Chapter VI: Part 6

The Collinsonia canadensis was frequently found in little woods and bushes, in a good rich soil. Mr. Bartram who knew the country perfectly well, was sure that Pensylvania, and all the parts of America in the same climate, were the true and original places where this plant grows. For further to the south, neither he nor Messrs. Clayton and Mitchel ever found it, though the latter gentlemen have made accurate observations in Virginia and part of Maryland. And from his own experience he knew, that it did not grow in the northerly parts. I have never found it more than fifteen min. north of forty-three deg. The time of the year when it comes up in Pensylvania, is so late, that its seed has but just time sufficient to ripen in, and it therefore seems unlikely, that it can succeed further north, Mr. Bartram was the first who discovered it, and sent it over into Europe. Mr. Jussieu during his stay at London, and Dr. Linnæus afterwards, called it Collinsonia, from the celebrated Mr. Peter Collinson, a merchant in London, and fellow of the English and Swedish Royal Societies. He well deserved the honour of having a plant called after his name, for there are few people that have promoted natural history and all useful sciences with a zeal like his; or that have done as much as he towards collecting, cultivating, and making known all sorts of plants. The Collinsonia has a peculiar scent, which is agreeable, but very strong. It always gave me a pretty violent head-ach whenever I passed by a place where it stood in plenty, and especially when it was in flower. Mr. Bartram was acquainted with a better quality of this plant, which was that of being an excellent remedy against all sorts of pain in the limbs, and against a cold, when the parts affected are rubbed with it. And Mr. Conrad Weisser, interpreter of the language of the Indians in Pensylvania, had told him of a more wonderful cure with this plant. He was once among a company of Indians, one of which had been stung by a rattle snake, the savages gave him over, but he boiled the collinsonia, and made the poor wretch drink the water, from which he happily recovered. Somewhat more to the north and in New York they call this plant Horseweed, because the horses eat it in spring, before any other plant comes up.

October the 16th. I asked Mr. Franklin and other gentlemen who were well acquainted with this country, whether they had met with any signs, from whence they could have concluded that any place which was now a part of the continent, had formerly been covered with water? and I got the following account in answer.

1. On travelling from hence to the south, you meet with a place where the highroad is very low in the ground between two mountains. On both sides you see nothing but oyster shells and muscle shells in immense quantities above each other; however the place is many miles off the sea.

2. Whenever they dig wells, or build houses in town, they find the earth lying in several strata above each other. At a depth of fourteen feet or more, they find globular stones, which are as smooth on the outside as those which lie on the sea-shore, and are made round and smooth by the rolling of the waves. And after having dug through the sand, and reached a depth of eighteen feet or more, they discover in some places a slime like that which the sea throws up on the shore, and which commonly lies at its bottom and in rivers; this slime is quite full of trees, leaves, branches, reed, charcoal, &c.

3. It has sometimes happened that new houses have sunk on one side in a short time, and have obliged the people to pull them down again. On digging deeper, for a very hard ground to build upon, they have found a quantity of the above slime, wood, roots, &c.

Are not these reasons sufficient to make one suppose that those places in Philadelphia which are at present fourteen feet and more under ground, formerly were the bottom of the sea, and that by several accidents, sand, earth, and other things were carried upon it? or, that the Delaware formerly was broader than it is at present? or, that it has changed its course? This last still often happens at present; the river breaking off the bank on one side, and forming one on the other. Both the Swedes and English often shewed me such places.

October the 18th. At present I did not find above ten different kinds of plants in blossom: they were, a Gentiana, two species of Aster, the common Golden Rod, or Solidago Virga aurea, a species of Hieracium, the yellow wood Sorrel, or Oxalis corniculata, the Fox Gloves, or Digitalis purpurea, the Hamamelis Virginiana, or Witch Hazel, our common Millefoil, or Achillæa Millefolium, and our Dandelion, or Leontodon Taraxacum. All other plants had for this year laid aside their gay colours. Several trees, especially those which were to flower early in spring, had already formed such large buds, that on opening them all the parts of fructification, such as Calyx, Corolla, Stamina and Pistillum were plainly distinguishable. It was therefore easy to determine the genus to which such trees belonged. Such were the red maple, or Acer rubrum, and the Laurus æstivalis, a species of bay. Thus nature prepared to bring forth flowers, with the first mild weather in the next year. The buds were at present quite hard, and all their parts pressed close together, that the cold might by all means be excluded.

The black Walnut trees had for the greatest part dropt their leaves, and many of them were entirely without them. The walnuts themselves were already fallen off. The green peel which enclosed them, if frequently handled, would yield a black colour, which could not be got off the fingers in two or three weeks time, though the hands were washed ever so much.

The Cornus florida was called Dogwood by the English, and grew abundantly in the woods. It looks beautiful when it is adorned with its numerous great white flowers in spring. The wood is very hard, and is therefore made use of for weaver’s spools, joiner’s planes, wedges, &c. When the cattle fall down in spring for want of strength, the people tie a branch of this tree on their neck, thinking it will help them.

October the 19th. The Tulip tree grows every where in the woods of this country. The botanists call it Liriodendron tulipifera, because its flowers both in respect to their size, and in respect to their exterior form, and even in some measure with regard to their colour, resemble tulips. The Swedes called it Canoe tree, for both the Indians and the Europeans often make their canoes of the stem of this tree. The Englishmen in Pensylvania give it the name of Poplar. It is reckoned a tree which grows to the greatest height and thickness of any in North America, and which vies in that point with our greatest European trees. The white oak and the fir in North America, however are little inferior to it. It cannot therefore but be very agreeable to see in spring, at the end of May (when it is in blossom) one of the greatest trees covered for a fortnight together with flowers, which with regard to their shape, size, and partly colour are like tulips, the leaves have likewise something peculiar, the English therefore in some places call the tree the old woman’s smock, because their imagination finds something like it below the leaves.

Its wood is here made use of for canoes, boards, planks, bowls, dishes, spoons, door posts, and all sorts of joiners work. I have seen a barn of a considerable size whose walls, and roof were made of a single tree of this kind, split into boards. Some joiners reckoned this wood better than oak, because this latter frequently is warped, which the other never does, but works very easy; others again valued it very little. It is certain, that it contracts so much in hot weather, as to occasion great cracks in the boards, and in wet weather it swells so as to be near bursting, and the people hardly know of a wood in these parts which varies so much in contracting and expanding itself. The joiners however make much use of it in their work, they say there are two species of it; but they are merely two varieties, one of which in time turns yellow within, the other is white, the former is said to have a looser texture. The bark (like Russia glass) is divisible into very thin leaves, which are very tough like bast, though I have never seen it employed as such. The leaves when crushed and applied to the forehead are said to be a remedy against the head ach. When horses are plagued with worms, the bark is pounded, and given them quite dry. Many people believe its roots to be as efficacious against the fever as the jesuits bark. The trees grow in all sorts of dry soil, both on high and low grounds, but too wet a soil will not agree with them.

October the 20th. The Beaver tree is to be met with in several parts of Pensylvania and New Jersey, in a poor swampy soil, or on wet meadows. Dr. Linnæus calls it Magnolia glauca; both the Swedes and English call it Beaver tree, because the root of this tree is the dainty of beavers, which are caught by its means, however the Swedes sometimes gave it a different name, and the English as improperly called it Swamp Sassafras, and White Laurel. The trees of this kind dropt their leaves early in autumn, though some of the young trees kept them all the winter. I have seldom found the beaver tree to the north of Pensylvania, where it begins to flower about the end of May. The scent of its blossoms is excellent, for by it you can discover within three quarters of an English mile, whether these little trees stand in the neighbourhood, provided the wind be not against it. For the whole air is filled with this sweet and pleasant scent. It is beyond description agreeable to travel in the woods about that time, especially towards night. They retain their flowers for three weeks and even longer, according to the quality of the soil on which the trees stand; and during the whole time of their being in blossom, they spread their odoriferous exhalations. The berries likewise look very fine when they are ripe, for they have a rich red colour, and hang in bunches on slender stalks. The cough, and other pectoral diseases are cured by putting the berries into rum or brandy, of which a draught every morning may be taken; the virtues of this remedy were universally extolled, and even praised for their salutary effects in consumptions. The bark being put into brandy, or boiled in any other liquor, is said not only to ease pectoral diseases, but likewise to be of some service against all internal pains and heat; and it was thought that a decoction of it could stop the dysentery. Persons who had caught cold, boiled the branches of the beaver tree in water, and drank it to their great relief. A Swede, called Lars Lack, gave the following account of a cure effected by this tree: One of his relations, an old man, had an open sore in his leg, which would not heal up again, though he had had much advice and used many remedies. An Indian at last effected the cure in the following manner. He burnt some of this wood to charcoal, which he reduced to powder, mixed with the fresh fat of pork, and rubbed the open places several times. This dried up the holes, which before were continually open, and the legs of the old man were quite sound to his death. The wood is likewise made use of for joiner’s planes.

October the 22d. Upon trial it has been found that the following animals and birds, which are wild in the woods of North America, can be made nearly as tractable as domestic animals.

The wild Cows and Oxen, of which several people of distinction have got young calves from these wild cows, which are to be met with in Carolina, and other provinces to the south of Pensylvania, and brought them up among the tame cattle; when grown up, they were perfectly tame, but at the same time very unruly, so that there was no enclosure strong enough to resist them, if they had a mind to break through it; for as they possess a great strength in their neck, it was easy for them to overthrow the pales with their horns, and to get into the corn-fields; and as soon as they had made a road, all the tame cattle followed them; they likewise copulated with the latter, and by that means generated as it were a new breed. This American species of oxen is Linnæus’s Bos Bison, β.

American Deer, can likewise be tamed; and I have seen them tame myself in different places. A farmer in New Jersey had one in his possession, which he had caught when it was very young; and at present it was so tame, that in the day time it run into the wood for its food, and towards night it returned home, and frequently brought a wild deer out of the wood, giving its master an opportunity to shoot it. Several people have therefore tamed young deer, and make use of them for hunting wild deer, or for decoying them home, especially in the time of their rutting.

Beavers have been so tamed that they have gone on fishing, and brought home what they had caught to their masters. This often is the case with Otters, of which I have seen some, which were as tame as dogs, and followed their masters wherever they went; if he went out in a boat, the otter went with him, jumped into the water, and after a while came up with a fish. The Opossum, can likewise be tamed, so as to follow people like a dog.

The Raccoon which we (Swedes) call Siupp, can in time be made so tame as to run about the streets like a domestic animal; but it is impossible to make it leave off its habit of stealing. In the dark it creeps to the poultry, and kills in one night a whole flock. Sugar and other sweet things must be carefully hidden from it, for if the chests and boxes are not always locked up, it gets into them, eats the sugar, and licks up the treacle with its paws: the ladies therefore have every day some complaint against it, and for this reason many people rather forbear the diversion which this ape-like animal affords.

The grey and flying Squirrels are so tamed by the boys, that they sit on their shoulders, and follow them every where.

The Turkey Cocks and Hens run about in the woods of this country, and differ in nothing from our tame ones, except in their superior size, and redder, though more palatable flesh. When their eggs are found in the wood, and put under tame Turkey hens, the young ones become tame; however when they grow up, it sometimes happens that they fly away; their wings are therefore commonly clipped, especially when young. But the tamed turkeys are commonly much more irascible, than those which are naturally tame. The Indians likewise employ themselves in taming them and keeping them near their huts.

Wild Geese have likewise been tamed in the following manner. When the wild geese first come hither in spring, and stop a little while (for they do not breed in Pensylvania) the people try to shoot them in the wing, which however is generally mere chance. They then row to the place where the wild goose fell, catch it, and keep it for some time at home, by this means many of them have been made so tame, that when they were let out in the morning, they returned in the evening, but to be more sure of them, their wings are commonly clipped. I have seen wild geese of this kind, which the owner assured me, that he had kept for more than twelve years; but though he kept eight of them, yet he never had the pleasure to see them copulate with the tame ones, or lay eggs.

Partridges, which are here in abundance, may likewise be so far tamed, as to run about all day with the poultry, and to come along with them to be fed when they are called. In the same manner I have seen wild Pigeons, which were made so tame as to fly out and return again. In some winters there are immense quantities of wild pigeons in Pensylvania.

October the 24th. Of all the rare birds of North America, the Humming bird is the most admirable, or at least most worthy of peculiar attention. Several reasons induce me to believe that few parts of the world can produce its equal. Dr. Linnæus calls it Trochilus Colubris. The Swedes and some Englishmen call it the King’s bird, but the name of Humming bird is more common. Catesby in his Natural History of Carolina, Vol. i. page 65, tab. 65. has drawn it, in its natural size, with its proper colours, and added a description of it. [34] In size it is not much bigger than a large humble bee, and is therefore the least of all birds, [35] or it is much if there is a lesser species in the world. Its plumage is most beautifully coloured, most of its feathers being green, some grey, and others forming a shining red ring round its neck; the tail glows with fine feathers, changing from green into a brass colour. These birds come here in spring about the time when it begins to grow very warm, and make their nests in summer, but towards autumn they retreat again into the more southern countries of America. They subsist barely upon the nectar, or sweet juice of flowers contained in that part, which botanists call the nectarium, and which they suck up with their long bills. Of all the flowers, they like those most, which have a long tube, and I have observed that they have fluttered chiefly about the Impatiens Noli tangere, and the Monarda with crimson flowers. An inhabitant of the country is sure to have a number of these beautiful and agreeable little birds before his window all the summer long, if he takes care to plant a bed with all sorts of fine flowers under them. It is indeed a diverting spectacle to see these little active creatures flying about the flowers like bees, and sucking their juices with their long and narrow bills. The flowers of the above-mentioned Monarda grow verticillated, that is, at different distances they surround the stalk, as the flowers of our mint (Mentha) bastard hemp (Galeopsis) mother-wort (Leonurus) and dead nettle (Lamium). It is therefore diverting to see them putting their bills into every flower in the circle. As soon as they have sucked the juice of one flower, they flutter to the next. One that has not seen them would hardly believe in how short a space of time they have had their tongues in all the flowers of a plant, which when large and with a long tube, the little bird by putting its head into them, looks as if it crept with half its body into them.

During their sucking the juice out of the flowers they never settle on it, but flutter continually like bees, bend their feet backwards, and move their wings so quick, that they are hardly visible. During this fluttering they make a humming like bees, or like that which is occasioned by the turning of a little wheel. After they have thus, without resting, fluttered for a while, they fly to a neighbouring tree or post, and resume their vigour again. They then return to their humming and sucking. They are not very shy, and I in company with several other people, have not been full two yards from the place where they fluttered about and sucked the flowers; and though we spoke and moved, yet they were no ways disturbed; but on going towards them, they would fly off with the swiftness of an arrow. When several of them were on the same bed, there was always a violent combat between them, in meeting each other at the same flower (for envy was likewise predominant amongst these little creatures) and they attacked with such impetuosity, that it would seem as if the strongest would pierce its antagonist through and through, with its long bill. During the fight, they seem to stand in the air, keeping themselves up, by the incredibly swift motion of their wings. When the windows towards the garden are open, they pursue each other into the rooms, fight a little, and flutter away again. Sometimes they come to a flower which is withering, and has no more juice in it; they then in a fit of anger pluck it off, and throw it on the ground, that it may not mislead them for the future. If a garden contains a great number of these little birds, they are seen to pluck off the flowers in such quantities, that the ground is quite covered with them, and it seems as if this proceeded from a motion of envy.

Commonly you hear no other sound than their humming, but when they fly against each other in the air, they make a chirping noise like a sparrow or chicken. I have sometimes walked with several other people in small gardens, and these birds have on all sides fluttered about us, without appearing very shy. They are so small that one would easily mistake them for great humming-bees or butterflies, and their flight resembles that of the former, and is incredibly swift. They have never been observed to feed on insects or fruit; the nectar of flowers, seems therefore to be their only food. Several people have caught some humming birds on account of their singular beauty, and have put them into cages, where they died for want of a proper food. However Mr. Bartram has kept a couple of them for several weeks together, by feeding them with water in which sugar had been dissolved, and I am of opinion that it would not be difficult to keep them all winter in a hot-house.

The humming bird always builds its nest in the middle of a branch of a tree, and it is so small, that it cannot be seen from the ground, but he who intends to see it must get up to the branch. For this reason it is looked upon as a great rarity if a nest is accidentally found, especially as the trees in summer have so thick a foliage. The nest is likewise the least of all; that which is in my possession is quite round, and consists in the inside of a brownish and quite soft down, which seems to have been collected from the leaves of the great mullein or Verbascum Thapsus, which are often found covered with a soft wool of this colour, and the plant is plentiful here. The outside of the nest has a coating of green moss, such as is common on old pales or enclosures and on trees; the inner diameter of the nest is hardly a geometrical inch at the top, and its depth half an inch. It is however known that the humming birds make their nests likewise of flax, hemp, moss, hair and other such soft materials; they are said to lay two eggs, each of the size of a pea.

October the 25th. I employed this day and the next in packing up all the seeds gathered this autumn, for I had an opportunity of sending them to England by the ships which sailed about this time. From England they were forwarded to Sweden.

October the 27th. In the morning I set out on a little journey to New York, in company with Mr. Peter Cock, with a view to see the country, and to enquire into the safest road, which I could take in going to Canada, through the desart or uninhabited country between it and the English provinces.

That part where we travelled at present was pretty well inhabited on both sides of the road, by Englishmen, Germans and other Europeans. Plains and hills of different dimensions were seen alternately, mountains and stones, I never saw, excepting a few pebbles. Near almost every farm was a great orchard with peach and apple trees, some of which were yet loaded with fruit.

The enclosures were in some parts low enough, for the cattle to leap over them with ease; to prevent this the hogs had a triangular wooden yoke: this custom was as I have already observed, common over all the English plantations. To the horses neck was fastened a piece of wood, which at the lower end had a tooth or hook, fastening in the enclosure, and stopping the horse, just when it lifted its fore feet to leap over; but I know not whether this be a good invention with regard to horses. They were likewise kept in bounds by a piece of wood, one end of which was fastened to one of the fore feet, and the other to one of the hind feet, and it forced them to walk pretty slowly, as at the same time it made it impossible for them to leap over the enclosures. To me it appeared that the horses were subject to all sorts of dangerous accidents from this piece of wood.

Near New Frankfurt we rode over a little stone bridge, and somewhat further, eight or nine English miles from Philadelphia we passed over another, which was likewise of stone. There are not yet any milestones put up in the country, and the inhabitants only compute the distances by guess. We were afterwards brought over a river in a ferry, where we paid threepence a person, for ourselves and our horses.

At one of the places where we stopt to have our horses fed, the people had a Mocking-bird in a cage; and it is here reckoned the best singing bird, though its plumage be very simple, and not showy at all. At this time of the year it does not sing. Linnæus calls it Turdus polyglottos, and Catesby in his Natural History of Carolina, Vol. 1. p. 27. tab. 27, has likewise described and drawn this bird. The people said that it built its nests in the bushes and trees, but is so shy, that if any body come and look at its eggs, it leaves the nest, never to come to it again. Its young ones require great care in being bred up. If they are taken from their mother and put into a cage, she feeds them for three or four days; but seeing no hopes of setting them at liberty, she flies away. It then often happens, that the young ones die soon after, doubtless because they cannot accustom themselves to eat what the people give them. But it is generally imagined, that the last time the mother feeds them, she finds means to poison them, in order, the sooner to deliver them from slavery and wretchedness. These birds stay all summer in the colonies, but retire in autumn to the south, and stay away all winter. They have got the name of Mocking-birds, on account of their skill in imitating the note of almost every bird they hear. The song peculiar to them is excellent, and varied by an infinite change of notes and melody; several people are therefore of opinion, that they are the best singing birds in the world. So much is certain, that few birds come up to them; this is what makes them precious: the Swedes call it by the same name as the English.

About noon we came to New Bristol, a small town in Pensylvania, on the banks of the Delaware, about fifteen English miles from Philadelphia. Most of the houses are built of stone, and stand asunder. The inhabitants carry on a small trade, though most of them get their goods from Philadelphia. On the other side of the river, almost directly opposite to New Bristol, lies the town of Burlington, in which the governor of New Jersey resides.

We had now country seats on both sides of the roads. Now we came into a lane enclosed with pales on both sides, including pretty great corn-fields. Next followed a wood, and we perceived for the space of four English miles nothing but woods, and a very poor soil, on which the Lupinus perennis grew plentifully and succeeded well. I was overjoyed to see a plant come on so well in these poor dry places, and even began to meditate, how to improve this discovery in a soil like that which it inhabited. But I afterwards had the mortification to find that the horses and cows eat almost all the other plants, but left the lupine, which was however very green, looked very fresh, and was extremely soft to the touch. Perhaps means may be found out of making this plant palatable to the cattle. In the evening we arrived at Trenton, after having previously passed the Delaware in a ferry.

October the 28th. Trenton is a long narrow town, situate at some distance from the river Delaware, on a sandy plain; it belongs to New Jersey, and they reckon it thirty miles from Philadelphia. It has two small churches, one for the people belonging to the church of England, the other for the presbyterians. The houses are partly built of stone, though most of them are made of wood or planks, commonly two stories high, together with a cellar below the building, and a kitchen under ground, close to the cellar. The houses stand at a moderate distance from one another. They are commonly built so, that the street passes along one side of the houses, while gardens of different dimensions bound the other side; in each garden is a draw-well; the place is reckoned very healthy. Our landlord told us, that twenty-two years ago, when he first settled here, there was hardly more than one house; but from that time Trenton has encreased so much, that there are at present near a hundred houses. The houses were within divided into several rooms by their partitions of boards. The inhabitants of the place carried on a small trade with the goods which they got from Philadelphia, but their chief gain consisted in the arrival of the numerous travellers between that city and New York; for they are commonly brought by the Trenton Yachts from Philadelphia to Trenton, or from thence to Philadelphia. But from Trenton further to New Brunswick, the travellers go in the waggons which set out every day for that place. Several of the inhabitants however likewise subsist on the carriage for all sorts of goods, which are every day sent in great quantities, either from Philadelphia to New York, or from thence to the former place; for between Philadelphia and Trenton all goods go by water, but between Trenton and New Brunswick they are all carried by land, and both these conveniences belong to people of this town.

For the yachts which go between this place and the capital of Pensylvania, they usually pay a shilling and six-pence of Pensylvania currency per person, and every one pays besides for his baggage. Every passenger must provide meat and drink for himself, or pay some settled fare: between Trenton and New Brunswick a person pays two shillings and sixpence, and the baggage is likewise paid for separately.

We continued our journey in the morning; the country through which we passed was for the greatest part level, though sometimes there were some long hills, some parts were covered with trees, but far the greater part of the country was without woods; on the other hand I never saw any place in America, the towns excepted, so well peopled. An old man, who lived in this neighbourhood and accompanied us for some part of the road, however assured me, that he could well remember the time, when between Trenton and New Brunswick there were not above three farms, and he reckoned it was about fifty and some odd years ago. During the greater part of the day we had very extensive corn-fields on both sides of the road, and commonly towards the south the country had a great declivity. Near almost every farm was a spacious orchard full of peaches and apple trees, and in some of them the fruit was fallen from the trees in such quantities, as to cover nearly the whole surface. Part of it they left to rot, since they could not take it all in and consume it. Wherever we passed by we were always welcome to go into the fine orchards, and gather our hats and pockets full of the choicest fruit, without the possessor’s so much as looking after it. Cherry trees were planted near the farms, on the roads, &c.

The barns [36] had a peculiar kind of construction hereabouts, which I will give a concise description of. The whole building was very great, so as almost to equal a small church; the roof was pretty high, covered with wooden shingles, declining on both sides, but not steep: the walls which support it, were not much higher than a full grown man; but on the other hand the breadth of the building was the more considerable: in the middle was the threshing floor, and above it, or in the loft or garret they put the corn which was not yet threshed, the straw, or any thing else, according to the season: on one side were stables for the horses, and on the other for the cows. And the small cattle had likewise their particular stables or styes; on both ends of the buildings were great gates, so that one could come in with a cart and horses through one of them, and go out at the other: here was therefore under one roof the threshing floor, the barn, the stables, the hay loft, the coach house, &c. This kind of buildings is chiefly made use of by the Dutch and Germans; for it is to be observed that the country between Trenton and New York, is inhabited by few Englishmen, but instead of them by Germans or Dutch, [37] the latter of which especially are numerous.

Before I proceed, I find it necessary to remark one thing with regard to the Indians, or old Americans. For this account may perhaps meet with readers, who, like many people of my acquaintance, may be of opinion that all North America, was almost wholly inhabited by savage or heathen nations, and they may be astonished, that I do not mention them more frequently in my account. Others may perhaps imagine, that when I mention in my journal, that the country is much cultivated, that in several places, houses of stone or wood are built, round which are corn-fields, gardens, and orchards, that I am speaking of the property of the Indians; to undeceive them, I here give the following explication. The country especially all along the coasts, in the English colonies, is inhabited by Europeans, who in some places are already so numerous, that few parts of Europe are more populous. The Indians have sold the country to the Europeans, and have retired further up: in most parts you may travel twenty Swedish miles, or about a hundred and twenty English miles, from the sea shore, before you reach the first habitations of the Indians. And it is very possible for a person to have been at Philadelphia and other towns on the sea shore for half a year together, without so much as seeing an Indian. I intend in the sequel to give a more circumstantial account of them, their religion, manners, oeconomy, and other particulars relating to them: at present I return to the sequel of my journal.

About nine English miles from Trenton, the ground began to change its colour; hitherto it consisted of a considerable quantity of hazel coloured clay, but at present the earth was a reddish brown, so that it sometimes had a purple colour, and sometimes looked like logwood. This colour came from a red limestone which approached very near to that which is on the mountain Kinnekulle in West Gothland, and makes a particular stratum in the rock. The American red limestone therefore seems to be merely a variety of that I saw in Sweden, it lay in strata of two or three fingers thickness; but was divisible into many thinner plates or shivers, whose surface was seldom flat and smooth, but commonly rough: the strata themselves were frequently cut off by horizontal cracks. When these stones were exposed to the air, they by degrees shivered and withered into pieces, and at last turned into dust. The people of this neighbourhood did not know how to make any use of it; the soil above is sometimes rich and sometimes poor: in such places where the people had lately dug new wells, I perceived, that most of the rubbish which was thrown up consisted of such a species of stone. This reddish brown earth we always saw till near New Brunswick, where it is particularly plentiful. The banks of the river, shewed in many places nothing but strata of Limestone, which did not run horizontally, but dipped very much.

About ten o’clock in the morning we came to Prince-town, which is situated in a plain. Most of the houses are built of wood, and are not contiguous, so that there are gardens and pastures between them. As these parts were sooner inhabited by Europeans than Pensylvania, the woods were likewise more cut away, and the country more cultivated, so that one might have imagined himself to be in Europe.

We now thought of continuing our journey, but as it began to rain very heavily, and continued so during the whole day and part of the night, we were forced to stay till next morning,

October the 29th. This morning we proceeded on our journey. The country was pretty well peopled; however there were yet great woods in many places: they all consisted of deciduous trees: and I did not perceive a single tree of the fir kind, till I came to New Brunswick. The ground was level, and did not seem to be every where of the richest kind. In some places it had hillocks, losing themselves almost imperceptibly in the plains, which were commonly crossed by a rivulet. Almost near every farm-house were great orchards. The houses were commonly built of timber, and at some distance by themselves stood the ovens for baking, consisting commonly of clay.

On a hill covered with trees, and called Rockhill, I saw several pieces of stone or rock, so big, that they would have required three men to roll them down. But besides these there were few great stories in the country; for most of those which we saw, could easily be lifted up by a single man. In another place we perceived a number of little round pebbles, but we did not meet with either mountains or rocks.

About noon we arrived at New Brunswick, a pretty little town in the province of New Jersey, in a valley on the west side of the river Rareton; on account of its low situation, it cannot be seen (coming from Pensylvania) before you get to the top of the hill, which is quite close up to it: the town extends north and south along the river. The German inhabitants have two churches, one of stone and the other of wood; the English church is of the latter kind, but the presbyterians were building one of stone: the town house makes likewise a pretty good appearance. Some of the other houses are built of bricks, but most of them are made either wholly of wood, or of bricks and wood; the wooden houses are not made of strong timber, but merely of boards or planks, which are within joined by laths: such houses as consist of both wood and bricks, have only the wall towards the street of bricks, all the other sides being merely of planks. This peculiar kind of ostentation would easily lead a traveller, who passes through the town in haste, to believe that most of the houses are built of bricks. The houses were covered with shingles; before each door there was an elevation, to which you ascend by some steps from the street; it resembled a small balcony, and had some benches on both sides, on which the people sat in the evening, in order to enjoy the fresh air, and to have the pleasure of viewing those who passed by. The town has only one street lengthways, and at its northern extremity there is a street across; both of these are of a considerable length.

The river Rareton passes hard by the town, and is deep enough for great yachts to come up; its breadth near the town is within the reach of a common gun shot; the tide comes up several miles beyond the town, the yachts were placed lengthways along the bridge; the river has very high and pretty steep banks on both sides, but near the town there are no such banks, it being situated in a low valley. One of the streets is almost entirely inhabited by Dutchmen, who came hither from Albany, and for that reason they call it Albany street: these Dutch people only keep company among themselves, and seldom or never go amongst the other inhabitants, living as it were quite separate from them. New Brunswick belongs to New Jersey; however the greatest part, or rather all its trade is to New York, which is about forty English miles distant; to that place they send corn, flour in great quantities, bread, several other necessaries, a great quantity of linseed, boards timber, wooden vessels, and all sorts of carpenters work. Several small yachts are every day going backwards and forwards between these two towns. The inhabitants likewise get a considerable profit from the travellers, who every hour pass through, on the high road.

The steep banks consist of the red limestone, which I have before described. It is here plainly visible that the strata are not horizontal, but considerably dipping, especially towards the south. The weather and the air has in a great measure dissolved the stone here: I enquired, whether it could not be made use of, but was assured, that in building houses it was entirely useless; for, though it is hard and permanent under ground, yet on being dug out, and exposed for some time to the air, it first crumbles into greater, then into lesser pieces, and at last is converted into dust. An inhabitant of this town, however tried to build a house with this sort of stone, but its outsides being exposed to the air, soon began to change so much, that the owner was obliged to put boards all over the wall, to preserve it from falling to pieces. The people however pretend that this stone is a very good manure, if it is scattered upon the corn-fields in its rubbish state, for it is said to stifle the weeds: it is therefore made use of both on the fields and in gardens. [38]

Towards the evening we continued our journey, and were ferried over the river Rareton, together with our horses. In a very dry summer, and when the tide has ebbed, it is by no means dangerous to ride through this river. On the opposite shore the red juniper tree was pretty abundant. The country through which we now passed was pretty well inhabited, but in most places full of small pebbles.

We saw Guinea Hens in many places where we passed by. They sometimes run about the fields, at a good distance from the farm-houses.

About eight English miles from New Brunswick, the road divided. We took that on the left, for that on the right leads to Amboy, the chief sea-town in New Jersey. The country now made a charming appearance; some parts being high, others forming vallies, and all of them well cultivated. From the hills you had a prospect of houses, farms, gardens, corn-fields, forests, lakes, islands, roads, and pastures.

In most of the places where we travelled this day the colour of the ground was reddish. I make no doubt, but there were strata of the before-mentioned red limestone under it. Sometimes the ground looked very like a cinnabar ore.

Wood-bridge is a small village in a plain, consisting of a few houses: we stopped here to rest our horses a little. The houses were most of them built of boards; the walls had a covering of shingles on the outside; these shingles were round at one end, and all of a length in each row: some of the houses had an Italian roof, but the greatest part had roofs with pediments; most of them were covered with shingles. In most places we met with wells and buckets to draw up the water.

Elizabeth-town is a small town, about twenty English miles distant from New Brunswick: we arrived there immediately after sun setting. Its houses are mostly scattered, but well built, and generally of boards, with a roof of shingles, and walls covered with the same. There were likewise some stone buildings. A little rivulet passes through the town from west to east; it is almost reduced to nothing when the water ebbs away, but with the full tide they can bring up small yachts. Here were two fine churches, each of which made a much better appearance than any one in Philadelphia. That belonging to the people of the church of England was built of bricks, had a steeple with bells, and a balustrade round it, from which there was a prospect of the country. The meeting house of the presbyterians was built of wood, but had both a steeple and bells, and was, like the other houses covered with shingles. The town house made likewise a good appearance, and had a spire with a bell. The banks of the river were red, from the reddish limestone; both in and about the town were many gardens and orchards, and it might truly be said that Elizabeth-town was situated in a garden; the ground hereabouts being even and well cultivated.

The geese, in some of the places by which we passed this day and the next, carried three or four little sticks, of the length of a foot about their necks; they were fastened crossways, to prevent them from creeping through half broken enclosures. They look extremely awkward, and it is very diverting to see them in this attire.

At night we took up our lodgings at Elizabeth-town Point, an inn about two English miles distant from the town, and the last house on this road belonging to New Jersey. The man who had taken the lease of it, together with that of the ferry near it, told us that he paid a hundred and ten pounds of Pensylvania currency to the owner.

October the 30th. We were ready to proceed on our journey at sun-rising. Near the inn where we had passed the night, we were to cross a river, and we were brought over, together with our horses, in a wretched half rotten ferry. This river came a considerable way out of the country, and small vessels could easily sail up it. This was a great advantage to the inhabitants of the neighbouring country, giving them an opportunity of sending their goods to New York with great ease; and they even made use of it for trading to the West Indies. The country was low on both sides of the river, and consisted of meadows. But there was no other hay to be got, than such as commonly grows in swampy grounds; for as the tide comes up in this river, these low plains were sometimes overflowed when the water was high. The people hereabouts are said to be troubled in summer with immense swarms of gnats or musquetoes, which sting them and their cattle. This was ascribed to the low swampy meadows, on which these insects deposite their eggs, which are afterwards hatched by the heat.

As soon as we had got over the river, we were upon Staten Island, which is quite surrounded with salt water. This is the beginning of the province of New York. Most of the people settled here were Dutchmen, or such as came hither whilst the Dutch were yet in possession of this place. But at present they were scattered among the English and other European inhabitants, and spoke English for the greatest part. The prospect of the country here is extremely pleasing, as it is not so much intercepted by woods, but offers more cultivated fields to view. Hills and vallies still continued, as usual, to change alternately.

The farms were near each other. Most of the houses were wooden; however some were built of stone. Near every farm-house was an orchard with apple trees: the fruit was already for the greatest part gathered. Here, and on the whole journey before, I observed a press for cyder at every farm-house, made in different manners, by which the people had already pressed the juice out of the apples, or were just busied with that work. Some people made use of a wheel made of thick oak planks, which turned upon a wooden axis by means of a horse drawing it, much in the same manner as the people do with woad; [39] except that here the wheel runs upon planks. Cherry trees stood along the enclosures round corn-fields.

The corn-fields were excellently situated, and either sown with wheat or rye. They had no ditches on their sides, but (as is usual in England) only furrows, drawn at greater or lesser distances from each other.

In one place we observed a water mill, so situated, that when the tide flowed, the water ran into a pond: but when it ebbed, the floodgate was drawn up, and the mill driven by the water, flowing out of the pond.

About eight o’clock in the morning we arrived at the place where we were to cross the water, in order to come to the town of New York. We left our horses here and went on board the yacht: we were to go eight English miles by sea; however we landed about eleven o’clock in the morning at New York. We saw a kind of wild ducks in immense quantities upon the water: the people called them Blue bills, and they seemed to be the same with our Pintail ducks, or Linnæus’s Anas acuta: but they were very shy. On the shore of the continent we saw some very fine sloping corn-fields, which at present looked quite green, the corn being already come up. We saw many boats in which the fishermen were busy catching oysters: to this purpose they make use of a kind of rakes with long iron teeth bent inwards; these they used either singly or two tied together in such a manner, that the teeth were turned towards each other.

October the 31st. About New York they find innumerable quantities of excellent oysters, and there are few places which have oysters of such an exquisite taste, and of so great a size: they are pickled and sent to the West Indies and other places; which is done in the following manner. As soon as the oysters are caught, their shells are opened, and the fish washed clean; some water is then poured into a pot, the oysters are put into it, and they must boil for a while; the pot is then taken off from the fire again, the oysters taken out and put upon a dish, till they are somewhat dry: then you take some mace, allspice, black pepper, and as much vinegar as you think is sufficient to give a sourish taste. All this is mixed with half the liquor in which the oysters were boiled, and put over the fire again. While you boil it great care is to be taken in scumming off the thick scum; at last the whole pickle is poured into a glass or earthen vessel, the oysters are put to it, and the vessel is well stopped to keep out the air. In this manner, oysters will keep for years together, and may be sent to the most distant parts of the world.