light, that the man whom one of these vessels bears
+on the water, is able to carry it overland, without any difficulty.
+
+On the 9th of July the voyagers had an interview with a party of
+Indians, who were more pleasing, both in appearance and manners, than
+any they had hitherto seen. They were stout, healthy, and clean in their
+persons; and their utensils and weapons resembled those of the Slave and
+Dog-rib Indians. They obtained iron, in small pieces, from the
+Esquimaux. Their garments were bordered with a kind of fringe; and their
+shirts tapered to a point, from the belt downward. One of the men whom
+Mr. Mackenzie saw, was clad in a shirt made of the skins of musk-rats.
+These Indians tie their hair in a very singular manner. That which grows
+on the temples, or on the fore part of the head, is formed into two
+queues, which hang down before the ears: and that on the crown of the
+head, is fashioned, in the same manner, towards the back of the neck,
+and is tied, with the rest of the hair, at some distance from the head.
+The women, and indeed some of the men, suffer their hair to hang loose
+on their shoulders.
+
+Mr. Mackenzie prevailed with one of these Indians to accompany him on
+his voyage; and this man, who was one of the most intelligent Indians he
+had seen, stated that it would be requisite to sleep ten nights before
+they could reach the sea; and that, after three nights, the voyagers
+would reach a settlement of Esquimaux, with whom his nation had formerly
+made war.
+
+He accompanied Mr. Mackenzie in a canoe; and two of his companions
+followed in two other canoes. The latter sung their native songs; and
+this new guide was so much enlivened by these, that the antics he
+performed, in keeping time to the singing, excited continual alarm lest
+he should overset his boat. He afterwards went on board Mr. Mackenzie's
+canoe, where he began to perform an Esquimaux dance, to the no small
+alarm of the voyagers.
+
+Lower down the river, Mr. Mackenzie had an interview with a party of
+Indians called _Quarrellers_. They consisted of about forty men, women,
+and children, and, at first, seemed inclined to offer resistance; but
+they were soon pacified by presents, of which blue beads were the most
+acceptable articles.
+
+These Indians represented the distance, over land, to the northern sea,
+as not very great; and the distance to the sea, westward, (the Pacific
+Ocean,) to be still shorter.
+
+The river here flowed between high rocks. Indeed, in this part of the
+country, the banks were, in general, lofty. In some places they were
+nearly naked, and in others thickly clad with small trees, particularly
+fir-trees and birch. The tops of the mountains, towards the north, were
+covered with snow. The channels of the river were so various, that the
+voyagers were at a loss which to take. They, however, directed their
+course chiefly towards the north-west.
+
+In this part of the voyage, Mr. Mackenzie was induced to sit up all
+night, for the purpose of observing the sun: which, at half-past twelve
+o'clock, was considerably above the horizon.
+
+At four in the morning he landed at three Indian huts. These were of an
+oval form, each about fifteen feet long, and ten feet wide; and in the
+middle, only, they were high enough for a person to stand upright. In
+one part of each the ground was strewed with willow branches, probably
+as a bed for the family. The door or entrance was about two feet and a
+half high, and had a covered way or porch, five feet in length; so that
+it was necessary to creep on all fours, in order to get into or out of
+these curious habitations. In the top of each hut there was a hole,
+about eighteen inches square, which served the threefold purpose of a
+window, a chimney, and occasionally a door. These edifices were formed
+of wood, covered with branches and grass. On each side of the huts were
+a few square holes in the ground, probably contrived for the
+preservation of the winter stock of provisions.
+
+On the 12th of July, the voyagers had reached what they imagined to be
+an immense lake; and, shortly after they had retired to rest, at night,
+the man on watch called them up, to remove the baggage, on account of
+the sudden rising of the water. Some fish were afterwards caught, about
+the size of a herring, and resembling a species of fish which abounds in
+Hudson's Bay. On the ensuing day, Mr. Mackenzie ascended an adjacent
+hill, and saw much ice; and, towards the north-west, two small islands
+in the ice. On the 14th, many animals were seen in the water, which, at
+first, were supposed to be pieces of floating-ice, but which were
+afterwards ascertained to be whales. Hence it became evident that this
+apparent lake was a part of the _Northern Ocean_. Mr. Mackenzie sailed
+upon it, to some distance from the shore, and landed at the eastern
+extremity of an island, which he called _Whale Island_, and which was
+about seven leagues in length, but not more than a mile broad. The
+ebbing and flowing of the tide were here observed. He subsequently
+landed on another island, where an Indian burying-place was observed.
+The latitude of the shore of this northern ocean, was ascertained to be
+69 degrees 14 minutes, north; and the longitude 135 degrees, west.
+
+
+_Narrative of the Return of_ MR. MACKENZIE _from the Frozen
+Ocean to Fort Chepewyan._
+
+This gentlemen embarked, on his return, at half-past one o'clock, of the
+21st of July, the weather being extremely cold and unpleasant. At ten,
+the canoes re-entered the river; but the opposing current was so strong,
+that the men were obliged, for a considerable distance, to tow them
+along. The land on both sides was elevated, and almost perpendicular.
+Much rain fell.
+
+Mr. Mackenzie subsequently encamped near an Indian village, the
+inhabitants of which were at first considerably alarmed. They
+afterwards, however, became familiar. Some of them, having kindled a
+fire, laid themselves round it, to sleep; and, notwithstanding the
+excessive coldness of the climate, they had neither skins nor garments
+to cover them.
+
+The people of this nation are continually at variance with the
+Esquimaux, who are said to take every opportunity of attacking them,
+when not in a state to defend themselves. From their account it appeared
+that a strong party of Esquimaux occasionally ascended the river, in
+large canoes, to search for flint-stones, which they used as points for
+their spears and arrows. These Esquimaux were said to wear their hair
+short; and to have a hole perforated on each side of their mouth, in a
+line with the under lip, and to place beads in the holes, by way of
+ornament. Their weapons were bows, arrows, and spears; but they also
+used slings, from which they threw stones with great dexterity.
+
+The weather was now fine; and Mr. Mackenzie and his men renewed their
+voyage on the 27th of July. At seven o'clock they once more reached the
+rapids. Here they found three families of Indians, from whom they
+obtained some information respecting the adjacent country, and
+particularly respecting a river which was stated to run on the opposite
+side of the mountains, in a westerly direction; and which, from the
+description given of it, Mr. Mackenzie conjectured to be that called
+_Cook's River_.
+
+At a subsequent interview, with another party of Indians, a
+misunderstanding took place, in which the Indians seized one of Mr.
+Mackenzie's boats, and dragged it on shore. Peace, however, being
+restored, Mr. Mackenzie endeavoured to obtain some further intelligence
+concerning the river to the westward. His enquiries, however, were to
+little purpose. The account given by these Indians was very vague; and
+their description of the inhabitants of the country adjacent to it, was
+extremely absurd. These, it was stated, were of gigantic stature, and
+furnished with wings; which, however, they never employed in flying:
+that they fed on large birds, which they killed with the greatest ease;
+though common men would be the certain victims of the voracity of such
+birds. The Indians also described the people who inhabited the mouth of
+the river, as possessing the extraordinary power of killing with their
+eyes; and as each being able to devour a large beaver at a single meal.
+They added that canoes, or vessels of immense size, visited that place.
+They did not, however, pretend to relate these particulars from their
+own observation, but from the report of other Indians; for they had
+themselves never ventured beyond the first range of mountains, from
+their own dwellings. It, however, appeared to Mr. Mackenzie that, either
+the Indians knew more of this country than they chose to communicate, or
+that his interpreter, who had long been tired of the voyage, gave him
+purposely a wrong account, in order that he might not be induced to
+extend his excursions.
+
+As soon as the conference was ended, the Indians began to dance; and, in
+this pastime, old and young, male and female, continued their exertions,
+till their strength was exhausted. Their actions were accompanied by
+various noises, in imitation of the rein-deer, the bear, and the wolf.
+
+When the dancing was ended, Mr. Mackenzie assumed an angry tone,
+expressed his suspicions that information had been purposely withheld
+from him; and concluded with a threat, that if they did not give him a
+more satisfactory account, he would compel one of them to accompany him,
+for the purpose of pointing out the road to the other river. No sooner
+did they hear this declaration, than they all, in a moment, became sick;
+and answered, in a faint tone, that they knew no more than what they had
+already communicated. Finding it useless to persevere in his enquiries,
+he ceased them; and having purchased a few beaver-skins, and obtained a
+plentiful supply of food, he continued his voyage.
+
+On the 1st of August, the weather was clear and cold. This was the first
+night, for many weeks, that the stars had been visible. Nine days
+afterwards, they arrived in the vicinity of a range of lofty mountains.
+Accompanied by a young Indian, Mr. Mackenzie landed, for the purpose of
+ascending one of them. They passed through a wood, chiefly of
+spruce-firs, so thick that it was with difficulty they could penetrate
+it. After they had walked more than an hour, the underwood decreased;
+and was succeeded by birch and poplar trees, the largest and tallest
+that Mr. Mackenzie had ever seen. The mountains, which had been
+concealed, by the woods, from their view, were again visible, but,
+apparently, at as great a distance as when they were first seen from the
+river. This was a very mortifying circumstance, for Mr. Mackenzie and
+his companion had been walking nearly three hours. The Indian expressed
+great anxiety to return; for his shoes and leggings had been torn to
+pieces, and he was alarmed at the idea of having to proceed all night,
+through this trackless country. Mr. Mackenzie was, however, determined
+to proceed, and to return the next day. As they approached the
+mountains, the ground became marshy; and they waded, in water and grass,
+up to their knees, till they came within a mile of them; when, suddenly,
+Mr. Mackenzie sank, up to his armpits, in mud and water. Having, with
+considerable difficulty, extricated himself, he found it impossible to
+proceed any further. To cross this unexpected morass was impracticable;
+and it extended so far, both to the right and left, that he could not
+attempt to make the circuit of either extremity. He therefore determined
+to return; and, about midnight, he again reached the river, excessively
+fatigued with his fruitless expedition.
+
+In the afternoon of the 13th, the voyagers continued their route, and
+with very favourable weather. They passed several places, where fires
+had recently been made; and beyond these, they observed a party of
+Indians, drawing their canoes on the beach, and endeavouring to escape
+into the woods. These had been so much terrified, by the appearance of
+the strangers, and the report of their guns, in shooting wild-geese,
+that they left, on the beach, several weapons and articles of dress. Mr.
+Mackenzie directed his men to go into the woods, in search of them, but
+in vain; for they had fled too rapidly to be overtaken.
+
+The voyagers had, for some time, subsisted chiefly on fish, which they
+had caught in their nets, and on deer and other game, which the hunters
+had killed.
+
+On Saturday, the 12th of September, at three o'clock in the afternoon,
+they again arrived at _Fort Chepewyan_; and thus concluded an arduous
+voyage, which, in the whole, had occupied the space of one hundred and
+two days.
+
+
+_The Western Coast of America, from California to Behring's Strait._
+
+On the western coast of North America, and lying between the
+twenty-second and thirty-second degrees of latitude, is a very singular
+promontory, near seven hundred miles in length, called _California_. It
+is at present subject to Spain; and is separated from New Mexico, by the
+_Gulf of California_, an arm of the sea, which is navigable by vessels
+of the largest size. The general surface of the country is barren,
+rugged, overrun with hills, rocks, and sand-banks, and unfit for
+agriculture. But, in a few places, where the Spanish missionaries have
+established settlements, the lands are fertile, and singularly
+productive of maize, barley, and peas. The plains, in the interior, are
+noted for the production of rock-salt.
+
+The Indians of California are very expert in the use of the bow, and
+subsist chiefly by hunting and fishing. Their skin is dark, and they
+paint their bodies, by way of ornament: they also pierce their ears, and
+wear in them trinkets of various kinds. The wealthiest of them wear
+cloaks made of sea-otter skins, which cover the loins, and reach below
+their middle. Others, however, have only a piece of cloth round their
+waist, and a little cloak, formed of rabbit-skin, which covers their
+shoulders, and is tied beneath the chin. The huts of these Indians are
+the most miserable that can be imagined. Their form is circular; and
+about six feet wide and four feet high. In the construction of them,
+stakes, eight or ten feet long, are driven into the ground, and are
+brought together so as to form an arch at the top; and trusses of straw,
+badly arranged upon these stakes, defend the inhabitants from the wind
+and rain.
+
+Near the Spanish settlement of _Monterey_, in north latitude 30 degrees
+35 minutes, M. de la Perouse, the French navigator, states that the soil
+is tolerably fertile and productive; and the climate is mild, though
+foggy. This part of California produces, in abundance, olives, figs,
+pomegranates, grapes, and peaches; the trees of which have all been
+planted by the missionaries. Beyond Monterey, the interior of the
+country is covered with immense forests of pines and other trees.
+
+North of California is _New Albion_, a country so called by Sir Francis
+Drake, who originally discovered it in the year 1578. It was visited
+about two hundred years afterwards, by Captain Cook. The country is
+mountainous; and, during the winter and spring, the mountains are
+covered with snow. The valleys and the grounds along the sea-coast, are
+clad with trees, and appear like a vast forest.
+
+Captain Cook sailed northward along the coast of New Albion, and
+anchored his vessels in an inlet called _Nootka Sound_. The inhabitants
+of the adjacent country approached his ships, and offered for sale the
+skins of various animals; garments of different kinds, some of fur, and
+others formed of the bark of trees. But, of all the articles brought to
+market, the most extraordinary, were human skulls, and hands not quite
+stripped of their flesh, some of which had evident marks of having been
+upon the fire. The articles which the natives took, in exchange for
+their commodities, were knives, chisels, pieces of iron and tin, nails,
+looking-glasses, buttons, or any kind of metal. Though the commerce was,
+in general, carried on with mutual honesty, there were some among these
+people who were much inclined to theft. And they were extremely
+dangerous thieves; for, possessing sharp iron instruments, they could
+cut a hook from a tackle, or any other piece of iron from a rope, the
+moment that the backs of the English were turned; and the dexterity with
+which they conducted their operations of this nature, frequently eluded
+the most cautious vigilance. In the progress of the commerce, they would
+deal for nothing but metal; and, at length, brass was so eagerly sought
+for, in preference to iron, that, before the navigators quitted the
+place, scarcely a bit of brass was left in the ships, except what
+belonged to the different instruments. Whole suits of clothes were
+stripped of every button; bureaus were deprived of their furniture;
+copper-kettles, tin-canisters, candlesticks, and whatever of the like
+kind could be found, all were seized and carried off.
+
+On Captain Cook's first arrival in this inlet, he had honoured it with
+the name of _King George's Sound_; but as it was called _Nootka_, by the
+natives, the latter appellation has since been generally adopted. The
+climate appeared to be much milder than that on the east coast of
+America, in the same parallel of latitude. With regard to trees, those
+of which the woods are chiefly composed, are the Canadian pine and white
+cypress; of the land animals, the most common were bears, deer, foxes,
+and wolves. The sea animals, which were seen off the coast, were whales,
+porpoises, seals, and sea-otters. Birds, in general, were not only rare
+as to the different species, but few in number.
+
+With respect to the inhabitants, their persons are generally under the
+common stature; but they are usually full or plump, though without being
+muscular. From their bringing to sale human skulls and bones, it may be
+inferred that they treat their enemies with a degree of brutal cruelty.
+To the navigators, however, they appeared to be a docile, courteous, and
+good-natured people. The chief employments of the men, were those of
+fishing, and of killing land or sea animals for the sustenance of
+themselves and their families; while the women were occupied in
+manufacturing flaxen or woollen garments, and in other domestic offices.
+
+North of Nootka Sound is _Port St. Francois_, which was visited by M. de
+la Perouse. There is, at this place, a deep bay which affords a safe
+anchorage. During three or four months of the year, vegetation near Port
+St. Francois is vigorous. In the interior of the country are forests of
+stately trees; and mountains of granite rise from the sea, and to such
+an elevation that their summits are capped with snow. Some of the
+highest mountains were computed by M. de la Perouse, to be ten thousand
+feet in perpendicular height.
+
+The inhabitants of this part of America are more robust, and better
+proportioned, than the Californians. The faces of the women are,
+however, disfigured by having, through the under lip, a piece of wood,
+by way of ornament. They paint their body and face, tatoo themselves,
+and pierce their ears and the cartilage of their nose, for the purpose
+of placing ornaments in them. Their food consists chiefly of game and
+fish. Their huts, or cabins, are constructed of rushes, or the branches
+of trees, and are covered with bark. The weapons of the men are bows,
+javelins, and daggers. The women are chiefly employed in domestic
+concerns: their dress consists of a leathern shirt, and a mantle of
+skins; and their feet are generally naked.
+
+The inhabitants of the country, adjacent to an inlet which Captain Cook
+named _Prince William's Sound_, appeared to have a strong resemblance to
+the Esquimaux and Greenlanders. Their canoes, their weapons, and their
+implements for fishing and hunting, are exactly similar, in materials
+and construction, to those used in Greenland; and the animals are, in
+general, similar to those that are found at Nootka. Humming-birds
+frequently flew about the ships while at anchor. Waterfowl were in
+considerable abundance: but torsk and holibut were almost the only kinds
+of fish that were caught. Vegetables were few in number; and the trees
+were chiefly the Canadian and spruce pine.
+
+North of Prince William's Sound, Captain Cook entered an inlet, which,
+it was hoped, would be found to communicate either with Baffin's or
+Hudson's Bay to the east; but, after an examination of it, to the
+distance of seventy leagues from the sea, it was proved to be a river.
+It is now called _Cook's River_.
+
+The inhabitants who were seen during the examinations of this river,
+appeared to resemble those of Prince William's Sound. They essentially
+differed from those of Nootka Sound, both in their persons and language.
+The only articles seen among them, which were not their own manufacture,
+were a few glass beads, the iron points of their spears, and their
+knives of the same metal. A very beneficial fur-trade, might be carried
+on with the inhabitants of this vast coast; but, without a practical
+northern passage, the situation is too remote to render such a trade of
+any advantage to Great Britain.
+
+A long peninsula, called _Alyaska_, extends, from the mouth of Cook's
+River, in a westerly direction; and, from its extremity a chain of
+islands stretches almost to the coast of Asia. The main land was
+observed, by Captain Cook, to be mountainous; and some of the mountains
+towered above the clouds. One of them, of conical shape, was discovered
+to be a volcano: smoke issued from its summit.
+
+Northward of Alyaska is a promontory to which Captain Cook gave the name
+of _Cape Newenham_. At this place he directed one of his lieutenants to
+land: this gentleman ascended the highest hill within sight, but from
+its summit he could not see a tree or shrub of any description. The
+lower grounds, however, were not destitute of grass and herbage.
+
+At the entrance of _Behring's Strait_, is a point of land which Captain
+Cook called _Cape Prince of Wales_, and which is remarkable as being the
+most westerly extremity of America hitherto explored. It is not forty
+miles distant from the coast of Siberia. From near this place, Captain
+Cook crossed to the opposite shore of Asia; and he continued to traverse
+the Frozen Sea, in various directions, and through innumerable
+difficulties, till, at length, the increase of the ice prevented his
+further progress northward, and he returned into the Pacific Ocean.
+
+
+
+
+Twenty-fifth Day's Instruction.
+
+DAVIS'S STRAIT AND BAFFIN'S BAY.
+
+
+Several expeditions have, at different times, been fitted out, for the
+purpose of ascertaining whether there exists a north-west passage, or
+navigable communication, between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The
+supposed points of communication are the north-western side of Baffin's
+Bay, on the east, and Behring's Strait on the west. Within the last four
+years the attention of the public has been more particularly called to
+this subject, by the fitting out, and progress, of two successive
+expeditions into Baffin's Bay. To the commander of each, instructions
+were given that he should, if possible, effect a passage thence,
+westward, into the Pacific. The first of these expeditions, under the
+command of Captain Ross, sailed from England in the month of April,
+1818: the other, under Captain Parry, who, in the previous expedition,
+had accompanied Captain Ross as the second in command, sailed on the
+10th of May, 1819. Some of the most interesting adventures which they
+each experienced, and of the most important discoveries which they
+effected, will now require our attention.
+
+
+_A Narrative of_ CAPTAIN ROSS'S _Voyage of Discovery, for the
+purpose of exploring Baffin's Bay, and enquiring into the probability of
+a North-west Passage._
+
+The Isabella and Alexander, commanded by Captain Ross and Lieutenant
+Parry, passed _Cape Farewell_, the south-eastern extremity of Greenland,
+on the 26th of May, 1818. The voyagers had previously seen a great
+number of icebergs, or islands of ice, of various shape and size, and of
+singular and grotesque figure. The height of one of them was estimated
+at three hundred and twenty-five feet; and a torrent of water was
+pouring down its side. On another, to which the ships were, for a while,
+made fast, a stratum of gravel, and stones of various kinds was
+observed.
+
+Whilst the vessels were near this iceberg, which was in latitude 68
+degrees, 22 minutes, they were visited by some Esquimaux, inhabitants of
+the adjacent country. From these persons they learnt that it had
+remained aground since the preceding year; and that there was ice all
+the way thence to _Disco Island_.
+
+In the evening of the 12th of June, the weather being clear and serene,
+the sky and the water presented one of the most beautiful scenes that
+can be imagined. The former, near the horizon, was interspersed with
+light and fleecy clouds, which decreased gradually in colour and
+density, according to their height; until, in the zenith, they
+disappeared entirely, and there the sky assumed a rich cerulean blue.
+The water, on the other hand, presented a spectacle superbly grand. Let
+any one fancy himself (says Captain Ross) in the midst of an immense
+plain, extending further than the eye can penetrate, and filled with
+masses of ice, which present a greater variety of form than the most
+fertile imagination can conceive; and as various in size as in shape,
+from the minutest fragments, to stupendous islands, more than one
+hundred feet in perpendicular height above the surface of the ocean.
+
+In the afternoon of the 14th of June, being near the Danish settlement,
+on _Kron Prins Island_, in latitude 63 degrees, 54 minutes, the governor
+of the settlement came on board the Isabella. This person stated that
+the weather of the preceding winter had been unusually severe; and that,
+during his residence of eleven years, in Greenland, the intensity of the
+cold had gradually continued to increase. The whole population of the
+island consisted of himself and family, six Danes, and one hundred
+Esquimaux, whose occupation consisted chiefly in the capture of whales
+and seals.
+
+The vessels proceeded northward, along the edge of the ice, through a
+crooked and narrow channel, in the midst of a firm field of ice, and a
+tremendous ridge of icebergs.
+
+At _Wayat's_ or _Hare Island_, the astronomical instruments were landed,
+and some important errors, both of latitude and longitude, were
+discovered and corrected. Thirty or forty whale-ships were seen fastened
+to the icebergs along the shore of this island. The only four-footed
+animals observed on it were white hares and a fox: the birds were
+ptarmigans, snipes, snow-buntings, and larks.
+
+Beyond Wayat's Island the ships were surrounded by ice of various and
+extensive forms; and much skill, ardour, and perseverance, were
+manifested by the navigators working through the narrow channels and
+floes. On the 23d, and at the distance of ten miles north of Wayat, they
+reached _Four Island Point_, where they found several whalers which had
+been stopped by the ice.
+
+A sort of Danish factory was established at this spot, and some Indian
+huts were seen; but they were in ruins and apparently deserted. Captain
+Ross sent to the shore one of his crew, an Esquimaux, named John
+Sacheuse. This man, who had been resident nearly two years in England,
+and had acquired some knowledge of the English language, had been taken
+on board the Isabella as an interpreter.
+
+He found a village, consisting of a few huts, formed of seal-skins, and
+sufficient for the residence of about fifty persons. Being desirous of
+obtaining from these persons a sledge and dogs, in exchange for a
+rifle-musket, he conducted seven of them, in their canoes, to the ship.
+As soon as the bargain was made, they went on shore, and returned, with
+the sledge and dogs, in a larger canoe, rowed by five women in a
+standing posture, and all dressed in deer-skins. These people were
+highly pleased with the treatment they received; and, having partaken of
+some refreshment in the cabin, they danced on the deck with the sailors,
+to the animating strains of a Shetland fiddler. Two of the women were
+daughters of a Danish resident, by an Esquimaux woman: one of the men
+was the son of a Dane; and they were all of the colour of Mulattoes.
+After the dance, coffee was served; and, at eight o'clock, the party
+returned to land.
+
+The progress of the vessels had hitherto been much impeded by the state
+of the ice. This, however, now began to separate, and they once more
+proceeded on their voyage; passing among hundreds of icebergs, of
+extraordinary colours, and the most fantastical shapes.
+
+In latitude 74 degrees 30 minutes, the Isabella was jammed in by the
+ice, and sustained a severe pressure; being lifted several feet out of
+the water, but she did not receive any material injury. On the 31st of
+July, whales were seen in great numbers; and, the boats being sent in
+pursuit of them, one was killed: it measured forty-six feet in length,
+and yielded thirteen tons of blubber.
+
+On the 6th and 7th of August, the two ships were again in great danger
+from the ice. Whilst they were in the midst of the icebergs, they were
+driven, by a gale of wind, so forcibly against each other, that their
+sterns came violently in contact, and crushed to pieces a boat that
+could not be removed in time; and, had not the vessels themselves been
+excessively strong, they must have been totally destroyed. Attempts were
+made to liberate them by sawing through the ice: not long after the
+commencement of the operation, two immense masses of ice came violently
+in contact, and one of them, fifty feet in height, suddenly broke. Its
+elevated part fell back with a terrible crash; and overwhelmed, with its
+ruins, the very spot which the officers had marked out as a place of
+safety for the ships. Soon afterwards the ice opened, and they were once
+more out of danger.
+
+The gale having abated, and the weather, which of late had been snowy,
+having cleared up, land was seen in latitude 75 degrees 54 minutes; and
+on the 9th of August, the voyagers beheld, at a distance, upon the ice,
+some people who seemed to be hallooing to the ships. At first they were
+supposed to be shipwrecked sailors, whose vessel had perished in the
+late gale; the ships, therefore, were steered nearer to the ice, and the
+colours were hoisted. It was, however, now discovered, that they were
+natives of the country, drawn by dogs on sledges, and with wonderful
+velocity.
+
+When they had approached near enough to the ships, for Sacheuse to be
+heard, he hailed them in his own language, and they answered him; but
+neither party seemed to be intelligible. For some time the strangers
+remained silent; but, on the ships' tacking, they set up a shout, and
+wheeled off, with amazing swiftness, towards the land.
+
+On the ensuing day eight sledges were seen to approach the ships.
+Sacheuse volunteered his services to go on the ice, with presents: this
+was done in the hope of bringing the people to a parley. They halted at
+some distance from the ships, and by the edge of a canal or chasm in the
+ice, which prevented any fear or danger of attack from either party.
+Sacheuse soon discovered that these Indians spoke a dialect of his own
+language; and he invited them to approach nearer, but they replied, "No,
+no, go you away;" and one of them, drawing a knife out of his boot,
+exclaimed: "Go away; I can kill you." Sacheuse told them that he wished
+to be their friend; and, as a proof of it, he threw them, across the
+canal, some strings of beads, and a checked shirt. These were beheld
+with great distrust, and Sacheuse threw them a knife. They approached
+with caution, took up the knife, and then shouted and pulled their
+noses. These actions were imitated by Sacheuse, who, in return, called
+out, "Heigh-yaw!" pulling his nose, with the same gesture. They then
+pointed to the shirt, and asked him of what skin it was made; but some
+time elapsed before they would venture to touch it. After this they
+pointed to the ships, and eagerly enquired, "What are those great
+creatures? Do they come from the sun or the moon? Do they give us light
+by night or by day?" Sacheuse said that they were houses made of wood;
+but this, they replied, could not be the case, for the creatures were
+alive: they had been seen to flap their wings. Sacheuse again assured
+them of the truth of all he had told them, and that he was a man like
+themselves; then pointing towards the south, he said he came, in those
+houses, from a distant country in that direction. To this they replied,
+"No, that cannot be: there is nothing but ice there."
+
+On Sacheuse asking these Indians who they were, they replied that they
+were men, and that they lived in a country towards which they pointed
+(in the north:) that they had there plenty of water; and that they had
+come to the present spot, to catch seals and sea-unicorns.
+
+Sacheuse, wishing to become better acquainted with them, returned to the
+ship, for a plank, to enable him to cross over the chasm. He crossed it;
+but, on approaching them, they entreated that he would not touch them,
+as, in that case, they should certainly die. One of them, however, more
+courageous than the rest, ventured to touch his hand; then, pulling his
+own nose, he set up a loud shout, in which he was joined by Sacheuse and
+the other three.
+
+The whole of the natives, eight in number, now came forward, and were
+met by the commanders of the vessels, and the other officers; but they
+were, evidently, in a state of great alarm, until the ceremony of
+pulling noses had been gone through by both parties, shouting, at the
+same time, _heigh-yaw_! With this people the pulling of noses is a mode
+of friendly salutation; and their interjection of "heigh-yaw!" is an
+expression of surprise and pleasure.
+
+The officers gave to the foremost of the natives a looking-glass and a
+knife; and presented similar articles to the others, as they came up in
+succession. On seeing their faces in the glasses, their astonishment
+appeared extreme. They looked round in silence, for a moment, at each
+other, and at their visitors, and immediately afterwards set up a
+general shout: this was succeeded by a loud laugh, expressive of delight
+and surprise. Having, at length, acquired some degree of confidence,
+they advanced, and, in return for knives, glasses, and beads, gave their
+own knives, sea-unicorn's horns, and sea-horse teeth.
+
+On approaching the ship, they halted, and were evidently much terrified;
+and one of the party, after surveying the Isabella, and examining every
+part of her with his eyes, thus addressed her, in a loud tone: "Who are
+you? Where do you come from? Is it from the sun or the moon?" pausing
+between every question, and pulling his nose with the greatest
+solemnity. This ceremony was repeated, in succession, by all the rest.
+
+Sacheuse again assured them that the ships were only wooden houses; and
+he showed them the boat, which had been hauled on the ice, for the
+purpose of being repaired, explaining to them, that it was a smaller
+vessel of the same kind. This immediately arrested their attention:
+they advanced to the boat, and examined her, and the carpenter's tools
+and the oars, very minutely; each object, in its turn, exciting the most
+ludicrous ejaculations of surprise. The boat was then ordered to be
+launched into the sea, with a man in it, and hauled up again; at the
+sight of this operation there seemed no bounds to their clamour. The
+cable and the ice-anchor, the latter a heavy piece of iron, shaped like
+the letter S, excited much interest. They tried in vain to remove it;
+and they eagerly enquired of what skins the cable was made.
+
+By this time the officers of both the ships had surrounded the Indians;
+while the bow of the Isabella, which was close to the ice, was crowded
+with sailors; and a more ludicrous, yet more interesting scene, was,
+perhaps, never beheld, than that which took place whilst the Indians
+were viewing the ship. Nor is it possible to convey to the imagination
+any thing like a just representation of the wild amazement, joy, and
+fear, by which they were successively agitated. The circumstance,
+however, which chiefly excited their admiration, was a sailor going
+aloft; for they kept their eyes intently fixed upon him, till he had
+reached the summit of the mast. The sails, which hung loose, they
+supposed to be skins.
+
+After this, they were conducted to the foot of a rope-ladder suspended
+from the deck of the ship; and the mode of ascending it was shown to
+them; but a considerable time elapsed before they could be prevailed
+with to ascend. At length one of them went up, and he was followed by
+the rest. The wonders with which they were now surrounded, excited
+additional astonishment.
+
+The knowledge which these Indians had of wood seemed to be confined to
+some kinds of heath, which had stems not thicker than the finger: hence
+they knew not what to think of the timber with which the ships were
+constructed. Not being aware of its weight, two or three of them,
+successively, seized hold of the spare topmast, and evidently with an
+intention of carrying it off. The only object on board which they
+seemed to view with contempt, was a little terrier dog; judging, no
+doubt, that it was too small for drawing a sledge: but they shrunk back,
+in terror, from a pig, whose pricked ears, and ferocious countenance,
+presented a somewhat formidable appearance. This animal happening to
+grunt, one of them was so much terrified, that he became, from that
+moment, uneasy, and impatient to get out of the ship. In carrying his
+purpose into effect, however, he did not lose his propensity to
+thieving, for he seized hold of, and endeavoured to carry off, the
+smith's anvil: but, finding it infinitely too heavy for his strength, he
+laid hold of the large hammer, threw it on the ice; and, following it
+himself, deliberately laid it on his sledge, and drove off. As this was
+an article that could not be spared, Captain Ross sent a man from the
+ship, who pursued the depredator, and, with some difficulty, recovered
+it.
+
+The officers and men on board were much amused by putting into the hands
+of these Indians a magnifying mirror. On beholding themselves in it,
+their grimaces were highly entertaining. They first looked into, and
+then behind it, in hopes of finding the monster which was exaggerating
+their hideous gestures. A watch was held to the ear of one of them; and
+he, supposing it alive, asked if it was good to eat. On being shown the
+glass of the skylight and binnacle, they touched it, and desired to know
+what kind of ice it was.
+
+Three of the men who remained on board were handed down into the
+captain's cabin, and shown the use of the chairs: this, however, they
+did not comprehend; for they appeared to have no notion of any other
+seat than the ground. They were shown paper, books, drawings, and
+various mathematical instruments, but these produced in them only the
+usual effect of astonishment. On being conducted to the gun-room, and
+afterwards round the ship, they did not appear to notice any thing
+particularly, except the wood that had been used in her construction.
+They stamped upon the deck, as if in surprise at the great quantity of
+this valuable material which they beheld. By the direction of the
+officers, Sacheuse enquired of these people, whether their country had
+as many inhabitants as there were pieces of ice, floating round the
+ship: they replied, "Many more;" and it was supposed that at least a
+thousand fragments could be distinguished.
+
+The men were now loaded with presents of various kinds, consisting of
+articles of clothing, biscuit, and pieces of wood; in addition to which
+the plank that had been used in crossing the chasm, was given to them.
+They then departed, promising to return as soon as they had eaten and
+slept. The parting was attended, on each side, by the ceremony of
+pulling noses.
+
+It has been remarked that these Indians were in possession of knives;
+and the iron of which their knives were made, was stated to have been
+procured from a mountain near the sea-shore. They informed Sacheuse that
+there was a rock, or great quantity of it; and that they cut off from
+this rock, with a sharp stone, such pieces as they wanted.
+
+In the course of the three following days, the Isabella changed her
+station some miles westward. At length she was again moored near the
+ice; and, shortly afterwards, three of the natives appeared at a
+distance. Sacheuse, who had been furnished with presents, and sent to
+speak with them, induced them to drive, on their sledges, close to the
+vessel. The dogs attached to each sledge were six in number. Each dog
+had a collar of seal-skin, two inches wide, to which one end of a thong,
+made of strong hide, and about three yards in length, was fastened: the
+other end was tied to the front of the sledge: thus the dogs were ranged
+nearly abreast, each dog drawing by a single trace, and without reins.
+No sooner did they hear the crack of the driver's whip, than they set
+off at full speed, while he managed them with the greatest apparent
+ease, guiding them partly by his voice, and partly by the sound of his
+whip. One of these men pointed out to Captain Ross his house, which was
+about three miles distant, and could be discerned with a telescope.
+
+A party of ten natives approached the ship, on the ensuing day. These
+having with them a seal-skin bag filled with air, they began to kick it
+at each other and at the strangers: in this play the Englishmen joined,
+to the great amusement of both parties. The inflated skin was what the
+men had been using as the buoy to a harpoon, in the killing of a
+sea-unicorn. They gave to Captain Ross a piece of dried sea-unicorn's
+flesh, which appeared to have been half roasted. This gentleman had
+already seen them eat dried flesh; and he now had an opportunity of
+ascertaining that they did not scruple to eat flesh in any state; for,
+one of them who had a bag full of marine-birds, took out one and
+devoured it raw.
+
+The officers, desirous of ascertaining whether these Indians had any
+amusements of music or dancing, prevailed with two of them to give a
+specimen of their dancing. One of them began to distort his features and
+turn up his eyes. He then proceeded to execute, in succession, a variety
+of strange gestures and attitudes, accompanied by hideous distortions of
+countenance. His body was generally in a stooping posture; and his hands
+rested on his knees. After a few minutes, he began to sing; and, in a
+little while, the second performer, who, hitherto, had been looking on,
+in silence, began to imitate his comrade. They then sang, in chorus, the
+word, "_hejaw! hejaw!_" After this had continued, with increasing
+energy, for several minutes, the tune was suddenly changed to one of
+shrill notes, in which the words "_weehee! weehee!_" were uttered with
+great rapidity. They then approached each other, by slipping their feet
+forward: they grinned, and, in great agitation, advanced until their
+noses touched, when a loud and savage laugh terminated the extraordinary
+performance.
+
+While this performance was going on, one of the Indians, seeing that the
+attention of every person was engaged, seized the opportunity of
+descending into the state-room, and of purloining Captain Ross's best
+telescope, a case of razors, and a pair of scissors, which he artfully
+concealed in his tunic, rejoining the party and the amusements, as if
+nothing had happened. He did not, however, escape detection, for the
+ship's steward had witnessed the theft, and, now charging him with it,
+made him return all the articles he had stolen.
+
+Captain Ross gave the name of _Arctic Highlands_ to the country
+inhabited by these Indians, and that of _Prince Regent's Bay_, to the
+place where the vessels had anchored. It is situated in the north-east
+corner of Baffin's Bay, between the latitudes of 76 and 79 degrees
+north; and is bounded, towards the south, by an immense barrier of
+mountains covered with ice. The interior of the country presents an
+irregular group of mountainous land, declining gradually towards the
+sea, which it reaches in an irregular manner, the cliffs ranging from
+five hundred to one thousand feet in height. This tract was almost
+covered with ice, and appeared to be impassable.
+
+On the surface of the land, above the cliffs, a scanty appearance of
+vegetation, of a yellowish green colour, and, in some places, of a
+heathy brown, was to be seen; and, at the foot of the cliffs, similar
+traces of a wretched verdure were also apparent. Among the cliffs were
+seen deep ravines filled with snow, through which the marks of torrents
+were perceptible. These cliffs run out, in many places, into capes, and
+are skirted by islands, which, at this time, were clear of ice, and
+consequently were washed by the waves. Many species of wild-fowl were
+seen.
+
+The vegetable productions of this country may be said to consist of
+heath, moss, and coarse grass. There is nothing like cultivation, nor
+did it appear that the natives used any kind of vegetable food. The moss
+is in great abundance: it is six or eight inches in length, and, when
+dried and immersed in oil or blubber, it serves for a wick, and
+produces a comfortable fire for cooking and warmth, as well as for
+light.
+
+The whale-fishery might, undoubtedly, be pursued with great success, in
+this bay and its vicinity. The whales are here not only large and
+numerous, but, probably from their having been undisturbed, they are
+tame, and easy to be approached.
+
+The dress of the Arctic Highlanders, as Captain Ross has denominated the
+people of this country, consists of three pieces, which are all
+comprised in the name of _tunic_. The upper piece is made of seal-skin,
+with the hair outside; and is open near the top, so as to admit the
+wearer's face. The hood part is neatly trimmed with fox's-skin, and is
+made to fall back on the shoulders, or to cover the head, as may be
+required. The next piece of dress, which scarcely reaches to the knee,
+is made of bear's or dog's skin. The boots are of seal-skin, with the
+hair inward. In the winter this people have a garment of bear-skin,
+which they put on as a cloak.
+
+The Arctic Highlanders are of a dirty copper colour. Their stature is
+about five feet: their bodies are corpulent, and their features much
+resemble those of the Esquimaux. Their cheeks are full and round. Their
+lips are thick, their eyes are small, and their hair is black, coarse,
+long, and lank. These people appear to be filthy in the extreme. The
+faces, hands, and bodies of such as were seen by the voyagers, were
+covered with oil and dirt; and they seemed never to have washed
+themselves since they were born: even their hair was matted with filth.
+
+Some attempts were made to ascertain the religious notions of the Arctic
+Highlanders, but these seem to have proved unsatisfactory; and, perhaps,
+from the inability of Sacheuse to question them on such a subject. They
+had a king, whom they represented to be a strong man, very good, and
+greatly beloved. His house was described to be of stone, and nearly as
+large as the ship; and they said that every man paid to him a portion of
+all which they caught or found. They could not be made to understand
+what was meant by war, nor did the voyagers see, among them, any warlike
+weapons. It is peculiarly deserving of remark, that these Indians, who
+derive much of their subsistence from the water, have no canoes or
+vessels of any description, in which they can go afloat; nor do they
+appear to have any names by which boats or canoes are designated. It is
+true that they have no wood for the construction of floating vessels;
+but such might, without difficulty, be constructed of bone covered with
+skins.
+
+On the 16th of August, the ice had become sufficiently open, to permit
+the passage of the vessels to the northward; and they consequently
+proceeded on their voyage.
+
+In these high latitudes, a kind of marine birds, called Little Awks
+(_alca alle_) were observed in countless multitudes, and afforded to the
+sailors, a grateful supply of fresh food. With three muskets, no fewer
+than one thousand two hundred and sixty-three of them were killed in one
+day; and, of this number, ninety-three were brought down by one
+discharge of the muskets.
+
+When the ships were in latitude 75 degrees 54 minutes, the snow on the
+face of the cliffs was observed to be stained of a deep crimson colour.
+Some of this snow being collected in buckets, it was found to resemble,
+in appearance, raspberry ice-cream: when dissolved, the liquor seemed
+not unlike muddy port-wine; and the sediment appeared, through a
+microscope, to be composed of dark-red globules. Some of this sediment
+was brought to England, and it is generally supposed to have been a
+vegetable substance, the seed, probably, of some species of fungus; or,
+perhaps, to have been itself a minute kind of fungus.
+
+On the 18th of August, the ships passed _Cape Dudley Digges_, six miles
+northward of which a majestic glacier, or mass of ice, was remarked to
+occupy a space of four miles square, extending one mile into the sea,
+and rising to the height of at least a hundred feet. On the same day
+the vessels passed _Wolstenholme_ and _Whale Sounds_.
+
+About midnight of the 19th, _Sir Thomas Smith's Sound_ was distinctly
+seen. Captain Ross considered the bottom of this sound to have been
+eighteen leagues distant; but its entrance, he says, was completely
+blocked up by ice. On the 21st, the ships stood over to explore an
+opening, supposed to have been that called _Alderman Jones's Sound_; but
+Captain Ross says that the ice and fog prevented a near approach.
+
+The night of the 24th of August was remarkable for having been the first
+on which the sun had been observed to set, since the 7th of June. The
+land was now seen to take a southerly direction; and the ships proceeded
+along it, as near as they could conveniently approach for the floating
+masses of ice.
+
+On the 30th they entered a wide opening in the land, the _Sir James
+Lancaster's Sound_ of Baffin. On each side of this opening was a chain
+of high mountains. The sea was perfectly free from ice, and the vessels
+proceeded on a westward course for several leagues. The weather had, for
+some time, been hazy; but, on its clearing up, Captain Ross states that
+a range of mountains about twenty-four miles distant, were seen to
+occupy the centre of the inlet. To these he gave the name of _Croker
+Mountains_, and, imagining that no passage existed through them, he
+returned into the open sea, and, not long afterwards, sailed for
+England.
+
+
+
+
+Twenty-sixth Day's Instruction.
+
+DAVIS'S STRAIT AND BAFFIN'S BAY CONCLUDED.
+
+
+The accounts that had been given by Captain Ross, particularly
+respecting the apparent mountains, named by him _Croker Mountains_,
+across Sir James Lancaster's Sound, not proving either conclusive or
+satisfactory, the Lords of the Admiralty ordered two ships, the Hecla
+and Griper, to be prepared for a further voyage of discovery in Baffin's
+Bay. The command of these vessels, as already stated, was given to
+Captain Parry, who, in the previous expedition, had been second in
+command under Captain Ross. It was one important part of his
+instructions, that he should advance to the northward, as far as the
+opening into Lancaster's Sound; that he should explore the bottom of
+that Sound, and, if possible, pass through it to Behring's Strait. The
+number of men in both the vessels was ninety-four; and many of them were
+those who had accompanied Captain Ross.
+
+
+_Narrative of_ CAPTAIN PARRY'S _Voyage for the Discovery of a
+North-West Passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean._
+
+Captain Parry arrived at the entrance into _Lancaster's Sound_, on the
+30th of July, 1819; and, this day, saw no fewer than eighty-two whales.
+Some of the officers and men landed at _Possession Bay_, and recognized
+many objects which they had seen there, when with Captain Ross. The
+tracks of human feet were observed upon the banks of a stream. These at
+first excited much surprise; but, on examination, they were discovered
+to have been made by the shoes of some of the same party, eleven months
+before.
+
+In sailing, westward, up the Sound, Captain Parry says that it is more
+easy to imagine than to describe the almost breathless anxiety which was
+visible in every countenance, as the breeze, which had hitherto impelled
+the vessels, increased to a fresh gale. The mast-heads were crowded by
+the officers and men looking out; and an unconcerned observer, if, on
+such an occasion, any could be unconcerned, would have been amused by
+the eagerness with which the various reports from those stations were
+received.
+
+After the vessels had proceeded a considerable distance, they passed
+some bold headlands, and high mountains. They also passed an inlet, to
+which Captain Parry gave the name of _Croker's Bay_, and which he is of
+opinion may, hereafter, be found a passage from Lancaster's Sound into
+the Northern Sea. They were thence carried along briskly for three days.
+On the 4th of August, there was, from the mast-head, an exclamation of
+"land!" and that sound, which, on ordinary occasions, is of all others
+the most joyful to a seaman's ears, was, on this, the signal for
+disappointment and mortification. The land, however, proved to be an
+island.
+
+The vessels continued their progress, and several bays, capes, and
+headlands, were successively discovered. On the 22d there was a clear
+and extensive view to the northward; the water was free from ice, and
+the voyagers now felt that they had entered the Polar Sea. The
+magnificent opening through which their passage had been effected, from
+Baffin's Bay, to a channel dignified with the name of _Wellington_, was
+called, by Captain Parry, _Barron's Straits_.
+
+In latitude 75 degrees 3 minutes, and longitude 103 degrees 44 minutes,
+an island was discovered; and Captain Sabine, with two other officers,
+landed on it. They found, in four different places, the remains of
+Esquimaux habitations. These were from seven to ten feet in diameter;
+and to each was attached a circle four or five feet in diameter, which
+had probably been the fire-place. The whole encampment appeared to have
+been deserted for several years; but recent footsteps of rein-deer and
+musk-oxen were seen in many places.
+
+The circumstances under which the voyagers were now sailing were,
+perhaps, such as had never occurred since the early days of navigation.
+There was land towards the north; ice, it was supposed, was towards the
+south; the compasses by which the vessels had been steered, now varied
+so much, that they had become useless; and all the surrounding objects
+were obscured by a dense fog: consequently, there was now no other mode
+of regulating the course of the ships, than by trusting to the
+steadiness of the wind.
+
+On the 2d of September a star was seen; the first that had been visible
+for more than two months. Two days afterwards, at a quarter past nine in
+the evening, the ships, in latitude 74 degrees 44 minutes, crossed the
+meridian of 110 degrees from Greenwich, by which they became entitled to
+L.5000; a reward offered by the British government to the first vessels
+which should cross that longitude, to the north of America. In order to
+commemorate the event, a lofty headland that they had just passed, was
+called _Bounty Cape_. On the following day the ships, for the first time
+since they had quitted the English coast, dropped anchor in a roadstead,
+which was called the _Bay of the Hecla and Griper_; and the crews landed
+on the largest of a group of islands, which Captain Parry named
+_Melville Island_. The ensigns and pendants were hoisted, as soon as the
+vessels had anchored; and it excited, in the voyagers, no ordinary
+sensations of pleasure, to see the British flag waving, for the first
+time, in regions, which, hitherto, had been considered beyond the limits
+of the habitable world.
+
+The wind now became unfavourable to their progress; and a rapid
+accumulation of the ice, exposed the vessels to the greatest danger, and
+the crews to incessant fatigue. For several days they were unable to
+proceed further than along the coast of the island. This was the more
+mortifying, as Captain Parry had looked forward to the month of
+September, as the period, of all others, favourable to the rapid
+prosecution of his voyage. To add to his anxiety, a party of seamen, who
+had been sent on shore, to hunt deer, lost their way, and, for three
+nights, were exposed to the inclemency of the weather. The most
+distressing apprehensions were entertained respecting the fate of these
+men; nor, were they finally recovered, without considerable danger to
+those who were sent in search of them, and who, had their recovery been
+delayed one day longer, must themselves have perished. In gratitude for
+this preservation, the nearest headland was named _Cape Providence_.
+
+The increasing dangers and difficulties attendant on continuing the
+navigation westward, prevented the vessels from proceeding further than
+to some distance along the coast of Melville Island. And, at length,
+Captain Parry, finding that no hope could be entertained, during the
+present season, of penetrating beyond this island, he was induced to
+return to Hecla and Griper Bay, for the purpose of passing there the
+winter.
+
+It was now, however, requisite to cut a canal through the ice, which,
+since their departure, had extended a considerable distance into the
+sea; and to draw the ships up it into the harbour. In this operation,
+two parallel lines were cut, distant from each other, little more than
+the breadth of the ships; and the ice was divided into square pieces,
+which were subdivided diagonally, and were either floated out of the
+canal, or sunk beneath the adjacent ice. The labour of cutting this
+canal may be imagined, when it is stated that the length was more than
+four thousand yards, and that the average thickness of the ice was seven
+inches. At three o'clock of September the 26th, the third day spent in
+this operation, the vessels reached their winter quarters; an event
+which was hailed with three hearty cheers, by the united ships' crews.
+The group of islands which had been discovered, were called the _North
+Georgian Islands_.
+
+As the ships had now attained that station where, in all probability,
+they were destined to remain for eight or nine months, every precaution
+was taken for their security, and for the preservation of the various
+stores which they contained. A regular system also was adopted, for the
+maintenance of good order, cleanliness, and the health of the crews,
+during the approaching long, dark, and dreary winter. All the masts,
+except the lower ones, were dismantled; and the boats, spars, ropes, and
+sails, were removed on shore, in order to give as much room as possible
+on the deck. The ropes and sails were all hard frozen, and it was
+requisite to keep them in that state, till the return of spring. A
+housing of planks, covered with wadding-tilt, such as is used for
+stage-waggons, was formed upon the deck of each of the vessels; and thus
+constituted a comfortable shelter from the snow and the wind.
+
+The crews were in excellent health, and every care was taken to preserve
+it. Regulations were made, in the allowances both of bread and meat: as
+a preservative against scurvy, the men were allowed a quantity of
+vinegar with their meat, and they, every day, took a portion of
+lime-juice and sugar. The next care was for the minds of the men, the
+health of which Captain Parry wisely considered to have no small
+influence on that of the body. This excellent officer, anxious for their
+amusement during the long and tedious interval of winter, proposed, that
+a play should occasionally be got up on board the Hecla. He considered
+this to be the readiest means of preserving, among the crews, that
+cheerfulness and good-humour which had hitherto subsisted. The proposal
+was readily seconded by the officers of both ships: Lieutenant Beechey
+was consequently elected stage-manager, and the first performance was
+fixed for the 5th of November. In order still further to promote
+good-humour, and to furnish amusing occupation, a weekly newspaper was
+set on foot, called the "North Georgia Gazette, and Winter Chronicle,"
+of which Captain Sabine undertook to be the editor, under a promise
+that it should be supported by original contributions from the officers
+of the two ships.
+
+On the 4th of November the sun sank beneath the horizon, not to appear
+again above it for the space of ninety-six days. On the 5th the theatre
+was opened, with the farce of "Miss in her Teens;" and Captain Parry
+found so much benefit accrue to his men, from the amusement which this
+kind of spectacle afforded them, and with the occupation of fitting up
+the theatre and taking it down again, that the dramatic representations
+were continued through the whole winter, and were performed and
+witnessed with equal pleasure, even when the cold upon the stage was
+intense.
+
+The sinking of the sun below the horizon, for so long a period, seemed
+to occasion a painful sensation to the animals, inhabitants of the
+island, as well as to the human beings who had sought a temporary asylum
+on it: for, from that time, the wolves began to approach the ships, as
+if drawn thither by a melancholy sympathy; and they often howled, most
+piteously, for many successive hours. They, however, seldom appeared in
+greater numbers than two or three together; and it was somewhat
+extraordinary, that although the crews of both vessels were, for many
+weeks, intent on killing or catching some of them, they never could
+succeed. Only one bear was seen during the whole winter: it was of the
+white kind, and had tracked Captain Sabine's servant quite to the ships;
+but, being there saluted by a volley of balls, it ran off and escaped.
+
+The circumstances under which the crews of these vessels were situated,
+being such as had never before occurred, it cannot be uninteresting to
+know in what manner they passed their time during three months of nearly
+total darkness, and in the midst of a severe winter.
+
+The officers and quarter-masters were divided into four watches, which
+were regularly kept, as at sea; while the remainder of the ship's
+company were allowed to enjoy their night's rest undisturbed. The hands
+were turned up at a quarter before six in the morning; and both the
+decks were well rubbed with stones and warm sand, before eight o'clock,
+at which time both officers and men went to breakfast. Three quarters of
+an hour being allowed, after breakfast, for the men to prepare
+themselves for muster, they were all assembled on the deck at a quarter
+past nine; and a strict inspection took place, as to their personal
+cleanliness, and the good condition, as well as sufficient warmth, of
+their clothing. The reports of the officers having been made to Captain
+Parry, the men were then allowed to walk about, or, more usually, to run
+round the upper deck; whilst he went down to examine the state of the
+deck below, accompanied by Lieutenant Beechey and Mr. Edwards the
+surgeon.
+
+The state of this deck may be said, indeed, to have constituted the
+chief source of anxiety; and, at this period, to have occupied by far
+the greatest share of attention. Whenever any dampness appeared, or,
+what more frequently happened, any accumulation of ice had taken place
+during the preceding night, the necessary means were immediately adopted
+for removing it: in the former case, usually by rubbing the wood with
+cloths, and then directing hot air to the place; and, in the latter, by
+scraping off the ice, so as to prevent its wetting the deck, by any
+accidental increase of temperature. In this respect the bed-places were
+peculiarly troublesome; the inner partition, or that next the ship's
+side, being, almost invariably, covered with more or less dampness or
+ice, according to the temperature of the deck during the preceding
+night.
+
+All the requisite examinations being finished, the men, when the weather
+would permit, were sent out to walk on shore till noon; but, when the
+day was too inclement to admit of this exercise, they were ordered to
+run round and round the deck, keeping step to the tune of an organ, or
+to a song of their own singing. A few of the men did not, at first,
+quite like this systematic mode of taking exercise; but, when they
+found that no plea, except that of illness, was admitted as an excuse,
+they not only willingly and cheerfully complied, but they made it the
+occasion of much humour and frolic among themselves.
+
+The officers, who dined at two o'clock, were also in the habit of
+occupying one or two hours, of the middle of the day, in rambling on
+shore, even in the darkest period; except when a fresh wind or a heavy
+snow-drift confined them within the housing of the ships. It may well be
+imagined, that, at this period, there was but little to be met with in
+their walks on shore, which could either amuse or interest them. The
+necessity of not exceeding the limited distance of one or two miles,
+lest a snow-drift, which often arose very suddenly, should prevent their
+return, added considerably to the dull and tedious monotony which, day
+after day, presented itself. Towards the south was the sea, covered with
+one unbroken surface of ice, uniform in its dazzling whiteness, except
+that, in some parts, a few hummocks were seen thrown up somewhat above
+the general level. Nor did the land offer much greater variety: it was
+covered with snow, except here and there a brown patch of bare ground in
+some exposed situations, where the wind had not allowed the snow to
+remain. When viewed from the summit of the neighbouring hills, on one of
+those calm, clear days, which not unfrequently occurred during the
+winter, the scene was such as to induce contemplations, that had,
+perhaps, more of melancholy than of any other feeling. Not an object was
+to be seen on which the eye could long rest with pleasure, unless when
+directed to the spot where the ships lay. The smoke which there issued
+from the several fires, affording a certain indication of the presence
+of man, gave a partial cheerfulness to this part of the prospect; and
+the sound of voices, which, during the cold weather, could be heard at a
+much greater distance than usual, served, now and then, to break the
+silence which reigned around,--a silence far different from that
+peaceable composure which characterizes the landscape of a cultivated
+country: it was the death-like stillness of the most dreary desolation,
+the total absence of animated existence.
+
+The weather became intensely severe; and, during the latter part of
+November, and the first half of December, Captain Parry's journal
+presents little more than observations on it; and oh the meteoric
+appearances and fantastic illusions of light and colour, with which the
+voyagers were often amused. At one time, the moon appeared to be
+curiously deformed by refraction; the lower edges of it seeming to be
+indented with deep notches, and afterwards to be cut off square at the
+bottom; whilst a single ray or column of light, of the same diameter as
+the moon, was observed to descend from it to the top of a hill. At
+another time, several transparent clouds were seen to emit, upward,
+columns of light, resembling the aurora borealis. The aurora borealis
+itself appears to have been seldom witnessed, in the splendour with
+which it occasionally illuminates even the northern parts of Scotland;
+still it was both frequent and vivid enough to give variety and beauty
+to the long nights which the voyagers had to endure.
+
+The new year was ushered in by weather comparatively mild; but it soon
+regained its former severity. Captain Parry and his crews did not,
+however, experience those effects from the cold, even when 49 degrees
+below 0, which preceding voyagers have stated; such as a dreadful
+sensation on the lungs, when the air is inhaled at a very low
+temperature; or the vapour with which an inhabited room is charged,
+condensing into a shower of snow, immediately on the opening of a door
+or window. What they did observe was this: on the opening of the doors,
+at the top and bottom of the hatch-way ladders, the vapour was
+condensed, by the sudden admission of the cold air, into a visible form,
+exactly resembling a very thick smoke. This apparent smoke settled on
+the pannels of the doors and on the bulk-heads, and immediately froze,
+by which the latter were covered with a thick coating of ice, which it
+was necessary frequently to scrape off.
+
+The extreme severity of the cold, which was sometimes prevalent, may be
+imagined from the following fact:--A house, erected on the shore, for
+scientific purposes, caught fire; and a servant of Captain Sabine, in
+his endeavours to extinguish it, exposed his hands, in the first
+instance, to the operation of considerable heat; and he afterwards, for
+some time, remained without gloves, in the open air. When taken on board
+the ship, his hands presented a strange appearance. They were perfectly
+hard, inflexible, and colourless; possessing a degree of translucency,
+and exhibiting more the external character of pieces of sculptured
+marble, than of animated matter. They were immediately plunged into the
+cold bath, where they were continued more than two hours, before their
+flexibility could be restored. The abstraction of heat had been so
+great, that the water, in contact with the fingers, congealed upon them,
+even half an hour after they had been immersed. During the cold
+application, the man suffered acute pain, by which he became so faint
+and exhausted, that it was requisite to put him to bed. In less than
+three hours, an inflammation came on, which extended high up the arm;
+and, soon afterwards, each hand, from the wrist downward, was enclosed
+in a kind of bladder, containing nearly a pint of viscid serous fluid.
+There were, however, three fingers of one hand, and two of the other, in
+which this vesication did not form. These fingers continued cold and
+insensible, nor could the circulation in them be restored; and,
+eventually, the amputation of them became necessary.
+
+The distance at which sounds were heard in the open air, during the
+continuance of intense cold, seems almost incredible. Captain Parry says
+that his people were distinctly heard, conversing in a common tone of
+voice, at the distance of a mile; and that he heard a man singing to
+himself, at even a still greater distance. Another circumstance
+occurred, scarcely less curious than this: the smell of smoke was so
+strong, two miles leeward of the ships, that it impeded the breathing.
+This shows to what a distance the smoke was carried horizontally, owing
+to the difficulty with which it rises, at a very low temperature of the
+atmosphere.
+
+In the severest weather, the officers sometimes amused themselves by
+freezing quicksilver, and beating it out on an anvil, so great was the
+severity of the cold; yet, not the slightest inconvenience was suffered,
+from exposure to the open air, by persons well clothed, so long as the
+weather was perfectly calm; but, in walking against even a very light
+wind, a smarting sensation was experienced all over the face,
+accompanied by a pain in the middle of the forehead, which soon became
+severe.
+
+As a specimen of the average proportion of ice formed in the harbour, it
+is stated that, where the depth of the water was twenty-five feet, the
+ice was found to be six feet and a half thick; and the snow on the
+surface was eight inches deep.
+
+Towards the end of January, some of the port-holes of one of the vessels
+were opened, in order to admit the carpenters and armorers to repair the
+main-top-sail-yard. On the 3d of February the sun was seen from the
+main-top of the Hecla, for the first time since the 11th of November. By
+the 7th, there was sufficient day-light, from eight o'clock till four,
+to enable the men to perform, with facility, any work on the outside of
+the ships.
+
+On the 15th, Captain Parry was induced, by the cheering presence of the
+sun, for several hours above the horizon, to open the dead-lights, or
+shutters, of his stern-windows, in order to admit the day-light, after a
+privation of it, for four months, in that part of the ship. The baize
+curtains, which had been nailed close to the windows, in the beginning
+of the winter, were, however, so firmly frozen to them, that it was
+necessary to cut them away; and twelve large buckets full of ice or
+frozen vapour, were taken from between the double sashes, before they
+could be got clear. This premature uncovering of the windows, however,
+caused such a change in the temperature of the Hecla, that, for several
+weeks afterwards, those on board were sensible of a more intense degree
+of cold, than they had felt during all the preceding part of the winter.
+
+The months of March and April seem to have passed tediously on, in
+watching the state of the weather. The crew of the Griper became
+somewhat sickly, in consequence of the extreme moisture, which it was
+found impossible to exclude from their bed-places. In May, Captain Parry
+laid out a small garden, planting it with radishes, onions, mustard, and
+cress; but the experiment failed, though some common ship-peas, planted
+by the men, throve extremely well.
+
+On the 12th of May, some ptarmigans were seen. These were hailed as a
+sure omen of returning summer. Several of the men went out on shooting
+excursions; and, being exposed, for several hours, to the glare of the
+sun and snow, became affected with that painful inflammation in the
+eyes, called "snow-blindness." As a preventive of this complaint, a
+piece of black crape was given to each man, to be worn as a kind of
+short veil, attached to the hat. This was found to be sufficiently
+efficacious. But a more convenient mode was adopted by some of the
+officers: they took out the glasses from spectacles, and substituted
+black or green crape in their place.
+
+In the beginning of May, the men cut the ice round the Hecla. This was
+done by means of axes and saws, and with astonishing labour; for the ice
+was still more than six feet thick. On the 17th, the operation was
+completed, and the ships were once more afloat.
+
+Captain Parry and Captain Sabine, accompanied by ten other persons,
+officers and men, set off, on the 1st of June, to make a tour through
+the island. They took with them tents, fuel, and provisions; and
+carried their luggage in a small, light cart, to which the sailors
+occasionally fastened their blankets, by way of sails. They travelled by
+night, as well to have the benefit which any warmth of the sun might
+give during their hours of rest, as to avoid the glare of its light upon
+the snow. The vegetable productions which they observed, were chiefly
+the dwarf willow, sorrel, poppy, saxifrage, and ranunculus. The animals
+were mice, deer, a musk ox, a pair of swallows, ducks, geese, plovers,
+and ptarmigans; with some of which they occasionally varied their fare.
+The tracks, both of deer and musk oxen, were numerous; and one deer
+followed the party for some time, and gambolled round them, at a
+distance of only thirty yards. The soil of the island was, in general,
+barren; but, in some places, it was rich, and abounded with the finest
+moss. On one part of the beach, the travellers found a point of land
+eighty feet above the sea: this they named _Point Nias_, after one of
+the officers of the party; and they had the patience to raise on it, as
+a memorial of their exertions, a monument of ice, of conical form,
+twelve feet broad at the base, and as many in height. They enclosed
+within the mass, in a tin cylinder, an account of the party who had
+erected it, with a few silver and copper English coins; and Mr. Fisher,
+the assistant surgeon, constructed it with a solidity which may make it
+last, for many years, as a land-mark; for it is visible at the distance
+of several miles, both by sea and land. In one place, within a hundred
+yards of the sea, the remains of six Esquimaux huts were discovered.
+After a fortnight's absence, the party returned to the ships.
+
+The approach of summer now began to be apparent, from the state of
+vegetation on the island; and, during the warm weather, a great quantity
+of sorrel was daily gathered. The hunting parties also brought in an
+abundance of animal food. The total quantity obtained, during the
+continuance of the vessels at Melville island, was 3 musk oxen, 68
+hares, 53 geese, 59 ducks, and 144 ptarmigans; affording, in the whole,
+3766 pounds of meat.
+
+On the 22d of June, the men were delighted to observe that the ice had
+begun to be in motion; and, on the 16th of July, the snow had entirely
+disappeared, except along the sides of caverns, and in other hollows,
+where it had formed considerable drifts. The appearance of the land was,
+consequently, much the same as it had been when the ships first reached
+the island. The walks which the men were now enabled to take, and the
+luxurious living afforded by the hunting-parties, together with the
+abundant supply of sorrel, which was always at command, were the means
+of completely eradicating the scurvy; and the whole of the ships'
+companies were now in as good health, and certainly in as good spirits,
+as when the expedition left England.
+
+After having made an accurate survey of Winter Harbour, where the
+vessels had been frozen up nearly eleven months, Captain Parry resolved
+to quit it. Accordingly, on the 1st of August, the vessels weighed
+anchor, and stood out to sea. Towards the west, the direction in which
+they were proceeding, the sea, at first, presented a very flattering
+appearance, being more clear of ice than it had been a month later in
+the preceding year, and presenting a fine navigable channel, two miles
+and a half in width, which, from the mast-head, appeared to continue as
+far as the eye could reach.
+
+They had not, however, proceeded many leagues westward of their winter
+quarters, when the wind blew directly against them, and their course was
+further opposed by a strong current, which set towards the east. To
+these difficulties, great danger was soon added, from the drifting and
+pressure of the ice, which threatened the Griper, in particular, with
+total destruction. They penetrated to the longitude of 113 degrees 48
+minutes, being the westernmost meridian hitherto reached, in the Polar
+Sea, to the north of America. But they had made so little progress, and
+were in such incessant danger; and the officers had so little hope of
+being able to effect any further discoveries of importance, during the
+present season, that Captain Parry at length determined to return.
+
+On a consultation with his officers, respecting the best course to be
+pursued, it was resolved that, in their voyage homeward, they should run
+along the edge of the ice, with the intention of availing themselves of
+any opening that might lead towards the coast of America. It was not
+till the 26th, that the ships got clear of _Cape Providence_; but, after
+that, they had an open channel, and sailed before the wind, with such
+rapidity, and so little interruption, that, in six days, they cleared
+_Sir James Lancaster's Sound_, and were once more in _Baffin's Bay_.
+They now stood along the western shore of this bay, which they found
+indented with several deep bays or inlets.
+
+On the 3d of September, they passed some icebergs, which were a hundred
+and fifty or two hundred feet above the surface of the water; and, soon
+afterwards, in an inlet, which Captain Ross had named the _River Clyde_,
+the voyagers saw four canoes, each of which contained an _Esquimaux_.
+These approached the ships; and the men, at their own desire, were taken
+on board. Three of them were young, and the fourth about sixty years of
+age. They appeared to be much pleased; and expressed their delight by
+jumping, and by loud and repeated ejaculations. Although there was no
+interpreter, they bartered several articles, in a manner that showed
+they were no strangers to traffic.
+
+Some of the officers landed, and went to visit two Esquimaux tents,
+which were situated within a low point of land, that formed the eastern
+side of the entrance to a considerable branch of the inlet. The
+inhabitants, men, women, and children, on beholding them, came running
+out, with loud and continued shouting. Two of the women had infants
+slung, in a kind of bag, at their back, much in the same manner as
+gypsies are accustomed to carry their children. There were seven other
+children, from twelve to three years of age, besides two infants in
+arms.
+
+The officers purchased whatever things these people had to dispose of,
+and, in exchange for them, gave knives, axes, brass kettles, needles,
+and other articles; and then added such presents as they considered
+might be further serviceable to them. Though they appeared anxious to
+possess whatever the visitors had to give they did not exhibit any
+disposition to pilfer. And, in some of the bargains, particularly for a
+sledge and a dog, the articles, though previously paid for, were all
+punctually delivered.
+
+In stature these Indians, like the Esquimaux in general, are much below
+the usual standard. The height of the men is from four feet and a half
+to five feet and a half, and of the women about four feet ten inches.
+Their faces, in the younger individuals, are round and plump: their skin
+is smooth, and their complexion not very dark: their teeth are very
+white, and their eyes small; their nose is small, and their hair black,
+straight, and glossy. All the women, except one, had their faces
+tatooed; and two of them had their hands tatooed also. The children
+were, in general, good-looking; and one of them, a boy about twelve
+years of age, was a remarkably fine, and even handsome lad.
+
+The dress of the men consists of a seal-skin jacket, with a hood, which
+is occasionally drawn over the head. The breeches are also, generally,
+of seal-skin; and the boots, which are formed so as to meet the
+breeches, are of the same material. In the dress of the women, the
+drawers cover the middle part of the body, from the hips to one-third
+down the thighs; the rest of which, as far as the knees, is naked. The
+children are all remarkably well clad; their dress, both in the males
+and females, being, in every respect, similar to that of the men.
+
+The tents which constitute the summer habitations of these Esquimaux,
+are principally supported by a pole of whalebone, about fourteen feet
+high. This pole stands perpendicularly, and has four or five feet of it
+projecting above the skins which form the roof and sides. The length of
+the tent is about seventeen feet, and the breadth from seven to nine;
+and the bed occupies nearly one-third of the whole apartment. The
+covering of the tent is fastened to the ground by curved pieces of bone.
+
+Captain Parry, after taking leave of these his new acquaintance,
+directed his course towards England; and arrived in the river Thames
+about the middle of November.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+With regard to the probable existence and accomplishment of a north-west
+passage into the Pacific Ocean, this indefatigable and accomplished
+officer remarks, that, as to the existence of such a passage, he does
+not entertain a doubt; but that he is not sanguine as to its ever being
+accomplished. The difficulties that are presented by the increasing
+breadth and thickness of the ice to the westward, after passing Barrow's
+Strait, added to the excessive severity of the climate, and the
+shortness of the season in which the Polar Sea can be navigated; these
+are circumstances which render almost hopeless any attempt to pass from
+the Atlantic westward. Captain Parry seems inclined to think that there
+is more probability of being able to effect the passage, by sailing from
+Behring's Strait, eastward, than from Baffin's Bay towards the west.
+But, in this case, it would be an impracticable passage for British
+ships. The great length of the voyage, the impossibility of taking out a
+sufficiency of provisions and fuel, and the severe trial to which the
+health of the crews would be subjected, by suddenly passing from the
+heat of the torrid zone, into the intense cold of a long winter, seem to
+render hopeless all our efforts to effect the voyage in this direction.
+
+
+
+
+Twenty-seventh Day's Instruction.
+
+LABRADOR AND GREENLAND.
+
+
+On the south-western side of Davis's Strait is the wild, extensive, and
+uncivilized country of _Labrador_. Its coast was first discovered by the
+Portuguese navigators; but the frigidity of its climate is such, that no
+settlements of any importance have ever been fixed upon its shores. Even
+the extent of the country has been but imperfectly ascertained; for all
+the knowledge we have hitherto obtained respecting it, relates only to
+the coast. The inland territory remains yet unexplored.
+
+Captain George Cartwright resided on the coast of Labrador, at different
+intervals, for sixteen years. He states that the face of the country, as
+far as he could discover it, was mountainous and desolate; and that some
+of the mountains were of considerable elevation. The soil, in some parts
+of the southern coast, appears, at first sight, to be fertile and
+covered with verdure; but, on examination, it is found to be poor, and
+the verdure is that of coarse plants, which would not serve as food for
+horses, cattle, or sheep. Some attempts have been made to cultivate this
+coast, but the depredations of bears and wolves have proved a formidable
+impediment; and such is the severity of the climate, that cattle must be
+housed for nine months in the year.
+
+The whole eastern coast of Labrador exhibits a very barren appearance:
+the mountains rise abruptly from the sea, and are composed of rocks,
+that are thinly covered with peat earth. This produces only stunted
+spruce trees, and a few plants; but the adjacent sea, and the various
+rivers and lakes, abound with fish, fowl, and amphibious animals.
+Springs are rare, and fresh water is chiefly supplied by melted snow. In
+the various bays of this coast, there are numerous islands, on which
+eider-ducks, and multitudes of other sea-fowl breed. On some of the
+larger islands there are deer, foxes, and hares. The fruits of Labrador
+consist chiefly of currants, raspberries, cranberries, whortle-berries,
+apples, and pears. Among the mineral productions is a kind of felspar,
+which, when polished, exhibits a display of brilliant and beautiful
+colours.
+
+The climate of this country, though severe, is healthy. There is little
+appearance of summer till about the middle of July; and, in September,
+winter indicates its approach. During summer the heat is sometimes
+unpleasant; and the cold of winter is of long duration, and generally
+intense. In Labrador, as in all other countries of northern climates,
+the quadrupeds are clothed with a longer and thicker fur during winter,
+than in summer; and many of the birds have a softer down, and feathers
+of a closer texture, than those of milder countries. Some of the animals
+also assume a white clothing at the commencement of winter.
+
+The native inhabitants of Labrador are _mountaineers_ and Esquimaux,
+between whom there subsists an invincible aversion. The former, who
+inhabit the interior districts towards the north, are of dark colour,
+and robust constitution, though their limbs are small. They subsist
+chiefly on rein-deer, which they are very dexterous in killing: they
+also kill foxes, martens, and beavers. As these people live a wandering
+life, they never build houses; but they construct a kind of tents, and
+cover them with branches of trees, and with deer-skins. Their summer
+dress consists of skins freed from the hair; and their winter-dress is
+formed of beaver and deer-skins, with the hair on. During the summer
+they traverse the country, in canoes, along the rivers and lakes. These
+canoes are covered with the bark of the birch-tree; and, although they
+are so light as to be easily carried, some of them are large enough to
+contain a whole family, together with the materials of their traffic. In
+winter the mountaineers of Labrador pass over the snow, by means of what
+are called snow-shoes.
+
+These mountaineers are esteemed an industrious people. They bear fatigue
+with almost incredible resolution and patience; and will often travel
+two successive days without food. They, every year, come to the Canada
+merchants, who have seal-fisheries on the southern coast, and bargain
+their furs, in exchange for blanketing, fire-arms, and ammunition; and
+they are immoderately fond of spirits. Some of them profess to be Roman
+Catholics; but their whole religion seems to consist in reciting a few
+prayers, and in counting their beads.
+
+It is customary with these Indians, to destroy such persons among them
+as become aged and decrepit. This practice they endeavour to vindicate
+from their mode of life: for they assert that those who are unable to
+procure the necessaries requisite for their existence, ought not live
+merely to consume them.
+
+The _Esquimaux_, who inhabit the northern parts of the country, are a
+race similar to the Greenlanders. They have a deep tawny or rather
+copper-coloured complexion; and are inferior in size to the generality
+of Europeans. Their faces are flat, and their noses short. Their hair is
+black and coarse; and their hands and feet are remarkably small. Their
+dress, like that of the mountaineers, is entirely of skins; and consists
+of a sort of hooded shirt, of breeches, stockings, and boots. The dress
+of the different sexes is similar, except that the women wear large
+boots, and have their upper garment ornamented with a kind of tail. In
+their boots they occasionally place their children; but the youngest
+child is always carried at the back of its mother, in the hood of her
+jacket. The women ornament their heads with large strings of beads,
+which they fasten to the hair above their ears.
+
+The weapons of these Esquimaux are darts, bows, and arrows; and their
+food consists chiefly of the flesh of seals, deer, and birds; and of
+fish. Some of their canoes are near twenty feet in length, and not more
+than two feet wide. They each contain only one person; are formed of a
+frame-work, covered with skins; and are so extremely light, that they
+are easily overset. Notwithstanding this, and the circumstance that few
+of the Esquimaux are able to swim, these people are able to navigate
+them, in safety, without a compass, and even in the thickest fogs. When
+the ground is covered with snow, they traverse the country in sledges,
+drawn by dogs.
+
+During winter, they live in houses, or rather in a kind of cavern, which
+they sink in the earth; and, during summer, they occupy tents, made
+circular with poles, and covered with skins. Their only beverage is
+water. The men are extremely indolent; and all the laborious
+occupations, except that of procuring food, are performed by the women.
+They sew with the sinews of deer; and much of their needlework is very
+neat. The Esquimaux cannot reckon, numerically, beyond six; and their
+compound numbers reach no further than 21: all beyond this are called a
+multitude.
+
+The principal articles of export, obtained from the coast of Labrador,
+are cod-fish, salmon, oil, whalebone, and furs of various kinds.
+
+
+NEWFOUNDLAND.
+
+Near the south-eastern extremity of Labrador is the island of
+_Newfoundland_; which, at present, constitutes an important station, for
+the British cod-fisheries. It is of triangular form, and about three
+hundred miles in circuit; and, though it lies between the same parallels
+of latitude as the south of France, its climate is very severe. In
+winter the rivers are frozen to the thickness of several feet; and,
+during this season, the earth is covered with snow, and the cold is so
+intense that the power of vegetation is destroyed. The coasts abound in
+creeks, roads, and harbours; and the interior of the island is full of
+steep rocks, woody hills, and sandy valleys; and of plains, interspersed
+with rocks, lakes, and marshes. A very small portion of it is at present
+cultivated; for neither the soil nor the climate is favourable to
+productions necessary to the support of human life. _St. John's_, the
+chief town of the island, is a mean and ill-built place, with narrow and
+dirty streets. It is situated on the south-eastern part of the coast,
+and has a considerable harbour.
+
+This island formerly belonged to the French; but, in 1713, it was ceded
+to the English, to whom it still belongs. Its chief importance is
+derived from its vicinity to an immense bank, beneath the surface of the
+ocean, which is frequented by myriads of cod-fish. On this bank there
+are annually employed more than two thousand fishing-vessels; and four
+hundred merchant-ships, in conveying the fish to different parts of the
+world. All the fish are caught by lines; and they are conveyed to the
+shores of Newfoundland, to be salted and dried, or otherwise prepared
+for exportation. The Newfoundland fishery usually commences about the
+middle of May, and continues till the end of September.
+
+
+GREENLAND,
+
+Is an extensive peninsula, or, as some geographers believe, an immense
+island, lying north of the 60th degree of latitude, and between the 48th
+and 70th degrees of west longitude. It is said to have been originally
+discovered, as early as the tenth century, by a party of exiled
+Icelanders, who gave to it the name of "Greenland," from its exhibiting
+a much greater appearance of verdure than Iceland. _Cape Farewell_, its
+southernmost point, is a small island divided from the shore by a narrow
+inlet.
+
+The interior of the country is dreary and mountainous; and some of the
+mountains are so lofty, that they are visible to the distance of more
+than forty leagues. They are covered with perpetual snow; and ice and
+snow, like the glaciers of Switzerland, fill the elevated plains, and
+even many of the valleys. The lowlands, adjacent to the sea-coast, are
+clothed with verdure during the summer season. The coast is indented
+with many bays and creeks, which extend far into the land; but many
+parts of it are altogether inaccessible by shipping, on account of the
+enormous masses of floating ice, which abound in the extreme northern
+seas.
+
+Christian Missionaries were settled in this country, by the Danes, many
+centuries ago; and they formed churches and monasteries in different
+parts, through an extent of country nearly two hundred miles in length.
+From authentic records it appears that Greenland was anciently divided
+into two districts, the westernmost of which contained four parishes and
+one hundred villages; and the other, twelve parishes, one hundred and
+twenty villages, the see of a bishop, and two monasteries. The present
+inhabitants of the western districts are, however, separated from those
+of the east by impassable deserts and mountains.
+
+This country is subject to Denmark; and the parts of it that are chiefly
+visited by Danes and Norwegians, lie between the 64th and 68th degrees
+of north latitude; and, to this distance, the climate is said not to be
+very severe. At one time there was a Danish factory as far north as the
+73d degree; but, beyond the 68th degree of latitude, the cold in winter
+is, in general, so intense, that even the rocks burst by the expansive
+power of the frost. Thunder and lightning seldom occur in Greenland; but
+the aurora borealis is frequently visible, particularly in the spring of
+the year; and is often so bright and vivid, as to afford sufficient
+light for a person to read by it.
+
+Some of the southern parts of Greenland are fertile; but, in general,
+the soil resembles that of other mountainous countries; the hills being
+barren, and the valleys and low grounds being rich and fruitful. The
+principal quadrupeds of this country are rein-deer, dogs resembling
+wolves, Arctic foxes, and white or polar bears. The walrus and several
+kinds of seals frequent the shores. Eagles and other birds of prey are
+numerous. Whales and porpesses abound along the coasts; and the
+adjacent sea and bays yield an abundance of holibut, turbot, cod,
+haddocks, and other fish.
+
+The inhabitants of Greenland are supposed to have had their origin from
+the Esquimaux of Labrador, for they nearly resemble that people. They
+are short, and somewhat corpulent; and have broad faces, flat noses,
+thick lips, black hair, and a yellowish tawny complexion. The keenness
+of the wind and the glare of the snow, render them subject to painful
+disorders in the eyes: they are also afflicted with many diseases, which
+tend to render them short lived. They are a quiet, orderly, and
+good-humoured people; but of a cold, phlegmatic, and indolent
+disposition. They never wash themselves with water, but lick their
+hands, and then rub their faces with them; in the same manner as a cat
+washes herself with her paws. In most of their habits they are extremely
+filthy.
+
+When animal food can be procured, they prefer it to any other; but, in
+times of scarcity, they are sometimes compelled to subsist on sea-weeds,
+and on roots dressed in train-oil and fat. The intestines of animals,
+and offals of various kinds, are accounted by them as dainties.
+
+Their clothes are chiefly made of the skins of rein-deer and seals. The
+men wear their hair short; and commonly hanging down from the crown of
+the head on every side. The women, on the contrary, seldom cut their
+hair.
+
+The Greenlanders all speak the same language, though different dialects
+prevail in different parts of the country; and so numerous are the words
+of their language, that, like the Chinese, they are said to have a
+proper word for every object or art that requires distinction.
+
+These people have no traditions respecting the memorable actions of
+their ancestors; further than that, many winters ago, some Norwegian
+settlers were slain by the population of the adjacent country, who
+unanimously rose in arms against them. Among other strange notions
+entertained by the Greenlanders, they imagine that rain is occasioned by
+the overflowing of reservoirs in the heavens; and they assert that, if
+the banks of these reservoirs should burst, the sky would fall down. The
+medical practice in this country is confined to a set of men who have
+the appellation of "Angekoks," or conjurers.
+
+When a Greenlander is at the point of death, his friends and relatives
+array him in his best clothes and boots. They silently bewail him for an
+hour, after which they prepare for his interment. The body, having been
+sewed up in his best seal or deer-skin, is laid in the burying-place,
+covered with a skin, and with green sods; and, over these, with heaps of
+stones, to defend it from the attack of predaceous animals. Near the
+place of interment, the survivors deposit the weapons of the deceased,
+and the tools he daily used. With the women are deposited their knives
+and sewing implements. The intention in so doing is, that the person
+departed may not be without employment in the next world.
+
+The Greenlanders are said to worship the sun, and to offer sacrifices to
+an imaginary evil spirit, that he may not prevent their success in
+hunting and fishing. They have a confused notion respecting the
+immortality of the soul, and the existence of a future state; and they
+believe that the spirits of deceased persons sometimes appear on the
+earth, and hold communication with the "Angekoks," or conjurers, to whom
+peculiar privileges and honours belong.
+
+The traffic that is carried on among the Greenlanders is simple and
+concise, and is wholly conducted by exchange or barter. These people
+very rarely cheat or take undue advantage of one another; and it is
+considered infamous to be guilty of theft. But they are said to glory in
+over-reaching or robbing an European; as they consider this a proof of
+superior talent and ingenuity.
+
+Wherever a great assembly or rendezvous of Greenlanders takes place, as
+at a dancing-match or any grand festival, there are always some persons
+who expose their wares to view, and who publicly announce what goods
+they want in exchange for them. The chief articles of traffic, with
+Europeans, are fox and seal-skins, whale and seal-oil, whalebone, and
+the horns of narwhals. For these, they receive, in exchange, iron points
+for their spears, knives, saws, gimlets, chisels, needles, chests,
+boxes, clothing, and utensils of various kinds.
+
+The chief festival of the Greenlanders is that which they call the
+sun-feast; but this is merely held for the purpose of dancing and other
+amusements, and not for any religious acts or ceremonies. It is held
+about the commencement of the new-year, and for the purpose of rejoicing
+at the return of the sun, and the renewal of weather for hunting and
+fishing. At this feast they assemble, in various parts of the country,
+and in large parties. After gorging themselves with food, they rise up
+to play and to dance. Their only musical instrument is a drum; and the
+sound of this they accompany with songs, in honour of seal-catching, and
+exploits in hunting. The Greenlanders do not, on these occasions,
+intoxicate themselves with ardent spirits, like some of the American
+Indians; for their only beverage is water. There are other
+dancing-meetings held in the course of the year; but these are all
+conducted in a similar manner. The Greenlanders occupy much of their
+time in hunting and fishing. On shore they hunt rein-deer and other
+animals; and at sea they pursue whales, seals, and walruses: they also
+catch great quantities of fish and sea-fowl. Their canoes are formed of
+thin boards, fastened together by the sinews of animals, and covered
+with a dressed seal-skin, both above and below; so that only a circular
+hole is left in the middle, large enough to admit the body of one man.
+Into this hole he thrusts himself, up to the waist; after which he
+fastens the skin so tight round his body, that no water can enter. Thus
+secured, and armed with a paddle, which is broad at both ends, he
+ventures out to sea, even in the most stormy weather; and, if he be
+unfortunate enough to have his canoe overset, he can easily raise
+himself by means of his paddle. Besides this description of canoes, the
+Greenlanders have boats so large that they will contain fifty persons,
+with all their tackle, baggage, and provisions. These carry a mast and a
+triangular sail; the latter of which is made of the membranes and
+entrails of seals. The management of the larger boats is always given to
+women; who also perform the whole drudgery of the household, even to the
+building and repairing of the dwellings.
+
+During winter, the Greenlanders live in houses, and, during the summer,
+in tents. The houses are constructed of stones, with layers of earth and
+sods between them; and the rafters are covered with bushes and turf. The
+entrance is through a hole in the roof, which serves also as a chimney.
+The walls are hung with skins, fastened on by pegs, made of the bones of
+seals. These huts are divided, by skins, into several apartments,
+according to the number of families which inhabit them; and the
+inhabitants sleep on skins, upon the ground. The huts are well warmed
+with fires; and are lighted by lamps, filled with train oil, and
+furnished with moss instead of a wick. These lamps burn so bright as to
+give considerable heat as well as warmth.
+
+At the outside of the dwelling-house are separate buildings, for
+store-houses, in which the inhabitants lay up their stock of provisions,
+train oil, and other useful articles. Near the store-houses they arrange
+their boats, with the bottoms upward; and they hang beneath these their
+hunting and fishing-tackle, and their skins. The summer-tents of the
+Greenlanders are of a conical form, and are constructed of poles,
+covered, both inside and out, with skins.
+
+The seas in the vicinity of Greenland are, every year, frequented by
+both European and American vessels, employed in the whale-fishery. Such
+of these as enter Davis's Strait, generally resort to Disco Bay; and a
+few have penetrated even still further north than this. It is stated
+that, in the year 1754, a whaler, under the command of a Captain Wilson,
+was conducted, on the eastern side of Greenland, as far north as to the
+83d degree of latitude: the sea was clear of ice, as far as the
+commander of this ship could descry; but as he did not meet with any
+whales, and began to apprehend some danger from proceeding onward, he
+returned; and, in the same year, another whale-fisher sailed as far
+north as to 84-1/2 degrees. These are the highest northern latitudes which
+any vessels have hitherto reached.
+
+
+
+
+FINIS.
+
+
+
+
+Harvey, Darton, and Co. Printers, Gracechurch-Street.
+
+
+
+    +------------------------------------------------------+
+    |                Transcriber's Note:                   |
+    |                                                      |
+    | Some inconsistent hyphenation and spelling in        |
+    | the original document have been preserved.           |
+    |                                                      |
+    | The author used a period after the L sign.           |
+    |                                                      |
+    | Typographical errors corrected in the text:          |
+    |                                                      |
+    | Title   Pub^d. and Jan^y., abbreviations for         |
+    |  page   Published and January, have been retained    |
+    | ToC       Alachnas changed to Alachuas               |
+    | ToC       Oconne changed to Ocone                    |
+    | ToC       Missisippi changed to Mississippi          |
+    | ToC       Sata changed to Santa, under               |
+    | ToC       Minetarree changed to Minnetaree           |
+    | ToC       Skaneaetas changed to Skaneactas           |
+    | ToC       Riviers changed to Rivieres                |
+    | Page   4  Alleghanies changed to Alleghanys          |
+    | Page   6  Massachusets changed to Massachusetts      |
+    | Page   6  Tenassee changed to Tenessee               |
+    | Page  10  stile changed to style                     |
+    | Page  18  cotten changed to cotton                   |
+    | Page  19  island changed to Island                   |
+    | Page  29  Uttawa changed to Utawa                    |
+    | Page  29  superintendance changed to superintendence |
+    | Page  35  war changed to was                         |
+    | Page  39  whirpool changed to whirlpool              |
+    | Page  56  Potowmac changed to Potomac                |
+    | Page  59  towns changed to town                      |
+    | Page  61  headachs changed to headaches              |
+    | Page  61  Kenhaway changed to Kenaway                |
+    | Page  67  scite changed to site                      |
+    | Page  71  "a" added between "and great"              |
+    | Page  72  Birkbeek changed to Birkbeck               |
+    | Page  73  mocassins changed to moccasins             |
+    | Page  78  pertinaceous changaed to pertinacious      |
+    | Page  87  Washingington changed to Washington        |
+    | Page  96  Appamatox changed to Appomattox            |
+    | Page 100  "the the" changed to "of the"              |
+    | Page 119  pallisadoed changed to palisadoed          |
+    | Page 122  quakers changed to Quakers                 |
+    | Page 133  elegible changed to eligible               |
+    | Page 138  plaistered changed to plastered            |
+    | Page 141  plaistered changed to plastered            |
+    | Page 142  plaistered changed to plastered            |
+    | Page 142  Coolome changed to Coloome                 |
+    | Page 144  plaistered changed to plastered            |
+    | Page 148  Oconne changed to Ocone                    |
+    | Page 149  fragant changed to fragrant                |
+    | Page 162  Alachnas changed to Alachuas               |
+    | Page 162  barbacued changed to barbecued             |
+    | Page 171  hacberry changed to hackberry              |
+    | Page 172  recompence changed to recompense           |
+    | Page 173  perroques changed to pirogues              |
+    | Page 176  Sauteau changed to Sauteaux                |
+    | Page 188  Mahas changed to Mahars                    |
+    | Page 188  phrenzy chaned to phrensy                  |
+    | Page 194  numbers changed to number                  |
+    | Page 194  "the the" changed to "the"                 |
+    | Page 198  Ahanahaways changed to Ahanaways           |
+    | Page 200  perrioques changed to pirogues             |
+    | Page 204  captain changed to Captain                 |
+    | Page 209  phenomenomenon changed to phenomenon       |
+    | Page 214  buffalos changed to buffaloes              |
+    | Page 217  leggins changed to leggings                |
+    | Page 217  mockasins changed to moccasins             |
+    | Page 221  principle changed to principal             |
+    | Page 231  Arkanshaw changed to Arkansas              |
+    | Page 237  govenor changed to governor                |
+    | Page 238  leggins changed to leggings                |
+    | Page 238  mockinsons changed to moccasins            |
+    | Page 240  Tustla changed to Tuxtla                   |
+    | Page 242  Mulattos changed to Mulattoes              |
+    | Page 242  Mestozos changed to Mestizos               |
+    | Page 247  tassals changed to tassels                 |
+    | Page 251  Cortes changed to Cortez                   |
+    | Page 251  plaisters changed to plasters              |
+    | Page 255  groupe changed to group                    |
+    | Page 259  Teneriffe changed to Tenerife              |
+    | Page 260  Manilla changed to Manila                  |
+    | Page 263  earthern changed to earthen                |
+    | Page 264  NOVIA changed to NOVA                      |
+    | Page 280  latitute changed to latitude               |
+    | Page 283  leggins changed to leggings                |
+    | Page 284  profananation changed to profanation       |
+    | Page 290  martin-skins changed to marten-skins       |
+    | Page 298  leggins changed to leggings                |
+    | Page 300  Monterrey changed to Monterey              |
+    | Page 300  rabbet changed to rabbit                   |
+    | Page 306  in changed to on                           |
+    | Page 311  in added between "man it"                  |
+    | Page 323  "to this be" changed to "this to be"       |
+    | Page 323  lieutenant changed to Lieutenant           |
+    | Page 323  Beechy changed to Beechey                  |
+    | Page 334  tattooed changed to tatooed                |
+    | Page 338  decrepid changed to decrepit               |
+    | Page 339  caverns changed to cavern                  |
+    +------------------------------------------------------+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Travels in North America, From Modern
+Writers, by William Bingley
+
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