IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) /. '(» ^> J' ^ J- 'iP #> ^ /# / 1.0 I.I 1.25 '- IIIIIM ll lli^ I!: 1^ M 2.2 iim U IIIIII.6 1 *// ^ 4# /^ ///f> /r///f ff Af)i//// r //,ff/-f l'ii'''i,.h.,lly HrH.rhillir. hrU, m Vj »r.i :■.^■f■.T.^• P=?-v mm ^^ ■^ ^'r-;tiS x^-^MP^-^^/s -'S^S i.h,,llv HrH.fhilllr. • hri.l. I'.'inl JI,i.l.i.Ai;,l V* >^'-'' V < .« i . . \ 1 .. 1 i ■■(• ; \ 'KM ,"■; A VOYAGE TO NORTH AMERICA, THE WEST INDIES, AND THK iHfUtterranran* LETTER I. New Vork, 8th November, IR16. I HAVE already examined this beautiful city, which appears to have been spared by winter j still presenting some foliage of the Italian poplars which decorate Broadway, the principal street of New York, and perhaps the most magnificent in the world. The advantageous position of the city, and its proximity to the sea, render it the best port in America ; a forest of masts announce it in the distance, for one of those ports where the commerce of the world is concentrated ; from whence its riches are afterwards dis- tributed throughout the interior by means of numerous channels. A vast influx of strangers, gives to New York thai lively air which characterizes several cities of Europe, and which is not generally the case, as I am informed, with the other American cities : it is large, and of a triangular form ; some of the streets are straight, with flat pavements on either side, for the accom> modution of foot-passengers. The houses, for the most part of brick, are often repainted ; they consist of two or three stories, and are decorated by flights of steps, and balconies, tastefully arranged, which produce an agreeable effect, while the streets are built in such a manner, that the stabling and coach houses, never interfere with the main street. Each Uet is divided by two streets, which usually cut at right angles, and to which the yards of the mansions adjoin ; it seems, that when the city was first founded, the streets were decorated with poplars and plan- tains, nearly all of which have perished. I took up my residence at a French boarding-house, where, for breakfast, dinner, supper, and the use of an apartment by no means elegant, 1 was charged seven dollars per week, not quite one pound ten, being far more naoderate than what I had been previously told was the usual mode of charging. VOTAOKS, Vol. V. B I I 2 Vo\jag« io North .4ineri(a, In tliis country no passports are required, you jump asliore with no other bajrgage save the dress you wear, and no questions are asked respecting the motives of your journey ; hut the lug- gage must j>as3 the customs, which impost being the most os- tensible revenue of the United States, its administration is here as rigorous as elsewhere. In tliis respect 1 was more annoyed than any other j)aisenger, being compelled to ask for a permit to convoy away my trunks, and the articles absolutely necessary for my use ; this 1 obtained, alter taking my oath upon the bible, which 1 kissed. I now conceived njyself freed from all further importunity ; such, however, was not the case, for an ofiRcer then proceeded to turn over every thing 1 had, with the most scru- pulous attention, and the following day it was requisite tliat I s'.iould have another permit, for such articles as were subject to an impost, but in despite of every effort, 1 would not this time re- peat the oath. After some little difficulty, my permit was deli- vered, formerly the oath alone sufficed ; but a European, (I do not think it requisite to tell you of what country he was) having imported a vast quantity of clock and watch machinery, swore that he had nothing but articles for his own particular use, and got the whole ashore with the greatest facility, but the next day, having imprudently sp ken upon the subject to a watchmaker of the city, he fearing a competition, denounced him, when the whole stock was seized, and from that moment the taking an oath was not deemed sufficient by the custom-house authorities. My first excursion was to inspect the steam- boats, an invention as ingenious as useful. We have, as I may say, abandoned its application and glory to ihe nation 1 am now visiting ; which has profited by it in a manner that exceeds all calculation. As I have not yet been accustomed to examine these structures, I shnll not at present give you any accurate descripiion, but vyhat infinitely surprizes mc is the size, and extraordinary cleanliness which ap- pears througliout these vessels. I never witnessed any thing to be compared with the appear- ance of Broadway J — elegant carriages roll with rapidity the whole length of the street ; females, fashionably attired, parade the flags, and shops and magazines, as extensive as superbly deco- rated, occupy the ground-floors of the houses skirting either side. There is no country where the fair sex deserves that appellation belter than at New York. The females are, generally speaking, airy and well made, being from five feet to five feet two inches in height; their features are delicate, and their complexion of the most dazzling whiteness \ add to this flaxen, or chesnut- coloured hair, and soft blue eyes, of a melaDcholy cast, and then you have the complete picture of the North American fair one. Their carriage is at once easy and decorous, nay, even tht jump aslior« no questions but the lug- ihe most os- ation is here lore annoyed ■ a pernjit to necessary for rj the bible, n all further I officer then njost scru- luisite that I Jubject to an this time re- lit was deli- opean, (I do was) having nery, swore ar use, and he next day, watchmaker I, when the iing an oath rities. in invention andoned its which has As I have I shhll not it infinitely which ap- he appear- y the whole parade the erbly deco- either side, appellation Y speaking, two inches uplexion of r chesnut- cast, and lerican fair f even the I-'', ^ ^ ^ s^ :.i a ^ 'f c »- 1 I X- a V V c ■ A I tin IVtst Imlies, und the Mediterraneun. I in ^ ^ ^ ^ V V women of the town do not appear fiicli, from the manner which they conduct themselves. The edifices which I remaiited in the city, combine freshness and solidity in their appearance, sometimes ace. mpanied by elegance ; but the architecture is not always in a good style. The Hospital, the buildings of which are extensive and well-disposed, presents throughout its interior the greatest degree of cleanli- ness : which is no less observtible in the prisons, where thost* detained display an unparalleled activity in fulfilling the various duties imposed upon them. It is needless fi)r me to state how far preferable this method is to that adopted by us : here you easily perceive that a man on quitting a prison, has imbibed a reli«„ity. The situation of a man remarkable I If' h fr 4 J'oyag* to NcrtU America, tor his rank and talents, is alway; rendered peculiarly interesting in retirement, or exile ; for it is there we are enabled tc study correctly his character. The manners of M . Regnaud are affable, and his conversation elegant, but I think I can discern that, not- withstanding his endeavours to disguise enmit, his thoughts are bent upon France, and that he burns with a desire to revisit his native soil.* The Theatre of New York is a fine building, but not yet know- ing sufficiently the English language, I could not enjoy the re- presentation. No soldiers of the police are here seen, such duties being performed by the watchmen ; upon the least alarm, they instantly assemble, to the number of eight or ten at one spot, being on'.y armed with a stick ; these, in conjunction with the firemen, are empowered to yield assistance in cases of fires, which are common in some quarters of the city, where many of the dwellings are of wood. The commerce of New York is very extensive, its pert possessing an incalculable advantage over all the others of the United States. The Eastern River joining an arm of the sea, prior to its passing before the city, the vessels are not in any season stopped by the ice : the most frequent intercourse is with England and France ; but the duties on merchandize manufac- tured in the latter country are enormous, though our merchants have not yet found that there is any thing too beautiful or too ex- pensive for the American market. The horses are generally handsome, but tame, and seem to justify the idea which one entertains, of a characteristic gentle- ness which pervades all the animal kingdom of America. Slavery, which is abolished in many other states, is not in this, and negroes are found in considerable numbers. Some days back I witnessed the presentation of swords of konour to those generals who had distinguished themselves during the last war ; I cannot imagine why some persons find these dlistinctions incompatible with republicanism. The Roman peo- ple had very similar customs : the militia is perfectly organized, and manceuvered with all possible precision. There are some coffee-houses at New York; these establish- ments, which had their origin in the East, appear to make but a alow progress upon this continent ; they are appropriated to per- sons of idle habits, and every one here is occupied with com- merce. I am, &c. f ' K , « , • M. Hegnaud returned and expired the very day of his arrival. The 'c.'derful cbauge wliich had taken place in his fortunes and political situation hftc over- tiinied all his ideas ; he wa» attack« piously served, yet the mode of cooking did not agree with my palute, and 1 consequently changed for a French boarding-house, where 1 was perfectly satisfied. M. Laurent Faures, to whom I had been introduced by Messrs. Curcier and Ravisies, the merchants with whom I had placed my funds, frequently conducts me to view the objects worthy notice in Philadelphia, which is the most beautiful and largest city of the United States ; nor does there exist one perhaps in the known world, which is built ^^n so regular a plan. All the streets are either straight, or parallel with the Delawar, being at least eight fathoms wide, paved with small round stones, similar to many places in the South of France. On either side there are footways from eight to ten feet wide, paved with bricks, and kept remark- ably clean, and about every hundred paces distant, on either side the street, there are pumps supporting lamps, added to which, poplars and plantain-trees skirt the foot-paths, whose verdure, du- ring the summer season, must agreeably break the uniform colour of the houses, the major part of which are buMt of brick. The doors are usually very much ornamented, and open upon a flight of white marble steps, decorated by a tasteful iron balcony, which is kept peculiarly neat and clean. In the middle of the city is Market Street, being nearly twice the width of any other, which divides in the centre all those that run parallel with the river. The market is kept in the middle, being a kind of granary, sup- ported by pillars, the whole displaying an air of perfect clean- liness. It is divided in several parts, each appropriated to its peculiar kind of merchandize ; of which the butchers struck me most forcibly. This class of men, who appear perfectly well off, are habited in a shirt, or frock, of the most delicate whiteness. The market is only held in the morning, they do not break the bones as is customary with us, but saw them, which gives the meat a far more pleasing appearance. In no city of Europe would it be possible to apply the denomi- nations which are given to the streets of Philadelphia ; all those conducting straight from the river to Market street, are called first, second, third ; while those stretching north or south of Market street, are named first north, second south, &c. It is unfortunate that the American taste has not been sufficient- ly led to the cultivation of architecture : their edifices are solid and well-built ; but, sometimes, on contemplating a sumptuous monument, the eye of an artist is struck with the most revolting contrasts. Very frequently, octagon pillars^ chiseled, and loaded with ornaments and paintings, are made to support other columns of the Grecian order, and oblong square windows are often sur-' mounted by those of an arched, or Gothic form ; the whole, how- I able was co- gree with my "ding-house, d by Messrs. ad placed my vorthy notice tst city of the » the known le streets are t least eight ilar to many are footways ept remark" 1 either side d to which, •'erdure, du- form colour >rick. The 'on a G'lght :ony, which the city is ther, which the river. anary, sup- feet clean- ated to its struck me tly well off, whiteness. break the gives the e denomi- ; all those are called • south of sufficient- are solid umptuous : revolting nd loaded r columns ften sur-' oJe, how* the West Indies, and tin Mediterranean. 7 ever, is of the best materials, and the most masterly workman- ship. Will these incongruities long continue ? It is to be hojjed that the American, who is the enemy of every species of preju- dice, will not permit the introduction of a perverted taste in an art so truly interesting to a polished nation. The population of Philadelphia amounts to at least from 85 to 90,000 souls. No individual presents an exterior indicatory of want ; even the negroes, who are in great numbers, and free, always appear well habited. You never there see an individual reduced to the humiliating necessity of imploring charity at the hands of his fellow man, only to receive, in reply, a brutal and cruel refusal. The facility with which a livelihood is procured by the tillage of land, the high price of manual labour, and the facility of exporting merchandise, will, in all probability, long continue to preserve the inhabitants of the United States in this happy situation. Among the numerous edifices which ornament this fine city, the Hospital is particularly distinguishable, and its anterior an- swers completely to the magnificence displayed without. The statue of its fourder, William Penn, is placed at the entrance. It is worthy remark, that the great man is represented in the costume he always wore, being that of a Quaker, and not attired like a Roman, whose robes would not have sat worse upon him than many others, whose shoulders are decorated with such habiliments. The Hospital at Philadelphia. The library is at once elegant and well built, having been founded by Franklin, wliose statue decorates the facade ; it i^ rich with English, French, and Latin authors. m i,:-|i • f^oyag* to North America, The Mansion, or Town-house, is magnificent in the extreme ; and the churches, generally speaking, are fine, and well con- structed J every religion has its own, which is saying much for a country tolerating every sect ; that of the quakers, the first inhabitants of Pennsylvania, is very numerous. The Marusi'in, or Touii House, at I'hiladelphia. The theatre is illuminated by hydrogen gas, which is done by applying a light to the tube of the lustre, and in a moment the whole building presents one blaze of splendor. Before I enter further on a description of the United States, I will simply add, that from New York to this city the road is covered with inns, which, for the most part, are well kept, offer- ing every species of accommodation to the traveller. The soil, though sandy, is nevertheless, productive ; the views are beautiful and variegated ; but the dwellings, although extremely clean, appear like card-houses to the European eye, which is habituated to behold edifices raised as much for future times as the present. The American, though fond of his offspring, nevertheless thinks that they should also labour to enrich themselves. In Europe we estimate the fortune of an individual in proportion to his reve- nues ; in America they only speak of their capital. I should have stated that their lands do not appear sufficiently cultivated. The spirit of commerce which has exclusively introduced itself into ail ranks of society, is prejudicial to the advancement of agriculture. But this evil only exists in the large cities to the East, that is to say, near the coast, where the most extensive commerce presents itself to the ambition of the speculator. The environs of Philadelphia are prettily diversified ; and the bank? of the Skulkill, which furnishes water for the city, are decorated by ar(, in order to display the most enchanting objects. 1 the extreme ; 1 and well con- i f'wg much for I ikers, th e first C^^^^^a ^^^^a IS m y^}.^ w^ m - '■ i .- . L!f 1 -■-■ '/ msmi e by ■•II- li is don '■ moment the nited States, the road is kept, oflper- -, The soil, \ re beautiful uely clean, % i habituated the present. eless thinks In Europe to his reve- I should cultivated. uced itself ncement of ities to the t extensive Jl lator. S i and the W le tfity, are J[ 50 bject '• 1 •"V*-; ■-,^ ' ■^. ':•, . i.^r« 'I I ..jv;' .V 'fXf j?< '-'t. t,- ill . .-^ v.- . - ■ I liiJ p n o a ^ r*.'' » // the H^csl Indies, and the Meditnranean. 9 There is a curious JMuse'im in Philadelpliia) wiiicli is tlie pro* peity of an individual, possessing great taste. Government fur- nislied liim witii tlie structure necessary foi .he reception of his objects of Natural History, wltich he lias collected in consider- able quantities. He possesses th« entire skeleton of a mammoth, remains of which have been discovered at 30 or 50 feet deep in the ground, in South x\merica. — (See the Engraving.) The costliness of the Americans consists, if I may so express myself, in the exterior. It is not at dinners and suppers that they display their magnificence, but in carriages and horses, which, as I have before remarked, are generally very good. I have myself rode some, and found their pace h:i urnsteady motion, something between the trot and the gallop. The Negroes a're free in Pennsylvania, of which Philadelphia is the capital. But they have not yet succeeded in destroying that sentiment of con- tempt for that race of men, whose outward skin constitutes their only difference from us. They possess the moral means equally with ourselves, and arc^i unquestionably, our superiors in physical qualifications. Vou perhaps wish for a sketch of the Aracridan manners. ^ After my projected voyage I shall know them better, and will then endeavour to satisfy yuu ; up to the present period 1 have found them gentle, generous, but phlegmatic. As to the general appearance of the country, my curiosity is not satisfied ; it bears too strong a resemblance to Europe ; the trees of the forests, though differing individually, produce, in mass, the same effect. I have determined to set out for the Antillas. Mr. Curcier and his nephew have given me letters of recommendation. The Francis, u vessel of 400 tons, going to set sail, I joined on the 25th December, in a steam-boat at ' Newcastle, a small town built by the Swedes, when the Euro- peans first established themselves in North-America. The wind ; proving adverse, v/e remained there for some days, and only pro- 'Jceeded on our voyage to be again retarded near the mouth of the Delawar. 1st January, 1817. We had cast anchor, and awaited the tide and a favourable wind, when the mate, under some trifling pretexx, came to high words with the carpenter, who not obeying, the captain appeared, and seizing him by the collar, shook him violently ; upon this the carpenter, clasping him round the body, strove to throw him overboard. The captain resisted, and we arrived to separate them, just as that part of the deck upon which they were alter- nately thrown, opened on a sudden, and being precisely above the ladder used to come on board, our two boxers fell headlong Voyages, FoL V, C / / / ' /y.'/////, /// /"V////////r '///// ' / ■ ■ ' '' ' / / / ^ ' /'/"///hs A • /■• )/,n' '/ -'''//V.' ^\ 10 Voyage lo North Amerkaf into the sea. Let any one imagine the cooling thus experienced, and he will be astonished that the fury of the carpenter was not in the least degree abated ; un the contrary, it seemed to aug- ment his passion, for he squeezed the captain still tighter, and gave him several violent blows, while the captain's wife, who beheld this scene, gave evident marks of her terror. The ship's boat being happily near at hand, we succeeded in extricating them ; but it was impossible matters should remain thus, and it was found requisite to order this man to he ironed, who was known for a desperate character ; wherefore the necessary steps were taken to i)revent a revolt amongst the crew. Kach of the passrn- geis got his arms ready, and we marched in order, as upon an affair of importance ; the carpenter, of whom the mate went in search, did not give him time to arrive, but rushing furiously from the hatcli-way, ran upon him with a large pair of compasses in his hand, but the sight of a pistol, presented to his breast, stopt him short ; he dropt his arm, and also gave up a chisel which he had secreted : he was then easily ironed, and we were disencumbered of him by his being conveyed to shore. This event makes us fear some other mutiny during the voyage ; but there are several passengers of» board, and we shall keep ourselves on the alert. I am, &c. &c. LETTER IIL •#* 1^.1 In flight of St. Thomas' gy 19 th January, 181 7. This second sea voyas^e seemed likely to be more agreeable than the first. It was a fine, large, commodious vessel ; several pas- sengers spoke Frciich, while the others appeared well disposed to teach me the English. The American manner of living on ship- board is vcjy frugal ; and when you take your passage, they only agree to furnish you with the ship's provision, consisting of bis- cuit, salt-meat, and rum mixed with water, which is the accus- tomed beverage. Any other little necessaries are bought sepa- rately, such as wine, poultry, butter, &c. ; a circumstance attended with no little trouble. As aH sea-voyages bear a striking resem- blance to each other, I shall speak very lighfly of the present. The fine weather, which was almost uniformly the same, was only interrupted at intervals by squalls, which are sometimes so violent as to dismast a ship, particularly when carrying a press of sail f this is generally followed by a torrent of rain. the Went Indle/f, and tin Medttenanean. ii iperiencedi ter was not I'd to aug- ighter, and wife, wlio The ship's extricating thus, and it was known steps were the passon- ns upon an ate went in iously from jmpasscs in his breast, up a chisel ind we were e. the voyage j z shall keep iry, 181 7. reeahle than several pas- disposed to ng on ship- e, they only ting oi" bis- the accus- ougbt sepa- tice attended iking rescm- the present. B same, was ometimes so ing a pres^ The captain, named Pryor, to whom tlie vessel belonged, had, for a considerable time, quitted the sea service. He was repair- ing to the islands, in order to load his vessel with a cargo of lignum vitiB, which is used in making blocks, and with which he intended sailing for Holland, there to dispose of the cargo and vessel. Among the passen>?ers was a young Frenchman of St, Domin- go, Mr. Daumas, and Mr. Burkld, a VVurtcmburgher, long estab- lished in America, but he has not lost the good customs of his native country, being fond of choice wine and good living ; and without him I believe wc should have lived in our cabins like the common sailors. The Americans are very careless of this article, perhaps from idleness more than sobriety, for when any delicacy is placed upon the table, they know perfectly well how to select it. Mr. Burkl6 took charge of the kitchen, and issued his orders to the cook, who, as is customary in American ships, was a French negro. Mr. Burkld is frank in his behaviour, but impe- taous, and a very original character ; he possesses an excellent \ memory, which is stored with a collection of anecdotes, the reci- ^ tal of which charmed, at intervals^ the sameness of the voyage. On the Mth we passed ths tropic; this occurred during the night, and I fully expected that the rising sun would shine upon my second baptism. In fine, the sailors of every nation believe that Neptune exacts this libation upon individuals, who, for the first lime, enter the torrid zone. The ensuing day, however, pass- ed without the ceremony ; at which I was sorry, being desirous to know it. The captain, fearful that they would subject his wife to the ordeal, gave orders, I l)eHeve, that every one should be spared from undergoing tlie ceremony. From that day, notwith- standing the siiil which served us for a tent, we were literally stifled with the intense heat. I I do not think 1 shall weary you, by relating a shipwreck ex* ^perienced by M. Burkle, who has been many voyages, the detail of which appeared to me very interesting. It is himself who speaks. " I had embarked on board an American ship, and we were \o the South of St. Domingo, when a tremt^ndous tewripest drove us on a small island surrounded by rocks, or rather needles, against which the waves dashed with horrible fury. The ship struck afore, when all the larboard side yawning to the deep, she was almost immediately filled ; you may imagine the terror Jl ex- iperienced when, awakened by the shock, and springing from my 'birth, I found myself in the water ; I thought all hope was extinct, and that my last hour was at hand. 1 mounted on deck, when the stern of the ship disappearing from my sight, I ran forward, land perceived the rocks at a very smnll distance} without hesi- 12 Voyage to North America, tation I threw myself out, but the darkness bewildered me; I missed my nim, and my breast struck violently against one of the sharp rocky points. 1 instantly fell, and should have been infal- libly crushed by the shock of the vessel, which was incessantly dashed to and fro against the rocks, when a sailor who had seized me. preserved me from the impending fute. This man had entertained the same idea as myself, and his promptitude in its execution saved my life. Thus situated, those of the crew who remained on board, lowering the boat, arrived at the rocks where we wore, and we now recollected that the precipitancy with which we had quitted the ship, had disabled us from transporting any thing, and that we were almost naked. Two sailors were bold vnough to venture again upon our unfortunate vessel, already a wreck, from whence they threw their sacks of clothes, and a cer- tain quantity of biscuits. « Perceiving that the sea which raged against the rocks where we were, was, on the contrary, perfectly calm between these precipices and the land, (which we saw at no great distance ;) we exerted all our efforts to shove the boat over the rocks, which we effected with difficulty, and then rowed towards the island without having scarcely uttered a single syllable. The dawn be- gan to break, which soon rendered manifest the whole extent of our misfortune. Our first glance was directed towards the vessel ; it had entirely disappeared ; as for the island it was sterile and desert ; nothing but a few shrubs rose in the centre, forming a small bower, which some days after became, as you will find, a very important spot for me. " From the moment of our landing not one of us had spoken ; and we regarded each other with a mournful aspect, the expres- sion of which it would be difficult to describe, when the captain, who had received a violent contusion in the loins, striving to ap- pear less overcome, spoke as follows : * Gentlemen, having esca- ped the horrors of the deep, we are determined to struggle for existence ; let us not be cast down ; let those who are capable proceed to search through the island for water, of which we all stand in need ; as for myself, who am scarce able to move, I will kindle a fire, and perform such offices as my present state will admit me to execute.' At these words we all arose, and having found the necessary implements in the sailors' sacks, with some vestiges of a former wreck, which had long lain upon the shore, we kindled a fire. A sailor then gave me a pair of trowsers, when we set off, and during the whole of the morning 1 vainly sought for a spring, but found what was of infinite value to me, being as much water as would fill a tumbler, which was deposited in the cavity of a rock, together with some shell-fish, resembling the snail, the flavour of which was pretty good. Some of these i the l^est IndieSf and the Meditenaman, 1$ Idered me; I ist one of the ve been infal- as incessantly ho had seized his man had )titude in its the crew who ! rocks where 7 with which isporting any rs were bold sel, already a ?s, and a cer- ! rocks wliere letween these at distance ;) rocks, which ds the island 'he dawn be- : extent of our the vessel ; IS sterile and re, forming a ^ou will find, I had spoken ; t, the expres- 1 the captain, triving to ap- having esca- 3 struggle for are capable which we all » move, I will lent state will ;, and having :s, with some on the shore, owsers, when ainly sought to me, being deposited in , resembling ome of these 1 carried to the captain, as well as a little water in a shell. It is difficult for those to imagine, who have never been similarly cir- cumstanced, how dreadful and imperious is the call of thirst. Thus daily we repaired in search of a livelihood, nor was this phrase ever more appropriately applied. On the ensuing day I discovered some herbs, which appeared to me of an emolient nature. I crushed them between two stones, and made a cata- plasm for the captain, who was in a few days able to walk ; and from this period we proceeded together in our search. One day we discovered on tv other side of the island the remains of a vessel long since wrecked; thither we bent our steps, but it was at some distance from the shore, and we were dubious how to act. To cause the boat to be transported gave us apprehension, in consequence of a chain of rocks which advanced far into the ocean ; and besides, must I confess it, we were anxious, if pos- sible, to profit alone by the discovery. When man is reducedto the last, perhaps I ought to say to \he first necessities, he becomes the slave of egotism. We therefore resolved to form a raft, and spent two days in completing the labour. We then repaired, but not without difficulty, to the wreck of the vessel, which was almost entirely in pieces, and what it contained was spoiled by the sea-water. A single cask of soft-water, though old, was a treasure for us ; but we discovered nothing else which could be of utility in our painful situation. We then returned to land, and concealed our barrel in the bower before mentioned ; but not sufHciently to*prevent the sailors, who noticed our daily walks to this spot, from discovering it, and who, in a short time, depri- ved us of its contents. From this moment I recommenced my searches with increased ardour. I found the eggs which two or three fowls that I had seen, without being able to secure, at dif- ferent times had no doubt deposited. One day having penetra- ted farther than usual into the bower, I perceived some trees more elevated than the rest j I drew nearer, when what was my astonishment on perceiving, in the middle of a pretty grass-plot, an old tent. I suddenly entered, and in the midst of cordage and other remnants of a wreck, I beheld two enormous pitchers ; the one full of molasses, the other of water ; but of a water so fresh and good, that for the last fifteen days I had not partaken of any thing like it. At this sight I offered sincere thanks to heaven, though my riches still made me an egotist j for I con- cealed it in the thickest part of the wood, and every coming day, after making many circuitous windings, I repaired thither, in order to partake of my repast. On revisiting this tent some reflections occurred to me, that our mournful situation had, till the present instant, dispelled from my mind. 1 demanded of myself who could have erected this tent ? and after various per- 8^ m u Voyage to North America, Vi (|: plexing conjectures, I came to the determination that it must belong to persons who assuredly visited the island to take advan- tage of the remnants of vessels which were so frequently cast on shore in tempestuous weather. This idea consoled me, and gave rise to the hope of one day witnessing their arrival j in con- secjuence of whi(?h I passed those that succeeded with more tran- quillity. I had forgotten to state, that the day after our debark- ation, the sea had brought us a barrel of flour from our vessel. I was not mistaken in my conjecture, for some days after^ that is to say, having continued five Wv.eks in this desert, we descried a sail, and instantly made a large fire, which was perceived. When the vessel arrived to rescue us from our deplorrble situa- tion, we had none of us yielded to the cruel hand of destiny, but we were exhausted and meagre, and devoured with our eyes every thing that was set before us. This cast of physiognomy, com- bined with our long beards, gave us the most terrific appearance, and in the first instance caused our deliverers to start back with dismay. We were safely convey :;d to St. Thomas's,- where a poor fellow out of charity took me on board the small vessel he com- manded, and landed me at Baltimore, where I presented myself in my ragged attire before an individual who was my debtor in 600 francs, or ;^22, which I in vain demanded, and was c mpelled to have recourse to another person of my acquaintance, who procured for me a barber and a tailor. From thence I repaired to Philadelphia, where I once more embraced my family, which I had, for so long a time, despaired of ever again beholding." This adventure has not discouraged Mr. BurkW, who continues to perform sea voyages in pursuing his commercial speculations. On the 18th January, at night, we saw land at the very moment when W6 were convinced that the captain was in error. The island of St. Martin ffi:st struck our regard ; it appeared in shape like an apple, which, resembling ar, obscure cloud, rose above the horizon ; shortly after we saw the island of Anguilla to the South- west, which proved that the captain had perfectly well directed his course, and shortly after we came in ?*^ht of the famous rock called SomhrerOj extremely dangerous, from being level with the surface of the water j but very useful because it designates to mariners the passage they must pursue, to enter the half-circle which the islands of the Gulf of Mexico appear to form. The following morning we perceived St. Thomas's, bjt so much resem- bling a light cloud, that the utmost stretch of the seaman's eye could alone discern it. At sun-set we approached very near, and I can assure you that never did country scenery so forcibly strike me, as much from the diversity of objects as the striking appearance of the tout en semhle. Figure to your imagination a mountain rising majestically like an amphitheatre, one half of it it must ike advan- ently cast [ me, and 1 ; in con- nore tran- ur debark- ur vessel, ifter, that s descried perceived, 'ble situa- sstiny, but eyes every my, com- ppearance, back with ere a poor :1 he com- ted myself ' debtor in c mpelled ance, who I repaired lily, which ding." continues ulations. ■y moment ror. The d in shape above the he South- II directed mous rock. ;1 with the iignates to lalf- circle rm. The ich resem- man's eye ery near, 5o forcibly le striking jination a ic half of i^ V- K^ :^ N ■> I'M .-* Ilie West Indies, ami the Mediterranean. \$ the base of whidi is bathed by the waters j add to this other verdant spots, which^ rising up as by enchantment, almost com- pletely terminate the circular form of the port; and you may form some idea of the arrival at St. Thomas's. The last rays df the sun, whether the regard is directed towards the st' rile sum- mit of the mountain, the forests that surround it, or tne fields of sugar cane, cultivated in the valleys beneath, vivify this enchant- ing picture ; while the city, which rises nearly l ion three circu- lar hills ; a fort advancing into the sea ; a venerable tower, for- merly the refuge of free-booters, together with the verdant plumes of the cocoa and palms, tend but to increase the charm. 1 have the honour, &c. &c. LETTER IV. St. Thoman's, the 2lih January, 181 7. On my arrival here I lodged at the hous^ of a French mulatto, who for seven francs, or about six shillings per day, provided every thing for me. My first day whs employed in strolling about the town, which is curiously populous, presenting a mixture of French, Knglish, Germans, Spaniards, together with negroes and mulat- tos of all tribes ; in short, the assemblage at the public market might well be likened to the labourers at the tower of Babel, with this difference, that they are not subjected to the dilemma of not comprehending their several languages. On the contrary, if it occurs that the person addressed does not understand the idiom of the person speaking, he immediately talks in his own tongue. 1 repaired to Messrs. Reo and Deville, French merchants, with a letter of recommendation from M. Curcier : I was very politely welcomed, and it was there I found your letter of the 20th October, which a swiltpr-suiling vessel than ours had trans- ported from Philadelphia two days before. I shall henceforth endeavour to profit by your advice, and reply to your questions, by examining accurately the manners of the people 1 visit j I shall study to distinguish their virtues and vices ; and to know them thoroughly I shall associate with them as much as possible. These remarks are not always so easily made as might be con- jectured ; for the traveller identifies himself so much with sur- rounding objects, that he is frequently compelled to have re- course to a self-examination, in order to distinguish what, from a distance, would certainly have surprized and interested him. IS Voyage to North America, » ill -i: if r Ml- \ li J- I was agreeably surprized to find at M. Deville's a fellow countryman, ancient Canon of St. Julian, at Mons. Having spoken for a time concerning France, the conversation became general, and I found in M. Deville a very honourable and intel- ligent personage ; but, as is customary with the favoured of for- tune, he assumes a brisk and authoritative tone in the course of argument. Having for a time discussed the topic of commerce, we began to talk of the country ] now inhabit, when inquiry was made as to my opinion respecting the islands, whereto 1 replied, that having often heard descriptions from persons who had visited them, they had uniformly answered, that if the islands were not the summits of mountains, there were mountains in the islands ; a reply by no means satisfactory to my mind : 1 then add^^d that now I beheld them with my own eyes, I was more than ever led to believe they are the heights of a chain of eoiinences, as dis- tant from the centre of the earth as the Alps are removed from the Pyrenees ; upon which, being asked for a more ample expla- nation, I begged their indulgence for the circumscribed ability I possessed, and then proceeded thus : " If we allow a movement of the earth's axis, which tends to approach the poles of the equator, a movement well known under the title of the Mutation of the earth's axis, it is agreed that the ocean is proportionably expanded, and consequently elevated as it approximates to the torrid zone, we may easily imagine that countries formerly in northern latitudes, and then above the level of the sea, becoming nearer to the equator, would be inundated ; which effect would be equally felt in the halves diametrically oppo- sed of the two hemispheres ; whereas in the two others, lands would rise from the waters, as may be instanced in North Ame- rica and New Holland, which are constantly forming lands of alluvion, while South America and China, on the contrary, are daily sutfering decrease ; and in favour of the mutation of the earth's axis may be added, that there still exists a tradition in the Maldive islands, from which we learn that they formerly con- stituted a continental mass, or at least an immense island. Now that these islands are under the equator, that is to say, at the spot where the water is necessarily most elevated, the summits only appear, forming this numerous archipelago. " Your Islands present to me altogether nothing but a chain of ordinary mountains, and on considering the map, I even think I can discern that they have a direction dependent on each other. The sand banks which exist between them, appear to unite t!iem, and, in short, every thing leads me to conjecture that they once con- stituted, in mass, a part of the continent." M. Deville replied, that these mountains were not of a similar nature to the great chains of the two continents, but that they id the tf^est Indies, and the Mediferrantan. 17 I a fellow . Having n became and intel- red of for- B course of 2ommerce, nquiry was 1 replied, had visited s were not he islands ; addf'd that an ever led 2es. as dis- noved from nple expla- ibed ability Ich tends to nown under agreed that itly elevated magine that ive the level inundated ; ically oppo- thers, lands lorth Ame- ing lands of ontrary, are ation of the tradition in rmerly con- and. Now say, at the e summits lit a chain of think I can jther. The t'lera, and, once con- lof a similar It that they i were indubitably volcanic; not possessing, as yet, a sufficient knowledge of the islands, I could only enquire if calcareous atid horizontal rocks were not to be found; when, after some reflec- tion, he sai, facilitates the ; town is small ; 1 are addicted to ting beauty, and tiful in the ex- , ng black eyes, -., the women of % 'jt D, &C. K X 2c X- l;ll the West Indus, and the Mediterranean, 19 LETTER V. •• i From St, Domingo, the \bth February, 18 17' We sailed from St. Thomas's the 28th of January, in beautiful weather, steering for the island of Porto Rico, in possession of the Spaniards, and one of the richest of the Antillas. We were followed by a whale, which the mate endeavoured several times to harpoon without etFect. Having had for two days the blue summits of St. Domingo in view, we got there on the 3d Febru- ary. The position of Santo Domingo, the capital of the Spanish possessions in this island, being to the south-east, is charming ; and testifies the taste and discernment of Columbus, who had appropriated it for the capital of the colony. It is at the moiith of a beautiful river, whose banks rise on either side in an amphitheatrical form ; we entered the port at five in the evening, being very fearful that the Spaniards, who are rigid in trifles, would prevent us from landing on that day, which would un- doubtedly have occu."*ed, had not the supercargo of the vessel chanced to be on board, who specially interfered in this matter. M. Daumas having acquaintances in the town, introduced me to a house where they were dancing, and singing French songs. We ascended to the ball-room, where a dozen masks received us very politely ; introducing us to a table bearing flasks of gin, and other liquors, desiring us to make ourselves at home, in order that the follies they committed might not strike us too forcibly. When the dance was concluded, we were asked if we had any lodging for the night, or a place taken for our boarding, when they offered to conduct us to theirs, and we accordingly followed. This house is kept by two French creole women, being mother and daughter, one of our conductors living publicly with the latter, by whom she is pregnant ; nor was it until the following day that I perceived what species of residence I inhabited ; but ere long, 1 had reason to ascertain that such a mode of living is almost general in this burning climate ; the manners being ex- tremely licentious. The first day was employed in getting my luggage on shore, which, with the Spaniards, is not unattended with difficulties, as the persevering custom- house officers search with the most scrupulous attention for every species of contraband, not to con- fiscate them, but to draw from you some pecuniary recompence. Having cultivated an acquaintance with the French who lodged in the same house with myself, I had only to feel gratified by their civilities. Nearly all my countrymen whom I found abroad, pretended to have occupied distinguished posts, and frequented ^! ':^il (■ I,- !i I I ■ mi 20 yoyage to North Ameiicai the best societies j while their most intimate friends are persons of consequence, whom they had only addressed at the theatre, or in the public streets ; but when you easily distinguish truth from falsehood, or fact embellished by fiction, or that they perceive themselves, that their stories arc no more credited than they deserve to be, they very speedily resume their real characters. All the French, however, who inhabit the colonies, do not possess this characteristic failing, some, on the contrary, being well-informed and very obliging. Unfortunately, however, the. latter is not the most considerable ; and I am convinced, that among travellers who have not resided long enough in the colonics to conceive themselves called upon to participate in the opinions of their in- habitants, the major part will coincide with my opinion. Upon the discovery of a colony among other nations, well-educated persons, and families already wealthy, will establish themsehes there, whereas in France the contrary occurs, where families at their ease very rarely think of traversing the ocean. The town of Santo Domingo is large, and built of stone, and the streets are, generally speaking, in direct lines ; the cath.edral might pass for a noble edifice in any country ; in it is preserved the anchor of Columbus's ship, together with his portrait, whose resemblance to that of the great man who has so recently filled the universe with his name, must appear striking to every ob- server. The place is siurounded by a pretty good fortification j some hills command it on one sidC) and it has recently been strengthened by a trench. M. Daumas having understood that his father lived at Nissas, twelve leagues west of the town, desired to know if I would ac- company him thither j I accepted his offer, and we took our de- parture mounted on two miserable hacks. We passed two rivers j some torrents nearly dry at this season, immense forests, where the route was scarcely perceptible, and barren plains, where the heat was almost insupportable. Having gained Nissas, iVl. Dau- mas enquired for the residence of his parent, when we were di- rected to a hut formed of leaves, and the intertwisted rind of the palm-tree, saying that was his habitation. Upon this the coun- tenance of the young man underwent a visible change; he thought to find his father in affluence, and enjoyed the idea of introducing me to a charming habitation j but this regret was trifling, com- pared to that which awaited him beneath this miserable roof, so revolting to his sight; for upon entering our ears were saluted with moans, and we beheld upon a wretched bed, in the midst of surrounding personages, an unfortunate fellow-being at the point of death, and M. Daumas recognized his father, whom rushing forward he embraced, when the joy of beholding his son, for a moment reanimated the expiring embers of existence in the I; IF' '.S& the IVest IndieSy and the Mediterranean. 21 persons atrc, or til from perceive an they ers. All sess this tiformed not the ravellers [conceive heir in- . Upon educated emsehes milies at one, and catl^.edral preserved it, whose itly filled very ob- fication j tly been t Nissas, ould ac- { our de- ro rivers ; ts, where here the M. Dau- : were di- nd of the the coun- e thought troducing ng, com- e roof, so e saluted ; midst of the point [1 rushing son, for a ce in the bosom of the former, who begging us to be seated, detailed the misfortunes which had led liim to the destitute situation in which we beheld him. In a few seconds after having con- cluded, he experienced a dreadful weakness, when I retired, leaving him in the midst of the negresses, who, with the assis- tance of a few simples, hoped to rescue him from relentless death : this, however, was vain, for he expired the following day, having nothing to bequeath his son but dehts, the result of his fallen fortunes. I did not endeavour to offer consolation to a lacerated breast, which would only tend to increase its anguish j but while mingling my sorrows with his, on the cruelty of his situation, I drew him from the residence of his father, and we retired to walk on the banks of a torrent which transports the mahogany that is felled on the mountain there. 1 bathed myself in the torrents which are formed by a small river, on its approach to empty itself into the sea. 1 had kept on my shoes in conse- quence of the flinty bottom, and carrying my drawing book to M. Danmas, who was upon the opposite bank, when I let it fall into the stream, which was floating it rapidly away. I was, however, sufticiently expeditious to catch it before it was entirely wetted ; but in so doing I lost one of my shoes, in the endeavour to regain which, the other experienced a similar fate, placing me in a very disagreeable situation as to regaining the house where my horse was, being nearly a league distant. My feet were soon in a gore of blood, nor did 1 advance a step without giving vent to a malediction, when the idea suddenly struck me, of making soles with palm-leaves, called detaches. These leaves are as thick as the bark of the birch-tree, and fastening them with my garters, I regained with less pain the residence of M. Daumas. I was now doomed to pass a second night similar to the forego- ing, that is to say, in a loft, on a kind of blanket, which served me for a saddle during the journey ; giddy, and surrounded by musquitos, a species of gnui, of which 1 have not hitherto spo- ken, whose incessant hummlngs and stings, have before acted as preventatives to sleep. On arising in the morning, I thought of the pleasurable bed which awaited me in the town at night, but, unfortunately, we lost our way in the forest, and were necessi- tated to repose in the dwelling of a poor inhabitant, whose mo- dest hut was in a manner lost amidst those solitary wilds. M. Daumas reposed upon the table on which we had previously par- taken of some turtle doves, which I had fortunately shot, while I was placed in a hammock, of which several pegs being gone, I stood in danger of awaking the following day, recumbent on the floor. These hammocks are suspended in all the dwellings, from one angle to another of the largest apartment, and it is there that till i ' f i: 1 1' ' j J 1'^ 1' ■ ' It' '1- Ml > I I Uk , 1 1, i ff I 1,1. ill |r , I W'i i 3S ^'oyagc to ?iorth Amcricay one of the inhabitants every hour of the day, repairs to imoke his cegar, swinging in colonial nonchulence. We saw some very fine mahogany-trees, being about the size of a full grown service-tree. In this state they do not cost more than five francs, or four shillings and two-pence, but the ex* pcnses of felling, transport, &c. are considerable in a country where all the idle seem to be collected as in one focus. While traversing a savanna, called the greats which is not less than a league and a half vviile, we experienced a heat so dreadfully op- pressive, that 1 was fearful of being taken ill ; it was mid-day, the sun darting his fiery rays with such force upon the earth, that there arose a moving cloud, whose undulating motion quite daz- zled my sight. M. Duumas was such a sufferer, that on regain- ing the town he was extremely incommoded ; 1 am indeed fearful least the recent death of his father should strike his imagination and increase the danger of his situation. On approaching Santo Domingo, a negro offered us cocoa-nuts, of which fruit I then partook for the first time, and found the milk pretty good, although much inferior to the idea I had previously formed. The kind of butter-meat containing the milk, as the white of the eg^ sur- rounds the yellow, and possessing all its brilliancy, is really de- licious, on account of its coolness, particularly when sufficiently tender to be eaten with a spoon. 1 am, &c. LETTER VI. Santo Domingo, the '26th February, 181 7. Sawto Domingo is regularly enough built, and, genc^^rally speak- ing, handsome ; the national or citizen guard pei forms duty well, but the colony is in so declining a state tliat it is painful to witness. The governor of Western Spain formerly resided at Santo Do- mingo, but that vice-royalty has long been removed to Vera Cruz. The governor of Santo Domingo has, however, maintain- ed the prerogative of neither communicating nor obeying but the direct orders of his metropolitan. He receives but a very limited salary, but is left master of a very spacious garden near the town, and on the sea-shore, which almost exclusively furnishes tiie market with fruits and vegetables. This produces, I believe, tiie greatest revenue of the Caballero don Carlos de Urrutia. This garden had been grubbed up by general Ferrand, who after having governed with universal satisfaction, when Buonaparte the f^est Indies, and the Mediterranean. 2S to imoke It the size cost more ut the ex- B country s. While ess than a Ifully op- i mid-day, earth, that quite daz- )n regain- eed fearful nagi nation ling Santo uit I then , although The kind ; egg sur- really de- iurticicntly I8I7. lly spcak- duty well, o witness, janto Do- to Vera mainlain- eying but ut a very n near the furnishes I believe, Urrutia. who after uonaparte was master of this part, put a period to his existence with a pis- tol, on R very trifling pretext, to the great regret of all who had witnessed his long and virtuous career. The Spaniard's great delight consists in passing the day in idleness, his principal labour being reduced to drinking, eating, sleeping, and frequenting the churches, which are numerous : all this, however, does not prevent the two sexes from abandon- ing themselves to those passions which a burning climate creates and mhintains. Every one on rising, ut about five o'clock, takes a cup of black cotfce, this being a general custom in the co- lonies ; after which they repair to the public promenade. The ladies, habited in black, whereon the whiteness of the linen and lace contrasts agreeably, are at that hour usually unaccompa- nied J it is not however uncommon to see them accosted, or even escorted by priests j they are in general good looking, but precisely in the costume of Bazil, in the Marriage of Figaro. After this walk, and paying some visits to churches, they return home, there to remain till sun-set. At the moment when the oratiOf or angelus bell rings, (no matter how distant from the peal- ing sound) you are bound to stop short ; at least you must take off your hat, and fall upon your knees ; this is a pious act which admits of no exception. In a more populous Spanish city, the sudden stoppage of an whole moving multitude, must appear very extraordinary ; since it so forcibly struck me in the depo- pulated streets of Santo Domingo. The women are not, strictly speaking, handsome, they are small, but well made ; and their complexion, somewhat brown, is not unbecoming, but the sparkling vivacity of their eyes, and their whole physiognomy, conveys an expression of their internal thoughts and feelings. Some time after my excursion to Nissas, passing along Com- merce Street, one of the finest of the town, I saw a great crowd at the door of a house, and was informed by M. La Coste, the French physician, that the persons so assembled were waiting to witness the cock fights ; that I might enter if I thought fit, that he himself often resorted there, and was fortunate in betting. Accordingly I went in, having never witnessed a similar spec- tacle, of which the Spaniards here are very great amateurs. This cruel sport takes place in a species of theatre, the roof and co- lumns of which are not unlike the covering and pillars of a cot- tage decorating a garden in the English style. The stairs con- ducting to the first tier ! — You are doubtless astonished !! but really there are first places — formed like a ladder, which would well become a hen-house ; be this as it may, persons of the highest ton honour this place with their presence, and bet for the ilack or whit« cock, from one, two, cv three hundred piasters, up r: I. il: 1- , ' ■'( ' :;i,i;i V >\ I, •' IVi. '^ ' ■I ^' i r ' ■! :l r T 24 Foyage to North /Itmrka, to two thousand francs, or eighty pound. The cocks have no steel spurs as in England, but nature lias armed ihem with double spurs, at least compared with those of France, and care is taken to render them very sharp, "hese birds come from the island of Porto Rico, and are sold at /ery high prices, according to their stre.igth and courage. When the two cocks equally fatigued retire to the extreme verge of the arena, their respective masters excite them j each taking liis bird, puts its hleeding head into his mouth, as if intending tc devour it, at the same time passing his hand under the tail, he rubs it with an aspect so truly serious and comic, that [ believe no phy- siognomy save that of a Spaniard coulu support the expression. T!ie con»bat tlien recommences, and terminates only vt^ith the death of one of the champions. The day I was preser., two cocks not iigl»ting well, their masters seized them spontuneously, and killed them by dashing them vehemently to the ground. Not being tempted to bet, 1 retired, reflecting on the instantaneous fury with which tlose birds are seized ; which led me to make some comparisons not very honourable to numanity j these, how- ever, 1 shall keep to myself. HavKig s'.fficiently described the Interiorof the town, I shall p"0- ceed to speak of the exterior, and the various plants that adorn this superb country. The Spanish part of St. Domingo, aeeordif^ to the opinion of those who are acquainted Vv'ith the other three, is most favoured by nature ; the beat, however, renders the colony lazv ; it is even with difficulty that the inhabitants till the soil, whose bosom is a treasure. If, as it is said, this portion of the island was given up to the French in exchange for Cayenne, it would certainly become one of the mo't important spots of the Antillas. To etFec^ this, a French fleet is daily expected, equipped with 10,000 men, and commanded by Marshal Suchet ; which troops, after becoming accustomed to the climate, would be destined to wage vvai in the empire of tlie Haytian republic. I have just seen a very energetic letter from Christophe to Petion, whereiii he states, that upon the approach of the common enemy, he hopes that all personal animosities will terminate, and engages to unite his forces with those of his rival. Embarkations take place here every tliy for the negro emperor and the mulatto pre- sident, who send hither for various kinds of merchandize. The nephew of general. Ferrand, who lived in tb'> same board- ing house with myself, proposed an excursion to the grottOj which he stated to be a cliarming spot, and frequented by choice parties. On leaving the city, you almost immediately enter a wood, the leaves of the trees and shrubs composing it, resembling those of the orange and lemon, which are common : they arc nearly all like I m J i have no hem with Eifid care is ! from the according re me verge I taking his g tc devouf he rubs it ve no phy- expression. r mt)r the eser., two ituneously, und. Not itantaneous e to make hese, liow- I shall p-o- : adorn this ccordir*^ to pr three, is the colony II the soil, ion of the ayenne, it pots of the ipped with ich troops, destined to [ have just whereiu enemy, he engages to ations take ulatto pre- te. time board- otto, which )ice parties, wood, tlie g those of arly all like the West IndieSf and the Mediterranean. 25 the lily in colour, and a number possess its perfume. These woods a"" enlivened by beautiful birds, anong which are dis- tinguished the fly-bird and paroquet, which, by their warbling, seem desirous of extinguishing the voices of all the others ; flying with a rapidity of which I had no prior conception. We passed by an habitation, where several negroes, singing songs of Congo, were pounding the root of the manioc, from which they make cakes that serve for bread. They worked with unparalleled »rdor, and did not seem to perceive the swegt which channelled down their ebony limbs. This root if not undried would be a poison ; but as it could not then be scraped, the usu of it is not so dangerous as might be imagined. We arrived at the grotto, which appeared to me to be a .ock formerly hollowed by the sea. What seems most singular, is an immense excava- tion nearly circular, which is found in the centre ; it is filled with shrubs, and resembles a garden. It is from that spot that you may pass on all sides under vaultings, and between columns, thus penetrating to the interior apartments of this palace of na- ture. You are doubtless curious to know of what these pillars are formed, li seems as if nature, desirous of repairing her wrongs, after having hollowed this grotto, is determined to fill it. For which purpose, you perceive a liquor fiUering from the vault- ings, which promptly congeals, thus forming a stalactite, or sugar-loaf reversed. Some drops fall before they congeal and form another cone, wnich always continues to rise as the othei enlarges at the botton, and in this way they terminate by uniting, forming a column, and as the number daily augments, we may presume, that in process of time the grotto will be closed, 'ihis natural architecture, this mass of pillars which, at the first view, appear necessary for the support of the vault, combine to render ihe sight curious and imposing. Being both provided with lights, we proceeded alDng several corriaors, :carcely wide enough at times to admit us, and which on a sudden enlarging, pre- sented to oui vie«v immense saloons, which reflecting the gleams of our flambeaux, decorated with a thousand blazing fires the crystal vaultings, o'" which bats are the only inhabitan^w the cold Veingas piercing as the heat without is excessive. I often thought of making long excursions in these still savage regions ; but when one is habituated to the regularity, I may al- most say the cleanliness of our European forests, it is scarcely possible to imagine the difliculties which here present themselves ; {although frequently varying, the^ are rene^"ed at every stsp i it: these sombre forests, -..here the hand of man has not yet I fashioned the wiM exubc-ance of nature. SometJries weeds, or running plants, of the ivy or vine species, which twine to the summ.'ts cf the loftiest trees, falling again to the earth renevf a v!i I ^•:I1 m Id V0TA«E5, Fol, V E mk •%. i'^' ("i M- I m III i ii Nl . i- f 26 i'oyage to North Americttt their roots, so that in conjunction with the trees that sftppoTt them, they appear like masts enveloped in cordage. From this you may easily imagine that all the trees are hound as it were to- gether. At other times, plants denominated raquetteSj the leaves of which are armed with thorns, spread in all directions, much like those of the artichoke, close up the passages, which, not- •dthstanding.the thickness of the forests, might otherwise be found between the trees. It is on thi«; account tlujt all the ne- groes of the country are armed with a sabre, in order to cut their way through these incoumiodious plants. The fruits of which you require a description, and whereof I shall now speak, are found in these forests, the pine- apple and the banana being aione cultivated. The tree and the fruit which at first most forcibly strikes the curiosity, and then the sight of the European, are certainly the cocoa-tree and the immense nut which it bears. This tree is of the genus of the palm ; it is from forty to tifty feet in height • its roots not very deep, but interwoven ; its trunk, nearly straight, is very slender in proportion to its height, but the wood is ex- cellent for carpentering ; it terminates in a species of plumage, which produces the most charming effect, as well on account of its form, Hni yellowish green, which causes it to be distinguished from the dark g»een of the forests. This plume consists of a bun- dle of leaves, which, from the pe 'pendicular of the horizon, spreads in every direction ; they are from ten to twelve feet long, each composed of smaller leaves, all uniting at one common pod. On beholding a branch of the acacia, we may form an idea of these leaves. In the centre appears the yellow flower, to which the nut succeeds, which grows in a mass like close-linked grapes. The covering which environs the fruit serves to make cordage, and the leaves to cover the houses. Placed between a kind of la*= s, they fotm the walls, which are sufficiently strong in a country where the rigors of winter are not experienced ; of these they also construct a species of matting, upon which, during the excessive rieats, it is nio .e agreeable to sleep than upon a bed ; this tree, which is of the greatest utility to man, produces fruit every two or three months. The palm, nearly as elevated as the cocoa, terminates in the sam* manner, with a plumage, but ditr'ers essentially from it in its trunk, which, on a( '.ount of its polish, and perfect circular form, and a regular swdling at its base, aj^pears formed in tur- nery. On beholding this trunk in the midst of the forest, where the other trees leave their branches to chance, it appears like the Weikmanship o( man placed beside that of Nature. Immediate- ly under the leaves, the trunk, which is of a orownish yellow, Suddenly becomes green,, and from the middle to the sumirh the Wiii Indies^ and the Mediterranean. i7 at support From this it were to- , the leaves snst much hich, not- nerwise be all the ne- to cut their I of which speak, are being p.ionc strikes the ertainly the is tree is of in height ; rly straiglit, wood is ex- af plumage, n account of istinguished 5ts of a bun- Kon, spreads t long, each n pod. On ea of these 3 which the iked grapes, ike cordage, n a kind of strong in a d ; of these , during the ijpon a bed ; reduces fruit lates in the ly from it in feet circular ned in tur- brest, where ears like the 1 m mediate - nish yellow, thn summit iprouts a rolled leaf; four or five inches in diameter ; it contains a substance which has given it the name of the cabbage-palm ; it is white, three lines in thickness, rolled without order, and dose knit together. It is excellent to eat, either boiled or as a salad, and in flavour reminds me of the cauliflower ; when once the tuft of leaves is cut, the interior of the trunk, which only consists of a number of fibres, immediately rots. Under the rind, however, is found a dark brown wood, eight or nine lines in thickness, and nearly a% hard as the lignum vitse ; of this the Carribee Indians made their bows, and tipped their arrows. From this you perceive that the tree in question "s differently formed from any other that is known to us. The centre is usually harder than the aubier, v 'lich makes it approximate to the form ot vegetables, as well as the banana and latanier, of which I shall now speak ; wh'ch tree, when springing from the earth, resembles them St?/ IV. , Another species of the palm, which is called wild, ha^'l ,; .cj Ciunk armed with prickly points is of no utility whatsoever. With regard to the banana, it is a vegetable, which, conse- quently, ought much rather t je enrolled among the class of herbal plants ; being about 6 or 8 inches large, it has no wood, and ris^s from ^0 to 12 feet. The leaves are enormous, being 8 feet in length, by two feet and a half wide, and are not, like the two preceding trees, divided into smaller, — nothing but the wind, or their being too full grown, splits them perpendicularly to the stalk. The fruit grows in the centre, resembling a bunch of grapes, which sometimes con^.ains 100 bananas. It terminates In a mass about the size of a man's fist, which opens w n the bananas are ripe. Th'n trae is cultivated from slips, of which I have seen two spec- , r«>c one producing a flowery nutricious fruit; the other, sma ' ' >. fit for the dessert, being sweet an^ juicy. A kind of ti^3u~ c^ threads of which run perpendicuku: to each other, surrounds dj" leaves of the tree when they bud. From its first springing from the soil, producing fruit, and dying, occupies the lapse of 9 or 10 months. The American palm, another species of the paim, has the leaves plaited like a fan ; of this I have seen various kinds, one of which, only rising a few feet from the ground, is used in the manufacture of very light hats. The justly me;' .'d repatation of the pine>apple, necessarily attracts the travel'. -<: attention; the stalk of this plant in some degree resembles >h-i of vhe artichoke; and in the same way spreads its long leaves -, but they are smooth, of a yellowish green, and rather reddish towards the edges, which are also armed with little points, that are frequently almost imperceptible : from the middle rises a stalk, bearing the pine-apple, being crowned by a .■•it I*, ■I it ft ■ ! ■ -i C i (, I i; i! 11' i i! • ■! *r , I: I' 28 Voyag€ to North Armrica, tuft of leaves, which, when re-planted in the earth, produces another pine. Of all the fruits which, in this happy climate, Mattered my taste the most, is the Corossoly which grows on a very common tree in this country. It is six inches wide, and ten long, being in the form of a heart, the extremity of which is rather bent ; it is green, and studded with little points, by no means prickly ; the fruit is filler^ with fibres, which, when lightly pressed, produce a juice par- taking equally of sweetness and a'^idity ; something like the orange, but, in my opinion, preferable ; it abounds with hard flat grains of the finest black colour. This fruit every moment offers to the fatigued traveller a nourishment as refreshing as it is agreeable and wholesome. A tree, of which I could not ta . ' t. fruit, which is directly attached to the trunk, is the Papayet^ e leaves of which resem- ble those of the fig. However agreeable those fruits may be of which I have spoken, the Creoles prefer the SapotUle ; when ripe It is brown on the outside, and within calls to mind the medlar, but it is less nutricious. I am every moment trampling under foot plants which were unknown to me, and am incessantly stopped by some tree or shrub that arrests my attention. I might mention the indigo, whose leaves, successively placed in three boilers, terminate by depositing a blue matter, which unites in grains ; the sablier, as large as our full-grown nut tree, whose trunk is armed with thorns, the base of which is very large and strong, is advantageously ap- propriated in forming palings to enclose land. The fruit is as large as an orange, rather flattened, and divided into twf^lve parts, each containing a seed. When ripe it bursts, accompanied by a noise sufliciently loud to astonish the bye-standers, and in some parts of St. Domingo, at particular periods, this report continues almost without interruption. The noise which it produces has given it the appellation of the Devil's tree. The Palma christi abounds at St. Thomas's and St. Domingo, it rises to a considerable height, its stalk&are channelled, and from the grain is extracted oil for burning. In fine, must I speak of that plant which has already, for so many years, furnished our poets with a thousand comparisons, I mean the sensitive plant ? It would be requisite never to have heard of this plant to enjoy the wonder which is caused by the instantaneous contraction of leaves, which, upon your retiring, re-assume their natural position. The island of St. Domingo, and particularly that part in pos- session of the Spaniards, has gold mines, which are no longer worked ; it is even stated that they are lost : they might, how- ever, easily be found, since upon the banks of some rivers negroes are occupied in collecting the gold-dust. I the H^est Indies and the MedUmanean, 29 , produces ed my taste non tree in ?ing in the it is green, the fruit is I juice par- the orange, I flat grains )fFers to the s agreeable is directly lich resem- i may be of when ripe the medlar, vhich were ime tree or the indigo, irminate by : sablier, as vith thorns, ;eously ap- fruit is as live parts, npanied by nd in some continues oduces has Domingo, , and from I speak of nished our tive plant? It to enjoy traction of al position, art in pos- no longer ight, how- >rs negroes i The centre of the island being occupied by mountftins, which in all directions descend to the sea, in hills, or verdant plots, caU led MomeSf it may be conceived that there are many rivers. The Ozama, upon the right bank of which St. Domingo is situated, is large and deep ; the whole island is naturally divided into three parts, by the mountains ; a circumstancj? which greatly tends to diminish any apprehensions from the Negroes and the Mulattos. I have for some days thought of quitting St. Domingo, but nearly all the vessels which were in po.t having come for maho- gany, either sailed for the United States of the North, or else [to Europe; there was but one bound for Jamaica, and although it leaked a good deal, and had the reputation of being in very btid condition, I notwithstanding made up my mind to sail in her. I am, &c. &c. LETTER IX. Port Royal, Jamcuca, 5th March, I817. As the ship in which I was to sail was to be laden with maho- gany, near Nissas, I rejoined her some days after she had sailed from St. Domingo, and for this purpose we proceeded in a small boat, and soon lost sight of the mouth of the river, the signal tower, and the dwelling, said to be that of Columbus, the first European edifice erected on the soil of America. Constructed of huge masses of stone, it was probably designed to serve as a defence against the unfortunate Indians, then inhabiting the country, of whom scarcely a trace is now remaining. We had fine weather, but in these latitudes (we were IS degrec.s north) a continuation of it was hardly to be expected; and in effect, that which had accompanied us from port speedily changed ; it be- came dreadful, but the banks being in all directions ruggedly perpendicular, we could not stop our course. We passed over some rocks almost level with the current's surface, the sight of which made our mariners tremble ; but they resisted every effort of the waves, when we found ourselves in a bay, on the banks of which we resolved to pass the night. Scarcely had we set foot to ground, when a-,cloud of musquito^ assailed us, driving us back to our boat, in which we slept, near the bank ; and in the morning we perceived our vessel making sail for the bay of Ocao, in order to take in a stock of cattle. These seas abound with pirates : on the first day we saw a large decked boat, and a fast sailer, which passed near us, in a b1^ M il tf; 1! ■' 'I ; ; I !-■ I in Hi' ^$0 f^oyage to North Ammca, -1 contrary direction, no doubt for the purpose of examinini^ us, for shortly after she tacked aboat, and made towards us. As she gained fast upon us, our captain tacked, crying, " It is long since my cannon has been tried, (for we had one,) and I will this day try it :" upon which he cnaiged with powder, and fired, then charged again with ball, preparing to fire upon the pirate, should he dare advance. Being at a distance, and perceiving that we did not fly, he thought us well prepared for action, and on hear- ing the cannon, gained the coast, hoisting the flag of Petion. Having lowered the boat, he was towed towards the sand, whither we could not, neither had we the wish to follow. Two Spaniards whoni they had freed, joined us at Ocao, from whom we learned, that our cannon had excited great fears in the pirates, who, how- ever numerous, were only armed with muskets. These freebooters are of all nations, some even have left the interior of Europe, to commit piracies in the gulf of Mexico ; the greater part belonging to the Spanish Independents of South America. They are called Carthaginians, though Carthagena is under the dominion of the king of Spain. The Spanish Royalists scarcely dare leave their ports, so much do they stand in fear of them ; the Americans are on pretty good terms with them, but the English hang them, Four of them, after the wreck of their vessel, oeing so imprudent as to enter Kingston, in Orcter to ', ascertain the departure and destination of ships well laden, were stopped and imprisoned, and will probably pay with their lives for their plunder, and that of their messmates. We soon arrived at the bay of Ocao, to take in 65 oxen } these animals, after castration, live so freely in th^ woods, that they soon become savage, and are not caught again without difficulty. It is curious enough to see these poor animals fastened by the horns, and thus secured upon the deck, where they are stowed In such a close manner as to be unable to lie down. They cost about a dubloon each, or ;^3 7«> per head, and are usually sold for three times that sum at Jamaica. Having frequently heard of Ocao bay, I thought to have found some habitations on shore, but it is so desert, that whenever I think of a savage country, the present will always occur to my recollection. The Spanish house •of M. Francisquez Perez, to whom all the environs belong, is isitoated at some distance in the mountain. The picturesque valley of Ocao bay is a^ sand-bank, which appears almost moving, although covered with lataniers, larger and move elevated than those 1 had previously seen. This tree is topped by a tuft of leaves, larger than an umbrella in dimensions, which they resemble in form* if we suppose it plaited from the centre to the ' circumference. These leaves, regarded upon the tree, do not appear large ; I however todt off some, and found them six feet in diaihe' tcrj of tl>e thii ba( of tab do I I ^"' I SCI lie 1 we I I I the H^est JndieSt and the Mediienviiean. H lining us, for us. As she is longsinoe will this day 1 fired, then )irate, should ing that we and on hear- ig of Petion. land, whither ivo Spaniards 1 we learned, 9, who, how- have left the of Mexico ; nts of South !3arthagena is ish Royalists nd in fear of th them, but reck of their , in drder to ladeln, were | b their lives ' oxen } these ds, that they lUt difficulty, tened by the ;| are stowed They cost usually sold uently heard »ns on shore, country, the vanish house IS belong, is ; picturesque lost moving, levated than I by a tuft which they lentre to the o not appear ;et in diaihC' tcr. It seems they die every year, or oftener, so that at the trunk.* of a tree a kind of hut is formed, which completely screens from the sun and the rain. The paroquets are fond of the fruit of' this tree, which has not much root ; from its abounding on so bad a soil as that of Ocno, we may justly imagine that it was one of the first employed by nature, to form, with its remains, a vege- table strata of earth, upon the sands which the sea had aban- doned. During the two days that we remained, I killed paro- quets, as noisy here as elsewhere, wild pigeons, and a black bird very much resembling our crows. Having wounded one, my dog brought it to me, but it cried and croaked so loud, that a tlock of its companions assembled around me. 1 once more charged, when two or three that 1 brought down filled the valley with their screams; the rest of the flock answering and approaching so near me, that I may truly say I was attacked by them. Before we sailed at night, we set fire to this curious wood, which was productive of no '.njury, and atibrded us a mflgnificent spectacle from the sea. It was a delightful night when we left Ocao bay, and in the morning we came in sight of Cape TiburoHf that is to say, the western extremity of the Island of St. Domingo, dependent on the Haytian Republic, of which Petion is President. At night we were becalmed for six hours, when the captain having gone aloft, inforrted us, that we had no need to pray for a wind, as he was much mistaken if a tempest was not very near at hand. He was "perfectly right in this conjecture, the sea soon became tem- pestuous, the north wind blew violently, and the most terrific night then followed. 1 hitherto conceived that 1 had witnessed a hurricane, but from what occurred, i found that 1 had as yet seen nothing. The night was cloudless, during a jyart of which the moon shone; the vessel, under water, manoeuvred over each wave, and the steerage was only confided to certain seamen ; ittdeed the danger was so eminent, that they did not conceal it from each other ; nevertheless, I perceived, that however perils may oppress, the certainty gives l)irth to servsations far removed from fear. The sun only shone forth to present to us a sea whose furious and whitened billows threatened every instant to plunge our vessel in the profound abyss of this terrific element. Al mid-day, when we had not perceived a sail, we suddenly beheld close to us a galiot, but the uiist fron) the surges prevented our perfeotly distinguishing it ; and we afterwards sought it in vain. Towards night we beiieUl an English frigate ; but it was far dis- tant, and at the cape, which we could not make, being short of provisions, and filling with water. The pumps, though conti- nually worked, were not capable of clearing the hold : the waves rose half-mast high, aud oue carried away, in the morning, an ^1 TW^e i! '! n m .it . If Hi: i r': i 'f ' i! t ■ ■ j ■: ill' ;(i,l •i..i'( i*'i, i S3 Voyage to North JmerkOf ox and a sheep, which only proved a prelude to further disasters, and for a moment I was afraid the captain would lose his senses. ** It is horrible," said he, addressing me ; " never did 1 before find myself in a similar situation ; and after such a tempest, if you regain your country, I advise you never again to trust your- self on ship-board.*' He then left me, to go on deck, 1 being in bed, which was the only dry spot ; in a moment after I felt a dreadful shock, accompanied by a hollow sound, which spread through the vessel ; it was a most enormous wave, which, after dashing against our bark, fell amidst the sails, and capsized us. I immediately sprang upon deck, where all the crew, clinging in different directions, crowded near the captain. The vessel, upon her beam-ends, was no longer governable ; but the captain, in this horrible dilemma, preserving all his presence of mind, de- manded if any one would go and take in a reef, and clear the brigantine ? Two Scotchmen sprung upon the boom, when the water contained in the long-boat, and which kept us down, having run off, the vessel righted, and began again to wear. I will not attempt to describe the radiance of joy which at that instant illu- mined every countenance ; an hour after we perceived the land, which restored speech to every one ; it was Cape Morand, the eastern extremity of Jamaica. As soon as we had weathered this point, the sea became less tempestuous, and we were sheltered from the wind by the lofty mountains of the island ; night, how-, ever, prevented our making the port of Kingston j' we therefore hauled to, and in the morning found ourselves in nearly the same situation. We took advantage of this moment to light a fire, which for two days we had not been able to do ; when, with some squares of portable soup, which I boiled, together with some eggs that were still left, we appeased our hunger, which began to be pressing. Of the 66 oxen taken on board, only 20 remained ; the others being dead, or carried away by the storm, when, they were doubtless soon devoured by the sharks, which continued to follow us during the tempest, as if certain of some destined prey. The following morning a boat brought us a pilot, to whom a curious circumstance occurred ; there were three in this pirogue, or hollowed trunk of a tree, after the manner of the savages, which carried a sail, when, 1 know not by what mischance or imprudence, they upset j their embarrassment was ludicrous enough, particularly that of the pilot, who, being no expert swim- mer, strove to get upon his upset bark. His colour being a clear yellow, gave him, in the water, the appearance of a large fish $ the two others, swimming round, and trying to turn the boat, prevented his mouiiiing. We put an end to this skirmishing between them, by lowering our boat, and shortly afterwards w« the Wett Indies f and the Mediterranean. 33 perceived a pinnace making towards us, and we hove to. A well- dressed person, but upon whose figure the traces of melancholy were perceptible, came on board ; it was the captain of a three^ mast vessel, belonging to the same owners as our ship, who, the preceding night, had been wrecked on the rock of Cape Morand^ near which we had passed, without, however, having perceived them. The crew and himself escaped in the long-boat, and in hopes of securing some of the wreck, he was going to visit the coast. His narrative afflicted us ; we left him, sincerely com- miserating his misfortune, and, pursuing our course, soon be- held the vast bay, at the extremity of which is situated King- ston, the most considerable town in Jamaica. The entrance is defended by reefs of rocks, rising to the water's surfacfe, and by Port Royal, near which is a town built upon a sand-bank, scarce- ly rising above the ocean. It formerly stood more to the West, and was submerged ; when being rebuilt to the East, it was destroyed by fire four years ago. I am not aware what element is preparing to wage a third war against it, but the inhabitants do not think themselves in safety ; it is well fortified, and above the battery, level with the waves, are two ranges of cannon. ' On visiting the fort I saw 22 pieces of the most beautiful cali- bre, which I recognised for French, a circumstance not very flat- tering to my feelings. The fort is about two leagues from Kings- ton, where merchant vessels alone can enter ; the ships of war and frigates riding at Port Royal. There were five, one of which, a two-decker, was the admiral's ship of the Blue. I was shown a frigate, formerly taken from the French, called the JctivCy which is esteemed one of the best sailors in the English service. The British are very partial to our mode of building, a circumstance which they have too frequently given us cause to remember* • I am, &c. &c. '':;i I mrn^ > •; I ) 'jV;: .i %\ ^1 .). LETTER X. Kingston t 1 5 th March^ 1817. It was with diflliculty I established myself in this city ; indeed it appears that the English, so fond of freedom, seem anxious to keep it to themselves. You cannot conceive the trouble I had to gain a permission of residence. My passport was insufficient, letters of recommendation were necessary ; and the offer of de- positing 6 or 7000 francs, near 300/., which I had with me, was not deemed equivalent. Mr. James Bpuce, who accompanied Voyages, f o/. V, F 34 y S'^i •K' «!..»■ l||,," :1, I 1 'I ('!' :"( '■u I i I II, I II f li ■ i;; Ir Voyage io North /imerka. me, having spoken to some merchants, they became bound for me ; and by this means I had ut length a permit to reside at Jamaica. , , Kingston is not the capital of the island, but the most consi- derable town ; its streets in direct lines traverse each other at right angles, and are not paved. A covered gallery, supported by wooden pillars, ornaments the fagade of most of the houses. The warehouses of the opulent merchants are in the centre, facing the port ; and their mansions at the extremity of the town. The exterior of these edifices are decorated with trees, whose shade diminishes the sun's burning heat ; the front being usually covered with Venetian blinds, painted green, harmonizes perfectly with the foliage ; while the body of the edifice, usually built of brick, or of wood, is tastefully painted, and so disposed as to leave a free circulation of air. A spacious and elegant tavern particularly struck us ; nor did any one ever boast better Cookn ; we commanded dinner, and were perfectly well served. When we wished to discharge our reckoning, an honest fat English captain, hearing us talk aloud in French, conceived that they wanted to impose upon us as strangers ; upon which, coming up, he began to take our parts, swearing lustily. He stated that he had been too well treated when prisoner in France, to suffer any Frenchman, in his coun- try, to be cheated, and entered into a long discussion with the .servant of the house, in spite of all he said, added to our expos- tulations, which he would not hear, so much was he hurried .away by his generous enthusii^sm ; and he terminated by threat- «ning . him with a caning, shaking the stick at the same time before his face. On witnessing this, our master waiter flew out in a rnge, and soon returned, presenting the captain with a chal- lenge to meet him under the great cocoa-trees. At this, our brave defender, bursting into a loud fit of laughter, required of the company if he could, with any decency, fight with a mulatto ? This word surprised every one, and the waiter, who passed for a white, began to balance; 'tis look of defiance changed; and his genealogy, which the captain proceeded to narrate, completely disconcerted him, so that he slunk away without uttering another syllable. This adventure having detained us late, and caused our drinking more Madeira than was prudent, we were mueh embarrassed how to find a lodging. We however applied at a house which was indicated, when Mr. Bruce, reeling towards the master, a tall serious looking man, who regarded us attentively, he demanded whether we could eat at his house ? " Yes, Sir," replied he, ** and diink as well." *' Such being the case, we shall remaio witii you. Sir," was the reply. 5 ; bound for to reside at iiost consi- ch other at , supported he houses, the centre, lity of the with trees, front being harmonizes ice, usually so disposed IS ; nor did rmner, and icharge our 3 talk aloud ipon us as I our parts, well treated n his uoun- on with the our expos- he hurried I by threat- same time ter flew out vith a chal- t this, our required of a mulatto ? )assed for a d; and his completely ing another ur drinking rrassed how : which was aster, a tall : demanded replied he, mil remaio I the ^Vcit Indus, dmd the Mediterranean. %5 : ,) Our host, wh whs formerly of the coiotiy of St. Domingo, rlemanded 12 francs, or 10 shillings per day, for which we were well treated ; his mansion being rendered the more ngrecahle to us, from being a species of coft'ce- house, wheie several French- men, established at Kingston, usually assembled every evening. ' The surrounding country is not very agreeable, being but a sand-bank, very recently appearing above the water's surface, which gradually recedes from its ancient strand ; on which ac- count there is very little vegetation. Notwithstanding, every thing in the power of art is done ; and the country residences of the merchants, called Penns, are extremely agreeable. These do not constitute the plantations, which are farther removed to the foot of the mountain, where the descending currents of water continually draw down excellent earth. One mile Ironi the town is the camp, containing two infantry regiments, one English, the other of blacks, both well disciplined. This camp is formed after the plan of those in l^urope, btit in lieu of tents, or huts, houses have been constructed for the soldiers, as com- modious as elegant. The kitchens are b'hind, and removed from the rest of the building, while an aqueduct distributes tl»e water every where ; in short, it is not only the finest establishment to l)e seen in the cofonies, but one of those where a great expen- diture has been most usefully appropriated. Among the persons who freqtiented our boarding-house every evening, was M. Chasseiiau, a gentleman of ifiHnite talent, who was under Buonaparte in the campaign ol l^gvpt ; hv. had been the secretary to general Ferrand at St. Domingo, and recently one of the principal members of the independent government of CariliHifena, and when the Spanish royalists entered that impor- tant city, he took refuge at Jamaica. It appeared to me, that his ambitious views still direct him towards the same spot. He is a good speaker, thou<.^h his delivery is slow, like that of most ora- tors ; he was particularly friendly towards us, and he joins to an agreeable exterior, those qualities that have insured liini a good wife, while his threechitdren deserve all the love which is l)estowed upon them by their parents. Though the fortune of M. Chas- seriau is not so considerable as it was, he received us with all that polished ease which is known but to those accustomed ta refined society. M. Chaplauiy of Tours, whom we met, and who lost a beautiful estate in this country, is much indebted to the friendship of M. Chasseriau, yet still possesses all his natural gaiety, in despite of the frowns of fortune. To this gentleman 1 owe much information with regard to the country, for«the colo- nist, like the European farmer, or the Parisi.:kn, remains amidst the most curious objects without being sensible of it. He told me among other things, %hat where the maroon negroes, of wlioin i I k ;: M i^wymm F-: ,' ♦ 'ill \iv. Wh m ';!!'■ |!li ^ Voyaga to Nrrrth Afnerfca, 1, liHil heard talk. These men, preferring a savage and errant life to slHvery, have reiiretl to tlie interior of tlie island, in the heart of the Blue Mountains, so called from their colour, which gives them an appearance of great elevation. In these inaccessible fastnesses, they have returned to a mode of living most rrsem- bling that of nature. Tl»o female, armed with bow and arrows, usually k 's the fish ntid game, which the male fetches swim- ming, or at the chase ; you may well imagine that the English government, desirous of destroying so dangerous an horde in a colony so populous, rich, and extensive, and for the most part peopled by negroes, dispatched troops against them. They, how- ever, not only defended themselves with that courage so con- spicuous among the inhabitants of mountainous regions, but to such advantage that a treaty was concluded, whereby a portion of territory was secured to them in perpetuity on the one hand ; while on the other, they engaged to send back to the English all the negro slaves who desert, and fly to them for refuge. This treaty, up to the present period, has been religiously kept ; but it is not difficult to perceive how much this example is to be drcdded, and that upon the 6rst general revolt, the rebels will take advantage of this sanctuary. I believe, and it is the opinion of most of the colonists, that the period of the emancipation of the negroes in all the colonies, is not very remote ; the English themselves are in favour of such a movement ; several reasons concurring to make them adopt such a singular policy ; all the ICuro{)ean nations losing their colonies, will be lorced to have recourse to tliejn for superfluities perhaps ; but which long custom have rendered necessary ; and their possessions in the East will amply remunerate them for the loss of their American islands. 'J'hese possessions falling into the hands of the negroes who, lazy by nature, will be- come doubly so after so long a period of slavery, will produce little more tlian what is necessary for home consumption j thus, for a length of time, the negroes will be compelled to have recourse to the English for the produce of their manufactures, because the United States, though not so removed, are not yet sufficiently advanced in that branch of commerce. This necessity will give a kind of preponderance in favour of the British throughout the islands, of which they will profit to form an alliance against these very United States, You will attach whatever importance you think fit to this assertion, one thing, however, is certain, that the English arc very capable of this from their inherent national spirit. The more I sec, the more am I persuaded, that the spirit of traffic with the individual, and ambition in the govern- ment, rise paramount to every other consideration. In our boardiug-house is a very taciturti Frenchmaa, vrhom the Went Indies, nud the Mediterranean. S7 ll is impossible to awaken from his lethargy, but by conrersing upon oxen and hogs, his branch of commerce. One day, how- ever, having mentioned Mons, lie enquired with eagerness whe- ther I was a native of that city ? Upon answering in the affir- mative, his countenance underivcnt an immediate change. " Then," said he, " we are from the same country," and shaking me by the hand, " 1 am from MortngiWy where I had a printing office in 1814, but being the first who published Garnet's memoir, I was arrested, judged, and sentenced to s'x yeHrs im- prisonment, of which 1 had suffered some months, when upon the' return of Napoleon, in 1815, 1 was released ; but on the second restoration of the king I fled, since which period I have lived by every species of commerce." The situation of my fellow covin-' irynian Interests me ; that which seems to affect him most is, the having brought on the misfortunes of his family by his own imprudence. He is on the point of sailing for Port au Prince, the capital of Petion, and has proposed to take me on board his vessel. I hesitated a little, but the news of the President's illness, the arr'va' \ French squadron, united to the entreaties of M. Jaques pi 'd, and I determined not to go. In fact, at this juncture, the demise of Petion, or the discnil)nrking of a French force, would necessarily bring on the assassination of all the French established in the Haytian republic. 1 am,. &c, ' t ■ f ii: 'i LETTER XI. ^ Kingstont 22d March, IS]"!. '-• SiNCK my last I took a walk into the mountains, which I shaU J10W describe. A vehicle first conducted us to an inn, at which vspot the road is inipassable for carriages, and from thence we set forward on foot, in suffocating weather ; but M. Jaques felt in honour bound to follow me, and heaven knows if wc gained or not, the bad dinner which awaited us ! We traversed vast tor- rents nearly dried up ; in the valleys We here and there descried houses, which were almost uniformly inhabited by French. The negro men and women on foot or horseback, either descending or mounting, sang while proceeding along the circuitous paths of the mountains, giving a picturesque and theatric appearance to the Scenery, which varied at every turning. These mountains are thickly scattered with aloes, whose yellow flowers failing in all directions, look beautiful upon the dark 98 •V- '■■- 1 1 Mi if f: U « i I • % I'aya^ to North j4mericaf gcecn soil ; it is tSiis j)lant which is stated to bloom but once in a century ; it is composed of u stalk twenty-Uve feet high, having twenty-eight to thirty branches, being .smaller in pro|)ortion, us they are elevated from the base. Having made crtquiiy relative to the time and e|M>ch of its flowering, the natives informed nic, it was uncommon, and that before tht^/ were at all aware, the stalk on a sudden burst from the leaves forming the foot. Having climbed a rock of a greyish colour, and not very hard, we |>lac8d o'jr feet and ha Hit upon a species of plant, each branch having the form, and being armed with points similar to a large cater- pilUr, which points piercing our gtoves and clothes, caused us dreadful pain. We went forward curstqg uur lot, and much embarrassed, when we beheld a fountain full of fresh and limpid water, and, having stripped, we plunged iq. This piece of water furni>.hes an aqueduct, which transports it to a distant sugar- mauufactory, and though formed with solidity, seems oily raised there to show the weakness of oar powerc, when opposed to the vigorous efforts of nature, which having covered it wiih verdure and plants, appears to hare rendered it her o vn. Havaig walked from four to five leagues, we returned to the inn, whfre we had left our conveyance ; it is kept by a Frenciwian, but he was gone to the town, and 1 was sorry at not being able to see him, as he might have fnrnvshed me with interesting communi- cations respecting the mountains, which we had but very im perfectly visited. VVe repaired from thence to the >.ugar manu- factory ; which ere I describe, it may not be h.niss to give you some idea of the sugar-cunc ; it is a kind of large reed, an inch and a half in diameter, having regular knots, three or four inches ap;Mt ; from these knots spring the leaves, three or four feet in length, the whole extent of the plant measuring from rix to seven feet ; from l>ei;ig at flrsi green, it changes when ripening, to a yellow-gr'jen, and is very heavy. In this state, ihe inhabitants, anu the negroes in particular, eat of it in great quantities ; it pit'shes a stalk from seven to eight feet high, crowned by a white silky flower, which appears but once upon the same stem. This being cut will produce for three or four years in succession. In order to plant vhe cane, the extremity Is alone taken, which is buried in the ground eight feet deep, in ruts Vvhich arc formed about three feet apart. When covered up, the whole process is finished, and ten days after, springs up from each knot, a small stalk producing a n::w cune, which, in Jamaica, yields at the expiration of ten or eleven months. In proportion as the cane ripens, its leaves dry and fall ; 1 believe they are also gathered, En«en at its maturity it is agreeable enough, if not too sweet, you press it between the teeth and the sugar comes o 'n strings. The manufactory of which I shall speak, occupies a siderable ilu k'4St Liditis, and iJu Mediterranean. S8 once in a ii, having ui tion, us y relative rm«i'd nic, the stalk Having ve placed h hAving ge cater- :aused us lid nvjch [id limpid ; of water it sugar - ily raised s6 to the I verdure Mavaig II), whfrre n, but he le to see oinniuni- vcry ills ar niunu- give you an inch iir inches feet in to seven ing, to a ial)itants, tities ; it y a white This sion. In which is formed )rocess is a small s at the he cane gathered. sweet, 1 strings, siderable space in a hollow at the base of ihe mounlains. The huti of the negroes are conceaieJ in a charming shrubbery formed of beautiful trees of the countiy, such as the cocoa, palm, banana, &c. : a negro stood sentry at the door, to prevent tlie entrance of any one 4irith fire^ which might be productive of very serious in' jury during the period of the cane ripening. The first process is cutting them, stripping otf the leaves, and conveying them to, the mill. Here three cylinders are worked by means of water, and an indented wheel turns all the three together ; the left and right in the sanr.e direction, that in the raidJle moving contrarywise. The left opening, or the distance, from one cylinder to the other, is larger than the right ; so that the cane inserted on the left side, impelled by a leaden lining which !i>< behind, protrudes it at the rigliii: side, experiencing a second 'ind more powerful pressure. The sugar then runs into boilers seven or eight feet in diameter, when it is instantly put into a boiling state ; and when skioAined^ poured off into large wooden bowls, where it is left to dry. All that coagulates is placed in casks, from whence it drips for some time, and the sugar though unrefined, is thus forwarded to Eu- rope, where it undergoes the conclusive process. Fcr the cGs- tiiliog of rum, the skimmings of the sugar are collected, together with all that comes from the several operations, when the whole being distilled in. an immense alembic, thus is produced the ce- lebrated Jamaica ruiv>^ of which there are two qualities, accord- ing to the ingredients which are pot into a state of fermentation. Perfectly satisfied with our excursion, we took the route to the city, and we decided, the following day, on going to Spaniih Town, the capital of the island, and the residence of the govert- nor, being about fifteen miles from Kingston. Notwithstanding the repugnan^^e of our horse ic pciiorm thtf journey, having fed him three times on the route, we gained in safety Spanish Town. This place is by im> means so handsonne as Kingston, the streets are not straight, nor have they the air of cleanliness and taste so conspicuous in the latter. Its situation in the interior was probably the reason of its being made the seat of government. At the time th<> Spaniards possessed it. Saint Jago was its appellation, and i. might then have been larger than Kingston, whir*h indeed appears almost entirely of English fashion. The only remarkable object pointed out, was the statue of Rodney, which is of marble, and was transported from London ; however handsome, it has no b ng very extraon- dinary to boast ; and being placed under a kinc ot vaulting, which appears to have been originally intended for a different purpose, you are thus debarred from inspecting it in its real point of view l; besides, it appears to me to possess the defect applicable to many other statues : tie costume is in the Roman style, whicl) divests .1 I 7 ' S J* I mmi r- - ,1 .J.', 40 Voyage to North America, ^ ■it ■ ■■'!! •' "^ If** .^ I k . i' l< I J^ ■ .1 Is ' u m P'j ; J ■ r If ill the ^monument of every thing historical, by not fixing a decided epoch. ;* ! : ' '. . Our curiosity was little gratified with the inspection of this capital, yet upon learing it we were pleased with a small iron bridge^ boldly situated over a torrent, which must be tremendous in the rainy season. In our way thither we had observed a tree of immense dimensions, and on our return we measured it, and found it to be 45 feet in circumference, at an elevation of 4 feet •from the ground. A regiment of cavalry might easily be shel- tered under its branches ; it was a wild cotton-tree, which, when in its most flourishing condition, covers all the surrounding soil with a! white and cottony flower. Its trunk is remarkable for being formed of huge sides^ which only assume a round or cy- lindrical shape at a certain height from the ground. . I had already been.three weeks at Kingston, and .lo vessel was annoui ced as proceeding to New Orleans. As the Americans cannot enter the British colonies, it is, of course, more difllicult to get a passage to a port of the United States. As the bad season was fast advancing, I knew not how to act, when one morning M. Chasseriau came to acquaint me that an English vessel, the Coquette, just arrived from England, was immediately to set sail •for New Orleans. Accordingly, accompanied by M.' Jacques, we waited upon the proprietors, Messrs. Denison arid Siehwitz, who had so kindly been bound for me on landing; From these gen- tlemen I secured a passage for New Orleans, or the llavannah, without, however, precisely specifying for which of these two ports. As this was indifferent to me, I accepted the alternatitre« and prepared for my departure. i > ;- . u I had still an opportunity .of taking some walks with my com- panion, during which I inspected the coffee and tobacco plants, the former is about as large as a Spanish genet, whose green glos- sy leaves, which are two feet wide, and. four, in length, last during ithe year;, the trunk is from one to two feet large, and the flower monopietabus ; from the centre issues a pistil, which gives birth tto a reddish brown fruit, the size of a small nut, which contains two smooth grains, closely unit" This is what we term coffee in the grain; The coffee-plant co aes from seed, and in Jamaica it is generally found in elevated sandy soils, where rain frequently falls, and which are almo;st uniformly surrounded by fogs. Tobacco, whose varied uses is become so universal, is of va- rious kinds ; that which I have seen in the colonies does not exactly resemble that of France and Germany. It grows four feet high ; the leaf is immediately attached to the stalk, and its flower, of a red colour, is very agreeable ; this is a branch of commerce very lucrative for certain colonies, such as the Ha- vannah, &c. . , - decided i of this nail Iron nendous d a (ree i it, and >f 4 feet be shel- :h, when ding soil able for id or cy- ssel was nericans [ficult to d season morning isel, the ) set sail queS) we 'itz, who ese gen^ ivannah, lese two ernative« ly com- plants, en glos- it daring je flower ires birth contains n coffee Jamaica equently I. is of va- loes not ows four , and its ranch of the Ha- : Voyage to North- Jmerica,iand the f^est Ji>dics. ' 41 I (lid not remain lonpf enough in the islancis to ascertain all tlio plants and fruits which are sj)okcn of in Europe ; I do not, however, think them more savoury than our own. When we see upon the table some fruits so well known to us, such as thcgrape, apples, strawberries, &c., we forget those of the country. To this you will probably oppose the pleasure of novelty, so natural in all things, to fragile humanity. There is, besides, an objec- tion to these fruits, which is, their not being good, except fasting. After the Banana, which I regard as one of the best, if you drink a glass of strong liquor, it is productive, according to report, of a fermentation in the stoms'ch, sometimes attended with danger. The best mode of familiarizing one's self with the Islands, consists in partaking of all these fruits, as the uegrucs do, in the morn- ing, and then taking hard exercise, which, by means of perspi- ration, causes a diminution of that mass of blood which we bring with us from Europe. This idea is relative to the commencement of those disorders which are usually experiineed by Europeans on arriving in these climates. The blood of a man residing in a cold climate, being condensed, his vessels are capable of con- taining a great quantity of this fluid ; but all is in equilibrium with the density of the atmos|)here, and the individual enioys good health. Arrived at St. Domingo, Jamaica, or any other colony of the torrid zone, his blood dilates, the vessels are stuffed, and he experiences the most excruciating head-aches ; wherefore, it he does not immediately diminish the mass of blood, he soon becomes subject to the most dangerous disorders. However fre- (|uent and continual the exercise which I pursue in the colonies, 1 am scarcely ever without pains in the head, to which I was ne- ver before subject ; it is true, I had frequent bleedings at the ix'se, which have c tsed since my residence in the Islands. The English are very i^areful of their health at Jamaica. They only go out at half past five in the morniiiir, either in a car- riage, or on horseback, accompanied by their wives, who are very richly attired ; and they return home as soon as the sun ap- pears above the mountains. On quitting the house they take a cup of black coflfee, and on their return they find milk-coffee, with bread and butter, which constitutes the first breakfast; this generally takes place at the warehouse, as every one is in trade. After this they visit the tavern, where a beef-steak, potatoes, and beer constitute the second breakfast, which sulhccs until the hour of dinner, when, forgetting every idea of sobriety, they partake of different liquors ; and about nine o'clock tea is served. However sumptuous the repast, the Englishman is not to be blamed for a want of simplicity in his diet, his dishes being plain, and ragouts unknown to him. • VoYxuRs, Vol. r. a I i r a •;'M if' 'L' I 1 19 i HJ I II I •i mrnm ■■! ■'■ ■ *1 lilr ■ •■■a 42 * Voyage to North America and the West Indies. LETTER XII. Kingston, April l.vf, 181 7. M. Chapiclain, of whom I liavc before spoken, had several curious objects which he showed me ; among others, a bow of the savages of South America, five feet and a half long, two inches wide, and four lines thick, made of the exterior wood of the palm-tree ; it is extremely hard. The arrows, made of reeds, without any feathers to direct them, are tipped with pieces of the same wood, zigzagged like a saw. This bow causes the arrows to fly with such velocity, that, notwithstanding their lightness, they will perforate a plank one inch thick. He showed me, besides, cocoa shells chiselled with infinite taste, by the Americans and natives of America ; as well ais calabashes painted with infinite care. This tree is of the middling size, without leaves as 1 be- held them. From the trunk and branches springs a fruit of the pumkin kind, whose rind, more oily and tender, is not so brittle as the latter ; I did not dare propose to M. Chapelain to favour me with these specimens, as I perceived that he valued them ; nevertheless, his civility would have prompted him to insist upon my accepting them for nothing. He also possessed some instru- ments formed of lignum vitse. I saw in Spanish Town a post made of this wood, being black, and slightly veined with yellow, which resounded like metal ; it is harder and heavier than the box, but its pores and veins are more regularly arranged than those of the latter. The island of Jamaica was discovered by Columbus in 1494, whom a portion of its present inhabitants may regard as their father. Distant about l.SO leagues from the continei •, it is only 20 from St. Domingo, and in the 17—40 degrees itf latitude, being of an oval form, 20 leagues wide, and 50 long. The blue mountains which extend from east to west divide it in two parts, each being fertile in colonial produce. Admiral Penn, seconded by a baud of freebooters, took it from the Spaniards in I(j55, and in the hands of the English it is become one of the finest Euro- pean colonies. Its actual possessors being only occupied with commerce, the Spaniards or French are usually at the heads of liouses, and sell their products to the English, who send to fetch them. It is, observable, that the English are never in immediate contact with the negroes : therefore, in case of revolt, they would have nothing to fear, and would have time for embarkation with the bulk of their riches. Extravagance is carried to a great extent at Kingston j the Voyage to North America and tJte West Indies, 4S ,1817. d several a bow of long, two r wood of of reeds, ;es of the arrows to [less, they ?, besides, cans and h infinite s as I be- iit of the so brittle to favour ed them ; isist upon ne instru- wn a post h yellow, than the nged than in HD'l, as their it is only latitude, The blue two parts, seconded 1 655, and est Euro- pied with heads of d to fetch immediate hey would ation with ston ; the carriages are elegant, and the horses, which are transported from £ngland or America, are generally very handsome. When a merchant quits his warehouse, he usually leaves only a large dog, which he sometimes purchases as high as 40/. or 502. One thing which particularly strikes the stranger, is to see in the streets of Kingston a quantity of large birds formed like the vulture, and having the necks bare like those of that bird. In a few minutes they unite on the carrion of animals, such as goats, hogs, &c., which are left to their mercy, and disappear in a short space of time. This creature is so fearless, that my dog, on the first day, stopping before them, seemed by his enquiring look to ask of me whether they were domestic or savage. The whole population of Jamaica consists of 200,000 souls, of whom the half at least is of colour. You desired me in the letter which I received at St. Tliomas's to examine attentively the negroes and mulattos, and give you a just detail of my observa- tions upon that head. I will now endeavour to satisfy you ; but perhaps what I shall state will appear to you too systematical, or only a dream of my own imagination ; be this as it may, i shall submit it for your judgment. If there were not a number of free negroes, it would peihaps be difficult to ascertain their primitive and predominant character. They appear to me kind, generous, and open-hei.rted ; but the most cruel slavery has, in some measure, changed these valu- able qualities ; it is in Africa, his native country, that the negro must be appreciated ; in the midst of his occupations, surrounded by his fondest affections ; he should be seen in the heart of his fa- mily, at the moment of that separation which must be agonizing : and if we form our opinion from the attachment which the black contracts towards his master, when he happens to possess hu- manity, as well as from the fond recollection always cherished for the name of Africa, which he never repeats without sensations of delight, we must allow him endowed with all the finer touches of the soul. The negro is in general much stronger and better formed than us, audit is seldom that any lame are found amonf them. This I attribute to the facility the women find in bringii.tr forth their offspring, whiv h is the case in all hot climates, where childbirth is unaccompanied by pain. The negro is agile, expert, and pos- sessed of a conception applicable to all kinds of things. The Creoles confess that their children are not superior to the infan- tile negroes when they study together ; but the period soon arrives when the latter are able to work, at which epoch they are over- burthened : they groan in silence ; they forget what they have ac- quired J and their fellow-students, who daily gain an ascendancy over them, rather regard them in the light of other creatures, and 3 i ii ill S .1 44 Voyage to North America and the West Indies. y t: ' f! li "iiii i. i I '' use them as beasts of burthen. The negresses are well pro* portioned, active, ereet, healthful, and cherish their childreii. Their features, it is true, are not prepossessing in our eyes: but does not each of their senses perfectly fulfil its functions ? What is more healthful, robust, and hardy, than this class of men ? When BufFon sought in each species of the animal its primitive iAce, no one contradicted him ; and we look upon the shepherd's dog as that from which the successive gradations took place, to all those varieties which we know, because the shepherd's dog has properties that are applicable to all ; he is generally more nimble, nervous, intelligent, and faithful, than any other ; and I might say equally as much for the Arabian horse. Nature, which circumscribes in certain latitudes and climates, the differ- ent species of animals, may she not equally have assigned a place to ours ? and from the moment that we quitted it, may we not also have degenerated ? The surface of Africa proves in every direction that it has long remained above the waters. Its population, still little known, frequently leads us to perceive, although coupled with the most disgusting barbarism, the traces of a very remote civilization. May not Africa have been the grand reser\'oir, the very centre from whence has issued different colonies, which by degrees have changed ; was not the Egyptian army composed of blacks ? We are told by Herodotus, that the natives of Colchis, a colony of that army in Asia Minor, still preserved some traits of the Af- ricans, from whence we may infer that they had worn off. But you will reply, that negroes living in northern countries for a length of time, do not change. Does our transient rtate of being per- mit us to calculate the grand epochs of nature ? We have seen civilization march like the sun, from east to west ; and who can say whether the population has not more than once performed the circle of the globe, and whether the white is not the traveller, whom the climates have successively changed ; while the negro, having remained stationary, has undergone no transformation ? During the rest of my voyage, I hope I shall frequently have oc- casion to make remarks to come in support of what I now state. Does not Providence already seem to punish the white for the slavery to which he has subjected the negro ? If we take things upon the aggregate, we have only removed the latter from a sandy country, and geherally unfruitful, to transport them to the same latitudes, but upon soils capable of answering to their ex- ertions. You will object, I know, that Africa has several species of negroes, and that some do not unite all the advantages of which I have spoken ; but did 1 not also argue that the whole of Africa was comprised in the zone assigned to the human species ? Voyage to North /America and ilie Wat Indi0$, 4S ivell pro- childreii. ;yes: but ? What len ? primitive hcpherd's place, to erd's dog ally more ;r ; an.d I Nature, he differ- ed a place ly we not t has long e known, the most vilization. ery centre jrees have ks? We colony of the Af- )ff. But tr a length )eing per- have seen who can Derformed traveller, le negro, )rmation ? have oc- low state, te for the ike things jr from a ;m to the their ex- pecics of )f which I of Africa ? I am on board the Coquette, a beautiful English brig, Freocli built, in front of Port Royal ; I close my communications : we are on the point of sailing, and M. Jaques, who returns ttk (he boat, is the bearer of this letter. I am, &e. LETTER XIII. New Orleans, 2Bth April, I8I7. Whkn we set sail I informed you I did not know whether it was for the Havannah, or New Orleans ; as soon as we were at sea^ the captain informed me it was for the latter place, and tlwt if his destination was not announced, the reason was his being freighted with piastres, and that many persons, not to be depended upon, were desirous of going. After calms and varying winds, we at length had a fine breeze to the south-east, and we weather > ed Cape St. Anthony, the extremest western point of the isle of Cuba, on the 8th of April. We then entered the Gulf of Mexieo, between Yucatan and Florida, where the storms are as violent as they are common. The same night we were visited by one of these, during which wind, rain, thunder and lightning, seerned to dispute the aerial empire. This lasted during tlie nighty and we performed four leagues an hour. I had every reason to feel satisfied with the gentlemanly coa> duct of Captain Newland, but he could only converse in English, a circumstance that made our intercourse very laconic. la passing the isle of Cuba, we received a small passenger about the size of a thrush, which probably found itself fatiguad, and ceiild not regain the land. It familiarized itself to such a point,, as to cat off the table, and perched without fear upon my head or haad. 1 imagined that I bad cultivated its friendship ; but immediately the shores of Louisiana appeared, it preferred liberty, and quitted us immediately. On the morning of the IGth of April, we entered the Mississip'* pi with some difficulty, for the vessel drew thirteen feet waiter, and here the river was only twelve feet deep : we were stationary for some minutes, our situation being the more disagreeable in consequence of several rocks which appeared above the water,, at about a hundred paces from the ship. Aided by some maaioeii'* vres, and a side wind, we were soon in deep water ; the river has here five mouths, or passes, and we had taken that to the south- east. I felt a certain degree of pleasure on once more behokliog .;» ■It' •r ; my i ?il. 'ii.S •'•' ^^''''- :'t M if iv 1: 1 ■ ■m ■1 ill 1: liW Voyage to North America and the If^st Indies. the soil of the United States. I returned by Louisiana, one of the most beautiful and fertile countries in the world, of which Ferdinand de Sotto was the first discoverer. Despairing to find the mouths of the Mississippi, he traversed the immense tract of country which extends from Florida to this stream, which he then descended. The Spaniards, who then rather sought mines of gold and silver, than a fertile soil, although requiring cultiva- tion, reaped no benefit from this discovery.* In 1720, the Freiich who had long been established in Canada, and who navigated the Ohio, and Mississippi, descended the stream to its mouth ; when they perceived that there did not perhaps exist a country so ad- vantageously situated as Louisiana, for the purposes of commerce. In consequence of this, it was determined that a grand establish- ment should be formed ; and a city, to which the name of New Orleans was given, arose upon the left bank of the river, at which period the duke of Orleans was Regent. To this spot, criminals and indigent persons repaired, who continued for a length of time the sole inhabitants of Louisiana, and in 177C> France ceded this colony to the Spaniards. The unaccountable conduct of these two powers kept Louisiana for a length of time in the most dan- gerous state of fermentation, more fatiguing, perhaps, than a revolution, for the inhabitants. At one time, an idea was formed of abandoning the colony, and crossing to the right bank of the stream ; but every thing became tranquil, and the Spaniards gained entire mastership in 17^9, from which period it remained peaceably in their possession, until the era of its restoration to France. The Emperor Napoleon knowing that the maritime su- periority of the English could always prevent us from enjoying our colonies, sold it in 180S, to the United States ; so that Louisiana, the capital of which is New Orleans, and contains about 40,000 French, is actually become one of the Union States. The laws of the United States only extend to a certain portion of the population : a vast country may demand its independence, and from that period Louisiana has increased daily, and is no longer recognizable by those who have not seen it for the last fifteen years. We navigated the Mississippi, so justly famous, whdse course running upwards of 1000 leagues, is still ore of the most rapid currents known ; like other rivers it does not empty itself into a gulf, or bay, but into a gulf formed by the mud which it incessantly supplies, and it is also the only stream that, like the Ganges and the Rhone, runs for a length of time from North to South. The sea is yellow, and filled with the trunks of trees for more than thirty miles from its mouth ; it would be impossible to enter the liver without a pilot, as you would be infallibly lost in Voyage to North Amenca and the West Indies, 47 \ a labyrinth of islands, rocks, and shallows, which its exterior pre- sents. When you have entered, you soon discover the pretended fort of Balise, which rises near a few wooden houses, that serve to lodge the officers of the customs, and the pilots, who are nu- merous, the port of New Orleans being much frequented. The banks of the stream are bordered with reeds, whose roots ave concealed by the water. This country is scarcely habitable, and I sincerely commi- serate the unfortunate recluses at the Balise. We received on board three officers, who had inebriated themselves to chase me- lancholy, with which they must necessarily be overcome. Their visit was of short duration, and we continued our course on the Mcschassebe^ whose bed is solely formed of the immense quantity of trees which it continually undermines. It is impossible to form an idea of the confusion of trunks of trees, and ruins of every description, which nature seems to have conveyed thither^ to consolidate the earth, and perhaps form new soils. These trees, either meeting reeds that border the margins, or mud which the stream deposits, are impeded, and thus bar the passage of others ; they then are covered with the mud, upon which reeds and other plants vegetate, and man ventures to inhabit a so 1, as yet, possessing little solidity. We had already performed about 15 miles, when the captain requested me to ascend the shrouds, and look to the east ; I did so, and the sea, from whence we were separated by three miles, covered with swamps, appeared at our feet, evidently much lower than the surface of the stream, which is very natural ; but one is surprised that a current so rapid should not take this declivity, which appears much more favourable to conduct it to the sea, and which, besides, offers but very few obstacles. The windings of the current, and the rapidity of its course, render the passage of 130 miles, the distance from its mouth to New Orleans, extremely difficult. Not being able to weather a point, owing to the wind, we anchored in front of the second fort upon the river, called Plaqucmine, which appeared well situ- ated, and kept in good order. The captain landed with me ; I saw nothing curious but a dead crocodile ; but as I had every reason to suppose that I should see them alive, I did not atten- tively examine it. We were upon the left bank, from whence we crossed to the right, where we found a French dwelling; being, I believe, the first that is found on mounting the stream. Our eyes we e struck with the appearance of an old hut, the ruins of which floated, as it were, on the water, being in a hollow wliich the current had inundated. We entered, and only found iwo women, a mother and datighter, both very melan. holy, who in- formed us that tliey had not yet recovered from their terror, which ■U ll ii li np I ti lii !! II ■ ['ll.., 4P Vo^f^g^ to North /tmerka and tTte West Indies. tlie overflowing had caused, and of whicii we snw tlio ruinous effects. A house had been erected near ; but the daughter stated th«t she did not conceive herself in greater safety there than in tlie other ; indeed, it may be truly said, that they were inhabitants of a soil always floating upon the Mississippi ; and I was surpri- sed to behold oxen pacing over the spongy earth, which I every instant expected to behold sink in the abyss. A favourable wind at length compelled us to quit this Himily, whose wretched situ- ation, in the midst of crocodiles, serpents, and bulls, really afflicted mc. Our vessel, as I have before stated, was a fast sailer, and we passed all those that came in sight; one of which, an English bark, assuredly jealous of the superiority of our vessel, left us only the space requisite to pass between it and the bank, and upon our approach he steered towards the land, and we touched ; \yhen every cfl^brt that was made for seven days, to get oft', was in vain J at the expiration of this period, however, they succeeded, and got in safety to New Orleans. You will doubtless enquire how I occupied myself during this period, amidst the very charm- ing country I have recently described. The first day I went out siiooting, and killed a red bird, called the Cardinal, together with an animal which the inhabitants, who begin to increase, denomi- nate a hare, but which resembles more the rabbit ; on my return 1 found Mr. Steward, the owner of the vessel, on board, who spoke French about as well as I do the English ; we however made shift to understand one another ; and he took me in his chaise, about five o'clock, when we drove off towards New Orleans. We here found a pretty good road, and slept at a passable Inn, about seven leagues from the city, the landlord of which would insist upon it, that 1 must be in possession of news, since I recently came from Jamaica : so positive was he, that I gratified his curiosity, and the following day we arrived at New Orleans, a place of which we have so faint an idea in Europe. The view of it is magnificent, the effect of which is heightened in proportion to the vast and melancholy solitudes I had so recently passed. The Mississippi, which continues nearly the same breadth up to St. Louis, presents a semicircle in front of the city, which forms the circumference. It is covered with a forest of ships of all sizes ; and its depth enables them to approach the shore, which is banked up, so as to prevent the incursion of the waters. With- out this dam New Orleans would be submerged ; for the surface of the stream is nearly five feet above the city, which goes in a delivity as it recedes from thence, and its extremity, as I may say, appears lost in the swamps. The road uniformly continues on the left bank of the river ; which is skirted with pleasant dwel- lings, where tht-y cultivate Indian corn and sugar, while the *i Voyagt to North America and the fVest fmliit. 49 i ■ '. back f^round uniformly displava the dark green of the cypress, rising from the water, its branches decorated with n white pendant moss, called Spaniard's beard. The entrance of the cityia defended by a fort, when you arrive at a handsome square, planted with trees, yet young, which permit the rye to survey the three angles^ the fourth being upon the stream. The church and some ele- gant houses form the opposite side, producing an agreeable efTect ; the streets are straight, of equal widtii, and cut at right anglei, having foot- ways for pedestrians, and two gutters for the water to run oft', but they arc not paved ; all this part of Louisiana la a land of alluvions, stone is extremely rare, and as the objects of exportation are light, the vessels cannot leave their ballast. A large quay runs the whole length of the city, and is always covered with the merchandize of French, English, Americans, and Indians, who very rarely can agree together. These In- dians are Creeks and Chicasatvs^ {Big-heads) inhabitants of the parts comprised between the Floridas and the Mississippi. On gaining the square, I beheld upon a good house this inscription, Hotel Trinwuletf which my companion informed me was the best tavern in the city, and that Generals Lcfebvre, Desnouettes, and Lallemant were lodged there. I accordingly entered, but the former had quitted the preceding evening, and the latter had retired into the country. They asked me two dollars, about eight shillings and four-pence per day. I thus particularize the various prices, to give you an idea of the value of money in the different countries ; with regard to food, it is nearly the same every where. I had a letter from M. Thibault, a Frenchman, which I presented ; he is the treasurer of the bank of Louisiana. I was received courteously, and he presented me to his wife and his father. On returning in the evening to my hotel, I found a society of about thirty persons, twenty of whom had quitted France from political motives, who spoke as freely of politics and government as we do in France of fashions and horses. A gentleman of a certain age, with a powerful voice, sparkling eye, and brisk action, sitting daily in front of me at table, I enquired his name, and found that it was General Humbert, the terror of the Spaniards. It was this person who, in the expedition of General jrioche to Ireland, disembarked alone, at the head of the party he com- manded ; unfortunately he has not received a brilliant educatioa, for which it is so difficult to find a substitute. Although advanced in years he abounds with sense, originality of idea, and an ardor for the cause which he has espoused, while his reputation for personal courage is beyond every thing that can be imagined. During the war of 1813, the English, wishing to possess New Orleans, had disembarked 12,000 men on the left bank of the ■Si ■1 H i |j VoYACES, Fol. V, H '^ r? j* Ik ;, !i. i;; :j'i •I '1 ';v 50 Voyage to North /Imerica and the West Indies. Mississippi ; having had, ns it appears, raauy partisans in the city, which gave rise to some indecision ; at tliis juncture, general JacIvhom the last changes compelled to seek an asylum in foreign countries ; he is far from rich, which astonishes the Americans extremely. Several military men ate with us, and I particularly attached myself to a Colond of the Polish Lancers, a very experienced ofBcer, covered with wounds, but bereft of fortune. He is on the point of his departure for Mexico, and is, without exaimplc, the most unassuming man 1 ever saw ; so much so, that after a day or two one is astonished to find in him a knowledge the most expanded and solid, which had not been announced in the early part of your aisociation with him. Ten years of service regarded as nothing, and the expulsion from his country cannot prompt him to forget that he is a Frenchman ; and he incessantly prays for the prosperity of his native land. General Bernard, formerly aid de camp of Buonaparte, is also lodging in this hotel, whose close connexion with that great man led me to make many enquiries concerning him ; and in speaking of him last night, his words were these. " He possesses, per- haps, the most profound genius of this century, and in all proba- bility, the best organized that ever came fron^ the Creator's hands ; nothing was unknown to him ; nor did he ever confide in any one but at the moment of the execution of his plans, having always deliberated and decided himself upon what was most expedient to b.e done." t I now close my letter, with the assurance that my next shall ^contain a description of the environs of New Orleans, which I .^ip going to visit, And am, &c. &c. i ; Voiintf tip North America and the fVcst Indi s. 51 [1 the city, e, general blared tbe vernpnent, this bold ' coiuQtiy, e lu them icd a dan- personally ive him to ons, until General ial Guard, >m econo- B French, in foreign Vmericans y attached perienced He is on t exa,mple, bat after a the most the early regarded ot prompt ttly prays te, is also ;r«at man speaking sses, per* all proba- 's hands ; any one )g always )edient to lext shaU , which I ) ; LE'rrERXlV. NewOrleam, IGth May, 181 7. In the Coflfee-house of the Exchange, which is always crowded, 1 found M. Laurent, a young Frenchman, whum 1 had seen nt New York, who proposed accompanying me in my walks, and we set out the ensuing day. 1 must premise, that the whole country which 1 visit is but a species of swamp, abounding with serpents, intersected by bayous^ or canals, much frequented by crocodiles, which are called caHtnam in Louisiana. The first day we went to St. John's, a league from the city, where we hired a pirogue, and killed two small crocodiles, of which animal I will shortly give you a description. Upon another occasion wwent to Pontchartrain, where we descended a very wild bayou, on the banks of which we saw nothing but serpents, and a few Indians gathering blackberries, which they afterwards sell in the city ; having proceeded some miles, we gained the mouth of tlie bayou, joining a lake, which, on the other side, communicates with the sea. A number of dwellings, containing poor fishermen and hunters, a pier and a fort not yet completed, display, in the tout en sembk'^ a picturesqui' landscape. We landed, and directed our course along a s».vau.,io,i the south side, and ere long encountered some serpents, whose appearance frightened M. Laurent, who feels that aversion for this reptile which some people in vain endeavour to conquer. I was a few paces before him when I suddenly heard him scieam ; and turning, saw him very pale, when I judged that he had touched a serpent, which had glided away among the reeds ; this was the case, but he was ni>t l)itten. I immediately tired twice upon the poor animal, no doubt as terrified as himself; but did not succeed in killing it. M. Laurent immediately informed me that he should return to the boat, and then enquired why I had not fired upon the serpent ? You may imagine my surprise at this question ; the fact is, he became seriously indisposed, and he af- terwards confessed to me, that his meeting the serpent had caused a revolution in his blood ; he therefore returned to the boat, and I continued alone in the swamp. On comparing what I have read in voyages, with that which I actually see, I cannot help thinking that authors frequently exag- gerate; but our manner of judging things is as different as our characters. The size and number of serpents in Louisiana, and the dangerous stiqg of the rattle-snake, are, however, incontest- able truths. Ten minutes after M. Laurent's departure, I found myself so environed with these creatures, that I knew not where to place my foot to avoid them. With my legs outstretched, I was standing upon two mounds of earth, in order to let one of th«m pass, who seemed to pursue that direction. My two barrels were loaded, but I judged it expedient to husband them, though in 52 f^oyage to North ^wka and the JVest Indies. ■| , ill;,' \UU- Ph..: f ii'l this crut'l predicament ; when I heard my companion, who was in the pirogue, desire ii»y conductor to come to my assistance, who replied, that it was impossible, for that 1 must extricate myself. 1 looked around me ; on every side 1 heard a hissing, or beheld the reeds moving, agitated by the passage of the serpents, in tiie middle of which \ had so stupidly placed myself. I called my dog, and soon ga'oiid the pier, rather by jumping ilv.m running, where I found some tshabitants, who felicitated me, while blaming mj temerity, for having visited a spot which is never trodden but in the winter season, when the serpents are in a torpid state, of which circumstance I was totally unawares. 'IMie tooth of the rattle snake is as sharp as a needle, and is perforated, through which channel passes the venom, contained in a gland which is pressed by the action of biting. I shall probably liave occasion to examine this reptile, when I will give you a more detailed account. I afterwards saw another species of serpent, called the Congo, which is black, frequents the water, and makes towards you with the head upraised ; being small, little attention is paid to it, though some say that it is dangerous. In walking round the fort I found some land cray-fish. Alive, they are red, resembling ours when boiled, and they burrow in the earth, above which appears a little mound, about si\ or seven inches high, which prevents the water from entering tfe creature's dwelling. Having regained the boat, we caught som ; fish, which we dressed in one of the most mi£eral)le dwellings of the most wretched hamlet, I believe, in the universe. I had too great a desire to possess a crocodile not to retTirn to the spot where I had seen so many the first day, and 1 had the good luck to wc! nd one bout six feel long, which did not imme- diately die j the ball having only pe»foriited the jaw, under the eyes. I got it into the pirogue, where I considered it at leisure, as it made tov.ards my dog, which it strove in vain to bite ; when being nearly suffocated with the effusion of blood, It reared like a bull. I do not think 1 shall tire you by detailing some of the properties of this animal. The colour of the crocodile is precisely that of the herb which is found under water, being a dark green. Its appearance is that of a monstrous lizard, its ears are nearly the same, buL less conspicuous. The teeth are pointed, and small considering its size, and the alleged voracity of its nature. The head, without being covered with scales, is guarded by a skin equally as hard, which, plaited, gives it that appearance. It, has no tongue, but several memoranes, or moving cartilaf;es, per- fectly white, which fill the underjaw whereto they are attached in every direction, so that rising or falling they perform the same functions as the tongue. Its paws resemble the? of the lizard, formed like hands, the fingers united by a membrane, particularly 3 was in CC;, who myself. r beheld s, in the illed my unning, blaming Idcn but state, of h of the through which is occasion detailed ailed the towards n i.'/ paid . Alive, irrow in or seven ireature's h, which the most retTirn to had the |)t imme- nder the leisure, ; when red like le of the precisely k green, re nearly ted, and 3 nature. ly a skin It has ;es, per- ached in he same J lizard, ticularly i f^oyage to North America and the West Indws^- 53 the hinder ones. 1 had been told that its nails were less pointed^ than the teeth, which is certainly the fact; for after having killed i one, as it floated, my conductor and myself paid the greatest; attention to it. t I remember having read that Laborde, out of ten birds which > he kiiled, often found but two or three, as the crocodiles, who were more agile than himself, frequently seized them by the head, while i:e held them by the legs. I witnessed nothing of this kind, and I am sorry for it ; on the contrary, they fly the pre- sencf^ of man, but not always the discharge of the gun. The great enemy of the crocodile is man ; and is he not so of all ttie animals who do not bend before him ? the sword-fish is hated by fishermen , because he lacerates the net with a forked laiice, which springs from his mouth, as well as the shark, and a species of tortoise, whose beak, as I may say, is bent under j this 1 saw near the lake of Pontchartraiii. 1 have never tasted the flesh of the oaiman, or crocodile, which does not seem to be much esteemed, as I was obliged to throw away those I killed, since neither the inhabitants nor the negroes requested them of me; very good leather is made of the skin, which is used for boots. This amphibious creature buries itself during the winter in the muds of Louisiana, and con*.inues torpid during the cold weather, awakening only in the spring, when the season breaks. Every thing considered, the crocodile is much less feared at New Orleans and Louisiana than we imagine in Europe. It is only dreaded by hogs and dogs, who have a fear, I may say horror, on beholding it. When the crocodile seizes one of these he drags it to the bottom of the water, where he probably enjoys most strength, and does not eat them, as it is said, but in a state of putre- faction. From what I have said one might be led to think that this animal exactly resembled a large lizard. The head and tail, however, are completely different ; the former being flatter, and nearly as large at the end as the beginning, while the tail is armea by four very sharp excrescences. One day, going out upon an excursion, General de Laure, a Frenchman, wishing to accompany me, a circumstance occurred which, had I been alone, would have appeared to me impossible. Being in a bayou, I saw and firet' upon a caiman : it is necessary I should state, that when they swim, you see very little more than the top of the head above the water : the ball struck it ; but as it did not move, I conceived that 1 had hit the trunk of a tree ; I however ordered the boat to be rowed thither ; when the sup- posed piece of wowl sunk into tiie stream at our approach, and proved to be a caiman, which was ascertained by a little blood appearing upon the water j at which I was literally confounded, .k •I 1-^ ^1^ i^^ 'fi m f ■ll! ., i i I!'; Pi ill m ■ I i 54 VtfagB to North America and the fTert Indief* having no idea of an animal's receiving a balF and not even mov- iig J perhaps, indeed, it might be stunned. When they are struck wittf a death-blow, they beat about the water, which they strike vehemently with their tails. Though I have long wearied you by describing this creature, t cannot help saying something respect- ing the largest which I killed ; after having wounded it by the ball traversing its neck, it beat the waters with its tail ; when^ making towards it, and finding it swim, I wished to seize it by the hinder paw ; upon which, a dreadful blow of its tail, and a movement of its tremendous head, in endeavouring to seize my arm, made me desist, but in this action its head fell on the pirogue, between my legs. My gun was no longer charged, and we were dearly upsetting, when I struck it fonr violent blows with the stock of my piece, but to no purpose, and the pirogue becoming more dangerously plactu, the aninial slid into the stream, and we saw it swim on, and drag itself among the reeds. From the head to the tail it measured about nine feet. I was very desirous to have it stuffed, for which they asked me 25 dollars, rather more than Si. English, which I thought too dear, and so abandoned the thought. In my other walks 1 saw numerous birds, unknown to me, such as the pelican, a species of bhe-joy, the mock-bird, which imitates the chant of every other, the fiy- catcher, the eagle, and that species of vulhire wliich I had before observed at Jamai- ca y some others, such as the crow, the heron, and the wild goose, which are found in Europe, I also observed ; but the most beau- tiful are the pope bird, whose head seems bound with the most bright a2ure blue, and the cardinal, being entirely of a dazzling scarlet : the former is as big as a large canary, and the latter the siae of the blackbird, though rather more slender. Fish, in the Mississippi, are not very abundant, on account of the rapidity of the current, but are plentiful in the lakes and bayous. The swamps which commence on quitting New Orleans, abound with the cypress, whose trunk rises from the waters ; their surface is slippery, which is very incommodious to the sports- man. Among these cypresses are found the poplars and other trees, and the American palm, from which hats are manu- factured, are common. From the trees hang quantities of Uarns; but what is most curious is the Spanish beard, a kind of moss growing on the trees, in particular the cypress, from whence it hangs in tufts of eight or ten feet long ; which, at a distance, gives them the appearance of large pines. — Upon a close ex- amination, you find that it is like a coarse blackish thread, as thick as horse-hair, covered with a brittle moss, of a greyish colour^ approaching white ; nearly all the mattresses at New Orleans are made oif this plant ; possessing the elasticity of ours, bdng also fresher, but flattening sooner than those of Europe. Vci\fage to NoHh Ameried and ike West Iniies. SS I mbv- straek strike you by jspect- by the when, se it by I, and a ;ize my jirogue, ve wefc ith the scomTng «n, and rom the desirous ler more oned the mown to ock-bird, he eagle, it Jamai- Id goose, )st beau- the most dazzling latter the in tlie ipidity of Orleans, jrs ; their ^e sports- ind other manu- itities of kind of I whence distance, Iclose ex- Ihread, as greyish at New [y of ours, Some deer are still found, thougli they are rare, ^bccaiise sportsmen abouad here ; their antlers, less branching thaa ours, project much more forwards ; a species of animal between Che hare and therabbii, for it resexnbles the ^rst in shape, Andt)ar- fows like the second ; and squirrels, whose flesh is higMy ef- tesemedy are alinoat all the quadrupeds I have o^Dserved. There are many savages at New Orleans, iMtt they have ahnofC lost their national characteristic, from their proximity to the dty ; they are even despised by their wild countrymen. Some «f tiiein work at the port, where having gained a little money, tli^ uni- formly get drunk, which always gives rise to sanguinary confliet«. They are CKtremely jealous of their women, for when it so bapr pens to the white, or a negro, to surprise one of them, the hus- band is so persevering in his pursuit, that it is difficult to evade his vengeance, which consists, as I am to4d, in cutting off the offender's ears. As it is my intention to ascend the Mi^sisedpjpi and the Ohio, and then to return to New York by Lake Erift and the Falls of Niagara, I shall, no doubt, behold others possestiog all their ancient customs, and, therefore, await till tlien ia ord«r to describe them. In the neighbourhood of New Orleans, they cultivate ^ugar, in- digo, Indian corn, and rice ; sugar is also an excellent article of commerce, but I find it less agreeable and sweet than that of the Islands ; the cane continues longer in the ground, and does not arrive at sufficient maturity to flourish : it is cultivated to /an exteat of forty leagues north of the city ; to whieh sueceedf the cotton, then corn, and lastly tobacco. But I will not antioipatey Id the voyage I ain going to make, I shall have tiflie to descant on the different productions of this immense country^ where imh ture is at lengdi compelled to yield to the effi[>rt8 of civilization and industry. The population of New Orleans is computed at 20,000 souls-, and the inhabitants are lively. As commerce flourishes, aaA money circulates with wonder<^ul rapidity, no attempt is made to impede it. The emigrations from the east of the United Stat^i to the westward of the Alleghany Mountains, a eountry watered by immense rivers, all falling into the Mississippi, contribute to enrich this city, which is, by this means, the only depo8(itory «4f the productions of a country twke as large as the whirfe oC France. Men love pleasure here as much as in any part of the globe ; the females are lovely, and please me much more than those of North America. It is painful to observe how the rage for duelling exists ; no country produees such .deplorable instances of this barbarous infatuation, which incessan^y arms one citizen against his neighbour. . Being frequently engaged in this way, is with them a certain proof of their courage ; that w ■.Ml mi- m m M !l 1^1 56 m J f U t Voyage to North America and the West Indies. which is most shocking is, that every one carries arms as in time of war. When at the Exchange coffee-house, the general rendezvous, two individuals dispute, it is not uncommon to see one of them fire at his opponent, while the other runs upon him with a dagger in his hand ; and this unfortunately occurs'. with impunity. !f the salutary and severe laws do not stop these duels, they •nevertheless do honour to the government, which exerts itself • to the utmost in order to ensure tranquillity. It is to be hoped that {the influx of Americans whose manners are gentle, will, by de- grees, eradicate these false notions of honour. New Orleans, as .well as every bther great city in the world, a rank to which it may justly aspire, stands in need of an active police and rigid justice. I thought I could perceive, and strangers also assure me it is a fact, that the inhabitants are not so well-informed as the rest of ■the Americans; nevertheless, nature has favoured them with that acute perception which distinguishes the inhabitants of the South. From what I have said, and possessing the advantage of conversing in the same language, every thing leads me to prefer Louisiana and its capital, to the other parts of America. The badness of the climate would prompt wie to prefer New York to Philadelphia. In fact, when we call to mind, that the burning sun darts its rays for a portion of the year upon immense swamps, -it must give rise to constant vapours detrimental to health ; yet, when the overflow took place in 1812, at which period the Missis- sippi overthrowing its boundaries, the whole country was sub- merged, and the streets of Orleans were visited in boats ; after this dreadful deluge, for such it became in a country complete- ly flat, the season was not more unhealthy, to the great astonish- ment of every body. , , . , ( As these inundat'.ons may frequently happen from the negli- gence of the natives in keeping up the embankments, though there are overseers appointed to execute the necessary works, I am astonished that they have not surrounded the city by a fortification, which would at once answer two most essential purposes of safe- guard. ' As they formerly used to comprehend under the title of Lou- isiana, almost all tht territory watered by the Mississippi, and its tributary streams, it is generally supposed that this country produces tobacco, corn, &c. but this is erroneous, as far as re- lates to Louisiana as it actually exists, forming one of the Union States, for it only extends three degrees, or 60 leagues, in a direct line north of New Orleans. Amidst the population, which is for the most part French, some Spaniards are observable ; indeed, from 1 769, they occupied this country. Numerous Americans also flock hither, and cultivate alliances with French families. , ij Voyage to North America and the tVest Indies, 57^ is in time ! general see one him with impunity, lels, they ;rts itself lOped that U, by de- irleans, as ich it may i justice, me it is a the rest of 1 with that ts of the vantage of e to prefer fica. The jv York to tie burning ic swampS) ealth ; yet, [he Missis- was sub- bats ; after complete- t astonish- thc negli- ough there »rks, 1 am )rtification, es of safe- e of Lou- sippi, and country far as re- the Union in a direct hich is for ; indeed, Americans families. IS The religion that predominates among the French, the negroes, and the mulattos, is the Catholic. The Chamber of Representatives presents nothing imposing ; the theatre having been destroyed by fire some time antecedent to my arrival, I only saw a temporary building of wood, where they represent comedies, and some of our melo-dramas, in a wretched and noisy manner. On the 15 th of May, Colonel Charassin proceeded to his des- tination ; being the conveyer of letters to the Mexican Congress, sometimes difficult to be found ; for on the least advantage gain- ed by the royal Spanish forces, this new government is frequent- ly changed. I accompanied him to the vessel, and returned with a sorrowful heart, deploring the fate of a gallant officer, whose poverty compelled him to espouse a cause which presented more perils than glory, or any stable advantages, as the Spaniards only employ the French from motives of necessity. Having for some ^ays determined to quit, I engaged my pas- sage in a beautiful steam-boat, called the VesuviuSf a very appro- priate name for this kind of vessel. It is to proceed on the 16tb at H o'clock, for Louisville, on the Ohio, five hundred leagues above New Orleans. I made my preparations, purchasing a large quantity of ammunition, of shot, powder, and ball, and other things necessary on commencing so long a journey. TTie 1 6t^.— Nearly all those gentlemen whom I had known at the Hotel Trimoulet, accompanied me to the shore to bid me farewell ; and at the same time enjoy the sight of this immense steam-vessel, which, when putting off, seems as if conveying an entire colony to some remote district. They have just nred off two cannons, and we are gaining the mid-current ; on board, and on the bank: . all hats are off, and waving in the air, and I bid adieu to New Orleans, after having enjoyed the spectacle which the vast Mississippi presents ; one of whose banks, ^covered with an enormous population, and extensive city, finely contrasts with the desolate appearance of the opposite shores. Mr. Linch, the proprietor of the steam-boat, speaks French pretty well, and tells me that he is to proceed with us the whole voyage j and that out of nearly fifty passengers now on board, only eight or ten will remain when we arrive at our destined port, the rest being bound for different places on either bank of the river ; I have also formed an acquaintance with a German, named Samuel Hermann, and now close my letter, figuring to myself that you also wish me a prosperous voyage. Voyages, Fol. V, I ^^1 •If ■ A ■m IT" m :M:i 58 Voyage to North /America and the West Indiest ■' 'I'.J u< ... [) , I : "A- I #: -^ U t'ili ■(;*;!; ;( fj[' «'. %.'!, BIr r. t. . . .■ ,, .,' . , .LETTER XV. ■ ...,:, -.:, :.■-.. it Onihe Mis»iasi})pif on board the Vesuvius. ^ As YOU have t)ftcn requested a concise account of till that passes, I shall give you a reguhir journal, and close my letters whenever occasion presents itself to convey them to New Orleans. in/Zi May, 181 7. — We proceeded perfectly well till night, when the vessel struck {ground, and we had great diflBculty to regain deep water, at length, having succeeded, we consoled ourselves for this delay, in admiring the ensuing morning the habitations on either bank, which are by no means so wild in appearance as we figure them in Europe, at least, in the vicinity of New Orleans. Among those who speak French, and with whom 1 have formed acquaintance, are two French inhabitants returi\ir.;~ home. One is a cultivator of cotton, which he informs me producies 15,000 francs, or upwards of six hundred pound English, without over- working his twenty-f^ve negros, which yields ten per cent on the capital of his land. This product d^'mands no c>^pendtture or machinery, as the cotton is taken from the bark with the hdnd. The other cultivates sugar; he confessed that he very much fatigued Ins fifty negroes, but that his estate produced him from twenty to twenty-four per cent. ; this is a wide difference, but is it equi- valent to the exertion required. The first tells me, that he would yery readily cultivate the sugar-cane, but that his capital is not sufficient ; besides whicli, having no children, he found himself happier in not over fatiguing himself or his negroes. This worthy man resides at Poiiite Cowp^e, on the right bank of the stream, fifty leagues above New Orleans, on an elevated ground very beautifully situated. High land is so called in this country, when the possessor is not obliged to raise a mound to oppose the efforts of the current. Every one may judge according to his opinion, and the sensibility of his nature, respecting this colony, but it is necessary to have travelled in sugar countries to form any idta of the barbarity of the whites towards the wretched ne- groes, and, consequently, to thank him whose gentle heart prompts him to feel for these unfortunate beings, whom so small a portion of mankind are led to regard as their fellow-men. It seems that the i^hites of the Colonies think themselves of n different race IVom the Africans ; and supposing such to b* the case, do they not equally with ourselves spring from the Crea- tor's hand ? Who then authorizes the flagellations and unmer- ciful labor to wliieh they are suijected, and the infamous specu- lation which avarice excites in regard to the scantiness of their ■ v us. , passes , |jen«ver It, when ) regain elves for tions on ce as we >i-Ieans. e formed le. One s 15,000 out over- It on the dUure or he han<^i. h fatigued n twenty is it equi- he would ital is not himself tis worthy stream, lund very country, ipose the rig to his lis colony, to form tched ne- rt prompts 1 a portion hemselves such to bft tlie Crcii- id unmer- 3US specu- ss of their s yvyage to Noith America and i/u fVest Indies. 5D sustenance ? Tliese negroes arc so wretched titat they frequently tliiow themselves into tlic stream, not with tiiat sentiment of de- spair wliicii urges us to curtail existence, which is become pain- ful to us, but from a feeling of vengeance, in thus depriving an inhuman task-master of Lis intiitisic value.* It is in an enlight- ened age, the nineteenth century, that a traflick is stiil tolerated between our fellow men and a few pieces of metal. But what avails my feeble voice raised amidst tliose of a phalanx of gene- rous and enlightened individuals who have made their complaints re-echo for the wretcLud fate of the poor negro ? The man born in a sugar-plantation, smiles at your observations upon this subject, he seems to say : it is true you are in the right, and when I am wealthy I shall be persuaded upon thnt head. What have you then to say ? I must waive the conversation and return to my steam boat, the noise ol whose wheels, resembling those of a mill, arouse me from my reverie ; and on either side of the stream 1 behold the most dcliglitful dwellings. The voyage is gay in the extreme, and the mode of living pre- cisely similar to what you experience when in a good inn. During the night, between the seventeenth and eighteenth, we hro\ie 'A palette of oneoi our wheels, whieh was repaired, occasion- ing a stoppage of a few hours. In all directions you perceive the cultivation of Indian corn, sugar, and sometimes cotton. The depth of the river enabling us to proceed close to its banks, and ailinire the variegated scenery. At five in the evening we arrived at Baton Rouge, the whole population of the little town, on the left bank, being crowded to the port, on firing otf the two guns, which is customary with the steam-boat when it approaches any spot where there are a quantity of dwellings collected together. Among the spectators I recogni/ed M. Laurent, and repaired to shore in the boat, but had scarcely time to exchange a word, as w^ were ordered on board immediately, for although it was intended to cut wood about a mile higher upon the right bank, yet 1 judged it expedient, on account of the promptitude of the vessel's motion, not to hazard the overtaking it, and I believe 1 was perfectly in the right, forM. Laurent, who instantly got on horseback in order to j(/in us at supper, was probably unable to pass the swamps, for, notwithstanding a halt of three hours, I never saw him. Some time before our arrival at Baton Rouge we saw the two last mouths of the Mississippi, one called Bayou Blacmme, running to the I. !■■ - - ^. ■. ..■■I I. — ^» . I . -■■ I. — ■ - , ■— - I. ■ , , , ,. t „ ■ — „ ■ * I'Ijc value of a strong health)' slnve of 30 is fioiii 4 to 5000 francs, from 1601. to 2U0I. English ; a female is not worth move tliun half lliat sum. The statf of Louibiuna is uiie of those of the Union which has not \rt ubiilisheght we got aground, and with great difficulty extricated ourselves. You are no doubt astonished that in so deep n river this accident should so frequently occur ; the mid-current being extremely ra- pid, we keep as near the land as possible in order to avoid it ; for it frequently runs down at the rate of six miles an hour. Scarcely were we afloat when the trunk of a tree placed crossways in the water, struck one of our wheels, which was greatly damaged, being then in front of a groupe of islands called Les trois Sceurs. Hav- ing tiie necessary materials on board, the wheel was more expedi- tiously and solidly repaired than I could have supposed. While occupied at this work I could not help admiring the cold-blooded phlegm of the American carpenter, who displayed no discontent towards the Captain, the ardor which he used in repairing the soonest possible the evil of which his negligence was in some re- spects the cause, being enough for him. When I told you that the bayou Blacmine was the last mouth of the Mississippi I was in error. The bayou Chaffalaio comes after it and seems to be the old continuation of the Ked River III 'i'. il ,1 i 11 I S mm 62 Voyage to North America, and tlie Went Indies. |t ■■] f f 'V I 1 :,'.'" :, 11 ; ■•■ ;■ ' \ '■! "'"' '1 % 5, ■i - i B^^:;^ ■ ■■''•« [ ■ 1 .[^ ■■ \ li m f ^1' :i: ' \ ' : \'\'- .■1 It which some miles above loses itself in the Mississippi, where ihcir union forms one of the finest basons it is |)ossihle to imagine. Here the stream makes a considerable winding, which may justly be regarded as not having anciently formed its bed. The red river in all probability went direct into the gulf of Mexico by the bayou of Chafialaio. This river is adorned with elevated and richly cultivated margins, which yield the finest cotton in America. During the night we passed the land -mark anciently affixed by Spain and the United States at 31" of North Latitude, and fort Adam. At sun-set we had observed the entrance of a bayou, which it is said does not join the sea, it is called Homocliitto. In the midst of those immense forests whose darkness the sun's rays can scarcely penetrate, we perceived a savage, who beheld us pass with an air of cool indifference, and by no means astonished ; quite motionless he appeared placed there like a mark or statue designed as a denotation of possessing the spot. On the 21st May, we beheld some islands and stopped to ^et in wood at the dwelling of an American, who furnished us wit. .'sh provisions and milk ; he informed me that he cultivated Inuian corn and cotton ; that the land was rather cold for the sugar-cane^ as some of his neighbours had tried the experiment, which proved unsuccessful. As we had to ship twenty-five loads of wood, I ibpught I might amuse myself for a few hours, and accordingly, taking my dog and gun, I entered the dark forests, which a cer- tain traveller denominates ma/e«{ic, and, if I recollect right, as old as the world itself. As to majestic, I perfectly agree with him ; the trees are magnificent, the major part being one hundred feet high, whose branches, when springing from the main trunk, mea- sure perhaps seven yards in circumference; but with regard to an- tiquity, no country in the world displays, on the contrary, more in- contestable proofs of renewed nature. In the course of my ram- ble I saw several species of woodpecker, four of which I killed* one having a red head, the residue of the body being brown ; it was the male, the female being marked blue and white. On pas- sing a swamp over some trunks of trees, I leaned upon my gun, only charged with shot, when a deer sprang up almost at my feet. I had merely time to place myself, he had already gained the land; I nevertheless fired, thinking him at a considerable distance, when I saw him between two trees, quietly observing my dog ; upon which I fired off the remaining barrel, but he was too far distant for the shot to have effect. I learned at night that these animals, together with the bear, are very common j from that moment 1 charged my gun with ball in one barrel, and shot in the other. At night the pilots, of whom we had two on board, informed us that we were fast approaching Natchez, and 1 was very fearful tiiat the shades of night would rob me of the sight of this city, I re llieir nagine. yr justly 'he red by the i richly m erica, xed by od fort bayou, Ito. In n's rays us pass 1 ; quite lesigned to g^'t in it .'sh 1 luaian ar-cane, li proved wood, 1 jrdingly, ph a cer- t, as old ,th him ; ired feet ik, mea- rd to an- more in- my ram- I killed, •own; it On pas- ray gun, my feet, the land; ce, when ^ ; upon r distant animals, oment 1 other, informed ■y fearful this city, For/age to North /tmirieaf owd the We$t Indm, (J3 but as t!ie proprietor had some goods to kind, as well as to take in freight for Louisville, we cast anchor, and on the 22d, in the morn- ing, we enjoyed the prospect of some smiling hills, the highest (^ which is drowned by the ruins of an ancient earth fortification^ raised by the Spaniards, and which picturesque scenery broke the monotony of the majestic Mississippi. The city of Natchez is a mile til th6 interior, and behind an erhinence, I was going to sdy mountain, so elevated did this acclivity of about one hundred feet appear to me, after the low country of Southern Louisiana. HavU ing ascended the Spanish fort, a most expanded and superb profti pect presented itself, on account of the varied windings which the Mississippi presented to my view. I then visited the city, con-> taining about three hundred houses ; it is as yet in its infancy, but buildings are erecting in all directions. It is as well arranged as ^ the inequality of the soil upon which it stands will admit; since it occupies the summits of several small hills, which give it a very picturesque effect. The cotton trade has already enriched a num- ber of the inhabitants; it is here remarkably fine, and is exported to several of the principal cities of America by way of New Or-* leans. The country is healthy, the fruits and vegetables thrive^, but the sugar-cane fails. The population consists for the most part of Anglo Americans, although some Germans and French are to be found. No vestige is apparent of those famous savages whose name the town bears, and who in 1729 committed such a massacre of the French. The following being the account handed down by a philosophic historian concerning this tribe, and the event alluded to. The most considerable nation' found in Louis«* iana was the Natchez, occupying all the country to the mouth of the Ohio in th6 Mississippi, that is to say, the left bank for an ex- tent of three hundred leagues ; but the population had consider rahly decreased, and when the French arrived, they had little more than two thousand warriors. Their government was despotic, and they ddored the Sun, whereof their chief bore the emblem upon his breast, pretending that his descent was from that luminkry* This religion reigns in many countries ; nor is it surprizing that men should reverence as God that body whose presence animates and vivifies Nature. The French finding the climate and the country favourable^ formed an establishment, and cultivated the friendship of these savages. At first a commercial intercourse was quietly carried on, and good faith was kept on either side ; but this state of' things did not last long, for the French, being desirous' of commanding them, as if a conquered people, the former, indignant, made a gene- ral alliance with their neighbours, which conspiracy, together with its discovery, might furnish matter for a good Tragedy. The Natchez dispatched smiall packets, consisting of pieces fof ;- 11.!. ) r ■1 ■ , < I Vii i*' ,1 'i' m li G4 yoyagt to North Amerkut and tlu West Indies, wood to each of their allies, of which one piece was to be burned daily, the last remaining being the signal for the massacre. The wife of the Chieftain, who was attached to the French, in vain gave notice to the Commander, his presumption led him to neg- lect every measure of safety. Without being discouraged, this generous woman entered the temple of the Sun, took away some of the pieces of wood, and thus frustrated the calculation of the allies. The packet being quite consumed, the Natchez fell upon their enemies, and assassinated them, from fifteen to twenty alone escaping, who sought refuge in another part of the Colony, where they spread the alarm, when Perrier, the French commander, saved them by his firmness, which, with a very small force, inspired the savages with fear. A new treaty was then concluded, whereby all the prisoners were delivered up, and the country once more enjoyed tranquillity. Happy would it have been if they had con- tinued thus ! But having some years after acquired strength, he recommenced hostilities and beat the Natchez, taking the whole of their country from them. Some of the routed having fled to the Chkasaws, succeeded in getting them to take arms against their despoilers, on which occasion victory proved adverse, the French being completely defeated. After this another reconciliation was effected with the savages, when Louisiana continued in perfect peace, until it was ceded by government to the Spaniards. When the yellow fever breaks out at New Orleans, the most wealthy inhabitants seek refuge at Baton Rouge, and sometimes proceed as far up the river as Natchez, the situation of which, its climate and the productions of its environs, seem to bespeak the certainty of its augmentation. I saw some very fine horses, which being bred in a warm and mountainous country, where the herbage is short, they prove as good as they are handsome. The riders also appeared more expert than at New Orleans, or those parts of America which I had visited, where they have no idea of the possibility of sitting a horse firmly without the assistance of stirrups. These horses are imported from New Mexico, where they are found in troops. It is suppo- sed, from their make, that they are descended from the Spanish horses which may have escaped when they first landed m the country. It is a certain fact, that the horse was not found upon the first discovery of the New World. » The ste&m-boat was at anchor on the opposite bank of the river, very wide at this place, and very much agitated in consequence of a stiff breeze, nor was it without difficulty that our boat, loaded with iron, mill-stone, and ten persons, arrived there after three quarters of an hour. We had on board several officers, who were to stop at Natchez, and they swore to quit us like true Americans, and therefore made us drink most plentifully. During the whole fi'' urned The 1 vaia )neg- d, this r sofne of the 1 upon ^ alone , where •, saved ^ispired rhereby e more id con- igth, he 1 whole d to the St their French on was I perfect • ;he most imetimes )ich, its }eak the arm and )rove as e expert visited, le firmly mported suppo- Spanish m the nd upon le river, |equence t, loaded :r three \ho were ^ericans, ke whole Voyage to North America ami the Ifcvl Indies. 65 of the twenty-second the weather proved Hne, h favourable breeze tilling our nail, united to the operation ut' the wheels in forcing us to proceed against a current which descended at the rate of a league an hour. We got in wood at night, where it was ready corded on the bank, though the dwelling wns at a distance. I en- tered the forest, but night overtaking me in this gloomy retreat, I thought it better to return than proceed to explore a country where the water was already knee deep, and where I might stand a chance of losing myself altogether. We continued to advance during the night, but the navigation became more difficult, the stream had lowered so that we frequently met with sand banks nearly level with the surface of the water. - : May the 2^rd. The following day we saw some dwellings, and on a|)))roacl)ing the shore were covered by a cloud of mosquitoes. This in eci is larger than the European gnal and that of the Islands. I cannot conceive how the inhabitants of this climate, who have very fic- quenily but three or four acres of cleared land, and who are tlierc- forc surrounded by forests and swamps, can bear the reiterated at- tacks of this insect. It is necessary to have one hand incessantly free in order to brush tiiem away, for 1 can assure you that in the forest I could scarcely find time to make the game rise, nor cart you either read, write, or sleep, but under a species of tent made of gauze. Since our departure from New Orleans we met severs! chalandSf or square boats, which were going thither. They are frequently four or five in company, and are of a long square, from twelve to fifteen feet wide, and sometimes extend to forty and fifty feet in length, having sides four feet high, forming a l-irge box vvhicli is frequently covered over with planks. In these conveyances tobacco, cotton, corn, and flour are transported to New ()rlcans from a distance of seven to eight hundred leagues. In this way whole families are carried to seek for a soil whose fertility will yield a profit for their labours. The western rivers, bein:^ usually rapid, and above all the Mississippi, they have by no means built these boats in a manner favourable to their making way. The square form Iiowever is easier built and maintained in the middle of the current by means of an immense rudder attached more than ten feet behind the poop. You may of course conceive that these chalaiids do not return up the stream, they are taken to pieces at New Orleans, or else they are suffered to float about at the mercy of the waves, when Its wreck contributes to strengthen the banks. The conductors return home on foot, or in barks carrying sails, and lastly in steam*boats, obtaining a passage by the manual labour which they perform in the vessel. We found many islands scat- tered on the water, on one of which was a beautiful dwelling, the Voyages, Vol. V, K 1^ 1 I k .\ ,wirat9' 'i^- « 'I ■I t I ■ . -^ •• I !■ I'/ I'!- ' 111 i; fiG Voyagf to North America ai^d the fVegt *ndies. proprietor having merely cut down a few trees in the centnc : the banks of the island appearing equally wild with tiic margin of the stream, there he resided unknown by all the universe besides, as one of our pilots had by mere chance discovered that the spot was inhabited. Although at 180 leagues from the river's month 1 this day fired upon nn enormous crocodile, hut withcut etl'ect, and we now perceived with pain that (he waters very sensibly lowered, which led us to apprehend a diiTicult navigation on the Ohio, which is by no means so dee|) as the Mississippi. Early on the morning of the 21th we took in wood; tak- ing m} gun, by live o'clock 1 had already entered the immense forests, whose appearances are so savage that £ animals by whom they are inhabited might well be astonished on beholding man penetrate their recesses to chase them, in a country which in every respect appears calculnted for them alone. Heturning fatigued from my expedition, I stopped near the dead trunk of i tree from vhich my eager dog was tearing away the rotten pieces. I ad- vanced, when an animal the size of a rabbit came out, which I liiiocked down with the stock of my gun and conveyed it with me. I was informed that it was a wood-ratj which it strongly re- sembled in the head and tail. While the boat was coming on shore I placed it upon the ground, and on taking it up 1 was sur- prized to find a little animal cf the same form as my rat, but with- out hair laying upon the earth. This supposed rat was a female opossum, which carries its young in a pocket which she has under the belly ; this singularity had not previously struck me, either on account of the young h»'!ng too little or that 'he long reddish hair of the animal prevented my observing the opening of this extraordinary pocket, vt^iiere the young continue until they arc enabled to walk, and even at that period, in cases of danger, they fly to this retreat, whi» h opens longitudinally under the belly. 95th May. — On this and the following day we advanced with- out any accident, passing the mouth of the river ArlccrisawSf the r.ame of a savage tribe ; this river empties itself into the Missis- sippi on the right bank, and it is stated that the country which it traverses is of unexampled fertility, and the climate remarkably heelthful. We were aow but three hundred miles from the mouth of the Ohio, being uniformly accompanied by clouds of mosquitoes. The voy;ige now became fatiguing to me as well as tiresome, from the uninterrupted succession of the same objects ; the steam-boat performed a league an hour, which was swift, con- sidering the rapidity of the current it had to encounter ; but the time occupied in getting in wood, and other accidental delays, made our daily advance eighteen leagues, or from fifty to sixty miles. The 26th we took in wood, and I went shooting as usurK Vof^age to Noi'th America and thf fVesi Indies. 67 e: the I of the ides, a» pot was \\ 1 this and we owercd, e Ohio, i id ; tak- mmcnse ly whom ing man I in every fatigued ;iee fromi i. I ad- , which I d it with rongly re- oining on [ was sur- but with- j a female has under either on 5 reddish ig of this they arc |nger, they cUy. ced with- [itsaics, the Missis- y which ii jemarkably from the clouds of as well as je objects ; [swift, con- j but the al delays, Ity to sixty as usuaIi when I killed some birds, and saw a deer, but too far distant for me to shoot> On coming on board I saw some ducks perched upon trees, which was not the first time I had observed tliese creatures, but I had mistaken them for pivets, of which nume- rous species inhabit these solitudes, and ( therefore had not fired at them ; I now did so, and finding it fi very fat wild duck, I shot another. This animal is called wood duck, and my companions requested me to kill some more, which the excellent flavour of these when dressed, rendered a useless demand. The following day we gained the spot on the Mississippi where the lirst disctv^ry took place. Ferdinand de Sotto, a Spaniaid, at the head of an expedition for Louisiana, missed the mouth of the river ; without being discouraged, he determined uu traversing these immense regions, known by the name of the Mississippi territory. Pillaged by some savage tribes, and assisted by others, this enterprizing chief at length arrived on the banks of the stream with some companions of his misfortune : several having perished ; those who remained built a boat, and descended the current near the morasses where New Orleans now stands^ where all, or nearly the whole, perished for want. The same scene uniformly presents itself, flat banks, covered with immense forests containing the most beautiful trees, among which, however, thecypreis is no longer visible. The poplar, young elm, and majestic plane-tree, from their light green, dif- fuse a gayer scene to the surrounding deserts ; I every day go shooting, but the water, although considerably diminished re- mains yet in stagnant pools on the flat and spongy soil, while it is difficult to advance for the mud, unless you make numbe rless circuits, and then in case the sun does not appear ou are almost certain of losing yourself. A large dead tree, a bayou, a marsh, a ditch, with scattered broken branches, are objects incessantly repeated. Our way of living en board is uniformly the same, being similar to what you find in a good American inn : breakfast con- sists of coflee and milk, meat and eggs. The dinne is well served, but without soup ; in the evening we have tea, salt-fish, and other dishes, constituting supper ; the dried fish is usually mackarel ; we have also daily, venison cut into slices, and pre- served in a similar manner to the fish. I am, &c. LE^fTER XVI. On board tlie Vesuvius, on the Mississippi. I PROMISED you a description of a steam- boat, which 1 will now > 'In ,4 '■A lis k m M" ' ■;|| ■4' ' 68 Voyage to Ntirih America- And the fVest Indies. ■i ^ I ■1 .*.'•* *■ }. :;i ■'4. ■ r r 1 1 ,1 ii lU give you, the Vesuvius being the largest and most perfect I iiave seen in America. It is about two hundred tons, and when freighted, only draws six feet water ; while another vessel of the same tonnage would draw eleven or twelve ; from which you will be aware, that it is rather long and wide than deep. Its lengtli is oiie hundred and fifty feet, by twenty-five feet wide, and the better to describe it, I will divide it into three parts, the fore, the centre, and the aft. Towards the fore-part rises a mast;, ^o the summit uf which, when the wind serves, a yard is attached, bearing a square sail, whose two extremities are fastened to either side of the bark ; the sailors are stationed on the fore-part, as well as a portion of the wood ; the centre is taken up by the machinery, and a scailblding, upon which aie stationed two men, who hold. the wheel tliat directs the rudder, to which it communi- cates by two ropes, one or the other rolling more or less upon the axle of the wheel, directs the rudder to the right or left. Tljese mariners are placed thus on higii, more easily to avoid saad-hanks, and other impediments that may occur on the stream, and they are screened from the sun by a small tent. To the right and left are the two great wheels, and the kitchen, while opposite are its dependencies. The third part from the hold, level to the deck, is occupied by merchandize, such as silks, sugar, coffee, powder and ball, &c. Above is raised what may be termed the aft q.uarter deck, being eight feet high and sixty long. This is ■divided into two parts, the hinder, communicating with the gal- lery, is destined for the ladies, and furnished with neatness and el^auce ; the other is the eating room : en either side there are twelve beds, in two rows ; each has a small window looking to> wards the shore, and a curtain, besides which, two feet distant is another for general use, which, when closed, enables you to dress unseen. Above, and the whole extent of these two apartments, yoH walk under a tent, which is particularly agreeable ; so much for the exterior. I will now speak of the machinery, a much more arduous task to fulfil. Figure to yourself on either side of the vessel, awheel ten feet in diameter, with six spokes and as many paddles, each two feet square, these with a portion of the wheel, make the immersion in the stream about three feet deep, for it does not require more to impel the steam-boat forward. The astonishing power of vapour has long been known, and many persons had conceived that its application to vessels was feasible. A chevalier of St, Louis, De Macon, tried the experiment, his vessel went, but an acci- dent happening which his slender means did not enable him to remedy, deprived the public of the advantages of his invention. Fulton adopted it, and in America he found that a new discovery h -i ■ m Voyage to North America and the IFest Indies. 69 I have when of the ch you p. Its ie, and lie fore, nast;, to tached, either )art, as by the ro men, nmuni- pou tlie Tljese Uhanks, nd they and left ! are its le deck, powdev the aft This is the gal- less and lere are dug to- stant is to dress Mts, yoH luch fw h more ten feet two feet evsion in more to f vapour that its Louis, pn acci- him to ivention, liscovery WM applicable to & rising people. He was a watchmaker, and tlie inventor of the mechanism I will now endeavour to describe. The water is contained in an immense boiler, which is half filled, and underneath the fire is kindled, and the vapour, which re- quires space, is precipitated into a tube eight inches wide^ which soon divides into two branches ; one conducting to the great ey^ Under above, while the other communicates below j this cylinder is three feet wide, and very strong, containing a piston which', always kept oiled, fits it as exactly as that of a pump, or pneu- matic machine j it is of iron, and very heavy. It is this pis- ton which the vapour causes to mount and descend, and which gives play to the wheels ; to effect which, the cylinder is perfo- rated by four holes, two at the top and two at the bottom, opposed diametrically, and to each of these is a sucker. Suppose the piston is down, and that the motion begins, the vapour forces the entrance of the first sucker, — just as this opens to the Interior, one of those above also opens, but on the outside, in order to give vent to the air. The vapour penetrating by the under sucker, causes the rising of the piston, which finds no impediment. Having attained its height, the sucker which had remained closed, opens, as the other performs directly the contrary action. The vapour then enters and forces the piston from the top to the bot- tom, and the sucker of this part opening, suffers the first vapour to escape. Arrived at the bottom of the cylinder, it mounts Again, and thus it is put in motion. It is now requisite I should acquaint you liow this action communicates to the wheels : which is very simple. From the centre of the piston springs an iron bar, ten feet higher, attached to a transverse beam of six feet. From this beaiB, Imt hcrizontally, issues another bar of iron from ten to tw«lve feet distant, and behind, in a kind of ring, from which it does not stir but to rise and fall. At the two extremities of the beam are affixed two vertical iron branches, which conseqiiEntly fulloMf the rising and falling motion of the piston. Their lower extremities are each attached to a handle eight or nine feet long^ and moveable at one end ; one is affixed to a pivot towards the centre of one of the spokes of a wheel four feet wide ; mounting and descending, the two branches causing it to^ turn precisely like the wheel of a grinder. The axle of these lesser wheels communicates on either side with that of the corresponding great wheel, by which means they are set in motion. When they are desirous of beginning or stopping the fl(|ove- mcnt, the mechanist (for such is the name of the individual spe- cially charged to look after the machinery) lowers or raises two handles, which shut or open the suckers j — which in one in- stance preveQts the vapour from entering the cylinder, and Ui the .•It •'Mi: . M ':PI :'■!■! f :[, ^ I ■"tji'i .f.. '''■l-i ill l.i I w 10 Voyage to North America and the West Indies. I': j|wi*'' I' ■ ; l'* !]:^'.. i|i -' other, on the cor trary, intr^Juces it, thus producing tite effect which is required. As the violent operation of :he vapour contained in the boiler might be dangerous, there is a aucker of sixteen pounds, which rises when the fluid presses too much the part which contains it; when it escapes with a loud hissing'noise, as the degree of heat and superabundance of combustible cause tbis, there is fitted to the tube thar conducts the vapour, another, containing a piece of wood, a sort of piston, rising or falling according to the degree of heat. Without '4 scale is affixed, and in proportion as the extremity of this piece of wood mounts to six, ten, or twelve inches, they judge whether the heat be too much or too little ; the medium being nine inches. When in proceeding forward, any accident happens, such as coming in contact with a tree or sand-bank, it is well to pre- vent the wheel turning, as its opposing motion mf^at break it ; OQ this account, by means of an iron lever, it is pushed fronii the sqiuarc axle in which it is usually placed, to one of a cylindrical form, which does not communicate the motion. Mr. Linch, the builder and proprietor of the Vesuvius, has a machine on board which no other vessel possesses, and vrhich, iii case it touches ground, facilitates the getting off, by ap- plying the force of ten or twelve able men ; this is a capstan, which turns by means of the vapour. A horizontal indented wheel, communicates with the axle, alike indented, which, with other smaller wheels, put every thing in motion. This capstan draws astd rolls a rope, which is affixed to a tree on shore, or to an anchsir, which is carried to a distance in the strear Steam-iioat on the Muaiitippi, yoyage to Nctrlli Amtrka and ike tVesi Indies, 71 boiler which being gove On the 27tli we did not take in wood, and therefore made more way ; the captains of the steam boats never take the wood, which is always ready corded, without paying for it at the rate of ten francs a load, about eight shillings and sixpence. If this resourc« failed, they would be obliged to cut it themselves, which would lender the voyage of much longer duration; yet no one would seek to impede them. The country between the Mississippi and N«w Mexico, called the Missouri territory, seems to have no roaster An American whom I visited, and who cultivates Indian com aod cotton for his own use, told me that he was. as it were, only encsMfed in his dwelling ; the savages, who eometimes paid him a «Tsit, informed him that the territory was their property. The right bank of the river j while the American under other pretences, claim it as their right. Be this, hewPEver, as it may, the cultivator in question, together with his num-^ous family, has lived peaceably there with the savages for twenty years past j they furnish him with furs, for which he gives them in exchange powder, ball, and guns. 2mli May. I went oat shooting, and saw a snipe, which I missed, and fol- lowing it into idne wood, without thinking of the direction I was taking, I lost mvself in a great swamp, intersected by fallen trees. The ?un had disapppeared, and the thickness of the wood prevented me from discovering that part of the heavens still most illumined j environed, and 1 mny say devoured by mosquitoes, I could not pass the night in such a place, and 1 ha 1 been informed, that a savage- wIkj had been tied to a tree the over-night by his companions, was discovered dead the next day, from the effect of the inflammation caused by the stinging of these insects. To follow my dog I thought the safest expedient, but he stopprfd, then running to the right and the left, increased my dilcniriiM ) fearful that I should not be able to extricate myself, I fired my gun three times, as agreed upon with the Captain ; when imme- liately, and much nearer to Ae than I had eo.ijectured, I heard the cannon go off twice, being the answer to my signal. Being now aware of the direction, I hastened on, and arrived in time to meet six sailors, wha were dispatched in search of me, 7/he remedy might have been worse than the disease, as it is probable they would have lost themselves, for it is impossible for those who have not frequented these endless solitudes to conceive how very easily you may bewilder yourself. Every time I went on shore the inhabitants continued to caution me on this head, on which account I took every nocessarj- precaution ; I broke oft' branches, stuck others in the ground, or left pieces of paper in my path j but all this, from what I have just stated, did lioi at times suffice. The 29th we took in wood and proceeded rapidly : the ^Oth -air HhI^^^^^ If '• "' R '■'■'* g i; ■' * ■1)1; fcn: "' J. r ' i B Iv ^'i .>■' i»- il, if fx Vayage to North America and ih» West Indies. we passed forts Pik6 and Plkerlng, each without a garrison, icnd also left to our right the first hlufff where the vessel stopped, near a very spacious dwelling, the property of M. Foe, a Dutehdaan. The chambers of this mansion are peculiarly elegant and clean, nor was I a little astonished to find, in the interior of this continent, the most tasteful mahogany furniture. Mr. Foe is in possession of a curious assortment of every species of ancient and modern armoury, which he sells to the savages, as well as powder and ball. This gentleman, who is in afHuence, is very generous, and brings up^ at his own expense, from pure motives of charity, 12 children, whom he treats in the same manner as his own. The right still continues a part of the Missouri territory ; the left being dependent on the State of Tennes^Cy the capital of which is Knoxville, situated to the east of that State, and near the Alleghany mouutains. This province, which is watered by two rivers, the Cumberland and the TenneseCj is fertile in cotton, which, however, is now becoming scarce ; it also produces tobacco and Indian corn. As to the corn there cultivated, it produces grain before coming to maturity. This country was uninhabited until the close of the last century. A road which goes from Natchez to Washington, passes by Nachville, another consider- able city of this State. , , 3lst May,. The river having sensibly lowered, the sand-banks which are fbiiticd opposite the points, were nearly level with the surface, and gave us much trouble, till at length we again touched, and 'nvere thereby delayed several hours. The steam-boat is not inju- red by these accidents, because the Mississippi is still slimy at thii spot J and from thence, for three hundred leagues north of New Orleans, I had not yet seen a single stone. At Mr. Foe's we took on board a Genoese passenger, who is going to establish himself as surgeon and physician at St. Louis, in the interior of the Mississippi. He has Vteen head of the infirmary in French hos- pitals, which suggested to him the idea that the practice of sur- gery was not difficult ; and as, in America, the business of an apothecary is united to the practice of the physicfan, he has con- stituted himself surgeon, doctor, and apothecary. He is furious against the faculty of New Orleans, telling me, they were igno- rant in the extreme ; and why ? because they did not judge it expedient to receive M. de Freraaur as Doctor of Medicine. 1st Jtme, We took in wood at atiother Dutchman's, neither so wealthy nof so polite as Mr. Foe ; but on account of « glass of wine whiv-h 1 offered him, his manners softened, and he conversed with me in pretty good French, giving me some information respecting the western districts. >n, stid d, near chmari. ■an, nor itinent, isessioQ modern der and us, and nty, ry 12 ; the ipital of i)d near ered by cotton, tobacco )roduces ihabited es from onsider- faij.. .!i lich are surface, led, and lot inii"-' y at tliii of New we took himself of the ch hos- of 8ur- Iss of an as con- furious re igno- ju(^ it le. ie. wealthy |e which th mc in tmg the Voyage to North America and ths West Indies, J 3 2d June, We had now 150 miles to proceed without having to meet a single habitation ; we therefore stepped at the entrance of a bayou, which the Mississippi, in becoming shallower, has left encumbered with an immense quantity of trunks of trees, many of which are more than six feet in diameter. This incredible mass of ruins, the disorder of which has been increased by an earthquake, appears on all sides like a field of battle covered with the wrecks of war. This same earthquake, which occurred in 1812, dispersed the inhabitants who ciritivated this part of the country, the soil of which is excellent. For sottie days I have almost every where observed vines uni- ting themselves to the enormous trees that cover the face of the country. I enquired whether the grape was good, and was told, pretty well ; but it is small. I also learned, that a Spaniard, residing near Chicasaw bluff, which we had passed, having im- ported some plants from Spain, they thrived well, and produced passable wine. From this, however, the Americans must not conclude that their soil is favourable to the cultivation of the vine j tlie environs of Chicasaw bluff being a yellow warm soil, which I have no where else observed in America. 1 brought back, at night, a very fine wild turkey, which I shot in a tree ; every one on l)oard was rejoiced, and 1 can assure you it was excellent eating. Its fat was not confined to a particular part, as with our domesticated turkeys, but spread throughout the flesh, which ren- ders it much more savoury ; they are the same size as the latter, but more active. We had often seen them upon the banks, surrounded by eight or ten young ones j but on approaching, they fled to the forest ; all of them appeared to me of a dark brown colour. At night, a light which we saw on the water, caused us to approach, an-l we found a bark, belonging to some Frenchmen, who acquainted us that there was wood ready prepared for us a little higher up : we of course stopped, and I took advantage of this circumstance to visit my countrymen, thus encountered at such a distance from France, by whom I was warmly received ; and after passing some time in their society the cannon twice firing, announced the necessity for my departure, which I did with mutual wishes on either side, of prosperity, and a happy voyage. Having taken in but a small quantity of wood, we soon had to stop again at a village called Pointe Plaisante, inhabited by thirty French families, forming a kind of small republic. The inhabi- tants pay a trifling impost to the Americ&ns; they cultivate Indian corn and cotton* and appear very happy. The dwellings, ranged in a line, face the stream, each being separated froi^i his VoYkGhB, Vol, V, h if^^^ V ■'• i I '^lii I'li^.^ '■| i 74 '^•^oge io North America^ and the West Indies. neiglibour, by the space occupied in cultivation, and the garden, which is generally attended to with care. The peach-trees abound with fruit, of which they make^ peach-brandy, which is much used in the west. All the females of this colony appeared to me good-looking : some of them had come from Canada, and understanding that it was my intention to go thither, they spoke of the country with enthusiasm. The others were dispersed along the stream ; but in 1812 they were forced to quit, on account of the earthquake. Their houses arc low, and formed of the trunks of trees laid one upon another horizontally, united and fast riveted together at the ends, without cither nails or screws. They are divided into three rooms, a kitchen and dining parlour, the other being the bed-room ; the furniture, as may be conceived, is very simple; but the bed, linen, and kitchen utensils, were pleasing to the eye, from their extreme cleanliness. There happened to be then in the village a savage, with all his baggage, encampment, wife, two children, and dogs for the chase. He was a remarkably handsome man, and having given him some glasses of brandy, he sat down beside me, and I took a sketch of him. He was five feet four inches high, slim, and of easy man- ners : his visage displayed the cold, serious traits of the savage, which appear so well adapted to gain the mastery over animals ; he had a ring through the cartilage, that is between the nostrils of the nose j this ring, though of lead, was not very heavy j but those in his ears, of the same metal, were extremely ponderous. His hair, bound round with a European handkerchief, was divided in several tufts, or tresses, which, at the extremity, were passed into small cylinders of lead. The residue of his habiliments, made by his wife, did not present any thing particular, unless that they consisted of deers' skin, as well as his boots, which had no other soles but the simple skin. His wife, who was sewing with a bone pierced through, his children, dogs, hatchet, gun, several skin sacks, fans formed of turkey's feathers, to brush off the stinging flies, and other objects, were all placed under a shed. To judge from the quantity of his baggage, he must be much fatigued in travelling; this savage of the Loupa nation came to bring deer-skins to the inhabitants, who gave him, in exchange, powder, shot, and stuflTs ; all which merchandize comes through JLouisville, or from New Orleans. The skins are sold for twenty pence the pound, the hair being taken off, and only fifteen pence if it is on. I entered the forest with my savage ; but after a pro- menade of two leagues, finding nothing, 1 returned to Pointe Plaisante and the steam-boat. Before we arrived at New Madrid, I remarked the first oaks, whose leaves are wide and smooth 3 this town b not larger than ;arden, kbound i much ircd to 3a, and ^ spoke 12 they houses another without joms, a 3in: the d, linen, extreme th all his he chase, nm some sketcli of asy man- le savage, animals ; le nostrils ;avy ; but onderous, as divided re passed biliments, av, unless which had as sewing ihet, gun, . brush off ler a shed, be much .. came to exchange, through for twenty :een pence iter a pro- to Pointe first oaks, larger than Voyage to North jimerica and the West Indies. JB Pointe Plaisante, and the habitations seem flying from each other, it is situated at 36 — 30 degrees north latitude, fifty miles below the mouth of the Ohio, and one thousand miles above New Orleans ; it experienced the dreadful effects of the earthquake in 1812, when several houses where thrown down, and the face of the soil, in parts, completely overturned. Near the river I re- marked an extraordinary excavation which this phenomenon caused, when many curious objects were cast up from the bowels of the earth to its surface, the crater, though decreasing, is now about thirty feet deep : I was shown part of the remains of a mammoth, and the head of an animal resembling that of a gi- gantic ram, if we suppose the horns of that beast reversed ; these remains bore the appearance of what are called by some persons, anti-dehivian. The frequency of earthquakes here does not sur- prize me, the soil being the result of alluvions, and formed, as before stated, of trunks of trees and mud ; when the former begin to rot and the latter to dry, a chasm is necessarily the result, producing the commotions thus experienced, when the ground sinks in various directions. I am, &c. LETTER XVII. On board the Vesuvius. On the 4th of June, the difference of the waters from the right to the left bank announced our approach to the Ohio. This clear limpid current is easily distinguishable from the yellow and mud- dy floods of the Mississippi, and we arrived in time that evening, lO behold the superb spectacle which the basin of these two rivers presents, which lose themselves in the dark green of the forests, and, at the farthest point, are separated by a rising ground, but when the floods occur, the whole is covered. June the 5th. — We navigated this river with facility, which is so justly- called beautiful j its current is tranquil, and the banks less wild than those of the Mississippi. From what is stated in the voyage of Messrs. Lewis and Clark, the extent of the latter stream is 3000 miles, which, if we continue its name down to the ocean, makes it 4300 miles, very justly entitling the Mississippi to be de- nominated the Father of fVaters. We several times touc.ied ground, which, in the Ohio, is more dangerous, as it runs over rocks, that might materially injure the steam- boat. On the 6th we made way, but always heaving the lead. We passed a fort called Massac, and shortly after a few straggling huts, named n\ li?'; ^m fd Voyage to North America and the West Indies. iVilkinson's City, being the remains of an ancient encampment of a general so called, when waging war with the savages ; it h now uninhabited. June the "Jth — We perceived the river Ten- nes^e, the most considerable that joins the Ohio ; its course among the Cumberland Mountains is said to be interesting to the lovers of natural history. The right bank is the Illinois territory, and the left Kentucky, while near us was a district called Smith- land. At 190 miles above the mouth of Cumberland river is Nachville, whose commerce consists of cotton and Indian corn. During the 7th, 8th, and 9th, the rain fell heavily, part of ^hich time we remained aground; the 10th and 11th, the country con- tinued nearly the same. We passed the mouth of the Wabash, which runs between the Illinois and Indiana territory ; on the banks of this stream many Germans and Swiss are established. I visited some of their dwellings while on a shooting excursion, but on the 1 2th an accident occurred which gave me infinite pain. The steam-boat having stopped to take in wood as usual, I was led to go on shore in order to see a curious cave, or grotto, which had been mentioned at about a mile distant. I took my gun and set off, accompanied by my faithful dog, and having examined the cave, which had nothing but its depth and regularity to re- commend it, I entered the forest. Having observed a turtle-dove, I fired, but unluckily missed it, when anxious to get a second shot, and following the bird from tree to tree, I suddenly heard my dog bark in a very unaccustomed tone ; I hastened on, and beheld it in the act of pointing, but the object I could not dis- criminate; I continued advancing, when suddenly a noise close to roe made me halt, and at two paces I saw an enormous rattle, snake, rolled in two coils, the head and tail raised up, being nearly on a level. My dog had, I believe, bitten it under the head, which prevented the reptile from retreating ; it made a vigorous motion, with a hissing noise, while the tail, agitated violently, produced the noise from whence it derives its name, and which I had never ^eard before so distinctly. I started back, and regarding my dog attentively, saw his mouth bloody, and swelled in one part the the size of a nut ; then turning to the serpent I fired, and it fell dead before me, after twice curling and uncurling its frame. It is difficult to picture the rage with which my dog attacked this rep- tile, my utmost force could scarcely restrain him ; having assured niyself that the snake was dead, by smashing its skull, I stretched it out, and found that it measured five feet, its mouth was two inches 'vide, and the tail surrounded by fifteen rings, or rattles, which proved it between fifteen and sixteen years old. Being desirous of assisting my dog in time, I made for the river, where 1 had a bottle of alkali, which 1 had unfortunately left on board, being accustomed to carry it about me, I kept hastening for- Voyage to North /fmerica, and the West Indies, 11 npment IS ; it is er Ten- course ,g to the erritory, Smith- river is an coin, of ^hich itry con- Wabash, ; on the ablished. Kcursion, lite pain, il, 1 was o, which r gun and examined ity to re- rtle-dove, a second inly heard 1 on, and not dis- e close to us rattle- ng nearly ad, which IS motion, jroduced had never rding my e part the and it fell rarae. It d this rep- ig assured stretched was two or rattles, Being /er, where on board, ening for- wards, calling my poor companion, who frequently halted, when looking at the sun, I found that I was running away from the river, mstead of making in that direction, when I determined to face the sun, and rush through all obtruding difficulties ; this I did for an hour, firing frequently, but receiving no reply, when added to the pain I felt in not being able perhaps to save my dog, was the fear of not overtaking the steam-boat. At length I be- held the stream in the distance, and quite exhausted, gained the vessel, my dog being frightful to look at, as the swelling had dreadfully increased, and black blood was running from the wound. I now began to examine the bitten part, which presented two openings, one of the serpent's teeth having perforated the bot- tom of the upper jaw, the other only traversing the lip. I squeezed the wounds, and applied volatile alkali, making him also swallow some mixed with water ; after which I administered milk, nitrous salts, and then rubbed his body over with steeped tobacco, all being efficacious remedies, as I was informed. The next day my ani- mal was better, and I conceived it saved, but during the succeed- ing night he expired, uttering the most agonizing yells. Thus the last rattle-snake I saw, for they are rarer in North than South America, deprived me of a companion, who, during one year, had never for a moment left ni/ side. The wiatcrs having considerably heightened, we proceeded on the 14th without interruption, the banks of the Ohio bel.ig really enchanting ; the largest ixc'^y whose verdure is ♦he deepest co- loured, 're at some distance Irom the banks, fn whence they form a vtrdant amphitheatre, ')*?coming yellowei . nd more ten- der as they approach the Ohio , the country is also more peopled. Wherever we stopped, females came on board to buy silk tuff', in whom 1 remarked a physiognomy different from that of the Americans; many were brown, with sharp black eyes, that de- noted a southerly temperature. We this day got a deer, in the act of swimming across the stream, which the mechanist se- cured by stunning it with a blow on the head, after having fired and missed it : of this we partook, and found the flesh delicious. Its skin was of a yellowish brown, its form possessing all the elegance of ours in Europe, but carrying the tail erect; they are here found in troops consisting of gre t i»»;nibers. On the 16th at night, we arrived a S' .)ping Port, consisting of some pretty detached houses, for ti v • ; ost part of brick, the proprietors nearly all French, perfectly ^i their ease. Here the steam-boats coming from New Orleans, discharge their freights, not being able to ascend higher on account of the rapid falls of the Ohio. I landed, and presented a letter of introduction to M. Tarascon, the richest inhabitant here, by whom 1 was per- 'ftctly well received. Not having succeeded at Philadelphia, he I I' a IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) V. ,# m. < < iL fj.. 1.0 Ifrlia I.I 2.5 ^ i^ illil2.2 2.0 18 1.25 1.4 1.6 .4 6" — ► V] 7 Photograpiiic Sciences Corporation .J3 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 '^ L<9 iV ^ m I t- M- 78 Voyage to North America^ and tlie West Indies, dispatched M. Berthould to this country, at that period scarcely known, who perceiving the excellence of the situation, purchased for M. Tarascon, all the land now constituting Shipping Port, reserving to himself a portion of which he at present inha- bits, and which reservation upon his part, has produced a mis- understanding between them, which a lapse of eighteen years has not diminished. M ■ LETTER XVIII. Louistnllef on the Ohioy 2nd Juh/f 1817. My last was from Shipping Port, from whence to this place is the distance only of a pleasant walk, on the shaded banks of the river. Louisville is small, but rapidly improving, and is one of the most considerable towns of Kentucky, being, in general, built of brick, and on a soil considerably above the Ohio, which is of the greatest importance, as this stream rises in some hollows, from forty or fifty feet. I found at my inn a Mr. M eslier, commissary of the French society of Tumbicbee. The forests in the environs of Louisville exclusively consist of beautiful beech-trees, whose large dimen- sions prevent the growth of smaller trees ; their immense trunks, perfectly regular, resembling a colonnade, supporting a roofing of verdure. It would be easy to hunt here on horseback, but it could only be the fawn, all other quadrupeds, (the bear eyccpted) being very uncommon. Partridges are the size of ours, cut the head differs, and they have a black streak round the neck ; they perch in the manner of our red partridges in France, and their mode of flying is exactly similar. Accompanied by a French gentleman, I visited the village of New Albany, on the opposite shore, about four miles distant ; it is charm- mingly situated, but the dwellings are not sufficiently near the stream on account of large hollows, which abound in this part ; a log-house which here presented itself, in bad repair, was the resi- dence of the old representative of the people at congress. We re- turned to Louisville by the way of Shipping Port, where we saw an immense mill, the property of M . Tarascon, who exports flour in lieu of corn to New Orleans, being a very advantageous traffic. I inhabit the best inn at Louisville, and am perfectly well served ; our society consists of several individuals ; as there is a com- munication established by means of public stages between this place and Pitzburg, I resolved to recommence my journey on the 3d of July. Louisville, situated above the Rapids of the Ohio, !■ Voyage to North America and the West Indies, 79 arcely :hased : Port, inha- i mis- irs has 817. e is the e river. \e most f brick, greatest or fifty ; French >uisville I dimen- trunks, roofing but it cepted) liut the ; they id their of New charm- ear the )art ; a le resi- IWe re- saw an Ifiour in traffic, jerved ; com- ;n this on the Ohio, will always be a depot for the transports bound from Pitzburg to New Orleans, which must secure its prosperity ; they talk of digging a canal, either ir the middle ol the Rapids, or on the land to avoid them ; the execution of which, appears to me very difficult, as the varied ruins accumulated by the current would every year tend to choak it up. The distance from Louisville to Pitzburg by the Ohio is 700 miles, which are performed by some small boats in bad con- dition, and which do not proceed faster than barges, by which all the commerce of the Ohio and Mississippi was carried on before the invention of steam-boats. The commerce of Louisville consists of corn and tobacco, which they export to New Orleans, from whence flour is ship- ped to the Islands, and the tobacco, which is at. strong as that of Virginia, is sent to Europe. The vast extent of this traffic is apparent from the quantity of Chalaiids which you meet in the course of a month upon the Mississippi or Ohio rivers j of which i am sure I saw a thousand, one half freighted with this com- modity. Before the independence of the United States, Eng- land imported from Virginia and Maryland 100,000 hogsheads of tobacco, of which they sold us annually to the amount of eight or nine millions. The cultivation of this plant is now doubled, they smoke very little tobacco of their own growth in America, using that imported from the islands, in particular the cegars of the Havannah, which come in cases containing one thousand each ; being accompanied by vanilla^ and other odoriferous flowers. The flour is enclosed in small barrels ; 1 know not whether they pre- fer this method to ours, or if the dearness of sacking, and the abundance of wood be the cause. Louisville receives from New York, Philadelphia, and Baltimore, dried commodities, which are afterwards dispersed throughout the interior, being transported in covered waggons, which never carry above 4000 weight, pro- ceeding through the AUeghanies to Pitzburg and VVeeling, at which places they ara embarked on the Ohio. I left Louisville in the stage, and we arrived at a good inn to dinner, where I was charged 25 Cents, the Spanish Piastre being divided into 100 parts, each worth about a half-penny. I will now describe the manner of living; at seven o'clock a bell is twice nmift in the interval between which you repair to wash yourself in a yard, or under a gallery, in tin basons, being well furnished with towels ; at the second ringing you repair to table, from whence the roast meats, boiled hams and fowls, of which breakfast usually consists, speedily disappear, being moistened by copious draughts of coffee and hiilk j the mistress seated at the head of the table serving her guests j the dinner takes place at one o'clock, and supper about nine. American travellers converse little, but I!' m. i1: It ' i I. J-' !(.« ffl"^ 80 Voyage to North America, and the West Indies. are not difficult as to sleeping two in a bed, as you must bespeAl( one for yourself in case you desire it, and this is not always at- tainable. When speaking of dinner I did not mention the beve- rage^ which consists of grog, beer, and wine, these being rare, are all extra charges, as the American eats without drinking much. At night we entered Frankfort, by a rapid descent : this is the capital of Kentucky, though not the largest city. This province is very wealthy, for not having abolished slavery, it has a great advantage over the State of Ohio, which joins it to the north, Frankfort is regular and well built, being situated in the midst of picturesque and well cultivated plots of land. The Kentucky river traverses the middle of the city, over which stands a bold wooden bridge ; the bed of the stream being formed of calcareous horizontal rocks ; at this season of the year the waters are low, but when the floods take place it is navigable for a considerable extent from its mouth. On the 4th we breakfasted at an inn on the banks of a small river, near a powder mill, the country strong- ly resembling the beautiful Tyrolean valleys, only you do not behold those sterile rocks, whose frozen summits are lost in the clouds, and which afford so fine a contrast with the smiling valleys beneath. We dined at Lexington^ principal town of the county of Lm Fayette ; it is a pretty place, regularly built of brick, and one of the most lively spots 1 have witnessed in America, which is the more to be wondered at, having only been founded in l/BO. Money here consists of a paper currency, issued by different banks, by which you are frequently the losei j or else in Spanish coin, which is not common ; small change is, of course, rare, wherefore the dollar is divided into quarters and eighths, a custom very favourable to fraudulent proceedings. There are several manufactories at Lexington, and the inhabitants appear in afBuent circumstances. On leaving this city we performed six leagues in three hours, on a beautiful road. I was much struck by the apparent richness of the soil, and the cleanliness of the natives; the custom of separating the fields by hedges is far from disagreeable, and they were well stocked with corn. Kentucky yields, besides the Indian corn, tobacco and hemp, the commerce of which is much extended ; and peach-trees are also very abundant. The physiognomies of the inhabitants are more expressive here than among the other Americans, so that the phlegmatic characteristic, so prevalent in every other part, seems to have abandoned the soil of Kentucky j with respect to the females, they are, generally speaking, hand- some and well made. The horses are in great repute, as the breed is now much at- tended to } so that numbers are annually exported to the eastern Voyage to North Jmerica, and the West Indies. 81 espeak lys at- beve- g rare, inking J is the rovincc a great i north, c midst jntucky a bold careous are low, iderable inn on strong- i do not St in the T valleys e county rick, and la, which jin 1780. different Spanish se, rare, custom several affluent agues in soil, and ting the ere well an corn, :tended ; jomies of the other valent in mtucky ; , hand- luuh at- Le eastern cities. At Paris we found a relay ; this place was but small some years back, but there are now 250 houses, mostly of brick ; the streets are paved, and the town is pretty ; situated on a river which is too much hemmed in to be agreeable. We now pro- ceeded along a wild country, and barren mountains, arriving at night at an isolated house, exactly at the bottom of an obscure valley ; the savage appearance of the host precisely correspond- ing with the spot he inhabited. 1 was now the only traveller left, and without arms, which excited some apprehension ; hap- pily for me, however, I was mistaken, and spent the night in perfect tranquillity. On the 5th July the road was miserable, and sometimes dangerous ; the worst places being mended with entire trees, laid crossways, which occasion such jolting, that on arriving where you pass the night, your limbs seem actually dislocated. We passed a small town, called Washington, built of wood, the exterior of the dwellings being covered with planks, sometimes tastefully painted, and kept very clean ; I here took up a fellow traveller, a Philadelphian dandyy but in other respects a passable companion. In the evening we entered a i^mall town, called Limestone, the descent to which is extremely rapid. In appear- ance this place is very wretched, and on quitting it we passed the Ohio, which forms a beautiful bason at this spot. The stage was here driven into a ferry, in which we traversed to the right bank, where we had to change horses. The 6th, at nine o'clock, we gained ". pretty village, and after a short stay entered a perfect level plain, in the centre of which I perceived small mounds of earth, formed with great regularity, which exactly resemble the designs which M. Chevalier has given oi the tombs of Hector, Patroclus, and Achilles. ^!)i I 'OYA without saddle or bridle, and 21/. com- pletely equipped. Taking four bills, of 25 dollars each, froD^ my Voyage to North Amciica and the West Indies, 88 cgular )g the 1, and inge of having These ^es are t them, as been aceonj- t in the re from as must I as the civiliza- red witli :ty miles f the go- alighted hich had comniu- e, greatly Pitxburg, consulted chasing a Id, which of Chil- Iprocuring place as lited upon •ed to his New Or- lowed me iemand of id on my /hich was the city, )f planks, ^aw a bay- it was to ined the fault; the I21/. com- from my pocket- l)0(»k, I gave tliem, and vaulting into the saddle, returned overjoyed to my inn, at this unexpected and lucky change in my situation. I then sold my gun, and went to pay my farewell visit to Mr. Belage, with whom I conversed respecting the anti- quities with which his town was surrounded ; when he informed me, that in one of the tonil)s a brass medal had been discovered, which had been sent to Philadelphia, or New York ; he regretted much the want of curiosity in the Americans, and was far from imagining that, if carefully explored, these monuments of a far remoter antiquity than any thing we know of, would not produce other antiquities of the highest importance, I now took my leave; nor is it without a feeling of infinite regret that I quit tijese fortifications, which my eager curiosity would fain prompt me to examine. But labour is too dear, added to which, it would be requisite to dig into the largest of these masses, which are probal)ly those of the chiefs, where some arms or ornaments rnight be found ; this would be a long and difficult lebour, which 1 have not the means of undertaking. Adieu. LETTER XIX. Pitxbnrg,July 17lcd me to examine minutely the surrounding country. The 2()th I alight jd at an inn kept by a German, which was very commodious, and, like all the others, afforded a striking contrast with the wild appearance of the adjacent solitudes. After traversing a hilly and savage district, I was overtaken by a most terrible storm, which thoroughly drenched my cloak in five minutes, n(»r could my horse scarcely advance for the rain, which was beating so violently against us ; at length, to my infinite joy, 1 beheld a sign-post, about 500 yards distant, and in a few seconds arrived at an inn, at the entrance of which I was greeted by the hostess, whose house being very full, she offered nne her own bed, which I accepted. On the Nth I arrived at Zanesville, which is large, and well built, between the rapids of a beautiful river, called Muskingum, which falls into the Ohio ; it is one of the towns of the interior, whose embellishments have been most attended to; and in order to render the river navigable, they were digging a canal through the rocks which form the rapids. I next set off' for Cambridge, and after traversing mountains intersected by immense valleys, and tremendous chasms, arrived at Frankfort, a small town whose situation forcibly reminded me of some valleys in the Alps and the Tyrol. On the following day, the 12th, J traversed immense forests of oak, plane, linden, and maple trees, which almost entirely cover the picturesque valleys and mountains of this lovely country. I next arrived at a small town called Alexandria, where I remarked a great num- ber of saddle-horses in the vicinity of a large mansion ; not being able to account for the assemblage of at least two hundred horses, in a spot consisting of sixty houses at most, I enquired the reason, when I wasiflformed they belonged to the inhabitants of the environs, who were attending divine service, and who shortly after came out of the meeting-house, when I was par- cuKarly struck with the beauty and neat costume of the women, who residing in isolated places, have only the sabbath when they can show themselves, of which they consequently take advan- tage J at Saint Clairville, in particular, I saw the most lovely fe- male I had witnessed throughout America ; stw was, indeed, a perfect beauty. On the morning of the 13th, I arrived on the banks of the Ohio, which I had quitted at Limestone, here having passed the ferry, I gained Weeling, at the north-western ex- tremity of Virginia, whose streets and dwellings did not appear so cleanly as is usual with the towns of the interior. Leaving Voyage to \orth America and the West Indies. 85 rtween St, the ivlng » alking Linding , which triking litudes. n by a loak in le rain, infinite n a few greeted nne her jnd well kingum, interior, in order througl* lountain* arrived nded me ollowing , linden, taresque rived at at num- ion ; not hundred enquired Ihabitants and who as par- women,^ hen they advan- vely fe- deed, a on the re having ttern ex- it appear Leaving this place 1 had to ascend an acclivity almost perpendicular, which commands it, by the most dangerous road 1 ever paitsed, and where I was foiirful of either leaving my horse, or rolling my- self into the abyss : they are occupied in constructing a new route, which is so necessary. From hence I entered a narrow valley, passing a creek several times, whose banks are covered with immense trees, or, ut times, broken by huge masses of horizontal rocks, among which I perceivea several of coal, but throughout America I never found a single siiex, or fire-stone; which is an article of commerce with Europe. I passed the boundaries of Virginia and Pennsylvania, and on the Nth breakfasted at Washington, a pretty town, built upon a hill, in a very fertile country. \On leaving this place, the roads so frequently cross, that having lost myself, I went nearly ten miles round about ; notwithstanding this, before sun-set, I saw Pitzburg in the distance, rising from a tongue of land at the junc- tion of iwo streams, and gained the bunks of Monongahela in safety. July \bth. — Pitzburg, the most ancient, and, I believe, the largest city of the western provinces, was originally founded by the French coming from Canada. It is very eligibly placed near the junction of two rivers, which afterwards have the name of Ohio ; one is called Monongahela, rising in Virginia. At Pitz- burg, on the banks of this stream, they have built some ships, one of which was fortunate enough to descend the Ohio without acci- dent, not even from the Rapids at LouisvilK', from whence it pro- ceeded down the Mississippi to its mouth ; at length, their vessel having performed 2200 miles in the interior of North America, gained the sea, and has since performed several successful voyage*. Since this instance, however, which was published throughout America, no ship has ever escaped the dangers of the Missis- sippi and Ohio, and they have consequently been obliged to abandon the endeavour. The other river is the Alleghany, rising nearly twenty leagues from Lake Erie. The Ohio in front of Pitzburg, is half a quarter of a league wide, its current is- tranquil, which loses itself in the midst of hills covered by stately trees, that present an amphitheatre on its beautiful margin. The com- merce and navigation of Pitzburg are very extensive, the inven- tors of steam-boats having doubled their activity. In another direction, this city communicates with those of the East l>y means of bad and dangerous roads in the Alleghany mountains. As the maritime states fear least the commerce of the West should entirely concentrate at New Orleans, they are using every endeavour to remove these impediments. Pitzburg having numerous manufactories, quantitiesof coal are consumed there, which being also used for common firing, the if llfl iW'' 8C Voyage to North America and the ff^est InfiteS. I''- ■•a m smoke blackens the houses, wliich produces a sombre appearance. The streets are straight, and pcrpendicubtr to the two rivers, which surprized me, since, throughout the New World, they have so much adopted the parallel, as not even to pay attention to the winding of rivers, or other local accidents. I presented a letter of introduction to M. Brevost, who proposed accompanying me to inspect the city, and I with pleasure embraced his otter. Nu paintings, statues, hieroglyphics, and objects whose antiquity constitutes their merit, were to be seen, but manufactories, more useful and curious perhaps, in a country so recently rescued from a state of barbarism. These I visited, which it would be useless to describe, as existing in Europe 5 all 1 have to state is, that they are carried on with great spirit, and have arrived at the highest degree of perfection. I found three very amiable Frenchmen at my inn, who advised me to procure arms before I recommenced my journey, which 1 accordingly did, while mutually enjoying the idea of travelling through an expanse of territory, which infused in me a grand idea of tlu' expanded scene of liberty I vas on the eve of enjoying. On quitting Pitzburg I traversed Alleghany, taking the road to Franklin. Having proceeded some miles, I met two travellers, with whom I breakfasted, at an inn standing at the branching otf of two roads, the one conducting to Franklin, the other through Mercer ; we chose the latter, and, although the longest, we were amply repaid, by arriving to dine at a little town which delighted me, containing an establishment without exception the most per- fect that I have seen in America, and the only one in which indi- vidual industry is directed to thegeneral good. This town is called Harmony, is regular, and built in the German style, in the centre of a fine valley. The houses are of brick, and the roofs thatched. From this place I proceeded alone, entering a dark forest, through which I advanced twelve miles without perceiving the trace of an habita- tion. I this day performed thirty-six miles and gained the town of Mercer, than which 1 never witnessed anything more beautiful ; it is situated on an eminence and plentifully supplied with water. On quitting this spot I entered deep and s\^ampy forests ; as to the roads I will not pain you with a detail on that subject ; when I at length gained an inn, where with my jaded steed I partook of the wished- for rest. On the 20th I accomplished 35 miles over a dreadful road through forests whose only indication is the trace of former travellers, who are very rarely met j in the swampy and impassable parts trunks of trees are placed across, between which sufficient spaces are lefJ to break the legs of the horses ; every day the road became worse, the pines and cedars began to display their dark foliage, while my horse was fatigued, and even galled by the portmanteau. I halted at an isolated inn, where I found learanoe. o rivers, hey have on to the d a letter lying me ier. " No antiquity es, more ' rescued would be ) state is, ed at the o advised ;y, which travelling ; a grand eiyoying. e road to travellers, iching off r through we were delighted most per- lich indi- [1 is called centre of led. From gh which n habita- le town of utiful ; it ivuter. On to the hen I at ok of the s over a he trace mpy and len which ; every bo display |en galled 1 found Voyage to North /America and the IVest Indies, ft7 n*Hthcr hay nor corn, so that my poor beast was obliged to seek food on a piece of ground recently grubbed up, which joined the forest: All animals, even the sheep, sleep there, which is a proof that beasts ot prey are not numerous, and by no means sanguir)ary. Hogs are in such quantities in the woods, that the proprietor is not aware of their numbers. The 21st Jiilif, the soil appeared changed, becoming more sandy, when the birch and pines succeeded the beech and elms. J)uring the day 1 traversed French Creek, which communicates with Lake iM'ie by a canal, and then throws itself into the Alleghany : they talk much of o|)ening new canals, and thus effecting a passage IVom New York to New Orleans, by which means the commerce of the Eastern States will be opened to the interior. Having dined at Meadville, I proceeded from thence to an inn on thebordersof French Creek, where 1 slept; and on the 22nd of Jnhj recommenced my journey over the most wretched roads it is ])ossible to conceive, the country appearing to be intersected throughout by the lakes of the north, from which I was happy in extricating myself, as the frequent bridges I had to pass were in such a slate of dilapidation as constantly to present chasms large enough to receive myself and my horse, were it not that I was preceded by two travellers, in a species of car, with benches, whose track I carefully followed. After some time I entered a woody and swampy country, passing the town of pyaterfordy and from thence to Erie over an excellent road. Here I amused my- self by walking on the margin of the lake, the town being like all those of the west, very regularly built, but the habitations widely dispersed, which gives it the appearance of many country-houses brought near one another. The borders of the lake are elevated and rugged in some places, and sandy in others ; a tongue of land advancing far into the lake forms a species of quay, near which some small craft lay at anchor. Lake Erie is about 100 leagues long, 30 wide, and iOO feet deep, the bottom being rocky and solid. The fury of the winds in this part of the country sometimes agi-. tates the waters to such a degree that the vessels cannot remain at their moorings ; on this lake there are ships carrying ;^0 guns. I was much surprized to see this vast current of water, running from north to south, suddenly turn to the east in order to form the Niagara, lake Ontario, and river St. Lawrence, without coming in contact with any mountains. On the 25th July I again set forward, finding excellent inns upon the road, which continued over a hilly country, that seemed to have anciently formed the borders of the lake j and in this man- ner I passed the limits of Pennsylvania, and the western extremity of the State of New York. On the following day the road be- came worse^ and 1 heard miich of the Savages uf Cataragus, a riveJT 'f; i J m B8 Voyage to North America and the West Indies. i I'. ■,i! (I . • m upon whose banks they had recently assassinated an American. Having breakfasted at a wretched inn, I went forwards, and in the midst of a thick wood was met by ti very handsome man, singularly habited, who was probably the chief of one of the savai^c tribes; he saluted me, by a motion of the hand, and about five o'clock I arrived on the banks of the Cataragus, at the very spot where (he late murder had been perpetrated, and, at 1 00 paces distant, 1 beheld a savage armed with a carabine, near whon) I passed, but far from troubling himself about me, he scarcely deigned to regard me. At a little distance from thence 1 observed nume- rous other savages, on the margin of the stream, with the inha bitants of a poor American inn, for there is no situation, however dangerous, which creates fear in them, if a prospect presents itr self of gaining money. Having to pass these savjigfs, 1 unl)Ut- toned my coat, under which I carried my pistols, in two iea» thern pockets, in order to shew that I was armed. 1 then dis- mounted, and was speedily surrounded by several of the savages, one of whom addressed me in French, saying, " Vousetezpere vous ? You are a Father I after which we continued for a time in conversation, although he did not speak very well, telling me that he recognized me for a Frenchman, from my dress, and that their tribes were in the habit of calling us fathers, as wo were the first Europeans known to their ancestors, and because they were ac- customed to see our missionaries. Having passed the creek in a boat, I now entered the bad roads which had very justly been designated to me as such; and, passing the Cataragus, I entered the thick forests, where the roads became almost impassable, as 1 was incessantly compelled to wind round immense trees, to avoid the deep chasms channelled by the impetuous torrents, wherein myself and horse would have alike disappeared ; while at other times, in order to avoid the rugged banks that skirted the lake, I proceeded into the interior, where it was with infinite difficulty 1 traced back my way to the road. Having proceeded some miles in this manner, I suddenly heard a loud cry at some paces distant ; it was impossible for me to ex- pedite the pace of my horse, although the cry appeared a rallying sound ; I therefore advanced, and presently was met by two armed savages, who passed quietly by me. As my horse frequently sunk nearly to the belly, 1 began to examine whether it was pos- jS'ble to proceed on the margin of the lake, and coming to a very steep descent, I ventured down, my horse sliding to the very brink, ,when he advanced amid sand about a foot deep. Having never seen such an expanse of water, the animal's fright became dangerous, for as each wave rolled to dash against the banks, he '^♦rive to escape roe, and I was at length obliged to return again hAo the Voyage to North America and tlte Wctt Indies. f^9 icricRR. 1 in the igiilarly tribes; o'clock t where distant, passed, igned to nume- l)ft inha however scnts itr 1 unbut- two Ica- thcn dis- savages, etez pere a time in gme that that their e the first f were ac- bad roads ch; and, the roads pelled to hunnelled ould have avoid the e interior, Ivay to tlie enly heard fme to ex- ]a rallying jtwo armed [frequently was pos- ^ to a very very brink, [never seen 3angerous, |e f ♦Vive to MO the wood. The fun was now sunk, nnd ni'.'ht be^^un to overtake me, no habitation whatsoever being near, which led ine to think fo a time that the forest must be my resting place until the return of day; and while thus advancing, the branches of the trees, which were no longer discernible, struck me at every step, almost entirely impeding my progress. 1 now sought a spot the must suitable to shelter me, when alighting, I led on my horse, and descended again to the water's margin, where, to my infinite joy, I perceived a poor dwelling, which, after so long and difficult a day's journey, was to me most acceptable ; there 1 supped, and got a good bed, no common enjoyment in these parts ; and the ensuing morning, being much refreshed, 1 set otf for liuSaloe, about 18 miles distant. 27th July, From Louisville I uniformly remarked a strata of hori/ontal rocks, always similar, and of the same height. The lakes, at least that of Erie, reposes on this same rock, which it has con- siderably hollowed, and I think it continues throughout the whole of the western Alleghany mountains. 1 met a traveller some miles from BufFaloe, and we breakfasted together at a good inn, where we foun'l a cloth-merchant, of whom I made some pur- chases. It is necessary I should acquaint you, that a paper cur- rency is issued in the United States, and that forgeries are fre- quent, while paper issued by individuals of one State loses con- siderably in value when transported to another ; in consequence of which they always endeavour to pass such notes as soon as possible* After refreshing myself by drinking a glass of grog, I proceeded, and arrived at Buffaloe by one o'clock, where I alighted at a good looking inn, but was ill-lodged, being full of lawyers, who had arrived from New York to institute claims for those who had sustained losses during the last war, when the English con- ducted themselves more like savages than a civilized people. 1 am, &c. LETTER XX. Buffaloe, SUt July, 1817. At this town I found t Frenchman named Despares, a baker, long established in America, where he has realized a small fortune, who very soon scraped acquaintance with me. This place is agree- able, and situated east of lake Erie, at the very spot where it VOYAGBS, Vol, F, N !l^ y'\ h^- i 1 .,' , 1 'i^ !■ 1,' r^^'fi? 1 :;,» "^ ' ■,\ia ,-% 1 1' s i ,?■ ' 1(1 ^^ ir:;:i..;r ■' isin ^ 1,1^ ; -'■. i^ ' h 'i' i ■'* ' ' v^ ( •' ■ ':■'. '^ i' l^i'l !iif'' ' t i ll :"■■* i ffvi B 1' 5)0 Fuyage to North /tmcrica and the West Indies. seems m quit its bouiularics, in order to form the Niagara river, oi great extent and rapidity, wliich, atter det^eending L'5ii)ileH, t'prms tlie celebrated fall bearing that name, and Itnown for the most magiiilicent cataract in the universe. Tiic streets of tins tpwu are straight and wide, but not paved ; the houses being for the most part of wood, painted white ; though some are of bri«k, and well built. M.Despares proposed accompanying me, on the following day, to an Indim village, about three miles distant; {accepted the invitation accordingly, when, after traversing a bad road, in a forest aj-.pearing younger than those I had been accustomed to see, we pass' d a bridge rudrly formed of trees, confusedly piled upon one another, and thus arrived at the first habitation of the village, which belonged to the great chief, who was busied in cutting down the herbage in an adjacent Held ; but on seeing us he left his work and ji)ino{l us. At the period when the treaty was sign- ed between his tribe and the Americans, he was only second chiefs but bad nevertlielcss enjoyed the honour of shaking hands with the inmiortal Washington. He is a handsome man, not speak- ing a word of Knglish ; which, iiowever, does not [)revent his sometimes visiting the inn where I lodge, when he seats himself at table, without noticing the enquiring looks of the strangers presejit. His nation now consists of only 400 individuals, who occupy nine square miles of excellent land, which they reserved to themselves when they sold the country to the United States. Their houses are dispersed, and each cultivates his apportioned space, which, though followed for a series of years, does not entail a right to th<' property. They possess a number of very fine horses, which they do not castrate, leaving them perfectly free, notwithstanding which, thiy are frequently seen assembled in a kind of square, situated in the centre of the greatest number of habitations, it appears to me, tl.at the use of horses, which is now become very general with the Indians, will at some period cause a change in the manner of treating them ; from being a race of hunte s, they will become cultivators; and if they re- main i;. sufficiem numbers, may perhaps be as much dreaded by the civilized inbal)itatits of America, as their neighbours, the Tartars and Arabians. The habitations which M. Desparcs con- ducted nie to inspect being their winter dwellings, are built of ihe trunks of trees, while the summer huts are lormcd of slight niwcrials, on which is laid the bark of the birch-tree. As the savages, since their traflic with Europeans, have endeavoured to obtain hatchets, guns, &c. &c., it is ditlicult to f'nd any tools fabricateri prior to the epoc'\ • vhen the country was discovered; nor could 1 'procure any thit g which had not been formed by the hatchet or the knife. Their houses ar« low, and the fire is kin- i Voyage to Norlh America and the tVest Indies, 91 ra liver, fi>r the s (»f tins jciug for )i brick, /ing day, pted the ad, in a id to see, iled upon c village, 1 cutting s he left was sign- ond chiej\ ands with jot speak- event his its himself strangers luals, who :y reserved led States, (portioned , does not er of very perfectly assenrtbled ;st number |ses, which me period m being a f they re- [Ireadcd by Ibours, the pari's eon- e built of 1 of slight Ic. As the lavourcd to any tools iscoverod ; mod by the fire is kin- dled in the midst of the single chamber of which it consists j the smoke passing through an aperture left in the roofing. They usually possess some iron or copper utensils : whereas they for- merly made use of pots carved out of a stone that resists the operation of the fire. Their bedsteads consist of an assem- blage of low pieces of wood, ranged all round the apartment ; one simple counterpane serving them for mattrass and sheeting. Their children are bound to a plank by several bandages, which suigular position, however, does not prevent their turning, and the best way of ingratiating yourself with the savages is to caress their ugly little progeny ; for the cheek-bones of this race being very prominent, their children have the appearance of being de- formt'd, and their colour is of a dark copper hue ; those, however, which 1 saw in the cradle were, notwithstanding, very white. As my companion was perfectly acquainted with the dialect of this j)eople, he procured me a sight of wooden spoons, very neatly caived, and a species of shooting tube, about six feet long, by means of which, and a light wooden arrow, they are able to bring down birds at fifty or sixty paces distant. While occupied in designing these articles, a savage suddenly arrived, having a Hi- deous mask on, which is used by their doctors, who are probably astrologers also ; it was painted red. A small house, formed of planks, and rather neater than the rest, excited my curiosity, and I there found an American teaching some children of the savages to read. In order to save pens and paper he made them trace letters upon sand, strewed upon a plank. He was sent to t!»is village by the Government, as every endeavour is made to introduce civiliza- tion among the Indians. There was, in this village, an Indian called in their language ii Rnnn&', with whom I expressed a wish of rutming ; when he at first proposed a race of a league ; but not being desirous of fa- tiguing myself so much, we ran for about COO yards, when I beat him completely ; but it appears that they run for a great length of time, which seems probable from the peculiar manner they have of balancing themselves. The chief inlbrmed me that their proximity to the whites in- commoded them, and that they were desirous of removing to the west ; hut as these unfortunate nations are always waging war with each other, they are fearful of being driven away by their countrymen. The Indian, who is lazy by nature, in regard to cultivating the soil, or following the employments of a civilized peoule, possesses, when at the chase, or in war, a perseverance beyond all expression. His legs, rather bowed and thin, are 'nuscular and vigorous ; his body is perfect symmetry, and in the traits of his countenance Lavater would certainly h "o dis- covered the traces of a quiet soul, and the most courageo nrk. u I \t ' •1 ii 1 \m , ■ 1 il:. Mil 92 yoyttge to f^orth America and tin West Indies. Tliey enjoy lung lite, which terminates without many infirmities. Having enquired respecting their religion, and whether they re- garded the sun and moon as divinities, the reply of the chief, and his gesticulations, forcibly struck me : "They are,'* said he, "like ourselves, creatures of the Great King, who lives in those re- gions ;" and while thus speaking, he pointed with his hand to the south. 1 then enquired, through the means of M. Desparcs, if they had any rites or ceremonies j when I learned that they only offer sacrifices of their first-fruits, and the first game they kill, which they burn j and that their festivals terminate with war songs, joyful cries, and dancing. Having observed figures carved upon the rind of some neighbouring trees, I enquired what they meant, thinking, perliaps they were idols, but 1 was told they were carved by tl»e children for their amusement. With regard to their dress, they separate their long black hair in several tresses, which are then united in a sntall tube, with party-coloured fea- thers ; a piece of blue cloth serves them for breeches ; this they usually pass between the legs, under a girdle of goat's-skin, which never quits them. They have also, sometimes, two other pieces, formed like two large gaiters, without, feet, which they attach by straps^ their shoes are of the same skin, being sewed together with the prickles of a species of porcupine, of divers colours, together with the fibres of plants. Over all they wear a large covering, which they fold with grace, and never abandon, no more than the gun, the powder-horn, and the shot-bag, the dearest articles they possess. Women are, in general, badly attired, they suffer their hair to grow, which is simply tied behind ; nor do I remember to have seen the heads of any covered, except among those of the Cataragus, who wore a European handker- chief gracefully intertwisted with their hair. They have usually an American shift, a short petticoat, and are booted like the males, nor do they, like the men, pierce the nose and ears to wear ornaments. They are neither so good-looking nor so well made as the opposite sex, who likewise paint their faces with red and black streaks, the largest being down the niiddle of the nose ; and they carefully tear away by the roots any small portion of beard that may chance to grow. Having thus far examined these savages, wc returned toButfaloe, traversing the Niagara at Black- Rock, about two miles from that town, where we slept at an inn kept by the uncle of M. Desparcs. On the following day 1 re- pented having come on foot, as it was not without experiencing considerable fatigue that 1 gained the wonderful production of nature which 1 went to visit. Being yet distant 12 miles from the Fall, we heard a tremendous roaring, without which noise, and the clouds of misty vapour rising gently through the air, no object would prepare you for the sight of the grandest spectacle Voyage to North America and the West Indies^ 93 mities. ley re- ef, and /'like use re- to tlie arcs, if ;y only ey kill, til war carved lat they )ld they I regard tresses, ed fea- his they 1^ which pieces, tach by together colours, r a large ino more dearest attired, nd ; nor except mndker- usually like the to wear made as red and nose ; )rtion of ed these Black- an inn ly 1 re- iencing ction of les from noise, air, no ijcctacle nature can present to the eye. The soil is level, and the Niagara, which escapes from Lake Erie, runs in a tranquil current, till within about a hundred paces of its fall, when the rapids arc perceptible. There, the stream meeting tremendous rocks, dashes along in white foam to an extent that tires the sight. The soil, covered wiih trees, here becomes more hilly, and at length, after a circuitous route by bad roads, we arrived at what is deno- minated Table-Rock, advancing to a considerable distance over the precipice. From thence the wondering gaze is saluted by the magnificent curtain which an immense stream presents, falling uninterruptedly from an elevation of 150 feet. After gazing awhile upon the tout ensemble of this' magic spectacle, I was desirous of descending into the vast gulf excavated by the cur- rent, and through which the waters glide towards the lake Ontario. Having descended by a solid ladder, we with difficulty arrived at the spot where the stream falls. There a vapour, which may be compared to the thickest fog, driven by a powerful current of wind, drenched in an instant all our apparel. I immediately un- dressed myself, and began to advance along the space which, hol- lowed by the wind and the vapour, forms a bended bow, leaving a space of nearly thirty feet between the rock and the precipitated torrent, having my fooling on a projecting slant of the stone. You may easily imagine what a current of wind is ingulfed in this space, to which the perpetual motion of the water gives an incessant and stronger impulsion. The current of air, in short, is so violent, the rain which it drives against your face is so cut- ting, the fall of the torrent, which seems to attract you, is so rapid, and the noise so confused and stunning, that it totally be- wilders the senses, and if the footing was missed, you would be lost for ever. Hy resisting the wind which drove against me, and huving recourse to my hand'' as well as feet in advancing, I had already gone to a considerable distance, when, blinded by the rain, I lay down, fearful of rolling into the horrible abyss. — All attempts to advance further were impracticable, and I found my- self under the necessity of returning, moving backwards, nor was it without a sensation of delight that I once more beheld the sun, issuing from a situation where, at mid-day, nothing is dis- cernible, and where it is so easy to make a false step, upon slip- pery stones, always ready to give way heneath your weight. An inhabitant of the neighbourhood, and M. Dcspares, saw me re- turn with infinite pleasure, as they had began to feel disquietude upon my account. I then spoke to them of an eel I had seen, which, having pushed with my foot, returned towards me like a serpent, as if to defend itself ; when they told me there were many that subsisted solely upon the vapour, never descending ;n II 94 Voyage to North /America and the West Indies. r*-' ,' ii^' « 1.4 u-"»i, L ■-■■i l|i| into the gulf, where they would he instantly destroyed, for 6a the shore are the remains of many animals and vegetables drag* gcd down and dashed to pieces in the torrents. Having mea- sured the elevation by means of a string with a stone attached t the end, which was lowered down from the height of Table Rockf I found that the fall is 151 feet; the cataract is divided into two parts ; that to the left, being 800 feet in length, is called the American fall, because in the line of demarkation passing be- tween thet vo, it is on the side of the United States ; being per* fectly straight, it is only separated from the other by an island, which will probably some day disappear ; which appears the more probable, as the water has began to penetrate a small partial cascade, about twenty-five feet in width. The other, called the English Fall, is the finest, and on the side of Canada. To all appearance, it formerly precipitated itself in a straight line, which formed an angle in the direction of the other ; but the force of the water always directed towards tlie centre of the cur-^ rent has arched it, which renders the view more grand. The extent of this fall is full 1500 feet ; the whole, comprising the island, about as large as the fall to the left, and the three falls make about 500 toises, and 1 can assure you that it appeared to me at least a quarter of a league. The rock, which supports the river, appears to have given way there, or rather a little further, and on a sudden, by some great commotion, which has elevated one part and lowered the other. The friction of the water con- stantly wears away the rock, of which the wind also carries part away, so that the fall, as it may be seen, recedes in the direction of Lake Erie ; which, according to the reports of the inhabitants long established there, they are enabled to perceive. The water, pn cipitatcd from such an altitude, produces a va- pour similar to the thickcjt cloud in the atmosphere, with which, rising gradually, it mingles. It mounts from the centre of the English Fall, and appears, according to the sun's position, either of a sombre black, or brilliant white ; this vapour is in such quantities, that on approaching the Fall you would imagine the stream fell into a fiery gulf, from whence it immediately eva- porated. From the rocks forming the walls that border the Fall rise several sulphureous streams ; I found under the gulf before-men- tioned, a species of white, flat, icy matter, which however did not dissolve, and which appeared only to have condensed in fal- ling : 1 have carefully secured a piece of this substance. Having long examined this matchless sight, and finished a drawing of the English Fall, we directed our course to a neighbouring inn, where, having refreshed ourselves, I returned to Table Rock, and made a general sketch of the whole Fall, at which period. ToyfNfSl. a va- which, of the either such line the ^ly eva- lil rise ;-men- Iver did in fal- [aving of the fg inn. Kock, [period. yaifJ- yun ,\/. ^ f/t/ f r////////f RiilMnI by .fir H.rhillipi !• i':/>riili- (hiinfinil'i: Sir: . / . 1 ')■ ' . i ' *'\ U : ' f I'l ■ ■ ■' "J Ifer-' It •1; l|:-*;. Voyage to North Ainerica and the West Indiw. OF the sun verging towards the horizon, formed an immense rain- bow, the colours being of the most vivid dye ; this, combined v/ith the incessant roaring, of which you can form no idea, the variety of surrounding objects, the dark green of the island, the snowy whiteness of the falling torrents, and the translucent green of that precipitated in the centre, together with the universal con- fusion that reigns, formed an ensemble producing an enchant- ment of the senses, which no language is adequate to describe. On quitting this image of chaotic grandeur, night was fast ad- vancing, and we took the route to Chippaway, where we had breakfasted in the morning; and, fatigued as I then was, I found it requisite to visit another curiosity ; this is a fountain, emiting an hydro-sulphuric gas, which is received in an iron tube, and catches fire when a light is placed at one or two feet distant. It was late when we entered Chippaway, a small En- glish town, having a fort at the mouth of a creek in the Niagra river, which is not deemed passable here, as it is only at two leagues above the Fall that it is to be traversed in safety. Among the numerous stories which are here related to travellers, I will mention one which seemed to me most interesting. An uofortunajte savage descending the stream, stopped a littk above Chippaway, attaching his pirogue to a tree on the bank ^idfi, and while his wife entered the adjoining wood to gather some plants, he fell asleep. An Epglish soldier, it is said, hap* pening to pass that way, detached the rope from the tree, when the bark was carried down by the current, and the unfortunate creature only awoke on gaining the Rapids, while his distracted wife, running along the bank, called for that succour which it was impossible to yield. The Indian, after striving in vain with his pagaye, stood up in the pirogue, and, finding hope at an end, laid down his paddle, drank oiFsome brandy, and en* veloping his head in his blanket, laid down, and awaited that death which was soon 4iis lot in the horrible abyss. Nothing afr terwards appeared, neither man nor pirogue, though the currant is by no means rapid after the fall ; this equally proves the case with the largest trees, which are at times dragged into tha terrific gulf. The English have a good fort opposite BufFaloe, called Erie, whence they at various times made incursions upon the Ame- rican territory ; and when they got Buftaloe, they pillaged and destroyed it, a mode of proceeding that was not followed by their adversaries, when tlie fate of war led them upon the soil posses- sed by the British. The following day we were too fatigued to proceed on foot, when having procured a vehicle for our convey- ance, we got back at an early hour to Buffaloe. On the 31st of Juii/, I began to prepare for my departure for New York j not without experiencing regret that 1 was unable to f \' ■ ' '' • » 1,- 1 96 Voyage to North America and the Wat Indies, penetrate higher up to the north-west among the Indians, whose character is peculiarly interesting to me, and among whom I should travel with the greatest confidence ; hut I should require guides and interpreters, which the state of my purse will not enable me to procure ; if I could have found a purchaser for my horse, I could have easily gone to Newark, situated at the mouth of the Niagara, in the Lake Ontario, from thence to Kingston, to the north-east of the lake, and lastly to Montreal and Quebec, from whence I could easily have gained New York, but, as affairs now stand, I am determined to set off to-morrow, being the 1st of August. I am, &c. r. LETTER XXI. 1. ,r ^.■ Albany t \Qth August, 1817. Having taken my leave of Mr. Despares, 1 commenced my joun.ey to New York alone, which is 150 leagues distant. During the first day I performed 43 miles, through a country well cleared, where I remarked the cultivation of every thing we grew in Eu- rope except the vine ; I also remarked what has struck me through- out the whole of my progress in this country, very extensive fields covered with a plant called Timothy ; it rises to a height of from IS inches to 2 feet, and is more advantageous than any thing we possess, thriving in the most elevated situations. It is however necessary to remark that these lands in America are not stripped and impoverished as ours are ; for the forests wherewith they were as I may say lately covered, have left a very rich soil, and on this Account, they are enabled to sow seed afresh every year. The log-houses were now less plentiful, being re- placed by buildings formed of planks, and not unfrequently of brick and stone. I have very commonly seen the gradation in fortune, as I may say, of the master of a dwelling, displayed in his habitation ; where an old log-house, his first asylum, is annexed to a newer structure of wood, near which rises an elegant and solid brick-house, being the third testimony of his accumulating wealth. I slept at Batavia, a pretty town, originally built by the Dutch, the dwellings are scattered, and the place, in consequence, very extended. I was but ill accommodated, and was nevertheless charged about seven shillings for the night, being much dearer than I had ever before paid. On the 2d of August I set ofT at an early hour from Batavia, i ,! ig re- Intly of lion in in his inexed Int and ilating Iby the luence, Itheless dearer latavia, Voyage to Norlh America and the fVest Imlirs. OJ passing by more savage and less cuhivated lands, .intl frequently traversing woods, which it was obvious had been abandoned by the Indians. There were earth fortifications already dilapidated, and many large trees decorated with uncouth and extraordinary images. 1 then met several savages of both sexes well mounted, and proceeding at full speed through the forest, sending forth criea at intervals which might have inspired fear, had not the sound be« come familiar to my ear. This territory was inhabited by the fa- mous Iroquoisy and I was pleased with the idea that in these In- dians I had beheld some of their descendants. When the American clears the soil, finding it extremely diffi- cult to grub up the roots of the trees so deeply engrafted in the earth, he seems to declare war against every species uf the forest's growth, sparing no tree whatsoever, so that his habitation is completely divested of shade, which he might so easily preserve. At Pitzburg and Buffaloe, by no means so ancient, wood has already become very dear, as well as in various other places of America, where they have already recourse to the consumption of coals. The savages, who are fond of the woods, only clear away what is absolutely required for the growth of the Indian corn which they consume, and their dwellings were well distributed in a forest regularly intersected by paths, all of which terminated at a kind of round plot, which was assuredly the place of general rendezvous. On gaining the ancient bed of the river GennesSe, I found it dry which I could by no means account for, and yet proceeding a little further on I passed it in a valley, where it was full and running ; this I afterwards learned was occasioned by a large portion of land having suddenly given way, or rather changed its sftuation. I now saw a good inn, at no great distance, which proved a welcome object, as I perceived a heavy storm was brew- ing, I therefore alighted. Having refreshed myself, I quitted the inn, accompanied by a farmer of Connecticut, who was going to buy land in the states of Ohio, where he intended establishing himself and family ; Connecticut is very populous, and land well cleared sells high. My companion informed me that the num- ber of speculators, who traverse America in all directions, were very prejudicial to the cultivators, who wanting money sold their products very much below their real valoe, on account of which flour is at present very dear in the ipteridr. The Sd of Augmt I slept at Honey Creeks where I left my companion asleep the ensuing morning, as the Americans are not fond of early rifting ; he however rejoined me at Canandaigtux, a pretty small town, on th^ border of a beautiful lake ; and at night I slept at Cfnyuea, in a very poor inn, where, as is castomnry, t was treated and attended to in proportion to the appearance of Voyages, Vol. V. O » ' ■ I . i III' 71 f U : : t". 1 ;; V' •' r. 1 i {(■ .• •: 4. S{? 11 9t f^oyage to Sortli Amerka and the JVest Indut. my equipage. On the lake of Cayuga, which extends in a direc- tion from north to south, is a brirlge of a mile long, built of wood, and well constructed, for the passage over which you pay a snnall sum, as it constitutes a part of the turnpike road. August 4th. [ During the whole of this day I journeyed through a country which, from its similarity to all I had before seen, is not worthy farther notice, and at night 1 slept on the borders of a large stream, called OnortdagOy which empties itself in lake Ontorio, near fort Oswego. I left my inn at four o'clock the ensuing morning, traversing forests for about twelve miles, which were truly magnificent ; on quitting which 1 beheld a lonely valley, terminated by a lake, on whose banks stands the small but lovely town of Casa NoviOj the houses being, as is customary, partly wood, and partly brick ; the former tastefully painted, and kept neat and clean ; while the spire of the church, rising in the distance, produced a charming effect, against the forest's verdurej, that closed the distant scenery. At sun-set, in a savage and mountainous country, I alighted at an inn, where I was not well entertained, and the 6th of Au- gust 1 set forward, the north wind whistling, and the cold being so piercing, that, during the morning, I found it expedient to wear my mantle ; but, as mid -day approached, the heat was almost in> supportable : in this manner I rode about twelve miles through a country nearly cleared of wood, but without perceiving a single inhabitant, as the Americans, even the cultivators, rise very late. I breakfasted at a small place, bearing the denomination of town, although it consisted only of a church and five dwellings. Having joined two other travellers from Connecticut, a Mr. Willman, and his son, we arrived on the 7th of August, at Cherry Valley, situated in a bottom in the midst of a mountainous country, very tedious to travellers. On the 8th, having set off be- fore my companions, I breakfasted alone, when I proceeded, and found the face of the country suddenly changed, becoming sandy, and covered with fir-trees. Ever since I had left the direction of the Alleghanics, I saw no longer the horizontal rocks, being bro- ken, scattered, and laying in various angles, like those which are almost universally found in Europe, and usually inclining towards the sea. 1 arrived that night at Albany, a large handsome town, 160 miles above New York, being, like that place, on the northern bank, along which its buildings extend ; their proximity to a high hill having necessarily caused Albany's being so construct- ea. Though tlie mansions are well built, it is, generally speak- ing, more sombre, and less fresh than the other towns of Ame- rica ; the climate is, however, very healthy, its population consisting, for the most part, of Arigb-Americians, though there direc- wood, small k. ountry worthy I large Intorio, lusuing h were valley, t lovely , partly nd kept ; in the verdure, alighted I of Au- )ld being t to wear Imost in- |hrough a single irery late, of town, a Mr. igustf at ntainous t off be- ded, and )g sandy, ection of ing bro- vbich are ; towards me town, northern ity to a nstruct- y speak- f Aine- pulation gh there A Voyage to North America and the West Indie*. S>l> are persons of all nations, and some Dutch, who were anciently its sole inhabitants. This place is admirably adapted to commerce, as it commu- nicates the Western States, with Boston, Philadelphia, and New York ; the commercial intercourse with those places having been very much facilitated by the invention of steam-boats. One of these vessels quits New York daily, performing the voyage in twenty-four hours, and so precisely does it arrive at the time ap- pointed, that at the inn where the travellers stop, the dinner is always ready to the minute. As the steam-boat would not take me on board with my horse, I resolved to embark in a common vessel for New York on the ensuing day. I should have been extremely glad to ha\'e mude a tour in the Connecticut, from whdnce 1 should have proceeded to Lake Champelin, famous for the obstinate battles witnessed on its borders ; but I am de- sirous of revisiting Europe this year, and the season is advancing. August the I \th. — Having got my horse on board the sloop, we set sail, and had the voyage proved of long duration, this would certainly not have been the most agreeable mode of travelling ; being confined to a small smoky cabin, where I was obliged to remain, as the rain continued falling without intermission. Here 1 almost entirely lost the picturesque scenery of the Northern River, this stream running between tracks of ground and rugged rocks, forming thus a series of lakes, inclining from north to south. At every winding the country changes, and several small rivers, which precipitate themselves into this current, em- bellish it with cascades. On the second night we arrived at New York, and early the ensuing morning I repaired to my old boarding-house, where I continued for three days to repose myself, and then determined to repair to Philadelphia on horseback, where I had left some ac- quaintances, and was also desirous of remaining a month. At this season the country is charming, and along the road are scat- tered neat towns and villages, while the surrounding country seems hut a continuation of gardens. On arriving at Philadel- phia, I visited M. Courcier, where 1 found no letters, the last having been sent to New Orleans. 1 then repaired to my former lodgings, where I shall not continue, but go for u few weeks some miles from the city, there to await a favourable occasion to transport me to Italy, as, after a journey of more than 3000 leagues in the interior of America, my excursions in this part of the world are most probably terminated. As it is your wish that I should convey some account of this peo- i ! . I '# i'? f^! 1'^ r - 100 yuyageh Nvrlh America and tite We*i Indiet, pie, and how far the idea of liberty influences them, i will en* deavour to satisfy yuu un that head. The United States consist of twenty-two provinces, each having a governor, and its cliumher of representatives, and deputies at general congresK, which is held at Washington, a city whose territory is not comprised in any one of these provinces, which| beginning from the north, consist of Maine, Vernon, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, In- diana Territory, Kentucky, Virginia, Tennes^e, Illinois Territory, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi Territory, and Louisiana. Bvery four years congress elects a president, who directs the general administration of the States, and this indi- vidual can never be re-elected, and which, after the example of Washington, could not be proposed. The Government of this country is the most lenient possible ; the honest man is scarcely susceptible of it, living happy and tranquil, all opinions being tolerated, and every religion sanc- tioned. The American, who is gei^erally cold, occupies himself with commerce during part of the day, and the rest he S|>endii with his family. Associations are not common, and they are generally dull, lasting only till ten at night ; notwithstanding this, they have falas, during which they dance, an amusement much esteemed, 'he common people repair to drink beer in cellars, where they peruse the newspapers, or else visit aleh(hises in the environs of the city, where the sense of liberty being well regulated by the phlegmatic disposition of the natives, has not degenerated into li- centiousness. I have sehtom seen two individuals quarrel ; even the children do not play much, or do it in a manner which may be called decent. In the course of my journey I have been led to remark, that my observation is just, as to the general character of gentleness which pervades the whole animal creation of North America ; for 1 have rarely seen instances of savage bulls, or horses, and even the wild beasts appear to be less so here than in other parts of the globe, and the cruelty of the savages, is more the result of reflexion, than a natural violence of tem- perament. From whatsoever country you come, they receive you well in this, particularly if it is your intention to establish yourself. The well-informed class, that is to say, the rich, or those in highest repute, receive you with hospitality ; but let not a man deceive himself by supposing that coming from Europe with slender abilities he will be distinguished, as in that case he will be com- pletely disappointed, which has but too frequently proved the case. Every thing is so well directed towards the public good, V ill en- , each wUosc wliiclti , New , New iltd, lu- :rritory, rrriiory, nt, who s indi- itple of )8sible ; >py and [\ 5JIUC- himself S{)eiids Uy dull, ley have teemed, re they 'irons of d by the 1 into li- evea the > may be n led to racter of >f North )ulls, or re than ages, is of tem- well in If. The highest deceive slender be com- )ved the lie good, royftjpt to North Jmerka itnd ihe Weti InHeL IM «nd to WfU organised, that you feel, according to your ideht a sentiment of envy or admiration. It is here you find the touch* stone of talent *, for, divested Of talent you cannot act ; withotit it, farewell reputation, and adieu all idea of fortune ; which 8uffi» oieotly explains how so many personages without means have been compelled to leave America with promptitude. You may, perhaps, be led to accuse roe of partiality ; but 1 have no reproach to make against this people. Their stiffness at your Brat ap- proach, and their cold air, which are frequently construed into pride and presumption, are insupportable j but tliose who display these defects, are, generally speaking, the worst informed, who seek by this means to cast a veil over their ignorance. As every one is addicted to commerce, the places under govern- ment, far from being filled by men of distinguished talent, are generally occupied by writers who, without possessing brilliant talents, may occupy the most eminent posts, even to that of president. The American is well informed, he never orcates dif- ficulties, but meets every specir~ of study with confidence, and succeeds in the application ot established sciences, in which he particularly excels. The study of Latin is little cultivated, oo which account many Europeans, who ate perfect roasters of that language, have deemed them ignorant ; in my opinion, the direct contrary is the case. It was at Philadelphia that the first quadrant now used by marineri was made ; it was an American, it was Franklin, who first dared to draw the thunder from its element, and it was in America that the invention of the steam-boet anived at the greatest degree of perfection. I shall not occupy myself in refuting an opinion very^ generally received, respecting the Americans, viz. their want d frank- ness in commercial intercourse; their judging every thing throbgh the medium of gold, and having no esteem but in what regards the smiles of fortune. I only wish to enquire of those who form such a judgment, if they have well examined their own coun^' tries. In some respects, the American, in common with all men, flatters himself that he possesses qualities not his own ; he often desires to appear quick, sprightly, and volatile, or else he adopts a direct contrary system, seeming to despise those attributes which he is internally convinced he was never formed to attain. Every religion has its church ; and on a Sunday the Anglo- Americans, only go out to hear the service, and then return to peruse the bible. The negroes, for the most part Catholics, walk out upon the Sabbath in their best habiliments, with their wives and daughters dressed in white ; and of this class the population increases to such a degree, that the government feels embarrassed ; IP" 102 Voyage to North Amerioa and tha Weit Indies. V ' ; if and there is an idea of purchasing a territory for them upon the coast of Africa. . There are two theatres Ht Pliiladelphia, one for tragedies and comedies, the other a circus, wherein are displayed feats of horsemanship, and other exercises, similar to those performed in Europe. In short, to terminate my sketch of the character and habits of the Americans, { must remark, that they are so decidedly English, that it is impossible they can hate the very people by whom they are communicated; even suppose a Briton to land dressed in t' e newest and most outre' fashion of his country, and he would not excite laughter ; whereas the case is precisely re- versed in regard to one of our country, or any other. The advanced state of the season having determined me to sot sail in a vessel bound for Leghorn ; 1 bade my country friends adieu, and took my departure for New York, distant about thirty leagues, which was performed partly in a stage, and partly 'n a steam-boat. Upon my arrival, the wind beinr^ unfavourable, I perfimbnlaied the city, which, though less regular, is more sprightly and gay than Philadelphia. A person of my acquaint» ance conducted me near to JLong Islandf where lays the Vapor frigate, built by Fulton. It is 150 feet long, its width appearing to me too large in proportion ; the thickness of its sides are complete safeguards against the cannon's force ; nor can the interior me- chanism receive injury. This species of floating fortification will be of great utility in defending the coast, and in case an eneni^' wishes to board the vessel, you are enabled in an instant to inun- date him with boiling water : it is manned in war time by eight hundred men ; it is called Fulton the First : I do not understand that they have undertaken to build any more. The wind being favourable, I shall embark to-morrow the 5th: of Ociobeft in the Kentucky BeHe^ a brig of 250 tons, being well built, and a^nnost new ; the captain is a man in high reputey so that I hope, ere two months, I shall arrive in safety at the destined port ; and, Believe mC) &c. iiU M THK BND. ^- ;rstand he 5th »g well t-epittey (at the ?