CM
r--
sfl
9
c
sr
ij
SHELF X9^ II i
r ;E ssi ON.
TRAVELS
N.ORTH- AM ERICA,
IN THE
YEARS 17SO 8182.
BY THE
MARQUIS DE CIIASTELLUX,
ONE OF THE FORTY MEMBERS OF THE TRENCH ACADEMY, AND MAJOR-GENERAL
IN THE FRENCH ARMY, SERVING UNDER THE COUNT DE ROCHAMBEAU.
TRANSLATED
FROM THE FRENCH, BY AN ENGLISH GENTLEMAN,
1VHO RESIDED IN AMERICA AT THAT PERIOD.
WITH NOTES BY THE TRANSLATOR.
ALSO,
A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF THE AUTHOR :
LETTERS
FROM GEN. WASHINGTON TO THE MARQUIS DE CIU.STELLUX :
NOTES AND CORI^flONS,
BY THE AMERICAN
NEW-YORK:
1828.
CS
\9
PREFACE
TO THE AMERICAN EDITION
As a memorial of the conflict which made the United States
one of the nations of the earth, and a sketch of the features
of the country, with some of the principal arbiters of its desti
ny in that momentous period, the TRAVELS OF THE MARQUIS
DE CHASTELLUX will ever hold an honourable place in the in
terest and feelings, either of the American patriot or mere
speculative reader. In following his narrative, however, it
will readily be perceived, that the Author, a man of science,
reflection, and literary habits, wrote more for private and indi
vidual gratification, than for critical scrutiny or the public eye.
Hence the numerous little incidents and circumstances, the
trivial anecdote and immaterial remark, designed only for a
confidential and friendly ear ; blended with the serious obser
vations and profound reflections on the state of society, the
origin and progress of events, and the probable future condi
tion of our embryo republic. In preparing this work for an
extensive impression, to an English mind it would appear, that
much of his tea-table chit-chat and travelling memoranda
might as well have been omitted ; while on the graver and
more weighty subjects of his inquiries, he will be perused with
fixed regard and the deepest attention. A proficient in all the
accomplishments of the most polished court in Europe, alrea
dy distinguished by his literary attainments and productions,
M164316
4 PREFACE.
accustomed to modes of conduct and habits of thinking, so
dissimilar to what might be expected from the retired man
ners, the contracted sentiments, and the entire new scenes,
furnished by our home-bred rustics, it is not extraordinary that
some of his remarks seem rather deficient in that frankness
and courtesy, which generally prevail throughout his work.
In solitary hamlets and unpeopled forests, he could not look
for the balls, the theatres, and the levees of Paris. But he
found a sturdy, honest, and intelligent yeomanry, rough as
the soil they cultivate, resolved to defend their independence
against a host of mercenaries, and successful in their object.
The uncommon merit of the French officers and soldiery,
in their strict and exemplary demeanour throughout the con
flict, well deserves the encomium it has received. In no in
stance was it known, that so much injury had been sustained
by the inhabitants, from a regiment or brigade of the disci
plined allies, as from a single company of the native militia.
The picture of our country, drawn by the hand of a master,
in traits undoubtedly correct as far as they go, after a progress
of nearly half a century, cannot but be reviewed with pleasure
and gratulation by the American citizen, delighted with the
present condition of the land of his nativity, and animated
with its future prospects. In our improved method of travel
ling, the Marquis would have reached West Point from Provi
dence, the long and tedious distance he so minutely describes,
from town to town and house to house, on the same roads, very
comfortably in fifty hours.
We have not admired the taste of the Translator, in some
of his notes ; and occasionally an observation of the Author is
omitted, in a case where he would not, on the same occasion,
have offered it to a Protestant neighbour. Yet when we keep
in view his character as a stranger, a Frenchman, and a Ro
man Catholic, we must, admit that he displays no common
PREFACE. 5
degree of discernment, of frankness, of good sense and
liberality, in his discussion of the various topics before him ;
many of which have proved the soundness of his abstract rea
soning, while others, from local or incidental causes, have exhi
bited effects widely different from the Author s anticipations.
The letters from Gen. Washington to the Author, are ex
tracted from the New- York Literary Journal, of 1S20-], into
which they were copied from the original manscripts of Ma
dame Chastellux, after the death of her husband. They de
tract nothing from the amiable, the patriotic, and the philoso
phical character of their illustrious writer.
This edition of the Marquis work, is copied from an Eng
lish translation, in two volumes, published in 1787. In its
consolidated and economical form, it will doubtless be an ac
ceptable addition to the literary and historical reading of our
country. Unwilling that the mistakes of the intelligent Au
thor and his Translator should be extended and perpetuated
by this first American impression, the editor has added a vari
ety of NOTES and CORRECTIONS, which it has been deemed pre
ferable to place at the end of the volume, instead of inserting
them at the foot of the pages to which they respectively refer,
as the notes of the Translator already occupy so large a por
tion of the work. For the sake of method and perspicuity,
he has divided the whole into Parts and Chapters, to which
he has prepared and adapted the Table of Contents.
ADVERTISEMENT
TO THE FRENCH EDITION.
THE public have been long informed that the Marquis de Chastel-
lux had written Journals of his Travels in North-America, and they
seem to have wished to see those Journals more generally diffused.
The Author, who had arranged them solely for himself and for his
friends, has constantly refused to make them public until this moment.
The first and most considerable, in fact, were printed in America ;
but only twenty-four impressions were struck off, and this with no
other view than to avoid* the multiplying of copies, which were be
come indispensably necessary, in a country and at a time when there
was very little hope of any packets reaching Europe, but by the means
of duplicates. Besides that, he thought proper to avail himself of
the small printing press on board the squadron at Rhode-Island. Of
these twenty-four impressions, not above ten or twelve reached Eu
rope, and the Author had addressed them all to persons on whom he
could rely, and whom he had requested not to suffer any copies to be
taken. The curiosity, however, which every thing respecting Ameri
ca at that time inspired, excited much anxiety to read them. They
passed successively through a great many hands, and there is reason
to believe that the readers have not all been equally scrupulous ; nor /
can it even be doubted that there exist some manuscript copies,
which being hastily executed, may be presumed to be incorrect.
In the spring of 1782, the Marquis de Chastellux made a journey
into Upper Virginia ; and, in the autumn of the same year, another
into^the^States of Massachusetts, and New-Hampshire, and the back
part of Pennsylvania. According to custom, he wrote journals of
these expeditions ; but, being on his return to Europe, he reserved
them to himself. These therefore are known only to a few friends,
to whom he lent them ; for he invariably denied the request of many
ADVERTISEMENT.
persons, and particularly our own, to empower us to lay them before
the public. One of his friends however, who has a very extensive
correspondence in foreign countries, having pressed him much to fur
nish him with at least a few detached extracts from these journals, for
the purpose of inserting them in a periodical work printed at Gotha,
the object of which is to collect such works as have not been made
public, he consented ; and, during a whole year, there appeared in
each number of this Journal a few pages taken here and there from
those of the Marquis de Chastellux. These extracts were not in a
regular series, and were indiffently taken from the first and second
parts of the Travels. The Author had used this precaution, to pre
vent the foreign booksellers from collecting them, and imposing them
on the public as a complete work. Experience has proved the insuf
ficiency of this precaution. A printer of Cassel, without any scruple,
has collected these detached extracts, and without announcing that
they had no coherency, has printed them under the title of Voyages
de Monsieur le Chevalier de Chastellux, the name the Author bore
two years ago.
The publication of a work so mutilated and unmethodical, and
which the Marquis de Chastellux by no means expected, so far from
flattering, could not but be displeasing to him. We deemed this a
proper opportunity for renewing our instances to him, and have, in
consequence, obtained his original manuscript We have lost no
time in giving it to the public, and have exerted the utmost pains to
render it, from the execution, worthy of the importance of the sub
ject, and of the name and reputation of the Author.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
OF THE MARQUIS DE CHASTELLUX.
THE Marquis de Chastellux was of an ancient family in Bour-
gogne, and was born in Paris, in 1734. In his early childhood
he lost his father, who was Lieutenant-General in the army of
the king, and commandant in Roussillon. He entered the ser
vice atjfifteen years of age, and at twenty-one, had the com
mand of a regiment : a short time after he obtained the com
mand of a regiment of his own name. He served during the
seven years war in Germany, with credit to himself and coun
try. But, even among the busy and boisterous scenes of hos
tile movements, he pursued at every interval, his favourite lite
rary studies. The activity of his mind was equal, in a high
degree, to his thirst for knowledge. A sincere desire to be
useful to mankind, and firmness to encounter every danger to
gratify that desire, were characteristics of his mind.
When the subject of inoculation for the small pox was intro
duced, it was difficult to procure a subject who was willing to
submit, to the then untried experiment in France. Chastellux,
though a youth of about twenty years of age, offered to submit
to the experiment. After his recovery, he called upon a friend,
and made use of the following noble expression : " Here I
am, safe ; and what is still more gratifying to me is, that, by
niy example, I shall be the means of saving many others."
In 1780 he accompanied the army commanded by Lieute
nant-General Count Rochambeau to the United States ; in
which army, he held the rank of Major-General. In this sta
tion he never ceased to give proofs of activity, knowledge, and
firmness ; by which he received, not only the applause of his
King, and the American Commander-in-Chief, but even of their
enemies. In this service, he was particularly distinguished by
that penetrating judge of merit, General Washington. An in
timate and sincere friendship took place between them, which
ended only with their lives.
BIOGRAPHY
He held a distinguished rank among the literary characters
of France ; and some of his works are esteemed among ; the
most valuable productions of the age. He died in 1788
leaving an accomplished and amiable widow, and an &"*,
Alfred, who appears to possess the active deposition of hs fa-
fher ; and promises, like him, to pursue the road to usefulness
an The m Marquis of Chastellux was taken from the world, at a
time when the services of such men were most needed ; but
pTrhaps, he might, as well as the numerous friends he left be
hind, have been overwhelmed by the torrent of anarchy, which,
soon after his death, spread terror and devastation over h be
loved country. He was a sincere friend of rational liberty ,
but possessed too much firmness and integrity to have been , a
silent spectator of that licentiousness which, under the per
verted name of liberty, was the most horrid of all tyrannies.
CONTENTS,
PART I.
Journal of a Tour from Newport to Philadelphia, Albany, <c.
. Page,
CHAPTER L The author leaves Newport. Arrival at Providence de
scription of that town. Voluntown. Description of the country between
Voluntown and Windham. East Hartford. Particulars relative to the
state of Vermont origin of the name. Arrival at Hartford. Visit to Gov.
Trumbull. Interesting fact. Departure from Hartford. Description of
the country. Manufactures, &c 17
CHAPTER II. Sets out for Litchfield. Observations on the nomenclature
of the Americans. Meets a park of Artillery. Litchfield. Beautiful
landscapes. Fishkill. The Barracks. Leaves Fishkill. Barracks for In
valids. Beautiful prospects. General Heath at the head of 2500 men in
battle array. West-Point. General Heath s orders to General Stark. . 33
CHAPTER III. Particulars of General Heath. Fortifications at West-
Point. Descends the North river. Description of the country. Fort
Clinton how attacked and taken. Particulars of King s Ferry. Stoney-
Point and Verplanck s-Point. Arnold s treason. Vulture sloop of war.
Camp of the Marquis de la Fayette. Totohaw [Passaic] Falls. Washing
ton s Head Quarters 48
CHAPTER IV. The army in battle array. American General Officers.
A young man with a monstrous head. General Knox. Character of Ge
neral Washington. Morristown. Ancient camp at Middlebrook. De
scription of the country. Positions occupied by the English. Greggtown.
Princeton description of its College. Battles of Princeton. . . .65
CHAPTER V. Trenton. Position of the Hessians when they laid down
their arms. Remarks. Bristol. Description of the country. Philadel
phia. Chevalier de la Luzerne. Mrs. Bache, daughter of Dr. Franklin.
Robert Morris. . 86
CHAPTER VI. Battle of Germantown. Samuel Adams. Anecdote.
House in which Congress assembled. Assembly of Pennsylvania. Cabinet
of Natural History. Orrery. Anatomies. Battle of Brandy wine, . 10
12 CONTENTS.
Page
CHAPTER VII. Chester. Fort Billingsport. Fort Mifflin. Delaware
river barricaded. Fort Redbank unsuccessful attack. Principles of the
Revolution of America. New Constitution of Massachusetts Bay. A Ball.
A Quaker. Quaker meeting. English Church. . . . . -120
CHAPTER VIII. Germantown. White Marsh. English camp. Barren
Hill. La Fayette. English lines. Mr. Peters, Secretary at War. Mr.
Payne, author of " Common Sense" character of that celebrated writer.
Subscription Ball. Ridiculous story. Academy at Philadelphia. Che
valier de la Luzerne ; . .
CHAPTER IX. Observations on Philadelphia. Princeton. Militia Colo
nelcourageous action of his son. Baskenridge. Pompton. Dutch
Farms. A savage country. Reflections. New- Windsor. General Wash
ington. Sets out for Albany. Agriculture of Dutchess County. Whim
sical mistake. Trade of Canada. Anecdote of Arnold. Road to Kinder-
hook. Curiosities. . . . \ . ..,"* * 151
CHAPTER X. Arrival at Albany. Dines with General Schuyler par
ticulars of the General and his family. Sets out for Schenectady. De
scription of the country. Cohoes Falls. Mohawk river. Return to Al
bany. Plans for carrying on the war in Canada. Journey to Schenectady.
Indians their huts. Leaves Albany for Saratoga. Accident. Camp on
Bream s Heights. Battles between Generals Gates and Burgoyne. Sara
toga. . " * *
CHAPTER XI. Journey to Fort Edward. Great Cataract. Miss Mac-
Rea. General Burgoyne. Anecdotes. Return to Albany. New- Year s
Day. A thaw. Leaves Albany. Accident. Nobletown. Sheffield.
The Green Woods. Arrival at New-Hartford. Singular Conversation.
Extraordinary Rock. Lebanon. Squirrel Hunting. Voluntown. Pro
vidence. Return to Newport.
PART II.
Journal of a Tour in Upper Virginia, in the Apalachian Mountains,
and to the Natural Bridge.
CHAPTER I- The author leaves Williamsburgh. Cornwallis Army.
New-Kent Court-House. Offly. General Nelson and j family. Willis
Tavern. Cock Fight. Louisa Court-House. An Irishman. Monticello.
Portrait of Mr. Jefferson.
CHAPTER II. Charlotteville. Marquis de la Rouerie. A Tame Wolf.
Mr. Jefferson s Park. Battle of Cowpens. The Gap. A Pheasant.
0QA
Praxton s Tavern
CHAPTER III. Sets out for the Natural Bridge. Description of it. Ac
count of a young man and his wife going to settle in Kentucky. Kills a
Mountain Rat-description of it. The Gap. Wild Turkeys. Mr. Lam-
CONTENTS. 13
Page,
bert. Captain Muller. New-London. Hodnett s Tavern. Cumberland
Court-House. Young Ladies handsome and well dressed. Reflections
on Beauty. . 248
CHAPTER IV. Arrives at Petersburg. Mrs. Spencer and her daughter.
Public Store-Houses for Tobacco the receipts given at them circulated as
money. Mrs. Bowling. Pocahontas. Account of General Bull. Depar
ture from Petersburg. Commerce of that Town. Arrival at Richmond.
Description of that place. General Harrison. Interesting Anecdote. Ar
rival at Westover. Mrs. Bird and her family. Mr. Mead. Sturgeon
Fishery. The Humming-bird 266
CHAPTER V. Return to Williamsburg. Chickahoming Creek. Obser
vations on Virginia and the first Planters of North America. On Slavery. 285
PART III.
Journal of a Tour in New- Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Upper
Pennsylvania.
CHAPTER I. The author leaves Hartford. Baron s Tavern. Fine Mea
dows value of lands and provisions. Arrives at Concord. Description of
the Country. Anecdotes relative to the battles of Concord and Lexington.
Road from Concord to Haverhill. Commerce of Haverhill. Road from
Haverhill to Portsmouth. Exeter. Beauty of the Country. Arrives at
Portsmouth. A Sermon. Remarkable Comparison. Ship of War Au-
guste. Description of the Harbor and Fortifications. Accident, caused by
thunder, on board the Auguste. Colonel Langdon generous action. De
parture from Portsmouth. Observations on Portsmouth and New-Hamp
shire in general. Arrives at Newburyport. Mr. Tracy his house vicis
situdes patriotism, &c . 303
CHAPTER II. Departure from Newburyport. Ipswich its population.
Arrival at Salem. Description of Salem and its Harbor. Road from Sa-
to Boston. Arrival at Boston. A Ball. Dines on board the Souve-
in. French Language. Field of battle of Bunkers Hill and old camp
at Cambridge. Description of the Camp and Field of Battle. Able ma
noeuvre of General Washington. University of Cambridge. Doctor Coop
er. The Club. Squadron of the Marquis de Vaudreuil. . . .319
CHAPTER III, Observations on Boston. Enormous Tax. Departure
from Boston. Rejoins the troops at Providence. Road from Providence
to Newborough. Improvements. Unhappy Adventure. Arrival at New-
borough. General Washington. Takes leave of the General. American
Barracks. Beard s Tavern. Arrival at Sussex. Moravian mill
church anecdote of the minister description of the country. Remarka
ble Gap. Arrival at Bethlehem. Visits the Moravian Establishments
house for single women house for single men police of these houses.
Arrival at Philadelphia .336
14 CONTENTS.
Description of the Natural Bridge, called in Virginia Rocky Bridge. . . 354
PART IV.
Correspondence.
LETTER I. The Marquis de Chastellux to Mr. Madison. . . . 369-
LETTERS II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X. General Washington
to the Marquis de Chastellux. . . 384J-389-390-391-392-393-394-395-397
Additional Notes and Corrections, by the American Editor. & .. .. ,. .401
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
PARTI.
JOURNAL OF A TOUR
FROM NEWPORT TO PHILADELPHIA, ALBANY, &C.
TRAVELS IN
CHAPTER
S*
\ ^/ * r^V
NEWPORT VOLUNTOWN WINDHAM HARTFORD FARMIXGTQN,
FROM my landing at Newport, on the llth of July, it was
hardly possible for me to be absent even for two days. On
the 19th of that month the English fleet began to show itseli
before the port ; the next day we reckoned two and twenty
sail, and a few days after, we learnt that the enemy were em
barking troops, nor were we informed before the middle of
August of their being again disembarked at New- York, and on
Long-Island. But still it appeared by no means clear that they
had abandoned their undertaking : we received every day
fresh advices, which bespoke new embarkations ; on our part
we were adding to our fortifications, and our still recent esta
blishment furnished me with daily employment of such a na
ture as not to admit of my absence. M. de Rochambeau, who
had long proposed visiting his posts at Providence, was unable
to carry his project into execution before the 30th of August.
I accompanied him, and we returned the next day.* On the
18th of September, he set out for Hartford in Connecticut,
with the Admiral Chevalier de Ternay, where General Wash
ington had given him a rendezvous. I did not attend him in
this journey, and as fortune would have it, we found ourselves
in the most critical situation in which we had been since our
arrival. The general belief at Rhode-Island was, that M. de
Guichen, who we knew had quitted St. Domingo, was coming
to join us, and we expected to go into immediate action. On
the 19th, we found that instead of M. de Guichen, Admiral
Rodney was arrived at New- York with ten ships of the line.
Not the smallest doubt was entertained among us of an
attack upon the French fleet, and even the army. The vessels
* Let the English reader conjecture from what this General officer
has said, and from what he has probably thought proper not to say,
whether Sir II. Clinton, and Admiral Arbuthnot, and even the great
Rodney were very enterprizing Officers. TRANSLATOR.
3
i8 : * TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
in consequence were laid across the harbour, with springs on their
cables, and their anchorage was protected by new batteries,
which were constructed with great judgment and celerity. In
the beginning of October, the season being then advanced,
without any thing being undertaking by Admiral Rodney, we
had reason to expect that we should remain quiet for the re
mainder of the year, and our sole occupation was in preparing
winter quarters for the troops. They took possession of them
the 1st of November : and I might now without risk have ab
sented myself from the army ; but not wishing to show too
much anxiety, and desirous of seeing discipline, and the ar
rangements relative to the cantonments well established, I de
ferred until the llth setting out on a long tour upon the
continent.
I left Rhode-Island that day with Mr. Lynch and M. de
Montesquieu,* who had each of them a servant. I had three,
one of whom had a led horse, and another drove a small cart,
which I was advised to take, to convey my portmanteaus, and
to avoid hurting my horses in the journey. It was then a hard
frost, the earth was covered with snow, and the north-easterly
wind blew very sharp. In going from Bristol to the Ferry, I
went out of my way to view the fortifications of Btitshill, and I
reached the ferry at half past elevenf. The passage was long
and difficult, because the wind was contrary. We were obli
ged to make three tacks, and it was necessary to make two
trips, to pass over our horses, and the cart. At two o clock I
arrived at Warren, a small town in the state of Massachusetts,
eighteen miles distant from Newport. I alighted at a good inn,
the master of which, called Buhr, is remarkable for his enor
mous size as well as that of his wife, his son, and all his family.
My intention was only to have baited my horses, but the cold
continuing to increase, and the cart not arriving before three
o clock, I gave up all thoughts of going to sleep at Providence,
and I determined to stay at Warren, where I was in very good
quarters. After dinner I went to the bank of the little river
Barrington, which runs near this town, to see a sloop come in
which had arrived from Port au Prince. This sloop belonged
to Mr. Porter, Brigadier-General of the Militia, nephew to Mr.
Buhr, and still more bulky than himself. Colonel Green whom
I met upon the quay, made me acquainted with Mr. Porter, and
* Both of these gentlemen were made Colonels en second, on their
return to Europe ; the first of the regiment of Walsh, and the second,
of the regiment of Bourbonnois.
t The ferries are over arms of the sea, as well as rivers, and the boats
have either sails or oars.
TRAVELS IN NORTH- AM ERIC A. 10
we drank tea with him, in a simple, but comfortable house, the
inside and inhabitants of which presented a specimen of Ameri
can manners.
The 12th I set out at half past eight for Providence, where
I arrived at noon. I alighted at the college, that is to say,
at our hospital, which I examined, arid dined with Mr. Blan-
chard, Commissary of war. At half past four I went to Colo
nel Bowen s where I had lodged in my first journey , I drank
tea there with several ladies, one of whom, rather handsome,
was called Miss Angel. I was then conducted to Mrs. Var-
num s, where I again found company, and from thence to Go
vernor Bowen s, who gave me a bed.
The 13th, I breakfasted with Colonel Peck : he is an amia
ble and polite young man, who passed the last summer with
General Heath at Newport. He received me in a charming
small house, where he lived with his wife, who is young also,
and has a pleasing countenance, but without any thing striking.
This little establishment, where comfort and simplicity reign,
gave an idea of that sweet and serene state of happiness, which
appears to have taken refuge in the New World, after com
pounding it with pleasure, to which it has left the Old.
The town of Providence is built on the bank of a river only
six miles long, and which disembogues itself in the gulf wherein
are Rhode-Island, Connecticut, Providence, &c. It has only
one street, which is very long : the suburb, which is consider
able, is on the other side of the river. This town is handsome,
the houses are not spacious, but well built, and properly
arranged within. It is pent in between two chains of moun
tains, one to the north, and the other to the south-west, which
causes an insupportable heat in summer ; but it is exposed to
the north-west wind, which rakes it from one end to the other,
and renders it extremely cold in winter. It may contain two
thousand five hundred inhabitants. Its situation is very advan
tageous for commerce ; which accordingly is very considerable
in times of peace. Merchant ships may load and unload their
cargoes in the town itself, and ships of war cannot approach
the harbour. Their commerce is the same with that of Rhode-
Island and Boston ; they export staves, and salt provisions, and
bring back salt, and a great quantity of molasses, sugar, and
other articles from the West-Indies : they fit out vessels also
for the cod and whale fishery. The latter is carried on success
fully between Cape Cod and Long-Island ; but they go often
as far as Baffin s Straits, and Falkland s Island. The inhabit
ants of Providence, like those of Newport, also carry on the
Guinea trade ; they buy slaves there and carry them to the
West-Indies, where they take bills of exchange on Old Eng-
20 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
land, for which they receive woollens, stuffs, and other mer
chandize*.
On quitting Colonel Peck, I mounted my horse for Volun
town, where I proposed sleeping. I stopped at Scituate, in a
very indifferent inn, called the Angel s Tavern; it is about
half way to Voluntown : I baited my horses there, and set out
in an hour, without seeing my cart arrive. From this place to
Voluntown the road is execrable ; one is perpetually mounting
and descending, and always on the most rugged roads. It
was six o clock, and the night closed in, when I reached
D s Tavern, which is only five and twenty miles from
Providence. I dismounted with the more pleasure as the
weather was extremely bad. I was well accommodated, and
kindly received at Mr. D s. He is an old gentleman
of seventy-three years of age, tall, and still vigorous ; he is a
native of Ireland, first settled in Massachusetts, and afterwards
in Connecticut. His wife, who is younger than him, is active,
handy, and obliging ; but her family is charming. It consists
of two young men, one twenty-eight, and the other twenty-one
years old ; a child of twelve, and two girls from eighteen to
twenty, as handsome as angels. The eldest of these young
women was sick, kept her chamber, and did not show herself.
I learnt afterwards that she was in the family way, and almost
ready to lie-in : she was deceived by a young man, who, after
promising to marry her, absented himself and did not return. f
* Here are several places of public worship, an university, and
other public buildings ; and a very brisk trade was carried on even at
the worst period of the war for American commerce, viz. in 1782.
Mr. Welcome Arnold, a great plumber, and Delegate to Congress
from this state, has changed his name by act of Assembly, since the
defection of Benedict Arnold. Trans.
t On the arrival of seven or eight copies of this journal, sent to
Europe by the author, the curiosity then excited by every thing relative
to the affairs of America, procured them many readers. Though the
author had addressed them only to his most intimate friends, and had
taken the precaution to apprize them that it was not his intention they
should be generally public, they passed rapidly from one hand to
another ; and as they could only be lent for a short time they were
read with as much precipitation as avidity. This anxiety could only
proceed from the general desire of forming some idea of the manners
of the Americans, of which this journal gave several details which
became interesting from the circumstances of novelty and distance.
From an inconsistency, however, more usual in France than in any
other country, some persons made no scruple to judge the author on
points of propriety, of which he alone was capable of giving them an
idea : he was taxed with wantonness and indiscretion, for having
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 21
Chagrin and the consequences of her situation had thrown her
into a state of languor ; she never came down to the ground-
floor on which her parents lived ; but great care was taken of
concealed neither events nor places in relating the adventure of a girl
deceived by her lover. A very simple, and very natural reflection,
might have convinced them, that it was by no means probable that a
General Officer, a man of forty-five years of age, particularly connected
with the Americans, and who has every where expressed sentiments
of gratitude and attachment for those from whom he experienced
kindness, should allow himself, not only to offend, but to afflict an
honest family, who had shewn him every attention, and of whom he
cannot speak but in terms of commendation. Besides that the simple
and even serious manner in which this article is written affords not the
least appearance of levity ; a sufficient reason for preventing the too
free observations of certain readers. Another reflection might occur
naturally enough, but which Demanded a little more combination.
The author wishes, it might have been said, to give us an idea of
American manners, which he is certainly very far from satirizing :
may it not be possible that amongst a people so remote from us in
every respect, a girl who should resign herself too hastily to the man
she was engaged to, with the consent even of her parents, a girl with
out distrust, in a country where such an idea is never taught them,
where morals are so far in their infancy, as that the commerce between
two free persons is deemed less censurable, than the infidelity, the
caprices, and even the coquetries which destroy the peace of so many
European families ? May it not be possible that this young woman,
as interesting as she was unhappy, should be lamented rather than
condemned, that she should still retain all her rights in society, and
become a legitimate spouse and mother, though her story was neither
unknown, nor attempted to be concealed ? In fact, how could the
author learn this history ? Was it by the scandalous chronicles in a
hamlet where he was a stranger to every person but his hosts ? 1 have
since learnt (says he in speaking of this girl) that she was in the family
way, and near her time of lying-in. How did he learn this ? From
her own parents, who had not at first made a mystery of it, and then
a matter of confidence. But had these austere judges, when they had
finished their reading, happened to recollect what they saw at the
beginning, they might have observed that the author being at Volun-
town a second time, two months after, saw Miss D suckling
an infant, which was continually passing from her knees to those of
her mother ; that she was then cherished, and taken care of by all the
family. This affecting sight was described with sensibility, and not
with malignity. But it is time to give over tiring the patience, not of
the critics only, but of all sensible minds, those minds alone whose
approbation is of any value. On another journey to Voluntown, the
author had the satisfaction to see Miss D perfectly happy : her
lover was returned, and had married her ; he had expiated all his
wrongs, nor had they been such as they at first appeared ; he had unfor
tunate circumstances to plead in his excuse, if there can indeed be
J TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
her, and she had always somebody to keep her company.
Whilst a good supper was preparing for me, I went into the
room where the family was assembled, where I observed a
shelf with forty or fifty volumes on it ; on opening them I found
that they were all classical authors, Greek, Latin, or English.
They belonged to Mr. D s eldest son. This young
man had received a regular education, and was tutor at Provi
dence college, until the war interrupted his studies. I con
versed with him on various points of literature, and particularly
on the manner in which the dead languages should be pro
nounced. I found him well informed, and possessed of much
simplicity and modesty.*
We were waited on at supper by a most beautiful girl, call
ed Miss Pearce. She was a neighbour of Mrs. D , and
had come on a visit, and to assist her in the absence of her
any for a man who for a single day can leave in such agonies the
interesting and weak victim who was unable to resist him.
The translator, who has been at Voluntown, and enjoyed the society
and witnessed the happiness of this amiable family, is likewise
acquainted with the whole of this story. He is so well satisfied with
the justness of the liberal minded author s reasoning on American
manners in this particular, that in relating the circumstances of
this worthy family at length, he does not apprehend their characters
would suffer the smallest injury, where alone the imputation is of .any
consequence ; nor does he fear opposing the virtue of this family, and
of these manners, to European chastity, prudery, and refinement.
The circumstances of this story were related to the translator by Mr.
and Mrs. D , with the same sensibility, and the same innocence,
with which they appear to have told them to the Marquis de Chastel-
lux They are a kind, hospitable, and amiable couple, and the hus
band is very far from being ill informed ; he entertained the translator
with many anecdotes of the war, and with some laughable ones
respecting General Prescot, who was brought to his house, after
being carried off without his breeches from Rhode-Island ; but never
without expressing a becoming degree of sensibility for his situation,
which was peculiarly mortifying, from his gout, his naturally peevish
disposition, the humiliating mode of his capture, and the circumstance
of its being the second time of his falling into the hands of an enemy,
whom he was weak enough to despise and to insult. Trans.
* The translator had a great deal of conversation with this young
man, and found him such as the Marquis represents him ; but he must
likewise add, that he met with a great number of excellent classical
scholars, in different parts of the continent, educated at Williams-
burgh, Philadelphia, Yale College, New-Haven, Cambridge, and
Providence, and very few deficient, especially to the northward. The
war did infinite mischief to the rising generation of America, by
interrupting education. Trans.
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 33
youngest daughter. This young person had, like all the Ameri
can women, a very decent, nay even serious carriage ; she had no
objection to be looked at, nor to have her beauty commended, nor
even to receive a few caresses, provided it was done without an air
of familiarity or libertinism. Licentious manners, in fact, are so
foreign in America, that the communication with young wo
men leads to nothing bad, and that freedom itself there bears
a character of modesty far beyond our affected bashfulness
and false reserve. But neither my excellent supper, nor the
books of Mr. D , nor even the fine eyes of Miss Pearce,
made my cart arrive, and I was obliged to go to rest without
hearing any news from it. As I desired a chamber with a fire
in it, Miss Pearce prepared me one, informing me at the same
time, that it communicated with that of the sick lady with
whom she slept, and inquired of me very politely, whether it
would incommode me if she should pass through my chamber
after I was in bed. I assured her, that if she disturbed my
sleep, it would not be as a frightful dream. And, in fact, she
came a quarter of an hour after I was in bed. I pretended to
sleep, in order to examine her countenance ; she passed very
gently, turning her head the other way, and hiding the light
for fear of awakening me. I do not know whether I shall
pronounce my praise or condemnation, by saying, that I soon
after fell into a profound sleep.
On my rising I found Miss Pearce, but not my cart, which
it seemed more than probable was broke into a thousand
pieces. I was determined to give up that mode of conveying
my little baggage, which still it was necessary to have. I re
solved, therefore, to wait for them, and take my breakfast, a
resolution much easier adopted. At length, about eleven
o clock, my sentinels announced its appearance. It was mat
ter of great joy to the whole crew to see it arrive, although
crippled, and towed by a hired horse, which they had been
obliged to put before mine. It is proper to observe, that my
attendants, proud of possessing ample means of transporting
my effects, had loaded it with many useless articles ; that be
ing apprised myself that wine was not always to be met with
in the inns,* I had thought proper to furnish myself with can-
tines which held twelve bottles, and having taken the precau-
* The translator, when he travelled in America during the war,
always carried wine with him when practicable, for at Baltimore and
Philadelphia, those great seaports, very indifferent wine, called claret
was sold at two dollars, upwards of 9 shillings a bottle, hard money.
Nor was it an uncommon thing to transport wine from Boston to
Philadelphia by land, when the arrivals were more fortunate in that
quarter . Trans.
-M TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
tion to ask for two or three white loaves of bread from the
commissary of provisions at Providence, he had packed up
twenty, which alone weighed upwards of eighty pounds, so
that my poor cart was laden till on the point of sinking. Its
greatest misfortune, however, arose from striking on the rocks,
which had broke one wheel and greatly damaged the other. I
soon determined to leave it with Mr. D , who undertook
to get it repaired, and it was resolved that my wine should be
divided into three parts, one of which should be drank the
same day, the other left with the landlord, with a request to
keep it till my return, and that the third should be offered him,
with a request to drink it ; which met with no difficulty. The
remainder of the day, however, being dedicated to make new
dispositions, I determined on remaining at Voluntown. I made
a general inspection of my baggage ; every thing unnecessary
was packed up and left with Mr. D ; the rest put into
portmanteaus, and by a promotion a la Prussienne, on the field
of battle, my cart-horse was elevated to the saddle. The
reading of some English poets, and the conversation with
Messrs. Lynch and Montesquieu, and the good people of the
house, made me pass the day very agreeably. Towards the
evening, two travellers came into the room I was in, seated
themselves by the fire, and began to yawn and whistle, without
paying the least attention to me. The conversation, however,
gradually enlivened, and became very interesting and agree
able. One of them was a colonel of militia, who had served
in Canada, and had been in several engagements, wherein he
was wounded. I shall observe once for all, that among the
men I have met with, above twenty years of age, of whatso
ever condition, I have not found two who have not borne arms,
heard the whistling of balls, and even received some wounds ;
so that it may be asserted, that North America is entirely
military, and inured to war, and that new levies may continual
ly be made without making new soldiers. [Tue translator
confirms this assertion, except with regard to the pacific reli
gious sects, in the whole extent of his observations from Vir
ginia to New-Hampshire.]
On the 15th, I set out from Voluntown at eight in the morn
ing. I travelled five miles in the mountains, after which I saw
the horizon expand itself, and my eye very soon had its full
scope. On descending the hills, and before we reached the
valley, is the town or hamlet of Plainfield ; for what is called
in America, a town or township, is only a certain number of
houses, dispersed over a great space, but which belong to the
same incorporation, and send deputies to the general assem
bly of the state. The centre or head quarters of these towns,
rs the meeting-house or church. This church stands some-
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. ^5
times single, and is sometimes surrounded by four or five
houses only ; whence it happens, that when a traveller asks
the question : How far is it to such a town*? He is answered,
You are there already; but when he specifies the place he
wishes to be at, whether it be the meeting, or such a tavern,
he not unfrequently is told, You are seven or eight miles from
it. Plainfield is a small town, but a large district, for there
are full thirty houses within reach of the meeting.* Its situa
tion is agreeable ; but it presents, besides, a military aspect :
this was the first I had remarked. An army might encamp
there on little heights, behind which the hills rise in an am
phitheatre, thus presenting successive positions as far as the
great woods, which would serve as the last retreat. The foot
of the heights of Plainfield is fortified by morasses, only passa
ble by one causeway, which would oblige the enemy to file oft
to attack you.f The right and left are supported by escarp
ments. On the right also is a marsh, which renders it more
difficult of access. This camp is fit for six, eight, or even ten
thousand men ; it might serve to cover Providence and Massa
chusetts state, against troops who had passed the Connecticut
river. At two miles from Plainfield the road turns towards the
north, and after travelling two or three miles farther, is the
river of Quenebaugh, along the edge of which we travel about
a mile to pass it at Canterbury, over a pretty long, and tolera
bly constructed, wooden bridge. This river is neither naviga
ble, nor fordable, but flows amidst stones, which renders its
bed very uneven. The inhabitants of the neighbourhood,
form dams here in the shape of a projecting angle to catch the
eels : the summit of the angle is in the middle of the river ;
there they place nets in the shape of a purse, where the fish
which follow the current of water seldom escape being caught.
The bridge at Canterbury is built in rather a deep and narrow
valley. The meeting-house of the town is on the right bank,
as well as the greatest part of the houses, but there are some
also on the eminences towards the east, which appeared to me
well built and agreeably situated. These heights being of the
same elevation with those to the west, Canterbury]: offers two
* There is an academy or college here, with four Latin and English
masters, and when the translator was there, he was present at some,
not contemptible, public exhibitions of oratory in those two languages.
Trans.
t In summer these morasses are dry. This I have since learnt,
and which it is proper to remark, that an erroneous idea may not be
formed of this position.
J The translator reached Canterbury on a Sunday, a day on which
travelling is forbid in the New-England states. The family at Ruck-
1
JG TRAVELS UN NORTH-AMERICA.
positions, equally advantageous for two armies, which might
dispute the passage of the Quenebaugh. After passing Can
terbury, we enter the woods, and a chain of hills, which must
be passed by very rugged and difficult roads. Six or seven
miles farther, the country begins to open, and we descend
agreeably to Windham. It is a very handsome little town, or
rather it is the stock from which a handsome town will spring.
There are forty or fifty houses pretty near each other, and so
situated as to present the appearance of a large public square,
and three large streets. The Seunganick, or Windham river,
runs near this town, but is of no great use to its trade, for it is
no more navigable than the Quenebaugh, with which it joins
its waters to form the river Thames. It may be observed in
reading this journal, and still more by the inspection of the
Charts, that the rivers in general, and many towns, have retain
ed their Indian names ; this nomenclature has something inte
resting in it, as it confirms the still recent origin of these mul
tiplied settlements, and is perpetually presenting to the mind
a very striking contrast between the former, and present state
of this vast country.
Windham is fifteen miles from Voluntown. I there found
Lauzun s hussars, who were stationed in it for a week, until their
quarters were prepared at Lebanon. I dined with the Duke
de Lauzun, and being unable to get away before half after
three, the night, which soon came on, obliged me to stop at
six miles from Windham, at a little solitary tavern,* kept by
Mrs. Hill. As the house had an indifferent appearance, I ask
ed if we could have beds, the only want we had ; for the Duke
de Lauzun s dinner had left us in no uneasiness about supper.
Mrs. Hill told me, after the manner of the country, that she
could only spare one bed, as she had a sick traveller in the
house whom she would not disturb. This traveller was a poor
soldier of the continental, army, who was going home on a
furlough for the benefit of his health. He had his furlough in
his pocket in regular form, as well as the exact account of
house s Tavern were all at meeting, and it cost him innumerable en
treaties, besides the most unequivocal proofs of whiggism, to procure
a morsel of the most wretched fare, and to obtain which he was obli
ged to wait till the meeting was at an end. Both this town and
Windham are most beautifully situated, particularly the latter, which
is extremely picturesque.
* This tavern is called Lebanon Crank, and the translator has made
similar remarks in his journal on the external appearance of, and the
kindness that reigns within this little hut ; where, a very uncommon
circumstance at that time, he found excellent green tea, and fine loaf
sugar. He also saw Mrs. Hill feed, and relieve a travelling soldier.
TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA. 27
.
what was due to him, but he had not a farthing either in paper
or in hard money. Mrs. Hill, notwithstanding, had given him
a good bed, and as he was too ill to continue his journey, she
had kept him, and taken care of him for four days. We ar
ranged matters in the best way we could : the soldier kept his
bed. I gave him some money to help him on his journey, and
Mrs. Hill appeared to me much more affected with this charity,
than with the good hard money I gave her to pay her bill.
The 16th, at eight in the morning, I took leave of my kind
landlady, and followed the road to Hartford, beginning my jour
ney on foot, on account of the extreme coldness of the morning.
After descending by a gentle declivity for about two miles, I
got into a pretty narrow, but agreeable and well cultivated
valley : it is watered by a rivulet which falls into the Seunga-
nick, and which is decorated with the name of Hope river. We
follow this valley to Bolton town, or township, which has no
thing remarkable. There we traverse a chain of pretty lofty
mountains, which extend from north to south like all the hills
in Connecticut. On quitting these mountains, we come to the
first houses of East-Hartford. Though we were but five miles
from Hartford Court House, we wished to rest our horses, which
had travelled twenty-three miles on a stretch. The inn we
stopped at was kept by Mr. Marsh : he is, according to the
English phrase, a good farmer ; that is, a good cultivator. He
told me that he had begun a settlement in the state of Vermont,
where he had purchased two hundred acres of land for forty
dollars, about two hundred livres of our money, or something-
more than eight pounds English. The state of Vermont is a
vast country, situated to the eastward of New-Hampshire and
Massachusetts,* and to the north of Connecticut, between the
river of that name, and Hudson s river. As it is lately peopled,
and has always been an object of contention between the states
of New-York and New-Hampshire, there is properly speaking
no established government. Ethan Allen, celebrated for the
expedition he undertook in 1775 against Ticonderoga, of his
own accord, and without any other aid than that of the volun
teers who followed him, has made himself the chief of that
country. He has formed there an assembly of representatives;
this assembly grants lands, and the country is governed by its
own laws, without having any connexion with congress. The
inhabitants however are not the less enemies of the English ;
but under the pretext that they form the frontier against Cana
da, and are obliged to guard it, they furnish no contingent to
the expenses of the war. They had long no other name than
that of Green Mountain Boys, but thinking this too ignoble an
* Vermont is situated west of New-Hampshire and north of
Massachusetts.
i> TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA.
appellation for their new destiny, they translated Green Moun
tain into French ; which made Verd Mont, and by corruption
Vermont. It remains to be seen whether it is by corruption also,
that this country has assumed the title of the state of Vermont.*
About four in the evening, I arrived at Hartford ferry, after
travelling over a very inconvenient road, a great part of which
forms a narrow causeway through a marshy wood. We pass
this ferry, like all the others in America,! in a flat boat with
oars. I found the inns at Hartford so full that it was impossi
ble to procure a lodging. The four eastern states, Massachu
setts, New-Hampshire, Rhode-Island, and Connecticut were
then holding their assemblies in that town. These four states
have long maintained a particular connexion with each other,
and they meet together by deputies, sometimes in one state,
sometimes in another. Each legislature sends deputies. In
a circumstance, so uncommon in America, as room being want
ed for men collected together, Colonel Wadsworth s house of
fered me a most agreeable asylum ; I lodged with him, as well
as the Duke de Lauzun, who had passed me on the road. Mr.
Dumas,| who belonged to the staff of the army, and was then
attached to the Duke de Lauzun, Mr. Lynch and Mr. de Mon
tesquieu were well accommodated in the neighbourhood.
Colonel Wadsworth is about two and thirty, very tall and
well made, and has a noble as well as agreeable countenance.
He lived formerly on Long-Island ; and from his infancy was
engaged in commerce and navigation : he had already made
several voyages to the coast of Guinea and the West-Indies,
when according to the American expression, the present con
testation began. He then served in the army, and was in seve
ral actions ; but General Washington discovering that his ta
lents might be more usefully employed, made him Commissary
of Provisions. This is a military post in America, and those
* ;n the years 1780, 1781, and 1782, the inhabitants of Vermont,
who were not guided by Ethan Allen, annually sent deputies to con
gress, and were once within one vote of carrying their point, but had
not the peace taken place, it is probable from circumstances, that in
case of refusal, they would at least have threatened to put themselves
under British protection, an event to which the Marquis seems to al
lude. Trans.
t At the Moravian settlement of Bethlehem is a ferry passed by
ropes, like that opposite the invalid hospital at Paris, and many others
in France, and other parts of Europe. Trans.
| The translator had the pleasure of meeting with this accomplished
officer, at Baltimore, at Boston, and in Europe. Nature has been
very favourable to his exterior, and he unites to the most perfect good
manners, and a thorough knowledge of the world, and books, the most
unexampled activity in his profession. Trans.
TRAVELS IN NORTH -AMERICA. 29
who fill it, are as much respected as the first officer of the line.
The Commissary General is charged with all the purchases,
and the Quarter Master with all the conveyances ; it is the lat
ter who marks out the ground, establishes the magazines, pro
vides carriages, and distributes- the rations : it is also on his
receipts and orders that the Paymasters make their payments ;
he is, in short, properly speaking, a Military Tntendant, while
the Commissary General may be compared to a Munitionnaire
with us, who should undertake to provide forage as well as pro
visions. I think this arrangement as good as ours, though
these departments have not been exempt from abuses, and even
blame in the course of the present war ; but it must be obser
ved, that whenever the government wants political force, and
the treasury is without money, the administration of affairs is
always ruinous, and often culpable. This reflection alone will
afford sufficient subject for the eulogium of Colonel Wads-
worth, when it is known that throughout all America, there is
not one voice against him, and that his name is never pro
nounced without the homage due to his talents and his probi
ty. The particular confidence of General Washington puts
the seal upon his merit.* The Marquis de la Fayette judged
extremely well therefore in getting Mr. de Corny to employ
him, in furnishing the provisions necessary for the French
troops which were then expected. As soon as they were dis
embarked at Rhode-Island, he again proposed him as the most
proper man in the world to assist them in all their wants, but
those who had the direction of the army did not at that time
think proper to employ him. They even conceived some sus
picions of him, from false ideas, and eagerly substituted for a
Commissary of understanding and reputation, undertakers, with
out fortune, and without character ; who promised every thing,
performed nothing, and soon threw our affairs into confusion :
first by augmenting the price of articles by purchases hastily
made, and frequently in opposition one to another, and finally
by throwing into circulation, and offering at a great discount,
the bills of exchange they had engaged to receive for two-
thirds of all their payments. These bargains, and contracts,
succeeded eventually so ill, that we were obliged, but too late,
to have recourse to Mr. Wadsworth, who resumed the affairs
with as much nobleness as he had quitted them ; always as su
perior to injuries by his character, as he is by his talents to the
innumerable obstacles that surrounded him.
Another interesting personage was then at Hartford, and I
went to pay him a visit : this was Governor Trumbull ; Go-
* The translator cannot forbear adding his testimony to this brilliant
but exaggerated eulogium. Trans.
:*0 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMEKICA.
vernor, by excellence, for he has been so these fifteen years,
having been always rechosen at the end of every two years,
and equally possessing the public esteem under the English
government, and under that of the Congress. He is seventy
years old ; his whole life is consecrated to business, which he
passionately loves, whether important or not ; or rather, with
respect to him, there is none of the latter description. He
has all the simplicity in his dress, all the importance, and even
pedantry becoming the great magistrate of a small republic.
He brought to my mind the burgomasters of Holland in the
time of the Heinsiuses and the Barnevelts. I had been in
formed that he was employed in a history of the present revo
lution, and I was curious to read this work ; I told him that I
hoped to see him on my return at Lebanon, (his place of
abode) and that I should then request permission to look over
his manuscript ; but he assured me that he had only written
the introduction, which he had addressed to the Chevalier de
la Luzerne, our ambassador. I procured it during my stay in
Philadelphia, but it is only an historical recapitulation, rather
superficial, and by no means free from partiality in the man
ner of representing the events of the war. The only interest
ing fact I found in it, was in the journal of a Governor Win-
throp, in the year 1670, where he says, that the members of
the council of Massachusetts, being advised by their friends
in London to address themselves to the parliament, to whom
the King then left a great deal of authority, as the best means
of obtaining the redress of some grievances, the council, after
mature deliberation, thought proper to decline the proposal,
reflecting, that if they put themselves once under the protec
tion of parliament, they should be obliged to submit to all the
laws that assembly might impose, whether on the nation in
general, or on the colonies in particular. Now, nothing can
more strongly prove, that these colonies, even in the very ori
gin, never acknowledged the authority of parliament, nor
imagined they could be bound by laws of their making.
The 17th, in the morning, I parted with regret from my host
and the Duke de Lauzun ; but it was not till after breakfast,
for it is a thing unheard of in America to set off without
breakfast. By this indispensable delay I had an opportunity of
making acquaintance with General Parsons. He appeared to
me a sensible man, and he is so esteemed in his country ; but
he has had little opportunity of displaying great military ta
lents ; he was, in fact, what one must never be, in war, or in
any thing, unfortunate. His outset was on Long-Island, where
he was taken, and he has since been in all the bad affairs, so
that he is better known for his capacity in business, than for
the share he has had in the events of the war.
TRAVELS IN JNORTH-AMER1CA. 31
The road I had to travel becoming henceforth difficult and
rather desert, it was determined that I should not exceed ten
miles that day, that I might meet with good quarters ; and get
my horses in order for the next day s journey. The place I
was to stop at was Farmington. Mr. Wadsworth, fearing I
should not find a good inn there, gave me a letter of recom
mendation to one of his relations of the name of Lewis, where
he assured me I should be well received, without incommo
ding any person, and without straightening myself, for that I
should pay my reckoning as at an inn. In fact, when the ta
verns are bad, or that they are so situated as not to suit the
convenience of the traveller, it is the custom in America, to
ask for quarters of some individual at his ease, who can spare
room in his house for you, and can give stabling for your
horses : the traveller and his host then converse together on
equal terms ; but he is paid merely as an inn-keeper.
The town of Hartford does not merit any attention either
in travelling through, or in speaking of it. It consists of a
very long street, parallel with the river ; it is pretty regular
and connected, that is, the houses are not distant from each
other. But it has many appendages ; every thing is Hartford
six leagues round ; but East-Hartford, West-Hartford, and
New-Hartford are distinct towns, though composed of houses
scattered through the country. I have already mentioned
what constitutes a town ; it is to have one or two meetings,
particular assemblies, and the right of sending deputies to the
general assembly. These townships may be compared to the
ci&rite of the Romans. From a very lofty plain on the road to
Farmington, one discovers not only all the Hartfords, but all
that part of the continent watered by the river of that name,*
situated between the eastern and western chains of mountains.
This place is called Rocky-hill. The houses of West-Hart
ford, frequently dispersed, and sometimes grouped together,
and every where adorned with trees and meadows, form of the
road to Farmington such a garden, in the English style, as it
would be difficult for art to imitate. Their inhabitants add
some industry likewise to their rich culture ; some common
cloths and other woollen stuffs are fabricated here, but of a
good wear, and sufficient to clothe the people who live in the
country, or in any other town than Boston, New- York, and
Philadelphia. I went into a house where they were preparing
and dying the cloth. This cloth is made by the people of the
country, and is then sent to these little manufactories, where
it is dressed, pressed, and dyed, for two shillings, lawful
money, per yard, which makes about thirty-five sols French.
* Now called Connecticut river.
354 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
or seventeen-pence English, the Connecticut pound being
equal to something more than three dollars. I reached Farm-
ington at three in the afternoon. It is a pretty little town,
with a handsome meeting-house, and fifty houses collected, all
neat and well built. It is situated on the declivity of the
mountains : the river which bears the same name runs at the
foot of them, and turns towards the north, without showing
itself; but the view of the valley is, notwithstanding, very
agreeable. After dismounting, I took advantage of the good
weather, to take a walk in the streets, or rather in the high
ways. I saw through the windows of a house that they were
working at some trade 5 I entered, and found them making a sort
of camblet, as well as another woollen stuff with blue and
white stripes for women s dress : these stuffs are sold at three
shillings and six-pence the yard, lawful money, or about two
and twenty-pence English. The sons and grandsons of the
family were at work ; one workman can easily make five yards
a day. The prime cost of the materials being only one shil
ling currency, the day s work may amount to ten or twelve.
On my return from this walk I found an excellent dinner pre
pared for me, without my having said a word to the family.
After dinner, about the close of the day, Mr. Lewis, who had
been abroad on his affairs during a part of the day, came into
the parlour where I was, seated himself by the fire, lighted
his pipe, and entered into conversation with me. I found him
an active and intelligent man, well acquainted with public af
fairs, and with his own : he carried on a trade of cattle, like
all the farmers of Connecticut ; he was then employed in
furnishing provisions for the army, and was principally taken
up in slaughtering, and salting cattle for the state of Connecti
cut, to be sent to Fishkill. For each state is obliged to fur
nish not only money, but other articles for the army : those to
the eastward supply it with cattle, rum, and salt ; and those to
the westward with flour and forage. Mr. Lewis has borne
arms also for his country : he was at the affairs of Long-Island
and Saratoga, of which he gave me an exact account; in the
last he served as a volunteer. At tea time Mrs. Lewis and
her sister-in-law gave us their company. Mrs. Lewis had just
recovered from lying-in, and had her child in her arms : she is
near thirty, with a very agreeable face, and so amiable, and so
polite a carriage, as to present a picture of decency itself, to
every country in the world. The conversation was interesting
ly supported the whole evening. The family retired at nine
o clock ; I did not see them in the morning, and paid my bill
to the servants : it was neither dear nor cheap, but the just
price of every thing, regulated without interest, and without
compliments.
CHAPTER II.
JL.ITCHFIELD FISHKILL WEST-POINT.
1 GOT on horseback at eight o clock on the 18th, and at the
distance of a mile fell in with the river of Farmington, along
which I rode for some time. There was nothing interesting in
this part of my journey, except that having fired my pistol at a
jay, to nay great astonishment the bird fell. This had been
for many days an object of curiosity with me, and it is really a
most beautiful creature. It is quite blue, but it unites all the
various shades of that colour so as to surpass the invention of
art, and be very difficult of imitation. I must remark by the
bye, that the Americans call it only by the name of the blue
bird, though it is a real jay ; but the Americans are far from
being successful in enriching their native language. On every
thing which wanted an English name, they have bestowed only
a simple descriptive one : the jay is the blue bird, the cardi
nal, the red bird ; every water bird is a duck, from the teal to
the canard de dots, and to the large black duck which we have
not in Europe. They call them, red ducks, black ducks, wood
ducks. It is the same with respect to their trees ; the pine,
the cypresses, the firs, are all comprehended under the general
name of pine-trees ; and if the people characterize any parti
cular tree, it is from the use to which it is applied, as the wall-
nut* from its serving to the construction of wooden houses. I
could cite many other examples, but it is sufficient to observe,
that this poverty of language proves how much men s atten
tion has been employed in objects of utility, and how much at
the same time it has been circumscribed by the only prevailing
interest, the desire of augmenting wealth, rather by dint of la
bour, than by industry. But to return to my jay ; I resolved to
make a trophy of it, in the manner of the savages, by scalping
it of its skin and feathers ; and content with my victory, I pur
sued my journey, which soon brought me amidst the steepest
and most difficult mountains I had yet seen. They are covered
with woods as old as the creation, but which do not differ
from ours. These hills heaped confusedly one upon another,
* Here the author is a little inaccurate respecting the English lan
guage, as the same word wall-nut, is applied to the same tree in Eng
lish, and with no reference whatever to any such use. Trans.
5
34 TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA.
oblige you to be continually mounting and descending, with
out your being able to distinguish in this wild region, the sum
mit, which rising above the rest, announces to you a conclu
sion to your labours. This disorder of nature reminded me of
the lessons of him whom she has chosen for her confident and
interpreter. The vision of Mr. de Buifon appeared to me in
these ancient deserts. He seemed to be in his proper element,
and to point out to me, under a slight crust formed by the de
struction of vegetables, the inequality of a globe of glass, which
has cooled after along fusion. The waters said he, have done
nothing here ; look around you, you will not find a single cal
careous stone ; every thing is quartz, granite, or flint. I made
experiments on the stones with aquafortis, and I could not help
concluding, what has not obtained sufficient credit in Europe,
not only that he speaks well, but he is always in the right.
While I was meditating on the great process of nature,
which employs fifty thousand years in rendering the earth ha
bitable, a new spectacle, well calculated as a contrast to those
which I had been contemplating, fixed my attention, and exci
ted my curiosity : this was the work of a single man, who in
the space of a year had cut down several arpents of wood, and
had built himself a house in the middle of a pretty extensive
territory he had already cleared. I saw, for the first time,
what I have since observed a hundred times ; for in fact, what
ever mountains I have climbed, whatever forests I have traver
sed, whatever bye-paths I have followed, I have never travelled
three miles without meeting with a new settlement, either be
ginning to take form or already in cultivation. The following
is the manner of proceeding in these improvements or new
settlements 1 . Any man who is able to procure a capital of five
or six hundred livres of our money, or about twenty-five
pounds sterling, and who has strength and inclination to work,
may go into the woods and purchase a portion of one hundred
and fifty or two hundred acres of land, which seldom costs
him more than a dollar or four shillings and six-pence an acre, a
small part of which only he pays in ready money. There he
conducts a cow, some pigs, or a full sow, and two indifferent
horses which do not cost him more than four guineas each. To
these precautions he adds that of having a provision of flour
and cider. Provided with this first capital, he begins by fell
ing all the smaller trees, and some strong branches of the
large ones : these he makes use of as fences to the first field
he wishes to clear ; he next boldly attacks those immense oaks,
or pines, which one would take for the ancient lords of the
territory he is usurping ; he strips them of their bark, or lays
them open all round with his axe. These trees mortally
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. &
wounded, are the next spring robbed of their honours ; their
leaves no longer spring, their branches fall, and their trunk
becomes a hideous skeleton. This trunk still seems to brave
the efforts of the new colonist ; but where there are the small
est chinks or crevices, it is surrounded by fire, and the flames
consume what the iron was unable to destroy. But it is enough
for the small trees to be felled, and the great ones to lose their
sap. This object completed, the ground is cleared ; the air
and the sun begin to operate upon that earth which is wholly
formed of rotten vegetables, and teems with the latent princi
ples of production. The grass grows rapidly ; there is pastu
rage for the cattle the very first year; after which they are left
to increase, or fresh ones are brought, and they are employed
in tilling a piece of ground which yields the enormous increase
of twenty or thirty fold. The next year the same course is re
peated ; when, at the end of two years, the planter has where
withal to subsist, and even to send some articles to market : at
the end of four or five years, he completes the payment of his
land, and finds himself a comfortable planter. Then his dwell
ing, which at first was no better than a large hut formed by a
square of the trunks of trees, placed one upon another, with
the intervals filled by mud, changes into a handsome wooden
house, where he contrives more convenient, and certainly much
cleaner apartments than those in the greatest part of our small
towns. This is the work of three weeks or a month. His first
habitation, that of eight and forty hours. I shall be asked,
perhaps, how one man or one family can be so quickly lodged ;
I answer, that in America a man is never alone, never an isola
ted being. The neighbours, for they are every where to be found,
make it a point of hospitality to aid the new farmer. A cask
of cider drank in common, and with gaiety, or a gallon of rum,
are the only recompense for these services. Such are the
means by which North-America, which one hundred years ago
was nothing but a vast forest, is peopled with three millions of
inhabitants ; and such is the immense, and certain benefit of
agriculture, that notwithstanding the war, it not only maintains
itself where ever it has been established, but it extends to
places which seem the least favourable to its introduction.
Four years ago, one might have travelled ten miles in the woods
I traversed, without seeing a single habitation.
Harrington is the first township 1 met with on my road.
This place is sixteen miles from Farmington, and eight from
Litchfield. Four miles before we come to this last town, we
pass a wooden bridge over the river of Waterbury ; this river
is pretty large, but not navigable. Litchfield, or the Meeting
house of Litchfield, is situated on a large plain more elevated
than the surrounding heights; about fifty houses pretty near
36 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
each other, with a large square, or rather area, in the middle,
announces the progress of this town, which is already the
county town ; for America is divided into districts, called Coun
ties, in some Provinces, as in England. It is in the capital of
these counties that the court of sessions is held, where the
Sheriff presides, and where the Chief Judges come every four
months to decide civil and criminal affairs. Half a mile on
this side of Litchfield, I remarked, on the right, a barrack sur
rounded by palisades, which appeared to me like a guard
house ; I approached it, and saw in this small enclosure ten
pieces of brass cannon, a mortar, and a swivel. This I learnt
was a part of Burgoyne s artillery, which fell to the share of
the state of Connecticut, and was kept in this place as the
most conveniently situated for the army, and at the same time
the least exposed to the incursions of the English.
It was four o clock, and the weather very bad, when I came
near the house of a Mr. Seymour, to whom Mr. Lewis had
given me a letter, assuring me that I should nod better accom
modation than at the taverns ; but Mr. Lynch, who had gone on
a little before to make inquiries, informed me, that Mr. Sey
mour was from home, and that from all appearance his wife
would be much embarrassed to receive us. The American
women, in fact, are very little accustomed to give themselves
trouble, either of mind or body ; the care of their children,
that of making tea, and seeing the house kept clean, consti
tutes the whole of their domestic province. I determined
therefore to go straight to the tavern, where I was still unlucky
enough not to find Mr. Philips the landlord: so that I was re
ceived, at least, with indifference, which often happens in the
inns in America, when they are not in much frequented situa
tions : travellers are there considered as giving them more
trouble than money. The reason of this is, that the inn-keepers
are all of them cultivators, at their ease, who do not stand in
need of this slight profit: the greatest number of those who
follow this profession are even compelled to it by the laws of
the country, which have wisely provided, that on all the great
roads there shall be a public house at the end of every six
miles, for the accommodation of travellers.
A still greater difficulty I had at Mrs. Philips , was, to find
room for nine horses I had with me. The Quarter-Master at
length made them place some of them in the stable of a private
person, and every thing was arranged to my satisfaction, and
that of my hostess. I cannot help remarking, that nothing
can be more useful than such an officer, as well for the service
of the state, as for that of any traveller of distinction. I Have
already spoken of the functions of the Quarter-Master-Gene
ral, but I did not mention that he names a deputy Quarter-
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 37
Master-General in each state, and that the latter, in his turn,
names an assistant in each district to act in his room. My
horses and baggage were scarcely under cover, when a dreadful
storm came on, which however was in my favour, as it brought
home Mr. Philips : every thing now assumed a new face in
the house, the pantry flew open, the negroes redoubled their
activity, and we soon saw a supper preparing with the most
favourable auspices. Mr. Philips is an Irishman, translated to
America, where he has already made a fortune ; he appears
to be cunning and adroit; and is cautious in talking to stran
gers : in other respects, he is more gay than the Americans,
and even given to irony ; a turn of mind but little known in
America, and for which they have no specific name, any more
than for the different species of trees and birds. Mrs. Philips,
now seconded by her husband, and more mistress of her work,
soon resumed her natural serenity. She is of American birth,
and a true Yankee? as her husband told us ; her face is gentle
and agreeable, and her manners correspond entirely with her
features.
On the 19th I left Litchfield between nine and ten in the
morning, and pursued my journey through the mountains,
partly on foot and partly on horseback ; for having got into
the habit of travelling from morning till night without stopping,
I from time to time took pity on my horses, and spared them
in those deserts which seemed formed for the roebuck rather
than for carriages and laden horses. The name of the first
town I came to, proclaims it to be of recent origin ; it is called
Washington. A new county being formed in the woods of
Connecticut, the state has bestowed on it this respectable name,
the memory of which will indisputably exist much longer than
the town intended to perpetuate it. There is another county of
Washington in Virginia, belonging to the Protector of Ame-
* This is a name given by way of derision, and even simple plea
santry, to the inhabitants of the four eastern states. It is thought
to come from a savage people who formerly occupied this coun
try, and dwelt between the Connecticut river, and the state of Massa
chusetts. The name of Buckskin is given in the same manner
to the inhabitants of Virginia, because their ancestors were hunters,
and sold buck, or rather deer skins, for we shall see in another part of
this work that there are no roebucks in Virginia. The English army
serving in America, and England herself, will long have reason to re
member the contemptuous use they made of this term in the late un
happy war, and the severe retort they met with on the occasion. The
English army, at Bunker s Hill, marched to the insulting tune of
" Yankee doodle," but from that period it became the air of triumph,
the lo Po?an of America, It was cuckoo to the British ear. Trans,
*J8 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
rica; but its great distance from this new city prevents all pos
sible inconvenience arising from the identity of name.* This
capital of a rising county has a Meeting-house, and seven or
eight houses collected ; it is in a beautiful situation, and the
cultivation appears rich and well managed : a rivulet, which
runs at the bottom of the valley, renders the meadows more
fruitful than they generally are in mountainous countries.!
From hence to Litchfield, they reckon seventeen miles : I had
ten miles to go to reach Moorhouse s tavern, where I intended
sleeping, but not taking the shortest road, I travelled at least
* Other states have likewise commemorated the virtues of this great
man in the same mariner. Trans.
t Two years after, the Author returned by this place, where he had
only seen a few houses, and a single inn. The number was almost
doubled, and there were three very good and well accommodated inns.
He has remarked the same progress through almost all the interior
parts of the country, from the bay of Chesapeake to Piscataqua, that
is, through a space of six hundred miles. This progress is owing, in
great measure, even to the misfortunes of the war. The English being
masters of the sea, made, or had it in their power to make, what they
called depredatory expeditions. Marks of these horrid expeditions
were every where to be met with in travelling within fifty miles of the
coasts or rivers. In one of them it was agitated by the Generals Gartli,
Tryon, and their officers, to burn the beautiful and popular town of
New-Haven in Connecticut, with its handsome college, &c. The lat
ter General was for z7, but happily, more humane and wiser spirits pre
vailed in the council. But this term, too shameful to be adopted into
the vocabulary of war, denoted only a small part of the ravages they
actually committed ; murder and conflagrations were perpetually the
incidents which occurred. Hence it happened that the citizens who
were the most easy in their circumstances, that is to say, those who,
uniting commerce with agriculture, had their plantations near the coasts,
or the mouths of rivers, abandoned them for more tranquil habitations
in the interior part of the country. The little capital they transported
with them was employed in clearing out new settlements, which soon
became prosperous. On the other hand, communications by sea be
coming impracticable, it was necessary to make use of conveyances
through the country ; the roads in consequence were made better,
and were more frequented ; inns multiplied, as well as the establish
ment of all workmen useful for travellers, such as wheelwrights, black
smiths, &c. So that, besides liberty and independence, the United
States will derive this advantage from the war, that commerce and popu
lation will be greatly increased, and that lands, which had long remain
ed barren, have been so successfully cultivated, as to prevent them
from being again abandoned.
The Translator had the opportunity of making the same* remarks,
not only in a journey from Virginia to New-Hampshire, but in many
of the interior parts of the continent. Trans.
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 39
twelve, and always among the mountains. That which I took
brought me to a pretty considerable hamlet, called New Mil-
ford-Bordering Skirt, or the confines of Milford county, and
from thence into so deep and wild a valley, that I thought my
self completely lost, until an opening in the wood made me
perceive, first a meadow surrounded by fences, then a house,
and soon after another, and at length a charming valley, with
several considerable farms, covered with cattle. I soon cross
ed this spot which belongs to the county of Kent, as well as
the rivulet which flows through the middle of it, and after
travelling three miles farther in the mountains, I reached the
banks of the Housatonick, or the river of Stratford. It is un
necessary to remark that the first is the genuine name, that is,
the name given it by the savages, the ancient inhabitants of the
country. This river is not navigable, and is easily forded near
Bull s iron works. We then turn to the left and pass along its
banks; but. if one is sensible to the beauties of nature, if on
seeing the paintings of Fernet and Robert, one has learnt to
admire its models, it is impossible not to be lost in admiration
at the view of the charming landscape, formed by the combi
nation of the forges, of the fall of water which seems to work
them, and of the variegated prospect of tree;? and rocks, with
which this picturesque scene is embellished. At the distance
of a mile we again pass the same river on a wooden bridge ;
we soon meet with another called Ten-mile river, which falls
into this, and which we follow for two or three miles, and then
come in sight of several handsome houses, forming a part of
the district called the Oblong. It is a long narrow slip of
land, ceded by Connecticut to the state of New-York, in ex
change for some other territory. The inn I was going to is in the
Oblong, but two miles farther on. It is kept by Colonel Moor-
house ; for nothing is more common in America than to see an
inn-keeper a colonel : they are in general militia colonels,
chosen by the militia themselves, who seldom fail to entrust
the command to the most esteemed, and most creditable citi
zens.*
I pressed forward my horses, and hurried on to get the start
of a traveller on horseback, who had joined me on the road,
and who would have had the same right with myself to the
lodgings, had we arrived together. I had the satisfaction,
however, to see him pursue his journey ; but soon learnt, with
* At Leesburgh in Virginia, in my way to visit General Gates, I
staid three days at the house of an Englishman, a native of Bristol, a
man of five foot high, who united, in his own person, the offices of
Colonel, Justice of the Peace, Parish Clerk, and Innkeeper, nor was
he deficient in any of these functions. Trans.
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
concern, that the little inn where I proposed to pass that
night, was occupied by thirteen farmers, and two hundred
and fifty oxen coming from New-Hampshire. The oxen were
the least inconvenient part of the company, as they were left
to graze in a meadow hard by, without even a dog to guard
them ; but the farmers, their horses, and dogs, were in posses
sion of the inn. They were conveying to the army a part of
the contingent of provisions furnished by New-Hampshire.
This contingent is a sort of tax divided among all the inha
bitants, on some of whom the imposition amounts to one hun
dred and fifty, on others to one hundred, or eighty pounds of
meat, according to their abilities ; so that they agree among
themselves to furnish a larger, or smaller sized ox, no matter
which, as each animal is weighed. Their conveyance to the
army is then entrusted to some farmers, and drovers. The
farmers are allowed about a dollar a day, and their expenses,
us well as those of the cattle, are paid them on their return,
according to the receipts they are obliged to produce from the
-inn-keepers where they have halted. The usual price is from
three-pence to five-pence English per night for each ox, and in
proportion at noon.
I informed -myself of these particulars whilst my people were
endeavouring to find me lodgings; but all the rooms, and all
the beds were occupied by these farmers, and I was in the
greatest distress, when a tall, fat man, the principal person
among them, being informed who I was, came to me, and
assured me, that neither he, nor his companions would ever suf
fer a French General Officer to want a bed, and that they
would rather sleep on the floor ; adding, that they were accus
tomed to it, and that it would be attended with no inconve
nience. In reply, I told them I was a military man, and as
much accustomed as themselves to make the earth my bed.
We had long debates on this point of politesse ; theirs was
rustic, but more cordial and affecting than the best turned
compliments. The result was, that I had a two-bedded room
for myself and my aids-de-camp. But our acquaintance did
not terminate there : after parting from each other, I to take
.some repose, they to continue drinking their grog and cider,
they came into my room. I was then employed in tracing my
route by the map of the country; this map excited their
curiosity. They saw there with surprise and satisfaction the
places they had passed through. They asked me if they were
known in Europe, and if it was there I had bought my maps.
On my assuring them that we knew America as well as the
countries adjoining to us, they seemed much pleased ; but
their joy was without bounds, when they saw New-Hampshire,
their country, on the map. They called their companions
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 41
who were in the next room ; and mine was soon filled with
the strongest and most robust men I had hitherto seen in
America. On my appearing struck with their size and stature,
they told me that the inhabitants of New-Hampshire were
strong and vigorous, for which there were many reasons ; that
the air was excellent, their sole occupation was agriculture,
and above all that their blood was unmixed : this country
being inhabited by ancient families who had emigrated from
England. We parted good friends, touching, or rather shaking
hands in the English fashion, and they assured me that they
were very happy to have an opportunity to shake hands with a
French General*
The horse which carried my portmanteau, not travelling so
fast as me, did not come up till the next morning, so that it
was ten o clock on the 20th of December, before I could set
out. Three miles from Moorhouse s is a very high hill ; we
then descend, but not quite so much as we ascended ; the
road here is over elevated ground, leaving large mountains on
* The translator, who as a disinterested, and determined friend to
the rights of mankind, and to the principles of the English Constitution,
could not but wish success to America in her glorious struggle ; as a
native of England had many similar occasions for interesting reflections
on the vicissitude of human affairs, and of the wickedness of those who
too frequently direct them. But in no instance was this more striking
than in Virginia, where he saw the French army encamped on the very
spot, from whence Braddock set out on his unfortunate expedition
against the French, five and twenty years before. The traces of his
encampment were still evident. In this expedition he was not only
well seconded by the Provincials, but had their advice been followed,
his success would have been very different. It is worth observing too,
that no less than/owr of the most distinguished of the American* Ge
nerals, were with him on the expedition. General Washington was
his aid-de-camp, and after dissuading him as much as possible from
forming his army in the European manner, (the mistake which proved
fatal to him,) received him when mortally wounded in his arms ; Ge
neral Lee, was in a detached party from the main body of the army ;
General Gates served in the army, and General Stephens was shot
through the body in the engagement : Lee and Gates were English
men, and Stephens a Scotchman ; all the four were now become in
habitants of Virginia. On the anniversary of that unfortunate day, the
translator dined in the back part of the country at General Gates ,
with General Stephens, from whom he had many curious particulars ;
nor was the wonderful revolution in the affairs and minds of men, the
subject of less anxious discussion with them, than with the translator.
At the time he is speaking of, indeed, during their whole stay, nothing
could be more cordial and sincere than the kind reception given to tho
French by the Virginians. Trans.
6
42 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
the left. The country is well cultivated ; affording the pros
pect of several pretty farms, with some mills ; and notwith
standing the war, Hopel township is building, inhabited chiefly
by Dutch people, as well as the greatest part of the state oi
New- York, which formerly belonged to the republic of Hol
land, who exchanged it for Surinam. My intention was to
sleep five miles on this side of Fishkill, at Colonel Griffin s
tavern. I found him cutting and preparing wood for fences :
he assured me his house was full, which was easy to be be
lieved, for it was very small. I continued my journey there
fore, and reached Fishkill about four o clock. This town, in
which there are not more than fifty houses in the space of twc
miles, has been long the principal depot of the Americar
army. It is there they have placed their magazines, their hos
pitals, their workshops, &c. but all these form a town of them
selves, composed of handsome large barracks, built in th(
wood at the foot of the mountains ; for the Americans, like the
Romans in many respects, have hardly any other winter quar
ters, than wooden towns, or barricaded camps, which may be
compared to the hiemalia of the Romans.
As for the position of Fishkill, that it was a post of greal
importance is evident from the campaign of 1777. It is cleai
that the plan of the English was to render themselves master*
of the whole course of the North River, and thus to separate
the Eastern and Western States. It was necessary therefore
to secure a post on that river ; West-Point was made choice ol
as the most important to fortify, and Fishkill as the place the
best adapted to the establishment of the principal depot oi
provisions, ammunition, &c. : these two positions^are connected
together. I shall soon speak of West-Point, but I shall remark
here, that Fishkill has all the qualities necessary for a place
of depot, for it is situated on the high road from Connecticut,
and near the North River, and is protected at the same time
by a chain of inaccessible mountains, which occupy a space ol
more than twenty miles between the Croton river and that of
Fishkill.
The approach of winter quarters, and the movement of the
troops occasioned by this circumstance, made lodgings very
scarce : it was with difficulty I found any, but I got at last
into a middling inn, next by an old Mrs. Egremont. The
house was not so clean as they usually are in America ; but
the most disagreeable circumstance was the want of several
panes of glass. In fact, of all repairs, that of windows is the
most difficult, in a country where, from the scattered situation
and distance of the houses from each other, it is sometimes
necessary to send twenty miles for a glazier. We made use of
every thing that came to hand to patch up the windows in the
TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA. 4;}
best way we could, and we made an excellent fire. Soon after,
the doctor of the hospital, who had seen me pass, and knew
me to be a French General-Officer, came with great politeness
to see if I wanted any thing, and to offer me every service in
his power. I make use of the English word doctor, because
the distinction of surgeon and physician is as little known in
the army of Washington, as in that of Agamemnon. We read
in Homer, that the physician Macaon himself dressed the
wounds ; but our physicians, who are no Greeks, will not follow
that example. The Americans conform to the ancient custom,
and it answers very well ; they are well pleased with their
doctors, whom they hold in the highest consideration. Doctor
Craig, whom I knew at Newport, is the intimate friend of
General Washington ; and the Marquis de la Fayette had very
lately an aid-de-camp, Colonel MacHenry, who the year
before performed the functions of doctor in the same army.*
The 21st, at nine in the morning, the Quarter-Master of
Fishkill, who had come the night before with the utmost po
liteness to offer me his services, and to place two sentinels at
the door, an honour I refused in spite of every thing he could
say, called upon me ; and after drinking tea according to cus
tom, he conducted me to see the barracks, the magazines, and
workhouses of the different workmen employed in the service
of the army. These barracks are wooden houses, well built,
and well covered, having garrets, and even cellars, so that we
should form a false idea, were we to judge of them by what we
see in our armies, when our troops are barraquts. The Ameri
cans sometimes make them like like ours, but this is merely
* My old friend Rumney, whom I had the happiness to meet with
after an absence of twenty years, during which time he has been
settled at Alexandria in Virginia, (whose respectable father has been
forty years master of the Latin school at Alnwick in Northumberland,
and his uncle clergyman of Berwick,) had served more than one cam
paign as colonel, doctor, and surgeon in the army ; he is held in the
highest esteem, and is on terms of the greatest friendship with Gene
ral Washington, at whose house I spent some days with him. But it
is impossible to conceive the estimation in which all the medical men,
attached to the army, were held during the war, by the people in
general, as well as the military. I travelled from Philadelphia to the
the American camp on the North river, with Mr. Craigie of that de
partment, a most respectable young man, and was witness to the
grateful acknowledgments his countrymen seemed every where to be
stow on him, for the service he was rendering their suffering fellow-
citizens, nor indeed could any thing exceed the zeal, perseverance, and
attention of this department under the most discouraging circum
stances. Trans.
44 TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA.
to cover the soldiers when they are more within reach of
the enemy. They call these huts, and they are very expert
in constructing one and the other. They require only three
days to build the former, reckoning from the moment they be
gin to cut down the trees ; the others are finished in four and
twenty hours. They consist of little walls made of stones
heaped up, the intervals of which are filled with earth kneaded
with water, or simply with mud ; a few planks form the roof,
but what renders them very warm is that the chimney occu
pies the outerside, and that you can only enter by a small
door, at the side of the chimney. The army has passed whole
winters under such huts, without suffering, and without sick
ness. As for the barracks, or rather the little military town of
Fishkill, such ample provision is made for every thing which
the service and discipline of the army may require, that a
prevote and a prison are built there, surrounded by palisades.
One gate only affords access to the enclosure of the prevote ;
and before it is placed a guard-house. Through the window-
bars of the prison, I distinguished some prisoners, with the
English uniform; they were about thirty soldiers, or regi
mented tories. These wretches had accompanied the savages
in the incursion they had made by Lake Ontario and the
Mohawk river. They had burnt upwards of two hundred
houses, killed the horses and cows, and destroyed above one
hundred thousand bushels of corn. The gallows should have
been the reward of these exploits, but the enemy having also
made some prisoners, reprisals were dreaded, and these robbers
were only confined in rigorous and close imprisonment.
After passing some time in visiting these different settle
ments, I got on horseback, and under the conduct of a guard
which the Quarter-Master gave me, I entered the wood and
followed the road to West-Point, where T wished to arrive for
dinner. Four or five miles from Fishkill, I saw some felled
trees, and an opening in the wood, which on coming nearer I
discovered to be a camp, or rather huts inhabited by some
hundred invalid soldiers. These invalids were all in very good
health; but it is necessary to observe, that in the American
armies, every soldier is called an invalid, who is unfit for ser
vice; now these had been sent here because their clothes
were truly invalids. These honest fellows, for I will not say
creatures, (they know too well how to suffer, and are suffering
in too noble a cause) were not covered, even witi; rags ; but
their steady countenances, and their good arms in good order,
seemed to supply the defect of clothes, and to display nothing
but their courage and their patience. Near this camp I met
with Major Liman, aid-de-camp to General Heath, with whom
I was particularly intimate at Newport, and Mr. de Ville
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 45
Tranche, a French officer, serving as an Engineer at West-
Point. General Heath had been informed of my arrival by an
express, sent without my knowledge, by the Quarter-Master of
Fishkill, and he had despatched these two officers to meet me.
I continued my journey in the woods, in a road hemmed in on
both sides by very steep hills, which seemed admirably adapted
for the dwelling of bears, and where in fact they often make
their appearance in winter. We availed ourselves at length of
a less difficult part of these mountains to turn to the westward
and approach the river, but which is still invisible. Descending
them slowly, at the turning of the road, my eyes were struck
with the most magnificent picture I had ever beheld. It was a
view of the North river, running in a deep channel formed by
the mountains, through which in former ages it had forced its
passage. The fort of West-Point and the formidable batteries
which defend it fix the attention on the western bank, but on
lifting your eyes you behold on every side lofty summits, thick
set with redoubts and batteries. I leaped off my horse, and
viewed them a long time with my spying glass, the only method
of acquiring a knowledge of the whole of the fortifications with
which this important post is surrounded. Two lofty heights,
on each of which a large redoubt is constructed, protect the
eastern bank. These two works have no other name than the
northern, and the southern redoubts ; but from the fort of West-
Point properly so called, which is on the edge of the river, to
the very top of the mountain at the foot of which it stands, are
six different forts, all in the form of an amphitheatre, and pro
tecting each other. They compelled me to leave this place,
where I should willingly have spent the whole day, but I had
not travelled a mile before I saw the reason of their hurrying
me. I perceived a corps of infantry of about two thousand
five hundred men, ranged in a line of battle on the bank of the
river. They had just passed it to proceed by Kingsbridge, and
cover a grand foraging party which it was proposed to send
towards the White-Plains, and to the gates of New-York.
General Stark, who beat the English at Bennington, had the
command of these troops, and General Heath was at their
head ; he was desirous of letting me see them before they
marched. I passed before the ranks, being saluted with the
espontoon by all the officers, and the drums beating a march,
an honour paid in America to Major-Generals, who are the first
in rank, though it only corresponds with our Marechal de Camp.
The troops were ill clothed, but made a good appearance ; as
for the officers they were every thing that could be wished, as
well for their countenance, as for their manner of marching,
and giving the command. After passing the front of the line,
they broke it, filed off before me, and continued their route.
General Heath conducted me to the river, where his barge was
46 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
waiting to carry me to the other side. A new scene now
opened to my view, not less sublime than the former. We
descended with our faces towards the north : on that side is an
island covered with rocks, which seem to close the channel of
the river, but you soon perceive, through a sort of embrasure
formed by its bed in separating immense mountains, that it
comes ^Mirmely from the westward, and that it has made a
sudden turn round West Point to open tsell a passage, and to
endeavour to gain the sea, without making hereafter the small
est bend. The eye carrying itself towards the North Bay and
Constitution-Island, (the isle I have been speaking of) again
perceives the river, distinguishes New-Windsor on its left
bank, and is then attracted by different amphitheatres formed
by the Apals -hian Mountains, the nearest summits of which,
that terminate the scene, are distant upwards of thirty miles.
We embarked in the barge, and passed the river, which is
about a mile wide. As we approached the opposite shore, the
fort of West-Point, which, seen from the eastern bank, seemed
humbly situated at the foot of the mountains, elevated itself to
our view, and appeared like the summit of a steep rock ; this
rock however was only the bank of the river. Had I not
remarked that the chinks on it, in several places, were embra
sures for cannon, and formidable batteries, I should soon have
been apprised of it by thirteen twenty-four pounders, which
were fired successively. This was a military salute, with which
General Heath was pleased to honour me in the name of the
Thirteen States. Never was honour more commanding, nor
more majestic ; every gun, was, after a long interval, echoed
back from the opposite bank, with a noise nearly equal to that
of the discharge itself. When we recollected that two years
ago West- Point was a desert, almost inaccessible, that this
desert has been covered with fortresses and artillery, by a peo
ple, who six years before had scarcely ever seen cannon ; when
we reflect that the fate of the United States depended in great
measure on this important post; and that a horse dealer,*
transformed into a general, or rather become a hero, always
intrepid, always victorious, but always purchasing victory at
the price of his blood ; that this extraordinary man. at once
the honour, and the opprobrium of his country, actually sold,
and expected to deliver this Palladium of American liberty to
the English ; when so many extraordinary circumstances are
brought together in the physical and moral order of things, it
may easily be imagined that I had sufficient exercise for reflec
tion, and that I did not tire on the road.
Benedict Arnold. Trans.
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 47
On landing, or rather on climbing the rocks on the banks
of the river, we were received by Colonel Lamb, and Major
Bowman, both officers of artillery ; by Major Fish, a handsome
young man, witty and well formed ; and Major Franks, for
merly aid-de-camp to Arnold. The latter had been tried and
honourably acquitted by a council of war, demanded by him
self after the escape and treason of his General. He speaks
good French, as well as Colonel Lamb, which they both learnt
in Canada, where they were settled. The latter received a
musket shot in his jaw at the attack of Quebec, righting by
the side of Arnold, and having early penetrated into the upper
town. Pressed by dinner time we went immediately to Gene
ral Heath s barrack. The fort, which was begun on much too
extensive a plan, has been since curtailed by Mr. du Portail,
so that this barrack is no longer within its precincts. Around
it are some magazines, and farther to the north-west, barracks
for three or four battalions ; they are built of wood, and simi
lar to those of Fishkill. Whilst dinner was preparing, General
Heath took me into a little closet, which served him as a bed
chamber, and showed me the instructions he had given Gene
ral Stark for the grand foraging party he commanded. This
expedition required a movement of troops in a space of more
than fifty miles ; and I can affirm, that they were as well con
ceived as any instructions of that kind I have ever seen, either
in print, or manuscript. He showed me also a letter in
which General Washington only ordered him to send this de
tachment, and pointed out its object, without communicating
to him, however, another operation connected with it, which
was to take place on the right bank of the North river.
From various intelligence, by indirect ways, General Heath
was persuaded, that in case the enemy collected his force to
interrupt the forage, Mr. de la Fayette would attack Staten-
Island, and he was not deceived ; but Mr. Washington con
tented himself with announcing generally some movements on
his side, adding, that he waited for a more safe method of
communicating the nature of them to General Heath. Se
crecy is strictly observed in the American army ; very few
persons are in the confidence of the Commander, and in ge
neral there is less said of the operations of war, of what we
call news, than in the French army.
CHAPTER III.
WEST-POINT FORT CLINTON KING S FERRY STONEY POINT
VERPLANK S POINT TOTOHAW FALL WASHINGTON S HEAD
QUARTERS.
GENERAL Heath is so well known in our little army, that J
should dispense with entering into particulars respecting him,
if this Journal, in which I endeavour to recollect what little I
have seen in this country, were not destined at the same
time to satisfy the curiosity of others who have not crossed the
sea, and to whose amusement I am desirous of contributing.
This General was one of the first who took up arms, at the
blockade of Boston, and having at first joined the army in the
quality of Colonel, he was immediately raised to the rank of
Major-General. He was at that time a substantial farmer or
rich gentleman ; for we must not lose sight of the distinction,
that in America, farmer means cultivator, in opposition to
merchant, which every man is called who is employed in com
merce. Here, as in England, by gentleman, is understood a
person possessing a considerable freehold, or land of his own.
General Heath, then, was a farmer or gentleman, and reared,
on his estate, a great number of cattle, which he sold for ships
provisions. But his natural taste led him to the studv of war ;
to which he has principally applied himself since the period in
which his duty has concurred with his inclination ; he has read
our best authors on tactics, and especially the Tactics of Mr.
Guibert, which he holds in particular estimation. His fortune
enabling him to continue in the service, notwithstanding the
want of pay, which has compelled the less rich to quit it, he
has served the whole war ; but accident has prevented him
from being present on the most important occasions. His
countenance is noble and open ; and his bald head, as well as
his corpulence, give him a striking resemblance to the late
Lord Granby. He writes well and with ease ; has great sen
sibility of mind, and a frank and amiable character ; in short,
if he has not been in the way of displaying his talents in ac
tion, it may be at least asserted, that he is well adapted to the
business oif the cabinet. His estate is near Boston, and he
commanded there when Burgoyne s army were brought prison
ers thither. It was he who put the English General Philips in
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 49
arrest,* for want of respect to the Congress ; his conduct on
this occasion was firm and noble. On our arrival at Rhode-
Island, he was sent there ; and soon after, when Clinton was
preparing to attack us, he assembled and commanded the mi
litia, who came to our assistance. During his stay at New
port, he lived honourably, and in great friendship with all the
French officers. In the month of September, General Wash
ington, on discovering the treason of Arnold, sent for him,
and gave him the command of West-Point ; a mark of confi
dence the more honourable, as none but the most honest of men
was proper to succeed, in his command, the basest of all
traitors.
After giving this advantageous but just idea of General
Heath, I cannot but congratulate myself on the friendship, and
thorough good understanding which subsisted between us du
ring his stay at Newport, where my knowledge of the English
language rendered me the medium in all affairs we had to trans
act with him. It was with real satisfaction he received me at
West-Point ; he gave me a plain but very good dinner. It is
true there was not a drop of wine ; but I find that with excel
lent cider, and toddy, one may very well dispense with it. As
soon as we rose from the table, we hurried to avail ourselves of
the remaining daylight to examine the fortifications. The
first fort we met with above West-Point, on the declivity of the
mountain, is called Fort-Putnam, from the General of that
name. It is placed on a rock very steep on every side ; the
ramparts were at first constructed with trunks of trees ; they
are rebuilt with stone, and are not quite finished. There is a
powder magazine bomb-proof, a large cistern, and souterrains
* It nay now be mentioned, without any invidious imputation, that
the conduct of too many of the British officers, when prisoners in
America, was as injurious to the honour and interest of their country,
as destitute of good sense and common policy ; of this the Transla
tor saw many examples which made him blush for England. At
Lancaster in Pennsylvania, in particular, he was present at a court of
inquiry, instituted into the conduct of some British officers who had
broken their parole more than once, and insulted and beat the inhabi
tants of the country ; nothing could beclearer or more decisive than
the evidence, nor more polite and indulgent than the behaviour of the
American officers who constituted the court, yet were they openly in
sulted and contemptuously treated by these magnanimous gentlemen
officers. Their names are withheld by the Translator, on account of
their families ; they were a part of the army taken at Yorktown, with
Cornwallis. Captain Grenville of the Guards, and others who con
ducted themselves really like gentlemen, can sa) r how well they were
treated. Trans.
7
50 IKAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA,
for the garrison. Above this fort, and when we reach the lofti
est summit, there are three strong redoubts lined with cannon r
at three different eminences, each of which would require a
formal siege. The day being nearly spent, I contented myself
with judging by the eye of the very intelligent manner in
which they are calculated for mutual protection. Fort Wallis,
whither General Heath conducted me, was near and more ac
cessible. Though it be placed lower than fort Putnam, it still
commands the river to the south. It is a large pentagonal re
doubt, built of huge trunks of trees ; it is picketed, and lined
with artillery. Under the fire of this redoubt, and lower down,
is a battery of cannon, to range more obliquely the course of
the river. This battery is not closed at the gorge, so that the
enemy may take, but never keep it ; w r hich leads me to remark
that this is the best method in all field fortifications. Batte
ries placed in works, have two inconveniences : the first is,
that if these works be ever so little elevated, they do not graze
sufficiently ; and the second, that the enemy may at once at
tack the redoubt and the battery : whereas the latter being
exterior and protected by the redoubt, must be first attacked ;
in which case it is supported by troops who have nothing to
fear for themselves, and whose fire is commonly better direct
ed, and does more execution. A battery yet lower, and near
er to the river, completes the security of the southern part.
In returning to West-Point, we saw a redoubt that is suffer
ed to go to ruin, as being useless, which in fact it is. It was
night when we got home, but what I had to observe did not re
quire daylight. It is a vast souterrain, formed within the fort
of West-Point, where not only the powder and ammunition ne
cessary for this post are kept in reserve, but the deposit of
the whole army. These magazines completely filled, the nu
merous artillery one sees in these different fortresses, the pro
digious labour necessary to transport, and pile up on steep
rocks, huge trunks of trees, and enormous hewn stones, impress
the mind with an idea of the Americans very different from that
which the English ministry have laboured to give to Parliament.
A Frenchman would be surprised that a nation, just rising into
notice, should have expended in two years upwards of twelve
millions (half a million sterling) in this desert. He would be
still more so on learning that these fortifications cost nothing
to the state, being built by the soldiers, who received not the
smallest gratification, and who did not even receive their stated
pay ;* but he would doubtless feel some satisfaction, in hearing
* The zeal, perseverance, and, I may say, honour, which shone
forth in the American army, in the most arduous and extraordinary
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 51
that these beautiful and well contrived works, were planned
and executed by two French Engineers, Mr. du Portail, and
Mr. du Gouvion, who received no more pay than their work
men.
But in this wild and warlike abode, where one seems trans
ported to the bottom of Thrace and the dominions of the god
Mars, we found, on our return in the evening, some pretty wo
men, and an excellent dish of tea. Mrs. Boman, wife of the
Major of that name, and a young sister who had accompanied
her to West-Point, were waiting for us. They lodged in a little
barrack neatly arranged. The room they received us in, was
hung with handsome paper, furnished with mahogany tables,
and even ornamented with several prints. After staying a
little time, it was necessary to return to General Heath s quar
ters, and to dispose matters for passing the night, which was
not an easy affair ; for the company were much increased in
circumstances, almost surpass credibility. They were in general
most wretchedly clothed, seldom received any pay, were frequently in
want of every thing, from the public scarcity of money, and the con
sequent indifference of the contractors, and had daily temptations
thrown out to them of the most alluring nature. This army was com
posed of all nations, yet they seemed to be pervaded but by one spirit,
and fought, and acted with as much enthusiastic ardour as the most en
lightened and determined of their leaders. We all remember, when
their intolerable distresses drove part of them to revolt in 1780, when
Clinton sent emissaries among them, with the most advantageous offers,
and made a movement of his army to favour their desertion, that they
disdainfully refused his offers, appealing to their honour, and delivered
up with indignation, the British emissaries, who were executed at
Trenton. Mr. Hugh Shield, and Mr. John Maxwell Nesbett, two
Irish gentlemen settled at Philadelphia, who were entrusted with the
care of them, informed the Translator, that one of them was an officer
of some note in the British army. On the morning of their execution,
this gentleman desired Mr. Shield to accompany him to the necessary,
wherein he staid some time, apparently with the hopes of effecting his
escape, but this failing he addressed that gentleman as follows. " I
see, sir, that you are faithful to the trust reposed in you, and that my
die is cast ; but as you are a gentleman, [ hope you will not fail to let
General Clinton know, that my fidelity is unshaken, that I die a loyal
subject to George the Third, and that I hope he will not forget my
family." He then made a hearty breakfast of cold beef, and was ex
ecuted with his companion on a tree near the river Delaware, full of
courage, and making the same declarations. To account for the su
bordinate situation in which Messrs. Nesbett and Shield appear to have
acted on this occasion, it is necessary to observe, that on all emergen
cies the merchants of Philadelphia flew to arms and acted as common
soldiers. Trans.
52 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
the course of the evening, by the arrival of the Vicomte de
Noailles, the Comte de Damas, and the Chevalier Duplessis.
Mauduit had reached West-Point, which post they had intend
ed to examine minutely ; but the motions of the American
army determined them to set out with me, in order to join Mr.
de la Fayette, the next evening, or early the following morning.
Though General Heath had a great deal of company to pro
vide for, his Marechal de Logis, had not much to do : there
were only three rooms in the barracks ; the General s cham
ber, that of his aid-de-camp, who resigned it to me ; and the
dining-room, in which some blankets were spread before a
large fire, where the other gentlemen passed as comfortable a
night as could be expected. The morning gun soon summon
ed them from their beds ; the blankets were removed, and
the dining-room, resuming its rights, was quickly furnished
with a large table covered with beef-steaks, which we eat with
a very good appetite, swilling down from time to time a cup
of tea. Europeans would not find this food and drink, taken
together, to their taste ; but I can assure you that it made a
very comfortable breakfast. There now fell a very heavy rain,
which had begun in the night, and still continued, with a dread
ful wind, which rendered the passage of the ferry very danger
ous for our horses, and prevented us from making use of the
sail, in the barge General Heath had given us, to carry us to
King s Ferry. In spite of all these obstacles we embarked
under the firing of thirteen guns, notwithstanding our repre
sentations to the contrary. Another circumstance, however,
gave additional value to these honours, for the pieces they dis
charged had belonged to Burgoyne s army. Thus did the ar
tillery sent from Woolwich to Canada in 1777, now serve to
defend America, and do homage to her allies, until it was to be
employed in the siege of New-York.
General Heath, who was detained by business at West-
Point, sent Major Liman to accompany me to Verplank s-
Point, where we did not arrive till between twelve and one,
after a continued journey amidst the immense hills which
cover this country, and leave no other interval than the bed
of the river. The highest of them is called Antony s Nose,
it projects into the river, and compels it to make a little
change in its course. Before we arrive at this point, we see
the ruins of fort Clinton : this fort, which was named after the
governor of the state of New- York, was attacked and taken
in 1777 by the English General Clinton, as he was remount
ing the river to Albany to give his hand to Burgoyne.* It was
* A poor fellow who was sent with a letter from Burgoyne to Clin
ton inclosed in a silver bullet, miscarried in his message, and lost his
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. &*
then the principal fort on the river, and built on a rock, at the
foot of a mountain, thought to be inaccessible, and was farther
defended by a little creek which falls into the main river.
Sir Henry Clinton scaled the top of the mountain, himself
carrying the British colours, which he always held aloft, until
his troops descended the steep rock, passed the creek, and car
ried the post. The garrison, consisting of 700 men, were al
most all taken. Since the defeat of Burgoyne, and the alli
ance with France has changed the face of affairs in America,
General Washington has not thought proper to repair fort
Clinton ; he preferred placing his communication and concen
tring his forces at West-Point, because the Hudson there
makes a circuit which prevents vessels from remounting with
the wind abaft, or with the tide ; and Constitution-Isle, which
is precisely at the turn of the river, in a direction north and
south, is perfectly well situated to protect the chain which
closes the passage for ships of war.
The English, however, had preserved a very important post
at King s Ferry, where they were sufficiently well fortified ; so
that by the aid of their ships, they were masters of the course
of the river for the space of more than fifty miles, and were
thus able to repel to the northward the very important commu
nication between the Jerseys and Connecticut. Such was the
state of things, when, in the month of June, 1779, General
Wayne, who commanded in the Clove a corps of 1500 men,
formed the project of surprising Stoney-Point. This fort was
in an entrenchment, surrounded with abattis, which crowned a
steep rock, and formed a well picketed redoubt. General
Wayne marched, in the night, in three columns, the principal
of which was led on by Monsieur de Fleury, who, without
firing a musket, forced the abattis, and entrenchments, and
entered the redoubt with the fugitives.* The attack was so
life by the sameness of names of the American and British command
ers. Falling in, in the woods, with a party of Americans clothed in
British uniform, which they had taken, he inquired eagerly for General
Clinton to whom he was instantly conducted, but on discovering that
it was not the Clinton he was in search of, in the face of a number of
spectators, he swallowed the bullet. Emetics and purgatives were
instantly administered, which made him disgorge, and the unfortunate
fellow was hanged on the next tree. Trans.
* This officer had already distinguished himself on many occasions,
particularly at the retreat of General Sullivan from Rhode-Island, and
at the defence of Mud-Island. He went to America in 1777. He
has since been Major of the regiment of Saint Onge, and served as
Major of brigade in the army of the Count de Rochambeau. On his
return to France, he was made Colonel of the regiment of Pondicherry,
and is now in India,
54 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
brisk on the part of the Americans, and such the terror of the
English, that Mr. de Fleury, who was the first that entered,
found himself in an instant loaded with eleven swords which
were delivered to him by those who asked for quarter. It
must be added to the honour of our allies, that from that mo
ment not a drop of blood was spilt.* The Americans, once
masters of one of the banks of the river, lost no time in get
ting possession of the other. Mr. de Gouvion constructed a
redoubt at Verplank s-Point, (nearly opposite,) where we
landed, and where, by a lucky accident, we found our horses,
arrived as soon as us. This redoubt is of a peculiar form,
hardly ever used but in America : the ditch is within the para
pet, which is made steep on both sides, and picketed at the
height of the cordon ; lodgings for the soldiers are formed
below. The middle of the work is a space constructed with
wood, and in the form of a square tower. There are battle
ments every where, and it commands the rampart. An abat-
tis formed of the tops of trees interwoven, surrounds the whole,
and is a substitute for a covered way. We may easily per
ceive that such a work cannot be insulted, nor taken without
cannon. Now as this is backed by the mountains, of which
the Americans are always masters, it is almost impossible that
the English should besiege it. A creek which falls into Hud
son river, and runs to the southward of this redoubt, renders
its position still more advantageous. Colonel Livingston, who
commands at King s Ferry, has established himself there in
preference to Stoney-Point, to be nearer the White-Plains,
* I cannot here resist a pang of sorrow for the dreadful consequen
ces of the late desperate and fatal war. Captain Jew of the 17th re
giment, as brave an officer, and as amiable a man as ever lived, whom
I had long known and esteemed, when serving with our common friend
Montgomery in that regiment, here lost his life, refusing to take quarter.
This gallant man was already perforated with wounds received in Ca
nada and the West-Indies, fighting under his Colonel, General Monck-
ton, in the preceding war, and was such a spectacle of a wounded
body still in life, as to be particularly pointed out to the King his mas
ter s notice at a review of the regiment near London in 1770 or 1771 ;
the King asked him many questions, seemed much affected with his
situation, expressed his pity, and he was left to pine a subaltern, and
to follow his regiment once more to scenes of war and a distant climate.
He deeply felt this ever after, and chagrin no doubt, added to his de
spair, had made him wish for death. The fate of my most intimate
and lamented friend, Montgomery, who fell, as he thought in a better
cause, and on the very spot where he had attended Wolfe to victory
and glory, affords ample food for melancholy reflection, not easy to be
effaced from susceptible minds, and who have felt a double loss of
friends, in the horrors of this detestable war. Trans.
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. of>
where the English frequently made incursions. This is a very
amiable and well informed young man. Previous to the war
he married in Canada, where he has acquired the French lan
guage : in 1775, he was one of the first who took arms ; he
fought under the orders of Montgomery, and took fort Cham-
bly, whilst the former was besieging St. John s. He received
us in his little citadel with great politeness ; but to leave it
with the honours of war, the American laws required that we
should breakfast : It was the second we had taken that day y
and consisted of beef-steaks, and tea, accompanied with a few
bowls of grog ; for the commander s cellar was no better
stored than the soldiers wardrobe. The latter had been sent
into this garrison as being the worst clothed of the whole
American army, so that one may form some idea of their
dress.
About two o clock we crossed the river, and stopped to ex
amine the fortifications of Stoney-Point. The Americans
finding them too extensive, had reduced them to a redoubt,
nearly similar to that of Verplank s but not quite so good.
There I took leave of Mr. Livingston, who gave me a guide
to conduct me to the army, and I set off, preceded by Mes
sieurs de Noailles, de Damas, and de Mauduit, who wished to
join Mr. de la Fayette that night, though they had thirty miles
to go, through very bad roads. This impatience was well
suited to their age ; but the intelligence I collected proving to
me that the army could not move before the next day, I deter
mined to stop on the road, content to profit by the little day
light that remained to travel ten or twelve miles. On leaving
the river, I frequently turned round to enjoy the magnificent
spectacle it presents in this place, where its bed becomes so
large, that in viewing it to the southward, it has the appear
ance of an immense lake, whilst the northern aspect is that of
a majestic river. I was desired to observe a sort of promon
tory, from whence Colonel Livingston had formed the project
of taking the Vulture sloop of war, which brought dlndrc, and
was waiting for Arnold. This vessel having come too near
the shore, grounded at low water ; the colonel acquainted
Arnold with it, and asked him for two pieces of heavy cannon,
assuring him that he would place them so as to sink her. Ar
nold eluded the proposal on frivolous pretences, so that the
colonel could only bring one four pounder, which was at Ver
plank s to bear on her. This piece raked the vessel fore and
aft, and did her so much damage, that if she had not got off
with the flood, she must have struck. The next day Colonel
Livingston being on the shore, saw Arnold pass in his barge,
as he was going down the river to get on board the frigate.
He declares that he had such a suspicion of him, that had his
56 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
guard boats been near, he would have gone after him instantly,
and asked him where he was going. This question probably
would have embarrassed the traitor, and Colonel Livingston s
suspicions being thence confirmed, he would have arrested him.*
My thoughts were occupied with Arnold and his treason,
when my road brought me to Smith s famous house, where he
had his interview with Andre, and formed his horrid plot. It
was in this house they passed the night together, and where An
dre changed his clothes. It was there that the liberty of Ame
rica was bargained for and sold ; and it was there that chance,
which is always the arbiter of great events, disconcerted this
horrible project, and that satisfied with sacrificing the impru
dent Andre, she prevented the crime, only by the escape of
the criminal. Andre was repassing the river quietly, to gain
New-York by the White-Plains, had not the cannon fired at
the frigate, made him apprehend the falling in with the Ame
rican troops. He imagined, that favoured by his disguise, he
should be safer on the right bank : a few miles from thence he
was stopped, and a few miles farther he found the gibbet.
Smith, who was more than suspected, but not convicted of
being a party in the plot, is still in prison, where the law pro
tects him against justice. But his house seems to have experi
enced the only chastisement of which it was susceptible ; it is
punished by solitude ; and is in fact so deserted, that there is
not a single person to take care of it, although it is the mansion
of a large farm.f I pursued my route, but without being able
to give so much attention as to recollect it ; I only remember
* There is every reason to believe that Arnold s treachery took its
date from his connexion with Lieutenant Hele, killed afterwards on
board the Formidable in the West-Indies, and who was undoubtedly
a very active and industrious spy at Philadelphia in the winter of 1778.
whither he was sent for that purpose in a pretended flag of truce,
which being wrecked in the Delaware, he was made prisoner by Con
gress, a subject of much discussion between them, and the commander
at New- York. That the intended plot was known in England, and
great hopes built upon it, long before it was to take place, is certain.
General Matthews and other officers who returned in the autumn of
1780, being often heard to declare, " that it was all over with the
rebels ; that they were about to receive an irreparable blow, the
news of which would soon arrive," &,c. &c. Their silence from the
moment in which they received an account of the failure, of the plot,
and the discovery of the traitor, evidently pointed out the object of
their allusions. Trans.
t Smith s is a very handsome house, and beautifully situated, but
was in the same desolate state when the Translator was there in
1780. Trans.
TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA. 57
that it was as gloomy as my reflections ; it brought me into a
deep vale, covered with cypresses ; a torrent rolled over the
rocks, which I passed, and soon after night came on. I had
still some miles to an inn, where I got tolerably well accommo
dated. It is situated in Haverstraw, and is kept by another
Smith, but who in no way resembles the former ; he assured
me he was a good whig, and as he gave me a good supper, I
readily believed him.
The 23d I set out at eight o clock, with the intention of ar
riving in good time at the Marquis de la Fayette s camp ; for
I had learnt that the army was not to move that day, and I was
desirous of being presented by him to General Washington.
The shortest road was by Paramus ; but my guide insisted on
my turning to the northward, assuring me that the other road
was not safe, that it was infested by tories, and that he always
avoided it, when he had letters to carry. * I took the road to
the right therefore, and followed for some time the rivulet of
Romopog ; I then turned to the left, and soon got into the
township of Pompton, and into the Totohaw road ; but being-
informed that it led me straight to the main body of the army,
without passing by the van commanded by M. de la Fayette, I
inquired for some cross road to his quarters, and one was point
ed out to me, by which, passing near a sort of lake which forms
a very agreeable point of view, and then crossing some very
beautiful woods, I arrived at a stream which falls into Second
river, exactly at the spot where M. de la Fayette was encamp
ed. His posts lined the rivulet ; they were well disposed, and
in good order. At length I arrived at the camp ; but the Mar
quis was not there ; apprized of my coming by the Vicomte de
Noailles, he had gone to wait for me at seven miles distance,
at head quarters, where he thought I should direct my course.
He had sent, however, Major Gimat, and one of his aids-de
camp to meet me, but they had taken the two roads to Para
mus ; so that by his precautions, and those of my guide, I was,
* The guide gave the Marquis very true information, for the Trans
lator who took the Paramus road, had several well founded alarms,
in passing through that intricate country. At Hopper s Mill, near
Paramus, where he slept among myriads of rats in a milk house, the
family assured him, that their quarters were constantly beat up, and
horses, men, &&lt;c. carried off. At this place there was no lock to the
stable door, which they said was here a superfluous article, as these
banditti were guilty of every act of violence. He received similar
information from his friend Doctor Brown of Bridport in Dorsetshire,
but who has been long settled in America, and was attached to the
continental army, with whom he breakfasted, at his beautiful little
residence, next, morning. Trans.
8
5b TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA.
as they say in English, completely disappointed, for it was
two o clock, and I had already travelled thirty miles without
stopping. I was in the utmost impatience to embrace M. de
la Fayette, and to see General Washington, but I could not
make my horses partake of it. It was proposed to me to pro
ceed directly to head quarters, because, said they, I might
perhaps arrive in time for dinner. But seeing the impossibili
ty of that, and being in a country where I was known, I de
sired some oats for my horses. Whilst they were making this
slight repast, I went to see the camp of the Marquis,* it is thus
they call Mr. de la Fayette ; the English language being fond
of abridgments, and titles uncommon in America. I found this
camp placed in an excellent position ; it occupied two heights
separated by a small bottom, but with an easy communication
between them. The river Totohaw or Second river, protects
its right, and it is here that it makes a considerable elbow, and
turning towards the south, falls at length into the bay of New
ark. The principal part of the front, and all the left flank, to a
great distance, are covered by the rivulet which comes from
Paramus, and falls into the same rivei\ This position is only
twenty miles from New-York island ; and was accordingly oc
cupied by the van guard, consisting of light infantry, that is to
say, by the picked corps of the American army : the regiments,
in fact, which compose it, have no grenadiers, but only a com
pany of light infantry, answering to our Chasseurs, and of whom
battalions are formed at the beginning of the campaign. This
troop made a good appearance, were better clothed than the
rest of the army ; the uniforms both of the officers and soldiers
were smart and military, and each soldier wore a helmet
made of hard leather, with a crest of horse hair. The
officers are armed with espontoons, or rather with half
pikes, and the subalterns with fusils : but both were provided
* It is impossible to paint the esteem and affection with which this
French nobleman is regarded in America. It is to be surpassed only
by the love of their illustrious chief. He has found the secret of win
ning all their hearts ; nor to those who know him is it matter of any
wonder. In the gentlest, and most courteous manner, he unites a
frankness, which is supposed to be not the general characteristic of
his countrymen ; his deportment is dignified without pride ; and his
zeal, activity, and enthusiasm in the cause of America, distinct from
all the political views of co-operation with the wishes of. his court,
added to a sincere and uniform admiration of the greatest and best
character of the age, completely endeared this excellent young mar.
to grateful America. The Marquis was never spoken of in the hear
ing of the Translator, without, manifest tokens of attachment and
affection. Trans.
TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA. 59
with short and light sabres brought from France, and made a
present of to them by M. de la Fayette. The tents agreeably
to the American custom, formed only two ranks ; they were in
regular lines as well as those of the officers ; and as the season
was advanced, they had good chimneys, but placed differently
from ours ; for they are all built on the outside, and conceal
the entrance of the tents, which produce the double effect of
keeping off the wind, and of preserving heat night and day. I
saw no piles of arms, and was informed that the Americans
made no use of them. When the weather is good, each com
pany places its fusils on a wooden horse ; but when it rains,
they must be removed into the tents, which is undoubtedly a
great inconvenience : this will be remedied when the means
of doing it are more abundant, but I fear much, that this will
not happen the next year.
As I was walking in the front of the camp, I was joined by
an officer, who spoke very good French ; which was not asto
nishing, as he turned out to be as much a Frenchman as myself;
this was Major Galvan. This officer came to America on
commercial affairs, on which subject he has even had a sort of
trial with the Congress ; but he was patronized by many per
sons, and particularly by the Chevalier de la Luzerne, our
Ambassador : desiring to enter into the service, he obtained
the rank of major, and the command of a battalion of light
infantry. He is a man of abilities, and they are very well
satisfied with him in the American army.* He led me to his
* Major Galvan, with whom I was well acquainted in Philadelphia,
was a French West-Indian, who came, as the Marquis de Chastellux
mentions, to America on commercial affairs. He was allowed to be
an active good officer. During his residence at Philadelphia in 1782,
lie became enamoured of a beautiful and accomplished widow of the
first distinction in the country. Having conceived the most flattering
hopes of success to his passion, he was so shocked at finding himself
deceived, that he formed the most desperate resolution. After writing
a pathetic, but reproachful letter to the object of his love, and another
to her female friend, sister to Mrs. Arnold, and arranging all his affairs,
he spent the day cheerfully in company with some brother officers at
the inn where he lodged, but with some serious intervals. As soon as
the tea was over, retiring to his room, he locked the door, placed him
self opposite the looking glass, and with two pistols, one in each hand,
put an end to his existence. On my arrival at Bordeaux, at the end
of the war, I fell in company with a gentleman, who for several davs
was particularly inquisitive about the Major s conduct, what the gen
eral opinion of him was, &c. Fortunately his conduct was irreproach
able ; had it been otherwise, this gentleman was imprudently searching
for pain to himself and me, as he, to my no small surprise and mortifi
cation, declared himself to be his brother. Trans.
<)U TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA.
tent, where I found a table neatly spread : he proposed to me
to dine, but I did not accept it, imagining I should lose nothing
by waiting for that which General Washington would give
me. After all we had heard in Europe of the distressed state
of the American army, it will appear extraordinary, perhaps,
that such a thing as a dinner was to be found at the tent of a
major. Doubtless it is impossible to live without money, when
every thing one eats is to be paid for ; a privilege the Ameri
cans possess no more than others. But it must be understood,
that they receive rations of provisions, rum, and flour ; that
they have in each regiment a baker to bake their bread, and
soldiers to serve them; so that an officer who takes the field
with a tent, and a sufficiency of clothing, may do very well
till winter without spending any thing. The misfortune is,
that provisions sometimes fail, or do not arrive in time ; in which
case they really suffer ; but these are critical moments, which
do not often occur, and may be prevented in future, if the states
perform their engagements, and the Quarter-Master-General,
and Commissaries do their duty.* I left Mr. Galvan sitting down
to dinner, and went to prepare my horses, that I might get to
head quarters before the day was spent. Colonel MacHenry,
whom I have before mentioned, took upon himself to conduct
me. We kept along the river, which was on our left. After
riding two miles we came in sight of the left of the army. It
was encamped on two heights, and in one line, in an extended
but very good position, having a wood in the rear, and in the
front, the river, which is very difficult of passage every where
except at Totohaw bridge. But the situation would be quite
in favour of an army defending the left bank, the heights on
that side every where commanding those of the right. Two
miles beyond the bridge is a meeting-house of an hexagonal
form, which is given to their places of worship by the Dutch
Presbyterians, who are very numerous in, the Jerseys.
I was pursuing my journey, conversing with Mr. MacHenry,
when I was apprised by a considerable noise, that I could not
be far from the great cataract, called Totohaw fall. I was
* On the universal stoppage of paper money, from its enormous
depreciation, the worst of specie, notwithstanding the abilities and
activity of Mr. Morris, the financier, occasioned great wants in the
army, and a total indifference on the part of the contractors ; insomuch,
that in the end of 1782, the army was in danger of disbanding from
absolute necessity. It was on this critical occasion that Colonel
Wadsworth, whose merit has been so well appreciated by the author,
stept in, took the contract on himself, and by his name and influence
restored affairs, and kept the army together. America cannot be too
grateful to this gentleman. Trans.
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 61
divided between my impatience to view this curiosity, and that
of approaching General Washington; but Mr. MacHenry
informing me that it would not take me two hundred paces out
of my way to see the cataract, I determined to avail myself of
the remainder of a fine day, and I had not in fact gone a stone s
throw before I had the astonishing spectacle before me a large
river, which precipitates itself from a height of seventy feet,
and so ingulphed in the hollow of a rock, which seems to swal
low it up, but from whence it escapes by turning short to the
right. It seems to me impossible to give an idea of this water
fall, but by a drawing. Let us however attempt the picture,
leaving the finishing to the imagination : she is the rival of
nature, and sometimes also her rival and interpreter. Let the
reader figure to himself, then, a river running between moun
tains covered with firs, the dark green of which is in contact
with the colour of its waters, and renders its course more
majestic; let him represent to himself an immense rock, which
would totally close up the passage, had it not by an earthquake
or some other subterraneous revolution, been rent in several
pieces, from its summit to its base, by this means forming long
crevices perfectly vertical. One of these crevices, the depth
of which is unknown, may be twenty-five or thirty feet wide.
It is in this cavern that the river having cleared a part of the
rock, precipitates itself with violence ; but as this rock crosses
its whole bed, it can only escape by that extremity of the two,
which offers it an outlet. There a fresh obstacle presents
itself: another rock opposes its flight, and it is obliged to form
a right angle, and turn short to the left. But it is extraordinary
that after this dreadful fall, it neither froths, nor boils up, nor
forms whirlpools, but goes off quietly by its channel, and gains,
in silence, a profound valley, where it pursues its course to
the sea. This perfect calm, after a movement so rapid, can
only proceed from the enormous depth of the cavern, into
which it is plunged. I did not examine the rock with aqua
fortis ; but as there seems to be no calcareous stones in this
country, I take it to be hard rock, and of the nature of quartz :
but it presents a peculiarity worthy of attention, which is, that
its whole surface is hollowed into little squares. Was it in a
state of fusion when raised from the bowels of the earth, and it
blocked up the passage of the river? These vertical cre
vices, these flaws on the surface, are they the effects of its
cooling ? These are questions I leave to the discussion of the
learned : I shall only observe, that there is no volcanic ap
pearance ; nor through this whole country are there the
smallest traces of a volcano, of such at least as are posterior to
the last epochas of nature.
Though Doctor MacHenry began by being a Doctor, before
3 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
he was an officer, and is well informed, I did not find him much
versed in natural history, and I preferred questioning him on
the subject of the army along the front of which I rode, meet
ing perpetually with posts, who took arms, the drum beating,
and the officers saluting with the espontoon. All these posts
were not for the safety of the army; many of them were sta
tioned to guard houses and barns, which served as magazines.
At length, after riding two miles along the right flank of the
army, and after passing thick woods on the right, I found my
self in a small plain, where I saw a handsome farm ; a small
camp which seemed to cover it, a large tent extended in the
court, and several wagons round it, convinced me that this was
his Excellency s quarter; for it is thus Mr. Washington is call
ed in the army, and throughout America. M. de la Fayette
was in conversation with a tall man, five foot nine inches high,
(about five foot ten inches and a half English,) of a noble and
mild countenance. It was the general himself. I was soon
off horseback, and near him. The compliments were short ;
the sentiments with which I was animated, and the good wishes
he testified for me were not equivocal. He conducted me to
his house, where I found the company still at table, although
the dinner had been long over. He presented me to the Generals
Knox, Wayne, Howe, &c. and to his family, then composed of
Colonels Hamilton and Tilgman, his secretaries and his aids-
de-camp, and of Major Gibbs, commander of his guards ; for
in England and America, the aids-de-camp, adjutants and
other officers attached to the general, form what is called his
family. A fresh dinner was prepared for me and mine ; and
the present was prolonged to keep me company. A few glasses
of claret and madeira accelerated the acquaintances I had to
make, and I soon felt myself at my ease near the greatest and the
best of men. The goodness and benevolence which charac
terise him, are evident from every thing about him ; but the
confidence he gives birth to, never occasions improper familiari
ty ; for the sentiment he inspires has the same origin in every
individual, a profound esteem for his virtues, and a high opinion
of his talents.* About nine o clock the general officers with-
* Rochefaucault has said, " That no man is a hero to his Valet de
Chambre." Without combatting the general justice of the remark,
this excellent man is most certainly an exception. Those who are the
nearest to his person love him the most, but this is never separated from
a marked degree of respect and admiration. This is not only the uni
versal testimony, but I had myself the high gratification of observing
it. Before the war, there was not a gentleman within the circle of
his neighbourhood, who, having important concerns, or a family to
leave behind him, did not close his eyes in peace, could he be so fortu-
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. <#
drew to their quarters, which were all at a considerable dis
tance ; but as the general wished me to stay in his own house,
I remained some time with him, after which he conducted me
to the chamber prepared for my aids-de-camp and me. This
chamber occupied the fourth part of his lodgings ; he apolo
gized to me for the little room he had in his disposal, but
always with a noble politeness, which was neither complimen
tary nor troublesome.
nate as to get Mr. Washington for an executor : an unequivocal proof
of his integrity. I have likewise the strongest testimony to refute those
injurious insinuations which have been propagated by envy, ignorance,
or party malevolence, with the view of depreciating his talents. I had
particular business to transact with him in 1782, respecting the estates
of an old friend to whom he was executor, but which from peculiar
circumstances had been totally neglected by the noble heirs in Eng
land, from the year 1771, indeed I may say, from the year 1767. I
found his Excellency in winter quarters at Philadelphia ; on entering
into conversation on the subject, which was of a most complicated na
ture, the General modestly apprized me, that from the active and tur
bulent situation in which he had long been placed, never having been
at his own house in Virginia since the year 1775, but one night on his
return from York-Town, he was ignorant of his own affairs, and was
consequently afraid he could afford me but little information respecting
those in question : but what was my astonishment, when, after this
prelude, he entered into an accurate detail of every thing respecting
them, scarcely omitting, as I afterwards found upon the spot, the most
minute particular ! On my arrival in Virginia, I had an opportunity of
perusing, among the papers, many of his letters written whilst in ,the
active management of the affairs, which furnished me with unquestion
able proofs of the clearness of his head, the honour and disinterested
ness of his heart, and the uncommon perspicuity and elegance of his
style ; so as to convince me of the identity of the pen that produced
those admirable epistolary performances, which did him so much
honour during the war, and will ever mark the energy of his mind, and
the excellence of his4inderstanding. I have dwelt with the more sa
tisfaction on this particular, as Envy, unable to detract from their
merit, has made frequent attempts to rob his fame of the honour of
having ever produced them ; and what relates to the public opinion
concerning himself he always leaves to the determination of others.
This heartfelt, but faithful tribute to transcendent virtue and abilities,
is the effusion of a mind unaccustomed to flattery, and in an instance
where flattery neither has, nor can have any object. I had long revered
his character before I saw him, and we all know that too much pre
possession is generally unfavourable on a nearer view ; but to know
him, establishes and heightens the most favourable ideas ; and I saw,
and knew this truly great man, only to root in my mind the most sincere
attachment, affection and veneration for his person and character.
Trans.
04 TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA.
At nine the next morning they informed me that his excel
lency was come down into the parlour. This room served at
once as audience chamber and dining-room. I immediately
went to wait on him, and found breakfast prepared. Lord
Stirling had come to breakfast with us. He is one of the old
est Major-Generals in the army ; his birth, his titles and pretty
extensive property have given nim more importance in Ameri
ca, than his talents could ever have acquired him. The title
of Lord, which was refused him in England, is not here contest
ed with him : he claimed this title from inheritance, and went
to Europe to support his pretensions, but without success. A
part of his estate has been dissipated by the war, and by his
taste for expense ; he is accused of liking the table and the
bottle, full as much as becomes a Lord, but more than becomes
a General. He is brave, but without capacity, and has not
been fortunate in the different commands with which he has
been entrusted. He was made prisoner at the affair of Long-
Island. In June, 1777, he got into a scrape at Elizabethtown,
whilst General Washington made head against 20,000 English
on the heights of Middlebrook ; he there lost two or three
hundred men, and three pieces of cannon : at Brandywine he
commanded the right of the army, or rather the body of troops-
defeated by Cornwallis ; but on all these occasions he display
ed great personal courage and firmness. I conversed a long
time with him, and found him to be a sensible manj not ill in
formed of the affairs of his country. He is old and rather dull ;
but with all this, he will continue to serve, because the em-
plovment though not lucrative, helps to repair a little the dis-
orcrer in his affairs ; and not having quitted the service since
the beginning of the war, he has at least zeal and seniority in
his favour ; thus he will retain the command of the first line, to
which his rank entitles him ; but care will be taken not to em
ploy him on particular expeditions.*
* Lord Stirling died before the end of the war.
CHAPTER IV.
AMERICAN AKMY GEN. KNOX GEN. WASHINGTON MOIUUSTOW X
MIDULEBROOK PRINCETON.
WHILST we were at breakfast, horses were brought, and
General Washington gave orders for the army to get under
arms at the head of the camp. The weather was very bad,
and it had already began raining ; we waited half an hour ;
but the General seeing that it was more likely to increase than
to diminish, determined to get on horseback. Two horses
were brought him, which were a present from the state of Vir
ginia ; he mounted one himself, and gave me the other. Mr.
Lynch and Mr. de Montesquieu, had each of them, also, a very
handsome blood horse, such as we could not find at Newport
for any money. We repaired to the artillery camp, where
General Knox received us : the artillery was numerous, and
the gunners, in very fine order, were formed in parade, in the
foreign manner, that is, each gunner at his battery, and ready
to fire. The General was so good as to apologize to me for
the cannon not firing to salute me ; he said, that having put
all the troops on the other side of the river in motion, and ap-
Erized them that he might himself march along the right bank,
e was afraid of giving the alarm, and of deceiving the detach
ments that were out. We gained at length, the right of the
army, where we saw the Pennsylvania line ; it was composed
of two brigades, each forming three battalions, without reckon
ing the light infantry, which were detached with the Marquis
de la Fayette. General Wayne, who commanded it, was on
horseback, as well as the Brigadiers and Colonels. They were
all well mounted : the officers also had a very military air; they
were well ranged, and saluted very gracefully. Each brigade
had a band of music ; the march they were then playing was
the Huron. I knew that this line, though in want of many
things was the best clothed in the army ; so that his excellen
cy asking me whether I would proceed, and see the whole
army, or go by the shortest road to the camp of the Marquis,
I accepted the latter proposal. The troops ought to thank me
for it, for the rain was falling with redoubled force ; they were
dismissed, therefore, and we arrived heartily wet at the Mar
quis de la Fayette s quarters, where I wanned myself with great
9
66 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
pleasure, partaking, from time to time, of a large bowl of grog,
which is stationary on his table, and is presented to every offi
cer who enters. The rain appearing to cease, or inclined to
cease for a moment, we availed ourselves of the opportunity to
follow his excellency to the camp of the Marquis : we found
all his troops in order of battle on the heights to the left, and
himself at their head ; expressing by his air and countenance,
that he was happier in receiving me there, than at his estate in
Auvergne. The confidence and attachment of the troops, are
for him invaluable possessions, well acquired riches, of which
no body can deprive him ; but what, in my opinion, is still
more flattering for a young man of his age, is the influence
and consideration he has acquired among the political, as well
as the military order : I do not fear contradiction when I say,
that private letters from him have frequently produced more
effect on some states than the strongest exhortations of the
Congress. On seeing him, one is at a loss which most to ad
mire, that so young a man as he should have given such emi
nent proofs of talents, or that a man so tried, should give hopes
of so long a career of glory. Fortunate his country, if she
knows how to avail herself of them ; more fortunate still should
she stand in no need of calling them into exertion !
I distinguished with pleasure, among the colonels, who were
extremely well mounted, and who saluted with great grace,
M. de Gimat, a French officer, over whom I claim the rights of
a sort of military paternity, having brought him up in my regi
ment from his earliest youth.* This whole vanguard consisted
of six battalions, forming two brigades ; but there was only
one piquet of dragoons or light cavalry, the remainder having
marched to the southward with Colonel Lee. These dragoons
are perfectly well mounted, and do not fear meeting the Eng
lish dragoons, over whom they have gained several advantages ;f
but they have never been numerous enough to form a solid
and permanent body. The piquet that was kept with the ar-
* M. de Gimat made the following campaign at the head of a bat
talion of light infantry, always under the command of M. de la Fay-
ctte. At the siege of York, he attacked and carried jointly with Colo
nel Hamilton, the enemies redoubt on their left. This attack was
made at the same time with that of the Baron de Viomenil, on the
right redoubt, and with the same success. Mr. Gimat was wounded
in the foot : on his return to Europe, he was made Colonel of the re
giment of Martinico.
t The heroic Tarleton has experienced that there is some difference
between these dragoons and a surprised party of ill-armed infantry
and peasants. This gentleman s forte was in the latter species of war ;
a forced march, a surprize, and a bloody gazette, are the records of
Iris glory. Trans.
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 07
my served then as an escort to the Provost Marshal, and per
formed the functions of the Marechaussee, until the establish
ment of a regular one, which was intended.
The rain spared us no more at the camp of the Marquis,
than at that of the main army ; so that our review being finish
ed, I saw with pleasure General Washington set off in a gal
lop to regain his quarters. We reached them as soon as the
badness of the roads would permit us. At our return we found
a good dinner ready, and about twenty guests, among whom
were Generals Howe and Sinclair. The repast was in the
English fashion, consisting of eight or ten large dishes of
butcher s meat, and poultry, with vegetables of several sorts,
followed by a second course of pastry, comprized under the
two denominations of pies and puddings. After this the cloth
was taken off, and apples and a great quantity of nuts were
served, which General Washington usually continues eating
for two hours, toasting and conversing all the time. These
nuts are small and dry, and have so hard a shell, (hickory nuts)
that they can only be broken by the hammer ; they are served
half open, and the company are never done picking and eating
them. The conversation was calm and agreeable ; his Excel
lency was pleased to enter with me into the particulars of some
of the principal operations of the war, but always with a mo
desty and conciseness, which proved that it was from pure
complaisance he mentioned it. About half past seven we
rose from table, and immediately the servants came to shorten
it, and convert it into a round one ; for at dinner it was placed
diagonally to give more room. I was surprised at this manoeu
vre, and asked the reason of it ; I was told they were going to
lay the cloth for supper. In half an hour I retired to my cham
ber, fearing lest the General might have business, and that he
remained in company only on my account ; but at the end of
another half hour, I was informed that his Excellency expected
me at supper. I returned to the dining-room, protesting
against this supper ; but the General told me he was accus
tomed to take something in the evening ; that if I would be
seated, I should only eat some fruit, and assist in the conver
sation. I desired nothing better, for there were then no
strangers, and nobody remained but the General s family.
The supper was composed of three or four light dishes, some
fruit, and above all, a great abundance of nuts, which were as
well received in the evening as at dinner. The cloth being
soon removed, a few bottles of good claret and madeira were
placed on the table.* Every sensible man will be of my opinion,
* On my return from the southward in 1782, I spent a day or two
at the American camp atVerplank s Point on the North River, and had
tfc TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA.
that being a French officer, under the orders of General
Washington, and what is more, a good whig, I could not re
fuse a glass of wine offered me by him ; but, I confess, that I
had little merit in this complaisance, and that, less accustom
ed to drink than any body, I accommodate myself very well
to the English mode of toasting : you have very small glasses,
you pour out yourself the quantity of wine you choose, with
out being pressed to take more, and the toast is only a sort of
check in the conversation, to remind each individual that he
forms part of the company, and that the whole form only one
society. I observed that there was more solemnity in the
toasts at dinner : there were several ceremonious ones ; the
others were suggested by the General, and given out by his
aids-de-camp, who performed the honours of the table at din
ner; for one of them is every day seated at the bottom of the
table, near the General, to serve the company, and distribute
the bottles. The toasts in the evening were given by Colonel
Hamilton, without order or ceremony. After supper the
guests are generally desired to give a sentiment ; that is to say,
a lady to whom they are attached by some sentiment, either of
the honour of dining with General Washington. I had suffered severely
from an ague, which I could not get quit of, though I had taken the
exercise of a hard trotting horse, and got thus far to the northward in
the month of October. The general observing it, told me he was
sure I had not met with a good glass of wine for some time, an article
then very rare, but that my disorder must be frightened away ; he made
me drink three or four of his silver camp cups of excellent madeira at
noon, and recommended to me to take a generous glass of claret after
dinner, a prescription by no means repugnant to my feelings, and which
1 most religiously followed. I mounted my horse next morning, and
continued my journey to Massachusetts, without ever experiencing the
slightest return of my disorder. The American camp here, presented
the most beautiful and picturesque appearance : it extended along the
plain, on the neck of land formed by the winding of the Hudson, and
had a view of this river to the south ; behind it, the lofty mountains,
covered with wood, formed the most sublime back-ground that painting
can express. In the front of the tents was a regular continued porti
co, formed by the boughs of trees in verdure, decorated with much
taste and fancy ; and each officer s tent was distinguished by superior
ornaments. Opposite the camp, and on distinct eminences, stood the
tents of some of the general officers, over which towered, predominant,
that of General Washington. I had seen all the camps in England,
from many of which, drawings and engravings have been taken ; but
this was truly a subject worthy the pencil of the first artist. The
French camp during their stay at Baltimore, was decorated in the same
style. At the camp at Verplank s, we distinctly heard the morning 1
and evening gun of the British at Kingsbridge. Trans,
TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA. (ft
love, or friendship, or perhaps from preference only.* This
supper, or conversation, commonly lasted from nine to eleven,
always free, and always agreeable.
The weather was so bad on the 25th, that it was impossible
for me to stir, even to wait on the Generals, to whom M. de la
Fayette was to conduct me. I easily consoled myself for this,
finding it a great luxury to pass a whole day with General Wash
ington, as if he were at his house in the country, and had
nothing to do. The Generals Glover, Huntington, and some
others, dined with us, and the Colonels Stewart and Butler two
officers distinguished in the army. The intelligence received
this day occasioned the proposed attack on Staten-Island to be
laid aside. The foraging party under General Starke had met
with the most complete success ; the enemy not having thought
proper to disturb them, so that they had not stripped the posts
in the quarter where it was intended to attack them : besides,
that this expedition could only have been a coup de main, ren
dered very difficult by the badness of the roads from the ex
cessive rains. It was determined therefore that the army
should march the next day to winter quarters, and that I should
continue my route to Philadelphia.
The weather being fair, on the 26th, I got on horseback,
after breakfasting with the general. He was so attentive as
to give me the horse he rode on, the day of my arrival, which
I had greatly commended : I found him as good as he is hand
some ; but above all, perfectly well broke, and well trained,
having a good mouth, easy in hand, and stopping short in a
gallop without bearing the bit. I mention these minute par
ticulars, because it is the general himself who breaks all his
own horses ; and he is a very excellent and bold horseman,
leaping the highest fences, and going extremely quick, without
standing upon his stirrups, bearing on the bridle, or letting his
horse run wild ; circumstances which our young men look upon
as so essential a part of English horsemanship, that they would
rather break a leg or an arm than renounce them.
My first visit was to General Wayne, where Mr. de la Fayette
was waiting to conduct me to the other general officers of the
line. We were received by General Huntington, who appear
ed rather young for the rank of Brigadier-General, which he
has held two years : his carriage is cold and reserved, but one
is not long in perceiving him to be a man of sense and inform
ation ; by General Glover, about five and forty, a little man,
* The English reader will see that the Author makes a small mis
take here; it being the custom in America, as in England, to give a
?ady, or a sentiment, or both. Trans.
70 TRAVELS IN NORTH- AM ERIC A.
but active and a good soldier ; by General Howe, who is one
of the oldest Major-Generals, and who enjoys the consideration
due to his rank, though, from unfavourable circumstances, he
has not been fortunate in war, particularly in Georgia, where
he commanded with a very small force, at the time General
Provost took possession of it: he is fond of music, the arts,
and pleasure, and has a cultivated mind. I remained a con
siderable time with him, and saw a very curious lusus nature,
but as hideous as possible. It was a young man of a Dutch
family, whose head was become so enormous, that it took the
whole nourishment from his body; and his hands and arms
were so weak that he was unable to make use of them. He
lies constantly in bed, with his monstrous head supported by a
pillow ; and as he has long been accustomed to lie on his right
side, his right arm is in a state of atrophy : he is not quite an
ideot, but he could never learn any thing, and has no more
reason than a child of five or six years old, though he is seven
and twenty. This extraordinary derangement of the animal
economy proceeds from a dropsy, with which he was attacked
in his infancy, and which displaced the bones that form the
cranium. We know that these bones are joined together by
sutures, which are soft in the first period of life, and harden and
ossify with age. Such an exuberance, so great an afflux of
humour in that, which of all the viscera seems to require the
most exact proportion, as well in what relates to the life as to
the understanding of man, afford stronger proof of the necessity
of an equilibrium between the solids and the fluids, than the
existence of the final causes.
General Knox, whom we had met, and who accompanied us,
brought us back to head-quarters, through a wood, as the
shortest way, and to fall into a road leading to his house, where
we wished to pay our compliments to Mrs. Knox. We found
her settled on a little farm, where she had passed part of the
campaign ; for she never quits her husband. A child of six
months, and a little girl of three years old, formed a real family
for the General. As for himself, .he is between thirty and
forty, very fat, but very active, and of a gay and amiable
character. Previous to the war he was a bookseller at Boston,
and used to amuse himself in reading military books in his
shop. Such was the origin and the first knowledge he ac
quired of the art of war, and of the taste he has had ever since
for the profession of arms. From the very first campaign, he
was entrusted with the command of the artillery, and it has
turned out that it could not have been placed in better hands.
It was he whom M. du Coudray endeavoured to supplant, and
who had no difficulty in removing him. It was fortunate for
M. du Coudray, perhaps, that he was drowned in the Schuyl-
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 71
kill, rather than to be swallowed up in the intrigues he was
engaged in, and which might have been productive of much
mischief.*
On our return to head quarters, we found several General
Officers and Colonels, with whom he dined. I had an oppor
tunity of conversing more particularly with General Wayne ;
he has served more than any officer of the American army, and
his services have been more distinguished, f though he is yet
but young. He is sensible, and his conversation is agreeable
and animated. The affair of Stoney-Point has gained him
* General Knox who retained until the peace the same situation in
the American army, commanded their artillery at the seige of York.
One cannot too much admire the intelligence and activity with which
he collected from all quarters, transported, disembarked and conveyed
to the batteries the train destined for the seige, and which consisted
of more than thirty pieces of cannon and mortars of a large bore :
this artillery was always extremely well served, General Knox never
failing to direct it, and frequently taking the trouble himself of point
ing the mortars. He scarcely ever quitted the batteries ; and, when
the town surrendered, he stood in need of the same activity and the
same resources to remove and transport the enemy s artillery, which
consisted of upwards of two hundred boucJies a feu, with all the am
munition belonging to them. The rank of Major-General was the
recompense of his services.
It may be observed, that if on this occasion the English were asto
nished at the justness of the firing, and terrible execution of the French
artillery, we were not less so at the extraordinary progress of the Ame
rican artillery, as well as the capacity arid knowledge of a great num
ber of the officers employed in it.
As for general Knox, to praise his military talents only, would be to
deprive him of half of the eulogium which he merits : A man of un
derstanding, a well formed man, gay, sincere, and honest ; it is impos
sible to know without esteeming him, or to see without loving him.
In the text, it is said that he was a bookseller at Boston before the war ;
this is not perfectly the truth. He carried on trade in various articles,
and according to the American custom, he sold them wholesale and
retail. Books, but particularly French books, made part of this com
merce, but he employed himself more in reading than selling them.
Before the revolution he was one of the principal citizens of Boston ;
at present, he belongs to the whole world by his reputation and his
success. Thus have the English, contrary to their intention, added to
the ornament of the human species, by awakening talents and virtues
where they thought to find nothing but ignorance and weakness.
t This might in some respect be true at the time the Marquis
speaks of, but let the southern campaigns be attended to, and justice
will be done to the active zeal, the wonderful exertions, the unabating;
courage of that great officer General Greene ; other exceptions might
be made, but this stands conspicuous. Trans.
72 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
much honour in the army ; however, he is only a Brigadier-
General ! This arises from the nomination to the superior
ranks being vested in the states to whom the troops belong^
and that the state of Pennsylvania has not thought proper to
make any promotion, apparently from principles of economy.
The remainder of the day I dedicated to the enjoyment of
Genera,! Washington s company, whom I was to quit the next
day. He was so good as to point out to me himself my jour
ney, to send on before to prepare me lodgings, and to give me
a Colonel to conduct me as far as Trenton. The next morning-
all the General s baggage was packed up, which did not
hinder us from breakfasting, before we parted; he for his winter
quarters, and I for my journey to Philadelphia.
Here would be the proper place to give the portrait of Ge
neral Washington : but what can my testimony add to the idea
already formed of him 9 The continent of North- America,
from Boston to Charleston, is a great volume, every page of
which presents his eulogium. I know, that having had the
opportunity of a near inspection, and of closely observing
him, some more particular details may be expected from me ;
but the strongest characteristic of this respectable man is the
perfect union which reigns between the physical and moral
qualities which compose the individual ; one alone will enable
you to judge of all the rest. If you are presented with medals
of Csesar, of Trajan, or Alexander, on examining their fea
tures, you will still be led to ask what was their stature, and
the form of their persons ; but if you discover, in a heap of
ruins, the head or the limb of an antique Apollo, be not curi
ous about the other parts, but rest assured that they all were
conformable to those of a god. Let not this comparison be
attributed to enthusiasm ! It is not my intention to exagge
rate, I wish only to express the impression General Washing
ton has left on my mind ; the idea of a perfect whole, that
cannot be the produce of enthusiasm, which rather would re
ject it, since the effect of proportion is to diminish the idea of
greatness. Brave without temerity, laborious without ambition,
generous without prodigality, noble without pride, virtuous
without severity ; he seems always to have confined himself
within those limits, where the virtues, by clothing themselves in
more lively, but more changeable and doubtful colours, may be
mistaken for faults. This is the seventh year that he has com
manded the army, and that he has obeyed the Congress ; more
need not be said, especially in America, where they know how to
appreciate all the merit contained in this simple fact. Let it
be repeated that Conde was intrepid, Turenne prudent, Eugene
adroit, Catinat disinterested. It is not thus that Washington
will be characterized. It will be said of him, AT THE END ov
TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA. 73
A LONG*CIVIL WAR, HE HAD NOTHING WITH WHICH HE COULD RE
PROACH HIMSELF. If any thing can be more marvellous than
such a character, it is the unanimity of the public suffrages in
his favour. Soldier, magistrate, people, all love and admire
him; all speak of him in terms of tenderness and veneration.
Does there then exist a virtue capable of restraining the injus
tice of mankind ; or are glory and happiness too recently esta
blished in America, for envy to have deigned to pass the seas ?
In speaking of this perfect whole of which General Wash
ington furnishes the idea, I have not excluded exterior
form. His stature is noble and lofty, he is well made, and ex
actly proportioned ; his physiognomy mild and agreeable, but
such as to render it impossible to speak particularly of any of
his features, so that in quitting him, you have only the recol
lection of a fine face. He has neither a grave nor a familiar
air, his brow is sometimes marked with thought, but never with
inquietude ; in inspiring respect, he inspires confidence, and
his smile is always the smile of benevolence-.*
But above all, it is in the midst of his general officers, that
it is interesting to behold him. General in a republic, he has
not the imposing stateliness of a Marechal de France who gives
the order ; a hero in a republic, he excites another sort of re
spect, which seems to spring from the sole idea, that the safety
of each individual is attached to his person. As for the rest,
I must observe on this occasion, that the general officers of the
American army have a very military and a very becoming car
riage ; that even all the officers, whose characters were brought
into public view, unite much politeness to a great deal of ca
pacity ; that the head-quarters of this army, in short, neither
present the image of want, nor inexperience. When one sees
the battalion of the general s guards encamped within the pre
cincts of his house ; nine wagons, destined to carry his bag
gage, ranged in his court ; a great number of grooms taking
care of very fine horses belonging to the general officers and
their aids-de-camp ; when one observes the perfect order that
reigns within these precincts, where the guards are exactly
* It is impossible for any man who has had the happiness to ap
proach the General, not to admire the accuracy of this description,
and the justness and happiness with which it is developed, or to read
it without the strongest emotion. It is here above all, the Translator
must apologize for his author ; it is not possible to do justice to the
original, to feel all its elegance it must be read in the language in which
it was written. Posterity, future historians, will be grateful to the
Marquis de Chastellux for this exquisite portrait ; every feature, and
every tint of which will stand the test of the severest scrutiny, and bft
handed down to distant ages in never fading colours. Trans.
10
74 TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA.
stationed, and where the drums beat an alarm, and a particu
lar retreat, one is tempted to apply to the Americans what
Pyrrhus said of the Romans : Truly these people have nothing
barbarous in their discipline !
The reader will perceive that it is difficult for me to quit
General Washington : let us take our resolution briskly then,
and suppose ourselves on the road. Behold me travelling with
Colonel Moyland, whom his excellency had given me, in spite
of myself, as a companion, and whom I should have been glad
to have seen at a distance, for one cannot be too much at one s
ease in travelling. In sucit situations, however, we must do
the best we can. I began to question him, he to answer me,
and the conversation gradually becoming more interesting, I
found I had to do with a very gallant and intelligent man, who
had lived long in Europe, and who has travelled through the
greatest part of America. I found him perfectly polite ; for
his politeness was not troublesome, arid I soon conceived a
great friendship for him. Mr. Moyland is an Irish catholic;
one of his brothers is catholic bishop of Cork, he has four
others, two of whom are merchants, one at Cadiz, the other at
L Orient ; the third is in Ireland with his family ; and the fourth
is intended for the priesthood.* As for himself, he came to
settle in America some years ago, where he was at first engaged
in commerce; he then served in the army as aid-de-camp to
the general, and has merited the command of the light cavalry.
During the war he married the daughter of a rich merchant in
* I was acquainted with four brothers of this family ; they were all
amiable, sensible and lively men, and remarkably active and useful in
the revolution. The colonel, in the military line ; another brother
whom I suppose to have been the merchant at Cadiz, was afterwards
in America, and clothier general to the army ; another is a lawyer at
Philadelphia ; and Mr. Moyland, who is lately dead at L Orient, was
singularly useful in the year 1777, by managing a treaty between the
American Commissioners and the Farmers General of France, for an
annual supply of tobacco from America, which he concluded during
Lord Stormmt s residence at the Court of France, and many months
previous to the open rupture with that Court. I speak of this with
personal knowledge of the fact, nor was it so secret as to have esca
ped the English Ambassador, or the vigilant Mr. Forth. There could
not be a more direct attack on England and English claims, than this
transaction, which must have had the sanction of the French Govern
ment, yet England was lulled to sleep by her Ministers, or rather
was so infatuated as to shut her ears against the most interesting
truths. I could say much more on this subject, but why enter into
discussions which have long ceased to be either seasonable or useful ?
England was, literally, in the case of the Quos Deus vult perdere.
Trans.
TRAVELS IN NORTH- AM ERIC A. 13
the Jerseys, who lived formerly at New- York, and who now
resides on an estate at a little distance from the road we were
to pass the next day. He proposed to me to go and sleep
there, or at least to take a dinner ; I begged to be excused,
from the fear of being obliged to pay compliments, of straight
ening others, or of being myself straightened ; he did not in
sist, so that I pursued my journey, sometimes through fine
woods, at others through well cultivated lands, and villages in
habited by Dutch families. One of these villages, which forms
a little township, bears the beautiful name of Troy. Here the
country is more open and continues so to Morristown. This
town, celebrated by the winter-quarters of 1779, is about three
and twenty miles from Prakeness, the name of the head-quar
ters from whence I came. It is situated on a height, at the
foot of which runs the rivulet called Vipenny river ; the houses
are handsome and well built, there are about sixty or eighty
round the Meeting-house. I intended stopping at Morristown
only to bait my horses, for it was but half past two, but on
entering the inn of Mr. Arnold, I saw a dining-room adorned
with looking-glasses and handsome mahogany furniture, and a
table spread for twelve persons. I learnt that all this prepa
ration was for me ; and what affected me more nearly, was to-
see a dinner, corresponding with these appearances, ready to
serve up. I was indebted for this to the goodness of General
Washington, and the precautions of Colonel Moyland, who had
sent before to acquaint them with my arrival. It would have
been very ungracious to have accepted this dinner at the ex
pense of Mr. Arnold, who is an honest man and a good whig,
and who has not a particle in common with Benedict Arnold;
it would have been still more awkward to have paid for the
banquet without eating it. I therefore instantly determined
to dine and sleep in this comfortable inn. The Vicomte de
Noailles, the Comte de Damas, &c. were expected to make up
the dozen ; but these young travellers, who had reckoned
during their stay with the army, on being witnesses to some
encounters, were desirous of indemnifying themselves by riding
along the bank of the river, to take a look at York island, and
try if they could not tempt the enemy to favour them with a
few shot. M. de la Fayette himself conducted them, with an
escort of twenty dragoons. They deferred for a day therefore
their journey to Philadelphia, and I had no other guests but a
secretary and aid-de-camp of M. de la Fayette, who arrived
as I was at table, well disposed to supply the deficiency of the
absent.
After dinner I had a visit from General St. Clair, whom I
had already seen at the army, which he had left the preceding
76 TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA.
evening to sleep at Morristown. It was he who commanded
on Lake Champlain, at the evacuation of Ticonderoga ; a ter
rible clamour was raised against him on that occasion, and he
was tried by a council of war, but honourably acquitted? not
only because his retreat was attended with the best conse
quences ; Burgoyne having been forced to capitulate ; but be
cause it was proved that he had been left in want of every
thing necessary for the defence of the post entrusted to him.
He was born in Scotland, where he has a family and property ;
he is esteemed a good officer, and, if the war continues, will
certainly act a principal part in the army.t
I set out from Morristown the 28th, at eight in the morning,
with very lowering weather, which did not hinder me, how
ever, from observing, to the right of the road, the huts occu
pied by the troops in the winter of 1779 80. Some miles
from thence, we met a man on horseback, who came to meet
Colonel Moyland with a letter from his wife. After reading it,
he said to me, with a truly European politeness, that we must
always obey the women ; that his wife would accept of no ex
cuse, and expected me to dinner ; but he assured me that he
Would take me by a road which should not be a mile out of my
way, whilst my people pursued their journey, and went to wait
for me at Somerset court-house. I was now too well acquaint
ed with my colonel, and too much pleased with him, to refuse
this invitation ; I followed him, therefore, and after crossing a
wood, found myself on a height, the position of which struck
me at first sight. I remarked to Colonel Moyland, that I was
much mistaken if this ground was not well calculated for an
advantageous camp : he replied, that it was precisely that of
Middlebrook, where General Washington had stopped the
English in June, 1777, when Sir William Howe was endea
vouring to traverse the Jerseys to pass the Delaware, and take
Philadelphia. Continuing my journey, and looking about me
as far as my view would reach, the shape alone of the ground
made me imagine, that the right could not be very good ; I
then learnt with pleasure that General Washington had built
two strong redoubts there. The reader will permit me the fol
lowing short reflection, that the best method for military men,
in following on the ground, the campaigns of great generals,
is not to have the different positions pointed out and explained
* The terms of his acquittal are ivith tfie highest honour. Trans.
t General St. Glair s defence on this trial, which was lent me by Mr.
Arthur Middleton, one of the Delegates in Congress for South-Caro
lina, is an admirable piece of reasoning and eloquence. Trans.
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 77
to them : it is much better, before they are made acquainted
with these details, to visit the places, to look well about on
every side, and to propose to themselves some problems on the
nature of the ground, and on the advantages to be derived
from it ; then to compare ideas with facts, by which means they
will be enabled to rectify one, and to appreciate the other.
On descending from the heights, we turned a little to the
left, and found ourselves on the side of a rivulet, which brought
us into a deep vale. The various cascades formed by this
stream, in precipitating itself over the rocks ; the ancient fir-
trees with which it is surrounded, a part of which have fallen
from age, and lie across its course ; the furnaces belonging to
some copper mines, half destroyed by the English ; these ruins
of nature, and these ravages of war, composed the most poetic,
or according to the English expression, the most romantic
picture ; for it is precisely what is called in England a romantic
prospect. It is here that Colonel Moyland s father-in-law has
fitted a little rural asylum, where his family go to avoid the
heats of the summer, and where they sometimes pass whole
nights in listening to the song of the mocking bird, for the
nightingale does not sing in America. We know that great
musicians are oftener to be met with in the courts of despots,
than in republics. Here the songster of the night is neither
the graceful Melicv, nor the pathetic Tenducci ; he is the Bouf-
fon Garibaldi: he has no song, and consequently no sentiment
peculiar to himself: he counterfeits in the evening what he
has heard in the day. Has he heard the lark or the thrush, it
is the lark or the thrush you hear. Have some workmen been
employed in the woods, or has he been near their house, he will
sing precisely as they do. If they are Scotchmen, he will
repeat you the air of some gentle and plaintive tale ; if they are
Germans, you will discover the clumsy gaiety of a Swabian, or
Alsatian. Sometimes he cries like a child, at others he laughs
like a young girl : nothing, in short, is more entertaining than
this comic bird ; but he performs only in summer, and so it
happened that I never had the good fortune to hear him.*
After travelling two miles in this sort of gorge, the woods
begin to open, and we soon found ourselves beyond the moun
tains. On the brow of these mountains, to the south, were
the huts occupied by a part of the army in 1779, after the bat
tle of Monmouth. We soon arrived at Colonel Moyland s or
rather at Colonel Vanhorn s, his father-in-law. This manor is
in a beautiful situation ; it is surrounded by some trees, the
* The translator, as well as most travellers in America, particularly
in the middle states, can testify the accuracy of this account. Trans.
T8 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA,
approach is decorated with a grass plot, and if it was better
taken care of, one would think ones-self in the neighbourhood
of London, rather than in that of New-York. Mr. Vanhorn
came to meet me : he is a tall, lusty man, near sixty years of
age, but vigorous, hearty, and good humoured; he is called
Colonel from the station he held in the militia, under the Eng
lish government. He resigned some time before the war : he
was then a merchant and cultivator, passing the winter at
New- York, and the summer in the country ; but since the war
he has quitted that town, and retired to his manor, always
faithful to his country, without rendering himself odious to the
English, with whom he has left two of his sons in the Jamaica
trade, but who, if the war continues, are to sell their property
and come and live with their father. Nothing can prove more
strongly the integrity of his conduct, than the esteem in which
he is held by both parties. Situated at ten miles from Staten-
Island, near to Rariton, Amboy, and Brunswick, he has fre
quently found himself in the midst of the theatre of war ; so
that he has sometimes had the Americans with him, sometimes
the English. It even happened to him once in the same day,
to give a breakfast to Lord Cornwallis and a dinner to General
Lincoln. Lord Cornwallis, informed that the latter had slept
at Mr. Vanhorn s, came to take him by surprise ; but Lincoln,
getting intelligence of his design, retired into the woods,
ord Cornwallis, astonished not to find him, asked if the
American General was not concealed in his house : " No,"
replied Mr. Vanhorn, bluntly. " On your honour*?" says
Cornwallis. " On my honour, and if you doubt it, here are the
keys, you may search every where." " I shall take your word
for it," said Lord Cornwallis, and asked for some breakfast ;
an hour afterwards he returned to the army. Lincoln, who
was concealed at no great distance, immediately returned, and
dined quietly with his hosts.
The acquaintance I made with Mr. Vanhorn being very
prompt and cordial, he conducted me to the parlour, where I
found his wife, his three daughters, a young lady of the neigh
bourhood, and two young officers. Mrs. Vanhorn is an old
lady, who, from her countenance, her dress, and her deport
ment, perfectly resembled a picture of Vandyke. She does the
honours of the table with exactness, helps every body without
saying a word, and the rest of the time is like a family portrait.
Her three daughters are not amiss : Mrs. Moyland, the eldest,
is six months advanced in her pregnancy ; the youngest only
twelve years old, but the second is marriageable. She ap
peared to be on terms of great familiarity with one of the young
officers, who was in a very elegant undress, forming a good
representation of an agreeable country squire ; at table he
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 79
picked her nuts for her, and often took her hands. I imagined
that he was an intended husband ; but the other officer, with
whom I had the opportunity of conversing as he accompanied
us in the evening, told me that he did not believe there was
any idea of marriage between them. I mention these trifles
only to show the extreme liberty that prevails between the two
sexes, as long as they are unmarried. It is no crime for a girl
to embrace a young man ; it would be a very heinous one for
a married woman even to show a desire of pleasing.* Mrs.
Carter,f a handsome young woman, whose husband is con
cerned in furnishing our army with provisions, and lives at
present at Newport, told me, that going down one morning
into her husband s office, not much decked out, but in a rather
elegant French undress, a farmer of the Massachusetts state,
who was there on business, seemed surprised at seeing her,
and asked who that young lady was. On being told, Mrs.
* Though this freedom prevails among all ranks, it is particularly
striking among the middling classes and common people. Not to
speak of the New-England bundling, a practice which has been so
often mentioned, the Translator has seen, a grave Quaker and his wife
sitting on their bench at their door, as is the custom at Philadelphia
in the summer evenings and along side of them the apprentice boy of
sixteen, and the servant girl, or perhaps one of the daughters of the
family, not only kissing and embracing each other, hut proceeding to
such familiarities as would shock modesty, and draw down the ven
geance of the virtuous citizen of London ; and all this, not only without
reprehension, but even with marks of complacency on the part of the
good old folks. Even the last slip, is no essential blemish in the
character of the frail fair one. Both sexes arrive early at puberty,
their constitutions are warm, there are few restraints, and they lose no
time in completing the great object, the population of the country.
Trans.
t Mrs. Carter is the daughter of General Schuyler, and is now
called Church ; her hushand, Mr. John Barker Church, having re-as
sumed his real name on his return to England since the peace. ,He
is an English gentleman of a very respectable family and connexions ;
but having been unfortunate in business in London in the outset of life,
retired to America, where, from his known principles he was recei
ved as a good whig. He took the name of Carter, that his friends
might hear nothing of him, until by his industry he had retrieved his
affairs. His activity in the revolution, brought him acquainted with
General Schuyler, whose daughter he soon after married ; and on the
arrival of the French troops, got a principal share of the contract for
supplying them, in conjunction with Col. Wadsworth. Since the war
he has returned to Europe, with a-very considerable fortune, settled all
his affairs, and is happily and honourably restored to his friends nd
family. Trans.
80 TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA.
Carter " Aye /" said he, loud enough for her to hear him,
" vtf wife and a mother, truly , has no business to be so well dressed."
At 3 o clock I got on horseback, with Colonel Moyland, and
Captain Herne, one of the young officers I had dined with.
He is in the light cavalry, and consequently in Colonel Moy-
land s regiment. His size and figure, which I had already-
remarked, appeared to still more advantage on horseback. I
observed that he was seated in a very noble and easy manner,
and in perfect conformity to our principles of horsemanship.
I asked where he had studied horsemanship. He told me
at his own regiment ; that his desire to teach the soldiers
induced him to learn it ; and that he made it his business
to render them as expert in the exercise as himself.
Though but one and twenty, he had already acquired great ex
perience, and distinguished himself the preceding year, in an
affair where a small body of American light horse beat a much
more considerable one of English dragoons. I had a long
conversation with him, and he always spoke to me with a mo
desty, and a grace which would be favourably received by all
the military in Europe, and which to all appearance, would be
as successful at Paris as in camps.
We had scarcely proceeded three miles, before we found
ourselves in the Princeton road, and on the banks of the
Rariton, which may be easily passed by fording, or over a wood
en bridge. Two miles farther we crossed the Millstone, the
Jeft bank of which we followed to Somerset Court-house. Of
all the parts of America I had hitherto passed through, this is
the most open; we meet with handsome little plains here,
where from fifteen to twenty thousand men might be encamp
ed. General Howe had not less when he passed the Rariton
in 1777. His right was supported by a wood, beyond which
runs the Millstone ; his left also extended towards other woods.
General Washington at that time occupied the camp at Mid-
dlebrook, and General Sullivan, at the head of only 1500 men,
was six miles from the army, and three miles from the left of
the enemy. In this position he was near enough to harass
them, without committing himself as he had in his rear the
mountains of Saourland. They who in the last war, have
passed through Saourland, will easily conceive that the coun
try to which the German emigrants have given this name, is not
very easy of access. I found my suite at Somerset court-house,
where they were waiting for me in a pretty good inn, but as
there was still some daylight, and I had calculated my next
day s journey, which required that I should gain something in
the present, I determined to proceed farther. The night, which
soon came on, prevented me from making any more observa
tions on the country. After once more passing the Millstone,
j,nd getting well out of a horrible slough, we halted at Gregg-
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 1
town, where we slept at Skilman s tavern, an indifferent inn,
but kept by very obliging people. Captain Herne continued
his route. Our next day s ride presented us with very interest
ing objects : we were to see two places which will be for ever
dear to the Americans, since it was there the first rays of hope
brightened upon them, or, to express it more properly, that the
safety of the country was effected. These celebrated places
are Princeton, and Trenton. I shall not say I went to see
them, for they lay precisely in the road. Let the reader judge
then how much I was out of humour, on seeing so thick a fog
rising, as to prevent me from distinguishing objects at fifty paces
from me : but I was in a country where one must despair of
nothing. The fortune of the day was like that of America f
the fog suddenly dispersed, and I found myself travelling on
the right bank of the Millstone, in a narrow valley. Two
miles from Greggtown we quit this valley, and mount the high
est of Rocky-hill, where are a few houses. Kingstown is a
mile farther, but still on the Millstone ; the Maidenhead road
ends here, and its communication is facilitated by a bridge
built over the rivulet. It is here that General Washington
halted after the affair of Princeton. After marching from
midnight until two o clock in the afternoon, almost continually
fighting : he wished to collect the troops, and give them some
rest ; he knew, however, that Lord Cornwallis was following
him on the Maidenhead road ; but he contented himself with
taking up some planks of the bridge, and as soon as he saw
the vanguard of the English appear, he continued his march
quietly towards Middlebrook. Beyond Kingstown, the coun
try begins to open, and continues so to Princeton. This
town is situated on a sort of platform not much elevated, but
which commands on all sides : it has only one street formed
by the high road ; there are about sixty or eighty houses, all
tolerably well built, but little attention is paid them, for that is
immediately attracted by an immense building, which is visible
at a considerable distance. It is a college built by the state
of Jersey some years before the war ; as this building is only
remarkable from its size, it is unnecessary to describe it ; the
reader will only recollect, when I come to speak of the en
gagement, that it is on the left of the road in going to Phila
delphia, that it is situated towards the middle of the town, on
a distinct spot of ground, and that the entrance to it is by a
large square court surrounded with lofty palisades. The ob
ject which excited rny curiosity, though very foreign from let
ters at that moment, brought me to the very gate of the college.
I dismounted for a moment to visit this vast edifice, and was
soon joined by Dr. Witherspoon, President of the university.
He is a man of at least sixty, is a member of Congress,
82 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
much respected in this country. In accosting me he spoke
French, but I easily perceived that he had acquired his know
ledge of that language, from reading, rather than conversa
tion ; which did not prevent me, however, from answering him,
and continuing to converse with him in French, for I saw that
he was well pleased to display what he knew of it. This is an
attention which costs little, and is too much neglected in a
foreign country. To reply in English to a person who speaks
French to you, is to tell him, you do not know my language so
well as I do yours : in this, too, one is not unfrequently mista
ken. As for me, I always like better to have the advantage on
my side, and to fight on my own ground. I conversed in
French, therefore, with the President, and from him I learnt
that this college is a complete university ; that it can contain
two hundred students, and more, including the out boarders :
that the distribution of the studies is formed so as to make only
one class for the humanities ; which corresponds with our first
four classes ; that two others are destined to the perfecting
the youth in the study of Latin and Greek ; a fourth to Natural
Philosophy, Mathematics, Astronomy, &c. and a fifth to Moral
Philosophy. Parents may support their children at this col
lege at the annual expense of forty guineas. Half of this sum
is appropriated to lodgings and masters ; the rest is sufficient
for living, either in the college, or at board in private houses
in the town. This useful establishment has fallen into decay
since the war ; there were only forty students when I saw it.
A handsome collection of books had been made ; the greatest
part of which has been embezzled. The English even carried
off from the chapel the portrait of the king of England, a loss
for which the Americans easily consoled themselves, declaring
they would have no king among them, not even a painted
one. There still remains a very beautiful astronomical ma
chine ; but as it was then out of order, and differs in no respect
from that I saw afterwards in Philadelphia, I shall take no no
tice of it.* I confess also that I was rather anxious to exa-
* This is the celebrated Orrery of Hittenhouse, the supposed de
struction of which made so much noise at the beginning of the civil war,
and sullied the English name in the eyes of ail enlightened Europe.
Justice, however, requires from the Translator to declare, that from his
inquiries, and examination on the spot, the report had no other foun
dation than, that they intended to remove, and send it as a present to
the King. It may possibly be said, and would to God that such a
conjecture were not too well warranted by the whole conduct of the
war, that to this motive only may be attributed its preservation ; how
ever that may be, their sudden dislodgement from Princeton pre
served the Orrery, and. as far as that goes, the national character.
7V0fr.
TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA. 83
mine the traces of General Washington, in a country where every
object reminded me of his successes. I passed rapidly there
fore from Parnassus to the field of Mars, and from the hands
of President Witherspoon * into those of Colonel Moyland.
They were both equally upon their own ground ; so that while
one was pulling me by the right arm, telling me, here is the phi
losophy class ; the other was plucking me by the left, to show
me where one hundred and eighty English laid down their
arms.
Every person who, since the commencement of the war, has
only given himself the trouble of reading the Gazettes, may re
collect that General Washington surprised the town of Tren
ton the 25th of December, 1776 ; that, immediately after this
expedition, he retired to the other side of the Delaware, but
that having received a small addition to his force, he repassed
the river a second time, and encamped at Trenton. Lord
Comwallis had now collected his troops, before dispersed, in
winter-quarters. He marched against Washington, who was
obliged to place the Assampik, or river of Trenton, between
the enemy and him. By this means the town was divided be
tween the two armies ; the Americans occupying the left bank
of the creek, and the English the right. Lord Comwallis ar
my was receiving hourly reinforcements ; two brigades from
Brunswick were expected to join him, and he only waited
their arrival to make the attack, f General Washington on the
other hand, was destitute of provisions, and cut off from all
communication with the fertile country of the Jerseys, and the
four eastern states. Such was his position, when, on the se
cond of January, at one o clock in the morning, he ordered the
fires to be well kept up, and some soldiers to be left to take care
of them, whilst the remainder of the army should march by the
* This gentleman is so well known in Europe as to render it un
necessary to enter into any particulars respecting him. He certainly
played a much more important part on the theatre of this grand revo
lution, than by heading the low church party, as it is called in Scotland,
and displaying his eloquence, as I have seen him, at presbyteries and
synods. Trans.
I Lord Comwallis made one or two attempts to force the small
stone bridge over the creek at Trenton, but was so galled by a small
battery which commanded it, and a body of chosen men, placed by
General Washington in the Mill-house, that he gave up the attempt,
from a contempt of his enemy ; looking upon them as his certain
prey, their retreat over the Delaware, then full of ice, being impracti
cable ; for the same reason, probably he made no attempt to cross the
creek in any other part. Trans.
84 TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA.
right, to fall back afterwards on the left, pass the rear of the
English army, and enter the Jerseys. It was necessary to throw
themselves considerably to the right, in order to reach Aliens-
town, and the sources of the Assampik, and then to fall on
Princeton. About a mile from this town, General Washing
ton s vanguard, on entering the main road, fell in with Colonel
Mawhood, who was marching quietly at the head of his regi
ment in his way to Maidenhead and thence to Trenton.
General Mercer immediately attacked him, but was repulsed
by the enemies fire ; he then attempted to charge with the
bayonet, but unfortunately, in leaping a ditch, was surrounded
and put to the sword by the English. The troops, who were
in general militia, discouraged by the loss of their commander,
retreated into the woods, to wait for the remainder of the army,
which arrived soon after : but Colonel Mawhood had continu
ed his route to Maidenhead, so that General Washington had
only to do with the forty-eighth regiment, part of which had
appeared upon the main road on the first alarm of the attack.
He pushed these troops vigorously, dispersed them, and made
fifty or sixty prisoners. General Sullivan, however, was ad
vancing rapidly, leaving ori his left the Princeton road, with
the design of turning that town, and of cutting off the retreat of
the troops, who occupied it, to Brunswick. Two hundred
English had thrown themselves into a wood by which he was
to pass, but they did not long hold it, and returned in dis
order to Nassau-hall, the name of the college I have been speak
ing of. This they ought to have taken possession of, and have
there made a vigorous defence. To all appearance their offi
cers were bewildered, for instead of entering the -house, or even
the court, they remained in a sort of wide street, where they
were surrounded and obliged to lay down their arms, to the
number of one hundred and eighty, not including fourteen offi
cers. As for General Washington, after taking or dispersing
every thing before him, he collected his troops, marched on to
Kingstown, where he halted, as I have already mentioned, and
continued his route towards Middlebrook ; having thus march
ed near thirty miles in one day, but still regretting that his
troops were too much fatigued to proceed to Brunswick, which
he could have taken without any difficulty. Lord Cornwallis
had now nothing left but to hasten thilher as fast as possible
with his whole army. From this moment Pennsylvania was in
safety, the Jerseys were evacuated, and the English reduced
to the towns of Brunswick and Amboy, where they were obli
ged to act always on the defensive, not being able to stir, nor
even to forage, without being driven back, and roughly handled
by the militia of the country. Thus we see that the great
events of war are not always great battles, and humanity may
TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA.
receive some consolation from this sole reflection, that the art
of war is not necessarily a sanguinary art, that the talents of
the commanders spare the lives of the soldiers, and that igno
rance alone is prodigal of blood.
The affair of Trenton, whence this originated, cost no dearer,
and was perhaps more glorious, without being more useful.
Addison said, in visiting the different monuments of Italy, that
he imagined himself treading on classic ground ; all my steps
were on martial ground, and I was in the same morning to see
two fields of battle.
CHAPTER V.
TRENTON BRISTOL PHILADELPHIA.
1 ARRIVED early at Trenton, having remarked nothing inte~
resting on the road, unless it be the beauty of the country,
which every where corresponds with the reputation of the
Jerseys, called the garden of America. On approaching Tren
ton, the road descends a little, and permits one to see at the
east end of the town the orchard where the Hessians hastily
collected, and surrendered prisoners. This is almost all that
oan be said of this affair, which has been amplified by the Ga
zettes on one side and the other. We know that General
Washington, at the head only of three thousand men, passed
the Delaware in dreadful weather, on the night of the 24th
and 25th of December ; that he divided his troops into two
columns, one of which made a circuit to gain a road upon the
left leading to the Maidenhead-road, whilst the other marched
along the river, straight to Trenton ; that the main guard of
the Hessians was surprised, and that the brigade had scarcely
time to get under arms. The park of artillery was near a
church, they were attempting to harness the horses, when the
American vanguard, which had forced the piquet, fired on and
killed almost all of them. General Washington arrived with the
right column; the Hessians were surrounded, and fired a few
random shot, without order. General Washington suffered
them to do so, but he availed himself of the first moment of
the slackening of their fire, to send an officer who spoke French
to them, for our language supplies the want of all others. The
Hessians hearkened very willingly to his proposal. The gene
ral promised that the effects they had left in their houses should
not be pillaged, and they soon laid down their arms, which
they had scarcely had time to take up. Their position was cer
tainly not a good one ; nor can I conceive it possible that this
could be a field of battle fixed upon in case of an alarm. They
would have had a sure retreat by passing the bridge over the
creek at the south end of the town, but the vanguard of the
right column had got possession of it. Such, in a few words,
was this event, which is neither honourable nor dishonourable
for the Hessians ; but which proves that no troops existing can
be reckoned on, when they suffer themselves to be surprised.
After viewing so manv battles, it was but right to think of
TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA. 87
dinner. I found my head-quarters well established in a good
inn kept by Mr. Williams. The sign of this inn is a philo
sophical, or, if you will, a political emblem. It represents a
beaver at work, with his little teeth, to bring down a large tree,
and underneath is written, perseverando. I had scarce alighted
from my horse, before I received a visit from Mr. Livingston,*
governor of the Jerseys. He is an old man much respected,
and who passes for a very sensible man. He was pleased to
accompany me in a little walk I took before dinner, to examine
the environs of the town, and see the camp occupied by the
Americans before the affair of Princeton. I returned to din
ner with Colonel Moyland, Mr. de Gimat, and two aids-de
camp of M. de la Fayette, who arrived some time before me.
We were all acquainted, very happy to meet together and to
dine at our ease, when a justice of the peace, who was at
Trenton on business, and a captain of the American artillery,
came and sat down to table with us, without any ceremony ; it
being the custom of the country for travellers, when they meet
at the hour of dinner, to dine together. The dinner, of which
I did the honours, was excellent; but they did not seem to
know that it was I who had ordered it. There was wine at
table, a very rare and dear article in America ; they drank
moderately of it, and rose from table before us. I had given
orders that the dinner should be charged to me ; they learnt
this on going out, but set off without saying a word to me on
the subject. I have often had occasion to observe, that there
is more of ceremony than compliment in America. All their
politeness is mere form, such as drinking healths to the com
pany, observing ranks, giving up the right hand, &c. But
they do nothing of this but what has been taught them, not a.
particle of it is the result of sentiment; in a word, politeness
here is like religion in Italy, every thing in practice, but with
out any principle.
At four o clock I set out, after separating, but not without
regret, from the good Colonel Moyland. I took the road to
Bristol, crossing the river three miles below Trenton. Six*
miles from thence you pass a wood ; and then approach the
Delaware, which you do not quit till you arrive at Bristol. It
was night when I got to this town. The inn I alighted at is
kept by a Mr. Benezet, of French extraction, and of a very re-
* This gentleman was so active and useful in the revolution, that ho
was long the marked object of tory vengeance, he was obliged, for
many months, to shift his quarters every day, and under the necessity
of sleeping every night in a different place ; but nothing could abate
his zeal, he never quitted his government, and was indefatigable in hi?
exertions to animate the people. Trans.
88 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
spectable quaker family ; but he is a deserter from their com
munion. He is of the church of England, and has retained
none of the acknowledged principles of his brethren, except
that of making you pay dearer than other people : in other
respects his inn is handsome, the windows look upon the Dela
ware, and the view from them is superb ; for this river is nearly
a mile broad, and flows through a very delightful country.*
I left Bristol the 30th of November, between nine and ten
in the morning, and arrived at Philadelphia at two. . The road
leading to this city is very wide and handsome ; one passes
through several small towns or villages, nor can one go five
hundred paces without seeing beautiful country houses. As
you advance you find a richer and better cultivated country,
with a great number of orchards and pastures ; every thing, in
short, answers the neighbourhood of a large town, and this
road is not unlike those round London. Four miles from Bris
tol you pass the creek of Neshaminy over a ferry. It is pretty
large, and runs in such a direction as to form a sort of penin
sula of the country between it and the Delaware. It had
struck me from the view of the country, and from inspecting
the chart, that on the retreat of Clinton, General Washington
might have passed the sources of this river, and marched along
it towards the Delaware. It would have covered his right flank,
and, by this precaution, he would have been at liberty to have
approached the Delaware, and to have crossed it as soon as
Clinton. Mr. de Gimat, to whom I made this observation,
answered me, that General Washington never being sure of
the moment when the English would evacuate Philadelphia,
was afraid of quitting Lancaster, where he had all his maga
zines. The town of Frankfort, which is about fifteen miles
from Bristol, and five from Philadelphia, is pretty considerable.
A creek runs in the front of this town, over which are two
stone bridges ; for it divides itself into two branches, one of
which appeared to me to be artificial, and destined to turn a
great number of mills, that furnish Philadelphia with flour.
These mills, so necessary for the subsistence of the two armies,
made the town of Frankfort for a long time an object of con
tention, which brought on several skirmishes ; but the position
is such as to be advantageous to neither party, for the river
* This landlord, like his brethren at Richmond and SJiooter s-hii],
makes his guests pay for the prospect, and he has the same tempta
tions ; the ride from Philadelphia here on parties of pleasure being
very common in summer, and the situation of his house on the great
road to the Jerseys, and the northward, always ensuring him a number
of travellers. Trans.
TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA. W
runs in a bottom, and the ground is of an equal elevation on
both sides.
The nearer you approach to Philadelphia, the more you
discover the traces of the war. The ruins of houses destroyed,
or burnt, are the monuments the English have left behind
them; but these ruins present only the image of a transient
misfortune, and not that of long adversity. By the side of
these ruined edifices, those which still exist proclaim prosperity
and abundance. You imagine you see the country after a
storm, some trees are overthrown, but the others are still
clothed with flowers and verdure. Before you enter Phila
delphia, you traverse the lines thrown up by the English in the
winter of 1777 8; they are still discoverable in many places.
The part of the lines I now saw, is that of the right, the flank of
which is supported by a large redoubt, or square battery,
which commands also the river. Some parts of the parapet
have been constructed with an elegance which increases
labour, more than it fortifies the work : they are made in the
form of a saw, that is to say, composed of a series of small
redans, each of which is capable only of containing three men.
As soon as I had passed these lines, my eye was struck with
several large buildings; the two principal were a range of bar
racks constructed by the English, and a large hospital lately
built at the expense of the quakers. Insensibly I found myself
in the town, and after following three or four very wide streets,
perfectly straight, I arrived at the gate of M. le Chevalier de
la Luzerne.
It was just twenty days since I left Newport, during which
time I had only stayed one at Voluntown, and three at the
American army. I was not sorry therefore to get into quarters
of refreshment, and could not desire any more agreeable than
the house of the Chevalier de la Luzerne. *-^I had a great deal
of time to converse with him before dinner ; for at Philadel
phia, as in London, it is the custom to dine at five, and
frequently at six. I should have liked it as well had the com
pany been not so numerous, as to oblige me to make acquaint
ance with a part of the town ; but our minister maintains a
considerable state, and gives frequently great dinners, so that
it is difficult not to fall into this sort of ambuscade. The
guests, whose names I recollect, were Mr. Governeur Morris,*
* This gentleman lost his leg by a fall from a phaeton. He is a
man of exquisite wit, and an excellent understanding. An admirable
companion at the table, and the toilet, he was in universal request :
he was in all the secrets of his namesake the financier, and refined in
the dark history of political intrigue. Notwithstanding his misfortune,
nature did not form him for inactivity. Trans.
12
90 TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA.
a young man full of wit and vivacity, but unfortunately maim
ed, having lost a leg by accident. His friends congratulated
him on this event, saying, that now he would wholly dedicate
himself to public business. Mr. Powel, a man of considerable
fortune, without taking any part in the government, his attach
ment to the common cause, having appeared hitherto rather
equivocal. Mr. Pendleton, Chief Justice of South-Carolina, a
remarkably tall man, with a very distinguished countenance ;
he had the courage to hang three tories at Charleston, a few
days before the surrender of the town, and was accordingly in
great danger of losing his life, had he not escaped out of the
hands of the English, though comprised in the capitulation.
Colonel Laurens, son of Mr. Laurens, late President of Con
gress, and now a prisoner in the tower of London ; he speaks
very good French, which is not surprising as he was educated
at Geneva ; but it is to his honour, that being married in Lon
don, he should quit England to serve America ; he has distin
guished himself on several occasions, particularly at German-
town where he was wounded.* Mr. White, Chaplain to
* Among the numerous traits that might be cited to do honour to
this illustrious young man, so prematurely, and unfortunately lost to his-
family and his country, the translator has selected the following ; ex
tracted from the journals of Congress.
Thursday, November 5, 1778.
Resolved, " That John Laurens, Esq. aid-de-camp to General
Washington, be presented with a continental commission of Lieutenant-
Colonel, in testimony of the sense which Congress entertain of his
patriotic and spirited services as a volunteer in the American army,
and of his brave conduct in several actions, particularly in that of
Rhode-Island on the 29th of August last ; and that General Wash
ington be directed, whenever an opportunity shall offer, to give Lieu
tenant-Colonel Laurens command agreeable to his rank."
Friday, November 6, 1778.
i{ A letter of this day from Lieutenant-Colonel John Laurens was
read," expressing " his gratitude for the unexpected honour which
Congress were pleased to confer on him by the resolutions passed
yesterday, and the high satisfaction it would have afforded him, could
he have accepted it without injuring the rights of the officers in the
line of the army, and doing an evident injustice to his colleagues in
the family of the commander-in-chief : that having been a spectator
of the convulsions occasioned in the army by disputes of rank, he
holds the tranquillity of it too dear to be instrumental in disturbing
it ; and therefore entreating Congress to suppress the resolve of yes
terday, ordering him a commission of Lieutenant-Colonel ; and to
accept his sincere thanks for the intended honour." Whereupon,
Resolved, That Congress highly approve the disinterested and
patriotic principles upon which Lieutenant-Colonel Laurens has
TRAVELS IN NORTH- AM ERIC A. 01
Congress, a handsome man, and of a mild and tolerant character.*
General Mifflin,f whose talents have shone alike in war and
politics ; he has been Quarter-Master-General of the army ;
but quitted that place on account of some preference shown to
to General Greene. Don Francesco, Charge des Affaires of
Spain : and I believe that is all that can be said of him: M. de
Ternan, a French officer in the service of America ; he had
been employed in some commissions in America, and after
executing them, he took to the profession of arms ; he is a
young man of great wit and talents ; he draws well, and speaks
English like his own language ; he was made prisoner at
Charleston :J the last whose name I recollect is Colonel
Armand, that is, M. de la Rouerie, nephew of M. de la
Belinage. He was as celebrated in France for his passion for
Mademoiselle B , as he is in America for his courage and
capacity. His family having compelled him to abandon an
attachment the consequences of which they dreaded, he Buried
himself in a celebrated and profound retirement, (the monas-
cleclined to accept the promotion conferred on him by Congress.
Trans. *
* Mr. White is the Clergyman of St. Peter s church, and brother
to Mrs. Morris, the financier s lady. Trans.
t I had the happiness of enjoying the particular acquaintance of the
General. He is a smart, sensible, active, and agreeable little man.
I never saw him without thinking of Garrick ; he is about the same
size and figure, and his countenance sparkles with significance and
expression. To him and his brother I am indebted for the most hos
pitable reception, and continued civilities and attention ; and the
General, besides showing me on the spot, the whole manoeuvres of
Germantown, and the proceedings on the Marquis de la Fayette s
expedition over the Schuylkill, furnished me with many interesting
particulars respecting the conduct of the war. I knew there was a
disgust, and the cause of it, but all his narratives seemed to be those
of a man of honour, unmixed with personal considerations. On
signifying my intention of making a tour into the interior parts of
Pennsylvania, he was so good as to give me the following letter of
introduction, to his friend Colonel Patton, in case I passed by his
neighbourhood. I have preserved it as characteristic at once of his
own frankness, and American hospitality.
Dear Patton Mr. , my particular friend, will favour you
with a visit at the Spring. I have assured him that he will meet a
hearty welcome. Yours,
THO. MIFFLIN.
Philadelphia, 3d May, 1782.
| He is at present a Colonel in the service of Holland, in the legio ji
of Maillebois,
lt> TRAVELS LN NORTH-AMERICA.
tery of La Trappe. T.) but he soon quitted it for America,*
when he devoted himself to a more glorious abstinence, and to
more meritorious mortifications. His character is gay, his
wit agreeable, and nobody would wish to see him make the
vow of silence.
Such were the guests with whom I got acquainted ; for I do
not speak of M. de Dannemours, Consul of France, at Balti
more, M. de Marbois, Secretary of the embassy, nor of the fa
mily of M. de la Luzerne, which is pretty considerable. The
dinner was served in the American, or if you will in the English
fashion ; consisting of two courses, one comprehending the
entrees, the roast meat, and the warm side dishes ; the other,
the sweet pastry, and confectionary. When this is removed,
the cloth is taken off, and apples, nuts, and chestnuts are
served : it is then that healths are drank ; the coffee which
comes afterwards serves as a signal to rise from table. These
healths or toasts as I have already observed, have no incon
venience, and only serve to prolong the conversation, which
is always more animated at the end of the repast ; they oblige
you to commit no excess, wherein they greatly differ from the
German healths, and from those we still give in our garrisons
and provinces. But I find it an absurd, and truly barbarous
practice, the first time you drink, and at the beginning of din
ner, to call out successively to each individual, to let him know
you drink his health. The actor in this ridiculous comedy is
sometimes ready to die with thirst, whilst he js obliged to in
quire the names, or catch the eyes of five and twenty or thirty
persons, and the unhappy persons to whom he addresses him
self, with impatience, for it is certainly not possible for them
to bestow a very great attention to what they are eating, and
* M. le Marquis dc la Rouerie was then very young : his subse
quent conduct has proved, that nature, in giving a susceptible and
impassioned mind, has not made him a present likely to be always fatal
to him, glory and honour have employed all its activity ; and it is an
observation which merits to be consigned in history, as well as in this
journal, that carrying with him, as he did to America, all the heroic
courage, and romantic notions of chivalry of the ancient French
noblesse, he could so well conform to republican manners, that far
from availing himself of his birth, he would only make himself known
by his Christian name : hence he was always called Colonel Armand.
He commanded a legion which was destroyed in Carolina,. at the bat
tle of Camden, and in the remainder of that unfortunate campaign.
In 1781, he went to France, purchased there every thing necessary
for arming and equipping a new legion, and, on his return to America,
he advanced the cost of them to Congress. Before the peace he was
advanced to the rank of Brigadier-General.
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 93
what is said to them, being incessantly called to on the right
and left, or pulled by the sleeve by charitable neighbours, who
are so kind as to acquaint them with the politeness they are
receiving. The most civil of the Americans are not content
with this general call ; every time they drink they make par
tial ones, for example, four or five persons at a time. Another
custom completes the despair of poor foreigners, if they be
ever so little absent, or have good appetites : these general
and partial attacks terminate in downright duels. They call
to you from one end of the table to the other ; Sir, will you per
mit me to drink a glass of wine with you ? This proposal always
is accepted, and does not admit the excuse of the Great-Cousin,
one does not drink without being acquainted. The bottle is then
passed to you, and you must look your enemy in the face, for
I can give no other name to the man who exercises such an
empire over my will : you wait till he likewise has poured out
his wine, and taken his glass ; you then drink mournfully with
him, as a recruit imitates the corporal in his exercise. But to
do justice to the Americans, they themselves feel the ridicule
of these customs borrowed from old England, and since laid
aside by her. They purposed to the Chevalier de la Luzerne
to dispense with them, knowing that his example would have
great weight ; but he thought proper to conform, and he did
right. The more the French are known to be in possession of
giving their customs to other nations, the more should they
avoid the appearance of changing those of the Americans.
Happy our nation if her ambassadors, and her travellers, had
always so correct an understanding, and if they never lost sight
of this observation, that of all men, the dancing master should
have the most negligent air !
After this dinner, which I may possibly have spun out too
long, according to the custom of the country, the Chevalier de
la Luzerne took me to make visits with him.* The first was
* The conduct of the Chevalier de la Luzerne in America justified
every idea that has been formed of the superior skill and address of the
French nation on embassies, and in the cabinet. He not only con
formed to the manners, and customs of the country, but he studied
the character of every individual of the least importance. He rose
early in the morning, and watched the hour that best suited their con
venience, to wait on the members of Congress, and the leading men of
state ; at dinner he received company of all political complexions, ex
cept offensive tories ; his afternoons were chiefly employed in visiting
the ladies, and in passing from one house to another ; in these visits
he made no political exceptions, but on the contrary, paid his court
particularly to the ladies in the suspected families, an evidently wise
policy ; in this class, he was supposed to have a very agreeable, as
94 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
to Mr. Reed, President of the State. This post corresponds
with that of Governor in the other provinces, but without the
same authority ; for the government of Pennsylvania is purely
democratic, consisting only of a General Assembly, or House
of Commons, who name an executive council, composed of
twelve members possessing very limited powers, of the exercise
of which they are obliged to give an account to the Assembly,
in which they have no voice. Mr. Reed has been. a general
officer in the American army, and has given proofs of courage,
having had a horse killed under him in a skirmish near White-
well as useful acquaintance, in the two Miss C - s, who put no
restraint upon their tongues, but were well informed of all the transac
tions of their party. Wherever he could not himself be present, Mr.
Marbois, and Mr. Ottaw, the Secretaries were distributed, so that you
could not make an afternoon s visit to a whig or tory family in the city,
without being sure to meet with this political General or one of his
aids-<fe camp. When he made a public entertainment, and the pre
sence of the tory ladies gave offence to those of the patriotic party, he
always pleaded ignorance, contrived to shift the blame from himself,
and throw it on the Secretaries, who were left to fight the battle in the
best way they could over the tea table ; but all this was carried on
with undescribable address, and so managed as to keep all parties in
good humour with him. He indulged every man s peculiarities, and
bestowed thepetites attentions on all. It is thus the French maintain
their ascendency in the cabinet, which is worth a thousand victories,
and their superiority in the Courts of Europe, under every varied form
of government, from Holland to Constantinople. I cannot help con
trasting with this policy, an instance of English diplomatic conduct.
A very respectable senator of Sweden, previous to the revolution in
that country, told me, that in a very hard struggle, between the Eng
lish and French parties in the senate, on some leading question, the
English minister applied to him in his turn, for his suffrage ; on his
starting some objection, the minister turned angry, assumed a haughty
tone, and observed that the Swedes did not know their true interest,
that they might do as they thought proper, that England was the only
country that could support them, and left him much out of humour ;
the same language he held to all the senators. The French ambas
sador, on the contrary, was paying his court to each senator, in his
family, distributing favours and making entertainments, and carried
his point with barely insinuating, what would be agreeable to his
Court. Compare this anecdote with the well known conduct in Hol
land, of a minister mightily extolled for his wisdom and experience,
Sir Joseph Yorke, and his memorials, before the late fatal breach with
that country, and the success of the Duke de la Vauguyon, which no
thing but such haughty, ill-timed language could have so rapidly pro
duced, and judge whether Sir William Temple would have done the
same. Tram.
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 95
marsh. It is he, whom Governor Johnstone attempted to cor
rupt in 1778, when England sent Commissioners to treat with
Congress ; but this attempt was confined to some insinuations,
entrusted to Mrs. Ferguson. Mr. Reed, who is a sensible man,
rather of an intriguing character, and above all eager of popu
lar favour, made a great clamour, and published, and exagge
rated the offers that were made him. The complaints of Mrs.
Ferguson, who found herself committed in this affair, a public
declaration of Governor Johnstone, whose object was to deny
the facts, but which served only to confirm them ; various
charges, and refutations, printed and made public, produced
no other effect than to second the views of Mr. Reed, and to
make him attain his end, of playing a leading part in the
country. Unfortunately his pretensions, or his interest led him
to declare himself the enemy of Dr. Franklin.* When I was
at Philadelphia, it was no less than matter of question to recall
that respectable man ; but the French party, or that of Gene
ral Washington, or to express it still better the really patriotic
party prevailed, and the matter finished by sending an officer
to France to represent the wretched state of the army, and to
ask for an aid of clothes, tents, and money, of which it stood in
much need. The choice fell on Colonel Laurens.f
* I make no doubt that the M. de Chastellux is correct in this as
sertion, but thus much I can say from personal knowledge, that Mr.
Reed is one of the warmest and most strenuous supporters of the pre
sent democratic constitution of Pennsylvania, the work of Dr. Frank
lin, and to subvert which almost all the personal enemies of Mr. Reed
have been labouring for some years past. In Philadelphia, in 1782,
the parties of constitutionalists, and anti-constitutionalists ran so high,
as to occasion frequent personal quarrels. Another fact is well known
to many persons in Europe, and to every body in America, that the
attack on Dr. Franklin came from a much more powerful and intriguing
quarter than that of Mr. Reed, who never was of any weight in Congress,
Mr. Reed too was much attached to General Washington, whom the
opposers of Dr. Franklin s constitution of Pennsylvania, affected to
hold in no very high respect. I never exchanged a word with Mr.
Reed, my only wish is to ascertain the truth. Trans.
t Colonel Laurens obtained six millions of livres from the French
court, the greatest part of which was expended in clothing and neces
saries for the American army, on his arrival in Europe in the spring of
1781. Mr. Gillon, who had the commission of commodore from the
state of Carolina, and had been sent over to purchase three frigates for
that state, came immediately from Holland to Paris, and prevailed on
Colonel Laurens, who was of the same state, to purchase a large quan
tity of the clothing at Amsterdam, a measure highly offensive to the
French court, to be shipped on board his frigate the South-Carolina,
which was to sail immediately, and besides her great force, carrying
9(5 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
Mr. Reed has a handsome house arranged, and furnished in
the English style. I found there Mrs. Washington, who had
just arrived from Virginia, and was going to stay with her hus
band, as she does at the end of every campaign. She is about
forty, or five and forty, rather plump, but fresh, and with an
agreeable face.* After passing a quarter of an hour at Mr.
Reed s, we waited on Mr. Huntington, president of Congress :
twenty-eight forty-two pounders, and twelve eighteens, had the legion
of Luxembourg on board. The purchase was made accordingly at
Amsterdam, the goods shipped on board the frigate, by which many
private purposes were answered to Mr. Gillon, who, on some pretext
however, after many month s delay, and the Colonel s return, removed
the goods from the frigate, and shipped them on board two Dutch ves
sels to be taken under his convoy; but to these he soon gave the slip,
leaving them in September in the Texel, without saying a word of his
intention ; finding he did not return, they were conveyed back in October
to Amsterdam, and relanded at an enormous expense to America, and
to the great loss of the army, for whom they were intended as a sup
ply that winter ; yet, on his return, he had address enough to elude
every inquiry into this very extraordinary transaction, to which escape,
the universal esteem in which Mrs. Gillon, his wife, was held by every
person in Carolina, contributed not a little. It may here be proper
to correct an error which has slipped into all the English public prints
of the day, and particularly into Dodsley s Annual Register, on the
subject of the frigate, the South-Carolina. This frigate is mentioned
in the list of Admiral Zoutman s fleet in the engagement off the Dog
ger s Bank in August, 1781. The translator was then at the Texel,
saw the Dutch fleet sail, and return after the engagement ; during that
interval had the frigate lying at anchor before his eyes, and was close
to her, on board another vessel off the end of the Haaks, a great
shoal at the mouth of the Texel, when the Dutch fleet entered in the
most shattered condition. Mr. Gillon is himself a native of Rotter
dam, but was on very bad terms with all the officers of the Dutch
fleet, and indeed with almost all his countrymen. Trans.
* I had the pleasure of passing a clay or two with Mrs. Washing
ton, at the general s house in Virginia, where she appeared to me to be
one of the best women in the world, and beloved by all about her. She
has no family by the general, but was surrounded by her grand-child
ren, and Mrs. Custis, her son s widow. The family were then in
mourning for Mr. Custis, her son by a former marriage, whose pre
mature death was subject of public and private regret. He was
brought up by the general as his own son, and formed himself success
fully on his model. He succeeded him as representative for Fairfax
county, and promised to be a very distinguished member of society,
but having goue down to Yorktown, after the capture of Cornvvallis,
to view the works, he caught a malignant fever at one of the hospitals,
and was rapidly carried off. The general was uncommonly affected
at his death, insomuch that many of his friends imagined they percei-
TKAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA. 1)7
We found him in his cabinet, lighted by a single candle.
This simplicity reminded me of that of the Fabricius and the
Philopemens. Mr. Huntington is an upright man, who espouses
no party, and may be relied on. He is a native of Connecti
cut, and was delegate for that state, when chosen president.
My day having been sufficiently taken up, the Chevalier de
la Luzerne, conducted me to the house where he had ordered
lodgings to be prepared for me. It was at the Spanish minis
ter s, where there were several vacant apartments ; for M. Mi-
rale, who had occupied it, died a year before at Morristown.
His secretary has remained charge des affaires, master of the
house, and well contented to enjoy the incqrico, which includes
in it, besides the correspondence, a table maintained at the
expense of the king of Spain. The Chevalier de la Luzerne,
though very well, and agreeably lodged, had no apartments to
spare ;* he made them, however, contrive me one the next day,
which contributed greatly to my happiness during my stay at
Philadelphia, for I was situated exactly between M. de Mar-
bois and him, and able to converse with them every moment of
the day.
That of the 22d commenced like every other day in America,
by a great breakfast. As the dinners are very late at the mi
nister s, a few loins of veal, some legs of mutton, and other
trifles of that kind are always introduced among the tea-cups,
ved some change in his equanimity of temper, subsequent to that
event. It is certain that they were upon terms of the most affection
ate and manly friendship. Trans.
* The French Ambassador s was a very handsome house, hired of
Mr. John Dickinson, and very near the seat of Congress. In one of
those dreadful storms of thunder with which America is so frequently
Visited in the summer months, this house, though lower than the
State-house, and that of his neighbour, Mrs. Allen, was struck by
lightning, and a French officer, sitting alone in one. of the rooms,
burnt to death ; the lightning. had set fire to his clothes, and thrown
him into a fainting fit, during which, part of his body was miserably
scorched, and his private parts reduced to ashes, so that he survived
but a few hours ; but the principal ravage was in a chamber contain
ing an iron bedstead, in which the Ambassador himself slept, by way
of security from the bugs ; in that room, large blocks of marble were
rent in pieces, and torn from the chimney-piece ; its effects, in short,
were so singular in many respects, and in some so contrary to recei
ved opinions, that Mr. Arthur Lee, and Dr. Rush, thought proper to
publish a very long arid curious account of it ; and indeed, as far as I
am able to judge, this stroke presented many new phenomena of
electricity. It may be proper to add, that this was the only house in
the neighbourhood unprovided with an electrical apparatus. Tran*.
13
98 TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA.
and are sure of meeting a hearty welcome. After this slight
repast, which only lasted an hour and a half, we went to visit
the ladies, agreeable to the Philadelphia custom, where the
morning is the most proper hour for paying visits. We began
by Mrs. Bache ; she merited all the anxiety we had to see her,
for she is the daughter of Mr. Franklin. Simple in her man
ners, like her respectable father, she possesses his benevolence.
She conducted us into a room filled with work, lately finished
by the ladies of Philadelphia. This work consisted neither of
embroidered tambour waistcoats, nor net work edging, nor of
gold and silver brocade it was a quantity of shirts for the
soldiers of Pennsylvania. The ladies bought the linen from
their own private purses, and took a pleasure in cutting them
out, and sewing them themselves. On each shirt was the name
f the married , or unmarried lady who made it, and they
amounted to 2200. Here is the place, no doubt, to make a
very moral, but very trivial reflection on the difference between
our manners and those of America ; but as for myself, I am of
opinion that, on a similar occasion, our French women would
do as much, and I even venture to believe that such works
would inspire as agreeable verses as those which accompany
the annual presents of cradles, coaches, houses, castles, &c.
laboriously and awkwardly brocaded. It must be allowed that
this custom is an abundant source of most ingenious ideas ;
but their harvest is past, and they begin to be exhausted. But
should any rigid French philosopher be disposed to censure
French manners, I would not advise him to address himself to
Mrs. P- , whom I waited upon on quitting Mrs. Bache.
This is the agreeable woman of Philadelphia ; her taste is as
delicate as her health : an enthusiast to excess for all the French
fashions, she only waits for the termination of this little revo
lution, to effect a still greater one in the manners of her
country.
After paying due homage to this admirable female pa
triot, I hurried to make acquaintance with Mr. Morris.
He is a very rich merchant, and consequently a man of
every country, for commerce bears every where the same cha
racter. Under monarchies it is free ; it is an egotist in repub
lics ; a stranger, or if you will, a citizen of the universe, it
excludes alike the virtues and the prejudices that stand in the
way of its interest. It is scarcely to be credited, that amidst
the disasters of America, Mr. Morris, the inhabitant of a town
just emancipated from the hands of the English, should pos
sess a fortune of eight millions, (between 3 and 400,000/. ster
ling.) It is, however, in the most critical times that great for
tunes are acquired. The fortunate return of several ships, the
still more successful cruises of his privateers, have increased
TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA. 90
his riches beyond his expectations, if not beyond his wishes.
He is, in fact, so accustomed to the success of his privateers,
that when he is observed on a Sunday to be more serious than
usual, the conclusion is, that no prize has arrived in the pre
ceding week.* This flourishing state of commerce, at Phila
delphia, as well as in Massachusetts bay, is entirely owing t0
the arrival of the French squadron. f The English have
* Mr. Morris has certainly enriched himself greatly by the war, but
the house of Witting <fy Morris did a great deal of business, and was
well known in all the considerable trading towns of Europe, previous
to that period. Mr. Morris had various other means of acquiring-
wealth besides privateering ; among others, by his own interest, and
his connexions with Mr. Holker, then Consul-General of France, at
Philadelphia, he frequently obtained exclusive permissions to ship car
goes of flour, &/c. in the time of general embargoes, by which he gained
immense profits. His situation gave him many similar opportunities,
of which his capital, his credit, and abilities always enabled him to take
advantage. On the strength of his office, as Financier-General, he
circulated his own notes of Robert Morris, as cash, throughout the
continent, and even had the address to get some assemblies, that of
Virginia in particular, to pass acts to make them current in payment of
taxes. What purchases of tobacco, what profits of every kind might
not a man of Mr. Morris abilities make with such powerful advanta
ges ? The house the Marquis speaks of, in which Mr. Morris, lives,
belonged formerly to Mr. Richard Perm; the Financier has made
great additions to it, and is the first who has introduced the luxury of
hot-houses, and ice-houses on the continent.- He has likewise purcha
sed the elegant country house formerly occupied by the traitor, Arnold,
nor is his luxury to be outdone by any commercial voluptuary of Lon
don. This gentleman is a native of Manchester in England, is at the
head of the aristocratical party in Pennsylvania, arid has eventually been
instrumental in the revolution; in private life he is much esteemed,
by a very numerous acquaintance. Trans.
I Very large fortunes were made from nothing during this period,
but this state of prosperity was not of long duration ; in 1781 and 1782,
so numerous were the King s cruisers, and privateers, that frequently
not one vessel out of seven that left the Delaware escaped their vigi
lance. The profits on successful voyages were enormous, but it was no
uncommon thing to see a man one day worth forty or fifty thousand
pounds, and the next reduced to nothing ; indeed these rapid transi
tions were so frequent, that they almost ceased to affect either the
comfort or the credit of the individual. Flour shipped at Philadelphia,
cost Jive dollars, and produced from twenty-eight to thirty-four dollars
a barrel in specie at the Havana, which is generally but a short run,
and the arrival of one European cargo, out of three, amply repaid the
merchant, so that notwithstanding the numerous captures, the stocks
were continually full of new vessels to supply such as were lost or
taken. In short, without having been upon tho spot at that period, it
100 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
abandoned all their cruises, to block it up at Newport, and in
that they have succeeded ill, for they have not taken a single
sloop coming to Rhode-Island or Providence. Mr. Morris is
a large man, very simple in his manners : but his mind is sub
tle and acute, his head perfectly well organized, and he is as
well versed in public affairs as in his own. He was a member
of Congress in 1776, and ought to be reckoned among those
personages who have had the greatest influence in the revolu
tion of America. He is the friend of Dr. Franklin, and the
decided enemy of Mr. Reed. His house is handsome, resem
bling perfectly the houses in London; he lives there without
ostentation, but not without expense, for he spares nothing
which can contribute to his happiness, and that of Mrs. Mor
ris, to whom he is much attached. A zealous republican, and
an epicurean philosopher, he has always played a distinguish
ed part at table and in business.* I have already mentioned
Mr. Powel, at present I must speak of his wife ; and indeed it
would be difficult to separate from each other, two persons,
who for twenty years have lived together in the strictest union :
I shall not say as man and wife, which would not convey the
idea of perfect equality in America, but as two friends, hap
pily matched in point of understanding, taste, and informa
tion. Mr. Powel, as I have before said, has travelled in Eu
rope, and returned with a taste for the fine arts ; his house is
adorned with the most valuable prints, and good copies of se
veral of the Italian masters. Mrs. Powel has not travelled,
but she has read a great deal, and profitably : it would be un
just, perhaps, to say, that in this she differs from the greatest
part of the American ladies ; but what distinguishes her the
most is, her taste for conversation, and the truly European use
she knows how to make of her understanding and informa
tion.
I fear my readers (if ever I have any) may make this natu
ral reflection, that visits are very tiresome pieces of business
is impossible to conceive the activity and perseverance of the Ameri
cans. There was scarcely a captain, or even common sailor, who had
not been taken six or seven times during the war, nor a merchant who
had not been, more than once, rich and ruined. Trans.
* Mr. Morris has since filled for three years the post of Financier,
or Comptroller-General, which was created for him. He had for his
colleague Mr. Govcrncur Morris, whom I have already mentioned, and
who has amply justified the opinion entertained of his talents. It may
safely be asserted, that Europe affords few examples of a perspicuity,
and a facility of understanding equal to his, which adapts itself with
the same success to business, to letters, and to sciences.
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 101
every where, and as it is impossible to escape the epigram
matic turn of the French, without making great haste, I am
determined to get the start. I apprise them, however, that I
acquit them of a long dinner, which the Chevalier de la Lu-
zerne gave that day to the southern delegates. I shall have
occasion to speak elsewhere of some of these delegates, and
as for those who will not give me that opportunity, they de
serve to be passed over in silence.
CHAPTER VI.
GERMANTOWN PHILADELPHIA BRANDYWINE.
FEARFUL lest the pleasures of Capua should make me forget
the campaigns of Hannibal, and of Fabius, I determined to get
on horseback, on the second of December, to visit the field of
battle of Germantown. Many recollect, that after the defeat of
Brandy wine, in 1777, the American army, not thinking proper
to defend Philadelphia, retired to the upper Schuylkill, whilst
the English took possession, without resistance, of the capital
of Pennsylvania. Elated with their success, and full of that
confidence which has invariably deceived them, they had
divided and dispersed their forces : the greatest part of their
troops encamped upon the Schuylkill, four miles from Philadel
phia; another division occupied Germantown, eight miles to
the northward of that place, and they sent a considerable
detachment to Billingsport, to favour tie passage of their fleet,
which was making fruitless endeavours to get up the Delaware.
Thus circumstanced, General Washington thought it was time
to remind the English that there still existed an American
army. One is at a loss whether most to extol the sage intre
pidity of the chief, or the resolution displayed by his army in
making an attack on the same troops, whose shock they were
unable to sustain a month before. Germantown is a long town,
or village, consisting of a single street, not unlike La Villitre,
or Vauginard, near Paris. From the first house, at the south,
to the last, at the north end of the town, it is near two miles
and a half. The English corps which occupied, or rather
covered it, was encamped near the last houses to the north
ward, and so situated as that the street, or main road intersect
ed the camp at right angles. This body might amount to three
or four thousand men. General Washington, who occupied a
position of ten miles distance,* on Skippack Creek, left his
* There are many striking differences between this account, and
(hat given by General Howe in his public despatches, in his own
narrative to the house of commons, and in the examination of his
witnesses. The English General reports, that Washington s camp
near Skippack Creek, from whence he moved, was sixteen miles from
Germantown the Marquis says, only ten. The English General
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. JO:J
camp towards midnight, marching in two columns, one of
which was to turn Germantown on the eastward, the other on
the left ; two brigades of the right column were ordered to
form the corps de reserve, to separate themselves, from that
column, at the instant of the attack, and follow the main street
of Germantown. A very thick fog came on, favourable to the
march of the enemy, but which rendered the attack more
difficult, as it became impossible to concert the movements,
and extend the troops. The militia marched on the right and
left, without the two columns, riot being committed in the
affair, and always skirting the woods, on the Frankfort side,
as well as on that of the Schuylkill. General Washington
halted a moment before daylight, at a cross road, distant only
half a mile from the picket, or advanced post of the enemy.
There he learnt from an English dragoon, who was intox
icated, and had lost his way, that the Billingsport detachment
was returned. This unexpected intelligence did not change
the General s project ; he continued his march at the head of
the right column, and fell upon the English picket who were
surprised, put to rout, and driven to the camp, where they
brought the first news of the arrival of the Americans. The
troops flew to arms, and precipitately fell back, leaving
their tents standing, and abandoning all their baggage.
This was a moment not to be lost, and French troops
would certainly have availed themselves of it, nay it would
have been difficult to prevent them either from pursuing
the enemy too far, or from dispersing to plunder the camp.
It is here we may form a judgment of the American character.
Perhaps this army, notwithstandirg the slowness of its ma-
noauvres, and its inexperience in war, may^merit the praises of
Europeans. General Sullivan who- commanded the column
on the right, calmly and slowly formed the three brigades
strongly asserts, that this affair was no surprise, (see his narrative, and
his examination of Sir George Osborne ;) the Marquis seems to be well
authorised to call it a complete surprise. The General affirms he was
prepared for it. The Marquis proves, nay, the English General s
letters and narrative demonstrate how narrowly, and by what means
his army, and the British affairs escaped total ruin. The General says,
^ The enemy retired near twenty miles to Perkyoming Creek, and are
now encamped near Skippack Creek, about eighteen miles distance
from hence." The Marquis asserts, that " The retreat was executed
in good order, that General Washington took an excellent position
within/owr miles of Germantown, so that, on the evening of the battle,
he was six miles nearer the enemy than before." How shall we
reconcile these essential contradictions, which ought unquestionably
to be discussed, for the interest of truth, and the benefit of history ?
Trans.
104 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
ahead ; and after ranging them in order of battle, he traversed
the English camp, without a single soldier stopping for plun
der : he advanced in this manner, leaving the houses .on thi;
left, and driving before him all resistance from the gardens
and inclosures: he penetrated into the town itself, and was
some time engaged with the troops who defended a small
square near the market.
Whilst every thing thus succeeded on the right, General
Washington, at the head of the reserve was expecting to see
his left column arrive, and pursued his march by the main
street. But a fire of musketry, which proceeded from a large
house within pistol shot of the street, suddenly checked the
van of his troops. It was resolved to attack this house ; but
cannon were necessary, for it was known to be of stone, and
could not therefore be set fire to. Unfortunately they had
only six pounders t the Chevalier Duplessiis-Mauduit, brought
two pieces near another house, two hundred paces from the
former. This cannonade produced no effect, it penetrated
the walls, but did not beat them down. The Chevalier de
Mauduit, full of that ardour, which, at the age of sixteen,
made him undertake a journey into Greece, to view the fields
of Platea and Thermopylts, and at twenty go in search of lau
rels in America, resolved to attack by main force this house,
which he was unable to reduce by cannon.* He proposed to
Colonel Laurens to take with him some determined men, and
get some straw and hay from a barn, to set fire to the princi-
* In 1 782 I visited and passed a very agreeable day at this celebrated
stone-house, so bravely, and judiciously defended by Colonel Musgrove.
and saw many marks of cannon and musket shot in the walls, doors,
and window shutters, besides two or three mutilated statues which
stood in front of it. It is a plain gentleman s country-house, with
four windows in front, and two stories high, calculated for a small
family, and stands single, and detached from every other building, so
that defended as it was by six companies, commanded by so gallant
an officer, it was calculated to make a long resistance against every
thing but heavy cannon. I here saw, what to me was perfectly new.
but in this. perhaps I betray my ignorance ; a cock, though surrounded
by hens, in frequent copulation with a duck: Being in company with
ladies, I had no opportunity of inquiring whether there was any, and
what sort of produce. From the different size of their bodies, the
difference of their organization, and the mode of union, I could not
help considering it as not much less extraordinary than the Brussels
fable of the Hen and Rabbit ; but in this, perhaps, every peasant can
set me right. This house formerly belonged to Mr. Chew, a loyalist,
and was purchased by Mr. Blair MacClenaghan ; who, from a very
small beginning, has, by his industry, fairly and honourably acquired a
a verv considerable fortune* Trans.
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 105
pal door. One may conceive such an idea presenting itself
to two spirited young men ; but it is scarcely credible, that of
these two noble adventurous youths, one should be at present
on his way to France, and the other in good health at New
port.* M. de Mauduit making no doubt that they were
following him with all the straw in the barn, went straight to
a window on the ground floor, which he forced, and on which
he mounted. He was received, in truth, like the lover who
mounting a ladder to see his mistress found the husband wait
ing for him on the balcony : I do not know whether, like him
too, on being asked what he was doing there, he answered, /
am only taking a walk ; but this I know, that whilst a gallant
man, pistol in hand, desired him to surrender, another less
polite entering briskly into the chamber, fired a musket shot,
which killed, not M. de Mauduit, but the officer who wished
to take him. After these slight mistakes, and this little quar
rel, the difficulty was for him to retire. On one hand he must
be exposed to a smart fire from the first and second floor; on
the other, a part of the American army were spectators, and it
would have been ridiculous to return running. M. de Mau
duit, like a true Frenchman, chose rather to expose himself
to death than ridicule ; but the balls respected our prejudices ;
he returned safe and sound, and Mr. Laurens, who was in no
greater haste than he, escaped with a slight wound in his
shoulder. I must not here omit a circumstance which proves
the precarious tenure of a military existence. General Wash
ington thought that on summoning the commander of this post,
he would readily surrender : it was proposed to M. de Mauduit
to take a drum with him, and make this proposal ; but on his
observing that he spoke bad English, and might not, perhaps, be
understood, an American officer was sent, who being preceded
by a drum, and displaying a white handkerchief, it was ima
gined, would not incur the smallest risk ; but the English
answered this officer only by musket shot, and killed him on
the spot.
By this time the enemy began to rally : the English army
had marched from their camp near Schuylkill to succour Ger
man town, and Cornwallis was coming with all expedition from
Philadelphia, with the grenadiers and chasseurs, whilst the
.corps de reserve of the American army were losing their time
at the stone-house, and the left column was scarcely ready for
the attack. The contest was now become too unequal, and it
* Mr. Laurens has since fallen a victim to his too inconsiderate
valour : he was killed in Carolina, in a skirmish of little importance. ;v
short time before the signing of the peace.
14
100 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
became necessary to think of a retreat, which was executed in
good order, and General Washington took an excellent position
four miles from Germantown ; so that on the evening of the
battle, he was six miles nearer the enemy than before. The
capacity he had just displayed on this occasion, the confidence
he had inspired into an army they thought disheartened, and
which, like the Hydra of the fable, re-appeared with a more
threatening head, astonished the English, and kept them in
awe, till the defeat of Burgoyne changed the aspect of affairs.
This is the most favourable light in which we can view this
day, unfortunately too bloody for any advantages derived from
it. Military men who shall view the ground, or have before
them an accurate plan, will, I imagine, be of opinion, that the
extensiveness of the object occasioned the failure of this enter-
prize. The project of first beating the advanced corps, then
the army, and afterwards of becoming masters of Philadelphia,
was absolutely chimerical : for the village of Germantown
being upwards of two miles in length, presented too many ob
stacles for the assailants, and too many points of rallying for
the English ; besides that it is not in intersected countries, and
without cavalry, that great battles are gained, which destroy
or disperse armies. Had General Washington contented him
self with proceeding to Whitemarsh, and covering his march
with a large body of troops, which might have advanced to
Germantown, he would have surprised the English van-guard,
and forced them to retire with loss ; and if satisfied with this
sort of lesson given to a victorious army, he had fallen back on
the new position he wished to occupy, he would have com
pletely fulfilled his object, and the whole honour of the day
been his. But, supposing the project of attack to be, such as
was adopted, it appears to me that two faults, rather excusable,
it is true, were committed ; one, the losing time in ranging in
line of battle General Sullivan s column, instead of marching
directly to the camp of the enemy ; the other, the amusing
themselves in attacking the stone-house. The first fault will
appear very pardonable to those who have seen the American
troops such as they then were ; they had no instruction, and
were so ill-disciplined, that they could neither preserve good
order in marching in a column, nor spread themselves when it
became necessary ; for experience, which is always differing
with M. de Menil Durand, teaches us, that profound order is
the most subject to disorder and confusion, and which conse
quently demands the most phlegm and discipline. The second
error may be justified by the hope they always had of getting
possession of the stone-house, the importance of which was
measured by the obstinacy of the enemy in defending it. It
is certain, that two better measures might have been adopted :
TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA. 107
the first to pursue their march without regarding the fire of
musketry, which could always have been sufficiently slackened
by detaching a few men to fire at the windows ; and the second,
that of leaving the village on the left, to enter it again three
hundred paces further on, where it would then have been suffi
cient to take possession of another house opposite to those
occupied by the enemy ; though this house be not quite so
high as the former, the fire from it would have checked the
English, and secured a retreat in case of necessity.*
In allowing myself this sort of censure, I feel how much I
ought to mistrust my own judgment, especially as I was not
present at the action ; but I made the same observations to M .
Laurens, M. de Mauduit, and M. de Gimat, who seemed to be
unable to refute them. We have seen the share the two
former had in the engagement: the third has several times
viewed the field of battle with General Washington, who ex
plained to him the motions of the two armies, and nobody is
better calculated to hear well, and to give a good account of
what he has heard.
After sufficiently examining the position of Germantown, I
returned to Philadelphia by the shortest road, and quicker than
I came, for the cold was very piercing, and I had only time to
dress myself to accompany the Chevalier de la Luzerne to
dine with the northern delegates. It must be understood, that
the Delegates, or if you will, the Members of Congress, have
a tavern to themselves, where they give frequent entertain
ments ; but that the company may not be too numerous at a
time, they divide themselves into two sets, and as we see, very
geographically ; the line of demarkation being from east to
west.j The dinner was plain and good, and our reception
* Possibly the Marquis does not know that there were six companies
of the 40th regiment in this house ; no despicable enemy to leave in
the rear of such an army as General Washington s was composed of.
Trans.
t There is a great probability of seeing this line of demarkation
more distinctly marked, by a separation of the federal union into two
parts, at no very distant day ; but not on hostile, or unfriendly terms.
This was matter of frequent discussion during my stay at Philadelphia,
and seemed to be an opinion which was daily gaining ground. In
deed it seems to be a measure which sooner or later must take place,
from the obvious difficulties attending the management, and operations
of a confederacy extending from Florida to Nova-Scotia, a country,
every day increasing in population, and branching out into new states.
Such a division must, in my opinion, give new force and energy to
each part of it, and produce more union and activity in their coun
cils : nor do I see any bad consequences arising from such an ami -
10s TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
polite and cordial, but not ceremonious. Two Delegates,
placed at each end, did the honours of the table. Mr. Duane,
Deputy from the state of New-York, occupied the side I was
qn. He is of a gay and open character, has no objection to
talk, and drinks without repugnance. I conversed some time,
but less than I could have wished with Mr. Charles Thomp
son, Secretary of Congress. He passes, with reason, for one
of the best informed men in the country, and though he be a
man of the cabinet, and mixing little with society, his manners
are polite and amiable. Mr. Samuel Adams, Deputy for Mas
sachusetts Bay, was not at this dinner, but on rising from ta
ble I went to see him. When I entered his room, I found him
ttte-d-tete with a young girl of fifteen who was preparing his
tea, but we shall not be scandalized at this, on considering
that he is at least sixty. Every body in Europe knows that he
was one of the prime movers of the present revolution. I ex
perienced in his company the satisfaction one rarely has in the
world, nay even on the theatre, of finding the person of the
actor corresponding with the character he performs. In him, I
saw a man wrapt up in his object, who never spoke but to give
a good opinion of his cause, and a high idea of his country.
His simple and frugal exterior, seemed intended as a contrast
with the energy and extent of his ideas, which were wholly
turned towards the republic, and lost nothing of their warmth
by being expressed with method and precision; as an army,
marching towards the enemy, has not a less determined air for
observing the laws of tactics. Among many facts he cited
in honour of his country, I shall relate one which merits to be
transmitted to posterity. Two young soldiers had deserted
from the army, and returned to their father s house. Their
father, incensed at this action, loaded them with irons, and
conducted them himself to their general, Lord Sterling. He
did what every other officer would have done, in his place, he
pardoned them. The father, as patriotic, but less austere than
a Roman, was happy to preserve his children ; nevertheless he
seemed astonished, and approaching the general, my lord, says
he, with tears in his eyes, " Tis more than I hoped for." I quit
ted Mr. Adams with regret, but with a full intention of seeing
him again, and my evening terminated by a visit to Colonel
cable separation, except in the case of a war exactly similar to the
last, a case which I believe every man will agree is scarcely within the
line of possibility. Local obstacles to a long continuance of the
present state of things, must alone infallibly produce it. They who
are acquainted with America will add many reasons, which it is
unnecessary for me to enumerate. Trans.
TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA. 109
Bland, one of the Delegates for Carolina. He is a tall hand
some man, who has been in the West-Indies, where he ac
quired French. He is said to be a good soldier, but at present,
serves his country, and serves it well in Congress. The
Southern Delegates, in fact, have great credit, they are inces
santly labouring to draw the attention of the government
towards them, and to avert every idea of purchasing peace on
their account.
The weather was so bad on the third that it was impossible to
stir out. I had no reason to complain, however, of the em
ployment of this day, which I passed either in conversation
with M. de la Luzerne, and M. de Marbois, or in reading such
interesting papers as they were pleased to communicate. Mr.
Huntington having informed me, that the next day he would
show me the hall in which the Congress assembles, I went there
at ten o clock, and found him waiting for me, accompanied by
several delegates. This hall is spacious, without magnifi
cence ; its handsomest ornament is the portrait of General
Washington, larger than life : He is represented on foot, in
that noble and easy attitude which is natural to him ; cannon,
colours, and all the attributes of war form the accessories of
the picture. I was then conducted into the secretary s hall,
which has nothing remarkable but the mariner in which it is
furnished; the colours taken from the enemy serve by way of
tapestry. From thence you pass to the library, which is pretty
large, but far from being filled ; the few books it is composed
of, appear to be well chosen. It is in the town-house that
Congress hold their meetings : this building is rather hand
some ; the staircase in particular is wide and noble : as to ex
ternal ornaments, they consist only in the decoration of the
gate, and in several tablets of marble placed above the win
dows. I remarked a peculiarity in the roof, which appeared
new to me : the chimneys are bound to the two extremities
of the building, which is a long square, and are so con
structed, as to be fastened together in the form of an arch,
thus forming a sort of portico.
After taking leave of the President and Delegates, I re
turned to the Chevalier de la Luzerne s, and as the streets
were covered with ice, I staid at home, where I received a
visit from Mr. Wilson,* a celebrated lawyer and author of se
veral pamphlets on the present affairs. He has in his library
all our best authors on public law and jurisprudence ; the works
* Mr. Wilson is a Scotchman, and is making a fortune rapidly in
the profession of the law at Philadelphia. He is about four and forty,
a man of real abilities, and Mr. Morris s intimate friend and coadjutor
in his aristocratic plans. Trans,
110 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
of President Montesquieu, and of the Chancellor d Aquessau.
hold the first rank among them, and he makes them his daily
study. After dinner, which was private and a la Francoise, I
went to see Mrs. Bingham, a young and handsome woman,
only seventeen : her husband, who was there, according to the
American custom, is only five and twenty :* he was Agent of
Congress at Martinico, from whence he is returned with a tole
rable knowledge of French, and with much attachment to the
Marquis de Bouille. I passed the remainder of the evening
with Mrs. Powell, where I expected to have an agreeable con
versation; in which I was not deceived, and forgot myself
there till pretty late.
I went again to the town-house, on the 5th, but it was to be
* Mr. Bingham, even at this age, returned from Martinico with a
very handsome fortune. In the year 1782, he gained a very considera
ble sum by opening policies on the capture of the Count de Grasse
in the Ville de Paris ; an event, of which there is little doubt he had
secret and sure intelligence from his connection with the islands. They
first opened at 10, and afterwards were done at 25 and 30 per cent.
Very large sums were underwritten, chiefly by the whigs, who were
unwilling, and could not be brought to credit this piece of news.
Circumstances were peculiarly favourable to this speculation, for, not
withstanding the great intercourse between the West-Indies and the
Continent, only two accounts of this affair arrived for six weeks after
the engagement ; the event of which was sooner known, with certainty,
in England. The one was in Rivington s New- York paper, copied
from the Antigua Gazette, and lamely given ; besides, that his paper
was deservedly in universal discredit : the other was brought to Phila
delphia by the Holker privateer, Captain Keane, who saw part of the
engagement, but whose account contradicted the principal facts in
Rivington s. The two fleets having gone to leeward after the battle,
no fresh intelligence was received from the leeward, or more properly
speaking here, in the windward islands, so that this gambling was car
ried to so high a pitch, as to induce the French Ambassador to go in
person to the coffee-house to communicate a letter he had received
from Martinique, subsequent to the battle ; from which fair conclusions
might be drawn against the capture ; but this, instead of putting a stop
to the gambling, by encouraging the whigs, increased it : Mr. Bing
ham and his friends in the secret, indulged them to the utmost extent of
their enthusiasm ; and if the policies were all paid, a matter which
began to be a subject of discussion when I left Philadelphia, must have
gained prodigious sums, for no less than from 80,000 to 100,000
sterling were calculated to have been written. It is a singular circum
stance, that the first authentic account of this great battle, which ap
peared in America, was copied from the London Gazette. Whereas
we had at Boston the account of the loss of the Royal George, at Spit-
liead, the IQth day after the accident, by way of Newfoundland.
Trans.
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. Ill
present at the Assembly of the State of Pennsylvania ; for the
hall, where this sort of parliament meets, is under the same
roof with the Congress. I was with M. de la Fayette, the
Vicomte de Noailles, the Comte de Damas, M. de Gimat, and
all the French, or Gallo-Jimer icans, at Philadelphia. We
seated ourselves on a bench opposite the Speaker s chair : on
his right was the President of the State : the Clerks were
placed at a long table before the Speaker. The debates turn
ed on some misconduct, imputed to the Commissioners of the
Treasury. The executive council were sent for, and heard.
General Mifflin was almost the only speaker ; he delivered
himself with grace and spirit, but with a marked intention of
opposing the President of the State, who is not one of his
friends. His manner of expressing himself, his gestures, his
deportment, the air and ease of superiority he invariably as
sumed, perfectly reminded me of those members of the House
of Commons who are accustomed to give the tone to others,
and to make every thing bend to their opinion. The affair
not being terminated in the morning, the Speaker left the
chair ; the house went into a committee, and adjourned.
The morning was not far spent, and I had enough to employ
it ; I was expected in three places ; by a lover of natural his
tory, by an anatomist, and at the college, or rather university
of Philadelphia. I began by the cabinet of natural history.
This small and scanty collection, is greatly celebrated in Ameri
ca, where it is unrivalled ; it was formed by a painter of Gene
va, called Cimetiere, a name better suited to a physician,, than
a painter. This worthy man came to Philadelphia twenty
years ago, to take portraits, and has continued there ever since ;
he lives there still as a bachelor, and a foreigner, a very un
common instance in America, where men do riot long remain
without acquiring the titles of husband and citizen. What I
saw most curious, in this cabinet, was a large quantity of the
vice, or screw, a sort of shell pretty common, within which a
very hard stone, like jade,* is exactly moulded. It appears
clear to me, that these petrefactions are formed by the success
ive accumulation of lapidific molecules conveyed by the
waters, and assimilated by the assistance of fixed air. After
fatiguing my legs, and satisfying my eyes, which is always the
case in cabinets of natural history, I thought proper to quit the
earth for heaven ; or, in the vulgar style, I went to the library
of the university, to see a very ingenious machine (an Orrery)
representing all the celestial motions. I lose no time in de-
* See Chamber s Encyclopedia a green sort of precious stone,
called in France la pierre divine, from its supposed mystic qualities.
112 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA,
Glaring that I shall not give a description of it : for nothing is
so tiresome as the description of any machine ; it is enough
for me to say, that one part of it gives a perfect view, on the
vertical point, of all the motions of the planets in their orbits ;
and that the other, which is designed only to represent that oif
the moon, displays, in the clearest manner, her phases, her
nodes, and her different altitudes. The President of the col
lege,* and Mr. Rittenhouse, the inventor and maker of this
machine, took the pains of explaining to me every particular :
they seemed very happy that I knew English, and astronomy
enough to understand them ; on which I must observe, that the
latter article is more to the shame of the Americans than to
my praise ; the almanack being almost the only book of As
tronomy studied at Philadelphia. Mr. Rittenhouse is of a
German family, as his name announces ; but he is a native of
Philadelphia, and a watch maker by profession. He is a man
of great simplicity and modesty, and though not a mathema
tician of the class of the Eulers, and the D Alemberts, knows
enough of that science to be perfectly acquainted with the mo
tions of the heavenly bodies. As for his mechanical talents.
* The President is Dr. Ewing. I had the gratification of being pre
sent at a public exhibition at the college, at which the Congress, the
President and executive council of the state, General Washington, the
French Minister, and all the strangers of distinction, &c. assisted. Some
excellent declamations were made in Latin, and in English, by the young
men who were about to leave college, and obtain degrees ; by no
means inferior to those I have heard at Oxford and Cambridge. Their
compositions in general were elegant, and their elocution easy, digni
fied, and manly ; but, whatever was the subject, the great cause of lib
erty and their country never was lost sight of, nor their abhorrence of
the tyranny of Britain. This language in the mouths of some of these
young men, who were the sons oftories, illustrated the remark of the
shrewd and sensible author of Common Sense, that whilst the war was
pending, the old prejudiced friends of Britain were dropping off, and
the rising generation, in the course of seven years knew nothing of
that country but as an enemy, nor saw or heard of any thing but her
cruelties and devastation. To them the independence of America ap
peared as much the natural and established government of the country,
as that of England does to an Englishman. "Time and Death, says
he, hard enemies to contend with, fight constantly against the interests
of Britain ; and the bills of mortality, in every part of America are
the thermometers of her decline. The children in the streets are from
their cradle bred to consider her as tiieir only foe. They hear of her
cruelties : of their fathers, uncles, and kindred killed ; they see the re
mains of burnt and destroyed houses, and the common tradition of the
school they go to. tells them those things were done by the British."
TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA. 113
it is unnecessary to assign a reason for them ; we know that
of all others, they are less the result of study, and most
generally the gift of nature ; and it is a fact worthy of
observation, that, notwithstanding the little connection to
be perceived between that particular disposition and the deli
cacy of our senses, or the perfection of our organs, men are
more frequently born mechanics, than painters and musicians.
Education, nay, even the rigour of education, frequently makes
great artists in the two latter ; but there is no example of its
making a mechanical genius.
This morning seemed devoted to the sciences, and my walks
were a sort of encyclopedia, for, on quitting the university li
brary, I went to call upon a celebrated anatomist, called Dr.
Showell. The following, in a few words, is his history : he
was born in England upwards of seventy years ago. After
studying medicine and surgery there, he went to France to im
prove himself under M. Winslow. In 1734, he went to the
West-Indies, where he since practised medicine, sometimes
at Barbadoes, sometimes at Jamaica ; but is invariably
a man of application, and laborious. In the war of 1744,
a prize being brought into Barbadoes, with a great deal
of wax on board, Mr. Showell took this opportunity to
make different anatomical experiments in wax, and he
succeeded so well as to carry this art to the highest degree
of perfection. On seeing him, one can with difficulty
conceive how so much patience and perseverance could
consist with his natural vivacity ; for it seems as if the sun of
the tropic had preserved in him aH the heat of youth; he
speaks with fire, and expresses himself^ts well in French as if
he were still in our schools of surgery. In other respects, he
is a perfect original : his reigning taste is disputation ; when
the English were at Philadelphiahe was a whig, and has become
a tory since they left it ; he is always sighing after Europe, with
out resolving to return, and declaiming constantly against the
Americans, he still remains among them. His design in coming
to the continent, was to recover his health, so as to enable him
to cross the seas : this was about the commencement of the
war ; and, since that time, he imagines he is not at liberty to
go, though no body prevents him. He was to me a greater cu
riosity than his anatomical preparations, which, however, ap
peared superior to those of Bologna, but inferior to the prepa
rations of Mademoiselle Bieron ; the wax having always a cer
tain lustre which makes them less like nature.
At the end of this morning s walk T was like a bee, so laden
with honey that he can hardly regain his hive. I returned to the
Chevalier de la Luzerne s, with my memory well stored, and after
taking food for the body as well as mind, I dedicated my eve-
15
114 TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA.
ning to society. I was invited to drink tea at Colonel Eland s,
that is to say, to attend a sort of assembly pretty much like the
conversazzioni of Italy ; for tea here, is the substitute for the
rinfresco. Mr. Howley, governor of Georgia, Mr. Izard, Mr.
Arthur Lee, (the two last lately arrived from Europe,) M. de
la Fayette, M. de Noailles, M. de Damas, &c. were of the
party. The scene was decorated by several married and un
married ladies, among whom, Miss Shippen, daughter of Dr.
Shippen, and cousin of Mrs. Arnold, claimed particular dis
tinction. Thus we see that in America the crimes of indivi
duals are not reflected on their family ; not only had Dr. Ship-
pen s brother given his daughter to the traitor Arnold, a short
time before his desertion, but it is generally believed, that be
ing himself a tory, he had inspired his daughter with the
same sentiments, and that the charms of this handsome woman
contributed not a little to hasten to criminality a mind corrupt
ed by avarice, before it felt the power of love.*
On our return to the Chevalier de la Luzerne s, we assem
bled all the French and Gallo-American military, and laid our
plan for a very agreeable jaunt, we took next day. The 6th,
in the morning, M. de la Fayette, the Vicomte de Noailles, the
Comte de Damas, the Chevalier du Plessis Mauduit, Messieurs
de Gimat and De Neville, aids-de-camp of M. de la Fayette,
M. de Montesquieu, Mr. Lynch, and myself, set out to visit the
field of battle of Brandy wine, thirty miles from Philadelphia.
M. de la Fayette had not seen it, since, at the age of twenty,
separating from his wife., his friends, the pleasures of the world,
and those of youth, at this distance of .three thousand miles,
he there shed the first drop of blood he offered to glory, or
rather to that noble cause he has invariably supported with
the same zeal, but with better fortune. We passed the Schuyl-
kill at the same ferry where Mr. Du Coudray was drowned in
1777. We there discovered the traces of some entrenchments
thrown up by the English, after they became masters of Phila
delphia; then turning to the left, we rode on fourteen miles to
the little town of Chester. It is built at the junction of the
creek of that name, with the Delaware, and is a sort of port
* Mrs. Arnold is said to be very handsome ; but this I know, that
her two sisters are charming women, and must have been very danger
ous companions for a wavering mind, in the least susceptible of the
most powerful of all passions. But an apology for Arnold, on this
supposition, is too generous for a mind so thoroughly base and unprin
cipled as his. With what delicacy could be beloved a woman by that
miscreant, who made the mysteries of the nuptial bed the subject of
his coarse ribaldry to his companions, the day after his marriage !
Trans.
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 115
where vessels coming up the river sometimes anchor. The
houses, to the number of forty or fifty, are handsome and built
of stone or brick.* On leaving Chester, and on the road to
Brandywine, we pass the stone bridge where M. de la Fayette,
wounded as he was, stopped the fugitives, and made the first
dispositions for rallying them behind the creek. The country be
yond it has nothing particular, but resembles the west of Penn
sylvania, that is to say, is interspersed with woods and cultiva
ted lands. It was too late when we came within reach of the
field of battle, and as we could see nothing till next morning,
and were too numerous to remain together, it was necessary to
separate into two divisions. Messieurs de Gimat, De Mauduit,
and my two aids-de-camp, staid with me at an inn, three
miles on this side Brandywine ; and M. de la Fayette, attend
ed by the other travellers, went farther on to ask quarters at a
quaker s called Benjamin Ring, at whose house he lodged with
General Washington the night before the battle. I joined
him early the next morning, and found him in great friendship
with his host, who, quakcr as he was, seemed delighted to en
tertain the marquis. We got on horseback at nine, provided
with a plan, executed under the direction of General Howe,
and engraved in England ; but we got more information from
an American major, with whom M. de la Fayette had appointed
a place of meeting. This officer was present at the engage
ment, and his house being on the field of battle, he knew it
better than any body.
We must recollect, that in 1777, the English having in vain
attempted to cross the Jerseys to get to Philadelphia by land,
were obliged to embark, and doubled the capes to reach the
bay of Chesapeake, and the mouth of the river Elk. They ar
rived there the 25th of August, after a passage dreadful by sea,
but fortunate in the bay. which they remounted with much less
difficulty than they expected. Whilst the sea, the winds, and
three hundred vessels were assisting the manoeuvres of the
enemy s army, Mr. Washington remained some days at Middle-
brook, in one of the most embarrassing positions in which the
general of an army can be placed. To the north, the troops
of Burgoyne, after taking Ticonderoga, were advancing to
wards Albany ; to the south, an English army of fifteen thou
sand men were embarked r and might either proceed to Chesa
peake bay, as they did, penetrate by the Delaware, or go up
Hudson s river as far as Crest Point, to form a junction with
Burgoyne, and cut off the American army, which from that
* Not far from this town, is found an astonishing quantity of eubes-
tos. Trans.
116 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
moment would have been for ever separated from the eastern
and northern states. Of all the chances, this was certainly
the most to be dreaded ; accordingly General Washington did
not abandon his position at Middlebrook, till he received cer
tain intelligence that the enemy had doubled Cape May. Let
us figure to ourselves the situation in which a general must find
himself, when obliged to comprehend in his plan of defence,
an immense country, and a vast extent of coast, he is at a loss
to know, within one hundred and fifty miles, where the enemy
is likely to appear ; and having no longer any intelligence of
them, either by patroles, or detachments, or even by couriers,
is reduced to the necessity of observing the compass, and of
consulting the winds, before he can form any resolution. As
soon as the movement of the enemy was decided, General
Washington lost no time in marching his army ; I should rather
say his soldiers, for a number of soldiers, however considera
ble, does not always form an army. His was composed of at
most 12,000 men. It was at the head of these troops, the
greatest part of them new levies, that he traversed in silence
the city of Philadelphia, whilst the Congress were giving him
orders to fight, yet removing their archives and public papers
into the interior parts of the country ; a sinister presage of the
success which must follow their council.
The army passed the Schuylkill. and occupied a first camp
near Wilmington, on the banks of the Delaware. This posi
tion had a double object ; for the ships of war, after convoy
ing General Howe to the river Elk. had fallen down the bay of
the Chesapeake, remounted the Delaware, and seconded by
some troops landed from the fleet, appeared inclined to force
the passages of that river. General Washington, however,
soon perceived that the position he had taken became every
day more dangerous. The English, having finished their de
barkation, were ready to advance into the country ; his flank
was exposed, and he left uncovered, at once, Philadelphia and
the whole county of Lancaster. It was determined, there
fore, that the army should repass the creek of Brandywine,
and encamp on the left bank of that river. The position
made choice of, was certainly the best that could be taken to
dispute the passage. The left was very good, and supported
by thick woods extending as far as the junction of the creek
with the Delaware. As it approaches its conflux, this creek
becomes more and more embanked, and difficult to ford : the
heights q,re equal on the two banks ; but for this reason the
advantage was in favour of him who defended the passage.
A batjtery of cannon with a good parapet, was pointed to
wards Chaddsford, and every thing appeared in safety on that
side ; but to the right the ground was so covered, that it was
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 117
impossible to judge of the motions of the enemy, and to keep
in a line with them, in case they should attempt, as they did,
to detach a corps by their left, to pass the river higher up.
The only precaution that could be taken was to place five or
six brigades* in steps from each other, to watch that manoeu
vre. General Sullivan had the command of them ; he re
ceived orders to keep in a line with the enemy, should they
march by their left ; and on the supposition that they would
unite their forces on the side of Chaddsford, he was himself
to pass the river, and make a powerful diversion on their flank.
When a general has foreseen ever)/ thing, when he has
made the best possible dispositions, and his activity, his judg
ment, and his courage in the action correspond with the wis
dom of his measures, has he not already triumphed in the
eyes of every impartial judge ? and if by any unforeseen ac
cidents, the laurels he has merited drop from his hands, is it
not the historian s duty carefully to collect, and replace them
on his brow ? Let us hope that history will acquit herself of
this duty better than us, and let us see how such wise disposi
tions were disconcerted by the mistakes of some officers, and
the inexperience of the troops.
The llth of September, General Howe occupied the
heights on the right of the creek ; he there formed part of his
troops in line of battle, and prepared some batteries opposite
Chaddsford, whilst his light troops were attacking and driving
before them a corps of riflemen, who had passed over to the
right bank more closely to observe his motions. General
Washington seeing the cannonade continue, without any dis
position of the enemy to pass the river, concluded they had
another object. He was informed that a great part of their
army had marched higher up the creek, and were threatening
his right ; he felt the importance of keeping an attentive eye
on all the movements of this corps ; but the country was so
covered with thickets, that the patroles could discover nothing.
It must be observed that General Washington had a very small
number of horse, and those he had sent to the right, towards
Dilworth, to make discoveries on that side. He ordered an
officer of whom he had a good opinion, to pass the river, and
inform himself .accurately of the route Lord Cornwallis was
taking ; for it was he who commanded this separate corps.
The officer returned, and assured him that Cornwallis was
inarching by his right to join Knyphausen, on the side of
Chaddsford. According to this report, the attack seemed to
be determined on the left. Another officer was then sent,
who reported that Cornwallis had changed his direction, and
* General Howe calls them 10.000 men Trans.
118 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
that he was rapidly advancing by the road leading to Jefferies
Ford, two miles higher than Birmingham church. General
Sullivan was immediately ordered to march thither with all the
troops of the right. Unfortunately the roads were badly re
connoitred, and not at all open: with great difficulty General
Sullivan got through the woods, and when he came out of
them to gain a small eminence near Birmingham church, he
found the English columns mounting it on the opposite side. It
was no easy matter to range into order of battle such troops
as his ; he had neither the time to choose his position, nor to
form his line. The English gained the eminence, drove the
Americans back on the woods, to the edge of which they pur
sued them, and they were totally dispersed. *
During the short time this action lasted, Lord Stirling and
General Conway, had time to form their brigade on pretty ad
vantageous ground : it was a gentle rising, partly covered by
the woods which bounded it, their left was protected by the
same woods, and on the right of this rising ground, but a little
in the rear, was the Virginia line, who were ranged in line of
battle, on a high spot of ground, and on the edge of an open
wood. The left column of the enemy, who had not been en
gaged with Sullivan, formed rapidly, and marched against these
troops with as much order as vivacity and courage. The Ame
ricans made a very smart fire, which did not check the English,
and it was not till the latter were within twenty yards of them,
that they gave way, and threw themselves into the woods.
Lord Stirling. M. de la Fayette, arid General Sullivan himself,
after the defeat of his division fought with this body of troops,
whose post was the most important, and made the longest re
sistance. It was here that M. de la Fayette was wounded in
his left leg, in rallying the troops who were beginning to stag
ger. On the right, the Virginia line made some resistance ;
but the English had gained a height, from whence their artil
lery took them en echarpe: this fire must have been very severe,
for most of the trees, bear the mark of bullets or cannon shot.
The Virginians in their turn gave way, and the right was then
entirely uncovered.
Though this was three miles from Chaddsford, General
Knyphausen heard the firing of the artillery, and musketry, and
judging that the affair was serious, the confidence he had in
* General Howe s account says, u General Washington detached
General Sullivan to his right with 10,000 men, who took a strong posi
tion on the commanding ground above Birmingham church," and then
relates the manceuvres to dislodge them. There is a material differ-
once in these accounts. Trans.
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. lli>
the English and Hessian troops, made him conclude they were
victorious. Towards five in the evening, lie descended from
the heights in two columns,* one at John s Ford, which turned
the battery of the Americans, and the other lower down at
Chaddsford. The latter marched straight to the battery and
took it. General Wayne, whose brigade was in line of battle,
the left on an eminence, and the right drawing towards the
battery, then made that right fall back, and strengthened the
heights, thus forming a sort of change of front. In a country
where there are neither open columns, nor successive positions
to take, in case of accident, it is difficult to make any disposi
tion for retreat. The different corps who had been beaten, all
precipitated themselves into Chester road, where they formed
but one column ; artillery, baggage and troops being confused
ly mixed together. At the beginning of the night General
Washington also took this road, and the English, content with
their victory, did not disturb their retreat.
Such is the idea I have formed of the battle of Brandywine,
from what I have from General Washington himself, from M.
de la Fayette, Messieurs de Girnat and De Manduit and from
the Generals Wayne and Sullivan. I must observe, however,
that there is a disagreement in some particulars ; several per
sons, for example, pretend that Knyphausen, after passing the
river, continued his march in one column to the battery, and
it is thus marked in the English plan, which gives a false direc
tion to that column ; besides that General Washington, and
General Wayne assured me there were two, and that the left
column turned the battery, which otherwise would not have
been carried. f It is equally difficult to trace out on the plan,
all the ground on which Cornwallis fought. The relations oil
both sides throw hardly any light upon it ; I was obliged there
fore to draw my conclusions from the different narratives, and
to follow none of them implicitly.
* Several persons, amongst others some English officers who were
prisoners, whom I have questioned, assured me that Knyphausen s
corps passed the river only in one column at Chaddsford ; and then
separated into two, one of which turned the battery, and the other at
tacked it in front.
| Howe s account says, there were two divisions, one under Grant,
the other under Knyphausen ; the fourth and fifth regiments turned the
battery. Trans.
CHAPTER VII.
CHESTER FORT BILLINGSPORT FORT MIFFLIN REDBANK FORT
PHILADELPHIA.
WHILST we were examining the field of battle with the
greatest minuteness, our servants went on to Chester to pre
pare dinner and apartments, but we soon followed them, and
got there at four o clock. The road did not appear long to
me; for chance having separated M. de la Fayette, M. de
Noailles, and myself from the rest of the company, we entered
into a very agreeable conversation, which continued till we
got to Chester. I could not help observing to them that after
talking of nothing but war for three hours, we had suddenly
changed the subject, and got on that of Paris, and all sorts of
discussions relative to our private societies. This transition
was truly French, but it does not prove that we are less fond
of war, than other nations, only that we like our friends better.
We were scarcely arrived at Chester, before we saw some state
barges or boats coming down the river, which the president
had sent to conduct us back to Philadelphia, it being our plan
to remount the Delaware next day, in order to examine the
fort of Redbank, and fort Mifflin, as well as the other posts
which had served for the defence of the river. An officer of
the American navy who was come with these barges, to con
duct us, informed us that two vessels were arrived at Philadel
phia in thirty-five days from L Orient. The hopes of receiving
letters, or news from Europe, almost tempted us to relinquish
our projects, and set out immediately for Philadelphia ; but as
the weather was fine, and we should have the tide in our favour
next day, which rendered our voyage more easy, we determined
to remain at Chester, and M. de la Fayette sent off a man and
a horse to Philadelphia, to bring back news, and letters, if
there were any. This courier returned before nine ; and only
brought us a line from the Chevalier de la Luzerne, by which
we learnt that these ships had no letters ; but that the captains
assured him, that Monsieur de Castries was made minister of
the marine.
Whilst the courier was going and coming, we had got to the
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA, 121
inn, where dinner and lodgings were prepared.* The exterior
of this house is not very tempting, and several of the company
were preparing to look out elsewhere, but after a minute ex
amination, we found room enough for a dozen masters, as many
servants, and nineteen horses. In addition to our company
we had the major, who met us on the field of battle of Bran-
dywine, and the officer who had brought us the barges. We
had an excellent dinner, and very good wine. The tea which
followed pretty close on dinner succeeded as well ; so that all
my fellow-travellers, were in the best humour, and so gay as
never to cease laughing, singing, and dancing during the
whole evening. The people of the house, who saw nothing in
this company but two General officers, one French, the other
American, accompanied by their families, and not a society of
friends joyous to meet together in another hemisphere, could
not conceive how it was possible to be so gay without being
drunk, and looked upon us as people descended from the
rnoon. This evening, which was lengthened to eleven o clock,
terminated well, for we had excellent beds, such as one might
expect to find in a well furnished country house. We rose at
six in the morning, and assembled in the dining-room, where a
good breakfast was prepared for us by candle light. At seven
we embarked, and crossing the Delaware, obliquely a little
higher up, we landed at Billingsport. This is a fort construct
ed in 1776, to support the left of the first barrier of the che-
vaux de frise, destined to block the passage of the river. This
post was of no use, for the fortifications having been com
menced on too extensive a plan for the number of troops which
could be spared, it was thought proper to abandon it. They
have since been reduced, which is the better, as they are now
removed from some points which commanded the fort. The
present situation of affairs, not drawing the attention of Ga-
vernment to this quarter, the fortifications are rather neglect
ed. All the battery there was, consisted of one pretty good
brass mortar, and five eighteen pounders, (English twenty-
fours) which Major Armstrong, who commands on the river,
and came to receive me, fired on my arrival. When America
has more money, and leisure, she will do well not to neglect
this post, as well as all those for the defence of the river. For
this war once terminated, she will see no more European armies
on the Continent, and all she can have to fear from England,
in case of a rupture with her, will be a few maritime expedi-
* Mrs. Witby s inn at Chester, is one of the best on the continent,
and a favourite house for parties of pleasure from Philadelphia.
Ttttns.
16
122 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
tions, the sole object of which can be to destroy shipping, to
ravage the country, and even to burn the towns within reach
of the sea. Unfortunately Billingsport belongs to the state of
Jersey, which can reap no advantage from it ; and that of
Pennsylvania, whose safety it would constitute, has no other
means to employ towards fortifying it than its own request, and
the recommendations of Congress, which are not always at
tended to. However this may be, Philadelphia took other
precautions for her defence, which depended only on the state
of Pennsylvania, and to this advantage is united that of an
excellent position, which will soon be made impregnable ; I
mean Fort Mifflin, whither we went on leaving Billingsport,
still ascending the river. The isle on which it is built, and
that called Mud-Island, support the right of a second barrier
of chevaux de frise, the left of which is defended by the fort
of Red Bank;* but it must be observed that the barrier only
blocked the main channel of the river, the only passage by
which it was thought that vessels could pass.f Near the right
bank is Hog-Island, about two miles long, the surface of which,
like that of most of the islands in the Delaware is so low, that
at high water, nothing is to be seen but the tops of the reeds
with which it is covered. Between this island, and the main
land, a small passage remained open, but the Americans were
persuaded that there was not water enough for any ship with
guns to pass it. At the extremity of this channel, and in
remounting it, we leave on the left a marshy ground, so sur
rounded by creeks, and inlets, as to form a real island, called
Province-Island. { This post was in the possession of the
enemy ; who established batteries there, which incommoded
those of Fort Mifflin, but not sufficiently to make the Americans
-abandon it.
The English army were at that time in a singular situation :
they had purchased and maintained possession of Philadelphia
at the price of two bloody battles ; but they were still shut up
between the Schuylkill and the Delaware, having in their
* This fort too, is liable to the same difficulties with Billingsport,
being on the Jersey side. Trans.
t The person principally employed in sinking the chevaux de frise,
and in securing the passage of the river, was one White, who is sup
posed to have left this channel open designedly, as he afterwards turn
ed out a decided traitor, went over to the enemy, and distinguished
himself by every act of hostile virulence against his country. Trans.
| This is one of the richest spots of land in America, and being part
of the proprietary estate, was parcelled out, and sold in lots by the
Assembly of the State.
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 123
front Washington s army, which kept them in awe, and behind
them several forts occupied by the Americans, which shut the
passage of the Delaware. A large city, however, and a whole
army must have subsistence ; it became necessary therefore
to open the communication by sea, and to secure the naviga
tion of the river. When one recollects the innumerable ob
stacles the English had to surmount in the present war, it is
difficult to assign the cause of their successes; but if we turn
our eyes on all the unforeseen events which have deceived the
expectation of the Americans, and frustrated their best con
certed measures, one cannot but be persuaded that they were
devoted to destruction, and that the alliance with France
alone proved the means of their preservation. In this voyage,
in particular, I saw fresh proofs of it every instant. When the
place was pointed out to me where the .Augusta, of sixty-four
guns, took fire, and blew up in attempting to force the chevaux
de frise, and farther, on the remains of the Merlin, of two and
twenty, which ran ashore in the same action, and was burnt
by the English themselves, whilst the Hessians were vainly
sacrificing five or six hundred men before the fort of Red-
bank, I figured to myself the English army starved in Philadel
phia, retreating with disgrace and difficulty through the Jer
seys, and my imagination already enjoyed the triumph of
America. But of a sudden the scene changed, and I saw
nothing but the fatality which collected towards the channel
of Hog-Island the waters long confined by the chevaux de
frise, and recollected with pain, that on the 15th of Novem
ber, three weeks after the fruitless attempts I have mentioned,
the English succeeded in passing over the bar of this channel,
the Vigilant, and another small ship of war ; that they thus got
up the river, and turned Fort Mifflin, the batteries of which
they took from behind, and left the Americans no other re
source but to abandon the defence of the chevaux de frise in
all parts, and make a precipitate retreat by the left shore of
the Delaware.
Taught by sad experience, the Americans have provided in
future against the misfortunes which cost them so dear. I saw
them with pleasure extending the fortifications of Mifflin s-
Island, so as to enclose the fort on every side, which will be
surrounded also by the Delaware in place of a ditch ; and as
the garrison will have a safe asylum in sou terrains, bomb-proof,
this fort may henceforth be deemed impregnable. The plan
of these works was given by M. du Portail ; Major Armstrong
showed me them upon the spot, and I found them correspond
perfectly with the just reputation of their author.
We now had to visit Redbank ; for which purpose we had
again to cross the Delaware, which in this place is a mile
124 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
The gentleman who was to do the honour there/ was impatient
to arrive. We had amused ourselves by telling him that the
morning being far spent, and the tide about to turn, we should
be obliged to omit Redbank, and return directly to Philadel
phia. This conductor, whom we diverted ourselves in torment
ing, was M. du Plessis Mauduft, who in the double capacity of
engineer, and officer of artillery, had the charge of arranging
and defending this post, under the orders of Colonel Green.
On landing from our boat, he proposed conducting us to a
Quaker s, whose house is half a musket shot from the fort, or
rather the ruins of the fort ; for it is now destroyed, and there
are scarcely any reliefs of it remaining. " This man, said M.
de Mauduit, is a little of a tory ; 1 was obliged to knock down
his barn, and fell his fruit trees ; but he will be glad to see M.
de la Fayette, and will receive us well." We took him at his
word, but never was expectation more completely deceived.
We found our Quaker seated in the chimney corner, busied in
cleaning herbs : he recollected M. de Mauduit, who named M.
de la Fayette, and me, to him ; but he did not deign to lift his
eyes, nor to answer any of our introducer s discourse, which at
first was complimentary, and at length jocose. Except Dido s
silence, I know nothing more severe, but we had no difficulty in
accommodating ourselves to this bad reception, and made our
way to the fort. We had not gone a hundred yards before we
came to a small elevation, on which a stone was vertically pla
ced, with this short epitaph : here lies buried Colonel Donop.
M. de Mauduit could not refrain from expressing his regret
for this brave man, who died in his arms two days after the ac
tion ; he assured us that we could not make a step without
treading on the remains of some Hessians ; for near three hun
dred were buried in the front of the ditch.
The fort of Redbank was designed, as I have said above, to
support the left of the chevaux de frise. The bank of the Dela
ware at this place is steep ; but even this steepness allowed
the enemy to approach the fort, under cover, and without be
ing exposed to the fire of the batteries. To remedy this incon
venience, several gallies armed with cannon, and destined to
defend the chevaux de frise, were posted the whole length of
the escarpement, and took it in reverse. The Americans, little
practised in the art of fortifications, and always disposed to
take works beyond their strength, had made those of Redbank
too extensive. When M. de Mauduit obtained permission to
be sent thither with Colonel Green, he immediately set about
reducing the fortifications, by intersecting them from east to
west, which transformed them into a sort of large redoubt near
ly of a pentagonal form. A good earthen rampart, raised to
the height of the cordon, a fosse, and an abattis in front of the
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. J&?
fosse, constituted the whole strength of this post, in which
were placed three hundred men* and fourteen pieces of cannon.
The 22d of October, in the morning, they received intelligence
that a detachment of two thousand five hundred Hessians were
advancing ; who were soon after perceived on the edge of
a wood to the north of Redbank, nearly within cannon shot.
Preparations were making for the defence, when a Hessian
officer advanced, preceded by a drum ; he was suffered to ap
proach, but his harangue was so insolent that it only served
to irritate the garrison, and inspire them with more resolu
tion. " The King of England, said he, orders his rebellious sub
jects to lay down their arms, and they are warned, that if they stand
the battle, no quarters whatever will be given." The answer was,
that they accepted the challenge, and that there should be no
quarter on either side. At four o clock in the afternoon, the
Hessians made a very brisk fire from a battery of cannon, and
soon after they opened, and marched to the first entrenchment,
from which, finding it abandoned, but not destroyed, they ima
gined they had driven the Americans. They then shouted vic
toria, waved their hats in the air, and advanced towards the
redoubt. The same drummer, who a few hours before had
come to summon the garrison, and had appeared as insolent as
his officer, was at their head beating the march ; both he, and
that officer were knocked on the head by the first fire. The
Hessians, however, still kept advancing within the first en
trenchment, leaving the river on their right : they had already
reached the abattis, and were endeavouring to tear up, or cut
away the branches, when they were overwhelmed with a show
er of musket shot, which took them in front, and in flank ; for
as chance would have it, a part of the courtine of the old en
trenchment, which had not been destroyed, formed a projec
tion at this very part of the intersection. M. de Mauduit had
contrived to form it into a sort of caponiere, (or trench with
loop-holes) into which he threw some men, who flanked the
enemy s left, and fired on them at close shot. Officers were
seen every moment rallying their men, marching back to the
abattis, and falling amidst trie branches they were endeavour
ing to cut. Colonel Donop was particularly distinguished by
the marks of the order he wore, by his handsome figure, and by
his courage ; he was also seen to fall like the rest. The Hes
sians, repulsed by the fire of the redoubt, attempted to secure
themselves from it by attacking on the side of the escarpement,
but the fire from the gallies sent them back with a great loss of
General Howe calls them about 800 men, Trans-.
126 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA
men. At length they relinquished the attack, and regained the
wood in disorder.
While this was passing on the north side, another column
made an attack on the south, and, more fortunate than the
other, passed the abattis, traversed the fosse, and mounted the
berm ; but they were stopped by the fraises, and M. de Mauduit
running to this post as soon as he saw the first assailants give
way, the others were obliged to follow their example. They
still did not dare however to stir out of the fort, fearing a sur
prise; but M. de Mauduit wishing to replace some palisades
which had been torn up ; he sallied out with a few men, and
was surprised to find about twenty Hessians standing on the
berm, and stuck up against the shelving of the parapet. These
soldiers who had been bold enough to advance thus far, sensi
ble that there was more risk in returning, and not thinking
proper to expose themselves, were taken and brought into the
fort. M. de Mauduit, after fixing the palisades, employed him
self in repairing the abattis ; he again sallied out with a de
tachment, and it was then he beheld the deplorable spectacle
of the dead and dying, heaped one upon another. A voice
arose from amidst these carcases, and said in English,
"whoever you are, draw me hence." It was the voice of Co
lonel Donop : M. de Mauduit made the soldiers lift him up, and
carry him into the fort, where he was soon known. He had
his hip broken ; but whether they did not consider his wound
as mortal, or that they were heated by the battle, and still irri
tated at the menaces thrown out against them a few hours be
fore, the Americans could not help saying, aloud : " Well ! is it
determined to give no quarter *?" " I am in your hands," re
plied the colonel, "you may revenge yourselves." M. de
Mauduit had no difficulty in imposing silence, and employed
himself only in taking care of the wounded officer. The latter,
perceiving he spoke bad English, said to him : " you appear to
me a foreigner, Sir, who are you ?" " A French officer," replied
the other. " Je suis content" said Donop, making use of our
language, "je meurs entre lea mains de Vhonneur meme." I am con
tent ; I die in the hands of honour itself. The next day he
was removed to the quaker s house, where he lived three days,
during which he conversed frequently with M. de Mauduit. He
told him that he had been long in friendship with M. de Saint
Germain, that he wished in dying to recommend to him his
vanquisher, and benefactor. He asked for paper,, and wrote
a letter, which he delivered to M. de Mauduit, requiring of him,
as the last favour, to acquaint him when he was about to dis :
the latter was soon under the necessity of acquitting himself
of this sad duty : "it is finishing a noble career early," said the
colonel; " but I die the victim of my ambition, and of the ava-
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 127
rice of my sovereign." Fifteen wounded officers were found,
like him, upon the field of battle ; M. deMauduit had the satis
faction to conduct them himself to Philadelphia, where he was
very well received by General Howe. By singular accident,
it happened that the English that very day received indirect
intelligence of the capitulation of Burgoyne, of which he knew
more than they. They pretended to give no credit to it:
" you who are a Frenchman," said they, " speak freely, do you
think it possible 9" " I know," replied he, " that the fact is so ;
explain it as you think proper."
Perhaps 1 have dwelt too long on this event ; but I shall not
have to apologize to those who will partake of the pleasing sa
tisfaction I experience, in fixing my eyes upon the triumphs of
America, and in discovering my countrymen among those
who have reaped her laurels. At present I hasten my return
to Philadelphia, where, on my arrival, I had only time to dress
myself to attend the Chevalier de la Luzerne, and the com
panions of my journey, to dinner at Mr. Huntington s, the pre
sident of Congress. Mrs. Huntington, a good looking, lusty
woman, but not young, did the honours of the table, that is to
say, helped every body without saying a word. I did not re
main long after dinner, having a little snug rendezvous, which
I was not inclined to miss. The reader will think it time for
me to throw some variety into this journal ; but I am obliged
to confess that this rendezvous was .with Mr. Samuel Adams.
We had promised ourselves at our last interview to set an eve
ning apart for a tranquil tete-a-tete, and this was the day ap
pointed. Our conversation commenced with a topic of which
he might have spared himself the discussion ; the justice of
the cause he was engaged in. I am clearly of opinion that
the parliament of England had no right to tax America without
her consent, but I am more clearly convinced that when a
whole people say we will be free, it is difficult to demonstrate
they are in the wrong. Be that as it may, Mr. Adams very
satisfactorily proved to me, that New-England, comprehend
ing the stares of Massachusetts, New-Hampshire, Connecticut,
and Rhode-Island, were not peopled with any view to com
merce and aggrandizement, but wholly by individuals who fled
from persecution, and sought an asylum at the extremity of the
world, where they might be free to live, and follow their opi
nions; that it was of their own accord, that those new colo
nists put themselves under the protection of England; that
the mutual relationship, springing from this connexion, was
expressed in their charters, and that the right of imposing, or
exacting a revenue of any kind was not comprised in them.
From this subject we passed to a more interesting one ; the
form of government which should be given to each state ; for
128 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
it is only on account of the future, that it is necessary to take
a retrospect of the past. The revolution has taken place, and
the republic is beginning ; it is an infant newly born, the ques
tion is how to nourish, and rear it to maturity. I expressed to
Mr. Adams some anxiety for the foundations on which the new
constitutions are formed, and particularly that of Massachu
setts. Every citizen, said I, every man who pays taxes, has a
right to vote in the election of representatives, who form the
legislative body, and who may be called the sovereign power.
All this is very well for the present moment, because every
citizen is pretty equally at his ease, or may be so in a short
time, but the success of commerce, and even of agriculture,
will introduce riches among you, and riches will produce
inequality of fortunes, and of property. Now, wherever this
inequality exists, the real force will invariably be on the side
of property ; so that if the influence in government be not pro
portioned to that property, there will always be a contrariety,
a combat between the form of government, and its natural ten
dency, the right will be on one side, and the power on the
other ; the balance then only can exist between the two equally-
dangerous extremes, of aristocracy and anarchy. Besides,
the ideal worth of men must ever be comparative : an indivi
dual without property is a discontented citizen, when the state
is poor ; place a rich man near him, he dwindles into a clown.
What will result then, one day, from vesting the right of elec
tion in this class of citizens ^ The source of civil broils, or
corruption, perhaps both at the same time. The following
was pretty nearly the answer of Mr. Adams. I am very
sensible of the force of your objections ; we are not what we
should be, we should labour rather for the future, than for the
present moment. I build a country house, and have infant
children ; I ought doubtless to construct their apartments with
an eye to the time in which they shall be grown up and mar
ried : but we have not neglected this precaution. In the first
place, I must inform you, that this new constitution was pro
posed and agreed to in the most legitimate manner of which
there is any example since the days of Lycurgus. A commit
tee chosen from the members of the legislative body, then ex
isting, and which might be considered as a provisional govern
ment, was named to prepare a new code of laws. As soon as
it was prepared, each county or district was required to name
a committee to examine this plan : it was recommended to
them to send it back at the expiration of a certain time, with
their observations. These observations having been discussed
by the committee, and the necessary alterations made, the
plan was sent back to each particular committee. When they
had all approved it, they received orders to communicate it to
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 129
the people at large, and to demand their suffrages. If two-
thirds of the voters approved it, it was to have the force of law,
and be regarded as the work of the people themselves; of two
and twenty thousand suffrages, a much greater proportion than
two-thirds was in favour of the new constitution. Now these
were the principles on which it was established : a state is
never free but when each citizen is bound by no law whatever
that he has not approved of, either by himself, or by his repre
sentatives ; but to represent another man, it is necessary to
have been elected by him ; every citizen therefore should have
a part in elections. On the other hand, it would be in vain
for the people to possess the right of electing representatives,
were they restrained in the choice of them to a particular class ;
it is necessary therefore not to require too much property as a
qualification for the representative of the people. Accordingly
the house of representatives which form the legislative body,
and the true sovereign, are the people themselves represented by
their delegates. Thus far the government is purely democra-
tical ; but it is the permanent and enlightened will of the peo
ple which should constitute law, and not the passions and sal
lies to which they are too subject. It is necessary to moderate
their first emotions, and bring them to the test of inquiry and
reflection. This is the important business entrusted with the
Governor and Senate, who represent with us the negative pow
er, vested in England in the upper-house, and even in the
crown, with this difference only, that in our new constitution
the senate has a right to reject a law, and the governor to sus
pend the promulgation, and return it for a reconsideration ;
but these forms complied with, if, after this fresh examination,
the people persist in their resolution, and there is then, not as
before, a mere majority, but two thirds of the suffrages in fa
vour of the law, the governor and senate are compelled to give
it their sanction. Thus this power moderates, without destroy
ing the authority of the people, and such is the organization of
our republic, as to prevent the springs from breaking by too
rapid a movement, without ever stopping them entirely. Now.
it is here we have given all its weight to property. A man
must have a pretty considerable property to vote for a member
of the senate ; he must have a more considerable one to be
himself eligible. Thus the democracy is pure and entire in the
assembly, which represents the sovereign ; and the aristocracy,
or, if you will, the optimacy, is to be found only in the modera
ting power, where it is the more necessary, as men never watch
more carefully over the state than when they have a great in
terest in its destiny. As to the power of commanding armies,
it ought neither to be vested in a great, nor even in a small
number of men : the governor alone can employ the forces by
1 7
130 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
sea and land according to the necessity ; but the land forces
will consist only in the militia, which, as it is composed of the
people themselves, can never act against the people.*
Such was the idea Mr. Adams gave me of his own work,f
for it is he who had the greatest part in the formation of the
new laws. It is said, however, that before his credit was em
ployed to get them accepted, it was necessary to combat his
private opinion, and to make him abandon systems in which he
loved to stray, for less sublime, but more practicable projects.
This citizen, otherwise so respectable, has been frequently re
proached with consulting his library, rather than the present
circumstances, and of always beginning by the Greeks and
Romans, to get at the whigs and tories; if this be true, I shall
only say that study has also its inconveniences, but not such as
are important, since Mr. Samuel Adams, heretofore the enemy
of regular troops, and the most extravagant partisan of the
democracy, at present employs all his influence to maintain
an army, and to establish a mixed government. Be that as it
may, I departed well content with this conversation, which was
only interrupted by a glass of Madeira, a dish of tea, and an
old American General, now a member of Congress, who lodges
with Mr. Adams.
I knew that there was a ball at the Chevalier de la Luzerne s r
which made me less in a hurry to return thither : it was, how
ever, a very agreeable assembly ; for it was given to a private
society, on the occasion of a marriage. There were near twen
ty women, twelve or fourteen of whom were dancers ; each
of them having her partner, as is the custom in America.
Dancing is said to be at once the emblem of gaiety and of love ;
here it seems to be the emblem of legislation, and of marriage ;
of legislation, inasmuch as places are marked out, the country
dances named, and every proceeding provided for, calculated
and submitted to regulation ; of marriage, as it furnishes each
* As there appears to be some little inaccuracy in this account of
the conversation, the reader is referred to the Constitution of the Mas
sachusetts, as republished in England with those of the other states,
where he will see the respective privileges and powers of the Senate
and Governor and Council clearly discriminated, which are here con
founded. The Translator has endeavoured to free the original from
its obscurity, the Senate being there wholly overlooked, and its duties
blended with those of the Governor and Council ; and materially to
preserve the drift of Mr. Adams argument. Trans.
t I have some reason to think that the admirable form of govern
ment for Massachusetts Bay, is not the work of Mr. Samuel Adams,
but of Mr. John Adams, the present Minister Plenipotentiary from
the United States, in England. Trans.
TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA. 1:11
. lady with a partner, with whom she dances the whole evening,
without being allowed to take another. It is true that every
severe law requires mitigation, and that it often happens, that
a young lady after dancing the two or three first dances with
her partner, may make a fresh choice, or accept of the invitation
she has received ; but still the comparison holds good, for it is
a marriage in the European fashion. Strangers have generally
the privilege of being complimented with the handsomest
women. The Comte de Darnes, had Mrs. Bingham for his
partner, and the Vicomte de Noailles, Miss Shippen. Both of
them, like true philosophers, testified a great respect for the
manners of the country, by not quitting their handsome part
ners the whole evening ; in other respects they were the
admiration of all the assembly, from the grace and nobleness
with which they danced ; I may even assert, to the honour of
rny country, that they surpassed a Chief-Justice of Carolina
(Mr. Pendleton) and two members of Congress, one of whom
(Mr. Duane) passed however for being by 10 per cent, more
lively than all the other dancers. The ball was suspended,
towards midnight, by a supper, served in the manner of coffee,
on several different tables. On passing into the dining-room,
the Chevalier de la Luzerne presented his hand to Mrs. Morris,
and gave her the precedence, an honour pretty generally
bestowed on her, as she is the richest woman in the city, and
all ranks here being equal, men follow their natural bent, by
giving the preference to riches. The ball continued till two
in the morning, as I learnt the next morning on rising, for I had
seen too many attacks and battles the day before not to have
learnt to make a timely retreat.
Our young folks standing in need of repose after their journey
arid exercise of the evening, did not appear at breakfast, In
their stead, we had an old quaker of the name of Benezet,
whose diminutive figure, and humble and scanty physiognomy,
formed a perfect contrast to Mr. Pendleton. This Mr Benezet
may rather be regarded as the model, than as a specimen of
the sect of quakers : wholly occupied with the welfare of man
kind, his charity and generosity made him be held in great
consideration in happier times, when the virtues alone sufficed
to render the citizen illustrious. At present the noise of arms
deafens the ears against -the sighs of charity, and the amor
patriac has prevailed over the love of humanity. Benezet,
however, still exercises his benevolence : he came to get some
information respecting the new methods invented in France
of restoring drowned persons to life. I promised not only to
send them to him from Newport, but to transmit to him such
a box, with the necessaries, as our government has distributed
in the sea-port towns. Confidence being established between
|: TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
us, we fell on the topic of the miseries of war. " Friend, say>
lie to me, I know thou art a man of letters, and a member of
the French Academy : the men of letters have written a great
many good things of late ; they have attacked errors and pre
judices, and, above all, intolerance; will ti.ey not endeavour
too, to disgust men with the horrors of war, and to make them
live together like friends and brethren ?" " Thou art not de
ceived, friend, replied I, when thou buildest some hope on the
progress of enlightened philosophy. Many active hands are
labouring at the grand edifice of public happiness ; but vainly
will they employ themselves in finishing some parts of it, as
long as there is a deficiency at the base, and that base, thou
hast said it, is universal peace. As for intolerance and perse
cution, it is true that these two enemies of the human race, are
not bound by strong enough chains ; but I will whisper a word
in thy ear, of which thou wilt not perhaps feel all the force,
though thou art well acquainted with the French ; they are out
of fashion; I should even believe them to be on the point of
annihilation, but for some little circumstances thou art not
informed of; which are, that they who attack them are now and
then imprisoned, and Abbies of a hundred thousand livres a year
bestowed on such as favour them." " A hundred thousand livres
a year ! cried Benezet, there is wherewithal to build hospitals
and establish manufactures ; this doubtless is the use they
make of their riches." " No, friend, replied I, persecution
must be kept in pay ; though it must be confessed that it is
but indifferently paid, for the most splendid of these perse
cutors content themselves with giving a pension of ten or
twelve hundred livres to a few satirical poets, or journalists,
enemies of letters, whose works are greatly read, but little
sold." " Friend, says the quaker, this persecution is a strange
thing : I can hardly believe what has happened to myself.
My father was a Frenchman, and I am a native of thy coun
try. It is now sixty years, since he was obliged to seek an
asylum in England, taking with him his children, the only
treasure he could save in his misfortunes. Justice, or what is
so called in thy country, ordered him to be hung in effigy, for
explaining the gospel differently from thy priests. My father
was not much better pleased with those of England ; wishing
to get out of the way of all hierarchy, he came and settled in
this country, where I led a happy life until this war broke
out. I have long forgot all the persecutions my family under
went. I love thy nation, because it is mild and sensible, and
as for thee, friend, I know that thou servest humanity as much
as in thy power. When thou shalt get to Europe, engage thy
brethren to second thee, and, in the mean time, permit me to
place under thy protection our brethren of Rhode-Island." He
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 133
then recommended to me specifically the quakers living in
that state, and who are pretty numerous ; after which he took
leave, desiring my permission to send me some pamphlets, in his
way, which were principally apologies for his sect. I assured
him I would read them with great pleasure, and he did not fail
to send them the next morning.
Of whatever sect a man may be who is inflamed with an
ardent love of humanity, he is undoubtedly a respectable be
ing ; but I must confess that it is difficult to bestow upon this
sect in general, that esteem which cannot be refused to some
individuals. The law observed by many of them, of saying
neither yow, nor sir, is far from giving them a tone of simpli
city and candour. I know not whether it be to compensate
for that sort of rusticity, that they in general assume a smooth
and wheedling tone, which is altogether Jesuitical. Nor does
their conduct belie this resemblance : concealing their indif
ference for the public welfare under the cloak of religion, they
are sparing of blood, it is true, especially of their own peo
ple ;* but they trick both parties out of their money, and that
* In confirmation of this remark, I cannot avoid referring to a cir
cumstance which made a considerable noise at the time, and has been
grossly perverted to the discredit of American humanity. Every reader
attentive to the events of the war in that country, must recollect the
execution of Carlisle and Roberts, two considerable quakers, after the
evacuation of Philadelphia by General Clinton ; the barbarity of put
ting to death two members of a sect so peaceable and inoffensive, who
had not borne arms, and whose principles forbid an active opposition
to any form of government, was much enlarged upon. In justice to
America, and for the benefit of future historians, I shall give the fact,
the truth of which will bear inquiry, as I had it from men of every
party and description in that city, and leave the decision to every im
partial man. The quakers in America, I speak generally, had long
belied their principles, and covertly and openly done every thing in
their power to thwart the measures adopted by a vast majority of their
countrymen, then in possession of the government ; their secret in
trigues and open defiance were long overlooked and borne with, until
danger became so critical as to demand some precautions for the com
mon safety. A few of the most active spirits amongst these pacific
and passive sectaries were arrested, and sent from the immediate
scene of action into Virginia, where they suffered only a tempo
rary restraint from mischief. Carlisle a id Roberts, though well known
for a malignant hatred to the cause of America, unfortunately for
them, escaping this temporary exile, continued their clandestine prac
tices until General Howe got possession of the city, when they no longer
set any bounds to their inveteracy. They were both employed by the
general, or his honest and grateful agent Mr. Galloway, in the admi
nistration of the police, or in other words, they undertook. Carlisle in
134 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
without either shame or decency. It is a received maxim in
trade to beware of them, and this opinion, which is well found
ed, will become still more necessary. In fact, nothing can be
worse than enthusiasm in its downfall ; for what can be its sub
stitute, but hypocrisy ? That monster so well known in Europe,
finds but too easy an access to all religions ; he found none,
however, in a company of young ladies, who were invited, as
well as myself, to drink tea with Mrs. Cunningham. They
were well dressed, seemed desirous of pleasing, and it is fair
to conclude, that their private sentiments were in unison with
their appearance. The mistress of the house is amiable, and
her conversation graceful and interesting. This assembly re
called to my mind in every respect, those of Holland, and Ge
neva, where one meets with gaiety without indecency, and the
wish to please without coquetry.
particular, to discriminate between the loyalists and the friends to
America. Carlisle granted permissions to pass the lines, watched at
the gates, to point out obnoxious persons coming in from the country,
who were frequently committed to prison on his bare suggestion, and
exercised, in short, the office of sub-inquisitor to Mr. Joseph Gallo
way. Nor was this the only method by which they manifested the
peaceable principles of their sect. General Howe having received
information of a party of rnilitia lying in the woods, in the county of
Bucks, at sixteen miles distance, under General Lacy, despatched
Lieutenant-Colonel Abercrombie with a considerable detachment by
the Frankfort road to attack them ; and one or both of these harmless
quakers who would not bear arms for the wealth of Britain, conscien
tiously undertook to conduct this man of blood to a successful sur
prise and massacre of their own countrymen. These, and a variety of
other facts being proved against them, after the evacuation of the town,
where they had the presumption to remain, and there being an evident
necessity for making an example of these most dangerous of all ene
mies, lenity would have been as ill-tirned as unjust to the suffer
ing citizens Such, I am sorry to say it, was the undoubted conduct
of too many of this once respectable body, during the war, a conduct,
which must not only be condemned by every honourable and feeling
mind, but 1 may venture to say, is wholly repugnant to the principles
of a Lettsom, a Fothergill, a Barclay, or a William Penri ; for, it may
be pronounced with no intolerant spirit, that in cases of critical emer
gency, no society can endure such members. In opposition, how
ever, to newspaper reports, and their cries of persecution, I can my
self bear testimony to the unpunished license these quietests gave
their tongues in the very seat of Congress, and in defiance of the as
sembly of the state, and to their ostentatious display of the portraits
of the king and queen of England, which, however, there is every rea
son to believe, was more the result of obstinacy, and the spirit of con
tradiction, than of loyalty or reason, in this selfish set of people.
Trans.
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 133
On Sunday the 10th I had resolved to make a circuit through
the churches, and different places of worship. Unluckily the
different sects, who agree in neither point, take the same hour
to assemble the faithful, so that in the morning I was only able
to visit the quaker s meeting, and in the afternoon the church
of England. The hall the quakers meet in is square ; there
are, on every side, and parallel with the walls, benches and
desks, by which means they are placed opposite to each other,
without either altar or pulpit to attract the attention. As soon
as they are assembled, one of the more elderly makes an ex
tempore prayer, of whatever comes uppermost in his mind ;
silence is then observed until some man or woman feels inspi
red, and rises to speak. Travellers must be taken at their
word, however extraordinary their motives. Like Ariosto, I
shall recount prodigies, diro maraviglia; but it is a fact that I
arrived at the moment a woman was done holding forth ; she
was followed by a man who talked a great deal of nonsense
about internal grace, the illumination of the spirit, and the
other dogmas of his sect, which he bandied about, but took
special care not to explain them ; and at length finished his
discourse to the great content of the brethren, and the sister
hood, who had all of them a very inattentive and listless air.
After seven or eight minutes silence, an old man went on his
knees, dealt us out a very unmeaning prayer, and dismissed the
audience.*
* Mention has been frequently made in the public prints of the new
sect of shakers in Massachusetts Bay, who carry their frantic orgies
to still more ridiculous and licentious excesses than the pristine qua
kers, with George Fox at their head ; but I have seen no notice taken
of another, which sprung up at Rhode-Island about the year 1780.
A very comely young woman is, or pretends to be, impressed with the
belief that she is in her person the saviour of the world revived, and
travels from place to place, attended by twelve young men, whom she
calls her apostles ; who, if the general assertion be credited, have lite
rally followed the precept of " making eunuchs of themselves for
Christ s sake." General Gates told me he heard her preach at Rhode-
Island, and I made an attempt to hear her at Philadelphia in October
1782, but the crowd was so great, and, what is very uncommon in
America, so turbulent, that it was impossible to get near the place of
worship. Two of her apostles came to the house I boarded in, to ob
tain lodgings for her, and some of the brethren ; by which means I
had an opportunity of seeing a specimen of them, but they would
enter into no conversation ; they were tall, handsome young men, the
youngest not above nineteen, with large round flapped hats, and long
flowing strait locks, with a sort of melancholy wildness in their coun
tenances, and an effeminate, dejected air, which seemed to justify the
truth of what I believe literally to be their unfortunate situation.
Trans.
136 TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA.
On quitting this melancholy, homespun assembly, the service
of the English church appeared to me a sort of opera, as well
for the music as the decorations : a handsome pulpit placed
before a handsome organ ; a handsome minister in that pulpit,
reading, speaking, and singing with a grace entirely theatrical,
a number of young women answering melodiously from the pit
and boxes, (for the two side galleries form a sort of boxes) a
soft and agreeable vocal music, with excellent sonatas, played
alternately on the organ ; all this, compared to the quakers,
the anabaptists, the presbyterians, &c. appeared to me rather
like a little paradise itself, than as the road to it. If however
we consider the different sects, whether rigid, or frivolous, but
all imperious, all exclusive, we think we see men reading in
the great book of nature, like Montauciel at his lesson, when,
instead of vous etes un Mane bee, he persists in repeating trom-
pette blesse. It is a million to one that a man should hit upon a
line of writing without knowing how to spell his letters ; but
should he come to ask your assistance, beware how you meddle
with him ; it is better to leave him in his error than to cut
throats with him.*
I shall only mention my dinner this day at Mrs. Powell s, to
say that it was excellent and agreeable in every respect. The
conversation carried us so far into the evening, that it was near
eleven when I returned home.
* For this allusion the reader is referred to the humorous prison
scene, between Montauciel and the Deserter, in the comic opera of
that name. Montauciel is the Skirmish of the English theatre, in
their copy from the French. Trans.
CHAPTER VIII.
GERMANTOWN WHITE MARSH BARREN HILL.
M. DE LA FAYETTE had made a party with the Vicomte de
Noailles and the Comte de Damas, to go the next morning,
first to German town (which the two latter had not yet seen)
and from thence to the old camp at Whitemarsh. Though 1
had already viewed the former, I had no objection to going
over it a second time, besides that I was curious to see the
complete Whitemarsh. It is that which was occupied by
General Washington after the unsuccessful attempt of the 7th
of October. As this was a bold position which the English
never dared to attack, it is very celebrated in the American
army, where they assert that they had no other entrenchment
than two redoubts. The fact is, that the position is excellent,,
and does great honour to General Washington, who could
discover it, as if by instinct, through those woods with which
the country was then covered ; but it is no less true, that
General Howe had every reason for not attacking it, and,
among others, for the following : descending from the heights
of Germantown, there are very thick woods ; on coming out
of them, to the west, is a pretty high hill, the foot of which is
watered by a rivulet, with steep banks, which turns towards
the north and protects the right of the camp. Six pieces of
cannon were placed on this eminence, with four hundred men,
who formed an advanced pion. It is called Chestnut-Hill,
from a little church of that name, situated on its summit;
behind this eminence, and behind the woods which stretch from
east to west, the ground rises considerably, and forms two
hills with a gentle declivity, which commands Chestnut church ;
here the army was encamped. These hills are only separated
by a small bottom ; each summit was fortified with a redoubt,
and the slope of it defended by an abattis. The hill on the
left was still farther protected by a rivulet, which might be
increased at pleasure, as it ran behind the camp, and it was
easy to make the dams necessary for raising the waters. The
front of this position, it is true, is covered with wood ; but
these woods terminate at three hundred yards from the line
formed abreast; an enemy therefore must have come out of
them uncovered, and how get through a wood where there is
no road, and which was filled with militia and riflemen^ I
18
138 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
pointed out the more minutely all the advantages of this posi
tion, that I might amuse myself in exaggerating them to M.
de la Fayette, to convince him that he was a Gascon as well
as the rest of them. He owned to me that the camp was a
good one, and that if the English had given them room for
pleasantry, it was only- by inserting in tt-eir relations that the
rebels were so well entrenched that it was impossible to attack
them. But we were unanimous in our conclusion, that the
more respectable this position was, the more honour it did to
General Washington, who had divined, rather than discovered
it. This was really, an eagle s-eye view, for it seems as if he
must have hovered above the trees to examine the ground con
cealed by them.*
Having taken our view, we returned briskly to the Chevalier
de la Luzerne s, where dinner came very apropos, after being
eight hours on horseback, and riding six and thirty miles. In
the afternoon we drank tea with Mi*s Shippen. This was the
first time, since my arrival in America, that I had seen music
introduced into society, and mix with its amusements. Miss
Rutledgef played on the harpsichord, and played very well.
Miss Shippen sung with timidity, but with a pretty voice.
Mr. Ottaw, Secretary to M. de la Luzerne, sent for his harp,J
he accompanied Miss Shippen, and played several pieces.
Music naturally leads to dancing : the Vicomte de INoailles,
took down a violin, which was mounted with harp strings, and
he made the young ladies dance, while their mothers and
other grave personages chatted in another room. When mu
sic, and the fine arts come to prosper at Philadelphia ; when
society once becomes easy and gay there, and they learn to
accept of pleasure when it presents itself, without a formal
invitation, then may foreigners enjoy all the advantages pecu
liar to their manners and government, without envying any
thing in Europe.^
* See General Howe s account of his attempt upon this camp.
Trans.
I Miss Rutledge is since married to M. de Marbois, who is at pre
sent Secretary to M. de la Luzerne, in his government of St. Domin
go. Trans.
| He is now Consul General, and Charge des Affaires at Philadel
phia in the absence of the Chevalier de la Luzerne. The Chevalier
does not return to America, being appointed to the government of St.
Domingo, and no other minister is yet named. Trans.
It is very certain that any person educated in Europe, and accus
tomed to the luxury of music and the fine arts, and to their enjoyment
in the two capitals of France and England, must find a great void in
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 139
The 12th, in the morning, a new cavalcade, and a new
reconnoitring party. M. de la Fayette was to do the honours
of this. The just interest he inspires, has given still more
celebrity to an event, of itself singular enough. The alliance
with France being already public in June 1778, it seemed pro
bable that the English would not delay the evacuation of
Philadelphia. In this state of things, though it was General
Washington s business to risk nothing, it was important never
theless to watch the motions of the enemy. M. de la Fayette
received orders to march from Valley Forge, with two thousand
infantry, fifty dragoons, and as many savages, to pass the
Schuylkill, and take post on a height called Barrenhill, about
twelve miles distant from Philadelphia. The position was
critical, he might be attacked, or turned, by three different
roads; but M. de la Fayette guarded the most direct of the
three; a Brigadier-General of militia, named Potter, had orders
to watch the second, and patroles kept an eye upon the third,
which was the most circuitous. Though these precautions
seemed sufficient at first sight, they must not have been deem
ed so by General Howe ; for he thought he had now fairly
caught the Marquis, and even carried his gasconade so far as
to invite ladies to meet him at supper the next day, and while
the principal part of the officers were at the play,* he put in
movement the main body of his forces, which he marched in
three columns. The first, commanded by General Howe in
person, took the direct road to Barrenhill, passing by Schuyl
kill Falls, and keeping along. the river; the second, led by
General Gray, kept the high road of Germantown, and was to
these particulars in America. This the translator experienced during
his residence in that country, and felt the contrast with greater force
on his return to Europe. After a long absence, in which he heard
scarcely any other music than church hymns, the cannon, and the
drum ; or viewing any paintings but the little sketches of Cimetiere,
or the portraits of Peek, of Philadelphia : on his arrival at Bordeaux
after the peace, the common orchestra at the theatre afforded him
more exquisite delight than he had ever felt from one of Hayden s
best symphonies at Bach s, or than he should now feel perhaps at the
Westminster commemoration of Handel ; and the very moderate
exhibition at the Louvre, was, to him, a groupe of Raphaels, Titians,
and Vandykes. Trans.
* The English had brought with them from New- York, a company
of players, and the officers themselves frequently performed the princi
pal characters. [An excellent trait this for the future historians of
the civil war, as well as the meschianza, that illustrious act of folly and
infatuation ; facts truly characteristic of the dissipation, and decline of
a great people. Trans.]
140 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
fall on M. de la Fayette s left flank ; the third, under the or
ders of General Grant, made a long circuit, marching first by
Frankfort, then turning upon Oxford, to reach the only ford by
which the Americans could retreat.
This complicated march, was executed the more easily, as
the English had positive intelligence that the militia did not
occupy the post assigned them. Fortunately for M. de la Fay-
ette, two officers had set out early from the camp to go into the
Jerseys, where they had business ; these officers having suc
cessively fallen in with two columns of the enemy, resolved to
return to the camp through the woods, as iquick as possible.
General Howe s column was not long in reaching the advanced
posts of M. de la Fayette ; which gave rise to a laughable
enough adventure. The fifty savages he had with him, were
placed in an ambuscade, in the woods, after their manner, that
is to say, lying as close as rabbits. Fifty English dragoons,
who had never seen any Indians, marching at the head of the
column, entered the wood where they wete hid, who on their
part had never seen dragoons. Up they start, raising a horri
ble cry, throw down their arms, and escape by swimming across
the Schuylkill. The dragoons, on the other hand, as much
terrified as they were, turned about their horses, and did not
recover their panic until they got back to Philadelphia. M. de
la Fayette, now finding that he was turned, concluded very
justly like a warrior, that the column marched against him
would not be the first to make the attack, and that it would
wait until the other was in readiness. He immediately
changed his front, therefore, and took a good position opposite
the second column, having before him Barrenhill church, and
behind him the opening which served as a retreat. But he
had scarcely occupied this position, before he learnt that Gen
eral Grant was on his march to the Schuylkill Ford, and was
already nearer to it than himself. Nothing remained but to
retreat : but the only road he had, made him approach the col
umn of General Grant, and exposed him to be attacked by it
in front, whilst Grey and Howe fell upon his rear. The road,
it is true, soon turning to the left, became separated by a small
valley from that General Grant was on, but this valley itself was
crossed by several roads, and it must, in short, be traversed to
reach the Ford. In this situation, his own greatness of mind
alone suggested to the young soldier the proper conduct, as
well as consummate experience could possibly have done. He
knew that more honour is lost, than time gained, in converting
a retreat into a flight. He continued his march, therefore, in
so tranquil and regular an order, that he imposed on General
Grant, and made him believe, that he was sustained by Wash
ington s whole army, which was waiting for him at the end of
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 141
the defile. On the other hand, Howe himself, on arriving on
the heights of Barrenhill, was deceived by the first manoeuvre
of M. de la Fayette ; for seeing the Americans in line of battle,
on the very spot where the second column was to appear, he
imagined it was General Grey who had got possession of this
position, and thus lost some minutes in looking through his
glass, and in sending to reconnoitre. General Grey also lost
time in waiting for the right and left columns. From all these
mistakes it followed, that M. de la Fayette had the opportuni
ty of effecting his retreat, as if by enchantment, and he passed
the river with all his artillery without losing a man. Six alarm
guns, which were fired at the army, on the first news of this at
tack, served, I believe, to keep the enemy in awe, who imagi
ned the whole American army were in march. The English,
after finding the bird flown, returned to Philadelphia, spent
with fatigue, and ashamed of having done nothing. The ladies
did not see M. de la Fayette, and General Howe himself ar
rived too late for supper.
In reciting this affair, I give at the same time an account
of my ride, for I followed the exact road of the left column,
which leads to Schuylkill Falls, where there is a sort of scatter
ed village, composed of several beautiful country houses ;
among others, that of the Chevalier de la Luzerne.* A small
creek which falls into the Schuylkill, the height of ten or
twelve feet, the mills turned by this creek, the trees which
cover its banks, and those of the Schuylkill, form a most plea
sing landscape, which would not escape the pencil of Robert
and Le Prince.
* The beautiful banks of the Schuylkill are every where covered
with elegant country houses ; among others, those of Mr. Penn, the
late proprietor, Mr. Hamilton, and Mr. Peters, late Secretary to the
Board of War, are on the most delightful situations. The tasty little
box of the last gentleman is on the most enchanting spot that nature
can embellish, and besides the variegated beauties of the rural banks
of the Schuylkill, commands the Delaware, and the shipping mount
ing and descending it, where it is joined at right angles by the former.
From hence is the most romantic ride up the river to the Falls, in
which the opposite bank is likewise seen beautifully interspersed with
the country houses of the opulent citizens of the capital. On your ar
rival at the Falls, every little know! or eminence is occupied by one of
these charming retreats ; among which General Mifflin s stands con
spicuous, nor is the exterior belied by the neatness, the abundance,
and hospitality which reign within ; the easy politeness, the attention,
good sense, gaiety, and information of the owner ; the order, arrange
ment, and elegance of Mrs. Mifflin, who still adhering to her sect,
which her husband renounced for " the ear-piercing fife and spirit-
142 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
This expedition not being so long as that of the other day.
left me two hours at my disposal ; and I employed them in visit
ing the left of the English lines, which I had not yet seen. M.
de Gimat was so good as to separate from the rest of the com
pany, and instead of returning to Philadelphia, we kept to the
right, to follow the lines, as far as the Sehuylkill. I found that
from the centre, to the left, their position was nothing less than
advantageous, particularly near a burnt house, towards which
I should have directed my attack had I been in the way of
making one. From a ridge of ground, where indeed the Eng
lish had formed a semicircular battery towards the Schuylkill,
the glacis is against the lines ; so that the assailant might first
march under cover, and then command the batteries which de
fend them. To the left, and close to the Schuylkill, the ground
has suddenly a very considerable rise, of which the English
did not fail to avail themselves, by constructing a large redoubt,
and a battery ; but this summit itself is commanded, and taken
in reverse by the heights on the other side of the river. Be
this as it may, these works were sufficient to secure an army
of fifteen thousand men, against one of seven or at most eight
thousand. At every step one takes in America, one is astonish
ed at the striking contrast between the contempt in which the
English affected to hold their enemies, and the extreme pre
cautions they took on every occasion.
Nothing can equal the beauties of the coup d ceil which the
banks of the Schuylkill present, in descending towards the
south to return to Philadelphia.
I found a pretty numerous company assembled at dinner at
the Chevalier de la Luzerne s, which was augmented by the
arrival of the Comte de Custine and the M. de Laval. In the
evening we took them to see the President of the Congress,
who was not at home, and then to Mr. Peters, the Secretary
to the Board of War, to whom it was my first visit. His house
is not large, nor his office of great importance ; for every thing
stirring drum," possesses all its excellencies, and is what a most
amiable female Quaker ought to be, render this (and I speak from
knowledge and gratitude) a most delicious abode. Below this house,
and close to the Falls, is a building erected by Mr. John Dickinson,
the celebrated author of the Farmer s Letters, for a select society of
friends, who held a weekly meeting there, before the war, during the
season for eating shad. Good humour, harmony, and good sense, are
said to have characterised these meetings, presided by this eminent
and amiable man, whose figure, countenance, and manners always re
minded me of the urbanity and virtues so characteristically portrayed
in the person of the lamented, great, good man, Lord Rockinpham.
Trans.
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 143
which is not in the power of the General of the army, depends
on each particular state, much more than on Congress ; but
he possesses what is preferable to all the departments in the
world, an amiable wife, [the Marquis might have added, very
beautiful] excellent health, a good voice, and great gaiety and
humour. We conversed some time together, and he spoke of
the American army with as much freedom as good sense. He
confessed that formerly their army knew no discipline, and he
insisted strongly on the obligations they owed to the Baron.de
Steuben, who performed the duties of Inspector -General.
Passing then to the eulogium of Messieurs de Fleury, du Por
tal, and all the French officers who had served in the late
campaigns, he observed, that those who offered their service
in the beginning, had not given a very advantageous idea of
their country. They were almost all furnished, however, with
letters of recommendation from the Governors or Command
ants of our colonies; in which they seem to me very repre
hensible. The weakness which prevents men from refusing a
letter of recommendation, or the desire of getting rid of a good
for nothing fellow, continually gets the better of justice and
good faith ; we deceive, we expose the reputation of our allies,
but we still more essentially, betray the interests of our coun
try, whose honour and character are thus shamefully prostituted.
I shall only speak of Mr. Price, with whom we drank tea
and spent the evening, to bear witness to the generosity of
this gallant man, who, born in Canada and always attached to
the French, lent two hundred thousand livres, hard money, to
M. de Corny, whom the court had sent with fifty thousand
livres only, to make provision for our army.
The 13th. I went with the Chevalier de la Luzerne, and the
French travellers, to dine with the Southern Delegates.*
* The Marquis de Chastellux seems unfortunately to have known
but little of the Southern Delegates, particularly those of South Caro
lina, whom, without any invidious comparison, he would have found
men of the greatest liberality and understanding: as firm in their
principles,, and as ready to hazard their lives in the defence of their
liberty, as the most zealous inhabitant of New-England ; they pos
sessed, in general, all the taste, urbanity, and enlightened knowledge
of polished Europe. In Mr. Ramsey, he would have found a cultivated
understanding, a persevering mind, and an active enthusiasm, founded
on a thorough knowledge of the cause he was engaged in, and the
most perfect conviction of its rectitude. In Mr. Izard, the fire and
zeal of a gentleman republican, filled with indignation at the violence
and excesses he had witnessed in the English government. In Mr.
Rutledge, a manly, principled determination to risk and suffer every
thing, rather than again submit to the yoke of Britain, with elegant
144 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. ,
Messieurs Sharp, Flowy,f and Maddison, were the nearest
to me ; I conversed a great deal with them, and was much
satisfied with their conversation. But I was still more so with
that I had in the afternoon at Mrs. Meredith s, General Cad-
wallader s daughter: this was the first time I had seen this
amiable family, although the Chevalier de la Luzerne was very
intimate with them; but they had only just arrived from the
country, where General Cadwallader was still detained by
business. It is this gentleman who had a duel with Mr. Chace,
formerly a Delegate for Maryland, and severely wounded him
in. the jaw with a pistol shot. Mrs. Meredith has three or four
sisters, or sisters-in-law. I was astonished at the freedom and
gaiety which reigned in this family, and regretted not having
known them sooner. I chattered more, particularly with Mrs.
Meredith, who appeared to me very amiable and well inform
ed. In the course of an hour we talked of literature, poetry,
romances, and above all, history; I found she knew that of
France very well ; the comparison between Francis I. and
Henry IV. between Turenne and Cond-:, Richelieu and Maza
rine, seemed familiar to her, and she made them with much
grace, wit and understanding. While I was talking with
Mrs. Meredith, Mr. Lynch had got possession of Miss Polly
Cadwallader, who had likewise made a conquest of him, inso
much that the Chevalier de la Luzerne was much entertained
at the enthusiasm with which this company had inspired us,
and the regret we expressed at not having become sooner ac-
ideas of the enjoyments of life, and all the domestic virtues. In Mr.
Arthur Middleton, the plainest manners, with the most refined taste ;
great reading, and knowledge of the world, concealed under the re
serve of the mildest, and most modest nature ; a complete philanthro
pist, but the firmest patriot ; cool, steady, and unmoved at the general
wreck of property and fortune, as far as he was personally concerned,
but with a heart melting for the suffering and woes of others. He
would have found him, in short, a model of private worth, and public
virtue, a good citizen, a good father, and an exemplary husband,
accomplished in the letters, in the sciences, and fine .arts, well
acquainted with the manners and the courts of Europe, from whence
he has transplanted to his country nothing but their embellishments
and virtues. I speak of him with enthusiasm, for he really excited rny
admiration. He had made a handsome collection of paintings when in
Italy, and on his travels, which were mutilated and destroyed by the
ruffian hands of the European savages, who took possession of his
house in Carolina. Trans.
t There must be an error in this name, but as the translator can
find no similitude between it and that of any of the Southern Dele
gates, he has inserted it literally. Trans.
TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA. 145
quainted with them. It must be acknowledged, with regard
to the ladies who compose it, that none of them are what may
be called handsome ; this mode of expression is, perhaps, a
little too circuitous for the American women, but if they have
wit enough to comprehend, and good sense enough to be flat
tered with it, their eulogium will be complete.
I know not how it happened, that since my arrival in Phila
delphia, I had not yet seen Mr. Payne, that author so celebra
ted in America, and throughout Europe, by his excellent work,
entitled Common Sense, and several other political pamphlets.
M. de la Fayette and I asked the permission of an interview
for the 14th in the morning, and we waited on him according
ly with Colonel Laurens. I discovered, at his apartments, all
the attributes of a man of letters ; a room pretty much in dis
order, dusty furniture, and a large table covered with books
lying open, and manuscripts begun. His person was in a cor
respondent dress, nor did his physiognomy belie the spirit that
reigns throughout his works. Our conversation was agreea
ble and animated, and such as to form a connexion between
us, for he has written to me since my departure, and seems de
sirous of maintaining a constant correspondence. His exist
ence at Philadelphia is similar to that of those political writers
in England, who have obtained nothing, and. have neither
credit enough in the state, nor sufficient political weight to
obtain a part in the affairs of government. Their works are
read with more curiosity than confidence, their projects being
regarded rather as the play of imagination, than as well con
certed plans, and sufficient in credit ever to produce any real
effect : theirs is always considered as the work of an individual,
and not that of a party ; information may be drawn from them,
but riot consequences ; accordingly we observe, that the influ
ence of these authors is more felt in the satirical, than in the
dogmatical style, as it is easier for them to decry other men s
opinions than to establish their own. This is more the case
with Mr. Payne than any body ; for having formerly held a
post in government, he has now no connexion with it ; and as
his patriotism and his talents are unquestionable, it is natural
to conclude that the vivacity of his imagination, and the inde
pendence of his character, render him more calculated for
reasoning on affairs, than for conducting them.* Another
* Mr. Payne has since written a very interesting pamphlet on the
finances of America, entitled the Crisis ; an answer to the history of
the American Revolution by the Abbe Raynal; and several other
works, which confirm the reputation he so justly acquired by his first
production. [The author is inaccurate in this particular, the ( r?V.v
10
140 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
literary man, as much respected, though less celebrated, ex
pected us at dinner ; this was Mr. Wilson, whom I have already
mentioned : his house and library are in the best order ; he
gave us an excellent dinner, and received us with a plain and
easy politeness. Mrs. Wilson did the honours of the table
with all possible attention ; but we were particularly sensible
to the mark of it she gave us, by retiring after the desert, for
then the dinner assumed an air of gaiety. Mr. Peters, the
minister at war, gave the signal of joy and liberty by favour
ing us with a song of his composition, so jolly, and so free, that
I shall dispense with giving either a translation, or an extract.
This was really a very excellent song. He then sung another
more chaste, and more musical ; a very fine Italian contabile.*
Mr. Peters is, unquestionably, the minister of the two worlds,
who has the best voice, and who sings the best, the pathetic
and the bouffon. I was told that the preceding year there were
some private concerts at Philadelphia, where he sung among
other pieces of comic operas, a burlesque part in a very pleasant
was a sort of periodical publication, many numbers of which had ap
peared previous even to the arrival of the French army in America,
and was adapted by Mr. Payne to every great house, or crisis of the
government, whether favourable, or unfavourable ; either to urge to
energy, and as a spur against supineness, or to give a countenance to
misfortune, and stimulate to fresh exertions ; the subject of finance
was only the occasional topic of one number of the Crisis, and so great
was the weight of this writer, whose situation was very different indeed
from that of an English pamphleteer, however ingenious the compari
son, that on great emergencies, where almost despondency might be
looked for, the whole continent waited with suspense for consolation
and council from Common Sense, his general appellation. His pro
ductions were instantly published in every town, of every state, (for
every town has a newspaper,) on grey, brown, yellow, and black, but
seldom on white paper, a very rare commodity ; the people took fresh
courage, and, " have you read the Crisis," was the specific against
every political apprehension. In short, never was a writer better cal
culated for the meridian under which he wrote, or who knew how to
adapt himself more happily to every circumstance. Considering the
wonderful effect of his pamphlet of Common Sense, known to every
man in America, and the universal ascendency he had justly acquired
over the minds of the people, it is impossible, in a general distribution
of cases, to appreciate the share Mr. Payne had in producing this mo
mentous revolution. It were the height of injustice, and ingratitude,
to rob him of that share of glory, which if not his only, is at least his
noblest recompense. Trans.
* So varied and universal are the talents of Mr. Peters, and he is
so excellent a companion, that it is not saying too much, to add, that
he would form the delight of any society in Europe. Trans.
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 147
trio, by himself, which he seasoned with all the humourous strokes
usual on such occasions, and afforded the highest amusement
to the company, so that this was not the time for saying, one
cannot lose a kingdom more gaily, but, it is impossible to be mo?v
gay informing a republic. After this, conclude from particulars
to generals, judge of whole nations by one specimen, and
establish principles without exceptions !
The assembly, or subscription ball, of which I must give an
account, may here be properly introduced. At Philadelphia,
as at London, Bath, Spa, &c. there are places appropriated
for the young people to dance in, and where those whom that
amusement does not suit, play at different games of cards;
but at Philadelphia, games of commerce are alone allowed.
A manager, or master of ceremonies presides at these metho
dical amusements : he presents to the gentlemen and ladies,
dancers, billets folded up containing each a number ; thus fate
decides the male or female partner for the whole evening. All
the dances are previously arranged, and the dancers are called
in their turns. These dances, like the toasts we drink at table,
have some relation to politics : one is called the success of the
campaign, another, the defeat of Burgoyne, and a third, Clinton^-
retreat. The managers are generally chosen from among the
most distinguished officers of the army ; this important place
is at present held by Colonel Wilkinson, who is also clothier
general of the army. Colonel Mitchell, a little fat, squat man,
fifty years old, a great judge of horses, and who was lately
contractor for carriages, both for the American and French
armies, was formerly the manager ; but when I saw him, he had
descended from the magistracy, and danced like a private citi
zen. He is said to have exercised his office with great seve
rity, and it is told of him, that a young lady who was figuring
in a country dance, having forgot her turn by conversing with
a friend, he came up to her, and called out aloud, " give over,
Miss, take care what you are about ; do you think you come
here for your pleasure . ? "
The assembly I went to on leaving Mr. Wilson, was the se
cond of the winter. I was apprised that it would be neither
numerous nor brilliant, for a.t Philadelphia, as at Paris, the best
company seldom go to the balls before Christmas. On enter
ing the room, however, I found twenty or five and twenty ladies
ready for dancing. It was whispered me, that having heard a
great deal of the Vicomte de Noailles, and the Comte de Da-
mas, they were come with the hopes of having them for part
ners ; but they were completely disappointed, those gentlemen
having set out that very morning. I should have been disap
pointed also, had I expected to see pretty women. There
were only two passable, one of whom, called Miss Footman,
148 TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA.
was rather contraband, that is to say, suspected of not being
a very good whig, for the tory ladies are publicly excluded
from this assembly. I was here presented to a ridiculous
enough personage, but who plays her part in the town; a Miss
Viny, celebrated for her coquetry, her wit, and her sarcastic
disposition : she is thirty, and does not seem on the point of
marriage. In the mean time she applies red, wh^te, blue, and
all possible colours, affects an extraordinary mode of dressing
her hair and person, and a staunch whig in every point, she
sets no bounds to her liberty.
I intended leaving Philadelphia the 15th, but the President,
of the State, who is also President of the Academy, was so
good as to invite me to a meeting of that body to be held that
day. It was the more difficult for me to refuse his invitation,
as it was proposed to elect me a foreign member. The meet
ings are held only once a fortnight, and the elections take place
but once a year : every candidate must be presented and re
commended by a member of the academy : after which recom
mendation his name is placed up during three succeeding sit
tings, in the hall of the academy, arid the election is at length
proceeded to by ballot. I had only heard of mine three days
before. It was unanimous, which very rarely happens,
M. de la Fayette himself, who was elected at the same
time, had one black ball against him, but it was thought
to have been an accident. Out of one and twenty candidates,
only seven were chosen, although the others had been strongly
recommended, and there were several vacancies.
As the sittings of the academy did not begin till seven in the
evening, I employed my morning in paying visits, after which
I dined at Mr. Holker s,* with the Chevalier de la Luzerne,
* Mr. ILolker, the son of the Chevalter Holker, died a few months
ago at Rouen, who being condemned to die for acting as an officer in
the Manchester regiment, in the rebellion of 1745, made his escape
from prison, and fled to France, where he was tempted by the govern
ment to establish the Manchester manufactory ; this he repeatedly re
fused, until, from the wretched policy of Mr. Pelham and other Min
isters to whom he represented the offers held out to him, with a re
quest of his pardon, he was driven to accept of the proposals of the
French court. England knows too well, at this hour, the success
with which his endeavours have been crowned. On the arrival of the
American commissioners in France, Mr. Holker was among the first,
and most zealous in his offers of every assistance in his power, and en
tered into the most intimate connexion with them. In 1777 his son
was sent to Paris to be near Dr. Franklin, and had many opportuni
ties of rendering essential- services. In 1778 he went out to America
with Monsieur Gerard, the first French Ambassador, in D Estaign s
squadron, as Consul General of France. He had not been long in the
TKAVELS IN NORTH- AM ERIC A. 149
M. de la Fayette, and all the French officers : from thence I
went to the academy accompanied by M. Marbois, a member
of that body, as well as M. de la Luzerne, who having other
business, excused himself from attending me, but left me in
very good hands. Mr. Marbois, unites to all political and
social qualities, a great deal of literature, and a perfect know
ledge of the English language. The assembly consisted of
only fourteen or fifteen persons ; the President of the college
performed the office of Secretary. A memoir was read on a
singular plant, a native of the country ; the Secretary then
gave an account of correspondence and read a letter, the ob
ject of which was, for the academy of Philadelphia to associate
with, or rather adopt several learned societies which are form
ing in each State. This project tended to make of this academy
country before he entered into very advantageous commercial specula
tions, jointly with his father s countryman, Mr. Robert Morris, and
by means of his situation as Consul, had many opportunities of ship
ping flour, &c. under permissions for the French fleet, in the time of a
general and strict embargo ; he speculated largely too in paper money,
with which he purchased, for almost nothing, a very handsome house
at Philadelphia, and an elegant country house, and estate a few miles
from that city. Mr. Holker displayed, during the whole war, a taste
and luxury hitherto strangers in America ; his house was the resort of
all the first people on the Continent, and after the arrival of the French
army, of all their officers of distinction. The French court, however,
on some representations of the Chevalier de la Luzerne, thought fit to
prohibit their Consuls from all private commerce, a wise regulation
universally established by them ; and Mr. Holker preferring the advan
tages of trade, to those of his office, resigned the latter, about the be
ginning of 1781, which for some time occasioned a coolness between
the Minister and him ; he had likewise a difference with Mr. Morris
on settling their accounts to a very large amount, which has detained
him in America, since the peace ; but, if I am rightly informed, it is
at length terminated. In 1777, 1 supped with Mr. Deane, then a strenu
ous friend to his country, on his return from Havre de Grace ; where
he told me, that on giving the usual toasts of " the Congress," &c.
after dinner, the old gentleman could not forbear reflecting on the
mutability of human affairs, and that he who was an exile, and had
nearly suffered death for his zealous attachment to the cause of arbi
trary monarchy, should now be as ardent in Jii^^is^^l&r^the success
of the most pure democracy that had ev^ylJ6^^rb^ojSfe(j/t^ human
understanding. And in fact this is morj^fitriking, as the hi^^trenu-
ous supporters of the American war wre found in Scotland ^nd his
native town of Manchester ; in the veryj seat, affa sj$jrpests>f rebellion
against liberty ; in the persons of the\ye/.y actors, in the attempt to
overthrow the English constitution, and c^ifhrdne the Brunswic
150 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA
a sort of literary congress, with which the particular legisla
tures should keep a correspondence, but it was not thought
proper to adopt this idea ; the members seeming to be afraid
of the trouble inseparable from all these adoptions, and the
academy not wishing to make the following lines of Racine s
Mtalie applicable to them :
D Ou lui viennent de tous cotes
Ces enfans qu en son seiu elle n a pas portes !
I returned as soon as possible to the Chevalier de la Lu-
zerne s, to have a still farther enjoyment of that society which
had constituted my happiness for the last fortnight : for it is
unquestionably a very great one, to live with a man whose
amiable and mild character never varies on any occasion ;
whose conversation is agreeable and instructive, and whose
easy and unaffected politeness is the genuine expression of the
best disposition. But however allowable it may be to declare
one s own sentiments, when dictated by justice and gratitude,
there is always a sort of personality in regarding public men
only as they respect their connexions with ourselves : it is to
the King s Minister, in America ; it is to a man who most ably
fills a most important post, that I owe my testimony and my
praises. I shall say, without fear of contradiction, that the
Chevalier de la Luzerne is so formed for the station he occu
pies, that one would be led to imagine no other could fill it
but himself; noble in his expenses, like the minister of a great
monarchy, but as plain in his manners as a republican, he is
equally proper to represent the King with Congress, or the
Congress with the King. He loves the Americans, and his
own inclination attaches him to the duties of his administra
tion ; he has accordingly obtained their confidence, both as a
private and a public man ; but in both these respects he is
equally inaccessible to the spirit of party, which reigns but
too much around him : whence it results, that he is anxiously
courted by all parties, and that, by espousing none, he manages
them all.
It was the 16th of December that I quitted the excellent
winter quarters I had with him, and turned my face towards
the north, to seek after the traces of General Gates and Gene
ral Burgoyne, amidst heaps of snow. I had sent forward my
horses to Bristol, where I was conveyed in a carriage which
the Chevalier de k Luzerne was so kind as to lend me. By
this means I arrived there time enough to reach Princeton
that night, but not before it was dark, leaving behind me some
of mv servants and horses.
CHAPTER IX.
PHILADELPHIA-PRINCETON-BASKENRIDGE-POMPTGN-NEW WIND
SOR POUGHKEEPSIE RHINEBECK CLAVERACK-KINDERHOOK,
THE detail of my daily occupations having prevented me
from giving a general idea of Philadelphia, I must, on quitting
it, take a retrospective view, and consider at once its present
state and the destiny which seems to await it. In observing
its geographical situation, we may readily admit that Penn
proceeded upon no erroneous idea, when he conceived his
plan of making it one day the capital of America. Two large
rivers,* which take their rise in the neighbourhood of Lake
Ontario, convey to it the riches of all the interior parts of the
country, and at length, by their jtfaotion considerably higher
up, form a magnificent port at this city. This port is at once
far enough from the sea to shelter it from every insult ; and so
near, as to render it as easy of access as if situated on the
shore of the ocean. The Schuylkill, which runs to the west of
Philadelphia, and nearly parallel with the Delaware, is rather
ornamental than useful to this city and its commerce. This
river, though wide and beautiful near its conflux, is not navi
gable for boats, on account of its shallow and rocky bed.
Philadelphia, placed between these two rivers, on a neck of
land only three miles broad, ought to fill up this space, but
commerce has given it another turn. The regular plan of
William Penn has been followed, but the buildings are along
the Delaware, for the convenience of being near the ware*
houses and shipping. Front-street, which is parallel with the
river, is near three miles long, out of which open upwards of
two hundred quays, forming so many views terminated by ves
sels of different sizes. f I could easily form an idea of the
* The two branches of the Delaware form two considerable rivers,
the sources of which are distant several miles from each other, but
they are only distinguished by the names of the Eastern and Western
Branches.
t The author has by no means given an adequate idea of Philadelphia,
which, however, has so often been described as to render it less neces
sary ; but as he names only one street extending along the river, it may
.
152 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
commerce of Philadelphia, from seeing above three hundred
vessels in the harbour, though the English had not left a single
bark in it in 1778. Two years tranquillity, and, above all, the
diversion made by our squadron at Rhode-Island, have sufficed
to collect this great number of vessels, the success of which in
privateering, as well as in trade, have filled the warehouses
with goods, insomuch that purchasers alone are wanting. The
wisdom of the legislative council, however, has not correspond
ed with the advantages lavished by nature. Pennsylvania is
very far from being the best governed of the United States.
Exposed, more than others, to the convulsions of credit, and
to the manoeuvres of speculation, the instability of the public
wealth has operated on the legislation itself. An attempt was
made to fix the value of the paper currency, but commodities
augmented in price, in proportion as money lost its value ; a
resolution was then taken to fix the price also of commodities,
which almost produced a famine. A more recent error of the
government, was the law prohibiting the exportation of corn.
The object they had in view, was on one hand to supply the
American army at a cheaper rate, and on the other, to put a.
stop to the contraband trade between Philadelphia and New-
York ; the ruin of the farmers and the state was the result,
as the latter could not obtain payment of the taxes. This law
is just repealed, so that I hope agriculture will resume its vi
gour, and commerce receive an increase. Corn sent to the
army will be something dearer, but there will be more money
be proper to observe, that parallel with Front-street, are second, third,
fourth,Jlfth, and sixth streets ; these are intersected at right angles by
Arch-street, State-street, and Market-street, &,c. &/c. the latter, which
is of a great breadth, and length, and cuts the centre of the city, would
be one of the finest streets in the world, were it not for the market
.situated in the middle of it ; but the upper part is occupied by the
houses of opulent citizens, and will in time become truly noble. It
may be added, that so far from the buildings following the river, they
are extended rapidly towards the common, where many new streets
were marked out and begun in 1782 ; and it may safely be predicted
that if the trade of Philadelphia continue to flourish, the plan of Wil
liam Penn will be accomplished, judging from the very rapid progress
of the past, at no very distant period, and the ground be covered with
perhaps, the noblest of modern cities, extending from the Delaware to
the Schuylkill. This will be accelerated too, by the sale of the com
mon, which was taken by the Assembly from the proprietor, Mr. John
Penn, at the beginning of the revolution, with the rest of the proprie
tary estate, in consideration of a certain sum, and disposed of in lot?
to the best bidders. Trans.
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 153
to pay for it ;. and should there be some smuggling with New-
York, English money will circulate among their enemies.*
It were greatly to be wished that paper might at length ob
tain an established credit, no matter what value ; for it signi
fies little: whether the price of a sheep be represented by one
hundred and fifty paper dollars, or two dollars in specie.
This depreciation of the paper is not felt in those places where
it remains the same ; but Philadelphia is, so to speak, the great
sink, wherein all the speculations of America terminate, and
are confounded together. Since the capture of Charleston,
many of the inhabitants of Carolina hastily sold their estates
and crops, and having been only paid in paper, they brought
this article with them to Philadelphia already overstocked with
it.f The quakers and tories, on the other hand, with which
* The votes of the House of Commons, and the account of Mes
sieurs Drummond and Harley, will show the immense sums, in Portu
gal and Spanish gold alone, sent to America ; these, as well as Eng
lish guineas, found their way, towards the middle period of the war,
in great abundance into the American part of the continent, where
they circulated in a variety of mutilated forms, the moidores, and six-
and-thirties, had all of them holes punched in them, or were otherwise
diminished at New- York, before they were suffered to pass the lines ;
from whence they obtained the name of Robertson? s^ in the rebel
country ; but. the profits, if any, of that commander, on this new
edition of the coin, remain a secret. In the country, almost all the
specie of every denomination was cut by individuals, and appeared
under the forms of half, quarter, and eighth parts, the latter of which
received the name of sharp shins ; by this arbitrary division of the
money, which was never weighed, great frauds were inevitable. -
Trans.
t The wonderful resources derived in the commencement from this
paper money, its extraordinary depreciation, and total disappearance
without producing any great shock, or convulsion in an infant country,
struggling with a complication of difficulties, will certainly form an
epocha in the general history of finances, as well as in that of this great
revolution. I saw hundreds of millions of paper dollars piled up, effa
ced, in the office of Congress at Philadelphia, which, never possessing
any real value, had served all the purposes of a difficult, and uncom
monly expensive war, and were now quietly laid aside, with scarce a
murmur on the part of the public ; the variety of the depreciation, at
different periods, and in different parts of the Continent, whilst it gave
rise to great temporary abuses, had been so divided, and balanced, by
alternate profit and loss among all classes of citizens, that on casting
up the account, some very unfortunate cases excepted, it seems to
have operated only as a general tax on the public ; and the universal
joy on its annihilation, with the satisfactory reflection on the necessity
under which if was issued in the critical moment of danger, seemed U
20
154 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
this province abounds, two classes of men equally dangerous,
one from their timidity, and the other from their bad inten
tions, are incessantly labouring to secure their fortune ; they
lavish the paper for a little gold or silver, to enable them to
remove wherever they may think themselves in safety ; from
these reasons, the paper money is more and more decried, not
only because it is too* common, but because gold and silver are
extremely scarce, and difficult to be obtained.
In the midst of these convulsions the government is without
force, nor can it be otherwise. A popular government can
never have any, whilst the people are unsteady and fluctuating
in their opinions ; for then the leaders rather seek to please,
than serve them ; obliged to gain their confidence before they
merit it. they are more inclined to flatter, than instruct them,
and fearing to lose the favour they have acquired, they finish
by becoming the slaves of the multitude whom they pretended
to govern. Mr. Franklin has been blamed for giving too de-
mocratical a government to his country, but they who censure
him do not reflect that the first step was to make her renounce
monarchical government, and that it was necessary to employ a
sort of seduction in order to conduct a timid and avaricious
people to independence, who were besides so divided in their
opinions, that the republican party was scarcely stronger than
the other. Under these circumstances he acted like Solon ; he
has not given the best possible laws to Pennsylvania, but the
best of which the country was susceptible. Time will produce
perfection ; in pleading to recover an estate, the first object is
to obtain possession, the rest follows of course.*
conciliate all minds, to a total oblivion of its partial mischief. Here
and there great fortunes are to be seen, reared upon its now visionary
basis, and families reduced from opulence to mediocrity by means of
this destructive medium, but these instances are by no means so fre
quent as they have been represented in Europe, and were often the
result of ill judged, but avaricious speculations ; but I repeat it, that
the continued use, the general circulation, the astonishing deprecia
tion, and total destruction of such an immense imaginary property,
will always exhibit a phcenomenon infinitely more striking, than that a
few, or even a great number of individuals should have suffered, as
must always be the case in every civil commotion. The fact is unpa
ralleled, and will probably stand single in the annals of the world.
Trans.
* The author might have added in corroboration of his argument,
that the constitution of Pennsylvania is, for this reason, only a consti
tution of experiment, from seven years to seven years, in which it is ex
pressly reserved to a Council of Censors, to revise the past operations
of government, to judge of the effects produced from it as then consti-
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA l&i
Philadelphia contains about forty thousand inhabitants. The
streets are large and regular, and intersect each other at right
angles. There are footways here, as in London for the pas
sengers. This city has every useful establishment, such as
hospitals, workhouses, houses of correction, &c. but it is so de
ficient in an essential article of comfort and enjoyment, that
there is not a single public walk.* The reason of this is, that
hitherto every thing concerning the police, and particular
government of the city has been in the hands of the quakers,
and these sectaries consider every species of private or public
amusement as a transgression of their law, and as a pomp of Sa
tan. Fortunately, the little zeal, (to say no more) they have
displayed on the present crisis, has made them lose their credit.
This revolution comes very opportunely, at a time when the
public has derived every benefit from them they could expect ;
the walls of the house are finished, it is time to call in the car
penters and upholsterers.
It is time also for me to return to Princeton, to continue my
journey to Albany, by New-Windsor, General Washington s
head-quarters. I intended setting out early on the 17th; it
was necessary, in fact, to be alert, that I might reach Morris-
town, but my baggage horse not being able to pass the Dela
ware, at the same time with myself, I left one of my people to
wait for, and conduct him. It so happened that neither the
servant I was waiting for, nor the other arrived. One of the
servants was an Irishman, the other a German, both newly en
tered into my service. As soon as I saw the morning of the
17th approach, without their Peking their appearance, the
neighbourhood of New-Yori began to give me some uneasi-
tuted, and to call a general convention of the people, for the purpose of
amending the deficient parts and of correcting its exuberancies and
vices. It is a glorious experiment, worthy the philanthropic heart, and
the enlightened understanding of DOCTOR FRANKLIN, Quod felix,
faustumque sit ! Trans.
* The city of Philadelphia is not only at present destitute of public
walks, but, in summer, the heat renders walking in the streets intole
rably inconvenient ; the houses and footpaths being generally of brick,
are not even cooled until some hours after sunset. This extreme
heat, and the abundance of excellent water, with which Philadelphia
is supplied, occasion many accidents among the lower class of people,
for it is no uncommon thing to see a labourer after quenching his
thirst at a pump, drop down dead upon the spot, nor can the nume
rous examples of this kind every summer, prevent them from fre
quently occurring ; but it is to be observed, that if the heat be in
tense, the water is uncommonly cold. Trans,
15G TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
ness. I was apprehensive they might have taken that road
with my little baggage, and I was already making dispositions
to pursue them, when, to my great satisfaction, I saw the head
of my baggage column appear, that is, one of the three horses
which were left behind, the remainder following soon after.*
* After Sir Guy Carleton s arrival at New- York with the vote of
Parliament to discontinue offensive war, the translator, who was tra
velling to the northward, and meant to call on General Washington,
then in camp at Verplank s-Point, on the North River, thought he
might with safety take the lower road by Brunswick and Elizabeth-
town, but he had not been an hour in bed, before he and his compa
nion, a surgeon in the American army, were alarmed by a scattering
fire of musketry. Before they had time to dress themselves, and take
their pistols, the landlord entered their apartment, and informed them,
that a party from Staten-Island was marching towards the town, and
advised them to make their escape ; with much difficulty they got
their horses out of the stable, hid their baggage in the church-yard,
and hearing the English officer order his men to form at the end of
the town, they took different roads, leaving their servants, who were,
one a Scotch prisoner to the Americans, the other an English deserter,
and whose conduct appeared very suspicious, to take care of them
selves, and the horses they rode on. The translator, who followed
the great road to Newark, was mounted on a white horse, which
made him a good object, and had several shot fired at him, but the
ground rising, and his horse going at full gallop, the balls luckily fell
short. After endeavouring to rouse the country, but without being
able to collect a sufficient foi?, e , he took shelter at an honest carpen
ter s, about a mile from the town, where he remained till a little be
fore daybreak, when concluding from the general silence, that the
party had retired, he returned, and went to search for his baggage in
the church-yard, for which, however, he sought in vain, and his anx
iety was not a little increased on not finding his other horse in the
stable, nor seeing either of the servants. But from which he was
soon relieved by his friend, who had watched the first, moment of the
enemy s departure, ordered the baggage up into his room, aid assured
him that the servants had conducted themselves with the greatest
fidelity. His alarm was, it seems, much greater than that of the
translator, as General Washington had declared publicly in orders,
that any officer of his army, taken near the lines, unless on duty,
should be the last exchanged. The translator imagines the party to
have been Refugees from Staten-Island, who, from their separate insti
tution, under the direction of a Board, not unfrequently set at defi
ance the orders of the Commander-in-Chief ; a remarkable instance
of which occurred in the case of Captain Huddy, whom they obtain
ed, under false pretences, from the guard-house, where he was a pri
soner, and murdered without either scruple or apprehension. All
Europe knows the consequence, in the imminent danger of Captain
Asritt; and all America saw with shame and indignation the English
TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA, 157
To pass the time, however, I entered into conversation with
my landlord, Colonel Howard, who is a very good man, and
with his son the Captain, a great talker, and genuine Capitan.
He recounted to me with many gestures, oaths and impreca
tions, all his feats of prowess in the war ; especially at the af
fair of Princeton, where he served as a lieutenant of militia
in his father s regiment ; and indeed the action he boasted of
would have merited an eulogium, had he related it with simpli
city. We may recollect that after beating the English, Ge
neral Washington continued his route towards Middlebrook.
An American officer, who had his leg broke by a musket ball,
was dragged into a house, where the English sooner or later
must have found him : young Howard, and some soldiers as
well disposed as himself, set out at night from Middlebrook,
took a circuitous road, arrived at the house, found the officer,
took him on their shoulders and carried him to their quarters.
During the remainder of the winter, the Jersey militia were
constantly under arms to restrain the English, who occupied
Elizabethtown and Brunswick. It was a sort of continual
chace, to which Lieutenant Howard one day led his little bro
ther, a boy of fifteen, and who was lucky enough to begin his
career by killing a Hessian grenadier ; as these stories were
very tedious, I shall drop them here, for fear of not improving
on the narration : I must mention however, the manner in which
my Capitan entered into the service, as it will serve to discover
the spirit which reigned in America at the beginning of the
present revolution. He was an apprentice to a hatter at the
time of the affair of Lexington, and the blockade of Boston ;
three of his companions and himself set out one morning from
Philadelphia with four dollars among them in their pockets :
they travelled four hundred miles on foot to join the army, in
which they served as volunteers the remainder of the cam
paign ; from thence they set out with Arnold on his expedition
to Canada, and did not return home until the theatre of war
was removed into their own country.
Eleven o clock had struck before I could rally the horses in
my train, and begin my march ; I abandoned therefore the
plan of sleeping at Morristown, and determined to stop at
Baskenridge, eight miles nearer Princeton. I first left the
Millstone on the right, then crossed it twice before I reached
the Rariton, which I passed at the same place ; as in my jour
ney to Philadelphia. Three miles from thence I was told to
general unable to enforce discipline in his own army, and shrinking
under the apprehensions of irritating Governor Franklin, and his err-
venomed board of Loyalists. Trans.
1& TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA
take a road to the right, which leads into the woods, and over
the summit of the hills ; this route was opened for the army,
during the winter quarters of 1778 9; it appears to have
been made with care, and is still passable ; but after some
time, daylight failing me, I lost myself, and went a mile or two
out of my way. Luckily for me, I found a hut inhabited by
some new settlers; there I got a guide who conducted me to
Baskenridge, where I arrived at seven o clock, and alighted at
Bullion s Tavern, got tolerable lodgings, with the best people
in the world. Our supper was very good : bread only was
wanting ; but, inquiring of us what sort we liked, in an hour s
time we had such as we desired. This will appear less extra
ordinary, on being told that in America, little cakes, which are
easily kneaded and baked in half an hour, are often substituted
for bread. Possibly one would soon tire of them, but they
suited my taste extremely well. Mr. Bullion had two white
servants, one a man about fifty, the other a woman, younger,
with a tolerable good face : I had the curiosity to inquire what
wages he gave them, and was told that the man earned half a
crown a day and the woman six shillings a week, or ten pence
a day. If we pay attention to the circumstance, that these
servants are lodged and fed, and have no expenses, we may
see that it is easy for them very shortly to acquire a piece of
ground, and to form such a settlement as I have described.
The 18th I set out at eight in the morning, and made only
one stage to Pompton ; which is six and thirty miles, without
baiting my horses or stopping, except for a quarter of an hour
to pay a visit to General Wayne, whose quarters were on the
main road. He was posted to cover the Jerseys, and had under
his orders the same Pennsylvania line which revolted a fort
night after. I again saw with pleasure the environs of Morris-
town, which are agreeable and well cultivated ; but after
passing the Rockaway, and approaching Pompton, I was as
tonished at the degree of perfection to which agriculture is
carried, and particularly admired the farms of Messit urs Man-
deville. They are the sons of a Dutchman, who first cleared
the ground from which they now reap such rich harvests.
Their domains join each other. In each of them the manor is
very simple and small, the barns alone are lofty and spacious.
Always faithful to their national economy, they cultivate, reap,
and sell, without augmenting either their houses or their enjoy
ments ; content with living in a corner of their farm, and with
being only the spectators of their own wealth. By the side of
these old farms we see new settlements forming, and have more
and more reason to be convinced, that if the war has retarded
the progress of agriculture and population, it has not entirely
suspended them. The night, which surprised me on my jour-
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 159
uey, deprived me of the beautiful prospect this country would
have continued to afford. Being very dark, it was not without
difficulty I passed two or three rivulets, on very small bridges,
and got to Courtheath s Tavern. This inn is lately established,
and kept by young people without fortune, consequently the
best parts of the furniture are the owner and his family. Mr.
Courtheath is a young man of four and twenty, who was former
ly a travelling dealer in stuffs, toys, &c. The depreciation of
paper money, or perhaps his own imprudence so far ruined him
as to oblige him to leave his house at Morristown, and set up a
tavern in this out of the way place, where nothing but the
neighbourhood of the army can procure him a few customers.
He has two handsome sisters, well dressed girls, who wait on
travellers with grace and coquetry. Their brother says, he
will marry them to some fat clumsy Dutchmen, and that as for
himself, as soon as he has got a little money, he shall resume his
commerce, and travel about as formerly. On entering the par
lour, where these young women sit, when there are no stran
gers, I found on a great table, Milton, Mdison, Richardson,
and several other works of that kind. The cellar was not so
well stored as the library, for there was -/neither wine, cider,
nor rum ; nothing in start but some vile cider-brandy, with
which I must make grog. The bill they presented me the
next morning amounted nevertheless to sixteen dollars.* I ob-
* Travelling in America was wonderfully expensive during the war,
even after the abolition of paper money, and when all payments were
made in specie ; you could not remain at an inn, even the most indif
ferent, one night, with a servant and two horses, living in the most
moderate way, under from five to eight dollars. At Grant s Tavern
at Baltimore, where the translator staid some days, with only one
horse and no servant, though he either dined or supped out every day,
he never escaped for less than five dollars. I cannot here avoid
relating the pleasant manner in which one Bell, a shrewd Scotch book
seller and auctioneer of Philadelphia, paid his bills in travelling
through the country. I had given him at Irish copy of Sheridan s
School for Scandal, with the prologue and epilogue taken from Dods-
ley s Annual Register, which he reprinted and sold for a dollar. In
travelling through Virginia some months after, I was surprised to see
in many of the inns, even in the most remote parts of the country, this
celebrated comedy ; and, upon inquiry, found that Mr. Bell, who tra
velled with his family in a covered cart, had passed in his way to the
Springs, (the Harrowgate, or Matlock of America) and successfully
circulated in payment this new species of paper currency ; for, as he
observed, " Who would not prefer Sheridan s Sterling, to the coun
terfeit creations of Congress, or even of Robert Morris ?" Nor was
any depreciation attempted, where the intrinsic value was so unequivo
cally stamped with the character of wit and freedom. TVwtt*.
ICU TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA.
served to Mr. Courtheath, that if he made one pay for being
waited on by his pretty sisters, it was by much too little ; but
if only for lodgings and supper, it was a great deal. He seem
ed a little ashamed at having charged too high, and offered to
make a pretty considerable abatement, which I refused, con
tent with having shewn him, that though a foreigner, I was no
stranger to the price of articles, and satisfied with the excuse
he made me, that being himself a stranger and without proper
ty in the country, he was obliged to purchase every thing. I
learnt, on this occasion, that he hired the inn he kept, as well
as a large barn which served for his stable, and a garden of two
or three acres, for eighty-four bushels of corn a year : in fact,
the depreciation of paper has compelled people to this manner
of making bargains, which is perhaps the best of all, but is
unquestionably an effectual remedy to the present disorder.
At eight o clock I took leave of my landlord and young
landladies, to penetrate through the woods by a road with
which nobody was very well acquainted. The country I was
to pass through, called the Clove, is extremely wild, and was
scarcely known before the war : it is a sort of valley, or gorge,
situated to the westward of the high mountains between New-
Windsor and King s ferry, and at the foot of which are West-
Point and Stony-Point, and the principal forts which defend
the river. In times when the river is not navigable, on account of
ice, or contrary winds, it is necessary to have communication by
land between the states of New- York and the Jerseys, between
New-Windsor and Morristown. This communication traversing
the Clove when General Green was Q-uarter-Master-General, he
opened a road for the convoys of provisions and the artillery.
This was the road I took, leaving on my right the Romopog road,
and ascending by that which comes from Ring wood. Ring-
wood is only a hamlet of seven or eight houses, formed by
Mrs. Erskine s manor and the forges, which are profitable
to her. I had been told that I should find there all sorts of
conveniences, whether in point of lodgings, if I chose to stop,
or in procuring every information I might stand in need of.
As it was early in the day, and I had travelled but twelve
miles, I alighted at Mrs. Erskine s, only to desire her to point
out to me some inn where I might sleep, or to recommend me
to some hospitable quarters. I entered a very handsome house
where every body was in mourning, Mr. Erskine being dead
two months before. Mrs. Erskine, his widow, is about forty, and
did not appear the less fresh or tranquil for her misfortune. She
had with her one of her nephews, and Mr. John Fell, a mem
ber of Congress. They gave me all the necessary information ,
and after drinking a glass of Madeira, according to the custom
of the country, which will not allow you to leave a house with-
TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA. Itil
out tasting something, I got on horseback, and penetrated
afresh into the woods, mounting and descending very high
mountains, until I found myself on the borders of a lake, so
solitary and concealed, that it is only visible through the trees
with which it is surrounded. The declivities which form its
banks are so steep, that if a deer made a false step on the top
of the mountain, he would infallibly roll into the lake, without
being able to rise up. This lake which is not marked upon
the charts, and is called Duck Sider, is about three miles long
and two wide. I was now in the wildest and most desert coun
try I had yet passed through ; my imagination was already en
joying this solitude, and my eyes were searching through the
woods for some extraordinary animals, such as elks or caribous
(supposed to be the same as the reindeer) when I perceived,
in an open spot, a quadruped which seemed very large. I
started with joy, and was advancing slowly, but on a nearer
observation of the monster of the desert, to my great regret I
discovered it to be a horse peaceably browsing the grass ; and
the opening, no other than a field belonging to a new settle
ment. On advancing a few steps farther, I met two children
of eight or ten years old, returning quietly from school carry
ing under their arms a little basket, and a large book. Thus
was I obliged to lay aside all the ideas of a poet or a sports
man, to admire this new country, where one cannot travel four
miles without finding a dwelling, nor find one which is not,
within reach of every possible succour, as well in the natu
ral as in the moral order. These reflections, and the fine
weather we had all the afternoon, made the end of my day s
journey very agreeable. At the beginning of the night, 1 ar
rived at the house of Mr. Smith, who formerly kept an inn,
though at present he lodges only his friends ; but as I had not
the honour to be of that number, I was obliged to go a little
farther, to Hern s tavern, a very indifferent house, where I
supped and slept. I left it the 19th, as early as possible;
having still twelve miles to New-Windsor, and intending to
stay only one night, I was anxious to pass at least the greatest
part of the day with General Washington. I met him two
miles from New-Windsor ; he was in his carriage with Mrs.
Washington, going on a visit to Mrs. Knox, whose quarters
were a mile farther on, near the artillery barracks. They wish
ed to return with me, but I begged them to continue their
way. The general gave me one of his aid-de-camps, (Colo
nel Humphreys*) to conduct me to his house, assured me that
* He is at present secretary of the embassy to the court of France.
This brave and excellent soldier is at the same time a poet of <jrrM
21
162 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
he should not be long in joining me, and he returned accord
ingly in half an hour. I saw him again with the same plea
sure, but with a different sentiment from what he had inspired
me with at our first interview. I felt that internal satisfaction,
in which self-love has some share, but which we always expe
rience in finding ourselves in an intimacy already formed, in
real society with a man we have long admired without being
able to approach him. It then seems as if this great man
more peculiarly belongs to us than to the rest of mankind ;
heretofore we desired to see him ; henceforth, so to speak, we
exhibit him ; we knew him, we are better acquainted with him
than others, have the same advantage over them, that a man
having read a book through, has in conversation over him who
is only at the beginning.
The General insisted on my lodging with him, though his
house was much less than that he had at Prakness. Several
officers, whom I had not seen at the army, came to dine with
us. The principal of whom were Colonel Malcomb, a native
of Scotland, but settled in America, where he has served with
distinction in the continental army ; he has since retired to
his estate, and is now only a militia Colonel ; Colonel Smith,*
talents : he is the author of a poem addressed to the American army,
a work recently known in England, where, in spite of the national
jealousy, and the affectation of depreciating every thing American, it
has had such success, as to have been several times publicly read in
the manner of the ancients. [The Marquis de Chastellux may be as
sured that it is not by that part of the English nation who are " jea
lous of America, and who affect to depreciate every thing American,"
that the poem of Colonel Humphreys is admired, it is by that nume
rous and enlightened class of free spirits, who have always supported,
and wished prosperity to the glorious struggle of America, who re
joiced at her success, and who look forward with hope and pleasure
to her rising greatness. Trans.]
* The author having since been very intimate with Colonel Smith,
can take it upon himself to assert, that this young man is not only a
very good soldier, but an excellent scholar. The manner of his enter
ing into the service merits relation : he was designed for the profess
ion of the law, and was finishing his studies at New- York, when the
American army assembled there after the unfortunate affair of Long-
Island. He immediately resolved to take arms in defence of his coun
try, but his parents disapproving of this step, he enlisted as a common
soldier, without making himself known, or pretending to any superior
rank. Being one day on duty at the door of a General officer, he was
discovered by a friend of his family, who spoke of him to that General
officer. He was immediately invited to dinner ; but he answered that
he could not quit his duty ; his corporal was sent for to relieve him.
TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA. 1(>3
an officer highly spoken of, and who commanded a battalion of
light infantry under M. de la Fayette ; Colonel Humphreys,
the General s aid-de-camp, and several others, whose names
I have forgot, but who had all the best ton, and the easiest de
portment. The dinner was excellent ; tea succeeded dinner,
and conversation succeeded tea, and lasted till supper. The
war was frequently the subject : on asking the General which
of our professional books he read with the most pleasure ; he
told me, the King of Prussia s Instructions to his Generals, and
the Tactics of M. de Guibert ; from whence I concluded that
he knew as well how to select his authors as to profit by them.
I should have been very happy to accept of his pressing in
vitation to pass a few days with him, had I not made a solemn
promise, at Philadelphia, to the Vicomte de Noailles, and his
travelling companions, to arrive four and twenty hours after
them if they stopped there, or at Albany, if they went straight
on. We were desirous of seeing Stillwater and Saratoga, and
it would have been no easy matter for us to have acquired a just
knowledge of that country had we not been together, because,
we reckoned upon General Schuyler, who could not be expect
ed to make two journies to gratify our curiosity. I was thus
far faithful to my engagement, for I arrived at New-Windsor
the same day that they left Cress Point ; I hoped to overtake;
them at Albany, and General Washington finding that he could
not retain me, WAS pleased himself to conduct me in his barge
to the other side of the river. We got on shore at Fishkill
Landing Place, to gain the eastern road, preferred by travel
lers to the western. I now quitted the General, but he insist
ed that Colonel Smith should accompany me as far as Pough-
keepsie. The road to this town passes pretty near Fishkill,
which we leave on the right, from thence we travel on the:
heights, where there is a beautiful and extensive prospect, and
traversing a township, called Middlebrook, arrive at the creek,
and at Wapping Fall. There I halted a few minutes to con
sider, under different points of view, the charming landscape
formed by this river, as well from its cascade, which is roaring
and picturesque, as from the groups of trees and rocks, which
and he returned to his post after dinner. A few days only elapsed .be
fore that General officer, charmed with his zeal, made him his aid-de
camp. In 1780, he commanded a battalion of light infantry, and the
year following was made aid-de-camp to General Washington, with
whom he remained until the peace. [He is now Secretary to the
Embassy to the court of Great Britain, and has lately married the
daughter of his Excellency John Adams, Minister Plenipotentiary to
that court. Trans.]
104 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
combined with a number of saw mills and furnaces, compose
the most capricious and romantic prospect.
It was only half past three when I got to Poughkeepsie,
where I intended sleeping ; but finding that the sessions were
then holding and that all the taverns were full, I took advan
tage of the little remaining day to reach a tavern I was told of
at three miles distance. Colonel Smith who had business at
Poughkeepsie remained there, and 1 was very happy to find
myself in the evening with nobody but my two aids-de-camp.
It was, in fact, a new enjoyment for us to be left to ourselves,
at perfect liberty to give mutual, accounts of the impression
left on our minds by so many different objects. I only regret
ted not having seen Governor Clinton, for whom I had letters
of recommendation. He is a man who governs with the utmost
vigour and firmness, and is inexorable to the tories, whom he
makes tremble, though they are very numerous : he has had
the address to maintain in its duty this province, one extremity
of which borders on Canada, the other on the city of New-
York. He was then at Poughkeepsie, but taken up with the
business of the sessions : besides, Saratoga, and Burgoyne s
different fields of battle, being henceforth the sole object of
my journey, I was wishing to get forward for fear of being hin
dered by the snow, and of the roads becoming impassable. On
my arrival at Pride s tavern, I asked a number of questions of
my landlord respecting the appearance he thought there was
of a continuance or a change of weather, and perceiving that
he was a good farmer, I interrogated him on the subject of
agriculture, and drew the following details from him. The
land is very fertile in Duchess County, of which Poughkeepsie
is the capital, as well as in the state of New-York, but it is
commonly left fallow one year out of two or three, less from ne
cessity than from their being more land than they can cultivate.
A bushel of wheat at most is sown upon an acre, which ren
ders twenty, and five and twenty for one. Some farmers sow
oats on the land that has borne wheat the preceding year, but
this grain in general is reserved for lands newly turned up :*
flax is also a considerable object of cultivation : the land is
ploughed with horses, two or three to a plough ; sometimes
* Flax has become a very great and profitable article of cultivation
in the Middle and Eastern states, the principal cultivators are settlers
from the north of Ireland, who know the value of it in their own coun
try. In Massachusetts, there is a very considerable and flourishing
settlement, called Londonderry, peopled entirely by emigrants from
that city, where they apply themselves particularly to the growth of
flax. Trans.
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. H>a
even a greater number when on new land, or that which has
long lain fallow. Mr. Pride, while he was giving me these de
tails, always flattered me with the hopes of fine weather the
next day. I went to rest, highly satisfied with him and his
prognostics ; in the morning, however, when I awakened, I saw
the ground already entirely white, and snow, which continued
to fall in abundance, mixed with hail and ice. There was no
thing to be done under such circumstances, but to continue my
journey, as if it was fine weather, only taking a little better
breakfast than I should otherwise have done. But I regretted
most that the snow, or rather small hail that drove against my
eyes, prevented me from seeing the country ; which, as far as
I could judge, is beautiful and well cultivated. After travelling
about ten miles, I traversed the township of Strasbourg, called
by the inhabitants of the country, Strattsborough. This town
ship is five or six miles long, yet the houses are not far from
each other. As I was remarking one which was rather hand
some, the owner came to the door, doubtless from curiosity, and
asked me, in French, if I woulcL alight, and step in and dine
with him. Nothing can be more seducing in bad weather,
than such a proposal ; but on the other hand, nothing is more
cruel, when one has once got under shelter, than to quit the
fire-side, a second time to expose oneself to frost and snow.
I refused therefore the dinner offered me by this gallant man.
but not the questions he put to me. I asked him, in my turn,
whether he had not seen some French officers pass, meaning
the Vicomte de Noailles, the Comte de Damos, and the Cheva
lier de Mauduit, who, as they had three or four servants, and
six or seven horses, might have been remarked on the road.
My Dutchman, for I have since learnt that his name is Le Roy,*
a Dutch merchant^ born in Europe, and acquainted with France,
where he lived some time ; my Dutchman, replied like a man
who knew France, and who speaks French ; " Sir, it is very
true that the Prince de Conti passed by here yesterday evening,
with two officers, in their way to Albany." I could not disco
ver whether it was to the Vicomte de Noailles, or to the Comte
de Damos, that I ought to do homage for his principality ; but
* The translator had the pleasure of being well acquainted with one
of the sons of Mr. Le Roy, a most amiable young man, whom he
knew at Amsterdam, when residing with his aunt Madame Chabanel.
the widow of a rich merchant, who did a great deal of business with
America previous to the war. He saw him afterwards at Philadelphia
and Boston, and has only to regret, that his affairs rendered it impossi
ble to accept of a kind invitation to pay him a visit at Strattsborough.
Mrs. Chabanel s house, at Amsterdam, was open to all the Americans
in Holland during the war. Trans.
,
166 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
as they are both my relations, I answered with strict truth, that,
my cousin having gone on before, I was very glad to know at
what hour they passed, and when I should be able to join them ;
so that if Mr. Le Roy, as no doubt he did, consulted his alma
nack, he will have set me down for the Duke of Orleans, or the
Duke of Chartres ; which was the more probable as I had nine
horses with me, whilst the Prince de Conti, being farther re
moved from the crown, had only seven.
You scarcely get out of Strasbourgh, before you enter the
township of Rhynbeck. It is unnecessary to observe, that all
these names discover a German origin. At Rhynbeck, nobody
came out to ask me to dinner. But this snow mixed with hail
was so cold, and I was so fatigued with keeping my horse
from slipping, that I should have stopped here even without
being invited by the handsome appearance of the inn called
Thomas Inn. It was no more, however, than half past two ;
but as I had already come three and twenty miles, the house
was good, the fire well lighted, my host a tall good looking
man, a sportsman, a horse dealer, and disposed to chat, I de
termined, according to the English phrase, to spend the rest of
my day there. The following is all I got interesting from Mr.
Thomas. In time of peace, he carried on a great trade of
horses, which he purchased in Canada, and sent to New- York,
there to be shipped for the West-Indies. It is incredible with
what facility this trade is carried on in winter ; he assured me
that he once went to Montreal, and brought back with him,
in a fortnight seventy-five horses which he bought there. This
is effected by travelling in a right line, traversing Lake George
upon ice and the snow, the desert between that Lake and
Montreal. The Canadian horses easily travel eighteen or
twenty .hours a day, and three or four men, mounted, are suf
ficient to drive one hundred before them. " It was I," added
Mr. Thomas, " who made, or rather who repaired the fortune
of that rogue, Arnold. He had conducted his affairs ill, in the
little trade he carried on at New-Haven ;* I persuaded him to
* Arnold was brought up to the business of an apothecary, being
taken from his mother, out of charity, by Doctor Lothrop of Norwich
in Connecticut, who was at once a physician, surgeon, apothecary,
merchant, and shopkeeper, as is usual in America ; after his appren
ticeship expired, his master gave him 500Z. and letters of recommen
dation to his correspondents in London, by which means he obtained
credit for some thousands, and returning to Connecticut, settled at
New-Haven, set up an equipage, with ten horses, a carriage, and a
number of servants, failed in two years, and was thrown into jail, whero
he remained till released by a bankrupt act passed the Assembly. He
then seduced, and afterwards married the daughter of Mr. Mansfield .
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA, 167
purchase horses in Canada, and to go himself and sell them at
Jamaica. This speculation alone was sufficient to pay his debts,
and set him once more afloat." After talking of trade, we got
High Sheriff of New-Haven, much against the will of the latter ; who
at length, became reconciled to him, and employed him as a supercar
go to the West-Indies, where he usually went in the spring, and re
turned in the autumn with molasses, rum, and sugar. In winter, he
went among the Dutch towards the head of Hudson s River, and into
Canada, with various sorts of woollen ^oods, such as stockings, caps,
mittens, &c. &c. and also cheese, which sold to great profit in Cana
da. These articles he either exchanged for horses, or purchased them
with the money arising from his sales. With these horses, which ge
nerally made a part of a Connecticut cargo, together with poultry,
corn, and fish, he went to the islands, whilst his father-in-law was sell
ing the rum, molasses and sugars of the last voyage, and collecting
woollens for Arnold s next winter trip to Canada. It was in these
voyages that Arnold became an expert seaman, which qualified him
for the command of the fleet on the lakes, where he behaved with his
usual gallantry against a much superior enemy. The translator had
an opportunity, during his residence at Porto Rico during the war, of
seeing several of these Connecticut sloops make very advantageous
sales of their little cargoes. After disembarking their horses, they
ran their vessels up to the quay, and converted them into retail shops,
where they dealt out their onions, potatoes, salt fish, and apples, (an
article which brought a very high price,) in the smallest quantities, for
which they received hard dollars, although it is a fact, that specie was
uncommonly scarce in this Spanish island, almost all the intercourse
being carried on in paper dollars, whilst the French part of the neigh
bouring island of Hispaniola was full of Spanish money, and the French
fleet and army were paid in dollars from the Havana. The transla
tor hopes that he shall here be pardoned a digression on the subject of
this charming island, which in the hands of any other nation would
certainly become one of the most valuable possessions in the Ameri
can Archipelago. Its central situation between the windward and
leeward islands, its capacious harbour, the number of springs and
rivers with which it is watered, (the latter abounding with fish,) the
excellence of its soil, the greatest part of which is nearly in a virgin
state, the strong position of the peninsula of St. John, are advantages,
which if in the possession of a great active maritime power, such as
France or England, can scarcely be appreciated. In the possession
of Spain, it is at most but a negative advantage ; for I am well assured
that the king only receives the inconsiderable revenue of 100,000 pias
ters, from this island, whilst he expended, in the course of the late war,
no less than eight millions on the fortifications, which I had the very
singular favour to visit, accompanied by the first engineer, and the
strength of which is now deemed not less formidable than those of fort
Moro, and the Havana. Nor could England, with her then force in
the West-Indies, have attacked this island with any prospect of sue-
1U8 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
to agriculture : he told me, that in the neighbourhood of Rhyn-
beck, the land was uncommonly fruitful, and that for a bushel
of sown wheat, he reaped from thirty to forty. The corn is so
abundant that they do not take the trouble of cutting it with a
sickle, but mow it like hay. Some dogs of a beautiful kind
moving about the house, awakened my passion for the chase ;
on asking Mr. Thomas what use he made of them, he told me,
that they were only for hunting the fox ; that deer, stags, and
bears, were pretty common in the country, but they seldom
killed them except in winter, either by tracing on the snow, or
by tracking them in the woods. All American conversation
must finish with politics. Those of Mr. Thomas appeared to
me rather equivocal ; he was too rich, and complained too much
of the flour he furnished for the army to let me think him a
good whig. He gave himself out for such notwithstanding, but
I observed that he was greatly attached to an opinion which I
found generally diffused throughout the state of Neiv-York; that
there is no expedition more useful, nor more easy than the conquest
of Canada. It is impossible to conceive the ardour the inhabitants
of the north still have to recommence that enterprise. The reason
is, that their country is so fertile, and so happily situated for
commerce, that they are sure to become very wealthy as soon
as they have nothing to fear from the savages ; now the savages
cess, though many persons in Jamaica were sanguine for such an ex
pedition. Besides an immense train of very fine artillery, three of the
best regiments in the Spanish service were there in garrison, in full
health, viz. : the regiments de Bruxelles, de la Couronne, and de la
Victoire, and a most numerous militia. Indeed, so secure did they
think themselves, that they embarked, when I was there, the regiment
de la Couronne, consisting of 1200 men for Carthagena. The inte
rior of the country, which I was likewise allowed to visit, is delightful ;
land may be had for nothing, but every settler must not only be a Ca
tholic, but a rigid one, the Inquisition having an officer here ; he must
likewise marry, and wretched is his choice, within a year, nor is he
ever allowed to remove any property from the island, should he wish
to quit it, except what he can carry off clandestinely. Several Irish
are settled here, but all under the predicament of sacrificing to the
most gloomy superstition, the most arbitrary jealousy of despotic pow
er, and to the most horrid state of nuptial slavery, with the ugliest and
filthiest of women. The officers of the Dragon man-of-war of 60
guns, and of the frigates which were lying there, and the military in
garrison were anxious to peruse the European and American Gazettes
I had with me, but even this communication was obliged to be con
fined to very few, and under the strictest injunctions of secrecy, for
our mutual safety. In other respects it is impossible to have met with
a more hospitable reception. Trans.
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 169
are only formidable when they are supported and animated by
the English.
I left Thomas inn the 23d, at 8 in the morning, and travel
led three hours always in Livington s Manor. The road was
good, and the country rich and well cultivated. We pass
several considerable villages, the houses of which are hand
some and neat, and every object here announces prosperity.
On leaving this district, we enter that of Claverack, then de
scend from the hills, and approach Hudson s River. We soon
after come to a creek, which is also called by the name of
Claverack, and which falls not far from this into the Hudson.
As soon as you have passed this creek, an immense rock,
which runs, across in the direction of the road, obliges you to
turn to the right to reach Claverack meeting-house, and to
pursue the road to Albany. This rock, or rather chain of rocks,
merits all the attention of naturalists. It is about three miles in
length. As I did not traverse it, I am ignorant of its width,
but it is so steep to the south, that it can be ascribed to nothing
but a shrinking of the earth, occasioned by a violent shock.
Yet one does not find, either in the space between this rock
and the little river, or on the opposite bank, any correspond
ence with the accidental separation it announces. Its flank,
which is almost exposed, presents parallel beds, but rarely
horizontal, which made me conjecture that it was of a calcare
ous nature ;* I tried it with aquafortis, and found my conject
ure just. But I was the most struck with the strength and
beauty of the trees which grow in the midst of it, the trunks
of which rise out of the chinks formed by the separation of
the rock. Unless you closely examine these trees, it is impos
sible to believe that they can grow, and get to such a height
without an inch of earth to nourish their roots. Several of
them grow horizontally, to a certain distance, and then assume
a vertical direction. Others have their roots quite naked,
which proves that their origin is prior to the catastrophe,
whatever it was, which one cannot refuse admitting. These
roots are in the most whimsical directions imaginable, resem-
* The Marquis having, in his account of Totaliaw Falls, observed
that there is little or no calcareous stone in this country, by which I
am at a loss to know whether he means the state of New-Jersey,
where he then was, or the United States in general ; I take this
opportunity of mentioning, that limestone abounds in a great part of
the Continent ; the interior parts of Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Vir
ginia in particular are intersected by immense strata of this invaluable
stone, which lie every where exposed to the day, or very near the
surface.
22
170 TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA.
bling serpents crawling amidst the ruins of an immense edifice.
The principal part of the trees I speak of, are of that sort of
fir called hemlock by the English, but they are mixed with
others, which I took to be walnut-trees, and other white wood ;,
but I must observe that this conjecture cannot be relied on, as
I did not see the leaves, and am not well enough acquainted
with trees to distinguish by their branches and their structure.*
Claverack is a pretty considerable township, and extends
very far. On quitting it you traverse several woods to arise at
the first houses of Kinderhook. I found in these woods new
improvements, and several log-huts. But on approaching one
of them, I perceived, with regret, that the family who inhabited
it had been long settled there, without thinking of building a
better house, an uncommon circumstance in America, and
which is almost unexampled, except in the Dutch settlements;
for that people are more economical than industrious, and are
more desirous of amassing wealth than of adding to their com
fort. When you arrive at the first hamlet of Kinderhook, you
must make a long circuit to reach the meeting-house, which is
in the centre of what may be properly called the town of Kin
derhook. There you pass a pretty considerable stream, and
have the choice of three or four inns ; but the best is that of
Mr. Van Burragh. The preference given to this, however,
does no honour to the others ; it is a very small house, kept by
two young people of a Dutch family ; they are civil and atten
tive, and you are not badly off with them, provided you are not
difficult to please. It would have ill become me now to have
been so, for I had nothing but snow, hail, and frost during the
whole day, and .any fireside was an agreeable asylum for me.
* With great submission to the author, he appears to have laid a
greater stress on this phenomenon than it has any claim to from its
singularity ; every mountainous country in Europe abounds with such
appearances, which, though curious, may possibly be accounted for on
principles more simple, arid less systematical, than those great convul
sions so enthusiastically imagined by the disciples of the buffonic
school. The translator too owns himself ignorant of the species of
/r, called hemlock by the English, Tram.
CHAPTER X.
ALBANY - SARATOGA -SCHENECTADY - BREAM 5 S HEIGHTS*
IT was a difficult question to know where I should the next
day pass the North river, for I was told that it was
* *
broken to cross it on the ice* ho* free enough from
flakes to venture it in a boat. Apprized of these obstacles, I
set out early on the 24th, that I might have, time to discover
the easiest passage. I was only twenty miles from Albany ;
so that after a continued journey through a forest of fir trees,
I arrived at one o clock on the banks of the Hudson. The vale
in which this river runs, and the town of Albany, which is
built in the form of an amphitheatre on its western bank, must
have afforded a very agreeable coup d oeil, had it not been
disfigured by the snow. A handsome house half way up the
bank opposite the ferry, seems to attract attention, and to in
vite strangers to stop at General Schuyler s, who is the pro
prietor as well as architect. I had recommendations to him
from all quarters, but particularly from General Washington
and Mrs. Carter. I had besides given the rendezvous to Co
lonel Hamilton, who had just married another of his daugh
ters,* and was preceded by the Vicomte de Noailles, and the
* Colonel Hamilton is so well known by all those who have had any
connexion with America, that it would be unnecessary to point him
out more particularly, were not this journal, at length destined for
publication, likely to fall into the hands of several readers who were
ignorant of, or have forgotten, many details relative to this revolution,.
to which their attention may still be awakened. Colonel Hamilton, a
native of Sainte Croix, and some time settled in America, was desti
ned to the profession of the law, and had scarcely completed his stu
dies, when General Washington, versed as all great men are in the
discovery of talents, and in the employment of them, made him at once
his aid-de-camp and secretary, a post as eminent as important in the
American army. From that time his correspondence with the French,
which language he speaks and writes perfectly well, the details of
every kind, political and military, entrusted to him, developed those
talents, the general had known how to discover, and put in activity ;
whilst the young soldier, by a prudence and secrecy still more beyond
Iris age than his information, justified the confidence with which hr
172 TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA.
Comte de Damas, who I knew were arrived the night before.
The sole difficulty therefore consisted in passing the river.
Whilst the boat was making its way with difficulty through
the flakes of ice, which we were obliged to break as we ad
vanced. Mr. Lynch, who is not indifferent about a good din
ner, contemplating General Schuyler s house, mournfully says
to me, " I am sure the Vicomte and Damas are now at table,
where they have good cheer, and good company, whilst we are
here kicking our heels, in hopes of getting this evening to
some wretched alehouse." I partook a little of his anxiety,
but diverted myself by assuring him that they saw us from the
windows, that I even distinguished the Vicomte de Noailles
who was looking at us through a telescope, and that he was
going to send somebody to conduct us on our landing to that
excellent house, where we should find dinner ready to come on
table; I even pretended that a sledge I had seen descending
towards the river was designed for us. As chance would have
it, never was conjecture more just. The first person we saw
on shore, was the Chevalier de Mauduit, who was waiting for
us with the general s sledge, into which we quickly stepped
and were conveyed in an instant into a handsome saloon, near
a good fire, with Mr. Schuyler, his wife and daughters. Whilst
we were warming ourselves, dinner was served, to which every
one did honour, as well as to the Madeira which was excellent,
was honoured. He continued to serve in this capacity till the year
1781, when desirous of distinguishing himself in the command of
troops, as he had done in all his other functions, he took that of a
battalion of light infantry. It was at the head of this battalion, that
jointly with M. de Gimat, he carried by assault one of the enemy s re
doubts at the siege of Yorktown. The reader will perhaps be surpri
sed to hear, that the next year, before the peace was made, Mr. Ha
milton turned advocate, and became a member of Congress. The
explanation of this enigma is, that the war being considered as at an
end, it was necessary for him to think of his fortune, which was very
inconsiderable. Now the profession of a lawyer, which comprehends
those of attorney and notary, is not only the most respectable in Ame
rica, but likewise the most lucrative; and there is no doubt that, with
such talents and such knowledge, Mr. Hamilton must be in peace, as
well as in war, one of the most considerable citizens in his new coun
try. At present he is settled at New- York. [To this just eulogium,
the translator takes the liberty of adding, that Colonel Hamilton is a
most elegant writer, and a perfectly accomplished gentleman, and as
such could not fail of distinguishing himself in the first European cir
cles. His account of the behaviour and death of the unfortunate
Andre, to which he was a witness, published at the time in the Ameri
can and English prints, does equal honour to his understanding and
his heart. Trans.]
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. m
and made us completely forget the rigour of the season, and
the fatigue of the journey.
General Schuyler s family was composed of Mrs. Hamilton,
his second daughter, who has a mild agreeable countenance ;
of Miss Peggy Schuyler, whose features ^ire animated and
striking ; of another charming girl, only eight years old, and
of three boys, the eldest of whom is fifteen, and are the hand
somest children you can see. He is himself about fifty, but
already gouty and infirm. His fortune is very considerable,
and it will become still more so, for he possesses an immense ex
tent of territory, but derives more credit from his talents and
information, than from his wealth. He served with General
Amherst in the Canadian war, as deputy Quarter-Master-Ge
neral. From that period he made himself known, and became
distinguished; he was very useful to the English, and was sent
for to London after the peace, to settle the accounts of every
thing furnished by the Americans. His marriage with Miss
Rensselaer, the rich heiress of a family which has given its name
to a district, or rather a whole province, still added to his
credit and his influence ; so that it was not surprising he should
be raised to the rank of Major-General at the beginning of the
war, and have . the command of the troops on the frontiers of
Canada. It was in this capacity, that he was commissioned in
1777 to oppose the progress of General Burgoyne ; but having
received orders from Congress, directly contrary to his opinion,
without being provided with any means necessary for carry
ing them into execution, he found himself obliged to evacuate
Ticonderoga, and fall back on the Hudson. These measures,
undoubtedly prudent in themselves, being unfavourably con
strued in a moment of ill humour and anxiety, he was tried by
a court martial, as well as General St. Clair, his second in com
mand, and both of them were soon after honourably acquitted.
St. Clair resumed his station in the army, but General Schuy
ler, justly offended, demanded more satisfactory reparation,
and reclaimed his rank which, since this event, was contested
with him by two or three generals of the same standing. This
affair not being settled, he did not rejoin the army, but conti
nued his services to his country. Elected a member of Con
gress the year following, he was nearly chosen president in op
position to Mr. Laurens ; since that time he has always enjoyed
the confidence of the government, and of General Washington,
who are at present paying their court to him, and pressing him
to accept the office of secretary at war.
Whilst we were in this excellent asylum, the weather con
tinued doubtful, between frost and thaw ; there was a little
snow upon the ground, and it was probable there soon would
be a fall. The council of travellers assembled, and it ap-
174 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
peared to them proper not to delay their departure for Sara
toga. General Schuyler offered us a house which he has upon
his own estate ; but he could not serve us as guide, on account
of an indisposition, and his apprehension of a fit of the gout.
He proposed giving us an intelligent officer to conduct us to
the different fields of battle, whilst his son should go before to
prepare us lodgings. We could still travel on horseback, and
were supplied with horses of the country to replace ours which
were fatigued, and a part of which still remained on the other
side of the river. All these arrangements being accepted, we
were conveyed to Albany in a sledge. On our arrival, we
waited on Brigadier-General Clinton, to whom I delivered my
letters of recommendation. He is an honest man, but of no
distinguished talents, and is only employed out of respect to
his brother the governor. He immediately ordered the horses
for our journey, and Major Popham, his aid-de-camp, an amia
ble and intelligent officer, was desired to conduct us. He was
to take with him Major Graeme, who knows properly the
ground, and served in the army under General Gates.
All our measures being well concerted, we each of us retired
to our quarters ; the Vicomte de Noailles and his two compa
nions to an inn, kept by a Frenchman, called Louis, and I to
that of an American of the name of Blennissens. At day
break, tea was ready, and the whole caravan assembled at my
quarters ; but melted snow was falling, which did not promise
an agreeable ride. We were in hopes that it was a real thaw,
and set out upon our journey. The snow however fell thicker
and thicker, and was six inches deep when we arrived at the
junction of the Mohawk with the Hudson river. Here is a
choice of two roads to Saratoga : one obliges you to pass the
Hudson, to keep some time along the left bank, and pass it a
second time near the Half-Moon ; the other goes on the Mo
hawk river till you get above the cataract, when you pass that
river, and traverse the woods to Stillwater. Even had there
been no difficulty in passing the North river on account of the
ice, I should have preferred the other road, to see the cascade
of Cokes, which is one of the wonders of America. Before
we left the Hudson, I remarked an island in the middle of its
bed, which offers a very advantageous position for erecting
batteries, to defend the navigation. The two majors, to whom
I communicated this observation, told me that this point of de
fence was neglected, because there w r as a better one, a little
higher up, at the extremity of one of the three branches into
which the Mohawk river divides itself, in falling into the Hud
son. They added that this position was very slightly recon
noitred ; that which was begun to be fortified higher up, being
sufficient to stop the progress of the enemy. Thus the more
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 175
you examine the country, the more you are convinced that the
expedition of Burgoyne was extravagant, and must sooner or
later have miscarried, independent of the engagements which
decided the event.
The junction of the two rivers is six miles north of Albany,
and after travelling two more in the woods, we began to hear
a murmuring noise, which increased till we came in sight of
Cohoes Fall. This cataract is the whole breadth of the river,
that is to say, near two hundred toises, about 1200 English
feet wide. It is a vast sheet of water, which falls 76 English
feet.* The river in this place is contracted between two steep
banks formed by the declivity of the mountains ; these preci
pices are covered by an earth as black as iron ore, and on
which nothing grows but firs and cypresses. The course of
the river is straight, both before and after its fall, and the
rocks forming this cascade are nearly on a level, but their
irregular figure breaks the water whilst it is falling, and forms
a variety of whimsical and picturesque appearances. This
picture was rendered still more terrible by the snow which
covered the firs, the brilliancy of which gave a black colour to
the water, gliding gently along, and a yellow tinge to that
which was dashing over the cataract.
After feasting our eyes with this awful spectacle, we tra
velled a mile higher up to the ferry where we hoped to pass
the river ; but on our arrival, found the boat so entangled in the
ice and snow, that it was impossible to make use of it. We
were assured, that people had passed a ferry two miles higher,
that morning, whither we immediately went, determined to
pursue our route, though the snow was greatly increased, and
we were benumbed with wet and cold. The boatmen of this
ferry made many objections on account of the bad weather
and the smallness of their boat, which could only transport
three horses at a time ; but this difficulty did not stop us, and
we agreed to make several trips. The first attempt was made
to pass over my valet de chambre, with three horses : I was
waiting by the fireside for my turn, when they came to inform
me that the boat was coming back to shore, with some difficul
ty, and that the current had almost driven it towards the cata
ract. We were obliged therefore to submit to our destiny,
* Madame la Comtesse de Genlisin speaking of this cataract in one
of the notes to her Veilles du Chateau, says it is only 50 feet, but
from other accounts confirming this of M. de Chastellux, I am in
clined to think, that is between 70 and 80 feet. This invaluable and
correct writer, the pride of her son, and of humanity, has in this in
stance been unavoidably misled by the American travellers she con
sulted. Trans.
176 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
which was not yet disposed to let us fulfil the object of our
voyage. On this occasion I displayed a magnanimity which
placed me high in the esteem of the whole company : whilst
others were storming, and growing impatient, uncertain of the
measures to be taken, I serenely gave the signal for a retreat,
and thought no more of any thing but supper, for which I
made the most prudent dispositions on the spot. The inn
keeper of M. de Noailles being a Frenchman, and consequently
a better cook, or at least more active than mine, it was decided
that he should provide our supper : the best mounted cavalier
of the troop was despatched to give the necessary orders,
whom we followed in half an hour ; we arrived as night was
coming on, and presently sat down to table. Thus passed the
day s work of the 25th, which was not very agreeable till the
hour of supper, but terminated very happily ; for what conso
lation does not one dewve under disappointment, from a good
fire, a good supper, and good company ?
The 26th, the rivers not being yet frozen, nor the roads
hard enough to make a long journey in a sledge, I. determined
to remain at Albany. My morning was employed in adjusting
my notes, which occupation was only interrupted by a visit
from Colonel Hamilton. He told us that Mrs. Schuyler was a
little indisposed, but that the General would be equally glad
to receive us. Accordingly he sent us his sledges the begin
ning of the evening. We found him in his saloon with Mr.
and Mrs. Hamilton. A conversation soon took place between
the General, the Vicomte de Noailles and me. We had
already talked, when we were last with him, of some important
faults relative to the northern campaigns, of which we had ask
ed some explanations. Mr. Schuyler appeared no less desirous
of giving them. He is pretty communicative, and is well
entitled to be so ; his conversation is easy andagreeable ; he
knows well what he says, and expresses himself well on every
thing he knows. To give the best answer to our questions, he
proposed to us to read his political and military correspond
ence with General Washington, which we accepted with great
pleasure, and leaving the rest of the company with Mr. and
Mrs. Hamilton, we retired into another room. The General
opening his pocket-book, the Vicomte and I divided the differ
ent manuscripts, containing upwards of sixty pages of close
writing on paper a la Telliere. The first despatch I read was
a letter written by him to General Washington, in November
1777 : it contained a. plan of attack on Canada, which origin
ated in the following circumstance : Two English officers after
being made prisoners with Burgoyne s army, obtained permis
sion to return to Canada on their parole, and on the road stop
ped at General Schuyler s at Saratoga. The conversation, as
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 177
we may easily suppose, soon turned on the great event, the
impression of which was so recent. One of these officers
being attached to General Burgoyne, criminated Governor Sir
Guy Carleton, whom he accused of having retained too many
troops in Canada ; the states maintained that he had not even
reserved sufficient for the defence of the country. From
assertions they came to proofs, which proofs could only be an
exact detail of all the forces then remaining in Canada, and
their distribution. General Schuyler was attentive, and took
advantage of the dispute. He learns by this means, that Cana
da was in real danger ; and proposed, in consequence, to Ge
neral Washington to retake Ticonderoga, in case that post was
not abandoned, as it actually has been, and to proceed from
thence to Montreal. This plan is extremely well conceived,
and exhibits a great knowledge of the country ; and what
struck me as the most worthy of attention, is the immensity of
the resources to be found in this country for a winter expedi
tion, and the extreme facility with which an army may rapidly-
advance, by means of sledges to transport the provisions and
stores, and even sick. and lame soldiers. It is possible, in a
months time, to collect, between the Connecticut and Hud
son river, fifteen hundred sledges, two thousand horses and
as many oxen; the latter may be shod for the ice, like horses,
and serve to draw the sledges with provisions ; and as these are
consumed, or the oxen fatigued, they may be slain for the food
of the army. Nor must it be imagined that these expeditions
are so dreadful for the soldiers as we are accustomed to sup
pose them. With the feet and legs well fortified, and proper
clothing, which it was easy to procure before the finances and
resources of the country were exhausted, they support ex
tremely well the fatigue of long marches ; and as they pass all
the night in the woods, they easily find shelter, and light great
fires, by which they sleep better than under tents ; for it is to
be observed, that if the cold be severe in this country, it is
always a dry cold, against which it is much more easy to pro
vide than against rain and moisture.
General Schuyler never received way answer to this letter,
nor does he know with whom the fault lies. M. de la Fayette
however came to Albany in January to prepare and command
an expedition similar to that he had projected : he showed his
instructions to General Schuyler, who discovered it to be his
own plan, of which he supposes some other person wished to
claim the honour, but as no orders had come to him, he had
made no preparations, nor were there any made on the side of
Connecticut; so that M. de la Fayette, how agreeable soever
this expedition might bo to him, had so much good sense arid
23
178 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
attachment to the interest of America as to admit the difficul
ties, and divert Congress from pursuing it.
The winter following, after the evacuation of Philadelphia,
and the affair of Monmouth, General Washington, always more
occupied in putting an end to the misfortunes of his country,
than in prolonging the duration of the brilliant part he was
acting in America, wrote to Mr. Schuyler, to consult him on an
expedition to Canada, and on the means of executing it with
success. In answer to this letter, he sent a memoir perfectly
well conceived, and no less well written, in which he proposed
three different plans. The first was to collect his forces near
the sources of the Connecticut, at a place called Coos ; from
thence there is only a trifling carrying place to the rivers which
fall into the St. Lawrence, below Lake Saint Pierre, near to
Quebec. But this plan would be difficult of execution, from
the scarcity of resources on the Connecticut river, and from
the great difficulties to be encountered in approaching those
to be provided on the Hudson and Mohawk rivers, besides that
the attack would thus be carried into the heart of the English
forces, and too near the sea, from whence they derive their
principal aid. The second project was to remount the Mo
hawk river, then to embark on Lake Oneida, and crossing Lake
Ontario, proceed westward to besiege Niagara; then returning
by the same route, to descend the river, and attack Montreal
by the north. In this plan, General Schuyler foresaw two
great inconveniences ; one, from the long circuit it would be
necessary to make, thus giving the English time to collect
their troops at the point of attack ; the other from the impos
sibility there was of deceiving the enemy by threatening them
on the side of Lake Champlain, and Sorel, since the prepara
tions on the Mohawk and Hudson River could not fail of dis
closing the whole system of the campaign. It was by Lake
Champlain therefore, and in the winter, that General Schuyler
proposed marching directly to Montreal ; leaving St. John s
on the right, and postponing the attack of that post until spring,
which was njot to be secured, before the Isle of Montreal, and
all the upper country should be got possession of: on this plan
there would be no difficulty in concealing its real object ; as
the necessary preparations might be collected on the rivers
Hudson and Connecticut ; the shifting from one to the other
being an easy measure. Thus the enemy would be alarmed at
once for Quebec, St. Johns, and Montreal. On this supposi
tion, it is probable they would prefer sacrificing Montreal.
There an advantageous establishment might be formed, and
measures taken to attack Quebec ; but in case of their being
obliged to abandon it, an easy retreat would always be secured
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. J70
by the Beaver hunting place,* and Lake Champlain. Such was
the object of this long despatch which I read with great atten
tion and much pleasure, and of which I have attempted to give
some idea, convinced as I am that this article of my journal
will not be uninteresting to military men ; others may render
it amusing, by surveying the chart, and running over the im
mense country embraced by these different projects.
The next memoir which fell into my hands was the answer
of General Washington. After testifying the greatest confi
dence in General Schuyler, he enters into discussion with him,
and offers his reflections with a modesty as amiable, as worthy
of estimation. He is of opinion that the expedition by Lake
Ontario is perhaps too highly rejected without sufficient rea
son ; that it would be easy for him to favour the attack of Ni
agara, by a diversion he could make on Lake Erie, by marching
the Virginia troops on the side of the Ohio and Fort Pitt : he
inquires whether it be possible to build boats on Hudson s river,
and transport them on carriages to the Mohawk ; his object in
this was evidently to obviate one of the principal objections I
have mentioned ; that the preparations for this expedition re
vealed too much the real object. All the other points are
treated with wisdom and precision ; which renders the reply of
General Schuyler still more curious and interesting. It is
worthy both of the importance of the subject, and of the great
man to whom it is addressed. Mr. Schuyler persists in his
opinion ; and invariably attached to his project of attack by
Lake Champlain, he proves that it may be executed in summer
as well as in winter. Every thing depends, according to him,
on possessing a naval superiority,! which he is of opinion may
* This is the name given in the English charts to the deserts be
tween Lake Ontario, the River St. Lawrence, and the Lakes George
and Champlain, and the River of Soree.
| From these accounts it appears very evident that General Carleton
acted with great prudence in retaining the force he did in Canada, for
which he has been blamed by some, when Burgoyne went on his expe
dition ; in the catastrophe of which, 1500 or 2000 men more would
probably have made little difference, but the want of which would have
totally enfeebled the defence of Canada, and thrown that province into
the hands of the United States. The American ideas too, on the sub
ject of an expedition into Canada, and which may possibly be carried
into execution at some future period, merit the attention of the Eng
lish government, more particularly as America, since she is put in pos
session of the Kennebec and the boundary line, cuts the Sorel river be
low Lake Champlain, can now carry on her operations at her ease,
and unmolested on the lakes, and by Arnold s route ; but, in fact,
Canada must, on a rupture, follow the fortune of the United States ;
180 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
be easily obtained by constructing larger vessels than those of
the English, and he is persuaded that two fifty gun ships would
be sufficient to secure it. People are wrong, added he, in
that province can only be prevented from falling rapidly before such a
force as the Eastern States can put in motion, by very strong forts
built at the head of the Kennebec, St. Croix, and Connecticut rivers,
by forts on both sides of the Sorel, where cut by the boundary line, on
both sides the St. Lawrence where it joins that river, at the head of the
carrying place above Niagara, on the English side, where a new car
rying place, must if possible be formed, and opposite the fort of De
troit and Michilimazance, (now Michilimackinac.) All must be
strong, regular works, capable of containing garrisons with stores suf
ficient to stop the progress of an enemy s army, till relief can arrive
from the interior of the country,,, where 6 or 8000 regular forces must
be kept, besides strong garrisons at Quebec, and Montreal, the fortifi
cations of which must be repaired and strengthened. Unless England
be determined to adopt, and rigorously to maintain all these necessa
ry defences, perhaps after all inadequate, it is impossible that Canada
should long resist an American expedition. On such a tenure, and at
such an enormous expense, will that province be worth holding ? Mr.
Payne, in his admirable letter to the Abbe Raynal, makes the follow
ing judicious observations on this subject : " Respecting Canada.
one or other of these two events will take place, viz. ; if Canada should
become populous, it will revolt ; and if it do not become so, it will
not be worth the expense of holding. But Canada never will become
populous ; Britain may put herself to great expenses in sending set
tlers to Canada, but the descendants of those settlers will be Ameri
cans, as other descendants have been before them. They will look
round and see the neighbouring States sovereign and free, respected
abroad, and trading at large with the world ; and the natural love of
liberty, the advantages of commerce, the blessings of independence,
and of a happier climate and a richer soil will draw them southward,
and the effects will be, that Britain will sustain the expense, and Ame
rica reap the advantage, and the same may be said of Halifax and the
country round it. One would think that the experience Britain has
had of America, would entirely sicken her of all thoughts of continent
al colonization ; and any part she may retain, will only become to her
a field of jealousy and thorns, of debate and contention, for ever strug
gling for privileges, and meditating revolt. She may form new settle
ments, but they will be for us ; they will become part of the United
States of America ; and that against all her contrivances to prevent it,
or without any endeavour of ours to promote it. In the first place she
cannot draw from them a revenue until they are able to pay one, and
when they are so^ they will be above subjection. Men soon become
attached to the soil they live upon, and incorporated with the prospe
rity of the place ; and it signifies but little what opinions they come
over with, for time, interest and new connections will render them ob-
solete^ and the next generation know nothing of them, To speak ex-
TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA. 181
dreading the navigation of the Lakes, and in not daring to trust
large ships on them. On all these subjects, he speaks as an
enterprising well informed man ; and capable of executing
what he proposes. I shall conclude this detail, by giving the
project of a campaign against the savages, different from that
adopted by Congress in 1779, the execution of which was en
trusted to General Sullivan. According to this, five hundred
men only should have marched by Wioming and Tioga, whilst
the remainder of the army made its appearance by the head of
the Mohawk river, and Lake Oneida to take the savages in the
rear, and cut off their retreat to Lake Ontario ; which appear
ed to me reasonable, because by this means, the double object
was fulfilled of destroying the savages, and of avoiding a long
and difficult march for the main body of the army, across the
Great Swamp of Wioming.
To comprehend this, it must be recollected that in 1779, the
Congress, seeing their enemies confined to New-York and
Rhode-Island, thought they might spare a body of troops of
plicitly on the matter, T would not, were T an European, have Canada,
under the conditions that Britain must retain it, could it be given to
me. It is one of those kinds of dominion that is, and ever will be, a
constant charge upon any foreign holder. There are, I doubt not,
thousands of people in England, who suppose that Canada and Nova-
Scotia are a profit to the nation, whereas they are directly the con
trary, and instead of producing any revenue, a considerable part of
the revenue of England is annually drawn off to support the expense
of holding them." What it costs England to maintain Canada alone,
may be known from the following accurate abstract, verified by the
treasury accounts, of the expenses of that Province, from the 1st of
June, 1776, to the %4th of October, 11 8%, being six year sand four months.
s. d.
MilitaryOrdinaries, 688,385 18 21
Extraordinaries, 4,510,790 12 7"
, Civil Establishment and Contingencies, 100,343 8 9
Total, 5,299,519 19
Which for 6 years and 4 months, is 836,766 6 3 per ann.
It is true that the war extraordinaries must not be taken into the esti
mate of a peace establishment, but will not the independence of the
United States render a larger force necessary than during the former
peace, besides the garrisons above mentioned, &c.; and is war so very
improbable in that quarter ? Perhaps the most fortunate event for
Britain will be, to receive the news, some spring or other, after the
opening of the St. Lawrence, that Canada has been taken in the win
ter, with little or no bloodshed. Trans.
lit* IK \\Kls IN NORTH-AMERICA.
three or four thousand men against the live nations, of whose,
cruelties they had many proofs. The plan was to carry off or
destroy them, and thus relieve the country lying between the
Susquehannah and the DeLiwarf. General Sullivan, after taking
every sort of precaution to secure the subsistence and health of
the soldiers, made a very long and well conducted march.
drove the savages before him, and burnt their villages and liar-
vests. But this was the whole fruit of his expedition, for he
never had it in his power to cut them off; the corps under
General Clinton, which had penetrated by the Mohawk river,
being found too weak to act of itself, was obliged to join the
main body of the army.
I did not finish my reading before ten o clock ; and I con
tinued in conversation with General Schuyler, whilst the com
pany was at supper. It cannot be supposed that I was able to
reason upon all the subjects he had laid before me. I con
tented myself therefore with remarking that every partial
expedition against Canada, and which did not tend to the total
conquest, or rather the deliverance of that country, would be
dangerous and ineffectual ; as it w r ould not be strengthened by
the concurrence of the inhabitants, they having been already
deceived in their expectations in Montgomery s expedition,
and dreading the resentment of the English, should they a
second time show themselves favourable to the Americans. It
gave me pleasure to find him of the same opinion. We then
separated well pleased with each other, and I returned home
to await the decision of the weather, respecting the next day s
journey.
The" 27th in the morning, understanding that the rivers were
not yet frozen, and the weather being fine but very cold, I
wished to take advantage of it to go to Schenectady. This is
a town situated 14 miles from Albany, on the Mohawk river. It
excites some curiosity, from being built in the very country of
the savages ; from its being picketed, that is to say, surrounded
with lofty palisades, like their villages, and from their still re
taining some habitations there, which form a sort of suburb, to
the east of the town. It was rather late when I thought of this
ride, and it was noon before I got a sledge; but General
Schuyler had assured me that I should be there in two hours,
on the supposition, doubtless, that my sledge would be better
provided with horses. I found the roads very bad, and the
horses still worse ; for they would not draw, and if M. de Mon
tesquieu had not himself taken the reins, and pressed them
forward with more vivacity than their merciful conductor, I
believe I should have remained in the snow, with which this
country is covered six months in the year. The country which
lies between Albany and Schenectady. is nothing but an im-
TRAVELS L\ JSORTH-AMERK \ 1**
inense forest of pine-trees, untouched by the hatchet. They
are lofty and robust, but thin sown ; and as nothing grows
under their shade, a line of eavalry might traverse this woods
without breaking their ranks, or defiling. It was three o clock,
and myself half dead with cold when I reached Schenectady.
This town stands at the foot of a small declivity, on your coming
out of the woods ; it is regularly built, and contains five hun
dred houses within the palisades, without reckoning some
dwellings which form a suburb, and the Indian village adjoin
ing to the suburb. Two families, and eight inhabitants are
reckoned to a house. Beyond the town, to the westward, the
country is more open, and the land very fertile ; it produces a
great deal of corn, of which they carry on a great trade. I
alighted at Colonel Glen s, the Quarter-Master-General of this
district, a lively, active man. He received me in the politest
manner; an excellent fire, and two or three glasses of toddy,
warmed me, so as to enable me to ask him some questions, and
to return immediately, for night was coming on, and the
Vicomte de Noailles expected me at dinner at five o clock.
Colonel Glen lent me horses to return to Albany, and was so
good as to conduct me himself into the Indian village. As
we were preparing to set out, one of these savages entered his
house : he was a messenger despatched by their hunters, who
came to inform him of a party of one hundred and fifty Senecas,
and several tories, making their appearance a few miles from
Saratoga, and having even carried off one of their young men.
This messenger spoke very good French, and very bad Eng
lish ; born of a Canadian, or European father, he had mixed,
with the savages, among whom he had lived twenty years,
rather from libertinism than any other motive. The news he
brought was not very encouraging for the journey I was about
to take, but I gave little credit to it, and I was in the right.
The Indian village Mr. Glen conducted me to. is nothing
but an assemblage of miserable huts in the wood, along the
road to Albany. He took me into that of a savage du Saut
Saint Louis, who had long lived at Montreal, and spoke good
French. These huts are like our barracks in time of war, or
those run up in vineyards, or orchards, to watch the fruit when
it is ripe. All the timber consists in two up-rights and one
cross pole ; it is covered with a matted roof, but this is well
lined within b*y a quantity of bark. The inner space is rather
below the level of the ground, and the entrance by a little
side-door ; in the middle of the hut is the fire-place, from
which the smoke ascends by an opening in the roof. On each
side of the fire, are raised two branches, which run the length
of the hut, and serve to sleep on ; these are covered with skins
and bark. Besides the savage who spoke French, in this hut.
184 TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA,
there was a squaw, the name given to the Indian women, who
had taken him as her second, and was bringing up a child by
her first husband ; two old men composed the remainder of
the family, which had a melancholy and poor appearance.
The squaw was hideous, as they all are, and her husband almost
stupid, so that the charms of this society did not make me for
get that the day was advancing, and that it was time to set out.
All that I could learn from the Colonel, or from the savages
was, that the State gives them rations of meat, and sometimes
of flour ; that they possess also some land, where they sow In
dian corn, and go a hunting for skins, which they exchange for
rum. They are sometimes employed in war, and are com
mended for their bravery and fidelity. Though in subjection
to the Americans, they have their chiefs, to whom application
is made for justice, when an Indian has committed any crime.
Mr. Glen told me, that they submitted to the punishments
inflicted on them ; but had no idea that it was right to punish
them with death, even for homicide. Their number at present
is three hundred and fifty ; which is constantly diminishing, as
well as that of the jive nations. I do not believe that these five
nations can produce four thousand men in arms. The savages
of themselves therefore, would not be much to be dreaded,
were they not supported by the English, and the American
tories. As an advanced guard, they are formidable, as an
army they are nothing. But their cruelty seems to augment
in proportion as their numbers diminish ; it is such as to render
it impossible for the Americans to consent to have them long
for neighbours ; and a necessary consequence of a peace, if
favourable to the Congress, must be their total destruction, or
their exclusion at least from all the country within the lakes.*
Those who are attached to the Americans, and live in some
manner under their laws, such as the Mohawks of the environs
of Schenectady, and part of the Oneidas, will ultimately
become civilized and be confounded with them. This is what
every feeling and reasonable man should wish, who, preferring
the interests of humanity to those of his own celebrity, disdains
* Dr. Franklin, whose amiable and philosophic mind sincerely laments
all the evils attendant on humanity, used frequently to regret the pain
ful necessity under which we foresaw America woujd shortly find her
self of using violence against the savages, from the bloody scenes into
which they were led by the policy of the English Government. The
translator has often heard him express himself with the utmost sen
sibility on the subject, and suggest many expedients to prevent the
probability of matters being urged to that horrid extremity, but reason,
philosophy and eloquence were in vain opposed by good and wise men
to the headlong career of that mad war.
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 185
the little artifice so often and so successfully employed, of ex
tolling ignorance and poverty, to extort praises in senates and
academies.
I had time enough to make these and a great many other re
flections, whilst, by the sole light of the snow, I was passing
through these majestic woods, where the silence which reigns
in the night is seldom disturbed even in the day. I did not
arrive at the apartments of the Vicomte de Noailles till near
eight o clock, where supper, tea, and conversation detained
me till midnight. Still nothing was decided respecting our
journey, and the news we had received was by no means satis
factory. The next morning I received a letter from General
Schuyler, to inform me, that having sent the evening before, he
was told that I was gone to Schenectady, and from thence to
Saratoga ; but that he was glad to know I was detained at Al
bany, for that finding himself much better of his gout, he in
tended accompanying me the next day. He requested me to
come and pass the evening with him, to settle our route, and
our departure. I answered his letter, by accepting of all his
propositions, and employed part of the morning in walking
about Albany, not without taking many precautions, for the
streets were covered with ice. My first visit was to the artil
lery park, or rather the trophies of the Americans ; for there
is no other artillery in this place than eight handsome mortars,
and twenty ammunition wagons, which made part of Burgoyne s
artillery.* I entered a large workshop where they were em
ployed in making muskets for the army. The barrels of these
muskets, and the bayonets, are forged a few miles from Albany,
and polished and finished here. I inquired the price of them,
and found that the weapon complete costs about five dollars.
The armourers are enlisted, and receive besides their rations,
very considerable salaries, if they were well paid. From thence
I went to another barrack situated towards the west of the
town, which serves as a military hospital. The sick are served
by women. Each of them has a separate bed, and they appear
in general to be well taken care of, and kept very clean. At
dinner all the company who were to be of the Saratoga party
collected at my lodgings, and we went afterwards to General
Schuyler s to settle matters for our journey, and, in conse
quence, set out the next day at sun rise, in five different
sledges. General Schuyler took me in his own. We passed
the Mohawk river on the ice, a mile above the cataract. It
* The principal part of Burgoyne s artillery was conveyed to Phila
delphia, where I saw a very fine park, formed of them and the pieccr-
taken from the Hessians, in various engagements. Trans.
21
186 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
was almost the first attempt, and succeeded with all but Major
Popham, whose two horses broke through the ice, and sunk in
to the river. This event will appear fatal to Europeans ; but
let them not be alarmed at the consequences. It is a very
common accident, and is remedied in two ways : one by drag
ging the horses on the ice by force, and, if possible, by the
help of a lever or plank to raise them up ; the other by strang
ling them with their halter, or the reins : as soon as they have
lost their respiration, and motion, they float on the water, and
are lifted by their fore-feet on the ice ; the stricture is loosen
ed, they are bled, and in a quarter of an hour are reinstated in
the harness. As there were a great many of us, the first method
which is the surest, was employed. All this may be easily con
ceived, but it will be asked what becomes of the sledge, and
how one does to approach the gulf opened by the horses f
The answer is, that these animals being much heavier than the
sledge, and supported by four slender bases, break the ice un
der their feet, without causing the sledge to sink, which is light
of itself, and its weight supported by long pieces of wood
which serve by way of shafts. The travellers are not less safe,
the ice being always thicker than is necessary to bear them.
As for the horses, they easily keep themselves up on the sur
face of the water, by means of their fore-legs, and by resting
their heads upon the ice.
The accident which happened to Major Popham s sledge,
did not detain us above seven or eight minutes ; but we went a
little astray in the woods we had to pass to reach the high road.
We came into it between Half Moon and Stillwater. A mile
from thence, I saw on the left, an opening in the wood, and a
pretty extensive plain, below which runs a creek, and observed
to General Schuyler, that there must be a good. position there :
he told me I was not deceived, and that it had been reconnoi
tred for that purpose in case of need. The creek is called
Anthony s Rill ; the word rill, among the Dutch, having the
same signification as creek with the Americans. Three miles
farther on, we traversed a hamlet called Stillwater Landing-
place, for it is here that boats coming down from Saratoga are
obliged to stop to avoid the rapids. From hence there is a
portage of eight or ten miles to the place where the river is na
vigable. I imagine the name of Stillwater is deiived from its
tranquillity here previous to the commencement of the rapids.
General Schuyler showed me some redoubts he had construct
ed to defend the park, where his boats and provisions were col
lected, after the evacuation of Fort Anne and Fort Edward. We
stopped there to refresh our horses. The General had given
the rendezvous to a militia officer, called Swang, who lives in
this neighbourhood, and served in the army of General Gates :
TRAVELS IiN NORTH-AMERICA 187
he put me into his hands, and continued his route to Saratoga,
to prepare our reception. I presently got into a sledge with
my guide, and, at the end of three miles, we saw two houses on
the bank of the river ; it was here that General Gates had his
right, and his bridge of boats defended by a redoubt on each
bank. We alighted to examine this interesting position,
which dissipated all the hopes of Burgoyne, and prepared his
ruin. I shall attempt to give some idea of it, which though
incomplete indeed, may throw some light on the relations of
General Burgoyne, and even serve to rectify his errors.
The eminences, called Bream s Heights, from whence this
famous camp is named, are only a part of those high grounds
which extend along the right bank of the Hudson, from the
river Mohawk to that of Saratoga. At the spot chosen by
General Gates for his position, they form, on the side of the
river, two different slopes, or terraces. In mounting the first
slope, are three redoubts placed in parallel directions. In
front of the last, on the north side, is a little hollow, beyond
which the ground rises again, on which are three more redoubts,
placed nearly in the same direction as the former. In front of
them is a deep ravine which runs from the west, in which is a
small creek. This ravine takes its rise in the woods, and all the
ground on the right of it is extremely thick set with wood. If
you will now return upon your steps, place yourself near the
first redoubts you spoke of, and mount to the second slope
proceeding to the westward, you will find, on the most eleva
ted platform, a large entrenchment which was parallel with the
river, and then turns towards the north-west, where it termi
nates in some pretty steep summits, which were likewise forti
fied by small redoubts. To the left of these heights, and at a
place where the declivity becomes more gentle, begins another
entrenchment which turns towards the west, and makes two or
three angles, always carried over the tops of the heights to the
south-west. Towards the north-west, you come out of the lines
to descend another platform, which presents a position the
more favourable, as it commands the surrounding woods, and
resists every thing which might turn the left flank of the army.
It is here that Arnold was encamped with the advanced guard.
If you descend again from this height, proceeding towards
the north, you are presently in the midst of the woods near
Freeman s farm, and on the ground where the actions of the
19th of September, and the 7th of October happened. I avoid
the word field of battle; for these two engagements were in the
woods, and on ground so intersected and covered, that it is
impossible either to conceive or discover the smallest resemblance
between it and the plan given to the public by General Burgoyne.
But what appears to me very clear is, that this general who was
188 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
encamped about four miles from the camp of Bream s Heights,
wishing to approach, and reconnoitre the avenues to it, march
ed through the woods in four columns, and that having several
ravines to pass, he made General Frazer, with the advanced
guard, turn them at their origin ; that two other columns tra
versed the ravines, and the woods, as well as they could, with
out either communicating or materially waiting for each other ;
that the left column, chiefly composed of artillery, followed
the course of the river, where the ground is more level, and
built bridges over the ravines and rivulets, which are deeper
on that side, as they all terminate in the river ; that the engage
ment first began with the riflemen and American militia, who
were supported as necessity required, without any prior dispo
sition; that the advanced guard, and the right column were the
first engaged, and that the combat lasted until the columns on
the left arrived, that is to say, till sunset; that the Americans
then retired to their camp, where they had taken care to con
vey their wounded ; that the English advanced guard, and the
right column greatly suffered ; both one and the other having
been very long engaged in the woods without any support.
General Burgoyne purchased dearly the frivolous honour of
sleeping on the field of battle : he now encamped at Free
man s farm, so near the American camp, that it was impossi
ble for him to manoeuvre, so that he found himself in the situa
tion of a chess-player, who suffers himself to be stalemated.
In this position he remained until the 7th of October, when
seeing his provisions expended, hearing nothing of Clinton, and
being too near the enemy to retreat without danger, he tried
a second attack, and again made an attempt for his advanced
guard to turn their left. The enemy, with whom the woods
were filled, penetrated his design, themselves turned the left
flank of the corps which threatened theirs, put them to route,
and pursued them so far as to find themselves, without know
ing it, opposite the camp of the Germans. This camp was
situated en potence, and a little in the rear of the line. Arnold
and Lincoln, animated with success, attacked and carried the
entrenchments : both of them bought the victory at the price
of their blood ; each of them had a leg broke* with musket
shot. I saw the spot where Arnold, uniting the hardiness of a
jockey^ with that of a soldier, leaped his horse over the en
trenchment of the enemy. It was like all those of this coun
try, a sort of parapet, formed by the trunks of trees piled one
* Lincoln was not wounded till the next day.
t The name given in America to horse-dealers, as well as those who
take care of horses.
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. m
upon another. This action was very brisk, to which the fir
trees, which are torn by rnusket and cannon shot, will long
bear testimony ; for the term of their existence seems as re
mote, as is the period of their origin.
I continued reconnoitring here till night ; sometimes walk
ing in the snow, where I sunk to the knees, and sometimes tra
velling still less successfully in a sledge, my conductor having
taken care to overset me, very gently indeed, in a great heap
of snow. After surveying Burgoyne s lines, I at length got
down to the high road, passing through a field where he had
established his hospital. We then travelled more easily, and
I got to Saratoga at seven in the evening, after a seven and
thirty miles journey, we found good rooms well warmed, an
excellent supper, and had a gay and agreeable conversation ;
for General Schuyler, like many European husbands, is still
more amiable when he is absent from his wife. He gave us
instructions for our next day s expedition, as well to Fort Ed
ward, as to the great cataract of Hudson s river, eight miles
above that fort, and ten from lake George.
CHAPTER XI.
KORT EDWARD MISS MACREA GENERAL BURCOYNE ALBANY-
SHEFFIELD NEW-HARTFORD LEBANON VOLUNTOWN NEW
PORT.
IN consequence of these arrangements, we set out the next
morning at eight o clock, with the Majors Graeme and Popham,
whom he had requested to accompany us. We remounted the
right bank of the Hudson for near three miles, before we found
a safe place to pass the river in our sledges. That we made
choice of exposed us to no danger, the ice being as thick as
we could wish it ; but, on approaching the opposite side, the
banks appeared to me so high and steep that I could not con
ceive how we should get up them. As it is my principle to
form no judgment of any thing I do not understand, and always
to conform myself in travelling as in navigation, to the per
sons who are habituated to the roads, I was sitting quietly in
my sledge, waiting the event, when my conductor, a farmer of
the country, called his horses with a ferocious cry, something-
like that of the savages; and in an instant, without a stroke
of the whip, they set off with the sledge, and, in three bounds,
were at the top of a precipice, of twenty feet high, nearly per
pendicular.
The road to Fort Edward is almost always on the side of
the river, but you frequently lose sight of it in the fir woods
you pass through. From time to time you discover tolerable
handsome houses on the two banks. That of the unfortunate
Miss MacRea, who was killed by the savages, was pointed out
to me. If the whigs were superstitious, they would attribute
this event to the Divine vengeance. The parents of Miss
MacRea were whigs, nor did she belie the sentiments with
which they had inspired her, until she became acquainted with
an English officer at New- York, who triumphed at once over
her virtue, and her patriotism. From that moment she es
poused the interests of England, and waited till she had an
opportunity of marrying her lover. The war, which soon ex
tended to New-York, as well as Boston, obliged her father to
retire to his country-house, which he abandoned immediately
on the approach of Burgoyne s army. But Miss MacRea s
lover was in this army ; she wished to see him again as a con-
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 191
queror, to marry him, and then partake of his toils and his suc
cesses. Unfortunately the Indians composed the vanguard of
this army; these savages are not much accustomed to distin
guish friends from foes ; they pillaged the house of Miss Mac-
Rea, and carried her off. When they had conducted her to
their camp, it was a matter of dispute to whom she should be
long; they could not agree, and to terminate the quarrel,
some of them killed her with a tomahawk.* The recital of
this sad catastrophe, whilst it made me deplore the miseries of
war, concentrated all my interest in the person of the English
officer, to whom it was allowable to listen at once to his pas
sion and his duty. I know that a death so cruel and unforeseen,
would furnish a very pathetic subject for a drama, or an elegy ;
but nothing short of the charms of eloquence and poetry is
capable of moving the heart, for such a destiny, by exhibiting
only the effect, and throwing the cause into the shade ; for
such is the true character of love, that all the noble and gene
rous affections seem to be its natural attendants, and if it be
that it can sometimes ally itself with blameable circumstances,
every thing at least which tends to humiliate or degrade it,
either annihilates or disguises its genuine features.
As you approach Fort Edward the houses become more rare.
This fort is built sixteen miles from Saratoga, in a little valley
near the river, on the only spot which is not covered with
wood, and where you can have a prospect to the distance of a
musket-shot around you. Formerly it consisted of a square,
fortified by two bastions on the east side, and by two demi-bas
tions on the side of the river ; but this old fortification is
abandoned, because it was too much commanded, and a large
redoubt, with a simple parapet arid a wretched palisade, is
built on a more elevated spot : within are small barracks for
about two hundred soldiers. Such is Fort Edward, so much
spoken of in Europe, although it could in no time have been
able to resist five hundred men, with four pieces of cannon.
I stopped here an hour to refresh my horses, and about noon
set off to proceed as far as the cataract, which is eight miles
beyond it. On leaving the valley, and pursuing the road to
Lake George, is a tolerable military position, which was occu
pied in the war before the last : it is a sort of entrenched
camp, adapted to abattis, guarding the passage from the
woods, and commanding the valley.
I had scarcely lost sight of Fort Edward, before the spectacle
* A particular account of this melancholy occurrence is to be found
in the " Northern Traveller," published by Mr. Goodrich. New-
York.
192 TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA.
of devastation presented itself to my eyes, and continued to dis
tress them as far as the place I stopped at. Peace and indus
try had conducted cultivators amidst these ancient forests, men
content and happy, before the period of this war. Those who
were in Burgoyne s way alone experienced the horrors of his
expedition 5 but on the last invasion of the savages, the deso
lation has spread from Fort Schuyler, (or Fort Stanwisfc,) even
to Fort Edward ; I beheld nothing around me but the remains
of conflagrations ; a few bricks, proof against the fire, were
the only indications of ruined houses ; whilst the fences still
entire, and cleared out lands, announced that these deplorable
habitations had once been the abode of riches, and of happi
ness. Arrived at the height of the cataract it was necessary
to quit our sledges, and walk half a mile to the bank of the
river. The snow was fifteen inches deep, which rendered this
walk rather difficult, and obliged us to proceed in Indian files,
in order to make a path. Each of us put ourselves alternately
at the head of this little column, as the wild geese relieve
each other to occupy the summit of the angle they form in
their flight. But had our march been still more difficult, the
sight of the cataract was an ample recompense. It is not a
sheet of water as at Cohoes, and at Totohaw : the river con
fined, and interrupted in its course by different rocks, glides
through the midst of them, and precipitating itself obliquely
forms several cascades. That of Cohoes is more majestic, this,
more terrible : the Mohawk river seems to fall from its own
dead weight ; that of Hudson frets, and becomes enraged, it
foams and forms whirlpools, and flies like a serpent making its
escape, still continuing its menaces by horrible hissings.
It was near two when we regained our sledges, having two
and twenty miles to return to Saratoga, so that we trod back
our steps as fast as possible ; but we still had to halt at Fort
Edward to refresh our horses. We employed this time, as we
had done in the morning, in warming ourselves by the fire of
the officers who command the garrison. They are five in
number, and have about one hundred and fifty soldiers. They
are stationed in this desert for the whole winter, and I leave
the reader to imagine whether this garrison be much more
gay than those of Gravelines, or Briancon.* We set oft again
in an hour, and night soon overtook us; but before it was dark,
I had the satisfaction to see the first game I had met with in
my journey : it was a bevy of quails ; by some called par
tridges, though they have a much greater resemblance of
quails. They were perched to the number of seven, upon a
* Two of the most melancholy garrisons in France. Tran*.
TRAVELS IN NORTH- AM ERIC A. 1UU
fence. I got out of my sledge to have a nearer view of them :
they suffered me to approach within four paces, and to make
them rise I was obliged to throw my cane at them ; they all went
off together, in a flight similar to that of partridges, and like
them they are sedentary.*
Our return was quick and fortunate : we had no accident to
fear but at the second passage of the river, and the descent of
the precipice we had mounted. I waited for this fresh trial
with as much confidence as the former ; but a sledge, which
was before mine, stopping at that place, and the darkness of
the night preventing me from distinguishing any thing, I ima
gined that the company were going to alight, the first sledge
was that of the Vicomte de Noailles, and the Comte de Damas ;
but I was scarcely alighted, before I saw this sledge set out
with all its lading, and slide down the precipice with such ra
pidity that it could not be stopped at thirty yards from the bot
tom. They make no more ceremony in descending these pre
cipices, than in mounting them : the horses accustomed to this
manoeuvre, precipitate themselves, as rapidly as they launch
off the carriage, so that the sledge sliding like the Ramasse of
mount Cenis, cannot touch their hind legs and make them fall.
At half past six, we reached General Schuyler s, where we
spent our evening as agreeably as the former.
The 31st we got on horseback at eight o clock, and Mr.
Schuyler conducted us himself to the camp occupied by the
English when General Burgoyne capitulated. We could not
have a better guide, but he was absolutely necessary for us in
every respect ; for besides that this event happened before his
eyes, and that he was better able than any body to give us an
* This bird can neither be classed in the species of quails, aor in
that of partridges ; it is larger than the former, and smaller than the
latter ; the feathers of the wings and body are nearly of the same
colour with the grey partridge, those of the belly are mixed with
grey and black, like the bartavelle. The neck of the cock is
white, that of the hen yellow, both of them have a handsome black
collar. It whistles like a quail, but with more force ; and has
four notes, whereas the quail has only three. In other respects its
manners resemble more those of the red partridge than the quail, for
it perches, arid is always in a flock ; it haunts the woods and morasses.
This bird is very common in America, more so to the southward, than
in the northern parts. It is no exaggeration to assert that in one win
ter only, and in a circle of five or six leagues, the officers in winter
quarters at Williamsburgh and York, killed upwards of six thousand,
and that they bought as many of the negroes, which they had taken in
little snares, yet it was difficult to perceive any diminution of their
numbers the following spring.
25
J94 TRAVELS IX NORTH-AMERICA.
account of it, no person but the proprietor of the ground him
self was able to conduct us safely through the woods ; the fen
ces and entrenchments being covered a foot deep with snow.
In throwing your eyes upon the chart, you will see that Sara
toga is situated on the bank of a small river which comes from
a lake of that name, and falls into the Hudson. On the right
bank of the Fishkill, the name of that little river, stood former
ly a handsome country-house belonging to General Schuyler ;
a large farm depending on it, two or three saw-mills, a meet
ing-house, and three or four middling houses, composed all the
habitations of this celebrated place, the name of which will be
handed down to the latest posterity. After the affair of the
7th of October, General Burgoyne began his retreat ; he
marched in the night between the 8th and 9th, but did riot pass
the creek till the 13th, s&fnuch difficulty he had in dragging
his artillery, which he persisted in preserving, although the great
est part of his horses were killed, or dead with hunger. He
took four days therefore to retire eight miles, which gave the
Americans time to follow him on the right bank of the Hudson,
and to get before him on the left bank, where they occupied
in force all the passages. General Burgoyne had scarcely
reached the other side of the creek, before he set fire to Gene
ral Schuyler s house, rather from malice, than for the safety of
his army ;* since this house, situated in a bottom, could afford
* This is a matter in which General Burgoyne s honour and hu
manity, seem to be directly called in question. The General in^his
examination of witnesses on the inquiry into the failure of his expedi
tion before the House of Commons, was particularly anxious to excul
pate himself on the subject, and to prove not only that it always was
necessary in a military point of view to destroy this house, but that
General Schuyler himself afterwards admitted that necessity in oppo
sition to which we have here the assertion of a man of rank distinguish
ed in the military and literary world, as well as the General, who on the
testimony of General Schuyler, asserts, " Que le General Burgoyne fut
a peine de Vautre cott de la creek, qu il Jit mettrc lefeu , la maison
du General Schuyler, plutot par humblur, que pour la surett de son ar-
mee ; &c. &c." The Translator knows General Burgoyne to be a
soldier of honour, who in that capacity never wishes to forget the par
amount duties of the citizen, and the man ; the Marquis de Chastel-
lux too, deservedly stands high in the public estimation ; it is with in
finite concern therefore, that the Translator finds himself unable to re
fute the injurious assertion, or reconcile the contradiction. That the
matter may be fairly brought to issue, he subjoins an extract from
General Burgoyne s speech in the House of Commons, in answer to
u a call upon him by Mr. Wilkes, for explanation respecting the burn
ing of the country during the progress of the army under his command. 1 *
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 195
no advantage to the Americans, and he left the farm standing,
which is at present the only asylum for the owner. It is here
that Mr. Schuyler lodged us in some temporary apartments he
fitted up, until happier times allow him to build another house.
The creek runs between two steep ascents, the summits of
which are about the same height ; it then descends by several
rapids which turn the mills : there the ground is more open,
and continues so to the north river ; that is to say, for half a
mile. As to General Burgoyne s position, it is difficult to de
scribe it, because the ground is so very irregular, and the Ge-
" I am ignorant, said the General, of any such circumstance : I do not
recollect more than one accident by fire ; I positively assert there was
no fire by order, or countenance of myself, or any other officer, except
at Saratoga. That district is the property of Major-General Schuyler
of the American troops ; there were large barracks built by him, which
took fire the day after the army arrived on the ground in their retreat ;
and I believe, 1 need not state any other proof of that matter being
merely accident, than that the barracks were then made use of as my
hospital, and full of sick and wounded soldiers. General Schuyler had
likewise a very good dwelling-house, exceeding large store-houses,
great saw-mills, and other out-buildings, to the value altogether per
haps of ten thousand pounds : a few days before the negotiation with
General Gates, the enemy had formed a plan to attack me : a large
column of troops was approaching to pass the small river, preparato
ry to a general action, and was entirely covered from thejire of my ar
tillery by those buildings. Sir, I avow that I gave the order to set
them on fire ; and in a very short time the whole property I have de
scribed was consumed. But, to show that the person most deeply
concerned in that calamity did not put the construction upon it which,
it has pleased the honourable gentleman to do, I must inform the House,
that one of the first persons I saw, after the convention was signed, was
General Schuyler. I expressed to him my regret at the event which
had happened, and the reasons which occasioned it. He desired me
to think no more of it ; said that the occasion justified it according to
the principles and rules of war, and he should have done the same
upon the same occasion, or words to that effect. He did more he
sent an aid-de-camp to conduct me to Albany, in order as he express
ed, to procure me better quarters than a stranger might be able to find.
This gentleman conducted me to a very elegant house, and to my great
surprise, presented me to Mrs. Schuyler and her family : and in this
General s house I remained during my whole stay at Albany, with a
table of more than twenty covers for me and rny friends, and every other
possible demonstration of hospitality ; a situation painful as it is true
in point of sensibility at the time, but which I now contemplate with
some satisfaction, as carrying undeniable testimony how little I de
served the charges of the honourable gentleman." Trans,
196 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
neral finding himself surrounded, was obliged to divide hi**
troops into three camps, forming three different fronts ; one
facing the creek, another Hudson river, and the third the
mountains to the westward. General Burgoyne s plan, gives
a tolerable just idea of this position, which was not ill taken,
and is only defective on the side of the Germans, where the
ground forms a rising, the declivity of which was against
them. All that it is necessary to observe is, that the woods con
tinually rise towards the west ; so that the General might very
well occupy some advantageous eminences, but never the sum
mits. Accordingly, General Gates who arrived at Saratoga,
almost as soon as the English passed two thousand men over
the creek, with orders to begin to fire on the 14th and consi
derably incommode the English. General Schuyler criticises
this position ; he pretends that this corps so advanced as to
be in danger, without being strong enough to oppose the re
treat of the enemy. But when we consider that these two
thousand men were posted in very thick woods; that they
were protected by abattis ; had a secure retreat in the im
mense forest in their rear, and that they had only to harass a
flying enemy, whose courage was broken, every military man
will think with me that this was rather the criticism of a severe
rival, than of a well informed and methodical tactician. Be
this as it may, it is very certain that Burgoyne had no other
alternative than to let his troops be slaughtered, or capitulate.
His army had only five days provision, and it was impossible
for him to retain his position. It was proposed to him to re
store an old bridge of boats, which had been constructed in
the very front of his camp ; but a corps of two thousand men
were already posted on the heights on the opposite side of the
river, where they had raised a battery of two pieces of cannon.
Had he undertaken to remount by the right bank, to attain the
fords which are near Fort Edward, he had ravines to pass and
bridges to repair ; besides that these defiles were already oc
cupied by the militia, and the vanguard alone must have been
engaged with them, whilst he had a whole army on his rear,
and on his flanks. He had scarce time to deliberate, the can
non shot began to shower into the camp ; one of which fell in
the house where the council of war was holding, and obliged
them to quit it to take refuge in the woods.
Let us now compare the situation of General Burgoyne, col
lecting his trophies, and publishing his insolent manifesto at
Ticonderoga, with that in which he now stood, when vanquish
ed, and surrounded as he was by a troop of peasants, not a
place was left him even to discuss the terms of supplication.
I confess when I was conducted to the spot where the English
laid down their arms, and to that where they filed off before
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 197
Gates army, I could not but partake of the triumph of the
Americans, and at the same time admire their magnanimi
ty; for the soldiers and officers beheld their presumptuous
and sanguinary enemies pass, without offering the smallest
insult, without suffering an insulting smile or gesture to es
cape them. This majestic silence conveyed a very striking
refutation of the vain declarations of the English general, and
seemed to attest all the rights of our allies to the victory.
Chance alone gave rise to an allusion with which General Bur-
goyne was very sensibly affected. It is the custom in England,
and in America, on approaching any person for the first time,
to say, I am very happy to see you ; General Gates chanced to
make use of this expression in accosting General Burgoyne :
I believe you are ; replied the general, the fortune of the day is
entirely yours. General Gates pretended to give no attention
to this answer, and conducted Burgoyne to his quarters, where
he gave him a good dinner, as well as to the principal part of
the English officers. Every body ate and drank heartily, and
seemed mutually to forget their misfortunes, or their suc
cesses.
Before dinner, and at the moment when the Americans were
striving who should entertain the English officers, somebody
came to ask where Madame Riedesel, the wife of the Bruns
wick general, was to be conducted. Mr. Schuyler, who had
followed the army as a volunteer, since he had quitted the
command, ordered her to be shown to his tent, where he went
soon after, and found her trembling and speechless, expecting
to find in every American a savage, like those who had follow
ed the English army. She had with her two charming little
girls, about six or seven years old. General Schuyler caress
ed them greatly ; the sight of this touched Madame de Riede
sel and removed her apprehension in an instant ; you are tender
and sensible, said she, you must then be generous, and lam happy
to have fallen into your hands.
In consequence of the capitulation, the English army was
conducted to Boston. During their march the troops encamp
ed, but lodgings were to be procured for the generals, and
there being some difficulty in procuring near Albany a proper
quarter for General Burgoyne and his suite, Mr. Schuyler offer
ed him his handsome house. He was himself detained by bu
siness at Saratoga, where he remained to visit the ruins of his
other house, which General Burgoyne had just destroyed ; but
he wrote to his wife to prepare every thing for giving him the
best reception, and his intentions were perfectly fulfilled. Bur
goyne was extremely well received by Mrs. Schuyler, and her
little family ; he was lodged in the best apartment in the house.
An excellent supper was served him in the evening, the honours
198 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
of which were done with so much grace, that he was affected
even to tears ; and could not help saying, with a deep sigh,
Indeed this is doing too much for the man who has ravaged their
lands and burnt their asylum. The next morning, however, he
was again reminded of his disgraces by an adventure which
would have appeared gay to any one but him. It was always
innocently that he was afflicted. His bed was prepared in a
large room ; but as he had a numerous suite, or family, several
mattresses were spread upon the floor for some officers to sleep
near him. Mr. Schuyler s second son, a little spoilt child of
about seven years old, very forward and arch, as all the Ame
rican children are, but very amiable, was running all the morn
ing about the house, according to custom, and opening the
door of the saloon, he burst out a laughing on seeing all the
English collected, and shutting it after him, crying, Ye are all
my prisoners : this stroke of nature was cruel, and rendered
them more melancholy than the preceding evening.
I hope I shall be pardoned these little anecdotes, which only
appeared interesting to myself, perhaps solely from their pro
ceeding from the source, and being acquired upon the spot.
Besides, a plain journal merits some indulgence, and when one
does not write history, it is allowable to write little stories.
Henceforth I have only to take leave of General Schuyler, de
tained by business at Saratoga, and to tread back my steps as
fast as possible to Newport.
In repassing near Bream s Height, and Stillwater, I had
again an opportunity of examining the right flank of General
Burgoyne s camp, of which it seemed to me that his plan gives
a pretty accurate idea. I was assured that I might return to
Albany by the eastern road, but on arriving at Half-Moon,
I learnt that the ice was broken in several places, so that after
reposing some time in a handsome inn, kept by Madam Peo
ple, a Dutchman s widow, I took the road by the Mohawk
river, which I passed without accident, and arrived at Albany
about six in the evening. We immediately assembled (I speak
only of the six French travellers) to concert measures for our
return. Not a moment was to be lost, for the wind having got
to the southward, the thaw was beginning ; and it might very
well happen that we should be detained a considerable time
at Albany : for, when you cannot pass the river on the ice, you
are sometimes obliged to wait eight or ten days before it is
navigable, and you can pass the ferry. It was necessary there
fore to set out immediately ; but as we were too many to travel
together, it was determined that the Vicomte de Noailles and
his two companions should set off the next morning at day
break, and sleep thirty miles from Albany ; and that I should
set out at noon, and stay all night at Kinderhook. The Vi~
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. lyy
omte de Noailles had left his horses on the other side of the
river, and had already sent over his sledge, nothing therefore
stood in the way of his departure, the ice being certainly thick
enough for him to pass on foot. My situation was very differ
ent ; I had, at Albany, two sledges, which belonged to the
state, and were furnished me by the aid-Quarter-Master-Ge
neral, an excellent man, called Quakerbush. My intention was
to pay for them ; but he would not allow it, assuring me that
I had only to deliver them to the Quarter-Master of Rhode-
Island, who would return them by the first opportunity. This
is a very convenient arrangement for the military on the con
tinent, and for all such a? are employed in commissions for the
public service : each state maintains horses for travelling, no
thing more being requisite than to deliver them to the Quar
ter-Master of the place at which you leave them. In the
northern states, there are sledges also for the same purpose.
As we were deliberating on our journey. Colonel Hughes,
Quarter-Master of the State of New- York, came to call upon
us : he had just arrived from an expedition towards Fishkill,
and testified great regret at not having been at Albany during
our stay. I must repeat here what I have already said, that it
is impossible to imagine a more frank, and more noble polite
ness, a more courteous behaviour, than I experienced from the
greatest part of the American officers with whom I had any
concern. Mr. Hughes was so good as undertake to conduct
me to the other side of the river, and promised to call upon
me the next day at eleven o clock.
I had travelled far enough in the day to hope for a quiet
sleep, but, at four in the morning, I was awakened by a mus
ket fired close to my windows : I listened, but heard not the
smallest noise or motion in the street, which made me imagine
it was some musket discharged of itself without causing any
accident. I again attempted to go to sleep, but a quarter of
an hour after a fresh musket or pistol shot interrupted my re
pose ; this was followed by several others; so that I had no
longer any doubt that it was some rejoicing, or feast, like our
village christenings. The hour indeed struck me as unusual,
but at length a number of voices mingled with musketry, cry
ing out, new year, reminded me that we were at the first of
January, and I concluded that it was thus the Americans cele
brate that event. Though this manner of proclaiming it was
not, I must own, very pleasing to me, there was nothing for it
but patience ; but at the end of half an hour, I heard a con
fused noise of upwards of a hundred persons, chiefly children,
or young people, assembled under my windows, and I very
soon had farther indication of their;;proximity, for they fired
several musket shot, knocked rudely at the door, and threw
200 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
stones against my windows. Cold and indolence still kept me
in bed, but Mr. Lynch got up, and came into my chamber to
tell me that these people certainly meant to do me honour,
and get some money from me. I desired him to step down,
and give them two Louis : he found them already masters of
the house, and drinking my landlord s rum. In a quarter of
an hour, they went off to visit other streets, and continued
their noise till daylight. On rising, I learnt from my land
lord, that it was the custom of the country for the young
folks, the servants, and even the negroes, to go from tavern to
tavern, and to other houses, to wish a good new year, and ask
for drink ; so that there was no particular compliment to me
in this affair, and I found, that after the example of the Po>-
man emperors, I had made a largess to the people. In the
morning, when I went out to take leave of General Clinton, I
met nothing but drunken people in the streets ; but what asto
nished me the most was too see them not only walk, but run
upon the ice without falling, or making a false step, whilst it
was with the utmost difficulty I kept upon my legs.
As soon as my sledges were ready, I took one of them to go
and bid adieu to Mrs. Schuyler and her family, whence I re
turned to Colonel Hughes, who was waiting for me at the en
trance of the town. He had learnt, since he left us, that the
Baron de Montesquieu was grandson of the author of The Spi
rit of Laws. Rejoiced at this discovery, he desired me to in
troduce him a second time to the gentleman whe bore so re
spectable a name ; and a few minutes after, as I was express
ing my sensibility for the services he had done us, and my
regret at the same time at not having it in my power to repay
them, he said to me with a sentiment truly amiable, " Well
then ! since you wish to do something for me, try to procure
a French copy of the Spirit of Laws. I do not speak your
language, but I understand your books, and shall be happy to
read that in the original." I proposed to send him a copy,
and have been so lucky as to be able to fulfil my promise on
my return to Newport. After this conversation he took me to
the river-side, at the place he thought the safest ; but, as I
was about to venture myself, the first object I beheld was a
sledge, the horses of which were sinking under the ice, at
twenty paces from me. Judge of my consternation ; I must
tread back my steps, and remain perhaps a week at Albany till
the thaw was complete, and the river free from floating ice.
Colonel Hughes bid me to return to my inn, and remain there
quietly, until he sent a man and horse along the river to in
quire for a place to pass over. Three sledges, however, with
rum for the state storehouses appeared on the other side, and
.seemed determined to risk the passage, but he sent a man on
TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA. 201
loot to stop them, after which I left him sorrowfully enough.
About one o clock, as I was reading by my fireside, Mr.
Hughes secretary entered, and told me that the sledges he
had sent to stop, had persisted in passing, and succeeded by
avoiding the hole made by the horses I had seen sinking, and
which were extricated with great difficulty. As the thaw con
tinued, I had not a moment to lose, the horses were instantly
put to, and I set out, under the auspices of Colonel Hughes,
who was waiting for me at the river-side. As soon as I got
over I parted from him ; but had still half a mile to go upon
the ice, before I could get to a landing place which led me
to the high road ; all danger was now over, and I reached
Kinderhook with ease towards six o clock.
I set out the next morning at nine, and after passing the
bridge of Kinderhook, left the Clavarack road on the right, to
follow that of Nobletown. I stopped in this township, and
alighted at Makingston s Tavern, a small neat inn, in which
two travellers may be conveniently lodged. Having an oppor
tunity of conversing with the cousin and neighbour of Mr.
Makingston, of the same name with himself; he told me he
had been a Major in the American army, and received a ball
through his thigh in Canada. He said that his nerves, irritated
with the wound, became contracted, and he halted for upwards
of a year ; but that at the affair of Princeton, after travelling
eighteen miles on foot, he happening to leap over a fence, by
this effort the contracted nerves broke or rather lengthened
themselves, so that he has never since been lame.
As soon as my horses had rested a little, I continued my
journey, and travelling among woods and mountains, it was
night before I got to Sheffield. I traversed this whole town,
which is about two miles long, before I got to Mr. Dewy s inn.
Sheffield is a very pretty place, there are a good many well
built houses, and the high road that separates them is upwards
of a hundred paces wide. My inn gave me pleasure the mo
ment I entered it ; the master and mistress of the house ap
peared polite and well educated ; but I admired above all a
girl of twelve years old, who had all the beauty of her age, and
whom Greuze would have been happy to have taken for a mo
del, when he painted his charming picture of the young girl
crying for the loss of her canary bird. When I was shown in
to my chamber, I amused myself in looking at some books
scattered on the tables. The first I opened was the Abridg
ment of Newton s Philosophy : this discovery induced me to
put some questions to fny landlord on physics, and geometry,
with which I found him well acquainted, and that he was be
sides very modest, and very good company. He is a surveyor,
26
TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA.
a very active employment in a country where there is perpetu
ally land to measure, and boundaries to fix.
The 3d in the morning, I was sorry to find that the weather,
which had been hitherto uncertain, was ended in a thaw. I
had to traverse the Greenwoods, a rugged, difficult, and desert
country. The snow remaining on the ground, and giving me
still hopes of being able to continue my route in a sledge, I
kept mine, and proceeded tolerably well as far as Canaan, a
small town situated on the left bank of the Housatonick, seven
miles from Sheffield meeting-house ; there I turned to the left,
and began to climb the mountains ; unfortunately the snow
failed me where it was the most necessary, and I was obliged
to walk almost alw T ays on foot to relieve my horses, which were
sometimes labouring to drag the sledge out of the mud, and at
others to pull it over stones two or three feet high. This road
is, in fact, so rough, that it is hardly possible to make use of
sledges, unless there be a foot and a half of snow upon the
ground. It was with the utmost difficulty therefore I travelled
fifteen miles to a wretched inn dependant on Norfolk. On
leaving this inn, I got into the Greenwoods. This forest is
part of the same chain of mountains I had passed in going to
Fishkill by the Litchfield road ; but here the trees are superb ;
they are firs, but so strong, so straight and lofty, that I doubt
whether there are any like them, in all North- America. I re
gret that Salvator Rosa, or Gaspard Poussin, never saw the ma
jestic and truly grandioso picture a deep valley here affords,
through which runs the small river called the Naragontad.
This valley appears still more narrow from the immense firs
that shade it ; some of which, rising in an oblique direction,
seem to unite their tops purposely to intercept the rays of the
sun. When you have passed this river, you mount for four or
five miles, and then descend as much ; continually bounding
from one large stone to another which cross the road, and give
it the resemblance of stairs. Here one of my sledges broke,
and night approaching, I was at a loss how to repair it, ima
gining myself in an uninhabitable desert ; I tried to get it for
ward broken as it was, but despaired of succeeding, when two
hundred steps farther on, I found a small house, and opposite
to it a forge, where the fire was lighted, and the blacksmith at
work. A pilot who discovers land in unknown seas, is not
more happy than I was at this sight. I politely requested the
honest man to leave his work and repair my sledge, which he
agreed to, and I continued to follow that in good condition, on
foot, despairing of ever seeing the other, which arrived however
an hour after me. Such are the resources travellers meet with
TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA. 203
in America, and such the excellent police* of this country, that
no road is destitute of what is necessary for their wants.
This day was destined to be full of contrarieties. It was
seven in the evening when I arrived at New-Hartford, where I
expected to find a good inn, called Gilbert s House. Three
American officers who, having rode on horseback, had very
easily passed me, were so polite as .to go farther on, in order to
leave me the whole house ; but I was told, and it was evident
on entering, that it was impossible I could be accommodated.
The masons were repairing it, and at work every where : so
that I had now no other hope but at the inn of a Mr. Case, two
miles farther, beyond Farmington river ; but learning that the
American officers were there, I inquired whether I could not
be lodged elsewhere, and was recommended to an old woman,
called Mrs. Wallen, who formerly kept an inn, and I was flat
tered with hopes of her receiving me. I continued therefore
to follow my sledge on foot, and having, with difficulty, reach
ed this house, I implored Mrs. Wallen s hospitality, who con
sented, but merely to oblige me. I remained here some time,
but finding it a very poor house, and the apartments wretched,
I sent one of my people to Case s, to try if he could find me
some corner to lodge in. They contrived to let me have one,
and I went thither on foot, leaving my horses at the other house.
I was lucky enough to find a good bed, and a supper, such as it
was, but which appeared to me excellent, less because I had a
good appetite, than from being waited on by a tall woman of
five and twenty, handsome, and of a noble appearance. I in
quired of my landlady if she was her daughter, but she, a good,
* The word police is certainly inapplicable in this case, although
the fact be, as the Marquis states it. The respective governments of
America, never dreamt of compelling persons to keep public houses,
or blacksmith s and wheelwright s shops, nor could such a regulation
be enforced without infinite difficulty, even in established and arbitrary
governments. A moment s reflection, but above all, a knowledge of
the constitutions, and the nature of the country, may convince any per
son that this assertion, which is repeated in this work, can only be the
result of misinformation, or misapprehension. I have said that the ex :
istence of these resources is a fact, having experienced their utility "and
frequency in all parts of the country, but this arises from the necessity
of such occupations, in the innumerable new settlements which are
spread over great part of the continent, wherein every settler is obliged
more or less to be a handicraftsman, and where they are all compelled
mutually to administer to each other s wants. In them too, the publi
can, who is so far from being precluded from other pursuits, that he fre
quently becomes the first farmer, the first magistrate, the first military
officer of the district, is a necessary appendage. Trans.
204 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
fat woman, very industrious and talkative, and who had taken
me into favour for giving ready answers to the questions she
had put, told me she had never had any children, although she
then had one in her arms, which she was dandling and caress
ing. To whom does that belong then, said I ? To the tall
w r oman you see, replied she and who is her husband ? She
has none She is a widow then . ? No, she was never married.
It is an unlucky affair, too long to tell you : the poor girl was
in want, I took her to live with me and provide for the mother
and child. Is it advancing a paradox to say, that such con
duct proves, more than any thing, the pure and respectable
manners of the Americans ? With them vice is so strange,
and so rare, that the danger of example has almost no effect ;
so that a fault of this nature is regarded only as an accidental
error, of which the individual, attacked with it, must be cured,
without taking any measures to escape the contagion. I must
add too, that the acquisition of a citizen in this country is
so precious, that a girl, by bringing up her child, seems to ex
piate the weakness which brought it into existence. Thus
morality, which can never differ from the real interest of socie
ty, appears sometimes to be local and modified by times and
circumstances. When an infant without an asylum, and with
out property, shall become a burthen to the state, a being de
voted to misfortune, owing its preservation to pity alone, and
not to the public utility, we shall then see the mother humbled,
nay perhaps punished, and this severity will then be vindica
ted here, as well as elsewhere, by all those austere dogmas
which at present are neglected or forgotten.*
I proposed making a short journey the next day to Hartford,
fifteen miles only from the place I slept at, but it seeming to
me impossible to perform it except on horseback, I left the
* It is to be hoped that it will be long, very long ere the barbarous
prejudices and punishments of polished Europe shall be introduced in
to this happy country. At present, the natural commerce between
the sexes universally takes place, to the exclusion of exotic vices, and
without involving the weak and unprotected female in all the horrors
of sjiame, misery and child-murder. Here libertinism is by no means
the consequence of an accidental frailty, nor is the mother, who in fol
lowing the strong impulse of Nature, has given a member to society,
thrown an outcast upon the world, lost to herself, and compelled to be
come vicious. The error of passion, though condemned, is venial, and
she is neither driven to despair by cruelty, nor excluded from the sweet
prospect of giving birth to future offspring, under the sanction of every
legitimate and sacred title. Nothing is more common in this country,
than such slips in the first violence of an early puberty, nor less fre
quent than a repetition of the same weakness. Trans.
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 205
two State sledges with Mr. Case, taking a receipt from him,
which I afterwards delivered to Mr. Wadsworth. At first I
was not satisfied with the exchange, as I travelled some time
on heights covered with snow, well calculated for the sledge,
but on descending towards Farmington river, I found the thaw
complete, and mud instead of snow. The woods I had just
passed through, were very different from the Greenwoods ;
they were full of small firs, whose verdant hue pleased the
eye, and the road was by accident so prettily laid out, that it
is impossible to imagine a better model for walks in the Eng
lish style.
When I had passed Farmington river, T mounted a pretty
long and steep hill, on which I observed, from time to time,
objects interesting to the lovers of natural history. You see,
among other things, large masses of rocks, or rather vast blocks
of stone, which have no sort of correspondence with the rest of
the mountain, and appear as if they had been launched there
by some volcano. I remarked one more singular than the rest,
and stopped to measure it : it is a sort of socle, or long square,
thirty feet long by twenty high, and as many wide, not unlike
the pedestal of the statue of Peter the Great one sees at Pe-
tersburgh. On the east side, it is split from top to bottom,
the crack is about a foot and a half wide at the top, but much
less at bottom. Some shrubs vegetate in the little earth there
is, and on the very summit of the rock grows a small tree, but
I could not tell of what species. The stone is hard, of the na
ture of quartz, and is no wise volcanized.
I got to Hartford about three, and being informed that Mr.
Wadsworth was absent, I was afraid of incommoding his wife
and sister by going to lodge there, and went to a very good inn
kept by Mr. Bull, who is accused of being rather on the other
side of the question ; a polite method of designating a tory. I
only made a transient visit therefore to Mrs. Wadsworth, to
invite myself to breakfast the next morning. The 5th I did
not set out till eleven, although I had thirty miles journey to
Lebanon. At the passage of the Ferry, I met with a detach
ment of the Rhode-Island regiment, the same corps we had
with us all the last summer, but they have since been recruited
and clothed. The greatest part of them are negroes or mu-
lattoes* ; but they are strong, robust men, and those I have seen
had a very good appearance. We had fine weather all day,
and got to Lebanon at sunset. Not that I got to Lebanon meet
ing-house, where the Duke de Lauzun was quartered with his
Hussars, that was six miles farther, still travelling in Lebanon.
Who would not think, after this, that I am speaking of an im
mense city *? and in fact, this is one of the most considerable
towns in the country, for it consists of at least one hundred
206 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
houses; teit it is unnecessary to add, that they are much scat
tered, and distant from each other frequently more than four
or five hundred paces.
It will be easily imagined that I was not sorry to find myself
in the French army, of which these Hussars formed the advan
ced guard, although their quarters be seventy-five miles from
Newport; but there are no circumstances in which I should not
be happy with M. de Lauzun. For two months I had been v
talking, and listening, with him I conversed : for it must be al
lowed that conversation is still the peculiar forte of the amia
ble French ; a precious appendage for our nation, which it
neglects possibly too much, and may one day chance to for
feit. It is told of an Englishman accustomed to be silent, that
he said, talking spoils conversation. This whimsical expres
sion contains great sense : every body can talk, but nobody
knows how to listen : insomuch that the society of Paris, such
as I left it, resembles the chorus of an opera, which a few cory-
phies alone have a right to interrupt ; each theatre has its par
ticular coryphaeus ; each theatre has its chorus too, which
chime in, and its pit which applaud without knowing why.
Transplant the actors, or change the theatre, the effect of the
piece is lost. Fortunate for the spectators, when the stock is
abundant, and they are not satiated with a repetition of the
same production.
But I am got very far from America, where I must return
however, if it be only to hunt a few squirrels. The Duke de
Lauzun entertained me with this diversion, which is much in
fashion in this country. These animals are large ?j and have a
more beautiful fur than those in Europe ; like ours, they are
very adroit in slipping from tree to tree, and in clinging so
closely to the branches as to become almost invisible. You
frequently wound them, without their falling ; but that is a
slight inconvenience, for you have only to call or send for
somebody, who applies the hatchet to the tree, and presently
knocks it down. As squirrels are not rare, you will conclude
then, and very justly, that trees are very common. On re
turning from the chase, I dined at the Duke de Lauzun s, witli
Governor Turnbull and General Huntington. The former
lives at Lebanon, and the other had come from Norwich. I
have already painted Governor Turnbull, at present you have
only to represent to yourself this little old man, in the antique
dress of the first settlers in this colony, approaching a table
surrounded by twenty Hussar officers, and without either dis
concerting himself, or losing any thing of his formal stiffness,
pronouncing, in a loud voice, a long prayer in the form of a
lenedicite. Let it not be imagined that he excites the laughter
of his auditors ; they are too well trained: you must, on the
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 207
contrary, figure to yourself twenty Amens issuing at once from
the midst of forty mustaches,* and you will have some idea of
this little scene. But M. de Lauzun is the man to relate, how
this good, methodical governor, didactic in all his actions, in
variably says, that he will consider ; that he must refer to his
council ; how of little affairs he makes great ones, and how
happy a mortal he is when he has any to transact. Thus, in
the two hemispheres, Paris alone excepted, ridicule must not
imply inaptitude to govern ; since it is by the character men
govern, and by the character men make themselves ridicu
lous.
I proposed leaving Lebanon the 7th at ten o clock, but the
weather was so bad that 1 staid till past one, expecting it to
clear up ; I was obliged, however, to set out at last in a melt
ing snow, the most continued, and the coldest I ever experi
enced. The bad weather urged me on so fast that I arrived
at Voluntown about five o clock. If the reader recollects
what I have said at the beginning of my journal of Mr. D s.
house, he will not be surprised at my returning to it with plea
sure. Miss Pearce however was no longer there, but she was
replaced by the youngest Miss D. a charming pretty girl, al
though not so regular a beauty as her friend. She has, like
her, modesty, candour, and beauty in all her features ; and has
besides, a serenity mixed with gaiety, which render her as
amiable as the other is interesting. Her eldest sister had laid
in since I was last at Voluntown ; she was in a great chair,
near the fire, around which her family were seated. Her noble
and commanding countenance seemed more changed by mis
fortune than by suffering ; yet every body about her was em
ployed in consoling and taking care of her ; her mother, seat
ed by her, held in her arms the infant, smiling at it, and ca
ressing it ; but as for her, her eyes were sorrowfully fixed upon
the little innocent, eyeing it with interest, but without plea
sure, as if she were saying to it, miser o paragoletto il tuo destin,
non sai.-\ Never did a more interesting or more moral picture
exercise the pencil of a Greuze, or the pen of a tender poet.
May that man be banished from the bosom of society who
could be so barbarous as to leave this amiable girl a prey to a
misfortune which it is in his power to repair ; and may every
benediction which heaven can bestow be showered on the be
ing, generous and just enough to give her more legitimate titles
* The Hussars of Lauzun s Legion, and the Duke himself wore
mustaches in America. Trans.
t Unhappy child ! thou knowest not the lot that, is reserved for
thee. Metastasio. Demopkoon.
>
208 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
to the hallowed names of wife and mother, and thus restore
her, to all that happiness, which nature had designed her.*
My journey henceforward affords nothing worthy of the
smallest attention. I slept next day at Providence, and arrived
the 9th at Newport ; satisfied with having seen many interest
ing things, without meeting with any accident ; but with a sor
rowful reflection that the place I arrived at, after travelling so
far, was still fifteen hundred leagues from that where I had left
my friends ; where I shall enjoy the little knowledge I have
acquired, by sharing it with them : where I shall again be
happy, if there still be any happiness in store for me ; the only
place in short, dove da longhi errori spero di reposar.^
* See what is said on this subject, in a note at the commencement
of this journal.
t I wish to recompense those who shall have the patience to com
plete the perusal of this journal, by laying before them the charming
passage of Metastasio from whence these words are borrowed.
LHDnda dal mar divisa
Bagna la valla e il monte.
Va passagiera in fiume
Va prigioniera in fonte ;
Mormora sempre e geme
Fin che non torna al mar.
Al mar dove ella nacque
Dove acquisto gli umori
Dove da lunghi errori
Spera di reposar.
The following is a free translation :
The wave once separated from the sea, strays over the mountains:,
or bathes the vallies : anon it travels with the rivers, &c. now is kept
prisoner in the fountains ; but it never ceases to murmur and complain
until it returns unto the sea.
To the sea its native abode, to the sea its last asylum, where fatigued
after its long wanderings, it hopes at length to find some repose.
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
PART II.
JOURNAL OF A TOUR
IN UPPER VIRGINIA, IN THE APALACHIAN MOUNTAINS,
AND TO THE NATURAL BRIDGE.
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
CHAPTER I.
WILLIAMSBURGH NEWCASTLE HANOVER MONTICELLO.
FROM the moment the French troops were established in the
quarters they occupied in Virginia, I formed the project of
travelling into the upper parts of that province, where I was
assured that I should find objects worthy of exciting the curi
osity of a stranger ; and faithful to the principles, which from
my youth I had lain down, never to neglect seeing every coun
try in my power, I burned with impatience to set out. The
season however, was unfavourable, and rendered travelling
difficult and laborious ; besides, experience taught me that
travelling in winter never offered the greatest satisfaction we
can enjoy ; that of seeing nature, such as she ought to be, and
of forming a just idea of the general face of a country ; for it
is easier for the imagination to deprive a landscape of the
charms of spring, than to clothe with them, the hideous skele
ton of winter ; as it is easier to imagine what a beauty at
eighteen may be at eighty, than to conceive what eighty was
at eighteen. Monsieur de Rochambleau being absent like
wise during the month of February, and Monsieur la Chevalier
de la Luzerne having chosen the month of March to pay us a
visit, politeness and my duty obliged me to wait till April, be
fore I could begin my travels. On the 8th of that month I set
out with Mr. Lynch, then my aid-de-camp and Adjutant, now
General ; Mr. Frank Dillon, my second aid-de-camp, * arid Mr.
le Chevalier d Oyre of the engineers : six servants and a led
horse composed our train ; so that our little caravan consisted
of four masters, six servants, and eleven horses. I regulated
my journey by the spring, and gave it time sufficient to precede
us. For though in the 37th degree of latitude, one might ex
pect to find it in the month of April, I saw no trace of it in the
wood through which we passed ; the verdure being hardly dis
coverable on the thorns, the sun notwithstanding was very ar-
* Monsieur le Baron de Montesquieu went to Europe after the
siege of York, and did not return until the month of September fol
lowing.
212 TRAVELS *N NORTH-AMERICA .
dent, and I regretted to find summer in the heavens, whilst
the earth afforded not the smallest appearance of the spring.
The eighteen miles through which we passed, before we baited
our horses at Bird s tavern, were sufficiently known to me, for
it was the same road I travelled last summer in coming from
Williamsburgh. The remaining sixteen, which completed our
day s work and brought us to New-Kent court-house, offered
nothing curious ; all I learnt by a conversation with Mr. Bird
was, that he had been pillaged by the English when they pass
ed his house in their march to Westover, in pursuit of Monsieur
de la Fayette, and in returning to Williamsburgh, after en
deavouring in vain to come up with him. It was comparative
ly nothing to see their fruits, fowls, and cattle carried away by
the light troops which formed the vanguard,* the army col
lected what the vanguard had left, even the officers seized the
rum, and all kinds of provisions, without paying a farthing for
them ; this hurricane which destroyed every thing in its pass-
* It is with great reluctance that truth compels me to confirm the
horrid depredations committed by the English army in their progress
through many parts of America. Much has been said on this subject,
both in and out of parliament, but I am sorry to say, that future histo
rians of this unhappy war, will find the fact too well established to re
fuse a decisive verdict. Happy if the result may tend henceforth to al
leviate the miseries of mankind, and mitigate the horrors of a civil con
test. The wife of an Englishman, one of the principal merchants of
Philadelphia, having retired with her family to the neighbourhood of
Mountholsy in the Jerseys, assured me, that she found the country in
general well affected to the English, until the arrival of their army,
whose indiscriminate and wanton enormities soon alienated their most
zealous friends, for even the officers were contaminated with the insa
tiable spirit of revenge and plunder. Among various anecdotes, she
related to me the circumstance of the cruel treatment of a lady of her
acquaintance, who was devoted to the British interest, and gave up her
house with exultation to some .officers of Clinton s army in their re
treat from Philadelphia. But not only was her zeal repaid with insult
and her own house plundered ; she had the mortification to see it
made the receptacle of the pillage of her poorer neighbours. Observing
some of the officers make frequent excursions, and return, followed by
soldiers, laden with various articles, she had at length the curiosity to
pass into the garden, and looking through the window, saw four of
them, and the Chaplain, emptying a sack containing stockings, shirts,
shifts, counterpanes, sheets, spoons, and women s trinkets. The
booty was regularly shared, and the distributor of these unhallowed
spoils, to her utter astonishment and horror, was no other than the
minister of virtue and religion. The detail of this war is a history of
such iniquity : was it possible, therefore, to expect a more favourable
termination of it, either on the principle of a Divine Providence, or of
human conduct {Trans.
TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA. .213
age, was followed by a scourge yet more terrible, a numerous
rabble, under the title of Refugees and Loyalists, followed the
army, not to assist in the field, but to partake of the plunder.*
The furniture and clothes of the inhabitants were in general
the sole booty left to satisfy their avidity ; after they had emp
tied the houses, they stript the proprietors ; and Mr. Bird re
peated with indignation, that they had taken from him by
force, the very boots from off his legs. In my way hither, I
had the satisfaction however of recalling to mind the first pu
nishment inflicted on these robbers. Six miles from Williams-
burgh I passed near a place where two cross roads intersecting
each other, leave an open space ; one leading to Williams-
burgh, the other to Jamestown. On the 25th of June, Mon
sieur de la Fayette here ordered the vanguard to attack that of
Lord Cornwallis ; Sincoe, who commanded it, was left behind
to collect the cattle, whilst Lord Cornwallis was encamping at
Williamsburgh, where he arrived the preceding evening.
Monsieur de la Fayette s cavalry with some infantry mounted
behind them, arrived soon enough to force Sincoe to an en
gagement, and was soon after joined by the rest of the Ameri
can light infantry. Sincoe fought with disadvantage, till Lord
Cornwallis marching to his assistance, the Americans retired,
* The Loyalists no doubt, no more merit indiscriminate censure than
any other body of men ; the Translator, who thinks he understands the
true principles of liberty, for which he has ever^been a zealous and un
shaken advocate, admits, however, and admires the virtue, honour, and
steadfast attachment of many illustrious individuals to a cause, direct
ly destructive of his own wishes ; but with every fair allowance for the
violence inseparable from civil contests, he cannot help bearing his
testimony to the wanton outrages committed by an unprincipled ban
ditti who attached themselves to the royal cause, and branded it with
ruin and disgrace. The root of this evil originated in the Board of
Loyalists established by Lord George Germain at the instigation of
skulking, refugees, who flying themselves, from the scene of danger,
took up their residence in London, and were in the incessant pursuit
of personal and interested vengeance. He does not assert that their
councils lost America, but it is now past doubt, that they formed a
strong secondary cause of precipitating that event, and of embittering
the separation. General Clinton, the whole army at New- York, can
witness the insolence and indirect menaces of this incorporated rabble
of marauders, in the affair of Captain Huddy, and the subsequent
claim of the Congress. Had the war continued, this imperium in im-
pmomust have been attended with the most fatal consequences ; this
illiberal narrow minded set of men, became the spies and censors of
British policy, and British conduct, and the commander-in-chief him
self, was struck with horror at their unenlightened, blood-thirsty tribu
nal, Tram.
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
after having killed or wounded near 150 men, with the loss
only of seven or eight. Colonel Butler an American officer,
who commanded a battalion of light infantry, and Colonel
Galvan,* a French officer, who commanded another, distin
guished themselves very much on this occasion. The recol
lection of this event, the presage of that success which crown
ed our campaign, employed my thoughts so much the more
agreeably the whole evening, as we had taken up our lodgings
in a good inn, where we were served with an excellent supper,
composed chiefly of sturgeon, and I had two kinds of fish, at
least as good in Virginia as in Europe, but which make their
appearance only in the spring.
The next morning I had an enjoyment of another kind. I
rose with the sun, and whilst breakfast was preparing, took a
walk round the house ; the birds were heard on every side, but
my attention was chiefly attracted by a very agreeable song,
which appeared to proceed from a neighbouring tree. I ap
proached softly, and perceived it to be a mocking bird, salu
ting the rising sun. At first I was afraid of frightening it, but
my presence on the contrary gave it pleasure, for apparently
delighted at having an auditor, it sung better than before, arid
its emulation seemed to increase, when it perceived a couple
of dogs, which followed me, draw near to the tree on which
it was perched. It kept hopping incessantly from branch to
branch, still continuing its song, for this extraordinary bird is
not less remarkable for its agility, than its charming notes ; it
keeps perpetually rising and sinking, so as to appear not less
the favourite of Terpsichore, than Polihymnia. This bird can
not certainly be reproached with fatiguing its auditors, for no
thing can be more varied than its song, of which it is impos
sible to give an imitation, or even to furnish any adequate idea.
As it had every reason to be contented with my attention, it
concealed from me no one of its talents ; and one would have
thought, that after having delighted me with a concert, it was
desirous of entertaining me with a comedy. It began to coun
terfeit different birds ; those which it imitated the most natu
rally, at least to a stranger, were the jay, the raven, the cardi
nal, and the lapwing. f It appeared desirous of retaining me
near it, for after having listened for a quarter of an hour, on
* The same who afterwards shot himself at Philadelphia. See pre
vious notes. Trans.
t Or rather the painted plover, which is the lapwing of America.
It differs from ours, by its plumage, mixt with grey, white and yellow
gilt ; it differs also a little in its song, but it has the shape and man
ners. and is absolutely the same species.
TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA. ^15
my return to the house, it followed me, flying from tree to tree,
always singing, sometimes its natural song, at others, those
which it had learned in Virginia, and in its travels ; for this
bird is one of those which change climate, although it some
times appears here during the winter. As the next day s jour
ney was to be longer than that of the preceding one, we left,
New-Kent court-house before eight o clock and rode twenty
miles to Newcastle, where I resolved to give our horses two
hour s repose ; the road was not so level as that we had travel
led the day before, and was rendered more agreeable by being
diversified with some little hillocks. From the top of them
you had a view to the distance of some miles, and at times one
might perceive Pamunkey river, which runs at the bottom of
a deep valley, covered with wood. As you approach New
castle, the country becomes more gay. This little capital of
a small district, contains twenty-five or thirty houses, some of
which are pretty enough. When our horses were reposed,
and the heat already troublesome in the middle of the day,
was a little abated, we continued our journey, that we might
arrive, before dark, at Hanover court-house, from which we
were yet sixteen miles. The country through which we pass
ed is one of the finest of lower Virginia. There are many
well cultivated estates, and handsome houses, among others,
one belonging to Mr. Jones, situated near the road, two miles
from Newcastle, of a very elegant appearance, which, we were
informed, was furnished with infinite taste, and what is still
more uncommon in America, that it was embellished with a
garden, laid out in the English style.* It is even pretended,
that this kind of park, through which the river flows, yields not
in beauty to those, the model of which the French have re
ceived from England, and are now imitating with such suc-
cess.f
* The author has since seen this garden, which answers the descrip
tion given, and is really very elegant.
t The gardens I have hitherto seen in France professedly laid out
on the English model, are with great deference to the author, but very
unsuccessful Imitations of the English style ; those of the Comte de
Artois at Bagatelle, and of the Duke of Orleans at Mousseaux near
Paris, are indeed no imperfect imitations of Mr. Sterling s in the co
medy of the Clandestine Marriage, of the Spaniard s at Harnpstead,
of Bagnigge-wells, or a Common Councilman s retreat upon the
Wandsworth road. They present a fantastic, and crowded groupe of
Chinese pagodas, gothic ruins, immoveable windmills, molehill-mounts,
thirty grass patches, dry bridges, pigmy serpentines, cockleshell cas
cades, and stagnant duck-pools. The gardens of the Thuilleries and
Marly, with their undisguised, artificial labours, are at least noble.
216 TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA.
Three miles from Hanover, there are two roads, that which
we were to follow winds a little towards the north, and ap
proaches the Parnunkey. We arrived before sunset and alight
ed at a tolerable handsome inn ; a very large saloon and a co
vered portico, are destined to receive the company who assem
ble every three months at the court-house, either on private
or public affairs. This asylum is the more necessary, as there
are no other houses in the neighbourhood. Travellers make
use of these establishments, which are indispensable in a coun
try so thinly inhabited, that the houses are often at the distance
of two or three miles from each other. Care is generally taken
to place the court-house .in the centre of the county. As there
are a great many counties in Virginia, they are seldom more
than six or seven leagues diameter; thus every man can return
home after he has finished his affairs.
The county of Hanover, as well as that of New-Kent, had
still reason to remember the passage of the English. Mr.
Tilghman, our landlord, though he lamented his misfortune in
having lodged and boarded Lord Cornwallis and his retinue,
without his Lordship s having made him the least recompense,
could not yet help laughing at the fright which the unexpect
ed arrival of Tarleton spread among a considerable number of
gentlemen, who had come to hear the news, and were assem
bled in the court-house. A negro on horseback came full gal
lop, to let them know that Tarleton was not above three miles
off. The resolution of retreating was soon taken, but the alarm
was so sudden, and the confusion so great, that every one
mounted the first horse he could find, so that few of those cu
rious gentlemen returned upon their own horses. The Eng
lish, who came from Westover, had passed the Chilkahominy
at Button s bridge, and directed their march towards the South
Anna, which M. de la Fayette had put between them and him
self.
Mr. Tilghman having had time to renew his provisions since
the retreat of Lord Cornwallis, we supped very well, and had
the company of Mr. Lee, brother to Colonel Henry Lee ;*
. !
magnificent, and useful ; their terraces are grand, and their lofty Bcr-
ceaus beautiful, and well adapted to the climate. Trans.
* Colonel Harry Lee is a smart, active young man, first cousin to
Mr. Arthur Lee, and Mr. William Lee, late alderman of London.
He rendered very essential services to his country, particularly in the
southern war. His corps was mounted on remarkably fine, high-
priced horses, mostly half blood English stallions, and officered prin
cipally by his own family and relations. Had the war continued, there-
is every reason to believe that the American cavalry would have taken
some consistence, and have become very formidable in the field ; Mr.
TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA. i>lT
who long commanded a legion, and often distinguished himself,
particularly in Carolina.* We set out at nine the next morn
ing, after haying breakfasted much better than our horses,
who had nothing but oats, the country being so destitute of
forage, that it was not possible to find a truss of hay, or a few
leaves of Indian corn, though we had sought for it two miles
round. Three miles and a half from Hanover we crossed the
South Anna on a wooden bridge. I observed that the river
was deeply embanked, and from the nature of the soil conclu
ded it was the same during a great part of its course : it ap
pears to me therefore that would have been a good defence, if
Monsieur de la Fayette, who passed it higher up, had arrived
in time to destroy the bridge. On the left side of the river the
ground rises, and you mount a pretty high hill, the country is
barren, and we travelled almost always in the woods, till one
o clock, when we arrived at Offly, and alighted at General Nel
son s, formerly governor of Virginia. I had got acquainted
with him during the expedition to York, at which critical mo
ment he was governor, and conducted himself with the cou
rage of a brave soldier, and the zeal of a good citizen. At
the time when the English armies were carrying desolation
into the heart of his country, and our troops arrived unexpect
edly to succour and revenge it, he was compelled to exert every
means, and to call forth every possible resource, to assist Mon
sieur de la Fayette to make some resistance ; and furnish Ge
neral Washington with horses, carriages, and provisions ; but
I am sorry to add, what will do but little honour to Virginia, that
the only recompense of his labours was the hatred of a great
part of his fellow-citizens. At the first assembly of the pro
vince, held after the campaign, he experienced from them neither
the satisfaction he had a right to expect, at being freed from
servitude, nor that emulation which is the general consequence
Tarleton received many severe checks in his exploits from the corps
under Colonel Washington, and that of Colonel Harry Lee. Towards
the close of the war, he had to encounter an enemy very different from
flying militia, and scattered bodies of broken, half disciplined infantry,
of whom slaughter may be service, but conquest no honour. Trans.
* Lord Cornwallis was unquestionably the English general whose
courage, talents and activity, occasioned the greatest loss to the Ame
ricans ; it is not astonishing therefore he should not have inspired them
with sentiments similar to those of his own troops, whose attachment,
and admiration of his character, were unbounded. Yet they never ac
cused him of rapine, nor even of interested views, and the complaints
of Mr. Tilghman only prove the sad consequences of a war, in the course
of which the English suffered more from want, in the midst of their
28
218 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA,
of success ; but instead of these Sentiments, so natural in suci*
circumstances, a general discontent, arising from the necessity
under which he had often laboured, of pressing their horses,
carriages and forage. Those laws and customs which would
have ceased to exist by the conquest of the province, were put
in force against its defender, and General Nelson, worn out at
length by the fatigues of the campaign, but still more by the
ingratitude of his fellow-citizens, resigned the place of govern
or, which he had held for six months, but not without enjoying
the satisfaction of justifying his conduct, and of seeing his
countrymen pardon the momentary injuries he had done their
laws, by endeavouring to save the state. If to the character
I have just given of General Nelson, I should add, that he is a
good and gallant man, in every possible situation of life, and
has ever behaved with the utmost politeness to the French, you
will be surprised that I should go to visit him in his absence,
like Mathwin in the comedy of Rose and Colas, for though I
knew he was not at home, as I had met him near Williams-
burgh, where he was detained by public business, the visit I
intended to pay him formed a part of my journey I undertook
besides that I was desirous of seeing his family, particularly
his younger brother, Mr. William Nelson, with whom I was
intimately connected at Williamsburgh, where he passed the
greatest part of the winter. Offly is far from corresponding
with the riches of General Nelson, or with his high considera
tion in Virginia ; it is but a moderate plantation, where he has
contented himself with erecting such buildings as are neces
sary for the improvement of his lands, and for the habitation
of his overseers ; his general residence is at York, but that he
was obliged to abandon : and Offly being beyond the South
Anna, and situated far back in the country, he thought that this
lonely house would be at least a safe retreat for his family ; it
was not secure however from the visits of Lord Cornwallis, who,
in his peregrinations through Virginia, advanced even so far,
though without doing much mischief. In the absence of the
general, his mother and wife received us with all the polite-
success, than in their disasters ; the former carrying them far from the
fleet, and the latter obliging them to approach it. But the most pain
ful of these consequences was the necessity which compelled a man
of my Lord Cornwallis birth and character, to conduct, rather than
command, a numerous band of traitors and robbers, which English
policy decorated with the name of Loyalists. This rabble preceded
the troops in plunder, taking special care never to follow them in dan
ger. The pro.gfess was marked by fire, devastation, and outrages of
every kind ; they ravaged some part of America it is true, but ruined
England, by inspiring her enemies with an irreconcileable hatred.
TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA. 219
ness, ease, and cordiality natural to his family. But as in
America the ladies are never thought sufficient to do the ho
nours of the house, five or six Nelsons were assembled to re
ceive us; among others, the Secretary Nelson, uncle to the ge
neral, with his two sons, and two of the general s brothers.
These young men were all married, and several of them were
accompanied by their wives and children, all called Nelson,
and distinguished only by their Christian names,* so that during
the two days which I passed in this truly patriarchal house, it
was impossible for me to find out their degrees of relationship.
When I say that we passed two days in this house, it may be
understood in the most literal sense, for the weather was so
bad, there was no possibility of stirring out. The house be
ing neither convenient nor spacious, company assembled either
in the parlour or saloon, especially the men, from the hour of
breakfast, to that of bed-time, but the conversation was always
agreeable and well supported. If you were desirous of diversify
ing the scene, there were some good French and English authors
at hand. An excellent breakfast at nine in the morning, a
sumptuous dinner at two o clock, tea and punch in the after
noon, and an elegant little supper, divided the day most hap
pily, for those whose stomachs were never unprepared. It is
worth observing, that on this occasion, where fifteen or twenty
people, (four of whom were strangers to the family or coun
try,) were assembled together, and by bad weather forced to
stay within doors, not a syllable was mentioned about play.
How many parties would with us have been the consequence
of such obstinate bad weather ? But in America, music, draw
ing, public reading, and the work of the ladies, are resources
as yet unknown, though it is to be hoped they will not long
neglect to cultivate them; for nothing but study was wanting ^
to a young Miss Tolliver* who sung some airs, the words of
which were English, and the music Italian. Her charming
voice, and the artless simplicity of her singing, were a substi
tute for taste, if not taste itself; that natural taste, always sure,
when confined within just limits, and when timid in its weak
ness, it has not been altered, or spoiled by false precepts and
bad examples.
Miss Tolliver has attended her sister, Mrs. William Nelson,
to Offly, who had just miscarried, and kept her bed. She was
* The French in general assume the surname, by which they choose
-to be distinguished in the world, so that the name which, with us, is a
real bond of affection, is soon lost with them. I was long acquainted
with four brothers in France, without knowing they were related t
each other. Trams.
320 TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA.
brought up in the middle of the woods by her father, a great fox-
hunter, consequently could have learned to sing from the birds
only, in the neighbourhood, when the howling of the dogs per
mitted her to hear them. She is an agreeable figure, as well as
Mrs. Nelson her sister, though less pretty than a third daughter,
who remained with her father. These young ladies came often
to Williamsburgh to attend the balls, where they appeared as
well dressed as the ladies of the town, and always remarkable
for their decency of behaviour. The young military gentle
men, on the other hand, had conceived a great affection for
Mr. Tolliver their father, and took the trouble sometimes to
ride over to breakfast and talk with him of the chase. The
young ladies, who appeared from time to time, never inter
rupted the conversation. These pretty nymphs more timid
and wild than those of Diana, though they did not conduct the
chase, inspired the taste for it into the youth : they knew how
ever how to defend themselves from fox-hunters, without de
stroying, by their arrows, those who had the presumption to
look at them.
After this little digression, which requires some indulgence,
I should be at a loss for a transition to an old magistrate,
whose white locks, noble figure, and stature, which was above
the common size, commanded respect and veneration. Secre
tary Nelson, to whom this character belongs, owes this title
to the place he occupied under the English government. In
Virginia the secretary, whose office it was to preserve the re
gisters of all public acts, was, by his place, a member of the
council, of which the governor was the chief. Mr. Nelson,
who held this office for thirty years, saw the morning of that,
bright day which began to shine upon his country ; he saw
too the storms arise which threatened its destruction, though
he neither endeavoured to collect, or to foment them.
Too far advanced in age to desire a revolution, too prudent
to check this great event, if necessary, and too faithful to his
countrymen to separate his interests from theirs, he chose the
crisis of this alteration, to retire from public affairs. Thus did
he opportunely quit the theatre, when new pieces demanded
fresh actors, and took his seat among the spectators, content to
offer up his wishes for the success of the drama, and to ap
plaud those who acted well their part. But in the last cam
paign, chance produced him on the scene, and made him un
fortunately famous. He lived at York, where he had built a
very handsome house, from which neither European taste nor
luxury was excluded ; a chimney-piece and some bass-reliefs of
very fine marble, exquisitely sculptured, were particularly ad
mired, when fate conducted Lord Cornwallis to this town to
be disarmed, as well as his till then victorious troops. Secre-
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 821
lury Nelson did not think it necessary to fly from the English,
to whom his conduct could not have made him disagreeable,
nor have furnished any just motive of suspicion. He was well
received by the general, who established his head-quarters in
his house, which was built on an eminence, near the most im
portant fortifications, and in the most agreeable situation of
the town. It was the first object which struck the sight as
you approached the town, but instead of travellers, it soon
drew the attention of our bombardiers and carmoniers, and
was almost entirely destroyed. Mr. Nelson lived in it at the
time our batteries tried their first shot and killed one of his
negroes at a little distance from him ; so that Lord Cornwallis
was soon obliged to seek another asylum. But what asylum
could be found for an old man, deprived of the use of his legs
by the gout . ? But, above all, what asylum could defend him
against the cruel anguish a father must feel at being besieged
by his own children ; for he had two in the American army.
So that every shot, whether fired from the town, or from the
trenches, might prove equally fatal to him ; I was witness to
the cruel- anxiety of one of these young men, when after the
flag was sent to demand his father, he kept his eyes fixed upon
the gate of the town, by which it was to come out, and seemed
to expect his own sentence in the answer. Lord Cornwallis?
had too much humanity to refuse a request so just, nor can I
recollect, without emotion, the moment in which I saw this old
gentleman alight at General Washington s. He was seated,
the fit of the gout not having yet left him ; and whilst we stood
around him, he related to us, with a serene countenance, what
had been the effect of our batteries, and how much his house
had suffered from the first shot.
The tranquillity which has succeeded these unhappy times,
by giving him leisure to reflect upon his losses, has not embit
tered the recollection ; he lives happily on one of his planta
tions, where, in less than six hours, he can assemble thirty of
his children, grand-children, nephews, nieces, &c. amounting
in all to seventy, the whole inhabiting Virginia. The rapid
increase of his own family justifies what he told me of the
population in general, of which, from the offices he has held
all his life, he must have it in his power to form a very accurate
judgment. In 1742 the people subject to pay taxes in the
T^te of Virginia, that is to say, the white males above sixteen,
and the male and female blacks of the same age, amounted
only to the number of 63,000 ; by his account they now ex-
*ceed 160,000.*
* This calculation is much below that given by other writers, and I
have reason to believe that it is considerablv below the mark. Trans.
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
After passing two days very agreeably with this interesting
family, we left them the 12th at ten in the morning, accompa
nied by the secretary, and five or six other Nelsons, who con
ducted us to Little River Bridge, a small creek on the road
about five miles from Offly. There we separated, and having
rode about eleven miles farther through woods, and over a
barren country, we arrived at one o clock at Willis inn or ordi
nary ; for the inns which in the other provinces of America
are known by the name of taverns, or public houses, are in
Virginia called ordinaries. This consisted of a little house
placed in a solitary situation in the middle of the woods, not
withstanding which we there found a great deal of company.
As soon as I alighted, I inquired what might be the reason of
this numerous assembly, and was informed it was a cock-
match. This diversion is much in fashion in Virginia, where
the English customs are more prevalent than in the rest of
America. When the principal promoters of this diversion,
propose to match their champions, they take great care to an
nounce it to the public, and although there are neither posts,
nor regular conveyances, this important news spreads with
such facility, that the planters, for thirty or forty miles round,
attend, some with cocks, but all with money for betting, which
is sometimes very considerable. They are obliged to bring
their own provisions, as so many people with good appetites
could not possibly be supplied with them at the inn. As for
lodgings, one large room for the whole company, with a blan
ket for each individual, is sufficient for such hearty country
men, who are not more delicate about the conveniences of life,
than the choice of their amusements.
Whilst our horses were feeding, we had an opportunity of
seeing a- battle. The preparation took up a great deal of
time ; they arm their cocks with long steel spurs, very sharp,
and cut off a part of their feathers, as if they meant to de
prive them of their armour. The stakes were very considera
ble ; the money of the parties was deposited in the hands of
one of the principal persons, and I felt a secret pleasure in
observing that it was chiefly French.* I know not which is
* The prodigious quantity of French money brought into Amerij
by their fleets and armies, and the loans made to congress, toj
with the vast return of dollars from the Havana, and the Spanish,
tuguese, and English gold which found its way into the country from
the British lines, rendered specie very plentiful towards the conclusion
of the war ; and the arrival of the army of the Comte de Rocham- n _
beau was particularly opportune, as it happened at the very distressing-
crisis of the death of the paper currency. The French money alone
in circulation m the United .States, in the vear 1782 was estimated.
TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA,
the most astonishing, the insipidity of such diversion, or the
stupid interest with which it animates the parties. This pas
sion appears almost innate among the English, for the Virgi
nians are yet English in many respects. Whilst the interested
parties animated the cocks to battle, a child of fifteen, who
was near me, kept leaping for joy, and crying, Oh ! ^t is a
charming diversion.
We had yet seven or eight and twenty miles to ride, to the
only inn where it was possible to stop, before we reached Mr.
Jefferson s ; for Mr. de Rochambeau, who had travelled the
same road but two months before, cautioned me against sleep-
after very accurate calculations, at thirty -five millions of livres, or near
a million and a half sterling. Although it is impossible to ascertain
with any degree of precision the quantity of British money circulating
in the revolted part of the continent, under the forms of Spanish, Por
tugal, and English coin, yet some general idea may be entertained
that the quantity was very considerable, from the following extract
from the seventh report of the commissioners of public accounts, " We
obtained by requisition from the office of the Paymaster-General of
the forces, an account of the money issued to Messrs. Hartley &
Drummond, pursuant to his Majesty s warrants, for the extraordinary
services of his Majesty s forces serving in North -America from the
1st of January, 1776, to the 31st of December, 1781. This sum
amounts to 10,083,863Z. 2s. 6d. There are two ways by which this
money goes from these remitters into the hands of their agents : the
one is by bills drawn by them on the remitters, which bills they receive
the value for in America, and the remitters discharge when presented
to them in London ; the other is by sending out actual cash, whenever
it becomes necessary to support the exchange, by increasing the quan
tity of current cash in the hands of the agents." Now the votes of
parliament will show the reader, the vast sums annually granted to
Messrs. Hartley &, Drummond, for the specific purpose of purchasing
Spanish and Portugal gold alone, to supply " this quantity of current
cash." Besides the vast exportation of English guineas ; nor is it to
be doubted that a great proportion of this supply found its way into
the heart of the United States, in return for provisions, in payment of
their captive armies, &,c. &,c. The British navy too is not included
in this estimate. Great sums, it is true, returned to Britain directly
lirectly for goods, &c., but much specie remained incontestibly
country. With respect to the Spanish dollars from the Havana
the West-Indies, no just calculation can be formed, but the
amount must have been very considerable, as they appeared to me to
^circulate in tfie proportion of at least three or four to one of all the
ather coined specie. When the translator added this note, he had
not seen Lord Sheffield s observations on the subject. In these, how
ever, he thinks his lordship discovers deep prejudices, mixed with much
excellent reasoning and a great deal of truth. Trans.
TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA.
ing at Louisa court-house, as the worst lodging he had found
in all America. This public house is sixteen miles from
Willis ordinary. As he had given me a very forcible descrip
tion not only of the house, but of the landlord, I had a curio
sity to judge of it by my own experience. Under the pre
tence ^f inquiring for the road, therefore, I went in, and ob
served, that there was no other lodging for travellers than the
apartment of the landlord. This man, called Johnson, is be
come so monstrously fat, that he cannot move out of his arm
chair. He is a good humoured fellow, whose manners are not
very rigid, who loves good cheer, and all sorts of pleasure,
insomuch that at the age of fifty he has so augmented his bulk,
and diminished his fortune, that by two opposite principles he
is near seeing the termination of both ; but all this does not in
the least affect his gaiety. I found him contented in his arm
chair, which serves him for a bed ; for it would be difficult for
him to lie down, and impossible to rise. A stool supported his
enormous legs, in which were large fissures on each side, a
prelude to what must soon happen to his belly. A large ham
and a bowl of grog served him for company, like a man re
solved to die surrounded by his friends. He called to my
mind, in short, the country spoken of by Rabelais, where the
men order their bellies to be hooped to prolong their lives,
and especially the Abbe who having exhausted every possible
resource, resolved to finish his days by a great feast, and in
vited all the neighbourhood to his bursting.
The night was already closed in, when we arrived at the
house of Colonel Boswell, a tall, stout Scotsman, about sixty
years of age, and who had been about forty years settled in
America, where, under the English government, he was a co
lonel of militia. Although he kept a kind of tavern, he ap
peared but little prepared to receive strangers. It was already
late indeed, besides that this road, which leads only to the
mountains, is little frequented. He was quietly seated near
the fire, by the side of his wife, as old, and almost as tall as
himself, whom he distinguished by the epithet of " honey,"
which in French corresponds with mon petit occur. These ho
nest people received us cheerfully, and soon called up their
servants, who were already gone to bed. Whilst they were
preparing supper, we often heard them call Rose, Rose, which
at length brought to view the most hideous negress I ever fllpP
held. Our supper was rather scanty, but our breakfast the
next morning better; we had ham, butter, fresh eggs, and
coffee by way of drink : for the whiskey or corn-spirits we had
in the evening, mixt with water, was very bad ; besides that
we were perfectly reconciled to the American custom of drink
ing coifee with meat, vegetables, or other food.
TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA.
We set out the next morning at eight o clock, having learn
ed nothing in this house worthy of remark, except that notwith
standing the hale and robust appearance of Mr. and Mrs. Bos-
well, not one of fourteen of their children had attained the age
often years. We were now approaching a chain of mountains
of considerable height, called the South- West Mountains, be
cause they are the first you meet in travelling westward, be
fore you arrive at the chain known in France by the name of
the Apalachians, and in Virginia by that of the Blue Ridge,
North Ridge, and Allegany Mountains. As the country was
much covered with woods, we had a view of them but very
seldom ; and travelled a long time without seeing any habita
tion, at times greatly perplexed to choose among the different
roads, which crossed each other.* At last we overtook a tra
veller who preceded us, and served not only as a guide, but by
his company helped to abridge our journey. He was an Irish
man^ who though but lately arrived in America, had made
* The difficulty of finding the road in many parts of America is not,
to be conceived except by those strangers who have travelled in that
coiintry. The roads, which are through the woods, not being-
kept in repair, as soon as one is in bad order, another is made in the
same manner, that is, merely by felling the trees, and the whole inte
rior parts are so covered, that without a compass it is impossible to
have the least idea of the course you are steering. The distances too
are so uncertain, as in every country where they are not measured,
that no two accounts resemble each other. In the back parts of Penn
sylvania, Maryland, and Virginia, I have frequently travelled thirty
miles for ten, though frequently set right by passengers and negroes :
but the great communications between the large towns, through all
the well inhabited parts of the continent, are as practicable and easy
as in Europe. Trans.
t An Irishman, the instant he sets foot on American ground be
comes, ipso facto, an American ; this was uniformly the case during
the whole of the late war. Whilst Englishmen and Scotsmen were
regarded with jealousy and distrust, even with the best recommenda
tion, of zeal and attachment to their cause, a native of Ireland stood
in need of no other certificate than his dialect ; his sincerity was never
called in question, he was supposed to have a sympathy of suffering,
and every voice decided as it. were intuitively, in his favour. Indeed
their conduct in the late revolution amply justified this favourable opi
nion ; for whilst the Irish emigrant was fighting the battles of Ameri
ca by sea and land, the Irish merchants, particularly at Charleston,
Baltimore, and Philadelphia, laboured with indefatigable zeal, and at
all hazards, to promote the spirit of enterprise, to increase the wealth,
and maintain the credit of the country ; their purses were always open,
and their persons devoted to the common cause. On more than one
imminent occasion, Congress owed their existence, and America pos-
29
226 TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA.
several campaigns, and received a considerable wound in his
thigh by a musket ball ; which, though it could never be ex
tracted, had not in the least affected either his health or gaiety.
lie related his military exploits, and we inquired immediately
about the country which, he then inhabited. He acquainted
us that he was settled in North-Carolina, upwards of eighty
miles from Catawbavv, and were then 300 from the sea. These
new establishments are so much the more interesting, as by
their distance from all commerce, agriculture is their sole re
source ; I mean that patriarchal agriculture which consists in
producing only what is sufficient for their own consumption,
without the hope of either sale or barter. These colonies
therefore must necessarily be rendered equal to all their wants.
It is easy to conceive that there is soon no deficiency of food,
but it is also necessary that their flocks and their fields should
furnish them with clothing, they must manufacture their own
-jwool, and flax, into clothes and linen, they must prepare the
y hides to make shoes of them, &c. &c.;* as to drink, they are
obliged to content themselves with milk and water, until their
apple-trees are large enough to bear fruit, or until they have
been able to procure themselves stills, to distil their grain.
In these troublesome times we should scarcely imagine in Eu
rope, that nails are the articles the most wanted in these new
colonies : for the axe and the saw can supply every other want.
They contrive however to erect huts, and construct roofs with
out nails, but the work is by this means rendered much more
tedious, and in such circumstances every body knows the va
lue of time and labour. It was a natural question to ask such
a cultivator what could bring him four hundred miles from
sibly her preservation to the fidelity and firmness of the Irish. I had
the honour of dining with the Irish Society, composed of the steadiest
whigs upon the continent, at the City Tavern in Philadelphia, on St.
Patrick s day ; the members wear a medallion suspended by a riband,
with a very significant device, which has escaped my memory, but
\vas so applicable to the American revolution, that until I was assured
that it subsisted prior to that event, and had a reference only to the
oppression of Ireland by her powerful sister, I concluded it to be a
temporary illusion. General Washington, Mr. Dickinson, and other
leading characters are adopted members of this society, having been
initiated by the ceremony of an exterior application of a whole bottle
of claret poured upon the head, and a generous libation to liberty and
good living, of as many as the votary could carry off. Trans.
* It is a natural supposition that workmen of all sorts (at least the
most necessary,) should form a part of every new colony, and follow
.their particular trade as the most beneficial employment. Trans.
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 227
home, and we learned from him that he carried on the trade of
horse selling, the only commerce of which his country was sus
ceptible,* and by which people in the most easy circumstances
endeavoured to augment their fortunes. In fact these animals
multiply very fast in a country where there is abundant pas
ture ; and as they are conducted without any expense, by gra
zing on the road, they become the most commodious article of
exportation, for a country so far from any road or commerce.
The conversation continued and brought us insensibly to the
foot of the mountains. On the summit of one of them we dis
covered the house of Mr. Jefferson, which stands pre-eminent
in these retirements; it was himself who built it and preferred
this situation ; for although he possessed considerable property
in the neighbourhood, there was nothing to prevent him from
fixing his residence wherever he thought proper. But it was a
debt nature owed to a philosopher and a man of taste, that in
his own possessions he should find a spot where he might best
study and enjoy her. He calls his house Monticello, (in Ita
lian, Little Mountain,) a very modest title, for it is situated
upon a very lofty one, but which announces the owner s attach
ment to the language of Italy ; and above all to the fine arts,
of which that country was the cradle, and is still the asylum.
As I had no farther occasion for a guide, I separated from the
Irishman ; and after ascending by a tolerably commodious road,
for more than half an hour, we arrived at Monticello. This
house, of which Mr. Jefferson was the architect, and often one
of the workmen, is rather elegant, and in the Italian taste,
though not without fault ; it consists of one large square pavil-
lion, the entrance of which is by two porticos ornamented
with pillars. The ground floor consists chiefly of a very large
lofty saloon, which is to be decorated entirely in the antique
style : above it is a library of the same form, two small wings,
with only a ground floor, and attic story, are joined to this pa-
villion, and communicate with the kitchen, offices, &c. which
will form a kind of basement story over which runs a terrace.
My object in this short description is only to show the difference
between this, and the other houses of the country ; for we may
safely aver, that Mr. Jefferson is the first American who has
consulted the fine arts to know how he should shelter himself
from the weather. But it is on himself alone I ought to bestow
my time. Let me describe to you a man, not yet forty, tall,
* Considerable quantities of peltry are likewise brought from the
back parts of North-Carolina ; and I have met with strings of horses
laden with that article passing through Virginia to Philadelphia from
the distance of six hundred miles. Trans.
228 TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA.
and with a mild and pleasing countenance, but whose mind
and understanding are ample substitutes for every exterior
grace. An American, who without ever having quitted his
own country, is at once a musician, skilled in drawing, a geo
metrician, an astronomer, a natural philosopher, legislator, and
statesman. A senator of America, who sat for two years in
that famous Congress which brought about the revolution ; and
which is never mentioned without respect, though unhappily
not without regret : a governor of Virginia, who filled this dif
ficult station during the invasions of Arnold, of Phillips, and
of Cornwallis ; a philosopher, in voluntary retirement from
the world, and public business, because he loves the world, in
asmuch only as he can flatter himself with being useful to
mankind; and the minds of his countrymen are not yet in a
condition either to bear the light, or to suffer contradiction.
A mild and amiable wife, charming children, of whose educa
tion he himself takes charge, a house to embellish, great pro
visions to improve, and the arts and sciences to cultivate ; these
are what remain to Mr. Jefferson, after having played a princi
pal character on the theatre of the new world, and which he
preferred to the honourable commission of Minister Plenipo
tentiary in Europe.* The visit which I made him was not
unexpected, for he had long since invited me to come and pass
a few days with him, in the centre of the mountains ; notwith
standing which I found his first appearance serious, nay even
cold ; but before I had been two hours with him we were as
intimate as if we had passed our whole lives together; walking,
books, but above all, a conversation always varied and interest
ing, always supported by that sweet satisfaction experienced
by two persons, who in communicating their sentiments and
opinions, are invariably in unison, and who understand each
other at the first hint, made four days pass away like so many
minutes.
This conformity of sentiments and opinions on which I insist,
because it constitutes my own eulogium, (and self-love must
somewhere show itself,) this conformity, I say, was so perfect,
that not only our taste was similar, but our predilections also,
those partialities which cold methodical minds ridicule as en-
* Mr. Jefferson having since had the misfortune to lose his wife, has
at last yielded to the intreaties of his country, and accepted the place
of Minister Plenipotentiary at the court of France, and is now at Paris.
It is necessary to observe that Mr. Jefferson, who justly stands in the
highest situation in America, was one of the five Ministers Plenipo
tentiary for concluding a peace in Europe, named by Congress full two
years before it took place ; Messrs. Franklin. Adams, Laurens, and
Jay, were the other four. Trans.
TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA. 22U
thusiastic, whilst sensible and animated ones cherish and adopt,
the glorious appellation. I recollect with pleasure that as we
were conversing one evening over a bowl of punch, after Mrs.
Jefferson had retired, our conversation turned on the poems of
Ossian. It was a spark of electricity which passed rapidly
from one to the other ; we recollected the passages in those
sublime poems, which particularly struck us, and entertained
my fellow travellers, who fortunately knew English well, and
were qualified to judge of their merit, though they had never
read the poems. In our enthusiasm the book was sent for,
and placed near the bowl, where, by their mutual aid, the
night far advanced imperceptibly upon us. Sometimes natu
ral philosophy, at others politics or the arts, were the topics
of our conversation, for no object ad escaped Mr. Jefferson;
and it seemed as if from his youth he had placed his mind, as
he has done his house, on an elevated situation, from which
he might contemplate the universe.
CHAPTER II.
CHARLOTTEVILLE BATTLE OF COWPENS THE GAP.
THE only stranger who visited us during our stay at Monti-
cello, was Colonel Armand, whom I have mentioned in the
first part of my Journal ; he had been in France the preceding
year with Colonel Laurens, but returned soon enough to be
present at the siege of York, where he marched as a volun
teer at the attack of the redoubts. His object in going to
France, was to purchase clothing and accoutrements complete
for a regiment he had already commanded, but which had
been so roughly handled in the campaigns to the southward,
that it was necessary to form it anew : he made the advance
of the necessaries to Congress, who engaged to provide men
and horses. Charlotteville, a rising little town, situated in a
valley two leagues from Monticello, being the quarter assigned
for assembling this legion, Colonel Armand invited me to dine
with him the next day, where Mr. Jefferson and I went, and
found the legion under arms. It is to be composed of 200
horse and 150 foot. The horse was almost complete and very
well mounted ; the infantry was still feeble, but the whole
were well clothed, well armed, and made a very good appear
ance. We dined with Colonel Armand, all the officers of his
regiment, and a wolf he amuses himself in bringing up, which
is now ten months old, and is as familiar, mild, and gay as a
young dog ; he never quits his master, and has constantly the
privilege of sharing his bed. It is to be wished that he may
always answer so good an education, and not resume his natu
ral character as he advances to maturity. He is not quite of the
same kind with ours, his skin is almost black, and very glossy ;
he has nothing fierce about the head, so that were it not for his
upright ears and pendent tail, one might readily take him for
a dog. Perhaps he owes the singular advantage of not exha
ling a bad smell, to the care which is taken of his. toilet; for I
remarked that the dogs were not in the least afraid of him, and
that when they crossed his trace, they paid no attention to it.
But it appears improbable, that all the neatness in the world
can deceive the instinct of those animals, which have such a
dread of wolves, that they have been observed, in the King s
garden at Paris, to raise their coats and howl at the smell only
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 231
of two mongrels, engendered by a dog and a she-wolf. I am
inclined therefore to believe, that this peculiarity belongs to
the species of black wolf, for they have our species also in
America ; and in Europe we may possibly have the black kind,
for so it may be conjectured at least from the old proverb :
"He is as much afraid of me as of a grey wolf," which implies
that there are also black ones.
Since I am on the subject of animals, I shall mention here
some observations which Mr. Jefferson enabled me to make
upon the wild beasts which are common in this country. I
have been a long time in doubt whether to call them roebucks,
stags, or deer, for in Canada they are known by the first name,
in the eastern provinces by the second, and in the southern by
the third. Besides, in America, their nomenclatures are so
inaccurate, and their observations so slight, that no informa
tion can be acquired by examining the people of the country.
Mr. Jefferson amused himself by raising a score of these ani
mals in his park ; they are become very familiar, which hap
pens to all the animals of America ; for they are in general
much easier to tame than those of Europe. He amuses him
self by feeding them with Indian corn, of which they are very
fond, and which they eat out of his hand. I followed him one
evening into a deep valley, where they are accustomed to as
semble towards the close of the day, and saw them walk, run,
and bound : but the more I examined their paces, the less I
was inclined to annex them to any particular species in Eu
rope ; they are absolutely of the same colour as the roebuck,
and never change even when they are tamed, which often hap
pens to deer. Their horns, which are never more than a foot
and a half long, and have more than four branches on each
side, are more open and broader than those of the roebuck ;
they take an oblique direction in front ; their tails are from
eight to ten inches long, and when they leap they carry them
almost vertical like the deer ; resembling those animals not
only in their proportions, but in the form of their heads which
are longer and less frizzled than those of the roebuck. They
differ also from that species, as they are never found in pairs.
From my own observations, in short, and from all I have been
able to collect on the subject, I am convinced that this kind is
peculiar to America, and that it may be considered something
betwixt the deer and roebuck.* Mr. Jefferson being no sports
man, and not having crossed the seas, could have no decided
* I have been lately assured, that when these animals grow old, their
horns are as large as those of the stag, but their flesh has certainly
the same taste with that of the deer in England.
2&J TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
opinion on this part of natural history ; but he has not neg
lected the other branches. I saw with pleasure that he had
applied himself particularly to meteorological observation,
which, in fact, of all the branches of philosophy, is the most
proper for the Americans to cultivate, from the extent of their
country, and the variety of their situations, which give them
in this point a great o.dvantage over us, who in other respects
have so many over them. Mr. Jefferson has made, with Mr.
Madijlison, a well informed professor of mathematics, some cor
respondent observations on the reigning winds at Williams-
burgh, and Monticello ; and although these two places are at
the distance only of fifty leagues, and not separated by any
chain of mountains, the difference of their results was, that
for 127 observations on the northeast wind at Williamsburgh,
there were only 32 at Monticello, where the northwest wind
in general supplies the place of the northeast. This latter
appears to be a sea-wind, easily counteracted by the slightest
obstacle, insomuch that twenty years since it was scarcely ever
felt beyond West-Point ; that is to say beyond the conflux of
the Pawmunkey and the Matapony, which unite and form York
river, near thirty-five miles from its mouth.* Since the pro
gress of population and agriculture has considerably cleared
the woods, it penetrates so far as Richmond, which is thirty
miles farther. It may hence be observed, first, that the winds
vary infinitely in their obliquity, and in the height of their re
gion. Secondly, That nothing is more essential than the
manner in which we proceed in the clearing of a country, for
the salubrity of the air, nay even the order of the seasons,
may depend on the access which we allow the winds, and the
* The rapid changes of the temperature of the air in America, and
particularly to the southward, are apt to destroy the best European
constitutions. In the middle of the hottest day in July and August,
when the heat was so intolerable as almost to prevent respiration, I
have frequently known the wind shift suddenly round to the northwest,
attended with a blast, so cold and humid, as to make it immediately
necessary to shut all the doors and windows, and light large fires. It
is impossible to conceive any thi/ig more trying for the human body,
relaxed and open at every pore, from a continuance of burning heat,
than this raw, piercing wind which blows over such immense bound
less tracts of lakes and forests ; but the melioration of the climate,
even from the partial and comparatively inconsiderable destruc
tion of the woods in many parts of the continent, is so rapid as
to be strikingly perceptible even in the course of a very few years ;
and its salubrity in proportion to the progress of these improvements,
will probably approach much nearer to those of Europe under the
same latitudes. Trans.
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA, &*3
direction we may give them. It is a generally received opi
nion at Rome, that the air is less healthy since the felling of a
large forest situated between that city and Ostia, which defend
ed it from the winds known in Italy by the names of the Scirocco
and the Libico. It is believed in Spain also, that the excessive
droughts, of which the Castilians complain more and more,
are occasioned by the cutting down of the woods, which used
to attract and break the clouds in their passage. There is yet
a very important consideration upon which I thought it my
duty to fix the attention of the learned in this country, what
ever diffidence I may have of my own knowledge in philoso
phy, as well as on every other subject. The greatest part of
Virginia is very low and flat, and so divided by creeks and
great rivers, that it appears absolutely redeemed from the sea,
and an entire new creation ; it is consequently very swampy,
and can be dried only by the cutting down a great quantity of
wood ; but as on the other hand it can never be so drained as
not still to abound with mephitical exhalations ; and of what
ever nature these exhalations may be, whether partaking of
fixed or inflammable air, it is certain that vegetation absorbs
them equally, and that trees are the most proper to accomplish
this object.* It appears equally dangerous either to cut down
or to preserve a great quantity of wood ; so that the best
manner of proceeding to clear the country, would be to dis
perse the settlements as much as possible, and to leave some
groves of trees standing between them. In this manner the
ground inhabited would be always healthy; and as there yet re
main considerable marshes which they cannot drain, there is
no risk of admitting the winds too easily, as they would serve
to carry off* the exhalations.
But I perceive my journal is something like the conversation
I had with Mr. Jefferson ; I pass from one object to another,
and forget myself as I write, as it happened not unfrequently
in his society. I must now quit the friend of nature, but not
nature herself, who expects me in all her splendour at the end
of my journey ; I mean the famous Bridge of Rocks, which
unites two mountains, the most curious object I ever yet beheld,
as its construction is the most difficult of solution. Mr. Jef
ferson would most willingly have conducted me thither, al
though this wonder is upwards of eighty miles from him, and
he had often seen it ; but his wife being expected every mo
ment to lie-in, and himself as good a husband, as he is an ex
cellent philosopher and a virtuous citizen, he only acted as my
guide for about sixteen miles, to the passage of the little river
* This discovery the world owes to Doctor Franklin.
30
234 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
Medium, where we parted, and I presume, to flatter myself,
with mutual regret.
We walked our horses seventeen miles farther in the defiles
of the western mountains, before we could find a place to bait
them ; at last we stopped at a little lonely house, a Mr. Mac
Donnell s, an Irishman, where w r e found eggs, bacon, chickens,
and whiskey, on which we made an excellent repast. He was
an honest, obliging man ; and his wife, who had a very agreea
ble and mild countenance, had nothing rustic either in her
conversation or her manner. For in the centre of the woods,
and wholly occupied in rustic business, a Virginian never re
sembles an European peasant : he is always a freeman, partici
pates in the government, and has the command of a few ne
groes. So that uniting in himself the two distinct qualities of
citizen and master, he perfectly resembles the bulk of indivi
duals who formed what were called the people in the ancient
republics ; a people very different from that of our days, though
they are very improperly confounded, in the frivolous decla
mations of our half philosophers, who, in comparing ancient
with modern times, have invariably mistaken the word people.
for mankind in general ; and believing themselves its defend
ers, have bestowed their praises on the oppressors of humanity.
How many ideas have we still to rectify ? How many words,
the sense of which is yet vague and indeterminate ? The dig
nity of man has been urged a hundred times, and the expres
sion is universally adopted. Yet after all, the dignity of man
is relative ; if taken in an individual sense, it is in proportion
to the inferior classes ; the plebeian constitutes the dignity of
the noble, the slave that of the plebeian, and the negro that of
his white master. If taken in a general acceptation, it may in
spire man with sentiments of tyranny and cruelty, in his relative
situation with respect to other animals ; destroying thus the ge
neral beneficence, by counteracting the orders and the views of
nature. What then is the principle on which reason, escaped from
sophists and rhetoricians, may at last rely *? The equality of
rights ; the general interest which actuates all ; private inte
rest, connected with the general good ; the order of society ;
as necessary as the symmetry of a beehive, &c. if all this does
not furnish matter for eloquence, we must console ourselves, and
prefer genuine morality to that which is fallacious.* We had
* The Marquis de Chastellux has distinguished himself very honour
ably in the literary world by several productions, but particularly by
his treatise De la Felicite Publique, wherein he breathes the generous,
enlightened language of philanthropy and freedom. He was chosen a
member of the French academy at a very early age, by dint of his own
merit, and not by a court mandate, or intrigue, and was, if I mistake
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 23$
reason to be contented with that of Mr. MacDonnell ; he pre
sented us with the best he had, did not make us pay too dear,
and gave us every instruction necessary to continue our jour
ney ; but not being able to set out until half past four o clock,
and having twelve miles to go before we passed the Blue
Ridges, we were happy in meeting on the road with an honest
traveller, who served us for a guide, and with whom we enter
ed into conversation. He was an inhabitant of the county of
Augusta, who had served in Carolina as a common rifleman*
notwithstanding which, he was well mounted, and appeared
much at his ease. In America the militia is composed of all
the inhabitants without distinction, and the officers are elected
by them without respect either to service or experience. Our
fellow-traveller had been at the battle of Cowpens, where Ge
neral Morgan, with eight hundred militia, entirely defeated the
famous Tarleton, at the head of his legion, a regiment of regu
lar troops, and of different pickets drawn from the army, form
ing near twelve hundred men, of whom upwards of eight hun
dred were killed or made prisoners. f This event, the most
not, when very young, in correspondence with, and a favourite of, the
illustrious Pope Ganganelli. He has lately translated into French,
Colonel Humphrey s poem, The Campaign, mentioned in the notes to
the previous part of this work. Trans.
* The riflemen are a Virginian militia, composed of the inhabitants
of the mountains, who are all expert hunters, and make use of rifle
guns. Towards the end of the war little use was made of them, as it
was found that the difficulty of loading their pieces more than equal
led the advantages derived from their exactness. The Americans had
great numbers of riflemen in small detachments on the flanks of Ge
neral Burgoyne s army, many of whom took post on high trees in the
rear of their own line, and there was seldom a minute s interval of
smoke without officers being taken off by single shot. Captain Green
of the 31st regiment, aid-de-camp to General Philips, was shot through
the arm by one of those marksmen as he was delivering a message to
General Burgoyne. After the convention, the commanding officer of
the riflemen informed General Burgoyne that the shot was meant for
him ; and as Captain Green was seen to fall from his horse, it ^as for
some hours believed in the American army that General Burgoyne was
killed. His escape was owing to the captain s having lace furniture
to his saddle, which made him to be mistaken for the general. General
Burgoyne says, in his narrative, that not an Indian coi^ d be brought
within the sound of a rifle shot. Trans.
| Lord Cornwallis, in his answer to Sir Hery Clinton s narrative,
published in 1783, gives the following state of his army before the de
feat of Tarleton, and subsequent to that event, from which we may
330 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
extraordinary of the whole war, had always excited my curi
osity. The modesty and simplicity with which General Mor
gan gave the account of it, have been generally admired. But
authenticate the loss of men, and deduce the importance of Morgan s
victory to America.
January 15th, 1781, the rank and file of his Lordship s army was,
Guards, 690
7th regiment, 167
1 6th, three companies, 4 1
23d regiment, 286
33d regiment, 328
71st, 1st battalion, 249
71st, 2d battalion, 237
71st light company, 69
German regiment of Bose. 347
Yagers, 103
Tarleton s legion, 451
N. Carolina volunteers, 256
Total before the battle, 3224
February 1st, 1781, after the defeat of Tarleton,
Guards, 690
7th regiment,
16th regiment.
23d regiment, 279
33d regiment, 334
71st, 1st battalion,
71st, 2d battalion, 234
71st light company,
German regiment of Bose.- 345
Yagers, 97
Tarleton s legion, 1 74
N. Carolina volunteers, 287
Total after the defeat of Tarleton, 2440
Total loss with the detachment of artillery 800 out of 1050 men,
the real number of Tarleton s force.
The names of the regiments that have no numbers annexed to them
in the kst column are those which were totally destroyed, that is, kill
ed, wounded, or taken, in the battle of Cowpens, on the 17th of Ja
nuary, betveen Morgan and Tarleton. Lord Cornwallis in his Ga
zette accoum immediately after the affair, stated the loss only at 400,
but the truth ai length appears, when the purposes of misrepresenta
tion are at an end, -and the detail becomes necessary to the general s
own honour.
Lord Cornwallis in hie account of Tarleton s defeat, mentions a
very honourable circumstance for the corps of artillery, but which was
by no means unexamfped by this brave body of men, in several actions
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 237
one circumstance in this relation had always astonished me,
Morgan drew up his troops in order of battle, in an open wood r
and divided his riflemen upon the two wings, so as to form,
with the line, a kind of tenaille, which collected the whole
fire, both directly and obliquely, on the centre of the English.
But after the first discharge, he made so dangerous a move
ment, that had he commanded the best disciplined troops in
the world, I should be at a loss to account for it. He ordered
the whole line to wheel to the right, and after retreating thirty
or forty paces, made them halt, face about, and recommence
the fire. I begged this witness, whose deposition could not be
suspected, to relate what he had seen, and I found his account
perfectly conformable to Morgan s own relation. But as he
could assign no reason for this retrograde motion, I inquired
if the ground behind the first position was not more elevated
and advantageous, but he assured me it was absolutely the
same ; so that if it was this action which tempted the English
(whose attack is not hot, but consists in general of a brisk
fire, rather than in closing with the enemy) to break their line,
and advance inconsiderately into a kind of focus of shot pour
ed from the centre and the wings, it depended on General
Morgan alone to have claimed the merit, and to have boasted
of one of the boldest stratagems ever employed in the art of
war. This is a merit however he never claimed, and the rela
tion of this rifleman leaves no doubt with me, that the general,
dreading the superiority of the English, had at first designed
to give up gradually the field of battle, and retreat to covered
ground, more advantageous for inferior forces : but finding
himself closely pressed, he had no other resource but to risk
every thing and give battle on the spot. Whatever was the
motive of this singular manoeuvre, the result of it was the de
feat of Tarleton, whose troops gave way on all sides, without
a possibility of rallying them. Fatigued by a very long march,
they were soon overtaken by the American militia, who, as
sisted by sixty horse under Colonel Washington, made up
wards of five hundred prisoners, and took two pair of colours
and two pieces of cannon.
It is natural to inquire how Tarleton s cavalry were employ
ed during the engagement, and after the defeat ; whilst the in
fantry were engaged, they endeavoured to turn the flanks of
General Morgan s army, but were kept in awe by some rifle-
in America : he says, " In justice to the detachment of royal artillery,
I must here observe that no terrors could induce tham to abandon their
guns, and they were all either killed or wounded in defence of them."
Trans.
58 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
men, and by the American horse detached by Colonel Wash
ington, to support them, in two little squadrons. After the
battle, they fled full gallop, without ever thinking of the infan
try, or taking the least precaution to cover their retreat. As
to the English general, God knows what become of him. And
this is that Tarleton who with Cornwallis was to finish the con
quest of America ; who with Cornwallis had received the thanks
of the House of Commons, and whom all England admired as
the hero of the army and the honour of the nation.*
In reflecting on the fate of war, let us recollect, that two
months after this victory gained by the militiaf over 1200 vete
ran troops, General Greene, after having assembled near 5000
men, half militia, half continentals, made choice of an excel
lent position, and employed all the resources of military art,
was beaten by 1800 men, abandoned by his militia,{ and forced
* Colonel Tarleton has given so many proofs not only of courage
but of great bravery and firmness, that every soldier ought to approve
the eulogiums bestowed upon his valour. It were to be wished that
he had always made good use of those qualities, and that he had shown
himself as humane and sensible, as brave and determined. The de
sign of these reflections is to show, how much the English, in this war,
have been obliged to swell their successes, and diminish their defeats.
The more rare they became, the more they were disposed to solemn
ize the former. Howe and Burgoyne were disgraced for not con
quering America, whilst others have obtained promotion for gaining
,some trifling advantages.
t Earl Cornwallis in his letter in the London Gazette of March 31st,
1781, says that Morgan had with him, " By the best accounts he
could get, about 500 men, Continental and Virginia state troops, 103
cavalry under Colonel Washington, and G or 700 militia ; but that bo
dy is so fluctuating, that it is impossible to ascertain its number with
in some hundreds, for three days following." This account seems to
have been intended to qualify the defeat of Tarleton, who was a great
favourite ; but the fact is nearly as the Marquis de Chastellux states
it, for Morgan had very few continentals with him, and his whole body
did not exceed 800 men.
| The returns of Lord Cornwallis army taken a fortnight before
the battle, were 2213 : the returns seventeen days after it, 1723 ; his
loss consequently may be stated at about the difference, 490.
Several attempts have been likewise made to prove that General
Greene had with him at Guildford an army of 9 or 10,000 men, but
Lord Cornwallis himself, in his letter to Lord Rawdon, dated Camp
at Guildford, March 17, 1781, and published in the London Gazette
of May 10, 1781, expressly says, " General Greene having been very
considerably reinforced from Virginia by eight months men and mili
tia, and having collected all the militia of this province, advanced with
an army of about 5 or 6000 men, and 4 six pounders, to this place."
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
to limit all his glory to the making the English pay dear for
the field of battle, which the rest of his troops defended foot
by foot, and yielded with reluctance.* Our conversation on
From this unexpected account we may collect pretty clearly the indif
ferent composition of General Greene s force, and must render justice
to the fairness of the French General s detail which calls them 5000
men, half militia, half continentals ; and states the conquering army
only at 1800 men. The translator hopes the reader will not find these
comparisons superfluous, as such scrutinies tend to elucidate the inte
resting events of an ever memorable revolution, and to enlighten his
tory. General Gates showed me, at his house in Virginia, a letter
from General Greene, wherein he took occasion in the most liberal
manner to reconcile him to the unfortunate affair of Camden, by a de
tail of the bad conduct of the same militia, at the battle of Guildford,
the Eutaws, &c. He touched upon the matter with a delicacy and
candour which did equal honour to his sensibility and judgment. Such
a tribute of justice from the officer who had superseded him in his
command could not but be highly grateful to General Gates, possess
ing, as he does, in the most eminent degree, the warlike virtues, a pure
disinterested attachment to the cause of freedom, and all the generous
susceptibility of an amiable private gentleman. Whilst under a cloud
himself, I heard him with admiration uniformly expatiate with all the
distressed warmth of public virtue on the successes of other generals,
and instead of jealous repining and disgust, pay his tribute of applause
to the merits even of those he could not love, and prognosticate, with
confidence, the final success of America. It was with real joy there
fore, that I saw his honour vindicated by the deliberate voice of Con
gress, himself restored to his former rank- and that harmony which ne
ver should have been disturbed, renewed between this true patriot and
General Washington, under whom I left him second in command at
the camp at Verplank s on the North River in October, 1782. Trans.
* Since the journal was written, the author has had an opportunity
of seeing General Morgan ; he is a man about fifty, tall, and of a very
martial appearance. The services he rendered the state during the
war, were very numerous, and his promotion rapid. It is pre
tended that he was formerly a carter, and from the same unac-
quaintance with the customs and language of the country, another
general is said to have been a farmer, because he employed himself
in cultivation, and a third to have been a butcher, because he dealt in
cattle. General Morgan was formerly engaged in waggons, under
took the transport of goods sent by land, and often put himself at the
head of these little convoys. The Marquis de Ch , the first
time he had an opportunity of seeing him, commanded the French
troops in the absence of the Comte de Rochambeau at Philadelphia,
during the march from Williamsburgh to Baltimore. The Marquis de
Ch was then at Colchester, with the first division of the troops,
after passing in boats the river which runs near the town. The car
riages and artillery had taken another road, to gain ainndifferent ford.
WAV ELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
war and battles brought us to the foot of the gap, or, as it i^f
called, the neck of Rock-Fish, which, in an extent of more
than fifty miles is the only passage to cross the Blue Ridges,
at least in a carriage. We ascended very commodiously, for
about two miles, and on arriving at the top of the mountain,
were surprised to find a little cottage lately built and inhabited
by white people. I inquired of my fellow-traveller what could
engage them to settle in so barren and desert a place, he told
me they were poor people who expected to get some assistance
from passengers.
General Morgan met them when they were engaged in a very narrow
passage, and finding the carters did not understand their business, he
stopped, and showed them how they ought to drive. Having put every
thing in order, he alighted at the Marquis , and dined with him. The
simplicity of his deportment, and the nobleness of his behaviour, re
called to mind the ancient Gallic and German chiefs, who, when in
peace with the Romans, came to visit and offer them assistance. He
expressed a great attachment to the French nation, admired our troops,
and never ceased looking at them ; often repeating, that the greatest
pleasure of his life would be, to serve in numerous and brilliant
armies. It will easily be conjectured that his host asked him many
questions, particularly respecting the affair of Cowpens. His answer
confirmed what the rifleman had said ; he owned also very candidly
that the retrograde movement he had made, was not premeditated.
His troops were intimidated, when the English, with more confidence
than order, advanced to the attack : observing them keep their ranks,
he suffered them to retreat a hundred paces, and then commanded *
them to halt and face the enemy, as if the retrograde movement had
been really preconcerted.* Though this account, which is more re-
cent and surer than in the text, might render those reflections useless,
it was thought proper to preserve them, because on one hand they are
not uninteresting to the soldier, and on the other, they may teach phi
losophers and critics to suspect those who have written history, above
all, those who, like Titus Livius, Dionysius of Halicarnassus, and all
the copious and elegant historians, delight in multiplying and varying
the descriptions of battles ; or, what is yet more reprehensible, who
like Frontin, Pollien, and other compilers, borrow from historians the
events and stratagems of war, which they endeavour to collect.
General Morgan has not served since the affair of Cowpens ; he
lives in the county of Fairfax and on the estate which he had either
purchased or increased, waiting till opportunity shall present him with
some command.
* General Morgan by thus dexterously availing himself of the cir
cumstances of his very critical position, has perhaps more real merit,
than if he had really preconceived the manoeuvre which has given him
so much fame ; a manoeuvre, from which, unless justified by a neces
sity such as his, he had no right to expect success, in the face of a skil
ful enemy ; but Tarleton never was a commander. Trans.
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. m
1 expected this answer, and was sorry to find in a new coun
try, where the earth wants inhabitants, and agriculture hands,
white people under the necessity of begging. I stopped a
moment to view the wild but uninteresting prospect of the
western mountains, from the summit of the Blue Ridges.
.But as the sun was near setting, I hastened to reach the only
inn where lodgings could be had, on the other side of the
mountains. Notwithstanding which, I stopped once more, nor
had I any reason to regret it. My servant always followed me
with a fowling-piece, and as it frequently happened that I was
obliged to alight to fire at a partridge, or some other game, our
conversation did not prevent me from being always upon the
watch. I perceived a large bird which crossed the road, and
by the instinct of a sportsman, I concluded it to be what the
inhabitants of the mountains call a pheasant, but which resenv
bles much more a woodhen. To alight, call my dog, and take
my gun, was the work of a moment; as I was preparing to fol
low the woodhen among the bushes, one of my servants point
ed out to me two others, perched upon a tree behind him, and
which looked at me with great tranquillity. I fired at the one
nearest to me, nor did it require much address to kill it. Ex
cept that it was perhaps a little bigger, it resembled the one 1
had seen at Newport, where the Americans carry them some
times to market, in winter, when they descend from the moun
tains, and are more easily killed. This one, before it was
plucked, was of the size of a capon ; its plumage on the back
and wings resembled that of a hen pheasant, and, on the belly
and thighs, the large winter thrush. It was booted like the
rough footed pigeon, to its feet, and the plumage of its head
formed a kind of aigrette : take it altogether, it is a beautiful
bird, and good eating ; but when stript of its feathers, it was
not larger than the red-footed partridge, or bartavelle. After
ordering the woodhen I had killed, for supper, I tried to find
the first I had seen run into the underwood. I raised it once,
and although I ran immediately, and had an excellent dog, it
was impossible to find it ; these birds running very fast, like
the pheasant and the ray I. The mode which the inhabitants
of the mountains make use of to kill them, is to walk in the
woods at sunrising and sunsetting, to attend to the noise they
make in beating their sides with their wings, which may be
heard above a mile ; they then approach softly, and usually
find them sitting upon the trunk of some old tree. It was per
haps lucky that my shooting did not continue with more suc
cess ; for it was almost nignt when we arrived at the ford of
South River, and the waters, considerably augmented by the
late fains, were very high. I was proud of fording the famous
31
242 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
Potomac, which had taken me an hour in a boat, at the lerry oi
Alexandria.*
South river in fact is only a branch of the Potomac, the
source of which is in the mountains, and like all other rivers is
humble in its rise ; but it may be looked upon as the proudest
of its branches, as at the distance of thirty leagues, it is above
a mile broad, and resembles more an arm of the sea, than a river.
Two hundred paces from the ford, but more than forty miles
from the place from which I set out, I found the inn which Mr.
Jefferson had described to me ; it was one of the worst in all
* In travelling from Fredericktown to Leesburgh, in a single-horse
chaise for one person, called in America a sulky, the shafts of my car
riage broke about a mile from the Potomac, on the Maryland side, and
I was reduced to the necessity, having no servant, of leaving it with
all my papers, money, fire-arms, &c. and of mounting my horse in
search of assistance. Night was coming on in a most difficult coun
try, to which I was an utter stranger, and not even a negro hut was
to be met with. In these circumstances I approached the Potomac,
on the other side of which I discovered a smoke in the woods, which
gave me hopes of its proceeding from a house, but the river was near
a mile broad, and my horse barely fourteen hands high. Whilst I was
thus standing in suspense, two travellers arrive on horseback and push
Jnto the river, a little higher up. I flew to follow them, but scarcely
had they advanced one hundred yards before they returned, declaring
it not fordable, and, to add to my distress, they assured me that I was
at a great distance from any house on that side, but, on the other, I
should find an ordinary kept by a Scotsman. They excused themselves
from assisting me on the plea of urgent business, and left me with the
consoling assurance that the river might possibly be fordable, though
they who were inhabitants of the country, did not choose to venture it.
Perceiving the bottom of a good gravel, and free from rocks, I at
tempted the passage as soon as they left me, and in about twenty dan
gerous and irksome minutes reached the other side, where I obtained
the cheerful aid of two native negroes at the Scotsman s hut, for it was
no better, and recrossing the river, went in search of my broken car
riage, which we found in security. It was ten o clock before I passed
the river a third time> always up to my waist, and reached my quarters
for the night, where at least I met with as hospitable a reception as
the house afforded ; but the consequence of this adventure, wherein I
was successively wet and <] rv three times, in the hot month of July,
was a fever and ague which tormented me for five months. At Alex
andria, about fifty miles lown down, the Potomac rolls its majestic
stream with sublimity and grandeur, sixty-gun ships may lie before the
town, which stands upon its lofty banks, commanding, to a great ex
tent, the flatter shore of Maryland. This town, which stands above
200 miles from the sea, is rapidly on the increase, and from the lavish
prodigality of nature, cannot fail of becoming one of the first cities of
the new world .^-Trans.
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 243
America. Mrs. Teaze, the mistress of the house, was some
time since left a widow ; she appears also to be in fact the wi
dow of her furniture, for surely never was house so badly fur
nished. A solitary tin vessel was the only bowl for the family,
the servants and ourselves ; I dare not say for what other use it
was proposed to us on our going to bed.* As we were four
masters, without reckoning the rifleman, who had followed us,
and whom I had engaged to supper, the hostess and the family
were obliged to resign to us their beds. But at the moment
we were inclined to make use of them, a tall young man enter
ing the chamber, where we were assembled, opened a closet,
and took out of it a little bottle. I inquired what it was ; it is,
said he, something which the doctor in the neighbourhood has
ordered me to take every day. And for what complaint, said
I ? Oh ! not much, he replied, only a little itch ! I own his
confession was ingenuous, but I was by no means sorry that I
had sheets in my portmanteau. It may easily be imagined we
were not tempted to breakfast in this house. We set out
therefore very early on the 18th, in hopes (as we had been
told,) that we should find a better inn, at the distance of ten
miles, but those hopes were vain. Mr. Smith, a poor planter,
to whom we were recommended, had neither forage for our
horses, nor any thing for ourselves. He only assured us, that
eight miles farther we should find a mill, the proprietor of
which kept a public-house, and we found accordingly the mill
and the miller. He was a young man, twenty-two years of age,
whose charming face, fine teeth, red lips, and rosy cheeks, re
called to mind the pleasing portrait which Marmontel gives of
Lubin. His walk and carriage did not however correspond
with the freshness of his looks, for he appeared sluggish and
inactive. I inquired the reason, and he told me he had been
in a languishing state ever since the battle of Guildford, in
which he had received fifteen or sixteen wounds with a hanger.
He had not, like the Romans, a crown to attest his valour ; nor,
* The Marquis distress on this occasion, reminds me naturally of a
similar, but still worse situation in which I found myself on my return
from America towards the end of the war, with four officers of the ar
my of the Comte de Rochambeau. Our captain being obliged sud
denly to take advantage of one of those violent north-westers which
blow in December, to get clear of the coast, beset with New- York
Privateers, forgot all his crockery ware, so that in default of plates,
mugs, &c. we were obliged, during a winter s voyage of seven weeks,
to apply two tin jugs we had purchased to drink our cider, to every
use ; and, in spite of my representations, even to some purposes I am
unwilling to repeat ; for in bad weather, these excellent land-officers
not be prevailed upon to look on deck. Trans.
344 TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA.
like the French, either pension or certificate of honour : instead
of them, he had a piece of his skull, which his wife brought to
show me. I certainly little thought of finding, amidst the so
litudes of America, such lamentable traces of European steel ;
but I was the most touched to learn that it was after he had
received his first wound, and was made prisoner, that he had
been thus cruelly treated. This unhappy young man acquaint
ed me, that overcome with wounds, and wallowing in his blood,
he yet retained his presence of mind, and imagining his cruel
enemies would not leave existing a single witness or victim of
their barbarity, there remained no other way of saving his life,
than by appearing as if he had lost it.
The all-seeing eye of Divine Justice alone can discover and
make known the authors of such a crime ; but, if discovered
Oh ! for the voice of a Stentor, and the trumpet of Fame, to
devote the vile perpetrators to present and future horror!
And to announce to all sovereigns, generals., and chiefs, that
the enormities which they tolerate, or leave unpunished, will
accumulate upon their heads, and, at some future time, render
them the execration .of a posterity still more sensible, and
more enlightened than we yet are !
Even if Mr. Steel, our landlord, had been more active, and
his wife, who was young and handsome, more industrious,
they could not have supplied the total want in which they then
were, of bread, and of every thing to drink; the bread was
just kneaded, but not yet put into the oven; and as for liquors,
the house made use of none ; the same stream which turned
the mill, was the only cellar of the young couple, so that we
might apply to Mrs. Steel those verses of Guarini,
Quel fonte on (Telia beve
Quel solo aneo la bagna, e la configlia.
But these pastoral manners are but ill suited to travellers,
A few cakes, however, baked upon the cinders, excellent but
ter, good milk, and above all, the interest with which Mr.
Steel inspired us, made us pass agreeably the time which was
necessary to put our horses in a condition to perform a long
and difficult day s journey. About five o clock in the evening,
after we had travelled thirty-eight miles, we found some houses,
where we learned that we were yet six miles from Praxton s
tavern, where we intended to sleep; that we had two fords to
pass, the last of which was impracticable on account of the late
rains; but that we should not be stopped, as we should find a
canoe to take us across, and our horses would swim behind.
The night, and a black storm which was brewing, made us
hasten our steps. Notwithstanding which, we were obliged
to mount and descend a very high mountain ; scarcely
TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA. 245
there remaining the least twilight when we arrived at the
second river, which is as large as James , but near its source,
and at a place where it descends from the mountains under
the name of the Fluvanna. The difficulty was to pass ten
men and as many horses with the help of a single canoe, such
as is made use of by the savages, which at most could contain
only four or five persons and a single negro, armed with a pad
dle instead of an oar. We put into the canoe our saddles
and baggage, and made several trips, at each of which two
horses were swam across, held by the bridle. It was night,
and very dark before this business was finished. But after we
had, not without great trouble, resaddled and reloaded our
horses, the difficulty was to reach the inn, which was half a
mile from the place where we landed ; for the river flows be
tween two precipices, and as the canoe could not land us at
the ford, nor consequently at the road, we were obliged to
climb up the mountain, by a path but little used, and very
difficult even by daylight ; nor should we ever have found our
way had I not engaged the waterman to conduct us. We clam
bered up as well as we could, every one leading his horse
through the trees and branches, which we could not perceive,
from the obscurity of the night, until they struck us on the
face. At last we arrived at Praxton s tavern ; but it was ten,
o clock, and the house already shut up, or more properly the
houses, for there are two. I approached the first that offered,
and knocked at the door, which they opened, and we saw five
or six little negroes lying upon a mat before a large fire. We
then went to the other, and there found five or six white child
ren lying in the same manner ; two or three grown up negroes
presided over each of these little troops.* They told us that
Mr. Praxton, his wife, and all his family, were invited to a
wedding, but not far off, and that they would go and fetch
them. As for us, we were invited to supper by a very vora
cious appetite, after a long journey and a great deal of fa
tigue, and were very differently situated from the new married
couple and their company, and had no small apprehensions of
* It was a singular sight for an European to behold the situation of
the negroes in the southern provinces during the war, when clothing-
was extremely scarce. I have frequently seen in Virginia, on visits to
gentlemen s houses, young negroes and negresses running about or
basking in the court-yard naked as they came into the world, with well
characterized marks of perfect puberty ; and young negroes from six
teen to twenty years old, with not an article of clothing, but a loose
shirt, descending half way down their thighs, waiting at table where
were ladies, without any apparent embarrassment on one side, or the
slightest attempt at concealment on the other, Trans.
246 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
seeing our host and hostess return completely drunk. But in
this we were deceived ; they arrived perfectly sober, were po
lite and desirous to please, and a little after midnight we had
an excellent supper. Though the apartments and beds were
not exactly what we wished, they were better than at Mrs.
Teaze s, and we had no right to complain. Besides, we en
joyed the satisfaction of having accomplished the object of
our journey; for the Natural Bridge was not above eight
miles off, and we had obtained every information necessary to
find the road. The next morning our breakfast was ready be
times, and served by the daughters of Captain Praxton ; they
had not appeared to advantage the preceding evening, not
withstanding which, so far as the obscurity of the room we
supped in, our appetites, and the immense caps in which they
were muffled up for the marriage, had permitted us to judge
of them, we thought them tolerably handsome ; but when we
saw them by daylight, with their hair only turned up, without
any other head-dress, the repose of the night their sole orna
ment, and for every grace, their natural simplicity, we were
confirmed in the opinion we had already formed, that the peo
ple of the mountains are, in general, handsomer and healthier
than those on the sea coast.* There was in the house a young
man also, tolerably well dressed, and of an agreeable counte
nance, whom I concluded to be an intended match for one of
our young hostesses. But I soon discovered that he was come
for matches of another kind. In fact, one of my fellow-tra
vellers inviting me to go and see a very fine horse, which stood
alone in a little stable, I was informed it was a stallion, which
this young man had brought upwards of eighty miles, to dis
pose of his favours to the mares of the country.f His price
"* The South-Carolina gentlemen with whom I was acquainted, as
sured me, that the inhabitants of the back parts of that state, which
is one of the most unhealthy on the continent, are a vigorous and
beautiful race of people, and possess all that hale ruddiness which
characterises the natives of northern climates. Trans.
| Great attention is paid to the breed of blood horses to the south
ward, and particularly in Virginia, and many second rate race horses
are annually sent from England to serve as stallions. There were
two or three in the stables of one Bates, near Philadelphia, which I
had seen win plates in England. This Bates is a native of Morpeth in
Northumberland, and went to America before the war to display feats
of horsemanship, but he had the good fortune to marry a widow pos
sessed of five hundred pounds a year, and is now master of a most
beautiful villa on the banks of the Delaware, four or five miles from
Philadelphia, still following, however, the occupation of breeding and
selling horses, and keeping stallions, for there are no resources for
in that country. Trap*.
TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA. 247
was twenty shillings Virginia currency,* or eighteen livres of
our money, (about fifteen shillings sterling,) for each visit, or
the double if the connection was of longer duration : which
is much less than is paid in the other parts of Virginia. These
details, which may appear trifling, will however serve to make
the reader acquainted with a country, the inhabitants of which,
dispersed in the woods, are separated only for the purposes of
domestic comfort, which renders them independent of each
other, but who readily communicate for the general interest, or
their mutual wants. But I am too near the Natural Bridge to
stop at other objects.
* The difference of currency is one of the most puzzling and disa
greeable circumstances for a stranger in America, the value of the
pound varying in every state ; an inconvenience which existed under
the British government, and, I am afraid, is still likely to subsist.
Tram.
CHAPTER III.
NATURAL BRIDGE NEW-LONDON CUMBERLAND COURT-HOUSE
POWHATTAN COURT-HOUSE.
WE set out at nine o clock in the morning, and to say the
truth, rather heedlessly ; for in these mountains, where there
are either too many or too few roads, people always think they
have given sufficient directions to travellers, who seldom fail
to go astray. This is the common fault of those who instruct
others in what they themselves are well acquainted with, nor
are the roads to science exempt from this inconvenience.
After riding about two miles however, we luckily met a man
who had just got his horse shod, at a neighbouring forge, and
was returning home followed by two or three couple of hounds.*
We soon entered into conversation with him, and what seldom
happens in America, he was curious to know who I was, and
whither I was going. f My quality of a general officer in the
* Stopping one day at a smith s shop near Winchester, in the inte
rior of Virginia, I found one of the workmen to be a. Scotch High
lander in his Gaelic dress, and soon saw several more returning from
harvest ; these men had been soldiers, and were then prisoners, but they
were all peaceable industrious labourers, and I could not find that any
of them thought of returning to the barren hills of Caledonia. Gene
ral Gates had several of them in his employ, and they were dispersed
over the whole country, where they appeared completely naturalized
and happy. I afterwards saw many of them working at mills, and as
quarry-men on the picturesque banks of that sublime river the Sus-
quehannah, a circumstance which transported my imagination to the
well known borders of the Tay, and of Loch Lomond. Trans.
1 1 am apt to think that the experience of every person who has
visited North-America, as well as my own country, will rise in judg
ment against this observation of the author ; for my part, were I search
ing for a general characteristic of that part of the Continent, I should
not scruple to distinguish it by the name of the country of the curious.
Wherever you bend your course, to whomsoever you address yourself,
you are indispensably subject to a good humoured, inoffensive, but
mighty troublesome inquisition. Do you inquire your road ? you are
answered by a question, " J suppose you come from the eastward, don t
you ?" Oppressed with fatigue, hunger, and thirst, and drenched per-
TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA. 249
French service, and the desire I expressed of seeing the won
ders of his country, inspiring him with a kind of affection for
me, he offered to be our conductor, leading us sometimes-
through little paths, at others through woods, but continually
climbing or descending mountains, so that without a guide,
nothing short of witchcraft could have enabled us to find
the road. Having thus travelled for two hours, we at last de
scended a steep declivity, and then mounted another ; during
which time he endeavoured to render the conversation more
interesting. At last, pushing his horse on briskly, and stopping
suddenly, he said to me, "You desire to see the Natural
Bridge, don t you Sir ? You are now upon it, alight and go
twenty steps either to the right or left, and you will see this
prodigy." I had perceived that there was on each side a con
siderable deep hollow, but the trees had prevented me from
forming any judgment, or paying much attention to it. Ap
proaching the precipice, I saw at first two great masses or
chains of rocks, which formed the bottom of a ravine, or rather
of an immense abyss ; but placing myself, not without precau
tion, upon the brink of the precipice, I saw that these two
buttresses were joined under my feet, forming a vault, of which
I could yet form no idea, but of its height. After enjoying
this magnificent but tremendous spectacle, which many per
sons could not bear to look at, I went to the western side, the
aspect of which was not less imposing, but more picturesque.
This Thebais, these ancient pines, these enormous masses of
haps with rain, you answer shortly in the affirmative, and repeat your
inquiry " Methinks you are in a mighty haste What news is there to
the eastward ?" The only satisfaction you can obtain till you have
opened your real, or pretended budget of news, and gratified the de-
mander s curiosity. At an inn, the scrutiny is more minute ; your
name, quality, the place of your departure, and object of your journey,
must all be declared to the good family in some way or other, (for their
credulity is equal to their curiosity,) before you can sit down in com
fort to the necessary refreshment. This curious spirit is intolerable
in the eastern states, and I have heard Dr. Franklin, who is himself a
Bostonian, frequently relate with great pleasantry, that in travelling
when he was young, the first step he took for his tranquillity, and to
obtain immediate attention at the inns, was to anticipate inquiry, by
saying, " My name is Benjamin Franklin, I was born at Boston, am a
printer by profession, am travelling to Philadelphia, shall return at such
a time, and have no news Now what can you give me for dinner ?"
The only cause which can be assigned for the author s error in this
respect, is the state in which he travelled, his being a foreigner, and
the facility of obtaining information from the persons of his retinue.--
Trans.
250 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
rocks, so much the more astonishing as they appear to possess
a wild symmetry, and rudely to concur, as it were, in forming
a certain design; all this apparatus of rude and shapeless na
ture, which art attempts in vain, attacks at once the senses and
the thoughts, and excites a gloomy and melancholy admiration.
But it is at the foot of these rocks, on the edge of a little stream
which flows under this immense arch, that we must judge of
its astonishing structure ; there we discover its immense spurs,
its back-bendings, and those profiles which architecture might
have given it. The arch is not complete, the eastern part of
it not being so large as the western, because the mountain
is more elevated on this than on the opposite side. It is very
extraordinary that at the bottom of the stream there appear
no considerable ruins, no trace of any violent laceration, which
could have destroyed the kernel of the rock, and have left the
upper part alone subsisting ; for that is the only hypothesis that
can account for such a prodigy. We can have no possible re
course either to a volcano or a deluge, no trace of a sudden
conflagration, or of a slow and tedious undermining by the
water.
The rock is of the calcareous kind, and its different strata
are horizontal ; a circumstance which excludes even the idea
of an earthquake, or subterraneous cavern. It is not, in short,
for a small number of travellers to give a decided opinion for
the public on this phenomenon of nature. It belongs to the
learned of both worlds to judge of it, and they will now be
enabled to attempt the discussion. The necessary steps are
taken to render it as public as its singularity deserves ; an of
ficer of the engineers, the Baron de Turpin, an excellent ma
thematician and an accurate draughtsman, is gone to take the
principal aspects and dimensions. His labours will supply the
deficiency of my description. Though unacquainted with the
powers of nature, we may ai least have some idea of our own.
I shall therefore leave to more able hands the care of finishing
this picture, of which I have given only an imperfect sketch,
and continue the relation of our journey, which, though the
principal object be already accomplished, is not near being
terminated, for the Natural Bridge is more than two hundred
and fifty miles from Williamsburgh.
Whilst I was examining on all sides, and endeavouring to
take some drawings, my fellow-travellers had learned from our
conductor that he kept a public-house, about seven or eight
miles from the place where we were, and not more than two
from the road which must be taken next day to leave the moun
tains. Mr. Grisby, (the name of our guide,) had expressed
his wishes to receive us, assuring us we should be as well as
at the tavern recommended by Mr. Praxton ; but had this been
TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA. 251
otherwise, we had too many obligations to Mr. Grisby not to
give him the preference. We renewed our journey therefore,
under his guidance, through the woods, which were very lofty ;
strong robust oaks, and immense pines sufficient for all the
fleets of Europe, here grow old, and perish on their native soil ;
from which they have never yet been drawn even by the hand
of industry.* One is surprised to find every where in these
immense forests, the traces of conflagrations. These accidents
are sometimes occasioned by the imprudence of travellers, who
light a fire when they go to sleep, and neglect afterwards to
extinguish it. Little attention is paid them when the woods
alone are the victims, but as there are always some cultivated
parts, the fire often reaches the fences, by which the fields are
surrounded, and sometimes the houses themselves, which is
inevitable ruin to the cultivators.
I recollect that during my stay at Monticello, from which
one may discover an extent of thirty or forty leagues of wood,
I saw several conflagrations three or four leagues distant from
each other, which continued burning until a heavy rain fell
luckily and extinguished them.f We arrived at Mr. Gris-
by s a little before five o clock, having met with nothing
on the road but a wild turkey, which rose so far off, that it was
impossible to find it again. The house was not large, but neat
and commodious ; we found it already taken up by other tra
vellers, to whom we assuredly owed every token of respect, if
* The quality of the American oak is found by repeated experience
to be by no means equal to, or so durable as that of Britain. A gene
ral survey of the American woods was taken by order of the govern
ment of England, previous to the war, and the different qualities as
certained by the surveyors, who, on their general report, gave the pre
ference to the southern oak on the Apalachians, and in the interior of
Georgia and Florida ; but in the English yards, even the Dantzick
plank, which grows in Silesia, and that of Stettin is still preferred to
the American. Trans.
| Conflagrations which take their rise in this manner, sometimes
spread to a prodigious extent in America, in the morasses, as well as
in the woods ; in travelling from Easton on the Delaware over the
Musconetgung mountains in the Upper Jersey, in 1782, 1 saw im
mense tracts of country lying in ashes from one of these accidental
fires ; and, during the same summer, Philadelphia was sometimes co
vered with smoke, from a vast morass which had taken fire in the Jer
seys, and kept burning to a great depth from the surface, and for an
extent of many miles around, for several months ; the progress of
which could not be stopped by the large trenches dug by the labour of
the whole country, nor until it was extinguished by the autumnal rains,
Trms.
m TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
pre-eminence betwixt travellers were to be measured by the
length of their respective journies.
The other guests were a healthy good humoured young man
of eight and twenty, who set out from Philadelphia with a
pretty wife of twenty, and a little child in her arms, to settle
five hundred miles beyond the mountains, in a country lately
inhabited, bordering on the Ohio, called the country of Ken
tucky. His whole retinue was a horse, which carried his wife
and child. We were astonished at the easy manner with which
he proceeded on his expedition, and took the liberty of men
tioning our surprise to him. He told us that the purchase of
good land in Pennsylvania was very extravagant, that provi
sions were too dear, and the inhabitants too numerous, in con
sequence of which he thought it more beneficial to purchase
for about fifty guineas the grant of a thousand acres of land
in Kentucky. This territory had been formerly given to a co
lonel of militia, until the king of England thought proper to
order the distribution of those immense countries ; part of
which was sold, and the other reserved to recompense the
American troops who had served in Canada.* But, said I ?
* The author means the soldiers who served in Canada against the
French in the war before the last. Kentucky is at present peopled by
above fifty thousand settlers, and is on the point of being admitted into
the union, as an independent state. Kentucky is a settlement on the
creek, or rather river of that name, which falls into the Ohio, and is
627| miles distant from Fort Pitt ; but is extending in every direction
over a tract of the finest and most fertile country in the world ; and as
it is from the interior settlements of this vast country, that America
will derive her future greatness, and establish new empires to rival,
and perhaps outdo the ancient world, I hope I shall be pardoned for
transcribing the following short but interesting account of the banks
of the Ohio from Captain Hutchin s Topographical Description of
that country, accompanying his maps " The lands upon the Ohio,
and its branches, are differently timbered according to their quality and
situation. The high and dry lands are covered with red, white, and
black oak, hickory, walnut, red and white mulberry, and ash trees,
grape vines, &c. The low and meadow lands are filled with syca
more, poplar, red and white mulberry, cherry, beech, elm, aspen, ma
ple, or sugar trees, grape vines, &c. And below, or southwardly of
the rapids, are several large cedar and cypress swamps, where the
cedar and cypress trees grow to a remarkable size, and where also is
great abundance of canes, such as grow in South-Carolina. There is
a great variety of game, viz. buffaloes, bear, deer, &c. as well as
ducks, geese, swans, turkeys, pheasants, partridges, &c. which abound
in every part of this country. The Ohio, and the rivers emptying into
it, afford green, and other turtle, and fish of various sorts ; particular
ly carp, sturgeon, perch and catfish ; the two latter of an uncommon
TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA. 253
where are the cattle ? The implements of husbandry with
which you must begin to clear the land you have purchased ?
In the country itself, replied he. I carry nothing with me,
size ; viz. perch from eight to twelve pounds weight, and catfish from
fifty to one hundred pounds weight. The country on both sides of the
Ohio, extending south-easterly and south-westerly from Fort Pitt to
the Mississippi, and watered by the Ohio river and its branches, con-
tains at least a million of square miles, and it may with truth be affirm
ed, that no part of the globe is blessed with a more healthful air or
climate ; watered with more navigable rivers, and branches communi
cating with the Atlantic ocean, by the rivers Potomac, James, Rappa-
hannock, Mississippi, and St. Lawrence ; or capable of producing,
with less labour and expense, wheat, Indian corn, buckwheat, rye,
oats, barley, flax, hemp, tobacco, rice, silk, pot-ash, &c. than the
country under consideration ; and it may be added, that no soil can
yield larger crops of red and white clover, and other useful grass, than
this does." Colonel Gordon, in his journal, gives the following de
scription of this soil and climate : " The country on the Ohio, &c.
is every where pleasant, with large level spots of rich land, remarka
bly healthy. One general remark of this nature may serve for the
whole tract comprehended between the western skirts of the Allegany
mountains, beginning at Fort Ligonier, thence bearing south-westerly
to the distance of 500 miles opposite to the Ohio falls, then crossing
them northerly to the heads of the rivers that empty themselves into
the Ohio ; thence east along the ridge that separates the lakes
and Ohio s streams to French creek, which is opposite to the above
mentioned Fort Ligonier northerly. This country may, from a proper
knowledge, be affirmed to be the most healthy, the most pleasant, the
most commodious, and most fertile spot of earth known to European
people" To which may be added the following extract of a letter ad
dressed to the Earl of Hillsborough, in the year 1772, then Secretary
of State for the North American department.
" No part of North America will require less encouragement for the
production of naval stores, and raw materials for manufactures in Eu
rope, and for supplying the West-India islands with lumber, provisions,
&c., than the country of the Ohio, and for the following reasons :
First, the lands are excellent, the climate temperate, the native grapes,
silk- worms and mulberry-trees abound every where ; hemp, hops, and
rye grow spontaneously in the vallies and low lands ; lead and iron ore,
coal also, are plenty in the hills ; salt and fresh springs are innumera
ble ; and no soil is better adapted to the culture of tobacco, flax, and
cotton, than that of the Ohio. Secondly, the country is well watered
by several navigable rivers communicating with each other ; by which,
and a short land carriage, the produce of the lands of the Ohio can
even now (in the year 1772) be sent cheaper to the sea-port town of
Alexandria, on the Potomac, in Virginia, than any kind of merchan
dize is sent from Northampton to London. Thirdly, the Ohio is, at
all seasons of the year, navigable with large boats like the west coim-
254 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
but I have money in my pocket, and shall want for nothing,
I began to relish the resolution of this young man, who was
active, vigorous, and free from care; but the pretty wo-
try barges, rowed only by four or five men ; and from the month of
February to April, large ships may be built on the Ohio, and sent to
sea, laden with hemp, iron, flax, silk, rice, tobacco, cotton, pot-ashes,
&c. Fourthly, corn, beef, ship-plank, and other useful articles can
be sent down the stream of Ohio to West-Florida, and from thence to
the West-Indies, much cheaper, and in better order than from New-
York, or Philadelphia. Fifthly, hemp, tobacco, iron, and such bulky
articles may also be sent down the Ohio to the sea, at least 50 per cent,
cheaper than these articles were ever carried by a land carriage of only
sixty miles in Pennsylvania where waggonage is cheaper than in any
other part of North-America. Sixthly, the expense of transporting
European manufactures from the sea to the Ohio, will not be so much
as is now paid, and must ever be paid, to a great part of the counties
of Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Maryland:, as there is scarce a place
between Fort Pitt and the rapids, a distance of 705 computed miles,
where good roads may not be made, on the banks which are not liable
to crumble away, and horses employed in drawing up large barges,
as is done on the margin of the Thames in England, and the Seine in
France, against a stream remarkably gentle, except in high freshets.
Whenever the farmers or merchants of Ohio shall properly understand
the business of transportation, they will build schooners, sloops, &c.
on the Ohio, suitable for the West-India or European markets ; or, by
having black walnut, cherry-tree, oak, &c. properly sawed for foreign
markets, and formed into rafts, as is now practised by the settlers near
the upper parts of the Delaware river, and thereon stow their
hemp, tobacco, &c. and proceed with them to New-Orleans. It may
not be amiss perhaps, to observe, that large quantities of flour are
made in the distant (western) counties of Pennsylvania, and
sent by an expensive land carriage to the city of Philadelphia, and
from thence shipped to South-Carolina, and to East and West-Florida,
there being little or no wheat raised in these provinces. The river
Ohio seems kindly designed by nature as the channel through which
the two Floridas may be supplied with flour, not only for their own
consumption, but for the carrying on an extensive commerce with Ja
maica [the Floridas were then in the possession of England] and the
Spanish settlements in the Bay of Mexico. Millstones in abundance
are to be obtained in the hills near the Ohio, and the country is every
where well watered with large and constant springs, and streams for
grist and other mills. The passage from Philadelphia to Pensacola,
is seldom made in less than a month, and sixty shillings sterling per ton
freight (consisting of sixteen barrels) is usually paid for flour, &c. thither.
Boats carrying from 800 to 1000 barrels of flour may go in about the
same time from the Ohio, (even from Pittsburgh,) as from Phila
delphia to Pensacola, and for half the above freight ; the Ohio mer
chants would be able to deliver flour, &c. there in much better order
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
man, twenty years of age only, I doubted not but she was
in despair at the sacrifice she had made ; and I endea
voured to discover, in her features and looks the secret
sentiments of her soul. Though she had retired into a lit
tle chamber, to make room for us, she frequently came
into that where we were ; and I saw, not without astonish
ment, that her natural charms were even embellished by the
serenity of her mind. She often caressed her husband and
her child, and appeared to me admirably disposed to fulfil the
first object of every infant colony " to increase and multi
ply." Whilst supper was preparing, and we were talking of
travels, and examining on the map the road our emigrants
were to follow^ I recollected that we had as yet an hour s day
light, and that it was just the time I had seen the wood-hens,
of which, they assured me, there was plenty in the neighbour
hood, and that there is a critical moment in hunting as well as
love. I took my fowling-piece, therefore, and proceeded to
the woods ; but instead of wood-hens, I found only a rabbit,
which I wounded, but it rolled down into a bottom, where I
lost sight of it, till it was discovered by Mr. Grisby s dogs,
which, accustomed to the report of a gun, found it in a hol
low tree, to the top of which it would have scrambled had its
leg not been broken. The rabbits of America differ from
those of Europe ; they do not burrow, but take refuge in hol
low trees, which they climb like cats, and often to a very con*
siderable height. Content with my victory, I returned to the
house, but stopped some time to hear, at sunset, two thrushes,
which seemed to challenge each other to the song, like the
than from Philadelphia, and without incurring the damage and delay
of the sea, the charges of ensurance, and risk in time of war, &c. or
from thence to Pensacola. This is not mere speculation ; for it is a
fact, that about the year 1746, there was a great scarcity of provisions
at New-Organs ; and the French settlements at the Illinois, small as
they then wtre, sent thither, in one winter, upwards of eight hundred
thousand weight of flour." Mr. Lewis Evans, in the Analysis to his
Map of the Middle Colonies of North- America, in the year 1 755,
says, that " Vessels from 100 to 200 tons burthen, by taking advantage
of the spring floods, rmy go from Pittsburgh to the sea with safety, as
then the falls, rifts, and shoals are covered to an equality with the rest
of the river." To which Captain Hutchins, the present Geographer-
General to the United States, addsi " And though the distance is up
wards of two thousand miles from Fort Pitt to the sea, yet as there are
wo obstructions to prevent vessels from proceeding both day and night,
I am persuaded that this extraordinary inland voyage may be per
formed, during the season of the floods, by rowing, in sixteen or
seventeen days." Here surely is a rational and ample field for the
well regulated imagination of tho philosopher and politician ! ! !
Trans,
^56 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
shepherds of Theocritus. This bird ought, in my opinion, to
be considered as the nightingale of America ; it resembles
those of Europe in its form, colour, and habits ; but is twice
as large. Its song is similar to that of our thrush, but so va
ried and so much more perfect, that, if we except the uniform
plaintive notes of the European nightingale, they might be ta
ken for each other. It is a bird of passage, like the mocking
bird, and like it, also, sometimes remains through the winter.
At my return to the house, supper was the sole object;
about which Mr. and Mrs. Grisby took great pains, whilst their
daughters, about sixteen or seventeen, who were perfect beau
ties, were laying the cloth. I asked Mr. Grisby to sup with
us, but he excused himself, by assuring us that he was yet em
ployed in our service; nor was his attention useless, for we
had an excellent supper; and though whiskey was our only
drink, we contrived to convert it into tolerable toddy. Break
fast was ready betimes the next morning, and corresponded
with our supper. Mr. Grisby, who had nothing to do, sat
down to table with us. He had a horse saddled, that he might
accompany us as a guide as far as Greenly Ferry, where we were
to repass the Fluvanna; but I was informed that one of the ser
vant s horses was so much wounded in the withers, that it was im
possible to mount him. This accident was the more inconveni
ent, as I had already been obliged to leave one at Mr. Jefferson s,
so that I had no fresh horse to substitute. On applying to Mr.
Grisby, he told me that the only horse he had which could
answer my purpose, was the one he generally rode, and which
he was going to make use of to conduct us, but that he would
willingly oblige me with it, and take mine in its place. On
my assuring him that I would give him any thing he thought,
proper in return, he went to look at my horse, and when he
came back told me, that when cured, he thought he might be
worth his own, and that he left the difference entirely to my
self. As each of them might be worth ten or twelve guineas,
I gave him two in exchange, and he was perfectly contented.
I had just before asked for the bill, and when he Declined let
ting me have it, I gave him four guineas. He received them
with satisfaction, assuring me it was double the sum he could
have charged. At last we were obliged to take our leave of
this good house, but not of Mr. Grisby. who had taken another
horse to accompany us. On the road he showed us two plan
tations which he had occupied successively, before he settled
on the one he at present cultivates. He had left them in good
condition, and sold them at the rate of twelve or thirteen shil
lings, Virginia currency, an acre, about ten livres of our mo
ney (8s.i English.) We saw several other settlements in the
woods, all of which were situated on the banks of
TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA. 257
stream, whose source was not far distant. The peach trees,
which they take care to plant, and the Judas tree (or filiquas-
frum, but different from that which produces the balm of Mec
ca) which grows naturally at the water s edge, were both in
flower, and made a charming contrast to the immense firs and
oaks, in the centre of which were situated these new planta
tions.
It was near ten o clock when we arrived at the ferry, and as
we approached, still following the course of the river, I saw
an animal, to which I was a stranger, returning from the side
of the river, and endeavouring to reach the wood. I pushed
my horse towards it, hoping to frighten and make it climb a
tree, for I took it for a racoon ; in fact it mounted the nearest
tree, but very slowly and awkwardly. I had no great difficulty
in killing it, for it did not even endeavour to hide itself, like
the squirrel, behind the large branches. When I had taken it
from the dogs, among which it struggled hard, and had bitten
them pretty sharply ; on examining it with attention, I disco
vered it to be the monax, or the marmoset of America. In its
form, far, and colour it resembled very much the musk-rat ; but
it is larger and differs essentially in the tail, which is short
and rough. Like the musk-rat, however, its ribs are so short
and flexible, that they might be mistaken for gristles, so that
though it is much bulkier than a hare, it can pass through a
hole of not above two inches in diameter.
Greenly Ferry derives its name from the proprietor, and is
situated between two steep banks. We passed it in three
trips, and parting with Mr. Grisby, depended entirely on
our own industry to find the road to a very steep, but
little frequented gap, the only passage by which we could get
out of the mountains. They told us, at the ferry, that we
should find but one house, three miles from thence, and at the
foot of the very mountain we were to climb. A little path
conducted us to this house : after asking new instructions, we
followed another path, and began to ascend, not without dif
ficulty, for in general the acclivity was so rapid, that we were
obliged to stop our horses to give them breath. This ascent,
which formed the road, is at least three miles long, by which
you may judge of the height of these mountains ; for in the
space of an hundred miles, this is the least steep of any which
compose what are called the Blue Ridges. Arrived at the
summit, we enjoyed the reward generally bestowed on such
labours. A magnificent, but savage prospect, presented itself
to our eyes ; we saw the mountains which form the North
Ridge, and those which, crossing from one chain to the other^
sometimes unite the Blue Ridges. In one of these traverses
of mountains, the Natural Bridge is placed. It is to be ob-
33
258 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA,
served, that I speak here only of the view to the north, for we
had not the advantage of enjoying the double prospect ; some
neighbouring summits, and the height of trees, prevented us
from extending our view to the southward. The descent was
not less rapid than the ascent ; its length was also three miles.
We judged it necessary, for the relief of our horses and our
own safety, to alight and walk ; though the stones, which
rolled under our feet, rendered it very incommodious. The
dogs, which were not so fatigued by this inconvenience as our
selves, beat the woods, while we walked slowly on, and two
hundred paces from us they sprang five wild turkeys ; but as
these birds directed their flight towards a steep hill behind us ?
we did not thing proper to follow them. We were almost at
the bottom of the mountain when we began to perceive the
horizon; but this horizon discovered nothing but woods and
mountains, far less elevated than those we were leaving, if we
except three summits known by the name, of the Peaks of Ot
ter, which are very lofty, and advance from the Blue Ridges as
a kind of counter-guard. In general, all the country from the
Blue Ridges to the sources of the Apamatock, may be consi
dered as a glacis composed of little mountains, beginning at
the foot of the Blue Ridges, and continually diminishing. Of
this the best charts of Virginia give not the least indication,
so that it is impossible, by the inspection of them, to form a
just idea of the nature of this country.
It was half past one o clock, and we had rode sixteen miles in
very bad roads, when we arrived at the first house at the foot of
the gap ; but as it was an indifferent hut, we were obliged to
proceed two miles farther, to a planter s of the name of Lam
bert, who received us with every mark of politeness. He gave
us cakes and milk, for he had neither bread nor biscuit ; and,
whilst our horses were feeding, he entertained us with gay,
joyous conversation. Mr. Lambert is a kind of phenomenon
in America, where longevity is very rare ; he is eighty-three
years of age, and scarcely appears to be fifty-five ; he is well
known in the country, for there is hardly a trade he has not
followed, nor a part of it he has not lived in. He is now a
husbandman, and resides at a very fine plantation, which he
has cleared, at the foot of the mountains. His wife, who is
only sixty-five, looks much older than he does ; his sons are
yet young ; one is a captain in the Virginia Legion, and formed
his company himself in the beginning of the war. It was
then composed of sixty-three men, all enlisted in the neigh
bourhood ; and at the end of six campaigns all the sixty-three
are living, some few of them only having been wounded. At
five we mounted again to proceed ten miles farther, to the
house of a Captain Muller. who, like Mr. Lambert, does not
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 259
keep a public house, but willingly receives the few travellers
who pass by this unfrequented road. Although they assured
us we could not possibly miss the road, they would more pro
perly have said it was impossible to find it ; for we deemed it
very fortunate to lose ourselves but twice, and at length, after
dark, we arrived at Mr. Muller s. He is a man about sixty,
six feet high, and bulky in proportion, very loquacious, but a
good kind of man, attached to his country, and a great news
monger. He told us he would do his best to give us some
thing for supper, but that he could offer us no other lodging
than the room in which he received us, where he would order
them to place our beds. The room was spacious and clean,
but already occupied by a sick person, whom he could not dis
turb, and whom he begged us to leave in the little corner he
possessed. This was an unfortunate old man of eighty, who,
two days before, travelling in the neighbourhood, had been
half devoured by a great bitch, whose whelps he had impru
dently approached ; she had lacerated one of his arms and
thighs. Mr. Muller bestowed on him every possible care, and
Mrs. Muller herself dressed his wounds. This poor man slept
all the evening, but in the night he complained much, and
sometimes awakened us. On my asking him, the next morn
ing, how he found himself, he answered mighty weak.* Be
fore we went away I desired to have the bill, but Mr. Muller
not choosing to present any, I begged him to accept of a cou
ple of guineas, desiring, at the same time, to know if it was
enough. " Too much," replied he, "you come from France to
my country to support and defend it ; I ought to receive you
better and take nothing, but I am only a poor countryman,
and not in a condition to demonstrate my gratitude. If I
were not ill, (and indeed he was asthmatic,) I would mount
my horse and attend you to the field of battle."
The little resource we had found in this house, and the ne
cessity of dividing the long journey we had to make, determi
ned us to set out very early, and breakfast at New-London, a
little town, two miles from hence. The difficulty of finding
the road still remaining, I luckily met a man in the court-yard,
just ready to mount, who relieved us from this anxiety. He,
was an old captain of the Virginia Legion, whom I had seen ar
rive in the evening in company with two tall young ladies, in
huge gauze bonnets, covered with ribands, and dressed in
such a manner as formed a perfect contrast to the simplicity
* Mighty little, mighty few, mighty weak, &c. are favourite ex
pressions in America. Trans.
369 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
of the house in which they were.* These, I understood, were
Mr. Muller s daughters, returned from supping in the neighbour
hood ; but I was careful not to speak to them, as I doubted
not but we had taken possession of the beds destined for these
fine ladies and their company, and was in great terror least
French gallantry should compel us to resign them. I know
not how they managed, but they appeared again in the morn
ing and were far from handsome.
The Captain had been to sleep a mile from hence, at a sister s
of Mr. Muller, and was mounting his horse to return to New-
London, whither he offered to conduct us, and to provide our
breakfast as he kept a tavern. I accepted both his proposals,
and we travelled the distance often miles very agreeably ; the
country, like that through which we passed the preceding eve
ning being diversified with very pretty plantations. New-Lon
don, where we arrived at ten in the morning, is an infant town,
but already pretty considerable, for there are at least seventy
or eighty houses. There is likewise a military magazine esta
blished here, and several workshops for repairing arms. Its
situation, in the middle of the woods, far distant from the seat
of war, as well as commerce, does not require it should be for
tified, but nature has prepared every thing to make it a strong
place. Situated upon a little platform, surrounded by a glacis,
the declivity of which is exactly what could be wished, this
little town might be fortified at a small expense, and defended
* The rage for dress among the women in America, in the very
height of the miseries of war, was beyond all bounds ; nor was it con
fined to the great towns, it prevailed equally on the sea-coasts, and in
the woods and solitudes of the vast extent of country, from Florida to
New-Hampshire. In travelling into the interior parts of Virginia I
spent a delicious day at an inn, at the ferry of Shenaridoah, or the Ca-
tacton Mountains, with the most enchanting, accomplished and volup
tuous girls, the daughters of the landlord, a native of Boston, trans
planted thither ; who, with all the gifts of nature, possessed the art
of dress not unworthy of Parisian milliners, and went regularly three
times a week to the distance of seven miles, to attend the lessons of
O: e de Grace, a French dancing-master, who was making a fortune in
the country. In one of my journies, too, I met with a young French
man, who was travelling on the business of the celebrated M. de Beau-
marchais, and was uncommonly successful in his amours, of which
I speak from personal knowledge. On my inquiring the secret of his
success, he assured me, and put it beyond a doubt, that his passe-par
tout, or master key, consisted in a fashionable assortment of ribands,
and other small articles contained in a little box, from which, in diffi
cult cases he opened an irresistible and never failing battery. Trans
TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA. 261
by a trifling garrison ; we left it about twelve o clock, and
had twenty-four miles to go to the only house where we could
find a good lodging. It was not a tavern, but the proprietor,
Mr. Hunter, received strangers with pleasure. The difference
between a real tavern, and a hospitable house of reception, is
greatly to the advantage of the traveller ; for in America, as
in England, publicans pay heavy taxes, and indemnify them
selves by their exorbitant charges, Mr. Hunter received us
well, and in a very clean house. We set out early the next
morning, and after riding eight miles, always in dry, arid
woods, we stopped to breakfast at Mr. Pattison s. He is a fat
man, about forty-five, disabled in his legs since he was two
years old, and so helpless that he cannot transport himself from
one place to another, but by pushing his chair. One would
hardly think that a man afflicted with such an infirmity should
choose to live in the midst of woods, where he has no company
but one white man servant, and negroes of each sex. I believe
him impotent in more than one respect, for he has lived in a
constant state of celibacy, and his ostensible imbecility would
have been no obstacle in a country where every body marries.
After we had proceeded twenty miles farther, we stopped, at
four o clock, at a Scotsman s of the name of Johnson, who is
the most ridiculous personage imaginable. He pronounces
English in so unintelligible a manner, that Mr. Dillon asked
him, very ingenuously, what language he was speaking. As
Mr. Johnson was an ill-tempered fellow, and a little drunk, I
foresaw that this question could not succeed, and would turn
out to our disadvantage, on quitting this sort of tavern. It
happened as I imagined ; for after a stay of only three-quarters
of an hour, he was not ashamed to ask seven dollars for about
twenty pounds weight of the leaves of Indian corn for our
horses, and two bowls of toddy for the servants. I consoled
myself, like Monsieur de Pourceaugnac in Moliere, with the
satisfaction only, on paying him, of telling him my sentiments
of his behaviour, and went twelve miles farther to seek hospi
tality at another Scotsman s, where we arrived at the close of
day. But this was a very different character from the other.
He was an old man of seventy-two, called Hodnett, who has
been established in America above forty years, though but
lately fixed in the plantation where he now lives. He was
eager to please, polite, and even inclined to compliment, proud
of being born in Europe, and having past some time at Cork,
where he missed, he told me, a fine opportunity of learning
French ; for he had lived with several French merchants, whose
names he yet remembered, although it was upwards of fifty
years ago. He inquired at least twenty times of me if I knew
SG2 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
them, and brought me an old book, the only one he had in the
house, which was a bad treatise of geography. It was doubled
in at the article of Cork, and one might see that he often read
this chapter, as the paper was more Ihumbed there than else
where. Whilst he presented me with this book, he observed,
with an air of importance, that in his opinion it was the best
geographical work existing, nor was it difficult to perceive that
it was the only one he ever heard of. I amused myself how
ever with assuring him that he possessed a real treasure, and
that he ought carefully to preserve it. He went immediately
to lock it up, and returned with a scrap of illuminated paper,
which represented the arms and mottos of the family of the
Hodnetts. I made him happy by declaring they were known
all over Europe, and surely it was not paying too dear for a
good supper and good beds ; for the next morning he would
not give us any bill. I thought proper, however, to pay
him handsomely ; hoping, at the same time, that the family of
the Hodnetts would know nothing of it, nor think themselves
under the necessity of adding the sign of an ale-house to their
armorial bearings.
It was on the 23d, but the heat was already very trouble
some, when we arrived to breakfast at nine o clock at Cumber
land court-house. This is the chief manor-house of a very
considerable country ; it is situated in a plain of about a mile
diameter, sixteen miles from Hodnett s. Besides the court
house, and a large tavern, its necessary appendage, there are
seven or eight houses inhabited by gentlemen of fortune. I
found the tavern full of people, and understood that the judges
were assembled to hold a court of claims, that is to say, to hear
and register the claims of sundry persons, who had furnished
provisions for the army. We know, that in general, but par
ticularly in unexpected invasions, the American troops had no
established magazines, and as it was necessary to have subsist
ence for them, provisions and forage were indiscriminately laid
hold of, on giving the owners a receipt, which they call a cer
tificate. During the campaign, whilst the enemy was at hand,
little attention was given to this sort of loans, which accumu
lated incessantly, without the sum total being known, or any
means taken to ascertain the proofs. Virginia being at length
loaded with these certificates, it became necessary, sooner or
later, to liquidate these accounts. The last assembly of the
State of Virginia, had accordingly thought proper to pass a
bill, authorising the justices of each county to take cognizance
of these certificates, to authenticate their validity, and to regis
ter them, specifying the value of the provisions in money, ac
cording to the established tariff. I had the curiosity to go to
the court-house, to see how this affair was transacted, and saw
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 263
it was performed with great order, and simplicity. The judges
wore their common clothes, but were seated on an elevated
tribunal, as at London in the Court of King s Bench or Com
mon Pleas. One of them seeing me standing at the door of
the hall, descended from the bench, and invited me to go and
take some refreshment at his house, where the family would
entertain me till the sessions were finished. I told him I was
obliged to proceed on my journey, and really we had no time
to lose, for there yet remained twenty-eight miles to travel, and
on a road so unprovided with every necessary for travellers,
that though we intended giving our horses another bait, we
could not find forage nearer than at a smith s shop, at twenty
miles distance. As I intended therefore staying only half an
hour at most, I seated myself under some trees ; but Monsieur
D Oyre having gone into the house, returned and told me there
was a company of four or five young girls, all pretty and very
well dressed. Curiosity inducing me to see them, my atten
tion was soon fixed upon a young woman of eighteen, who was
suckling her child. Her features were so regular, and there
was such decency and modesty in her behaviour, that she re
called to my mind those beautiful virgins of Raphael, the mo
del, or example of the beau ideal. As I no longer permit my
self to consider beauty but with a philosophic eye,* I shall
here make an observation which has occurred to me in foreign
countries, particularly in England and America ; it is, that the
beauty of forms and of features, the beauty independent of
grace, motion, and expression, is oftener found among the peo
ple of the north, or among their descendants, than in France,
or towards the south. If I were to assign the cause of this dif
ference, I should say, that from some unaccountable reason,
unconnected, doubtless, with the temperature of the climate,
the youth of both sexes are more forward, and more ripe,
among them than with us, from which it results, that young
people, particularly young girls of twelve, or thirteen, unite
that roundness of form, freshness of complexion, and regulari
ty of features, before they are modified by passions and habits.
In France it is quite different ; children are there very pret
ty to the age of seven or eight years ; but it is seldom that girls
* The reader will here, doubtless, be apt to picture to himself the
author as a grey-headed worn out veteran, or an unimpassioned, stoical
member of the French Academy, barely remembering " the days when
he was young ;" but it is my duty to undeceive him : the Marquis de
Chastellux is a well made, handsome man, of about four and forty,
with eyes full of intelligence and fire, the carriage and deportment of a
man of rank, and with a disposition extremely remote from an indif
ference to beauty. Trans.
264 TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA.
preserve their beauty to the age of puberty. This is the epoch,
however, when we must form our opinion of what they may
be ; but even these prognostics are often deceitful. This pe
riod is a kind of chrysalis, a state of probation, in which the
handsome become ugly, and the ugly handsome. It is from
the age of twenty to twenty-five that the features develop
and declare themselves, and that nature completes her work,
if not diverted from her course by sickness, but especially by
the moral and natural consequences of marriage. On the other
hand, our women, this danger once over, retain their beauty
longer than in any other country. It appears as if their very
souls were identified in their features, and watched over their
preservation ; not a movement without a grace, no grace with
out expression ; the desire of pleasing improves and perpetuates
the means ; and nature, rather aided than counteracted by art,
is never absolutely abandoned to a domestic life, nor lavished
by an unlimited fecundity.* Thus useful trees may serve to
decorate our gardens, if the too great quantity of fruit does
not prevent the reproduction of their blossoms. These reflec
tions prove, that the French women have no reason to envy
strangers ; that their beauty, in fact, though longer in coming
to maturity, and less perfect, is more bewitching and more du
rable ; that if others furnish better models for the painter, they
will stand the test of a longer examination, and that, in short,
if they are not always those we most admire, they are certainly
those we must love the most and the longest.
But let me return from this dangerous excursion, and resume
my journey. We had rode forty-four miles, and night was
closing fast upon us, when we arrived at Powhatan court
house ; this is a more recent, and more rustic settlement than
that of Cumberland. It consists only of two mean huts, one
for the purpose of holding the sessions, the other by way of
public-house ; but which hitherto is scarcely fit for the recep-
* It is certain that population is not the main object of marriage in
France among the higher classes. Among the nobility, in particular,
the parties are generally contracted, when very young, by their respec
tive parents, who bring them together to make an heir, or two, for the
family ; which object, once completed, they part with as little affec
tion as when they met, but with less passion, and pass the remainder
of their lives in perfect freedom. Whilst family duty is performing for
family purposes, their conduct is dictated, in general, by the nicest
honour, and their noble blood is transmitted tolerably pure and free
from contamination ; but " unlimited fecundity," as it is checked by
some on principles of economy and prudence, is deemed vulgar and
barbarous by all, except the lower classes, who are strangers to thin
pystem of refinement. Trans.
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 265
tion of travellers. It is kept by a young man who has just set
tled here ; his wife is a tall, handsome woman, his sister-in-law
not quite so pretty. We had a good supper and good beds,
but our horses were obliged to do without forage. The county
of Powhatan takes its name from a king of the savages, famous
in the history of Virginia, who reigned at the commencement
of the last century ; when the colony formed its first establish
ment at Jamestown, it was often necessary to treat, and some
times to wage war with him. He is represented as a profound,
but perfidious, politician. He had conquered all the country
betwixt the Apamatock and Bay of Chesapeake, and was dread
ed by the neighbouring nations.
CHAPTER IV.
PETERSBURG H RICHMOND WESTOVER.
WE left Powhatan the 24th, early in the morning, and, after
having stopped twice, the first time to breakfast in a poor little
house, eight miles from Powhatan, and the last, twenty-four
miles farther, at a place called Chesterfield court-house, where
we saw the ruins of the barracks formerly occupied by Baron
Steuben, since burnt by the English, arrived in good time at
Petersburgh. This day s journey was also forty-four miles*
The town of Petersburgh is situated on the right bank of the
Apamatock ; there are some houses on the opposite shore, but
this kind of suburb is a district independent of Petersburgh,
and called Pocahunta. We passed the river in a ferry-boat,
and were conducted to a little public-house about thirty steps
from thence, which had an indifferent appearance ; but, on
entering, we found an apartment very neatly furnished; a
tall woman, handsomely dressed, and of a genteel figure, who
gave the necessary orders for our reception, and a young lady,
equally tall, and very elegant, at work. I inquired their names,
which 1 found were not less entitled to respect than their ap
pearance. The mistress of the house, already twice a widow,
was called Spencer, and her daughter, by her first husband,
Miss Saunders. I was shown my bed-chamber ; and the first
thing which struck me was a large magnificent harpsichord, on
which lay also a guitar. These musical instruments belonged
to Miss Saunders, who knew very well how to use them ; but
as we stood more in need of a good supper, than a concert, I
was apprehensive at first of finding our landladies too good
company, and that we should have fewer orders to give than
compliments to make. Mrs. Spencer, however, happened to
be the best woman in the world ; a gay, cheerful creature, no
common disposition in America ; and her daughter, amidst the
elegance of her appearance, was mild, polite, and easy in con
versation. But to hungry travellers all this could, at the best,
be considered but as a good omen for the supper, for which we
had not long to wait ; for scarcely had we time to admire the
neatness and beauty of the table-cloth, before it was covered
with plenty of good dishes, particularly some very large and
excellent fish. We were very good friends with our charming
TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA, 267
landladies before we went to bed, and breakfasted with them
the next morning. We were just going out to take a walk,
when we received a visit from Mr. Victor, whom I had seen at
Williamsburgh ; he is a Prussian, who had formerly been in the
army, and, after having travelled a great deal in Europe, came
and settled in this country, where by his talents, he first made
his fortune ; and, like every body else, finished by turning
planter. He is an excellent musician, and plays every kind of
instrument, which makes his company in great request by the
whole neighbourhood. He told us he was come to pass a few
days with Mrs. Bowling, one of the greatest landholders in Vir
ginia, and proprietor of half the town of Petersburgh. He
added, that she had heard of our arrival, and hoped we would
come and dine with her, which invitation we accepted, and put
ourselves under the guidance of Mr. Victor, who first took us
to the ware-houses or magazines of tobacco. These ware
houses, of which there are numbers in Virginia, though, un
fortunately, great part of them has been burned by the English,
are under the direction of public authority. There are in*
spectors nominated to prove the quality of the tobacco brought
by the planters, and if found good, they give a receipt for the
quantity. The tobacco may then be considered as sold, these
authentic receipts circulating as ready money in the country.
For example : suppose I have deposited twenty hogsheads of
tobacco at Petersburgh, I may go fifty leagues thence to Alex
andria or Fredericksburgh, and buy horses, cloths, or any other
article, with these receipts, which circulate through a number
of hands before they reach the merchant who purchases the
tobacco for exportation. This is an excellent institution, for
by this means tobacco becomes not only a sort of bank-stock,
but current coin. You often hear the inhabitants say, " This
watch cost me ten hogsheads of tobacco ; this horse fifteen
hogsheads ; or, I have been offered twenty," &c. It is true
that the price of this article, which seldom varies in peace, is
subject to fluctuations in time of war ; but then, he who re
ceives it in payment, makes a free bargain, calculates the risks
and expectations, and runs the hazard ; in short, we may look
on this as a very useful establishment ; it gives to commodities
value and circulation, as soon as they are manufactured, and,
in some measure, renders the planter independent of the mer
chant.
The warehouses at Petersburgh belong to Mrs. Bowling.
They were spared by the English, either because the Generals
Phillips and Arnold, who lodged with her, had some respect for
her property, or because they wished to preserve the tobacco
contained in them in expectation of selling it for their profit.
Phillips died in Mrs. Bowling s house, by which event the eu-
2G8 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
premc command devolved upon Arnold ; and I heard it said,
that Lord Cornwallis, on his arrival, found him at great vari
ance with the navy, who pretended that the booty belonged to
them. Lord Cornwallis terminated the dispute, by burning the
tobacco; but not before Mrs. Bowling, by her interest, had
time sufficient to get it removed from her warehouses. She
was lucky enough, also, ^to save her valuable property in the
same town, consisting of a mill, which turns such a number of
mill-stones, bolting machines, cribbles j &c. and, in so simple
and easy a manner, that it produces above 800/. a year sterling.
I passed upwards of an hour in examining its various parts, and
admiring the carpenter s work, and the construction. It is
turned by the waters of the Apamatock, which are conveyed
to it by a canal excavated in the rock. Having continued our
walk in the town, where we saw a number of shops, many of
which were well stocked, we thought it time to pay our re
spects to Mrs. Bowling, and begged Mr. Victor to conduct us
to her. Her house, or rather houses, for she has two on the
same line resembling each other, which she* proposes to join
together, are situa.ted on the summit of a considerable slope,
which rises from the level of the town of Petersburgh, and cor
responds so exactly with the course of the river, that there is
no doubt of its having formerly formed one of its banks. This
slope, and the vast platform on which the house is built, are
covered with grass, which afford excellent pasturage, and are
also her property. It was formerly surrounded with rails, and
she raised a number of fine horses there ; but the English burn
ed the fences, and carried away a great number of the horses.
On our arrival we were saluted by Miss Bowling, a young lady
of fifteen, possessing all the freshness of her age ; she was fol
lowed by her mother, brother, and sister-in-law. The mother,
a lady of fifty, has but little resemblance to her countrywomen ;
she is lively, active, and intelligent ; knows perfectly well how
to manage her immense fortune, and what is yet more rare,
knows how to make good use of it. Her son and daughter-
in-law I had already seen at Williamsburgh. The young gen
tleman appears mild and polite, but his wife, of only seventeen
years of age, is a most interesting acquaintance, not .only from
her face and form, which are exquisitely delicate, and quite
European, but from her being also descended from the Indian
Princess, Pocahontas, daughter of king Powhatan, of whom I
have already spoken. We may presume that it is rather the
disposition of that amiable American woman, than her exterior
beauty, which Mrs. Bowling inherits.
Perhaps they who are not particularly acquainted with the
history of Virginia, may be ignorant, that Pocahontas was the
protectress of the English, and often screened them from the
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 269
cruelty of her father. She was but twelve years old when
Captain Smith, the bravest, the most intelligent, and the most
humane of the first colonists, fell into the hands of the savages; he
already understood their language, had traded with them several
times, and often appeased the quarrels between the Europeans
and them ; often had he been obliged also to fight them, and
to punish their perfidy. At length, however, under the pretext
of commerce, he was drawn into an ambush, and the only two
companions who accompanied him, fell before his eyes ; but,
though alone, by his dexterity he extricated himself from the
troop which surrounded him, until, unfortunately, imagining
he could save himself by crossing a morass, he stuck fast, so
that the savages, against whom he had no means of defending
himself, at last took and bound him, and conducted him to
Powhatan. The king was so proud of having Captain Smith
in his power, that he sent him in triumph to all the tributary
princes, and ordered that he should be splendidly treated, till
he returned to suffer that death which was prepared for him.*
* Dr. Robertson, Mr. Adair, and a number of writers have given an
account of the cruel mode by which the Indians torture their prisoners
of war, before they put them to death. During my residence near Al
exandria, in Virginia, in 1782, I had the following relation of their
barbarous treatment, from a gentleman who had just escaped out of
the hands of these infernal furies. Colonel Crawford, and his son, two
great land surveyors, and most respectable planters in Virginia, in
heading a party against the Indians and Tories, aided by some light
horse from the British frontiers, who had spread horror and devastation
through the infant back settlements of the United States, were defeat
ed and made prisoners. The gentleman, from whom I had this ac
count, was surgeon to the party, and was conducted with Mr. Craw
ford and his son, to be sacrificed in his turn, at one of the Indian villa
ges, to the manes of their people slain in battle. The bloody business
commenced with Mr. Crawford, the father, who was delivered over to
the women> and being fastened to a stake, in the centre of a circle form
ed by the savages and their allies, the female furies, after the preamble
of a war song, began by tearing out the nails of his toes and fingers,
then proceeded, at considerable intervals, to cut off his nose and
ears ; after which they stuck his lacerated body full of pitch pines ;
to all of which they set fire, and which continued burning, amidst the
inconceivable tortures of the unhappy man, for a considerable time.
After thus glutting their revenge, by acts of the most horrible bar
barity, the success of which was repeatedly applauded by the surround
ing demons, they rushed in upon him, finished his misery with their
tomahawks, and hacked his body limb from limb. This dreadful scene
passed in the presence of the son of the unhappy sufferer, and the sur
geon, who were to be conveyed to different villages to undergo the
370 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
The fatal moment at last arrived, Captain Smith was laid
upon the hearth of the savage king, and his head placed upon
a large stone to receive the stroke of death, when Pocahontas,
the youngest and darling daughter of Powhatan, threw herself
upon his body, clasped him in her arms, and declared, that if
the cruel sentence were executed, the first blow should fall on
her. All savages, (absolute sovereigns and tyrants riot ex-
cepted,) are invariably more affected by the tears of infancy,
than the voice of humanity. Powhatan could not resist the
tears and prayers of his daughter : Captain Smith obtained
his life, on condition of paying for his ransom a certain quan
tity of muskets, powder, and iron utensils ; but how were they
to be obtained *? They would neither permit him to return to
Jamestown, nor let the English know where he was, lest they
should demand him sword in hand. Captain Smith, who was
as sensible as courageous, said, that if Powhatan would permit
one of his subjects to carry to Jamestown a little board which
he would give him, he should find under a tree, at the day and
hour appointed, all the articles demanded for his ransom.
Powhatan consented, but without having much faith in his
promises, believing it to be only an artifice of the captain s to
prolong his life. But he had written on the boar.d a few lines
sufficient to give an account of his situation. The messenger
returned. The King sent to the place fixed upon, and was
greatly astonished to find every thing which had been demand-
same fate. The next day, accordingly, young Crawford was sacrificed
with the same circumstances of horror ; after which, the surgeon,
being entrusted to the care of four of the savages, who fortunately got
drunk with some rurn, given them as a recompense by their Europe
an friends, escaped from them in the woods, and, bound as he was,
wandered for four or five and twenty days, subsisting on leaves and
berries, before he reached the neighbourhood "of Winchester, whence
he got down to Alexandria. Among these wretches was one Simon
Girty, a native of Virginia, who was formerly well acquainted with
Colonel Crawford, and had been employed by the assembly of Virginia
to conciliate the savages, and obtain their neutrality ; but who having
been detected by the Governor in some malversations of the pub
lic money entrusted to him, and his duplicity discovered, went over to
the British and became more merciless than the worst of these in
fernal hell-hounds. Mr. Crawford in the midst of his tremendous suf
ferings, seeing Girty standing in the circle, with a gun, called to him
by his name, and implored him as an old friend, a Christian, and a
countryman, to shoot him, and by that act of mercy relieve him from
his misery ; but the inhuman monster tauntingly replied, " No, Craw
ford, I have got no powder, your assembly did not choose to trust me^
and you must now pay for it," and continued to feast his eyes with the
bloodv sacrifice. Traits.
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 71
ed. Powhatan could not conceive this mode of transmitting
thoughts, and Captain Smith was henceforth looked upon as a
great magician, to whom they could not show too much re
spect. He left the savages in this opinion, and hastened to
return home. Two or three years after, some fresh differ
ences arising amidst them and the English, Powhatan, who no
longer thought them sorcerers, but still feared their power,
laid a horrid plan to get rid of them altogether. His project
was to attack them in profound peace, and cut the throats of
the whole colony. The night of this intended conspiracy,
Pocahontas took advantage of the obscurity, and in a terrible
storm which kept the savages in their tents, escaped from her
father s house, advised the English to be upon their guard, but
conjured them to spare her family, to appear ignorant of the
intelligence she had given, and terminate all their differences
by a new treaty. It would be tedious to relate all the services
which this angel of peace rendered to both nations. I shall
only add, that the English, I know not from what motives, but
certainly against all faith and equity, thought proper to carry
her off. Long and bitterly did she deplore her fate, and the
only consolation she had was Captain Smith, in whom she
found a second father. She was treated with great respect, and
married to a planter of the name of Rolj[e, who soon after
took hereto England. This was in the r&gn of James the
First ; and, it is said, that this monarch, pedantic and ridicu
lous in every point, was so infatuated with the prerogatives of
royalty, that he expressed his displeasure, that one of his sub
jects should dare to marry the daughter even of a savage king.
It will not perhaps be difficult to decide on this occasion, whe
ther it was the savage king who derived honour from finding
himself placed upon a level with the European prince, or the
English monarch, who by his pride and prejudices reduced
himself to a level with the chief of the savages. Be that as
it will, Captain Smith, who had returned to London before the
arrival of Pocahontas, was extremely happy to see her again,
but dared not to treat her with the same familiarity as at James
town. As soon as she saw him, she threw herself into his
arms, calling him her father ; but finding that he neither re
turned her caresses with equal warmth, nor the endearing title
of daughter, she turned aside her head and wept bitterly, and
it was a long time before they could obtain a single word from
her. Captain Smith inquired several times what could be the
cause of her affliction. " What !" said she, " did I not save
thy life in America 9 When I was torn from the arms of my
father, and conducted among thy friends, didst thou not pro
mise to be a father to me *? Didst thou not assure me, that if
I went into the country thou wouldst be my father, and that I
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
should be thy daughter ? Thou hast deceived me, and behold
me, now here, a stranger and an orphan." It was not difficult
for the captain to make his peace with this charming creature,
whom he tenderly loved. He presented her to several people
of the first quality, but never dared take her to court, from
which however she received several favours. After a resi
dence of several years in England, an example of virtue and
piety, and attachment to her husband, she died, as she was on
the point of embarking on her return to America. She left an
only son, who was married, and left only daughters ; these
daughters, others ; and thus, with the female line, the blood of
the amiable Pocahontas now flows in the veins of the young
and charming Mrs. Bowling.
I hope I shall be pardoned this long digression, which may
be pleasing to some readers. My visit to Mrs. Bowling and
her family, having convinced me, that I should pass part of the
day with them agreeably, I continued my walk, with a promise
of returning at two o clock. Mr. Victor conducted me to the
camp formerly occupied by the enemy, and testified his regret
that I could not take a nearer view of Mr. Bannister s hand
some country-house, which was in sight ; there being no other
obstacle however than the distance, about a mile and a half,
and the noonday heat, we determined that this should not stop
us; and walking slowly, we reached, without fatigue, this
house, which is really worth seeing. It is decorated rather in
the Italian, than the English or American style, having three por
ticos at the three principal entries, each of them supported by
four columns.* It was then occupied by an inhabitant of
* The Italian architecture, that of porticos in particular, is admira
bly adapted to all hot climates, and of course to the southern states of
America. The same motives, therefore, which induced the invention
of this mode of building in ancient Greece and Rome, and in general
throughout the Eastern world, would naturally give rise to the same
inventions of convenience in similar climates ; and, in fact, though
the richer and more polished descendants of Britain, in the New
World, may be supposed to adopt these porticos from Italy, as the cul
tivated mind of the author imagines ; the very poorest settler, nay
even the native Indian, invariably attempts some kind of substitute for
this necessary protection from the sun and weather. Every tavern or
inn is provided with a covered portico for the convenience of its
guests, and this evidently from the necessity of the case. We have
only to examine the resources of the savage islander in the Pacific
ocean, and recur to the origin of all architecture, from the fluted Co
rinthian in the hall of empire, to the rusti^ prop of the thatched roof,
to discover the natural progress of the human mind, and the similariU
of human genius. Trans.
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. &3
Carolina, called Nelson, who had been driven from his coun
try by the war, which followed him to Petersburg!!. He in
vited me to walk in, and whilst he made me, according to cus
tom, drink a glass of wine, another Carolinian, of the name of
Bull, arrived to dine with him. The latter was a militia gene-
mi, and came from General Greene s army, where his time of
service was expired. The history of Mr. Bull, which is not
long, will give a general idea of the state of the southern pro
vinces. Possessed of a great number of negroes, large per
sonal property, particularly in plate, previous to, and during
the war, he did not think proper, after the capture of Charles
ton, to expose his wealth to the rapacity of the English. Be
set off therefore with two hundred negroes, followed by a
great number of wagons laden with his effects, and provisions
for his little army, and travelled, in this manner, through South
and North-Carolina, and part of Virginia, pitching his camp
every evening in the most commodious situations. At length
he arrived at Tukakoe, on James river, the seat of his old
friend Mr. Randolph, a rich planter of Virginia, who gave him
a spot of ground near his house, on which his negroes built
one for himself. Here he lived in tranquillity, surrounded by
his slaves and his flocks, until Arnold and Phillips invaded Vir
ginia, and approached his new asylum. Mr. Bull once more
departed with his wealth, his flocks, and negroes, to retire into
the upper country near Fredericksburg. On my asking him
what he would have done, had we not opportunely arrived to
expel the English, who intended to complete the conquest of
Virginia, " I should have retired to Maryland," he replied,
and if they had gone thither 9 " I should have proceeded to
Pennsylvania, and so on, even to New-England." Does not
this recall to mind the ancient patriarchs emigrating with their
family and flocks, with a certainty of finding every where a
country to receive and nourish them ?* General Bull was
* I have already said, that I had the happiness of a particular ac
quaintance with many of the principal gentlemen of South-Carolina.
The reflection on the pleasing hours I passed with them in their ex
iled situation at Philadelphia, and the warm friendship with which
they honoured me, whilst it reconciles me to the world, and soothes
the memory of past sufferings, touches the tenderest affections of a
sensible and grateful heart. My bosom beat high with genuine ar
dour in the cause for which they sacrificed every personal considera
tion, but I had frequently the opportunity of appreciating that sacri
fice. Seeing what I saw, I want no instances of Greek or Roman
virtue to stimulate my feelings, or excite my emulation ; and it will
ever be matter of congratulation with me, to have witnessed in the
principal inhabitants of Carolina, all the blandishments of civilized
35
274 TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA.
preparing to return to Carolina in hopes, henceforth, of pass
ing happier days. After putting many questions to him re
specting affairs to the southward, which he answered with
great frankness and good sense, I returned to Mrs. Bowling s,
where I was not disappointed in finding a good dinner, the ho
nours of which she did with much cordiality, without restraint
or ceremony. After dinner, Miss Bowling played on the harp
sichord, and sung like an adept in music, although her voice
was not agreeable; whilst the descendant of Pocahontas touch
ed a guitar, and sung like a person unskilled in music, but with
a charming voice. On my return home, I had another con
cert ; Miss Saunders singing some airs, which she accompa
nied sometimes with the harpsichord, and sometimes with the
guitar.
Next day we were obliged to quit this good house and agree
able company ; but before I left Petersburgh, I observed that
it was already a flourishing town, and must become more so,
every day, from its favourable situation with respect to com
merce. First, because it is placed immediately below the Falls,
or Rapids of the Apamatock, and the river can here float ves
sels of fifty or sixty tons burthen. Secondly, because the pro
ductions of the southern part of Virginia have no other outlet,
and those even of North-Carolina are gradually taking this
way, the navigation of the Roanoke and Albemarle Sound be
ing by no means so commodious as that of the Apamatock and
James river. But these advantages are unfortunately balanced
by the insalubrity of the climate ; for I have Seen assured, that
of all the inhabitants of the three little burghs of Pocahunta,
of Blandford and Petersburgh, which may be considered as
forming one town, not two persons are to be found who are
natives of the country. Commerce and navigation, notwith-
society, the love of life and all its blessings, a humanity void of re
proach, an hospitality not exceeded in the patriarchal ages, contrary
to the paradoxes of systematic writers, blended with the inflexible vir
tue which distinguished the best arid purest ages of the world. From
the number, I shall only select the brilliant examples of Major Pierce
Butler, and Mr. Arthur Middleton. Wealth, honour, interest, do
mestic happiness, their children, were nothing in the eyes of such
men, though calculated to enjoy, and communicate happiness in every
sphere, when put in competition with the great objects of universal
public happiness, and sacred Freedom s holy cause. How painful is
it to be compelled to add, that such was the cold, selfish spirit of too
many of the inhabitants of Philadelphia towards their Carolina bre
thren, who had every claim upon their sympathy and good offices, as
to merit the indignation of every feeling mind, and to fix an indelible;
Stain upon their character as men and citizens. Trans.
TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA. 275
standing, produce a concourse of strangers. The situation,
besides, is agreeable, arid the climate may probably be render-
c(\. more salubrious by draining some morasses in the neigh
bourhood.
Five miles from Petersburgh, we passed the small river of
Randolph, over a stone bridge ; and travelling, through a rich
and well peopled country, arrived at a fork of roads, where we
were unlucky enough precisely to make choice of that which
did not lead to Richmond, the place of our destination. Bui
we had no reason to regret our error, as it was only two miles
about and we skirted James river to a charming place called
Warwick, where a groupe of handsome houses form a sort of
village, and there are several superb ones in the neighbour
hood ; among others, that of Colonel Carey, on the right
bank of the river, and Mr. Randolph s on the opposite shore*
One must be fatigued with hearing the name of Randolph
mentioned in travelling in Virginia, (for it is one of the most
ancient families in the country,) a Randolph being among the
first settlers, and is likewise one of the most numerous and
rich. It is divided into seven or eight branches, =nd 1 am not
afraid of exaggerating, when I say, that they pos^ss an income
of upwards of a million of livres. It is only twenty-five miles
from Petersburgh to Richmond, but as we *iad lost our way,
and travelled but slowly, it was near three o clock when we
reached Manchester, a sort of suburb to Richmond, on the
right bank of the river, where you pas? the ferry. The passage*
was short, there being two boats for the accommodation of
travellers. Though Richmond be already an old town, and
well situated for trade, being built on the spot where James
river begins to be navigable, that is, just below the Rapids, it
was, before the war, one of the least considerable in Virginia,
where they are all, in general, very small j but the seat of go
vernment having been removed from Williamsburgh, it is be
come a real capital, and is augmenting every day. It was ne
cessary, doubtless, to place the legislative body at a distance
from the sea-coast, where it was exposed to the rapid and un
expected inroads of the English ; but Williamsburgh had the
still farther inconvenience of being situated at the extremity
of the state, which obliged a great part of the delegates to make
a long journey to the assembly ; besides, that from its position
between James and York rivers, it has no port nor communica
tion with them but by small creeks very difficult for navigation,
whilst vessels of 200 tons come up to Richmond. This new
capital is divided into three parts, one of which is on the edge
of the river, and maybe considered as the port; the two others
are built on two eminences, which are separated by a little
valley. I was conducted to that on the west, where I found a
27t> TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
good inn, and my lodgings and dinner ordered by a servant
whom I had sent on two days before, with a lame horse. We
were served, therefore, immediately, but with such magnificence
and profusion, that there would have been too much for twenty
persons. Every plate that was brought us produced a burst
of laughter, but not without considerable alarm for the bill of
the next day ; for I had been apprized that the inns at Rich
mond were uncommonly extravagant. I escaped, however,
for seven or eight Louis d or, which was not enormous, consi
dering our expenditure. A short time before Mr. de Rocham-
beau had paid five and twenty Louis, at another inn, for some
horses which remained there for four or five days, although he
neither ate nor slept in it himself. Mr. Formicalo, my land
lord, was more honest ; his only error was the exalted idea he
had formed of the manner in which French General Officers
must be treated. He is a Neapolitan, who came to Virginia
with Lord Dunmore, as his Maitre (THotcl, but he had gone ra
ther round about, having been before in Russia. At present
he has a good house, furniture, and slaves, and will soon be
come a rna* of consequence in his new country. He still,
however, recollects his native land with pleasure, and I have
no doubt that n*/ attention in addressing him only in Italian.,
saved me a few Luiis.
After dinner I wet to pay a visit to Mr. Harrison, then Go
vernor of the State. T found him in a homely, but spacious
enough house, which was fitted up for him. As the assembly
was not then sitting, there was nothing to distinguish him from
other citizens. One of his brothers, who is a Colonel of Artil
lery, and one of his sons, who acts as his Secretary, were with
him. The conversation was free and agreeable, which he was
even desirous of prolonging ; for on my rising in half an hour,
lest I might interrupt him, he assured me that the business of
the day was at an end, and desired me to resume my seat We
talked inuch of the first Congress in America, in which he sat
for two years, and which, as I have already said, was composed
of every person distinguished for virtue and capacity on the
continent. This subject led us naturally to that which is the
most favourite topic among the Americans, the origin and com
mencement of the present revolution. It is a circumstance
peculiar to Virginia, that the inhabitants of that country were
certainly in the best situation of all the colonists under the
English government. The Virginians were planters, rather
than merchants, and the objects of their culture were rather
valuable than the result^of industry. They possessed, almost
exclusively, the privileged article of tobacco, which the Eng
lish came in quest of into the very heart of the country, bring
ing in exchange every article of utility, and even of luxury.
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 277
They had a particular regard and predilection for Virginia, and
favoured accordingly the peculiar disposition of that country,
where cupidity and indolence go hand-in-hand, and serve only
as boundaries to each other. It was undoubtedly no easy mat
ter therefore, to persuade this people to lake up arms, because
the town of Boston did not choose to pay a duty upon tea, and
was in open rupture with England. To produce this effect, it
was necessary to substitute activity for indolence, and foresight
for indifference. That idea was to be awakened at which
every man, educated in the principles of the English constitu
tion, shudders, at the idea of a servile submission to a tax to which
he has not himself consented. The precise case however re
lative to them, had not yet occurred, though every enlightened
mind foresaw that such was the object, and would be the inevi
table consequence of the early measures of the government :
but how were th people to be convinced of this *? By what other
motive could they be brought to adopt decisive measures, if
not by the confidence they reposed in their leaders ? Mr. Har
rison informed me, that when he was on the point of setting
out with Mr. Jefferson and Mr. Lee to attend the first Congress
at Philadelphia, a number of respectable, but uninformed in
habitants, waited upon, and addressed them as follows : " You
assert that there is a fixed intention to invade our rights and
privileges ; we own that we do not see this clearly, but since
you assure us that it is so, we believe the fact. We are about
to take a very dangerous step, but we confide in you, and are
ready to support you in every measure you shall think proper
to adopt." Mr. Harrison added, that he found himself great
ly relieved by a speech made by Lord North soon after, in
which he could not refrain from avowing, in the clearest man
ner, the plan of the British government.* This speech was
* I cannot here resist transcribing a passage from Mr. Payne s ce
lebrated letter to the Abbe Raynal, which merits preservation, and
may serve to illustrate the ideas of America respecting the general
views of Britain, in hopes that every reflecting Englishman is at length
dispassionate enough to bear the observation. " I shall now take my
leave of this passage of the Abbe, with an observation, which until
something unfolds itself to convince me of the contrary, I cannot
avoid believing to be true ; which is, that it was the fixed determina
tion of the British cabinet to quarrel with America at all events. They
(the members who compose the cabinet,) had no doubt of success, if
they could once bring it to the issue of a battle ; and they expected
from a conquest, what they could neither propose with decency, nor
hope for by negotiation. The charters and constitutions of the colo
nies were become to them matters of offence, and their rapid progress
in property and population were beheld with disgust, as the growing
278 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
printed in the public papers, and all America rang with its
contents. Returning afterwards to Virginia, he saw the same
persons who had thus addressed him on his departure, who now
confessed that he had not deceived them, and that hencefor
ward they were resolutely determined upon war. These par
ticular details cannot but be useful to such Europeans as are
desirous of forming a just idea of those great events, in which
they took so deep an interest; for they would be much decei
ved in imagining that all the Thirteen States of America were
invariably animated by the same spirit, and affected by the
same sentiments. But they would commit a still greater error,
did they imagine, that these people resembled each other in
their forms of government, their manners and opinions. One
must be in the country itself; one must be acquainted with the
language, and take a pleasure in conversing, and in listening,
to be qualified to form, and that slowly, a proper opinion and
a decisive judgment.* After this reflection, the reader will
and natural means of independence. They saw no way to retain them
long, but by reducing them in time. A conquest would at once have
made them lords and landlords ; and put them in possession both of
the revenue and the reatal. The whole trouble of government would
have ceased in a victory, and a final end been put to remonstrance and
debate. The experience of the stamp act had taught them how to
quarrel, with the advantages of cover and convenience, and they had
nothing to do but to renew the scene, and put contention into motion.
They hoped for a rebellion, and they made one. They expected a
declaration of independence, and they were not disappointed. But
after this, they looked for victory, and they obtained a defeat. If this
be taken as the generating cause of the contest, then is every part of
the conduct of the British ministry consistent, from the commence
ment of the dispute, until the signing the treaty of Paris, (the Ameri
can and French alliance,) after which, conquest becoming doubtful,
they had recourse to negotiation, and were again defeated. If we
take a review of what part Britain has acted, we shall find every thing
which ought to make a nation blush. The most vulgar abuse, accom
panied by that species of haughtiness which distinguishes the hero of
a mob from the character of a gentleman ; it was as much from her
manners, as from her injustice, that she lost the colonies. By the lat
ter she provoked their principles, by the former she exhausted their pa
tience. And it ought to be held out to the world, to show, how neces
sary it is to conduct the business of government with civility." Trans.
* The same ingenious author of Common Sense, makes another ob
servation, in his answer to the very ignorant, or very prejudiced work
of the Abb( Raynal on the revolution of America, to which, however
it may militate against the utility of the present publication, or tlio
notes of the translator, he cannot avoid perfectly subscribing, viz.: u I
never yet saw an European description of America that was true.
TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA, 279
not be surprised at the pleasure I took in conversing with Mr.
Harrison. Besides that I was particularly happy to form an
acquaintance with a man of so estimable a character in every
respect, and whose best eulogium it is to say, that he is the in
timate friend of Dr. Franklin.* He pressed me to dine with
him next day, and to pass another day at Richmond ; but as
there was nothing to excite curiosity in that town, and I was
desirous of stopping at Westover before I returned to Wil-
liamsburgh, where I was anxious to arrive, we set out the 27th
at eight in the morning, under the escort of Colonel Harrison,
who accompanied us to a road from which it was impossible to
go astray. We travelled six and twenty miles without halting,
in very hot weather, but by a very agreeable road, with mag
nificent houses in view at every instant ; for the banks of James
river form the garden of Virginia. That of Mrs. Bird, to which
I was going, surpasses them all in the magnificence of the
buildings, the beauty of its situation, and the pleasures of so-
ciety.f
neither can any person gain a just idea of it, but by coming to it.
Trans.
* The illustrious and amiable character of Dr. Franklin is far beyond
my praise. To have known him ; to have been a frequent witness to
the distinguished acts of his great mind ; to have been in a situation to
learn^ and to admire his comprehensive views, and benevolent motives ;
to have heard the profound maxims of wise philosophy and sound poli
tics, drop from his lips with all the unaffected simplicity of the most
indifferent conversation ; to have heard him deviate from the depths of
reason, and adopt his instructive discourse to the capacity and temper
of the young and the gay ; to have enjoyed in short, the varied luxu
ries of his delightful society, is a subject of triumph and consolation,
of which nothing can deprive me. He too as well as the envious and
interested enemies of his transcendent merit, must drop from off the
scene, but his name, are perennius, is inscribed in indelible characters
on the immortal roll of philosophy and freedom, for the ardentia verba
of the most honest advocate of freedom, of the present age, the late
Serjeant Glynn, on a great occasion ; the action against Lord Halifax
for the false imprisonment of Mr. Wilkes, may with peculiar justice
be applied to this great man. " Few men in whole revolving ages
can be found, who dare oppose themselves to the force of tyranny, and
whose single breasts contain the spirit of nations." Trans.
t The most perfect ease and comfort characterize the mode of re
ceiving strangers in Virginia, but no where are these circumstances
more conspicuous than at the house of General Washington. Your
apartments are your home, the servants of the house are yours, and
whilst every inducement is held out to bring you into the general so
ciety in the drawing-room, or at the table, it rests with yourself to for
served or not with every thing in your own chamber. Trans.
%0 TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA.
Mrs. Bird is the widow of a Colonel who served in the war
of 1756, and was afterwards one of the Council under the Bri
tish government. His talents, his personal qualities, and his
riches, for he possessed an immense territory, rendered him one
of the principal personages of the country ; but being a spend
thrift and a gambler, he left his affairs, at his death, in very
great disorder. He had four children by his first wife, who
were already settled in the world, and has left eight by his
second, of whom the widow takes care. She has preserved his
beautiful house, situated on James river, a large personal pro
perty, a considerable number of slaves, and some plantations
which she has rendered valuable. She is about two and forty,
with an agreeable countenance, and great sense. Four of her
eight children are daughters, two of whom are near twenty,
and they are all amiable and well educated. Her care and ac
tivity have in some measure repaired the effects of her hus
band s dissipation, and her house is still the most celebrated,
and the most agreeable of the neighbourhood. She has ex
perienced however, fresh misfortunes ; three times have the
English landed at Westover, under Arnold and . Cornwallis ;
and though these visits cost her dear, her husband s former at
tachment to England, where his eldest son is now serving in
the army, her relationship with Arnold, whose cousin german
she is, and perhaps too, the jealousy of her neighbours, have
given birth to suspicions, that war alone was not the object
which induced the English always to make their descents at
her habitation. She has been accused even of connivance
with them, and the government have once put their seal upon
her papers ; but she has braved the tempest, and defended her
self with firmness ; and though her affair be not yet terminated,
it does not appear as if she was likely to suffer any other in
convenience than that of being disturbed and suspected. Her
two eldest daughters passed the last winter at Williamsburgh,
where they were greatly complimented by M. de Rochambeau
and the whole army.* I had also received them in the best
* The prudent conduct of the French officers, and the strict disci
pline of their troops in a country with different manners, language, and
religion, full of inveterate prejudices, and wherein they had very lately
been regarded as natural enemies, must ever be considered as an
opocha and a phenomenon, in the history of policy and subordination.
Whilst all ranks of officers were making it their study successfully to
conciliate the good opinion of the higher classes, nothing could exceed
the probity, and urbanity of the common soldiers ; not only did they
live with the American troops in a harmony, hitherto unknown to allied
armies, even of kindred language, interest, and religion, but their eon-
duct was irreproachable, and even delicate to the inhabitants of the
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. :>31
manner I could, and received the thanks of Mrs. Bird, with a
pressing invitation to come and see her ; I found myself in
consequence, quite at home. I found here also my acquaint
ance the young Mrs. Bowling, who was on a visit to Mr. Mead,
a friend and neighbour of Mrs. Bird s, who had invited him and
his company to dinner. I passed this day therefore very agree
ably, and Mr. and Mrs. Mead, whom I had also known at
Williamsburgh, engaged the company to dine with them the
next day. The river alone separates the two houses, which
are notwithstanding, upwards of a mile distant from each other ;
but as there is very little current, the breadth of the water be
tween them does not prevent it from being soon passed. Mr.
Mead s house is by no means so handsome as that of Westover,
but it is extremely well fitted up within, and stands on a charm
ing situation ; for it is directly opposite to Mrs. Bird s, which,
with its surrounding appendages, has the appearance of a small
town, and forms a most delightful prospect. Mr. Mead s gar
den, like that of Westover, is in the nature of a terrace on the
bank of the river, and is capable of being made still more beau
tiful, if Mr. Mead preserves his house, and gives some attention
to it ; for he is a philosopher of a very amiable but singular
turn of mind, and such as is particularly uncommon in Virgi
nia, since he rarely attends to affairs of interest, and cannot pre
vail upon himself to make his negroes work.* He is even so
disgusted with a culture wherein it is necessary to make use of
slaves, that he is tempted to sell his possessions in Virginia and
remove to New-England. Mrs. Bird, who has a numerous
family to provide for, cannot carry her philosophy so far ; but
country. They who predicted discord on the introduction of a French
army, had reason and experience on their side, but the spirit of policy
and wisdom which presided in the French councils had gone forth,
and diffusing itself through every subordinate class of men, persuaded
even the meanest actors in the war, and baffled foresight. Nor was
this one of the least extraordinary circumstances of this wonderful
revolution. Trans.
* Whilst the Translator was employed in this passage, he read in
the public prints, the exultation of a friend to his fellow-creatures,
that a Mr. Pleasants, a quaker on James river in Virginia, had libera
ted his slaves, and made a sacrifice of 3000Z. sterling to this noble act
of humanity. The Translator knows the country too well not to feel
the force of the Author s subsequent reasoning on the difficulty and
danger of a general emancipation of the negroes, nor after mature re
flection now, and on the spot, is he able to overcome his objections.
But God, in his divine providence, forbid that so splendid an example
of active virtue, should clash with the unavoidable policy, or the- neces
sary welfare of society ! Trans.
82 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
she takes great care of her negroes, makes them as happy as
their situation will admit, and serves them herself as a doctor
in time of sickness. She has even made some interesting dis
coveries on the disorders incident to them, and discovered a
very salutary method of treating a sort of putrid fever which
carries them off commonly in a few days, and against which
the physicians of the country have exerted themselves without
success.
The 29th, the whole of which day I spent at Westover, fur
nishes nothing interesting in this journal, except some informa
tion I had the opportunity of acquiring respecting two sorts of
animals, of very different species, the sturgeon and the hum
ming-bird. As I was walking by the river-side, I saw two ne
groes carrying an immense sturgeon, and on my asking them
how they had taken it, they told me at this season, they were so
common as to be taken easily in a seine (a sort of fishing-net,)
and that fifteen or twenty were found sometimes in the net;
but that there was a much more simple method of taking them,
which they had just been using. This species of monsters,
which are so active in the evening as to be perpetually leaping
to a great height above the surface of the water, usually sleep
profoundly at mid-day.* Two or three negroes then proceed
* From General Washington s house, which stands on the lofty banks
of the Potomac, in a situation more magnificent than I can paint to
an European imagination, I have seen for several hours together, in a
summer s evening, hundreds, perhaps I might say thousands of sturgeon,
at a great height from the water at the same instant, so that the quan
tity in the river must have been inconceivably great ; but notwithstand
ing the rivers in Virginia abound with fish, they are by no means plen
tiful at table, such is the indolence of the inhabitants !
Mr. Lund Washington, a relation of the General s, and who managed
all his affairs during his nine years absence with the army, informed
me that an English frigate having come up the Potomac, a party was
landed who set fire to and destroyed some gentlemen s houses on the
Maryland side in sight of Mount Vernon, the General s house ; after
which the Captain, (I think Captain Graves of the Acteon) sent a boat
on shore to the General s, demanding a large supply of provisions, &c.
with a menace of burning it likewise in case of a refusal. To this
message Mr. Lund Washington replied, " that when the General enga
ged in the contest he had put all to stake, and was well aware of the
exposed situation of his house and property, in consequence of which
he had given him orders by no means to comply with any such de
mands, for that he would make no unworthy compromise with the en
emy, and was ready to meet the fate of his neighbours." The Captain
was highly incensed on receiving this answer, and removed his frigate
to the Virginia shore ; but before he commenced his operations, he
sent another message to the same purport, offering likewise a passport
TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA. 283
in a little boat furnished with a long cord, at the end of which
is a sharp iron crook, which they hold suspended like a log line.
As soon as they find this line stopped by some obstacle, they
draw it forcibly towards them, so as to strike the hook into the
sturgeon, which they either drag out of the water, or which,
after some struggling, and losing all its blood, floats at length
upon the surface, and is easily taken.
As for the humming-birds, I saw them for the first time, and
was never tired of beholding them. The walls of the garden
and the house were covered with honeysuckles, which afforded
an ample harvest for these charming little animals. I saw
them perpetually flying over the flowers, on which they feed
without ever alighting, for it is by supporting themselves on
their wings that they insinuate their beaks into the calix of the
flowers. Sometimes they perch, but it is only for a moment;
it is then only one has an opportunity of admiring the beauty
of their plumage, especially when opposite to the sun, and
when in removing their heads, they display the brilliant ena
mel of their red necks, which almost rival the splendour of the
ruby or the diamond. It is not true that they are naturally
passionate, and that they tear to pieces the flowers in which they
find no honey. I have never observed any such circumstance
myself, either at Westover or Williamsburgh ; and the inhabit
ants of the country assured me, that they had never rnade any
such observation. These birds appear only with the flowers, with
which likewise they disappear, and no person can tell what
to Mr. Washington to come on board : he returned accordingly in.
the boat, carrying with him a small present of poultry, of which ho
begged the Captain s acceptance. His presence produced the best ef
fect, he was hospitably received notwithstanding he repeated the same
sentiments with the same firmness. The Captain expressed his per
sonal respect for the character of the General, commending the con
duct of Mr. Lund Washington, and assured him nothing but his having
misconceived the terms of the first answer could have induced him for a
moment to entertain the idea of taking the smallest measure offensive
to so illustrious a character as the General, explaining at the same
time the real or supposed provocations which had compelled his seve
rity on the other side of the river. Mr. Washington, after spending
some time in perfect harmony on board, returned, and instantly de
spatched sheep, hogs, and an abundant supply of other articles as a pre
sent to the English frigate. The Translator hopes that in the present
state of men and measures in England, Mr. Graves, or whoever the
Captain of that frigate was, will neither be offended at this anecdote,
nor be afraid to own himself the actor in this generous transaction.
Henry IVth supplied Paris with provisions whilst he was blockading it !
T- Trans.
284 TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA.
becomes of them. Some are of opinion that they hide them
selves, and remain torpid the remainder of the year. In fact,
it is difficult to conceive how their wings, which are so slight
and slender as to be imperceptible if not in motion, could pos
sibly resist the winds, and transport them to distant climates.
They are not intractable, for I have seen one of them, which
was taken a few days before, in no wise frightened at the per
sons who looked at it, but flew about the room, as in a garden,
and sucked the flowers which they presented to it ; but it did
not live above a week. These birds are so fond of motion,
that it is impossible for them to live without the enjoyment of
the most unrestrained liberty. It is difficult even to catch
them, unless they happen, as was the case with that I am speak
ing of, to fly into the chamber, or be driven there by the wind.
An inhabitant of the country, who amused himself in preser
ving them for his cabinet, has discovered a very ingenious me
thod of killing, without disfiguring them. This is a very diffi
cult undertaking ; for a single grain of small shot is a cannon
bullet for so small a creature. This method is to load his gun
with a bladder filled with water. The explosion of this water
is sufficient to knock down the humming-bird, and deprive it of
motion.
CHAPTER V.
RETURN TO WILLIAMSBURGH - CONCLUSION*
THE reader will certainly not accuse me of playing the ora
tor, and reserving objects of the greatest magnitude for the
end of my discourse ; for I shall here conclude my journal.
It is unnecessary to speak of my return to Williamsburgh, un
less it be worthy of remark, that the Chickahominafi" which is
only a secondary river, since it falls into that of James, is yet
so wide, six miles from its conflux, that I was three quarters of
an hour in passing it. But if he will still favour me with his
attention, I shall terminate this long narrative of a short jour
ney, by some observations on a country I have travelled through,
and inhabited long enough to know it thoroughly.
The Virginians differ essentially from the inhabitants to the
north and eastward of the bay, (of Chesapeake) notonly in the
nature of their climate, that of their soil, and the objects of cul
tivation peculiar to it, but in that indelible character which is
imprinted on every nation at the moment of its origin, and
which by perpetuating itself from generation to generation,
justifies the following great principles, that every thing which
is, partakes of that which has been. The discovery of Virgi
nia dates from the .end of the sixteenth century, and the settle
ment of the colony took place at the commencement of the
seventeenth. These events passed in the reigns oif Elizabeth
and James the first. The republican and democratical spirit
was not then common in England ; that of commerce and navi
gation was scarcely in its infancy ; and the long wars with
France and Spain had perpetuated, under another form, the
same military cast given to the nation by William the Conquer
or, Richard, Coeur de Lion, Edward the third, and the Black
Prince. There were no longer any Knights Errant, as in the
time of the Crusades, but in their place rose a number of ad
venturers who served indifferently their own country, and fo
reign powers, and gentlemen, who disdaining agriculture and
commerce, had no other profession but that of arms ; for at
that period the military spirit maintained the prejudices fa
vourable to that nobility, from which it was long inseparable ;
besides that the dignity of the peerage, from being less com
mon in England, gave more eclat and more consistence to those
286 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
who possessed it by hereditary right. The first colonists of
Virginia were composed, in a great measure, of such soldiers,
and such gentlemen, some of whom went in search of fortune,
and others, of adventures. And in fact, if the establishment of
a colony requires all the industry of the merchant and the cul
tivator, the discovery, and conquest of unknown countries
seems more peculiarly adapted to the ideas of the warlike and
romantic. Accordingly the first company which obtained the
exclusive property of Virginia, was principally composed of
men the most distinguished by their rank or birth ; and though
all these illustrious proprietors did not actually become colo
nists, several of them were not afraid to pass the seas ; and a
Lord Delaware was among the first Governors of Virginia.
It was natural therefore for these new colonists, who were fill
ed with military principles, and the prejudices of nobility, to
carry them into the midst even of the savages whose lands they
were usurping ; and of all our European ideas, these were what
the unpolished tribes most readily conceived. I know that
there now remains but an inconsiderable number of these an
cient families, but they have retained a great estimation, and
the first impulse once given, it is not in the power of any legis
lator, nor even of time itself, wholly to destroy its effect. The
government may become democratic, as it is at the present
moment ; but the national character, the spirit of the govern
ment itself, will be always aristocratic. Nor can this be doubt
ed, when we take into consideration another cause, co-opera
ting with the former ; I mean to speak of slavery ; not that it
is any mark of distinction, or peculiar privilege to possess ne
groes, but because the empire men exercise over them cherish- /
es vanity and sloth, two vices which accord wonderfully with
the already established prejudices. It will, doubtless, be ask
ed, how these prejudices have been brought to coincide with a
revolution founded on such different principles. I shall an
swer that they have even perhaps contributed to produce it.
That whilst the revolt of New-England was the result of rea
son and calculation, pride possibly had no inconsiderable share
in dictating the measures of Virginia. I shall add, what I have
above hinted, that in the beginning, even the indolence of this
people may have been useful to them, as it obliged them to
rely upon a small number of virtuous and enlightened citizens,
who led them farther than they would have proceeded, without
a guide, had they consulted only their own dispositions. For
it must be allowed, that Virginia stepped forth with a good
grace, at the very commencement of the troubles ; that she
was the first to offer succours to the Bostonians, and the first,
also to set on foot a considerable body of troops. But it may
likewise be observed, that as soon as the new legislature was
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 287
established, and when, instead of leaders, she had a govern
ment, the mass of citizens was taking part in that government,
the national character prevailed, and every thing went worse
and worse. Thus, states, like individuals, are born with a par
ticular complexion, the bad effects of which may be corrected
by regimen and habits, but can never be entirely changed.
Thus, legislators, like physicians, ought never to flatter them
selves that they can bestow, at pleasure, a particular tempera
ment on bodies politic, but strive to discover what they already
have, and thence study to remedy the inconveniences, and mul
tiply the advantages resulting from it.
A general glance at the different States of America will
serve to justify this opinion. The people of New-England had
no other motive for settling in the new world, than to escape
from the arbitrary power of their monarchs, who, at once, sove
reigns of the state, and heads of the church, exercised at that
period the double tyranny of despotism and intolerance. They
were not adventurers, they were men who wished to live in
peace, and who laboured for their subsistence. Their princi-
pies taught them equality, and disposed them to industrious
pursuits. The soil, naturally barren, affording them but scanty
resources, they attached themselves to fishing and navigation ;
and at this hour, they are still friends to equality and indus
try ; they are fishermen and navigators. The states of New-
York, and the Jerseys, were peopled by necessitous Dutchmen
who wanted land in their own country, and occupied them
selves more about domestic economy than the public govern
ment. These people have preserved the same character ; their
interests, their efforts, so to speak, are personal ; their views
are concentered in their families, and it is only from necessity
that these families are formed into a state. Accordingly, when
General Burgoyne was on his march to Albany, the New-Eng-
landmen chiefly contributed to impede his progress ; and, if
the inhabitants of the State of New- York and the Jerseys have
often taken arms, and displayed courage, it is because the for
mer were animated by an inveterate hatred against the savages,
which generally preceded the English armies,* and the latter
* The employing the Indians, independent of the measure, it is now
pretty generally admitted, produced consequences directly opposite to
the interest of Great-Britain ; uniting the inhabitants of all the coun
tries liable to their incursions as one man against them and their allies,
and producing such bloody scenes of inveterate animosity and ven
geance as make human nature shudder. The following narrative will
prove how far men of all casts, colours, and religions, resemble each
other in similar situations, and to what lengths even the Christians of
288 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
were excited to take personal vengeance for the excesses com
mitted by the troops of the enemy, -when they over-ran the
country.* If you go farther to the south, and pass the Dela
ware, you will find that the government of Pennsylvania, in its
origin, was founded on two very opposite principles; it was a
government of property, a government in itself feudal, or, if
you will, patriarchal, but the spirit of which was the greatest
toleration, and the most complete liberty. Penn ? s family at
an enlightened age can go, when compelled to act under the guidance
of the worst passions. The inhabitants of the back frontiers of Penn
sylvania, goaded to fury by the ravages committed on them by the In
dians, and by the murder of their families and kindred, collected the
militia in the beginning of 1782, and took the field against their sa
vage intruders. In one of their excursions they fell in with a small
tribe of Christian Indians, called the Muskingums, who being suspect
ed of attachment to the Americans, had been for some time confined
at Detroit, and were released only on condition of observing a strict
neutrality, since they could not be persuaded to take arms. These un
happy wretches, to the number of about two hundred, returning to
their habitations, were employed in putting their seed-corn into the
ground, when they were surprised by the American militia. In vain
did they urge their situation, and their sufferings from the British ;
they were Indians, and their, cap tors, men who had lost sons, brothers,
fathers, wives, or children in this horrid war ; no other plea was neces
sary to palliate their meditated vengeance. The Indians were shut
up in a barn, and ordered to prepare for death, but with this barbarous
consolation, that, as they were Christian converts, they should be al
lowed a respite till the next morning. The innocent victims spent the
night in singing Moravian hymns, and in other acts of Christian devo
tion ; and in the morning, men, women, and children, were led to the
slaughter, and butchered by their fellow worshippers of the meek Jesus !
The Moravians at Bethlehem and Nazareth, whose missionaries had
converted them, made strong representations to Congress on the subject.
I was at Philadelphia when the news arrived ; and it is but justice to
say, that horror was painted on every countenance, and every mind was
at work to devise expedients for avenging this atrocious murder ; but
after various efforts, both Congress and the Assembly of the State were
found unequal to the punishment of. these assassins, who were armed,
distant from the seat of government, the only safeguard and protection
of the frontiers, and from their own savage nature alone fit to cope
with the dreadful enemy brought into action by the British.
* The murder committed on Mrs. Maxwell, the wife of a respecta
ble and popular clergyman in the Jerseys, and afterwards on himself,
with similar acts of cruelty perpetrated by a licentious soldiery, and
unprincipled refugees, inflamed the minds of a great body of the inha
bitants, particularly of the Dutch and their descendants, who, as the
Marquis observes, were certainly disposed at least to a neutrality.
Trans.
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. ->89
first formed the vain project of establishing a sort of Utopia, or
perfect government, and afterwards of deriving the greatest
possible advantage from their immense property, by attracting
foreigners from all parts. Here it arises that the people of
Pennsylvania have no characteristic assimilation, that they are
intermingled and confounded, and more actuated to individual,
than to public liberty, more inclined to anarchy than to demo
cracy.* Maryland, subjected in the first instance to a proprie
tary government, and considered only as a private domain,
remained long in a state of the most absolute dependence.
This is the first time she merits to be regarded as a state ; but
this state seems to be forming under good auspices ; she may
become of great weight after the present revolution, because
she was formerly of no significance. The two Carolinas and
Georgia are next to be considered ; but I am not sufficiently
acquainted with these three states to hazard on them any ob
servations, which may not be so just in fact as they appear to
me ; but which are at least of a delicate nature, and require
more than a superficial examination. I only know,, that North-
Carolina, peopled by Scotsmen, brought thither by poverty, ra
ther than by industry, is a prey to acts of pillage, and tointer-
* The Irish and the Germans form the most numerous part of the
inhabitants of Pennsylvania. The latter, if I am not mistaken, con
stitutes a fifth, if not a fourth, of the whole number, and are a most
useful, industrious body of men, well versed in the mechanic arts and
agriculture. I have travelled several days in the interior parts of that
state, and heard scarcely any other language than German, the acts of
Congress, and the State are promulgated in that language, German
Gazettes are published at Philadelphia, and in general they proved
themselves true friends to the revolution. Congress availing them
selves of this circumstance, very politically encamped the Brunswick,
and other German troops taken with Burgoyne, near the town of
Reading, where I saw them. The neighbourhood abounding with
their countrymen, the men had permission to work at harvest, and other
trades, and soon formed connexions with the females of the country.
Calculating their market price, and the obligation they lay under to re
store them, or their prime cost, they took every measure to prevent them
from remaining in the country ; for which purpose, they transmitted but
small sums at a time by their commissaries from New- York, taking care
to keep large arrears in their hands, as a temptation for their return. But
all these precautions were, as may naturally be imagined, but of a par
tial effect, with men habituated to a country of freedom, wherein they
felt themselves restored to their natural rights, and animated by the ex
ample of their countrymen, enjoying the full comforts of their hones ,
industry ; contrasted too with the degraded state of a wretched merce
nary, held up to sale by his arbitrary master. Trans.
37
290 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
nal dissensions :* that South-Carolina, possessing a commerce,
wholly of exportation, owes its existence to its sea-ports, espe
cially to that of Charleston, which has rapidly increased, and is
become a commercial town, in which strangers abound, as at
* It is true that a great number of Scotsmen are settled in North-
Carolina, but that they were not even the majority of the inhabitants, is
vary apparent from the events of the late revolution ; for the Scots,
though loyalists nearly to a man, were repeatedly defeated, and finally
crushed by the militia ofthe country. Notwithstanding her efforts appeared
less concentered, and more vaguely directed, owing to the local cir
cumstances of the province, and the dispersed state of the inhabitants,
rather than disinclination to the cause, North-Carolina rendered most
essential services, by her exertions in the field, and the delegates she
sent to Congress. Her constitution of government, contracted as it is,
is not perhaps inferior to many in the confederacy, and bespeaks the wis
dom of" the enlightened few," to which the Marquis attributes the wise
councils of Virginia. It was the North-Carolina militia which gave
the first turn to the ruined affairs of America to the southward, by
their spirited attack and defeat of Colonel Ferguson at King s Moun
tain. The translator, who was then in England, received, by a pri
vate channel, the first intelligence of that important event, which he
communicated to the public ; but the circumstances of the surprise of
a large body of British troops, flushed with the capture of Charleston,
and the victory at Camden, by a body of 1600 horsemen, from the
back country of North- Carolina, appeared so extraordinary, that he
could not obtain credit for the fact, either with the friends to America,
or the ministerial party in that country. The Ministers had no intel
ligence of the matter, and the easterly winds then happening to pre
vail for a period of six weeks, it was treated as a fiction, both in and
out of Parliament, and the translator !is an enthusiast or a fabricator of
false news. Time, however, verified the fact, which he knew to be
authentic, to its full extent, viz. that Colonel Ferguson, with eight
hundred British troops, had been surprised ; himself slain, and his
whole force defeated by sixteen hundred Carolina militia, mounted on
horseback, hastily collected, and commanded by a few militia Colonels !
This spirited and successful enterprise, with its consequences, merits
certainly a conspicuous place in the history of this great revolution ;
for, like the surprise at Trenton, it changed the whole face of affairs,
and restored energy to the friends of America in that important seat of
war.
North-Carolina is a very fine country, beautifully diversified with
pleasant hills, large valleys, and noble rivers, though none of them is
navigable for vessels above 80 tons, except the rivers Fear and Cla
rendon ; yet as they intersect the country in every direction, they are
admirably calculated for inland navigation. There are, for this reason,
no large towns ; but, from the various produce of this state, and the
rapid increase of population, the white inhabitants, now amounting to
near two hundred thousand, there is every reason to believe that it will
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 291
Marseilles and Amsterdam :* that the manners there are con
sequently polished and easy : that the inhabitants love pleasure,
the arts, and society ; and that this country is more European
in its manners than any in America.
Now, if there be any accuracy in this sketch, let me desire
the reader to compare the spirit of the American States with
their present government. I desire him to form the compari
son at the present moment, in twenty, or in fifty years hence,
and I am persuaded, that since all these governments resemble,
each other, as they are all democratical, he will still discover
tlie traces of that original character, of that spirit which pre
sides at the formation of people, and at the establishment of
nations.
Virginia will retain this discriminating character longer
than the other states; whether it be that prejudices are more
durable, the more absurd, and the more frivolous they are, or
that those which injure a part only of the human race, are
more subject to remark than thtfse which affect all mankind.
In the present revolution, the ancient families have seen, with
pain, new men occupying distinguished situations in the army,
and in the magistracy; arid the tories have even hence drawn
advantages, to cool the ardour of the less zealous of the whi^s.
But the popular party have maintained their ground, and it is
only to be regretted that they have not displayed the same /
activity in combating the English, as in disputing precedences.
It is to be apprehended, however, that circumstances becoming
less favourable to them, on a peace, they may be obliged
entirely to give way, or to support themselves by factions,
which must necessarily disturb the order of society. But if
reason ought to blush at beholding such prejudices so
strongly established among a new people, humanity has still
more to suffer, from the state of poverty, in which a great num
ber of white people live in Virginia. It is in this country that
I saw poor persons, for the first time, after I passed the sea ;
for, in the midst of those rich plantations, where the negro
become not one of the least considerable on the continent, nor will the
philosopher view the circumstances which forbid the formation of
large towns as an evil, either in this country or in Virginia. Trans.
* The author here refers to the former situation of the province ;
but as I have already mentioned, the interior of this extensive state is
daily peopling with a race of healthy, industrious planters, and is high
ly susceptible of every species of improvement. As for sea-ports,
there are none worth mentioning but Charleston ; and as for Georgia,
its position is in every respect similar to that of South-Carolina.
Trans.
292 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA,
alone is wretched, miserable huts are often to be met with, in
habited by whites, whose wane looks, and ragged garments,
bespeak poverty. At first I was puzzled to explain to myself,
how, in a country where there is still so much land to clear,
men who do not refuse to work, should remain in misery ; but
I have since learned, that all these useless territories, these im
mense estates, with which Virginia is covered, have their pro
prietors. Nothing is more common than to see some of them
possessing five or six thousand acres of land, who clear out
only as much as their negroes can cultivate ; yet will they not
give, nor even sell the smallest portion of them, because
they form a part of their possessions, and they are in
hopes of one day augmenting the number of their ne
groes. These white men, without fortune, and frequently
without industry, are straitened, therefore, on every side, and
reduced to the small number of acres they are able to acquire.
Now, the land not being good in general in America,* espe
cially in Virginia, a considerable number of them is necessary,
in order to clear it with success, because they are the cattle
from which the cultivator derives his aid and his subsistence.
To the eastward are a great number of cleared grounds, but the
portions of land which are easily purchased there, and for al
most nothing, consist always of at least two hundred acres ;
besides, that to the southward, the climate is less healthy, and
the new settlers, without partaking of the wealth of Virginia,
share all the inconveniencies of the climate, and even the
indolence it inspires.f
* The land, within the mountains, in the hitherto settled parts of
North-America, are not. in general very good, and it is of these only
that the Marquis speaks ; but as the authors of iheNouvelk Encyclope-
die observe, in their new article of the United States, this must have
been the case in almost every new country, the soil of Europe having
been meliorated by the progress of population, the quantity of manure,
and the means by which the earth is protected from the effects of heavy
rains, &c. by care and cultivation. Abbe Raynal s remarks on this
subject, in his last work, called the Revolution of America, discover so
much ignorance as scarcely to merit the elaborate discussion bestow
ed on them by the ingenious authors of the Encydopedie, who have
likewise transcribed from him several important passages, which have
been ably and fully refuted by Mr. Payne. Trans.
t The indolence and dissipation of the middling and lower classes
of white inhabitants of Virginia, are such as to give pain to every re
flecting mind. Horse-racing, cock-fighting, and boxing-matches, are
standing amusements, for which they neglect all business ; and in the
latter of which they conduct themselves with a barbarity worthy of
their savage neighbours. The ferocious practice of stage-boxing in
England, is urbanity, compared with the Virginian mode of fighting.
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 203
Beneath this class of inhabitants, we must place the negroesv
whose situation would be still more lamentable, did not their
natural insensibility extenuate, in some degree, the sufferings
annexed to slavery. On seeing them ill lodged, ill clothed,
and often oppressed with labour, I concluded that their treat
ment was as rigorous as elsewhere. I have been assured, how
ever, that it is extremely mild, in comparison with what they
suffer in the sugar colonies ; and, in truth, you do not usually
hear, as at Saint Domingo, and Jamaica, the sound of whips,
and the cries of the unhappy wretches whose bodies they are
In their combats, unless specially precluded, they are admitted (to use
their own term,) " to bite and goudge," which operations, when the
first onset with fists is over, consists in fastening on the nose or ears
of their adversaries with their teeth, and dexterously scooping out an
eye ; on which account it is no uncommon circumstance to meet men
in the prime of youth, deprived of one of those organs. This is no
traveller s exaggeration, I speak from knowledge and observation. In
the summer months it is very common to make a party on horseback
to a limestone spring, near which there is usually some little hut with
spirituous liquors, if the party are not themselves provided, where their
debauch frequently terminates in a boxing-match, a horse-race, or per
haps both. During a day s residence at Leesburgh, I was myself ac
cidentally drawn into one of these parties, where 1 soon experienced
the strength of the liquor, which was concealed by the refreshing cool
ness of the water. While we were seated round the spring, at the
edge of a delightful wood, four or five countrymen arrived, headed by a
veteran cyclops, the terror of the neighbourhood, ready on every occa
sion to risk his remaining eye. We soon found ourselves under the
necessity of relinquishing our posts, and making our escape from these
fellows, who evidently sought to provoke a quarrel. On our return
home, whilst I was rejoicing at our good fortune, and admiring the mo
deration of my company, we arrived at a plain spot of ground by a
wood side, on which my horse no sooner set foot, than taking the bit
between his teeth, off he went at full speed, attended by the whoops
and hallooings of my companions. An Englishman is not easily thrown
off his guard on horseback ; but at the end of half a mile my horse
stopped short, as if he had been shot, and threw me with considerable
violence over his head ; my buckle, for I was without boots, entangled
me in the stirrup, but fortunately broke into twenty pieces. The com
pany rode up, delighted with the adventure ; and it was then, for the
first time, I discovered that I had been purposely induced, by one of
my friends, to change horses with him for the afternoon ; that his horse
had been accustomed to similar exploits on the same race ground ; that
the whole of the business was neither more nor less than a Virginian
piece of pleasantry ; and that my friends thought they had exhibited
great moderation in not exposing me, at the spring, to the effects of
" Hting and goudging." Trans.
294 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
tearing to pieces.* This arises from the general character of
the Virginians, which is more mild than that of the inhabitants
of the sugar islands, who consist almost entirely of rapacious
men, eager and pressing to make fortunes to return to Europe.
Another reason is, that the produce of their culture not being
of so much value, labour is not urged on them with so much
severity ; and to do justice to both, it is because the negroes,
on their side, are not so much addicted to cheating and thiev
ing as in the islands. For the propagation of the black spe
cies being very rapid, and very considerable here, the greatest
part of the negroes are born in the country ; and it is remarked
that they are generally less depraved than those imported from
Africa. I must likewise do the Virginians the justice to de
clare that many of them treat their negroes with great humani
ty. I must add, likewise, a still more honourable testimony,
that in general they seem afflicted to have any slavery, and are
constantly talking of abolishing it, and of contriving some
other means of cultivating their estates. It is true that this
opinion, which is almost generally received, is inspired by dif
ferent motives. The philosophers and the young men, who
are almost all educated in the principles of a sound philosophy,
regard nothing but justice, and the rights of humanity. The
fathers of families and such as are principally occupied with
* During the Translator s residence in the West-Indies, he took con
siderable pains to inform himself of the different modes of treatment of
the negroes, by the principal European nations, possessing colonies in
that quarter of the globe, the result of which was, that the Dutch are
the most cruel ; the English more humane ; the French still more so ;
and the Spaniards the most indulgent masters. He was greatly struck
with this gradation, the truth of which seemed to be confirmed by his
own observations ; but he leaves it to others to decide what influence
the various forms of government, and the religious principles or preju
dices of each of these nations, may have in the operation of this seem
ing paradox. A lover of truth will never shrink from the discussion of
any question interesting to humanity, whatever be his political or reli
gious bias. The Translator, from impulse, and from reason, is a stre
nuous assertor of the rights and original equality of mankind ; but it.
is an old remark, that the republicans are the worst masters, a position
which pursued through the above succession, seems in some measure
to receive a confirmation ; yet to him appears unaccountable from any
given principles, unless it be the aristocratic principles, which to the
misfortune of mankind, have hitherto uniformly taken possession of all
the republican governments, and baffled the foresight of the virtuous
and good. But there is reason to hope that the democracies of Ame
rica will form a brilliant and consoling exception to the triumphant re
proaches of the idolaters of regal power. Trans.
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 29*
schemes of interest, complain that the maintenance of their ne
groes is very expensive ; that their labour is neither so pro
ductive nor so cheap, as that of day labourers, or white ser
vants ; and, lastly, that epidemical disorders, which are very
common, render both their property and their revenue extreme
ly precarious. However this may be, it is fortunate that dif
ferent motives concur in disgusting men with that tyranny
which they exercise upon their fellow creatures at least, if not
people entirely of the same species ; for the more we regard
the negroes, the more must we be persuaded that the differ
ence between them and us, consists in something more than
complexion. As for the rest, it cannot be denied that it is a
very delicate point to abolish slavery in America. The ne
groes in Virginia amount to two hundred thousand. They ,
equal at least, if they do not exceed the number of white men.
Necessarily united by interest, by the conformity of their situa
tion, and the similarity of colour, they would unquestionably form
a distinct people, from whom neither succour, virtue, nor labour,
could be expected. Sufficient attention has not been paid to
the difference between slavery, such as it exists in our colonies,
and the slavery which was generally established among the
ancients. A white slave had no other cause of humiliation,
than his actual state ; on his being freed, he mixed immediate
ly with free men, and became their equal. Hence that emu
lation among the slaves to obtain their liberty, either as a fa
vour, or to purchase it with the fruit of their labour. There
were two advantages in this ; the possibility of enfranchising
them without danger, and that ambition, which almost gene
rally took place among them, and turned to the advantage of
morals and of industry. But in the present case, it is not only
the slave who is beneath his master, it is the negro who is be
neath the white man. No act of enfranchisement can efface
this unfortunate distinction ; accordingly we do not see the ne
groes very anxious to obtain their freedom, nor much pleased
when they have obtained it. The free negroes continue to
live with the negro slaves, and never with the white men, inso
much that interest alone makes them desirous of quitting slave
ry, when they are endowed with a particular industry, of which
they wish to reap the profits. It appears, therefore, that there
is no othei method of abolishing slavery, than by getting rid
of the negroes, a measure which must be very gradually adopt
ed. The best expedient would be to export a great number
of males, and to encourage the marriage of white men with the ;
females. For this purpose the law must be abrogated which
transmits slavery by the side of the mother ; or it might be
enacted, that every female slave shall become, ipso facto, free,
by marrying a freeman. From respect to property, perhaps it
296 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
might be just to require of the latter, a compensation to be tix-
cd by law, to be paid either in labour or in money, as an indem
nity to the proprietors of the negress ; but it is certain, at all
events, that such a law, aided by the illicit, but already well
established commerce between the white men and negresses,
could not fail of giving birth to ,a race of mulattoes, which
would produce another of Quarterons, and so on until the colour
should be totally effaced.
But I have enlarged sufficiently on this subject, which has
not escaped the policy and philosophy of the present age. I
have only to apologise for not having treated it with declama
tion ; but it has always been my opinion that eloquence can in
fluence only the resolutions of the moment, and that every
thing which can only be effected by time alone, must be the
result of reason ; it is not difficult, however, to add ten or a
dozen pages to these reflections, which are to be considered as
a symphony composed only of the principal parts, con corni ad
libitum.
We have seen the inconveniencies of slavery, and of the too
extensive possession of territory in Virginia ; let us now ex
amine the inconsiderable number of advantages arising from
them. The Virginians have the reputation, and with reason,
of living nobly in their houses, and of being hospitable; they
give strangers not only a willing, but a liberal reception. This
arises, on one hand, from their having no large towns, where
they may assemble, by which means they are little acquainted
with society, except from the visits they make ; and, on the
other, their lands and their negroes furnishing them with every
article of consumption, and the necessary service, this renown
ed hospitality costs them very little. Their houses are spa
cious, and ornamented, but their apartments are not commo
dious ; they make no ceremony of putting three or four persons
into the same room ;* nor do these make any objection to their
being thus heaped together ; for being in general ignorant of
the comfort of reading and writing, they want nothing in their
whole house but a bed, a dining-room, and a drawing-room for
company. The chief magnificence of the Virginians consists
* Throughout America, in private houses, as well as in the inns,
several people are crowded together in the same room ; and in the
latter it very commonly happens, that after you have been some time
in bed, a stranger of any condition, (for there is little distinction,) comes
into the room, pulls off his clothes, and places himself, without cere
mony, between your sheets.* Trans.
* This was probably the case at the time the translator wrote ; but. at the pre
sent day there is no country in which travellers can be mere retired, or better
accommodated than in the United States.
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 297
in furniture, linen, and plate ; in which they resemble our an
cestors, who had neither cabinets nor wardrobes in their cas
tles, but contented themselves with a well-stored cellar, and a
handsome buffet. If they sometimes dissipate their fortunes,
it is by gaming, hunting, and horse-races ;* but the latter are
of some utility, inasmuch as they encourage the breed of horses,
which are really very handsome in Virginia. We see that the
women have little share in the amusements of the men ; beau
ty here serves only to procure them husbands ; for the most
wealthy planters, giving but a small fortune with their daugh
ters, their fate is usually decided by their figure. The conse
quence of this is, that they are often pert and coquettish be
fore, and sorrowful helpmates after marriage. The luxury of
being served by slaves still farther augments their natural in
dolence ; they are always surrounded by a great number of
them, for their own service, and that of their children, whom
they content themselves with suckling only. They, as well as
their husbands, pay attention to them when young, and neglect
them when grown up. We may say in general of the Ame
ricans, as of the English, that they are very fond of their in
fants, and care little for their children. It would be a delicate
discussion, perhaps, to inquire, whether this be really a natural
sentiment, and whether our conduct, which is very different,
be not the result of self-love, or of ambition ; but we may safely
affirm, that the care we take of ours, is a means of attaching
ourselves to them, and of ensuring their reciprocal attach
ment ; a sentiment the nobleness and utility of which cannot
be contested.f
I was desirous of celebrating the virtues peculiar to the Vir
ginians, and in spite of my wishes, I am obliged to limit my
self to their magnificence and hospitality. It is not in my
power to add generosity ; for they are strongly attached to
their interests ; and their great riches, joined to their preten
sions, gives more deformity to this vice. I ought, in the first
* I have already spoken of horse-races, but it is with regret I add,
that the general spirit of gaming is prevalent in this as well as in all the
United States, but more particularly throughout the southern ones,
which has already been attended with suicide, and all its baneful conse
quences. Trans.
t I confess myself at a loss to discover from what source of obser
vation the author has derived the fact on which he reasons so inge
niously. Perhaps it is the secret spirit of national prejudice that has
led me, who was born an Englishman, to reverse the remark, as applied
to the two countries of France and England ; but I leave the fact and
the discussion to more acute observers. Trans.
38
298 TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA.
instance, to have treated of the article of religion ; but there-
is nothing remarkable respecting it in this country, except the
facility with which they dispense with it. The established re
ligion, previous to the revolution, was that of the Church of
England, which we know requires Episcopacy, and that every
priest must be ordained by a bishop. Before the war, persons
destined to the church, went to England, to study and to be
ordained. It is impossible, therefore, in the present circum
stances, to supply the vacancies of the pastors who drop off.
What has been the consequence of this ? That the churches
have remained shut; the people have done without a pastor,
and not a thought has been employed towards any settlement
of an English church, independent of England.* The most
complete toleration is established ; but the other communions
have made no acquisition from the losses of the former ; each
sect has remained in its original situation ; and this sort of re
ligious interregnum, has been productive of no disorder. The
clergy have besides received a severe check in the new consti
tution, which excludes them from all share in the government,
even from the right of voting at elections. It is true that the
judges and lawyers are subjected to the same exclusion, but
that is from another motive ; to prevent the public interest from
falling into competition with that of individuals. The legis
lature dreaded the reaction of these interests ; it has been
thought proper, in short, to form a sort of separate body in the
state, under the name of the Judicial Body. These general
* During the war there was a great scarcity of ministers of the Epis
copal church, on account of the numbers of that body who attached
themselves to England, which was pretty generally the case ; but after
the peace, many young Americans, distinguished for the gown, finding
a repugnance on the part of the English bishops, got ordained by the non-
juring bishops in Scotland. An act has at length passed, however, to
authorise the ordination of foreign clergy by the English bishops, which
is evidently intended to promote the cause of the hierarchy in the
United States. I shall here take the opportunity of mentioning, that
on account of the great scarcity of bibles, a new edition was published
by one Aikin, a printer, of Philadelphia, by order of Congress, under
the inspection of the reverend Mr. White, brother-in-law to Mr. Mor
ris, and the other chaplain to that body ; but such are ancient preju
dices, that very few of the zealous followers either of Luther or of Cal
vin, could be brought to look upon it as the genuine old book. The
wary devotees, dreaded, no doubt, similar errors to that- for which the
company of stationers were mulcted in the time of king Charles ; the
omission of the negative in one of the commandments, by printing
44 Thou shalt do murder." Trans.
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 299
views are perhaps salutary in themselves ; but they are attend
ed with an inconvenience at the present moment ; for the
lawyers, who are certainly the most enlightened part of the
community, are removed from the civil councils, and the admi
nistration is entrusted either to ignorant, or to the least skilful
men. This is the principal objection made in the country to
the present form of government, which to me appears excel
lent in many respects. It is every where in print, and easily
to be procured ; but 1 shall endeavour to give a sketch of it in
a few words. It is composed, 1st. Of the Assembly of Depu
ties, named by the cities and counties, a body corresponding
with the House of Commons. 2d. Of a Senate, the members
of which are elected by several united counties, in a greater
or less number, according to the population of the counties,
which answers to the House of Peers. 3d. Of an Executive
Council, of which the governor is president, and the members
chosen by the two Chambers ; a substitute for the executive
power of the king in England.*
It is not by accident that I have postponed the consideration
of every thing respecting the progress of the arts and sciences
in this country, until the conclusion of my reflections on Vir
ginia ; I have done it expressly because the mind, after bestow
ing its attention on the variety of human institutions, reposes
itself with pleasure on those which tend to the perfection of
the understanding, and the progress of information ; and above
all, because having found myself under the necessity of speak
ing less advantageously of this state than I wished to have done,
I am happy to conclude with an article, which is wholly in
their commendation. The college of William and Mary, whose
founders are announced by the very name, is a noble establish
ment which embellishes Williamsburgh, and does honour to Vir
ginia. The beauty of the edifice is surpassed by the richness
of its library, and that still farther by the distinguished merit of
several of the professors, such as the Doctors Madison, Wythe,
Bellini, &c. &c., who may be regarded as living books, at once
affording precepts and examples. I must likewise add, that
the zeal of these professors has been crowned with the most
distinguished success, and that they have already formed many
distinguished characters, ready to serve their country in the va
rious departments of government. Among these, it is with
* See the constitutions of the different states, republished in England
by the reverend Mr. Jackson, and the excellent translation from the
original, with notes, published in Paris by the Duke dc la Rochefou-
cmilt Trans.
300 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
pleasure I mention Mr. Short, with whom I was particularly
connected. After doing justice to the exertions of the Univer
sity of Williamsburg, for such is the college of William and
Mary ; if it be necessary for its farther glory to cite miracles,
I shall only observe that they created me a Doctor of Laws.
Jfrittiamsburgh, 1st of May, 1782.
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
PART III.
JOURNAL OF A TOUR
.
IN NEW-HAMPSHIRE, THE STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS.
AND UPPER PENNSYLVANIA.
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA,
CHAPTER I.
HARTFORD OXFORD CONCORD ANDOVER HAVERHILL EXE*
TER PORTSMOUTH NEWBURYPORT.
THE Baron de Viomenil having joined the army in the be
ginning of October, I ought to have resigned to him of couise
the command of the first division, so that I had now no neces
sary occupation, unless I had chosen to take the command of
the second division, in which case I must have superseded the
Comte de Viomenil, which was far from my intention ; it de
pended upon myself, therefore, to return to Philadelphia, to
wait for Mr. de Rochambeau, who was expected there, after
marching his troops to the eastward ; but my departure would
have too plainly discovered the intention of embarking them,
which it was wished to keep a secret, at least until they had
reached Hartford. The Comte de Viomenil, on the other hand,
being desirous of visiting Saratoga, the Baron de Viomenil re
quested me to retain the command of the first, whilst he took that
of the second division. I consented, there fore, to sacrifice ano
ther listless and fatiguing fortnight, and marched with the troops
to Hartford.* I submitted also not to return to the southward,
* The Translator attended the French army on their march, nearly
the whole way, from Alexandria to the North river, and was a witness
to their strict discipline, and the surprising harmony between them
and the people of the country, to whom they gave not the slightest
reason of complaint. He insists the more on this fact, as it appears to
him no less singular than interesting. On their arrival at their quarters
on the march, the whole country came to see them, and it was a gene
ral scene of gaiety and good humour. When they encamped at Alex
andria, on the ground formerly occupied by Braddock, the most ele
gant and handsome young ladies of the neighbourhood danced with the
officers on the turf, in the middle of the camp, to the sound of military
music ; and, (a circumstance which will appear singular to European
ideas,) the circle was in a great measure composed of soldiers, who,
from the heat of the weather, had disengaged themselves from their
clothes, retaining not an article of dress except their shirts, which
JJ04 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
before M. de Rochambeau, and to accompany him thither
after seeing them embarked. I determined, however, to avail
myself of these circumstances to visit the upper part of the
state of Massachusetts, and New-Hampshire, which I had not
yet seen. With this view, I set out from Hartford the 4th of
November; the very day the Comte de Rochambeau marched
with the first division to encamp at Bolton.* It was two in the
afternoon when I got on horseback ; my companions were
Messieurs Lynch, de Montesquieu, the Baron de Taleyrand,
and Mr. de Vaudreuil. We followed the Bolton route to a
cross road about three miles beyond the Meeting-house, where
there is a stone for the traveller s direction. We here took to
the left, to reach Mr. Kendal s tavern, in the township of Co
ventry, seventeen miles from Bolton, and four from the cross
roads. In a quarter of an hour we met Mr. Kendal, who was
on horseback, carrying letters to Mr. de Rochambeau, from the
Marquis de VaudreuiL our Admiral ; for this route, which is
the shortest between Bolton and Hartford, was preferred for
the chain of expresses between the fleet, the army, and Phila
delphia. Mr. de Montesquieu returned with him to Bolton, to
know whether these letters contained any interesting intelli
gence. As we travelled slowly, he rejoined us in half an hour,
and informed us, that they were only answers to those he had
received from the army, with the state of the troops to be em
barked. Before we reached Mr. Kendal s, we passed a hut
which scarcely merited the name of a hoghouse, and was only
half covered, but which was inhabited by a man who accosted
us in French ; he was a labourer from Canada, wKo had fre
quently changed habitations, and had seven children. We
were all lodged and treated at Mr. Kendal s, who is above the
common class, and is more occupied in commerce than in farm
ing ; he sat down to table with us, and we were pleased with
his conversation.
in general were neither extremely long, nor in the best condition ;
nor did this occasion the least embarrassment to the ladies, many of
whom were of highly polished manners, and the most exquisite delica
cy ; or to their friends or parents ; so whimsical and arbitrary are
manners. Trans.
* The French army, at the time the Marquis speaks of, had been
for some time encamped at Crompont, near Cortland s manor, a few-
miles from that of General Washington s, and between which there
was a daily intercourse. The Translator dined, in October, 1 782, in
General Washington s tent, with the Marquis de Laval, the Baron de
Viomenil, and several French officers, within hearing of the British
guns, which were at that period happily become a brutum fulmen.
Trans.
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. ^Uo
We set out at half past eight in the morning of the 5th, and
travelled through a very agreeable and variegated country, pre
senting us every moment with the view of handsome habita
tions. The face of the country is unequal, but the hills are
neither high nor steep, We stopped to bait our horses at Mr.
Clark s tavern, in Ashford township, by the side of the rivulet
of Mounthope, on this side of a river marked in the chart by
the name of Monchoas, and of a branch of that river called
Bigslack. We left this place at two o clock, the country still
continuing to be pleasant. I was particularly struck with the
position of Woodstock meeting-house, which is placed on an
eminence, commanding a very gay and well-peopled country.
There are several inns around this meeting-house, but we went
three miles and a half farther, to Mrs. Chandler s. Our jour
ney this day, was thirty-three miles, it being seventeen from
Clark s to Chandler s tavern. This house is kept by a widow,
who was from home, and Mr. Lynch, who had preceded us,
was very ill received by an old servant maid. We found him
in great distress, because she would make no preparation of
even killing a few chickens, before she received the orders of
her mistress. Fortunately, however, the latter arrived in a
quarter of an hour, in a sort of single horse chaise, and we
found her very polite and obliging, she gave us a tolerable
supper, and we were neatly lodged.*
The 6th we set out at ten o clock, having been apprized that
on reaching Oxford, it would be necessary to inquire the road
at a tavern kept by Mr. Lord, at twelve miles distance ; but the
weather being bad when we got there, we determined to stop
a couple of hours until the rain ceased, which had continued
the whole morning. We had two roads to choose ; that which
goes through Shrewsbury would have led us more directly to
Portsmouth ; but I preferred that by Grafton, which leads to
Concord ; that celebrated spot, where the first blood was shed,
which commenced the civil war. The rain abating a little, we
resumed our journey at two, and passed through Sal ton, a
pretty enough place, where there are several well-built houses ;
but the rain redoubling, we" were obliged to halt seven miles
farther on, at Baron s tavern, where we were well received.
We dried ourselves by a good fire, in a very handsome apart
ment, adorned with good prints, and handsome mahogany fur
niture ; and finding the useful correspond with the agreeable
in this house, we reconciled ourselves to the bad weather,
which had forced us into such good quarters.
We left this place at nine the next morning, the road lead-
* This is one of the best houses I met with in America. Transi
39
;31K> TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
ing us through Grafton, after which we passed Blackstone
river, and arrived at Gale s tavern, fifteen miles from Baron s,
after a journey through a very pleasant country. 1 remarked
that the meadows, of which there are a great number, were in
general intersected and watered by trenches cut on purpose.
Mr. Gales informed me that these meadows were worth from
ten to twenty dollars an acre ; from one of which, in his pos
session, he reaped four tons of hay an acre. The after-grass
is for the cattle, to produce butter and cheese, principally
of this country. The price of meat is here about twopence-
halfpenny the pound of fourteen ounces. After baiting our
horses, we continued our journey by Marlborough, where
there are handsome houses, and more collected than in the
other towns or townships. We at length entered a wood,
which conducted us to the river of Concord, or Billerika, over
which we passed by a bridge about a mile from the Meeting
house, and at the same distance from Mr. John s, where it was
near nine o clock before we arrived. This is an excellent inn,
kept by a most determined whig, who acted his part in the af
fair of Concord.**. Major Pitcairn, who commanded the Eng
lish on this occasion, had lodged frequently at his house, in
travelling through the country in disguise ; a method he had
sometimes taken, though very dangerous, of gaining informa
tion to communicate to General Gage. The day on which he
headed the English troops to Concord, he arrived at seven in
the morning, followed by a company of grenadiers, and went
immediately to Mr. John s tavern, the door of which being
shut, he knocked several times, and on the refusal to open it,
ordered his grenadiers to force it. Entering it himself the
first, he pushed Mr. John with such violence as to throw him
down, and afterwards placed a guard over him, frequently in
sisting on his pointing out the magazines of the rebels. The
* It took place on the 19th of April, 1775. General Gage had
detached from Boston all his grenadiers, light infantry, and some other
troops, amounting together to 900 m%n, under the orders of Lieute
nant-Colonel Smith, and Major Pitcairn. At Lexington they fell in
with a company of militia, whom they found under arms. The Eng
lish, in a haughty tone, ordered the Americans to disperse, which
they refused, and whilst the conversation was confined to words, the
English fired without giving notice, and at that discharge killed seven
or eight Americans, who had made no disposition to shelter themselves
from the fire ; they were compelled to give way to numbers. The
English advanced to Concord, where they paid dearly for their violence,
and this first act of hostility, for which they were alone responsible,
cost them near 300 men. Major Pitcairn was slain at the battle of
Bunker s Hill, a short time after the affair of Concord.
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 307
Americans had in fact collected some cannon and warlike
stores at Concord, but having received timely notice in the
night, they had removed every thing into the woods, except
three twenty-four pounders, which remained in the prison yard,
of which Mr. John was the keeper. Major Pitcairn carrying
his violence so far as to clap a pistol to his throat, Mr. John,
who had himself been in a passion, grew calm, and tried to
pacify the English commander. He assured him that there
were only the above three pieces at Concord, and that he should
see them, if he would follow him. He conducted him to the
prison, where the English entered, he says, in a rage at seeing
the Yankees so expert in mounting cannon, and in providing
themselves with every thing necessary for the service of artil
lery, such as sponges, rammers, &c. Major Pitcairn made his
men destroy the carriages, and break the trunnions ; then or
dered the prison to be set open, where he found two prisoners,
one of whom being a tory, he released.
The first moments of trouble being over, Major Pitcairn re
turned to Mr. John s, where he breakfasted, and paid for it.
The latter resumed his station of innkeeper ; numbers of the
English came to ask for rum, which he measured out as usual,
and made them pay exactly. In the mean time, the Americans.,
who had passed the river in their retreat, began to rally, and to
unite with those, who, apprised by the alarum bells, and vari-
ous expresses, were coming to their assistance. The disposi
tion Major Pitcairn had to make for his security, whilst he was
employed in searching for, and destroying the ammunition, was
by no means difficult ; it was only necessary to place strong
guards at the two bridges to the north and south, which he had
done. Towards ten o clock in the morning, the firing of mus
ketry was heard at the north bridge, on which the English ral
lied at tiie place appointed, on a height, in a church-yard situa
ted to the right of the road, and opposite the town-house.
Three hundred Americans, who were assembled on the other
side of the river, descended from the heights by a winding road
which leads obliquely to the bridge, but which, at sixty paces
from the river, turns to the left, and comes straight upon it.
Until they had reached this angle, they had their flank cov *StTf( /
by a small stone wall ; but when they came to this
marched up boldly to the bridge, which they found
employed in breaking down. The latter fired the first, Ilzt
Americans fell upon them, and they easily gave way,! which
appears rather extraordinary. Mr. John affirms that the English
at first imagined the Americans had no ball, but that they
found their error, on seeing several of their soldiers wou
They even speak here of an officer, who informed his men that
they had nothing to fear, for that the Americans fired only with
;308 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
powder ; but a drummer who was near him receiving at the
moment a musket shot, replied, take care ofthatpouidcr, Captain.
The English had three men killed here, and several wounded,
two of them were officers. The Americans now passed the
bridge, and formed immediately on a small eminence, to the
left of the road, as they were situated, and at short cannon shot
from that on which the English were collected. There they
remained some time watching each other; but the sight of some
houses on fire irritated the Americans, and determined them to
march towards the English, who then retreated by the Lexing
ton road, which forming an elbow, the Americans, who knew
the country, took the string of the bow, and got up with them
before they advanced a mile. It was here the retreating fight
began, of which every body has seen the accounts, and which
continued to Lexington, where the English were joined by the
reinforcement under the command of Earl Percy.
It was on the morning of the 8th that I examined the field
of battle at Concord, wi ich took me up till half past ten, when
I resumed my journey. Ten miles from Concord is Billerika,
a pretty considerable township : the country here was less fer
tile, and the road rather stony. We halted at South-Andover.
five miles beyond Billerika. at a bad inn. kept by one Forster ;
his wife had some beautiful children, but she appeared disor
dered, and I thought her rather drunk. She showed me, with
much importance, a book her eldest daughter was reading, and
I found it, to my no small surprise, to be a book of prayers in
Italian. This daughter, who was about seventeen, repeated
also a prayer in the Indian language, of which she understood
not a word, having learnt it accidentally from an Indian ser
vant ; but her mother thought all this admirable. We con
tented ourselves with baiting our horses in this wretched ale
house, and set out at half past one, travelled through South and
North- Andover. North Parish, or North Andover, is a charm
ing place, where there are a great number of very handsome
houses, a quantity of meadows, and fine cattle. Almost on
quitting this long township, you enter Bradford, where night
overtook us, and we travelled two or three miles in the dark
before we reached Haverhill ferry. It was half past six before
we had crossed it, and got to Mr. Harward s inn, where we had
a good supper, and good lodgings. At Haverhill. the Merri-
maek is only fit for vessels of thirty tons, but much larger ones
are built here, which are floated down empty to Newbury.
Three miles above Haverhill are falls, and higher up the river
is only navigable for boats. The trade of this town formerly
consisted in timber for ship-building, which has been suspend
ed since the war. It is pretty considerable, and tolerably well
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 309
built ; and its situation, in the form of an amphitheatre on the
left shore of the Merrimaek, gives it many agreeable aspects.
We left this place the 9th, at nine in the morning, our road
lying through Plastow, a pretty considerable township ; after
which we met with woods, and a wild and horritf country. We
saw a great number of pines and epicias ; there are also seve
ral large lakes, some of which are traced upon the chart.
Since we quitted the confines of Connecticut, I have in general
observed a great number of these ponds, which contributed to
increase the resemblance between this country and that of the
Bourbonnois, and the Nivernois, in France. Twelve miles from
Haverhill is Kingston, a township inferior to those we had ob
served upon the route ; and at the end of eighteen miles is
Exeter, at present the capital of New-Hampshire, that is to say,
the place where the President or Governor resides, and the
members of the state assemble. It is rather a handsome town,
and is a sort of port ; for vessels of seventy tons can come up,
and others as large as three or four hundred tons are built here,
which are floated down Exeter river into the bay of that name,
and thence to Piscataqua, We stopped at a very handsome
inn kept by Mr. Ruspert, which we quitted at half past two ;
and though we rode very fast, night was coming on when we
reached Portsmouth. The road from Exeter is very hilly. We
passed through Greenland, a very populous township, composed
of well built houses. Cattle here are abundant, but not so
handsome as in Connecticut, and the state of Massachusetts.
They are dispersed over fine meadows, and it is a beautiful
sight to see them collected near their hovels in the evening.
This country presents, in every respect, the picture of abun
dance and of happiness. The road from Greenland to Ports
mouth is wide and beautiful, interspersed with habitations, so
that these two townships almost touch. I alighted at Mr.
Brewster s, where I was well lodged ; he seemed to me a re
spectable man, and much attached to his country.
In the morning of the 10th I went to pay a visit to Mr. Al
bert de Rioms, captain of the Pluton,* who had .a house on
shore, where he resided for his health ; he invited me to din
ner, which he advised me to accept, as the Comte de Vaudreuil
was in great confusion on board his ship, the mizen mast of
which had been struck by lightning five days before, and which
* The Marquis de Vaudreuil s squadron was then at Boston, and
some of his ships were refitting, and taking in masts at Portsmouth.
M. de Albert de Rioms is the officer who commanded the evolutions
of the French squadron, on the late visit of the king to Cherbourff.-
Tram.
;jlO TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
penetrated to his first battery ; but he offered me his boat to
carry me on board the Auguste. In returning for my cloak, I
happened to pass by the meeting, precisely at the time of ser
vice, and had the curiosity to enter, where I remained above
half an hour,**that I might not interrupt the preacher, and to
show my respect for the assembly ; the audience were not nu
merous on account of the severe cold, but I saw some hand
some women, elegantly dressed. Mr. Barkminster, a young
minister, spoke with a great deal of grace, and reasonably
enough for a preacher. I could not help admiring the address
with which he introduced politics into his sermon, by compa
ring the Christians redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ, but
still compelled to fight against the flesh and sin, to the thirteen
United States, who, notwithstanding they have acquired liberty
and independence, are under the necessity of employing all
their force to combat a formidable power, and to preserve those
invaluable treasures. It was near twelve when I embarked in
Mr. Albert s boat, and saw on the left, near the little Island of
Rising Castle, the America,* (the ship given by Congress to
the king of France,) which had been just launched, and ap
peared to me a fine ship. I left on the right the Isle of Wash-
* The America is the vessel given by Congress to the king of
France, to replace the Magnifique, lost on Lovel s-Island in Boston
harbour, when the French fleet entered that port some months after
the defeat of the Cornte de Grasse. This ship was designed for the
well known Paul Jones, who by his command of the little squadron
on. the coasts of England, had acquired the title of commodore, and
was sighing after that of admiral of America, which Congress, no bad
appreciators of merit, thought proper to refuse him. The Translator
met him at a public table at Boston, on his return from Portsmouth,
where he told the company, that notwithstanding the reason he had to
be discontented, he had given his advice in the construction and launch
ing of the vessel, in which latter operation, however, the ship struck
fast on the slip, but without any material damage. This accident is
not intended by any means as an imputation on Mr. Jones, who certain
ly was fortunate enough, at one time, to render considerable service to
America. He is said to have acquired a considerable property by the
prizes he made in that cruise, but his officers and crews complain (the
Translator does not say with what justice) that there has never been
any distribution of the prize money, and that numbers of his maimed
and mutilated sailors were reduced to beg for a subsistence in France,
and elsewhere, to the discredit of America. Mr. Jones read some
pretty enough verses in his own honour to the same company, at
Brackett s tavern in Boston, extracted from a London newspaper, and
said to be written by Lady Craven. The America is now at Brest,
and is esteemed one of the handsomest ships in the French navy.
Trans.
TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA. 311
ington, on which stands a fort of that name. It is built in the
form of a star, the parapets of which are supported by stakes,
and was not finished. Then leaving Newcastle on the right,
and Jittery on the left, we arrived at the anchoring ground,
within the first pass. I found Mr. Vaudreuil on board, who pre
sented me to the officers of his ship, and afterwards to those
of the detachment of the army, among whom were three offi
cers of my former regiment of Guienne, at present called
Viennois. He then took me to see the ravages made by the
lightning, of which M. de Eire, who then commanded the ship,
M. de Vaudreuil having slept on shore, gave me the following
account: at half past two in the morning, in the midst of a
very violent rain, a dreadful explosion was heard suddenly, and
the sentinel, who was in the gallery, came in a panic into the
council chamber, where he met with M. Bir , who had leaped
to the foot of his bed, and they were both struck with a strong
sulphureous smell. The bell was immediately rung, and the
ship examined, when it was found that the mizen mast was cut
short in two, four feet from the forecastle?; that it had been
lifted in the air, and fallen perpendicularly on the quarter
deck, through which it had penetrated, as well as the second
battery. Two sailors were crushed by its fall, two others, who
never could be found, had doubtless been thrown into the sea
by the commotion, and several were wounded.
At one o clock we returned on shore to dine with M. Albert
de Rioms, and our fellow guests were M. de Bire, who acted
as flag captain, though but a lieutenant; M. de Mortegues.
who formerly commanded the Magnifique (lost at the same
period on Lovel s-Island in Boston harbour) and was destined
to the command of the America ; M. de Siber, lieutenant en
pied of the Pluton ; M. d Hizeures, captain of the regiment of
Viennois, &c. ; after dinner we went to drink tea with Mr. Lang-
don. He is a handsome man, and of a noble carriage ; he
has been a member of Congress, and is now one of the first peo
ple of the country ; his house is elegant and well furnished, and
the apartments admirably well wainscotted ; he has a good manu
script chart of the harbour of Portsmouth. Mrs. Langdon, his
wife, is young, fair, and tolerably handsome, but I conversed less
with her than with her husband, in whose favour I was preju
diced, from knowing that he had displayed great courage and
patriotism at the time of Burgoyne s expedition. For repair
ing to the council chamber, of which he was a member, and
perceiving that they were about to discuss some affairs of little
consequence, he addressed them as follows : " Gentlemen, you
may talk as long as you please, but I know that the enemy is
on our frontiers, and that I am going to take my pistols, and
mount my horse, to combat with my fellow-citizens;" the
312 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
greatest part of the members of the council and assembly fol
lowed him, and joined General Gates at Saratoga. As he was
marching day and night, reposing himself only in the woods, a
negro servant who attended him says to him, " Master, you are
hurting yourself, but no matter, you are going to fight for
liberty ; I should sutler also patiently if I had liberty to de
fend." Don t let that stop you," replied Mr. Langdon,
" from this moment you are free." The negro followed him,
behaved with courage, and has never quitted him. On leaving
Mr. Langdon s, we went to pay a visit to Colonel Wentworth,
who is respected in this country, not only from his being of
the same family with Lord Rockingham, but from his general
acknowledged character for probity and talents. He conduct
ed the naval department at Portsmouth, and our officers are
never weary in his commendation. From Mr. Wentworth s,
M. de Vaudreuil and M. de Rioms took me to Mrs. Whipple s,
a widow lady, who is, I believe, sister-in-law to General Whip-
pie ; she is neither young nor handsome, but appeared to me
to have a good understanding, and gaiety. She is educating
one of her nieces, only fourteen years old, who is already
charming. Mrs. Whipple s house, as well as that of Mr.
Wentworth s, and all those I saw at Portsmouth, are very hand
some and well furnished.
I proposed, on the morning of the llth, to make a tour
among the islands in the harbour, but some snow having
fallen, and the weather being by no means inviting, I content
ed myself with paying visits to some officers of the navy, and
among others to the Comte de Vaudreuil, who had slept on
shore the preceding night ; after which we again met at din
ner at Mr. Albert s, a point of union which was always agreea
ble. M. d Hizeures had ordered the music of the regiment of
Viennois to attend, and I found with pleasure, that the taste
for music, which I had inspired into that corps, still subsisted,
and that the ancient musicians had been judiciously replaced.*
After dinner, we again drank tea at Mr. Langdon s, and then
paid a visit to Dr. Brackett, an esteemed physician of the
country, and afterwards to Mr. Thompson. The latter was
born in England ; he is a good seamen, and an excellent ship
builder, and is besides a sensible man, greatly attached to his
new country, which it is only fifteen years since he adopted.
His wife is an American, and pleases by her countenance, but
still more by her amiable and polite behaviour. We finished
* The Marquis de Chastellux, among his various accomplishments,
is distinguished not only in the character of an amateur, but for his
scientific knowledge of music. Trans.
TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA. 313
the evening at Mr. Wentworth s, where the Conlte de Vau-
dreuil lodged ; he gave us a very handsome supper, without
ceremony, during which the conversation was gay and agreea
ble.
The 12th I set out, after taking leave of M. de Vaudreuil,
whom I met as he was coming to call on me, and it was cer
tainly with the greatest sincerity that I testified to him my
sense of the polite manner in which I had been received by
him, and by the officers under his command.
The following are the ideas which I had an opportunity of
acquiring relative to the town of Portsmouth. It was in a pret
ty flourishing state before the war, and carried on the trade of
ship timber, and salt fish. It is easy to conceive that this
commerce must have greatly suffered since the commence
ment of the troubles, but notwithstanding, Portsmouth is, per
haps, of all the American towns, that which will gain the most
by the present war. There is every appearance of its beco
ming to ./Vew-England, what the other Portsmouth is to the
Old ; that is to say, that this place will be made choice of as
the depot of the continental marine. The access to the har
bour is easy, the road immense, and there are seven fathoms
water as far up as two miles above the town ; add to this, that
notwithstanding its northern situation, the harbour of Ports
mouth is never frozen, an advantage arising from the rapidity
of the current. This circumstance, joined to its proximity to
the timber for ship-building, especially for masts, which can
only be balanced by the harbour of Rhode-Island, will doubt
less determine the choice of Congress. But if a naval esta
blishment be thought necessary at Portsmouth, the quays, the
rope-walks, the arsenals, <tc. must be placed in the islands,
and not on the continent ; for it would be easy for an enemy s
army to land there, and take possession of the town, the local
situation of which would require too considerable a develope-
ment of fortification to shelter it from insult. I imagine, how
ever, that a good entrenched camp might be formed between
the two creeks, but I am only able to judge of that from a slight
observation, and from charts.
It has happened in New-Hampshire, as in the state of Mas
sachusetts, that the losses of commerce have turned to the ad
vantage of agriculture ; the capitals of the rich, and the indus
try of the people having flowed back from the coasts towards the
interior of the country, which has profited rapidly by the reflux.
It is certain that this country has a very flourishing appearance,
and that new houses are building, and new farms are settling
every day.
New-Hampshire hitherto has no permanent constitution, and
its present government is no more than a simple convention :
40
314 TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA.
it much resembles that of Pennsylvania, for it consists of one
legislative body, composed of the representatives of the people,
and the executive council; which has for its chief, a President,
instead of Governor. But during my stay at Portsmouth, I
learnt that there was an assembly at Exeter, for the purpose of
establishing a constitution, the principal articles of which were
already agreed on. This constitution will be founded on the
same principles as those of New-York and Massachusetts.
There will be, as in the former, an executive power vested in
the hands of the Governor, the Chancellor and the Chief Jus
tices ; the latter of whom will be perpetual, at least quam dm
se benegesserint, during good behaviour, but the members of the
senate will be annually changed, and the requisite qualifica
tion of a senator, very inconsiderable, which I think is a great
inconvenience.* Mr. Langdon observes, and perhaps with
reason that the country is as yet too young, and the materials
wanting to give this senate all the weight and consistence it
ought to have, as in Maryland, where the senators are elected
for three years, and must possess at least five hundred pounds.
When I was at Portsmouth the necessaries of life were very
dear, owing to the great drought of the preceding summer.
Com costs two dollars a bushel, (of sixty pounds weight) oats
almost as much, and Indian corn was extremely scarce. I shall
hardly be believed when I say, that I paid eight livres ten sols
(about seven shillings and three pence) a day for each horse.
Butcher s meat only was cheap, selling at two-pence halfpenny
a pound. That part of New-Hampshire bordering on the
coast is not fertile ; there are good lands at forty or fifty miles
distance from the sea, but the expense of carriage greatly aug
ments the price of articles, when sold in the more inhabited
parts. As for the value of landed property it is dear enough
for so new a country. Mr. Ruspert, my landlord, paid seventy
pounds* currency per annum, (at eighteen livres, or fifteen
shillings the pound) for his inn. Lands sell at from ten to six
teen dollars an acre. The country produces little fruit, and
the cider is indifferent.
The road from Portsmouth to Newbury passes through a
barren country. Hampton is the only township you meet
with, and there are not such handsome houses there as at
Greenland. As we had only twenty miles to go, I was unwil
ling to stop, and desired the Vicomte de Vaudreuil only, to go
on a little before us to dinner. It was two o clock when we
reached Merrimack ferry, and from the shore we saw the open-
* A new form of government has been established since the peace.
Trans.
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 315
ing of the harbour, the channel of which passes near the north
ern extremity of Plumb-Island, on which is a small fort, with
a few cannon and mortars. Its situation appears to me well
chosen, at least as far as I was capable of judging from a dis
tance. At the entrance of the harbour is a bar, on which
there are only eighteen feet water in the highest tides, so that
although it be a very commercial place, it has always been re
spected by the English. Several frigates have been built here ;
among others, the Charlestown, and the Alliance.* The har-
* The privateers which so greatly molested the British trade were
chiefly from the ports of Newbury, Beverley, and Salem, in which pla
ces large fortunes were made by this means : and such must ever be
the case in any future war, from the peculiarity of their position,
whence they may run out at any season of the year, and commit de
predations on any of the maritime powers to which America is hostile,
with little fear of retaliation. Newfoundland, Nova-Scotia, the Gulfs
of St. Lawrence, and of Florida, and the whole trade of the West-In
dia Archipelago, are in a manner at their doors. However Great
Britain may affect to despise America, she is perhaps, even in her pre
sent infant state, from various circumstances, the most formidable
enemy she can have to cope with, in case of a rupture ; for, as nations
ought collectively to be dispassionate, though individuals are not, it
behooves her to reflect, where, and in what manner she can return the
blow. Mr. Jefferson, the present Minister of the United States at
Versailles, among other excellent observations on this subject has the
following, which I extract with pleasure from his Notes on Virginia,
a most interesting work, with which I have just privately been favour
ed. " The sea is the field on which we should meet an European ene
my, on that element it is necessary we should possess some power.
To aim at such a navy as the greater nations of Europe possess would
be a foolish and wicked waste of the energies of our countrymen. It
would be to pull on our heads that load of military expense which
makes the European labourer go supperless to bed, and moistens his
bread with the sweat of his brow. It will be enough if we enable our
selves to prevent insult from those nations of Europe which are weak
on the sea, because circumstances exist which render even the stronger
ones weak as to us. Providence has placed their richest and most de
fenceless possessions at our door; has obliged their most precious
commerce to pass as it were in review before us. To protect this, or
to assail us, a small part only of their naval force will ever be risked
across the Atlantic. The dangers to which the elements expose them
here are too well known, and the greater danger to which they would
be exposed at home, were any general calamity to involve their whole
fleet. They can attack us by detachment only; and it will suffice to
make ourselves equal to what they may detach. Even a smaller force
than they may detach will be rendered equal or superior by the quick
ness with which any check may be repaired with us, while losses with
them will be irreparable till too late. A small naval force then is ne-
^1G TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
bour is extensive, and well sheltered. After passing the ferry
in little flat boats, which held only five horses each, we went^to
Mr. Davenport s inn, where we found a good dinner ready. I
had letters from Mr. Wentworth to Mr. John Tracy, the most
considerable merchant in the place ; but, before I had time to
send them, he had heard of my arrival, and, as I was rising
from table, entered the room, and very politely invited me to
pass the evening with him. He was accompanied by a Colo
nel, whose name is too difficult for me to write, having never
been able to catch the manner of pronouncing it ; but it was
something like Wigsleps. This Colonel remained with me till
Mr. Tracy finished his business, when he came with two hand
some carriages, well equipped, and conducted me and my aid-
de-camp to his country-house. This house stands a mile from
the town, in a very beautiful situation ; but of this I could my
self form no judgment, as it was already night. I went how
ever, by moonlight, to see the garden, which is composed of
different terraces. There is likewise a hot-house and a num
ber of young trees. The house is very handsome and well-
finished, and every thing breathes that air of magnificence ac
companied with simplicity, which is only to be found among
merchants. The evening passed rapidly by the aid of agreea
ble conversation and a few glasses of punch. The ladies we
found assembled were Mrs. Tracy, her two sisters, and their
cousin, Miss Lee. Mrs. Tracy has an agreeable and a sensi
ble countenance, and her manners correspond with her appear
ance. At ten o clock an excellent supper was served, we
drank good wine, Miss Lee sung, and prevailed on Messieurs
de Vaudreuil and Taleyrand to sing also : towards midnight
cessary for us, and a small one is really needful. What this should be I
will not undertake to say. I will only say it should by no means be
so great as we are able to make it. Supposing the million of dollars,
or 300,000 sterling, which Virginia would annually spare without
distress, be applied to the creating a navy. A single year s contribu
tion would build, equip, man, and send to sea a force which should
carry 300 guns. The rest of the confederacy exerting themselves in
the same proportion would equip 1500 guns more. So that one year s
contribution would set up a navy of 1 800 guns. The British ships of
the line average 76 guns ; their frigates 38 1800 guns then would
form a fleet of 30 ships, 18 of which might be of the line, and ^fri
gates. Allowing eight men, the British average, for every gun, their
annual expense, including subsistence, clothing, pay, and ordinary re
pairs, would be about 1280 dollars for every gun, or 2,304,000 dol
lars for the whole. I state this only as one year s possible exertion,
without deciding whether more or less than a year s exertion should
be thus applied." Trans.
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 317
the ladies withdrew, but we continued drinking Madeira and
Xery. Mr. Tracy, according to the custom of the country, of
fered us pipes, which were accepted by M. de Taleyrand, and
M. de Montesquieu, the consequence of which was that they
became intoxicated, and were led home, where they were hap
py to get to bed. As to myself, I remained perfectly cool,
and continued to converse on trade and politics with Mr. Tracy,
who interested me greatly with an account of all the vicissi
tudes of his fortune since the beginning of the war. At the
end of 1777, his brother and he had lost one and forty ships,
and with regard to himself, he had not a ray of hope but in a
single letter-of-marque of eight guns, of which he had recei
ved no news. As he was walking one day with his brother,
and they were reasoning together on the means of subsisting
their families (for they were both married) they perceived a
sail making for the harbour. He immediately interrupted the
conversation, saying to his brother, (fr Perhaps it is a prize for
me." The latter laughed at him, but he immediately took a
boat, went to meet the ship, and found that it was in fact a
prize belonging to him, worth five and twenty thousand pounds
sterling. Since that period, he has been almost always fortu
nate, and he is at present thought to be worth near 120,000
sterling He has my warmest wishes for his prosperity; for he
is a sensible, polite man, and a good patriot. He has always
assisted his country in time of need, and in 1781 lent five thou
sand pounds to the state of Massachusetts for the clothing of
their troops, and that only on the receipt of the Treasurer, yet
his quota of taxes in that very year amounted to six thousand
pounds. One can hardly conceive how a simple individual
can be burthened so far ; but it must be understood, that be
sides the duty of five per cent, on importation, required by
Congress, the state imposed another tax of the same value on
the sale of every article, in the nature of an excise, on rum,
sugar, coffee, &c. These taxes are levied with great rigour:
a merchant who receives a vessel is obliged to declare the car
go, and nothing can go out of the ship or warehouse without
paying the duty. The consequence of this restraint is, that the
merchants, in order to obtain free use of their property, are
obliged themselves to turn retailers, and pay the whole duty,
the value of which they must recover from those to whom they
sell. Without this, they could neither draw from their stores
what is necessary for their own consumption, nor the small ar
ticles which they are in the way of selling, at the first hand ;
they are consequently obliged to take out licenses, like tavern-
keepers and retailers, thus supporting the whole weight of the
impost both as merchants and as shop-keepers. Patriot as he
is, Mr. Tracy cannot help blaming the rigour with which com-
318 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
merce is treated ; a rigour arising from the preponderance of
the farmers or landholders, and also from the necessity which
the government is under of finding money where it can ; for
the farmers easily evade the taxes; certificates, receipts, al
leged grievances, reduce them almost to nothing. Thus has
a state, yet in its infancy, all the infirmities of age, and taxa
tion attaches itself to the very source of wealth, at the risk of
drying up its channels. [This observation appears rather for
ced, as applied generally, the Marquis admitting that these im
positions were the result of a critical and immediate want.
Trans.]
CHAPTER II.
NEWBURYPORT IPSWICH BEVERLY SALEM CAMBRIDGE BUN-
1 LEFT Newburyport the 13th at ten in the morning, and
often stopped before I lost sight of this pretty little town, for I
had great pleasure in enjoying the different aspects it presents.
It is in general well built, and is daily increasing in new build
ings. The warehouses of the merchants, which are near their
own houses, serve by way of ornament, and in point of archi
tecture resemble not a little our large green-houses. You can
not see the ocean from the road to Ipswich; and the country
to the eastward is dry and rocky. Toward the west it is more
fertile ; but in general the land throughout the country, bor
dering on the sea, is not fruitful. At the end of twelve miles
is Ipswich, where we stopped to bait our horses, and were sur
prised to find a town between Newbury and Salem, at least as
populous as these two sea-ports, though indeed much less opu
lent. But mounting an eminence near the tavern, I saw that
Ipswich was also a sea-port ; I was told, however, that the en
trance was difficult, and that at some times of the year there
were not five feet upon the bar. From this eminence you
see Cape Anne, and the south side of Plumb-Island, as well as
a part of the north. The bearing of the coast, which trends
to the eastward, seems to me badly laid down in the charts ;
this coast trends more southerly above Ipswich, and forms a
sort of bay. Ipswich at present has but little trade, and its fish
ery is also on the decline ; but the ground in the neighbourhood
is pretty good, and abounds in pasturage, so that the seamen
having turned farmers, they have been in no want of subsist
ence,* which may account likewise for the very considerable
* The activity and enterprise of the inhabitants of the eastern states
are unremitted. The seaman when on shore immediately applies him
self to some handicraft occupation, or to husbandry, and is always rea
dy at a moment s warning to accompany the captain his neighbour,
who is likewise frequently a mechanic, to the fisheries. West-India
voyages are the most perilous expeditions, so that it is no uncommon
circumstance to find in a crew of excellent New-England mariners,
not a single seaman, so to speak, by profession. Hence arise that zeal.
320 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
population of this place, where you meet with upwards of two
hundred houses, in about two miles square. Before you arrive
at Salem, is a handsome rising town called Beverly. This is
a new establishment produced by commerce, on the left shore
of the creek which bathes the town of Salem on the north side.
One cannot but be astonished to see beautiful houses, large
warehouses, &c. springing up in great numbers, at so small a
distance from a commercial town, the prosperity of which is
not diminished by it.* The rain overtook us just as we were
passing near the lake which is three miles from Beverly. We
crossed the creek in two flat-bottomed boats, containing each
sobriety, industry, economy and attachment for which they are so just
ly celebrated, and which cannot fail of giving them, sooner or later, a
decided superiority at least in the seas of the new world. This edu
cation and these manners are the operative causes of that wonderful
spirit of enterprise and perseverance, so admirably painted by Mr. Ed
mund Burke, in his wise, eloquent, and immortal speech of March 22,
1775, on his motion for conciliation with the colonies. " Pray, sir,"
says he, " what in the world is equal to it ? Pass by the other parts
(of America,) and look at the manner in which the people of New-
England have of late carried on the whale fishery. Whilst we follow
them among the tumbling mountains of ice, and behold them penetra
ting into the deepest recesses of Hudson s Bay, and Davis Straits,
whilst we are looking for them beneath the arctic circle, we hear that
they have pierced into the opposite region of polar cold, that they are
at the antipodes, and engaged under the frozen serpent of the south.
Falkland s-Island which seemed too remote and romantic an object for the
grasp of national ambition, is but a stage and resting place in the pro
gress of their victorious industry. Nor is the equinoctial heat more
discouraging to them than the accumulated winter of both the poles.
We know that whilst some of them draw the line and strike the har
poon on the coast of Africa, others run the longitude, and pursue their
gigantic game along the coast of Brazil. No sea but what is vexed
by their fisheries. No climate that is not witness to their toils. Nei
ther the perseverance of Holland, nor the activity of France, nor the
dexterous and firm sagacity of English enterprise, ever carried this
most perilous mode of hardy industry to the extent to which it has been
pushed by this recent people ; a people who are still, as it were, but
in the gristle, and not yet hardened into the bone of manhood." Trans.
* The town of Beverley began to flourish greatly towards the con
clusion of the war by the extraordinary spirit of enterprise, and great
success of the Messieurs Gobbets, gentlemen of strong understandings
and the most liberal minds, well adapted to the most enlarged commer
cial undertakings, and the business of government. Two of their
privateers had the good fortune to capture in the European seas, a few
weeks previous to the peace, several West-Indiamen to the value of at
least 100,000 sterling. Trans.
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 321
six horses. It is near a mile wide ; and in crossing, we could
very plainly distinguish the opening of the harbour, and a cas
tle situated on the extremity of the neck, which defends the
entrance. This neck is a tongue of land running to the east
ward, and connected with Salem only by a very narrow sort of
causeway. On the other side of the neck, and of the cause
way, is the creek that forms the true port of Salem, which has
no other defence than the extreme difficulty of entering with
out a good practical pilot. The view of these two ports, which
are confounded together to the sight ; that of the town of Sa
lem, which is embraced by two creeks, or rather arms of the
sea, the ships and edifices which appear intermingled, form a
very beautiful picture, which I regret not having seen at a bet
ter season of the year. As I had no letters for any inhabitant
of Salem, I alighted at Goodhue s tavern, now kept by Mr.
Robinson, which I found very good, and was soon served with
an excellent supper. In this inn was a sort of club of mer
chants, two or three of whom came to visit me ; and among
others, Mr. De la Fille, a merchant of Bordeaux, who had been
established five years at Boston ; he appeared a sensible man,
and pretty well informed respecting the commerce of the coun
try, the language of which he speaks well.*
The 14th in the morning, Mr. De la Fille called upon me to
conduct me to see the port and some of the warehouses. I
found the harbour commodious for commerce, as vessels may
unload and take in their lading at the quays ; there were about
twenty in the port, several of which were ready to sail, and
others which had just arrived. In general, this place has a
rich and animated appearance. At my return to the inn I
found several merchants who came to testify their regret at not
having been apprised more early of my arrival, and at not hav
ing it in their power to do the honours of the town. At eleven,
I got on horseback, and taking the road to Boston, was surpri
sed to see the town, or suburb of Salem, extending near a mile
in length to the westward. On the whole, it is difficult to conceive
the state of increase, and the prosperity of this country, after so
long and so calamitous a war. The road from Salem to Bos
ton passes through an arid, and rocky country, always within
three or four miles of the sea, without having a sight of it ; at
length, however, after passing Lynn,f and Lynn creek, you get
* The translator, who was residing at this time at Salem, regretted
exceedingly his accidental absence on the day the Marquis spent there,
which he learnt, to his great mortification, on his return to the inn
which the Marquis had just quitted. Trans.
t Lynn is a very populous little place, and is celebrated for the rna-
41
3^ TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
a view of it, and find yourself in a bay formed by Nahant s-
Point, and Pulling s-Point. I got upon the rocks to the right
of the roads, in order to embrace tnore of the country, and
form a better judgment. I could distinguish not only the whole
bay but several of the islands in Boston road, and part of the
peninsula of Nantucket, near which I discovered the masts of
our ships of war. From hence to Winisimmet ferry, we travel
over disagreeable roads, sometimes at the foot of rocks, at
others across salt marshes. It is just eighteen miles from Sa
lem to the ferry, where we embarked in a large scow, contain
ing twenty horses ; and the wind, which was rather contrary,
becoming more so, we made seven tacks, and were near an
hour in passing. The landing is to the northward of the port,
and to the east of Charlestown ferry. Although I knew that
Mr. Dumas had prepared me a lodging, I found it more conve
nient to alight at Mr. Brackett s, the Cromwell s head, where I
dined.* After dinner I went to the lodgings prepared for me
at Mr. Colson s, a glover in the main street. As I was dressing
to wait on the Marquis de Vaudreuil, he called upon me, and
after permitting me to finish the business of the toilet, we went
together to Dr. Cooper s, and thence to the association ball,
where I was received by my old acquaintance Mr. Brick, who
was one of the managers. Here I remained till ten o clock ;
the Marquis de Vaudreuil opened the ball with Mrs. Temple. f
nufacture of women s shoes, which they send to all parts of the con
tinent. The town is almost wholly inhabited by shoemakers. Trans.
* This is a most excellent inn, and Mr. Brackett a shrewd and ac
tive friend to the true principles of the revolution. His sign of Crom-
welPs head gave great umbrage to the British under General Gage,
who would not suffer it to remain. This circumstance alone could
have induced Mr. Brackett to restore it after they were expelled the
town, as reflection might have convinced him, that in the actual posi
tion of America, there was much more to be apprehended from a
Cromwell than a Charles. Trans.
t The reader will observe that the author in speaking of this lady,
of Mr. Bowdoin, her father, and the rest of the family, disdains to
mention her husband, Mr. John Temple, so celebrated for political
duplicity on both sides of the water. This gentleman was, however,
at this very time at Boston, abusing Gov. Hancock, Dr. Cooper, and
the most tried friends to America, in the public prints, and endeavour
ing to sow dissensions among the people. Every newspaper into
which he could obtain admission, was stuffed with disgusting enco
miums on Mr. John Temple, whom Mr. John Temple himself held
forth as the paragon of American patriotism, as the most active and
inveterate enemy to England, and a victim to British vengeance, which
he endeavoured to prove by instances taken from the English prints, of
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 323
M. de PAiguille the elder, and Mr. Trueguet danced also, each
of them a minuet, and did honour to the French nation, by
their noble and easy manner ; but I am sorry to say, that the
contrast was considerable between them and the Americans,
who are in general very awkward, particularly in the minuet.
The prettiest women dancers were Mrs. Jarvis, her sister, Miss
Betsy Broom, and Mrs. Whitrnore. The ladies were all well
dressed, but with less elegance and refinement than at Phila
delphia.* The assembly room is superb, in a good style of
architecture, well decorated, and well lighted ; it is admirably
well calculated for the coup d oeil, and there is good order,
and every necessary refreshment. This assembly is much su
perior to that of the City tavern at Philadelphia.
The 15th, in the morning, M. de Vaudreuil, and M. le Tom-
bes, the French Consul, called on me the moment I was going
out to visit them. After some conversation, we went first to
wait on Governor Hancock,f who was ill of the gout, and un-
his treachery to England, and by boasting of his dexterity in outwitting
the ministry of that country. Yet no sooner did peace take place,
than to the astonishment of every sensible and honest man in Europe
and America, this very person, equally detested by, and obnoxious to,
both countries, was despatched as the sole representative of England
to that country, of which he is also a sworn citizen, and whose father-
in-law is the present Governor of Massachusetts. It is impossible to
add to the folly and infamy of such a nomination. The choice of an
ambassador to Congress would have fallen with more propriety on Ar
nold. His was a bold and single act of treachery ; the whole politi
cal life of Mr. Temple has been one continued violation of good faith.
For farther particulars of this gentleman s conduct, see the Political
Magazine for 1780, p. 691, and 740 ; but volumes might be written on
this subject. The translator is sorry to add, that whilst he lives and
flourishes, the virtuous, the amiable Dr. Cooper is in his grave, and
Mr. Hancock, that illustrious citizen, he fears, not far removed from it.
Trans.
* The translator was present at this assembly at Boston, which was
truly elegant, where he saw Mr. J. Temple standing behind the crowd,
eyeing, like Milton s devil, the perfect harmony and good humour sub
sisting between the French officers and the inhabitants, not as a friend
to Britain, for that would have been pardonable, but to discord, for he
was at this very instant boasting of his inveteracy to Britain. Trans .
t I had seen Mr. Hancock eighteen months before, on my former
journey to Boston, and had a long conversation with him, in which I
easily discovered that energy of character which had enabled him to
act so distinguished a part in the present revolution. He formerly
possessed a large fortune, which he has almost entirely sacrificed in
the defence of his country, and which contributed not a little to main-
324 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
able to receive us ; thence we went to Mr. Bowdoin s, Mr.
Brick s, and Mr. Cushing s, the deputy Governor. I dined
with the Marquis de Vaudreuil, and after dinner drank tea at
Mr. Bowdoin s who engaged us to supper, only allowing M. de
Vaudreuil and myself half an hour to pay a visit to Mrs. Gush
ing. The evening was spent agreeably, in a company of
about twenty persons, among whom was Mrs. Whitmore, and
young Mrs. Bowdoin, who was a new acquaintance for me, not
having seen her at Boston when I was there the preceding year.
She has a mild and agreeable countenance, and a character
corresponding with her appearance.
The next morning I went with the Marquis de Vaudreuil to
pay some other visits, and dined with Mr. Brick, where were
upwards of thirty persons, and among others, Mrs. Tudor, Mrs.
Morton, Mrs. Swan, &c. The two former understood French ;
Mrs. Tudor, in particular, knows it perfectly, and speaks it to
lerably well. I was very intimate with her during my stay at
Boston, and found her possessed, not only of understanding,
but of grace and delicacy, in her mind and manners. After
dinner, tea was served, which being over, Mr. Brick in some
sort insisted, but very politely, on our staying to supper. This
supper was on table exactly four hours after we rose from din
ner ; it may be imagined, therefore, that we did not eat much,
but the Americans paid some little compliments to it ; for, in
general, they eat less than we do, at their repasts, but as often
as you choose, which is in my opinion a very bad method. Their
aliments behave with their stomachs, as we do in France on
paying visits ; they never depart, until they see others enter.
In other respects we passed the day very agreeably. Mr. Brick
is an amiable man, and does the honours of his table extremely
well ; and there reigned in this society a ton of ease and free
dom, which is pretty general at Boston, and cannot fail of being
pleasing to the French.
The day following I waited at home for M. de Vaudreuil,
who called on me to conduct me to dinner on board the Sou-
verain. This ship, as well as the Hercule, was at anchor about
a mile from the port. The officer who commanded her, gave
us a great and excellent dinner, the honours of which he did,
both to the French and Americans, with that noble and bene
volent spirit which characterizes him. Among the latter, was
a young man of eighteen, of the name of Barrel, who had been
two months on board, that by living continually with the French,
tain its credit. Though yet a young man, for he is not yet fifty, he is
unfortunately very subject to the gout, and is sometimes, for whole
months, unable to see company.
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 325
lie might accustom himself to speak their language, which
cannot fail of being one day useful to him.* For this is far
from being a common qualification in America, nor can it be
conceived to what a degree it. has hitherto been neglected ;
the importance of it however begins to be felt, nor can it be
too much encouraged for the benefit of both nations. It is
said, and certainly with great truth, that not only individuals,
but even nations, only quarrel for want of a proper understand
ing ; but it may be affirmed in a more direct and positive sense,
that mankind in general are not disposed to love those to
whom they cannot easily communicate their ideas and impress
ions. Not only does their vivacity suffer, and their impatience
become inflamed, but self-love is offended as often as they
speak without being understood ; instead of which, a man ex
periences a real satisfaction in enjoying an advantage not pos
sessed by others, and of which he is authorised constantly to
avail himself. I have remarked during my residence in Ameri
ca, that those among our officers, who spoke English, were
much more disposed to like the inhabitants of the country, than
the others who were not able to .familiarize themselves with
the language. Such is in fact the procedure of the human
mind, to impute to others the contrarieties we ourselves expe
rience, and such, possibly, is the true origin of that disposition
we call humeur, which must be considered as a discontent of
which we cannot complain ; an interior dissatisfaction which
torments us, without giving us the right of attributing the cause
of it to any other person. Humeur or peevishness, seems to be
to anger, what melancholy is to grief; both one and the other
are of longer duration, because they have no fixed object, and
do not carry, so to speak, their compliment with them ; so that
never attaining that excess, that maximum of sensibility, which
brings on that repose, or change of situation which nature wills,
they can neither be completely gratified, nor exhale themselves
entirely. As for the Americans, they testified more surprise
than peevishness, at meeting with a foreigner who did not un
derstand English. But if they are indebted for this opinion to
a prejudice of education, a sort of national pride, that pride
suffered not a little from the reflection, which frequently oc
curred, of the language of the country being that of their op
pressors. Accordingly they avoided these expressions, " you
speak English ; you understand English well ;" and I have
* This is a very amiable young gentleman, and his father a great con
noisseur in prints and paintings. He was happy to have the opportu
nity of purchasing a complete collection of Hogarth s prints from the
Translator, then on his return to Europe. Trans,
326 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
often heard them say " you speak American well ; the Ame
rican is not difficult to learn." Nay, they have carried it even
so far, as seriously to propose introducing a new language ;
and some persons were desirous, for the convenience of the
public, that the Hebrew should be substituted for the English.
The proposal was, that it should be taught in the schools, and
made use of in all public acts. We may imagine that this pro
ject went no farther ; but we may conclude from the mere
suggestion, that the Americans could not express in a more en
ergetic manner, their aversion for the English.
This digression has led me far from the Souverain, where I
would return, however, with pleasure, were it not to take leave
of the Commander de Glanderes, and to experience a thick fog,
which compelled me to renounce an excursion I proposed ma
king in the harbour, and to get back to Boston as fast as possi
ble, without visiting Castle-Island, and Fort William. On
landing, the Marquis de Vaudreuil and I went to drink tea at
Mr. Cushing s, who is Lieutenant-Governor of the State ;
whence we went to Mr. Tudor s, and spent a very agreeable
evening. M. de Parois, nephew of M. de Vaudreuil, had
brought his harp, which he accompanied with great taste and
skill ; this was the first time, however, for three years, that I
had heard truly vocal and national music : It Was the first time
that my ear had been struck with those airs, and those words
which reminded me of the pleasures, and agreeable sentiments,
which employed the best era of my life. I thought myself in
heaven, or which is the same thing, I thought myself returned
to my country, and once more surrounded by the objects of my
affection.
On the 17th, I breakfasted with several artillery officers,
who had arrived with their troop ; that corps having greatly
preceded the rest of the infantry, in order to have time to em
bark their cannon, and other stores. At eleven I mounted my
horse, and went to Cambridge, to pay a visit to Mr. Willard,
the President of that University. My route though short, it be
ing scarce two leagues from Boston to Cambridge, required
me to travel both by sea and land, and to pass through a field
of battle and an intrenched camp. It has been long said that
the route to Parnassus is difficult, but the obstacles we have
there to encounter, are rarely of the same nature with those
which were in my way. A view of the chart of the road, and
town of Boston, will explain this better than the most elaborate
description. The reader will see that this town, one of the
most ancient in America, and which contains from twenty to
five and twenty thousand inhabitants, is built upon a peninsula
in the bottom of a large bay, the entrance of which is difficult,
and in which lie dispersed a number of islands, that serve still
TRAVELS UN AORTH-AMERICA. ^27
farther for its defence ; it is only accessible one way on the
land side, by a long neck or tongue of land, surrounded by the
sea on each side, forming a sort of causeway. To the north
ward of the town is another peninsula, which adheres to the
opposite shore by a very short rock, and on this peninsula is an
eminence called Bunker s hill, at the foot of which are the re
mains of the little town of Charlestown. Cambridge is situa
ted to the northwest, about two miles from Boston, but to go
there in a right line, you must cross a pretty considerable
arm of the sea, in which are dangerous shoals, and upon the
coast, morasses difficult to pass, so that the only communication
betweea the whole northern part of the continent, and the
town of Boston, is by the ferry of Charlestown, and that of Wi-
nissimmet. The road to Cambridge lies through the field of bat
tle of Bunker s hill. After an attentive examination of that
post, I could find nothing formidable in it ;* for the Americans
had scarcely time to form a breastwork, that is, a slight re
trenchment without a ditch, which shelters the men from mus
ket shot as high as the breast. Their obstinate resistance,
therefore, and the prodigious loss sustained by the English on
this occasion, must be attributed solely to their valour. The
British troops were repulsed on all sides, and put in such dis
order, that General Howe is said to have been at one time left
single in the field of battle, until General Clinton arrived with
a reinforcement, and turned the left of the American position
which was weaker and more accessible on that side. It was
then that General Warren, who was formerly a physician, fell,
and the Americans quitted the field, less perhaps from the su
periority of the enemy, than from knowing that they had ano
ther position as good, behind the neck which leads to Cam
bridge ; for, in fact, that of Bunker s hill was useful only in as
much as it commanded Charlestown ferry, f and allowed them
to raise batteries against the town of Boston. But was it ne
cessary to expose themselves to the destruction of their own
houses, #nd the slaughter of their fellow-citizens, only that
they might harass the English in an asylum which sooner
or later they must abandon ? Besides that, the Ameri-
* Bunker s hill is an eminence neither more steep, nor more diffi
cult of access than Primrose hill near Hampstead, in the neighbour
hood of London. Trans.
t A bridge of 1503 feet in length, and 42 in breadth, is just com
pleted (in 1786) between Boston and Charlestown, well lighted at
night with 40 lamps. This important work was executed by subscrip
tion. The greatest depth of the water is 46 feet nine inches, and the
least is 14 feet. Trans.
828 TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA.
cans could only occupy the heights of Bunker s hill, the sloops
and frigates of the enemy taking them in flank the instant they
descended from them. Such, however, was the effect of this
memorable battle, in every respect honourable for our allies,
that it is impossible to calculate the consequences of a com
plete victory.* The English who had upwards of eleven hun
dred men killed and wounded, in which number were seventy
officers, might possibly have lost as many more in their retreat ;
for they were under the necessity of embarking to return to
Boston, which would have been almost impracticable, without
the protection of their shipping ; the little army of Boston
would in that case have been almost totally destroyed, and the
town must of course have been evacuated. But what would have
been the result of this 9 Independence was not then decla
red, and the road to negociation was still open ; an accommo
dation might have taken place between the mother country
and her colonies, and animosities might have subsided. The
separation would not have been completed, England would
not have expended one hundred millions ; she would have pre
served Minorca and the Floridas nor would the balance of
Europe, and the liberty of the seas have been restored. For it
must in general be admitted, that England alone has reason to
complain of the manner in which the fate of arms has decided
this long quarrel.
Scarcely have you passed the neck which joins the peninsula
to the Continent, and which is hemmed in on one side by the
mouth of the Mystick, and on the other by a bay called Milk
pond, than you see the ground rising before you, and you dis
tinguish on several eminences the principal forts which defend
ed the entrenched camp of Cambridge. The left of this camp
was bounded by the river, and the right extended towards the
sea, covering this town which lay in the rear. I examined
several of these forts, particularly that of Prospect hill. All
these entrenchments seemed to me to be executed with intel
ligence ; nor was I surprised that the English respected them
the whole winter of 1776. The American troops, who guard
ed this post, passed the winter at their ease, in good barracks,
well flanked, and well covered; they had at that time abun
dance of provisions, whilst the English, notwithstanding their
communication with the sea, were in want of various essential
articles, particularly fire-wood and fresh meat. Their govern
ment, not expecting to find the Americans so bold and obsti-
* This attack on Bunker s hill took place in the time of the hay har
vest, and much execution was done among the British by some field-
pieces, and musketry concealed behind the cocks of hay. Trans.
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 329
mate, provided too late for the supply of the little army at Bos
ton. This negligence, however, they endeavoured to repair,
and spared nothing for that purpose, by freighting a great num
ber of vessels, in which they crowded a vast number of sheep,
oxen, hogs, and poultry of every kind; but these ships, sailing
at a bad season of the year, met with gales of wind in going
out of port, and were obliged to throw the greatest part of their
cargoes into the sea, insomuch that, it is said, the coast of Ire
land, and the adjoining ocean, were for some time covered
with herds, which, unlike those of Proteus, were neither able
to live amidst the waves, nor gain the shore. The Americans,
on the contrary, who had the whole continent at their disposal,
and had neither exhausted their resources, nor their credit,
lived happy and tranquil in their barracks, awaiting the suc
cours promised them in the spring. These succours were of
fered and furnished with much generosity by the southern pro
vinces ; provinces, with which, under the English government,
they had no connexion whatever, and which were more foreign
to them than the mother country. It was already a great mark
of confidence, therefore, on the part of the New-Englanders,
to count upon that aid which was offered by generosity alone :*
but who could foresee that a citizen of Virginia, who, for the
first time, visited these northern countries, not only should be
come their liberator, but should even know how to erect tro
phies, to serve as a base to the great edifice of liberty f Who
could foresee that the enterprise, which failed at Bunker s hill,
at the price even of the blood of the brave Warren, and that
of a thousand English sacrificed to his valour, attempted on
another side and conducted by General Washington, should
be the work only of one night, the effect of a simple manoau-
vre, of a single combination fr ? Who could foresee, in short,
that the English would be compelled to evacuate Boston, and
to abandon their whole artillery and all their ammunition,
without costing the life of a single soldier ?
To attain this important object, it was only necessary to oc
cupy the heights of Dorchester, which formed another penin
sula, the extremity of which is within cannon shot of Boston,
and in a great measure commands the port : but it required the
eye of General Washington to appreciate the importance of
this post ; it required his activity and resolution to undertake
to steal a march upon the English, who surrounded it with their
* Surely good policy had some share in the alacrity of these prof
fered succours, nor does this supposition, whilst it does credit to the
discernment, derogate from the generosity of the Virginians. Tu,
res agitur. paries cum proximus ardct ! Trans.
42
330 TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA.
shipping, and who could transport troops thither with the
greatest facility. But it required still more : nothing short of
the power, or rather the great credit he had already acquired
in the army, and the discipline he had established, were requi
site to effect a general movement of the troops encamped at
Cambridge, and at Roxbury, and carry his plan into execution,
in one night, with such celerity and silence, as that the English
should only be apprised of it, on seeing, at the break of day,
entrenchments already thrown up, and batteries ready to open
upon them. Indeed he had carried his precautions so far, as
to order the whips to be taken from the wagoners, lest their
impatience, and the difficulty of the roads might induce them
to make use of them, and occasion an alarm. It is not easy
to add to the astonishment naturally excited by the principal,
and above all, by the early events of this memorable war ; but
I must mention, that whilst General Washington was blocka
ding the English in Boston, his army was in such want of pow
der as not to have three rounds a man ; and that if a bomb-
ketch had not chanced to run on shore in the road, containing
some tons of powder, which fell into the hands of the Ameri
cans, it would have been impossible to attempt the affair of
Dorchester ; as without it, they had not wherewithal to serve
the batteries proposed to be erected.
I apprehend that nobody will be displeased at this digres
sion ; but should it be otherwise, I must observe, thatin a very
short excursion I had made to Boston, eighteen months before,
having visited all the retrenchments at Roxbury and Dorches
ter, I thought it unnecessary to return thither, and I was the
less disposed to it from the rigour of the season, and the
short time I had to remain at Boston. But how is it possible
to enter into a few details of this so justly celebrated town,
without recalling the principal events which have given it re
nown 1 But how, above all, resist the pleasure of retracing
every thing which may contribute to the glory of the Ameri
cans, and the reputation of the illustrious Chief? Nor is this
straying from the temple of the Muses, to consider objects
which must long continue to constitute their theme. Cam
bridge is an asylum worthy of them ; it is a little town inhabit
ed only by students, professors, and the small number of ser
vants and workmen whom they employ. The building desti
ned for the university is noble and commanding, though it be
not yet completed ; it already contains three handsome halls
for the classes, a cabinet of natural philosophy., and instru
ments of every kind, as well for astronomy, as for the sciences
dependant on mathematics; a vast gallery, in which the library
is placed, and a chapel corresponding with the grandeur and
magnificence of the other parts of the edifice. The librarv,
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 331
which is already numerous, and which contains handsome edi
tions of the best authors, and well bound books, owes its rich
ness to the zeal of several citizens^ who, shortly before the war,
formed a subscription, by means of which they began to send
for books from England. But as their fund was very moderate,
they availed themselves of their connexions with the mother
country, and, above all, of that generosity which the English in
variably display whenever the object is, to propagate useful know
ledge in any part of the world. These zealous citizens not only
wrote to England, but made several voyages thither in search
of assistance, which they readily obtained. One individual
alone made them a present to the amount of 500 sterling ; I
wish I could recollect his name, but it is easy to discover it.*
It is inscribed in letters of gold over the compartment con
taining the books which he bestowed, and which form a parti
cular library. For it is the rule, that each donation to the
university shall remain as it was received, and occupy a place
apart; a practice better adapted to encourage the generosity
of benefactors, and to express gratitude, than to facilitate the
librarian s labour, or that of the students. It is probable there
fore, that as the collection is augmenting daily, a more com
modious arrangement will be adopted.
The professors of the university live in their own houses,
and the students board in the town for a moderate price. Mr.
Willard, who was just elected President, is also a member of
the academy of Boston, to which he acts as Secretary of the
foreign correspondence. We had already had some inter
course with each other, but it pleased me to have the opportu
nity of forming a more particular acquaintance with him ; he
unites to great understanding and literature, a knowledge of
the abstruse sciences, and particularly astronomy. I must here
repeat, what I have observed elsewhere, that in comparing our
universities arid our studies in general, with those of the Ame
ricans, it would not be our interest to call for a decision of
* The Translator is happy in being able to supply this deficiency,
by recording the respected name of the late THOMAS HOLLIS, Esq. ;
a truly eminent citizen of England, who, in every act of his public
and private life, did honour to his illustrious name, to his country, and
to human nature. One of his ancestors too, of the same name, found
ed, in this same college, a professorship for the mathematics and natu
ral philosophy, and ten scholarships for students in these and other
sciences, with other benefactions, to the amount of little less than
.5000 sterling. Public virtue, and private accomplishments seem to
be hereditary in this family ; Mr. Thomas Brand Hollis, the inheritor of
this fortune, pursuing the footsteps of his excellent predecessors
passilus ffiquis. Trans.
332 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
the question, which of the two nations should be considered
as an infant people.
The short time I remained at Cambridge allowed me to see
only two of the professors, and as many students, whom I either
met with, or who came to visit me at Mr. Willard s. I was
expected to dine with our Consul, Mr. de le Tombes, and I was
obliged to hurry, for they dine earlier at Boston than at Phila
delphia. I found upwards of twenty persons assembled, as
well French officers, as American gentlemen, in the number of
whom was Doctor Cooper, a man justly celebrated, and not
less distinguished by the graces of his mind, and the amiable-
ness of his character, than by his uncommon eloquence, and
patriotic zeal. He has always lived in the strictest intimacy
with Mr. Hancock, and has been useful to him on more than one
occasion. Among the Americans attached by political inte
rest to France, no one has displayed a more marked attention
to the French, nor has any man received from nature a charac
ter more analogous to their own. But it was in the sermon he
delivered, at the solemn inauguration of the new constitution
of Massachusetts, that he seemed to pour forth his whole soul,
and develop at once all the resources of his genius, and every
sentiment of his heart. The French nation, and the monarch
who governs it, are there characterized and celebrated with
equal grace and delicacy. Never was there so happy, and so
poignant a mixture of religion, politics, philosophy, morality,
and even of literature. This discourse must be known at Pa
ns, where I sent several copies, which I have no doubt will be
eagerly translated. I hope only that it will escape the avidi
ty of those hasty writers, who have made a sort of property of
the present revolution ; nothing, in fact, is more dangerous
than these precipitate traders in literature, who pluck the fruit
the moment they have uny hopes of selling it, thus depriving
us of the pleasure of enjoying it in its maturity. It is for a
^allust and a Tacitus alone, to transmit in their works, the ac
tions and harangues of their contemporaries ; nor did they
write till after some great change in affairs had placed an im
mense interval between the epocha of the history they trans
mitted, and that in which it was composed ; the art of printing
too, being then unknown, they were enabled to measure, and
to moderate, at pleasure, the publicity they thought proper to
give to their productions.
Doctor Cooper, whom I never quitted without regret, propo
sing to me to drink tea with him, I accepted it without diffi
culty. He received me in a very small house, furnished in the
simplest manner, every thing in it bore the character of a mo
desty which proved the feeble foundation of those calumnies so
industriously propagated by the English, who lost no occasion
TRAVELS IN NORTH- AM ERIC A. &&
of insinuating that his zeal for the Congress and their allies had
a very different motive from patriotism and the genuine love of
liberty.* A visit to Mrs. Tudor, where Mr. de Vaudreuil and I
had again the pleasure of an agreeable conversation, interrupt
ed from time to time by pleasing music, rapidly brought round
the hour for repairing to the club. This assembly is held every
Tuesday, in rotation, at the houses of the different members
who compose it ; this was the day for Mr. Russel,f an honest
merchant, who gave us an excellent reception. The laws of
the club are not straitening, the number of dishes for supper
alone are limited, and there must be only two of meat, for sup
per is not the American repast. Vegetables, pies, and espe
cially good wine, are not spared. The hour of assembling is
after tea, when the company play at cardsj converse and read
the public papers, arid sit down to table between nine and ten.
The supper was as free as if there had been no strangers, songs
were given at table, and a Mr. Stewart sung some which were
very gay, with a tolerable good voice.
The 19th the weather was very bad, and I went to breakfast
with Mr. Broom, where I remained some time, the conversation
being always agreeable and unrestrained. Some officers who
called upon me, having taken up the rest of the morning, I at
length joined Mr. de Vaudreuil to go and dine with Mr. Gushing.
The Lieutenant-Governor, on this occasion, perfectly supported
* Mr. John Temple finding himself detected, and ill received at,
Boston, wa the undoubted author of these calumnies against Doctor
Cooper, who had nobly dared to warn his countrymen against his insi
dious attempts to disunite the friends to liberty, under the mask of zeal
and attachment to America. He dared, contrary to the decisive evi
dence of a long series of pure disinterested public conduct in the hour
of danger, when Mr. Temple was a skulking, pensioned refugee in
England, more than to insinuate, that Doctor Cooper, and Mr. Han
cock, that martyr to the public cause, were actually in pay of the
French court ; but if ever there could be a doubt entertained of such
characters, founded on the assertions of such a man, his subsequent
conduct has irrefragably proved, that as the calumny was propagated
by him, so the suggestion must have originated in his own heart. Let
not the Anglo-American Consul-General to the United States complain.
Historical justice will overtake both him and Arnold. It is a condition
in the indenture of their bargain. Trans.
I The translator had the pleasure of being acquainted with the son
of Mr. Russel and his friend VVinthrop, in France and Holland. He
had the good fortune likewise to meet with the latter at Boston. He
takes a pride in mentioning these amiable young men, as they cannot
fail of becoming valuable members of a rising country, which attracts
the attention of the world. Trans.
S34 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
the justly acquired reputation of the inhabitants of Boston, of
being friends to good wine, good cheer, and hospitality. After
dinner he conducted us into the apartment of his son, and his
daughter-in-law, with whom we were invited to drink tea. For
though they inhabited the same house with their father, they
had a separate household, according to the custom in America ;
where it is very rare for young people to live with their parents,
when they are once settled in the world. In a nation which is
in a perpetual state of increase, every thing savours of that ge
neral tendency ; every thing divides and multiplies. The sen
sible and amiable Mrs. Tudor was once more our centre of
union, during the evening, which terminated in a familiar and
very agreeable supper at young Mrs. Bowdoin s. Mr. de Pa-
rois, and Mr. Dumas sung different airs and duets, and Mrs.
Whitmore undertook the pleasure of the eyes, whilst they sup
plied the gratification of our ears.
The 20th was wholly devoted to society. Mr. Broom gave
me an excellent dinner, the honours of which were performed
by Mrs. Jarvis and her sister, with as much politeness and at
tention as if they had been old and ugly. I supped with Mr.
Bowdoin, where I still found more handsome women assembled.
If I do not place Mrs. Temple, Mr. Bowdoin s daughter, in the
number, it is not from want of respect, but because her figure is
so distinguished as to make it unnecessary to pronounce her tru
ly beautiful ; nor did she suffer in the comparison with a girl of
twelve years old, who was formed however to attract attention.
This was neither a handsome child nor a pretty woman, but
rather an angel in disguise of a young girl ; for I am at a loss
otherwise to express the idea which young persons, of that age,
convey in England and America ; which, as I have already said,
is not, among us, the age of beauty and the graces. They
made me play at whist, for the first time since my arrival in
America. The cards were English, that is, much handsomer
and dearer than ours, and we marked our points with louis-
d ors, or six-and-thirties ; when the party was finished, the loss
was not difficult to settle ; for the company was still faithful to
that voluntary law established in society from the commence
ment of the troubles, which prohibited playing for money du
ring the war. This law, however, was not scrupulously ob
served in the clubs, and parties made by the men among
themselves. The inhabitants of Boston are fond of high play,*
* It is with real concern the translator adds, that gaming is a vice
but too prevalent in all the great towns, arid which has been already
attended with the most fatal consequences, and with frequent suicide.
Trans.
TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA. 335
and it is fortunate, perhaps, that the war happened when it did,
to moderate this passion which began to be attended with dan
gerous consequences.
On Thursday the 21st there fell so much snow as to deter
mine me to defer my departure, and Mr. Brick, who gave a
great dinner to Mr. d Aboville, and the French artillery officers,
understanding that I was still at Boston, invited me to dine,
whither I went in Mr. de Vaudreuil s carriage. Mr. Barrel
came also to invite me to tea, where we went after dinner ;
and, as soon as we were disengaged, hastened to return to Mrs.
Tudor s. Her husband,* after frequently whispering to her, at
length communicated to us an excellent piece of pleasantry of
her invention, which was a petition to the queen, written in
French, wherein, under the pretext of complaining of Mr. dc
Vaudreuil and his squadron, she bestowed on them the most
delicate and most charming eulogium. We passed the re
mainder of the evening with Mr. Brick, who had again invited
us to supper, where we enjoyed all the pleasures inseparable
from his society. I had a great deal of conversation with Doc
tor Jarvis, a young physician, and also a surgeon, but what
was better, a good whig, with excellent views in politics.
When Mr. D Estaing left Boston, the sick and wounded were
entrusted to his care, and he informed me, that the sick, who
were recovering fast, in general relapsed, on removing them
from the town of Boston, where they enjoyed a good air, to
Roxbury, which is an unhealthy spot, surrounded with marshes.
The physicians in America pay much more attention than ours
to the qualities of the atmosphere, and frequently employ
change of air as an effectual remedy.
* Mr. Tudor is the gentleman who has so frequently distinguished
himself by animated orations on the annual commemoration of some
of the leading events of this civil war.
CHAPTER HI.
PROVIDENCE HARTFORD LITCHFIELD FISHKILL NEWBURGH
CHESTER WARWICK SUSSEX MORAVIAN MILL EASTON
BETHLEHEM PHILADELPHIA.
THE 22d I set out at ten o clock, after taking leave of Mr.
Vaudreuil, and having had reason to be satisfied with him, and
the town of Boston. It is inconceivable how the stay of the
squadron has contributed to conciliate the two nations, and
to strengthen the connections which unite them. The virtue of
Mr. de Vaudreuil, his splendid example of good morals, as well
as the simplicity and goodness of his manners, an example fol
lowed, beyond all hope and belief, by the officers of his squa
dron, have captivated the hearts of a people, who though now
the most determined enemies to the English, had never hither
to been friendly to the French. I have heard it observed a
hundred times at Boston, that in the time even of the greatest
harmony with the mother country, an English ship of war ne
ver anchored in the port without some violent quarrels between
the people and the sailors ; yet the French squadron had been
there three months without occasioning the slightest difference.
The officers of our navy were every where received, not only
as allies, but brothers ; and though they were admitted by the
ladies of Boston to the greatest familiarity, not a single indis
cretion, not even the most distant attempt at impertinence ever
disturbed the confidence, or innocent harmony of this pleasing
intercourse.
The observations I have already made on the commerce of
New-England, render it unnecessary to enter into any particu
lar details on that of the town of Boston. I shall only mention
a vexation exercised towards the merchants ; a vexation still
more odious than that I have spoken of relative to Mr. Tracy,
and of which I had not the smallest suspicion, until Mr. Brick
gave me a particular account of it. Besides the excise and
license duties mentioned above, the merchants are subject to
a sort of tax on wealth, which is arbitrarily imposed by twelve
assessors, named indeed by the inhabitants of the town ; but as
the most considerable merchant has only one vote any more
than the smallest shopkeeper, it may be imagined how the in-
ferests of the rich are respected by this committee. These
TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA. 337
twelve assessors having full power to tax the people according
to their ability, they estimate, on a view, the business transact
ed by each merchant, and his probable profits. Mr. Brick, for
example, being agent for the French navy, and interested be
sides in several branches of commerce, among others in that of
ensurance, they calculate how much business he may be sup
posed to do, of which they judge by the bills of exchange he
endorses, and by the policies he underwrites, and according to
their valuation, in which neither losses nor expenses are reckon
ed, they suppose him to gain so much a day ; and he is con
sequently subjected to a proportionable daily tax. During the
year 1781, Mr. Brick paid no less than three guineas and a half
per day. It is evident that nothing short of patriotism, and
above all, the hope of a speedy conclusion to the war, could
induce men to submit to so odious and arbitrary an impost ;
nor can the patience with which the commercial interest in
general, and Mr. Brick in particular, bear this burthen, be too
much commended.
The 22d I went, without stopping, -to Wrentham, where I
slept, and reached Providence to dinner the 23d ; where I
found our infantry assembled, and waiting till the vessels were
ready to receive them. Here I remained six days, during
which I made an excursion of four and twenty hours to visit
my old friends at Newport.
The 30th I left Providence, with Messrs. Lynch, Montes
quieu, and de Vaudreuil, and slept at Voluntown. The next
day Mr. Lynch returned to Providence,* and we separated
with mutual regret. The same day, the 1st of December, we
stopped at Windham to rest our horses, and slept at White s
tavern at Andover, near Bolton. The 2d 1 got to breakfast at
Hartford where I staid two or three hours, as well to arrange
many particulars relative to the departure of my baggage, as
to pay a visit to Mrs. Wadsworth. Mr. Frank Dillon, who
had come to me at Providence, where he remained a day long
er than me, joined me here. From hence we went to Farm-
ington, where we arrived as night was coming on, and alight
ed at an inn kept by a Mr. Wadsworth, no relation of the Colo-
* Mr Lynch, who was aid-Major-Genera], and designed to be em
ployed under the orders of the Baron de Viornenil, embarked with the
troops. Mr. de Taleyrand was determined to follow them as a simple
volunteer, and, assuming the uniform of a soldier in the regiment of
Soissonnois, he marched into Boston in the ranks of the company of
Chasseurs. This company embarked in the same vessel with the Comte
de Seijur, then Colonel en second of the Soissonnois ; and Mr. de Ta
leyrand remained attached to it till his return to Europe.
43
338 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
nel s ; but with whom I had lodged a month before, when OH
the march with my division. Mrs. Lewis hearing of my arrival,
sent her son to offer me a bed at her house, which I declined
with a promise of breakfasting with her the next morning ; but
in a quarter of an hour, she called on me herself, accompanied
by a militia Colonel, whose name I have forgot, and supped with
us. The 3d, in the morning, I visited Mr. Pitkin the minister,
with whom I had lodged the preceding year, when the French
army was on its march to join General Washington on the
North river. He is a man of an extraordinary turn, and rather
an original, but is neither deficient in literature nor informa
tion. His father was formerly Governor of Connecticut ; he
professes a great regard for the French, and charged me, half
joking, and half in earnest, to give his compliments to the king,
and tell him that there was one Presbyterian minister in Ame
rica on whose prayers he might reckon. I went to breakfast
with Mrs. Lewis, and at ten set out for Litchfield. The roads
were very bad, but the country is embellished by new settle
ments, and a considerable number of houses newly built, seve
ral of which were taverns. It was four when we arrived at
Litchfield, and took up our quarters at Shelding s tavern, a
new inn, large, spacious, and neat, but indifferently provided.
We were struck with melancholy on seeing Mr. Shelding send
a negro on horseback into the neighbourhood to get something
for our supper, for which, however, we did not wait long, and
it was pretty good.
The 4th we set out at half past eight, and baited at Wash
ington, after admiring a second time the picturesque prospect
of the two falls, and the furnaces, halfway between Litchfield
and Washington. Nor was it without pleasure that I observed
the great change two years had produced in a country at that
time wild and desert. On passing through it two years before,
there was only one miserable alehouse at this place ; at pre
sent we had the choice of four or five inns, all clean and fit to
lodge in. Morgan s passes for the best, but through mistake
we alighted at another, which I think is not inferior to it. Thus
has the war, by stopping the progress of commerce, proved
useful to the interior of the country ; for it has not only obli
ged several merchants to quit the Coasts, in search of peace
able habitations in the mountains, but it has compelled com
merce to have recourse to inland conveyance, by which means
many roads are now frequented which formerly were but little
used. It was five in the afternoon when I arrived at Moor-
house s tavern. In this journey, I passed the river at Bull s
works, and having again stopped to admire the beauty of the
landscape, I had an opportunity of convincing myself that my
former eulogium is not exaggerated. The river, which was
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 339
swelled by the thaw, rendered the cataract still more sublime ;,
but a magazine of coals having fallen down, in some measure
destroyed the prospect of the furnaces. On this occasion I
had not much reason to boast of the tavern. Colonel Moor-
house, after whom it was named, no longer kept it, but had re
signed it to his son, who was absent, so that there were none
but women in the house. Mr. Dillon, who had gone on a lit
tle before, had the greatest difficulty in the world to persuade
them to kill some chickens ; our supper was but indifferent,
and as soon as it was over, and we had got near the fire, we saw
these women, to the number of four, take our place at table, and
eat the remainder of it, with an American dragoon, who was sta
tioned there. This gave us some uneasiness for our servants,
to whom they left in fact a very trifling portion. On asking-
one of them, a girl of sixteen, and tolerably handsome, some
questions the next morning, I learnt that she, as well as her
sister, who was something older, did not belong to the family ;
but that having been driven by the savages from the neighbour
hood of Wyoming, where they lived, they had taken refuge in
this part of the country, where they worked for a livelihood,
and that being intimate with Mrs. Moorhouse, they took a plea
sure in helping her, when there were many travellers ; for this
road is at present much frequented. Observing this poor girl s
eyes filled with tears in relating her misfortune, I became more
interested, and on desiring farther particulars, she told me that
her brother was murdered, almost before her eyes, and that she
had barely time to save herself on foot, by running as fast as
she could ; that she had travelled in this manner fifty miles,
with her feet covered with Wood, before she found a horse. In
other respects she was in no want, nor did she experience any
misery. That is a burthen almost unknown in America. Stran
gers and fugitives, these unfortunate sisters had met with suc
cours. Lodgings, and nourishment, are never wanting in this
country ; clothing is more difficult to procure, from the dear-
ness of stuffs ; but for this they strive to find a substitute by
their own labour. I gave them a Louis to buy some articles of
dress with ; my aid-de-camp, to whom I communicated the
story, made them a present likewise ; and this little act of mu
nificence being soon made known to the mistress of the house,
obtained us her esteem, and she appeared very penitent for
having shown so much repugnance to kill her chickens.
The 5th we set out at nine, and rode without stopping, to
Fishkill, where we arrived at half past two, after a four and
twenty miles journey through very bad roads. I alighted at
Boerorn s tavern, which I knew to be the same I had been at
two years before, and kept by Mrs. Egremont. The house was
changed for the better, and we made a very good supper. We
340 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
passed the North river as night came on, and arrived at si.t
o clock at Newburgh, where I found Mr. and Mrs. Washing
ton, Colonel Tilgham, Colonel Humphreys, and Major Walker,
The head quarters of Newburgh consist of a single house,
neither vast nor commodious, which is built in the Dutch fash
ion. The largest room in it (which was the proprietor s par
lour for his family, and which General Washington has con
verted into his dining room) is in truth tolerably spacious, but
it has seven doors, and only one window. The chimney, or
rather the chimney back, is against the wall ; so that there is
in fact but one vent for the smoke, and the fire is in the room
itself. I found the company assembled in a small room which
served by way of parlour. At nine supper was served, and
when the hour of bedtime came, I found that the chamber, to
which the General conducted me, was the very parlour I speak
of, wherein he had made them place a camp-bed. We assem
bled at breakfast the next morning at ten, during which inter
val my bed was folded up, and my chamber became the sitting-
room for the whole afternoon ; for American manners do not
admit of a bed in the room in which company is received, es
pecially when there are women. The smallness of the house,
and the difficulty to which I saw that Mr. and Mrs. Washing
ton had put themselves to receive me, made me apprehensive
lest Mr. Rochambeau, who was to set out the day after me, by
travelling as fast, might arrive on the day that I remained there.
I resolved therefore to send to Fishkill to meet him, with a re
quest that he would stay there that night. Nor was my pre
caution superfluous, for my express found him already at the
landing, where he slept, and did not join" us till the next morn
ing as I was setting out. The day I remained at head-quarters
was passed either at table or in conversation. General Hand,
Adjutant-General, Colonel Reed of New-Hampshire, and Ma
jor Graham dined with us. On the 7th I took leave of General
Washington, nor is it difficult to imagine the pain this sepa
ration gave me ; but I have too much pleasure in recollecting
the real tenderness with which it affected him, not to take a
pride in mentioning it. Colonel Tilghman got on horseback
to show me, in the road, the barracks that serve as winter
quarters for the American army, which were not quite finished,
though the season was already far advanced, and the cold very
severe. They are spacious, healthy, and well-built, and con
sist in a row of log-houses containing two chambers, each in
habited by eight soldiers when complete, which makes com
monly from five to six effectives ; a second range of barracks
is destined for the non-commissioned officers. These barracks
are placed in the middle of the woods, on the slope of the hills,
and within reach of water ; as the great object is a healthy and
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 341
convenient situation ; the army are on several lines, not exact
ly parallel with each other. But it will appear singular in Eu
rope, that these barracks should be built without a bit of iron,
not even nails, which would render the work tedious and diffi
cult, were not the Americans very expert in putting wood to
gether. After viewing the barracks, I regained the high road;
but passing before General Gates house, the same that Gene
ral Knox inhabited in 1780, I stopped some time to make a
visit of politeness. The remainder of the day I had very fine
weather, and I stopped and baited my horses at an inn in the
township of Chester. In this inn I found nothing but a woman,
who appeared good and honest, and who had charming chil
dren. This route is little peopled, but new settlements are
forming every day. Before we reached Chester we passed by
a bridge of wood, over a creek, called Murderer s river, which
falls into the North river, above New-Windsor, on the other
side of Chester ; I still kept skirting the ridge of mountains
which separates this country from the Clove. Warwick, where
I slept, a pretty large place for so wild a country, is twelve
miles from Chester, and twenty-eight from Newburgh ; I lodg
ed here in a very good inn kept by Mr. Smith, the same at
whose house I had slept two years before atCkeat, which was
much inferior to this. The American army having, for two
years past, had their winter quarters near West-Point, Mr.
Smith imagined, with reason, that this road would be more fre
quented than that of Paramus, and he had taken this inn of a
Mr. Beard, at whose house we stopped next day to breakfast.
The house had been given up to him with some furniture, and
he had upwards of one hundred and fifty acres of land belong
ing to it, for the whole of which he paid seventy pounds, (cur
rency) making about one hundred pistoles. I had every rea
son to be content both with my old acquaintance and the new
establishment.
The next morning, the 7th, we set out before breakfast, and
the snow began to fall as soon as we got on horseback, which
did not cease till we got to Beard s tavern. This house was
not near so good as the other, but the workmen were busy in
augmenting it. On inquiring of Mr. Beard, who is an Irishman,
the reason of his quitting his good house at Warwick to keep
this inn, he informed me. that it was a settlement he was form
ing for his son-in-law, and that as soon as he had put it in or
der, he should return to his house at Warwick. This Mr.
Beard had long lived as a merchant at New-York, and even
sold books, which I learnt from observing some good ones at
his house, among others. Human Prudence, which I purchased
of him. It ceased snowing at noon, and the weather modera
ted ; but in the afternoon it returned in blasts, for which, how-
342 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
ever, I was indemnified by the beautiful effect produced by the
setting sun amidst the clouds, its rays being reflected on the
east, and forming a sort of parhelion. Towards the evening
the weather became very cold, and we reached Sussex an hour
before dark, and took up our lodgings at Mr. Willis . The
fire being riot well lighted in the room intended forme, I step
ped into the parlour where I found several people who appear
ed to be collected together upon business ; they had, accord
ing to custom, drank a good quantity of grog, one of them,
called Mr. Archibald Stewart, smelt pretty strong. A conver
sation took place among us, and Mr. Poops, formerly aid-de
camp to General Dickinson, and at present a rich landholder
in the Jerseys, having learnt that I was going to Bethlehem,*
or imagining so from the questions I asked about the roads,
very obligingly invited me to come the next day and sleep at
his house. His house is on the banks of the Delaware, twenty-
six miles from Sussex, thirteen from Easton, and twenty-four
from Bethlehem. At first I had some difficulty in accepting
his offer, from the apprehension one naturally has of being
straitened oneself, or of straitening others. He insisted, how
ever, so strongly, and assured me so often that I should find no
inn, that I partly promised to lie at his house the following
night. These gentlemen, and he in particular, gave me every
necessary information ; and, as I was desirous of seeing Mora
vian Mill,f a village situated near Easton, four miles above
Sussex, he directed me to Mr. Calver, who keeps a sort of an
inn there. The company went away, and we passed a very
agreeable evening by a good fire, hugging ourselves at not be
ing exposed to the severe cold we experienced on stirring out
of the house. We were also well content with our landlord,
Mr. Willis, who seemed to be a gallant man, and very conver-
sible. He was born at Elizabethtown, but has been sixteen
years settled at Sussex. Thus does population advance into
the interior parts, and go in search of new countries.
I set out the 8th a little before nine, the weather being ex
tremely cold, and the roads covered with snow and ice ; but
on quitting the Ridge, and turning towards the west, by de
scending from the high mountains to lower ground, we found
the temperature more mild, and the earth entirely free. We
* Bethlehem is a sort of colony founded by the Moravian brethren,
frequently called Hcrrenhuter. It was to see this establishment, and
the town of Easton and the Upper Delaware that I quitted the ordi
nary route, which leads from New- Windsor to Philadelphia.
t This is a property they have purchased in the neighbourhood of
Bethlehem.
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
arrived at half past eleven at the Moravian Mill, and, on stop
ping at Mr. Calver s, found that Mr. Poops had announced our
coming, and that breakfast was prepared for us.* This fresh
attention on his part, encouraged me to accept his offer for the
evening. As soon as we had breakfasted, Mr. Calver, who had
treated us with an anxiety and respect, more German than
American, served us by way of conductor, and led us first -to
see the saw-mill, which is the most beautiful, and the best con
trived I ever saw. A single man only is necessary to direct
the work, the same wheels which keep the saw in motion, serve
also to convey the trunks of trees from the spot where they are
deposited to the workhouse, a distance of twenty-five or thirty
toises ; they are placed on a sledge, which sliding on a groove,
is drawn by a rope which rolls and unrolls on the axis of the
wheel itself. Planks are sold at six shillings, Pennsylvania cur
rency (about three shillings and four-pence sterling) the hun
dred ; if you find the wood, it is only half the money, and the
plank in that case is sawed for one farthing per foot.f This
* The Moravian sect is pretty generally known in Europe. They
are the followers of the famous Count Zinzendorjf,* whose picture they
have at Bethlehem ; they have several establishments in Europe, simi
lar to those the Marquis is about to speak of, one of which I have seen
at Ziest, near Utrecht, where Louis the XlVth took up his quarters,
but America seems to be the promised land of sectaries. Even the
despised, ill-treated Jews, are well received in the United States, and
begin to be very numerous ; many of them were excellent citizens du
ring the severe trial of the war, and some even lost their lives as sol
diers, gallantly righting for the liberties of their country. One family,
in particular, I believe of the name of Salvador, at Rhode-Island, was
most eminently distinguished. What a glorious field is this for unpre
judiced philanthrophic speculation ! Trans.
t It is remarked, that on the lands within reach of the Moravian
settlements, the cultivation is superior, and every branch of husbandry
* The following account of the Moravians is taken from a translation Irona the
German, of an account of that body, by the Reverend B. La Trobe. The sect
of the Unitas fratrum, more commonly known by the names of Herrenhuters and
Moravians, was at first formed by Nicholas Lewis, Count of Zinzendorff, at Bar-
theldorf in Upper Lusatia, in the year 1722. Finding his followers increase, par
ticularly from Moravia, he built a house in a wood near Bartheldorf for their pub
lic meetings : and, before the end of the year 1732, this place grew into a village,
which was called Herrenhuth, and contained about six hundred inhabitants, all of
them following Zinzendorff, and leading a kind of monastic life. From this time
the sect has spread its branches from Germany, through all the Protestant states hi
Europe, made considerable establishments on the continent of America, and West
ern Isles, and extended itself to the East-Indies, and into Africa. In England,
Moravian congregations are formed at London, Bedford, Oakbrook near Derby,
Pudsey near Leeds, Dunkerfield in Cheshire, Leominster, Haverford West, Bris
tol, Kingswood, Bath, and Tetherton." Their settlements are becoming very nu
merous too, but not their population, in all the different states in the American
union. Trans.
344 TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA.
mill is near the fall of a lake which furnishes it with water. A
deep cut is made in a rock to form a canal for conducting the
waters to the corn-mill, which is built within musket-shot of the
former; it is very handsome, and on the same plan with that
of Mrs. Bowling at Petersburgh, but not so large. From the
mill I went to the church, which is a square building, contain
ing the house of the minister. The place where the duty is
performed, and which may properly be called the church, is on
the first floor, and resembles the Presbyterian meeting- houses,
with this difference, that there is an organ and some religious
pictures.* This house of prayer, so singularly placed, remind
ed me of a story I heard at Boston. Divine service was for
merly celebrated there in one of their places of worship, where
the faithful were not assembled, it is true, on the first floor, but
which, like this, contained the minister s house, below which
is better carried on, first, from the emulation excited by these industri
ous people, and secondly, from the supply the countryman procures
from them of every necessary implement of husbandry. &c. fabricated
in these settlements. Besides those the Marquis speaks of, 1 visited
some others, not far from Bethlehem, at one of which, called Naza
reth, is a famous gunsmith, from whom my friend Major Pierce Butler,
bought a pair of pistols, many of which I saw there of the most per
fect workmanship. Nothing can be more enchanting than these esta
blishments ; out of the sequestered wilderness they have formed well
built towns, vast edifices all of stone, large orchards, beautiful and re
gular shaded walks in the European fashion, and seem to combine with
the most complete separation from the world, all the comforts and even
many of the luxuries of polished life. At one of their cleared-out set
tlements, in the midst of a forest between Bethlehem and Nazareth,
possessing all the advantages of mills and manufactures, I was astonish
ed with the delicious. sounds of an Italian concerto, but my surprise was
still greater on entering a room where the performers turned out to be
common workmen of different trades, playing for their amusement.
At each of these places, the brethren have a common room, where vio
lins and other instruments are suspended, and always at the service of
such as choose to relax themselves, by playing singly, or taking a part
in a concert. Trans.
* The Moravians appear to me to be a sect between the Methodists
and the Catholics ; at Nazareth, I met with an old Gloucestershire
man, who came to America with the late Mr. Whitfield, with whom I
had much conversation, and who told me that that gentleman was
much respected, both living and dead, by the Moravians ; but, indeed,
besides that, their hymns resemble much those of our Methodists, by
spiritualizing even the grossest carnal transactions ; I found that they
all spoke of him as one of their own sect, but utterly disclaimed Mr.
Wesley. They are very fond of pictures representing the passion, to
which they pay a respect little short, if at all, of idolatry. Their car-
TRAVELS UN" NORTH-AMERICA. 345
were cellars. The pastor, a very learned man in other respects,
besides his spiritual functions, carried on a trade in wine ; that
is to say, a great deal of it went out of his cellar, but not a
drop ever entered it. A simple negro servant he had, used to
say, that his master was a great saint, for that he employed
him every year in rolling into his cellar a number of casks of
cider, over which, when he had preached and prayed a few
Sundays, they were converted into wine.
On coming out of church I perceived Mr. Poops, who had
taken the trouble to come and meet me. We mounted on
horse back together, and after passing through a tolerably fertile
valley, in which are some beautiful farms, chiefly Dutch, and
well cultivated fields, we arrived in the evening at his house.
It is a charming settlement, consisting of a thousand acres of
land, the greatest part of which is in tillage, with a fine corn-
mill, a saw-mill, and distillery. The manor house is small, but,
neat and handsome. He conducted us into a parlour, where
we found Mrs. Poops his wife, Mrs. Scotland his mother-in-
law, and Mr. Scotland his brother-in-law. Mrs. Poops has a
pleasing countenance, somewhat injured by habitual bad health,
her behaviour is that of an accomplished woman, and her con
versation amiable. The evening was spent very agreeably,
partly in conversation, and partly at play. I had some con
versation also with Mr. Scotland, a young man who though
but six and twenty, has made three campaigns, as Captain of
artillery, and is now a lawyer of great practice. I have al
ready observed that this is the most respectable, and most lu
crative profession in America. He told me that he usually re
ceived, for a simple consultation, four dollars, and sometimes
haJfa joe; (thirty-sij: shillings sterling) and when the action
is commenced, so much is paid for every writ, and every deed,
for in America lawyers act likewise in the capacity of notaries
and attornies. I had much pleasure in conversing with Mr.
Poops, who is a man of good education, well informed, and ac
tive, and concerned in a variety of business, which he conducts
nal allusions are fully verified in the following hymn taken from one of
their books in the Moravian chapel at Pudsey in Enaland, in 1773, an
allusion than which nothing can be more infamous and shocking.
" And she so blessed is,
She gives him many a kiss :
Fix d are her eyes on him ;
Thence moves her every limb ;
. And since she him so loves,
She only with him moves :
His matters and his blood
Appear her only good." Trans.
44
346 TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA.
with great intelligence. He had been employed in the com
missary s department when General Green* was Quarter-Mas
ter-General, and made extraordinary exertions to supply the
;irmy, which rendered him so obnoxious to the tories, that he
was for a long time obliged to remain armed in his house, which
he bairicaded every night. The supper was as agreeable as
the preceding part of the evening ; the ladies retired at eleven,
und we remained at table till midnight. Mr. Poops brother
arrived as we were at the desert ; he appeared to me a sensi
ble man, he had married in Virginia the daughter of Colonel
Fims, who had espoused one of his sisters. He was now a
widower.
The next day, the 10th of December, we breakfasted with
the ladies, and set out at half past ten ; Mr. Poops accompa
nying me to Easton, where he had sent to prepare dinner. I
should have preferred my usual custom of making my repast
at the end of my day s journey, but it was necessary for a little
complaisance to return the civilities I had received. Two
miles from the house of Mr. Poops, we forded a small river, and
travelled through an agreeable and well cultivated country.
Some miles before we came to Easton, we passed over a height
from whence one discovers a vast tract of country, and among
others, a chain of mountains which Mr. Poops desired us to re
mark. It forms a part of that great chain which traverses all
America from south to north. f He pointed out to us two hia
tus, or openings, resembling two large doors or windows,
through one of which flows the river Delaware ; the other is a
gap leading to the other side of the mountains, and is the road
to Wyoming, a pass become celebrated by the march of Gene
ral Sullivan in 1779.J Before we got to^Easton, we passed in
* The Gazettes have just announced the death of General Green.
In him America has lost one of her best citizens, and most able sol
diers. It is his greatest eulogium to say, that he stood high with Gene
ral Washington, who recommended him to Congress, and that he
amply justified the opinion entertained of him by that great, good man.
Trans.
t These are called the Kittatinny mountains. For an account of
this hiatus, or gap, see Mr. Charles Thompson s Observations on Mr.
Jefferson s Notes on Virginia, under the account of the National
Bridge. Trans.
| See the first part of this Journal, where the author gives an ac
count of his conversations with General Schuyler. In whatever man
ner this expedition was set on foot, which took place in 1779, after the
evacuation of Philadelphia, and the diversion made by d Estaing s
squadron, the greatest difficulty to surmount was, the long march to be
TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA. 347
ferry boats, the eastern branch of the Delaware ; for this town
is situated on the fork formed by the two branches of that river.
It is a handsome though inconsiderable town, but which will
probably enlarge itself on a peace, when the Americans no
longer under apprehensions from the savages, shall cultivate
anew the fertile lands between the Susquehannah and the De
laware. Mr. Poops took us to the tavern of Mr. Smith, who is
at once an innkeeper arid lawyer. He has a handsome library,
and his son, whom Mr. Poops presented to me on my arrival,
appeared to be a well educated and well informed young man.
I invited him to dinner, as well as another youth who boarded
with him, a native of Dominica, who had come to complete his
studies among the Americans, to whom he seemed much more
attached than to the English. He had made choice of Easton
as more healthy, and more peaceable than the other towns of
America, and found all the necessary instruction in the lessons
and the books of Mr. Smith. As they knew of my coming, we
did not wait long for dinner, and at half past three we got on
horseback, Mr. Poops being still so good as to accompany me
a mile or two, to obtain my permission for which, he pretend
ed that there was a cross road where I might lose myself. At
length we parted, leaving me penetrated with gratitude for his
numerous civilities. Before I lost sight of Eastow I stopped
made through woods, deserts, and morasses, conveying all their pro
visions on beasts of burthen, and being continually exposed to the
attacks of the savages. The instructions given by General Sullivan to
his officers, the order of march he prescribed to the troops, and the
discipline he had the ability to maintain, would have done honour to
the most experienced among ancient or modern Generals. It may
safely be asserted, that the Journal of this expedition would lose no
thing in a comparison with the famous retreat of the ten thousand,
which it would resemble very much, if we could compare the rnanceu-
vres, the object of which is attack, with those which have no other
than the preservation of a forlorn army. General Sullivan, after a
month s march, arrived without any check, at the entrenched camp,
the last refuge of the savages ; here he attacked them, and was recei
ved with great courage, insomuch that the victory would have remain
ed undecided, had not the Indians lost many of their Chiefs in battle,
which never fails to intimidate them, and retreated during the night.
The General destroyed their houses and plantations, since which they
have never shown themselves in a body. However slight and insuffi
cient the idea may be that I have given of this campaign, it may, ne
vertheless, astonish our European military men, to learn that General
Sullivan was only a lawyer in 1775, and that in the year 1780 he quit
ted the army to resume his profession, and is now civil Governor of
New-Hampshire.
348 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
upon a hill, from whence I admired, for some time, the pictu
resque coup d ceil presented by the two branches of the Dela
ware,* and the confused and whimsical form of the mountains,
through which they pursue their course. When I was satisfi
ed with the spectacle, it was necessary to push forward to reach
Bethlehem before night, and we travelled the eleven miles in
two hours, but not before the day was closed. f We had no
difficulty in finding the tavern, for it is precisely at the entrance
of the town.
This tavern was built at the expense of the Society of Mo
ravian Brethren, to whom it served formerly as a magazine, and
is very handsome and spacious.^ The person who keeps it is
* In travelling over this hill, the Translator stopped near an hour to
view this noble and enchanting prospect, with which it is impossible to
satiate the eye. Nothing can be more delightful than the town and
neighbourhood of Easton. Trans.
t The first time I visited Bethlehem was from Philadelphia, and after
travelling^two days through a country alternately diversified with sa
vage scenes and cultivated spots, on issuing out of the woods at the
close of the evening, in the month of May, found myself on a beautiful
extensive plain, with the vast eastern branch of the Delaware on the
right, richly interspersed with wooded islands, and at the distance of a
mile in the front of the town of Bethlehem, rearing its large stone edi
fices out of a forest, situated on a majestic, but gradually rising emi
nence, the back ground formed by the setting sun. So novel and un
expected a transition filled the mind with a thousand singular and sub
lime ideas, and made an impression on me, never to be effaced. The
romantic and picturesque effect of this glorious display of natural beau
ties, gave way to the still more noble and interesting sensations, arising
from a reflection on the progress of the arts and sciences, and the sub
lime anticipation of the " populous cities," and " busy hum of men,"
which are one day to occupy, and to civilize the vast wildernesses of
the new world. Trans.
| This inn, for its external appearance, and its interior accommo
dations, is not inferior to the best of the large inns in England, which,
indeed, it very much resembles in every respect. The first time I was
at Bethlehem, in company with my friends Major Pierce Butler, Mr.
Thomas Elliot, and Mr. Charles Pinkney, Carolina gentlemen, we re
mained here two or three days, and were constantly supplied with ve
nison, moor game, the most delicious red and yellow bellied trout, the
highest flavoured wild strawberries, the most luxuriant asparagus, and
the best vegetables, in short, I ever saw ; and notwithstanding the diffi
culty of procuring good wine and spirits at that period, throughout
the continent, we were here regaled with rum and brandy of the best
quality, and exquisite old Port and Madeira. It was to this house
that the Marquis de la Fayette retired, to be cured of the first wound
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 349
only the cashier, and is obliged to render an account to the ad
ministrators. As we had already dined, we only drank tea,
but ordered a breakfast for the next morning at ten o clock.
The landlord telling me there was a growse, or heath bird, in
the house, I made him bring it, for I had long had a great de
sire to see one. I soon observed that it was neither the Poule
de Pharaon, nor the heath cock ; it was about the size of a
pheasant, but had a short tail, and the head of a capon, which
it resembles also in the form of its body, and its feet were co
vered with down. This bird is remarkable for two large trans
verse feathers below his head : the plumage of his belly is a
mixture of black and white, the colour of his wings of a red
grey, like our grey partridges. When the growse is roasted,
his flesh is black like that of a heath cock, but it is more de
licate, and has a higher flavour.*
I could not derive much information from my landlord on the
origin, the opinions, and manners of the society, but he inform
ed me that I should next day see the ministers and administra
tors, who would gratify my curiosity, The llth, at half past
eight, I walked out with a Moravian, given me by the landlord,
but who was likewise ill informed, and only served me as a
fuide.f He was a seaman, who imagines he has some talents
3r drawing, and amuses himself with teaching the young peo-
he received in fighting for America ; an accident, which I am well as
sured gave this gallant young nobleman more pleasure than most of
our European petits maitres would receive from the most flattering
proofs of the favour of a mistress. Mr. Charles Pinkney, whom I
have above mentioned, is a young gentleman at present in Congress
for South Carolina, and who, from the intimate knowledge I have of
his excellent education and strong talents, will, I venture to predict,
whenever he pleases to exert them, stand forth among the most emi
nent citizens of the new confederation of Republics. It is my boast
and pride to have co-operated with him, when he was only at the age
of twenty, in the defence of the true principles of liberty, and to have
seen productions from his pen, which, in point of composition, and of
argument, would have done honour to the head and heart of the most
experienced and most virtuous politician. Should the present work
ever fall into his hands, let him recognize in this just tribute to his
worth, an affectionate friend, who, knowing his abilities, wishes to ex
cite him to exertion, in the noble, but arduous field before him.
Trans,
* This bird must be what we call the black or grey game, and not
what is known by the name of growse in England. Trans.
I Our company was much more fortunate, Major Butler having ob
tained letters from Philadelphia to Mr. Van Vleck, a man of property,
living here, but formerly of New- York. Trans.
350 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
le, having quitted the sea since the war, where, however, he
ad no scruple in sending his son.* He subsists on a small es
tate he has at Reading, but lives at Bethlehem, where he and
his wife board in a private family. We went first to visit the
house for single women. This edifice is spacious, and built with
stone. It is divided into several large chambers, all heated
with stoves, in which the girls work, some coarse work, such
as spinning cotton, hemp, and wool, others works of taste and
luxury, such as embroidery, either in thread, or silk, and they
excel particularly in working ruffles, little pocket-books, pin
cushions, &c. like our French nuns. The superintendent of the
house came to receive us. She is a woman of family, born in
Saxony ; her name is Madame de Gastorff ; but she does not
presume upon her birth, and appeared surprised at my giving
her my hand, as often as we went up and down stairs.f She
conducted us to the first floor, where she made us enter a large
vaulted apartment, kept perfectly clean, in which all the wo
men sleep, each having a bed apart, in which is plenty of fea
thers. J There is never any fire in this room, and though it be
very high and airy ; a ventilator is fixed in the roof like those
in our play-houses The kitchen is not large, but it is clean,
and well arranged ; in it there are immense earthen pots, upon
furnaces, as in our hospitals. The inhabitants of the house
dine in the refectory, and are served every day with meat and
* It is remarkable enough, that the son of this Moravian, whose
name is Garrison, should have served on board a vessel with me, and
was, without exception, the most worthless profligate fellow we had in
a mixed crew of English, Scotch, Irish, and Americans, to all of whom
his education had been infinitely superior. Neither bolts nor bars
could prevent, nor any chastisement correct, his pilfering disposition.
In a long winter s voyage of thirteen weeks, with only provisions and
water for five, this fellow was the bane and pest of officers, passen
gers, and seamen. Whilst every other man in the ship, even the most
licentious in prosperity, submitted to regulations laid down to alleviate
our dreadful sufferings, and preserve our lives, this hardened, unre
flecting wretch, ignorant of every feeling of sympathy and human na
ture, seemed to take a savage delight in diffusing misery around him,
and adding to the distresses of his fellow sufferers. He had been well
educated in the humane principles of the Moravians, but he truly veri
fied the just adage of Corruptio optimi pessima. Trans.
t When the Translator visited Bethlehem, the superintendent, or at
least her deputy, was a Mrs. Langley, a very mild pretty behaved Eng
lish woman, who had been a follower of George Whitfield. Trans.
| The Americans in general are remarkably fond of very large soft
feather beds, even in the hottest climates, and we suffered greatly in
this particular, at the inn at Bethlehem. Trans.
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 351
vegetables ; they have three shillings and sixpence currency
per week, about fourpence per day, to the common stock, but
they have no supper, and I believe the house furnishes only
bread for breakfast. This expense, and what they pay for fire,
and candle deducted, they enjoy the produce of their labour,
which is more than sufficient to maintain them. This house
also has a chapel, which serves only for evening prayer, for
they go to their church on Sundays. There is an organ in this
chapel, and I saw several instruments suspended upon nails.
We quitted Madame de Gastorff well pleased with her recep
tion, and went to the church, which is simple, and differs little
from that we had seen at Moravian mill. Here also are several
religious pictures. From hence we went to the house of the
single men. I entered the intendant s apartment, whom I found
employed in copying music. He had in his room an indiffer
ent forte piano , made in Germany. I talked with him on mu
sic, and discovered that he was not only a performer, but a
composer. So that on his accompanying us to the chapel, and
being asked to touch the organ, he played some voluntaries, in
which he introduced a great deal of harmony, and progressions
of base. This man, whose name I have forgot, is a native of
New- York, but resided seven years in Germany, whence he
had lately arrived. I found him better informed than those I
had yet met with, yet it was with some difficulty that I got from
him the following details : The Moravian brethren, in what
ever quarter of the world they live, are under the discipline of
their metropolitans, who reside in Germany,* from whence
commissaries are sent to regulate the different establishments,
The same metropolitans advance the sums necessary for form
ing them, which are paid in proportion as these colonies pros
per ; thus the revenue of the mills I have spoken of, as well as
the farms and manufactures of Bethlehem, are employed in the
first instance to pay the expenses of the community, and after
wards to reimburse the sums advanced in Europe. Bethle
hem, for example, possesses a territorial property, purchased
by the Moravians in Europe, which consists of fifteen hundred
acres of land, forming a vast farm, which is managed by a
steward, who accounts for it to the community. If an indivi
dual wants a lot of land, he must purchase it of the public,
but under this restriction, that in case of defection from the
* The Moravians maintain a constant intercourse with Germany in
particular, of which country those in America are chiefly natives, and
think nothing of a voyage to Europe. Governor Joseph Reed, of
Philadelphia, had a son here, learning the German language, when T
was at Bethlehem. Trans.
352 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
sect, or emigration from the place, he shall restore it to the
community, who will reimburse him the original payment.
As to their opinions, this sect resembles more the Lutherans,
than the Calvinists ; differing, however, from the latter, by ad
mitting music, pictures, &c. into their churches, and from the
former, by having no bishops, and being governed by a Synod.*
Their police, or discipline, is of the monastic kind, since they
recommend celibacy, but without enjoining it, and keep the wo
men separate from the men. There is a particular house also,
for the widows, which I did not visit. The two sexes being
thus habitually separated, none of those familiar connexions
exist between them, which lead to marriage ; nay, it is even
contrary to the spirit of the sect, to marry from inclination. If
a young man finds himself sufficiently at his ease to keep
house for himself, and maintain a wife and children, he pre
sents himself to the commissary, and asks for a girl, who (after
consulting with the superintendent of the women) proposes
one to him, which he may, in fact, refuse to accept ; but it is
contrary to the custom to choose a wife for himself. Accord
ingly, the Moravian colonies have not multiplied, in any pro
portion, to the other American colonies. That at Bethlehem
is composed of about six hundred persons, more than half of
whom live in a state of celibacy ; nor does it appear that it
has increased for several years. Every precaution is taken to
provide for the subsistence of their brethren, and in the houses
destined for the unmarried of both sexes, there are masters
who teach them different trades.
The house of the single men which I saw in detail, does not
differ from that of the women ; I shall only take notice of a
very convenient method they have of awakening those who
wish to be called up at any given hour ; all their beds are num
bered, and near the door is a slate, on which all the numbers
are registered. A man who wishes to be awakened early, at
five o clock in the morning for example, has only to write a
figure of 5 under his number ; the watchman who attends the
chamber, observes this in going his rounds, and at the hour ap
pointed, the next morning goes straight to the number of the
bed without troubling himself about the name of the sleeper.
Before I left the house, I mounted on the roof, where there
is a Belvidere, from whence you see the little town of Bethle
hem, and the neighbourhood ; it is composed of seventy or
eighty houses, and there are some others belonging to the co-
* I do not speak with confidence, but am inclined to think that they
have bishops, at least a person was pointed out to us at Bethlehem,
under that denomination. Trans.
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 353
lony at the distance of a mile or two ; they are all handsome
and built with stone.* Every house has a garden cultivated
with care. In returning I Was curious to see the farm-house,
which is kept in good order, but the inside was neither so clean,
nor so well kept as in the English farm-houses, because the
Moravians are still more barbarous than their language. At
length at half past ten I returned to the inn, where I was ex
pected by my moor fowl^ two woodhens, and many other good
things, so that I was still better satisfied with my breakfast
than with my walk.f At twelve we set out to travel twenty
miles farther, to Kalf s tavern, a German house very poor and
filthy. We had passed the eastern branch of the Delaware
a mile from Bethlehem ;J there is ^neither town nor village on
the road, but the burghs to which the scattered houses we saw,
belonged, are called Socconock and Springfield. The 12th I
breakfasted at Montgomery, twelve miles from Kalf s tavern,
and passing Whitemarsh and Germantown, we arrived towards
five at Philadelphia.
* From this Belvidere the view is beautifully romantic, and
other objects on the eastern side of the Delaware, you see a cultiva
ted farm formed out of an immense wood and near the summit of a
lofty mountain, which I likewise visited, and every step of which gives
you the idea of enchanted ground. Besides the particular gardens to
each private house, there is a large public walk belonging to the com
munity, nay, the church-yard itself is a gay scene of beauty and regu
larity, the verdant turf being clad in summer with strawberries and
flowers. Trans.
t Notwithstanding the good cheer at the tavern, the author, and 1
hope the reader, will pardon me for not crediting this declaration.
Trans.
| The eastern branch of the Delaware which passes by Bethlehem,
and forms a junction with the western at Easton, is here called the
Lecha. There is an excellent ferry over this rapid stream, of which I
have spoken in the first volume. The Moravians among an infinity of
other ingenious inventions, have a large hydraulic machine in the mid
dle of the town which is at a great height from the river for raising
the water to supply the inhabitants. Trans.
45
354 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA,
Description of the Natural Bridge, called in Virginia, Rocky
Bridge.
ON my return from my journey in Upper Virginia, I regretted
not having been able to take the dimensions of the Natural
Bridge.* I was anxious that some person, who was at once a
* So interesting an object coukl not escape the curiosity and obser
vations of Mr. Jefferson.* He had measured the height and breadth
of the Natural Bridge, of which he speaks in art excellent memoir,
composed in 1781, a few copies of which he printed under the modest
title of Notes upon Virginia, or rather without any title, for this work
has never been made public. We hope, however, the precious docu
ments on natural philosophy, as well as politics, contained in that work,
will not be lost to the public. A well known man of letters! has made
use of them, and we recommend the perusal of a work, which will
speedily make its appearance under the title of Observations on Vir
ginia.
* The following is Mr. Jefferson s account of the Natural Bridge alluded to in
this note, which I am happy in being able to lay before the reader : " The Natural
Bridge, the most sublime of nature s works, is on the ascent of a hill, which seems
to have been cloven through its length by some great convulsion. The fissure,
just at the bridge, is by some admeasurements 270 feet deep, by others only 205.
It is about 45 feet wide at the bottom, and 90 feet at the top ; this of course deter
mines the length of the bridge, and its height from the water. Its breadth in the
middle is about 60 feet, but more at the ends, and the thickness of the mass at the
summit of the arch, about 40 feet. A part of this thickness is constituted by a coat
of earth, which gives growth to many large trees. The residue, with the hill on
both sides, is one solid rock of limestone. The arch approaches the semi-elliptical
form ; but the larger axis of the ellipses, which would be the chord of the arch, is
many times longer than the transverse. Though the sides of the bridge are pro
vided in some parts with a parapet of fixed rocks, yet few men have resolution to
walk to them, and look over into the abyss. You involuntarily fall on your hands
and feet, creep to the parapet, and look over it. Looking down from this height
about a minute, gave me a violent head-ache. If the view from the top be painful
and intolerable, that from below is delightful in the extreme. It is impossible for
the emotions arising from the sublime to be felt beyond what they are here : on the
sight of so beautiful an arch, so elevated, so light, and springing as it were up to
heaven, the rapture of the spectator is really indescribable ! The fissure rontinu-
ing narrow, deep, and strait for a considerable distance above and below the bridge,
opens a short but very pleasing view of the North Mountain on one side, and Blue
Ridge on the other, at the distance each of them of about five miles. This bridge
is in the county of Rockbridge, to which it has given name, and affords a public and
commodious passage over a valley, wlvch cannot be crossed elsewhere for a consi
derable distance. The stream passing under it is called Cedar creek. It is a wa
ter of James river, and sufficient, in the dryest seasons, to turn a grist mill, though
its fountain is not more than two miles above. 1 Trans.
t Monsieur De Meunier, in his new article of Etats Unis in the last Livraison
of La Nouvelle Encyclopedic, and the Abbe de Morlaix, who is translating their
into French. Trans.
TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA. 355
designer and geometrician, should undertake an expedition to
the Apalachians for that sole object, and that he should be pro
vided with the instruments necessary for accomplishing it with
accuracy. No man was more capable of this than the Baron
de Turpin, Captain in the royal corps of Genie ; for in him
were united all those branches of knowledge, which are carried
to so great a height in the corps to which he belongs, with the
talent of designing with as much facility as precision ; besides
which, he was well enough acquainted with the English lan
guage to dispense with an interpreter. I proposed, therefore,
to the Comte de Rochambeau, to charge him with this commis
sion, which I was confident he would acquit with pleasure.
The general thought that it would be rendering a fresh service
to the Americans, to make them acquainted with one of the won
ders which render their country celebrated, and that itwould be
pleasant enough for Frenchmen to be the first to give them a
precise idea and a correct plan of it. The Baron de Turpin
set out, therefore, in the beginning of May, and in three weeks
brought me back five plans. Two of them present perspectives,
taken from the two sides of the Natural Bridge, and from the
bottom of the valley from whence it springs. The third, a
bird s-eye view, and represents a part of the country in which
it is. The two others being supposed sections of this bridge
where it holds by the bank, and which may be considered as its
abutment. As to the dimensions, they are as follows, as given
me by M. de Turpin: .
" The Natural Bridge forms an arch of fifteen toises (six feet
English) in length, of that species we denominate the cow s
horn : the chord of this arch is seventeen toises at the head of
Amont, and nine at that of Aval, and the right arch is the seg
ment of an ellipse, so flat that the small axis is only a twelfth
of the large one. The mass of rock and stone which loads
this arch is forty-nine feet solid on the key of the great centre,
and thirty-seven on that of the small one ; and as we find about
the same difference in taking the level of the hill, it may be
supposed that the roof is on a level, the whole length of the
key. It is proper to observe, that the live rock continues also
the whole thickness of the arch, and that on the opposite side
it is only twenty-five feet wide, in its greatest breadth, and be
comes gradually narrower.
" The whole arch seems to be formed of one and the same
stone, for the joints which one remarks at the head of Amont,
are the effect of lightning, which struck this part in 1779; the
other head has not the smallest vein, and the iiitrados is so
smooth, that the martins, which fly round it in great numbers,
cannot fasten on it. The abutments, which have a gentle
35G TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
slope, are entire ; and, without being absolute planes, have all
the polish which a current of water would give to unhewn stone
in a certain time. The four rocks adjacent to the abutments
seem to be perfectly homogeneous, and to have a very trifling
slope. The two rocks on the right bank of the rivulet are two
hundred feet high above the surface of the water, the intrados
of the arch one hundred and fifty, and the two rocks on the left
bank one hundred and eighty.
"If we consider this bridge simply as a picturesque object,
we are struck with the majesty with which it towers in the val
ley. The white oaks, which grow upon it, seem to rear their
lofty summits to the clouds ; whilst the same trees, which bor
der on the rivulet, appear like shrubs. As for the naturalist,
he must content himself with such observations as may guide
a more hardy philosopher to form some probable conjecture on
the origin of this extraordinary mass.
" From every part of the arch, and of its supporters, cubic
pieces of three or four lines dimension were taken, and placed
successively in the same aqua fortis ; the former were dissol
ved in less than half an hour ; the others required more time,
but this must be attributed to the diminution of strength of the
aqua fortis, which lost its activity in proportion as it became
saturated.
" We see that these rocks being of a calcareous nature, ex
clude every idea of a volcano, which besides cannot be recon
ciled with the form of the bridge and its adjacent parts. If it
be supposed that this astonishing arch is the effect of a current
of water, we must suppose likewise that this current has had
the force to break down, and carry to a great distance, a mass of
5000 cubic fathoms, for there remains not the slightest trace of
such an operation. The blocks found under the arch, and a
little below it, have their interior positions marked on the col
lateral pendants on the side of Jlval, and are occasioned by no
other demolition than that of the bridge itself, which is said
to have been one-third wider.
" The excavation of eight or ten inches, formed in the pied
droit, or supporter, on the left bank of the stream, under the
spring of the arch, lengthens it into the form of a crow s beak.
This decay, and some other parts which are blown up, give
reason to presume that this surprising edifice will one day be
come a victim of that time which has destroyed so many
others."
Such are the observations, the Baron de Turpin brought
back with him, and with which he was pleased to favour me.
As their accuracy may be relied on, perhaps it would be suffi
cient to transcribe them here, and leave the reader to exercise
his thoughts on the causes which could produce this sort of
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 357
prodigy. This was in fact the resolution I had taken, when,
abandoned to my own powers, of which I was justly diffident,
I was writing at Williamsburgh, and for myself alone, the jour
nal of my late expedition. A Spanish work, however, which
fell into my hands, confirmed, me in the opinion I at first had
entertained, that it was to the labour only of the Creator that
we owe the magnificent construction of the Natural Bridge.
The opinion of the Count de Buffon, whom I have since con
sulted, has left me no doubt upon the subject. His sublime
conceptions of the different epochs of nature should have
been sufficient to put me in the way ; but the disciple, who
knows how to do justice to himself, is timid, even in the appli
cation of his master s principles. But, whoever has travelled
in America, becomes a witness entitled to depose in favour of
that genius whose oracles frequently meet with too many oppo-
sers. If it be necessary to justify what the Montesquieus, the
Humes, the Voltaires have said on the fatal effects heretofore
produced by. superstition, by ignorance, and prejudice, we
might still, in surveying Europe, find whole nations which
would present to us the picture of what we were 300 years ago.
Nations, which are, so to speak, the contemporaries of past
ages, and the truth of historical facts would be demonstrated
by those to which we ourselves are witnesses. It is the same
in America with respect to the epoch of nature, and all the do
cuments of natural history. In visiting this part of the world,
you think yourself removed back a whole epoch ; the lower
grounds, the plains are watered by such large rivers, and inter
sected by so many creeks ; the coasts are so frequently divi
ded by gulfs, and arms of the sea, which seem to conduct the
waves to the very heart of the country, and to the very foot of
the mountains, that it is impossible not to be persuaded that all
this part of the continent is not of new creation, and produ
ced entirely by successive ebbings of the water. On the other
hand, if we observe that all the liigh mountains form long
chains parallel with each other, and almost in a direction
north and south ; that the greatest part of the rivers, which
fall into the ocean, take their origin in the narrow vallies
which separate these mountains, and that after following their
direction for a considerable space, they turn suddenly towards
the east, pierce the mountains, and at length reach the sea, ac
quiring magnitude as they proceed ; we shall be apt to think
ourselves, if not contemporaries, at least not far removed from
that epoch of nature, when the waters collected to an extra
ordinary height in hollow vallies, were striving to break down
their dykes, still uncertain of the means to be adopted for ma
king their escape ; we shall be led to think that the motion of
the earth on its axis, or the westerly winds, which in North-
358 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
America correspond with the trade winds of the Tropics, and
of which they are possibly the effect, have at length determi
ned the motion of the waters towards the east. In which
case, one of these two circumstances might happen ; either
that the waters having exceeded the heights of the least lofty
summits which opposed their passage, formed a sort of gutters,
by which the superfluity escaped ; or that unable to attain the
height of these mountains, they met with some softer parts of
the greater mass itself, which they first sapped, and then en
tirely penetrated. In the first case, if the declivity was very
steep, and the rock which served byway of apron Was very hard,
they would form a cataract, but where the declivity was less rapid,
and the soil less compact, the waters not only will have formed
the gutter which served them as a passage, but have overthrown
and hurried along with them the lands, forming them into long
glacis, which would lose themselves finally in the plains. Thus
Hudson river, the Delaware, the Potomac, James river, and
many others, have opened ways for themselves to the sea, by
piercing the mountains at angles, more or less approaching to
right angles, and forming, more or less, spacious vallies. In
the second case, the waters unable to pass the mountains, un
less below their summits, must have left above them a sort of
calotte, or arch, similar to that of the Natural Bridge. But
how many chances are there, both that these arches must fall
down after a certain time, especially when the beds of the
rivers becoming deeper and deeper, the burthen becomes too
weighty, and they have lost their bases !*
* Mr. Jefferson, in his excellent Notes on Virginia, seems to lean
to the system of Buffon, in the following- sublime and animated de
scription :
" The courses of the following great rivers of Virginia, says lie, are
at right angles with the long chain of mountains, known in the Euro
pean maps by the name of the Apalactiiari Mountains. James and
Potama penetrate through all the ridges of mountains eastward of the
Alleghany. That is, broken by no watercourse, it is in fact the spine
of the country between the Atlantic on one side, and the Mississippi and
St. Lawrence on the other. The passages of the Potomac through
the Blue Ridge is perhaps one of the most stupendous scenes in na
ture ; you stand on a very high point of land. On your right comes
up the Shenandoah, having ranged along the foot of the mountains an
hundred miles to seek a vent. On your left approaches the Potomac,
in quest of a passage also. In the moment of their junction they rush
together against the mountain, rend it asunder, and pass off to the sea.
The first glance of this scene hurries our senses into the opinion that
this earth had been created in time, that the mountains were formed
first, that the rivers began to flow afterwards, that in this place partlcu-
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. 359
Do we still doubt of the probability of this hypothesis^ Do
we wish for more striking tokens, more evident traces of the
operation of the waters, let us continue to travel in America ;
larly they have been dammed up by the Blue Ridge of mountains, and
have formed an ocean which filled the whole valley ; that continuing o
rise, they have at length broken over at this spot, and have torn the
mountain down from its summit to its base. The piles of rock on
each hand, but particularly on the Shenandoah, the evident marks of
their disrupture evulsion from their beds, by the most powerful agents
of nature, corroborate the impression. But the distant finishing which
nature has given to the picture, is of a very different character. It
is a true contrast to the fore ground. It is as placid and delightful as
that is wild and tremendous. For the mountain being cloven asunder,
she presents to your eye, through the cleft, a small catch of smooth
blue horizon, at an infinite distance in the plain country, inviting you,
as it were, from the riot and tumult roaring around, to pass through
the breach, and partake of the calm below. Here the eye ultimately
composes itself; and that way too the road happens actually to lead.
You cross the Potomac above the junction, pass along its side through
the base of the mountain for three miles, its terrible precipices hang
ing in fragments over you, and within about twenty miles reach
Frederictown, and the fine country round it. This scene is worth a
voyage across the Atlantic. Yet here, as in the neighbourhood of
the Natural Bridge, are people who have passed their lives within half
a dozen miles, and have never been to survey these monuments of a
war between rivers and mountains, which must have shaken the earth
itself to its centre."
Mr. Charles Thompson, Secretary to Congress, in an appendix to
Mr. Jefferson s work, adds the following remarks on the same subject.
The reader will pardon, I am confident, the length of these extracts
from a work so highly interesting, and which is not yet given to the
public.
u The reflections," says Mr. Thompson, " I was led into on view
ing this passage of the Potomac through the Blue Ridge were, that
this country must have suffered some violent convulsion, and that the
face of it must have been changed from what it was probably some cen
turies ago : that the broken and ragged faces of the mountain on each
side the river, the tremendous rocks which are left with one end fixed
in the precipice, and the others jutting out, and seemingly ready to
fall for want of support ; the bed of the river for several miles below
obstructed and filled with the loose stones carried from this mound ; in
short, every thing on which you cast your eye, evidently demonstrates
a disrupture and breach in the mountain, and that, before this happen
ed, what is now a fruitful vale was formerly a great lake or collection
of water, which possibly might have here formed a mighty cascade, or
had its vent to the ocean by the Susquehanna, where the Blue Ridge
seems to terminate. Besides this, there are other parts of this coun
try which bear evident traces of a like convulsion. From the best ac-
360 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
let us go into the vicinity of the Ohio, on the banks of the
river Kentucky ; we may there observe what follows, or rather
counts I have been able to obtain, the place where the Delaware now
flows through the Kittatinny mountain, which is a continuation of
what is called the North Ridge or Mountain, was not its original
course, but that it passed through what is now called, " The Wind
Gap," a place several miles to the westward, and above an hundred
feet higher than the present bed of the river. This Wind Gap is about
a mile broad, and the stones in it such as seem to have been washed
for ages by water running over them. Should this have been the
case, there must have been a large lake behind that mountain, and by
some uncommon swell of the waters, or by some convulson of nature,
the river must have opened its way through a different part of the
mountain, and meeting there with less obstruction, carried away with
it the opposing mounds of earth, and deluged the country below with
the immense collection of waters to which this passage gave vent.
There are still remaining, and daily discovered, innumerable instances
of such a deluge on both sides of the river, after it passed the hills
above the falls of Trenton, and reached the Champaign. On the New-
Jersey side, which is flatter than the Pennsylvania side, all the country
below Cresswick hills seems to have been overflowed to the distance of
from ten to fifteen miles back from the river, and to have acquired a
new soil by the earth and clay brought down and mixed with the native
sand. The spot on which Philadelphia stands evidently appears to be
made ground. The different strata through which they pass in dig
ging to water, the acorns, leaves, and sometimes branches which are
found above twenty feet below the surface, all seem to demonstrate
this.* I am informed that at Yorktown in Virginia, in the bank of
York river, there are different strata of shells and earth, one above an
other, which seem to point out that the country there has undergone
several changes, that the sea has for a succession of ages occupied the
place where dry land now appears, and that the ground has been sud
denly raised at various periods. What a change would it make in the
country below, should the mountains at Niagara, by any accident be
cleft asunder, and a passage suddenly opened to drain off the waters
of lake Erie and the upper lakes ! While ruminating on these subjects,
I have often been hurried away by fancy, and led to imagine that what
is now the bay of Mexico was once a champaign country, and that
from the point or cape of Florida, there was a continued range of
mountains through Cuba, Hispaniola, Porto Rico, Martinique, Gua-
daloupe, Barbadoes and Trinidad, till it reached the coast of Ameri
ca, and formed the shores which bounded the ocean and guarded the
* From an accurate topographical observation of the mountainous parts of Eng
land, aad other countries, on these principles, might we not be able to solve various
phenomena which present themselves in the plains bordering upon rivers, that is
to say, within reach of such a supposed overflow of waters ; the q uantity of large
solid oak timber, for example, found in Walker Colliery near Newcastle, on the
banks of the river Tyne,at the prodigious depth of 120 fathoms I, Trans.
Tit A V ELS UN NORTH- AMERICA. 361
what the recent historian of that country* has written. " Among
the natural curiosities of this territory, the winding banks, or
rather the precipice of Kentucky, and of the river Diek, merit
the first rank. The astonished eye beholds, almost on every
side, three or four hundred feet of a calcareous rock, perpendi
cularly cut ; in some places a beautiful white marble, curiously
shaped in arches or in columns, or piled upon a fine stone for
building. These precipices, as I have already observed, re
semble the sides of a deep trench, or a canal, the earth around
being level, except in the course of the rivulets, and co
vered with groves of red cedar ; you can only cross this river
at certain places, one of which is worthy of admiration : it is
a highway formed by the buffaloes, and wide enough for wa
gons, in a gentle slope, from the summit to the foot of a very
steep eminence, close to the river above Leestown."
But let us consult Don Joseph d Ulloa, already so celebrated
by his voyages ; he is the author of the above-mentioned Spa
nish book, entitled, Noticias Americanas, in which he gives very
curious and minute descriptions of all Spanish America. In
the article I am going to translate, he begins by remarking a
very sensible difference between the mountains in America,
situated under the torrid zone, and those we observe in other
parts of the globe ; for although the height of the latter be
often very considerable, as the ground rises gradually, and their
combined summits form immense countries, they who inhabit
them may be ignorant of their elevation above the level of the
sea ; whereas those of America being separated, and, so to
speak, cloven their whole height, give incessantly the idea, and
even the measure of their prodigious altitude. " In this part
of the world, adds he, the earth is intersected by profound
trenches (quebradas) of a very considerable width, since they
form the separation of the mountains from each other, and
form frequently an opening, of more than two leagues, at the
upper part of them. This space becomes contracted in pro
portion as they are mote or less profound ; and it is in the bot-
country behind : that by some convulsion or shock of nature the sea
had broken through these mounds and deluged that vast plain till it
reached the foot of the Andes ; that being there heaped up by the trade
winds, always blowing from one quarter, it had found its way back, as
it continues to do, through the gulf between Florida and Cuba, carry
ing with it the loom and sand which it may have scooped from the country
it had occupied, part of which it may have deposited on the shores of
North America, and with part formed the banks of the Newfoundland.
But these are only the visions of fancy." The Translator adds, but
they are the sublime visions of a great and enlightened mind. Trans.
* Mr. Filson, whose work is lately translated into French Trans.
40
3(52 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
torn of this kind of valleys that the rivers flow, which almost
regularly occupy the middle, leaving an equal extent of level
ground on each side of them. But what is most remarkable.
is, that the angles or sinuosities formed by these rivers, corres
pond perfectly with those we observe to the right and left in
the segments of these mountains ; so that if we could at once
bring together the two sides of these valleys, we should have a
solid mass, without any interruption. The rivers pursue their
course in these embankments, until they reach the plain, and
from thence the ocean. In this latter part of their career, their
bed is not deep, and their bottom is nearly on a level with the
sea. Thus it may in general be remarked, that the more lofty
the mountains of the Cordelliers, the more profound is the bed
of the rivers which flow through their valleys.
" In the province of Angaras, among the lusus natura^ with
which these countries abound, there is one which merits parti
cular attention. This province, which is a dependency of
Guancavelica, is divided into several departments ; in one of
these departments, called Conaica, is the small village of
Vinas, situated at nine leagues distance from Conaica. About
midway between them, is a mountain known by the name of
Corosunta : on arriving at the foot of this mountain, you enter
into a cleft, or if you will, an opening, through which flows the
rivulet of Chapllancas ; this rivulet enters an embankment the
breadth of which is from twenty to five and twenty feet, and its
height upwards of forty ; without being pe.rceptibly wider at
the superior than the inferior part. This gap, which is occu
pied in its whole width by the stream, forms the only commu
nication that exists between Vinas and Conaica. You can only
cross the river in those places where, as I have already said, the
opening is twenty feet broad, and you are obliged to cross it
nine times, taking advantage of those places where it departs
a little from the rock, which only happens where it has formed
some sinuosities ; for when its course is direct, it exactly fills
the opening through which it passes. This trench is formed
out of the live rock, and with so much regularity, that all the
prominent parts of one side, correspond perfectly with the re
cipient parts or indentures of the other in its whole height ;
insomuch that it might be taken for a canal cut expressly for
the passage of the water, and which had been executed with so
complete a symmetry, as that the two sides might exactly fit
each other, without leaving the smallest interstice between
them. There is no danger in travelling this road, for the rock
is too solid to give any apprehension of its crumbling, and the
small river is not rapid enough to endanger boats ; yet it is
difficult to suppress a sentiment of terror, on finding yourself
engaged in this narrow gap, the two sides of which,, from their
TRAVELS IN NORTH- AMERICA. 363
perfect correspondence, present the idea of a box half opened
for a moment, and always ready to close upon you.
" The cavity I have been describing is so much the more
worthy our observation, as it may be looked upon as a model,
or example of what the valleys of the Cordilleras have been,
when in their origin they did not exceed the depth of this ; for
their sides, which now form a gentle slope, were then doubtless
perpendicularly cut, and it was not until the waters undermined,
them to a great depth, that the upper parts being overloaded,
have successively crumbled down. This analogy is even con
firmed by the decay to be observed in the embankment formed
by the Chapllancas ; a waste occasioned by the slow and suc
cessive effect of the rains and frost, and the crevices produced
by the sun, but which are less sensible there than elsewhere,
because the rock is harder, more solid, and more continuous,
not being interrupted by any bed of earth, or other matter
easily to be dissolved or crumbled. Every thing, therefore,
leads to a conclusion, that the waters alone have formed this
canal in the form we now see it, and that they will continue to
augment its depth, since we know that time alone is sufficient
to reduce the hardest stone to a fine and almost imperceptible
sand, and that this progress is already discoverable from the
little fragments of stone visible at the bottom of the river, as
well as from those it carries to the plain ; when, finding a more
extensive range, it begins to enlarge its surface.
" Whether we attribute the origin of this canal to the fric
tion of the waters which have gradually deepened it, or whether
we suppose the mountain to have been rent asunder by an earth
quake, so as to open a new passage for this river which flowed
antecedently in another direction ; it is still certain that such
an aperture cannot have existed at the epocha immediately sub
sequent to the deluge. It is the same with respect to the lar
ger embankments of this kind, known by the name of quebra-
idas, and which are frequently to be met with in the upper part
of South-America. It is evident that they have been formed
equally by the labour of the waters ; for on the one hand, we
know that the rapidity of their current is capable of wrenching
off stones of an extraordinary size ; and on the other, we have
manifest proofs of the continual effort made by them to deepen
their bed, an effort the traces of which are discovered in the
huge blocks they have formed into the shape of dice, or cubes,
as often as the rocks oppose too much resistance to them to
admit of their dividing and clearing away the whole extent of
the bottom on which they exercise their activity. In the river
of Isuchaca, near the village of that name, is a large mass of
stone, of a regular square form, and each side of which may be
above five and thirty or forty feet. When the waters are low.
;tf>4 TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA.
it rises five and twenty feet above their level. But to account
ior the form of these large cubic masses, as well as of other
smaller ones, which are often to be found in the bed of rivers,
and which are all regularly shaped, we must suppose that the
waters have successively torn and wrenched off the rocks by which
they were surrounded, thus leaving them single, and isolated,
in their present form ; but this only until the beds of the rivers
becoming deeper and deeper, the waters meet at their bases
with some veins of earth or other matter easy of dissolution ;
for in that case you will undermine and unset them, (so to speak)
so as one day to displace them entirely and hurry them along.
These masses, once in motion, will shock either those on the
banks, those they meet with in the bed even of the river, which
breaking and being reduced to various masses of less dimension,
will be the more easily drifted. Such is without doubt the ori
gin of all those stones we see under the water, or on the banks,
some of which are very small, and others so enormous, that no
human effort is able to remove them. As to the extraordinary
profundity of those valleys or quebradas, one example will be
sufficient to give an idea of it. The town of Guanvelica is
built in a valley formed by different chains of mountains ; the
barometer there stands at eighteen inches, one line and a half
(this mean term is taken between eighteen inches and a quar
ter, and eighteen inches one third, which form the greatest va
riation of the barometer at that place ;) according to this height
of the mercury, the elevation above the level of the sea should
be 1949 toises. On the summit of the mountain in which is
the mine of Asogues, a spot still habitable, and which is itself
as much lower than other adjacent heights* as it is higher than
the town of Guanvelica, the mercury only stands at sixteen
inches just, which gives 2337 toises above the level of the sea,
and about 500 toises for the depth of the quebrada, or valley
of Guanvelica, which seems to be no other than the deepened
bed of the river we now see flowing through the middle of it."
After so many observations on the extraordinary effects of the
waters, have we not some foundation for supposing that the
Natural Bridge is also their production, and ought we not to
regard it as a sort of quebrada 9 When the valleys of the Apa-
lachians were only vast lakes, in which the waters were retain
ed prisoners, this little valley, whose depth they traverse, may
have served as a partial reservoir, wherein they have remained
even after those of the large valleys made their escape. The
mass of the rock out of which the Natural Bridge is excavated,
may have served them as a barrier, but whether it be that they
have not risen to the summit of the rock, or whether they suc
ceeded more easily in sapping the lower part of it, they will in
either case have left subsisting that immense gap which form
TRAVELS IN NORTH-AMERICA. tk>5
the arch such as we now see it. It would be useless, and per
haps rash, to endeavour minutely to explain the manner in which
the bending of this vault has been so regularly traced out ; but
the cause once understood, all the effects, however varied, and
however astonishing they may appear, must have the same ori
gin. We may observe besides, that the greatest bend of this
vault corresponds with the angle formed by the valley in this
place, insomuch that the rock seems to have been the more
worked upon, as the effort of the waters have been more con
siderable. However this may be, I leave every one at liberty
to form such conjectures as he pleases,* and as I have said
above, my design has been less to explain this prodigy of nature,
than to describe it with such accuracy as to enable the learned
to form a judgment on the subject.
* Mr. Jefferson, after speaking of the above passage of the Spanish
author, differs from him and from the Marquis de Chastellux, in their
reasoning on the probable causes of its production, as follows : " Don
Ulloa inclines to the opinion, that this channel has been effected by the
wearing of the water which runs through it, rather than that the moun
tain should have been broken open by any convulsion of nature. But
if it had been worn by the running of the water, would not the rocks,
which form the sides, have been worn plane ? or if, meeting in some
parts with veins of harder stone, the water had left prominences on one
side, would not the same cause have sometimes, or perhaps generally,
occasioned prominences on the other side also ? Yet Don Ulloa tells
us, that on the other side there are always corresponding cavities, and
that these tally with the prominences so perfectly, that were the two
sides to come together, they would fit in all their indentures, without
leaving any void. I think that this does not resemble the effect of run
ning water, but looks rather as if the two sides had parted asunder.
The sides of the break, over which is the Natural Bridge of Virginia,
consists of a veiny rock which yields to time, the correspondence be
tween the satient and re-entering inequalities, if it existed at all, has
now disappeared. This break has the advantage of the one described
by Don Ulloa in its finest circumstance, no portion in that instance
having held together, during the separation of the other parts, so as to
form a bridge over the abyss." Trans.
PART IV.
CORRESPONDENCE.
CHASTELLUX TO MADISON. WASHINGTON TO
CHASTELLUX.
I
CORRESPONDENCE.
LETTER I.
FROM THE MARQUIS DE CHASTELLUX, TO MR. MADISON,* PROFESSOR
OF PHILOSOPHY, IN THE UNIVERSITY OF WILLIAMSBURGH.
I HAVE not forgot, Sir, the promise 1 made you on leaving
Williamsburgh ; it reminds me of the friendship with which you
were pleased to honour me, and the flattering prejudices in
my favour, which were the consequences of it. I am afraid
that I have undertaken more than I am able to perform ; but I
shall at least address you in the language of sincerity, in the
sort of literary bankruptcy I am now about to make. By put
ting you in full possession of my feeble resources, however,
I may perhaps obtain a still further portion of that indulgence,
to which you have so frequently accustomed me. The subject
on which I rather thought of asking information from you, than
of offering you my ideas, would require long and tranquil me
ditation, and since I quitted Virginia, I have been continually
travelling, some times from duty with the troops, at others to
gratify my curiosity in the eastern parts of America, as far even
as New-Hampshire. But even had my time been subject to
less interruption, I am not sure that I should have been more
* Mr. Madison s son is a member of the Assembly, and has served in
Congress for Virginia. This young man, who at the age of 30 asto
nishes the new Republics by his eloquence, his wisdom, and his genius,
has had the humanity and the courage, (for such a proposition requires
no small share of courage) to propose a general emancipation of the
slaves, at the beginning of this year, 1786 : Mr. Jefferson s absence at
Paris, and the situation of Mr. Whythc, as one of the judges of the
state, which prevented them from lending their powerful support, oc
casioned it to miscarry for the moment, but there is every reason to
suppose that the proposition will be successfully renewed. As it is,
the assembly have passed a law declaring that there shall be no more
slaves in the Republic but those existing the first day of the session of
1785-6, and the descendants of female slaves. Trans.
47
370 CORRESPON DENCE.
capable of accomplishing your wishes. My mind, aided and
excited by yours, experienced an energy it has since lost ; and
if in our conversation, I have chanced to express some senti
ments which merited your approbation, it is not to myself that
they belonged, but to the party that spoke with Mr. Madi
son. At present I must appear in all my weakness, and with
this farther disadvantage, that I want both time and leisure, not
only to rectify my thoughts, but even to throw them properly
on paper. No matter ; I venture on the task, persuaded that
you will easily supply my unavoidable omissions, and that the
merit of this essay, if there will be any, will be completed by
yourself.
The most frequent object of our conversations was the pro
gress that the arts and sciences cannot fail of making in Ame
rica, and the influence they must necessarily have on manners
and opinions. It seems as if every thing relative to govern
ment and legislation ought to be excluded from such discus
sions, and undoubtedly a stranger, should avoid as much as
possible, treating matters of which he cannot be a competent
judge. But in the physical, as in the moral world, nothing
stands isolated, no cause acts single and independent. Whe
ther we consider the fine arts, and the enjoyments they pro
duce, as a delicious ambrosia the gods have thought proper
to partake with us, or whether we regard them as a dangerous
poison ; that liquor, whether beneficent or fatal, must always
be modified by the vessel into which it is infused. It is neces
sary therefore, to fix our attention for a moment on the politi
cal constitution of the people of America, and in doing this,
may I be permitted to recall a principle, I have established,
and developed elsewhere ;* which is, that the character, the
genius of a people, is not solely produced by the government
they have adopted, but by the circumstances under which they
were originally formed. Locke, and after him, Rousseau have
observed that that the education of man should commence from
the cradle, that is to say, at the moment when he is contract
ing his first habits ; it is the same with states. Long do we
discover in the rich and powerful Romans, the same plunder
ers collected by Romulus to live by rapine ; and in our days
the French, docile and polished, possibly to excess, still pre
serve the traces of the feudal spirit ; whilst the English amidst
their clamours against the royal authority, continue to manifest
a respect for the crown, which recalls the epoch of the con
quest, and the Norman government. Thus every thing that
is, partakes of what has been ; and to attain a thorough know-
* See the author s work de lafelidt e publique.
CORRESPONDENCE. 371
ledge of any people, it is not less necessary to study their histo
ry than their legislation. If then we wish to form an idea of
the American Republic, we must be careful not to confound
the Virginians, whom warlike as well as mercantile, and whose
ambitious as well as speculative genius, brought upon the con
tinent, with the New-Englanders, who owe their origin to en
thusiasm ; we must not expect to find precisely the same men
in Pennsylvania, where the first colonists thought only of keep
ing and cultivating the deserts, and in South-Carolina, where the
production of some exclusive articles fixes the general atten
tion on external commerce, and establishes unavoidable con
nexions with the old world. Let it be observed, too, that agri
culture which was the occupation of the first settlers, was not
an adequate means of assimilating the one with the other, since
there are certain species of culture which tend to maintain the
equality of fortune, and others to destroy it.
These are sufficient reasons to prove that the same princi
ples, the same opinions, the same habits, do not occur in all
the thirteen United States, although they are subject nearly to
the same force of government. For, notwithstanding that all
their constitutions are not similar, there is through the whole a
democracy, and a government of representation, in which the
people give their suffrage by their delegates. But if we choose
to overlook those shades, which distinguish this confederated
people from each other ; if we regard the thirteen states only
as one nation, we shall even then observe that she must long
retain the impression of those circumstances, which have con
ducted her to liberty. Every philosopher acquainted with
mankind, and who has studied the springs of human action,
must-be convinced that, in the present revolution, the Ameri
cans have been guided by two principles, whilst they imagined
they were following the impulse of only one. He will distin
guish, a positive and a negative principle, in their legislation,
and in their opinions. I call that principle, positive, which in
so enlightened a moment as the present, reason alone could
dictate to a people making choice of that government which
suited them the best ; I call that a negative principle which
they oppose to the laws and usages of a powerful enemy for
whom they had contracted a well founded aversion. Struck
with the example of the inconveniences offered by the English
government, they had recourse to the opposite extreme, con
vinced that it was impossible to deviate from it too much.
Thus a child who has met with a serpent in his road, is not
contented with avoiding it, but flies far from the spot where
he would be out of danger of his bite. In England, a septen
nial parliament invites the king to purchase a majority on
/o;y t-i
:572 CORRESPONDENCE.
which he may reckon for a long period ; the American assem
blies therefore, must be annual ; on the other side of the water,
the executive power, too uncontrolled in its action, frequently
escapes the vigilance of the legislative authority ; on this con
tinent, each officer, each minister of the people must be under
the immediate dependence of the assemblies, so that his first
care on attaining office, will be to court the popular favour
for a new election. Among the English, employments confer,
and procure rank and riches, and frequently elevate their pos
sessors to too great a height : among the Americans, offices
neither conferring wealth, nor consideration, will not, it is true,
become objects of intrigue or purchase, but they will be held
in so little estimation as to make them avoided rather than
sought after, by the most enlightened citizens, by which means
every employment will fall into the hands of new and untried
men, the only persons who can expect to hold them to advan
tage.
In continuing to consider the thirteen United States under
one general point of view, we shall observe still other circum
stances which have influenced as well the principles of the go
vernment, as the national spirit. These thirteen states were at
first colonies ; now, the first necessity felt in all rising colonies
is population ; I say in rising colonies, for I doubt much whe
ther that necessity exists at present, so much as is generally ima
gined. Of this, however, I am very sure, that there will still
be a complaint of want of population, long after the necessity
has ceased ; America will long continue to reason as follows :
we must endeavour to draw foreigners among us, for which pur
pose it is indispensably necessary to afford them every possible
advantage ; every person once within the state, shall be consi
dered, therefore, as a member of that state, as a real citizen.
Thus one year s residence in the same place shall suffice to es
tablish him an inhabitant, and every inhabitant shall have the
right of voting, and shall constitute a part of the sovereign
power ; from whence it will result that this sovereignty will
communicate and divide itself without requiring any pledge,
any security from the person who is invested with it. This has
arisen from not considering the possibility of other emigrants
than those from Europe,* who are supposed to fix themselves in
There are various opinions in America on the subject of encoura
ging emigration. Mr. Jefferson, for example, a man of profound thought,
and great penetration, is of opinion that emigrants from .Europe are
not desirable, lest the emigrants bringing with them not only the vices,
but the corrupt prejudices of their respective ancient governments, may
be unable to relish that bold universal system of freedom and toleration
which is a novelty to the old world ; but I venture to think, and trust,
CORRESPONDENCE. 373
the first spot where they may form a settlement ; we shall one
day, however, see frequent emigrations from state to state;
workmen will frequently transplant themselves, many of them
will be obliged even to change situations from the nature of
their employments, in which case it will not be singular to see
the elections for a district of Connecticut, decided by inhabit
ants of Rhode-Island or New-York.
Some political writers, especially the more modern, have ad
vanced, that property alone should constitute the citizen. They
are of opinion that he alone whose fortune is necessarily con
nected with its welfare has a right to become a member of the
state. In America, a specious answer is given to this reason
ing ; among us, say they, landed property is so easily acquired,
that every workman who can use his hands, may be looked upon
as likely soon to become a man of property. But can America
remain long in her present situation ? And can the regimen of
her infant state agree with her, now she has assumed the virile
robe ?
The following, Sir, is a delicate question which I can only
propose to a philosopher like you. In establishing among
themselves a purely democratic government, had the Americans
a real affection for a democracy ? And if they have wished all
men to be equal, is it not solely, because, from the very nature
that such emigrations will be attended with no bad consequences ; for
who will be the emigrants to a country where there are neither gold nor
silver mines, and where subsistence is alone to be obtained by industry ?
Men of small, or no fortunes, who cannot live with comfort, nor bring
up a family in Europe ; labourers and artizans of every kind ; men of
modesty and genius, who are cramped by insurmountable obstacles in
countries governed by cabal and interest ; virtuous citizens compelled
to groan in silence under the effects of arbitrary power ; philosophers
who pant after the liberty of thinking for themselves, arid of giving vent,
without danger, to those generous maxims which burst from their hearts,
and of contributing their mite to the general stock of enlightened know
ledge ; religious men, depressed by the hierarchical establishments of
every country in Europe ; the friends to freedom ; in short, the liberal,
generous, and active spirits of the whole world. To America, then, I
say with fervency, in the glowing words of Mr. Payne, who is himself
an English emigrant " O ! receive the fugitives and prepare in time
an asylum for mankind." The history of the late revolution, too, may
justify our hopes, for it is an observation, for the truth of which I ap
peal to fact, that the Europeans settled in America were possessed of
at least as much energy, and served that country with as much zeal and
enthusiasm in the cabinet, and in the field, as the native Americans,
and to speak with the late Lord Chatham, who said many absurd, but
more wise things than most statesmen, " they infused a portion of new
health into the constitution." Trans.
;574 CORRESPONDENCE.
of things, they were themselves nearly in that situation f For
to preserve a popular government in all its integrity, it is not
sufficient, not to admit either rank or nobility, riches alone never
fail to produce marked differences, by so much the greater, as
there exist no others. Now, such is the present happiness of
America that she has no poor, that every man in it enjoys a
certain ease and independence, and that if some have been able
to obtain a smaller portion of them than others, they are so
surrounded by resources, that the future is more looked to than
their present situation. Such is the general tendency to a state
of equality ; that the same enjoyments which would be deemed
superfluous in every other part of the world, are here consider
ed as necessaries. Thus the salary of the workman must not
only be equal to his subsistence and that of his family, but sup
ply him with proper and commodious furniture for his house,
tea and coffee for his wife, and the silk gown she wears as often
as she goes from home ; and this is one of the principal causes
of the scarcity of labour so generally attributed to the want of
hands. Now, sir, let us suppose that the increase of population
may one day reduce your artizans to the situation in which they
are found in France and England. Do you, in that case, really
believe that your principles are so truly democratical, as that
the landholders and the opulent, will still continue to regard
them as their equals . ? I shall go still farther, relying on the
accuracy of your judgment to testify every thing you may find
too subtle or too speculative in my idea. I shall ask you then,
whether under the belief of possessing the most perfect de
mocracy, you may not find that you have insensibly attained a
point more remote from it, than every other republic. Recollect,
that when the Roman senate was compelled to renounce its
principles of tyranny, the very traces of it were supposed to be
effaced, by granting to the people a participation of the consu
lar honours. That numerous and oppressed class found them
selves exalted by the prospect alone which now lay open to a
small number of their body, the greatest part of them remain
ed necessitous, but they consoled themselves by saying, we may
one day become consuls. Now, observe, sir, that in your present
form of government, you have not attached either sufficient
grandeur, or dignity to any place, to render its possessor illus
trious, still less the whole class from which he may be chosen.
You have thrown far from you all hereditary honours, but have
you bestowed sufficient personal distinctions ? Have you re
flected that these distinctions, far from being less considerable
than those which took place among the Greeks and Romans,
ought rather to surpass them ? The reason of this is very ob
vious : the effect of honours and distinctions is by so much the
more marked, as it operates on the greater number of men as-
CORRESPON DENCE. 375
sembled together. When Cneius Duillius was conducted home
on his return from supper to the sound of instruments, the whole
city of Rome was witness to his triumph : grant the same ho
nours to Governor Trumbull :* three houses at most in Lebanon
will hear the symphony. Men must be moved by some fixed
principle ; is it not better that this should be by vanity than
interest ? I have no doubt that love of country will always
prove a powerful motive, but do not flatter yourself that this
will long exist with the same spirit. The greatest efforts of
the mind, like those of the body, are in resistance ; and the
same may happen with respect to the state, as in matters of
opinion, to which we cease to be attached, when they cease to
be contested.
Behold many objects, Sir, which have passed in review be
fore us. We have only glanced at them, but to distinguish
them more clearly, requires more penetrating eyes than mine ;
you hold the telescope ; do you apply your optics and you
will make good use of them. My task will be accomplished if
I can only prove to you that these inquiries are not foreign to
my subject. I shall observe then that to know to what pre
cise point, and on what principle you should admit the arts
and sciences in your nation, it is necessary first to understand
its natural tendency ; for we may direct the course of rivers,
but not to repel them to their source. Now, to discover the
natural tendency of a nation, not only must we examine its ac
tual legislation, but the oppositions which may exist between
the government and prejudices, between the laws and habits ;
the reaction, in short, which these different moving powers
may produce, one upon the other. In the present instance,
for example, it is important to foresee to what degree the de
mocracy is likely to prevail in America, and whether the spirit
of that democracy tends to the equality of fortunes, or is confi
ned to the equality of ranks. It is melancholy to confess, that
it is to a very great inequality in the distribution of wealth, that
the fine arts are indebted for their most brilliant eras. In the
time of Pericles, immense treasures were concentred in Athens,
unappropriated to any particular purpose ; under the reign of
Augustus, Rome owed her acquisition of the fine arfs to the
spoils of the world, if the fine arts were ever really naturalized
at Rome ; and under that of the Julii and Leo the tenth. Ec
clesiastic pomp and riches, pushed to the highest point, gave
birth to the prodigies of that famous age. But these epochas,
* Mr. Trumbull, Governor of Connecticut, inhabits the town of
Lebanon, which occupies a league of country, and where there are not
six houses less distant than a quarter of a mile from each other.
37(5 CORRESPONDENCE.
so celebrated in the history of the arts, are either those of their
birth, or of their revival; and similar circumstances are not
necessary to maintain them in the flourishing and prosperous
state they have attained. There is one circumstance, howev
er, which we have not yet touched upon, and which seems in
dispensable, as well for their preservation, as for their establish
ment. The arts, let us not doubt it, can never flourish, but
where there is a great number of men. They must have large
cities, they must have capitals: America possesses already
five, which seem ready for their reception, which you will
yourself name ; Boston, New- York, Philadelphia, Baltimore,
and Charleston. But they are seaports, and commerce, it can
not be dissembled, has more magnificence than taste ; it pays,
rather than encourages artists. There are two great ques
tions to resolve, whether large towns are useful or prejudicial
to America, and whether commercial towns should be the ca
pitals. Perhaps it will be imagined, that the first question is
answered by the sole reflection, that rural life is best suited to
mankind, contributing the most to their happiness, and the
maintenance of virtue, without which there can be no happi
ness. But it must be remembered, that this same virtue, those
happy dispositions, those peaceable amusements, we enjoy in
the country, are not unfrequently acquisitions made in towns.
If nature be nothing for him who has not learnt to observe her,
retirement is sterile for the man without information. Now
this information is to be acquired best in towns. Let us not
3onfound the man retired into the country, with the man edu-
3ated in the country. The former is the most perfect of his
species, and the latter frequently does not merit to belong to
it. In a word, one must have education ; I will say farther,
one must have lived with a certain number of mankind to know
how to live well in one s own family. To abridge the ques
tion, shall I content myself with expressing to you my wishes 9
I should desire that each state of America, as far as it is prac
ticable, had a capital to be the seat of government, but not a
commercial city. I should desire that their capital were situa
ted in the centre of the republic, so that every citizen, rich
enough to look after the education of his children, and to taste
the pleasures of society, might inhabit it for some months of
the year, without making it his only residence, without re
nouncing his invaluable country-seat. I should desire that at
a small distance, but more considerable than that which sepa
rates Cambridge from Boston, an university might be establish
ed, where civil and public law, and all the higher sciences,
should be taught, in a course of study, not to be commenced
before the age of fourteen, and to be of only three years dura
tion. I should desire, in short, that in this capital and its ap~
CORRESPONDENCE. 377
pendage, the true national spirit might be preserved, like the
sacred fire ; that is to say, that spirit which perfectly assimi
lates with liberty and public happiness. For we must never
flatter ourselves with the hopes of modifying, after our plea
sure, commercial towns. Commerce is more friendly to indi
vidual than to public liberty,* it discriminates not between
citizens and strangers. A trading town is a common recepta
cle, where every man transports his manners, his opinions, and
his habits ; arid the best are not always the most prevalent.
English, French, Italian, all mix together, all lose a little of
their distinctive character, and in turn communicate a portion
of it ; so that neither defects nor vices appear in their genuine
light ; as, in the paintings of great artists, the different tints of
light are so blended, as to leave no particular colour in its pri
mitive and natural state.
Though it seems impossible to conclude this article without
speaking of luxury, I have, notwithstanding, some reluctance to
employ a term, the sense of which is not well ascertained. To
avoid here .all ambiguity, I shall consider it only as an expense,
abusive in its relations, whether with the fortune of individuals, or
with their situation. In the former case, the idea of luxury ap
proaches that of dissipation, and in the latter, that of ostenta-
* I cannot here omit an anecdote which places, in a strong point of
view, the distinction between individual and public liberty, made by
the mere merchant. In the early part of life I spent some years in the
comptirig-house of one of the most considerable merchants of the city
of London, a native of Switzerland, for the moderate premium of one
thousand guineas. This happening to be the period of the violent un
constitutional proceedings against Mr. Wilkes, the foreign merchant
differing from the English apprentice, entered with zeal into all the
measures of the then administration, which, though a republican by
birth, he maintained with all the virulence of the tools of despotism.
The American war followed, and this gentleman was no less active with
offers of his life and fortune, from his compting-house in the city, in
support of the arbitrary views of the same set of men, accompanied on
all occasions with positions destructive of every idea of public charity.
But mark the difference, when individual liberty was in question.
Happening to dine with Mr. John Pringle, of Philadelphia, in 1782,
the conversation fell on this merchant, who is at present one of the
first in the world, and some questions were asked me respecting his
politics ; my answers corresponded with what I have above said of
him ; but judge of my astonishment, when Mr. Pringle assured me,
smiling, and gave me ocular demonstration of the fact, that America
had not a better friend ; producing, at the same time, an invoice of a
cargo of gunpowder shipped by his order on joint account, for the
Rebels of America, at L Orient, by which this Mr. , of London,
cleared near 10,000 sterling ! \-Trans.
48
378 CORRESPON DENCE.
lion. Let us illustrate this thought by an example : If a Dutch
merchant spends his property in flowers and shells, the sort of
luxury into which he has fallen is only relative to his means,
since his taste has led him farther than his faculties would ad
mit. But if, in a republic, a very wealthy citizen expends only
a part of his fortune in building a noble palace, the luxury with
which he is reproached, is in that case proportionable to his
situation ; it shocks the public, in the same manner as proud
and arrogant behaviour inspires estrangement and hatred.
We must do justice to commerce, it loves enjoyments more
than luxury ; and if we see the merchant sometimes pass the
limits, it is rather from imitation than natural propensity. In
France and England, we see some ostentatiqus merchants, but
the example is given them by the nobles. There is another
more ridiculous, but less culpable abuse, from which commerce
is not free ; which is, fashion. This must doubtless prevail
wherever there are many foreigners ; for what is usage among
them becomes fashion, when they establish themselves else
where. On the other hand, the numerous correspondences, the
interest even of the merchants, which consists in provoking, in
exciting the taste of the consumers, tends to establish the em
pire of fashion. What obstacle must be opposed to this 9 I
propose this question to myself with pleasure, as it leads me
back to the fine arts by an indirect road. I shall ask, what has
been heretofore the remedy for those caprices of opinion which
have begot so many errors, so many revolutions 9 Is it not rea
son and philosophy 9 Well, then ! the remedy against the ca
prices of the fashion is the study of the arts, the knowledge of
abstract beauty, the perfection of taste. But, what ! do you
hope to fix the standard of that taste, hitherto so variable ?
How often has it changed 9 How often will it not again vary 9
I shall continue to answer in the manner of Socrates, by inter
rogating myself, and I shall say, what ridiculous opinions have
not prevailed in the world, from the time of the Grecian sophists
to the theologians of our days 9 Has not reason, however, be
gun to resume her rights, and do you think, that when once re
covered, she will ever lose them 9 Why are you so unreasona
ble as to expect that objects so frivolous as furniture and dress
should attain perfection before religion and legislation 9 Let
us never cease repeating, that ignorance is the source of evil,
and science that of good. Alas ! do you not see that the
Greeks, who had some how acquired very early, such just no
tions of the arts and taste ; do you not see, I say, that they
never varied in their modes 9 Witness the statues modelled at
Rome by Grecian artists ; witness the noble and elegant mode
of dress still retained by that people, though living among the
Turks. Erect altars, then, to the fine arts, if you would de-
CORRESPONDENCE. 379
stroy those of fashion and caprice. Taste, and learn to relish
nectar and ambrosia, if you are afraid of becoming intoxicated
with common liquors.
Perhaps, Sir, what I am about to say should only be whisper
ed in your ear. I am going to handle a delicate subject ; I am
venturing to touch the ark. But be assured, that during a
three years residence in America, the progress of the women s
dress has not escaped me. If I have enjoyed this as a feeling
man, if the results of this progress have not been viewed by me
with an indifferent eye, my time of life and character are a,
pledge to you that I have observed them as a philosopher.
Well, Sir, it is in this capacity I undertake their defence, but so
long only as things are not carried to an excess. The virtue
of the women, which is more productive of happiness, even for
the men, than all the enjoyments of vice, if there be only real
pleasures arising from that source ; the virtue of the women, I
say, has two bucklers of defence ; one is retirement, and dis
tance from all danger : this is the hidden treasure mentioned
by Rochefoucault, which is untouched, because it is undisco
vered. The other is loftiness, a sentiment always noble in its
relation to ourselves. Let them learn to appreciate themselves ;
let them rise in their own estimation, and rely on that estimable
pride for the preservation of their virtue as well as of their fame.
They who love only pleasure, corrupt the sex, whom they con
vert only into an instrument of their voluptuousness ; they who
love women, render them better by rendering them more amia
ble. But, you will say, is it by dress, and by exterior charms,
that they must establish their empire 6 ? Yes, Sir, every woman
ought to seek to please ; this is the weapon conferred on her
by nature to compensate the weakness of her sex. Without
this she is a slave, and can a slave have virtues 9 Remember
the word deeus, of which we have formed decency ; its original
import is ornament. A filthy and negligent woman is not de
cent, she cannot inspire respect. I have already allowed my
self to express my opinion by my wishes : I desire, then, that
all the American women may be well dressed ; but I have no
objection to seeing that dress simple. They are not formed to
represent the severity of the legislation ; neither ought they to
contrast with it, and convey a tacit insult on that severity.
Gold, silver, and diamonds, then, shall be banished from Ame
rican dress ; what excuse can there be for a luxury which is
not becoming 9 But this indulgence, Sir, which I have express
ed for the toilet of the women, I am far from allowing to the
men. I am not afraid to say, that I should have a very bad
opinion of them, if in a country where there are neither eti
quette nor titles, nor particular distinctions, they should ever
give into the luxury of dress ; a luxury, which even the French
3SO CORRESPONDENCE.
have laid aside, except on marriages and entertainments, and
which no longer exists any where but in Germany and Italy,
where certainly you will not go in search of models.
Observe, Sir, that we have imperceptibly prepared the way
for the fine arts, by removing the principal obstacles which
might be opposed to them ; for if, far from rendering nations
vain and frivolous, they rather tend to preserve them from the
excesses of luxury, and the caprices of fashion, they can cer
tainly be considered neither as dangerous nor prejudicial. Still,
perhaps, you will retain some scruple on the article of luxury;
but recollect, sir, if you please, the definition I have given of it,
and if you reflect that every fortune which exceeds the neces
sary demands, insensibly produces some sort of personal riches,
such as valuable furniture, gold and silver trinkets, sumptuous
services of plate, &c. you must perceive that this constant sur
plus of annual income would be infinitely better bestowed on
painting, sculpture, and other productions of the arts. Luxu
ry, we have said, is often an abusive employ of riches, relatively
to the condition of him who possesses them. Now, what os
tentation is there in possessing a fine painting, of a handsome
statue ? Surely the parade of a magnificent side-board will be
more offensive to the sight of an unwealthy neighbour, than an
elegant cabinet adorned with paintings. I doubt, even, whe
ther the man who keeps a musician in his pay, be so much an
object of envy as him who maintains race-horses and a pack of
hounds.
But let us go farther ; it is not only the productions of the
fine arts of which I wish to procure the possession to America ;
the fine arts themselves must be placed within her bosom. If
I am desirous of her purchasing pictures, it is that she may have
painters ;* if I encourage her to send for musicians, it is that
* America, in her infant state, has already burst forth into the full
splendour of maturity in the immortal paintings of a Copley and a
West. Further glory still attends her early progress even in the pre
sent day, in a Stewart, a Trumbull, and a Brown ; nor is Peale un
worthy of ranking with many modern painters of no inconsiderable
fame ; ages may possibly not elapse before posterity may apply to Ame
rica, what Mr. Tickell has said, so happily heretofore of the mother
country,
See on her Titian s and her Guide s urn?,
Her fallen arts forlorn Hesperia mourns :
While Britain wins each garland from her brow,
Her wit and freedom first, her painting now.
Forjwf, let me refer the reader of taste to the poem of Mac Fingal,
written by another Trumbull of Connecticut, who is justly styled the
American Hudibras. Qualifi ab incepto processerit* ac sibi. constet,
r Trans.
CORRESPONDENCE. 381
she may become musical in her turn. Let her not apprehend
the fate of the Romans, to whom she has the apparent pride,
but the real humility to compare herself. The Romans, fero
cious, unjust, grasping from character, and ostentatious from
vanity, were able to purchase the master-pieces, but not the
taste of the arts. The Americans proceeding in general from
the most polished countries of Europe, have not to strip them
selves of any barbarous prejudices. They ought rather to
compare themselves with the Greek colonies ; and certainly,
Syracuse Marseilles, Crotona, and Agrigentum had no reason
to envy the mother country. There is one base on which, all
they who like you are equally attached to good taste and to
your country, may safely rest their hopes. Your fellow-citi
zens live, and will long continue to live, in the vicinity of na
ture ; she is continually under their hands ; she is always great
and beautiful. Let them study ; let them consult her, and they
can never go astray. Caution them only, not to build too
much on the pedantic legislations of Cambridge, of Oxford,
and Edinburgh, which have long assumed a sort of tyranny in
the empire of opinion, and seem only to have composed a vast
classic code for no other purpose than to keep all mankind in
class, as if they were still children.
Thus, Sir, you will have the complete enjoyment of the
fine arts ; since you will yourselves be artists : but is it not to
be feared, that the powerful attraction with which they ope
rate on sensible minds, may divert a rising people from several
more useful, though less agreeable occupations 9 I am far
from being of that opinion ; I think, on the contrary, that the
most distinctive, and most peculiar advantage of America is
that the rapid advances she is making are not laborious, that
they are not due to the excess of labour. Every American has
twice as much leisure in the day as an European. Necessity
alone compels our painful efforts and you are strangers to ne
cessity. Besides that, your winters are long and rigorous, and
many hours may be well spared to domestic society ; this re
flection too, is applicable only to the lower classes of the peo
ple. You, who live in Virginia, know what time is sacrificed
to play, to hunting, and the table ; much more than is necessa
ry to form a Phidias or a Polycletes.
You will insist, perhaps, and you will ask, whether a taste
for the arts and letters will not tend to render your fellow-citi
zens effeminate ? Whether it will not render them frivo
lous and vain ? Whether the national character and manners
will not necessarily be impaired, and admitting even their utili
ty, you will desire to have their early progress, at least, con
ducted with a certain measure ? I think, that you will find
an answer to our present inquiry in many of the preceding obser
vations. But it is time for me to establish a general principle.
:382 CORRESPONDENCE.
the extensive consequences of which you will develope better
than I can ; as long as a taste for the arts can assimilate itself with
rural and domestic life, it will always be advantageous to your
country r , and vice versa. Public spectacles, gaudy assemblies,
horse-races, &c., drag both men and women from the country,
and inspire them with a disgust for it. Music, drawing, paint
ing, architecture, attach all persons to their homes. A harpsi
chord is a neighbour always at command, who answers all
your questions, and never calumniates. Three or four persons
in the neighbourhood join to pass the evening together ; here
is a concert ready formed. A young lady, in her irksome mo
ments, amuses herself in drawing ; when she becomes a wife
and mother, she still draws, that she may instruct her children ;
and here is another important article, of which I had hitherto
taken no notice. Do you wish your children to remain long
attached to you ? Be yourselves their teachers. Education
augments and prolongs the relation that subsists between you ;
it adds to the consideration, the respect they entertain for you.
They must long be persuaded, that we know more than them,
and that he who teaches always knows more than the person
to be taught. In America, as in England, parents spoil their
children when they are young, and they abandon them to
themselves when they grow up ; for, in these two nations, edu
cation is neither enough attended to, nor sufficiently prolong
ed. Indulgent to children in their tender age, the people
there form them into petty domestic tyrants ; negligent of
them when they attain to adolescency, they convert them into
strangers.
At present, Sir, it seems to me, that there remains no good
reason to hinder us from attracting the fine arts to America.
Unfortunately it is not the same with artists. I do not think
I can better express my good opinion of the Americans, than
by declaring that they will always incur some risk in receiving
a foreigner among them. The Europeans, it must be confessed
have vices from which you are exempt, and they are not in ge
neral, the best among them who quit their country, especially
who pass the seas. Let us, however, do this justice to painters,
and sculptors, that the assiduity of their labours, and above
all that the sentiment of the beautiful, that delicacy of taste
which they have acquired, render them, generally speaking,
better than other men. It is different with respect to music
and dancing. Custom has thought proper to place the latter
among the fine arts, nor do I oppose it, since it seems.to improve
our exterior, and to give us that decorum, the source of which
is the respect of others, and of ourselves. But this apology
for th 
