m r'k^ i^; %.. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) /. .y the Lizard, and in the evening difcovered a fail, April ic. wliich proved to be an Englifh floop laden with corn. She had been taken by a French privateer, and was making her way for I'rance : there were three Frenchmen and one Englirtiman on board. The commodore fent fome hands to her, with orders to carry her to Penzance. Thick, hazy weather with a fair wind. A large fliip pafled May i. through the fleet about four o'clock in the afternoon ; and in B the 2 «759' May 2. May 4. May 5. May 14. May 19. May ;j. May 28. May 31. TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH-AMERICA. the evening another veffel bore down upon the fternmoll fliips, and fpoke with them.. Fair, plealant weather. The next day we found by our reckoning that we had made a hundred leagues from the Land's End. Strong, violent gales at north and by weft. In the evening the Molly, captain Chew, had her main-top-maft carried away, and hoifted out a fignal of diilrefs. From this time to the 14th, nothing remarkable happened ; the wind was feldom fair; but the weather being moderate, we made frequent vifits, and palled our time very agreeably. Captain Necks fell ill of a fever, and continued indifpofed feveral days : he began to mend about the 17th. In the afternoon, a fudden and violent fquall from the north- weft obliged us to lye-to under our reefed main-fail : it conti- nued to increafe, and blew a ftorm for about thirty-fix hours, when it began to moderate. We made fail in the forenoon, with about four (hips in coin- pany .; and the next day in the evening were joined by eighteen more. From that time to the 28th, nothing remarkable hap- pened ; we had generally pleafant weather, but adverfe winds. We frequently vifited ; and were much entertained with feeing grampufes, turtles, bonetas, porpoifes, flying and other fifli, common in the Atlantic. We difcovered a large fail ; (he direcfled her courfe towards the eaft. We took her to be an Englilh man of war Q-oins: ex- prefs. She carried three top-gallant fails. We fpoke with a (loop bound from Antigua to London. She acquainted the commodore with the agreeable news of his ma- jefty's forces at Guadaloupe having reduced that whole ifland under fubjetftion to the Britifh government. The wind ftill continued unfavourable. We k a "ir WILLIAMSBURG. VIRGINIA. • We fpoke with a fnow from Carolina, who informed the 1759. commodore, that a French frigate was cruifing off the Capes ^""^ 5- of Virginia. From that time to the nth, we had nothing re- markable. The wind was generally from wefl: to north-we(t, and there were frequent fqualls with lightning. We faw fe- ' veral bonetas, grampufes, albicores, and fifli of different kinds. The water appeared difcolouredj and we concluded that June u. we were upon the Banks of Newfoundland : we caft the lead, but found no ground. The weather was thick and hazy. Nothing remarkable happened from this time to the 3d of July : we had pleafant weather, though now and then fqualls with lightning. We fell in with feveral currents and had vari- able winds. We had fine weather, with a gentle breeze at N. W. We juiy 3, were now, according to the commodore's reckoning (which we afterward found to be true), about fixty leagues from land. The air was richly fcented with the fragrance of the pines. We faw a great many floops, from whence we imagined juiy 4. that we were near the coaft. The wind was at eaft by north. About fix in the morning we caught fome green fifh : upon juiy 5. this we founded, and found eighteen fathom water. At ttn we difcovered land, which proved to be Cape Charles ; and about three hours afterward failed through the capes into Chefapeak- Bay. The commodore took his leave to go upon a cruife -, and at eight in the evening we came to an anchor in York-River, after a tedious and difagreeable voyage of almoft ten weeks. The next morning having hired a chaife at York, I went to Williamfburg, about twelve miles diftanr. The road is ex- ceedingly pleafant, through fome of the finefl: tobacco planta- tions and North woods -America, with a beautiful view of the river great extent. B 2 Wil- 4 WILLIAMSBURG. VIRGINIA. i:;9. Williamfburg is the capital of Virginia: it is fituatcd be- tween two creeks •, one hilling into James, the other into York River : ami is built nearly due eall and well. The dil- tance of each landing-place is fomcthing more than a mile from the town, i which, with the difadvantage of not being able to bring up large vclTels, is the reafon of its not having increafed (o fall as might have been expecled. It confills of about two liundred houle?, docs not contain more than one thoufand fouls, whites and negroes ; and is far from being a place of any confcquerice. It ii regularly laid out in parallel itrcets, interfcded by others at right angles; has a handfomc fquare in the center, through which runs the principal llreet, one of the moll fpacious in North-America, three quarters of a mile in length, and above a hundred feet wide. At the ends of tills ftrcet are two public buildings, the college aud the ca- pitol : and although the houfes arc of wood, covered with iliingles, and but indifFcrently built, the whole makes a hand- fome appearance. There are few public ediiices that deferve to be taken notice of : thofe, which I have mentioned, are the principal ; and tney are far from being magnificent. The go- vernor's palace, indeed, is tolerably good, one of the beft up- on the continent ; but the church, the prifon, and the other buildings, are all of them extremely indifferent. The flreets are not paved, and confequently very dully, the foil here- about confiding chiefly of fand : however, the lituatioi of Williamfburg has one advantage, which few or no places in thefe lower parts have i that of being free from mofquitoes. Upon the whole, it is an agreeable refidence -, there are ten or twelve gentleman's families conflantly reliding in it, befides merchants and tradefmen. And at the times of the aflemblies, and general courts, it is crowded with the gentry of the coun- try : on thofe occafions there are balls and other amufements ; but r- VIRGINIA. but as focn as tlic iMifincfs is finiflied, they return to their country houfcs -, and the town is in a manner deferteei. The fituation oF Virginia (according to Evans's Map) is be- tween the 'J^'.h and 40th degrees of north lat. and about 76 degrees wcfl long, from London. It is bounded on the north by the river Potovvir.ac, on the eafl: by the Atlantic Ocean, by Carolina on the fonth, and, to include only \vh:\t is inha- bited, by the great Alleghenny on the wefl:. The climate is e\'tr^mely fine, though fubjcft to violent heats in the fummet : Farenheit's thermometer being generally for three months from 85 to 95 degrees high. The other fe.ifons» however, make ample amends for this inconvenience : for the autumns and fprings are delightful, and the winters io mild and ferene (though there are now and then excefllve cold days") as fcarcely to require a fire. The only complaint that a per- fon can reafonably make, is, of the very fudden changes which the weather is liable to j for this being intirely regulated by the winds, is exceedingly variable. Southerly winds are pro- duiflive of heat, northerly of cold, and eafterly of rain ; from hence it is no uncommon thing for the thermometer to fall many degrees in a very few hours; and, after a warm day, to have fuch fevere cold, as to freeze over a river a mile broad in one night's time *. In fummer there are frequent and violent gurts with thunder and lightning; but as the country is very thinly inhabited, and moft of the gentry have eled^rical rods to their houfes, they are not attended with many fatal accidents. Now and then, indeed, fome of the negroes lofe their lives ; and K^9' * On the iqth of December, 1759, being upon a vifit to colonel Wafh- Ington, at Moiint-Vernor, upon the river Potowmac, where it is two miles broad, 1 was greatly furprii'cJ to find the river intirely frozen over in the fpacc of one night, when the preceding djy had been milu and tem- perate. it »7S9' VIRGINIA. it is not uncommon in the woods, to fee trees torn and riven to pieces by their fury and violence. A remarkable circum. ilance happened fome years ago at York, which is well at- tefled : a perfon ftanding at his door during a thunder guft, was unfortunately killed ; tliere was an intermediate tree at fome diftance, which was ft/uck at the fame time i and when they came to examine the body, they found the tree delineated upon it in miniature. Part of the body was livid, but that which was covered by the tree was of its natural colour. I believe no country has more certainly proved the efficacy of eledlrical rods, than this : before the difcovery of them, thefe gufts were frequently productive of melancholy confe- quencesj but now it is rare to hear of fuch inftances. It is obfervable that no houfe was ever ftruck, where they were fixed : and although it has frequently happened that the rods themfelves have been melted, or broken to pieces, and the houfes fcorched along the fides of them, which manifeftcd that they had received the ftroke, but that the quantity of light- ning was too great to be carried off by the conductor, yet ne- ver has any misfortune happened j fuch a diredion having been given to the lightning, as to prevent any danger or ill confe- quence. Thefe circumflances, one would imagine, (hould in- duce every perfon to get over thofe prejudices which many iiave entertained; and to confider the negledl, rather than the ufe of them as criminal, fince they feem to be means put into our hands by Providence, for our fafety and protection. The foil of Virginia is in general good. There are indeed barrens where the lands produce nothing but pine-trees ; but taking the whole trad together, it is certainly fertile. The low grounds upon the rivers and creeks are exceedingly rich, being loam intermingled with fand : and the higher you go up in 41 VIRGINIA. in the country, towards the mountains, the value of the land increafes ; for it grows more itrong, and of a deeper clay. Virginia, in its natural ftate, produces great quantities of fruits and medicinal plants, with trees and flowers of infinitely various kinds. Tobacco and Indian corn are the original pro- duce of the countr/ ; likewife the pigeon-berry and rattle- fnake-root, fo efteemed in all ulcerous and pleuretical com- plaints : grapes, ftrawberries, hiccory nuts, mulberries, chef- nuts, and feveral other fruits, grow wild and fpontaneoufly. Befides trees and flowers of an ordinary nature, the woods produce myrtles, cedars, cypreflTes, fugar trees, firs of different forts, and no lefs than feven or eight kinds of oak ; they are likewife adorned and beautified with red flowering maples, faf- fafras trees, dog-woods, acacias, red-buds, fcarlet flowering chefnuts, fringe trees, flowering poplars, umbrellas, magno- lias, yellow jafamines, chamoedaphnes, pacoons, atamufco lil- lies, May-apples, and inniimerahle other forts; fo that one may reafonably aflfert that no country ever appeared with greater elegance or beauty. Not to notice too the almofl: numberlefs creeks and rivulets which every where abound, it is watered by four large rivers of fuch fafe navigation, and fuch noble and majeftic appearance, as not to be exceeded, perhaps, in the whole known world. James river, which was formerly called Powhatan, from its having been the feat of that emperor, is feven miles broad at the mouth, navigable to the falls (above 150 miles) for veflfels of large burden, and from thence to the mountains for fmall craft and canoes. The falls are in length about fix or [Qvcn miles ; they confifl of Innumerable breaks of water, owing to the obflrudion of the cur- rent by an infinite number of rocks, which arc fcattered over the bedof the river; and form a mod pidurefque and beautiful cafcade. The »759' ^ii s V 1 R G I N I A. The honourable colonel Uyrd has a fmall phics called Belve- dere, upon ii hill at the lower end of thefe falls, as romantic and elegant as any thing 1 have ever leen. It is fituated very high, and commands a fine prolpec'l of the river, which is half a mile bjoad, forming catarads in the manner above dc* ftribtd ; there are feveral little iflands fcattered carelefsly about, very rocky, and covered with trees ; and two or three villages in view at a fmall diiiancc. Over all thefe you difcover a pro- digious extent of wildernefs, and the liver winding majeftically alonnr through the midll of it. York river, for about forty miles, to a place called Weft Point, is confined in one channel about two miles broad : it flows in a very direct courfe, making but one angle, and that an inconfider- able one, during the whole way. At Weil Point it forks, and divides itfelf into two branches ; the fouthward called Pamunky j the northward Mattapony : each of thefe branches, including the windings and meanders of the river, is navigable feventy or eighty miles, and a confiderable way of this fpace for large fliips. The Rappahannoc is navigable to the falls, which are a mile above Frcdericlburg, and about iio from the bay. Vef- iels of large burden may come up to this place; and fmall craft and canoes may be carried up much higher. I'he Potowmac is one of the fined rivers in North Ame- rica : it is ten miles broad at the mouth, navigable above 200 miles, to Alexcindria, for men of war, and, allowing for a few car- rying places, for canoes above 200 larther, to the very branches of the Ohio. Colonel Boquct, a Swifs gentleman in the Royal American?, came down this autumn from Fort Cumberland* to .Shenando with very little dirliculty j irom hence to the great * From Fort Cumberland fo Slienaudo is above loo miles • from Slie- nniido to tlie great falls about 60 ; and from tlic great falls to Alexandria ai'out i~ or J 8, falls. VIRGINIA. fall?, I have been told, a iiavigatioii may eafily be effeded. So that this river ieems to prciiiifc to be of as great confcquence as any in North America. In all thefe rivers the tide flovi^s as far as the flills, and at Alexandria it riles between two and three feet. They dif- charge themlelvcs into Ciiciapeak Bay, one of the fined in the world, which runs a great way up the country into Mary- land j is from ten to twenty miles broad; navi:i:abie near a hundred leagues for veflcls of almoft any burden j and receives into its bofom at lead twenty great rivers. Thefe waters are ftored with incredible quantities of fifli, fueh as fheeps-heads, rock-fifh, drums, white pearch, herrings, oyflers, crabs, and feveral other for:s. Sturgeon and {had are in fuch prodigious numbers, that one day, within the fpacc of two miles only, fomc gentlemen in canoes caught above 600 of the former with hooks, which they let down to the bot- tom, and drew up at a venture when they perceived them to rub againfl a fifli j and of the latter above 5000 have been caught at one fingle haul of the feine. In the mountains there are very rich veins of ore ; fomc Diines having been already opened which turn to great account » particularly Spotfwood's iron mine upon tlie Rappahannoc, out of which they melt annually above fix hundred ton : and one of copper upon the Roanoke, belonging to colonel Chifwell. This lad mentioned gentleman is alfo going to try for lead upon fonie hunting grounds belonging to the IndianF, towards New River, and the Green Briar; where, it is faid, there is fine ore» and in great plenty, lying above ground. Some coal mines have alio been opened upon James River near the falls, which are likely to anfwer very well. The foreds abound with plenty of game of various kinds; hares, turkics, pheafants, woodcocks, and partridges, are in C the 9 '759 10 '759- VIRGINIA. the grcated abundance. In the marHies are found forufes, a particular fpecics of bird, more cxquifitely delicious than the ortolan, fnipes alfo and ducks of various kinds. The Ame- rican fhell-drake and bluevving exceed all of the duck kind what- Ibevcr ; and thefc are in prodigious numbers. In the woods there arc variety of birds remarkable both for finging and for beauty; of which are the mocking-bird, the red-bird or night- ingale, the blue-bird, the yellow-bird, the humming-bird*, the Baltimore-bird, the fummsr-duck, the turtle, and feveral other ibrts. Reptiles and infeds are almofl: innumerable : fome of them, indeed arc harmlefs and beautiful j fuch as the black-fnakc^ the bead-fnake, the garter-fnake, the fire-fly, and feveral forts of butterflies; but the rattle-fnake and viper, and many others are exceedingly venomous and deadly -f*. Of quadrupeds there are various kinds ; fquirrels of four or five diflfercnt fpecies :|:, * The humming-bird is the fmallefl- and the mod beautiful of all the fea- thered race ; its colours are green, crimfon, and gold : it lives chiefly by fuc- tion upon the fweets and t-fllaccs of flowers : and nothing can be more curi- ous than to obferve numbers of them in gardens where there are honeyfuckles or trumpet- flowers, flying from flower to flower, putting their flender bills into every one, and fucking out the fweetefl juices. The motion of their wings is incredibly fwift, and produces a humming noifc, not unlike that of a large humble bee. They are frequently kept in cages, but feldom live lon- ger thnn two months. The food which is given them, is cither honey or fu- gar, mixed with water. Repented attempts have been made to fend thcra alive to England, but always without fuccefs, t There are two very curious fpecies of frogs in Virginia ; one is callcfJl the bull-frog, which is prodigioufly large, and makes (o loud a noifc-, that it may be heard at a great diftance: the other is a fmall green frog, which fits upon the boughs of trees, and is found in almoft every garden. See Catefby's Natural Hfrtory of Carolina. % Of the feveral fpecies of fquirrels, the ground and flying-fquirrcls are much i.hc fmallcil and moft beautiful. The former arc of n dufky onuige hue, opof- VIRGINIA. opolVams, racoons, foxes, beavers, and deer : and in the de- farts and uninh.ibited parts, wolves, bears, panthers, elks or moofe-decr, buHaloes, mountain-cats, and various other forts. Such are in geneial the natural productions of this country. Viewed and confidered as a fettlement, Virginia is fir from being arrived at that degree of perfedHon which it is capable of. Not a tenth of the land is yet cultivated : and that which is cultivated, is far from being fo in the mod advantageous manner. It produces, however, confidcrablc quantities of grain and cattle and fruit of many kinds. The Virginian pork is faid to be fuperior in flavour to any in the world j but the flieep and horned cattle being fmall and lean, the meat of them is infe- rior to that of Great Britain, or indeed, of moft parts of Eu- rope. The horfes arc fleet and beautiful ; and the gentlemen of Virginia, who arc exceedingly fond of horfe-racing, have fpared no expence or trouble to improve the breed of them by importing great numbers from England. The fruits introduced here from Europe fucceed extremely well J particularly peaches, which have a very fine flavour, and grow in fuch plenty as to ferve to feed the hogs in the autumn of the year. Their blofl!bms in the fpring make a beautiful ap- pearance throughout the country. flreakcd with bkck ; the latter grey or afla-coloured, and elegantly formed, Theie have a fprcading or fan-tail, and two membranes adhering to their fides ; which when they fpring or leap from a tree, they expand, and are thereby enabled to fly through a confiderable fpace. The former are of a very wild na- ture ; but thcfc may be cafily, and are frequently tamed. — There is a fpecies of polecat in this part of America, which is commonly called a fkunk. This animal, vvhen purfued, or allailed by its enemy, cjcds its urine j which emits fuch a fetid and infupportablc flench, as alnioft to ftifle and fufFocate whatever is within the reach of it. II '7;9' K:, C 2 Vlr- il It '7S9' VIRGINIA. Virginia Is divided into fifty-two rouiitics, and fcventy-fevC'n pariHics, and by act of aficmbiy tl;crc ought to be I'orty-four towns ; but one half of thefc have roc more than five houfes ; and the other half are little better than inconfider.ihlc villages. This is owing to the cheapnefs of land, and the coniniodiouf- ncfs of navigation : for every perfon may with cafe procure a fmall plantation, can Ihip his tobacco at his own door, and live independent. When the colony fliall come to be more thickly feated, and land grow dear, people will be obliged to follow trades and nianufadures, which will necelVarily make towns and large cities ; but this fecms remote, and not likely to hap- pen for fome centuries. The inhabitants are fuppofed to be in number between two and three hundred thoufand. There are a hundred and five thoufand tithcables, under which denomination are included all white males from fixteen to fixty j and all negroes whatfoever within the iame age. The former arc obliged to ferve in the militia, and amount to forty thoufand. The trade of this colony U hirge and extenfivc. Tobacco is the principal article of it. Of this they export annually be- tween fifty and fixty thoufand hogdieads, each hogfhead wei^ch- ing eight hundred or a t]-;oufand weight : fome years they ex- port much more. They fhip alfo for the Madeiras, the Strcights, and the Well-Indies, feveral articles, fuch as grain, pork, lumber, and cyder : to Great E.itain, bar-iron, indigo, and a fmall quantity of ginfeng, though of an inferior qualitvj and they clear out one year with another about ton of fiiipping. Thtir manufadurefc are very inconfiderable. Tl^ey make a kind of cotton-cloth, with which they clothe thcmfclves in common, and call after the name of their country ; and fome incon- VIRGINIA. inconfulerablc quantities of linen, hole, and other trifling arti- cles : but nothing to dclorve attention. The govcrnniejil is a royal one : the leginiturc, confilling of a governor appointed by the iiingi a conncil of twelve pcifons, under tlie (anic nomination ; and a houie of biirgerics, or re- prclentativcs, of a hundred and eight or ten members, cjce'^ed by the people ; two for each county, and one for each of the following places, viz. the College of William r.nd Mary, James-town, Norfolk-borough, and Williamiburg. Eacii branch has a negaiive. — Ail laws in order to be permanent, murt: have the king's approbation j nor mufl any be enaded, which may be rep'jgnant to the laws of Great Britain. The courts of jud.xaturc arc either county, or general courts. The county courts are held monthly in each county, at a place afiigned for that purpofc, by the iuftice.; thereof: four of them making a quorum. They arc appointed by the governor, and tiike cogni'zance of all caufes, at common law, or in chancery, within their refpedlive counties, except cri;ninal ones, punifli- ablc witli lofs of life, or member. This power they are not permitted to exercife except over negroes and (laves, and then not witliout a fpecial commifllon from the governor for eacli particular purpofe '^, The general court is held twice a year '3 «759. 4 * IIow jicccfTaiy it may be that they (hould have fuch a power, even in this cafe, I will nut [Jictcnd to lay? but the law vv!;.ch transfers it to them ieems i"o ir.c onfiftcnt with the natural rights of mankind, that I cannot but in pity to Lumanity recite it. •' i.vciy ilave coinmluiij^ any ofFence, by law punifliablc by death, or lofs *• of ni'-inber, fliill be conimictct! to the county goal, and the (herift" of the " coiiiuy fliall f<:rtluvith ccrtiiy fuch commitment, with the caufc thereof, " to the governor, or commander in chief, who may ifTuc a commiffion of " oyer and terminer tu fuch pcrfcns as he flull think fit, which pcrfons, forth- " with after the rccei;^ of fach commilllon, fhall raufe the offender to be at- V I R O I N I A. r.t Willi>\iTinM5tg. It Loniill-; of tlu- governor and council, imy five of wiiich in.;kc .i couit. 1 hey hc.ir and dcttnniiic all cauk-s \v liati: :)cvcr. Ct'C :lcriaillcal, (^r civil, ami lit lour and twenty d.iys: the fird rive of ihcll* arc for hcarin^' and deter- niining luits in chancery appcids from tlic decrees of the county or inferi-)r court.> in clhinccry ; and writs of fuperl'cdcas to Inch decrees. TU(i otlicr d.iys arc for trying fuits or profc- nitions in behalf of the king j and all otlicr matters depend- ing in the faid court. Appeals are allowed to the king in coun- cil, in cafes of 500 1. llerling value. The governor has a power of pardoning criminals in all cafes, except of trcafon or mur* dcr. And then he can only reprieve till he knows the king's plcafure. The eftabliflied religion Is that of the church of England ; and there are very few DiOcnters of any denomination in this province. Tliere arc at prefent between fixty and feventy cler- gymen ; men in general of fober and exemplary lives. They have each a glebe of two or three hundred acres of land, a houfe, and a hlary eilabliflied by law of 16,000 weight of to- bacco, with an allowance of 1700 more for fiirinkagc. This is delivered to them in hcgdieads ready packed for exporta- tion, at the mod: convenient warclioufe. The prefcntation of livings is in the hands of the veftry ; which is a (landing body of twelve members, inverted with the fole p'jwer of raifing le- vies, fettling the repairs of the church, and regulating other " publicly arraigned and tried at the court- houfe of the faid county, and take •* for evidence die confcflion of the offender, the oath of one or more crtdi- " ble wltncflc?, or fuch teftimony of negroes, niulattocs, or Indians, bond *' or free, with pregnant circumftances as to tliem fliall fcciu conviiicin"-, '■^luitkutthefoUmmtyofajiiry^ and the offender being found guilty, fhall " pafs fuch judgment upon him or her as the law diicds for the like crimes, *' and on fuch judgment award execution." Mercer's Abridgment of the \'irginian Laws, p. 342. paro- I I VIRGINIA. parochial bufincfs. They were orIglr..iIly clcdcil l)y the peo- ple of the fevcral pariflKS ; but now fill up vacancies thcm- i'civcs. If the vcllry Joes not prclcnt to a living in Ids than twelve months, it laplcs to the governor. The tliocelan is the bidiop ot Londofj ; who has a power of appointing a coinniif- fary to prcfide over, anil convene the clergy on particular occt- fions ; and to ccnfirc, or even fufpcnd them, in cafes of neg- gled or immorality. His falary is lool. llcrling per annum; and he is generally of the council, which is of equal emolu- ment to him *. An unhappy difagrccmcnt has lately arifen between the clergy and the laity, which, it is to be feared, may be of ferious conlequcnce. The cauic of it was this. Tobacco being ex- tremely Icircc fiom a general failure of the crop, the allembly paficd an act to oblige the clergy and all public oflicers to re- ceive tiieir flipcnds in money inflead of tobacco. Tiiis the clergy remonllratcd agr.Infl, alledging the hardlliip of being obliged to take a fmall price for their tobacco, when it bore an extravagant one ; feeing they never had any kind of compenfi- tion allowed, when it was Ilo plentiful as to be almofl a drug. They fent over an agent to 1' ngland, and the law was repealed. Tliis greatly cxafpcrated the people ; and fuch is tlieir mutual animofity at this time, that, I fear, it will not eafily fubfide, or be forgotten. With rcganl to the law in quefllon, it was certainly a very hard one; and I doubt whether, upon principles of free go- vernment, it can be defended ; or whether the allembly can le- gally interpofe any farther, than, in cafes of nectflity, to oblige the clergy to receive their falarics in money inftead of to- »5 «7)')' * Tho commifTary is commonly prefiJcnt of the college, anJ has the parifli of WiUiamfburg, cr fomc other Jucrativc parifli, which render him. about 350!. a year : fothat hio annual incona; is between 5 and 600I. baccoj. i6 V 1 R C; I N 1 A. j,;rj. 'bacco, r.t the current price of tobacco. They may, I am periuadeil, in cafes of exigency, always make, and might then have made, fuch ahuv, without any confidcrahle detriment to thccolonv : for, fup- pofing the price of tobacco to he, wiiat it was at that time, aliout fifty /hillings currency per hundred, what would the whole fum be, we;e the clergy to be paid ad valorem ? ?^^;}t 20000I. fberling. There are in Virginia, as I obferved before, about fixty-livc clergymen: each of thefe is allowed 16,000 weight of to- bacco .; which, at the rate of fifty Oiillings currency per hun- dred, amounts to 400I. ; 400L multiplied by 65, is equal to 26,000 1.; which, allowing 40 percent, difcount, the difl^"er- ence of exchange, is about 10571 1. ftcrling. Now what is this hun to fuch a colony as Virginia? Bat to this it will be faid, perhaps, why Hiould the clergy be gainers in a time of public diftrefs, when every one clfe is a fufFerer ? The clero-y will doubtlefs reply, and why fliould the clergy be the only fufi-erers in plentiful feafons, when all but themfelves are gain- ers ? Upon the whole, however, as on the one hand I difap- prove of the proceedings of the afiembly in this aff.ir, fo, on the other, I cannot approve of the fieps which were taken by the clergy. That violence of temper; that indecent beha- viour towards the governor ; that unworthy treatment of their commifiary; and, to mention nothing elfc, that confufion of proceeding in the convention, of which fome, though not the majority, as has b:^en invidiouily reprefented, were guihy ; thck things were furuly unbecoming the facred charader they arc inveftcd with ; and the moderation of thofe perfons, who ought in all things to imitate the condud of their divine Malkr. If, inltead of flying out in invedives againft the le- giilature ; of accufing the gcvernor of having given up the caufc of religion by palling the bllli when, in fad, had he rc- jcded it, he would never have been able to have got any fup- plies V I R G I N I A. plies during the couife of the war, though ever io rnuch wanted ; if, inRead of charging the comaiillary vvitli want of •^^^X for having exhorted them to moderate mcafures. they had followed the prudent counfels of that excellent man, and had aded with more temper and moderation, they might, j am perfuaded. in a very Hiort time, have obtained sny redrefs they could reafonably have defired. The people in general were extiemely well adc^ed towards the clergy, and had fliewn their regard for them in feveral inilanccs ; thcv were fenfible. moreover, that their falaries were too fcantyto fup- port them with dignity, and there had been fomc talk about raifing them : had the clergy, therefore, ocfore they applied to England, only offered a memorial to the aflcmbly, fetting forth that they thought the acfl extremely hard upon them, at their falaries were faiall ; and that they hoped the affembly would take their cafe into confideration, and enable them to live with that dignity which became their char.ider ; I am perfuaded from the knowledge which I have of the people in general, and from repeated converfations with fcveral mem- bers of the affembly, that they might have obtained almofl any thmg they could have wiflied ; if not, they undoubtedly would have had reafon toappeil. But inRead of this, without ap- plying to the aHembiy for relief, after the aci was p.iffcd, (for before, indeed. foa;e of them did applv to tlie Ipc.ikcr m private) they flew out into tlie mofl violcn't l-vcJives, im> mediately lent over an agent to England, ,m.\ appealed to hi; majefty in council. The refult has been already rel itcd. The prc-grcfo cf arts and fcicnccs in this colon'v !ias been v ^r- inconfuierable : flie college of William and ALiry is tho onl'/ ' pubhc place of education, and this has by no means anfAcr'^d thedeiiga of it. inliitniioii. h has a fbundation for a ^v^\,- dent and li:: profcllors. The buMnef. of the prell.Ie.t 'i. to ^ kircr- J7 TS?' 1 8 »;?;• VIRGINIA. fupcrintend the whole, and to read four theological ledures annually. He has a handfome houfe to live in, and 200I. iler- ling ptr annum. The profeflbr of the Indian fchool has 60I. flerling, and a houfe alio ; his bufinefs is to inftrutt the In- dians in reading, writing, and the principles of the Chriftiaii religion : this pious inflitution was fct on foot and promoted by the excellent Mr. Boyle. The profefTor of humanity has the care of inftruding the fludents in rljfTical learning: he has an uflier or aflillant under him. The four other profeflbrs teach moral philofophy, metaphyfics, mathematics, and di- vinity. Each of the profefTors has apartments in the college, and a falary of about Sol, per unnum *. The prefent chan- cellor of the college is the bifliop of London. From what has been faid of this colony, it will not be difilcult to form an idea of the charader -f of its inhabitants. The climate and external appearance of the country confpire to make them indolent, eafy, and good-natured ; extremely fond of fociety, and much given to convivial pleafures. In confequence of this, they feldom fhow any fpirit of enterprize, or expofe themfelves willingly to fatigue. Their authority over their (laves renders them vain and imperious, and entire Grangers to that elegance of fentiment, which is fo peculiarly charadteriflic of refined and poliflied nations. Their ignorance of mankind and of learning, expofes them to many errors and prejudices, cfpccially in regard to Indians and Negroes, whom they fcarccly confider as of the human fpccies ; fo that it is almofl impolTible, in cafes of violence, or even murder, com- mitted upon thofe unhappy people by any of the planters, to have the delinquents brought t^ julTiice. For either the * They have been fiiice railed, I believe, to iccl. Y General tharaclcrs are always liable to many exceptions. In Virginia I have had the plcafure to know fcveral gentlemen adorned with many virtues and accomplifhmcnts, to whom the following defcription is hj no means apolicable, grand ■I I V I R G I N I A. grand jury refuie to find the bill, or the petit jury bring in their verdict, not guilty '\ The difplay of a charadier thus conftitutcd, will naturally be in zCts of extravagance, ollcntation, and a difrcgard of (eco- nomy j it is not extraordinary, therefore, that the Virginians outrun their incomes; and that having involved themfelves in difficulties, they are frequently tempted to raife money by billy of exchange, which they know will be returned protelted, with 10 per cent, interell: -j-. * There are two laws in this colony, which make it almofl impoflible tu conviiSt a planter, or white man, of the death of a Ncgroe or Indian. By the firft it is enaftcd, that «' if any flavefliall die by reafon of any flroke *' or blow, given in corredion by his or her owner, or by reafon of any ac- *' cidental blow v/hatfocver, given by fuch owner ; no perfon concerned iii " fuch corredlion, or accidental homicide, fliall undergo any proil-cution *' or punifliment for the fame ; unlefs, upon examination before the " county court, it (hall be proved by the oath of one lawful and credible ** witnefs, at leaft, that fuch flave was killed wilfully, malicioufly, and cle- ** fignedly ; nor fhall any perfon indi£led for the murder of a (lave, and *< upon trial found guilty only of manflaughter, incur any forfeiture or pu- '* nifliment for fuch oftence or misfortune." See Mercer's Abridgment, p. 345. By the feconJ, " No Negro, Mulatto, or Indian, can be ad- " mitted in any court, or before any migiftrate, to be fworn as a witnefs, *' or give evidence in any caufe whatfoever, except upon the trial of a flave *' for a capita! offence. Mercer's Abridgment, p. 419. f By an a£t of aflembly, if any bill of exchange is drawn for ti e pay- ment of any fum of money, and fuch bill is protefted for non-accepunce or non-payment, it carries intereft from the date thereof, after the rate of lo per cnt. per annum, until the money he fully fatisfied and paid. A very curious anecdote relative to this law was mentioned to me at Wil- liamfburg, of which I am perfuaded the reader will cxcufc the relation. — An ufurcr, not fatisfied with 5I. percent, legal intereft, refufed to advance a lum of money to a gentleman, unlefs, by way of fecurity, he would rive him a bill of exchange that fhould be returned protefted, by which he would be entitled to 10 per cent. The gentleman, who had immediate occafion for the mo- ney, fat down and drew a bill upon a capital merchant in London, with whom he D 2 The 19 1 7 /?;• 20 V I R O I N I A. The public or political character of the Virginians, corrc- /ponds with their private one : they are haugli'v and jealous of their liberties, impatient of reftraint, and can fcarcely bear the thought of being controulcd by any fuperior power. Many of them confider the colonies as independent liates, uncoii- nctlcd with Great Britain, otherwife than by having the fame common king, and being bound to her with natural affedtion. There are but few of them that have a turn for bufmcfs, and even thofe are by no means expert at it. I have known them, upon a very urgent occafion, vote the relief of a garrifon, without once confidering whether the thing was pradlicable, when it was moil evidently and demonflrabiy otherwife *. In had never had any tranfataion, or carried on the lead correfponJence, The merchant, on the receipt of the bill, obferving the name of the drawer, very readily honoured it, icnowing the gentleman to be a pcrfon of great pro- perty, and concluding that he merit to enter into corrcfpondcncc with him. The ufurcr upon this became entitled to oiily 5I. per cent. He was excced- inalv enraged, therefore, at being .is he fuppofcd thus tricked : and com- phiined very heavily to the gentleman of his having given him a good bill jr.lk'ad of a bad one, * The parrifon here alluded to, was that of Fort Loudoun, in the Cherokee country, confifting of a lieutenant and about fifty men. This unfortunate party being befiegcd by the Cherokee Indians, and reduced to the laft extre- mity, fent off runners to the governors of Virginia and Carolina, im- ploring immediate fuccour ; adding that it was impoiTible for them to hold out above twenty days longer. The aiTembly of Virginia, commiferating their unhappy fituation, very readily voted a confiderable fum for their rtlief. With this, troops were to be levied ; were to rendezvous upon the frontiers 200 miles diftant from Williamlburg ; were afterwards to pro- ceed to the fort 200 miles farther through a wilderncfs, where there was no road, no magazines, no polb, cither to fhcltcr the fick, or cover a retreat in cafe of any difiiftcr ; fo that the unfortunate garriion mi.^ht as eiTeiftually have been fuccourcd from the moon. The author taking notice of thefc dif- ficulties to one of the members, he frankly replied, " Faith, it is true : but " we have had an opportunity at leall of fliowing our loyilty." In a few days -After arrived Uic melancholy news, that this unfortunate party was entirely cut off. mat- I i # » VIRGINIA. matters of commerce they are ignorant of the neceflary prln- cipl.s that mua prevail between a colony nnd its mother- couinry; they think it a hardlhip not to have an unlimited trade to every part of the world. They confider the duties upon their flaple as injurious only to themfelves ; and it is ut- terly impoflible to perfu .de them that they affecfl the confumer alfo. Upon the whole, however, to do them juHice, the fame fpirit of generofity prevails here which does in their pri- vate chara(fter -, they never refufe any neceflary fupplies for the fupport of government when called upon, and are a generous and loyal people. The women are, upon the whole, rather handfome, though not to be compared with our fair country-women in England. They h.ive but few advantages, and confequently are feldom accomplished : this makes them referved, and unequal to any intercding or refined converfation. They are immoderately fond of dancing, and indeed it is almoll the only amufement they partake of ; but even in this they difcover great want of tafte and elegance, and feldom appear with that gracefulnefs ?n^ eafe, which thefe movements are fo calculated to difplay. Towards the clofc of an evening, when the company are pretty well tired with country dances, it is ufual to dance jiggs; a pradice originally borrowed, I am informed, from the * Ne- groes. Thcfe dances are without any method or regularity : a gentleman and lady (land up, and dance about the room, one of them retiring, the other purfuing, then perhaps meeting, in an irregular fantaftical manner. After fome time, another lady gets up, and then the firft lady muft fit down, fhe be- iiig, as they term it, cut out: the fecond lady ads the fame. * The author has fince had an opportunity of obferving fomcthin^ fitr,;- lar m Italy. The trcfcone of the Tulcans is very like tlie jiggs of th^e W^^ giiiians. 2 1 r59. nil 22 V I R G I N I A, part which the firfl did, till ibmehody cuts her out. The gen- in< eii pci-rorm in the lame manner. rlie \^irginian ladies, ex- cepting thele amulemcnts chiefly fpend ihcir time in fewing and taking care of their famili.b : they llldorri icad, or endea- vour to improve then- minds ; Jiowever, t ds ; h they are m rneral jood houievvivcs j and thougli they have not, I think, quite Co much trnderncfs and lenfjbility as ihe Ei^.glifh ladies; yet they make as rood wives, and as eood mothers, as any in the w'or Id, It is hard to determine whether tliis colony can be called flourifliing, or not : becaufc, though it produces great quanti- ties of tobacco and grain, yet there leeni to be very few im- provements carrying on it. Great part of Virginia is a wilder- ncl?, and as many of the gentlemen are in pofleflion of prodi- gious tradls of land, it is likely to continue lb. A fpirit of en- terprize is by no means the turn of the colony, and therefore fevv attempts have been made to force a trade ; which I think might eafily be done, both to the Weft-Indies and the Ohio. They have every thing ncceffary for fuch an undertaking, viz. lumber, provifionL-, grain, and every other commodity, which the other colonies, that fubfi ft and grow rich by thefe means, make ufe of for exports ; but, inftead of this, they have only a trifling communication with the Weft-Indies ; and as to the Ohio, they have fuftercd themfelves, notwithftanding the fu- perior advantages they might enjoy from having a water-carriage almoft to the Yoghiogheny, to negledt this valuable branch of commerce ; while the induftrious Penfylvanians feize every op- portunity, and ftruggle with innumerable difliculties, to fecure it to themfelves. The Virginians are content, if they can but live from hand to mouth ; they confine themfelves almoft in- tirely to the cultivation of tobacco ; and if they have but enough of this to pay their merchants in London, and to provide for their I 7« VIRGINIA. their pleafures ; they are fatisfied, and deliie nothing more, Some few, indeed, have been rather more enterprifing, and have endeavoured to improve their eftales by raifing indigo, and other fchemes : but whether it has been owing to the cli- mate, to their inexperience in thefe matters, or their want of perfevcrance, I am unable to determine, but their fuccefs has not anfwered their expcdtations. The taxes of this colony are confiderable, and the public debt amounts to at leall: 400,000!. currency; this they have been driven into by the war, having feldom had lefs than a thoufand or fifteen hundred provincial troops in pay, exclufive of the expences of fome forts. The ways and means employ- ed for raifing the money, have been generally the fame : they have firft made an emillion of fo much paper currency as the exigency required, and then laid a tax for finking it. This tax has been commonly upon lands and negroes, two fliillings for every titheable; and a Hiilling or eighteen pence upon every hundred acres of land. This mode of taxation has occafioned fome divilions in the houfe ; for the owners of large trads, being unable, perh.ips, to cultivate a tenth part of their poflef- fions, and every man's real income arifing from the number of hi: negroes, have thought it very hard to pay a tax for what tiiey pretend is of no value to them : but much better arf^u- ments may be urged in fupport of the tax than againft it. The taxes for the prcfent debt arc laid till the year fixty- ninc, when the whole, if they add nothing more to it, will be difcharged. The ufe of paper-currency in this colony has in- tirely banillied from it gold and filver. Indeed the introdudion of it was certain in time to produce this effedts but left it fhould not, the Virginians fell into a meafure, which complet- ed it at once : for by an ad of alfembly they fixed the exchange between currency and ftcrling debts at five and twenty per cent. not »7S9- 24 r A M U N K V 1 N D I A N S, 175 > not confulciiivi; that the rcil value of iliclr currency could only ho regulated by illclf. The conlcqiK-ncc was, that wlien from frequent cmillions, the difrcrencc of cx'change between bills upon i-ncrchants in London vind currency, was at 40 per cent. the difference between currency and fpecie * was only live and twenty. So that the monied men collciflcd all the fpecic they could, fent it away to Philadelphia, where it palled for its real value, purchafed bills of exchange with it there, and fold them again in Virginia with fifteen per cent, profit. And this they continued to do till there was not a pil^ole or a dollar re- maining;. During my flay in Virginia, I made feveral excurfions into different parts of the country : one in particular to the great falls of Potowmac ; of which, as I expeded to be highly en- tertained, I kept a journal. I departed from Williamll^urg, 061. i, 1759, in company Vv'iih another gentleman ; and we travelled that day abou: forty miles, to a plantation in king William-County ; beautifully fitu- atcd upon a high hill, on the north fide of Pamunky river. A little below this place ftands the Pamunky Indian town ; where at preicnt are the few remains of that large tribe j the refl: having dwindled away through intemperance and difeafe. Thev live in little wigwams or cabins upon theriv;^r; and have a very fme tradt of land of about 2000 acres, which they aie ref- trained tVom alienating by acl of aflembly. Their employ- in.ent is chiefly hunting or fifl-iing, for the neighbouring- gentry. They commonly drefs like the Virginians, and I have luir.etiincs millaken them for the lower fort of that people. The night I fpent here, they went out into an adjoining marHi to catch lorufes ; and one of them, as I was informed in the * Fixinfj the difTercnce between currency and ftcrling dibls, was, hi rcalitv /ixiiiij if between currency and fpecic, morn- ;';i^ F R E D E R I C S B U R C. morning, caught near a luindrcd dozen. The manner of tak- ing thefc birds is remarkable. The Ibrus is not known to be in Virginia, except for about fix weeks from the latter end of September: ;,t that titDc they are found in the marflies in prodigious numbers, feeding upon the wild oats. At firft they are exceedingly lean, but in a (hort time grow fo fat, as to be unable to fly : in this ftate they lie upon the reeds, and the In- dians go out in canoes and knock them on the head with their paddles. They arc rather bigger than a lark, and are delicious eating. During the time of their continuing in feafon, you meet with them at the tables of moft of the planters, break- faft, dinner, and fupper *. Odt. 2. We went to another plantation about twenty-four miles diftant, belonging to a private gentleman upon Matta- pony river. We (laid there all that and the next day on account of rain. Oa. 4. We travelled twenty-five miles to another gentle- man's houfej and from thence, the day following, about twenty- five miles farther, to a town called Fredericfburg. Fredericfburg is fituated about a mile below the Falls of Rappahannoc : it is regularly laid out, as moft of the towns in Virginia are, in parallel ftreets. Part of it is built upon an eminence, and commands a delightful profped: j the reft upon the edge of the water for the convenience of warehoufes. The town was begun about thirty- two years ago, for the fake of car- ♦ In feveral parts of Virginia the ancient cuftom of eating meat at break- faft flill continues. At the top of the table, where the lady of the houfe pre- fides, there ,s conftantly tea and coffee , but the reft of the table is garniflied out with roaft fowls, ham, vcnifon, game, and other dainties. Even at Wil- liamfturg, it is the cuftom to have a plate of cold ham upon the table i and there is fcarcely a Virginian lady who breakfafts without it. tj '759- E rying 26 FALLS OF R APPAIIANNOC. 1:59. rying on a trade with the back-fettlcrs ; and is at prel'cnt by fur tiic niort llourifliing one in ihelc parts. We left Fredcriclburg tiie 6th inlhnt, and went to fee the Falls. At this place is a finall mercantile town called Fal- mouth ; vvhofc inhabitants are endeavouring to rival the Frcde- ricfburghers in their trade. It is built upon the north-fide of the river, and confirts of eighteen or twenty houfes. I'he Falls of Kappahannoc are fimilar to thofe of James river, except that they are not upon Co large a fcale. The wholo range fcarcely exceeds half a mile, and the breadtli not a hun- dred yards. At the time of our going to fee them, there was a frerti in the river, which added very much to their beauty. The center of view was an iOand of about a hundred acres co- vered with trees : this divided the river into two branches, in each of which, at regular diftances of fifteen or twenty yards, was a chain of fix or invcn falls, one above another, the leaft: cf them a foot perpendicular. The margin was beautifully va- riegated with rocks and trees, and the whole formed a pleafing romantic fcene. At this place we met with a perfon- who informed us of his having been, a few days before, a fpedator of that extraordi- nary phenomenon in nature, the falcinating power of the rat- tle-fnake. He obfervcd one lying coiled near a tree, looking dire(ftly at a bird which had fettled there. The bird was un- der great agitation, uttered the mofl doleful cries, hopped from fpray to fpray, and at length flew dircdly down to the fnake, \\ hich opened iiS mouth and fwallowed it. From hence we afcended up the river, about fifteen miles, to Spotfwood's iron-mines ; and in our way had a fine view of the Apalachian mountains, or Blue Ridge, at the dillance of fe- venty miles. At this place I was much affected with the fol- i lowiii2 incident. A gentleman in our coii^pany, which was now J SPOTS W O () D's MINES. HOW incrcalcd, luul a faull negro boy with hi,n. about four- tccn years of age. that had lived with hi.n in a remote part of the country lorn, time as a fcrvant ; an old woman who was ^^ork.ng ,n the mines, and who proved to be the boy's r.rand- nK^thcr. accidentally cart her eyes on him ; flic viewed him with great attention for iome time; then fcreamed out, fayin- that It wns her child, and rfung hcrfelf down upon the ground'' She Uy there fome (cconds ; rofc up, looked on him again in an cx-tafyofjoy, and fell upon his neck and killed him. After tl)is, Hie retired a few paces, examined him afrcHi with fixed attention, and immediately feemcd to lofe hcrfelf in thought- ful and profound melancholy. The boy all this while ftood hient and motionlefs ; reclining his head on one fide, pale and af^ec^ed beyond defcription. Upon the whole, it would not have been in the power of Raphael, to have imagined a finer pidure of dillrefs. We returned from this place the next day to Fredcricfburg j and ferrying over the Rappahannoc into theNorthern Neck, tra- velled about fcventeen miles to a gentleman's houfe in Stafford County : in the morning we proceeded through Dumfries, and over Occoquan river to Colchefler, about twenty-onc miles. Thefe are two fmall towns lately built for the fake of the back trade i the former on Acquia creek, the other upon Occoquan nver, both of which fall into the Potowmac. About two miles above Colchcfbr there is an iron furnace, a forge, two Saw- mills, and a bolting-mill : at our return we had an opportunity of viliting them : they have every convenience of wood and Mater, that can be wilhed for. The ore wrought here is brought from Maryland ; not that there is any doubt of there being plenty enough in the adjacent hills ; but the inhabitc^nts are difcouraged from trying for it by the proprietor's (viz. lord E 2 Fair- 'rs'y 28 n-y)- Ocl. 10. MOUNT VERNON. Fairfax) having rcforvcd to himfclf a third of all ore that miy be difcovcrcd in ihe Northern Neck. From ColchcAcr wc went about twelve miles Authcr to Mount Vernon. This place is the property of colonel Walhington, ami truly ileferving of its ()wnt;r ■*. The houle is moll beautifully fiiuated upon a very hi"h hill on the banks of the I'olowmac ; and commands a noble prolped of water, of clip's, of woods and plantations. The river is near two miles broad, though two hundred from the moutii ; and divides the dominion of Virginia from Mary- land f. We rcAcd here one d.iy, and proceeded up the river * I cannot omit this opportunity of bearing tcftimony to tlic gallant and public fpiric of this gentleman. Nov. i, 1753, Licut.Gov. DinwiJdic hav- ing informed the .iflcmb'y of Virginia, that the French had crcdcd a fort up- on the Ohio, it was refolveJ to fend fomcbody to M. St. Pierre the commander, to claim that country :is belonging to his IJritannic niajefty, and to order him to withdravv. Mr, Wafhington, a young gentleman of fortune jufl arrived at age, offered his fcrvice on this important uccalion. The dillance was more th:in 400 miles ; sco of which lay through a tracklefs defart, inhabited by cruel and mercilefs favagcs ; and the feafon was uncommonly fcvere. Not- withflanding thefe difcouraging circumflanccs, Mr. Wafhington, attended by one companion only, fet out upon this dangerous entcrprize : travelled from Wincherter on foot, carrying his provifions on his back, executed his com- miflion ; and after incredible hardfhips, and many providential efcapes, re- turned fafc to Williamfburg, and gave an account of his negociation to the afl'emblv, the 14111 Jay of February following. t A very curious fight is frequently ex 'bitcd upon this and the other great rivers in Virginia, which for its novelty is exceedingly diverting"; to ftrangers. During the fpring and I'ummer months the lifliing-h.'xwk is ofLcii fccn hovering over the rivers, or -jfting on the wing without ti.c Icaft vifiblc change of place for fomc miiintes, then fu.iJcnly darting down and plunging into the water, from whence it fcldom rills again without a rock fifh, or lomc other confidcr- able fifh in its talons. It immediately (hakes ofi-' the water like a mi!T, and n^akes the beit of its way towards the woods. The bald-eagle, which is generally upon the watch, inftantly purfucs, and if it can overtake, endeavours lO luar above it. 'Ihc hawk giown foUicitous for its own fafety drops the about i t r^ I F A L I. S OF P O T O W M A C. about twcnty-fix miles to (ake a view of the Great Falls. Thefc are formed in fomc rcfpc-a like thofc of the Rappahaiinoc ; luit are infinitely more noble. The channel of the river is contra^- cd by hills, and is as narrow, I was told, as at Fort Cumber- land, which is an hundred and fifty miles hi/^her up. It is clogged moreover with innumerable rocks ; fo that the water for a mile or two flows with accelerated veloc-ty. At length coming to a ledge of rocks, which runs diametrically crofs the river, it divides into two fpouts, each about eight yards wide, and rufhes down a precipice with incredible rapidity. The fpout on the Virginian fide makes thr l; fills, one above an- other J the firft about ten feet, the next fifteen, and the lait twenty-four or twenty-five feet perpendicular. Tlie water is of a vaft bulk, and almofl intire j the fpout on the Maryland fide is nearly equal in height and quantity, but a great deal more broken. Thefe two fpouts, after running in fcparate channels for a fhort fpace, at length unite in one about thirty yards wide j and as we judged from the fmoothnefs of the fur- face and our unfuccefsful endeavours to fathom it, of prodigi- ous depth. The rocks on each fide are at leafl: ninety or a hun- dred feet high ; and yet in great frefhes, the water overflows the tops of them, as appeared by feveral large and intire trees, which had lodged there. In the evening wc returned down the river about fixteen miles to Alexandria, or Bel-haven, a fnjall trading place in one of the finert fituations imaginable. Tiie Potowmac above and below the town, is not more than a mile broad, but it here opens into a large circular ba\, of at lead: twice that diameter. The town is built upon an arc of this bay; at one extre- mity of which is a wharf j at the other a dock for building fifh, and the bald-caglc never fails to ftoop and catch it in its pounces before jt reaches the water, leaving the hawk to go and fifli for another. fbips ; 29 >7S9' V I R G I N f A. ■7:'J' 1760. May 2'^. Rj.iv 2-. Mny 2;. liiips; with water fuxJkiently deep to launch a veni-l of any rate or ma2:nitude. The next day u-e returned to colonel Wafhington's, and in a few clays afterward to Williamfburg. The time of my refidence in this colony was ten months, and I received fo many iiilLinces of friendfhip and good-nature, that not to acknowledge ihem would be an ad of ingratitude' It would not be eafy to mention particular inftances, without being guilty of injuRice by omitting others. But, in general J can truly affirm, that I took leave of this hofpitable people vmh regret, and ihall ever remember them with gratitude and attcdion. Having procured three horfcs, for myfelf, fervant, and ba;r- gage, I departed from Williamfburg, and travelled that ni^ht to Eltham ; twenty-five miles. ^ I ferried over Pamunky river at Danfies, and went to Todd's ordinary upon xVLutopony, or the northern branch of York 'iver; thirty- two miles. I went to a plantation in Caroline county; twenty-feven miles. To Fredericfturg J twenty-five miles. ^ As I was travelling this day, I obferved a large black-fnake aoout fix feet long, lying crofs the flump of a tree by the road lide. I touched it with my fwitch feveral times before it flirred • at lad K darted with incredible fwiftnefs into the wood^ On my looking into the hole, where it had fixed its head I ob ferved a fmall bead-fnake about two feet long , beautifully va- negatea w.:h red, black, and orange colour, whi( :i the black inakeu'as watching to prey upon. J took and laid it, h.lf f^upihed, m the fun to revive. After I had proceeded about a quarter of a mile, it occurred to me that it would be a ereat cnnofity if I could carry it to England ; I therefore fen t my ■I i Icrvant back n-itli orders to fetch ; u acquainted ,„e that it vva. not ,„ I f' I' '"'* '^"""' •>« blud<-r„akc was in ,l,e W ° •, , °"'"^' '"=* "''" ">« covered it. I „,en,io„ ^i?," 7- "i'"^'" ' ^-^ ^''^ d-T- attack and devour the rattle f'T .^ ""' ^^'""'"""S will afferted, even dare to affatf ' ' ' '" '"■" "'^■"' " " "- ^" auault a man, - - ; "r::;t;r:;xtst:;:,' - «•- thirty-four miles "^ "^'^^"^ ' ordinary, about .H/sCdru-^'^r :ro,.'r>-''^^-^^ -'- ^-^^-^^ miles, at Winchefter. ^ '^ ' ^""'"'^ °^ ^'^""e (,f>y The Pignut ridge is a continuation of the fouth , a 'ains. It is no where v,r„ t,- t , ""^ '™'" weft nioun- patred. the afcentr oex eLtf " "' ^'^ ""-' ' :j;- between the .ora:::;:£T:rit:;t^r "carlyof .he fa„,e elevation ,^^ h dc^ i'nte '"'"h "'" ""■'■ as if it were the effea of fome ^1 '^ 'ntermed.ate gullies, The fo,l ,s principal!, ot ll^r .^t 'L-irfi:' ^ '^'^'T- bles within a hundred miles of ,h ' , r "^ '">' P^''- •he ^'irginians in thefe part! e^r ^ e cTr \tfes f ' 7'"" quantii cs of what irl r. ""■ '"credible found alfo ^ . te iurface "fH ' ""'^' '"Ilop.fl,ells. are hill.^ ate entirei;'!'::^",; , •;: ^■:;Lt ""' "^^"^ °' '"= others le. obvious to con., j'Xerl^ ^ "trr '"' ,*"" "- .he Atlantic, either gradual,,, or -brtorrudlrrer lutioa 5t I yoo. •f May 30. May^r. VIRGINIA. lutlon In nature, has retired, and loil a coniiderablc part of that dominion which formerly belonged to it. The Blue-ridge is much higher than the Pignut : though even thefe mountains are not to be compared with tlie Alleg- lienny. To the fouthward, indeed, I was told, they are more lofty ; and but little, if at all, inferior to them. Tile pafs at Afiiby's C».ip, Irom the foot of the mountain on the eafiern fide to the Shenando, which runs at the foot on the wedern, is about four miles. The afcent is no where very rteep j though the mountains are, upon the whole, I think, higher than any I have ever feen in England. When I was got to tlie top, I was inexpreffibly delighted with the fcene which opened before me. Immediately under the mountain, which was co- vered with chamcedaphnes in full bloom, was a mod beautiful river : beyond this an extenfive plain, diverfified with every pleafmg object that nature can exhibit ; and, at the diftance of fifty miles, another ridge of ftill more lofty mountains, called the Great, or Nurth-ridgc*, which inclo^^'d and terminated the whole. The river Shenando rifes a great way to the fouthward from under this Great North-ridge. It runs through Augufta County, and falls into the Potowmac fomewhere in Frederic, At the place where I ferried over, it is only about a hundred yards wide ; and indeed it is no where, I believe, very broad. It is exceedingly romantic and beautiful, forming great variety of falls, and is fo tranfparent, that you may fee the fmallefl: pebble at the depth of eight or ten feet. There is plenty of trout and other lidi in it; but it is not navigable, except for rafts. In fuddcn frcllies it rifes above forty or fifty feet. The low grounds upon the banks of this river are very rich and fertile ; they are chiefly fettled by Germans, who gain a fuflicient live- * All thefe riiJgcs confift ot fingle mountains joined together, and run pa- lallel tu each other. lihood WINCHESTER. lihood by raifing ftock for the troops, and fending butter down into the lower parts of the country. 1 could not but reflet with pleafure on the fituation of thefe people; and think if there is fuch a thing as happinefs in this life, that they enjoy It. Far from the buftle of the world, they live in the mod delightful climate, and richeft foil imaginable; they are every where furrounded with beautiful profpedts, and fylvan fcenes ; lofty mountains, tranfparent dreams, falls of waier, rich val- lies, and majeilic woods ; the whole interfperfed with an in- finite variety of flowering fhrubs, confticute the landfcape fur- rounding them : they are fubjeft to few difeafes j are generally robuft ; and live in perfed liberty : they are ignorant of want, and acquainted with but few vices. Their inexperience of the elegancies of life, precludes any regret that they poflcfs not the means of enjoying them : but they poflefs what many princes would give half their dominions for, health, content, and tranquillity of mind. Winchcfter is a fmali town of about two hundred houfes. It is the place of general rendezvous of the Virginian troops, which is the reafon of its late rapid increafe, and preient flou- ridiing condition. The country about it, before the redudion of Fort du Quefne, was greatly expofed to the ravages of the Indians, who daily committed mofl: horrid cruelties : even the town would have been in danger, had not colonel WaOiino-, ton, in order to cover and protcd it, eredled a fort upon an eminence at one end of it, which proved of the utmoll: uti- lity ; for although the Indians were frequently in fight of the town, they never dared to approach within reach of the fort. It is a regular fquare fortification, with four baftions, mount- ing twenty-four cannon; the length of each curtain, if I am not miftaken, is about eighty yards. Within, thrre are bar- racks for 450 men. The materials of which it is built, are 1760. F loggs 34 \' I R G I N I A. loggs nikd up with earth: the ibldiers attempted to furround it with a dry ditch j but the rock was fo extrCiaely hard and impenetrable, that they were obliged to delift. It is ftill un- finiflicd; and, I fear, going to ruin; for the allembly, who fcldom look a great way before them, after having expended about 9000 1. currency upon it, cannot be prevailed upon ta give another thoufand towards finifhing it, becau'e we are in poflefTion of Pitfburg ; end, as they fuppofe, quite fecure on that account : yet it is certain, that, in cafe of another Indian war on this fide, which is by no means improbable, conHder- ing our general treatment of that people, it would be of the ut- mofl advantage and fecurity. There is a peculiarity in the water at Winchcfler, owing, I was told, to the foil's being of a limy quality, which is fre- quently produdive of fevere gripings, efpecially in Grangers ; but it is generally fuppofed, on the other hand, to be a fpecific '^aind fome other dileafes. During my ftay at this place, I was ahnoft induced to make a tour for a fortnight to the fouthward, in Augufta county, for the fake of feeing fome natural curiofities ; which, the officers alVured me, were extremely well worth vifiting : but as the Cherokees had been fcalping in thofe parts only a few days be- fore ; and as I feared, at the fame time, that it would detain me too long, and that I (hould lofe my palTage to England, I judged it prudent to decline it. The curiofities they mentioned to me, were chiefly thefe : 1. Aiiout forty miles weftward of Augu'la court-houfe, a beautiful cafcade, burfting out of the fide of a rock; and, af- ter running fome diftance through a meadow, rulliing down a precipice 1 50 feet perpendicular. 2. To the fouthward of this about twenty miles, two curious hot fpringsj. one tafting like alum, theotherlikethewafliingsof agun. 2- A moil 3' A nioa extraordinarv cave. ^ T E R. oj 4' A medicinal forina r.^^,,;*: • intirely cured Thi, (t> ]■ ' "■^'' '''^"•■'' '' ^"^ J''Vf. officer' who had b „ ^orted'L f "'^ "'°"^'^ ^'^ '""- of whom I cn^uwJX'tZ "'""' "'^'""^"'""' ™e that he had „ever hea d o T f ""^"=^'""5 i'. inforr.ed place where it is faid Zu V ''' ^'^ "°' ""l^"' =' 'h= command of t i :e rit ST'' "^ "'"' ''""'S .he i-ave been informed of i Wh redir;. r''""" "^"'^"'^ 'o it. .he reader mu. j.^.^l'lZl "''"" " '° ^^ S'™" arch'orhTidt'"3:itTt':'^"'^ ^°""-''-'"- --"' abie river :urninr:':ira.;;^'' '"°"""^'-' ^^"" "«"«^- 6. A river called Loft river from I^c i^ i • tain, and never appcar.ng TgTin '"''"^ ""'"■ " "'°""- 7- A fpring of a fnlphureous nature an mf.Trr i particular cutaneous disorders. '' '"'' ^°r 8. Sixteen miles north-eaft of Winchefter ■■ n,. > ' country not contiguous to any mountain or runn ng t'^re 9- A few m,les from hence, fix or iiven curious cLrcom mun.catmg with each other "'" F 2 go i;6:> 36 i^6o. VIRGINIA. go over the mountains with me into the lower fcttlement?. However, by the politencrs of the commander of the place, the honourable colonel Byrd, and of another ^cntleman of my acquaintance, I got over thefe diflicultics ; for the former, while I continued at Winchefler, accommodated me with his own apartments in the fort, ordering his fervants to at- tend and wait upon me : and the latter fcnt a Negroe boy with me, as far as colorjel Wartiington's, eighty miles diHianl from this place. On the 4th of June, therefore, I was en- abled to leave Winchefler, and I travelled that night about eighteen miles, to Sniker's ferry upon the Shenando. The next morning I repafled the Blue-ridge at Williams's Gap, and proceeded on my journey about forty miles. I this day fell into converfation with a planter, who overtook me on the road, concerning the rattle-fnake, of which there are infinite numbers in thcfe parts j and he told me, that one day going to a mill at fome diftance, he provoked one ta fuch a degree, as to make it ftrike a fmall vine which grew clofe by, and that the vine prefently drooped, and died *. My accommodations this evening were extremely bad ; I had been wet to the fkin in the afternoon ; and at the miferable- plantation in which I had taken flielter, I could get no fire ; nothing to eat or drink but pure water ; and not even a blanket to cover me. I threw myfclf down upon my mattrafs, but fuffered fo much from cold, and was fo infefled with infeds, and vermin, that I could not clofe my eyes. I rofe early in the * Several perfons to whom T have mentioned this fa£t, have fcemcd to ioubt of the probability of it. But were it not true, a qucftion will natu-. rally arife, inw an idea of that nature fhould occur to an ignorant planter, living remote from all cultivated fociety ; and, more particularly, how he ftould happen to fix upon that tree ; which, fuppofing the thing poffible, is the- TOofl likely to have been, affeftcd ia the manner defcribcd. morn- . M A R Y LAN D. morning, therefore, and proceeded upon my journey, being diftant from colonel Wafliington's not more than thirty miles. It was late, however, before I arrived there, for it rained ex- tremely hard, and a man Vvho undertook to fhow ms the near- eft way, led me among precipices and rocks, and we were loft for above two hours. It was not indeed, without fome compenfation ; for he brought mc through as beautiful and pidturefque a fcene, as eye ever beheld. It was a delightful valley, about two miles in length, and a quarter of one in breadth, between high and craggy mountains, covered with chamoedaphnes or wild ivy, in full flower. Througii the middle of the valley glided a ri- vulet about eight yards wide, extremely lucid, and breaking into innumerable cafcades ; and in different parts of it ftood fmall clumps of evergreens j fuch as myrtles, cedars, pines, and va- rious other forts. Upon the whole, not Tempe itfelf could have difplayed greater beauty a more delightful fcene. At colonel Wafliington's I difpofed of my horfes, and, hav- ing borrowed his curricle and fcrvant, I took leave of Mount- Vernon the iith of June. I crofted over the Potowmac into Maryland at Clifton's ferry, where the river is fomething more than a mile broad j and pro- ceeded on my journey to Marlborough, eighteen miles. I here met with a ftrolling company of players, under the direction of one Douglas. I went to fee their theatre, which was a neat, convenient tobacco-houfe, well fitted up for the purpofc. From hence in the afternoon I proceeded to Queen Ann, nine miles j and in the evening nine miles farther, over the Patuxen to London-town ferry ; I ftaid here all night, and early in the morning ferrying over South-river, three quarters of a mile in breadth, I arrived at. A: 37 in the morning. jpoli lant. about nil 176c. Anna-> 38 ANNAPOLIS. 1760. Annapolis is the capital of Maryland i it is a fmall neat town, confilling of about a hundred and fifty houfe?, fituatcd on a peninfula upon Severn river. The peninfula is formed by the river, and two fmall creeks ; and although the river is not above a mile broad ; yet as it falls into Chcfapcak bay a little below, there is from, this town the fined watcr-profpedl ima- ginable. The bay is twelve miles over, and beyond it you may difcern the eaftern fliore ; fo that the fcene is divcrfified with fields, wood, and water. The tide rifes here about two feet, and the water is fait, though the diftance of the Capes is more than 200 miles. The town is not laid out regularly, but is to- lerably well built, and has feveral good brick houfes in it. None of the ftreets are paved, and the few public build- ings here are not worth mentioning. The church is a very poor one, the lladt-houfe but indifferent, and the gover- nor's palace is not finiftied. This laft mentioned building was begun a few years ago ; it is fituated very finely upon an emi- nence, and commands a beautiful view of the town and envi- rons. It has four large rooms on the lower floor, befides a mag- nificent hall, a ftair-cafe, and a veftibule. On each fide of the entrance are four windows, and nine upon the firft rtory ; the offices are under ground. It was to have had a fine portico the whole range of the building; but unluckily the governor and aflembly difagreeing about ways and means, the execution of the defign was fufpended ; and only the fliell of the houfe has been finiflied, which is now going to ruin. The houfe, which the prefent governor inhabits, is hired by the province at 80 i. currency per annum. There is very little trade carried on from this place, and the chief of the inhabitants are florekecpers or public officers. They build two or three fliips annually, but feldom more. ■ There P ^^ A R Y L A N D. Marylana is fituated between thp -^^tU . j . , don. It IS bounded on the eal> K„ fl,. n.i • ""• i-un- .l,r.- 1 . '" "y ""= Atlantic ocean, and the three lower coun„es of Delaware; on the f.uth and weft bv V.rg„„a, and by Pennfylvania on the north. The c" mate .0.1 and natural prodnaions of it are nearly the fan,e tho fc of V,rg,n.a. It ,s watered by many fine rivers, and almoft innumerable creeks; but is far from being well citiva.ed anj " "P^'''^ ''T'"^ improvement. It is divided into W „ counties and between forty and fifty p.H*es ; and there re feveral httle towns in it which are neatly built ThT I , .ants. e..clufive of Haves, are fuppofed to'be loutl; "ttu": ana : of which the militia, including all white males «we „ fixteen and fi.ty amounts to eighteen. The Haves are bout thirty-two thoufand. The ftaple of the country is tobacco and, communibus annis, they export near ,oJo hogfte " : aft year their exports amounted to 50,000. Their manufa J tures are very trifling. The government is a proprietary one • and confifts of the proprietor (viz. lord Baltimore), his Lver' nor; the council, compofed of twelve perfons nominafed by himfelf ; and a houfe of reprefentatives. eleSed by the people four for each county, and two for Annapolis. The power o the proprietor IS next to regal; of th. other parts of the legif- kture, much the fame as in Virginia. The lower houfe has been at variance fome years with the council and governor conceining ways and mean.; chiefly in regard to taxing the' merchant., book-debts : which has been the reafon of its hav- ing done nothing for the defence of the colonies during the Id" ,r''f '^";°""-"y ™'"1 '-°P». but as conftLtly laid the fame tax for the maintenance of them : fo .he coun- 39 '7'''0. .IS 43 A N A P O L I S. council has always rejodcd it ; nllcdging the Inconvenience of Aich a ta.v, as it would iicccHarily be a reftraint upon trade ; and ruin many of the merchants credit. The proprietor has u negative * ujion every bill, exckifive of his governor. There are leveral courts of judicature in this province ; but the principal are either thofe which are held quarterly in eacii county by the juflices thereof, like thofe in Virginia; or the provincial ones, which are held twice annually at Annapolis by judges appointed for that purpofe "f-. The court of chancery confills of the governor and council : and the dernier refort is to his majefty in council at home. The ellablilhed religion is that of the church of England : but there are as many Roman Catholics as Proteftants. Tlie clergy are liberally provided for; they have not, as in Virginia, a fixed quantity of tobacco ; but fo much per head, viz. 30 weight for every tythable in their refpedive parilhes : and fome of them make more than 300 1. fterling per annum. They are prefented to their livings by the governor ; and are under the jurifdi(flion of the billiop of London ; but being at a great diftance from England, and having no commllTary to fuper- intend their affairs, they labour under many inconveniences. AiTeflTments are made, I was told, by the county-courts ; the veftry, which confiffs of twelve members dlQindl from the church-wardens, having little or no authority :}:. * This power is doubted, though it has never yet been contefted. 1 Befidcs thcfij courts, there was formerly a general court of afllzc held throughout the province, either once or twice a year, but this has been laid afide. X The whole veftry, as in Virginia, confifls of twelve members ; but they go ofF by rotation two every year ; fo there is annually a frefh elc<3ion. They have the power of appointing infpc^flors, &c. In MARYLAND. In each county througliout this province, there is apublic free- fchool, for reading, writing, and accounts j but no college or academy ; and the education of youth is hut little attended to. The charader of the inhabitants is much the fame as that of the Virginians j and the ftaie of the two colonics nearly alike. Tobacco, to fpeak in general, is the chief thing attended to in both. There have been fome attempts indeed to make wine j and it is certain, that the country is capable of producing al- mofl any fort of grapes. Col. Tafco, a gentleman of diftinc- tion in thcfc parts, attempted to make Burgundy, and fuccced- cd tolerably well, for the firft trial. I drank fome of tlie wine at the table of Mr. Hamilton, the governor of Penl"ylv:.nii, and thought it not bad. But whether, as this gentleman is now dead, any other perfon will have fpirit to profecute his plan, I much doubt. 1'lie currency here is pnpcr-moncy, and the dif- ference of exchange about fifty per cent. The duty upon ne- groes, is only forty fl:jillings currency per head at their impor- tation ; whereas in Virginia it is ten pounds. I hired a fchooncr of about ten ton, and embarked for the head of the bay, dillant twenty-three leagues j we made fail with a frefli breeze, and after a plcafant pafl'age of fixteen hours, in one of the mofl delightful days imaginable, arrived at Frederick-Town upon Saflafras river, about twelve in the evening. I never in my life fpent a day more agreeable, or with higher entertainment. The (hores on each fide the bay, and the many little iflands interfperfed in it, afford very beautiful profpeds i we were entertained at the fame time with innumer- able porpoifes playing about the bow of the fliip ; and natu- rally fell into a train of the mofl plcafing refledions, on ob- ferving the mouths of the many noble rivers as we palled along. On the weftern fliore, befides thofe great rivers cf Virginia, which I have already defcribcd, there are ten or eleven others large and capacious, fome of them navigable a confidcrabi^ G way 41 1760. June 13. 42 NEWCASTLE. way up into the country. *• The Patuxen, whicli we have left behind us, faid the mailer of the fchooner as wc were failing over this beautiful bay, is navigable near fifty miles for velfels of three hundred ton burthen. Yonder, he added, are South and Severn rivers, navigable above ten miles. A little farther is the Patapfico, a large and noble river ; where I have gone up iifteen miles. Gunpowder and Bufli rivers admit only floops and fchooners. The Suftjuchannah, though fo majeflic, and fuperior in appearance, has only a ihort, and that a bad navi- gation ; but it rifes an immenfe way off in unknown and in- hofpitablc regions, is exceedingly large and beautiful, and af- fords great variety offifli. On the cartern Hiore, he concluded,, are Bahama, SaHafras, Chefler, Wye, Miles, Great Choptank, Little Choptank, Nanticote, Manokin, and Pocomoke rivers ; all of them navigable, more or hC?, for fcvcril miles.*' — Such was curccnverfation and entertainment during this delightful voyage.. Frederic-town is a fmall village on the weftern fide of Safla- fras river, built for the accommodation of Grangers and tra- vellers ; on the eaftern fide, exadtly oppofite to it, is another fmall village (George-town), eredled for the fame purpofe. Pfaving hired an Italian chaife, with a fervant and horfe to at- tend me as far as Philadelphia. I left Frederic-town tlie iiex: day, and went to Newcaftle, thirty-two miles. Nevvcaftlc is fituated upon Del.iware river, about forty miles ibovc the Bay, and a hundred from the Capcc. It is the ca- pital of the three lower counties, but a place of very little con- fjdcration j there are fcarccly more than an hundred h.oui'ts in it, and no public buildings tiiat deferve to be taken notice of. The church, prcfcyterian and qnakers mecting-houfes, court- Jioufe, and market-houfe, arc almofl equally bad, and unds- fciving of attentica. The province, of whicli this h the capital, and which is dif- iinpuifheJ by the nanie of the ThrecLowcr Counties of Ncw- cafllc. PHILADELPHIA. c.tAle, Suflcv, and Kent, belonged formerly to the Dutch j but was ratified to the crown of England, by the treaty of lircda ; it was afterward f jld by the d'.ikc of York to the pro- prietor of Pcnfylvania, and has continued a fcparatc govern- ment, though nearly under the fame regulations with that pro- vince, ever fincc. The fame governor prefidcs over both ; but the alfembly, and couits of judicature arc dift'erent : dilft-rent as to their tonOituent members, for in form ihcy arc nearly alike. The alfembly confids of eighteen perfons, eledled annu- ally by the people; fix for each county : this with the gover- nor, forms the legillaturc of the province. There is a militia, in which all perfons, from eighteen to fifty, are obliged to be in« rolled ; and the county of Ncwcaftle alone furnilhcs more than fcven hundred. The next day I fet out for Philadelphia, dillant about thirty- fix miles, and arrived there in the evening. The country all the way bore a different afpei5l from any thing I had hitherto fcen in America. It was much better cultivated, and beauti- fully laid out into fields of clover, grain, and flax. I palfed by a very pretty village called Wilmington ; and rode through two others, viz. Chellcr and Derby. The Delaware river is in fight great part of the way, and is three miles broad. Upon the whole nothing could be more pleafing than the ride which I had this day. I ferried over the Schuilkill, about three miles below Philailelphia ; from whence to the city the whole coun- try is covered with villas, gardens, and luxuriant orchards. Philadelphia, if we confxder that not eighty years ago the place where it now ilands was a wild and uncultivated defart, inhabited by nothing but ravenous beads, andafavagc people, muft certainly be the cbje«5t of every one's wonder and admira- tion. It is fituated upon a tongue of land, a few miles above the confluence of the Delaware and Schuilkill ; and contains about -looo houfes, and 18 or 20,000 inhabitants. It is built •J G 2 north 43 i4 '760. PHILADELPHIA. noith and foutli upon the banks of the Delaware j and is nearly two miles in length, and three quarters of one in breadth. The ftreets are laid out with great regularity in parallel lines, inter- fered by others at right angles, and are handfomely built : on eacli fide there is a pavement of broad ftones for foot pallen- gers ; and in moil of them a caufeway in the middle for car- riages. Upon dark nights it is well lighted, and watched by a patrole : there are many fair houfes, and public edifices in it. The lladt-houfe is a large, handfome, though heavy build- ing; in this are held the councils, the afl'emblies, and Uipreme courts; there are apartments in it alfo for the accommodation of Indian chiefs or fachems ; likevv'ife two libraries ; one be- longing to the province, the other ij a fcciety, which was in- corporated about ten years >igo, and conhlls of fixty member!:\ liach member upon admilFiun, fubl'cribcd forty lliillings; ajid af.crward annually ten. They can alienate their (hares, by will or deed, to any perfon approved of by the fociety. They have a fmall colledion of medals and medallions, and a few other curiolities, fuch as the fkin of a rattle-fnake killed at Su- rinam twelve feet long ; and feveral Northern Indian habits made of furs and ikins. At a fmall didance from the (ladt- houfe, there is is another fine library, confining of a very va- luable and chofen colledion of books, left by a Mr. Logan ; they are chiefly in the learned languages. Near this there is alfo a noble hofpital for lunatics, and other fick pcrfons. Be- fides thefe buildings, there are fpacious barracks for 17 or i8qo men ; a good afll-mbly-room belonging to the fociety of free-mafons; and eight or ten places of religious worfliip ; viz. two churches, three qiiakers meeting-houfes, tAo prifl:)y- terian ditto, one Lutheran church, one Dutch Calvinill ditto, one Swcdifh ditto, one Romilh chapel, one anabaptifi: meet- ing-houfc, one Moravian ditto : there is alfo an academy or college, originally built for a tabernacle for Mr. Whitcfield, At PENS YLVAN I A. At the fouth-end of the town, upon the river, there .s a battery „,o ,„.ing thirty guns, but it is in a fta.e of decay It was Inud us a clLk upon privateers. Thefe, w.h a tew aim - o ,?«, and a fchool-houfe belonging to tl,e quakcrs are the ,:;:f ubWc buHdlngs m Pi,i,a.elphia. The cty -s 'n a v.y flouriming ftate, and inhabited by merchants, a.t.fts. trade m and'perfons of all occupations. There .s a pubhc mar- ie eld twice a week, upon Wednefday and Saturday, almoft e :!, to that of Leadenh.,1, and a tolerable one every a, ^ fides. The ftreets are crowded wuh f^''?''' .^f J^^ ^ with veffcls. Houfes are fo dear, that they w.U let for .00 • Tu ren per annum , and lots, no, above thirty feet ,n bre d a /un'dred in length, in advantageous fituat.ons w 1 fcl for ,0001. fterling. There are feveral docks upon he nve^ nd 'I^LI erti province is ..uatci between the 40th and IdeVees of north latitude, and about 76 degrees weft lor,- 43d f-^g «\°' " i„ , healthy and delightful chma.e. '"t aule ad i^c that nature' can beftow. The foil is amidil all the aavau nroduces Ipontaneoully mi "r'"'"' "roV;: c " :.r iVu'us and .an,s of differ- ': " ■ ;: Th « o^nau. are enr.ched with ore. and .he ib fill, • fome of thefe arc fo ftately as not .0 be be- , w th hll • "»« i3 „,,;,.„ ,-,, large l,eld wKhout admiration . ti ^^^^ ,^__ ^_,^, ""■■": ^':;;:i:r a .h li . is -re than th,ee miles , ;:oadr::':^o:ro„e at .hiUdelpma. T.. navigation ..^^^- 45 17O0. A 6 ir^o. PENSYLVANIA. ilruded in the winter, for about fix weeks, by the fcvcrity of the frofl ; but, at other times, it is bold and open. The Schuilkill, though not navigable for any great fpace, is ex- tcedingly romantic, and affords the moft delightful retirements. Cultivation is carried to a high degree of perfe(ftion ; and Penfylvania produces not only great plenty, but allb great va- riety of grain j it yields likewife flax-feed, hemp, cattle of different kinds, and various other articles *. It is divided into eight counties, and contains many large and populous towns : Carlifle, Lancafter, and German-town, confift each of near five hundred houfes j there are feveral others which have from one' to two hundred. The number of inhabitants is fuppofed to be between four and five hundred thoufand, a fifth of which are quakers; there are very few Negroes or flaves. The trade of Penfylvania is furprifingly extenfive, carried oa to Great Britain, the Weft Indies, every part of North Ame- rica, the Madeiras, Lifbon, Cadiz, Holland, Africa, the Spa- nidi main, and feveral other places j exclufive of what is il- licitly carried on to Cape Francois, and MonteChrifto. Their exports are provifions of all kinds, lumber, hemp, flax, flax- feed, iron, furrs, and deer-lkins. Their imports, Englilh ma- * In the fouthern colonies cultivation is in a very lov»^ ftate. The common picceis ot" it is, firft to cut ofF the trees two or three feet above ground, in order to let in the fun and air, leaving the flumps to decay and rot, which they do in a few year?. After this th^y dig and plant, and continue to work the fame fields, year after year, without ever manuring it, till it is quite fpcnt. They then enter upon a frcfli piece of ground, aiiowing this a rcfpite of about twenty years to recover itfclf; during which time it becomes beautifully covered with Virginian pines : the feeds of that tree, which a.e exceedingly fmall, and, when the cones open, arc wafted through the air in great abundance, fowing themfclves in every vacant fpot of neg- ]c(5led grou::d. nufa7f>0. 66 LONG ISLAND. NEW YORK. together, drink tea in the afternoon, fifli and amule thcm- fclves till evening, and then return home in Italian chailcs, (the fafliionable carriage in this and moil parts of America, Virginia excepted, where they make ufe only of coaches, and thefe commonly drawn by fix horfes), a gentleman and lady in each chaife. In the way there is a bridge, about three miles diftant from New York, which you always pafs over as ycu return, called the Kifling-Bridge, where it is a part of the etiquette to falute the lady who has put herfelf under your protedion. The prefent ftatc of this province is flourifhing: it has an cxtenfjve trade to many parts of the world, particularly to the Weft Indies ; and has acquired great riches by the commerce which it has carried on, under fl.igs of truce, to Cape-Fran- cois, and Monte-Chriflo. The troops, by having made it the place of their general rendezvous, have alfo enriched it very much. However, it is hurthened with taxes, and the prefent public debt amounts to more than 300,000 1. currency. The taxes are laid upon eftates real and perfonal i and there are duties upon Negroes, and other importations. The pro- vincial troops are about 2600 men. The difference of ex- change between currency and bills, is from 70 to 80 per cent. Before I left New York, I took a ride upon Long Idand, the riched fpot, in the opinion of the New-Yorkers, of all America; and where they generally have their villas, Jr coun- try houks. It is undeniably beautiful, and fome parts of it are remarkably fertile, but not equal, I think, to the JerCeys The lcr,gth of it i. fomething more than lOo miles, and the hrcr.dth 25. About : r or 16 miles from the weft end of it, there open, a large plain between 20 and 30 miles long, and A or 5 broad. There is not a tree growing upon it, and it is NEWPORT. RHODE ISLAND. ailerted that there never were any. Strangers are always car^ ned to ce this place, as a great curiofity, and the only one of the kind in North Aincrica. Tucrdaythc5thofAugufl, being in/iifpo/ld, and unable to rave any artlu-r by land, I cn.barked on board a brigantine for Rhod. Qand. We made fail up the Sound w:th a fair wind, and after about two hours, palled through Hell-gate. It is impofuble to go through this place without recalling to mind the defcnj3tion of Scylla and Charybdis. The breadth of the bound IS here about half a mile , but the channel is very nar- row not exceeding eighty yards : the water runs with great rapidity, and ,n difl^-rent currents, only one of which will carry a vefle through with fafety , for, on one fide, there is a (hoal of rocks juft {landing above the water, and, on the other, a dreadful vortex produced by a rock lying about nine feet under the furlace. So that if you get into any but the right cur- rent, you are either daHied upon the (lioal. or elfe fucked into the eddy, whirled round with incredible rapidity, and at length fwallowed up in the vortex. There are exceeding good pilots to navigate vefTels through this place, notwithftanding which, they are frequently loft. The proper lime of pafling it is at high water. We had pleafant weather during the paffage, which is about feventy leagues, with beautiful views of Long Ifland and Connedicut; and arrived in the harbour at Newport the 7th of Auguft. This town is fituated upon a fmall ifland, about twelve miles in length, and five or fix in breadth, called Rhode Ifland, from whence the province takes its name. It is the capital city, and contains about 800, or icoo houfes, chiefly built of wood; and 6 or 7000 inhabitants. There arc few buildings in it worth notice. The court-houfc is indeed handfome, and of brick ; and there is a public library, built in the form of a ^^ 2 Grecian 67 176J. 68 1 7^0. NEWPORT. RHODE ISLAND. Grcnian temple, by no means inelegant. It is of ihc Doiiu order, and has a portico in front with four pillars, fup- porting a pediment j but the whole is fpoilt by two finall wings, wliich are annexed to it. The foundation of a very pretty building h laid for the ufe of the frec-mafon-s to fcrve ahb occafionally for an nflembly-room ; and there is to be ercdcd a niarket-houfc, upon a very elegant defign. The places of public worlliip, except the Jews fynagogue, are all of wood ; nud not one of them is worth looking at. They confift chiefly of a church, two prefbyterian meeling-houfcs, one quakers ditto, three anabaptifts ditto, one Moravian ditto, and the fynagogue above-mentioned. This building was defigned, as indeed were fevcral of the others, by a Mr. Ilarrifon, an in- genious Englilh gentleman who lives here. It will be ex- tremely elegant within when completed : but the outfide is to- tally fpoilt by a fchool, which the Jews infifted on having an- nexed to it for the education of their children. Upon a fmall ifland, before the town, is part of a fine fortification, defigned to confifl: of a pentagon-fort, and an upper and lower battery. Only two of the curtains, and a ravelin, are yet finifhrd ; and it is doubled whether the whole ever will be. There are now mounted upon it about 26 cannon ; but the works, when com- plete, will require above 150. At the entrance of the harbour there is likewife an exceeding good light-houfe. Thefe are the chief publi.. buildings:. v\bout three miles from town is an indifferent wooden houfe, l)uih by dean Cerklcy, v/hen he was in thcfe parts : the fitu- lUion is low, but commands a fine view of the ocean, and of fome wi:d rugged rock'^ that are on the left hand of it. They relate here feveral ll range ftorics of the dean*s wild and chi- merical notions ; which, as they are charadlcriftic of that ex- traordinary man, deferve to be taken notice of: one in parti- cular R II O D E I S L A N D. ticuLir 1 mufl beg the rcadcr'ti indulgence to allow me to re- peat to him. The dean had formed the pUn of building a town upon the rocks which 1 have juft now taken notice of, and of cutting a road through a undy beach which lies a little below it, in order thatlliips might come up and be (lieltered in bad weather. He was lo full of this prnjcdl, as one day to fay to one Smibert, a defigner, whom he h;.d brought over with him from Europe, on the latter's afking fomc ludicrous qucftion concerning the future importance of the place, ** Truly, you «' have very little forefight, for in fifty years time every foot *« of land in this place will be as valuable as the land in Chcap- •* fide " The dean's houfc, notwithllanding his predidion is at prefent nothing bnter than a farm-houfe, and his library is converted into the dairy : when he left America, he gave it to the college at New-haven in Connedicut, who have let it to a farmer oi^a long leafe : his books he divided between this col- lege and that in Maflachufets. The dean is faid to have written in^his place The Minute Philofopher. The province of Rhode Ifiand is fituated between the 41 ft -^nd 42d decrees of north latitude; and about 72 or 73 degrees vvel\ longitude 5 in the moft healthy climate of North America. The winters are feverc, though not equally fo with thofe of the other provinces ; but the fummers arc delightful, elpecially in the ifiand ; the violent and excefiivc heats which America is in ..eneral i^^h\ct\ to. being allayed by the cool and temperate breezes that come from the lea. The foil is upon the whole tolerably good, though rather too ftony i its natural produce is m.iize or Indian corn, with a variety of Ihrubs r.ni trees It produces in particular the button-tree; the fpruce-pine, of the VOunK twigs of which is made excellent beer ; and the pfeudo- acacia, or locu(l-trce; but none of thofe fine tlowermg trees, vvjiich'are fuch an ornament to the woods in Carolina and Vir^. gini.\ 69 1760. JO R H O D E I S L A N D. it6». glni.i. Jt enjoys many advantages, has fcvcral large rivers, and one of llic fincll harbours in the world. I'illi arc in the great- eft plenty and pcrfcdion, particularly the tataag or black- fiHi, lobllcir., and Ka-bal's. In its cultivated (late, it produces very little, except Ihccp and horned cattle ; the whole province be- ing laid out into parture or grazing-ground. Tlie horfcs arc bony and (bong, and the oxen much the largefl in America; feveral of them weighing from i6 to 1800 weight. The but- ter and checfe are excellent. The province of Rhode Ifland is divided into counties and towndiips } of the former there are four or five, but they are exceedingly fmall j of the latter between twenty and thirty ; the towns tlicmlclves are inconfid(,rable villages : however, they knd members t) the aflembly, in the whole about feventy. The number of inhabitants, with Negroes, and Indians, of which in this province there are feveral hundreds, amounts to about 35,000. As the province affords but few commodities for ex - j^ortaticn ; horfes, provifions, and an inconfiderable quantity of grain, with fpermaceti candles, being the chief articles ; they are obliged to Connedicut, and the neighbouring colonies, ior moft of their traflic ; and by their means carry on an exten- five trade. Their mode of commerce is this ; they trade to Great Britain, Holland, Africa, the Weft-Indies, and the neighbouring colonies ; from each of which places they im- port the following articles ; from Great Britain, dry goods ; trom Holland, money i from Africa, flaves ; from the Weft- Indies, fugars, coft*ee, and molafl'es ; and from the neighbour- ing colonies, lumber and provifions : and with what they pur- chafe in one place they make their returns in another. Thus with the money they get in Holland, they pay their merchants in London ; the fugars they procure in the Weft-Indies, they carry to Holland ; the flavcs they fetch from Africa they fend to RHODE ISLAND. to the VV'cll-InHics together with hiriiher and provillon?, which they ^.et from the neiglibouring colonies : the rum thcv diaill thc-y evport to .Africa ; and v/iili the dry goods, whic'h they ruieharo in L(;ndon, they tradick in the neighbouring colonics. By this kind ot inp. or umlal)lc : a clicuindaiicc principally owiiv^^ !;o tiicir form of government. Their men in power, from tirj highcd to the lovvcll, arc dependent upon the people, and frequently a^t without that llridt regard to probity and honour, whi^h ever ought invariably to intiuence and diredl mankind. The pri- vate people are cunning, deceitful, and (ellilh : they live al- moll intirely by unfair anil illicit trading. Their magillratcs are partial and corrupt : and it is folly to c\peel jullicc in their courts of judicature; lor he, v\ho hai the greatell in- iluence, is generally foumi to have the fairell caule *. Were the governor to intcrix)!'.- his authority, were he to rcfufe to grant Ibigs of truce -j , or not to wink at abufes ; he would • 'I'lic lomi of tluir jiklic.il oath, ut ariini.itioii {i'.^y> I)oii:;Iars, in his Sufiimaty), ilucs not iir, okc th;: jii.l.Mncius aftuward, under fandtion of the law, repaid only the fame iiominal ilim in new cuirencv, when the citference has amount.'d pcrhajis to 25^0 p:r cent. — Such alas I is the fituaticn ar.l tharacler of this colonv. It is needlcfs, af- ter this, to oble; ve that it is in a very i.eviii^ing llate ; for it is in:iporii!de tb.at it ihould profper under iu^]\ alrjfes. Its Well- Indian Lravie has dimiiiiihed ; ou ii^g indeed, in fome mcalure, to tl^^ o^K'r colonies huing entered more largely iiito ih s lu- crative branch of commerce : it haj loll during the war, by tiie enemy, alv)ve 150 veffels : irs own privateers, and it has generally had a great nnny, have had veiy ill fu.ce^^ : havin.r kept vp a regiment of provincial troops, it has alio bceii luaded with taxcf, and niany of the people liav- been oppreil'ed by the ctk! probab'y \vith better rcjfnn, to fcijid it; r.otI)iiig could c.\CLfc tlic cc;- riipt .111'] in'TCcnary I'pint ot' thole govcrnorf, wro preLiincd to coiinivc ut unJ i'iivOiir.i;;c It. 1 iic hcmc-abio i'iar.cis l .tuqti;Li, lit\'tci)ui;i-L'uv(.iiii,i of "Virgini.!, v.h,), .niioiiglt lumc lev uthcri', luwi could be picvailcd unoa 10 couiitcnaiuc it, reiuieJ at ciic time an o'lcr uf near iicol. lur the Lrraiit ol a ■ permit to liiiikc a iin^lc voyage. mode ■ P R O \' I D E >: c: mo'c c.r cl'jdin- thcni : for, tl.e aillmMv h-vl:--^ Lol^r- li:i)ncJ tlic c:uD:a of c>k!i tj .v;i;Ii;i>, the i;i!uibit:nts L ;VJ L.:a a;Ililcd hy tli- town-council ^ ccnlhling cf the aKiila,.:^ re- lidiiig tlierj, the ji'.lUccs uf t'nc town, and a iVvV tViJcholdcra eledlcd annually hy t!ic freemen ; and tl-.clc have hjen r^cncrally partial in their alfcflmentf, as inuft ncccfiarily lui-pcn under -.i Lonibination of fueh circu in fiances. Alcir h;:ving faid la mucli to the difadvantagc of tins colony, I lh(j;;Ll be guilty cf injudicc and iiigratituJe, were I not to declare that tf.cre arc mar.y worihy gentlemen in it, wlio lee the misfortunes of thcii- country, and lament them ; who are feufible that they uriic from the wretched nature of the government, and willi to have it altered j wlio are courteous and polite; kind and hofpitablc to llrangers ; and capable of great ads of gcnerohty and good- iK'fs, as I myl'clf experienced during a very fevcre fit of illnefs which I lay under at this place. — The paper money here is as bad as it is poffible to be ; the difference of exchange being at leall: 2500 per cent. The 4th of September I took leave of Newport, and Iiavin"- crolTcvl over the river at Brilliol- ferry, where it is about a mile broad, and two other inconfiderable ferries, I arrived in the eveniiig at Providence. This is the chief town of what was formerly called Providence Plantation in Narr.iginfec, arid is at prefent the fecond confderable town in the province of Rhode / 3 * F.K !i townOrp is innn.i^cil l"")' ^ towii-coimcil, coiiniliiig of the afHllr.nts who r( 111.- ill thi." town, the jiillicc^ of" tlie town, i;,u! i':\ rrcchoKlcrs chofca annii:.Ilv bv the t'rccnun of the town ; the mnjor p;irt of thcni is a quorum, with hill powtr to niaiia^e the aifairs aiul interell of the town to which tluy rcfpcdivcly belong, to grant licences to public lioufes ; and are a probute- officc for proving wills, and grantiirj; adniiniilration, with aj-pcal to t;oveiiK.i' and council, a;; fuprcinc oidiniry. Douglai'b Summary, vol. ii, p. 85. I- 2 llland. 76 P A N T U C K E T FALL S. IHand. It is fituated upon a pretty large river, and is dift.uitfrom Newport about thirty miles. In the morning I ll-t out for Bof- ton, and arrived there about fun-fet, after a iourney of five and forty miles. The country, which I travelled over, is chiefly grazing ground, laid out into neat inclofurcs, furrounded with done walls, and rows of pfeudo-acacia, or locull-tiees, which arc faid with tlicir leaves to manure and fertilifo the Ijnd. I p.iHed ever a beautiful fall of water in Pantucket river, \jpon a bridf^'t, w hich is built diredly over it. The fall is about twenty feet high, througl? fcveral ciialins in a rock, which runs diametrically crofs it, and ft-rves as a d;!m to hold up the wa- ter. There arc two or three mills, v\liich have been erected for tlic purpofc of conducfling the diftcren* fpouts or (Ircam,-; of water to ihcir refpedivc v\ heels. Thel^ have taken veiy much from the beauty of the kcui: ; which would otherwifc be tr;.nfccndcnily elegant ; for the fall, ilunigh not large or noble, is by far the moft romantic and pidurefquc of any 1 met with in my tour. During the courfe of my ride frrm New ,-ort, I obforved pro- digious flights of wdd pigeons : tht-y directed their courlc to the fouthward, and the hcmifphcre was never intirdy fixe from them. They are bird:, of pallage, ci b .autifiil plumage, and are excellent citing. The accounts : iven of their numbers arc almolt incredible, yet they .'.re fo well attelled, ami the oppor- tunities of proving she truth of tlien; are io frequent, as not to admit of tlieir being called in quellion. 'l^oward^ evcnin" ihey g'lKT.diy lettle upon trees, and lit one upon another id !uch crciids, as fumetimes to breakdown the lugell branches. The inhabitants, at fuch times, go out witli long poles, and knoJv numbers of them on the head upon the rood : for they are either lb fatigued by their (light, or terrified by the oL-J'ru- rity B O O N. A mcrica. It is fituated upon a peninlul.i, or latlicr an iOdnd joined to tlic continent by an illhinus, or narrow neck of land, half a mile in length, at tiie bottom of a Ipacious and noble harbour, detendcd from the fea hv i. number of fmall iilrinds. The length oi it is nearly two miles, and the breadth of if, half a one; and it is luppofcd to contain 3000 honfes, and 18 or 20,000 iniiabitants. At the entrance of the iiirbour flinds a very gOi)d light-houfe i ^.nd upon an ill ind, about a league from the town, a confiderablc cartlc, mounting near ico can- non : there are feveral good batteries about it, and one in par- ticular very llrong, built by Mr. SlurKy. There are alio two batteries in the tovvn, tor 16 or 20 guiis cich ; but they arc not, I believe, of any force. The buildings in Hoflcn are in general goc^d ; the llreets are open and fpaeious, and well- paved ; and the wiiole has mueii the air of fome of our bed CO unty towns in iLULiland. — Tile counlrv round about it is ex- ceedinuly delightful ; and from a hill, which (lands clofe to the town, where there is a beacon ercdtcd to alarm the neighbour- hood in cafe of any furprizc, i.s one of the finefl profpeds, the moll beautifully variegated, and richly grouped, of any with- out exception that I Ikuc ever fecn. Th^: chief public buildings are, three churches ; thirteen or fourteen mccting-hotiles j the governor's palace; the court- houf:, or exchange ; Fancuils-hall ; a linen manufaduring- houfe ; a worU-houfci a bridewell s a public granary; and a very 77 rity of the night, that they will not move, or take wing, with- i;6o. out fome great and uncommon nolle to alarm them. I met with fcarccly any other food at the ordinaries where I put up: and during their llight, the common people fubfill almoll wholly upon them. Bollon, the metropolis of MafT.ichufets-B.iy, in New Eng- land, is one of the largeli and moll flourilhin'i towns in North 78 MASSAC II V S 1: T S- li A V. 1-^0. vcrv fine wlnr*^, iU lea^. lialf a tiiil.: lotif^, iindcrt.il-.'ii nt the cvocnccofn r.umhcr of |M-iv.UL' j^cntlonicn, ior the advantage of unloading and lonling vclU;!^. jMo;] ot tlicie Uiiiljings nra hAndibme : the tharcli, called KiiU'/s Ciip.pc!, is cxccedinyly. eK"'';\nt ; and fi'tu-d un in the Corinihi.'.n taltc. There is al'/j an clc"-ant private concert-room, hiv^hlv fiv.iihrd in tiic lotilc manner. I h. '.d rc;\lon t) think tho litu.i;ion ot liollon in.- healtln', at Iciil in this fcilon of the yrar ; as I'vjrc were irc- qucMit funerals every night during my ll;iy there. The fuu>ition of the province of Mall'ithufets-Bay, including fhc diflri>!l o( Plymouth *, i: between the4;ll and 43d degrees of north l.itituJ.e, and about '•' 2 degrees well loniMtude. Tiie cliiivite, foil, nUural produce, and improved lUue of it. arc much tne iame as of Rl:otic llland, It is divid-d into counties, and tovvr.fhips '|- ; and ea-.h towniliip, it it contains forty free- holders X> l"* 1^ ^ ri;,'Iit to fend a meii^her to (he alleinbly 55^ : tfie prefent number of reprcfentativcs amounts to between i;o liwd i-lw; of wiiich BolloM fends four. * Sagadahoc aiul the M.iiri, very laij;o territories, I}iiig norih (;f Xlvv Mainpfhin', belong .illj tJ liic province 01" M.^flachuLts-i} .y ; thi-y v.ci; an- luxcd to it In- the nc.v tliartcr of 1691, Tl.e M.iin forms one couiifv railed iIk county of Yoik, and feiuls three mrniliers to the council ; Sagadahoc, v/hi^h is annexed to it, (ends one. ! To'A'nfliips arc gencraliy fix niiics fipiarc, and di\idcd into h.\t\-thieo tijViil lots, viz. one I 'C for i.ie firil: fect'ei nuniiler as ini.eritanje, one l,it lor ih: niiniilrv as gkbe-luiids, one I >t tor t!ie benefit of a Uioo) ; tiic other fx- ty lot:, to lixtv jierfoM'- or friniiliis, w!;.i, within f.\c yiai . from the [jraiit, are to rrcvt a dwtl! i.j^-h ufe, and clear feven acres ot land, fit fiW rnovving or jjl()uj;'.in[^, I'v'c. I' iiy the charter, cverv frcehold-.r dioii'd pone''s 4ns. frceh.old, or 50 I. per- son-!, cftate ; h'.it 1 believe lU.o article has not been .1 1 tiered to. § Lvery town, c intaiuin^ foity frechol.!. r.s lias a " ''o'li-" f" ''-"<■' •'' rnim- !.er to tl.e airemb'y, b'.!t is u'^t ablblutcly '♦ oblifjej"' to do lb, unleG it c t. 'ii'. I i .l;t^ ficchoIJtrb. on- Tlie .1 A S S A C II U S r T S- [J A V 79 TIk' Jiiiinber of luuls in ihls province Is fvitipo lJ to amount to 200 0:0 ; aiul40,cco of them to he tapul'lc o\ hearing a;iiis. Thi'y ci'.rry on a confvJLrahlc tratluk, chiclly in the inanncr ot the l^liodc-Ill.indcr^ : hut h.;ve luiuc nialeri..i articics ior ex- portation, which iho Rhodc-lllanJcrs have not, except in a very trilhng degree : tliele are I'ait fiiii, and veiTcls. Of tho thL" latter litcy builil annually a ['.le.it number, and Ijnd them, l.iicn with ciigoes of the former, tv) CJreat Uritain, where they leil I'lKMn. Tiiey clear (Hit fiom Uud-'n, ;:alen), Marhle-Iiead,, luui tlv-* dirilrent [)0rts in thi.-. province, ye.nly, ahout t Ml '.l shipping. Kxclinive of thcfc articles, their n^anufac- tn;\\s are not 1 irgz ; thofe ot fplrits, tiih oil, and iron, arc, I believe, tiie m(;it conliderable. 'I'lu-y lal)iicatc heaver-hat?, wh'.ii thiy f. 11 for u iiHJidore a pic cj and fome years ago they erected a manufactory, with a iltlign tu cr^our:ge the Iriitj fatlers to make linens i but at iho hrc»kl;)g out ot ihj war the price of la'oour was inhancd io much, that it was impofiihle to carry it on. Like tl; ; red of ih'^. culonies tiK'y aho cndc.VDur to make vvcuilens, but r ave not y t l)ccn able to brm.-' them :o ,'.nv d.^'ree oi peif-.tion : indecil ir is an article i;i w i:ich I think, they wid nvt caijly lucceed ; ftr th.e American wool ui not only coanc, hut, in conipu-iluii til the luiglilh, cxce."ding!y tiiort. Uju.n ilu' l)ei\ ii.quiiy I could make, 1 wai, not able to difcover t tat ary one had ' .er leeii a Itaple cfAmeiicm woci longer th.ui i<.\^\\ iixlicsi whereas in tiic C ui^ti.'i of Lincoln and Leicel'-.r, they iirc frequently tueniy-t'.M) inchji loiig. In t'le f'-;uth.rn coK'nie.^, at leail in thofe parli where J travelled, the.e i. ilir'-.!y any lieib- a-'cj and whethe; it ij o^iiig to t!ii.>, or to tlie c.\c: fuve heats lam ignoraut; the word is ihort and hairy. Th.e northern qolonie^s have indeed grcter plenty cf luM-hagc, but a:c f-r i^.mc month, co'.eicd uiUi fauw ; .\:id willicut a d.:g!te c^' Jittciit^on 1760.. So M A S S A C 11 U S E T S - B A Y 1760 nttentlon niul care in houfiti^'; tlie flicep, and guarding thctn againll accidents, and wild bcalU, which would not ealily be compcnLitcd, it would be very difficult to increafc their num- bers to any great amount. The Americans fcem confcious of tins fad, and, notwithllanding a very fevcre prohibition, contrive to procure from England, every year, a confiderablj number of rams, in order to improve and multiply the breed. What the lands beyond the Alleghenny and upon the banks of the Ohio may be, I do not know ; they arc faid to be very rich: but the climate I believe ib not Icfs fevere ; and I think, upon collating different accounts, that the fcverity of boat and cold is not much abated bv cultivation. The air becomes dryer and more wholefome, in proportion as the woods arc cut down, and the ground is cleared and cultivated ; but the cold is not Icfs piercing, nor the fnow lefs frequent. I think therefore upon the whole, that America, though it may with par- ticular care and attciUion, produce fmall quantities of tolerably good wool, vvill yet never be able to produce it in fuch plenty iind of fiuh a quality as to fcrve for the necclfary co.ilump- tiun of its inhabitant:]. The government of this province is lodged in the hands of a governor or lieutenant-governor, appointed by liie king; a couiK'il of twenty-eight perfons, chofcn annually, with the go- vernors aj-iprubaiion, by the general art'embly*; and a houfe of rcpiefcntativcs -j' annually eleded by the freeholders. The * Tlicv arc cliolln by the new rcprclcntativi-s, aii>i the lall year's cniinlVl- lors ; fo that each couiilVllor hw^ a vote in Ins own le-clcc^ion. The gover- ii(;r ha'i a iiei'iuivc to every counlcUor'!; eicclioii, without biiiiiT ohIi;_v;d toaflimi a re.ifo:!. f Kaeh rcj)!\.feiitativc mull he lefuleiit in the townfMp for wiiieh he is cleclciJ ; he mii(l alio have a plurality of votcfj rcfpcolinj the number of voter.'-. inJ not in coinpniilon only of the other caniliJates ; he is paid for his attcnd- y lot, aiul partly by rotation. M an 82 M A SS A CII U S r. TS-B A V. .-60. aiul the minillcr of it (tlic rcvcrciui Mr. Apthorpc,) is a very amiable young man, of fliining part??, grc.it learning, and pure and engaging manners.* Arts and i:^ciences fecm to have made a grc;Uer progrcfs here, than in any other part of America. Harvard college has been founded above a hundred years ; and although it is not upon a perreet pi n, yet it has produced a very good eftecft. The arts are uiidcni.ibly mucii forwarder in Mad'icluircts-n.iy, th.ni cither in Penlylvania or New York. Tiie public buildings arc more elegant ; and there is a more gcner.il turn for mufic, painting, and the belles lettres. Tile charaiftcr of the inhabitints of this province is much improved, in coinparifon of what it was : but puritanifin and a fpirit of perfecution is not yet totally txtinguilhed. The gentry of both fexes are hofpiMl^le, and good-natured ; there is an air of civility in their behaviour, but it is conrtraincd by formality and precifer.efs. Even the women, though eafinefs of carriage is peculiarly charad:cri(lic of their nature, appear here with more (litfncfs and refervc than in the other colonies. They are formed with fvmmctry, arc handfome, and have fair :ind delicate complexions; but arc faid univerfally, and even proverbi d!y, to have very indifferent teeth. The lower clafs of people arc more in the extreme of this character; and, which is conilantly mentioned as fingularly peculiar to them, are impertinently curious and incjuifitive. I WMS told of a gentleman of Philadelphia, who, in travelling' through the provinces of New Kngland, having met with many impertinencics, from this extraordinary turn of charai^ter, * This gentleman, I ' aic heard, aficrwarJ met with fa much oppdfitifja and pcriccutioii from the congrtgaiiuiiaMh, th.it he was obliged to rtfi'-n his curt.', to i[uit the colony, and has fincc livi I in r.ti!.<;!.ind upon a living, (I lich wai« iiivcn bclicvg ia S.rry, (which waj him \,^ th; \au archbilhop Seeker. at M A 5S ACII USE TS-li A V. at length fell upon an expedient iilmoll as extraordinary, to get rid of tlicm. I Ic h.id ob.'crv.d, when lie went into ati ord;. nar>*, that every individual of th.r fanuly had a quei;i„n or two to propofc to him, relative to hii^liidory i and that, till each was fatisfied, and they had conferred and compared together their informatiun, there was. no pofliuihty of procurin-^ any rtlielhment. He, therefore, the moment he went into any of thefc |)laees, in(iuired for the mader, the midrcfs, the fons, the daughters the men-fervants and the maid-fervants ; and havin;; aire(nble(l thctn all together, he began in this manner. •' Worthy people, 1 am B. F. of Philadelphia, by trade a , *' and a bachelor ; I have ibn\c rehitiunb at Dollon, to wlioni *' I am going to make a viut : my Hay will be Ihort, and I *' (hall then return and follow my bufir.els, as a prudent man *• ought to do. 'I'Ids is all 1 know (d" myielf, and all I •' can ponibly inform you of; 1 hrg tliercfore that yon will «♦ have pity upon nie and my horfe, and give us both fome *' refrcfhment." Singul.n- fitu.itions and nnnners will !-c prodn'.^ive of fingu- larcuflMns; but frequently fuch ;■■: upon llight ex-imination may appear lo be the elleels of mere ^M-oilViCls of chara^^er, will, upon deeper refearch, be found to proceed from fnnplicity and innocence. A v^ry extraordiniry method of cnurtlhip, which is fometimcs pradtifed amongit the 1 v.ver people of this j)ro- vincc, and is called Tarrying, has ijiven occafion to this rellcc- ticn. When a man is enamoured of a young woman, and wiOics 10 marry her, he propofes the afTair to her parents, (without whofe conlent no marriage in this colony can take place) J if they have no objection, they allow hini to tarry with her one night, in order to make his court to her. At their ufual time the old couple retire tj bed, lca\ ing the young * bins arc h (.allcd in Aiiu'iicu M 2 8 ;7!)0. ones ^. ^>. «'^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) A V A (/, '(/. % 1.0 I.I 1.25 ^1^ IIM ^ teS 1 2.2 S lis lllllio 1.8 ^ IIIIIM ( '-^r // °m w 7 Hiotograpmc Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (71«) 872-4503 m V ^^ \ s 'V .y^ V L \ \ ■n 84 MASSACHUSETS-BAY. 1760, ones to f;ttle matters as they can j who, after having fate up as long as they think proper, get into bed together alfo, but without puUing off their under garments, in order to prevent fcandal. If the parties agree, it is all very well j the banws are publifhed, and they are married without delay. If not, they part, and poflibly never fee each other again ; unlefs, which is an accident that feldom happens the forfaken fair- one prove pregnant, and then the man is obliged to marry her, under pain of excommunication*. The province of MalTachufets-Bay has been for fome years paft, 1 believe, rather on the decline. Its inhabitants have loft feveral branches of trade, which they are not likely to recover again. They formerly fupplied, not only Connedicut, but other parts of the continent, with dry goods, and received rpecie in return : but fince the introduction of paper-currency they have been deprived of great part of this commerce. Their fliip-trade is confiderably decreafcd, owing to their not having been fo careful in the conftrudion of veffels as formerly : their filheries too have not been equally fuccefsful : they have had * A gentleman fometlme ago travelling upon the frontiers of Virginia, where there are very few fettlements, was obliged to take up his quarters one evening at a miferable plantation ; where, exclufive of a Negro or two, the family confided of a man and his wife, and one daughter about fixteen years of age. Being fatigued, he prefently defir^d them to fliew him where he was to Deep ; accordingly they pointed to a bed in a corner of the room where they were fitting. The gentleman was a little embarrafl'cd, but bcintr excefllvcly weary, he retired, half undreffed himfelf, and got into bed. After fome time the old gentlewoman came to bed to him, after her the old gen- tleman, and laft of all the young lady. This, ia a country excluded from all civilized fociety, could only proceed from fimpliclty and innocence : and indeed it is a general and true obfervation, that forms and obfcrvances become neccfHiry, and arc attended to, in proportion as manners become corrupt, and it is found cxf. dient to guard againft vice, and that dcfign and duplicity of charatSler, which, from the nature of things, will ever prevail in large and cul- tivated focic'tics. alfo MASSACHUSETS BAY. alfo a confidcrable number of provincial troops in pay during the courfe of the prefent war- and have been burthened with heavy taxes. Thefe have beer laid upon eftates, real and perfonal. Some merchants in Boilon, I have been credibly informed, have paid near 400 1. fterling annually. — AffefTments are made by parti- cular officers, who, with the feledt-men, conftables, overfeers, and feveral others, are eleded annually by the freemen, for the direction and management of each p;:irticular townlliip. There is lefs paper- money in this colony, than in any other of America : the current coin is chiefly gold and filver : and Bofton is the only place, I believe, where there is a mint to coin money. I was told of a very impolitic law in force in this province^ which forbids any mailer, or commander of a veflel to bring Grangers into the colony, without giving fecurity that they fliall not become chargeable to it. Upon the whole, however, notwithftanding what has been faid, Maflachufets-bay is a rich, populous, and well-cultivated province.— I cannot take leave of it without relating a very extraordi- nary ftory, communicated to me by perfons of undoubted cre- dit, as it further tends to illuftrate the charadler and manners of its inhabitants. Some years ago, a commander of one of majefty's fliips of war being Rationed at this place, had orders to cruife from time to time, in order to protect our trade, and diflrefs the enemy. It happened unluckily that he returned from one of his cruifes on a Sunday ; and as he had left his lady at Boilon, the moment ihe heard of the ihip's arrival, (he hailed down to the waters fide, in order to receive him. The captain, on land- ing, embraced her with tendernefs and affedion : thi?, as there were many fpedators by, gave great oifence, and was car.fidered and a flagrant profanation of the Sab- bath. 85 1760. as :ators an adl of indecenc M: 86 JM A S S A C II U S E T S CAY. i7^^o- batli. The next dav, therefore, lie was fummoncd before the magiilrates, who, with many fcverc rebukes and pious exhor- tations, ordered him to be pubhcly whipped. TIic captaia fiifled his indignation and rcfentment as niucli as poflibls, and as the punilbment, from the frequency of it, was not attended with any rreat deerce of ininominy or dill::;racc, he mixed with the befl company, was well received by tl;cni, and they were apparently good friends. — At Icngtli the ti.iiC of tlic flation expired, and he was recalled : he went, therefore, vvith feem- in;"^ concern to t ike leave of his worthy frienvls ; and that they might fpend one more happy day together before their final feparation, he invited the principal magiflrates and feledl men to dine with him on hoard his (hip, upon tlie day of his de- parture. They accepted the invitation, and nothing could be more joyous and convivial than the entertainment which he p-ave them. At len!];th the fatal moment arrived that was to leparate them : the anchor was apeak, the fails were unfurled and nothing was wanting but the fir^nal to get under way. The captain, after taking an affedionate leave of his worthy friends, accompanied them upon deck, where the boatfwain and crew were in readinels to receive th-m. He there thanked them afrcfh for the civilities they had Oiown hi;n, of which, he faid, he fliould retain an eternal remembrance ; and to which he vvilhed it had been in lus power to have made a more ade- quate return. One point of civility only remained to be ad- iufled between them, which, as it was in his power, fo he meant mofi: juftly to recompenfe to them. He then reminded them of what had paffed, and ordering the crew to pinion them, had them brought one by one to the gang-way j where the boatfvvain Gripped off their fliirts, and with a cat of nine tails laid on the back of each forty fl ripes fave one. They were then, amidfl the fliouts and acclamations of the crew, flioved into their mi PISCATAQJJA. NEW HAMPSHIRE. tlieir boats : and the c^^.ptaln immediately getting under way, failed for England *. The 1 2th of Odlober I embarked on board his majerty's fliip the Wincheftcr, of fifty guns, captain Hale commander, for the river Pifcataqua, in New Hampfhirc ; and we came to an an- chor there tiie next day, after a pleafant pallage. I'he capital of this province is Portfmoudi, which is fituated upon the river : it is an inconfiderable place, and chiefly built of wood. Very little can be faiJ of the province of New HampQiire, materially different from what has been fiid of Malla- chiifets-bay. — The climate, produce, trade, government, reli- gion, and manners of it are much the fame. — There are fuppofed to be about 40,000 inhabitants, 8ooo militia, and 6 or ,^00 provincial troops. — There are only two milTionaries of the church of England, and one of thefe has lately applied to be removed to Rhode iiland. — The chief articles for exportation are fifh, cattle, fliips, of which they annually build near 200, and mads for the royal navy. Thefe are made of the white pine, and are, I believe, the fineft in the world, many of them being forty yards long, and as many inches in diameter. They never cut them down but in times of deep fnow, as it would be impofiible in any other feafon to get them down to the river. When the trees are fallen, they yoke feventy or eighty pair of oxen, and drag them along the Inow. It is ex- ceedingly difficult to put them firlf in motion, which they call raifing them ; and when they have once effected this, they * This ftory h.is lately appeared la one of the Englifh News Papers, told with much humour, and with foir.c difference refpectinj the occafion and mode of the captain's puniflimcnt. The author cannot take upon himfelf to fay which account may be mod exa(5>, hut he has chv)ren to abide by that which he heard at Boftcn. They either ot' them ierve to chara<5lerirc the peo- ple, and to anfwer the author's purpoi'o in relaiinf^ it. m never S7 1760. ss riSCATAQUA. NEW HAMPSHIRE. 1760. never Hop upon any account whatfoever till they arrive at the waters fiJc. P'requently fome of the oxen are taken ill j upon which they immediately cut them out of the gears ; and are fometimes obliged, I was told, to dcliroy five or fix pair cf them. — The forefts, where thefe mafls grovv, are referved to tlic crown, which appoints a furveyor of them ; — who is com- monly the governor of this province. I'his is not the only expedient employed by government Ibr the prefervation offuch trees as may be of ufe for the royal navy ; for there is an ad; of parliament, I believe, which prohibits, under pain of cer- tain fines and penalties, the cutting down, or dellroying of ^ny white pine-tree of fpecitied dimenfions, not growing with- in the boundaries of any tovvndiip, without his majefty's li- cence, in any of the provinces of New England, New York, or New Jerfey: a reftridion abfolutely neceflary, whether con- fidcred as fecuring a provlfion for the navy, or as a check upon that very dertrudive pradtice, taken from the Indians, of fire- hunting. It ufcd to be the cuftom for Lrge companies to go into the woods in the winter, and to fet fire to the brufh and underwood, in a circle of fevcral miles. This circle gradually contraaing itfelf, the deer, and other wild animals, inclofed, naturally retired from the flames, till at le.jgth they got herd- ed together in a very fmall compafs. Now, blinded and fuf- focatcd by the faioke, and fcorched by the fire, which every moment came nearer to them, they forced their way, under the greateft trepidation and difmay, through the flames ; and were no fooner got into the open day-light again, than they were fliot by the hunters, who Aood without, and were in readincfs to fire upon them. — The trees included within the circle, although not abfolutely burnt down, were fo dried and injured, that they never vegetated any more: and as the f re did not only contracft itfelf inwardly, but dilated alfo outwardly, GENERAL REFLECTIONS. o -twardly, and fometitnes continued burning for feveral weeks, till rain, or fome accidental circumftancc put it out; it is in- credible what injury and devaftation it occafioncd in the woody. — I was once a Ipedator of a fimilar fire in Virginia, whicli happened throL-^h accident. Nothing could he more awful and tremendous than the fight. It was of great extent, and burned feveral weeks before the inhabitants could fubdue it. They effected it at lad by cutting away the under-wood, in wide and long avenues, to leeward of the fire, by which it was deprived of the means of communicating or fpreading any far- ther. — In Virginia (and, I believe, the other colonies), there is an exprefs adt of ailembly, paiTed in the 12th year of his late majefty, to forbid this pradice. The province of New Hampfhire, I was informed at Portf- mouth, has grown rich during the war, by the lofs of its own vcflels; they having been commonly infured above value. — The currency here is extremely bad, not better than that iii Rhode Illand.— Having travelled over fo large a trad of this vaft continent, before I bid a final farewell to it, I mufl: beg the reader's in- dulgence, while I flop for a moment, and as it were from the top of a high eminence, take one general retrofpedtive look at the whole. — An idea, flrange as it is vifionary, has entered into the minds of the generality of mankind, that empire is travelling weflward ; and every one is looking forward with eager and impatient exped:ation to that defined moment, when America is to give law to the reft of the world. But it" ever an idea was illufory and fallacious, I will venture to pre- dict, that this will be fo. America is formed for happincfs, but not for empire : in a courfe of 1200 miles I did not fee a fingle object that foUicitcd N charity j 90 GENERAL REFLECTION S. 176:. cbnrity ; but I Cxv^ infupcrabh caufcs of weakncfs, whicb will ]>rcvcnt its being a potfiit ilate. Our colonics may be dirtinguilLed Into the foutbern and nortbern j feparatfd from each other by the Sufquehannah and that imaginary h'nc which divides Maryland from PcnfyL vania. Tiie fcnitbcrn colonics have fo many inherent caufes of vveak- nels, that they never can poflcfs any real ftrength.— The cli- mate operates very powerfully upon them, and renders them indolent, inadive, and unentcrprifing ; this is vifible in every line of their characfler. I myfelf have been a fpedator, and it is not an uncommon light, of a man in the vigour of life, ly- ing upon a couch, and a female Have Handing over him, waft- ing off the flies, and fanning him, while he took his repofe. The fouthern colonies (Maryland, which is the fmalleft and mofl inconfiderable, alone excepted) will never be thickly feat- ed : for as they are not confined within determinate limits, but extend to the weftward indefinitely ; men, fooner than apply to laborious occupations, occupations militating with their dif- pofitions, and generally confidered too as the inheritance and badge of flavery, will gradually retire weftward, and kttle upon frert) lands, which are faid alfo to be more fertile ; where, by the fervitudeof a negroe or two, they may enjoy all the fatif- fadtion of an eafy and indolent independency; lience the lands upon the coaft will of courfe remain thin of inhabitants. The mode of cultivaticn by flavery, is another infurmountablc caufe of weaknefs. The number of Negroes in the fouthern colonies is upon the whole nearly equal, if not fuperior, to that of the white men, and they propagate and increafe i.cn fafter. — Their condition is truly pitiable; their labri,{ cxcef- fively hard, their diet poor and fcanty, their treati'icnt cruel and GENERAL REFLECTIONS. and opprenive. They cannot hut he a fuhjcd of terror to thofc who ih inhumanly tyrannize over them. The Indians near the frontiers arc a ftill farther formidable caufe of fuhjedion. The fouthern Indians arc numerous, and are governed by a founder policy than formerly : experience hus taught them wifdom. They never make war with tlic colu- nifts without carrying terror and devallation along with thcni. They fometimes break up intire counties together Such is llie ilate of the fouthern colonies. — . The northern colonies are of flronger ftamlna, but th-y have other difficulties and difadvantages to ftruggle with, not Icfs arduous, or more eafy to be furmounted, than what have been already mentioned. Their limits being defined, they will un- doubtedly become exceedingly populous : for though men will readily retire back towards the frontiers of their own colony, yet they will not fo eafily be induced to fettle beyond them, where different laws and polities prevail, and where, in fliort, they are a different people : byt in proportion to want of ter- ritory, if we confider the propofition in a general and abftracft light, will be want of power. — But the northern colonies have ftili more pofitive and real difadvantages to contend with. They are compofed of people of different nations, different manners, different religions, and different languages. Tisrv have a mutual jealoufy of each other, fomented by confider;;- tions of intereli, power, and afcendancy. Religious zcai t;;(% like a fmotliered fire, is fecretly burning in the hearts of the different fcvTtaries that inhabit them, and were it not retrained by laws and fuperior authority, would foon buril out into a flame of univerfal perfecution. Even the peaceable Quakers llruggle hard for pre-eminence, and evince in a very Ariking manner, that the paflions of mankind are much flronger than any principles of religion. N 2 The 9« • •Ch -(>,>. ' 9* l/iO. GFNFRAL REFLECTIONS. Tlic co!onit's therefore, feparately confiderec) arc iiucnvilty wc^k ; bi;t it iij.iy be luppofcfi, that, by an union or conhtioii, they would become ftrong and formidable ; but an union feenn nimoll ImpolTible. One founded in dominion or power is mor.illv fo : for were not England to interfere, the colonies tlic(n(tlvcji fo well undcrfliand the policy of prcferving a bal- ance, thai, I think, they would not be idle fpetflatori, were afiy of the colonics to endeavour to lubjugate its next neigh- bour. Indeed, it appears to me a very doubtful point, even fuppofing all the colonies of America were to be united' under one head, v^hcther it would be poflible iO keep in due order and governuient lb wide and extended an empire; the diflicul- ties of communication, of intercourfe, of correfpondence, and all other obftaclcs confidered. A voluntary alTociation or coalition, at leaf! a pcrmanrntone, is almoft: as dilllcult to be fupppofed : for fire and water are not more heterogeneous than the different colonies in North America. Nothing can exceed the jealoufy and emulation, which they poffcfs in regard to each other. The inhabitants of Penfylvania and New York have an inexhauftible fource of animofity, in their jealoufy for the trade of the Jerfeys. Maffa- chufets-Bay and Rhode Ifland, are not lefs intercfted in that of Connedicut. The Wefl: Indies are a common fubjed: of emu- lation to them all. Even the limits and boundaries of each colony, are a conftant fource of litigation. — In fliort, fuch is the difference of charader, of manners, of religion, of inter- el>, of the different colonies, that I think, if I am not wholly ignorant of the human mind, were they left to themfelves,. there would foon be a civil war, f.om one end of the continent to the other J while the Indians and Negroes would, with bet- ter reafon, impatiently watch the opportunity of exterminating them all together. After GENERAL REFLECTIONS. After all, hnwcvcr, luppofing what I firmly believe never will take place, a permanent union or alli;incc of all the colo- nies, yet it could not be eflcdual, or productive of the event luppofed J for luch is the extent ofcoall fettled by the Air.erican colonies, that it can never be defended but by a maritiinc power : America mull: firfl be miftrefs of the fca, before flic can be independent, or miftrcfs of herfelf. Suppofe the colo- nics ever fo populous j fuppofe them capable of maintaining 100,000 men conllantly in arms, (a fuppofitiun in the highelt degree extravagant}, yet half a dozen frigates would, with eafe, ravage and lay wafte the whole country from end to end, with- out a poflibility of their being able to prevent it; the country is fo interfered by river?, of fuch magnitude, as to render it impoflible to build bridges over them, that all communica- tion is in a manner cut off. An army under fuch circumflances could never adl to any purpofe or effe^'t, its operations would be totally fruflrated. Further, a great part of the opulence and power of Ame- rica depends upon her fil'heiies, and her commerce with the Weft Indies; flie cannot Uibfift without them; but thefe would be in.tirely at the mercy of that power, which might have the fovercignty of the feas. 1 conclude therefore, that England, fo long as ftie maintains her fupcriority in that re- fpect, will alfo poflefs a fupcriority in America; but the mo- ment (he lofcs the empire of the one, flie will be deprived of the fovereignty of the other : for were that empire to be held by France, Holland, or any other power, America, I will venture to predict, will be annexed to it.— Neweftablifliments formed in the interior parts of America, will not come under this predicament. I ihould therefore think it the beft policy to enlarge the prefent colonies, but not to eftablifh frefli ones ; for. 93 j7(>o. 94 GENERAL REFLECTIONS. for to fuppofc interior colonies to be of ufe to the motlicr- country, by being a check upon thofe already fettled, i-. to fup- pofc what is contrary to experience, and the nature of things, viz. that men removed beyond the reach of power will be fubordinate to it. Odobcr 20, I embarked again on board the Winchcfler, for England; and arrived in Plymouth found the z\i\ of Novem- ber, after a rough and tempeftuous voyage. FaPf'n'i "''s f 0. J A N U A R Y. 9S 96 8i 75 hcat> V( ry hue. riot 55' 45 TcmpT acc. Cold 3^ uir, Frofi. Hard 20 12 Irult. Froft 1740. Fron- I'oq. c I 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 y 10 1 1 t2 '3 '4 15 16 »7 18 '9; 20 1 21 ' 22 23 24 25 26 27 2S 29 30 3^ V 10 10 20 26 34 36 49 36 23 19 25 30 25 40 24 34 34 c N.W. N.W. N.W. N. W. S. W. S. W. S. E. N. E. N.W. N. E. S.W. s.w. S. E. S.W. S.W. N.W. S W N.W. Weather. Quite clear Clouded Snow - - - Rain and freezing hard A thaw A thaw Rain . - - Rain _ - - Quite clear Qu^itc clear Quite clear Quite clear Quite clear Rain Quite clear Little cloudy Cloudy Quite clear -__ T «l1 06 FEBRUARY. 1760. V) u 3 Ther. Wind Weather Hour 2. After. I 8 30 S.W. Sleel and rain 2 26 S.E. Qmte clear 3 «_ 21 N.W. Quite clear - - - 4 — 31 S.E. Quite clear - 5 1 46 S. Clouded - - - 6 ...^ 49 E. Little clouded 62 7 — 46 S.W. Quite clear - - - 62 8 49 N.E. Quite clear - 5« 9 _~ 33 E. Quite clear 10 ^^^, 38 N.E. Clouded - - - 52 II _^ 37 N. Quite clear 12 ^^^^ 28 S.W. Quite clear - - - n ^^^^^ 52 s. w. Little clouded 66 14 56 S.W. Hazy - " 70 i 15 ,^^ 38 N. Mifty rain 16 35 N. Little cloudv 17 34 N.W. Clouded, little fnow 18 22 N.W. Quite clear 30 '9 .,«... 25 S.W. Qjiite clear - - - 43 20 34 b. E. Hazy - • - 48 21 41 S. Hazy 64 22 49 W. C^ite clear - - ~ 56 23 -_ 3^ N.W. Quite cle ir 24 40 s. w. Little cloudy 25 — !+5 • X.L< * Qhite clear - - - 5^ [20; !53 s. Haz7 - - - 72 '27; — 59 N.E. Clouded - - - 76 28j 49 N.E. i Clouded 54 29 1 1 42 S N.E. i 1 Rain . 37 1 i'j6o. MARC H. 97 28 CO u u J5 Q 3: h I 8 3- 2 — 34 3 — 40 4 — 51 5 — 40 6 — 35 7 — 45 8 — 48 9 — IS 10 32 II — 32 12 — ?>S ^3 — 49 H 45 '5 Z7 16 — 30 ^7 — 26 18 — 27 19 — 39 20 — 41 21 29 22 — 36 23 — 39 24 — 45 25 — 49 26 4M . . 1 29 4j 53 64 S7 66 E. N. N. E. S. W. w. s.w. s. w. s.w. N. W. N. E. S. E S. E. N. E. N. E. N. N. W. N. W. s. w. N. W. N. E. N. E. F. E. S. E. N.W. S.W. s.w. s.w. s. w. w. Weather Clouded - - Little cloudy - Clouded Showery and windy - Little cloudy and windy Quite clear Hazy Rain _ - _ Milling rain Clouded Little cloudy Clouded Rain _ - - Mifling rain - Clouded Thick fnow Snow _ _ - Quite clear Clouded Cloudy Snow - - _ Rain Little cloudy - Little cloudy - Little cloudy Quite clear Quite clear Quite clear Hazy - - - Rain - - - Showery - 3 ^ c^ 54 59 45 52 54 50 3« 45 43 54 54 43 39 12 32 38 52 38 34 39 50 52 56 48 54 70 74 67 64 Q q3 APRIL. 1760. «3 "* ul •T3 >^\ = Weather 3. < H '^ (N « h-i ■ 49 K. W. Quite clear ss 2 ' '50 S. Q^it(; clcMr _ _ . 67 1, \ ': 61 s. w. Clouded _ _ - 7^ 4i — ,^5 S. E (^litc clear 76 ' 1 70 ^v. Q^ite clear, thunder 79 61 — 5" E. Clouded _ _ - 60 7 — 50 N. \V. Thunder, clouded 65 8; 47 N. E. Tluinder, clouded 50 9 — 45 N. E. Clouded 50 io!~- 64 S. \N. Little cloudy, thunder «5 III — 44 N. E. Small rain 52 12 ,^ 5^ N. E. Little cloudy 56 ^3 —153 S. E. Clouded 69 Hi- 67 S. W. Little cloudy 11 Mi 70 S. W. Cloudy, thunder / 80 lO! — 48 N.W. Little cloudy 58 171—' 5 J S. E. Clouded 50 5° 18 — 45 N. E. Clouded 19 «- 55 W. Quite clear 72 20 — 59i s.w. Quite clear, thunder n 21 04 1 E. Quite clear / / 11 22 — . 65 1 S. K. Clouded - - - 1 ' 7S 76 70 23 65i S.W. Cloudy and fliowers 24 — 6; S. E. Quite clear - - - 25 — 70 S. E. Quite clear 80 26 — 74 S.W. Quite clear - _ _ 84 27 — 77 s.w. Quite clear, thunder 85 28 — — 70 s. w. Quite clear - _ - 80 2(; 65 N.W. Quite clear 60 \ 30 62 N.W. Quite clear 60 i/6o. M A Y. 99 t t/3 Q o 8 3 5. I 7 II 12 ^3 H — '5 :6 1 M7 ti8 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 ! ! i . 1 I 50 52 64 65 5^ 60 60 72 71 65 58 60 68 67 73 7^ 74 68 66 72 64 5» 73 71 76 61 04 64 69 7' c > N. W. N. E. \V. s. \v. s. w. N. E. N. E. S. E. S. W. S. W. N. E. N. E. S. W. N.W. W. s. w. s. v/. w. N. W. N.W. N.E. N. E. N. E. W. N.W. Weather C^iitc clcir Little cloudy Q^ite clear (^ite cle:ir Foggy, little raiii Clouded Qmte ckar (^ite clear Quite clear ! Quite ckar, t.iunder ' Little cloudy I Rain, thunder } Cloudy, thunder ! Cloudy I Little cloudy I Clouded, little rain j Little cloudy i Cloudy, thunder Cloudy Little cloudy Quite clear Rain, — thunder Clouded I Rain, — thunder i Quite clear ; Thunder o cJ I 60 64 64 74 74 63 69 73 8. 80 70 57 70 70 72 77 ^3 7^ 75 75 75 61 69 63 78 §2 63, 70 j 70 75\ 75\ lOO JUNE. 1760. CO ri Ui r- Weather. Q X H ^ p*^ N 1 8 77 . • . 80 2 77 _ - - 83 A 80 _- - - " - 8^ 4 -!«3 -— Thunder - 88 5 — - 52 Rain - 70 6 65 Thunder - 63 7 65 - . - - 73 67 - 78 9 7^ Rain - - - - IS 10 65 - - - - IS II m— 74 - . . - 81 12 — 78 - - - - 89 »3 80 - _ - 87 H l"- - • . - 89 15 86 - _ _ 9^ 16 90 Thunder — 90 17 78 Thunder - 87 18 73 High wind - 7S 19 — 00 - « - - IS 20 -78 - - - 83 21 ~ 80 - - - - 89 22 — 7i - - - IS 23 — |0S Rain, thnnder > 80 24 — !72 - _ - - 78 25 -76 - - 79 26 |— 73 . . - 80 271— 76 — — Thunder - 80 28 80 — _, — ... > 85 29 — 81 _ - - 83 30 ^^^ 75 ... " 83. 17^0. I U L Y. IGI C/5 Q I 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 lO 1 1 12 '3 15 16 17 o re nd :8o 75 81 87 75 72 72 7^ 73 75 |84 86 ^7 'B7 i«3 77 Weather. Thunder Thunder Rain Small rain Rain I Thunder I Rain : Rain I Rain ' Rain Thunder Til tnder — ,Q Thunder 18 — 75 19 -\So 20 --77 21 — '75 2 2 80 23 '84 24 — .80 25 -i'9 26 — iSO 27 — ? . 28 1 291 30 h |8o '72 Rain 3 ii 86 82 89 92 76 78 80 78 B3 80 86 88 92 92 91 83 8] 84 83 78 87 88 93 93 94 80 80 77 81 82 7« 102 AUGUST. 1760. u 1 J3 Weather lour iter. Q ffi H ^ <: I 8 77 — "••■•- 84 2 — 77 - - _ 81 3 — \75 Rain - - > 78 4 1 73 ~ •* •• #• 78 84 89 5 6 7 74 ;^3 ^5 — — Rain - , 8 9 lO 1 1 — 85 ^^7 87 89 Thunder 90 9' 92 91 12 — 89 Thunder 93 94 94 86 '3 "~~ 90 80 ■ Thunder - - Rain - - . '5 — 84 Thunder _ . . 88 i6 — 79 - - • „ 86 17 18 — 84 80 ~ — •• » 83 ** "" ^ m» 88 19 — 4 ^ « w 88 83 79 83 s: 86 20 21 22 — 78 72 78 Rain - - 23 24 25 — 76 77 83 * ■■ ■■ 26 — 76 — • « 89 78 27 28 29 — 84 72 Thunder - - - 30 — — — — „ ^ 31 — " 31 -_«-_ « . _ _ _ 96 1760. SEPTEMBER. 103 >^ 'A G 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 II 12 13 14 15 16 ^7 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 3 o K 8 H «5 /H «3 80 70 73 '^3 75 80 80 80 80 76 69 82 71 67 55 64 52 49 63 7' 62 52 52 3« 64 59 5« Weather Thunder Thunder A (hower A fliovver Rain Rain 5^ 8S 80 88 82 76 78 78 81 86 87 86 83 78 80 91 72 72 62 68 65 64 76 79 70 64 69 7' 77 67 67 Itl ^104 O C T O B E Ps. 1760. '•i o 1 2 o u H V/cathcr c 8 !-54 3 i t \5; 4l~ 1 cy 5 - 6 — 57 7 ~ 57 8 5« 9 -- 62 10 — 62 11 1 — ;62: 12 — 50 i3i — 62 H 1 — 70 i '5'~ 49, 16 — 49: '7 45 1 18 — 5<^^i 19 — 54 i 20 — 50 21 - 4S 22 — 43 23 — ..2 24 — 03 25 — 50 26 4^ :^ - 50 :,!- 45 3^ — 43 3»,— 30 Mining rain Rain Little rnia Rain • : Rain cs 63 67 70 73 63 57 59 67 68 70 70 66 7:^ 68 60 59 62 68 70 53 ^9 57 60 71 5^ 69 63 60I 43 491 1760. N O V E M 13 E U. 105 u J -^ 1 >> 3 . Wcatb. cr i; 1 j-( j:^ 1 8 43 - »• 2 3 4 5 6 — 47 — — M * — 50 . 1 M •• ■* 7 8 —- 50 , - •" -— 54 \ -. - 9 — 40 — — . ■k * ^ 10 — 35 *• " u 1 30 — . M ■* 12 1 43 ... ■1 •* ^3 14 — 42 *• •— "^ 40 « IS 16 — 3^ "* 42 — — •■ ^ ■• 17 18 _ 33 Little fnow — 25 — , — - - "■ *9 — 27 ■• " 20 — 35 ^ ** " 21 — 3^^ - - - 22 — 28 — — _ «• •» 23 24 25 — 3^0 ■ - ~ ■" _ 48 — ~ .— . 48 Little rain 26 — 49 — — Rain ** 27 28 — 5^ 45 — _-^ Rain 29 — 36 ■ •• 30 33 K C) 61 67 70 55 48 43 45 60 1 52 47 46 60 37 381 48 47 5^ 5^ 64 54 60 55 52 45 46 io6 If r^ ^^ c J-: m b k j^ Q I 2 3 4 5 6 / Z3 O 1) "rs — ,'4' Rain 8 130 I -{34 14' 5' !3« ,35 1 44 Weather. I 8 I I 9 10 1 1 12 '3 '4, Ml 16 ! I i8 i2i ; i22 ; i^3i j24! 125!— 27 I -;4o — i44 12Q\ 48 2;^3{ — — 24: — K, Rain Rain Rain Snow 24 44 am ™- MilJi iig rain 26 — ^5' ^3 32 '27 2:s 29 3'^r — 42; ;R;^{^ 42 ■42 ^44 27 24 1760. u u ffi <; 46 49 47 56 47 46 48 45 49 57 55 5' 46 47 65 69 35 32 34 3^ 55 44 37 38 53 54 441 35i 35 F N I R R A, 8. Antetv,.Jor Boquet, ,v^./ Bouquet i«/^/;' pubi;j},>d h the fime ^tuho,: A Sermon on the Nature of Subfcription to Article, of Re ,g,on, p,e,ched before the Rev. Joh« Law, AM