Chapter X: Preface (6)

The characteristics of the people of any particular town, generally depend upon the disposition and {150} habits of its first settlers. Sometimes these first settlers are hospitable and fond of society; and sometimes they are exclusively devoted to business, and consider every stranger, who makes his appearance among them, as actuated by the same views.

With respect to the characteristics of the people of Pittsburgh, I judge only from information which I obtained there, and which appeared to be sanctioned by the general aspect of things in relation to them.

During my short visit at this place, I became particularly acquainted with the family of E. B. Esq.; and mention this circumstance for the purpose of affording myself the satisfaction of expressing some sentiments respecting them. So interesting were they, that I have, ever since I left them, regretted the loss of their society. Mr. B. is a German; has travelled a great deal, both in Europe and America; is acquainted with many languages; possesses very extensive information; and is a man of a sound and discriminating mind. Possessing too, much sensibility, and much delicacy of taste, his ideas are polished, and interestingly expressed. In Mrs. B. are combined good sense, simplicity, and benevolence. E**** is sensible, and innocently romantic; and in the little daughters are blended much vivacity and loveliness.

On the back part of Pittsburgh there is a rise of ground, called Grant’s Hill. Here one may have a perfect view of the town; and its appearance from this position is very much in its favour. This hill was occupied by the English General Grant during the old French war; and here he surrendered to the enemy.[141] About nine miles up the Monongahela is the place called Braddock’s Fields.[142] It is celebrated by the defeat there of the general of this name. These fields are also noted by their {151} being the rendezvous of the Whiskey Boys during the western insurrection in 1794. The defeat of Braddock took place in 1755. Many vestiges of this bloody engagement are still visible. It is well known that here our Washington acted as a volunteer aid to General Braddock; and by his intrepidity, and military skill, saved the English troops from total destruction. In the engagement Washington had two horses shot under him, and received four balls through his clothes.

The Monongahela river is a noble stream. It rises at the foot of the Laurel mountains, is about four hundred yards wide at its mouth, is navigable at a great distance, and its current is deep and gentle. Across this river, at Pittsburgh, an elegant bridge has recently been erected.

After remaining at Pittsburgh two days, I descended the Ohio for a few miles, and then landed on its western bank. The state of Ohio is situated altogether on the west of the river, and is bounded east by Pennsylvania, north by Lake Erie and Michigan Territory, and west by Indiana. The length of the river is about eleven hundred miles, and its average breadth about one half of a mile; in some places, however, its width is about twice this distance. The river is, generally, very deep, sufficiently so for the navigation of large ships. Its aspect is placid and clear; and when the water is high, is expansive and beautiful. It contains a great many islands, and is stored with a variety of fish and fowl. The river sometimes rises forty or fifty feet, and greatly endangers the settlements upon its banks. Sometimes too, the river is low and appears inconsiderable. Its sinuosities are numerous, and in the spring of the year, the abrasive effect of the floating ice and trees upon its banks is very great.

{152} The general aspect of the state of Ohio is rather level than otherwise. There are here no elevations which can be called mountains; but the country is gently diversified. The upper part of it is most hilly. West of Chilicothe it is nearly level. In various parts of the state, there are extensive prairies covered with high grass. Those near the river are small; but those in the interior are from thirty to fifty miles in extent. The soil of the state is, generally, very fertile; but as is the case every where else, some of its lands are sterile, and some unfit for cultivation. Its forests are spacious and elegant. The sycamore trees here are numerous, and some of them surprisingly large. In this and the other western states there is still considerable game; but the hand of civilization having here wantonly destroyed much, a scarcity has, for some time, been experienced.

Most of the western states in a great measure resemble, as to their aspect, the state of Ohio. This whole range of country is better calculated for the production of grain than for the growth of cattle. The pastures here, however, are rich; and the woods so abound with nuts, that immense herds of swine are raised in them without the least expence. The climate, judging from the general appearance of the inhabitants, I should suppose much less healthy than that of New-England; and in particular situations the fever and ague, and bilious fevers are very prevalent.

In travelling from Pittsburgh to New-Orleans, I sometimes moved upon the rivers, and sometimes marched in the woods. In the latter the traveller is, during the summer season, greatly annoyed by musquetoes. Having no covering, I was often employed during the whole night in defending myself against them. Here I may observe, that from the {153} time of my leaving Pittsburgh to my arrival at New-Orleans, I slept in the open air about thirty nights. The night dews did not affect my health.

The boats which float upon the river Ohio are various:—from the ship of several hundred tons burthen, to the mere skiff. Very few if any very large vessels, however, are now built at Pittsburgh, or indeed at any other place on the Ohio. They were formerly built on this river, particularly at Pittsburgh and Marietta; but the difficulties incident to getting them to the ocean, have rendered such undertakings unfrequent.

An almost innumerable number of steam boats, barks, keels, and arks, are yearly set afloat upon this river, and upon its tributary streams. The barks are generally about one hundred tons burthen, have two masts, and are rigged as schooners, and hermaphrodite brigs. The keels have, frequently, covered decks, and sometimes carry one mast. These and also the barks are sometimes rowed and sometimes moved up the river by poling, and by drawing them along shore with ropes. The flat boat or ark is of a clumsy construction; but very burthensome. Its foundation consists of sills like those of a house, and to these is trunneled a floor of plank. The sides are of boards loosely put together, and the top is covered in the same way. The bottom of the boat, and so much of the sides as come in contact with the water, are caulked. Some of this kind of boat will carry four or five hundred barrels of flour, besides considerable quantities of bacon, cheese, and other produce. On the deck of the ark are two large oars, moving on pivots, and at the stern there is a large stearing oar. The progress of the ark is principally in floating with the current; and the oars are seldom used excepting for the purpose of rowing ashore.

{154} The business carried on by boats, on the Ohio and Mississippi, is immense. The freight of goods up and down these rivers is high; and the freighting business here is exceedingly profitable. No property pays so great an interest as that of steam boats on these rivers. A trip of a few weeks yields one hundred per cent upon the capital employed.

The arks, and, generally speaking, the keels, when they reach New-Orleans, seldom return up the river again. The former are sold for lumber.

The current of the Ohio is about four miles an hour. That of the Mississippi is rather quicker.

On the river Ohio, nearly opposite to Louisville, there are rapids, the descent of which is about twenty-three feet in the distance of two miles. Owing to this circumstance many boats do not return from below this place. This difficulty, however, is about to be removed by a canal, which will give to the river, at this place, another direction.[143] This is the only considerable obstruction in the whole course of the Ohio.

In the rapids there are three passages, and they are all taken at different times, according to the state of the river. Pilots are, by law, appointed to navigate boats down the rapids. The quantity of water in the river often varies: it sometimes both rises and falls in the course of a few hours.

Before I proceed further down this river, I must notice those parts of Pennsylvania and Virginia, which lie on the Ohio. The western boundary of Pennsylvania lies about forty miles west of French Creek and Alleghany river; and west of Pittsburgh, on both sides of the Ohio, about the same distance. North-west, it is bounded by a part of Lake Erie, and south by a part of Virginia.

A part of the state of Virginia lies on the Ohio, {155} having a part of Pennsylvania on the east,[144] and Kentucky on the west. The principal waters, which enter the Ohio from Pennsylvania, are the Big Beaver on the north, and Racoon Creek on the south.

In travelling in the vicinity of the western rivers, I could not always obtain good accommodations upon them. As such accommodations, however, were of but little consequence to me, I always, when I wished to descend the rivers, jumped into the first boat I could find.—Sometimes I moved along in a keel, sometimes in an ark, and sometimes rowed myself in a little skiff. By taking this course, I not only could land when I pleased, but became particularly acquainted with the navigation of the rivers, and with the various means of transportation upon them. My society, it is true, was not always the best; but, perhaps, not the less instructive for this circumstance. To become practically acquainted with the world, one must see human nature in all its aspects. Sometimes I met real gentlemen, and sometimes fell in with the perfect boor. I was not known to any one; but the boatmen, frequently becoming sick, applied to me for medical aid; and hence I acquired the title of Doctor.

My prescriptions were always simple; and, _strange to tell_, I did not lose a single patient. My knowledge of the Materia Medica was, no doubt, limited. Without, however, consulting Celsus or Boerhave, I always told the sick, that in a few days, they would be perfectly well. I really suppose that men often die, because they think they shall. Much depends, in sickness, upon the state of the mind. Our intellectual and physical nature always sympathise with each other. Resistance lessens the force of an attack; and there is something {156} in the declaration, I will not be conquered! which fortifies both the mind and the body.

My next _learned_ theory was, that nature loves herself; and, in sickness, requires, in many cases, only a little aid to enable her so to exert her powers as to produce the desired effect. The most simple prescriptions, if efficient, are always the best. Powerful remedies tend to disorganize the most subtle functions of the animal economy; and by curing one disease to produce a complication of many others.

But I would not call in question the importance of the profession of medicine. As to its station in the catalogue of sciences, it ranks among the very first. This profession presents to the human mind the most extensive field for investigation. The great science of physiology is its basis; and chymistry, the wonderful magician, by whom the constituent parts of matter are ascertained, the effects of their various combinations discovered, and the production of new qualities realized. The physician should be, emphatically, a child of nature, and well acquainted with the principles of her government, both with respect to mind and matter.

Upon the western rivers a great many boatmen die, and their graves upon the banks are numerous; hence those who are taken sick are, generally, much alarmed.

The boatmen of the west are conspicuous for their habits of intemperance, and swearing. Whilst on the western rivers my ears were shocked by their oaths and curses. I endeavoured to lessen this practice. To effect my object I, occasionally, associated with them; and by a kind, free, and yet grave manner, prepared the way for some friendly counsel upon the subject. They saw that I did not feel above their labours, or their modes of living.—I fully participated in their hard fare; slept across flour {157} barrels, without bed or covering, drank water from the river, and sometimes laboured at their oars. Thus I gained their confidence and their good will.

At one time, during the silence of evening, I addressed about twenty boatmen upon the subject of swearing. I represented the practice as not only wicked, but idle, low, and unmanly. They heard me with attention, some of them made many acknowledgments, and whilst I continued with them, they swore little or none. Upon many other occasions I spake to boatmen upon the subject; and from their manner, I have no doubt that the practice of swearing among them might be rendered less common. But, perhaps, there is no habit, the controul of which depends less upon the will than that of swearing. The tongue is a little member, and often moves ere the judgment can controul the impulses of the heart. A pretty lad, in one of the western boats, attracted my attention, both by his beauty and his profaneness. After speaking to him upon the subject, I offered him a dollar upon the condition of his not swearing for the remainder of the day. He was much pleased with the proposition; but after controuling himself with much watchfulness, for about an hour, he became discouraged, and partially returned to his long established practice. Let those, who are so happy as to be free from this vice, guard against the subtle influences of its example.

As to intemperance, I think it is by no means peculiar, even in degree, to this part of the country. But I am happy in being able to add, that during a tour which I took through the middle and southern states in 1815; and also during that, an account of which I am now writing, I witnessed much less intemperance than information previously obtained had led me to anticipate. Still, there is, in the {158} United States, much inebriation, and a great want of economy in the use of spirituous liquors. By the distillery of grain among us, the community are, sometimes, deprived of the necessary quantity of bread; and a substitute is furnished which tends, at once, to beggar, and to depopulate the country.

Before I dismiss these topics, I may add, that I have often heard of the low conversation, which is said to prevail among the boatmen of the west; and also of their quarrelsome and fighting habits. All these practices are much less than they are represented to be.

Here I may be permitted to observe, that with respect to low conversation, many who call themselves gentlemen, and pass for such in the world, are highly culpable. Indecency is a vice committed without temptation. It corrupts the moral sense, and deprives the human heart of all those etherial visitations, which remind man of his original innocence, and eloquently persuade him that there are pleasures far above those of sense. Indeed, how evident is it, that when we cultivate pure and upright affections, the blessed spirits of truth and peace visit our hearts, enlarge our views of moral nature, and tell us of nameless hopes. The infirmities of man would add an interest to human nature, if they were not voluntarily displayed. When covered with the mantle of an amiable and sensible delicacy, they blend the ideas of weakness and suffering here, with perfection and immortality hereafter.

That part of the state of Virginia which lies on the Ohio, extends from about forty miles below Pittsburg to Great Sandy River, the line between this state and Kentucky. The western parts of Virginia are mountainous, and a good grazing country. The soil below the mountains, though not {159} rich, is well calculated for the growth of tobacco and Indian corn. Many of the ridges of land in this state are very fertile; particularly the Blue Ridge.

The town of Wheeling, in Virginia, is situated on the Ohio, twelve miles above Grave Creek; and on this creek is a celebrated Indian grave.[145]

The principal rivers and creeks, which enter the Ohio from this state, are Charteer’s, Big Grave, Baker’s, Fish, and Fishing creek; and Little Kenhawa, Great Kenhawa, and the Great Sandy River.[146]

The Great Kenhawa is nearly three hundred yards wide at its junction with the Ohio; but its rapids are numerous, and its navigation very difficult. It derives its sources, through a vast tract of country, from the Laurel and Alleghany mountains on the north-east, from the Cumberland mountains on the west, and from the mountains in North Carolina near the sources of the Roanoke. On the Great Kenhawa are inexhaustible lead mines.

The principal source of the Great Sandy River is in the Cumberland mountains. Its length is not great; and it is navigable for loaded batteaux only about fifty miles. At its mouth it is about sixty yards wide, and it enters the Ohio opposite to Galliopolis. This place was settled by a company of French emigrants; but in 1796 disease and other misfortunes caused them to abandon the establishment.[147]

The town of Steubenville, in the state of Ohio, extends for a considerable distance along the bank of the river.[148] There are here some manufactories, and several handsome dwelling houses. Its situation is considerably elevated, and here and there are some large trees which were spared from the forest.

The first principal river which enters the Ohio, and which finds its source in that state is the Muskingum. This river is situated about one hundred {160} and seventy miles below Pittsburg, and is, at its confluence with the Ohio, nearly one hundred and fifty yards wide. It is navigable for large batteaux to a place called the Three Legs,[149] one hundred miles from its mouth, and for small ones to its source, which is within seven miles of the Cayahoga. The Muskingum presents a gentle appearance, and near its banks there are valuable salt springs, and considerable quantities of coal and free stone.

The town of Marietta is situated on the east of the junction of the Ohio and Muskingum.[150] Its position is pleasant; but it has a deserted aspect, and is rapidly declining. It is not true, that the Muskingum is not subject to inundations. All the banks of the western river are, more or less, exposed to freshets; and this circumstance considerably lessens the value of the lands and buildings upon them. At the mouth of the Muskingum stands Fort Harmar.

The Hockhocking is rather smaller than the Muskingum, and is situated about twenty-five miles below the latter.[151] On the banks of this river are quarries of free stone, iron and lead mines, pit coal, and salt springs. There are some fine lands on both of these rivers.

The town of Athens lies on the Hockhocking, about forty miles from the Ohio. It is pleasantly situated, and is the seat of the Ohio University.

The River Scioto is even larger than the Muskingum. It is navigable nearly two hundred miles, and is connected with the river Sandusky, which enters Lake Erie, by a portage of four miles. On the Scioto, about one hundred miles from the Ohio, is the town of Chilicothe.[152] This place is the seat of government. Not far from the Scioto, are salt springs, which belong to the state; also coal, free stone, and several kinds of valuable clay.

{161} The town of Cincinnati[153] is situated on the east of the Great Miami, near its junction with the Ohio. This town is pleasantly situated, and presents the appearance of much business. It is a very flourishing place. There are several manufactories here, one of which is situated at the foot of the bank, and is eight or ten stories high.

In Cincinnati is situated Fort Washington. This is the first of that chain of forts which extends west. On the eastern branch of the Great Miami is Fort St. Clair; and on the western branches Forts Jefferson and Greenville. On the river Calumet, which enters the Wabash, stands fort Recovery; and just above this fort is the place of St. Clair’s defeat.[154]

The Great Miami is the boundary of the state of Ohio on the river of this name. The Great Miami is about three hundred yards wide at its mouth, and interlocks with the Scioto, above Chilicothe. One of its branches runs within four miles of the Miami of the Lake, and within seven miles of the Sandusky. The bed of the Great Miami is stony, and its current rapid. Just above its mouth is fort Hamilton.

There are many small creeks and towns near the Ohio, which in my course I saw and visited; but which furnish no interesting materials for remark. Besides, I am not writing a Gazetteer; and with geography, my fellow-citizens are well acquainted.

I may here speak, as I promised, upon the probable course of the seasons in the west. I am much inclined to believe, that the cold seasons, which the people of New-England have for many years experienced, and which have so much injured the interests of agriculture among us, are passing off to the west; and that the people of the west will, for several years, experience seasons less favourable than usual. My opinion is founded upon the facts, that for the two last years we have experienced more favourable {162} seasons, and the people of the west less favourable ones, in the same comparative proportions. This is a good criterion by which to form an opinion upon the subject. The change of seasons in both sections of the country prove and corroborate each other.

The spring and summer of 1817 were, with us, less unfavourable than usual. The hopes of our farmers, and of those who depend for a sufficiency of provisions upon an abundant market, were considerably revived; and this year we have experienced something like a good old-fashioned season. The golden ears of corn, more beautiful than the productions of the richest mines, have again brightened our fields, and cheered our hearts. Had ungenial seasons continued much longer, this part of the country would have become impoverished and depopulated:—people were going down into Egypt for bread.

Last year the seed time and harvest of the west were unfavourable; and the spring of 1818 was in the highest degree unpromising. In the western parts of Virginia, where the climate is, usually, warmer than on the east of the mountains; and in the states of Ohio, Kentucky, &c. planting time this year was very backward. When, according to the usual course of the seasons, it was time for corn to appear above the surface of the ground, ploughing had not commenced. Some of the farmers asserted, that the season was even later than the spring before by five or six weeks.

During the month of May, the weather in the west was cold and windy. On the 3d of this month the birds were assembling for a more southern climate. They were so chilled that I caught many of them without difficulty; and others of them perished in the night. The season for the commencement of {163} vegetation here is probably four weeks earlier than in New-Hampshire.

Until my arrival at New-Orleans the weather, generally, was cold and dry; and even here the wind was frequently cool. About the middle of May I experienced frost in Kentucky; and near the Mississippi the cotton, much later than this, was in a wretched state. In Tennessee, heretofore remarkable for the excellence of its cotton, this article, for two years past, has been rapidly degenerating. The severity of the last winter even in New-Orleans, was unparalleled. The streets there were covered with ice sufficiently hard to bear loaded waggons.

Should Heaven favour the New-England states with good seasons, no country in the world would be preferable to it. Our unfavourable seasons have taught us our dependence upon that Being, “who prepareth rain for the earth, and maketh grass to grow upon the mountains.”

I am of opinion, that for some years to come, our seasons will be remarkably fruitful. The earth here has, for a considerable time, been acquiring strength, which has not been called forth; and having been accustomed to cool seasons, warm ones, operating upon this new acquisition of vegetative power, will cause an extraordinary impetus in the soil.

I have spoken of our bright Indian harvest. The corn of the west is much inferior to ours. Growing upon a rank soil, its production is rapid, and the kernel is large and unsubstantial. Indian meal is seldom used in the west, excepting for cattle; and very few persons there are acquainted with the Yankee mode of making Indian cakes. Being fond of this coarse bread, I frequently, during my tour, instructed the gentle dames of the west in this New-England custom. But in many cases, after waiting {164} an hour for my repast, I was deprived of most of it by the fondness of the children of the house for this new dish; and in one instance the _kind_ mother could get rid of them only by knocking them under the table as fast as they would come up.

The variety of birds which I saw in the western woods excited much interest. Many species entirely new to me made their appearance. Some of them were very beautiful. Many of these birds being common in the South of Europe, proves that the climate of the west is mild; and the spontaneous growth of hops and grapes here speak favourably of its soil.

Fruit trees, particularly peach and apple, flourish well in Ohio; but a more northern climate is more peculiarly calculated for the latter.

The western country is exceedingly well adapted to the growth of hemp; both as it respects its climate, and its extensive levels of deep and rich mould. This advantage, and the abundance of excellent ship timber, and iron, which its forests and hills produce, would enable it to furnish for the market the finest ships. The black walnut here is said to be as durable as the live oak; and the frames of vessels built upon the western waters, are frequently made of this wood. There is here too, an abundance of excellent yellow pine, suitable for masts and spars. These, with many other kinds of lumber, are rafted and floated down the rivers to New-Orleans, and there sell at a high price. Upon these rafts large quantities of produce are often transported to the same place.

The produce carried down to this vast market consists, principally, of flour, corn, pork, beef, bacon, venison, flax, whiskey, lumber, and live stock, particularly horses. The foreign goods received into the western states, lying on the Mississippi and {165} Ohio, and their principal sources, come, as has been observed, from Philadelphia and Baltimore, by the way of Pittsburg. This place is the great depot for the supply of all places below it. Foreign goods to a large amount are also brought from New-Orleans; and some from Virginia, by the way of Richmond.

In speaking of large vessels on the Ohio, I may add, that ships of large tonnage have been built on this river, laden for the West-Indies, and there sold, both vessel and cargo. A person in Europe, unacquainted with the geography of our western waters, would be astonished to see, in the Atlantic ocean, a large vessel, freighted with country produce, which was built and laden at Pittsburgh, between two and three thousand miles from the Gulf of Mexico.

How wonderfully impressive is the prospect, which this country presents to the politician, during his cogitations upon our remote destinies! Every thing is conspiring to render the United States far more populous than Europe. In the course of a few hundred years all that is great, and splendid will characterize us.—The arts of Greece, the arms of Rome, the pride of England will be ours. May God avert the rest!

Whilst on the Ohio, I was pleased with the appearance of the floating grist-mill used on this river. This kind of mill is supported by two boats, and the wheel moves between them. The boats move both up and down the river, and when employment can be obtained, they are placed in the strongest current near the shore, and the mill is set in motion. Here there is no tax for ground rent, mill-dam, or race.

In speaking of mills, I may advert to one which I saw in Indiana, and which excited some interest. As I was one day passing through a wood, near a {166} small log building, I heard a singular noise in the latter, and had the curiosity to look in. There was here a grist-mill moved by a horse, and attended by a little boy about nine years of age. The horse draws upon a stable fixed in a post; but making no progress, he pushes back with his feet the platform upon which he stands, and which is of a circular form. Through the centre of this platform there is a post fixed in the ground. The walking of the horse sets the machinery in motion. The cogs, the wallower, the trunnel-head, and the stones operated pretty much in the usual way. The Lilliputian miller displayed all the airs and importance so common to the managers of such noisy establishments.

In the state of Ohio, and in other places in the west, are some natural curiosities, with respect to which I must not be silent; but as I can probably throw no light upon the mystery in which they are involved, my remarks upon them will be brief.

As to the bones of animals which have been found at the Licks, particularly at that called the Big Bone,[155] I think there can be no doubt, that they are those of animals which, from a variety of causes, have perished there. Animals in the west were once very numerous, and, no doubt, vast herds of buffalo, elk, deer, and even the mammoth resorted thither. Probably many of them fell into these licks, either by accident, by contention, or by their eagerness to get to the salt, and were thus destroyed. Some too probably killed themselves by the quantity of salt water which they drank; and where such vast numbers were constantly assembling, many must have died in consequence of disease and old age.

Much less plausible suppositions can be suggested relative to the vast mounds and walls of earth in the west; the former of which, it is said, contain human bones.

{167} It may be presumed that these walls were erected for the purpose of defence. It is well known that savage tribes wage with each other the most destructive wars. Some of the tribes of North America have distinguished themselves by their blood-thirsty and exterminating disposition. The Iroquois were once the terror of all the neighbouring tribes. By their hostile and ferocious spirit many of these tribes became nearly extinct. Of the Nadonaicks only four cabins or families remained. The Puans too, were not less formidable and fierce than the Iroquois. They violated every humane principle. The very name of stranger embittered them. They supposed themselves invincible, and persecuted and destroyed every tribe whom they could discover. There were other tribes similarly disposed.

Now it may be supposed, that the tribes in the neighbourhood of those whose object it was to exterminate all other tribes, would assemble for mutual defence. Coalitions of this kind are not unfrequent among savages. Further: nothing would be more natural than for savages, thus situated, to erect fortifications of trees and earth, for the purpose of securing themselves against the common enemy. Such a principle of self defence would be natural, and, of course, universal.

As to the mounds of earth, supposed to contain human bones, it may be observed, that several tribes of Indians may have combined and fortified themselves against their enemies; and in this situation they may have been conquered and destroyed. It is well known, that in Indian battles there is no quarter given. The dead bodies of several thousand persons thrown together and covered with earth, would make a vast heap. But even supposing that the enemy had not prevailed, famine, contagious {168} diseases, or even ordinary causes of death, would, among a great assemblage of people, produce, in a short time, a sufficient number of bodies to make on the surface of the earth a vast mound. Covering the dead with mounds of earth instead of digging graves for them, might not only be found convenient, under certain circumstances, but is a custom peculiar to the aborigines of America.

The finding of one or two pieces of ancient coin in the west has occasioned much speculation. A copper coin, bearing Persian characters, has, it is said, been found on the banks of the Little Miami river.

It is well known, that mankind are naturally itinerant; and that they carry with them their goods, especially those which are portable, and which they highly value. A piece of coin possesses both of these qualities; and it would not be more strange to find an Asiatic medal in North America, than to find here an Indian of Asiatic origin.

Our first parents were created in Asia; and the rest of mankind descended from them. By emigrations various distant portions of the world have been settled. Emigration was an act of necessity. One quarter of the world could not have contained all mankind; and the population of Asia became, in time, too great. Asia is at this time supposed to contain five hundred millions of people; and in China, such is the excess of population, that children are destroyed by their parents, with as little ceremony as though they were the offspring of the most worthless domestic animals.

It is to be presumed that the Continent of North America was peopled from the north-east of Asia. In no other way could the Western Continent have, so early, become known. The north is not, even now, known beyond the latitude of eighty-two; and {169} with respect to it thus far there is much doubt. The eastern and western continents may be connected near this latitude; and in this direction the aborigines of North America may have travelled from the former to the latter. Certain it is that the water between the north-east of Asia, and the north-west of America is comparatively shallow. In Bering’s Straits, situated in the latitude of sixty-six, there are many islands; the width of the straits is only about fifty miles, and, in winter, the passage across is frozen.

Even here the eastern and western continents, were perhaps, once connected. Such an idea is not inconsistent either with the nature of things, or with analogy. The earth has experienced, from time to time, great revolutions; and Strabo, an ancient and celebrated geographer, speaks of the time when the Mediterranean Sea did not exist. Why may not the two great continents have been or still be united as well as those of Europe and Africa? There is in the north-east of Asia much more evidence of its former connection with the north-west of America, than there is of a similar connection between Europe and Africa, inasmuch as the water between the former is unquestionably shallow; and between the latter it is very deep.

Besides, what adds great weight to the general supposition that the original settlers of the western continent emigrated from the north-east of Asia is, that in many particulars they resemble the inhabitants of the latter. Many of the islands of Bering’s straits, and also both of its coasts, are peopled; and their occupants are much in the habit of emigrating.

The original inhabitants of South America were probably, the descendants of the aborigines of North America; and emigrated from the latter to the {170} former across the Isthmus of Darien. Nothing is more natural than for people to emigrate from a northern to a southern latitude; and this course was, no doubt, taken, in a greater or less degree, by all the original inhabitants of North America. All the North American Indians, with whom we are acquainted, excepting the Esquimeaux, now reside south of their supposed track from the eastern to the western continent.

In South America, as in other warm countries, the modes of living become more refined than in climates further north; and in the history of the former we see the same diversity of character as existed in North America. Many of the tribes of the north might have been compared with the Peruvians of the south, a mild and inoffensive people; and the Iroquois and Puans of the former, with the Chilians and Caribs of the latter.

As to Persian coin being found in North America, it is not more surprising than the finding of Roman coin in Great-Britain. The same effect may arise from different causes. It was probably, not more easy for Julius Cæsar to invade Britain, than for the Asiatics to emigrate to North America.

In dismissing this subject I may observe, that all the accounts from the west are not to be immediately credited. Many, to please their fancies, and more, to fill their purses, speak hyperbolically respecting it. A great man who prided himself upon his penetration, once being questioned as to the causes of some supposed appearance in nature, assumed a wise phiz, and deeply reasoned upon the subject. Stop, my friend, said the quizzer, had you not better first inquire as to the matter of fact?

After passing Great Sandy River, which is a boundary line between Virginia and Kentucky, I entered this state. The general aspect of the country {171} here is nearly level. Near the Ohio, however, for fifteen or twenty miles, the country is broken, hilly, and even mountainous. In clambering some of these mountains I experienced considerable fatigue. They are so steep, that one can ascend them only by taking hold of the bushes on their sides.

There are in Kentucky scarcely any swamps or very low lands. The soil of the levels is rather thin; but on the swells and ridges the soil is exceedingly fertile. A bed of limestone exists, five or six feet below the surface, throughout the principal part of the state. In consequence of this circumstance its springs, in a dry season, soon become exhausted. This state is inferior to all others, with respect to mill privileges, inasmuch as very few of its streams stand the usual drought of autumn.

This state furnishes, in the greatest abundance, all the articles which the State of Ohio produces. It raises, besides the ordinary objects of agriculture, vast quantities of hemp, and considerable tobacco. Several millions of pounds of maple sugar are made here annually; and the woods of this state feed immense droves of swine. The rivers abound with fish, and the cane brakes support herds of deer.

In travelling through some of those thickets, I was impressed with a high idea of the luxuriance of the soil. Indeed, the general aspect of the country here evinces great fertility of soil, and mildness of climate. In this state grow the coffee, papaw, hackberry, and cucumber tree; also the honey locust, mulberry, and buck eye. Many accounts respecting the fruitfulness of Kentucky are, no doubt, exaggerated; but it is, in fact, an abundant and delightful country. For my own part, however, I prefer, to its rich levels, the echoing hills of New-Hampshire.

{172} As this part of the country abounds with interesting vegetation, I may here make a reflection or two upon botany. How infinite is the vegetable kingdom! and how far beyond expression is the variety and beauty of her hues! these tints are heavenly; and the pencil of nature has displayed them to render man heavenly-minded. How wonderful too, are the affections and sympathies of plants! Here the poet finds an exhaustless source of imagery, and here every vicissitude of life may select its appropriate emblem.

The whole of the north-westerly parts of Kentucky is bound by the river Ohio. A small part of it lies on the Mississippi; and this river, so far, is its western boundary. Tennessee lies south of it. The principal rivers in Kentucky which enter the Ohio are Sandy, Kentucky, Cumberland, and Tennessee. The sources of these rivers are very numerous, and in proceeding to the Ohio fertilize a vast tract of rich country. The Tennessee passes through a small part of Kentucky. The Cumberland runs into Tennessee, and then extends through a considerable part of Kentucky in an east and west direction. Its principal sources are in the Cumberland mountains. This river furnishes every material for ship building; and during the rainy season can float vessels of the largest size. Nashville,[156] in Tennessee, lies up this river; and much business is transacted between this place, Pittsburg, and New-Orleans. The river is navigable without any obstruction, for five hundred miles, and is, at its mouth, about three hundred yards wide.

On the banks of Kentucky river are many precipices, some of which are three or four hundred feet high. In these precipices may be seen much limestone, and some fine white marble. This river is about two hundred miles in length, and in width {173} two hundred and fifty yards. In this state are many celebrated salt springs. Its iron ore is of a very inferior quality; and its caves and other natural curiosities are highly interesting. Lexington, the capital of Kentucky, is an elegant and polished place.[157]

Many of the inhabitants of this state emigrated from every part of the United States, and from most of the countries of Europe. A great many of them came from Virginia; and, unfortunately for our common country, they brought with them their slaves. What a source of regret is it, that Kentucky did not prohibit, within her jurisdiction, the bondage of these friendless beings! A sense of propriety, and a regard for the reputation, and true interests of the United States, should have taught the guardians of her public weal to wash their hands from this foul stain. The first settlers of this state found themselves in a land where all was nature, and all was liberty. The rivers poured their unrestrained tribute, the winds blew where they listed, the earth teamed, the birds flew, the fish leaped, the deer bounded over the hills, and the savage knew no master. Enviable situation! But the scene is marred. There, _human beings_ toil and sweat under the lash of a task-master. It is said that slaves are treated well! They are,—and _ill_! A slave _is_ a slave, in spite of all the logic of avarice, indolence, and purse-proud humanity. Power creates tyranny; and in the hands of a tyrant no man is safe. The sufferings of the slave, even in the United States, are sufficient to sink any country into perdition. A record of them would make us run mad with shame. Ask the mother how she fared, both before and after her deliverance. Ask these children of toil what it is to die for want of repose?—What it is to perish under the lash?

{174} Some of the United States have, in their constitutions, set their faces against this unbecoming,—this odious practice. Had the western states followed the example, the evil would have been, principally, confined to the southern states; and these states, finding that upon their shoulders alone rested the terrible responsibility involved in the subject, would have applied a remedy. The evil is now spreading. In Kentucky,—a garden planted in the wilderness,—a land, where liberty dwelt for six thousand years, there are _herds_ of _slaves_. May the states, which shall hereafter impress their stars upon the banner of our union and our glory, guard against this wretched state of things; and may the slave-holding states, ere long, make a noble, generous patriotic, and humane effort, to remove from human nature this yoke of bondage, and from their country this humiliating stigma!

The great, but inconsistent Burk, in speaking of the southern states says, that the planters there, seeing the great difference between themselves and their slaves, acquire, thereby, the spirit of liberty. For my own part, however, I should think this circumstance would create the fire of aristocracy, which prides itself in power, and in subjugation.

There are many towns in Kentucky, which lie on the Ohio, the principal of which is Louisville. This place is situated just above the rapids of the Ohio and near Bear Grass Creek. Its scite is commanding and pleasant, its aspect spacious, and it contains many large and elegant buildings. At this place resides the intrepid Colonel Croghan.[158] Opposite to Louisville the river Ohio is more than a mile in width. Much ship building is carried on here; and at this place boats and vessels, going down the river, stop for a pilot. Ships of four hundred tons have {175} passed down the rapids. The river is, generally, in its highest state between February and April.

Opposite to this place, on the other side of the Ohio, is the town of Jeffersonville; and two miles below, on the Kentucky side, is a small place called Shippingport.[159] At this place boats, bound down the river, generally land for the purpose of leaving the pilot, and of obtaining information as to the markets below. Near the rapids is situated Fort Steuben.[160]

The road from Louisville to Shippingport lies on the bank of the river, and on the river side of it are groves of large sycamore trees. Below the latter place, for fifty miles, the river is truly beautiful. In the vicinity of Louisville are some noble plantations. Some of the planters here sow five hundred acres with wheat, set twenty ploughs a-going in one field, keep sixty horses, several hundred negroes, and carry on distilling, coopering, and other trades.

A few miles below Cincinnati, on the Kentucky side of the river, is situated the plantation of the late General Pike.[161] It was interesting to see the residence of this great man. He was a true patriot; and possessed all the hardihood and intrepidity of Charles the twelfth. After serving his country for many years, and acquiring her confidence and love, he nobly died under her triumphant banners. Among a free and virtuous people, the fate of one brave man kindles the latent spark of patriotism in ten thousand hearts, and in his example, they find inspiring lessons of courage and devotion.

Limestone is situated on Limestone Creek in Kentucky.[162] This is a pretty considerable place, but the river has so far encroached upon the bank upon which it is situated, that it, probably, will fall in the course of a few years. Indeed I believe, that this will ultimately be the fate of many places on the immediate banks of the Ohio. Even Marietta, and {176} Cincinnati, are, probably candidates for speedy ruin. I should not be surprised to hear that the very next freshet had produced such an effect. With respect to all these places, the abrasion of the banks is constant, and hundreds of buildings are situated near their verge. The owners of these buildings have already incurred much expense, in endeavouring to secure the banks where their individual property stands; but there is no union in these efforts, and the means employed are totally inefficient. Most of the towns on the Ohio are every year partially inundated, in consequence of the astonishing rise of the river. The banks are frequently overflown to the depth of twenty feet.

Opposite to Cincinnati is Licking River. This river is navigable about one hundred and twenty miles. On its west bank, near its junction with the Ohio, is the town of Coventry; and on the other side is Newport. They are both considerable places, and present an elegant appearance.

In travelling through the woods, a few miles from this river, I met with several species of birds which I had never before seen. Nature’s fondness for variety is conspicuously displayed in all her works; and I am surprised that naturalists have not noticed this circumstance, so as to furnish, at least a plausible argument, in the disquisitions of philosophy concerning the human race.

At the junction of the Ohio and Cumberland rivers is the little town of Smithland.[163] A more miserable looking place exists no where. It contains a few wretched buildings, some of which are occupied for the accommodation of boatmen. Here the slaves are more numerous than the whites, and many of the former appear far better in point of morals and intelligence.

Before I leave Kentucky, I may touch upon a {177} topic, which distinguishes her, and many of the Southern and Western States, from those of New-England. The practice which prevails in the former of individuals publicly tendering their services to the people, pending elections for representatives, may, in the abstract, be productive of some evils; but relative to the systems of intrigue, which exist, in a greater or less degree, in every state in the Union, it is a practice which policy dictates, and patriotism sanctions. A large concourse of people, listening to the animated oratory of rival candidates, may experience some excitement; but is not this a less evil than those which arise from the dark and silent operations of abandoned men, who have combined for their own exclusive advancement, and for the purpose of keeping out of sight those, whose virtues and talents, by coming into contact with theirs, would render their darkness visible?

The safety of our government, rests upon the existence of good principles; and the preservation of these principles depends in no small degree upon their being patronized, and rewarded. Under such a government as ours, every political proceeding should be fair and open. No intrigue should be countenanced. The people should be able to see every cause and effect of the political machinery. Virtue, talents, and patriotism, should be encouraged; and vice, ignorance, and selfishness, discountenanced. The latter should never be suffered to obtain the patronage of the people through private intrigue, and the agency of petty coalitions. But this will always be the case, where political management may be cloaked under the bustle of party spirit and mock-patriotism.

No wise man will, unless prompted by a sense of duty, arising from the perils of the times, ever wish {178} for the toils, and the responsibilities of office; or ever expose himself to the caprice of the multitude. But there may be seasons when, _owing to the corrupt practices incident to party spirit_, the jargon of ignorance, and the pretended patriotism of villainy, shall have usurped the management of public concerns, and have cypherised the community, it would be the indispensable obligation of the true patriot to tender his services to his country, to discountenance existing systems of political traffic, and thereby to restore to the people their consequence, their security, and their reputation.

After being sometime in Kentucky, I crossed the Ohio and entered Indiana.

This state lies on the river Ohio, from the Great Miami to the Wabash. On the east is the state of Ohio, on the west Illinois; and on the north-west Michigan. The form of Indiana is that of an oblong. The sinuosities of the Ohio, however, render its boundary here very uneven. The length of the state is about 270 miles, and its breadth 130.

The soil, climate, face of the country, and productions of this state resemble those of Ohio. Salt springs, coal pits, lime, free stone, and valuable clays of various kinds abound in Indiana; and on the Wabash, it is said there is a silver mine.

The salt springs of the west generally produce a bushel of salt from about one hundred gallons of the water. This water is frequently obtained by boring, from sixty to two hundred feet, through solid rock. There is, in the west, springs of salt petre; and in Indiana there are very valuable salt springs, which belong to the United States, and which are profitably managed by the government.[164]

The Prairie in Indiana, called Pilkawa, is a high level ground, seven miles long and three broad. Its {179} soil is very rich, and upon it there was never known to be a tree.

Vincennes, the capital of Indiana, lies on the Wabash.[165] Here the commerce of the state principally centres. Goods from Canada pass into this state down the Illinois river. From New-Orleans they proceed up the Mississippi, Ohio, and Wabash; and from the eastern and southern states by the way of the Ohio and last mentioned river.

In this state, on the river Ohio, is the celebrated Swiss settlement.[166] The situation does not present a very favorable appearance, and I apprehend that much success is not experienced in the making of wine there. It appears to me that a more favorable tract for this business might be found in Kentucky. The soil of this state is lighter and warmer than that of Indiana.