Travels in America 100 years ago : being notes and reminiscences

TRAVELS IN AMERICA

100 YEARS AGO

HARPERS
BLACK &WHITE

-L

USIVERSITV C. \LIFOWaH
DAViS

THOMAS TWINING

TRAVELS IN AMERICA
100 YEARS AGO

BEING NOTES AND REMINISCENCES

BY THOMAS TWINING

NEW YORK

HARPER & BROTHERS PUBLISHERS
1894

'RARY

Harper's ' ' Black and White" Series.

Illustrated, 321110, Cloth, 50 cents each.

TRAVELS IN AMEEICA 100 YEARS
AGO. By Thomas Twining.
MY YEAR IN A LOG CABIN. By
William Dean Howells.
EVENING DRESS. A Farce. By
William Dean Howells.
THE WORK OF WASHINGTON
IRVING. By Charles Dudley
Warner.
EDWIN BOOTH. By Laurence
Hutton.
THE DECISION OF THK COURT.
A Comedy. By Brander Mat-
thews.
PHILLIPS BROOKS. By Rev.
Arthur Brooks, D.D.
GEORGE WILLIAM CURTIS. By
John White Chadwick.
THE UNEXPECTED GUESTS. A
Farce. By William Dean
Howells.

WHITTIER : NOTES OF HIS LIFE
AND OF HIS FRIENDSHIPS. By
Annie Fields.
THE JAPANESE BRIDE. By
Naomi Tamura.
GILES COREY, YEOMAN. By
Mary E. Wilkins.
COFFEE AND RKPARTEE. By
John Kendrick Bangs.
JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL. An
Address. By George William
Curtis.
SEEN FROM THE SADDLE. By
Isa Carrington Cabell.
A FAMILY CANOK TRIP. By
Florence Watters Snedeker.
A LITTLK Swiss SOJOURN. 4 By
William Dean Howells.
A LETTER OF INTRODUCTION.
A Farce. By William Dean

IN AFRICA. By Henry M.
Stanley.
THE RIVALS. By Frangois
Coppee.

IN THE VESTIBULE LIMITED.
By Brander Matthews.
THE ALBANY DEPOT. A Farce.
By William Dean Howells.

PUBLISHED BY HARPER & BROTHERS, NEW YORK

For sale by all booksellers, or -will be sent by the publishers,
postage prepaid, on receipt of price.

Copyright, 1893, by HARPER & BROTHERS.

All rights reserved.

INTRODUCTION

THOMAS TWINING was one of the energetic Eng.
lishmen who laid the foundations of the Indian
Empire. He arrived in India, as he told his Eng-
lish neighbors in a lecture delivered forty-six years
afterwards, a puny boy of sixteen, in 1792. He
quitted it finally in 1805^ still under thirty. In the
interval, to quote his own words, he "had been
intrusted with the reform of an extensive depart-
ment of the public administration, had been ap-
pointed judge of a great district, had held the
charge of a country containing more than ten thou-
sand towns and villages, and more than two mill-
ions of people, and had been received by the Great
Mogul on his throne in the old world and by Gen-
eral Washington in the new."

His visit to the United States, almost at the be-
ginning of our national existence, was an episode
in his Indian ca/eer, occurring in the course of his
return to England between two terms of residence

in India. It seems to have been solely a visit of
• curiosity, and readers of the account of it now pre-
sented to the American public will agree that they
are much indebted to his curiosity, and to the rec-
ord that he left of its assuagement. Authentic state-
ments of the impression made upon intelligent and
unprejudiced foreigners by the narrow strip of sea-
board that virtually constituted the territory of the
young republic are not so common that an addition
to the short list will not be welcome.

After his return to England Mr. Twining mar-
ried, and for a time settled in Northamptonshire,
but after Waterloo lived with his family for twenty
years upon the Continent. Returning to England
in 1837, he settled at Twickenham, and died there
in 1861.

AMERICA

1795. — The state of my health rendering a
voyage to Europe necessary, I determined to
proceed by way of America. Accordingly,
towards the end of November, I left Santi-
pore, taking with me a small Bengal cow, in
addition to my doombah and other curios-
ities brought from Dehli. The natives would
not have consented to sell me a cow if I had
not assured them that it would be an object
of particular interest and care in the coun-
tries I was taking it to. I also had made, by
an ingenious workman of Santipoce, small,
but very exact, models of the principal ma-
chines and instruments used in the agri-
culture and manufactures of India. Among
these was a model of an Indian plough, and
an excellent one of an Indian loom, with the
threads upon it, executed with remarkable

precision and neatness. With all these ob-
jects I arrived, by the Ganges, at my old
quarters in Captain Thornhill's house.

One of my first visits was to the comman-
der of the American ship India, Captain
John Ashmead. He was a Quaker ; a tall,
thin, upright man of about sixty or perhaps
sixty-five, in whose respectable and pleasing
appearance the usual mildness and simplicity
of his sect, with a deep tinge of characteristic
peculiarity, were visible. His thin silvery
locks curled round the collar of his old-fash-
ioned single-breasted coat, with a row of
large plain buttons down the front like a
schoolboy's. He introduced me to the super-
cargo, a Scotchman. The same evening the
captain accompanied me to the ship. This
I found rather smaller than I had expected.
Her measurement was only about 300 tons.
But everything on board was seamanlike
and neat. The upper deck was flush — that
is, level — from head to stern, without any
cabin upon it, as in the Ponsborne. The lower
deck, to which the descent was by a straight
ladder from the quarter-deck, had a spacious
cabin or dining-room towards the stern, com-
prehending the whole width of the ship and
lighted by the stern windows. I agreed for

the starboard half of this room, consenting
to its being separated from the other half by
a green baize curtain, which was to be drawn
back^along a brass rod at the hours of dinner
and breakfast. The dining-table was fixed in
the middle of the room, and half of it conse-
quently remained in my cabin when the cur-
tain was drawn.

As the ship was to sail in a few days, I had
not much time to prepare for my voyage.
The American captains having the reputa-
tion of keeping rather an indifferent table —
living, it was said, principally on salt beef
and sour-crout — Mr. Fletcher had the good-
ness to send me ten fat sheep from his flock
at Santipore. For these and my cow and
doombah, a considerable quantity of hay was
necessary. I therefore ordered my servants
to buy grass, or rather the roots of grass, in
the bazaars, and which, being spread and ex-
posed to the sun upon the flat roofs of Cap-
tain Thornhill's outhouses, was closely press-
ed into bundles.

To increase my collection of objects relat-
ing to India, I bought, at a sale by auction,
some oil-paintings executed by an able Euro-
pean artist. One represented an elephant
with a howdah upon his back, kneeling to be

3

mounted ; another exhibited two or three
zuz, a small leopard of elegant form, used in
hunting the antelope. They were muzzled
and had collars round their necks, and were
led by their attendants like greyhounds to
the chase. But the most valuable addition
was that which my menagerie received, con-
sisting of a Thibet or shawl goat, presented
to me by my friend, Mr. Myers, Deputy Ac-
countant-General. This animal was a curios-
ity even in Calcutta. It was small, thin, and
scraggy, and had long hair, principally black,
with some white about the neck and legs.
Upon dividing this long hair a short white
soft wool was seen, covering the body like
down, and this was the precious material
from which the shawl of Cash mire is fabri-
cated. It being much doubted and disputed
whether it was a goat or a sheep which pro-
duced this substance, I considered myself
fortunate in being able to exhibit in America
and Europe such decisive testimony upon
this point. I had, however, some uneasiness
from the apparently delicate state of the
goat's health, which seemed to have suffered
from the damp climate of Calcutta.

In the first days of December, the India,
having completed her lading, dropped down

the river, and in two days more I followed
her. I left the ghaut of the Bankshall (the
name of Captain Thornhill's office) late in
the evening in a pauchway, a small covered
boat rowed by four men seated before the
roofed part, and steered by a fifth, who stood
behind it. The good captain and his son,
Mr, John Thornhill, accompanied me to the
water's edge. The tide running veiy rapidly,
I was far advanced at daybreak next morn-
ing, and in the afternoon reached the ship,
which was anchored not far from the point
where I had disembarked from the Ponsborne
in 1792. I spent the remainder of the day in
arranging my things in my cabin, in fixing
my excellent English trunks, which I had
fortunately preserved, and in securing a teak-
wood bedstead, with drawers under it, which
I had bought in the bazaar of Calcutta. The
upper part, with the bedding upon it, was
made to be lifted up from the drawers, and
to serve as a swinging cot in rough weather.
The small white cow, Cabul sheep, Cashmire
goat, and the sheep from Santipore were dis-
posed of : some in, some under, the boats
between the main and fore mast. The mon-
key from the North of India had a welcome
reception on the forecastle among the crew.

5

On the 9th of December, the pilot being
on board and the wind quite fair, the anchor
was heaved and we set sail. Leaving Sangor
Island close on our left, we passed between
this and the numerous shoals and sandbanks
across which the Ponsborne had had so nar-
row an escape. We saw many immense
buoys of different colors moored with strong
chains — some on the sands, others in the
fairway or channel — to be followed by ships.
But, notwithstanding these precautions and
an extensive establishment of pilots under
the direction of Captain Thornhill, many
vessels are annually lost in this dangerous
navigation. Arrived off the sand-heads, we
saw a pilot schooner cruising for inward-
bound ships. Having made a signal to her
she approached us and received our pilot on
board, when the venerable Quaker, who till
now had been a quiet spectator on board his
own ship, took the command. And here I
could not but observe a singular contrast be-
tween this old man and my first captain —
between the cool, unassuming demeanor of
Captain Ashmead and the loud, authoritative
manner of Captain Thomas. A difference,
no less striking, was observable between the
well-manned decks and simultaneous move-

6

ments of the Indiaman, and the scanty crew
and slow, consecutive operations of the Amer-
ican ship. For, the whole crew of the latter
being only twenty -two men, the principal
work of the three masts, instead of going on
at the same time, as in the Ponsborne, was
necessarily done in succession ; the men de-
scending from one mast to mount another,
hoisting the foretop-sail first and the main-
top-sail afterwards. I observed, also, that of
our numbers thus small, the greater part con-
sisted of very young men, apparently not
more than eighteen or twenty years of age.
They were better dressed than the sailors I
had been accustomed to see, and had alto-
gether a more respectable, though a less
robust and seaman-like appearance. The
cause of this difference was, for the present,
unknown to me. At first I was rather star-
tled at this apparent inefficiency, and at the
idea of undertaking the passage of the Cape
of Good Hope in so small a ship so feebly
manned. On the other hand, I was much
pleased with the mild, inoffensive tone in
which the captain gave his orders, and with
the cheerful alacrity with which they were
executed. There was no oath, nor threat,
nor vulgar language ; no anxious exertion or

7

fearful obedience. There was nothing to
damp the satisfaction and gladness of that
joyful moment of a seaman's life, when, after
a long voyage, the ship's head is again turned
towards his native country.

We stood out of Balasore roads towards
the middle of the bay, and having gained a
good offing, beyond the variable breezes of
the coast, steered to the south. The north-
west monsoon now prevailing, and blowing
fresh on our starboard quarter, we kept a
straight course down the bay at about seven
knots an hour. The weather was so mild and
fine that for several nights I slept upon the
after-part of the upper deck, over my cabin,
stretched upon a hen-coop, and I found that
I thus avoided all material inconvenience
from sea-sickness. After five or six days I
was able to take my place at the dinner-table.
The party here consisted of Captain Ash-
mead, Mr. Pringle, the supercargo, Mr. Gil-
more, Mr. Brisbane, the surgeon, a young
man, who was chief mate, and myself. Mr.
Gilmore was son of one of the owners of the
ship, and had come to India in her with the
view of learning the business of an India
voyage under Mr. Pringle.

We had a fair wind and fine weather from

the sand-heads to the latitudes bordering on
the line. We here experienced some light,
baffling breezes, but our progress was not
interrupted by those total calms so usual
near the equator. The ship's head was now
turned towards the Cape of Good Hope.
We spent our Christmas Day not very far
from the Isle of France, or Mauritius (Mau-
rice), as it was called by the Dutch, the orig-
inal possessors. On this occasion the usual
salutations of the day were exchanged among
us; we had a more ample dinner, and there
was an extra distribution to the men, who
were dressed as on Sundays. There was
something impressive in the observance of
this great day by our little society in the
midst of the ocean. We approached nearer
to the French Islands than would have been
prudent for a vessel not under neutral col-
ors, for they were the general rendezvous
of the numerous privateers which had done
so much injury to the British commerce in
the Indian seas.

The Isle of France is situated in 20° of
south latitude, the Isle of Bourbon about
one hundred and fifty miles more to the south,
The former is about fifty leagues in circum-
ference, the latter about eighteen leagues in

length and thirteen in width. The climate of
both is said to be delightful, and to be congen-
ial to most of the productions of the tropical
regions, such as sugar, coffee, tobacco, indi-
go, cotton, the breadfruit-tree, etc. The pop-
ulation of the Isle of France is about 70,000,
principally slaves procured from Madagascar.
I could not help wishing that we might put
into Port Louis, the chief port of this island ;
but neither a deficiency in our water, nor any
other circumstance, requiring this deviation,
our prudent captain continued his course
towards the Cape, passing not far from the
south end of the Island of Madagascar. In
a few days more we approached the Cape of
Good Hope, and the usual preparations for
stormy weather were made accordingly. The
captain ordering a reef in the main-sail, all
hands that could be spared from deck,
amounting to eighteen, went upon the main-
yard. On board a man-of-war, or even an
Indiaman, this operation would have required
only a few minutes; but our crew, as I have
already observed, was very young, and in-
dividually very weak, consisting rather of
boys than men, and it consequently took a
long time to haul up the sail and make it
fast. The old man, however, never lost his

temper or patience, and the sailors, having
accomplished their task, in the quiet, orderly
way in which everything was conducted on
board, were descending to the deck, when
one of the last of them observed that the
slings which suspended the main-yard were
broken ; two-thirds of the twists had given
way, leaving the whole weight upon one-
third alone. This discovery greatly affected
the captain, and caused a considerable im-
pression through the ship, for it was evident
that eighteen men who had just left the yard
had been exposed to great danger. Had the
yard fallen with them, all, it was probable,
would have been killed or disabled. After
the first impressions had subsided it became
a question among us what we should have
done if the threatened accident had taken
place. Here our helplessness became more
evident, and rendered us more sensible of
our providential escape.

Continuing our course towards the west,
in a few days more we got soundings, and
thought we discovered land upon the star-
board beam. We were upon a deep bank
called Agulas's Bank, which extends more
than one hundred miles to the south of the
Cape. The nature of the bottom being differ-

ent in different parts, it was desirable to ob-
tain some portion of it in order to ascertain
our position with more precision. For this
purpose a lead was used of about a foot long
and two inches in diameter, with a small
cavity at the bottom filled with putty. When
the lead was drawn in, sand and broken
shells were found attached to it. Compar-
ing this result with a map of the bank, our
position appeared, and, confirming the ship's
reckoning, the captain had no desire to see
the land more distinctly. We passed first
Sebastian's Bay; afterwards False Bay, which
opens towards the south ; and lastly Table
Bay, a little round the point on the Atlantic
side, and near Cape Town. The winds were
now strong against us from the west, but we
got on against them by aid of a strong cur-
rent which always runs down the eastern
coast of Africa, and sets round the land. It
is for this reason that homeward-bound ships,
or rather, ships bound to the west of the
Cape, keep near it, hugging the land, as the
sailors say ; while those bound eastward
keep to the south. Although we thus passed
the Cape without encountering any particu-
lar storm, we were very near meeting with
a serious accident of another kind. One

dark night, about ten o'clock, when the wind
was fresh, a seaman of the forecastle watch
came running aft, exclaiming, with much
agitation, " A ship ahead !" We had scarce-
ly heard these words before a large ship,
running before the wind, passed our star-
board bow. As she went swiftly by us, our
yard-arms almost touching, the captain had
just time to hail her, and to hear in reply, as
we thought, the words " Superb " and " Am-
sterdam," from which we inferred that she
was from Holland, and bound for Batavia.
Here again we had reason to be thankful,
for a few feet nearer, half a turn of the wheel
of either ship, and both vessels must have
gone to the bottom. The agitation of the
sailor, and the difficulty he had in expressing
himself, reminded me of a story which Cap-
tain Thomas once told at the cuddy table,
relating to a ship under his command at the
time, either as commander or chief officer of
the watch, and which afforded another in-
stance of the never-failing presence of mind
of that excellent seaman. One of the sailors
came suddenly upon deck from below, but
such was his terror that he was unable to
articulate a word. "Sing!" said the captain,
" sing !" when the poor man sang out with-
13

out any difficulty, "The cabin's on fire ! The
cabin's on fire !" Captain Thomas, in his rep-
etition, giving the man's song with excellent
effect.

Passing the Cape so near the land we saw
but few of the great albatrosses and other
birds which had appeared on my way to
India, these flying more to the south, for
the sake, it was supposed, of the small fish
or other food thrown up on the surface of
the sea, in the storms which prevail there.
Our course was now northwest, with vari-
able winds, but principally from the south.

The first great division of the voyage
being passed, the usual speculations took
place as to the probable duration of the re-
mainder. If not detained by calms at the
line it was probable we should reach America
in less than two months. About a fortnight
after clearing the Cape the increasing un-
steadiness of the wind denoted that we were
upon the edge of the " Trade," and in a few
days more a fresh, steady breeze from the
southeast assured us of our having gained
that much-desired wind.

Our course was now in the direction of St.
Helena. The ship remained under nearly the
same sail for many days and nights together,

going at the rate of seven or eight knots an
hour, rolling from one side to the other, the
wind being directly astern. This is called
" rolling down to St. Helena " by the captains
of Indiamen. On the loth February, lat.
25 S., long. 5 E., we discovered, in the after-
noon, a sail on our starboard beam. Though
a great way off, as we were evidently steering
the same way, there seemed a chance of our
speaking, and it being supposed that she was
bound to Europe, and probably to England,
I began a letter to my father. The night,
however, closed upon us 'without -our ap-
proaching. The next morning the sail was
still in sight, and nearly at the same distance
from us. We therefore bore up a point, and
soon perceived that she accepted our invi-
tation to speak, by making a similar varia-
tion in her course towards us. In the after-
noon we were within hail, when we found
that the stranger was the American ship At-
lantic, from China, and bound, like ourselves,
to Philadelphia. We kept company during
the night, but separated next day. As we
had the advantage in sailing, we expected
to reach America some days before her.

After repassing the tropic of Capricorn,
we continued our rolling course towards the
15

northwest, and in ten days more passed the
island of St. Helena, about, as we supposed,
one hundred miles to the west of it. The
climate was now very agreeable. The south-
east trade, which still blew fresh, tempered
the heat of the sun, and kept the atmosphere
at a pleasant temperature.

I now passed much of my time upon deck,
reading, or walking, or playing at backgam-
mon with the captain, who was extremely
fond of this game, and played it very well.
In accordance with the serenity of the cli-
mate, and the evenness of our course at this
part of the voyage, was the orderly and
cheerful character of the ship, everything
between the captain and officers and crew
being conducted in the most good-tempered
and amicable manner. The latter enjoyed
a degree of comfort which I had never seen
on board a ship. Most of the men had a
few private stores, and many of them took
their tea in little parties about the forecastle.
I was not surprised at these indulgences, for
I had learned, soon after sailing, that the
young men whose genteel appearance I had
noticed were the sons of respectable families
of Philadelphia and Baltimore, who had come
to sea under Captain Ashmead for the pur-

pose of being instructed in navigation by this
experienced seaman, preparatory to their
being officers and captains themselves.
Whilevthis system of harmony and decency
was extremely agreeable, I could not perceive
that it- was less efficient, as regarded the du-
ties of the ship, than the usual vulgar system
of oppressive severity called discipline. I
had now been three months on board the
India, and had not heard a threat used nor
an oath uttered.

As we approached the equator I again
saw, with pleasure, the swift dolphin, the
flying- fish, the gelatinous substance called
a Portuguese man-of-war, and the elegant
tropic bird. We one day enjoyed a more
unusual sight, a party of large whales mak-
ing their appearance at a short distance from
the ship. They rolled about on the surface
of the sea, amusing themselves, apparently,
as well as us. I had once considered the
spouting of whales as a fabulous exaggera-
tion, but I distinctly saw and heard these
fish spout up the sea to the height of several
feet, with a considerable noise or blowing.
As they tumbled about for some time, not
far from our larboard bow, the captain was
uneasy lest we should strike against them.

But after keeping at the same distance from
us for about an hour, they plunged and dis-
appeared.

The trade wind, which had favored us
some weeks, gradually declined as we drew
near the equator. It did not, however, sub-
side entirely, but took us a few degrees into
the northern hemisphere, when the winds
again became variable. We continued our
north-western course through the northern
tropic, leaving on our left the West India
Islands and the Gulf of Mexico. We again
saw a sail, a two -masted vessel. She was
rather ahead, but lay-to for us to come up,
when we perceived that her boat was out,
rowing towards us. Our captain lay-to for
it to reach us, but observed that the brig
might be a pirate, and that it would be pru-
dent to be on our guard while her boat was
alongside and her people on board. Look-
ing at the boat through his telescope, he
said he saw only five hands, but that there
might be more concealed under a tarpaulin
at the bottom. Upon this he went down to
his cabin, at the bottom *of the ladder, and
returned upon deck with a brace of pistols,
which he put into his coat pockets. For
the old man was not a Quaker in any sense

but one, and was resolved to be ready to re-
pulse any hostile attack. I did not put my
pistols into my pockets, for these were far
from being so deep as those of the captain ;
but they were ready, and in case of necessity
the father of the ship, as he was considered,
would certainly have been well supported
by every one of his family. When, however,
the boat come alongside, it was obvious that
it contained no more than the persons be-
fore visible. The steersman was therefore
permitted to come on board. He was the
captain himself of the brig, which we now
found was from Boston, but last from the
Canary Islands, and bound to one of the
southern parts of the United States. The cap-
tain said he had had very stormy weather in
crossing the Atlantic. When, at his request,
we gave him our longitude, he was much sur-
prised, as we were when he communicated
his, for there was a difference of many de-
grees between us. This extraordinary error
was doubtless on his side, for Captain Ash-
mead was an excellent mathematician, pos-
sessed much nautical knowledge, and kept
the ship's reckoning with great accuracy.
Although, therefore, we had not had any
point of departure since our soundings off

the Cape, and the captain of the brig had
been much less time at sea, the mistake was
ascribable to the dark weather he had ex-
perienced, and in some degree, it was prob-
able, to the imperfection of his science or of
his instruments. He was fully satisfied of
his having greatly misconceived the situation
of his ship, and allowed it was a fortunate
circumstance that he had fallen in with us.
Finding that we came from Bengal, he re-
quested a few bags of rice, which were read-
ily given him. In return we applied to him
for one or two articles, and I expressed a
wish to buy a bag of sago, for my breakfast,
and a few figs. As the boat was to return to
our ship with these things, I went in her to
the other vessel. The most remarkable cir-
cumstance I found on board was an extraor-
dinary number of canary birds. The cabin
was crowded with cages containing them.
I afterwards understood that a considerable
profit was obtained on the sale of these birds
in the southern parts of the Union. I again
recollected my mother's fancy, and should
have procured a few of them, but for the
probability of their perishing from want of
proper care. I returned to the India with a
small supply of sago and figs, when the ves-

sels separated, and we continued our course
towards the coast of America.

The only interesting occurrence in the re-
mainder of our voyage was our crossing the
Gulf Stream. I was surprised at seeing one
day large quantities of sea-weed round the
ship, and the water changed from its usual
appearance to a yellow color. The waves
also had a different form, exhibiting a pecu-
liarity something like the rippling of a cur-
rent. These signs denoted our arrival in the
great current called by navigators the " Gulf
Stream," from its proceeding from the Gulf
of Mexico. The common opinion is that
this current is occasioned by the constant
flow of the Mississippi River into the Mexi-
can Gulf. This explanation, however, appears
by no means satisfactory, since the volume
of the stream, sixteen leagues in width,
greatly exceeds that of the Mississippi. An-
other hypothesis considers it as the continu-
ation of the current which sets round the
Cape of Good Hope from the Indian seas,
and, traversing the Atlantic Ocean, nearly
in the line followed by our ship, enters the
Gulf of Mexico, whence it re-enters the ocean
with the waters of the Mississippi, and fol-
lows the American coast till finally dissipated

in the Northern: seas. As we advanced tow-
ards the middle of the stream the quantity
of weed was prodigious, covering the surface
of the water as far as we could see. This
phenomenon was not interesting alone, but
was useful, as verifying our position in re-
spect to the American coast.

We soon had a great change of climate,
the weather becoming more cold than I had
felt it since leaving England. I could hardly
keep myself warm day or night. But this
inconvenience was welcome as another sign
that the end of our voyage was nigh. On
the ist of April the lead was heaved, but no
bottom found. The captain, however, or-
dered the ship to be kept under easy sail
during the night, her head alternately to the
north and south. The lead also was fre-
quently heaved. These precautions were not
premature, for the next morning, Saturday,
the 2d April, the leadsman proclaimed bot-
tom. We lay-to that night, but the following
day we again stood towards land, and I had
the gratification of seeing the light-house at
the entrance of Delaware Bay, after a pros-
perous voyage of less than four months from
the mouth of the Ganges. Unfortunately no
pilot appeared, although our signal for one

was kept flying. Our disappointment was
the greater as the weather had a threatening
appearance. Some dangerous shoals, called
the Nantucket Shoals, seemed to give the
captain some uneasiness and to increase his
desire to get into port. He said that he had
been more than sixty voyages from the Dela-
ware, and was as capable as a pilot to take
the ship into the bay, but that in case of
accident, from whatever cause, the insurances
would be void. In the evening, therefore,
no pilot appearing, the ship's head was put
off shore and we stood out to sea. Morti-
fying as this course was, its prudence was
soon manifest, for in the night the threaten-
ing aspect of the weather ended in a gale of
wind. We saw nothing around us next day,
but kept the lead going lest the current
should set us towards the land. In the af-
ternoon the gale increased, and there was
much bustle on board. The scantiness of
the crew made it necessary for every one to
lend a hand on such an occasion. In conse-
quence of an order given by the captain to
let go some rope near the stern, I ran aft and
did what was necessary. At this moment
the rope which held the great spanker-boom
to windward gave way, and this spar, with
23

the sail upon it, immediately fell down to
leeward with prodigious force. The captain
said that when he saw me between the falling
boom and the ship's side he thought my de-
struction inevitable. When, however, the
boom had arrived within three or four feet
of the side against which I was leaning, it
was stopped by a thick block projecting from
the stern rail. I never perhaps had a more
providential escape.

A heavy fall of rain the second night hav-
ing abated the violence of the wind, the next
morning — Tuesday, the 5th April — at day-
break, we were again able to set sail on the
ship and stand towards the coast. We were
this time more fortunate. A sail was per-
ceived, and the captain soon pronounced her
to be a pilot making towards us. When
sufficiently near he came on board in a small
skiff belonging to his diminutive vessel. For
this was not a schooner, as in the Bengal
River,.but merely a stout-decked boat, resem-
bling a large fishing-boat. The pilot having
taken charge of us, we proceeded directly
towards the mouth of the Delaware River.
In the afternoon we again saw the light-
house, and, passing it early in the evening,
entered Delaware Bay, having on our left

Cape Henlopen, on which the light -house
stood, and on our right Cape May. The
distance between the two capes was said to
be fifteen miles, though appearing much less.
Within them the bay gradually widened to
about twenty-four miles. We passed near
many shoals, particularly " Big Shoal," on
which the depth of water varied from six to
ten feet. On our right we had the State of
New Jersey, on our left that of Delaware.
Both shores appeared low and flat, but on
arriving in the New World I felt an interest
in everything I beheld that supplied the
want of picturesque attractions. I spent the
whole day upon deck asking questions and
looking about me. A little before dark we
came to anchor near a large buoy, called the
Buoy of the Brown.

6th April. — I was early on deck, expect-
ing the ship to get under way to mount
the river, but the pilot said the tide would
not be favorable for some hours. While
we were at anchor several vessels and fish-
ing-boats from Philadelphia passed us on
their way to sea. We weighed soon after
twelve o'clock. For some time we were near
a vessel from England, also bound to Phila-
delphia. The captains hailed each other, and
25

afterwards exchanged newspapers by throw-
ing a line, having a small piece of lead at the
end, on board the other ship, and then draw-
ing it backward and forward with the pa-
pers attached to it. We steered generally in
six or eight fathoms, and nearly in the middle
of the bay, which gradually contracted into
the Delaware River, so. called aftei the Earl
of Delaware, who settled in this part of the
American continent early in the seventeenth
century. A river of such magnitude and
importance, and which bore the metropolis
of a great nation upon its banks, seemed to
claim a more dignified name than the title of
an adventurous nobleman. In this respect
India had been more fortunate. There, the
British conquerors and settlers, not having
had the pretension and bad taste to change
the ancient names of the country for their
own, Plassey was not called " Clive," nor
Buxar " Munro," while the Ganges, the Bur-
rampooter, and the Saone retained, with no
material corruption, the sacred orthography
of the remotest ages.

We continued to mount the river, passing

between Brown's and Brandy wine Shoal.

On our left we passed the town of Dover,

one of the principal towns of the Delaware

26

State. Though capes May and Henlopen,
on the shore of the Atlantic, seemed to mark
the commencement of the Delaware — the
space, called the bay being merely an ex-
panded reach of the river itself — this never-
theless was not considered as beginning till
we had passed Bombay Hook, twenty miles
above the capes. Here the width was about
three miles. On the Jersey side we passed
Stony Point and the small town of Salem.
Twenty miles above Bombay Point we came
to Reedy Island, and anchored for the night
at Port Penn. This seemed to be the
Gravesend of the Delaware, being the usual
rendezvous of ships before entering the At-
lantic. The direction of our course to-day
had been about north-west.

7//z April. — It was late again to-day before
the tide would allow us to move. Our course
to-day was extremely pleasant, the river be-
coming more picturesque as it became more
contracted. We passed several small islands ;
the principal of which was Delaware Island,
and the considerable town of Newcastle, on
the western shore, formerly called Stock-
holm, having been founded by the Swedes,
and later New Amsterdam, upon its passing
into the possession of the Dutch. It is con-
27

sidered the oldest European settlement on
the Delaware. Its situation, about half-way
between Philadelphia and the sea, is evi-
dently very advantageous, and must insure it
a large share of the commercial prosperity of
the capital. It may be safely predicted that
its population will increase more during the
next twenty years than in the one hundred
and fifty which have elapsed since its estab-
lishment.

A few miles higher we saw, also on our
left, the large town of Wilmington, pleas-
antly situated on an eminence, at some dis-
tance from the river, but commanding appar-
ently a view of every sail passing upon it. I
understood that it was the largest town of
the Delaware State. We next came to Mar-
cus Hook (also on the western shore) ; to a
succession of low islands ; to the mouth of
the Schuylkyl, with Fort Miffin opposite to
it, on the Jersey side, and soon after discov-
ered Philadelphia itself, situated on the right
or western bank of the Delaware. Though
not presenting the splendor, nor majesty, nor
venerable antiquity of some cities I had seen,
not exhibiting the palaces of Calcutta, nor
the temples of Benares, nor the marble domes
and minarets of Agra and Delhi, its appear-
28

ance was most gratifying to me as the city
founded by Penn, as the seat of the American
Government, and the termination of my voy-
age. . Having passed several ships, the India
entered the line and took- her station along
one of the wharves, which extended nearly
the whole length of the city, and in a few
minutes I stepped ashore without even the
aid of a plank, the ship's side touching the
wharf.

It being evening, when many people were
about, the quay was crowded with persons
curious to witness an arrival from Bengal.
Having first gratified my own curiosity by
looking at the lookers-on, and made a few
turns up and down the wharf, enjoying the
great pleasure of treading once more on firm
ground after a long confinement to a ship, I
was setting off with my trunk to a tavern
when Mr. Pringle, the purser, stopped me
with a pressing invitation to accompany him
to the house of Mr. Lewis, one of the owners
of the India.

This worthy citizen received me very kind-
ly, saying, " How dost thou do, friend ? I am
glad to see thee;" for he was,. in the phrase-
ology of Philadelphia, one of the Society of
Friends, that is to say, a Quaker. He intro-

duced me to Mrs. Lewis and his daughters,
who received me with the same salutation,
" I am glad to see thee, friend ; I hope thou
art well." I drank tea with these good peo-
ple, in whom I found a kindness which the
simplicity of their manners seemed to make
the more cordial. The safe arrival of their
ship at a favorable market put all the family
in good spirits. After tea I went to the
house of Mr. Bingham, intending to go after-
wards to the London Tavern, but Mrs. Lewis
insisted upon my returning to sleep at her
house : " Thou wilt sleep here, friend ; thy
bed shall be ready for thee." Mr. Bingham,
to whom Mr. Pringle introduced me, was the
principal person in Philadelphia, and the
wealthiest, probably, in the Union. His
house stood alone, and occupied, with the
gardens attached to it, a spacious piece of
ground. It was by far the handsomest resi-
dence in the city. I found here a large party.
Besides Mr. and Mrs. Bingham and their two
daughters, were Count de Noailles, Count
Tilley, Mr. Alexander Baring, and others,
After supper I returned to the house of Mr.
Lewis, and was conducted to a handsome
chamber, the centre of which was occupied
by a square bed, with curtains all round it, in

the English manner. There could not be a
fairer promise of a good night's rest. After,
however, I had slept an hour, I heard a per-
son undressing behind the curtains, although
there was no other bed in the room than that
which I had supposed to belong exclusively
to me. But this opinion was soon changed,
for the stranger, having put out the light,
drew back the curtains, and placed himself
at my side. Sleeping ill with another person
even in the same room, I would much rather
have had Mrs. Lewis's bed, ample as it was,
to myself; but I inferred that the arrange-
ment which had taken place was one of the
peculiar customs of the country, and that in
America, when a stranger was invited to pass
the night with his host, it was never meant
to give him the whole of a bed. When the
light of the morning shone upon the features
of my companion, whose face should I see
but Mr. Pringle's. Though surprised to find
that the purser had slept so near me, I felt
that I could not reasonably complain, for as
his attentions had procured me this bed, no
one certainly had so fair a claim to half of it
as himself.

8th. — The next morning after breakfast I
took a lodging at the principal hotel in Phil-

adelphia, called the London Tavern, but found
it so deficient in comfort that I sallied forth
in search of better quarters. I asked a per-
son in the street where the Members of Con-
gress put up when they arrived from the dif-
ferent States, and was told that many of them
lived together in a house in Fourth Street
kept by an old Frenchman named Francis. I
thought it would be very desirable to be ad-
mitted into this house, or rather into this
society. I accordingly walked immediately
to Fourth Street, and found old Mr. Francis
and his American wife sitting together in a
small dark room at the end of the passage.
I did not at first know who Mrs. Francis was,
for she appeared too tall and handsome to
be the old man's daughter, and too young to
be his wife. Mr. Francis, who seemed to have
lost ul*e politeness of his own country, said,
without stirring from his chair, or scarcely
raising his head, that his house was not a
tavern, but a private house for the reception
of Members of Congress, of whom it was now
full. I mentioned that I was a stranger in
America, being just arrived from the East
Indies. The little old man regarded me with
a look of surprise as I said this, but repeated,
in a tone of diminished repugnance almost
32

amounting to civil regret, that his house was
full. I was about to return to my indifferent
lodging at the London Tavern, when Mrs.
Francis, reminded her husband of a small
room at the top of the house, which I might
occupy for a day or two, when a chamber
next to the one occupied by the Vice-Presi-
dent would be disengaged. The mention of
the Vice-President excited my attention, and
the idea of being placed so near him at once
obtained my assent to Mrs. Francis's pro-
posal; and the old man also expressed his
concurrence, or rather allowed his wife to
make what arrangement she pleased. I im-
mediately brought my trunk from the Lon-
don Tavern and placed it in my temporary
apartment. I observed that the maid-servant
who assisted in getting it up a steep and nar-
row staircase was a negress, or rather, a^irva-
latto, the first human being of this race that
I had seen. She was young, active, and oblig-
ing, and spoke English. She was the prop-
erty, I understood, of Mr. Francis, who had
bought her some time before, and might of
course sell her whenever he pleased. This
was the first instance of slavery I had
ever seen, and it caused me both pain and
surprise to meet with it in the country
c 33

which so boasted of the freedom of its in-
stitutions.

At dinner to-day I met several members of
the two Houses of Congress, and thought
them most amiable, sensible men. The seat
at the head of the table was reserved for the
Vice-President, Mr. Adams, but he did not
come to dinner. In the evening Mrs. Francis
made tea for nearly the same party. Con-
sidering that I had arrived in America only
the day before, that I had no introduction to
any one, that there was not a good hotel in
the city, and that the general usages of the
country did not, as in India, supply this de-
ficiency, I thought myself fortunate in being
already established in the most respectable
society of the United States. Mr. Bingham,
the President of the Pennsylvania!! State,
not only gave me a general invitation to his
house, but offered to take care of my great
sheep during my stay in America. This fine
animal had arrived in perfect health, as had
my Santipore cow ; but my Cachmirean goat,
which was very sickly when we left India,
had died shortly before we reached the Del-
aware.

The negress being engaged in arranging
my chamber, my curiosity to see an American

play led me to the theatre. The play was the
" Miser," followed by the "Jubilee." I took
my place in the front boxes, paying nearly
the same price as in England.

gtk April. — I breakfasted this morning at
the public table, at which Madame* Francis
presided. Several members of both Houses
were present. Mrs. Francis helped me to
some of the celebrated buckwheat cakes,
whose excellence had been the subject of
much commendation during our voyage. It
takes its name from the species of wheat of
which it is made, and in size and appearance
resembles the English crumpet, and is dressed
in the same manner, being first toasted and
then buttered. But it is superior to the
crumpet or muffin, having the peculiar taste
of the buckwheat, which is extremely agree-
able, and renders it the most esteemed article
of an American breakfast. This meal was, in
other respects, very abundant and sumptu-
ous, comprising tea, coffee, hot rolls, toast,
eggs, ham, and joints of cold meat. It ap-
peared the English breakfast of former days,
with tea and its accompaniments added to it.

After this I called at Mr. Bingham's, where
I found my doombah grazing upon the gar-
den lawn at the back of the house. While I

35

was looking at it with Mr. Bingham, several
inhabitants of the city came to gratify their
curiosity, for Mr. Bingham, having observed
this, had ordered that everybody should be
admitted, and considerable numbers had al-
ready come to the garden in consequence.
My Bengal cow, which I found in a stable
not far off, also had numerous visitors.
Among the curiosities which I brought from
India was an oyster-shell of extraordinary
size and weight, exceeding one hundred
pounds. It was the bottom shell alone, and
had been found amongst a heap of oyster-
shells at Madras. The mark of the oyster
was visible upon the discolored surface of the
inside, and showed that the fish had nearly
filled the entire cavity. This curiosity I pre-
sented to the National Museum, where it was
very graciously accepted.

1 called upon Mr. Bond, the British Consul
and temporary representative of the British
Government in the absence of the Envoy.
He asked me many questions about India,
and said he must introduce me to General
Washington. He invited me to spend that
evening with him.

On returning to my lodging in Fourth
Street, I found the negro girl bringing my
36

things down-stairs from the garret. She told
me, with much pleasure, that she was taking
them to a room on the first floor, which her
mistress had ordered for me. This I found
to be a very good chamber, with two win-
dows looking into a court behind the house.
In a room adjoining, and nearly similar, was
Mr. Adams, the Vice-President of the United
States.

Soon after I was installed in my new
quarters, Mr. Alexander Baring and his
brother, Mr. Henry Baring, called upon me.
I thought the former a clever, well-informed
young man.* He was, I understood, come to
America on account of Messrs. Hope's house,
of Amsterdam, to purchase a large tract of
land in the province of Maine, belonging to
Mr. Bingham. I knew his brother in Ben-
gal, the eldest son of Sir Francis Baring.
He had married one of my fellow-passengers
in the Ponsborne, granddaughter of Captain
Thornhill.

I dined to-day with the Members of Con-
gress. Mr. Adams took the chair always
reserved for him at the head of the table,

* My acquaintance with Mr. A. Baring, now Lord Ashbur-
ton, has since been kept up. He always refers to our first
meetings with much apparent satisfaction.
37

though himself superior to all sense of su-
periority. He appeared to be about sixty
years of age. In person he was rather short
and thick; in his manner somewhat cold and
reserved, as the citizens of Massachusetts, his
native state, are said generally to be. His
presence caused a general feeling of respect,
but the modesty of his demeanor and the
tolerance of his opinions excluded all incon-
venient restraint. He was generally dressed
in a light or drab-colored coat, and had the
appearance rather of an English country
gentleman who had seen little of the world,
than of a statesman who had seen so much
of public life. He began his career at the
bar of the Royal Courts of Boston, where he
was said to have gained popularity by his
eloquence, and esteem by his integrity and
independence ; but it is probable that the
great powers of his mind, like those of Wash-
ington and other patriots, would have re-
mained unknown if the Revolution had not
brought them into notice. He was chosen
by his countrymen to represent them in the
first National Congress asse'mbled at Phila-
delphia in the year 1774, the year before the
commencement of open hostilities by the
battle of Bunker's Hill, and during the war
38

which followed he was associated with Frank-
lin in the mission of the latter to the court of
France. He was also employed in diplo-
matic negotiations with England and Hol-
land. I was told that the troubles of his
country had drawn from his pen some pub-
lications, in which his patriotism and his
talents were equally conspicuous. Knowing
few greater pleasures than that of listening
to the conversation of great and virtuous
men, I was always glad when I saw Mr.
Adams enter the room and take his place at
our table. Indeed, to behold this distin-
guished man, the future President of his
country, occupying the chair of the Senate
in the morning, and afterwards walking home
through the streets and taking his seat
amongst his fellow -citizens, as their equal,
conversing amicably with men over whom he
had just presided, and perhaps checked and
admonished, was a singular spectacle, and a
striking exemplification of the state of society
in America at this period.

I drank tea, and spent the evening, with
the English charge d'affaires. There was
a large party of ladies and gentlemen, all
Americans. The reception was in a large
room up-stairs, resembling in every respect

39

an English drawing-room. The company
sat round a wood-fire, placed in a shining
grate. In the middle of the circle, after tea
and coffee had been served round, figured
the Consul himself, descanting on various
subjects, public and private, as well as public
and private characters, sometimes with un-
becoming levity, sometimes with sarcasm
still more unbecoming. The opinions he
expressed could hardly fail to be offensive to
the sentiments of many of his guests, and to
the good taste of all. I was surprised at be-
havior so undignified, and felt some shame
at seeing the representative of my country
playing the part of a political mountebank
before many of the principal persons of the
American metropolis.

Sunday, loth April. — I went this forenoon
to hear the celebrated Dr. Priestley preach.
The chapel, though spacious, was so crowded
that I was obliged to stand near the door,
and could only judge of the Doctor's elo-
quence by the pleasure it seemed to afford
his hearers.

I dined and drank tea with Mr. Bingham,
met the Count de Noailles, Count Tilley, the
celebrated Monsr. Volney, the two Messrs.
Barings, and several members of the Senate

and House of Representatives— in all a very
large party. Mr. Volney, next whom I sat
at dinner, was very inquisitive about India.
Mr. Alexander Baring, who sat nearly op-
posite to me, took a leading part in the
general conversation. After tea, the Count
de Noailles undertook to introduce me to
Dr. Ross, an English physician, who would,
he said, have much pleasure in seeing me.
The Doctor, it appeared, was distinguished
rather as a literary character than as a phy-
sician, not practising as such, though giving
his gratuitous assistance to his countrymen
and friends. This introduction proved very
agreeable, and confirmed the favorable ac-
counts I had received of the Doctor from the
Count and others.

Monday, nth. — Called this morning upon
the Barings. Found them fencing together.
After my return home I received a visit from
Mr. Bond. He called to let me know that
General Washington would hold a levee the
next day, when he would introduce me to
him. He said he would call upon me and
take me with him, and begged me to be ready
at the time fixed. Dr. Ross also called upon
me, and was extremely civil. He invited me
to dine with him the next day. Dined with

the Vice-President and Members of Congress.
In the evening went to the play, "All in the
Wrong."

Tuesday. — After partaking of Mrs. Fran-
cis's buckwheat cakes, I put my head into
the hands of the hairdresser. I had still
preserved in its original length and fulness
the pigtail, as it was called, with which I
had left England, the democratic crop of the
French Revolution not having yet reached
India. I doubted, indeed, whether style of
dress was required by the forms of the re-
publican court at which I was about to ap-
pear ; but as much of the attention 1 received
seemed to be on account of my coming from
India, I thought it as well to be presented in
the costume of an Indian court. When
dressed, I joined the Members of Congress
in the public room, to wait for Mr. Bond.
While conversing with these gentlemen, ex-
pecting the British charge every minute, the
negress entered, and delivered to me a note
from this officer to say that important public
business had suddenly made it impossible
for him to attend the levee that day. I re-
gretted this circumstance the more, because
I was likely to leave Philadelphia before the
next levee.

Scarcely had I resumed my common dress
before Dr. Ross called. He said that, know-
ing that Dr. Priestley would be glad to see
me, he called to accompany me to him.
Disappointed of seeing one great man that
morning, I considered myself fortunate in
being thus introduced to another. I willing-
ly, therefore, accepted the Doctor's obliging
offer, and set out with him for Dr. Priestley's
house in High Street.

High Street is considered the principal
street in Philadelphia, although Broad Street,
which crosses it towards its upper end, ex-
ceeds it somewhat in width. It runs per-
pendicularly from the river, or from east to
west, and divides the city into two parts,
nearly equal. The streets, which run in the
line of the river, or from north to south, all
cut High Street, and, of course, all the streets
parallel to it, at right angles. The width
of High Street is one hundred feet ; that of
all the others, with the exception of Broad
Street, about fifty. All the streets being
equidistant from each other, it is evident
that their intersection forms the houses
comprised between them into square masses
of equal dimensions. Such is the simple but
monotonous plan of Philadelphia, as laid

43

down by its founder, William Penn, towards
the end of the seventeenth century. The
streets resemble many of the smaller streets
of London, excepting that the foot-pavement
on each side is of brick instead of stone.
The houses also are built with red brick, and
have generally a shop on the first floor, and
two or three windows in the stories above.
The streets and houses thus resembling each
other, having scarcely any difference in their
appearance, excepting the accidental dis-
similarity arising from the shops, produces a
sameness wearying to the eye, and often
embarrassing to a stranger, who can hardly
tell, when it is too dusk to read the names at
the corners, whether he is in " Third " or
" Fourth Street," " Chesnut" or " Walnut."
For the nomenclature adopted by old Penn
when he made his streets was as unusual as
many other parts of his plan, and by aiming
at extreme simplicity, produced eccentricity
rather than convenience, confusion rather
than clearness. Thus, the first street from
the Delaware was called " First Street " ;
the succeeding ones "Second," "Third,"
" Fourth," " Fifth," " Sixth," and so on, as
far as Broad Street, half way between the
Delaware and the Schuylkyl. Beyond this

line they were numbered in a similar way
from the latter river towards the Delaware,
the streets of the same number on the two
sides. of the line of separation being distin-
guished by the name of the river to which
they belonged, as " Delaware First Street,"
"Schuylkyl First Street," " Delaware Fifth
Street," " Schuylkyl Fifth Street," etc. This
inconvenient arrangement seems to have
been adopted on the supposition that the
two sides of the city would be constructed
simultaneously from the respective water
fronts. This, however, was not the case ; for
the Delaware, offering much greater facilities
for navigation, the city has been extended far
beyond its intended limits, along the banks
of this river, north and south, while no
buildings have been commenced on the banks
of the Schuylkyl to the present time (1796).
Some streets, however, have been begun on
the Schuylkyl side of Broad Street ; and
there can be no doubt that they will, in a few
years more, reach that river. Whenever
that may be the case, the inconvenience of
having two sets of streets bearing the same
names will probably be manifest, and may
lead to a change less repugnant to custom
and good taste. It is harsh enough for a

45

stranger's ear to hear "Thirteenth Street"
(the last next the midway division), without
the distinction of " Delaware Thirteenth
Street," or " Delaware Thirteenth," which
will be necessary when the remaining or
Schuylkyl half of the city shall be built.
The names given to the other streets, those
which run from the Delaware towards the
Schuylkyl, are scarcely less whimsical, the
principal trees oi America having been chosen
for this purpose, and thus forming Chesnut,
Walnut, Pine, Cedar, Mulberry, Spruce, Sas-
safras streets. The distance between the
two rivers is about two miles, over a level
plain.

Proceeded to Dr. Priestley's house in the
upper part of High Street, in a row of small
houses between Sixth and Seventh streets,
remarkable for their pleasant appearance,
standing back a few yards from the footpath,
and having small gardens, separated by
painted rails, before them. I had not seen
such an appearance of neatness and comfort
since my arrival in Philadelphia, and experi-
enced pleasure in finding that it was here
that the English philosopher, the benefactor
of his country and of mankind, by his dis-
coveries in useful science, had taken up his
46

abode. Having passed through the garden
of one of the first houses, the door was soon
opened by a female servant, who, saying that
the Doctor was at home, conducted us into
a small room by the side of the passage,
looking towards the street. Here I expected
to see the Doctor, but found only his sister,
who desired the maid to let her master know
that Dr. Ross was come. In a few minutes
the Doctor, having quitted, probably, his
studies, entered the room, and I was at once
relieved from the sort of uneasiness which
precedes an introduction to a great man, his
countenance being exceedingly mild and
good-natured, and his manner no less easy
and conciliating. His person, short and
slender, his age, apparently about sixty, and
his unaffected cheerfulness at once reminded
me of my Uncle Thomas — an impression
that increased during the remainder of my
visit.

Dr. Ross, in his friendly zeal, introduced
me somewhat in the style of a showman at a
country fair: "Mr. Twining — just arrived
from Bengal — a great traveller on the Ganges
— has been received by the Great Moghol,"
etc. The Doctor, his simplicity unchanged
by this recital, received me with hearty kind-

ness. He placed me near the fire, and took
a chair by my side. I soon found that he was
as inquisitive as Dr. Ross had represented
him to be. Fortunately his inquiries were
directed to such subjects respecting India as
were familiar to me, such as the castes, cus-
toms, and character of the inhabitants ; cli-
mate, productions, etc. Passing from general
to particular questions, he wished to have a
description of the couvre-capelle ; and the
numbers of this deadly snake which I had
seen at Santipore enabled me to gratify his
curiosity upon this point. I described also
the mungoos, and the battle which I had
seen between this animal and a couvre-
capelle. He asked me about a particular
fish, and about a particular property it pos-
sessed. I fortunately knew this, had eaten it,
and remarked the peculiarity he alluded to.
The Doctor related, in his turn, many an-
ecdotes, here further reminding me, by his
playfulness and good-humor, of my learned
uncle. He had a way, when telling his stories,
of asking you to guess how a thing happened,
saying, " Now, sir, how do you think this
was ?" waiting a few moments for an answer.
Among other things, he spoke of the great
sheep in Mr. Bingham's garden, expressing
48

his intention of seeing it, and then alluded to
the great improvement lately made by Mr.
Bakewell of Leicestershire in the breed and
management of animals. He said he once
visited. Mr. Bakewell, who showed him his
improved race of sheep, and his fine bulls,
remarkable for their size and symmetry. He
saw two of these animals grazing peaceably
in the same pasture. " I can," said Mr. Bake-
well, " immediately make these bulls as furi-
ous as they are now quiet, and again make
them friends." "And how," said the Doctor,
addressing himself to me, " how, sir, do you
think this was done? Why, sir, Mr. Bakewell
ordered one of his men to drive a cow into
the field, and the two bulls rushed at each
other, and fought with the greatest fierceness.
While they were thus engaged, the cow was
driven out of the field, and the two cham-
pions grazed together quietly as before."

The Doctor having expressed a desire to
see the skin of my shawl goat, it was settled
that he would call the next day, and accom-
pany me on board the India. I now took
leave, much gratified with this personal in-
troduction to a celebrated man, of whom I
had heard a great deal when a boy at school ;
his system of chemistry — his phlogiston and

anti-phlogiston and fixed air — then making
much noise, and leading to various experi-
ments upon balloons, etc., in which boys at
that time, and I amongst others, took a part.
Upon separating from Dr. Ross I went to
the house where the Congress held its meet-
ings, situated in Chesnut Street. It is a large
and handsome building, occupying the area
of an extensive court, by the side of the
street. Two folding-doors, accessible to ev-
erybody, led me at once into the hall of the
National Representatives, who were then sit-
ting, and engaged in debate. I stood in the
space reserved for strangers, between the en-
trance and the low partition which separates
it from the part occupied by the members.
This space was small, and without seats. I
was surprised to find so little accommodation
for the public, in a country where the public
was supposed to be especially considered.
There might possibly be more room allotted
to strangers in another part of the hall, but I
did not observe any visitors, excepting such
as stood near me. These being but few, I
was able to advance at once to the partition.
From this point I had an uninterrupted view
of every part of the hall — I may say, of every
member of the Assembly, for one of the ad-

5°

vantages of this handsome room is, that the
whole of it is visible from every part.

The subject of debate, when I entered, was
the budget, and Mr. Gallatin was speaking.
Mr. Gallatin is a native of France or Switzer-
land, but had long resided in America, and
was now a naturalized citizen of the Repub-
lic. He was one of the principal members of
the opposition, or of the anti-federal or dem-
ocratic party, as opposed to the federal sys-
tem, of which General Washington was the
head. Although a slow and rather embar-
rassed delivery, as well as a peculiarity of ac-
cent, showed that Mr. Gallatin did not speak
his native language, his speech discovered
great acuteness, and the deep knowledge of
the finances of the United States for which
he was especially distinguished. His strong
opposition to the measures of Government,
and his democratical opinions, had lately
drawn upon him the quills of Peter Porcu-
pine, a satiric writer, who at this time at-
tracted much attention in America by his
opposition, in a popular, sarcastic style, to
the opposers of the existing Constitution.
This writer, however, was not an American
subject, but the Englishman who has since
been so much less advantageously known, in

his own country, by his real name of William
Cobbett. Mr. Gallatin was only three or four
yards to the right of where I stood. His pro-
file from this point, the thin, sharp outline of
a Frenchman's face, his inclined attitude tow-
ards the President as he addressed him, and
the slow perpendicular movement of his right
arm, "sawing the air," formed a portrait
which the occasional appearance of his name
in public affairs always brings to my remem-
brance. Mr. Maddison, an eloquent and much-
respected member, also spoke from his seat,
a little to the right of the President ; and Mr.
William Smith, member for Baltimore, one
of our party in Fourth Street, who defended
the measures of Government, repelling the
animadversions of Mr. Gallatin with much
wit and severity. I recollect a few of his sar-
castic phrases.

From the hall of the Representatives, I
went to that of the Senate, or Upper Cham-
ber, analogous, in its position in the state, to
the British House of Peers. Mr. Adams, as
Vice-President of the United States, presided
over this assembly. He was seated in a
raised recess on one side of the hall, which
was oblong, and much smaller than that of
the Representatives. The public was ad-

mitted to a raised gallery, which extended
the whole length of the side opposite the
President. Here, also, I heard some good
speaking, though the chief orators are in the
other, chamber. In both assemblies the
members had desks before them, on which
they took notes, and laid their papers ; but
their speeches were extempore.

I dined with Dr. Ross. He received me in
his study, up a very narrow staircase. The
walls of the room were entirely covered with
books. The Doctor introduced me to Mr.
Woolstencraft, related to the authoress of
that name, to Dr. or Mr. Boulman, a distin-
guished Irishman, and to Mr. Cooper, a
young American who had recently made him-
self known by his writings. Mr. Dallas, an
eminent English barrister, was expected, but
sent a note to say he was prevented from
coming. Dinner being ready, we descended,
to a room under the study. Mr. Cooper and
the Doctor's other guests asked many ques-
tions about the Hindoos, the Ganges, the cit-
ies and monuments I had seen in the north-
ern parts of my tour, and the languages. The
Doctor's announcement that I spoke three
languages of India, though there was nothing
extraordinary in the fact, seemed to cause

53

some surprise. After dinner Mr. Dallas came.
He expressed particular interest about India,
in which country some of his family had re-
sided. It was late in the evening before this
party, containing some of the most clever
men in Philadelphia, broke up. Although I
had experienced some disappointment in not
being introduced to General Washington in
the morning, I had, through the polite at-
tentions of Dr. Ross, passed a most pleasant
day.

i2th April. — Breakfasted, as usual, with
the Members of Congress, with whom I was
now upon easy terms. As we stood round
the fire, one of these gentlemen, Mr. Gallatin,
examined the ends of my muslin neckcloth,
and much surprise was expressed when I
mentioned the cost at Santipore. Many
questions were asked me respecting the
qualities and prices of the fabrics of India,
and it is not impossible that the lowness of
the latter suggested the idea of a profitable
speculation, the object of almost every
American at this period.

The Vice-President always breakfasted in
his own room. He had brought a man-ser-
vant with him from Boston, but the negress
had the care of his chamber. This poor girl,

being the only servant in the house, served
everybody and did everything. Her activity
and cheerful diligence were surprising.

In the forenoon Dr. Priestley called. He
was accompanied by his son, who also had a
desire to see the skin of my shawl goat. I
accordingly set out with the great chemist
and his son Joseph. We continued along
Fourth Street till we came to Orchard Street,
one of the streets perpendicular to the Dela-
ware, and turning down it, arrived at the
wharf at which the India was discharging
her cargo. The Doctor noticed the skin of
my poor goat with much interest, turning
back the long hair and examining the downy
wool beneath writh much attention. He
seemed to have been previously impressed
with the common belief that the cashmere
shawl was made from the ordinary wool of a
particular race of sheep, and not from the
remarkable substance he now saw, or the
produce of a goat. The Doctor, being a
zealous searcher of truth and fact, was evi-
dently gratified with this discovery ; while,
having failed in my attempt to take the dem-
onstration of an important problem to my
own country, it was gratifying to me to be
able to communicate it to the chief naturalist

55

of America. I thought I could not dispose
of this curiosity better than by placing it in
his possession. I accordingly requested the
Doctor to allow one of the sailors to carry it
to his house. Although he yielded to this
proposal with reluctance, I had the satisfac-
tion of perceiving that it afforded him pleas-
ure.

As we returned through the city I was de-
sirous of learning if the Doctor was satisfied
with his situation in a country which pos-
sessed no man eminent for science since the
days of Franklin. He expressed himself sat-
isfied with the attention he had received
from the American Government, which had
offered him the professorship of chemistry.
He spoke with regard of Dr. Ross, whose
society apparently best supplied the loss of
Franklin, of Bishop Watson, and Doctors
Parr and Price, the friends of the Doctor's
earlier life. But it was evident that his satis-
faction with America, which had received
him, had not effaced his attachment to his na-
tive country, which had banished him. For
Dr. Priestley, diverted unfortunately from
his philosophical pursuits by the French
Revolution, became by his imprudence one
of the victims of that unsparing explosion.
56

Quitting the paths of science, he engaged in
the political and metaphysical discussions of
that troubled period, and was soon swept
away by the violence of a storm which, but
for this needless exposure, would have passed
over him. The infuriated mob of Birming-
ham, a place fostered by practical science and
enriched by the useful arts, broke into his
house, pillaged his extensive library, burnt
his valuable manuscripts and the notes of his
unpublished observations, and destroyed his
philosophical apparatus. These lamentable
acts determined the Doctor to retire to
America. Still, it was so evidently his desire
to return to England whenever the passions
of the moment should have subsided, that I
determined to ascertain on my arrival in
London how far such a step would be expe-
dient.

ijth April. — Hearing that the Vermont was
about to sail for England, I write by her to
my father. Wishing to see a few of the other
principal cities of America, as well as some-
thing of the country, I decided upon an ex-
cursion as far as Baltimore, south of Phila-
delphia, and eventually to Washington, the
contemplated metropolis of the United States,
situated on the Potomac. At the latter place

I should find an East-Indian, Mr. Law, for-
merly of the Bengal Civil Establishment.
Returning to England, the want of occupa-
tion there induced him to visit America. At
that time the plan of building a new metropo-
lis, to bear the name of Washington, was
under consideration, and excited much specu-
lation. Mr. Law had become acquainted with
one of the proprietors of the land selected
for the site of the new city, and confiding in
an Act of Congress already passed for the
transfer of the seat of government, had made
a considerable purchase of ground from this
person . It was, however, considered an advent-
ure of much risk, for doubt was entertained
not only whether, in case of General Washing-
ton's death, the proposed change would take
place, but whether the removal of the seat of
government would carry with it the augmen-
tation of commerce and population which
Mr. Law anticipated, and which was essential
to the success of his speculation. T this af-
ternoon took my place in the stage-wagon
for Baltimore for the following morning.

i4th. — At ten this morning the negro girl
took my portmanteau under her arm, and
accompanied me to the mail-wagon office.
At half-past ten the wagon started up High

Street, passing before the window of Dr.
Priestley. The vehicle was a long car with
four benches. Three of these in the interior
held nine passengers, and a tenth passenger
was seated by the side of the driver on the
front bench. A light roof was supported by
eight slender pillars, four on each side. Three
large leather curtains suspended to the roof,
one at each side and the third behind, were
rolled up or lowered at the pleasure of the
passengers. There was no place nor space
for luggage, each person being expected to
stow his things as he could under his seat or
legs. The entrance was in front, over the
driver's bench. Of course the three passen-
gers on the back seat were obliged to crawl
across all the other benches to get to their
places. There were no backs to the benches
to support and relieve us during a rough and
fatiguing journey over a newly and ill made
road. It would be unreasonable to expect
perfection in the arrangements of a new
country ; but though this rude conveyance
was not without its advantages, and was
really more suitable to the existing state of
American roads than an English stage-coach
would have been, it might have been rendered
more convenient in some respects without

59

much additional expense. Thus a mere strap
behind the seats would have been a great
comfort, and the ponderous leather curtains,
which extended the whole length of the wag-
on, would have been much more convenient
divided into two or three parts, and with a
glass, however small, in each division to give
light to the passengers in bad weather, and
enable them to have a glimpse of the coun-
try. The disposal of the luggage also was
extremely incommodious, not only to the
owner, but to his neighbors.

We were quite full, having ten passengers
besides the driver. Upon leaving the city we
entered immediately upon the country, the
transition from streets to fields being abrupt,
and not rendered gradual by detached houses
and villas, as in the vicinity of London. The
fields, however, had nothing pleasing about
them, being crossed and separated by the
numerous intersections of the intended
streets, and surrounded by large rough-hewed
rails, placed zigzag, instead of hedges. We
soon reached the Schuylkyl, a small river
which descends from the Kittatany moun-
tains, in the back part of Pennsylvania, and
enters the Delaware seven miles below Phila-
delphia, after a course of about 120 miles.
60

We crossed it upon a floating bridge, con-
structed of logs of wood placed by the side
of each other upon the surface of the water,
and planks nailed across them. Although
this bridge floated when not charged, or
charged but lightly, the weight of our wag-
on depressed it several inches below the
surface, the horses splashing through the
water, so that a foot-passenger passing at the
same time would have been exposed to seri-
ous inconvenience. The roughness and im-
perfection of this construction on the princi-
pal line of road in America, and not a mile
from the seat of government, afforded the most
striking instance I had yet seen of the little
progress the country had hitherto made in
the improvements of civilization. The exist-
ence of such a bridge seemed the more sur-
prising, as it completely obstructed the navi-
gation of the river, which would otherwise,
I was told, admit small craft as high as Read-
ing, nearly eighty miles further up. I men-
tion this instance of backwardness, and other
deficiencies of a similar kind, not as a reproach
to America, but as singular facts, exemplify-
ing the difficulties and necessarily slow ad-
vancement of a new country. I believe there
is no nation that would have done more in so

61

short a time, and most nations would assur-
edly have done infinitely less. The trans-
planted branch of the British oak had already
taken root, and displayed the vigor and
strength of the parent stock. It was flatter-
ing to an Englishman to see the intelligence,
energy, and enterprise which were manifest.
Everywhere the progress of improvement was
visible ; everything had advanced, and was
advancing. The bridge of planks and logs
had probably succeeded a more insecure boat,
and would certainly in a few years be replaced
by arches of brick or stone.

The sloping banks of the Schuylkyl ap-
peared to offer delightful situations for villas
and country-houses, whenever the wealth
and taste of the citizens of Philadelphia
should lead them to the imitation of Euro-
pean indulgence, unless the extension of the
city to the river should cover its borders
with wharfs and warehouses, thus realizing
the original design of William Penn.

A little beyond the bridge we came to a
turnpike gate, the first I had seen since leav-
ing England. It was interesting on this ac-
count, and further so, as showing that Amer-
ica had adopted a custom of the mother
country which Adam Smith cites as one of

the most equitable examples of taxation, the
traveller paying for an evident convenience
and in proportion as he enjoys it. It was
probable that the tax collected here, or a
part of it, was employed in securing the logs
and planks of the bridge, or in replacing
such as were carried away by the current —
an accident which seemed likely to occur
frequently.

The country now became hilly in some
degree, and from the days of my journey in
Scotland I was fond of hills. These were
neither long nor high, but they presented
some steep declivities, down which the wagon
descended at a great rate, for not only was it
unprovided with a drag to keep it back, but
it seemed to be the principle of American
driving to go as fast as possible downhill in
order to make up for the slowness inevitable
on all other parts of the road. This road
being newly and roughly formed, furrowed
with ruts, and strewed with large stones
which had been separated from the mould
or gravel, the jolting of the wagon in these
rapid descents was almost insupportable,
and even drew forth many a hard exclama-
tion from my companions, accustomed to
it as they were. At first our rapidity on
63

these occasions, with a steep declivity, with-
out rail or fence of any sort on one side,
seemed to be attended with no trifling de-
gree of danger ; but I soon found that the
driver managed his four active little horses
with all the skill of an English coachman,
although he had little the appearance of
one, having neither his hat on one side, nor
his great-coat, nor his boots, but a coarse
blue jacket, worsted stockings, and thick
shoes.

When eight miles from Philadelphia we
passed through the small village of Derby,
and in about as many more reached Chester,
the end of the first stage. An English trav-
eller is at first surprised to find the villages,
often clumps of houses, of America bearing
the names of the great towns or cities of
England, although the latter, probably, had
a beginning equally unimportant and dimin-
utive. The country we had passed through
since leaving the Schuylkyl was, for the most
part, cleared of its ancient woods, at least
near the line of our road, and cultivation had
commenced ; but the surface of the land was
entangled with the roots of trees, and cov-
ered with stones which the plough had re-
cently exposed to the light for the first time,
64

and with clods of earth not yet broken. All
the enclosures were formed in the manner
already described — that is, by rough bars or
rails placed one above another in a zigzag
direction. The few farm-houses visible were
also formed by bars or logs of wood, covered
with laths and plaster. The situation of the
inhabitants of these sequestered dwellings
did not appear very enviable, though it
doubtless had its charms, or its recompense
at least. Every first settler in a new country
labors less for the present than for the future,
for himself than for his posterity, and it is
this honorable consciousness that invigorates
his toil, cheers his solitude, and alleviates his
privations.

As we rattled down a steep hill leading to
Chester, I thought there was a fair chance
of our ending the first stage at the bottom
of a precipice on our left, and so we probably
should if we had missed stays; but when with-
in three or four feet of the edge, the driver
went cleverly on the other tack, till brought
up by the high bank on that side, when he
again put about, and made for the precipice,
and thus by great skill got us safe to the inn
at the bottom.

Chester is a small town of no present iro-

E 65

portance ; but its situation as the first post
or stage between Philadelphia and the South-
ern States seemed to insure its progressive
extension and prosperity. It was now chiefly
interesting as the place where Penn, having
landed at Newark with his Quakers, and the
grant of Charles the Second, bestowing upon
him the immense tract of country to which
he here, perhaps, gave his name, held his first
assembly, producing his authority, and ex-
plaining, it is probable, his views and inten-
tions. It appears that some Indians still re-
tained their possessions in this part of the
country, and that their chiefs were received
with kindness at this meeting, and with as-
surances of justice and protection. Although
such assurances are generally made and sel-
dom observed, one is willing to suppose that
Mr. Penn promised no more than he meant
to perform ; but it is painful to consider that
the Indian tribes, instead of being civilized
and improved by this event, were gradually
compelled to recede before the influx of
European nations, carrying their original
barbarism, with the admixture, perhaps, of
new vices and disease, to other settlements
in the interior, from which they were again
dislodged as the tide of intrusion rolled on.

66

It is possible that the general outline of
the State of Pennsylvania may have under-
gone some change since Penn enrolled his
charter in the village of Chester in 1682 ; but
I believe the limits were nearly then what
they are now (1796), extending from the
Delaware to the shores of the Ohio, and of
Lakes Erie and Ontario — a vast extent of
country to be granted to one individual,
either on the ground of service rendered the
State by the father of William Penn, or as a
debt due to the latter by the crown. Of
these two motives, the most interested one
must, perhaps, be considered the most prob-
able. We naturally wish to know what ad-
vantages Penn derived from his great acqui-
sition, and are hardly surprised to learn that
the affairs of his province involved him in
innumerable disputes and difficulties, and
even encroached upon his private fortune.
He died in the year 1718 at the age of sev-
enty-four. It is probable that his name is
held in respect by the "Friends" of Penn-
sylvania; but I never heard it mentioned in
general society, nor observed that it was
common. There was no one who bore it,
either in the national representation or in
the provincial assemblies of the State.

As the extreme jolting of the wagon had
caused a general complaint among the pas-
sengers, and the inconvenience might be ex-
pected to increase as we got further from
the capital, I proposed to join two or three
of the party in hiring some other convey-
ance, but found that the wagon was the only
carriage on the road. Having therefore
changed our horses for four others of the
same small but excellent race, we resumed
our seats upon the bare planks, and contin-
ued our journey. The reserve of a first stage
being over, the passengers became rather
clamorous. They were, however, most po-
lite towards me, exempting me from their
sallies and jokes. Their wit was particularly
directed against a " Yankee " who was one
of the company. We apply this designation
as a term of ridicule or reproach to the in-
habitants of all parts of the United States
indiscriminately ; but the Americans confine
its application to their countrymen of the
Northern or New England States, and more
especially to those of Massachusetts.

Four miles from Chester we passed through
a small hamlet called Chichester, and soon
after quitted the fine province of Pennsyl-
vania, and entered the small State of Dela-

ware, forming a narrow slip along the right
bank of the Delaware River to the sea. I had
had a view of the whole length of its water
boundary as I sailed up the Delaware in the
India.^ The part of this little district which
I now saw appeared to have a pleasant and
healthy elevation ; but the lower parts, tow-
ards the shore of the Atlantic, contain nu-
merous fens or marshes called swamps. One
of these, called the Cypress Swamp, is said to
be twelve miles in length and six in breadth.

When about twelve miles from Chester,
passing over some high land called the
Heights of Christiania, we descended to a
creek of that name, and soon after entered
Wilmington, which I have already mentioned
(in describing our passage up the Delaware)
as the principal town of the Delaware State,
although Dover is the seat of government
— for what reason I do not know, unless
because its position is more central, a very
good reason, which is not so much attended
to in the establishing of metropolitan towns
as public convenience frequently requires.

Having again changed horses, we reached

the Brandywine, a small stream which flows

from the Welch Mountains, in the interior

of Pennsylvania. The Brandywine mills, for

69

grinding corn, are very celebrated, and their
great neatness and flourishing activity had
a very pleasing appearance from the road.
Here America already exhibited a spot which
might be compared with any similar scene in
England. I saw some small craft, of appar-
ently about ten or fifteen tons ; but I under-
stood that sloops of a much larger size could
mount the stream from the Delaware. These
mills were said to furnish a very considerable
part of the best flour consumed in Philadel-
phia.

I was glad that my presence did not pre-
vent my fellow-travellers from speaking with
much enthusiasm of an action fought here,
during the late war, between the American
troops and the British forces under the com-
mand of General Clinton. I cannot find a
note I have somewhere of the particulars of
this engagement. But the American army,
commanded by General Washington, defend-
ed the passage of the Brandy wine with great
bravery, and indeed with success, till out-
flanked and turned by Lord Cornwallis, who
crossed the river higher up. The British
troops advanced, and took possession of Phil-
adelphia. It appeared to me that the banks
of the Schuylkyl might have offered another

point of defence, but they doubtless did not.
Indeed, the situation of the American army
might have been too critical, with the Dela-
ware in its rear, unless it had been possible
to secure its retreat by a bridge of boats
across that river. But although the Ameri-
can capital was thus lost on the Brandywine,
the Americans consider that day, so calami-
tous to their cause; as highly honorable to
their arms. It is a circumstance creditable
to the talents of a general, and to the gener-
osity of the nation he serves, when he can
sustain defeat without losing the esteem and
confidence of his countrymen. It may also
be considered one of the peculiarities of such
contests between a disciplined army and ir-
regular troops, that the latter often gain
glory in defeat, while victory is hardly glori-
ous to their opponent.

We next changed horses at Newark, and
completed our day's journey, soon after sun-
set, at Head of Elk, the name given to a few
houses situated upon the Elk River, which we
crossed in a boat, hauling upon a rope stretch-
ed across it. Here again it was easy to con-
template a future bridge. It was not, as in
India, where the surplus revenue of the coun-
try was sent out of it, without being counter-
71

balanced by any return. Here, this surplus
would be expended in the country, whose
property indeed it was, in national improve-
ments. America was a farm, in which the
produce was spent upon the land ; India, one
in which even stubble was carried from it.

During the last stage we had passed the
White and Red Clay creeks. At the latter,
General Washington had attempted to make
a stand against the royal army which the
British fleet had brought from New York,
and landed at the head of Chesapeak Bay,
not far from the place where we now stopped
for the night. After the roughest journey I
had ever had, a good supper and bed would
have been very acceptable, but nothing could
well be worse than the provision made for
the travellers in both these respects. After
a sparing and ill-dressed repast, which drew
forth bitter words, and more than words, from
the Yankee and most of his countrymen, we
were conducted, one following another, up a
narrow staircase, little better than a ladder,
and all, to my utter despair, shut in one room,
upon whose floor — which, by-the-bye, appear-
ed to have little benefited by its proximity
to the waters of the Chesapeak — were placed
a few rude, unfurnished bedsteads, without
72

curtains, ranged one close to 'another, like
cots in a soldiers' barrack. Whether, how-
ever, it was my very good-fortune, or the po-
liteness of the Americans, whose attentions
I had^ received along the road, I could not
tell, but it so happened that in the distribu-
tion and coupling which took place I re-
mained without a partner, being the only
one, I believe, who had this invaluable priv-
ilege. I was so sensible of the advantage I
had obtained that I should have been glad
to enjoy it a little longer the next morning ;
but at half-past two the tawny girl (slave, I
fear I might call her) who had lighted us
up-stairs, reappeared with a candle in her
hand, and announced that the wagon would
soon be ready.

At three o'clock, with no other light than
what was afforded by the twinkling of the
stars, the wagon and everything it contained,
the passengers on the hard seats, their port-
manteaus under them, were once more liter-
ally in motion, for the road was far from im-
proving as we advanced into the State of
Maryland, which we had entered the pre-
ceding afternoon. Soon after leaving the
inn we crossed another small stream, called
Elk Creek. It is the union of this with the

73

rivulet we had passed the evening before
that forms the larger stream, at the head of
which the foundations of a future town have
been so judiciously laid. This spot, covered
by the two streams whose junction opens a
communication with the Chesapeak in front,
would in Europe probably have been chosen
for a military position. But such advantages,
happily, did not enter into the calculations
of the Americans, who, not having to in-
trench themselves against the jealousy or
ambition of surrounding nations, directed
their attention to situations the most favor-
able to the establishments of agriculture and
commerce, of peace, and not of war. They
chose a rivulet, not to defend a bastion, but
to turn a mill.

We proceeded very slowly till break of
day, and not very fast after, the road being
exceedingly deep and rough, often quitting
what appeared to be the intended line, and
winding, for a fresh and firmer bottom,
through the partially cleared forest on either
side, the driver, with great dexterity, guiding
his horses round the stumps of trees, going
over such roots as would only shake us a
little, and avoiding others that would be
likely to overturn us. The fields of such

parts as were cleared were always surrounded
by the zigzag fence of bars. The planting of
hedges had not yet commenced, all refine-
ment in agriculture, as in other things, being
reserved for a more advanced stage of society,
when population should be more abundant,
labor cheaper, and public taste more im-
proved. It would, however, have been an
easy and cheap embellishment of the coun-
try, if a few of the fine trees of the ancient for-
ests had been allowed to remain, if not in the
fields, at least in the line of the future hedge-
rows. But all the trees being cut down, about
three feet above the ground, the openings
left in the forests were extremely unpictu-
resque, the enclosures having the appearance
of large sheep-pens. Although the remain-
ing stumps of the trees rendered the fields
most unsightly, and, obstructing the plough,
obliged the farmer to leave much ground un-
cultivated, they would probably, remain un-
disturbed until the decay of their roots should
facilitate their removal. For in a new coun-
try, as America now was, land is cheap and
labor dear ; but as the nation advances tow-
ards maturity, the reverse becomes the case,
labor growing abundant, and the value of the
produce of the earth rising with the demands

75

of an extended population. Perhaps the
happiest point for a country is the medium
between these extremities.

Soon after sunrise we crossed a river on
which Charlestown is situated, two miles
lower, at its junction with the Chesapeak,
and at nine o'clock reached the banks of the
Susquehannah, where we found a boat ready
to take us over to Havre de Grace, on the
opposite side. As we pulled upon the rope
stretched across this rapid stream, I contem-
plated, with peculiar pleasure, the ancient
woods which still threw their broad shadow
upon its surface. I was greatly struck with
the wild poetic cast of this enchanting spot,
all the features of which were as Indian as
its name, excepting, indeed, the new-built
town of Havre de Grace, whose white houses
on the southern shore had supplanted the
wigwams of the Susquehannah tribes, and in-
terrupted the magnificent line of foliage.

I could not but feel a great desire to remain
longer amidst such scenery, and explore the
further beauties which the course of the Sus-
quehannah would probably disclose. This
river, however, though one of the largest
that run into the Chesapeak, is not of very
great length, since its sources are in the Al-
76

leghany Mountains, in the upper parts of the
States of Pennsylvania and New York, a dis-
tance of about three hundred miles. Al-
though much obstructed, in this course, by
falls and rapids, it is navigable, or, as the
Americans say, boatable, down the stream,
nearly from its rise ; but sloops and sea-craft
can ascend it only three or four miles above
Havre, being there stopped by some rapids.
It is not improbable that many of these im-
pediments will hereafter be removed, or
avoided by means of locks and canals and
other contrivances, and that a navigable com-
munication may connect the Chesapeak, the
great Atlantic lake, with the chain of lakes
in the north, and with the Ohio and Mohawk
rivers, and thus by the Mississippi and Hud-
son, into which these rivers respectively flow,
with New Orleans and New York. Such are
the gigantic schemes of this aspiring people.
It is, perhaps, not too much to say, that the
nation which, even in the first years of its
political existence, has the genius to form
such projects,' and the patriotism to dwell
upon them with confidence and enthusiasm,
has already established the probability of
their execution. None of my companions
had followed the banks of the Susquehannah,

but I understood from them that its greatest
beauties were at the passage of one of its
branches through the Alleghany Mountains.
Its width, on reaching the Chesapeak about
two miles from Havre, was said to exceed a
mile. I always experience great difficulty in
judging of the width of rivers, but the Sus-
quehannah, at our ferry, did not appear to
me to be so broad as the Thames at Twick-
enham.

At the best inn I had yet seen in America,
neat, clean, and pleasantly situated, we found
a good and abundant breakfast ready for us,
consisting of tea, coffee, eggs, and cold meat.
Here seemed to be another instance of that
degree of improvement to which everything,
probably, was advancing, though often imper-
ceptibly, and with uneven steps ; and not
with the premature precipitancy unreason-
ably expected by too many travellers from
other countries.

Our next stage was to Harford Bush, a
very small town, but pleasantly and advan-
tageously situated upon an inlet of the Ches-
apeak, here about ten miles in width. In
some parts of this noble bay, particularly be-
low the junction of the Potomac, the width
exceeds twenty miles. Its length, in a north-
78

erly direction, from Cape Henry in Virginia
to the mouth of the Susquehannah, is nearly
three hundred miles. Its depth, and the facil-
ity it offers to navigation, may be inferred
from ^the circumstance, already mentioned,
that the British fleet sailed up it and landed
the army at its northern extremity, near the
Head of Elk. It would be pleasing to imag-
ine the extraordinary sight which such a fleet
on the basin of the Chesapeak must have
presented, if it could be detached from the
lamentable cause connected with it. A citi-
zen of the United States may, without much
generosity, forgive injuries from which his
country derives its being ; but an Englishman
can scarcely revert to the same acts without
a painful sense of imprudence and injustice.

While the numerous bays and inlets of the
Chesapeak and the streams which run into it
on either side seemed favorable to commerce,
its waters were said to afford excellent fish,
and also the celebrated canvas-back duck, of
which I had heard much on board the India,
as well as since my arrival in America, with-
out having yet had an opportunity of forming
my own opinion of its merits.

Having changed horses at Harford Bush,
we went on to Joppa, passing in our way the

79

Gunpowder River. Journeying over the same
wild country, woods in their primitive state,
or partially cleared, with now and then a log-
house, the appearance of which, unsurrounded
by society or resources, was more dismal than
cheering, we came to the small hamlet of
Kingsbury, and at four in the afternoon
reached Baltimore.

We drove in good style into the court-yard
of the " Indian Queen," a large inn of very
respectable appearance. It formed one of the
angles between Market and Queen streets,
in the upper part of the town, and had an ex-
tensive front in each street.

I could not separate from my companions
without taking leave of them all, and ac-
knowledging the polite attentions they had
shown me ; for though a total want of re-
serve amongst themselves almost degenerat-
ed sometimes into coarseness, their behavior
towards me was uniformly obliging. Soon
after I had taken possession of my quarters,
a small room with a very small bed, fronting,
at my desire, the principal street, I was told
that dinner was ready, and was shown into
the largest room I had ever seen in any hotel
even in England. It extended the whole
depth of the house, from Queen Street to the
80

great court-yard, and was divided along the
middle by a broad fixed table, nearly as long
as the room itself. I found a large party as-
sembled, or assembling, consisting almost en-
tirely of travellers and lodgers in the house,
and not of residents in the town, for anti-
Britannic as the Americans are in their polit-
ical feelings, they have the domestic propen-
sities of their ancestors, every man dining
with his family, if he has one. After the
dinner, which was composed principally of
large joints of meat and dishes of vegetables,
served more in abundance than variety, each
person rose when he pleased and retired with-
out ceremony, much as in India. I was glad
to avail myself of this freedom in order to see
something of Baltimore that evening.

I accordingly walked down the principal
street, which had a gentle slope from the
country, a little above the " Indian Queen,"
and turning when near the bottom of it to
the right, through some smaller streets, came
to the Port, an extensive basin formed by the
Patapsco River, before it reaches the Chesa-
peak ; or perhaps it may as reasonably be
considered an inlet of the Chesapeak, into
which the Patapsco discharges itself. I here
saw many ships and sea-vessels of various

descriptions. Some were in the stream, others
against the wharfs which lined the shore, and
there seemed room for a much larger num-
ber, the width of the basin appearing to me
to be at least a mile, and its length towards
the Chesapeak much more. The advantages
of the position were so evident that it was
not surprising it should have been early se-
lected for the foundation of a commercial
city. The Port seemed effectually defended
by a small fort called Fort Henry. Unfort-
unately there is an insufficient depth of water
close to the town, so that a ship with a full
and heavy cargo on board cannot come along-
side the wharfs, as the India did at Phila-
delphia. But this objection does not apply
to a part a little lower down, called Fell's
Point, where consequently many houses and
warehouses are already built, and to which
Baltimore is rapidly extending.

As I returned up the town by another
street I passed by the house of Mr. Gilmore,
whose son had made the voyage to Calcutta
in the India, and returned with me in that
ship. It was a large, square, detached man-
sion, the handsomest I had yet observed in
Baltimore. I deferred calling upon young
Mr. Gilmore till the next day. After strolling
82

about till dark I returned to the " Indian
Queen," and spent a little time in the great
room before going to bed.

Sunday. — On returning to the public hall
this morning I found several persons at break-
fast at the long table, each in his own way.
By the side of the room was a table plenti-
fully charged with cold meat, to which most
of the company seemed to have recourse.
Some had hot beefsteaks. After breakfast I
walked up Market Street, which, however,
did not extend far in that direction, but the
ground was marked for carrying the town
further. The houses here were larger and
handsomer in general than in the lower
streets, but all were nearly upon the same
plan, being built of red brick, having two or
three windows in front, and three ranges
of rooms or stories in height, of which the
lowest was generally occupied by the shop
and the passage, and the two above by sit-
ting-rooms and bedrooms. The street was
well paved, and had a good foot-pavement on
each side. I walked through several other
streets, nearly all of the same appearance, but
not intersecting each other with the same
symmetrical regularity as at Philadelphia.
There was also a striking difference in the
83

moral aspect of the two cities, Baltimore not
having the dull uniformity which the dress
and manners of a Quaker population gave to
the metropolis.

I went into a church in one of the streets
to the left of Market Street. It was a large,
commodious building, with the exterior rath-
er of a chapel, being built of red brick, and
having neither tower nor steeple. The inte-
rior arrangement and the service were nearly
those of an English church.

Soon after my return to the " Indian
Queen," while preparing for my visit to Mr.
Gilmore, I was informed that the Danish
Consul had called to see me. I was sur-
prised, having no knowledge of any one at
Baltimore excepting young Mr. Gilmore.
Upon going to the great room, where the
Consul was waiting, this gentleman intro-
duced himself to me as Mr. Barry, saying he
had received a letter from Mr. Law of Wash-
ington, who had hoped to meet me himself
at Baltimore, but not being able to set out so
soon as he had expected, had written about
me to him. When I announced to Mr. Law
my intention of visiting him, I received a
most polite and pressing invitation, but did
not suppose he would carry his attentions
84

further. Mr. Barry, whom I found a very
gentlemanly man, was extremely civil, offer-
ing me, in the most friendly manner, his ser-
vices during my stay in Baltimore.

When Mr. Barry had left me, I walked
down the town to the house that had been
pointed out to me, the evening before, as Mr.
Gilmore's. My shipmate seemed very glad
to see me again, and leaving me for two or
three minutes, returned to the parlor with
his father, Mrs. Gilmore, two sisters, and an
elder and younger brother. All this fine fam-
ily received me with as much attention as if
I had rendered some essential service to Mr.
W. Gilmore, which was by no means the case.
The respectable old gentleman insisted upon
my coming to dine with him that day, which
I accordingly did, and passed the evening
most agreeably, discovering no difference
whatever between an American and an Eng-
lish fireside. On this occasion, as on many
others, I found the information I had col-
lected in different parts of India, respecting
the manufactures and commerce of that coun-
try, very useful, inasmuch as it enabled me
to make acceptable communications upon
these subjects. By a commercial treaty lately
concluded between Great Britain and the
85

United States, under the auspices of Lord
Grenville and Mr. Jay, American ships were
allowed to trade with the East India Com-
pany's possessions. The consequence was,
that the American merchants had their at-
tention at this time very much directed to
this new and promising branch of commerce ;
and Mr. Gilmore, one of the principal mer-
chants of Baltimore, and already holding a
share in the India, was glad to be informed
of the names, qualities, prices, and places of
manufacture of such fabrics of the interior of
India as were suited to the American market.
Mr. Gilmore was surprised to find so great a
difference between the original cost of many
sorts of goods, and the prices exacted from
the inexperience of American captains and
supercargoes at Calcutta. I suggested a
mode by which better assortments might be
procured, at a reduction of ten per cent, on
the prices now paid.

Monday. — I had not long returned to my
own room after breakfast this morning before
I was told that a gentleman had called upon
me, and was waiting in the passage below.
When I was within a few steps of the bottom
of the stairs, a gentleman advanced hastily
to meet me, and taking me warmly by the

86

hand, said, " I am sure you are Mr. Thomas
Twining, you are so like your father." This
unceremonious stranger was Mr. Law, just
arrived from Washington. I took him into
a parlor on the ground floor, and there we
had a long conversation about India, where
he still had many friends. After a very
pleasant interview, he invited me to dine
with him that day, at Mr. Barry's, with whom
he was staying : he would then, he said, in-
troduce me to Mrs. Law, who had accom-
panied him from Washington.

Being unwell this forenoon, I was recom-
mended to Dr. Jamieson, a physician, or
rather an apothecary with that title, who
lived a few doors above the " Indian Queen,"
on the opposite side of the way. He had a
considerable reputation, and was, at least, a
sensible, agreeable man. The circumstance
of my coming from Bengal seemed to interest
him much. I dined with the Danish Consul.
Mr. Law introduced me to Mrs. Law, with
whom I was much pleased. She was grand-
daughter of Mrs. Washington, the President's
lady.

Tuesday. — Had a very friendly visit this
morning from Dr. Jamieson, who expressed
a wish to introduce me to his family. Called
87

upon Mr. Law, and afterwards upon Mr.
Gilmore.

Wednesday. — Mr. Gilmore and his son
called this morning to let me know that the
ship Polly was about to sail for Bengal. As
soon as they had left me I wrote to the Resi-
dent of Santipore to inform him of my arrival
in America ; I had written to him from the
banks of the Jumna ; I now addressed him
from those of the Patapsco. Two English
gentlemen called upon me soon after I had
finished my letter. They came, they said, at
the desire of the St. George's Society at Bal-
timore, to request my company at their An-
niversary dinner, the next day, it being St.
George's day. Not long after these gentle-
men had left me I received a visit from
Mr. Law, who called to accompany me to Mr.
Edward Thornton, the British Consul. Mr.
Thornton received me with much politeness,
and after some inquiries about India asked
me if I was related to Mr. Daniel Twining,
of Pembroke Hall, Cambridge. He said
that he himself had formerly belonged to
that College, and that he had, in conse-
quence, still some claims upon it, to which
his absence from England had prevented his
attending. I said I should probably go to

Pembroke to see my brother, and would will-
ingly deliver any letter or message to the
master of the College. Mr. Thornton said
he would give me a letter for the master, Dr.
Turner.

At dinner to-day, at the great table, some
travellers from Virginia sat opposite to me.
Finding I had some intention of visiting that
state, they jokingly advised me to be on my
guard against the Virginian practice of goug-
ing, by which a man dexterously forces out
the eye of another with whom he quarrels.
I expressed the difficulty I had in believing
that this practice could be so common as
the inhabitants of the Northern States rep-
resented it to be. One of the party observed
that if I went as far as Alexandria, as I
talked of doing, I should see persons who
had lost an eye in the manner alluded to.
Upon my observing that I could not conceive
how this operation could be so easily accom-
plished, he said that if I wished it he would
soon show me. Expressing my consent, he
rose, and, walking round the end of the table,
came towards me. Having seated myself a
little way from the table, he placed himself
before me, laid hold of the hair by the side
of my head, and twisting his fingers well in

it, brought his thumb to the corner of my
eye, against which he pressed with a force,
or rather with a command, that satisfied me
of the possibility of removing an eye from
the socket in this manner. When he had
disentangled his fingers from my hair, and I
was at liberty, there was a jocular expression
of satisfaction amongst the company, and
some gentlemen assured me afterwards that
they were glad to see me safe out of the
Virginian's hands.

There exists a hostile, or, at least, an un-
friendly spirit between many of the States
composing the American Union; but this
sentiment is more intense and uncharitable,
assuming almost the character of fixed an-
tipathy, between the Northern and Southern
States. It seemed, indeed, that the citizens
of Massachusetts, and those of Georgia,
Carolina, and Virginia are distinguishable by
very opposite qualities. The inhabitants of
the former are considered prudent, moral,
diligent ; but with more industry than genius.
The native of Virginia is generous, improvi-
dent, choleric, eloquent ; but manifesting in
his pursuits more genius than morality or ex-
ertion. His general character seems to assim-
ilate him more to a native of Ireland or of
9o

France than of England, and the Virginian,
who conceals not his repugnance to the
English, from whom indeed his country ex-
perienced much violence during the war,
would not perhaps object to this classifica-
tion. But the chief and least- disputed re-
proach to which the inhabitants of the South-
ern States are liable, is that of dissipation,
susceptibility of offence, and gambling. They
are extremely fond of cock-fighting and
other cruel sports, and their passion for
gaming is said to be without restraint. In
their frequent duels they sometimes fight
with muskets, and in their common affrays
they gouge and commit other barbarities.
The character of the Middle States, New
York, Pennsylvania, the Jerseys, and Mary-
land, seems to be a modification of the ex-
tremes which distinguish the provinces of the
north and south. It would, however, be
very unreasonable to consider such a geo-
graphical distribution of the virtues and de-
fects of a nation as minutely correct ; but
this outline may perhaps possess sufficient
resemblance to give some idea of the char-
acteristic features which distinguish the
moral physiognomy of certain sections of
the United States.

2jd April, — I this morning received a
visit from the British Consul. In the after-
noon I dined with the St. George's Society
in the great room in which they held their
meetings. I was received by the President
and Vice-President, who introduced me to
several members of the Society. Although
the party was limited to English, Irish, and
Scotch, the numbers filled a table which ex-
tended nearly the whole length of the room.
The -President, on taking the chair, placed
me on his right hand, opposite Mr. Thorn-
ton, who sat on his left. After a very hand-
some dinner, the healths of the President of
the United States and of the King of Eng-
land, and other toasts, were drunk, inter-
mixed with songs. After a very agreeable
evening of patriotic and temperate festivity,
I acknowledged the gratification I had re-
ceived, and returned to my lodging before
the party broke up.

When I was at Dehli the Great Moghol,
wishing to express his satisfaction with some
communications I had succeeded in making
to him, allowed me, at my suggestion, to
have his name and the date of my reception
at his Court engraved on some personal or-
nament. Accordingly on my return to Ben-
92

gal I had a small tablet of silver handsomely
engraved with the Emperor's name in Persian
characters, and the date of my introduction
to him. Some years after, when in charge of
an extensive district in the interior of India,
and which, as it happened, had been the resi-
dence of His Majesty's predecessors on the
throne, and the scene of his own early mili-
tary exploits, I was in the habit of wearing
this ornament upon receiving visits from the
Rajah and other principal personages of the
country. Desirous now of expressing my
sense of the attentions I had received from
my countrymen, I again wore this memorial,
and presented it to the President and others,
who examined it with curiosity, and were
amused with the history belonging to it.

24th April.— Breakfasted, as usual, at the
great table. In the forenoon Mr. Law and
other friends called, and also a Mr. Field, an
English miniature painter, who had dined
with the St. George's Society the day before.
He expressed a wish that I would sit to him,
which I agreed to do on my return from
Washington, for which I was to leave Balti-
more in a day or two. Dined with Mr. Law
at Mr. Barry's. In the evening Dr. Jamieson
called, and stayed and supped with me.

93

. — Mr. and Mrs. Law set out in their
chariot and four horses for Washington. I
had not seen such an equipage in America.
They invited me to accompany them, but
besides my unwillingness to add to their in-
convenience on the bad roads they had to
travel, I had some engagements which pre-
vented my leaving Baltimore till the next day.
Much rain after Mr. Law's departure. Write
to my brother by a ship bound to England.

26th. — At four this morning I quitted Bal-
timore, where I had passed a few days most
agreeably, having found numerous friends
where I expected to find none but strangers,
and received a degree of spontaneous kind-
ness and hospitality upon which I had still
less reason to calculate.

In the stage -wagon, for such again was
the conveyance, were ten other passengers.
After going eight miles we reached the Pa-
tapsco, a small river which rises in the south-
ern part of Pennsylvania. We crossed it in a
boat which held the wagon and horses, the
passengers remaining in their places, for the
difficulty of getting in and out prevented our
leaving these on trifling occasions, such as
crossing a ferry, or stopping to change horses,
or going up a hill.

94

At eight o'clock we reached a solitary inn
called " Spurrier's," where we found the usual
substantial American breakfast. The coun-
try through which we had passed was ex-
tremely dismal, being covered with forests
upon which the axe had as yet made but lit-
tle impression, for, excepting a few open
spots here and there, such trees alone were
cut down as were necessary for the formation
of a road, or rather the line of a road, for this
was still in a very rude state, the driver being
obliged to wind as well as he could between
the remaining stumps. The soft soil being
rendered deep by the rain that had fallen,
our progress was very slow, not exceeding
thirteen miles in four hours — a pace slower
than that to which I had been accustomed in
my palanquin in India. My companions were
chiefly from Virginia and the Southern States,
and were very lively. They urged me to ex-
tend my travels to the south, but at the same
time did not conceal the aversion of their
countrymen towards the English nation, nor
the caution this feeling would require me to
adopt in my intercourse with the inhabi-
tants.

Our next stage was to another solitary sta-
tion called " Van's," fifteen miles ; the whole,

95

with very little exception, through thick
woods. The wagon, in winding through the
trees and over their roots, was often so de-
pressed in the soft ground and old ruts on
one side, that the passengers were obliged to
press towards the other. Without this per-
petual trimming we should certainly have
been overturned ; not that such an adventure
would have been attended with any serious
consequence, the wagon being so low, and
the pace so slow : the scramble therefore on
these occasions was attended with more mirth
than apprehension. Eight miles more, over
a country more cleared and a better road,
brought us to the " Indian Queen " at Bla-
densburg, a small, solitary inn, surrounded by
a few rude cottages, which a few years would
probably transform into respectable houses,
particularly if the new city, now distant only
one stage, should become the seat of govern-
ment.

While we were at dinner one of the party
informed Mr. Ross, the civil landlord, that I
came from Bengal. ".Why," observed Mr.
Ross, "the gentleman speaks English as we
do."

Over the fireplace in the dining-room was
a plan of Washington, with the streets,
96

squares, and public buildings of the intended
city minutely detailed.

Our next and last stage of twelve miles was
pretty good as to road and country, but we
had a^great deal of rain, which obliged us to
unroll all the leathern curtains. This ren-
dered the interior of the wagon very dark
and oppressively hot, there being no aperture
for light or air excepting in front, between
the driver and the passenger by his side.
This obscurity and suffocation rendered more
welcome the report of our driver at about
three in the afternoon that we were approach-
ing Georgetown. We entered this town in
half an hour more, and descended from our
prison at the " Fountain Tavern."

This day's journey had afforded nothing
particularly interesting excepting the singu-
larity of our travelling through the woods,
and the appearance of a country just emerg-
ing from a state of nature. The luxuriance
of the forests denoted a rich soil, but a very
small part only of the country had as yet
been cleared for cultivation. As population
advanced the woods would of course disap-
pear. In the meantime it was impossible to
see man in this early stage of solitary seclu-
sion without considering the difficulties and

G 97

privations he endured while slowly preparing
the comforts of civilized life for his posterity.
In the whole course of the day I had not seen
a blacksmith's nor a baker's shop ; and as for
medical assistance in case of sickness or acci-
dent amongst the scattered inhabitants, there
apparently was none whatever in the country
we had passed through.

I intended to proceed this afternoon to
Mr. Law's house at Washington, distant only
about five or six miles, but could not procure
a conveyance of any kind. I therefore con-
tented myself with walking about George-
town. It is a small but neat town, situated
on the left or northern bank of the Potomac,
a few miles below what are called the lower
falls of that river, there being other falls,
particularly the Great and Seneca falls, higher
up. These falls are, of course, a complete
obstruction to the navigation ; but societies
formed by the inhabitants of Maryland, Bal-
timore, and Pennsylvania were about to form
locks and canals for the purpose of avoiding
these interruptions.

The Potomac is inconsiderable till it

reaches the neighborhood of Georgetown,

when it becomes a large river navigable to

the sea, a distance of nearly three hundred

98

miles, though, strictly speaking, it may per-
haps be considered as terminating at its
junction with the Chesapeak, about one
hundred and fifty miles from the lower falls.
The passage of the Potomac through the
Blue Ridge is said to afford most beautiful
scenery. Many of the geologists of the
United States seem to think that the Blue
Mountains were once the boundaries of an
immense lake till the Susquehannah, Poto-
mac, and other rivers burst through them.

In my walk about the town I saw several
good houses, some in rows, others in a line,
but detached, the intervals between them not
being yet filled up. The road from Virginia
and the Southern States, crossing the Poto-
mac here, already gives an air of prosperity
to this little town, and assures its future im-
portance, whatever may be the fate of the
projected metropolis. Georgetown must
share its advantages, but be independent of
its failure.

2jth. — When the landlord of the " Foun-
tain " found that I was going to Mr. Law's,
he made every endeavor to procure me a
carriage, but without success. He this morn-
ing, however, procured me a horse, and had
him brought to the door soon after breakfast.

Leaving, therefore, my portmanteau to be
forwarded in the course'of the day, I set out
for Washington, situated lower down the
Potomac, in the territory of Columbia, the
name given to a portion of land ceded by
the contiguous States of Maryland and Vir-
ginia for the construction and convenience
of the new metropolis.

Having crossed an extensive tract of level
country somewhat resembling an English
heath, I entered a large wood through which
a very imperfect road had been made, princi-
pally by removing the trees, or rather the
upper parts of them, in the usual manner.
After some time this indistinct way assumed
more the appearance of a regular avenue, the
trees here having been cut down in a straight
line. Although no habitation of any kind
was visible, I had no doubt but I was now
riding along one of the streets of the metro-
politan city. I continued in this spacious
avenue for half a mile, and then came out
upon a large spot, cleared of wood, in the
centre of which I saw two buildings on an ex-
tensive scale, and some men at work on one
of them. The only human beings I should
have seen here not a great many years before
would have been some savages of the Poto-

mac, whose tribe is said to have sent deputies
to treat with William Penn at the assembly
he held at Chester. Advancing and speak-
ing to these workmen, they informed me that
I was now in the centre of the city, and that
the building before me was the Capitol, and
the other destined to be a tavern. As the
greatest cities have a similar beginning, there
was really nothing surprising here, nor out of
the usual order of things ; but still the scene
which surrounded me — the metropolis of a
great nation in its first stage from a sylvan
state — was strikingly singular. I thought it
the more so, as the accounts which I had re-
ceived of Washington while at Philadelphia,
and the plan which I had seen hung up in the
dining-room at Bladensburg, had prepared me
for something rather more advanced. Look-
ing from where I now stood I saw on every
side a thick wood pierced with avenues in a
more or less perfect state. These denoted
the lines of the intended streets, which al-
ready appeared in the engraved plan with
their future names. The Capitol promised
to be a large and handsome building, judg-
ing from the part, about two thirds, already
above the ground. I walked through several
of the lower apartments, and saw the halls

designed for the representatives and senate,
now in an unfinished state, and encumbered
with building materials. I did not go into the
tavern. It was a large building of red brick,
and in a much more advanced state than the
Capitol, being roofed in.

The masons having answered all my ques-
tions with much civility, I rode on, following
the avenue they pointed out to me. After
going about three quarters of a mile th'rough
a silent wilderness, I found myself upon a
trackless plain partially covered with trees
and brushwood. I in vain looked about for
Mr. Law's house or some one to guide me to
it. I therefore rode on in the direction I
judged the most likely to lead me out of this
labyrinth. I knew that in case of my not
succeeding, my retreat was always open to
the Capitol, for while talking with the work-
men I observed that all the avenues con-
verged to that point. I continued therefore
to explore my way through the thickets,
keeping my horse's head rather towards the
right, to gain, if necessary, the Potomac,
whose bank I might then follow.

I had not proceeded far before I saw a car-
riage issue from the forest beyond the plain,
and I soon perceived that it was making for

a small bridge, which I now discovered for
the first time, considerably to the right of
the point for which I was making. I shaped
my course accordingly, and hastened for-
ward^ as fast as the nature of the ground
would permit, that I might catch the carriage
at the bridge, from which we were both at
nearly the same distance. The carriage, how-
ever, was apparently trotting along upon a
road, while my progress was almost stopped,
and was soon likely to be quite so, by the
bogginess of the land as I drew near a small
stream that I found running along the bot-
tom. Thus I saw the carriage pass the bridge,
and escaping, while I was yet at some dis-
tance. It fortunately, however, turned after-
wards rather to the right, making towards
the wood I had left, and it seemed possible
that I might still intercept it by regaining
the high ground and getting to the road it
was taking. I succeeded in this attempt,
reaching the road just before it passed. As
it approached the hope I had indulged was
confirmed. It was Mr. Law's chariot, which,
in the expectation of my arrival at George-
town, Mr. Law had sent for me. The coach-
man tying my horse behind, we recrossed the
small bridge, passed through the forest I

had seen, and a second plain beyond it, and
reached the banks of the Potomac. In a
few minutes more we arrived at Mr. Law's,
where I had a most cordial reception.

In the afternoon Mr. Law took me about
his new estate. His house, built by himself,
was only a few yards from the steep bank of
the Potomac, and commanded a fine view
across that river, here half a mile wide. In
the rear of the house Mr. Law was building
a street, consisting of much smaller houses
than his own, speculating upon a great in-
crease in their value when the expected trans-
fer of the seat of government should be ef-
fected. The position at least was favorable,
being on a point of land between the Poto-
mac and a tributary stream called " the east-
ern branch," thus offering a double water-
front.

Mr. Law sent a servant to Georgetown
with my horse, with directions to bring back
my portmanteau.

In the evening Miss Westcott of Philadel-
phia arrived. Though possessing a sort of
celebrity for her talents and literary attain-
ments, her manners were particularly unaf-
fected and agreeable.

28th. — Spent the day with Mr. Law's fam-

ily. Monsieur Talleyrand, ex-bishop of Au-
tun, whom the hostility of parties in France
had driven across the Atlantic, was expected
from Philadelphia, but much to my regret
did not come.

2C)th. — Mr. and Mrs. Law took me in their
carriage this forenoon to introduce me to Mr.
Lear and his family, residing near George-
town, but within the limits, as I understood,
of the new city. The family was nearly re-
lated to General Washington. Mr. Lear him-
self was the General's private secretary. I
thought him a most respectable man. The
family inquired if I had been introduced to
the President, and when they found that I
had not, promised me a particular introduc-
tion on my return to Philadelphia.

Miss Custis, sister of Mrs. Law, arrived. A
letter from Monsieur Talleyrand announced
that he was under the necessity of deferring
his visit. I had reckoned much upon the
gratification of spending a few days thus
privately in the company of this celebrated
character. The talents and liveliness of Mr.
Law, and the acquirements of Miss Westcott,
were not ill calculated to produce some dis-
play of his powers, and elicit some sparks of
his wit.

105

jotk. — To-day Mr. and Mrs. Law were so
good as to make a party on my account to
Alexandria, which I had a desire to see, as one
of the principal towns in Virginia. Accom-
panied by Miss Custis and Miss Westcott,
we embarked in a large boat and were rowed
down the Potomac. A little below the point
on which Mr. Law's house stood, after the
junction of the eastern branch, the river was
nearly a mile in width, and remained without
perceptible increase till we reached Alexan-
dria, on the opposite or southern shore, seven
miles lower. The current was rather slow
than rapid. On both sides was a flat coun-
try, presenting no picturesque scenery tow-
ards the river. But a great river, seen for
the first time, is itself an object of sufficient
interest, and I accordingly felt great satisfac-
tion in rowing down the Potomac, although
the romantic scenes of which I had heard did
not extend so low down its course.

Arrived at Alexandria, we landed at a hand-
some, recently built quay, nearly in the centre
of the water-line, and walked up the town to
the inn, passing in our way through a large
open space, apparently intended for a market-
place. The town, being built upon a slope
from the interior to the water's edge, ap-

peared to much advantage as we rowed tow-
ards it from the middle of the river. But
the circumstance which most struck me was
the vast number of houses which I saw build-
ing as^we passed through the streets, and the
number of people employed as carpenters
and masons. The hammer and trowel were
at work everywhere — a cheering sight, and a
remarkable contrast with the dilapidation of
cities which I had seen in my former travels.
Although the latter were calculated to afford
a deeper interest in some respects, the scene
of new and active life, the foundations of fut-
ure prosperity which Alexandria presented,
made me feel how much more gratifying it
is to observe the rise of a new state than the
decline of an old one.

It appeared not improbable that Alexan-
dria, situated lower down the Potomac, and
enjoying the advantage of a greater depth
of water, would in commercial competition
prove a formidable rival to Washington. It
is probable, however, that the immense back
country, as it is called, of the United States
will, when duly peopled, afford an ample com-
merce to all the great towns advantageously
situated near the mouths of the principal
rivers along the Atlantic coast.
107

I did not forget as I walked about the
streets the assurance of the Virginians at
Baltimore that I should probably see here
persons who had lost an eye by gouging.
Although I had not this demonstration, I
was informed that the practice was by no
means uncommon, and that there were per-
sons in the town who had lost an eye in this
manner.

After dining at the inn we returned to the
boat. There not being wind enough to assist
us against the stream, we got on but slowly
with our oars. We lost nothing, however, by
this delay but a little time, for the moon
shone so beautifully upon the still, broad
stream that we were all struck with the love-
liness of the scene. Miss Westcott even
made it the subject of some lines, whose ele-
gance only I recollect.

ist May. — To-day having been fixed for
my returning towards Philadelphia, there to
embark for England, I received a very flatter-
ing letter of introduction to General Wash-
ington from his relations, whom I had visited
with Mr. and Mrs. Law near Georgetown.
They also intrusted me with a miniature pict-
ure of the general, which they wished me to
deliver to him.

108

My stay with Mr. and Mrs. Law had been
rendered extremely agreeable by the great
kindness I had received from them. They
wished me to prolong my stay, but I was
anxious to get to England, particularly as I
should be likely to sail again for India early
in the following year.

Although Mr. Law seemed satisfied with
his new situation, having a companion with
whom a man might be happy anywhere, I
could not but be surprised at the plan of life
he had chosen. The clearing of ground and
building of small houses, amongst the woods
of the Potomac, seemed an uncongenial occu-
pation for a man of so accomplished a mind,
and whose former habits and employment had
been so different. As chief of a large district
in Bengal he had been accustomed to the dis-
charge of important official functions, and to
the splendor and consequence of a prince. In
England his family was opulent and distin-
guished. One brother was bishop of Carlisle,
another was a barrister of the first eminence,
and the successful defender of Mr. Warren
Hastings against the political influence of
Fox, the eloquence of Sheridan, and the viru-
lence of Burke. America, of all countries,
seemed the least suited to the activity or
109

leisure of such a person. Here almost every
one was engaged either in politics or specu-
lative enterprise. But as a foreigner, and
particularly as an Englishman, Mr. Law could
never possess any political weight in the
country ; and his inexperience in commercial
affairs, amidst rivals so experienced and in-
telligent, might expose him to litigation and
disappointment, and involve a considerable
diminution of his fortune. One anticipation
in which he indulged, with great confidence
and satisfaction, was that other East-Indians
would join him ; and he hoped, I was sorry
to see, that I might return to Bengal with
impressions tending to encourage this migra-
tion. As we stood one evening on the bank
of the river before his door, he said, " Here
I will make a terrace, and we will sit and
smoke our hookahs."

I deeply regretted this delusion. It seemed
not improbable that East - Indians might
sometimes take America in their way to Eng-
land, as I had done ; but I could not think,
nor hardly hope, that they would desert the
refined charms of the Thames, their families
and country, to colonize and smoke their
hookahs on the banks of the Potomac.

I left my kind friends, with the painful idea

that I should probably never see them again,
soon after twelve o'clock. I was unwilling to
take their carriage and horses farther than
Georgetown, through which the stage-wagon
from Virginia would pass the next morning;
but they insisted upon my going in it as far
as Bladensburg. As Miss Westcott was going
to Georgetown, I had the pleasure of her
company so far. She stopped at the house
of Mr. Stuart, where she introduced me to
her friends the Misses Breck, two other
young ladies from Philadelphia. Having re-
mained here a short time, I continued my
ride to Bladensburg, and, alighting there at
the " Indian Queen," was well taken care of
the rest of the afternoon by Mr. Ross. I ob-
served that Mr. Law's coachman was well
provided against the deficiencies of the coun-
try, having spare shoes for his horses and
the necessary instruments of a blacksmith's
shop.

ad May. — The stage - wagon arriving soon
after breakfast, I take leave of Mr. Ross.
Changed horses at Van's, and again at Spur-
rier's, where we dined. The day being very
fine and my five or six companions very agree-
able men, I enjoyed my ride, amused with the
rude beginnings of civilization which I again

saw on every side, and contemplating the
changes which human energy and persever-
ance would gradually introduce. From the
summit of a hill leading down to the Pataps-
co, I enjoyed the only fine view upon the
road, though the partial clearing of the
woods would undoubtedly discover, and form
indeed, others. At four o'clock we drove into
the great yard of the " Indian Queen," when
the landlord jocosely expressed his satisfac-
tion at seeing me return with both my eyes
from Virginia.

Having noticed some unusual bustle about
the streets, I was informed that there had
been a review of the militia that morning to
celebrate the anniversary of St. Tammany,
the titular saint of America. St. Tammany's
Day was the day before, but that being Sun-
day, the celebration of it had been deferred
till to-day. In the evening I went to the
play. It was performed by French come-
dians, the greater part of whom were unfortu-
nate persons whom the tyranny of the Revo-
lution had driven from their country and
from better situations in life.

jd. — Unwell to-day, with a slight return
of my Indian symptoms. I, however, paid
visits to the friends who had before shown

me so much kindness. I received several in-
vitations to dinner, but preferred dining alone
at the inn. In the afternoon I took a very
pleasant ride on horseback, accompanied by
the two young Messrs. Gilmore. They took
me round the port to some high ground com-
manding a good view of the town, the basin,
and shipping. I spent the evening very agree-
ably with the Misses Stith. I regret that my
journal does not mention, and that I cannot
recollect, who these ladies were, nor how I
was introduced to them. They had the good-
ness to procure me some English newspapers
I was desirous of seeing. I had been told in
Philadelphia that my sister had been married
to a surgeon, and I thought the newspapers
might give me more particulars. On my re-
turn home, I found that Mr. Field, the min-
iature painter, had called.

4th. — Called upon Mr. Field and sat. Dined
with a large party at Mr. Campbell's, the
President of the St. George's Society.

5th. — Sat again to Mr. Field. Mr. Consul
Barry called, and afterwards Colonels How-
ard and O'Donald, two of the principal in-
habitants of Baltimore. They both gave most
friendly invitations to their country-seats —
the former to Belvidere, of which I had

heard much, and Colonel O'Donald to his
villa, called Canton. Colonel O'Donald had,
many years before, been in Bengal, and now
expressed much pleasure in meeting one from
that country. Called upon Mr. Thorntpn ;
further conversation with him about Pem-
broke Hall. Called upon Mr. Curzon. Singu-
lar particulars of his family.* He informed
me that Mr. Robert Liston had arrived
in Philadelphia, as British Plenipotentiary
to the United States. I afterwards saw
the Danish Consul. He informed me that
he had received a letter from Dr. Ross, of
Philadelphia, in which he was pleased to
speak of me in very friendly terms, and to
approve of my opinions respecting America.
Mr. Barry read part of the doctor's letter.
He mentioned having introduced me to Dr.
Priestley, and the doctor's satisfaction with
some communications about India. He said
that Dr. Priestley meant to make an ac-
knowledgment in a book he was about to
publish.

6th. — As I was walking up and down the
great room before breakfast this morning,

* My journal does not state these particulars, and I have
entirely forgotten them.

114

Mr. Volney came up to me. He had arrived
from Philadelphia the evening before. He
confirmed the news of Mr. Liston's appoint-
ment and arrival.

Colonel O'Donald called to invite me to
meet a party of his friends at Canton on the
following Sunday. Dined with Mr. Consul
Barry off salt fish, it being Friday.

jth. — I walked this morning to breakfast
with Colonel Howard at Belvidere, only about
half a mile from the top of the town to the
right. The beauty of this seat exceeded
even the accounts which I had received of it.
It was upon the plan and possessed all the
elegance of an English villa. Situated upon
the verge of the descent upon which Balti-
more stands, its grounds formed a beauti-
ful slant towards the Chesapeak. From the
taste with which they were laid out, it would
seem that America already possessed a Haver-
field or a Repton. The spot, thus indebted
to nature and judiciously embellished, was as
enchanting within its own proper limits as
in the fine view which extended far beyond
them. The foreground presented luxurious
shrubberies and sloping lawns : the distance,
the line of the Patapsco, and the country
bordering on Chesapeak Bay. Both the per-

factions of the landscape, its near and distant
scenery, were united in the view from the
bow-window of the noble room in which
breakfast was prepared, with the desire, I
believe, of gratifying me with this exquisite
prospect. I could not help thinking that if
Mr. Law or other nabobs chose to abandon
their own country for America, such was the
residence they should look for. I spent the
greater part of the forenoon at Belvidere, de-
. tained by the attentions of Colonel Howard's
family and the attractions of his villa, which
seemed hardly to belong to the same age or
country as the forests I had just passed
through in so rude a conveyance ; and it was
indeed, less a specimen of the actual state of
general improvement than evidence of the
refinement towards which society in America
was advancing.

I had intended to walk back to Baltimore,
but Colonel Howard would order his carriage
for me. I was accompanied by two young
ladies of the name of Chew, who were stay-
ing at Belvidere, and took this opportunity
of shopping and paying a few visits.

I dined with Mr. Gilmore's family, and
stayed till a late hour.

8th. — Called upon Mr. Campbell and Mr.

116

Thomson. Early in the afternoon the friends
of Colonel O'Donald who were to dine with
him called upon me at his desire to accom-
pany me to his country-house — distant about
seven, miles. Having mounted my horse, we
proceeded down Market Street, and when
nearly at the bottom of the town turned to
the left and gained the country extending
along the basin of the Patapsco. The road
being rough and stony, my companions sup-
posed I should wish to go slowly, but know-
ing the taste of the Americans for fast riding,
I took the lead at a quick pace. We reached
Canton after a merry ride. I was led to think
from what I saw now, and had before ob-
served, that the Americans have more spirits
and vivacity on such occasions than the Eng-
lish, or, at least, that their impressions are
under less reserve. It is to this unreserved
communication probably that the facility
with which the Americans express them-
selves in conversation is to be attributed.
An American speaks English with the volu-
bility of a Frenchman. On my arrival in
America I was much struck with this pecu-
liarity. The day before I embarked at Cal-
cutta I called upon Sir Robert Abercromby
to take leave of him, to thank him for the

numerous acts of kindness I had received
from him, and to see him, in fact, though I
then little thought of such being the case,
for the last time. We walked up and down
his great drawing-room from one end of it
to the other for nearly, I believe, an hour;
and speaking during part of this time of
America, he told me of many things I should
find there ; but I do not recollect that this
colloquial facility mentioned above was one
of the number. If I had visited the veteran
general in his retirement on the banks of the
Forth (and deep is my regret that I did not),
how many things I should have had to say
to him about America as well as India !

Colonel O'Donald had shown his Indian
predilection in the construction of his resi-
dence as well as in its name. The long, low
house, with a deep veranda in front, had
somewhat the appearance of a pucka bun-
galow. It was pleasantly situated amongst
fields and small woods, not far from the junc-
tion of the Patapsco with the Chesapeak.
The Colonel told me that when he was in
Calcutta he had a great desire to visit the
interior of India, and particularly Lucnow.
My journey into the same part of the coun-
try seemed to afford him considerable inter-
ns

est, as did my imperial seal. He appeared to
wish that he had passed more years in India
and fewer in America. Nothing was omitted
to testify his satisfaction at seeing me, and I
should gladly have accepted his invitation to
pass two or three days at Canton if time had
permitted me. After a sumptuous dinner
the Colonel's friends accompanied me back
to Baltimore, and even to the door of my
hotel. This was one of the most pleasant
days I passed in America.

Though late, I went, agreeably to an en-
gagement I had made previously, to take a
second cup of tea with Mr. Field, and sat
with him till one o'clock in the morning. I
do not know what became of his picture.

gth. — At dinner to-day I sat next to Mon-
sieur Volney and had much conversation with
him about India, respecting which country
he was always very inquisitive. He asked me
what precautions I had adopted in my jour-
neys there, and whether I had disguised my-
self. I said that as I could speak the lan-
guage of the people disguise would have been
easy and perhaps the safest expedient, but
that I felt there was something degrading in
this resource, and never adopted it except
on one occasion of sudden emergency. I
119

had also, I said, departed from the custom of
some travellers in another respect. Instead
of passing for a person of no consequence, I
assumed all the importance I was entitled to,
and sometimes indeed rather more. This
put me in relation with the chiefs of the
country, and the heads of towns and villages,
and placed my party in some measure under
the responsibility and protection of the offi-
cial authorities. Instead of entering a town as
a person desiring concealment, I announced
my arrival by the most intelligent and best-
dressed of my suite, and asked for everything
that a 'stranger of consideration had a right
to expect. As far as my means would allow
I travelled with a force calculated to com-
mand respect on common occasions as an
escort, and capable of making a good defence
in case of attack. When I thought that my
guard was not proportioned to some partic-
ular danger we were likely to encounter, I
sent to the aumil, or governor, of the country,
or to the chief of the place, and, stating who
I was, asked for such an increase of force as
he himself judged necessary ; and on these
occasions I never met with a refusal. I add-
ed that though I did not adopt disguise in
the usual sense of the word, I so far assumed

the national dress as not to shock the prej-
udices of the people or excite an inconven-
ient degree of curiosity ; but that, so far from
adopting this step as a deception, I always
left enough of my proper character to show
the inhabitants that my object was to con-
ciliate and not to mislead them. Monsieur
Volney expressed his concurrence with these
plans, and said he would adopt them if he
should ever gratify his desire of visiting
India, as he believed he might but for the
length of the sea voyage. He described
what he suffered on coming from France to
America, and said he could not think of an-
other voyage without horror.

After dinner Monsieur Volney and I walked
out together. He told me he should proba-
bly publish some account of America. He
examined things as we went about very mi-
nutely, and in some of his surveys made me
his assistant. Having taken the measure of
my step, he requested me to walk from one
side of the street to the other, while he with
his pocket-book in his hand counted the
number of my paces, and noted down their
equivalent in feet. We went also into one
of the principal churches. But though I was
gratified with this unexpected intercourse

with so distinguished a man, I cannot say
that Monsieur Volney pleased me much. He
was cold and satirical. I did not perceive
that he had any communication with any
one at Baltimore but myself. I concluded
that the political troubles in which he had
been engaged, and the persecution which
had banished him from his country, had
caused this splenetic unsociableness or in-
creased a constitutional irritability. He was
little pleased with America, and where he
was not pleased he expressed himself with
much severity. As a philosopher he might
be expected to see with less surprise and dis-
satisfaction the imperfections of a new state,
so remote from the improvements and influ-
ence of Europe ; and as the guest of Amer-
ica he might be expected to repay her hos-
pitality with more urbanity and indulgence.

In the evening I met with surprise Mr.
Pringle, the supercargo of the India. I re-
ceived a visit from Mr. Grove, merchant, of
Baltimore, and connected, I understood, with
Mr. Gilmore's house. Mr. Gilmore wished me
to make some communications to him re-
specting the commerce of India.

Although Baltimore is the principal town
of Maryland as to population and commerce,

Annapolis, about thirty miles distant, is the
seat of the provincial government. The pop-
ulation of the town was said not to exceed
20,000; that of the state was about 350,000,
of which nearly the third part were slaves,
employed principally in the cultivation of to-
bacco and wheat, the staple commodities of
the export trade. Baltimore was founded by
Lord Baltimore in the reign of Charles the
First.

loth May. — At 6 A.M. I set out for Phila-
delphia. Among the passengers who almost
filled the wagon was Mr. Hancock, son of
Mr. Hancock of Massachusetts, the country-
man and colleague of Mr. Adams, the Vice-
President. A trifling circumstance showed
the general feeling of respect towards Gen-
eral Washington. Mr. Hancock having learn-
ed that I was bearer of the picture of the
General, communicated this incident to the
rest of the company, upon whom it seemed
to make an extraordinary impression, pro-
curing me their congratulations on being
honored with such a charge, and particular
marks of their attention during the remain-
der of the journey.

Breakfasted at Harford. Stopped a few
minutes at Charlestown, from the neighbor-

hood of which is a fine view of the Chesa-
peak. Dined at Havre de Grace. The din-
ner, though not remarkable for its excellence,
afforded by its singularity much amusement.
The first dish being pork, to which one of
the passengers, a Frenchman, had a great
dislike, he waited for the second, but this
being pork also his national irritability was
much excited, and broke through all bounds
when he found that the remaining dishes
were only varieties of the same hated food.
The Frenchman, who had perhaps calculated
on a fine trout from the Susquehannah, ex-
pressed his dissatisfaction in very warm
terms ; and when finally a rather high bill
was placed before us, he positively refused
his share of the contribution. The American
zVzsisted, the Frenchman resisted, and sec-
onded his declaration by twice raising his
knife and striking the handle of it with great
violence against the table. It would have
been fortunate if his resentment had ended
here, for lifting up his knife a third time,
while he looked angrily at the master of the
inn, he brought the end of it down, not upon
the table, but on his plate and broke it to
pieces. The landlord was far from disposed
to soothe the increased vexation of his of-

fended guest, but said with an air of triumph,
" Monsieur will now pay for the dinner and
the plate too " ; and in fact, instead of reduc-
ing his bill or the Frenchman's portion, he
charged as liberally for his porcelain as for
his pork ; leaving the Frenchman no other
satisfaction than that of complaining during
the rest of the journey that he had paid dear
for a dinner he had not eaten, and for more
plates than he had broken. For myself I not
only made a good dinner, the pork being ex-
cellent, but learned a circumstance which it-
self was worth my share of the reckoning. I
was informed that great numbers of pigs
were turned loose into the woods of the Sus-
quehannah, where they run wild, living and
growing fat upon the acorns and nuts of va-
rious sorts which abound there. Before win-
ter the poor animals are hunted, and such as
are caught— for many probably escape — are
killed for home consumption and exporta-
tion. I was told that a similar plan was adopt-
ed in other parts of Maryland, and it most
likely extended to other states.

I had heard on board the India, and in-
deed Sir Robert Abercromby had before
mentioned the circumstance to me, that in
some parts of America the pigs were fed on
125

peaches. I now found that this was the fact,
and not so extraordinary a one as it had at
first seemed to be. I had observed to-day,
as I had in other parts of Maryland, that al-
most every farm-house and cottage had a
peach orchard attached to it, as an apple or-
chard would be in England. The peaches
were distilled into brandy, but the pigs fed
upon the refuse, as well as upon such fruit
as fell from the trees.

As we crossed the Susquehannah, I cast a
farewell look upon the wild beauties of that
river. It was dark before we reached the
" Head of Elk." Here things were much
changed since I passed before. There was
indeed the same number of beds in the room,
but the landlord was no longer surly, but ex-
tremely civil, and gave us a supper that made
the best possible amends to the Frenchman
for the loss of his dinner.

nth May. — Leave the " Head of Elk " at
five o'clock. Breakfast at Newark, and at
three in the afternoon reach Philadelphia.
Finding dinner prepared at the inn, I dined
there and afterwards proceeded to Fourth
Street, where Mr. and Mrs. Francis, and the
good-tempered negress, and all my friends,
were glad to see me. My notes say, " Glad
126

to get to a good mattress again." In the even-
ing I went to the play, the " Moghol Tale."

The excursion which I had made had quite
succeeded. The country, towns, villages,
state of society, were full of interest in their
present condition, while their futurity pre-
sented a picture the most pleasing — the for-
ests I had passed through converted into
fertile plains, and the solitary banks of the
Potomac, the Susquehannah, the Elk, and
the Patapsco, covered with a free and intel-
ligent population. One of the many improve-
ments already spoken of is the junction of
the Chesapeak and Delaware by cutting
through the isthmus which now separates
them. There will then be an inland water
communication between Philadelphia, An-
napolis, Alexandria, and Washington.

I2th May. — Hearing that the American
ship Atlantic would sail in a few days for
England, I walked down to the Delaware,
and liking the appearance of the vessel, I
took my passage in her, engaging one of the
state-rooms, a name rather absurdly be-
stowed upon a very small berth by the side
of the great cabin or public-room, and feebly
lighted from it by a glass in the door. The
ship appeared to be about 300 tons, or nearly
127 •

the size of the India. Called afterwards at
Mr. Bingham's, where I found my Cabul
sheep grazing in good health on the gar-
den lawn. Visited Dr. Ross and other
friends.

ijth May. — At one o'clock to-day I called
at General Washington's with the picture
and letter I had for him. He lived in a small
red brick house on the left side of High
Street, not much higher up than Fourth
Street. There was nothing in the exterior
of the house that denoted the rank of its
possessor. Next door was a hair -dresser.
Having stated my object to a servant who
came to the door, I was conducted up a neat
but rather narrow staircase, carpeted in the
middle, and was shown into a middling-sized,
well -furnished drawing-room on the left of
the passage. Nearly opposite the door was
the fireplace, with a wood -fire in it. The
floor was carpeted. On the left of the fire-
place was a sofa, which sloped across the
room. There were no pictures on the walls,
no ornaments on the chimney-piece. Two
windows on the right of the entrance looked
into the street. There was nobody in the
room, but in a minute Mrs. Washington
came in, when I repeated the object of my
128

calling, and put into her hands the letter for
General Washington, and his miniature. She
said she would deliver them to the President,
and, inviting me to sit down, retired for that
purpose. She soon returned, and said the
President would come presently. Mrs. Wash-
ington was a middle-sized lady, rather stout ;
her manner extremely kind and unaffected.
She sat down on the sofa, and invited me to
sit by her. I spoke of the pleasant days I
had passed at Washington, and of the atten-
tions I had received from her granddaughter,
Mrs. Law.

While engaged in this conversation, but
with my thoughts turned to the expected ar-
rival of the General, the door opened, and
Mrs. Washington and myself rising, she said,
" The President," and introduced me to him.
Never did I feel more interest than at this
moment, when I saw the tall, upright, vener-
able figure of this great man advancing tow-
ards me to take me by the hand. There was
a seriousness in his manner which seemed to
contribute to the impressive dignity of his
person, without diminishing the confidence
and ease which the benevolence of his coun-
tenance and the kindness of his address in-
spired. There are persons in whose appear-

ance one looks in vain for the qualities they
are known to possess, but the appearance of
General Washington harmonized in a singu-
lar manner with the dignity and modesty of
his public life. So completely did he look the
great and good man he really was, that I felt
rather respect than awe in his presence, and
experienced neither the surprise nor disap-
pointment with which a personal introduc-
tion to distinguished individuals is often ac-
companied.

The General having thanked me for the
picture, requested me to sit down next the
fire, Mrs. Washington being on the sofa on
the other side, and himself taking a chair in
the middle. He now inquired about my ar-
rival in America, my voyage, my late journey,
and his granddaughters, Mrs. Law and her
sister, who had accompanied me to Alexan-
dria. He asked me my opinion of that town,
and seemed pleased with the account I gave
of the extraordinary activity I had observed
there. In the course of the conversation I
mentioned the particular regard and respect
with which Lord Cornwall is always spoke of
him. He received this communication in the
most courteous manner, inquired about his
lordship, and expressed for him much esteem.

Speaking about the intercourse between In-
dia and America, I said that I thought the
United States had gained a great point by
the right of trading conceded by the thir-
teenth article of Mr. Jay's treaty, and I men-
tioned at the same time the facilities of
which this commerce was susceptible, to the
equal advantage of America and India, now
that it rested upon a legal basis.

I stated these opinions because the treaty
in question, which had been approved by the
existing Government, had caused some un-
reasonable animadversion amongst the op-
posers of the administration at this period. I
observed that the measure was one to which
the East India Company might object, as in-
terfering with their chartered privileges, al-
though in a manner favorable to the com-
mercial population of India ; but that it was
in every respect advantageous to the United
States, enlarging a communication that be-
fore was confined, and legalizing what was
arbitrary and subject to prohibition.

The General asked me some questions about
Calcutta, the natives of India, the Ganges, and
the interior of the country. Upon my in-
quiring if coal had yet been found in the
States of the Union, he said that it had been

discovered in various parts, and that mines
would doubtless be opened and worked when
the diminished abundance of wood should di-
rect the public attention to this subject.

After sitting about three quarters of an
hour, I rose to take leave, when the General
invited me to drink tea with him that even-
ing. I regret to say that I declined this honor
on account of some other engagement — a
wrong and injudicious decision, for which I
have since reproached myself. No engage-
ment should have prevented my accepting
such an invitation. If forwardness on such
occasions be displeasing, an excess of delicacy
and reserve is scarcely less to be avoided.
However, this private intercourse with one
of the most unblemished characters that any
country has produced had entirely satisfied
me, and greatly exceeded my previous ex-
pectations, which had been limited to the
usual transient introduction at a public levee.
This, then, forms one of my most memorable
days. The moment when the great Washing-
ton entered the room, and Mrs. Washington
said, " The President," made an impression
on my mind which no subsequent years can
efface.

The General's age was rather more than

sixty -four. In person he was tall, well-
proportioned, and upright. His hair was
powdered and tied behind. Although his
deportment was that of a general, the ex-
pression of his features had rather the calm
dignity of a legislator than the severity of a
soldier. He was born in Virginia, and was
now contemplating his final retirement to
Mount Vernon, his favorite residence, situ-
ated in that State, a few miles only below
Alexandria. Shortly after the period of my
introduction he expressed his intentions in
a feeling address, of which the following are
a few extracts :

"Friends and Fellow-Citizens, — The period for a
new election of a citizen to administer the Execu-
tive Government of the United States being not
far distant, and the time being actually arrived
when your thoughts must be employed in designat-
ing the person who is to be clothed with that im-
portant trust, it appears to me proper to conduce
to a more distinct expression of the public voice,
that I should now apprise you of the resolution I
have formed, to decline being considered among
the number of those of whom a choice is to be
made. I confidently hoped it would have been
much earlier in my power, consistently with mo-
tives which I am not at liberty to disregard, to re-
133

turn to that retirement from which I had been re-
luctantly drawn. Every day the increasing weight
of years admonishes me more and more that the
shade of retirement is as necessary as it is welcome.
Satisfied that, if any circumstances have given pe-
culiar value to my services, they were temporary, I
•have the consolation to believe that while choice
and prudence invite me to quit the political scene,
patriotism does not forbid me.

" In looking forward to the moment which is in-
tended to terminate the career of my public life,
my feelings do not permit me to suspend the deep
acknowledgment of that debt of gratitude which I
owe to my beloved country, for the many honors it
has conferred upon me. The constancy of your
support was the essential prop of my efforts, and
the guarantee of my plans. Profoundly penetrated
with this idea, I shall carry it with me to the grave,
as a strong incitement to unceasing vows, that
Heaven may continue to you the choicest tokens of
its beneficence; that your union and brotherly love
may be perpetual ; that the free Constitution which
is the work of your hands may be sacredly main-
tained; that its administration in every part may
be stamped with wisdom and virtue; that, in fine,
the happiness of the people of these States, under
the auspices of liberty, may be made complete by
so careful a preservation and so prudent a use of
this blessing, as will acquire to them the glory
of recommending it to the applause, the affection,
134

and adoption of every nation which is a stranger
to it.

' ' Observe good faith and justice towards all na-
tions ; cultivate peace and harmony with all. How
far, in the discharge of my official duties, I have
been governed by the principles which I have de-
lineated, the public records, and other evidences of
my conduct, 'must witness to you and to the world.
To myself, the assurance of my own conscience is,
that I have, at least, believed myself to be guided
by them. Though, in reviewing the incidents of
my administration, I am unconscious of intentional
error, I am nevertheless too sensible of my defects
not to think it probable I have committed many
errors. Whatever they may be, I fervently beseech
the Almighty to avert or mitigate the evils to which
they may tend. I shall also carry with me the hope
that my country will never cease to view them with
indulgence, and that after forty - five years of my
life dedicated to its service, with an upright zeal,
the faults of incompetent abilities will be consigned
to oblivion, as myself must soon be to the mansions
of rest. Relying on its kindness in this and other
things, and actuated by that fervent love towards
it which is natural to a man who views in it the
native soil of himself and family for several gener-
ations, I anticipate, with pleasing expectation, that
retreat in which I promise myself to realize, with-
out alloy, the sweet enjoyment of partaking, in the
midst of my fellow-citizens, of the benign influence
135

of good laws under a free Government, the ever-
favorite object of my heart, and the happy reward,
as I trust, of our cares, labors, and dangers."

General Washington had retired to Mount
Vernon at the close of the war, and remained
there till 1789, when the general voice of his
country called him from his pastoral pursuits
to the Presidency of the Government. He
was re-elected to this office in 1793. His
healthy and robust appearance, when I saw
him, seemed to promise a longer enjoyment
of repose in his retirement near the banks of
the Potomac ; but a cold caught at Mount
Vernon on the I3th December, 1799, termi-
nated his life on the following day.

1 4th. — Visited the National Museum.
Amongst a collection of curiosities, yet in its
commencement, I saw my great shell.

i$th. — Being unwell, I spent the greater
part of this day at home. Packed and pre-
pared for my voyage.

Sunday, i6th. — In a sermon Dr. Priestley
preached to-day, he referred to what I had
said to him about the Hindoos. Dined with
Mr. Bingham, Mr. Baring, Count de Noailles,
and several members of the two Houses of
Congress — in all a large party. After the
136

company had retired, remained with the
family* and Mr. Baring.

17 th. — Saw Captain Langford, and found
that his ship, the Atlantic, would not sail for
some days. In consequence of this delay, I
determined to set out for New York, to en-
deavor to find out a friend there, about whom
I could obtain no information. We had been
intimate at school before I sailed for India ;
and though our wide separation — he in the
New World, I in the Old — had put an end to
all communication, it had not diminished my
regard for him. I took my place in the New
York stage-wagon for the next day.

i8th. — At 5 P.M. start for New York with
other passengers. The carriage was exactly
similar to those already described. The first
stage was through Frankfort, Holmsburgh,
and Harlington, inconsiderable villages nearly
at equal distances from each other, to Bristol,
twelve miles from Philadelphia. The Dela-
ware was only a short distance from us, on
our right, but was not visible. Its course
here was about southwest, and our direction
was nearly parallel to it, or northeast. Hav-

* The family consisted of Mr. and Mrs. Bingham and two
daughters, the eldest of whom was afterwards married to the
Mr. Baring here mentioned, afterwards Lord Ashburton.
137

ing changed horses at Bristol, we passed
through the hamlets of Tullytown and Ty-
burn to Morrisville, or Morristown, as it is
also called, and soon after arrived on the
banks of the Delaware, here considerably less
wide than at Philadelphia. A large flat-bot-
tomed boat took us over to Trenton, a small
town, but the metropolis of the State of New
Jersey, which we entered here. This is the
highest point to which the Delaware is navi-
gable, there being falls above the ferry, simi-
lar to those on the Potomac above George-
town, and both apparently proceeding from
the same cause, the depression or lower level
of the country east of the Blue Ridge.

Trenton was the scene of a brilliant exploit
of General Washington during the late war.
A regiment of Hessians, in the pay of Great
Britain, being stationed there, Washington
formed a plan for surprising it. Having
thrown some troops across the river, just be-
low the falls, to get into the rear of the ene-
my and cut off their retreat, he fixed upon
the night of Christmas Day for passing the
river himself at the ferry, and notwithstanding
the greatest obstacles, arising from the dark-
ness and from the difficulty of the passage,
obstructed by ice, succeeded in surprising the
138

detachment so completely that he took nine
hundred men and several pieces of artillery.

iQtk. — At Trenton we left the Delaware
and proceeded in a northeasterly direction
across New Jersey. Early in the morning we
reached Princeton, another place, like Tren-
ton and Brandywine, grateful to the recol-
lection of the Americans ; General Washing-
ton having in the year 1777, not long after
his success against the Hessians, surprised
and dislodged a considerable British force
stationed here. Princeton possesses one of
the largest colleges in the United States. Its
situation between two of the principal cities
of the Union appears favorable to such an in-
stitution, particularly as the position is pleas-
ant and salubrious. It is a large stone build-
ing, not far from the road-side. I walked
towards it while the wagon stopped, but had
not time to see the interior. Its library was
said to exceed three thousand volumes.

At the distance of eight miles from Prince-
ton we reached Brunswick, situated on the
banks of the Raritan River, about twelve
miles from its entrance into Raritan Bay at
Perth Amboy. Here also is a collage called
Queen's College. Small sea craft passing
through Raritan Bay can come nearly as high
139

as the handsojne bridge which has lately
been built at this town. We next passed
through Elizabethtown, pleasantly situated
upon a small stream of which I did not learn
the name. It doubtless flowed from the line
of hills in the interior, and ran into Raritan
Bay.

Seven miles farther we came to Newark,
which I thought one of the neatest and pret-
tiest towns I had seen. I was told that many
families of Dutch extraction resided here,
and it appeared that they kept up their na-
tional habits of order and cleanliness. I was
struck with the pleasant situation of some
white detached houses which I observed on
some high ground a few hundred yards to the
left of the road. I told my companions that
if I settled in America I should be induced
to prefer that spot to any I had yet seen.

Soon after leaving Newark we came to the
edge of a steep hill leading down to a long
wooden bridge over the Passaic. The wagon
being full, the driver stopped, and begged a
negro, who was sitting by his side, to walk
down the hill; and but for the inconvenience
of getting out of the wagon, he would prob-
ably have desired the other passengers to do
the same. The inability of the horses to keep

back the carriage was soon apparent, and be-
came more manifest every moment. They
twice, however, succeeded in checking it for
an instant, but were overpowered by the
weight, and forced forward with greater vio-
lence than before, and were so little under
command that it seemed not improbable,
even if we got to the bottom of the descent,
that we should either run against the bridge
or go into the river, to which there was a
wide opening on each side. Again, how-
ever, the wheelers, throwing themselves back,
stopped the wagon, but the leaders, for some
reason or other, got round with their heads
towards the hill. In this state of disorder it
was difficult to foresee what would be the
effect of the next plunge. It was evident, at
all events, that this was the moment for es-
caping from the carriage. This idea seemed
to strike all the passengers at once, for all
were in motion scrambling to get out. To
such as were upon the front and hindmost
benches there was no great difficulty, but they
who, like myself, were upon the middle seat
could not stir till the others made way ; and
there was no time to lose. Finding, there-
fore, that I could not get out either behind
or before, I mounted upon the side rail and

jumped, or rather dropped down, for I was so
doubled by the roof and so kept back by the
great leather curtain that it was quite impossi-
ble to make a proper spring; and I consequent-
ly fell perpendicularly down before the off hind
wheel, and reaching the ground in a bent
position I rolled under the wagon, or, rather,
partly under it, so that the wheel must have
passed over me if one of the passengers, who
had escaped from behind, had not run and
drawn me clear. The leaders having been
pulled straight, the wheelers again threw
themselves forward, and before I was upon
my legs all four went off at full gallop, my
companions in the middle seat still in their
places, not having had time to escape. It
was painful to see the danger to which these
persons and the coachman were exposed, for
it seemed very doubtful whether the latter
would be able to hit the bridge, which was
much narrower than the opening on either
side leading to the water. But we soon had
the satisfaction of seeing the stage safe upon
the planks, along which it went at a great
rate, the driver not being able to stop the
horses. The negro, who had now reached
the middle of the bridge, hearing the carriage
come clattering behind him, got out of the

way, not however to insure his own safety,
but to risk his life in a daring attempt to save
the persons stilt in the wagon. He held him-
self close to the side of the bridge ready to
make a dash, and when the leaders came op-
posite to him, sprang forward and seized the
bridle of the near horse. All, however, still
continued to gallop, dragging the negro with
them ; but this bold African kept his hold,
and the driver pulling at the same time, they
were stopped a short distance beyond the
bridge.

My attention had been so engaged with
this singular spectacle that I had scarcely
thought of a cut I had received on my right
leg. I could not very well tell how this hap-
pened, whether by a stone in the road or by
my having grazed against the hind wheel as
I fell. One of the passengers kindly lending
me his arm, I crossed the bridge and resumed
my place in the wagon. My leg becoming
very painful, the passengers seated before me
obligingly made room for me to rest it on
their bench, and were in every respect most
polite and civil. Four miles farther we came
to a bridge over the Hackinsack, a small river
that runs into Newark Bay. Two miles far-
ther the country became low and wet, having
143

the appearance of a great swamp formed by
the inundations of the Hudson, which we
were now approaching, or by the encroach-
ment of the waters of Raritan Bay, which
may be considered the Chesapeak of the Jer-
sey States. The road across this marsh was
formed by trees laid across it and covered
with earth. Though we went slowly here, the
jolting as the wheels passed from tree to tree
was very great, and caused much uneasiness
to my leg, which had swelled considerably.

After a mile and a half of this most rough
road we arrived at Pawles Hook, situated on
the edge of New York Bay, and immediately
opposite that city. Though yet but a small
village, it reminded my companions of an
event honorable to the arms of their country,
a British post having been surprised here
during the war by Major Lee, one of the
most distinguished officers of the American
army. Here we embarked in a large boat,
and the wind being favorable, had a fine sail
across the bay, whose width exceeded two
miles. The view of New York in front, of the
more expanded bay and three small islands
to the right, and the Hudson on our left, was
magnificent. I could neither conceal nor ex-
press the surprise and delight it afforded me.
144

Having landed at a quay in the eastern
part of the city, we proceeded through sev-
eral narrow streets to the inn. The state of
my leg would have induced me to remain
here, but the situation was not desirable, and
a noted boarding-house at the end of Broad-
way had been particularly recommended to
me. The same friendly Samaritan from whom
I had already received so much attention be-
came my guide to it, but on our way he pre-
vailed on me to accompany him first to a
surgeon, a friend of his. In a country where
a gentleman's coachman is obliged to be his
own smith, it was not surprising that a sur-
geon should be an apothecary, as no beggarly
account of empty bottles showed this practi-
tioner to be. I had much difficulty in per-
suading my kind companion to leave me in
the hands in which he had placed me, nor
would he consent to this till his friend had
ascertained that my leg was not materially
injured, though the necessity, he announced
whilst dressing it, of a few days' rest was par-
ticularly unwelcome, on account of the sailing
of the Atlantic, in which I had taken my
passage, as well as of the mortification of be-
ing confined to my room during my stay in
New York.

K 145

I easily found my way to the great board-
ing-house, but the first thing I learned here
was that every room was engaged. This was
a great disappointment to me, both on ac-
count of my lameness and the singular ad-
vantage of the situation, the house being
close to the Battery, which had formed so
fine an object in our passage across the river,
and from which there is a view which has
not, perhaps, many rivals in the world, com-
manding the bay of New York, four miles
wide, and its three islands, the Hudson, the
Jersey shore, the opening into Newark Bay,
and the whole length of the river to Fort La
Fayette on the northern, and Sandy Hook
on the southern shore of the entrance into
the Atlantic. All this, enlivened by the great
passage to Pawles Hook, on the Jersey shore,
and the numberless sails employed in the
great maritime and inland commerce of New
York, presented a splendid scene, and made
me regret that I could not be admitted into
Mrs. Hodge's boarding-house, the " Star and
Garter " of this fine prospect. I accordjngly
hobbled back up Broadway, and then turned
to the right, nearly in the direction of the
quay at which I had landed, inquiring as I
went for a good tavern, but could not, hear
146

of one. Everybody recommended me to Mrs.
Hodge's, the house I had just left.

It being now almost dark, and my leg be-
coming more inflamed and painful, I allowed
a civil man, to whom I applied in the street,
to conduct me to a small boarding-house
not far from the City Hall, which we passed.
The kind behavior of the ladies who received
me, the real concern they expressed at the
state in which I presented myself, satisfied me
that the dull little room which they showed
me was, as they declared, the best they had,
and induced me to accept it thankfully.
These good women soon had tea ready for
me in their parlor, and their attentions at
once banished all regret that the window of
my chamber did not look upon the fine view
from the Battery. They expressed some
surprise when they found that I came from
India. I hoped to obtain some information
from them about Mr. Shaw, but they were
not acquainted with him.

2oth. — After breakfasting with the ladies of
the house, I walked to my surgeon, who still
urged rest, the most inconvenient remedy in
my present position. Neither could he give
me any information about my schoolfellow.
But I recollected hearing the latter speak of

his uncle, Mr. John Shaw, and having ob-
tained his address, I went to his house. He
received me in the American way, with his
hat on, at the top of his steps, and without
any invitation to walk in. He evinced but
little interest in my inquiries, and seemed to
know but little about his nephew; but he
told me where I might hear of him, and with
this information I set off. I judged from
this interview that the uncle and nephew
were not upon the best terms — a notion, in-
deed, with which I had been somewhat im-
pressed before.

I found out the small street and small
house to which I had been directed, but was
told by the maid who opened the door that
Mr. Gabriel Shaw was not in New York.
Two ladies of the house to whom I desired
the maid to introduce me, confirmed this
unexpected intelligence, with the kindest ex-
pression of sympathy in my disappointment.
They said he was absent with some friends
on a foot excursion, and that the time of
his return was uncertain. I left my address,
and promised to return the next morning.
I spent the rest of the day at my lodg-
ing, principally in the agreeable society of
the ladies of the house. I was the only
148

lodger, but two or three gentlemen came to
dinner.

2ist— Called at Mr. Shaw's lodging, but the
ladies could only repeat what they had told
me the preceding day. Mr. Shaw's return
being thus uncertain, I should have set out
for Philadelphia immediately if my lameness
had permitted me to travel, for I was much
afraid of losing my passage in the Atlantic.
I remained at home till the afternoon, and
then walked with my stick to the quays
situated upon the entrance into East River,
a narrow channel which separates Long Isl-
and from the continent. I saw many vessels,
principally American, alongside the wharfs,
to which there is a direct and safe access
from the sea, through the fine bay, called the
Bay of New York, formed by the Hudson in
the lower part of its course, a spacious navi-
gation of only twenty miles from the Nar-
rows, or entrance from the Atlantic Ocean.
With these advantages, New York, for mari-
time communication, possesses an evident
superiority over Philadelphia, Baltimore, Al-
exandria, and Washington, and may conse-
quently be considered the first port of the
United States. It possesses other advantages
not less evident, in an extraordinary facility

of intercourse with an extensive and already
populous interior, by means of the Hudson
River, navigable for small sloops for nearly
200 miles from the sea, thus affording a com-
munication with Albany, 150 miles above
New York, and thence with the whole coun-
try bordering upon Lakes Erie, Ontario, and
Michigan, the first 230 miles in length, the
second 180, and the last, which is entirely
American, 300,

Albany, situated on the west bank of the
Hudson, half-way between these lakes and
New York, can hardly fail of acquiring great
commercial importance, as the vast countries
which encircle these inland seas shall ad-
vance in population and prosperity. I heard
an intelligent American — and few are the
Americans who are not intelligent upon
every subject requiring judgment and fore-
sight— declare that if he were to buy land
anywhere, he would prefer Albany to any
spot in the Union. The only circumstance
unfavorable to this position that I heard of
was the impetuosity of the Hudson, which
rendered its navigation slow and expensive,
and somewhat dangerous. It was observed,
however, that this same rapidity of the cur-
rent prevented the accumulation of ice, by

which most of the American rivers are ob-
structed for a considerable time during the
winter.

From the quays in Water Street, along the
shores of the East River, I rounded the point
till I came to the Battery at the end of
Broadway, and from the handsome prome-
nade which has been made here I contem-
plated with more leisure than the first even-
ing the admirable view this spot commands.
I recalled to my recollection the principal
cities I had seen, and could find no one in
this review whose situation was at once so
advantageous and beautiful as that of New
York. The only defect I could perceive was
its apparent exposure in time of war. An
enemy's squadron could in the present state
of defence sail through the Narrows, and
anchor before the city in three or four hours.
I do not know how far the small batteries
which I saw on Governor's and Ellis's islands
could be rendered available against such an
aggression ; but these isles seemed placed as
the outworks of this position.

I was too lame to walk up the whole length
of Broadway. I was told that it extended
two miles, but as it was usual in America to
reckon as streets such as were only contem-

plated and not yet begun, it was not easy to
know how much of this great length was im-
aginary. Although the beauty of New York
is, for the present, confined to its position, it
possessing no very good street but Broad-
way, and no pre-eminent building except the
Federal Hall, it is, upon the whole, the most
agreeable as well as the most flourishing city
in the United States, combining the cheerful-
ness and commercial activity of Baltimore
with the extent and population of Philadel-
phia. It was founded early in the seventeenth
century by the Dutch, conducted by Hudson,
an Englishman, who gave his name to the
river; but the settlement comprehending the
States of New York and Jersey was called
the New Netherlands.

New York is about 200 miles southwest of
Boston, and 100 miles northeast of Philadel-
phia.

During the greater part of the war the city
was occupied by the British forces. These
having landed on Long Island in 1776, and
gained the battle of Flatbush, General Wash-
ington evacuated the city, and the English
taking possession of it, kept it, I believe,
without interruption till the definitive ratifi-
cation of peace in 1783.

The melancholy affair of Major Andre,
aide-de-camp of General Clinton, the British
Commander-in-chief, occurred during the oc-
cupation of New York by the British head-
quarters. In September, 1778, the American
army being at West Point, a fort upon the
Hudson, forty miles above New York, the
British General was very desirous of getting
possession of that important post, and his
views in this respect were favored by the
treachery of General Arnold, of the Ameri-
can army. Under the pretext, it is said, of
negotiating some point between the two par-
ties, General Clinton sent Major Andre to
West Point ; but the real object of the mis-
sion was to communicate secretly with Ar-
nold, and receive from him such information
as would facilitate the acquisition of the
place. These interviews having, however,
excited suspicion, the Major was arrested
one day as he was leaving the American lines,
and being searched, the plan of the fort of
West Point and of its approaches was found
on him.

Although the general who adopts this ig-
noble mode of warfare is more reprehensible
than the selected subaltern who, from a prin-
ciple of subordination and obedience, sacri-
153

fices his life and honor in an action he dis-
approves, still this unfortunate discovery
placed Major Andre in a situation of extreme
peril. Neither the desire of the two generals
to take upon themselves exclusively the crim-
inality of this transaction, nor the humanity
of General Washington, nor the youth nor
accomplishments of Major Andre could res-
cue this officer from his fate. Tried and con-
demned as a spy, he was executed not far
from West Point in the year 1780, to the grief
of his enemies and friends.

While I reflected on this deplorable event
near the scene on which it occurred, it was
consolatory to think that this tragical history,
so far from exciting resentment at the pres-
ent day, produced, on the contrary, an hon-
orable sentiment of pity and respect. This
generous feeling often called the citizens of
New York to West Point, there to contem-
plate this catastrophe, and pluck a blade of
grass from the unfortunate Andre's grave.
Mr. Shaw was now absent from New York,
with a few friends, on one of these excur-
sions.

Arnold, whose memory every American de-
spises, and no Englishman respects, escaped
to the British army. He afterwards went to
154

England, and, I believe, survived his disgrace
many years.

22d. — The inflammation and swelling in my
leg much reduced. After breakfast I walked
to the Museum, the only kind of exhibition
yet to be seen in America. It was an older
and more extensive collection than the simi-
tar one at Philadelphia. It consisted prin-
cipally of shells and fossils, and arms and
dresses of the Indian tribes. There was also
a machine, said to exhibit perpetual motion.
It consisted of a number of small glass tubes,
filled with a red fluid, which ran down some
of the tubes, and ascended others, with an
activity that seemed likely to hold out for the
time a spectator would stop to observe it. I
was sorry I had no Eastern curiosity for this
collection also.

I had intended to view the interior of the
Federal Hall, but was obliged to satisfy my-
self with looking at the outside. The Amer-
ican eagle and thirteen stars were the princi-
pal ornaments. The most interesting part
was the spacious gallery in front, it being
here that General Washington, when drawn
from his retreat at Mount Vernon, was inau-
gurated President, taking the oath of fidelity
to his country before Chancellor Livingstone,
155

the Senate and representatives, and thou-
sands of spectators.

I next walked to the Fish-market, consid-
ered by the people of the United States the
first in America, and by the inhabitants of
New York the first in the world. I was in-
clined to think there might be some ground
for this pretension. It is said to exhibit eighty
sorts of sea -fish. The Americans, who are
newer and plainer in nothing than in their
choice of names, whatever the object may be,
have given the appellation of sheepshead to
the most esteemed fish of their coast. I had
no opportunity of judging of its much-boast-
ed excellence, nor of the superiority of their
oysters, so strongly contended for by all
Americans who have had an occasion of com-
paring them with the oysters of Europe.

I did not call upon Gabriel Shaw, because
I knew he would call upon me in case of his
return ; but went to the play to see a cele-
brated actress, the Siddons of America, and
sister indeed of the Mrs. Siddons of the Lon-
don stage. Mrs. Whitelock (the name of this
lady) bore a considerable resemblance to her
sister, both in person and in acting.

2jd. — The ladies with whom my young
friend lodged could give me no information

about him. They were extremely polite and
kind, and seemed to feel a regret equal al-
most to my own. I now, therefore, proceed-
ed at once to the stage - wagon office, and
took my place for that afternoon. Though
disappointed as to the chief object of my visit
to New York, the sight of the city and of its
admirable position had afforded me much
pleasure. My lameness, however, had sub-*
jected me to some privations. I had called
upon Mr. Bayard, who had a brother in Ben-
gal, and found him much disposed to show
me every attention ; but lame as I was, I was
obliged to decline invitations. The amiable-
ness of the family with whom I lodged ren-
dered very agreeable the many hours I passed
in their company. I wished, some years after-
wards, to send them some token of my re-
membrance of their attentions from Bengal,
but had not preserved their name or address
— a blamable negligence which I much re-
gretted.

At a little after twelve o'clock I took my
seat in the stage-wagon, with only two pas-
sengers, and these were not going far. At the
pretty Dutch town of Newark one of them
got out, and at Elizabethtown the other,
when the jolting of the uncharged machine

became almost insupportable. I moved from
bench to bench, as a landsman does about a
ship, to discover the part which has the least
motion. I at length stretched myself across
the seats, but the bounds of the carriage ren-
dered sleep, or rest even, impossible on this
uneven couch. The driver, accustomed as he
was to these trials, was quite disposed to min-
"gle his complaints with mine. I could not
but pity his hard service, which seemed to be
as injurious to health as the roughness of a
camel's pace. The night was dark and rainy,
and yet he had no light to enable him to se-
lect the best part of the road. At length,
after having passed the Rahway, a small
stream I had not before noticed, we reached
New Brunswick. Here, while changing horses,
I procured some straw, and, making myself a
bed upon the floor of the wagon under the
benches, stretched myself upon it during the
rest of the night.

Having again passed through Princeton
and Trenton, we recrossed the Delaware, and
early in the morning reached Bristol. Here,
after the roughest night's journey I had ever
had in a stage-coach, I determined to take a
few hours' sleep, and to hire a horse after
breakfast to take me to Philadelphia, distant
158

only one stage. I accordingly ordered a bed
at the inn, at which we stopped to change
horses ; but after a long halt, during which I
remained about the dark staircase and pas-
sage, vno room of any kind was shown me.
Concluding, therefore, that there was no de-
sire to receive me, I decided upon coming on
with the wagon, and reached Philadelphia in
time for Mrs. Francis's breakfast cakes.

24th May. — After breakfast I walked down
to the Delaware, where I found the Atlantic
ready for sea, and the captain told me she
would sail immediately. I accordingly or-
dered my trunks on board, and purchased
hay for my cow and sheep. The latter I still
found on Mr. Bingham's lawn. Dined with
Mr. Adams and the Members of Congress,
who welcomed my return with great civility.

25th. — Called upon Dr. Priestley and Dr.
Ross and Mr. and Mrs. Bingham. At the
house of the latter I was highly gratified to
find Mr. Gilmore and his daughter, who had
just arrived from Baltimore. I walked with
Miss Gilmore to show her my Bengal cow,
and afterwards stopped some time at Mr.
Bingham's. As I was walking up Chesnut
Street this afternoon a tall gentleman in a
blue coat, on the opposite side, was pointed
159

out to me as Monsieur Talleyrand. I con-
cluded he had not yet been to Washington.
With a little more of that presumption which
is useful on some occasions, though often
offensive and never pleasing, I had perhaps
sufficient ground for speaking to him. I
understood that the Bishop, for so he was
called notwithstanding his blue coat, was not
upon good terms with Mr. Bingham's family,
or I should probably have met him amongst
the other emigrants from France at Mrs.
Bingham's parties.

26th. — I this morning went to Bryce and
Micklewaite's wharf on the Delaware to see
a machine which, from the account I had
heard of it, I thought might be useful in
weighing goods in my father's warehouse in
London, the mode in use there having often
struck me as inconvenient, requiring all the
ponderous weights to be removed from the
scale after each weighing, in order that the
empty scale might descend to the floor to
receive a fresh charge, when the weights,
some almost as heavy as a porter could lift,
were replaced one by one — a tedious and la-
borious operation. The object of the con-
trivance I now saw was to obviate all this in-
convenience by keeping the scale containing

the weights suspended after the removal of
the goods from the opposite scale, which
thus remained flat upon the floor for a new
supply, and all the trouble about the weights
was merely to add or subtract a few pounds,
the difference between the goods last and
now weighed. This advantage was com-
pletely attained by means of a rope which
passed from the extremity of the elevated
beam round a movable cylinder of unequal
diameter attached to the wall, with a weight
fixed to the other end of the rope, and which
descended as the beam rose and kept its
place. I should have been glad to take a
model or drawing of this simple, ingenious
apparatus, the utility of which was manifest,
while it was applicable at very little expense
and in a very small space (being fixed high
upon the wall out of the way) in every whole-
sale warehouse of weighable goods.

Soon after my return to Fourth Street, as
I was sitting not far from the window of the
public room, I saw a young man pass and turn
up our steps who looked very like my old
school-fellow. I was not mistaken. Young
Shaw, not much changed in appearance, en-
tered the room. Finding on his return from
his excursion that I had been to New York

to see him, he set off for Philadelphia, and
had just arrived. Nothing more was want-
ing to complete the success of my visit to
America.

2jth. — Dr. Priestley having published a vol-
ume of discourses, and alluded in the pref-
ace to a communication I had made him,
was so good as to send me a copy of his
book. In return I begged him to accept a
copy of my uncle's Aristotle.

28th. — The Atlantic being about to drop
down the river to Newcastle, I sent my cow,
sheep, etc., on board.

^oth. — I dined to-day with Mr. Hamilton,
a gentleman of large fortune, and formerly
provincial President of the State, at his very
handsome residence on the opposite bank
of the Schuylkyl, not far from the floating
bridge I had passed in going to Baltimore,
and which I now passed again, on a horse I
had hired, the planks submerging two or
three inches with our weight. There was a
large party at dinner, principally Members
of Congress. Mr. Fisher Ames, called the
Burke of America, was to have been present,
but was kept away by a sudden illness that
alarmed his friends. It was observed that if
this illness should take a fatal turn the party

to which the gentleman belonged would miss
their aims.

Mr. Hamilton's seat was quite in the Eng-
lish style. The house was surrounded by ex-
tensive grounds tastefully laid out along the
right bank of the Schuylkyl. After dinner
the company walked upon this bank, whose
slope to the water was planted with a variety
of wild and cultivated shrubs. On the other
side of a gravel walk which bordered these
shrubberies was an extensive lawn which
fronted the principal windows of the house.
As the company, broken into small parties a
few yards from each other, were walking
slowly along this walk, a snake, supposed to
be of a venomous kind, crossed from the
bushes, and disappeared in the grass on our
left. Some of the company endeavoring to
find it with their sticks, Mr. Hamilton said
he had a gardener remarkable in respect to
snakes, and the man being called soon dis-
covered it. He said it was of a dangerous
species, but that no snake ever bit him, and
stooping down he seized it and held it up be-
fore us, grasped about six inches from the
head, far enough to admit of the snake's
turning and biting him if it had been so dis-
posed. It darted forth its tongue, and seemed
163

angry, but the gardener, nothing intimidated
by these appearances, coolly put it into his
bosom, where he covered it with his shirt,
and kept it two or three minutes. I had seen
nothing so extraordinary and repulsive in
the way of snakes since the exhibition of the
snake-catchers near Benares.

After a very pleasant day at Woodlands
(the name of Mr. Hamilton's elegant villa), I
rode home by another floating bridge higher
up the Schuylkyl. For the attentions I re-
ceived from Mr. Hamilton I was indebted to
the friendly civilities of his two nephews,
who had been sent to England for their edu-
cation, and were under the care of John
Franks, Esquire, of Isleworth, my father's
next-door neighbor ; and thus during the hol-
idays the young Americans were our play-
fellows.

I have not noted regularly the dates of
my subsequent proceedings, but the Atlantic
having dropped down the river, 1 took leave
of my Philadelphia friends, deeply impressed
with a sense of their worth as well as of their
kindness and hospitality. My friend Shaw
having procured a horse and gig from a
Frenchman, we set out together, on the ist
or 2d of June, for Newcastle, taking the road
164

by which I had already travelled when on
my way to Baltimore. The first night we
slept at a very indifferent inn at Chester.
The next morning early I, the coachman on
this occasion, for the sake of driving through
America, resumed the reins, and drove to
Wilmington, where we breakfasted. Here
we turned off from the Baltimore road to
Newcastle, and found the Alantic at anchor
before the town. Walking about the streets
in the afternoon I was surprised to see a
pillory in the market-place. I thought the
Americans in making their new laws might
have omitted this degrading exhibition.

The following day I took leave of my friend
when he set out on his return to Philadel-
phia, and I went on board the Atlantic, which
soon after dropped down to Reedy Island,
passing the spot where the British fleet an-
chored in 1777, after the occupation of Phila-
delphia by the British army. Our ships on
that occasion had considerable difficulty in
ascending the river, the Americans having
sunk several old vessels and chevaux-de-frtse.
Old Captain Ashmead during the voyage
from India used to speak of these operations,
in some of which he took an active part.
The next day the pilot moved the ship lower
165

down, and the same afternoon we passed
Capes May and Henlopen, and entered the
Atlantic, our pilot going on board one of the
boats of his establishment when we were well
off the coast.

So ended my successful and agreeable visit
to the United States of America, a great and
fine country, destined henceforth to hold a
conspicuous rank amongst nations, and to
take an important part in the transactions of
the world. I have ever considered my deci-
sion to return this way to England as a fortu-
nate circumstance, producing much satisfac-
tion at the time, and a store of matter for
retrospective meditation. If India was inter-
esting as an old country, America was scarce-
ly less so as a new one. The two afforded
those extremes of life — Age and Infancy —
which a painter chooses for his pencil. Be-
sides, the infancy of America was full of
freshness and vigor, and already discovered
the gigantic proportions of her future stature.
The stars of her constellation had but recent-
ly appeared above the .horizon ; but increas-
ing in number, elevation, and splendor, they
will hereafter shine to the most distant king-
doms of the earth.

It appeared to me that Monsieur Volney

and others who had visited this country were
disappointed because they had unreasonably
expected too much ; and that they were un-
just in blaming a state of society that could
hardly be otherwise than it was. I thought
it not extraordinary, much less a ground of
reprehension, that the roads of America
should be bad; that the stages should be
called wagons, and be nearly such ; that a re-
publican shopkeeper should receive his cus-
tomer without taking off his hat or saying
more than yes or no ; that the English lan-
guage should be spoken more fluently than
correctly.* In a country abounding with
genius, energy, and enterprise ; whose infant
years have produced a Washington, a Frank-
lin, and a Jefferson ; whose improvement in
the most important arts of life is advancing
with an impulse unexampled in the history
of any people ; the imperfections inseparable

* Though such words as illy, vended, to loan, to enterprise,
and a few others are to be met with in the least cultivated ranks
of society, there are others which are allowable in America
for their usefulness, as " portage" applied to the distances
goods must be carried at the locks, falls, and rapids (as the
Potomac has so many portages}, and some which are admissi-
ble both for their usefulness and greater precision, as " boat-
able" as applied to shallow rivers, instead of navigable, and
" immigration."

167

from all human beginnings will gradually
disappear, and often, it is not improbable, be
replaced by models commanding imitation
instead of sarcasm and reproach. In the
meantime it is not for an inhabitant of the
long-established countries of Europe, for an
Englishman especially, to reprobate a state
of things which was so lately the bequest of
the British nation.

Before mentioning the few trifling occur-
rences of my voyage to England, I will sub-
join some miscellaneous particulars relating
to the United States which I find amongst
my papers. I shall transpose them just as
they stand in my original notes.

The population of the United States
amounted by a census taken in 1790 to
nearly 4,000,000, including slaves, of which
Virginia and Pennsylvania, the countries of
Washington and Penn, had the largest num-
ber. Massachusetts was the first to abolish
slavery, and acts of emancipation have since
been passed by other States. Massachusetts
sends twelve representatives to Congress ;
New York, ten ; Pennsylvania, thirteen ; Vir-
ginia, nineteen ; North Carolina, ten ; South
Carolina, six ; Maryland, eight. The rest
have, upon an average, two, three, and four,

168

making, altogether, 105. General Washing-
ton, as President and Commander-in-chief,
has a salary of $25,000 per annum ; the Vice-
President only one fifth of this sum. I have
had the honor of being introduced to Gen-
eral Washington; and with Mr. John Adams,
the Vice-President, Mr. John Rutherford,
of New Jersey, Mr. John Brown, of Ken-
tucky— a State lately added to the Union —
Mr. James Gunn, of Georgia, and Colonel
Tatnell, Senators, I have the pleasure of
being personally acquainted, meeting them
every day at table ; as also with Mr. William
Murray, the eloquent Member for Maryland,
and Mr. Gilman, of New Hampshire, Mem-
bers of the House of Representatives. All
these respectable men, amongst the most
able and distinguished of their country, are
of our society in Fourth Street, and show
me a thousand attentions which I regret to
think it can never be in my power to repay.
These gentlemen, both Senators and Repre-
sentatives, receive, I understand, six dollars
a day for every day's attendance, and the
same for every day's travelling to and from
the seat of Government, a reasonable rate
in the present stage of the country. Mr.
Adams, as President of the Senate, receives
169

twelve dollars. The Supreme Court of Judi-
cature consists of six members; John Jay,
Esq., is the President, with a salary of about
;£6oo per annum. There are three courts in
the United States — a Supreme Court, a Dis-
trict Court, and a Court of Circuit. Each
State has three circuits, and a judge who
holds the State Court. He must hold four
sessions annually. The Circuit Court is
composed of one of the judges of the Su-
preme Court, or of more in particular cases,
and the district judge.

Philosophical apparatus, if imported for
any seminary of learning, books, and imple-
ments of trade, etc., belonging to persons in-
tending to reside in the country, are exempt
from duty.

The pay of a major-general is about ,£420
a year ; of a private, ^10.

The gold coins consist of eagles, worth ten
dollars each ; half and quarter, ditto.

The silver coins of dollars, half and quarter
ditto, dimes or tenths, and half-dimes. The
copper coins of cents, or one-hundredth parts
of a dollar, and half-cents.

There are many societies in the principal
towns for the encouragement of immigration,
the great want of America in its present stage

being population. A poor man is considered
rich if he has a large family. Irish linens are
considered inferior to the American home-
spun, which the climate admits of being
bleached without the use of drugs or of ma-
chines. Horses and horned cattle used to
form a great part of the New England car-
goes for the British West India Islands. New
England is not favorable to the cultivation of
grain. Although cotton thrives so well in
the Southern States, I am informed that this
article is imported from the Mauritius and
Bombay. Silk is produced in Georgia and
other parts of the Union. There is also
abundance of iron, lead, and copper, but the
high price of labor prevents the working of
the mines to any great extent, particularly
those of copper and lead. The beer-brewers
of Philadelphia use about 40,000 bushels of
barley annually. A seventy-gun ship may lie
at many of the wharfs of Philadelphia. The
export of flour in the spring quarter of 1793
exceeded 200,000 barrels. Maple -sugar is
manufactured in Pennsylvania from the mid-
dle of January to the end of March. About
fifty maple- trees grow on an acre of land.
Each tree produces annually about five pounds
of sugar. It is asserted that the maple-trees

of the Union are capable of producing sugar
for the whole population. It appears to me
that the cajoor-tree of Bengal might be suc-
cessfully introduced into the Southern States,
as also possibly the mango, and some other
Asiatic trees. I omitted to mention this to
General Washington. At present 20,000,000
Ibs. of sugar are consumed annually. This
quantity must increase considerably and rap-
idly, such increase being promoted by two
causes, which reciprocally strengthen each
other — the progressive advancement of the
population and of the comforts of the people.
The comparative value of Georgian and
Mediterranean rice is 25^- in favor of the
former in the English markets ; that of Car-
olina rice a trifle higher. I have mentioned
that tobacco is the staple article of culture in
Maryland, but it is produced in nearly equal
quantities in the States to the south of the
Potomac. Maryland and Virginia are now
turning their attention to wheat, Indian corn,
flax, and hemp. Cotton also is now culti-
vated in these States. Indigo is produced in
South Carolina and Georgia ; in what quan-
tities, or what its quality is, I do not know.
Tar, pitch, and turpentine are produced in
immense quantities in North Carolina. Live-

oak and red-cedar abound in the Carolinas
and Georgia, and Virginia is supposed to be
pregnant with minerals and fossils. I have
already mentioned that peach brandy is made
from the peach orchards I saw on the bor-
ders of the Chesapeak, and also in North
Carolina and Georgia and some parts of Penn-
sylvania.

The State of Massachusetts has been set-
tled twice as long as most of the other States.
A principal dependence of the Eastern and
Northern States is the fisheries.

The public debt after such a war is only
about ^10,000,000. The moderation of the
public expenditure is equally remarkable.
There is no land tax and no excise, with the
exception of a duty on domestic distilled
spirits. The exports are five times the amount
of the national taxes and duties. In the year
ending the 3oth September, 1793, the ex-
ports amounted to $26,000,000. All ships
sail fully laden, except those destined for the
ports of India. Almost all goods imported
have a total drawback on re-exportation. No
man can be convicted without the unanimous
verdict of twelve jurymen. Emigrants be-
come free citizens after a residence of two
years, The intrinsic value of the silver coin
173

is required to be equal to that of Spain. The
banks divide a profit of eight per cent. A
ship of live-oak of two hundred tons can be
fitted out for £14. currency per ton, which is
said to be £6 less than the outfit of an oak
ship in any part of Europe. The Delaware is
generally frozen from four to nine weeks in
the winter, but with occasional opportunities
for ships to get out. The population of Penn-
sylvania in 1791 was 434,000. The museum
which has my oyster-shell is called Peale's
Museum, after its founder.*

The party with which I was now crossing
the Atlantic was very small, consisting only
of the captain, a man inferior in every respect
to my two preceding commanders; of the
supercargo, who, under the appearance, or
rather perhaps with a mixture of excessive
silliness, was said to disguise the usual acute-
ness of his countrymen ; of a silent, inoffen-
sive Scotchman, who had gained nothing in

* Soon after my return to England I made a communication
to Mr. Charles Grant, a leading East India Director, on the
commerce between India and America. I called upon him
for this purpose at his residence on Clapham Common, and
was so much struck with the beauty and convenience of the
situation that, looking forward at that time and for some years
after to a s^at on the India Direction, I always associated with
this view a house on Clapham Common.

America, and had not lost there his native
dialect; and a Mr. Cooke, a pleasing young
man, of a respectable family in Philadelphia
or Baltimore, who was going to Europe on
his travels.

A thick fog, in which we found ourselves
enveloped a few days after passing through
the Gulf Stream, announced our arrival on
the great bank of Newfoundland, about one
hundred miles from the southeast extremity
of the island of that name. This great bank,
so celebrated for the prodigious quantities of
codfish caught upon it, is three hundred miles
in length and seventy to eighty broad. As
we advanced upon it the density of the at-
mosphere so much increased that it was im-
possible to discover anything more than a
few yards from the bowsprit, and it was nec-
essary to keep the ship's bell ringing to warn
any vessel that might be before us or any
fishing-boat at anchor. When we supposed
that we were upon good fishing-ground we
heaved-to, and having ascertained the depth,
a line charged with lead and baited with a
few hooks was thrown overboard. A few
fresh cod would have been very acceptable,
but, whether from not being at a proper part
of the bank, or at the proper season, or being
175

ignorant of the right way of fishing, we caught
nothing. The depth of water varies from fif-
teen to sixty fathoms. More than 2000 ves-
sels are engaged in this extraordinary fishery,
the greater number belonging to Great Brit-
ain and the United States.

When we had left the Great Bank a few
days it was discovered that the ship had
sprung a leak. The pumps were immediately
worked, and kept going day and night with-
out interruption, to the great fatigue of our
small crew. The water, however, was still
deep in the hold, and was increasing upon us.
I could not but observe what was going on,
but said nothing till it was evident that it
would be impossible for us, in the present
state of the vessel, to reach more than the
middle of the Atlantic, and that the only
prudent course was to put about before we
were beyond reach of St. John's, the principal
harbor in Newfoundland. I found that this
too was the captain's opinion, but he was,
unfortunately, under the control of the super-
cargo, upon whom reason seemed to have lit-
tle influence. After continuing two days and
nights in this miserable manner, with the
chance that by hard pumping and a fair wind
we might keep the ship afloat to England,

the water disturbed the position of the bar-
rels of tar of which the cargo was partly
composed, and this substance, escaping and
mixing with the water in the well, choked
and stopped the pumps.

Although no one on board was more
alarmed at the situation in which the ship
now was than the supercargo, she was still
kept on her course. Search was made for a
small cask of turpentine supposed to be on
board, which, it was said, would free the
pumps ; but it could not be found. Still the
ship was kept on. Supported by the captain
and other passengers, I now protested against
the extravagance of the supercargo, in conse-
quence of which it was agreed that if the tur-
pentine should not be found before twelve
o'clock that day the ship's head should be
put about. A more active search was made,
and shortly before the expiration of the lim-
ited time the important discovery was made,
and the cask brought upon deck. A small
portion of its valuable contents being poured
down the pumps, these were immediately
cleared, and the tar at the bottom of the
hold so liquefied that it came up with the
water. The leak, however, still continued,
and obliged the poor seamen to work at the

pumps day and night during the rest of the
voyage.

One evening, when our journey was draw-
ing towards its close, we discovered a strange
sail. Her size, as she bore down upon us,
showed that she was a man-of-war, British or
French. In either case the tar we had on
board would be likely to cause our detention.
We soon perceived that she was a three-
decker, and having hoisted British colors she
fired a gun for us to bring -to. The super-
cargo, justly fearing the detention of the ship,
absurdly conceived the idea of escaping, and,
although he dared not order more sail to be
set, he desired the captain to disregard the
signal and to keep before the wind. Scarcely
was this wise manoeuvre adopted before we
perceived the flash of another of the bow
guns of the great ship and a shot, that had
passed just ahead of us, fall into the sea on
the other side. This, in sea etiquette, was a
civil way of letting us know that the next
shot would be fired at us, and we had indeed
reason to be thankful that we had not re-
ceived the last.

All hands were now employed in shorten-
ing sail and heaving the ship to. The three-
decker, though under easy sail, approached
178

us fast, and offered a magnificent spectacle as
she stretched across the waves with apparent-
ly very little motion. Her bows and port-
holes were crowded with men, who looked
down upon us. Perfect silence prevail^! till
broken by the usual salutation through the
speaking-trumpet, to which the following
questions and answers succeeded : "What
ship is that?" "The Atlantic, of Philadel-
phia." " Where bound ?" " To London."
" What have you on board ?" This question
would have caused much embarrassment, on
account of the tar we had on board, which we
might be suspected of carrying to a French
port, if such a demand had not been antici-
pated, and an answer to it prepared. Instead,
therefore, of naming the " tar" the captain
replied, " Colonial produce." " Send a boat
on board with your papers." " We have not
a boat that will live in this sea." " Come un-
der our stern for the night."

I deeply participated in the vexation which
this order produced in our ship. But remon-
strance would have been imprudent and use-
less, and we accordingly took our station
astern of the three-decker, which we now dis-
covered to be the Queen Charlotte, the flag-
ship of Lord Keith, commander of the Chan-

nel Fleet, which was, probably, not far off to
leeward, though not in sight from our deck.
After following the Queen Charlotte half an
hour, expecting to be overhauled in the morn-
ing, Ve again heard the trumpet over the
stern of that ship, and caught these unex-
pected and most welcome words, " You may
make sail on your course." We immediately
turned the ship's head towards England.

The next day we fell in with a pilot-boat,
not far from the Isle of Wight, and a pilot
taking charge of the ship proceeded with her
up Channel; while the supercargo and the
other two passengers and myself went in the
pilot -boat to Cowes, passing through the
Needles. We soon after crossed over to
Portsmouth. Here we hired a coach and four
horses, and arrived late at night at Esher, two
stages from London. We continued our
journey the next morning, and entered Lon-
don by Blackfriars' Bridge. Having set
down my companions at the London Coffee
House on Ludgate Hill, I drove to Essex
Street, where my grandmother still lived.
This good lady walked with me to Devereux
Court, where I found my father and broth-
ers, Richard and George, and received from
them the kindest welcome. In the evening
1 80

my father drove me in his curricle to Isle-
worth, where I had the happiness of again
seeing my mother and Sister Ann, and soon
after my Uncle and Aunt John drove over
from Twickenham.

THE END

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Travels in America
100 years ago.

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