4 8 PETER KAL M's TRAVELS. New Jerfey> Raccoon. December the feventh, 1748, IN the morning I undertook again a little journey, to Raccoon, in New Jerfey. IT does not feem difficult to find out the reafons, why the people multiply more here than in Europe. As fooii as a perfon is old enough, he may marry in thefe provinces, without any fear of poverty ; for there is fuch a traft of good ground yet unculti- vated, that a new-married man can, with- out difficulty, get a fpot of ground, where he may fufficiently fubfift with his wife and children. The taxes are very low, and he A 2 need 4 December 1748. - ^ft * V need not be under any concern on their account. The liberties he enjoys are fo great, that he confiders bimfelf as a prince in his pofleffions. I ihall here demonftrate by fome plain examples, what effedt fuch a conftitution is capable of. MAONS KEEN, one of the Swedes in Raf- cooriy was now near feventy years old : he had many children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren ; fo that, of thofe who were yet alive, he could mufter up forty- five perfons. Befides them, feveral of his chil- dren and grandchildren died young, and fome in a mafiire age. He was, therefore, uncommonly bleffed. Yet his happinefs is not comparable to that which is to be feen in the following examples, and which I have extracted from the Philadelphia gazette. IN the year 1732, January the 24th, died at Ipfwicb, in New England, Mrs, Sarah Tuthil, a widow, aged eighty-fix years. She had brought fixteen children into the world ; and from feven of them only, me had feen one hundred and feventy- feven grandchildren and great-grandchil- dren. IN the year 1739, May the joth, the children, grand and great-grandchildren, of Mr. Richard Buttington, in the parifh of Cbejier, in PenfjManta, were aflembled in his New -ere Raccwn. his houfe ; and they made together one hundred and fifteen perfons. The parent of thefe children, Richard Buttington, who was born in England, was then entering into his eighty- fifth year : and was at that time quite frefh, active, and fenfible. His eldeft fon, then fixty years old, was the firft Engiijhman born in Penfylvania. In the year 1742, on the 8th of January, died at Trenton, in New Jerfey, Mrs. Sarah Furman, a widow, aged ninety- feven years. She was born in New England; and left five children, fixty- one grandchildren, one hundred and eighty-two great-grandchil- dren, and twelve great-great-grandchildren, who were all alive when /he died. In the year 1739* on the 28th of Janu~ ary, died at South Kingjion, in New England, Mrs. Maria Hazard, a widow, in the hun- dredth year of her age. She was born in Rhcde IJland, and was a grandmother of the then vice-governor of that ifland, Mr. George Hazard. She could count altogether five hundred children, grandchildren, great- grandchildren, and great-great-grandchil- dren. When flie died, two hundred and five perfons of them were alive 5 a grand- daughter of hers had already been grand- mother near fifteen years. In this manner, the ufual wifli or blefling in our liturgy, that the new- married couple A 3 may 6 December 1748. may fee their grandchildren, till the third and fourth generation, has been literally ful- filled in regard to fome of thefe perfons *. December the pth, IN every country, we commonly meet with a number of infeds ; of which many, though they be ever fo fmall and contemptible, can do confiderable damage to the inhabitants. Of thefe dan- gerous infeds, there are likewife fome ill North America •' fome are peculiar to that country, others are common to Europe like- wife. I HAVE already, in the preceding volume, mentioned the Mofquitoes, as a kind of difa- greeable gnats ; and another noxious infedt^ the Brucbuj Pifi> which deftroys v/hole fields with peafe. 1 ihall here add fome more. There are a kind of Locujls> which about every feventeenth year come hither in in- credible numbers. They come out of the ground in the middle of May, and make, for fix weeks together, fuch a noife in the trees and woods, that two perfons who meet in fuch places, cannot underftand each other, unlefs they fpeak louder than the locuits can chirp. During that time, they make, with the Ring in their tail, holes in- to the foft bark of the little branches on the trees, by which means thefe branches are ruined, f Mr. Kalm fpeaks here of the Swcdifi Liturgy. New yerfey, Raccoon. 7 ruined. They do no other harm to the trees or other plants. In the interval between the years when they are fo numerous, they are only feen or heard fingle in the woods. THERE is like wife a kind of Caterpillars in thefe provinces, which eat the leaves from the trees. They are alfo innumerable in fome years. In the intervals there arc but few of them : but when they come, they ftrip the trees fo entirely of their leaves, that the woods in the middle of fummer are as naked as in winter. They eat all kinds of leaves, and very few trees are left untouched by them ; as, about that time of the year the heat is mod exceffive. The ftripping the trees of their leaves has this fatal confequence, that they cannot withftand the heat, but dry up entirely. In this manner, great forefts are fometimes entirely ruined. The Swedes who live here fhewed me, here and there, great trails in the woods, where young trees were now growing, inflead of the old ones, which, fome years ago, had been deftroyed by the caterpillars. Thefe caterpillars afterwards change into moths, or pbaltente, which {hall be defcribed in the fequel, in their proper places. IN other years the Grafs -worms do a great deal of damage in feveral places, both in the meadows and corn-fields. For the A 4 fields 8 December 1748. fields are at certain times over-run with great armies of thefe worms, as with the other infects ; yet it is very happy that thefe many plagues do not come all together. For in thofe years when the locufts are numerous., the caterpillars and grafs-worms are not very coniiderable, and it happens fo with the latter kinds, fo that only one pf the three kinds comes at a time. Then there are feveral years when they are very fcarce. The grafs-worms have been ob- ferved to fettle chiefly in a fat foil ; but as loon as careful hufbandmen difcover them, they draw narrow channels with al- moft perpendicular fides quite round the field in which the worms are fettled; then by creeping further they all fall into the ditch, and cannot get out again. I was affured by many perfons that thefe three forts of infects followed each other pretty clofely ; and that the locufts came in the firft year, the caterpillars in the fe- cond, and the grafs-worms in the laft : I have Hkewife found by ray own expe- rience that this is partly true. MOTH 3, or T^inece, which eat the clothes, are Hkewife abundant here. I have feen cloth, worfted gloves, and other woollen fluffs, which had hung all the fummer locked up in a ihrine, and had not been New Jerfty, Raccoon. 9 taken care of, quite cut throughby the fe worms, fo that whole pieces fell out : Sometimes they were fo fpoiled that they could not be mended again. Furs which had been kept in the garret were frequently fo ruined by worms, that the hair went off by handfuls. I am however not certain whether thefe worms were originally in the country, or whether they were brought over from Europe. FLEAS are likewife to be found in this part of the world. Many thoufands were undoubtedly brought over from other countries ; yet immenfe numbers of them have certainly been here fince time imme- morial. I have feen them on the grey fquirrels, and on the hares which have been killed in fuch defart parts of this country, where no human creature ever lived. As I afterwards came further up into the country, and was obliged to lie at night in the huts and beds of the Indians, I was fo plagued by immenfe quantities of fleas, that 1 imagined I was put to the tor- ture. They drove me from the bed, and I was very glad to fleep on the benches be- low the roof of the huts. But it is eafy to conceive that the many dogs which the Indians keep, breed fleas without end. Dogs and men lie promifcuoufly in the huts ; jo December 1748. huts; and a ftranger can hardly lie down and {hut his eyes, but he is in danger of being either fquezed to death, or ftifled by a. dozen or more dogs, which lie round him, and upon him, in order to have a good refting place. For I imagine they do not expedt that ftrangers will venture to beat them or throw them off, as their ma- fters and miftreffes commonly do. THE noify Crickets (Gryllm domefticus) which are fometlmes to be met with in the houfes in Sweden, I have not perceived in any part of Penjyhania or New Jerfey, and other people whom I have afked, could not fay that they had ever feen any. In fummer there are a kind of black Crickets* in the fields, which make exactly the fame chirping noife as our houfe crickets. But they keep only to the fields, and were filent as foon as winter or the cold weather came on, They fay it fometimes happens that thefe field crickets take refuge in houfes, and chirp continually there, whilft it is warm weather, or whilft the rooms are warm ; but as foon as it grows cold they are filent. In fome parts of the pro- vince of New Torkj and in Canada, every farm- * Perhaps it is the Qryllus campcjtris, or common Mack f eld cricket of Europe, of which Rocfel in his work on infers, vol. 2, Gryll. f. 13. has given a fine draw- ing. F. New Jerfeyj Raccoon. 1 1 farm-houfe and moft of the houfes in the towns, iwarm with fo many, that no farm- houfe in cur country can be better Hocked with them. They continue their mufic there throughout the whole winter. BUGS (Cimex leSlularius) are very plen- tiful here. I have been fufficiently tor- mented by them, in many places in Cana- da : But I do not remember having feen any with the Indians, during my flay at Fort Frederic. The commander there, Mr. de Loujignan, told me, that none of the //- linoh and other Indians of the weftern parts of North America knew any thing of thefe vermin. And he added, that he could with certainty fay this from his owTn expe- rience, having been amonrj them for a great while. Yet I cannot determine whe- ther bugs were firft brought over by the Europeans, or svhether they have originally been in the country. Many people looked upon them as natives of riiis country, and as a proof of it faid, that under the wings of bats the people had often found bugs, which had eaten very deep into the flefln It was therefore believed that th^ Vats had got them in fotne hollow tree, a ^ had af- terwards brought them into the houfes, as they commonly fix themfelves clofe to the and creep into the little chinks which they 12 December 1748. they meet with. But as I have never feen any bugs upon bats, I cannot fay any thing upon that fubjeft. Perhaps a loufe or a tick (Acarus) has been taken for a bug. Or, if a real bug has been found upon a bat's wing, it is very eafy to conceive that it fixed on the bat, whilft the latter was fitting in the chinks of a houfe flocked with European bugs. As the people here could not bear the inconvenience of thefe vermin, any more than we can in Sweden, they endeavoured to expel them by different means. I have already remarked in the preceding volume, that the beds to that purpofe were made of Saffafras wood, but that they were only temporary remedies. tSome perfons affured me that they had found from their own experience, and by repeated trials, that no remedy was more effectual towards the ex- pulfion of bugs, than the injedting of boiling water into all the cracks where they are fettled, and wafhing all the wood of the beds with it ; this being twice or thrice repeated, the bugs are wholly de- ftroyed. But if there are bugs in neigh- bouring houfes, they will faften to ones clothes, and thus be brought over into other houfes. I cannot fay whether thefe remedies are good Newjerfey, Raccoon. 13 good or no, as I have not tried them; but by repeated trials I have been convinced that fulphur, if it be properly employed, en- tirely deftroys bugs and their eggs in beds and walls, though they were ten times more, numerous than the ants in an ant-hill *. THE Mill-beetles^ or Cock-roaches, are likewife a plague of North America, and are fettled in many of its provinces. The learned Dr. Golden was of opinion that thefe infects were properly natives of the Weft Indies, and that thofe that were found in North America were brought over from thofe iflands. To confirm his opinion, he faid, that it was yet daily feen how the fhips coming with goods from the Weft In- dies to North America brought mill-beetles with them in great numbers. But from the obfervations which 1 have made in this country, 1 have reafon to believe that thefe infecls have been on the continent of North America fince time immemorial. Yet not- withftanding this I do not deny their being brought over from the Weft Indies. They are in almoft every houfe in the city of New York ; and thofe are undoubtedly come over with ihips. But how can that be * A ftill more infallible remedy, is to wafti all the furniture, infefted with that vermin, with a folution of irfetiic. F. •14 "December 1748. be faid of thofe mill-beetles, which < are* found in the midft of the woods and de- farts ? THE Englijh likewife call the Mill- beetles 9 Cock-roaches, and the Dutch give them the name of Kackerlack. The Swedes in this country call them Brodoetare, or Bread- eaters, on account of the damage they do to the bread, which I^m going to defcribe. Dr. Linnceus calls them B/afta Orientalis. Many of the Swedes call them likewife Kackerlack. They are not only obferved in the houfes, but in the fiimmer they appear often in the woods, and run about the trees, which are cut down. Qn bringing in all forts of old rotten blocks of wood for fewel, in February, I difcovered feveral cock-roaches fettled in them ; they were at firft quite torpid, or as it were dead ; but after lying in the room for a while, they recovered, became very lively, and began to run about. I after- wards found very often, that when old rot- ten wood was brought home in winter, and cut in pieces for fewel, the cock-roaches were got into it in numbers, and lay in it in a torpid ftate. In the fame winter, a fellow cut down a great dry tree, and was about to fplit it. I then obferved in a crack, feme fathoms above the ground, 5 feveral New Jerfey* Raccoon. 1 5 fevcral cock-roaches together with the common ants. They were, it feems, crept up a great way, in order to find a fecure place of abode againft winter. On travel- ling in the middle of October 1749* through the uninhabited country between the Englijh and French colonies, and making a fire at night near a thick half rotten tree, on the fliore of lake Cbamplain, numbers of cock-roaches came out of the wood, being wakened by the fmoke and the fire, which had driven them out of their holes. The Frenchmen, who were then in my company, did not know them, and could not give them any name. In Canada the French did not remember feeing any in the houfes. In Penfyfaania, I am told, they run in immenfe numbers about the (heaves of corn, during the harveft. At other times they live commonly in the houfes in the Englijh fettlements, and lie in the crevices, efpecially in the cracks of thofe beams which fupport the ceiling, and are neareft to the chimney. THEY do a deal of damage by eating the foft parts of the bread. If they have once made a hole into a loaf, they will in a little time eat all the foft part in it, fo that on cutting the loaf, nothing but the cruft is left. I am told they likewife eat other victuals. 1 6 December 174$. victuals. Sometimes they bite people's nofes or feet, whilft they are afleep. Ail old Swede, called Sven Laock, a grandfon of the Rev. Mr. Laockenius, one of the firft Swedi/h clergymen that came to Pen- fyfoania, told me, that he had in his younger years been once very much fright- ened on account of a cock-roach, which crept into his ear whilft he was afleep. He waked fuddenly, jumped out of bed,- and felt that the infeft, probably out of fear, was endeavouring with all its ftrength to get deeper. Thefe attempts of the cock-roach were fo painful to him, that he imagined his head was burfling, and he was almoft fenfelefs ; however he haftened to the well, and bringing up a bucket full of water, threw fome into his ear. As foon as the cock-roach found itfelf in dan- ger of being drowned, it endeavoured to fave itfelf, and pufhed backwards out of the ear, with its hind feet, and thus hap- pily delivered the poor man from his fears. THE Wood-lice are difagrefcable infe&s, which in a manner are worfe than the pre- ceding ; but as I have already defcribed them in a peculiar memoir, which id printed among the memoirs of the Royal Academy New Jerfy, Pern's Neck. 17 Academy of Sciences for the year 1754, I refer my readers to that account. December the jifh. THIS morning I made a little excuriion to Penns Neck, and further over the Delaware to V/ilmington. The country round Penns Neck has the fame qualities as that about other places in this part of New Jcrfty. For the ground confifts chiefly of fand, with a thin ftratum of black foil. It is not very hilly, but chiefly flat, and in moil places covered with open woods of fuch trees as have an- nual leaves, efpecially oak. Now and then you fee a fingle farm* arid a little corn field round it. Between them are here and there little marfhes or fwamps, and fome- times a brook with water,' which has a very flow motion. THE woods of thefe parts confifl of all forts of trees, but chiefly of oak and hiccory. Thefe woods have certainly never been cut down, and have always grown without hindrance. It might therefore be expe and there are very few trees three hundred years old. Moft of them are only two hundred years old; and this convinced me that trees have the fame Quality as animals, and die after VOL. II. B they i $ December 1 748. they are arrived at a certain age. Thus we find great woods here, but when the trees in them have ftood an hundred and fifty or an hundred and eighty years, they are either rotting within, or lofing their crown, or their wood becomes quite foft, or their roots are no longer able to draw in fuf- ficient nourishment, or they die from fome other caufe. Therefore when ftorms blow, which fometimes .happens here, the trees are broke off either juft above the root, or in the middle, or at the fummit. Several trees are likewife torn out with their roots by the power of the winds. The florins thus caufe great devaftations in thefe fo- refts. Every where you fee trees thrown down by the winds, after they are too much weakened by one or the other of the above mentioned caufes to be able to fe- fift their fury. Fire likewife breaks out often in the woods, and burns the trees half way from the root, fo that a violent guft of wind eafily throws them down. On travelling through thefe woods, I purpofely tried to find out, by the pofition of the trees which were fallen down, which winds are the ftrongeft hereabouts. But I could not conclude any thing with certainty, for the trees fell on all fides, and lay towards all the points of the compafs. I there- Newjerjey, Penns Neck. 19 I therefore judged, that any wind which blows from that fide where the roots of the tree are weakefl and fhorteft, and where it can make the leaft refiftance, mufl root it Up and throw it down. In this manner the old trees die away continually, and are fucceeded by a young generation. Thofe which are thrown down ly on the ground and putrify, fooner or later, and by that means encreafe the black foil, in- to which the leaves are likewife finally changed, which drop abundantly in au« tumn, are blown about by the winds for fome time, but are heaped up, and lie on both fides of the trees, which are falleri down. It requires feveral years before a tree is intirely reduced to duft. When the winds tear up a tree with the roots, a quantity of loofe foil commonly comes out with and flicks to them for fome time, but at laft it drops off, and forms a little hillock, which is afterwards augmented by the leaves, which commonly gather about the roots. Thus feveral inequalities are formed in the woods, fuch as little holes and hills ; and by this means the upper foil muft likewife be heaped up in fuch places. Some trees are more inclined to putrify than others. The tupeh-tree (Ny/fcJ> the B 2 tulip 20 December 1748. tulip-tree (Liriodendron), and the fweet gum-tree (Liquidambar), became rotten in a fhort time. The biccory did not %take much time, and the black oak fell fooner to pieces than the white oak > but this was owing to circumftances. If the bark remained on the wood, it was for the greateft part rotten, and entirely eaten by worms within, in the fpace of fix, eight, or ten years, fo that nothing was to be found but a reddifli brown duff. But if the bark was taken off, they would often lie twenty years before they were entirely rotten. The fuddennefs of a tree's growth, the bignefs of its pores, and the frequent changes of heat and wet in fummer, caufe it to rot fooner. To this it mufl be added, that all forts of infects' make holes into the ftems of the fallen trees, and by that means the moifture and the air get into the tree, which mud of courfe forward putrefaction. MoR of the trees here have deciduous or annual leaves. Many of them begin to rot whilft they are yet {landing and bloom- ing. This forms the hollow trees, in which many animals make their nefts and places of refuge. THE breadth of the "Delaware directly oppoiite Wilmington is reckoned an Englijh mile and a half; yet to look at it, it did not New Jerfy, Penns Neck. 21 not feem to be fo great. The depth of the river, in the middle, is faid to be from four to fix fathoms here. December the I2th. THE Joiners fay, that among the trees of this country they chiefly life the black walnut-trees, the wild cherry-trees, and the curled maple. Of the black walnut-trees (Juglans nlgra) there is yet a fufficieat quantity. How- ever carelefs people take pains enough to deftroy them, and fome peafants even ufe them as fewel. The wood of the wild cherry-trees (Primus Virginiana) is very good, and looks exceedingly well ; it has a yellow colour, and the older the furniture is, which is made of it, the better it looks. But it is already difficult to get at it, for they cut it every where, and plant it no where. The curled maple (Acer ru- brumj is a fpecies of the common red ma- ple, but likevvife very difficult to be got. You may cut down many trees without finding the wood which you want. The wood of the fiveet gum-tree (Liqiddambar) is merely employed in joiner's work, fuch as tables, and other furniture. But it muft not be brought near the fire, becaufe it warps. The firs and the white cedars (Cupreffus thyoides) are likewife made ufe of by the joiners for different forts of work. B 3 THE g£ December 1748. THE millers who attended the mill which flood here, faid, that the axle-trees of the wheels of the mill were made of white oaky and that they continued good three or four years, but that the fir-wood, does not keep fo well. The cogs of the mill-wheel, and the pullies, are made of the wood of the white walnut-tree, becaufe it is the hardeft which can be got here. The wood of mulberry-trees is of all ethers reckoned the moil excellent for pegs and plugs in m.ips and boats. AT night I went over the river Dela- ware, from Wilhnington, to the ferrying- place, on the New Jtrfey fide. December the I3th. IN the morning I returned to Raccoon. ON many trees in the woods of this country, either on one of the fides, or in the middle of a branch, or round a branch, are greater or lefier knobs or excrefcences. Sometimes there is only a fingle one in a tree. In the fize there is a confiderable difference, for fome of thefc knobs are as big and bigger than a man's head, others are only frnalL They project above the furface of the tree, like a tumor. Some- times a tree was quite covered with them. They do not ly on one fide only, but often form a circle round a branch, and even round New Jerfey, Raccoon. 23 round the ftem itfelf. The trees which have thefe knobs are not always great ones, but fome not above a fathom high, The knobs commonly confift of the fame parts as the wood itfelf, and look within like curled wood. Some of them are hollow. When a knob on a little tree is cut open, we commonly find a number of little worms in it, which are fometimes alfb common in the greater knobs. This {hews the origia of the knobs in general. The tree is flung by infefts, which lay their eggs under the bark, and from the eggs worms are after- wards hatched. They occafion an extra- vafation of the fap, which gradually con- denfes into a knob. Only the trees with annual deciduous leaves have thefe knobs, and among them chiefly the oak, of which again the black and Spam//} oak have the greateft abundance of knobs. The afh trees, (Fraxmus excelfior) and the red ma- ple (Acer rubrum) like wife have enough of them. Formerly the Sivedes9 and more especially the Finlanders, who are fettled here, made dimes, bowls, &c. of the knobs which were on the am-trees. Thefe veffels, I am told, were very pretty, and looked as if they were made of curled wood. The oak-knobs cannot be employed in this manner, as they are commonly B 4 worm- 24 December 1748. worm-eaten and rotten within. At pre- fent the Swedes no longer make ufe of iuch bowls and diflrs, but make ufe of earthen ware, or .v.effels made of other wood, Some knobs are of an uncommon fize, and make a tree have a monftrous appearance. Trees with knobs are very common in the woods of this country *. THE roads are good or bad according to the difference of the ground. In a fandy foil the roads are dry and good ; but in a c'aycy one they are bad. The people here are Hkewife very carelefs in mending them. Jf a rivulet be not. very great, they do not make a bridge over it ; and travellers may jdo as well as they can to get over : There- fore many people are in. danger of being drowned in iuch place?, where the water is * In $ibcri$i and ia the province of Wiatka, in the government of 'Caz,an, in Rnffia, the inhabitants make ufe of the knobs, which are pretty frequently found iin birches, to make bowls and other dorr.eflic utcnfils thereof. They are turned, made pretty thin, and covered •with a kind of varnifli, which gives them a pretty ap- pearance ; for the utenfil looks yellow, and is marbled quite in a pi£turefcjue mcmjer, vyifh brown veins. The belt kind of thefe veflels are made fj thin that they are femi- diaphanous, and when put into hot water they grow quite pliant, and may be formed by main force, quite flat, but when again left to thernfeli'es, and grown cold, they re- tarn to their original fhape. This kind of wood is called, in Ruffta, Rap, and the veffeis made of it, k&p- fowie Tchajbkt, and are pretty high in price, when they ifi-e' of the bcil kind, and well varniftied. F. New Jerfey, Raccoon. 25 is rifen by a heavy rain. When a tree falls acrofs the road, it is feldom cut off, to keep the road clear, but the people go round it. This they can eafily do, fince the ground is very even, and without (tones ; has no underwood cr (hrubs, and the trees on it ftand much a/under. Hence the roads here have fo many bendings. THE farms are moft of them fingle, and you feldorn meet with even two together, except in towns, or places which are in- tended for towns ; therefore there are but few villages. Each farm has its corn-fields, its woods, its paftures and meadows. This may perhaps have contributed Ibmething towards the extirpation of wolves, that they every where met with houfes, and people who fired at them. Two or three farm-houfes have generally a pafture or a wood in common, and there are feldom more together ; but moft of them have their pwn grounds divided from the others. December the i8th. ALL perfons who intend to be married, m-ufl either have their banns published three timeijfrom the pulpit, or get a licence from the governor. The banns of the poorer fort of people only are published, and all thofe who are a little above them get a licence from the gover- nor. In that licence he declares that he has examined the affair, and found no ob- ftacles 26 December 1748. (lacles to hinder the marriage, and there- fore he allows it. The licence is figned by the governor ; but, before he delivers it, the bridegroom muft come to him in company with two creditable and well known men, who anfwer for him, that there really is no lawful obftacle to his marriage. Thefe men muft fubfcribe a certificate, in which they make themfelves anfwerable for, and engage to bear all the damages of, any complaints made by the relations of the perfons who intend to be married, by their guardians, their mafters, or by thofe to whom they may have been promifed before. For all thefe circumftances the governor cannot poffibly know. They further cer- tify that nothing hinders the intended mar- riage, and that nothing is to be feared on that account. For a licence they pay five and twenty (hillings in Penfyfoanian mo- ney, at Philadelphia. The governor keeps twenty millings, or one pound, and the remaining five millings belong to his fecre- tary. The licence is directed only to pro- teftant clergymen. The quakers have a peculiar licence to their marriages. But as it would be very troublefome, efpecially for thofe who live far from the governor's refidence to come up to town for every licence, and to bring the men with them who New Jerfey, Raccoon* 27 who are to anfwer for them,, the clergy- men in the country commonly take a fuf- ficient number of licences and certificates, which are ready printed, with blanks left for the names ; they give them occa- fionally, and get the common money, one pound, five (hillings, for each of them, befides fomething for their trouble. The money that they have collected, they de- liver to the governor as foon as they come to town, together with the certificates, which are figned by two men, as above- mentioned ; they then take again as many licences as they think fufricient : from hence we may conceive that, the governors in the Engtijh North American colonies, be- fides their falaries, have very confiderable revenues *. THERE is a great mixture of people of all forts in thefe colonies, partly of fuch as are lately come over from Europe, and, partly of fuch as have not yet any fettled place pf abode. Hence it frequently happens that when a clergyman has married fuch a couple, * Though it is very defirahle, that the members of the church of England may enjoy the fame religious liberty in America as the reft of their fellow- fubjedb, and have every part of their religious ei'ablifliment among them- felves, and that therefore bifhops might be introduced in America^ it is however to be feared this will prove one of the obftacles to the introducing of Englijh biihops in that part of the world. 2 8 December 1748. couple, the bridegroom fays he has no mo- ney it prefer* t, but would pay the fee at the firft opportunity : however he goes off with his wife, and the clergyman never gets his due. This proceeding has given occafion to a cuftom which is now common in Maryland, When the clergy- man marries a very poor couple, he breaks off in the middle of the Liturgy, and cries out, Where is my fee ? The man muft then give the money* and the clergyman pro- ceeds ; but if the bridegroom has no mo- ney, the clergyman defers the marriage till another time, when the man is bette* provided. People of fortune, of whom the clergyman is fure to get his due, need not fear this disagreeable queftion, wfyen they are married. HOWEVER, though the parfon has got licences to marry a couple, yet if he be not very careful, he may get into very difa- greeable circumftances ; for in many parts of the country there is a law made, which, notwithftanding the governor's licence, greatly limits a clergyman in fome cafes. He is not allowed to marry a couple who are not yet of age, unlefs he be certain of the confent of their parents. He cannot mar- ry fuch ftrangers as have bound themfelves to ferve a certain number of years> in order to New Jerfiy, Raccoon. 29 to pay off their paffage from Europe, with- out the confent of their mailers ; if he ads without their confent, or in oppo- fition to it, he muft pay a penalty of fifty pounds, Penfyf&ariia currency, though he has the licence, and the certificate of the two men who are to anfwer for any objec- tion. But parents or matters give them- felves no concern about thefe men, but take hold of the clergyman, who is at li- berty to profecute thofe who gave him the certificate, and to get his damages repaid. With the confent of the parents and mailers he may marry people without danger to himfelf. No clergyman is allowed to mar- ry a negro with one of European extrac- tion, or he muft pay a penalty of one hundred pounds, according to the laws of Penfyhama. THERE is a very peculiar diverting cuf- torn here, in regard to marrying. When a man dies, and leaves his widow in great po- verty, or fo that {he cannot pay all the debts with what little Che has left, and that, not- withflanding all that, there is a perfon who will marry her, me muft be married in no other habit than her mift. By that means, me leaves to the creditors of her deceafed hufband her cloaths, and every thing which they find in the houfe. But me is not obliged 3<* IXmriu 1748. to pay them toy dung more, be* (he hats kit them all (he was worth, even her dosths, keeping only a (hift to cover her, which die laws of the country cannot rafale her. As iboa as (he is mar- ried* and no longer belongs to die dcccakd hufband, Ihe pats on the deaths whkh the fecond has given her* Toe SvxmifD clergy- men here have often been obliged to many a in a drefe which isfo litde txpenfivc, and fi> fight. This appears from the re- giftcrs kept in the churches, and from the nffiuiiti given by the clergymen thesn- icbrcs. I have lib-wife often iecn accounts o» IHCJI uyuii4igc& in toe cjsnijv gazettes, iy|?irK are printed in thefe colonies ; and I nartkruiarir remember the following rela- tion : A wo*mn went, widi no other drdLs tkin her ihift, out of the hou& of herde- ceaied Imftand to that of her bridegroom, who met her half way widi fine orw deaths, aod find; before all who woe prdent, that he lent diem his bride ; and pat them on her widi his own hands. It teems, be Cud that he feat the doaths* left, tf he had kid he gave them, die credit^sof die £rii huf- {booldcoGie, and take them from her ^ that flir was looted upon as of her fiift hafiband, before &c was _ _ _ -_ j - "~~ »'~ - 2ift- It leans very pfo- babk, from die following obfcrvitk>as, that loBgJjefore die arrival of the Swofc, there have been E^rip&ms in this province ; 2nd, in the fetiuel, we ihaU give nxxe confinna- tk>m of this opinion. The £une ok! A£mt/ Aiw*, whom I hare already mentioned be- fore, told me repeatedly, that on die arriral of theAwofc in die Lift century, and 00 dbdr makkig a fetdanent, called HtljtKgbvg, on the hanks of the Delaware, ibmcwhat bekar the phce where £z&ar is now fitoatcd^ diey found, at the depth of twenty feet, kxae wdls, iaclofcd widi w dk. TTiis coold not be a wrk of die native Americans* cc Ji- <£a«j, as bricks were eatirdy unknown to them when the Eurvfc*** firft at the end of die fifteenth cenfmy; and they ffifl lefe knew how to make eic cf than. The wdls were, at that time, oa the fend; bat in loch a place, en toe hanks of the Dilewere, as is famctimes under water, and kxnetimes dry. But finer, the ground has been fi> waihed away, that the wells are entirely ccveicd by the river, and die wafer is fildom low enough to fliew die wdk. As the SmeJetilia wards made new wdls for themilvcs, at feme difianoe firom the former, tfaqr discovered, in the ground, : ' ~t ::;,; t^ t:j:-.-:r. ;.T. : 3 2 December 1748^' good bricks i and they have often got them out of the ground by ploughing. From thefe marks, it feems, we may con - elude, that in times of yore, either Eu- ropeans or other people of the then civilized parts of the world, have been carried hither by ftorms, or other accidents, fettled here, on the banks of the river, burnt bricks, and made a colony here ; but that they after- wards mixed with the Indians, or were kill- ed by them. They may gradually, by con- verfing with the Indians, have 1-earnt their manners, and turn of thinking. The Swedes themfelves are accufed, that they were al- ready half Indians, when the Englifo ar- rived in the year 1682. And we ftill fee, that the French, Englijh, Germans, Dutch* and other Europeans, who have lived for fe- veral years together in diftant provinces, near and among the Indians, grow fo like them, in their behaviour and thoughts, that they can only be diflinguifhed by the dif- ference of their colour. But hiftory, together with the tradition among the Indians, affures us, that the above-mentioned wells and bricks cannot have been made at the time of Columbus' & expedition, nor foon after; as the traditions of the Indians lay, that thofe wells were made long before that epocha. This account of the wells, which had been inclofed New Jtrfey, Raccoon. 3 3 inclofed with bricks, and of fuch bricks as have been found in feveral places in the ground, I have afterwards heard repeated by many other old Swedes. December the 22d. AN old farmer fore- told a change of the weather, becaufe the air was very warm this day at noon, though the morning had been very cold.. This he likewife concluded^ from having obferved the clouds gathering about the fun. The meteorological obfervations annexed to the end of this volume will prove that his eb- fervation was jure. December the 3 ift. THE remedies againft the tooth-ach are almoft as numerous as days in a year. There is hardly an old woman but can tell you three or four fcore of them, of which me is perfectly certain that they are as infallible and fpeedy in giving relief, as a month's fading, by bread and water, is to a burthenfome paunch. Yet it happens often, nay too frequently* that this, painful difeafe eludes all this formidable army of remedies. However, I cannot forbear obferving the following re- medies, which havefometimes, in this coun- try, been found effectual againft the tooth- ach. WHEN the pains come from the hollow- nefs of the teeth, the following remedy is VOL. II. C faid 34 December 1748. laid to have had a good effect : A little cotton is put at the bottom of a tobacco- pipe ; the tobacco is put in upon it, and lighted ; and you fmoke till it is almoil burnt up. By fmoking, the oil of the to- bacco gets into the cotton, which is then taken out, and applied to the tooth as hot as it can be fuffered. THE chief remedy of thzlroquois, or Iro- quefe, againft the tooth-ach occafioned by hollow teeth> I heard of Captain Lindfeys lady, at Ofwego ; and me affured me, that me knew, from her own experience, that the remedy was effectual. They take the feed capfules of the Virginian Anemone, as foon as thefeed is ripe, and rub them in pieces. It will then be rough, and look like cotton. This cotton-like fubftance is dipped into ftrong brandy, and then put into the hollow tooth, which commonly ceafes to ache foon after. The brandy is biting or (harp, and the feeds of the anemone, as moft feeds of the Poly- andria Polygynia clafs of plants (or fuch as have many Stamina, or male flowers, and many Pijtilla, or female flowers) have like- wife an acrimony. They therefore, both together, help to affuage the pain ; and this remedy is much of the fame kind with the former, Befides that, we have many feeds which New Jerfey, Raccoon. 35 which have the fame qualities with the American anemone. THE folio wing remedy was much in vogue againft the tooth-ach which is attended with a fwelling : They boil gruel, of flour of maize, and milk ; to this they add, whilft it is yet over the fire, fome of the fat of hogs, or other fuet, and fiir it well, that every thing may mix equally. A handker- chief is then fpread over the gruel, and ap- plied as hot as poffible to the {welled cheeky where it is kept till it is gone cool again. I have found, that this remedy has been very efficacious againft a. fwelling ; as it leffens the pain, abates the fwelling, opens a gathering, if there be any, and procures a good difcharge of the Pus. I HAVE feen the Iroquefe boil the inner bark of the Sambucus Canadenfis, or Canada Elder > and put it on that part, of the cheek in which the pain was moft violent. This, I am told, often diminiihes the pain. AMONG the Iroqueje, or Five Nations, upon the river Mohawk, I faw a young In- dian woman, who, by frequent drinking of tea, had got a violent tooth-ach. To cure it, fhe boiled the Myrica afplenii folia* and tied it, as hot as me could bear it, on the whole cheek. She faid, that C 2 remedy - 36 January 1749. remedy had often cured the tooth-ach be- fore. January the 2d, 1749. BEFORE the E#r0- feans under the direction of Columbus, came totheWeft-Indiestthefavages or Indians (who lived there fince times immemorial) were entirely unacquainted with iron, which ap- pears very ftrange to us, as North America, almoft in every part of it, contains a num- ber of iron mines. They were therefore obliged to fupply this wrant with fharp ftones, {hells, claws of birds and wild beads, pieces of bones, and other things of that kind, whenever they intended to make hatchets, knives, and fuch like inftruments. From hence it appears, that they muft have led a very wretched life. The old Swedes who lived here, and had had an intercourfe with the Indians when they were young, and at a time when they were yet very numerous in thefe parts, could tell a great many things concerning their manner of living. At this time the people find accidentally, by ploughing and digging in the ground, feve- ral of the inftruments which the Indians employed, before the Swedes and other Europeans had provided them with iron tools. For it is obfervable that the Indians at prefent make ufe of no other tools, than fuch as are made of iron and other metals, and New Jerfey, Raccoon. 37 and which they always get from the Euro- peans : Of this I fhall be more particular, in its proper place, But having had an op- portunity of feeing, and partly collecting a great many of the ancient Indian tools, I fhall here defcribe them. THEIR hatchets were made of ftone. Their fhape is iimilar to that of the wedges with which we cleave our wood, about half a foot long, .and broad in proportion ; they are made like a wedge, fharp at one end, but rather blunter than our wedges. As this hatchet muft be fixed on a handle, there was a ootch made all round the thick end. To faften it, they fplit a flick at one end, and put the ftone between it, fo that the two halves of the flick come into the notches of the ftone ; then they tied the two fplit ends together with a rope or fomething like it, almoft in the fame way as fmiths faften the Inftrument with which they cut off iron, to a fplit flick. Some of thefe ftone-hatchetf were not notched or furrowed at the upper end, and it feems they only held thofe in their hands in order to hew or ftrike with them, and did not make handles to them. Moft of the hatchets which I have feen, confifted of a hard rock-ftone : but fbme were made of a fine, hard, black, apyrous ftone. When the Indians intended to fell C 3 a thick 38 January 1749. a thick ftrong tree, they could not make life of their hatchets, but for want of proper instruments employed fire. They fet fire to a great quantity of wood at the roots of the tree, and made it fall by that means. But that the fire might not reach higher than they would have it, they faftened fome rags to a pole, dipped them into water, and kept continually wafliing the tree, a little above the fire. Whenever they intended to hollow out a thick tree for a canoe, they laid dry branches all along the ftem of the tree, as far as it muft be hollowed out. They then put fire to thofe dry branches, and as foon as they were burnt, they were replaced by others. Whilft thefe branches Were burning, the Indians were very bufy with wet ragsc and pouring water upon the tree, to prevent the fire from fpreading too far on the fides and at the ends. The tree being burnt hollow as far as they found it fufficient, or as far as it could without .damaging the canoe, they took the above defcribed ftone-hatchets, or {harp flints, and quartzes, or fharp fhells, and fcraped oft the burnt part of the wood, and fmoothened the boats within. By this means they likewife gave it what ihape they pleafed. Jnftead of cutting with a hatchet fuch a piece of wood as was neceffary for making a canoe* New Jerfey, Raccoon. 3 9 a canoe, they likewife employed fire. A canoe was commonly between thirty and forty feet long. The chief ufe of their hatchets was, according to the unanimous accounts of all the Swedes, to make good fields for maize-plantations ; for if the ground where they intended to make a maize-field was covered with trees, they cut off the bark all round the trees with their hatchets, efpecially at the time when they lofe their fap. By that means the tree be- came dry, and could not take any more nourimment, and the leaves could no longer obftrud: the rays of the fun from paffing. The fmaller trees were then pulled out by main force, and the ground was a little turned up with crooked or fharp branches. INSTEAD of knives they were fatisfied with little fharpupieces of flint or quartz, or elfe fome other hard kind of a ftone, or with a (harp fliell, or with a piece of a bone which they had fharpened. AT the end of their arrows they faf- tened narrow angulated pieces of ftone ^ they made ufe of them, having no iron to make them fharp again, or a wood of fuf- ficient hardnefs : thefe points were com- monly flints or quartzes, but .fometimes likewife another kind of a ftone. Some employed the bones of animals, or the C 4 claws 40 December 1749.^ claws of birds and brads. Some of thefe ancient harpoons are very blunt, and it feems that the Indians m ght kill birds and fmall quadrupeds with them ; but wrier ther they could enter deep into the body of a great beaft or of a man, by the velo- city which they get from the bow, I can- not afcertain ; yet fome have been found very (harp and well made. THEY \wAJlonepeftIes, about a foot long, and as thick as a man's arm. They confift chiefly of a black fort of a ftone, and were formerly employed, by the Indians, for pounding maize, which has, fince times immemorial, been their chief and almoft their only corn. They had neither wind- mills, water-mills, nor hand-mills, to grind it, and did not fo much as know a mill, before the Europeans came into the country. I have fpoken with old French- men, in Canada, who told me, that the Indians had been aflonifhed beyond expref- fion, when the French fet up the firft wind- mill. They came in numbers, even from the moft diftant parts, to view this wonder, and were not tired with fitting near it for feveral days together, in order to obferve it ; they were long of opinion that it was not driven by the wind, but by the fpirits who lived within it. They were partly under New yerfty. Raccoon. 4? under the fame aftonifhment when the firft water-mill was built. They formerly pounded all their corn or maize in hol- low trees, with the above-mentioned pef- tles, made of ftone. Manv Indians had only wooden peftles. The blackifh ftone, of which the hatchets and peftles are fome- times made, is very good for a grindftone, and therefore both the Englijh and the Swedes employ the hatchets and peftles chiefly as grindftones^ at prefent, when they can get them. THE old boilers or kettles of the Indians, were either made of clay, or of different kinds of pot-ftone, (Lapis ollaris). The former confifted of a dark clay, mixt with grains of white fand or quartz, and burnt in the fire. Many of thefe kettles have two holes in the upper margin, on each fide one, through which the Indians put a ftick, and held the kettle over the fire, as long as it was to boil. Moft of the kettles have no feet. It is remarkable that no pots of this kind have been found glazed, either on the outfide or the inr fide. A few of the oldeft Swedes could yet remember feeing the Indians boil theif meat in thefe pots. They are very thin, and of different fizes ; they are made fome- times of a greeniih, arid fometimes of a 4-2 January 1749. grey pot-ftone, and fome are made of another fpecies of apyrous ftone ; the bot- tom and the margin are frequently above an inch thick. The Indians^ notwithftand- ing their bq^ng unacquainted with iron, fteel, and other metals, have learnt to hollow out very ingenioufly thefe pots or kettles of pot-ftone, THE old tobacco-pipes of the Indians are likewife made of clay, or pot-ftone, or ferpentine-ftone. The firft fort are fhaped like our tobacco-pipes, though much coarfer and not fo well made. The tube Is thick and ihort, hardly an inch long, but fometimes as long as a finger ; their colour comes neareft to that of our tobac- co-pipes which have been long ufed. Their tobacco-pipes of pot-ftone are made of the fame ftone as their kettles. Some of them are pretty well made, though they had neither iron nor fteel. But befides thefe kinds of tobacco-pipes, we find ano- ther fort of pipes, which are made with great ingenuity, of a very fine, red pot- ftone, or a kind of ferpentine marble. They are very fcarce, and feldom made ufe of by any other than fas Indian Sachems, or elders. The fine red ftone, of which thefe pipes are made, is likewife very fcarce, and is found only in the country of thofe 5 Indians New Jerfey, Raccoon. 43 Indians who are called Ingouez, and who, according to father Ckarlevoix, live on the other fide of the river Miffijippi *. The In- dians themfelves commonly value a pipe of this kind as much as a piece of filver of the fame fize, and fome times they make it flill dearer. Of the feme kind of (rone commonly confifts their pipe of peace, which the French call calumet de paix, and which they make ufe of in their treaties of peace, and alliances. Mofl authors who have wrote of thefe nations mention this inftru- ment, and I intend to fpeak of it when an opportunity offers. THE Indians employ hooks made of bone, or bird's claws, inftead si fijhing- hooks. Some of the oldeft Swedes here told me, that when they were young, a great number of Indians had been in this part of the country, which was then called New Sweden, and had caught fifties in the river Delaware, with thefe hooks. THEY made fire by rubbing one end of a hard piece of wood continually againft another dry one, till the wood began to fmoke, and afterwards to burn. SUCH were the tools of the antient In- dians, and the ufe which they made of them, * See his Journal brftorique tfun •voyage dt I"1 Amtriqut, Tome v. p. m. 311. and the'ijth letter^ 44 nuary 1749. them, before the Europeans invaded this country, and before they (the Indians} were acquainted with the advantages of iron. North America abounds iri iron- mines, and the Indians lived all afyout the country before the arrival of the Europeans, fo that feveral places can be fhewn in this country, where at prefent there are iron- mines, and where, not a hundred years ago, ftood great towns or villages of the Indians. It is therefore very remarkable that the Indians did not know how tp make ufe of a metal or ore which was al- ways under their eyes, and on which they could not avoid treading every day. They even lived upon the very ipots where iron ores were afterwards found, and yet they often went many miles in order to get a wretched hatchet, knife, or the like, as above defcriUed. They were forced to em- ploy feveral days in order to fharpen their tools, by rubbing them againft a rock, or other ftones, though the advantage was far from being equal to the labour. For they could never cut down a thick tree with their hatchets, and with difficulty they felled a fmall one. They could not hol- low out a tree with their hatchets, or dp $ hundredth part of the work which we can perform with eafe, by the help of our iron hatchet$, New Jerfey, Raccwn. 45 hatchets. Thus we fee how difadvanta- o-eous the ignorance and inconfiderate con- tempt of ufeful arts is. Happy is the country which knows their full value ! January the 5th. CHRISTMAS-DAY was celebrated this day by the Swedes and EngHJh, for they kept then to the old Jlile. January the 6th. THERE are a great number of hares in this country, but they differ from our Swedijh ones in their fize, which is very fmall, and but little bigger than that of a rabbit 5 they keep almoft the fame grey colour both in fummer and winter, which our Northern hares have in fummer only ; the tip of their ears is al- ways grey, and not black ; the tail is like- wife grey on the upper fide, at all feafons ; they breed feveral times a year : in ipring they lodge their young ones in hollow trees, and in fummer, in the months of June and July, they breed in the grafs. When they are furprifed they commonly take refuge in hollow trees, out of which they are taken by means of a crooked ftick, or by cutting a hole into the tree, oppofite to the place where they lie ; or by fmoke, which is occafioned by making a fire on the outfide of the tree. On all thefe occa- fions the greyhounds muft be at hand* Thefe hares never bite, and can be touched without any danger. In day-lime they ufually 46 January 1749* ufually lie in hollow trees, and hardly ever ftir from thence, unlefs they be difturbed ty men or dogs ; but in the night they come out, and feek their food. In bad weather, or when it fnows, they lie clofe for a day or two, and do not venture to leave their retreats. They do a great deal of mifchief in the cabbage-fields ; but ap- ple-trees fuffer infinitely more from them, for they peel off all the bark next to the ground. The people here agreed that the hares are fatter in a cold and fevere winter, than in a mild and wet one, of which they could give me feveral reafons, from their own conje&ures. The fkin is ufelefs, be- caufe it is fo loofe, that it can be drawn offj for wrhen you would feparate it from the flefh, you need only pull at the fur, and the fkin follows : thefe hares cannot be tamed. They were at all times, even in the midft of winter, plagued with a num- ber of common fleas *. January the i6th. THE common mice were in great abundance in the towns and in the country ; they do as much mifchief as in the old countries. Qldmixon in his book* * This account fufficiently proves, -that thefe hares are; a fpecies diftinft from our European reddilh grey kind, and alfo of that fpecies or variety only, which in the northern parts of Europe and dfia is white ip winter, with black tipped ears, and has a grey coat in fiimmer. Upon a clofcr examination naturalifls will perhaps find more cha* to diftinguifh them faore accurately. F. New Jerfey, Raccoon. 47 book, the Britifh Empire in America, vol. L p. 444> writes, that North America had neither rats nor mice before 'European fhips brought them over. How far this is true I know not. It is undoubted, that in fe- veral defart places, where no man ever lived, I have feen and killed the common mice, in crevices of ftones or mountains ; and is it probable that all fuch mice as are fpread in this manner, throughout the inland parts of the country, derive their origin from thofe which were brought over from Europe ? RATS like wife may be ranked among thofe animals which do great damage in this country. They live both in the cities and in the country, and deftroy the provifions. Their fize is the fame with that of our rats, but their colour differs ; for they are grey, or blue-grey. I enquired of the Swedes, Whether thefe rats had been here prior to the arrival of the Europeans, or whether they came over in the fhips ? But I could not get an anfwer which I might depend upon. All agreed, that a number of thefe dangerous and mifchievous animals were every year brought to America, by (hips from Europe and other countries. But Mr. Bartram main- tained, that before the Europeans fettled here, rats had been in the country ; for he faw a great number <£f them qn the high moun- tains, 4$ January 1749. tains, which are commonly called the Blue Mountains, where they lived among ftones,- and in the fubterraneous grottoes which are in thofe mountains. They always lie very clofe in the day-time, and you hardly ever fee one out ; but at night they come out, and make a terrible noife. When the cold was very violent, they feemed quite tor- pid ; for during the continuance of the cold weather, one could not hear the leaft noife, or (bricking, occafioned by them. It is to be obferved, that neither the Swedes nor the Engltfh have any dark windows in their houfes here. There is hardly a dormer-window in the garret ; but only loofe boards. The walls in the wooden houfes are frequently not clofed, even with mofs ; fo that the rooms, though they have fires in them, are no warmer than the our> fide apartment, or hall. The rooms where the fervants fleep have never any fire in them, though the winter is pretty fevere fometimes. The rats have, therefore, little or DO warmth in v/inter j but as foon as a mild- er feafon makes its appearance, they come out again. We obferved feveral times this winter, that the rats were very active, and made an unufual noife all night, juft before a fevere cold, It feems, they had" fome fen- fation of cold weather being at hand ; and that they therefore eat fufficiently, or ftored up Newjerfeyt Raccoon. 49 up provifions. In mild weather, they were ufed to carry away apples, and other provi- fions : therefore, we could always conclude, with certainty, when the rats made an uncom- mon noife at night, or were extremely greedy, that a fevere cold would enfue. I have al- ready obferved in the preceding volume, p. 312, that the grey fquirrels in this coun- try have the fame quality. When thefe, and the common mice, eat maize, they do not confume the whole grains, but only the loofe, fweet and foft kernel, and leave the reft. January the 2 1 ft. TtfE cold now equalled that of Sweden, though this country is fo much more foutherly. The Celftan or Swe~ dijh thermometer was twenty-two degrees below the freezing point, in the morning. As the rooms are without any muttefs here, the cracks in the walls not clofed with mofs, and fometimes no fire-place or chimney in the room, the winters here muft be very difagreeable to one who is ufed to our £w- dijh warm winter-rooms. But the greateft comfort here is, that the cold is of a very fhort duration. Some days of this month, the room which I lodged in was fuch, that I could not write two lines before the ink would freeze in my pen. When I did not write, I could not leave the ink-ftand on the VOL. IL D table; 50 January 1749. table ; but was forced to put it upon the hearth, or Into my pocket. Yet, notwith- ftanding it was fo cold, as appears from the meteorological obfervations at the end of this volume, and though it fnowed fometimes for feveral days and nights together, and the fnow lay near fix inches high upon the ground, yet all the cattle are obliged to (lay, day and night, in the fields, during the whole winter. For neither the Englift) nor the Swedes .had any ftables 3 but the Germans and Dutch had pre- ferved the cuftom of their country, and ge- nerally kept their cattle in ftables during winter. Almoft all the old Swedes fay, that en their firft arrival in this country, they made ftables for their cattle, as is ufual in Sweden ; but as \hzEngliJh came, and fettled among them, and left their cattle in the fields all winter, as iscuftomary in England^ they left off their former cuftom, and adopted the Englifh one. They owned, however, that the cattle faffered greatly in winter, when it was very cold, especially when it froze after a rain ; and that fome cattle were killed by it in feveral places, in the long winter of the year 1741. About noon, the cattle went out into the woods, where there were yet fome leaves on the young oak ; but they did not eat the leaves, and only bit off the extremities of- the 5 branches, NewJ and the people here prepare them in different ways. For that purpofe they are caught, and fhot in New Jerfcy> Raccoon. 53 in great numbers. They are caught by putting up a fieve, or a fquare open box, made of boards, in the places they frequent. The people ftrew ibme oats under the fieve, and lift it up on one fide by a little ftick ; and as foon as the partridges are got under the fieve, in order to pick up the oats, if falls, and they are caught alive. Sometimes they get feveral partridges at once. When they run in the bufhes, you can come very near them, without ftarting them. When they fleep at night, they come together in an heap. They fcratch in the bufhes and upon the field, like common chickens. In fpring they make their nefls, either under a turn or in the maize fields, or on the hills in the open air : they fcratch fome hay to- gether, into which they lay about thirteen white eggs. They eat feveral forts of corn, and feeds of grafs. They have likewife been feen eating the berries' of fiimach> or rhus glabra Some people have taken them young, and kept them in a cage till they were tame : then they let them go ; and they followed the chickens, and never left the court-yards. THE inclofufes made ufe of in Penfyha- nia and New jferjey, but efpecially in New Torky are thofe, which on account of their ferpentine form refembling worms, are called D 3 worm* 54 January 1749. worm -fences in Englifi. The poles which pompofe this fence are taken from different trees J but they are not all of equal dura- tion : the red cedar is reckoned the moft durable of any, for it holds out above thirty years ; but it is very fcarce, and grows only in a fingle place hereabouts, fo that no fences can be made of it. It is true, the fences about Philadelphia. (which however are different from the worm-fences) are all made of red cedar j but it has been brought by water from Egg~harbour, where it grows in abundance. The fupports on which the poles lie are made of the white cedar ', or Cuprefflts tbyoideS) and the poles which are laid between them of the red cedar or Ju- mperus Virginlana. Next to the cedar-wood, cak and chefnut are reckoned beft. Chefnut is commonly preferred, but it is not every where fo plentiful as to be made into fences; 5n its ftead they make ufe of feveral forts of cak. In order to make inclofures, the peo- ple do not cut down the young trees, as is common with us, but they fell here and there thick trees, cut them in feveral places, leaving the pieces as long as it is neceffary, and fplit them into poles of the ufual thick- nefs ; a fingle tree affords a multitude of poles. Several old men in this country told J;hat the Swedes on their arrival here, made New Jerfey, Raccoon. 55 made fuch inclofures as are ufual in Sweden, but they were forced to leave off in a few years time, becaufe they could not get ports enough -, for they had found by experience that a port being put into the ground would not laft above four or fix years before the part under ground was entirely rotten ; but the chief thing was, that they could not get any fwitches for to tie them together; they made fonie of biccory, which is one of the tougheft trees in this country, and of the white oak ; but in the fpace of a yeaY or two the fwitches were rotten, and the fence fell in pieces of itfelf, therefore they "were forced to give over making fuch inclo- fures. Several of the new comers again at- tempted, but with the fame bad fuccefs, to make fences with ports and fwitches. The Swedifh way of inclofing therefore will not fucceed here. Thus the worm-fences are one of the moft ufeful forts of inclofures., efpecially as they cannot get any port, made of the woods of this country, to ftay above fix or eight years in the ground without rotting. The poles in this country are very heavy, and the ports cannot bear them well, elpecially when it blows a ftorrn ; but the worm-fences are eafily put up again, when they are thrown down. Experience has D 4 ihewn 56 February 1749. fhewn that an inclofure made of cbefnut or white oak feldom holds out above ten or twelve years, before the poles and pofts are thoroughly rotten : when the poles are made of other wood, the fences hardly ftand fix or eight years. Confidering how much more wood the worm- fences require, (fince they run in bendings) than other in- clofures which go in ftrait lines, and that they are fo foon ufelefs, one may imagine how the forefts will be confumed', and what fort of an appearance the country will have forty or fifty years hence, in cafe no altera- tion is made j efpecially as wood is really fquandered away in immenfe quantities, day and night all the winter, or nearly one half of the year, for fewel. February the 8th. THE Mufk-rats, fo called by the Englifh in this country, on account of their fcent, are pretty common in North America ; they always live near the water, efpecially on the banks of lakes, rivers, and brooks. On travelling to places where they are, you fee the holes which they have dug in the ground juft at the wa- ter's edge, or a little above its furface. In thefe holes they have their nefls, and there they continue whenever they are not in the water in purfuit of food. The Swedes call 3 New Jerfey> Raccoon. 57 them De'fmans Rattor *, and the French, Rats mitfques. Linnteus calls this animal Caftor Zibcthicus. Their food is chiefly the muicles which ly at the bottom of lakes and rivers ; you fee a number of fuch fhells near the entrance of their holes. I am told they likewife eat feveral kinds of roots and plants. They differ from the European Mujk-raty or Linnczuss Caftor Mofchatus. The teeth are the fame in both ; the tail of the American is comprefled on the fides fo, that one fharp edge goes upwards and the other downwards : the hind feet are not palmated, or joined by a moveable fkin, but are peculiar for having on both fides of the feet, long, white, clofe, pedlinated, ofF- ftanding hair, befides the fhort hair with which the feet are quite covered. Such hairs are on both fides of the toes, and do the fame fervice in fwimming as a web. Their fize is that of a little cat, or to be more accurate, the length of the body is aboiit ten inches, and the tail of the fame length : the colour of the head, neck, back, fides, and of the out fide of the thighs, is blackifti brown ; the hairs are foft and fliin- * Defm fignifies mujk in the Swed'ijh, and in fome pro- vincial dialects of the German language ; confequently Defman-rat is nothing but Mujk-rat, and from hence Mr. has forpied his Defman or Ruffian Mujk-rat. F, 58 February 1749. Ing ; under the neck, on the breafts, and on the infideof the thighs, they are grey. They make their nefts in the dykes that are ereded along the banks of rivers to keep off the water from the adjoining meadows ; but they often do a great deal of damage, by fpoiling the dykes with digging, and opening paffages for the water to come into the meadows ; whereas Beavers flop up all the holes in a dyke or bank. They make their nefts of twigs and fuch like things externally, and carry foft ftuff into them for their young ones to ly upon. The Swedes afferted that they could never ob- ferve a diminution in their number, but believed that they were as numerous at pre- fent as formerly. As they damage the banks fo confiderably, the people are en- deavouring to extirpate them, when they can find out their nefts ; the fkin is paid for, and this is an encouragement towards catching the animal. A Ikin of a Mujk-rat formerly coft but three-pence, but at prefent they gave from fix-pence to nine-pence. The fkins are chiefly employed by hatters, who make hats of the hair, which are faid to be nearly as good as Beaver hats.. The Mujk-rats are commonly caught in traps, with apples as baits. In the country of the lroque/e> I faw thofe Indians following the holes New Jerfey, Raccoon. 59 holes of the Mujk-rats by digging till they came to their nefts, where they killed them all. Nobody here eats their flefh; I do not know whether the Indians eat it, for they are commonly not over nice in the choice of meat. The mufk-bag is put be- tween the cloaths in order to preferve them againft worms. It is very difficult to extir- pate thefe Rats when they are once fettled in a bank. A Swede, however, told me, that he had freed his bank, or piece of dyke along the river, from them ii> the following manner : He fought for all their holes, flopped them all up with earth, excepting one, on that fide from whence the wind came. He put a quantity of fulphur into the open entrance, fet fire to it, &nd then clofed the hole, leaving but a fmall one for the wind to pafs through. The fmoke of the fulphur then entered their moft remote nefts, and ftifled all the animals. As foon as the fulphur was burnt, he was obliged to dig up part of the ground in the bank, where they had their nefts ; and he found them lie dead by heaps. He fold the ikins, and they paid his trouble, not to mention the advantage he got by clearing his bank of the Miifk-rats* BEAVERS were formerly abundant in New Sweden, as all the old Swedes here told 60 February 1749. told me. At that time they faw one bank after another raifed in the rivers by bea- vers. But after the Europeans came over in great number, and cultivated the coun- try better, the beavers have been partly killed, and partly extirpated, and partly are removed higher into the country, where the people are not fo numerous. Therefore there is but a fingle place in Penfylvama where beavers are to be met with ; their chief food is the bark of the beaver-tree, or Magnolia glauca, which they prefer to any other. The Swedes therefore put branches of this tree near the beaver-dykes, into traps, which they laid for the beavers, whilft they were yet plen- tiful ; and they could almoft be certain of good fuccefs. Some perfons in Philadelphia have tamed beavers, fo that they go a rim- ing with them, and they always come back to their maflers. Major Roderfert, in New York, related that he had a tame beaver above half a year in his houfe, where he went about quite loofe, like a dog. The major gave him bread, and lometimes fifh, which he was very greedy of. He got as much water in a bowl as he wanted. All the rags and foft things he could meet with he dragged into a corner, where he was ufed to fleep, and made a bed of them. The cat New Jerfey, Raccoon. 6 1 cat in the houfe, having kittens, took poffeffion of his bed, and he did not hinder her. 'When the cat went -out, the beaver often took the kitten between his fore paws and held it to his breaft to warm it, and doated upon it ; as foon as the cat returned he gave her the kitten again. Sometimes he grumbled, but never did any hurt, or attempted to bite. THE Englijh and the Swedes gave the name of Mink to an animal of this coun- try, which likewife lives either in the wa- ter, or very near it. I have never had an opportunity to fee any more than the Ikin of this animal. But the fhape of the Ikin, and the unanimous accounts I have heard of it, make me conclude with much cer- tainty, that it belonged to the genus of weafe/s or mujlela. The greateft fkin I ever faw, was one foot, eight inches long, a leffer one was about ten inches long, and about three inches, one third broad, before it was cut ; the colour was dark brown, and fometimes almoft black ; the tail was bu(Ly, as that of a marten ; the hair was very clofe ; and the ears fliort, with fhort hair. The length of the feet belonging to the leffer fkin was about two inches long. I am told this animal is fo limilar to the American polecat, or Viyerra puto- rius, 62 February 1749. rius, that they are hardly diftinguifhable ** 1 have had the following accounts given me of its way of living •' it feldom appears in day-time, but at night it comes out of the hollow trees, on the banks of rivers. Some- times it lives in the docks and bridges, at Pbiladelpbia9 where it is a cruel enemy to the rats. Sometimes it gets into the court-yards at night, and creeps into the chicken-houfe, through a fmall hole, where it kills all the poultry, and fucks their blood, but feldom eats one. If it meets with geefe, fowls, ducks, or other birds on the road, it kills and devours them. It lives upon fifli and birds. When a brook is near the houfes, it is not eafy to keep' ducks and geefe, for the mink, which lives near rivers, kills the young ones. It firfl kills as many as it can come at, and then it carries them off, and feafts upon them, In banks and dykes near the water, it like- \vife does mifchief, with digging. To catch it the people put Up traps, inttf which they put heads of birds, fifties, or tither meat. The {kin is fold in the towns,- and at Philadelphia-, they give twenty-pence and even two {hillings a-piece for them, according * The Mink, or Minx, is a kind of fmall otter, which 33 called by Dr. Lum&ust MnjtcJa hitrco!at in his fyflem. i, p. 66, F. New Jerfey, Raccoon. 63 according to their fize. Some of the ladies get muffs made of thefe fkins ; but for the greateft part they are fent over to England, from whence they are diftributed to other countries. The old Swedes told me that the Indians formerly ufed to eat all kinds of Hem, except that of the mink. I have already mentioned fomething of the Raccoon ; I fhall here add more of the nature of this animal, in a place which is properly its native country *. The Eng- lijh call it every where by the name of Ratcoon9 which name they have undoubt- edly taken from one of the Indian nations ; the Dutch call it Hefpan, the Swedes, Efpan, and the Iroquefe, Attigbrv. It commonly lodges in hollow trees, lies clofe in the day-time, never going out but on a dark, cloudy day; but at night it rambles and feeks its food. I have been told by feveral people, that in bad weather, efpecially when it fnows and blows a ftorm, the Raccoon lies in its hole for a week to- gether without coming out once ; during that time it lives by fucking and licking its paws. Its food are feveral forts of fruit, fuch as maize, whilft the ears are foft. In gardens it often does a great deal of damage among the apples, chefnuts, plumbs, and wild * The village of Raccoon. 64 February 1749. wild grapes, which are what it likes beftj among the poultry it is very cruel, When it finds the hens on their eggs, it firft kills them, and then eats the eggs. It is caught by dogs, which trace it back to its neft, in hollow trees, or by fnares and traps, in which a chicken, fome other bird, or a fifh, is put as a bait. Some people eat its flefli. It leaps with all its feet at once; on ac- count of this and of feveral other qualities, many people here reckoned it to the genus of bears. The Ildn fold for eighteen- pence, at Philadelphia. I was told that the Raccoons were not near fo numerous as they were formerly j yet in the more in- land parts they were abundant. I have mentioned the ufe which the hatters make of their furs; as likewife that they are eafily tamed, that they are very greedy of fweet-meats, &c. in the preceding volume. Of all the North American wild quadrupeds none can be tamed to fuch a degree as this. February the loth. IN the morning I went to Philadelphia, where I arrived to- wards night. On my arrival at the ferry upon the river Delaware, I found the river quite covered with drifts of ice, which at firft prevented our croffing the water. After waiting about an hour, and making an opening near the ferry, I, together with many Penfyfoania, Philadelphia. 6 j many more paffengers, got over, before any more fhoals came on. As it began to freeze very hard foon after the twelfth of 'January (or New Tear, according to the old ftyle) the river Delaware was Covered with ice, which by the intenfenefs of the froft grew fo ftrong, that the people crofled the river with horfes at Philadelphia. The ice con- tinued till the eighth of February, when it began to get loofe, and the violent hurri- cane, which happened that night, broke it, and it was driven down fo faft, that on the twelfth of February not a fingle fhoal came down, excepting a piece or two near the more. CROWS flew in great numbers together to-day, and fettled on the tops of trees. During the whole winter we hardly obferved one, though they are faid to winter there. During all this fpring they commonly ufed to fit at the tops of trees in the morning; yet not all together, but in feveral trees. They belong to the noxious birds in this part of the world, for they chiefly live upon corn. After the maize is planted or fown, they fcratch the grains out of the ground and eat them. When the maize begins to ripen, they peck a hole into the involucrum which furrounds the ear, by which means the maize is fpoiled, as the rain paiTes VOL. II. E through 66 February 1749,. through the hole which they have made* and occafions the putrefaftion of the corn. Befides eating corn, they like wife fteal chickens. They are very fond of dead car- cafTes. Some years ago the government of Penjyhania had given three- pence, and that of New Jerjey four- pence premium for every head of a Crow, but this law has now been repealed, as the expences are too great. 1 have feen the young Crows of this kind in feveral places playing with tame ones whofe wings were cut. The latter hopped about the fields, near the farm-houfes where they belonged to, but always returned again, without endeavouring to efcape on any oc-* cafion. Thefe American Crows are only a Variety of the Royfton Crow, or Linn&us's Corpus Comix. February the i2th. IN the afternoon I returned to Raccoon from Philadelphia. ON my journey to Raccoon, I attentively obferved the trees which had yet any leaves left. The leaves were pale and dried up, but not all dropt from the following trees : THE Beach-tree, (Fagus fyhatica) whe- ther great or fmall ; it always kept a confi- derable part of its leaves during the whole winter even till fpring. The greater trees kept the lowermoft leaves. THB Jerfey, Raccoon. 67 THE 'white oak (Quercus alba). Moft of the young trees which were not above a quarter of a yard in diameter, had the great- eft part of their leaves ftill on them, but the old trees had loft moft of theirs, except in fome places where they have got new {hoots. The colour of the dry leaves was much paler in the white oak than in the black one. THE black oak (as it is commonly called here). Dr. Linnaus calls it the red oak, Quercus rubra. Moft of the young trees ftill prefefved their dried leaves. Their co- lour was reddifh brown, and darker than that of the white oak. THE Spanifo oak, which is a mere variety of the black oak* The young trees of this kind likewife keep their leaves. A SCARCE Jpectes of oak which is known by its leaves having a triangular apex or top, whofe angles terminate in a {hort briftle ; the leaves are fmooth below, but woolly above *. The young oaks of this fpecies had ftill their leaves. When I came into any wood where the above kinds of oaks were only twenty years, and even not fo old, I always found the leaves on them. * This feems to be nothing but a variety of rutra. Linn, F. E 2 IT 68 February 1749. IT feems that Providence has, beiides other views, aimed to protect feveral forts of birds, it being very cold and ftormy about this time, by preferving even the dry leaves on thefe trees. I have this winter at feve- ral times feen birds hiding in the trees co- vered with old leaves during a fevere cold or ftorm. February thz I3th. As I began to dig a hole to-day, I found feveral infects which were crept deep into the ground in order to pafs the winter. As foon as they came to the air, they moved their limbs a little, but had not ftrength fufficient for creeping, ex- cept the black ants, which crept a little, though flowly. FORMICA nigra, or the black ant, were pretty numerous, and fomewhat lively. They lay about ten inches below the fur- face. CARABUS latus. Some of thefe lay at the fame depth with the ants. This is a very common infect in all North America. SCARAB^US; chefnut-coloured, with a hairy thorax; the elytrae Ihorter than the •abdomen, with feveral longitudinal lines, befet with hair. It is fomething iimilar to the cock-chaffer, but differs in many refpects. 1 -found it very abundant in the ground. ? GRYLLUS New Jerfey, Raccoon. 69 GRYLLUS campeftris, or the field-cricket: They lay ten inches deep •> they were quite torpid, but as foon as they came into a warm place they revived and were quite lively. In fummer I have found thefe crickets in great plenty in all parts of North America where I have been. They leaped about on the fields, and made a noife like that of our common houfe-crickets, fo that it would be difficult to diftinguim them by their chirping. They fometimes make fo great a noife, that it caufes pain in the ears, and even two people cannot underfland each other. In fuch places where the rattle- fnakes live, the field -crickets are very dif- agreeable, and in a manner dangerous, for their violent chirping prevents the warning, which that horrid fnake gives with its rat- tle, from reaching the ear, and thus deprives one of the means of avoiding it. I have already mentioned that they likewife winter fometimes in chimnies *. Here they ly all winter in the ground, but at the beginning of Marchy as the air was grown warm, they came out of their holes, and began their mufic, though. at firft it was but very faint and rarely heard. When we were forced on our travels to deep in uninhabited places, the crickets had got into the folds of our E 3 clothes, * See page 10. February 1 749 . clothes, fo that we were obliged to ftop an hour every morning in examining our clothes, before we could get rid of them. THE red ants (Formica rufaj which in Sweden make the great ant-hills, I likewife found to-day and the following day ; they were not io the ground, for when my fer- vant Tungjlroem cut down old dry trees, he met with a number of them in the cracks of the tree. Thefe cracks were at the height of many yards in the tree, and the ants were crept fo high, • in order to find their winter habitation : As foon as they came Into a warm place, they began to ftir about Very briflcly. February the I4th. THE Swedes and the JLngliJfj gave the name of blue bird to a very pretty little bird, which was of a fine blue colour. Linnceus calls it Mot act It a Stalls. Catejby has drawn it in his Natural biftory ef Carolina, vol.1, pi. 47, and defcribed it by the name of Rubecula Americana carulea ; and Edwards has reprefented it in his Natu- ral hiftory of birds, plate and page 24. In, my own journal I palled it Motacilla ccerulea nitida, peclore rufo, venire albo. In Catejby § plate I muft obferve, that the colour of the breaft ought to be dirty red or ferruginous; the tibiae and feet black as jet ; the bill top Should be quite black j the blue colour in general New yerfey, Raccoon. 71 general ought to be much deeper, more lively and fhining; no bird in Sweden has fo (hining and deep a blue colour as this : The jay has perhaps a plumage like it. The food of the blue bird is not merely infects, he likewife feeds upon plants ; therefore in winter, when no infects are to be met with, they come to the farm-houfes in order to fubfift on the feeds of hay, and other fmall grains. RED -/£/> for they only juft took flight, and dropped at about the diftance of a muiket-fhot in another part of the field, and always changed their place when their enemy approached. They tired the fportf- man, before he could drive them from off the maize, though he killed a great many of them at every ihot. They likewife eat the feeds of the aquatic tare-grafs (Zizanla aqua- •ticaj commonly late in autumn, after the maize is got in. I am told, they likewife eat buck- wheat, and oats. Some people fay, y 8 February 1749. fay, that they even eaC wheat, barley, and rye, when prefled by hunger ; yet, from the beft information I could obtain, they have not been found to do any damage to thefe fpecies of corn. In fpring, they fit in numbers on the trees, near the farms ; and their note is pretty agreeable. As they ard fo deftrudtive to maize, the odium of the inhabitants againft them is carried fo far, that the laws of Penfyhania and New Jer- fey have fettled a premium of three-pence a dozen for dead maize-thieves. In New England, the people are flill greater enemies to them ; for Dr. Franklin told me, in the fpring of the year 1750, that, by means of the premiums which have been fettled for* killing them in New England, they have been fo extirpated, that they are very rarely feen,,and in a few places only. But as, in thg fummer of the year 1749? an immenfe quantity of worms appeared on the mea^ dows, which devoured the grafs, and did great damage, the people have abated their enmity againft the maize-thieves ; for they thought they had obferved* that thole birds lived chiefly on thefe worms before the maize is ripe, and confequently extirpated them, or at leaft prevented their fpreading too much. They feem therefore to be en- titled, as it were, to a reward for their trou- New Jerfey, Raccwn. 79 ble. But after -thefe enemies and deftroyers of the worms (the maize-thieves) w^re ex- tirpated, the worms were more at liberty to multiply -, and therefore they grew fo numerous, that they did more mifchief now than the birds did before. In the fummer 1749, the worms left fo little hay in New England, that the inhabitants were forced to get hay from Pen/yfoania, and even from Old England. The maize -thieves have ene- mies befides the human fpecies. A fpecies of little hawks live upon them, and upon other little birds. I faw fome of thefe hawks driving up the maize-thieves, which were in the greateft fecurity, and catching them in the air. Nobody eats the flefh of the pur- ple maize- thieves or daws (Gracula quifcula); but that of the red-winged maize-thieves, or flares (Oriolus Pbcsniceus) is fometimes eaten. Some old people have told me, that this part of America^ formerly called New Sweden, ftill contained as many maize- thieves as it did formerly. The caufe of this they derive from the maize, which is now fown in much greater quantity than formerly ; and they think that the birds can get their food with more eafe at prefent. The American whortleberry, or the Vac-* cimum bifpidulum, is extremely abundant over 80 February 1749. over all North America? and grows in fucfi places where we commonly find our whor- tle-berries in Sweden. The American ones ' are bigger, but in moft things fo like the Swedtjb ones, that many people wouid take them to be mere varieties. The Engli/h call them Cranberries^ the Swedes 'Tranbcer, and the French in Canada Atopa> which is a name they have borrowed from the Indi- ans. They are brought to market every Wednefday and Saturday at Philadelphia, late in autumn. They are boiled and prepared in the fame manner as we do our red whor- tle-berries, or Vaccinium vitis idaa; and they are made ufe of during winter, and part of fummer, in tarts and other kinds of paftry. But as they are very four, they re- quire a deal of fugar ; but that is not very dear, in a country where the fugar-planta- tions are not far off. Quantities of thefe berries are fent over, preferved, to Europe, and to the Weft Indies. March the 2d. Mytilus anatinus, a kind of mufcle-mells, was found abundantly in little furrows, which crofled the meadows. The {hells were frequently covered on the outfide, with a thin cruft of particles of iron, when the water in the furrows came from an iron mine. The EngUjhinen and Swedes Newjerfey, Raccoon. %t Swedes fettled here feldom made any ufe of thefe fhells ; but the Indians who for- merly lived here broiled them and ate the flefh. Some of the Europeans eat them fometimes* THE fnow ftill remained in fome parts of the wood, where it was very fhady, but the fields were quite free from it. The cows, horfes, fheep, and hogs, went into the woods, and fought their food, which was as yet very trifling. March the 3d. THE Swedes call a fpe- cies of little birds, Snofogel, and the Eng~ Ufh call it Snow-bird. This is Dr. Lin- naus's Emberiza hyemalis. The reafon why it is called fnow-bird is becaufe it never appears in fummer, but only in win- ter, when the fields are covered with fnow. In fome winters they come in as great numbers as the maize-thieves, fly about the houfes and barns, into the gardens, and eat the corn, and the feeds of grafs, which they find fcattered on the hills. AT eight o'clock at night we obferved a meteor, commonly called &fnow-fire *. I have defcribed this meteor in the memoirs of the Royal Swedifo Academy of Sciences, fee the volume for the year 1752, page J54> 155- * Probably nothing but an Aurora lorealis. VOL. II. F WILD $2 March 1749. WILD Pigeons, (Columba migratoria*)* flew in the woods, in numbers beyond ' conception, and I was aflured that they were more plentiful than they had been for feveral years paft. They came this week, and continued here for about a fortnight, after which they all difappeared, or advanced further into the country, from whence they came. I mall fpeak of them more particularly in another place. March the yth. SEVERAL people told me, that it was a certain fign of bad wea- ther here when a thunder-ftorm arofe in the fouth or fouth weft, if it fpread to the eaft and afterwards to the north : but that on the contrary, when it did not fpread at all, or when it fpread both eaft and weft, though it fhould rife in fouth or fouth weft,, yet it would prognofticate fair weather. To- day it was heard in fouth weft, but it did not fpread at all. See the meteorological obfervations, at the end of this volume. v TILL now the froft had continued in the ground, fo that if any one had a mind to dig a hole he was forced to cut it through with a pick-ax. However it had not pe- netrated * Of this Pigeon of Paffage we have given here a plate, tab. ii. taken from a parcel of birds, lately brought from America, of which we were favoured with a fine fpe- cimen. F. New Jerfey, Raccoon* 8 j hetrated above four inches deep. But to- day it was quite gone out. This made the foil fo foft, that on riding, even in the woods, the horfe funk in very deep. I often enquired among the old Englifh- men and Swedes, whether they had found that any trees were killed in very fevere winters, or had received much hurt. I was anfwered, that young hiccory trees are commonly killed in very cold weather $ and the young black oaks likewife fuffer jri the fame manner. Nay fometimes black oaks, five inches in diameter, were killed by the froft in a fevere winter, and fome- times, though very feldom, a fingle mul- berry-tree was killed. Peach-trees very frequently die in a cold winter, and often all the peach-trees in a whole diftricl: are killed by a fevere froft. It has been found repeatedly, with regard to thefe trees, that they can ftand the froft much better oa hills, than in vallies; infomuch, that when the trees in a valley were killed by froft, thofe on a hill were not hurt at all. Theyr affured me that they had never obferved that the black walnut-tree, the faffafra?, and other trees, had been hurt in winter. In .regard to a froft in fpring, £hey had ob- ferved at different times, that a cold night or two happened often after the trees were • P a furni(h?d 84 Marck 1749* furnifhed with pretty large leaves, and that by this moft of the leaves were killed. But the leaves thus killed have always been fupplied by frefti ones. It is remarkable that in fuch cold nights the froft ads chiefly upon the more delicate trees, and in fuch a manner, that all the leaves, to the height of feven and even of ten feet from the ground, were killed by the froft, and all the top remained unhurt. Several old f$wedes and Englijhmen aflured me they had £nade this obfervation, and the attentive engineer, Mr. Lewis Evans, has fhewn it me among his notes. Such a cold night happened here, in the year 1746, in the night between the i4th and i5th of June, new ftyle, attended with the fame eflfeft, as appears from Mr. Evans's obfervations. The trees which were then in bloflbm, had loft both their leaves and their flowers in thefe parts which were neareft the ground ; fometime after they got frefli leaves, but no new flowers. Further it is obfervable, that the cold nights which happen in fpring and fummer never do any hurt to high grounds, damaging only the low and moift ones. They are like wife very per- ceptible in fuch places where limeftone is to be met with, and though all the other parts of the country be not vifited by fuch cold New Jerfey, Raccoon. 85 cold nights in a fummer, yet thofe where limeftone lies have commonly one or two every fummer. Frequently the places where the limeftone lies are fituated on a high ground ; but they fufffer notwithftanding their fituation; whilft a little way off in a lower ground, where no limeftone is to be found, the effects of the coM^ights are not felt. Mr. Evans was the firft who made this obfervarion, and 1 have had occafion at different times to fee the truth of it, on my travels, as I lhall mention in the fequel. The young hiccory-trees have their leaves killed fooner than other trees, in fuch a cold night, and the young oaks next; this has been obferved by other people, and 1 have found it to be true, in the years 1749 and 1750. March the nth. OF the genus of Wood-peckers, we find here all thofe, which Catejby in his firft volume of the Natural Hiftory of Carolina, has drawn and de- fcribed. I {hall only enumerate them, and add one or two of their qualities ; but their defcription at large I defer for another oc- cafion. Picus principal i 's9 the King of the Wood- peckers, is found here, though very fel- dom, and only at a certain feafon, F i Picus 86 March 1749. Picus pileatus, the crefled Wood-pecker | this I have already mentioned. Picus auratus, the gold-ringed Wood-- pecker : This fpecies is plentiful here, and the Swedes call it Hittock, and Piut ; both thefe names have a relation to its note ; it is almoft continually on the ground, and is not obferved to pick in the trees ; it lives chiefly on infedts, but fome- times becomes the prey of hawks ; it is commonly very fat, and its flefh is very palatable. As it flays all the year, and pannot eafily get infeds in winter, it rnuft doubtlefs eat fome kinds of grafs or plants in the fields. Its form, and fome of its (qualities, make it refemble a cuckow. Picus CaroUnus, the Carolina Wood-pec- ker. It lives here likewife, and the colour of its head is of a deeper and more fhining j-ed than Catejby has reprefented it, vol, i, p. 19. t. 19. Picus vi/lofus, \hefpotted, hairy, middle -fized, Wood-pecker is abundant here ; it deftroys the apple-trees by pecking holes into them. Picus erythrocephalut) the red- headed Wood- pecker. This bird was frequent in the tountry, and the Swedes called it merely Hackfpicky or Wood pecker. They give the fame name tp all the birds which I |jow enumerate, the gold-winged wood- pecker excepted. This fpecies is deftruc- tivc New Jtrfey, Raccoon. 87 tive to maize-fields and orchards, for it pecks through the ears of maize, and eats apples. In fome years they are very nu- merous, efpecially where fweet apples grow, which they eat fo far, that nothing but the mere peels remain. Some years ago there was a premium of two pence per head, paid from the public funds, in order to extirpate this pernicious bird, but this law has been repealed. They are like- wife very fond of acorns. At the approach of winter they travel to the fouthward. But when they flay in numbers in the woods, at the beginning of winter, the people look upon it as a fign of a pretty mild winter. Picus varius, the leffer, fpotted, yellow-r bellied Wood-pecker. Thefe birds are much more numerous than many people wifhed ; for this, as well as the preceding and fiu> ceeding fpecies, are very hurtful to apple- trees. Picus pubefcens, or the leaft f potted Wood- pecker. This fpecies abounds here. Of all the wood-peckers it is the moft dan- gerous to orchards, becaufe it is the moft daring. As foon as it has pecked a hole into the tree, it makes another clofe to the firfl, in a horizontal direction, pro- ceeding till it has pecked a circle of holes F 4 rou.n4 88 March 1749. round the tree. Therefore the apple-trees in the orchards here have feveral rings round their flems, which lie very clofe above each other, frequently only an inch diftant from each other. Sometimes thefe wood-pec- kers peck the holes fo clofe, that the tree dries up. This bird, as Cate/by remarks, is fo like the lefler fpotted wood-pecker, in regard to its colour and other qualities, that they would be taken for the fame bird, were not the former (the Picus pubefcensj a great deal lefs. They agree in the bad quality, which they both poflefs, of peck- ing holes into the apple-trees. Rana ocellata are a kind of frogs here, which the Swedes call, Sill-hoppet offer, i. e. Herring- hoppers, and which now began to quack in the evening, and at night, in fwamps, pools, and ponds. The name which the Swedes give them is derived from their beginning to make their noife in Ipring, at the fame time when the people here go catching what are called herrings, which however differ greatly from the true Euro- pean herrings. Thelb frogs have a pecu- liar note, which is not like that of our Eu- ropean frogs, but rather correfponds with the chirping of fome large birds, and can nearly be exprefled by flee /. With this jioife they continued throughout a great part New Jerfey, Raccoon. 89 part of fpring, beginning their noife foon after fun-fetting, and finifhing it juft before fun-rifing. The found was (harp, but yet fo loud that it could be heard at a great diftance. When they expefted rain they cried much worfe than commonly, and be- gan in the middle of the day, or when it grew cloudy, and the rain came ufually fix hours after. As it fnowed on the i6th of the next month, atd blew very violently all day, there was not the leaft fign of them at night, and during the whole time that it was cold, and whilft the fnow lay on the fields, the froft had fo filenced them, that we could not hear one ; but as foon as the mild weather returned, they began their noife again. They were very timo- rous, and it was difficult to catch them ; for as foon as a perfbn approached the place where they lived, they are quite filent, and none of them appeared. It feems that they hide themfelves entirely under water, except the tip of the fnout, when they cry. For when I ftepped to the pond where they were in, I could not obferve a fingle one hopping into the wa- ter. I could not fee any of them before I had pmptied a whole pool, where they lodged in. Their colour is a dirty green, variegated with fpots of brown. When they go March 1749. they arc touched they make a noife and moan ; they then fometimes aflame a form, as if they had blown up the hind part of the back, fo that it makes a high eleva- tion ; and then they do not ftir, though touched. When they are put alive into fpirits of wine, they die within a minute. March the I2th. THE bird which the Englifh and Swedes in this country call Robin- red-breaft*, is found here all the year round. It is a very different bird from that which in "England bears the fame name. It is Lannceuss Turdus migratorius. It fings very melodioufly, is not very fhy, but hops on the ground, quite clofe to the houles. THE Hazels (Corylus avellana) were now opening their bloflbms. They fuc- ceeded beft in a rich mould, and the Swedes reckoned it a fign of a good foil where they found them growing. March the i3th. THE alder (Eetula Aims) was juft bloflbming. THE Dracontium foetidum grew plenti- fully in the marmes and began to flower. Among the ftinking plants, this is the moft foetid ; its naufeous fcent was fo ftrong, that I could hardly examine the flower; and 1* Of this bird we have given a figure in plate 3, where likewife the Mocking-bird is reprefented ; both drawn after fpecimens lately brought from America^ and which we were favoured with. F. REDBREASTED THRUSH. New Jerfey, Raccoon. g i $nd when I fmelled a little too long at it, my head ached. The Swedes call it Byorn^ blad (bear's-leaf ) or Byorn-retter (bear's- root.) The Englifo call it Polecat-root, be- caufe its effluvia are as naufeous and foetid, as thofe of the polecat, which I have men- tioned before. The flowers are purple-co- loured; when they are in full flower, the leaves begin to come out of the ground ; in fummer the cattle do not touch it. Dr. Golden told me, that he had employed the root in all cafes where the root of the arum is made ufe of, efpecially againft the fcurvy, &c. The Swedifh name it got, becaufe the bears, when they leave their winter habita- tions, are fond of it in fpring : It is a com- mon plant in all North America. THE Draba mon dim among the Indians. They are called Huckleberries by the Bnglijh here, and belong to feveral fpecies of Facciniumy which are all of them different from our Swedifh Bilberry-bum, though their berries, in re- gard to colour, fhape, and tafte, are fo firmV lar to the Swedifo bilberry, that they are diftinguifhed from each other with diffi- culty. The American ones grow on fhrubs, which are from two to four feet high ; and there are fome fpecies which are above feven feet in height. The Indians formerly pluck- ed them in abundance every year, dried them either in the fun-mine or by the fire- fide, and afterwards prepared them for eat- ing, in different manner?. Thefe huckle- berries are ftill a dainty dim among the In- dians. On my travels through the country of the Iroquefcy they offered me, whenever they defigned to treat me well, frefh maize- bread, baked in an oblong fhape, mixed with dried Huckleberries, which lay as clofe in it as the raifins in a plumb-pudding, 1 flialj G 3 write joi March 1749. write more at large about it in the fequel. The Europeans are likewife ufed to colled: a quantity of thefe berries, to dry them in ovens, to bake them in tarts, and to em- ploy them in feveral other ways. Some preferve them with treacle. They are like- wife eaten raw, either quite alone or with, freih milk. I SHALL, on the 2/th of March,, findoc- cafion to mention another diih, which the Indians ate formerly, and ftill eat, on formal ceremonies. March the i8th. ALMOST during the whole of this fpring, the weather and the winds were always calm in the morning at fun-fifing. At eight o'clock the wind be- gan to blow pretty hard, and continued fo all day, till fun-fetting ; when it ceafed, and all the night was calm. This was the re- gular courfe of the weather ; but fometimes the winds raged, without intermiffion, for two or three days together. At noon it was commonly moft violent. But in the ordinary way, the wind decreafed and in- creafed as follows : At fix in the morning, a calm ; at feven, a very gentle weftern breeze, which grew ftronger at eight; at eleven it was much ftronger ; but at four in the afternoon^ it is no ftronger than it was at Raccoon. 103 at eight o'clock in the morning ; and thus It goes on decreafing till it is quite a calm, juft before fun-fet. The winds this fpring blew generally weft, as appears from the ob- fervations at the end of this volume. I WAS told> that it was a very certain prognoftic of bad weather, that when you lee clouds in the horizon in the fouth-weft, about fun-fetting, and when thofe clouds fink below the horizon, in an hour's time, it will rain the next day, though all the fore- noon be fair and clear. But if fome clouds be feen in the fouth-weft, in the horizon, at fun-fet, and they rife fome time after, you may expect fair weather the next day. March the 2Oth. AN old Swede prog- nofticated a change in the weather, becaufe it was calm to-day ; for when there has been wind for fome days together, and a calm follows, they fay, rain or fnow, or fome other change in the weather, will happen. I was likewife told, that fome people here were of that falfe opinion, that the weather com- monly alters on Friday ; fo that, in cafe it had rained or blown hard all the week, and a change was to happen, it would common- ly fall on Friday. How far the former prognoftic has been true, appears from my own obfervations of the weather, to which I f?efer. G 4 March March 1749. March the 2ift. The red maple (dee? rulrum) and the American elm fVlmus A- mericana) began to flower at prefent 5 and ibme of the latter kind were already in full blofTom. March the 24th. I WALKED pretty far to-day, in order to fee whether I could find any plants in flower. But the cloudy wea- ther,, and the great rains which had lately fallen, had allowed little or nothing to grow up. The leaves now began to grow pretty green. The plants which I have juft before mentioned, were now in full bloflbm. THE noble Liverwort, or Anemone hepa- tica, was now every where in flower. It was abundant ; and the Swedes called it Bla- bhmfter, or Blue-flower. They did not know any ufe of it. NKAR all the corn-fields on which I walked to-day, I did not fee a Tingle ditch, though many of them wanted it. But the people generally followed the Englijh way of making no ditches along the fields, with- out confidering whether the corn-fields want- ed them or not. The confequence was, that the late rain had in many places wafhed away great pieces of the grounds, fown with wheat and rye. There were no ridges left between the fields, except a very narrow one near fence, which was entirely .over-grown • with New ere, "Raccoon. 105 with the Sumach, or Rhtis glabra, and with black-berry bu(hes, fo that there the cattle couid find very little or no food. The corn fields were broad-cajl, or divided into pieces, which were near feventeen feet broad, and feparated from each other only by means of furrows. Thefe pieces were uniform, and not elevated in the mid- dle. MELOE majalis, a fpecies of oil- bee tie, crept about on the hills. PAPILIQ Antwpa, or willow butterfly, flew in the woods to-day, and was the firft butterfly which I faw this year. • PAPILIO Eupbrofyne, or the April but- terfly, was one of the fcarce fpecies. The other American infe I faw the wo- men employed in manufacturing this hemp. They mads ufe neither of fpinning-wheels nor diftaffs, but rolled the filaments upon their bare thighs, and made thread and firings of them, which they dyed red, yel- low, black, &c. and afterwards worked them into ftuffs, with a great deal of ingenuity. The plant is perennial, which renders the annual planting of it altogether unneceffary. Out of the root and ftalk of this plant, when it is frefh, comes a white milky juice, which is fomewhat poifonous. Sometimes the fim- ing tackle of the Indians confifts entirely of this hemp. The Europeans make no ufe of it, that I know of. FLAX and Cat -tail, were names given to a plant which grows in bays, rivers, and in deep whirlpools, and which is known to botanifts by the name of Typha latifolia. Its leaves are here twifted together, and formed into great oblong rings, which are put upon the horfe's neck, between the mane and the collar, in order to prevent the horfe's neck from being hurt by the collar. The bottoms of chairs were fre- quently made of thefe leaves, twifted toge- ther. Formerly the Swedes employed the wool or cotton which furrounds its feeds, and put it into their beds, inftead of fea- thers ; New Jerfey, Raccoon. 133 thers; but as it coalefces into lumps after the beds have been ufed for fome time, they have left off* making ufe of them. I omit the ufe of this plant in phyfic, it being the peculiar province of the phyficians. A SPECIES of Leek*, very like that which appears only in woods on hills in Sweden, grows at prefent on almoft all corn-fields mixed with fand. The Englijh here called it Garlick. On fome fields it grew in great abundance. When the cattle grazed on fuch fields, and ate the garlick, their milk, and the butter which was made of it, tafted fo ftrongly of it, that they werefcarce eatable. Sometimes they fold butter in the Philadel- phia markets, which tafted fo ftrongly of garlick that it was entirely ufelefs. On this account, they do not fufFer milking cows to graze on fields where garlick abounds : this they referve for other fpecies of cattle. When the cattle eat much of this garlick in fummer, their flem has like- wife fuch a ftrong flavour, that it is unfit for eating. This kind of garlick appears early in fpring ; and the horfes always pafled by it, without ever touching it. I 3 It * Alhum arvenfe ; odore gravz, capitulls bulbojis rubenti- bus. See Gronov. Flora Virginicat 37. This Leek feems to be Dr. Linnaeus' s Allium Canadenfe, fcapo nudo terett, foliis line ari bus t capitulo bulbifero* Spec, plant, I. p. 431. F. 134 pr 1749. IT would take too much room in my Journal, and render it too prolix, were I to mark down the time when every wild plant in this country was in bloflbm, when it got ripe feeds, what foil was peculiar to it, befides other circumftances. Some of my readers would be but little amufed with fuch a botanical digreffion. I intendvthere- fore to referve all this for another work, which will give a particular account of all the plants of North America ; and I mall only mention fuch trees and plants here, which deferve to be made known for fome peculiar quality. April the 12th. THIS morning I went to Philadelphia and the places adjacent, in order to know whether there were more plants lately fprung up, than at Raccoon, and in New Jerfey in general. The wet weather which had happened the preceding days, had made the roads very bad in low and Clayey places. THE leaves which dropt laft autumn had covered the ground,, in depth three or four inches. As this feems to hinder the growth of the grafs, it was cuftomary to burn it in March or at the end of that month, (according to the old ftile) in order to give the grafs the liberty of growing up. I found feveral fpots burnt in this manner to-day j Penjylvania, Philadelphia. 135 to-day j but if it be ufeful one way, it does a great deal of damage in another ; all the young moots of feveral trees were burnt with the dead leaves, which diminifhes the woods confiderably ; and in fuch places where the dead leaves had been burnt for feveral years together, the old trees only were left, which being cut down, there remains nothing but a great field, without any wood. At the fame time all forts of trees and plants are confumed by the fire, or at leaft deprived of their power of bud- ding ; a great number of the plants, and moft of the graffes here, are annual ; their feeds fall between the leaves, and by that means are burnt : This is another caufe of univerfal complaint, that grafs is much fcarcer at prefent in the woods than it was formerly ; a great number of dry and hol- low trees are burnt at the fame time, though they could ferve as fewel in the houfes, and by that means fpare part of the forefts. The upper mould likewife burns away in part by that means, not to men- tion feveral other inconveniences with which this burning of the dead leaves is attended. To this purpofe the govern- ment of Penfyhania have lately publimed an edict, which prohibits this burning; jievcrthelefs every one did as he pleafed, I 4 136 and this prohibition met with a genera] cenfure. THERE were vaft numbers of .Woodlice In the woods about this time •, they are a very difagreeable infecl:, for as foon as a perfon fits down on an old ftump of a treel or on a tree which is cut down, or on the ground itfelf, a whole army of Woodlice creep upon his clothes, and infenfibly come upon the naked body. I have given a full account of their bad qualities, and of other circurnftances relating to them, in the Me- moirs of the Swtdifh Royal Academy of Sciences. See the Volume for the year I HAD a piece of petrified wood given me to-day, which was found deep in the ground at Raccoon. In this wood the fibres and inward rings appeared very plainly ; it feemed to be a piece of hiccory; for it was as like it, in every refpect, as if it had but juft been cut from a hiccory-tree. I LIKEWISE got fome ill ells to-day which the Englijh commonly call Clams, and whereof the Indians make their ornaments and money, which I {hall take an oppor- tunity of fpeaking of in the fequel. Thefe Clams were not frefh, but fuch as are every where found in New Jerfey, on digging deep into the ground ; t{ie live fhells of this Newjerfey, Raccoon. 137 this kind are only found in fait water, and on the fea coafts. But thefe Clams were found at Raccoon, about eight or nine £»£/{/£ miles from the river Delaware, and near a hundred from the neareft fea-(hore. At night I went to Mr Bartrams feat. April the I3th. I employed this day in feveral obfervations relative to Botany. Two nefts of wafps hung in a high maple-tree, over a brook. Their form was wholly the fame with that of our wafp- nefts, but they exceeded them in fize. Each neft was ten inches in diameter ; in, each neft were three cakes, above one ano- ther, of which the lowermoft was the big- geft, and the two uppermoft decreafed in proportion : there were fome eggs of wafps in them. The diameter of the loweft cake was about fix inches, and one quarter, and that of the uppermoft, three inches, and three quarters. The cells in which the eggs or the young ones were depolited were hexagonal, and the colour of the neft grey. I was told, that the wafps make this kind of nefts out of the grey fplints, which ftick to old pales and walls. A dark brown bee, with black antenna, and two black rings on the belly, and purple wings, flew about the trees, and might perhaps be an inhabitant of thefe nefts. ANOTHER 138 April 1749. ANOTHER kind of wafps, which are larger than thefe, make their nefls quite open. It confifls merely of one cake, which has no covering, and is made of the. boughs of trees. The cells are horizontal, and when the eggs or the young larvce ly in them, they have lids or coverings, that the rain may not come into them. But whither the old wafps retreat during florms, is a myflery to me, except they creep into the crevices of rocks. That fide of the cake which is uppermoft is covered with fome oily particles, fo that the rain cannot penetrate. The cells are hexagonal, from five to feven lines deep, and two lines in diameter. Mr. Eartram obferved, that thefe nefls are built of two forts of materials, viz. the fplints which are found upon old pales, or fences, and which the wind feparates from them ; for the wafps have often been obferved to fit on fuch old wood, and to gnaw away thefe fplints 5 the fides and the lid or cover of the cells are made of an animal fubflance, or glutinous matter, thrown up by the wafps, or prepared in their mouths -, for when this fubflance is thrown into the fire, it does not burn, but is only finged, like hair or horn. But the bottom of the nefl being put into the fire, burns like li- nen New Jerfey, Raccoon. 139 nen or half-rotten wood, and leaves a itnell of burnt wood. The wafps, whofe nefts I have now defcribed, have three ele- vated black mining points on the fore-* head -f-, and a pentagonal black fpot on the thorax. Towards the end of autumn thefe wafps creep into the cavities of moun- tains, where they ly torpid during winter. In ipring, when the fun begins to ope- rate, they come out during day-time, but return towards night, when it grows cold. I faw them early in ipring during funfhine, in and about fome cavities in the mountains. I was told of another fpecies of wafps, which make their nefts under ground. GYRINUS natator ( Americanus ) , or the Whirl-beetles. Thefe were found dancing in great numbers on the furface of the wa- ters. April the I4th. THIS morning I went down to Ghefter : in feveral places on the road are faw-mills, but thofe which I faw to-day had no more than one faw. I like- wife f Thefe three points ar.e common to moft infe&s, and ought therefore not to be made characleriftics of any par- ticular fpecies. They are called Stemmata, and are a kind of eyes which ferve the infects for looking at diftant obje&s, as the compound eyes do for obgecls near at tend. F, 140 April 1749. wife perceived that the woods and forefls of thefe parts had been very roughly treated. It is cuftomary here, when they ereft faw- mills, wind-mills, or iron works, to lead the water a good way lower, in cafe the ground near a fall in the river is not con- venient for building upon. April the i6th. THIS morning I re- turned to Raccoon. This country has fe- veral kinds of fwallows, viz. fuch as live in barns, in chimneys, and underground; there are likewife martens. The Earn Swallows, or Houfe Swallows are thofe with a furcated tail. They are Xttffi&tis's Hirundo rujlica. I found them in all the parts of North America which I travelled over. They correfpond very near- ly to the European Houfe Swallow in re- gard to their colour, however there feems to be a fmall difference in the note. I took no notice this year when they arrived : but the following year, 1750, I obferved them for the firft time on the loth of .April (new ftyle) ; the next day in the morning, I faw great numbers of them fitting on pofts and planks, and they were as wet as if they had been juft come out of the fea*. They build * It has been a fubjeft of conteil among naturalifts, to Determine the winter-retreat of Swal/ows. Some think, they New Jerfey, Raccoon. 141 build their nefts in houfes, and under the roofs ,on the outfide ; I likewife found their nefts they go to warmer climates when they difappear in the Northern countries : others fay, they creep into hollow trees, and holes in clefts of rocks, and ly there all the win- ter in a torpid ftate : and others affirm, that they take their retreat into water, and revive again in fpring. The two firft opinions have been proved, and it feems have found credit ; the laft has been treated as ridiculous, and almoft as an old woman's tale. Natural hiftory, as all the other hiftories, depends not always upon the intrinfic degree of probability, but upon fails founded on the teftimony of people of noted veracity. Swallows are feldom ieen finking down into the water, Swallows have not fuch organs as frogs or lizards, which are torpid during winter, ergo, $fwalki#s live not, and cannot live, under water. — This way of arguing, I believe, would carry us, in a great many cafes, too far ; for tho' it is not clear to every one, it may however be true : and lizards and frogs are animals of a clafs widely different from that of birds, and muft therefore of courfe have a different ftrufture ; hence it is they are clafled feparately. Ths bear and the marmot are in winter in a torpid ftate, and have however not fuch organs as lizards and frogs ; and no body doubts of their being, during fome time, in the mod rigid climates in a torpid ftate : for the Alpine Na- t'ons hunt the marmots frequently, by digging their holes up, and find them fo torpid, that they cut their throats, without their reviving or giving the leaft fign of life during the operation ; but when the torpid marmot is brought into a warm room and placed before the fire, it revives from its lethargy. The queftion muft therefore b'e decided by fads; nor are they wanting here : Dr. Wallenm, the celebrated Swedijb Chemift, wrote in 1748, September the 6th O. S. to the late Mr. Kletn, Secretary of the City of Dantxick*. *' That he has feen more than once Swallows aflembling on a reed, till they were all immerfed and went to the bot- tom ; this being preceded by adirge.ofa quarter of an hour's length. He attefts likewife, that he had feen a caught during winter out of a lake with a net, draws, nefts built on mountains arid rocks whofb top projected beyond the bottom ; they build drawn, as is common in Northern countries, under the ice : this bird was brought into a warm room, revived, fluttered about, and foon after died." Mr. Klein applied to many Fermiers gene raux of the King of Pru/fia's domains, who had great lakes in tKeir diftricls, the fiftiery in them being apart of the revenue; in winter the fifhery thereon is the moil confiderable under the ice, with nets fpreading more than 200 or 300 fathoms, and they are often wound by fcrews and engines, on ac- count of their weight. All the people questioned made affidavits upon oath before the magiftratcs. Firft, The mother of the Countefs Lebndorf fa:d, that fhe had feen a bundle of Swallows brought from the Trljb H#f (a. lake; communicating with the Baltic at Pillau] which when brought into a moderately warm room, revived and flut- tered about. Secondly, Count Scbliebsn gave an inftrument on damped paper, importing, that by fifhing on the lake belonging to his eftate of Gerdamn in winter, he faw feve- ral Swat/onus caught in the net, one of which he took up with his himd, brought it into a warm room, where it lay about an ho,ur, when it began to ftir, and half an hour after it flew about in the room, thirdly , Fermier general (AmtmaK] Witkcnujki made affidavit, that in the year 1740, three Swallows were brought up with the net in the great pond at Didlacken ; in the year 1741, he got two Swal- lows from another part of the pond, and took them home, (they all being caught in his prefence); after an hour's fpace they revived all in a warm room, fluttered about, and died three hours after. 4/£/y, Amtman Ronkc fays, that having had the eftate Klejkow in farm, he had feen nine Swal- lows brought up in the net from under the ice, all which he took into a warm room, where he diittnclly obferved how the/ gradually revived ; but a few hours after they all died. Another time his people got like wife fome Swallows in a net, but he ordered them again to be thrown into the •water, ybly, Andrew Rutta, a mailer fifherman, at Qlet- Jko> made affidavit, 1747, that 22 years ago, two S New Jerfey, Raccoon* 143 build too under thev corners of perpendi- cular rocks 5 and this fhews where the Swallows were takea up, by him, in ^ net, under the ice, and being brought into a warm rponi, the/ flew about. 6thly> "Jacob Kojiulo, a matter fimer'Xian, at Stradauen, made am* davit, that in 1736, he brought up in winter, in a net, from under the ice of the lake at Rajki, a feemrngly dead Swallow, which revived/in half an hour's time, in aAvarm room, and he faw, a Quarter of an hour after, the bird grow weaker, and foo^ after dying, "jtkly, I can reckon myfelf among the eye-witnefies of this paradoxtn of natu- ral hiilory. In the year 1735, being a little boy, I faw feveral Swallows brought in winter by fifheroien, from the river Viftula, to my 'father's houfe, where two of them were brought into a warm room, revived, and flew about. I faw them feveral ti/nes fettling on the warm ftove, (which the Northern nation? have in their rooms) and I recollect well that the fam6 forenoon they died, and I had them, when dead, in my hand. In the year 17^4, after the death of my uncle Godefroy Wdf, captain in the Polijh regiment of foot guards ; being myfelf one of his heirs, I adminiftered for my co-heirs. feveral eftates called the Starcftyy of Dirfcbau, in Polijh Prujfia^ which my late uncle farmed under the king. In January the lake of Lybfiau, belonging to thefe eftates, being covered with ice, I ordered the filhermen to fifh therein, and in my prefence feveral Swallows were taken ; which the fiihermen threw in again ; but one I took up myfelf, brought it home, which was five miles from thence, and it revived, but which is equal to that of tfie Lime-tree bark. The EngliJI} and the Dutch in many parts of North America, and the French in Canada* employ this bark in all cafes, where New Jerfey, Raccoon. 149 where we make ufe »of Lime- free bark in Europe. The tree itfelf is very tough, and you cannot eaiily feparate its branches with- out the help of a knife : fome people em- ploy the twigs for rods. April the 2cth. THIS day I found the Strawberries in flower, for the firft time, this year : the fruit is commonly larger than that in Sweden; but it feems to be Jefs fweet and agreeable. The annual harveft, I am told, is al- ways of fuch a nature, that it affords plenty of bread for the inhabitants, though it turns out to greater advantage in fome years than it does in others. A venerable feptuagenary Swede, called Aoke Helm, af- fured me, that in his time no abfolutely bar- ren crop had been met with, but that the people had always had pretty plentiful crops. It is like wife to be obferved, that the people eat their bread of maize, rye, or wheat, quite pure and free from the in- ferior kinds of corn, and clear of hufks, ftalks, or other impurities. Many aged Swedes and EngHJhmen confirmed this "ac- count, and faid, that they could not re- member any crop fo bad as to make the people fuffer in the leaft, much lefs that any body was ftarved to death, whilft they were in America. Sometirries the price of K 3 150 April 1749. corn rofe higher in one year than in ano- ther, on account of a great drought or bad weather, but ftill there was always corn fufficient for the confumption of the inhabitants. Nor is it likely that any great famine can happen in this country, unlefs it pleafe God to afflict it with extraorT fdinary punifhments. The weather is well known, from more than fixty years experi- ence. Here are no cold nights which hurt the germ. The wet is of fhort continuance, and the drought is feldom or never of long duration. But the chief thing is the great variety of corn. The people fow the dif- ferent kinds, at different times andfeafons, and though one crop turn out bad, yet another fucceeds. The fummer is fo long, that of fome fpecies of corn they may get three crops. There is hardly a month from May to October or November, inclu- five, in which the people do not reap fome kind of corn, or gather forne fort of fruit. It would indeed be a very great misfortune if a bad crop (bould happen ; for here, as in many other places, they lay up no ftores, and are contented that there is plenty of food for the "prefent exigencies. THE Peach-trees were now every where in bloffom; their leaves were not yet come out of the buds, and therefore the flowery Newjerjey, Raccoon. 151 flowers fhewed to greater advantage ; their beautiful pale red colour had a very fine ef- fec~t j and they fat fo clofe that the branches were entirely clad with them. The other fruit-trees were not yet in flower •> however the apple-bloffoms began to appear. THE Englifo and the Swedes of America give the name of Currants -j- to a ihrub which grows in wet ground, arid near fwamps, and which was now in bloflbm; its flowers are white, have a very agreeable fragrancy, and grow in oblong bunches ; the fruit is very good eating, when it is ripe; the Jlyle (Sty 1m J is thread- fhaped (filiformis), and morter than the Stamina ; it is divided in the middle, into five parts, or Stigmata. Dr. Linnteus calls it Cra- tcegus *, and Dr, Gronovius calls it a Mef- pilus J. April the 22d. THE Swedes give the name of Whipperiwill, and the Englifh that of Whip-poor-will, to a kind of noclurnal bird, whofe voice is heard in North Ame~ rica, almoft throughout the whole night. Catejby and Edwards both have defcribed K 4 and f It muft be carefully diftinguiflied from what is called Currants, in England, which is the Rites rubrum. F. * Crat/fgus tomentofa, Linn. Spec. PI. p. 682. J Mffpilus inermis, foliis o Ratcitori. i6i 1 believe* exifts likewife among the other1 Ipecies of hiccory. THE Virginian Cherry-tree grows here and there, in the woods and glades : its leaves were already pretty large ; but the flowers were not yet entirely open. THE Sajjafras-tree 'was now every where in flower ; but its leaves were not yet quite difclofed. THE Liquidambar Styraciflua or Sweet Gum-tree, grows in the woods, efpecially iri wet foil, iri and near purling rivulets : its leaves were now already fprouting out at its fummit. This tree grows to a great thicrk- nefs, and its height rivals that of the talleft firs and oaks ; as it grows higher, the lower branches die and drop, and leave the ftem at laft quite fmooth and ftrait, with a great crown at the very furrimit ; the feeds are contained in round, dentated cones* which drop in autumn ; and as the tree is very tall, fo the high winds carry the feeds away to a great diftance. I have already given an account of the u(e of this tree in the firft volume, to which I muft add the following account. THE Wood Can be made very fmooth, becaufe its veins are extremely fine : but it is not hard ; you can carve letters on it with a knife, which will feem to b£ en* VOL. II. L graved* 1 62 May 1749* graved. Mr. Lewis Evans told me, from his own experience, that no wood in this country was more fit for making moulds for cafling brafs in, than this. I enquired of Mr. Bartram, " Whether he had found the rofin on this tree, which is fo much praifed in phyfic." He told me, " That a very odoriferous rofin always flows out of any cut or wound, which is made in the tree ; but ''that the quantity here was too inconfiderable to recompenfe the labour of colle&ing it." This odoriferous rofin or gum firft gave rile to the Englijh name. The further you go to the South, the greater quantity of gum does the tree yield, fo that it is eafy to collect it. Mr. Bartram was of opinion, that this tree was properly calculated for the climate of Caro- lina^ and that it was brought by feveral ways fo far North as New York. In the fouthern countries the heat of the Sun fills the tree with gum, but in the northern ones it does not. May the 2d. THIS morning I travelled down to Salem, in order to fee the coun- try. THE Saffafras-tree flood fingle in the woods, and along the fences, round the fields : it was now diftinguifhable at a dif- tance for its fine flowers,, which being now quite Newjerjef, Saltm. 163 quite open, made it look quite yellow. The leaves were not yet come out. IN fome meadows the grafs was already grown up pretty high : bat it is to be ob- ferved, that thefe meadows were marfhy, and that no cattle had been ©n them this year. Thefe meadows are mown twice a year, viz. in May, and the end of Aug^H9 or beginning of Auguft, did ftyle^ I law fome meadows of this kind to-day, in which I faw grafs which was now alrnoft fit to be mown ; and many meadows in Sweden have not fuch grafs at the proper time of mowing, as thefe had now -, thefe meadows lay in marfhes and vallies, where the Sun had very great power : the grafs confifted merely of Cyperus-grafs or Carex. THE wild Prune-trees were now every Where in flower; they grow here and there in the woods, but commonly near marfhes and in Wet ground ; they are diftingui(hable by their white flowers : the fruit when, ripe is eatable. THE Cor mi s Florida, or Dogwood* grows in the forefts, on hills, on plains, in val-: lies, in marfhes, and near rivulets. I can- not therefore fay, which is its native foil •$ however, it feems that in a low but not a Wet foil it fucceeds beft j it was now adorned with- its great fnowy Involucra, L 2 which 164 May 1749. which render it confpicuous even at a dif- tance. At this time it is a pleafure to tra- vel through the woods, fo much are they beautified by the bloffbms of this tree. The flowers which are within the Invo/ucra be- gan to open to-day. The tree does hot grow to any confiderable height or thicknefs, but is about the fize of our Mountain sljh fSor- biis aitcuparia). There are three fpecies of this tree in the woods ; one with great white Involucra, another with fmall white ones, and a third with reddifh ones. THE woods were now full of birds : I faw the leffer fpecies every where hopping on the ground, or creeping in buihes, without any great degree of fhinefs ; it is therefore very eafy for all kinds of fnakes to approach and bite them. I believe that the rattlefnake has nothing to do but to ly ftill, and without waiting long, fome little bird or other will pafs by or run directly upon her, giving her an opportunity of catching it, without any enchantment. SALEM is a little trading town, fituated at fome diftance from the river Delaware. The houfes do not fland far afunder, and are partly ftone/ and partly wood. A rivu- let paffes by the town, and falls into the Delaware. The inhabitants live by their feveral trades, as well as they can. In the neigh* New yerjey, Salem. 165 neighbourhood of Salem are fome very low and fwampy meadows ; and therefore it is reckoned a very unwholefome place. Ex- perience has (hewn, that thofe who came hither from other places to fettle, got a very pale and fickly look, though they ar- rived in perfect health, and with a very live- ly colour. The town is very eafily diftin- guifhed about this time, by the difagreeable ftench which arifes from the fwamps. The vapours of the putrid water are carried to thofe inhabitants which live next to the marfhes ;' and enter the body along with the air, and through the pores, and thus are hurt- ful to health. At the end of every fum- mer, the intermitting fevers are very fre- quent. I knew a young couple, who came along with me from England to America : foon after their arrival at Philadelphia, they went to Salem, in perfect health ; but a few weeks after they fell fick, and before the winter was half over they were both dead. MANY of the inhabitants plant Saffron; but it is not fo good and fo ftrong as the Englifo and French Saffron. Perhaps it grows better by being laid up for fome years, as tobacco does. THE Goffypium her baceum,or Cotton plant, is an annual plant; and feveral of the in- Jiabitants of Salem had began to fow it. L 3 Some 166 May 1749. Some had the feeds from Carolina, where they have great plantations of cotton ; but pthers gojt it out of fome cotton which they had bought. They faid, it was difficult, at ifirfr, to get ripe feeds from the plants which were fown here ; for the fummer in Caro- line * from whence their firfl feed came, is both longer and hotter than it is here. But after the plants have been more ufed to the climate, and haftened more than they were formerly, the feeds are ripe in due time. AT night I returned to Raccoon. May the 4th. CRAB-TREES are a fpecies of wild apple trees, which grow in the woods and glades, but efpecially on little hillocks, near rivers *. In New Jerfey the m 's rather fcarce ; but in Penfyhcinia it is p' fiitiful. Some people had planted a fingk t.tee of this kind near their farms, on account of the fine fm ells which its flowers afford. It had begun to open fome of its flowers about a day or two ago; however, moft of them were not yet open. They exactly like the bloflb.ms of the corn- , . ople-tree.s, except that the colour is a little more rc-ddifh in the Crab-trees •, though fome kinds of the cultivated trees have flowers * Pyrys ccroKariet. Linn. Sp. Plant, p. Malm Jylrvtfi Qroiiov, Fl, Yirginica. 55. New Jerfey, Raccoon. 167 flowers which are very near as red : but the fmell diftinguifhes them plainly ; for the wild trees have a very pleafant fmell, fomewhat like the rafp-berry. The apples, or crabs, are fmall, four, and unfit for any thing, but to make vinegar of. They ly under the trees all the winter, and acquire a yellow colour. They feldom begin to rot before fpring comes on. I CANNOT omit an obfervation here. The Crab-trees opened their flowers only yefterday and to-day ; whereas, the culti- vated apple-trees, which are brought from Europe* had already loft their flowers. The wild cherry-trees did not flower before the 1 2th of May ; on the other hand, the culti- vated or European ones, had already opened their bloffoms on the 24th of April. The black walnut-trees of this country had nei- ther leaves nor flowers, when the European kind has large leaves and bloffoms. From hence it appears, that trees brought overfrom Europe, of the fame kind with the wild trees of America? flower much fooner than the latter. I cannot fay what is the reafon of this forwardnefs of the European trees in this country, unlefs they bring forth their bloffoms as foon as they get a certain degree of warmth, which they have in their native country. It feems, the Eu- L 4 rofean i6;8 May 1749. ropean trees do not expe<3, after a confide^- rable degree of warmth, any fuch co!4 nights as will kill their flowers ; for, in the cold countries, there feldom happen any ho,t days fucceeded by fuch cold nights as will hurt the flowers confiderably. On the contrary, the wild trees in this country are directed by experience, (if I may fo fpeak) not to truft to the firfl warmth ; but they "wait for a greater heat, when they are already fafe from cold nights. Therefore, it happens often, that t;he flowers of the European trees are killed by the frofts here ; but the native trees are feldom hurt, though they be of the fame kipd with the European ones. This is a manifest propf of the wif- dom qf the Creator. May the 5th. EARJ.Y this morning I went to Rapaapo, which is a great village, whofe farms ly all fcattered. It was inhabited merely by Swedes, arid not a fingle Englifh- many or people of any other nation, lived in it : therefore they have preferred their na- tive Sivedifo tongue, ancl mjxed but few Englijh words with it. The intention of my journey v/as partly to fee the place, and to collect plants and other natural curiofi- ties there ; and partly to find the places where the Wbtte Cedar, or Cftpreffits thyoides, grows. 5 New yerfey, Rapaapo. 169 THE Mayflowers, as the Swedes call them, were plentiful in the woods where-ever I went to-day ; efpecially on a dry foil, or one that is fomewhat moift. The Swedes have given them this name, becaufe they are in full bloffom in May. Some of the Swedes and the Dutch call them Pinxter- bloem, (Whitfunday flowers), as they really are in bloffom about Whitfuntide. The Englifh call them Wild Honeyfuckles ; and at a diftance they have fome fimilarity to the Honeyfuckle, or Lonlcera. Dr. Linn*us, and other botanifts, call it an Azalea*. Its flowers were now open, and added a new ornament to the woods, being little inferior to the flowers of the honeyfuckle and Hedyfarum. They fit in a circle round the ftem's ex- tremity, and have either a dark red or a lively red colour ; but, by {landing for fome time, the fun bleaches them, and at lafl they get a whitifh hue. I know not why Golden calls them yellow ~j-. The height of the bum is not always alike. Some were as tall as a full grown man, and taller, others were but low, and fome were not above a palm from the ground $ yet they were * Azalea nudiflora. Linn. Spec. Plant, p. 214. Aza- lea ram is infraflores nudis. Gron. Yirg. 21. f Axalea erefta, foliis ovatis, integrh, alternis^ fort Iutto3 fiIofo,j>r#cQci> Cold, Ebor, 25, 170 May 1749. were all full of flowers. The people have not yet found that this plant may be applied to any ufe ; they only gather the flowers, and put them in pots, becaufe they are very fhewy. They have fome fmell ; but I cannot fay it is very pleafant. How- ever, the beauty of the colour entitles them to a place in every flower-garden. TO-DAY I faw the firft ear of this year's rye. In Sweden, rye begins to fhew its ears about Ericmas, that is, about the i8th of May, old ftue*. But in New Sweden, the people faid, they always faw the ears of rye in Slpril, old ftile ; whether the fpring be- gins late or early. However, in fome years the ears come early, and in others late, in JlpriL This fpring was reckoned one of the late ones. BULLFROGS -j- are a large fpecies of frogs, which I had an opportunity of hear- ing and feeing to-day. As I was riding out, I heard a roaring before me; and I thought it was a bull in the bufhes, on the other fide of the dyke, though the found was rather more hoarfe than that of a bull. I was however afraid, that a bad goring bull might be near me, though I did not fee him j * Accordingly about the 2pth of May, new llile. f Rana boans. Linn. SyA. 1. p. 358. Rana maxima^ dmricana, aquatica, Catefb, Carol. 11.72. New Jerfey, Rapaapo* 171 him ; and I continued to think fo till fome hours after, when I talked with fome Swedes about the Bui/frogs, and, by their account, J immediately found that I had heard their voice ; for the Swedes told me, that there were numbers of them in the dyke, I af- terwards hunted for them. Of all the frogs in this country, this is doubtlefs the great- eft. I am told, that towards autumn, as foon as the air begins to grow a little cool, they hide themfelves under the mud, which lies at the bottom of ponds and ftagnant waters, and ly there torpid during winter. As foon as the weather grows mild, towards fummer, they begin to get out of their holes, and croak. If the fpring, that is, if the mild weather, begins early, they appear about the end of March, old ftile ; but if it happens late, they tarry under wa- ter till late in April. Their places of abode are po ads, and bogs with ftagnant water ; they are never in any flowing water. When many of them croak together, they make an enormous noife. Their croak exactly refembles the roaring of an ox or bull, which is fome what hoarie. They croak fo loud, that two people talking by the fide of a pond cannot underftand each other. They croak all together; then ftop a little, and fcegin again. It feems as if they had a cap- tain May 1749. tain among them : for when he begins to croak, all the others follow; and when he flops, the others are all filent. When this captain gives the fignal for flopping, you hear a note like poop coming from him. In day-time they feldom make any great noife, unlefs the fky is covered. But the night is their croaking time ; and, when all is calm, you may hear them, though you are near a mile and a half off. When they croak, they commonly are near the furface of the water, under the bufhes, and have their heads out of the water. Therefore, by going flowly, one may get clofe up to them before they go away. As foon as they are quite under water, they think themf^lves fafe, though the water be very fh allow. SOMETIMES they fit at a good diftance from the pond ; but as foon as they fufpecl: any danger, they haften with great leaps into the water. They are very expert at hopping. A full-grown Bullfrog takes near three yards at one hop. I have often been told the following flory by the old Swedes^ which happened here, at the time when the Indians lived with the Swedes. It is well known, that the Indians are excellent run- ners ; I have feen them, at Governor Jobn- Jtiis, equal the b.eft horfe, in its fwifteft courfe3 New Jcrfey, Rapaapo. courfe, and alnioft pafs by it. Therefore,, in order to try how well the bull-frogs could leap, fome of the Swedes laid a wager with a young Indian, that he could not overtake the frog, provided it had two leaps before hand. They carried a bull-frog, which they had caught in a pond, upon a field, and burnt his back-fide; the fire, and the Indian, who endeavoured to be clofely up with the frog, had fuch an effecT: upon, the animal, that it made its long hops acrofs the field, as faft as it could. The In- dian began to purfue the frog with all his might at the proper time : the noife he made in running frightened the poor frog ; probably it was afraid of being tortured with fire again, and therefore it redoubled its leaps, and by that means it reached the pond before the Indian could over- take it. IN fome years they are more numerous than in others : nobody could tell, whether the fnakes had ever ventured to eat them, though they eat all theleffer kinds of frogs. The women are no friends to thefe frogs, becaufe they kill and eat young ducklings and goflings ; fometimes they carry off chickens that come too near the ponds. I have not obferved that they bite when they are held in the hands, though they have little teeth ; when they are beaten, they cry out 174 May 1749. outalmoft like children. I was told that fome eat the thighs of the hind legs, and that they are very palatable. A TREE which grows in the fwamps here, and in other parts of Amirica, goes by the name of White Juniper-trfe. Its item indeed looks like one of our old tall and iirait juniper-trees in Sweden : but the leaves are different, and the wood is white. The Englijh call it White Cedar, becaufe the boards which are made of the wood, are like thofe made of cedar. But neither of thefe names are juft, for the tree is of the cyprefs kind *. It always grows in wet ground or fwamps : it is therefore difficult to come to them, becaufe the ground between the little hillocks is full of water. The trees ftand both on the hillocks and in the water : they grow very clofe together, and have ftrait, thick, and tall items ; but they were greatly reduced in number to what they have been before. In fuch places where they are left to grow up, they grow as tall and as thick as the talleit fir-trees ; they preferve their green leaves both in winter and fummer; the tall ones have no bran- ches on the lower part of the item. THE marihes where thefe trees grow are called Cedar Swamps. Thefe cedar fwafnps are * CupreJ/ur tbyoieles. Linn. Spec.pl p. 1412. CyprefTws Americana, fru&u minimo. Miller's Card. Di&ionary. New J&rfeyt Rapaapo. 175 re numerous in New Jerfey, and likewife i fome parts of Penfyfoania and New Tork. 7he mod northerly place, where it has een hitherto found, is near Gofhen in New ~ork> under forty-one degrees and twenty- ve minutes of north latitude, as I am in - Drmed by Dr. Golden. For to the North of loflen, it has not been found in the woods. ^he white cedar is one of the trees, which efift the mod to putrefaction ; and when it ; put above ground, it will laft longer than inder ground : therefore it is employed for nany purpofes ; it makes good fences, and >ofts which are to be put into the ground ; nit in this point, the red cedar is ftill pre- erable to the white; it likewife makes ;ood canoes. The young trees are em- doyedfor hoops round barrel^, tuns, &c. >ecaufe they are thin and pliable; the hick and tall trees afford timber, and wood or cooper's work. The houfds which are >uilt of it, furpafs in duration, thofe which ire built of American oak. Many of the loufes in Rapaapo were made of this white :edar wood ; but the chief thing which the srhite cedar affords is the befl kind of Ihin* ;les. The white cedar fhingles are pre- erred to all others for feveral reafons ; irft, they are more durable than any others, nade of American wood, the red cedar min- gles ij6 May 1749. gles excepted ; fecondly, they are very ligfefc fo that no ftrong beams are requifite to fttp^8 port the roof. For the fame reafon it is im- neceflary to build thick walls, becaufe they are not preffed by heavy roofs. When fires break out, it is lefs dangerous to go under or along the roofs, becaufethe fhingles being very light can do little hurt by falling ; they fuck the water, being fomewhat fpungy, fo that the1 roofs can eafily be wetted in cafe of a fire : however, their fatnefsoccafions that the water does not hurt them, but evaporates eafily* When they burn and are carried about by the wind, they have commonly what is called a dead coal, which does not eafily fet fire where it alights. The roofs made of thefe fhingles can eafily be cut through, if re- quired, becaufe they are thin, and not very hard; for thefe qualities the people in the country, and in the towns, are very defirous- of having their houfes covered with white; cedar fhingles, if the wood can be gorv Therefore all churches, and the houfes of the more fubftantial inhabitants of the1 towns, have fhingle roofs. In many parts of New York province, where the white cedar does not grow, the people, however, have their houfes roofed with cedar fhingles, which they get from other parts. To that purpofe great quantities of fhingles are annually ex-ported from Eggbarbour and other ! Jerfey, "Rapaapo. \)y other parts of New Jerfey, to the town of tiew Tork, from whence they are diftri- buted throughout the province. A quantity of white cedar wood is likewife exported every year to the Weft-Indies* for fhingles, pipe fiaves, &c. Thus the inhabitants are very bufy here, not only to leflen the num- ber of thele trees, but even to extirpate them entirely. They are here (and in many other places) in regard to wood, bent only upon their own prefent advantage* utterly regardlefs of poflerity. By this means many cedar fwamps are already quite deftitute of cedars, having only young fhoots left ; and I plainly ohferved, by- counting the circles round the ftem, that they do not grow up very quickly, but re- quire a great deal of time before they can be cut for timber. It is well known that a tree gets only one circle every year ; a ftem, eighteen inches in diameter, had one hun- dred and eight circles round the thicker end -y another, feventeen inches in diametet, had a hundred and fixteen ; and another, two feet in diameter, had one hundred and forty-two circles upon it. Thus near eighty years growth is required, before a white cedar raifed from feed can be ufed for timber. Among the advantages which the white cedar mingles have over others, the VOL. II. M people 178 May 1749. people reckon their lightnefs. But this good and ufeful quality may in future times turn out very difadvantageous to Phi- ladelphia, and other places where the houfes are roofed with cedar {hingles ; for as the roofs made of thefe fhingles are veiy light, and bear but a trifling weight on the walls, fo the people have made the walls but very thin. I meafuped the thicknefs of the walls of feveral houfes here, of three (lories high (cellar and garret not included), and found moft of them nine inches and a half, and fome ten inches thick ; therefore it is by no means furpriling, that violent hurricanes fometiines make the brick gable-ends to vi- brate apparently, efpecially on fuch houfes as have a very open fituation. And fince the cedar- trees will foon be wanting in this country, and the prefent roofs when rotten muft be fupplied with heavier ones, of tiles, or of other wood, it is more than pro- bable, that the thin walls will not be able to bear fuch an additional weight, and will either break, or require to be fupported by props : or elfe the whole houfe muft be pulled down and rebuilt with thicker walls. This obfervation has already been made by others. Some of the people here make ufe of the chips of white cedar inftead of tea, alluring me that they preferred it in regard New yerfiy* Rapaapo* 179 regard to its'wholefpmenefs to all foreign tea. All the inhabitants here were of opinion, that the water in the cedar fwamps is wholefomer than any other drink: it creates a great appetite, which they endeavoured to prove by feveral examples. They afcribed this quality to the water itfelf, which is filled with the rofm of the trees, and to the ex- halations which came from the trees, and can eafily be fmelled. The people like wife thought that the yellowifh colour of the water, which ftands between the cedar trees, was owing to the rolin, which conies out of the roots of thefe trees. They like- wife all agreed, that this water is always very cold in the hotteft feafon, which may be partly owing to the continual made it is in. I knew feveral people who were re- folved to go to thefe cedar fwamps, and ufe the waters for the recovery of tneir ap- petite. Mr. Bartram planted a wrhite cedar in a dry foil, but it could not fucceed there : he then put it into a fwampy ground, where it got as it were new life, and came on very well ; and though it was not taller than a man, yet it was full of cones. Another thing is very remarkable, with regard to the propagation of this tree: Mr. Bariravi cut its branches in fpring two years fuccef- fively, and put them into the fwampy foil, M 2 where May 1749. where they ftruck roots, and fucceeded very WelL I have feen them myfelf. THE red juniper-tree is another tree which I have mentioned very frequently in the courfe of my account. The Swedes have given it the name of red Juniper, be- caufe the wood is very red and fine within. The Englifh call it red Cedar, and the French Cedre rouge. However, the SweJi/b name is the moft proper, as the tree be- longs, to the Junipers*. At its firft growth it has a deal of fimilarity to the S and faid that jhofe which never bore any fruit were pialee, and thofe which did, females, SMILAX frewjerfey, Raccoon. 18$ SMI LAX laurifotia was fuperabundant in all the fwamps near this place. Its leaves were now beginning to come out, for it fheds them all every winter; it climbs up along trees and flirubs, and runs a,crofs from one tree or bum to another : by •this means it (huts up the paflage between the trees, fattening itielf every where with its cirrhi or tendrils, and even on people, fo that it is with the utmoft difficulty one mufl force a paflage in the fwamps and woods, v here it is plentiful ; the ftaik to- wards the bottom is full of long fpines, which are as ftrong as the fpines of a rofe- bufh, and catch hold of the clothes, and tear them : this troublefome plant may fometimes bring you into imminent danger, when botanizing or going into the woods, for, not to mention that the cloaths muft be abfolutely ruined by its numberlefs fpines, it occafions a deep (hade in the woods, by croffing from tree to tree fo often; this forces you to , ftoop, and even to creep on all fours through the little paflages which are left clofe to the ground, and then you cannot be careful enough to pre- vent a fnake (of which there are numbers here) from darting into your face. The ftalk of the plant has the fame colour as fhe young rofe-buihes. It is quite green and 1 86 May 1749. and fmooth between the {pines, fb that a ftranger would take it to be a kind of thorn-bum, in winter, when it is deftitute of leaves. May the 8th. THE trees hereabouts were now flocked with innumerable Cater- pillars i one kind efpecially was obfervable, which is worfe than all the others. They im- mediately formed great white webs, between the branches of the trees, fo that they were perceptible, even at a diftance ; in each of thefe webs were thoufands of Caterpillars, which crept out -of them afterwards, and fpread chiefly upon the apple-trees. They confumed the leaves, and often left not one on a whole branch. I was told, that fome years ago they did fo much damage, that the apple-trees and peach-trees hardly bore any fruit at all ; becaufe they had confumed all the leaves, and expofed the naked trees to the intenfe heat of the fun, by which means feveral of the trees died. The people took the following method of killing thefe Caterpillars : They fixed fome ftraw or flax on a pole, fet it on fire, and held it under the webs or nefls ; by which a part was burnt, and a part fell to the ground. However, numbers of the Caterpillarscrz^t up the trees again, which could have been prevented, if they had been trod, i Newjerfey, Raccoon. 187 trod upon, or killed any other way. I call- ed chi:kens to fuch places where they crept on the ground in numbers ; but they would not eat them. Nor did the wild birds like them ; for the trees were full of thefe webs, though whole flights of little birds had their nefts in the gardens and orchards. May the i8th. THOUGH it was already pretty late in May, yet the nights were very dark here. About an hour after fun~fet, it was fo dark, that it was impoffible to read in a book, though the type was ever fo large. About ten o'clock, on a clear night, the dark was fo much increafed, that it looked like one of the darkeft ftar-light nights in autumn, in Sweden. It likewiie feemed to me, that though the nights were clear, yet the flars did not give fo great a light as they do in Sweden. And as, about this time, the nights are commonly dark, and the fky covered with clouds ; fo I would compare them only to dark and cloudy Swedijh winter nights. It was therefore, at this time of the year, very difficult to travel in fuch cloudy nights ; for neither man nor horfe could find their way. The nights, in general, feem very difagreeable to me, in comparifon to the light and glo- rious fummer nights of Sweden. Igno- f ance fometimes makes us think flightly of our l88 May 1749. our country. If other countries have their advantages, Sweden is not destitute of mat- ter to boaft of on this head : it likewife has its peculiar advantages ; and upon weighing the advantages and inconveniencies of dif- ferent places, Sweden will be found to be not inferior to any of them. I WILL briefly mention in what points I think Sweden is preferable to this part of America ; and why I prefer Old Sweden to New Sweden. THE nights are very dark here all the funimer; and in winter, they are quite as dark, if not darker, than the winter nights in Sweden ; for here is no kind of Aurora Borealis, and the fiars give a very faint light. It is very remarkable if an Aurora Eorealis appears once or twice a year. The winters here bring no fnow, to make the nights clear, and to make travelling more fafe and cafy. The cold is, however, frequently as intenfe as in Old Sweden. The fnow which falls lies only a few days, and always goes off with a great deal of wet. The Rattle- fnakes, Horned-jnakes, red-bellied, green, and other poifonous Snakes, againft whofe bite there is frequently no remedy, are in great plenty here. To thefe I muft add the wood-lice, with which the forefts are fo peflered, that it is impoffible to pafs through a buih with- out New Jerfey, Raccoon. 189 out having a whole army of them on your cloaths, or to fit down, though the place be ever fo pleafant. The inconvenience and trouble they caufe, both to man and beaft, I have defcribed in the Memoirs of the Royal Swedijh Academy of Sciences. The weather is fo inconftant here, that when a day is moft exceffively hot, the next is often fenfibly cold. This fudden change often happens in one day ; and few people can fuffer thefe changes, without impairing their health. The heat in fummer is excef- Jive, and the cold in winter often very piercing. However, one can always fecure one's felf againft the cold j but when the great heat is of any duration, there is hardly any reme- dy againft it. It tires one fo, that one does not know which way to turn. It has fre- quently happened, that people who walked into the fields, dropped down dead, on ac- count of the violence of the heat. Several diftempcrs prevail here ; and they increafe every year. Nobody is left unattacked by the intermitting fever ; and many people are forced to fuffer it every year, together with other difeafes. Peafe cannot be fown, on account of the infects which confume them*. There are worms in the grains of rye, and numbers of them are in the cherry- trees. *'*** Sruchus /»//, , 190 May 1749. trees. The caterpillars often eat all the leaves from the trees, fo that they cannot bear fruit in that year; and numbers die every year, both of fruit- trees an dforeft- trees. The grafs in the meadows is likewife con- fumed by a kind of worms, and another fpecies caufe the plumbs to drop, before they are half ripe. The oak here affords not near fo good timber as the European oak. The fences cannot ftand above eighteen years. The houfes are of no long duration. The meadows are poor, and what grafs they have is bad. The pafture for cattle in the forefts, con.fi fts of fuch plants as they do hot like, and which they are compelled to eat by neceffity ; for it is difficult to find a iingle grafs in great forefts, where the trees ftand far afunder, and where the foil is ex- cellent. For this reafon, the cattle are forced, during almoft the whole winter and part of the fummer, to live upon the young fhoots and branches of trees, which fome- times have no leaves : therefore, the cows give very little milk, and decreafe in fize every generation. The houfes are extreme- ly unfit for winter habitations. Hurricanes are frequent, which overthrow trees, carry away roofs, andfometimes houfes, and do a great deal of damage. Some of thefe in- conveniencies might be remedied by art ; but New Jerfey, Raccoon. igi but others will either admit of no alteration, or they will at lead coil vaft trouble. Thus every country has its advantages, and its defects : happy is he who can content him- felf with his own. THE rye grows very ill in moft of the fields, which is chiefly owing to the care- leffnefs in agriculture, and to the poornefs of the fields, which are feldom or never manured. After the inhabitants have con- verted a tract of land into fields, which had been a foreft for many centuries together, and which confequently had a very fine foil, they ufe it as fuch, as long as it will bear any corn; and when it ceafes to bear any, they turn it into paftures for the cattle, and take new corn-fields in another place, where a fine foil can be met with, and where it has never been made ufe of for this purpofe. This kind of agriculture will do for fomc time j but it will afterwards have bad con- fequences, as every one may clearly fee, A few of the inhabitants, however, treated their fields a little better : the Englijh in general have carried agriculture to a higher degree of perfection than any other nation. But the depth and richnefs of the foil, which thofe found here who came over from England, (as they were preparing land for ploughing which had been covere* 192 May 1749* with wt»ods from times immemorial) mifled them, and made them carelefs hufbandmen. It is well known* that the Indians lived in this country for feveral centuries before the Europeans came into it ; but it is likewife known, that they lived chiefly by hunting and fifhing; and had hardly any fields. They planted maize, and fome fpecies of beans and gourds ; and at the fame time it is cer- tain, that a plantation of fuch vegetables as ferve an Indian family during one year, take up no more ground than a farmer in our country takes to plant cabbage for his fa- mily upon ; at leaft, a farmer'* cabbage and turnep ground,, taken together, is always as extenfive, if not more fo, than the corn- fields and kitchen -gardens of an Indian fa- mily. Therefore, the Indians could hard- ly fubfift for one month upon the produce of their gardens and fields. Commonly, the little villages of Indians are about twelve or eighteen miles diftant from each other. From hence one may judge, how little ground was formerly employed for corn- fields 5 and the reft was overgrown with thick and tall trees. And though they cleared (as is yet ufual) new ground, asfoon as the old one had quite loft its fertility ; yet fuch little pieces as they made uie of were very inconfiderable, when compared to New Jerfey, Raccoon. to the vaft forefts which remained. Thus the upper fertile foil increafed confiderably, for centuries together ; and the "Europeans coming to America found a rich and fine foil before them, lying as loofe between the trees as the beft bed in a garden. They had nothing to do but to cut down the wood, put it Up in heaps, and to clear the dead leaves away. They could then im- mediately proceed to ploughing, which in fuch loofe ground is very eafy ; and having fown their corn, they got a moft plentiful harveft. This eafy method of getting a rich crop has fpoiled the Englijh and other Eu- ropean inhabitants, and induced them to adopt the fame method of agriculture which the Indians make ufe of j that is, to low Un- cultivated grounds, as long as the~y will pro- duce a crop without manuring, but to turn them into paflures as foon as they can bear no more, and to take in hand hew fpots of ground, covered fince time immemorial with woods, which have been fpared by the fire or the hatchet ever fince the creation. This is likewife the reafon why agriculture, and the knowledge of this ufeful branch, is fo imperfect here, that one can learn nothing on a great tract qf land, neither of the Eng- Ij/h, nor of the Swedes, Germans, Dutch, and French ; except that, frcm their g-rofs mif- VOL, II. N takes 194 ay *749- takes and carelefsnefs for futurity, one finds opportunities every day of making all forts of obfervations, and of growing wife at the expence of other people. In a word, the corn-fields, the meadows, theforefts, the cat- tle, &c. are treated with equal carelefsnefs ; and \heEnglifh nation, fo well fkilled in thefe branches of hulbandry, is with difficulty found out here. We can hardly be more lavifli of our woods in Sweden and Finland than they are here : their eyes are fixed upon the prefent gain, and they are blind to futurity. Every day their cattle are har- rafled by labour, and each generation de- creafes in goodnefs and fize, by being kept fhort of food, as I have before mentioned. On my travels in this country I obferved fe- veral plants, which the horfes and cows preferred to all others. They were wild in this country, and likewife grew well on the drieft and pooreft ground, where no other plants would fucceed. But the inhabitants did not know how to turn this to their ad- vantage; owing to the little account made of Natural Hiftory, that fcience being here (as in other parts of the world) looked upon as a mere trifle, and the paftime of fools. I am certain, and my certainty is founded upon experience, that by means of thefe plants, in the fpace of a few years, I have been , Raccoonl 19$ been able to turn the pooreft ground, which , would hardly afford food for a cow, into the richeft and moft fertile meadow, where great flocks of cattle have found fuperrluous food, and are grown fat upon. I own, that thefe ufeful plants v/ere not to be found on the grounds of every planter : but with a fmall (hare of natural knowledge, a man would eafily collecl: them iti the places where they were to be got. I was afto- nilhed, when 1 heard the country people complaining of the badnefs of the paftures ; but I likewife perceived their negligence, and often faw excellent plants growing on their own grounds, which only required a little mbre attention and affiftancefrom their unexperienced owners. I found every where the wifdom and goodnefs of the Creator ; but too feldom faw any acknowledgment, or adequate eftimation c>f it, among men. Ofortunatos nimium fua Ji lona norint Jgricola s ! VIRO. Georgic. I HAVE been led to thefe reflections, which may perhaps feem foreign to my purpole, by the bad and neglected (late of agriculture in every part of this con- tinent. I likewife intended to (hew the reafon why this joiirnal is fo thinly flock- ed with ceconomical advantages in the feveral branches of huftandry. I do not however deny, that I have fometiircs found N 2 one tgb May 1749. one or two fkilful oeconomifts, but they were very fcarce. BIRDS of prey which purfue the poultry are found in abundance here, and if pof- iible more plentiful than in Sweden. They enjoy great liberty here, as there are ftill great forefts in many places, from whence they can come unawares upon chickens and ducks. To the birds of prey it is quite indifferent whether the woods conlift of good or bad trees, provided they are in lhade. At night the owls, which are very numerous, endanger the fafety of the tame fowls. They live chiefly in marmes, give a difagreeable fhriek at night, and attack the chickens, which commonly rooft at night in the apple-trees, peach- trees, and cherry-trees, in the garden. But iince they are very buiy in clearing this country of woods, as we are in Sweden and Finland, it may be of ufe for expofing the birds of prey, more than they are now, and for depriving them of the opportunities of doing mifchief with fo much eafe. THE thick forefts of America contain numbers of ftags ; they do not feem to be a different fpecies from the European flags. An EngKJhman was poffeffed of a tame hind. It is obfervable that though thefe creatures are very my when wild in the woods Newjer/ey, Raccoon. 197 woadis and the cedar fwamps, which are very much frequented by them, yet they can be tamed to fuch a degree, if taken young, that they will come of their own accord to people, and even to ftrangers : This hind was caught when it was but very little j the colour of the whole body was a dirty reddifh brown, the belly and the under iide of the tail excepted, which were white ; the ears were grey ; the head, towards the fnout, was very narrow, but upon the whole the creature looked very fine. The hair lay clofe together, and was quite fhort ; the tail reached al- moft to the bend of the knee, near which, on the inlide of each hind-foot, was a knob or callus. The poffefibr of the hind faid, that he had tamed feveral ftags, by catch- ing them whilft they were very young. It was now big with young ones. It had a little bell hung about its neck, that by walking in the woods, the people might know it to be tame, and take care not to moot it. It was at liberty to go where it pleafed, and to keep it confined would have been a pretty hard tafk, as it could leap over the higheft enclofures. Some- times it went far into the woods, and fre*- quently ftaid away a night or two, but afterwards returned home like other cattle. N 3 When 398 May 1749. . When it went into the woods, it was often accompanied by wild flags, and decoyed them even into the very houfes, efpecially in rutting time, giving its mafter numer rous opportunities of mooting the wild flags, alrnoft at his door. Its fcent was excellent, and when it was turned towards the wind, I often faw it rifing and looking towards that part, though I did not fee any people on the road, but they common- ly appeared about an hour after. As foon as the wild flags have the fcent of a man, they make off. In winter the map fed the hind with corn and hay ; but in furnmer it went out into the woods and meadows, fteking its own food,, eating both grafs and other plants : it was now kept in a mea- dow ; it did chiefly eat clover, the leaves of hiccory, of the Andromeda paniculata^ and the Geranium maculatum. It was like- \vife contented with the leaves pf the com- mon plantane, or Plantagq, graffes, and fe- veral other plants. The porTeffor of this |iind fold flags to people in Philadelphia^ who fent them as curiofities to other places. He got twenty- five, thirty, and forty mil- lings a-piece for them. The food of the •wild flags in fummer is grafs and feveral plants ; but in winter, when they are not to be got, they eat the moots and young fprigs New yerfey> Raccoon. 199 fprigs of branches. I have already men- tioned * that they eat without any danger the fpoon- tree, or Kalmia latifoUa, which is poifon to other animals. In the long and levere winter, which commenced here upon the tenth of December, 1740, and con- tinued to the thirteenth of March, old ftile, during the courfe of which there fell a great quantity of fnow, the flags were found dead in the fnow, but chiefly higher up the country, where the fnow was deeper. Nobody could determine whether their death was the confequence of the great quantity and depth of fnow, which hin- dered their getting out, or whether the froft had been too fevere, and of too long duration, or whether they were fhort of food. The old people likewife relate, that vaft numbers of flags came down in the year 1705, when there was a heavy fall of fnow, near a yard deep, and that they were afterwards1 found dead in the woods, in great numbers, becaufe the fnow was deeper than they could pafs through. Numbers of birds were likewife found dead at that time. In that fame winter, a flag came to Matfong into the flables, and ate hay together with the cattle. It was fo pinched by hunger, that it grew tame immediately, and did not run away N 4 from * See vol. i. page 338, 200 May 1749. from people. It afterwards continued in the houfe, as another tame creature. All aged peribns afferted, that formerly this country abounded more with flags than it does at prefers t. It was formerly not un- common to fee thirty or forty of them in a flock together. The reafon of their der creafe is chiefly owing to the increafe of po- pulation, the defbu£tion of the woods, and the number of people who kill and fright- en the flags at prefent. However, high up in the country, in great forefts and der farts, there are yet great numbers of them. Among their enemies is the Lynx of this country, which is the fame with the Sw?- difh one *. They climb up the trees, and when the flags pafs by, they dart down upon him, get fafl holj, bite, and fuck the blood, and never give over till they have killed it. I faw feveral holes in the ground, both on hills and on fields, and fallow grounds ; they were round, and commpnly about * Warg/o ; Fens Lynx. Linn. The Swedes mention two kinds of Fynx, the one is called the Warglo, or wolf-lynx, and the other the Kattlo, or cat-lynx. The Germans make the fame diftinclion, and call the former Wolf-luchs, and the latter Kaiz-luehs : the former is the biggeft, of a brownifh red, mixed with grey and white, on its back, and white towards the belly, with brownifh fpots ; thelat- ter is fmaller, and has a coat which is more white, and with #iore fpots. F. New Jerfey, Raccoon. 20 r about an inch wide ; they went almoft perpendicularly into the earth, and were made by dung-beetles, or by great worms, which are made ufe of for angling. The dung-beetles had dug very deep into the ground, thro* horfe-dung, thoj it lay on the hardefl road, fo that a great heap of earth lay near it. Thefe holes were after- wards occupied by other infects, efpecially grafshoppers, (Grylli) and Cicada ; for by digging thefe holes up, I commonly found one or more young ones of thefe infects, which had not yet got their perfect fize. May the igth. THIS morning I left Raccoon, a parifh in the country called New Sweden, and which is yet chiefly inhabited by Swedes, in order to proceed in my tra- vels to the North. I firft intended to fet out with the beginning of April, but for feveral reafons this was not advifeable. No leaves were come out at that time, and hardly any flowers appeared. I did not know what flowers grew here in fpring ; for the autumnal plants are different from the vernal ones. The Swedes had this winter told me the ceconornical and medical ufes of many plants, to which they gave names un- known to me : they could not then {hew me thofe plants on account of the feafon, and by their deficient and erroneous de- 5 fcriptions^ 202 May 1749* fcriptions, I was not able to guefs what plants they meant. By going away fo early as the beginning of April* I would have remained in uncertainty in regard to thcfe things. It was therefore fit, that I mould fpend a part of the fpring at Raccoon, efpe- cially as I had ft ill time enough left for my tcur to the North. ON the road we faw a Black Snake, which we killed, and found juft five foot long. Gate/by has defcribed it and its quali- ties, and alfo drawn it *. The full-grown Black Snakes are commonly about five feet long, but very flender ; the thickeft I ever faw was in the broadeft part hardly three inches thick ; the back is black, mining, and fmooth ; the chin white and fmooth ; the belly whitim turning into blue, mining, and very fmooth j I believe there are fome varieties of this fnake. One which was nineteen inches long, had a hundred and eighty-fix fcales en the belly, (Scuta Ab- daminalia) and ninety- two half fcales on the tail (Squanuz fubcaudales), which I found to be true, by a repeated counting of the fcales. Another, which was feventeen inches and a half in length, had a hundred and eighty -four fcales on the belly, and pnly fixty-four half fcales on the tail ; this ^ I like- * Anguh niger. Sec Cattflfs Nat* Hift. of Carol, ii. t. 48. New Jerfey, Raccoon. 203 I likewife affured rnyfelf of, by counting the fcales over again. It is poffible that the end of this laft fnake's tail was cut off, and the wound healed up again *f-. THE country abounds with Black Snakes. They are among the firft that come out in fpring, and often appear very early if warm weather happens •, but if it grows cold again after that, they are quite frozen, and lie ftiff and torpid on the ground or on the ice > when taken in this ftate and put be- fore a fire, they revive in lefs than an hour's time. It has fometimes happened, when the beginning of January is very warm, that they come out of their winter habita- tions. They commonly appear about the end of March, old ftyle. THIS -f- It has been found by repeated experience, that the fpecific character employed by Dr. Linnaeus, for the dif- tinftion of the fpecies of fnakes, taken from their Scuta abdominalia & caudalia^ or their Squatnef fubcaudales, va- ries greatly in fnakes of the fame fpecies, fo that often the difference amounts to t?n or more : the whole number of the fcuta fometimes helps to find out the fpecies; care ought however to be taken, that the fnake may not by any accident have loll its tail, and that it be growing again ; in which cafe, it is impoffible to make ufe of this charac- ter. The character is not quite fo good and decifive, as may be wifhed, but neither are the marks taken from co- lours, fpots, ftripes, &c. quite conftant ; and fo it is bet- ter to make ufe of an imperfeftcharadler, than none at all. Time, and greater acquaintance with this clafs of animals. $nay perhaps clear up their natural characters. F. May THIS is the fwifteft of all the fnakea which are to be found here, for it moves fo quick, that a dog can hardly catch it. It Is therefore almoft impoffible for a man to efcape it 'if purfued : but happily its bite is neither poifonous nor any way dangerous ; many people have been bit by it in the woods, and have fcarce felt any more inconvenience than if they had been wounded by a knife ; the wounded place only remains painful for fome time. The Black Snakes feldom do any harm, except in fpring, when they .copulate -, but if any body comes in their way at that time, they are fo much vexed, as to purfue him as faft as they can. If they meet with a perfon who is afraid of them, he is in great diftrefs. I am ac*- quainted with feveral people, who have on fuch an occaiicn run fo hard as to be quite put of breath, in endeavouring to efcape the fnake, which moved with the fwiftnefs of an arrow after them. If a perfon thus pur- fued can mufler up courage enough to op^ pofe the fnake with a flick or any thing elfe, when it is either paffed by him, or when he fteps afide to avoid it, it will turn back again, and feek a refuge in its fwiftnefs. It is, however, fometimes bold enough to run pireflly upon a man, and not to depart be- fore New jferfey. Raccoon. 205 fore it has received a good flroke, I have been aflured by feveral> that when it over- takes a perfon, who has tried to eicape it, and who has not courage enough to oppofe it, it winds round his feet, fo as to make him fall down ; it then bites him feveral times in the leg, or whatever part it caa get hold of, and goes off again. I fhall mention two circumflances, which confirm what I have faid. During my flay in New Tork9 Dr. Golden told me, that in the fpring, 1748, he had feveral workmen at his coun- try feat, and among them one lately arrived from Europe, who of courfe knew very little of the qualities of the Black Snake. The other workmen feeing a great Black Snake copulating with its female, engaged the new comer to go and kill it, which he intended to do with a little flick. But on approaching the place where the fnakes lay, they perceived him, and the male in great wrath leaves his pleafure to purfue the fellow with amafmg fwiftnefs ; he little ex- pected fuch courage in the fnake, and fling- ing away his flick, began to run as fafl as he was able. The fnake purfued him, overtook him, and twilling feveral times round his feet, threw him down, and frightened him almofl out of his fenfes ; he could not get rid of the fnake, till he took 206 May 174$. took a knife and cut it through in two of three places. The other workmen were rejoiced at this fight, and laughed at it, without offering to help theif companion. Many people at Albany told me of an acci- dent which happened to a young lady, whoi went out of town in fummer^ together with many other girls, attended by her negro. She fat down in the wood, in a place where the others were running about, and before fhe was aware, a Black Snake being dif- turbed in its amours, rail under her petti- coats, and twifted round her waift, fo that me fell backwards in a fwoon occafioned by her fright, or by the compreffion which the fnake caufed. The negro came up to her,- and fufpecling that a Black Snake might have hurt her, on making ufe of a remedy to bring his lady to herielf again, he lifted up hercloaths, and really found the fnake wound about her body as clofe as pofTible ; the negro was not able to tear it away, and therefore cut it, and the girl came to herfelf again ; but fhe conceived fo great an aver- fion to the negro, that fhe could not beat the fight of him afterwards, and died of a confumption. At other times of the year this fnake is more apt to run away, than to attack people. However I have heard it alTerted frequently, that even in fummer 2 when Newjerfey, Raccoon. 207 when its time of copulation is part, it pur- fues people, efpecially children, if it finds that they • are afraid and run from her. Several people likewiie allured me from their own experience, that it may be pro- voked to purfue people, if they throw at it, and then run away. I cannot well doubt of this, as I have heard it faid by numbers of creditable people ; but I could never fucceed in provoking them. I ran always away on perceiving it, or flung fomething at it, and then took to my heels, but I could never bring the fnakes to pur* fue me : I know not for what reafon they fhunned me, unlefs they took me for an artful feducer. Moft of the people in this country afcrib- ed to this fnake a power of fafcinating birds and fquirrels, as I have defcribed in feveral parts of my Journal *. When the fnake lies under a tree, and has fixed his eyes on a bird or fquirrel above ; it obliges them to come down, and to go directly into its mouth. I cannot account for this, for I never faw it done. However, I have a lift of more than twenty perfons, among which are fome of the mofl creditable peo- ple, who have all unanimoufly, though living * See vidL i. p. 519. 2o8 May 1749. living far diftant from each other, afferted the fame thing ; they affured me upon their honor, that they have feen (at feveral times) thefe Black Snakes fafcinating fquirrels and birds which fat on the tops of trees, the fnake lying at the foot of the tree, with its eyes fixed upon the bird or fquirrel, which fits above it, and utters a doleful note ; from which it is eafy to con- clude with certainty that it is about to be fafcinated, though you cannot fee it. The bird or fquirrel runs up and down along the tree continuing its plaintive fong, and al- ways comes nearer the fnake, whofe eyes are unalterably fixed upon it. It fhould feem as if thefe poor creatures endeavoured to efcape the fnake, by hopping or running up the tree ; but there appears to be a power which withholds them : they are forced downwards, and each time that they turn back, they approach nearer their* enemy, till they are at laft forced to leap into its mouth, which ftands wide open for that purpofe. Numbers of fquirrels and birds are continually running and hopping fearlefs in the woods on the ground, where the fnakes ly in wait for them* and can eafily give thefe poor creatures a mortal bite. Therefore it feems that this fafcina- tion might be thus interpreted, that the creature New Jerfey> Raccoon. creature has firft got a mortal wound from the fnake, which is fure of her bite, and lies quiet, being aflured that the Wounded creature has been poifoned with the bite, or at lead feels pain from the violence of the bite, and that it will at laft be obliged to come down into its mouth. The plain- tive note is perhaps occafioned by the acutenefs of the pain which the wound gives the creature. But to this it may be objected, that the bite of the Black Snake is not poifonous ; it may further be ob^ jected, that if the fnake could come near enough to a bird or fquirrel to give it a mortal bite, it might as eafily keep hold of it, or, as it fometimes does with poultry, twift round and ftrangle or flirle it. But the chief objection which lies againft this in-* terpretation, is the following account, which I received from the fnoft creditable people, who have affufed me of it* The fquirrel being upon the point of running into the fnake's mouth, the fpectators have not been able to let it come to that pitch, but killed the fnake, and as foon as it had got a mortal blow, the fquirrel or bird deftined for deftruction, flew a\vay, and left off their moanful note, as if they had broke loofe from a net. Some fay, that if they only touched the fnake, fo as to draw off VOL. II. (X its 210 May 1749. its attention from the fquirrel, it went off quickly, not flopping till it had got to a great diftance. Why do the fquirrels or birds go away fo fuddenly, and why no fooner ? If they had been poifoned or bit- ten by the fnake before, fo as not to be able to get from the tree, and to be forced to approach the fnake always more and more, they could however not get new ftrength by the fnake being killed or diverted. Therefore, it feems that they are only en- chanted, whilft the fnake has its eyes fixed on them. However, this looks odd and unaccountable, though many of the wor- thieft and moft reputable people have re- lated it, and though it is fo univerfally be- lieved here, that to doubt it would be to expofe one's felf to general laughter. THE black fnakes kill the fmaller fpe- cies of frogs, and eat them. If they get at eggs of poultry, or of other birds, they make holes in them, and fuck the con- tents. When the hens are fitting on the eggs, they creep into the neft, wind round the birds, ftifle them, and fuck the eggs. Mr. Bartram aflerted, that he had often feen this fnake creep up into the tailed trees, after bird's eggs, or young birds, "al- ways with the head foremoft, when de- fcending. A Swede told me, that a black 5 fnake New Jerfey, Raccoons ± 1 1 fnake had once got the head of one of his hens in its mouth, and was wound feveral times round the body, when he came and killed the fnake. The hen was afterwards as well as ever. THIS fnake is very greedy of milk, and it is difficult to keep it out, when it is once ufed to go into a cellar where milk is kept. It has been feen eating milk out of the fame dim with children, without biting them, though they often gave it blows with the fpoon upon the head, when it was overgreedy. I never heard it hiffing. It can raife more than one half of its body from the ground, in or- der to look about her. It fkins every year ; and its fkin is faid to be a remedy againft the cramp, if continually worn about the body. THE rye was now beginning to flower. I have often obferved with aftonifhmenr, on my travels, the great difference between the plants and the foil, on the two oppo- fite banks of brooks. Sometimes a brook, which one can ftride over, has plants on one bank widely different from thofe on the oppofite bank. Therefore, whenever I came to a great brook or a river, I ex- pected to find plants which I had not met with before* Their feeds are carried down O 2 with 212 May 1749- > with the ftream from diftant parts. The foil is likewife very often different on the different fides of a rivulet, being rich and fertile on the one, and dry, barren, and fandy on the other. But a great river can make (till greater differences. Thus .we fee the great difparity between the pro- vince of Penfyfoania, and New Jerfey, which are only divided by the river Dela~ 'ware. In Penfyhama the foil cxonfifts of a mould mixed with fand and clay, and is very rich and fertile : and in the woods which are higher in the country, the ground is mountainous and ftony. On the other hand, in the province of New yerfey, the foil is poor and dry, and not very fertile, fome parts excepted. You can hardly find a ftone in New Jerfey, and much lefs moun- tains. In Pen/yhanla you fcarce ever fee a fir-tree, and in New 'Jerfey are whole woods of it. THIS evening I arrived at Philadelphia. May the 2ad. THE locufts began to creep out of their holes in the ground laft night, and continued to do fo to-day. As foon as their wings were dry, they began their fong, which is almoft fufficient to make one deaf, when travelling through N. the woods. This year there was an im- menfe number of them. I have given a minute Penfyfaania, Philadelphia. 213 minute account of them, of their food, qualities, &c. in the Memoirs of the Sivedijh Royal Academy of Sciences * ; it is therefore needlefs to repeat it here, and I refer the reader to the quoted place. May the 25th. The tulip-tree (Lirio- dendron tulipifera) was now in full bloffom. The flowers have a refemblance to tulips, and look very fine, and though they have not a very agreeable fmell, yet the eye is pleafed to fee trees as tall as full-grown oaks, co- vered with tulip-like flowers. ON the flowers of the tulip-tree was an olive-coloured Chafer (Sca^abceus) with- out horns (muticus), the future and borders of his wing^mells (Elytra) were black, and his thighs brown. I cannot with cer- tainty fay whether they collected the pol- len of the flower, or whether they coupled. Later in fummer, I faw the fame kind of beetles make deep holes into the ripe mul- berries, either to eat them, or to lay their eggs in them. I likewife found them abundant in the leaves of the Magnolia glauca, or beaver-tree. THE ftraw-berries were now ripe on the 'hills. O 3 THE See the volume for the year 1756, page jo, of the edition. 214 ay 1749, THE country people already brought ripe cherries up to town ; but they were only a few to fatisfy curiofity, yet we may form a judgment of the climate from hence. May the a6th. A peculiar kind of ftorm called a Travaf, or Travado., hap - pened to-day. In the evening about- ten o'clock, when the fky was quite clear, a thick, black cloud came rufhing from the fouth-weft, with a wind. The air was quite calm, and we could not feel any breeze. But the approach of this cloud was perceived from the ftrong rufhing noife in the woods to the fouth-weft, and which encreafed in proportion as the cloud came nearer. As foon as it was come up to us, it was attended by a violent guft of wind, which in its courfe threw down the weaker enclofures, carried them a good way along with it, and broke down feve- ral trees. It was then followed by a hard ihower of rain, which put an end to the ftorm, and every thing was calm as before. Thefe travadoes are frequent in fummer, and have the quality of cooling the air. However, they often do a deal of damage. They are commonly attended by thunder and lightning ; as foon as they are pafled over, the fky is as clear as it was before. May the 28th. THE Magnolia glauca was Penfyfoania, Philadelphia. 213 was now in full bloom. Its flowers a very pleafant fragrancy, which refrefhes the travellers in the woods, efpecially to- wards the evening. The flowers of the wild vine afterwards fupplied the place of thofe of the Magnolia. Several other flowers contribute likewife towards per- fuming the ambient air. THE Kalmla anguftifotia was now every where in flower. It grows chiefly on fan- dy heaths, or on dry poor grounds, which few other plants will agree with ; it is common in Penjyfoania, but particularly in New Jerfey, and the province of New Torky it is fcarce in Canada > its leaves iftay the winter -y the flowers are a real orna- ment to the woods -, they grow in bunches like crowns, and are of a fine lively purple colour; at the bottom is a circle of deep purple, and within it a greyifh or whitim colour. The flowers grow as aforefaid, in bunches, round the extremity of the ftalk, and make it look like a deco- rated pyramid. The Englifh at New ^ York call this plant the Dwarf Laurel. Its qualities are the fame with thofe of the Kalmia latifolia, viz. that it kills fheep and other lefler animals, when they eat plen- tifully of it. I do not know whether it is noxious to the greater cattle. It is not of O 4 any 2 1 6 May 1749* any known ufe, and only ferves to attraft the eye whilft in flower. THE Kalmia latifolia was likewife in full bloffom at prefent. It rivals the precede ing one, in the beauty of its colour; yet though they are confpicuous in regard to the colours and fhape of their floMers, they are no ways remarkable for fmell, fuch as the Magnolia is ; for they have little or no fmell at all. So equally and juftly does nature diftribute her gifts; no part of the creation has them all, each has its own, and none is abfolutely with-* out a thare of them. May the 3Qth. THE Moravian Bre- thren* who arrived in great numbers from Europe, at New York, in May, brought two converted Greenlanders with them. The Moravians who were already fettled in Ame- rica, immediately fent fome of their bre- thren from Philadelphia to the new co- mers, in order to welcome them. Among thefe deputies were two North American Indians, who had been converted to their doctrine, and likewife two South American Indians, from Surinam. Thefe three kinds of converted Indians accordingly met at New Tork. I had no opportunity of feeing them ; but all thofe who had feen them, whom I con verfecL with, thought that they Penfylvania, Philadelphia. 217 they had plainly perceived a fimilarity in their features and fhape, the Greenlanden being only fomewhat fmaller. They con- cluded from hence, that all thefe three kinds of Americans were the pofterity of one and the fame defcendant of Noah, or that they were perhaps yet more nearly re- lated. How far their guefles are to be re- lied upon, I cannot determine. RIPE cherries were now already pretty common, and confequently cheap. YAMS are a fpecies of roots, which are cultivated in the hotteft parts of America, for eating, as we do potatoes. It has not yet been attempted to plant them here, and they are brought from the Weft Indies in /hips ; therefore they are reckoned a rarity here, and as fuch I ate them at Dr. Frank- lins to-day. They are white, and tafte like common potatoes, but notquite fo agreeable; and I think it would not be worth while to plant them in Sweden, though they might bear the climate. The plant thefe roots belong to is the Diofcorra alata. THE inhabitants make plenty of cheefe. They are not reckoned fo good as Eng- li/h cheefe : however, fome take them to be full as good when old; and fo they feemed to me. A man from Bo/ton in New- England told me, that they made very good cheefe 2i 8 May 1749. cheefe there : but they take care to keep the cattle from fait water, efpecially thofe who live near the fea-coafts ; for it has been found, that the cheefe will not become fo good when the cows graze near fait water, as it will when they have frefh water. This, however, wants nearer examination, in my opinion. May the 31(1. ABOUT noon I left Phi- ladelphia, and went on board a fmall yacht, which fails continually up and down upon the river Delaware, between Trent on and Philadelphia. We failed up the river with fair wind and weather. Sturgeons leaped often a fathom into the air. We faw them continuing this exercife all day, till we came to Trenton. The banks on the Penfyhanian lide were low ; and thofe on the New Jer~ fey fide fteep and fandy, but not very high. On both fides we perceived forefts of tall trees, with deciduous leaves. DURING the courfe of this month, the forenoon was always calm ; but immediately after noon it began to blow gently, and fome- times pretty ftrongly. This morning was likewife fair ; and in the afternoon it was cloudy, but did not rain. THE banks of the river were fometimes high, and fometimes low. We faw fome fmall houfes near the fhore, in the woods ; and, New Jerfey, Burlington. 219 and, now and then, a good houfe built of ftone. The river now decreafed vilibly in breadth. About three o'clock this after- noon we palled Burlington. BURLINGTON, the chief town in the province of New Jcrpy, and the reiidence of the governor, is but a fmall town, about twenty miles from Philadelphia, on the eaflern fide of the Delaware. The houfes were chiefly built of ftone, though they flood far diftant from each other. The town has a good fittuation, fince mips of confiderable burden can fail clofe up to it : but Philadelphia prevents its carrying on an extenlive trade ; for the proprietors of that place * have granted it great immunities, by which it is increafed fo as to fwallow all the trade of the adjacent towns. The houfe of the governor at Burlington is but a fmall one : it is built of ftone, clofe by the river fide, and is the firft building in the town as you come from Philadelphia. It is obferved, that about the full moons, when the tides are higheft, and the high water at Cape Hinlopen comes at nine o'clock in the morning, it will be at Chejler, on the river Delaware9 about ten minutes after one o'clock ; at Philadelphia, about ten mi- nutes after two o'clock j and at Burling- ton, * William Peny Efq; and his heirs after him. 220 May 1749. ton, about ten minutes after three o'clock j for the tide in the river Delaware comes quite up to Trenton. Thefe obfervations were communicated to me by Mr. Lewis Evans. THE banks of the river were now chiefly high and fteep on the fide of New Jerfey > confifting of a pale brick-coloured foil. On the Penjyhanian fide, they were gently floping, and confided of a blackifh rich mould, mixed with particles of Glimmer (Mica). On the New Jerfey fide appear-* ed fome firs ; but feldom on the other, ex- cept in a few places where they were acci- dentally brought over from New Jerfey. TOWARDS night, after the tide had be- gun to ebb and the wind was quite fubfided, we could not proceed, but dropped our an- chor about feven miles from Trent on, and parted the night there. The woods were full of Fireflies* (Lampyris) which flew like fparks of fire between the trees, and fome- times acrofs the river. In the marfhes, the Bullfrogs now and then began their hi- deous roaring ; and more than a hundred of them roared together. The Whip-poor- will, or Goatfucker* was likewife heard every where. June the ift. WE continued our voyage this morning, after the rain was over. The river New Jerfey, Trenton. 221 river Delaware was very narrow here, and the banks the fame as we found them yefterday, after we had pafled Burlington. About eight o'clock in the morning we ar- rived at Trenton*. June the 2d. Tms morning we left Trenton, and proceeded towards New Tork. The country I have defcribed before -J*. The fields were fown with wheat, rye, rnaize, oats, hemp, and flax. In feveral places, we faw very large pieces of ground with hemp. WE faw abundance of chefnut-trees in the woods. They often flood in exceffive poor ground, which was neither too dry nor too wet. TULIP-TREES did not appear on the road ; but the people faid there were fome in the woods. THE Beaver-free (Magnollaglauca) grows in the fwamps. It was now in flower, and the fragrancy of its bloflbms had fo per- fumed the air, that one could enjoy it before one approached the fwamps ; and this fine fmell likewife (hewed that a bea- ver-tree was near us, though we often happened not to fee it. THE *See Vol. I. p. 220. f Ibid, p. 224—237. 222 June 1749. THE Phlox Glaberrima grows abundantly in the woods, and cuts a fine figure with its red flowers. It grows in fuch foil here as in Europe is occupied by the Lychnisevif- caria and Lychnis dioicay or red Catchfly and Campion. The Phlox maculata grows abundantly in wet ground, and has fine red and odoriferous flowers. It grows on low meadows, where in Europe the Mea- dow-pinks, or Lychnis flos cuculi, would be met with. By adding to thefe flowers the Barffia coccinea, the Lobelia cardinalis, and the Monarda didyma, which grow wild in this country, they are undoubtedly alto- gether adorned with the fineft red ima- ginable. THE Sajjafras-tree was abundant in the woods, and near the incloftires. THE houfes which we palled by were moft of them wooden. In one place, I faw the people building a houfe with walls of mere clay, which is likewife employed in making ovens for baking. BUCKWHEAT was ail ready coining up in feveral places. We faw fingle plants of it all day in the woods, and in the fields, but always by the fide of the road ; from whence it may be concluded, that they fpring up from loft and fcattered feeds. Late New York. 223 LATE this evening we arrived at New Brunfwick *. 'June the 3d. At noon we went on board a yacht bound for New York, and failed down the river, which had at firft pretty high and fteep banks, of red fand- ftone, on each fide, which I have men- tioned before. Now and then, there was a farm-houfe on the high fhore. As we came lower down, we faw on both fides great fields and meadows, clofe up to the water. We could not fail at random with the yacht; for the river was often lhallow in fome places, and fometimes in the very middle. For that purpofe, the courfe which we were to take was marked out by branches with leaves on them. At laft we got into the fea, which bounded our profpeft on the fouth -, but on the other fide, we were con- tinually in fight of land at fome diftance* On coming to the mouth of the river, we had a choice of two roads to New York ; viz. either within the Staten I/land, or with- out it. The inhabitants are determined in their choice by the weather ; for when it is is ftormy and cloudy, or dark, they do not venture to fail without, where the fea itfelf communicates. We took that courfe now, * See an account of that place in Vol. L p. 228. f See Vol. I. p. 230. 224. * J749- now, it being very pleafant weather ; and though we ftruck on the fands once or twice, yet we got loofe again, and arrived at New York about nine o'clock. Of this town I have given an account in the preceding volume *. June the 4th. I FOUND vines in feveral gardens, got from the old countries. They bear annually a quantity of excellent grapes. When the winters are very fevere, they are killed by the froft, and die quite to the ground ; but the next fpring new fhoots .fpring up from the root. STRAWBERRIES were now fold in abun- dance about the town every day. An Rn- glifiman from Jamaica afferted, that in that ifland there were no ftrawberries. The fnakes are very fond of ftrawberries. Thofe which they had here were not fo good as the Swcdifh and Finland ones. RED CLOVER was fown in feveral places on the hills without the town. The coun- try people were now employed in mowing the meadows. Seme were already mown j and the dry clover was put under cover, in order to be carried away the firft op- portunity. CHERRY-TREES were planted in great Quantities before the farm-houfes, and along the * See Vol. I. p. 247, &c. New Tork. 225 the high-roads, from Philadelphia to New Brunfmck ; but behind that place they be- came more fcarce. On coming to Staten I/land, in the province of New Tork, I found them very common again, near the gardens. Here are not fo many varieties of cherries as there are in Prnfyhtinia. I fel- dom law any of the black fweet cherries * at New Tork ; but commonly the four red ones. All travellers are allowed to pluck ripe fruit in any garden which they pals by ; and not even the moft covetous farmer can hinder them from fo doing. Between New Brunfwick and Staten I/land, are a few cher- ry-gardens ; but proportionably more or- chards, with apple-trees. June the 6th. SEVERAL gentlemen and merchants, between fifty and fixty years of age, afferted, that during their life they had plainly found feveral kinds of fim decreafe in number every year; and that they could not get neat fo many full now as they could formerly. RUM, a brandy prepared from the fugar- canes, and in great ufe with all the Eng- lijh North American colonies, is reckoned much wholefomer than brandy, made from wine or corn -J-. In confirmation of this opinion, * Commonly called Bl&k-btOft Cbtrries. f That rum is among the fpirituous liquors lefs noxious thin any one of the reft, is chiefly owing to the balfamic VOL. II. P cuaiity 226 June 1749. opinion, they fay, that if you put a piece of frefh meat into rum, and another into brandy, and leave them there for fome months ; that in the rum will keep as it was, but that in the brandy will be quite eaten, and full of holes. But this experi- ment does not feem a very accurate one to me. Major Roderfort told me, that being upon the Canada expedition, he had ob- ferved, that fuch of his men as drank brandy for fome time died of it ; but thofe who drank rum were not hurt, though they got drunk with it every day, and oftener than the others. LONG-ISLAND is the name of an ifland oppofite the town of New York, in the fea. The northern part of the ifland is much more fertile than the fouthern. Formerly there lived a number of Indians on this ifland ; and there are yet fome, which how- ever decreafe in number every year, becaufe they leave the ifland. The foil of the fouthern part of the ifland is very poor ; but quality it gets from the fugar, which corre&s the ftyptic quality all kinds of brandy and fpirituous liquors have. " The older the rum is, and the longer it has been kept in a great cafk, the more is its ftypticity corrected. All which has been lately proved by the cleareft experiments, ex- plained and dcjdu£ted from themoft indifputable principles of chymiftry, in a pamphlet written by that able chymift Mr. Doffi*. F. Between New York and Albany. 22*7 but this deficiency is made up by a vaft quantity of oyfters, lobfters, crabs, feveral kinds of fim, and numbers of water -fowl* all which are there far more abundant than on the northern fhores of the Ifland. Therefore the Indians formerly chofe the fouthern part to live in, becaufe they fub- fifted on oyfters, and other productions of the fea. When the tide is out, it is very eafy to fill a whole cart with oyfters, which have been driven on fhore by one flood. The Ifland is ftrewed with oyfter- fhells and other {hells, which the Indians left there; thefe {hells ferve now for good manure for the fields. The fouthern part of the Ifland is turned into meadows, and the northern part into fields. The winter is more conftant on the northern part, and the fnow in fpring lies longer there than on the fouthern part. The people are/ very fertile here, and commonly tall and ftrong. June the loth. At noon we left New Tork, and failed up the river Hudfon, in a yacht bound for Albany. All this afternoon we faw a whole fleet of little boats return- ing from New Tork, whither they had brought provifions and other goods for fale, which on account of the extenfive com- merce of this town, and the great number of its inhabitants', go off very well. The P 2 rivet 228 June 1749. river Hudfon runs from North to South here, except fome high pieces of land which fometimes project far into it, and alter its direction ; its breadth at the mouth is reckoned about a mile and a quarter. Some porpefles played and tumbled in the river. The eafterri fhore, or the New York fide, was at firft very fteep and high ; but the weftern was very floping and covered with woods. There appeared farm-houfes on both fides, furrounded with corn-fields. The ground of which the fteep fhores con- fifted was of a pale brick colour, and fome little rocks of a grey fand-ftone were feen here and there. About ten or twelve miles from New Tork, the weftern fhore appears quite different from what it was before; it confifts of fteep mountains with perpen- dicular fides towards the river, and they are exactly like the fteep fides of the moun- tains of £fo//.and Hunnebarg in Weft Goth- land± Sometimes a rock projects like the falliant angle of a baftion : the tops of thefe mountains are covered with oaks, and other v, ood j a number of ftones of all fizes lay along the fhore, having rolled down from the mountains. THESE high and fteep mountains con- tinue for fome Englijh miles on the weftern fhore -, but on the eafterri fide the land is high, Bet-ween New York and Albany. 229 high, and fometimes diverfified with hills and valleys, which are commonly covered with deciduous trees, amongft which there appears a farm now and then in a glade. The hills are covered with ftones in fome places. About twelve miles from New York we faw Sturgeons* (Acipenfer fturio), leaping up out of the water, and on the whole paflage we met with porpeffes in the river. As we proceeded we found the eaftern banks of the river very much culti- vated ; and a number of pretty farms fur- rounded with orchards and fine corn-fields, prefented themfelves to our view. About twenty-two miles from New York, the high mountains which I have before mentioned left us, and made as it were a high ridge here from eaft to weft quite acrofs the coun- try. This altered the face of the country on the weftern fhore of the river : from mountainous, it became interfperfed with little vallies and round hillocks, which were fcarce inhabited at all ; but the eaftern fhore continued to afford us a delightful profpecl:. After failing a little while in the night, we caft our anchor and lay here P 3 till * The New-York Sturgeons which I faw this year brought over, had fhort blunt nofes, in which particular they are different from the EngUJh ones, which have long nofes. F. 23° till the morning, efpecially as the tide was jebbing with great force. yune the i ith. THIS morning we con- tinued our voyage up the river, with the tide and a faint breeze. We now paffed the Highland mountains, which were to the Eaft of us ; they confift of a grey fand- ftone, are very high and pretty fteep, and covered with deciduous trees, and likewife with firs and red cedars. The weftern ihore was full of rocks, which however did not corne up to the height of trie mountains on the oppofite fhore ; the tops of thefe eaftern mountains were cut off from our fight by a thick fog which furrounded them. The country was unfit for cultiva- tion, being fo full of rocks, and according- ly we faw no farms. The diftance from thefe mountains to New York is computed at thirty-fix Englifh miles. A thick fog now rofe up from the high mountains. For the fpace of fome Engli/h miles, we had hills and rocks on the wef- tern banks of the river j and a change of leffer and greater mountains and vallies cover- ed with young firs, red cedars, and oaks, on the eaftern fide. The hills clofe to the fiver fide are commonly low, but their height increafes as they are further from the river. Afterwards we faw, for fome miles together, Between New Tork and Albany. 231 together, nothing but high round moun- tains and valleys, both covered with woods; the valleys are in reality nothing but low rocks, and ftand perpendicular towards the river in many places. The breadth of the river is fometimes two or three mufket fhot, but commonly not above one ; every now and then we faw feveral kinds of fifli leaping out of the water. The wind va- nifhed away about ten o'clock in the morn- ing, and forced us to get forwards with our oars, the tide being almoft fpent. In one place on the weftern more we faw a wooden houfe painted red, and we were told, that there was a faw-mill further up ; but be- fides this we did not perceive one farm or any cultivated grounds all this forenoon. THE water in the river has here no more a brackiih tafte ; yet I was told that the tide, efpecially when the wind is South, fometimes carries the fait water up higher with it. The colour of the water was likewife altered, for it appeared darker here than before. To account for the firft origin of rivers is very difficult, if not wholly impoffible; fome rivers may have come from a great refervoir of water, which being confiderably encreafed by heavy falls of rain or other circumftances, palfed its old bounds and flowed to the lower coun- P 4 tries, 1749. tries, through the places where it met with the leaft oppofition. This is perhaps the reafon why fome rivers run in fo many ben dings equally through fields of foft earth, as likewife there, wheye mountains, rocks, and {tones, divert their paflage. How- ever it feems that fome rivers derive their firft origin from the creation itfelf, and that Providence then pointed out their courfe ; for their exiftence can, in all probability, not be owing to the accidental eruption of "water alone. Among thefe rivers we may rank the river Hudfon : I was furprifed on feeing its courfe, and the variety of its fhores. It takes its rife a good way above Albany* and defcends to New Tork9 in a diredt line from North to South, which is a diftance of about a hundred and fixty Engli/h miles, gnd perhaps more; for the little bendings which it makes are of no fignification. In many places between New Tork and Albany^ are ridges of high mountains running Weft and Eaft. But it is remarkable that they go on undifturbed till they come to the river JJudjofi, which cuts directly acrofs them, and frequently their fides ftand per- pendicular towards the river. There is an opening left in the chain of mountains, as trpad as the river commonly is, for it to pafs through, and the mountains go on as before. Between New York and Albany". 233 before, on the other fide, in the fame direc- tion. It is likewife remarkable, that the river in fuch places where it paffes through the mountains is as deep, and often deeper than in the other places. The perpendicular rocks on the fides of the river are furprifing, and it appears that if no paffages had been opened by Providence, for the river to pafs through, the mountains in the upper part of the country v/ould have been inundated, fince thefe mountains, like fo many dykes, would have hindered the water from going on. Quere, Why does this river go on in a diredt line for fo confiderable a diftance ? Why do the many paffages, through which the river flows acrofs the mountains, ly under the fame meridian ? Why are water- falls near fome of thefe paffages, or at lean: {hallow water with a rocky ground ? WE now perceived exceffive high and fteep mountains on both fides of the river, which echoed back each found we uttered. Yet notwithftanding they were fo high and fteep, they were covered with fmall trees. THE Blue Mountains* which reared their towering tops above all the other moun- tains, were now feen before us, towards North, but at a great diftance. THE country began here to look more cultivated, and lefs mountainous, THE 234 June 1749. THE laft of the high weftern mountains is called Butterhill, after which the coun- try between the mountains grows more fpa- cious. The farms became very numerous, and we had a profpedt of many corn-fields, between the hills : before we pafled thefe hills we had the wind in our face, and we could only get forward by tacking, which went very flow, as the river was hardly a mulket-fhot in breadth. Afterwards we caft anchor, becaufe we had both wind and tide againft us. WHILST we waited for the return of tide and the change of wind, we went on fhore. THE Saffhfras'tree (Laurus Saffafras) and the chefnut-t ree grows here in great abundance. I found the tulip- tree (Li- riodendron tulipifera) in fome parts of the wood, as likewife the Kalmia latifolia, which was now in full bloflbm ; though the flowers were already withering. SOME time after noon the wind arofe from South-weft, which being a fair wind, we weighed anchor, and continued our voyage. The place where we lay at anchor, was juft the end of thofe fteep and amazing high mountains : their height is very ama- zing ; they confift of grey rock ftone, and clofe to them, on the fhore, lay a vaft number Between New Tork and Albany. 235 number of little ftones. As foon as we had pafled thefe mountains> the country became clearer of mountains, and higher. The river like wife encreafed in breadth, fo as to be near an Englijh mile broad. After failing for fome time, we found no more mountains along the river; but on the eaftern fide goes a high chain of moun- tains to the north-cart, whofe fides are co- vered with woods, up to one half of their height. The fummits however are quite barren ; for I fuppofe that nothing would grow there, on account of the great degree of heat *, drynefs, and the violence of the wind, to which that part is expofed. The eaftern fide of the river is much more cul- tivated than the weftern, where we fel- dom faw a houfe, the land being covered with woods, though it is in general very level. About fifty-fix Englifh miles from New Tcrk the country is not very high ; yet it is every where covered with woods, except fome new farms which were feat- tered here and there. The high moun- tains * Mr. Kalm was certainly miftaken, by thinking the fum- mits of thefe mountains without wood, on account of the great degree of beat : for it is a general notion, founded on experience, that the fun operates not fo much on the tops of mountains, as in plains or vallies, and the cold often j hinders the increafe of wood on the fummits of high moun- tains. F. 236 June 1749. tains which we left in the afternoon, now appeared above the woods and the country. Thefe mountains, which were called the Highlands, did not project more North than the other, in the place where we anchored. Their fides (not thofe towards the river) were feldom perpendicular, but doping, fb that one could climb up to the top, though not without difficulty. ON feveral high grounds near the river, the people burnt lime. The mafter of the yacht told rne, that they break a fine blueifh grey limeftone in the high grounds, along both fides of the river, for the fpace of fome Englffi miles, and burn lime of it. But at forne miles diftance there is no more limeftone, and they find alfo none on the banks till they come to Albany. WE pafled by a little neck of land, which projected on the weftern fide in the river, and was called Dance. The name of this place is faid to derive its origin from a feftival which the Dutch ce- lebrated here in former times, and at which they danced and diverted them- felves ; but once there came a number of Indians, who killed them all. Wp part anchor late at night, becaufe the wind ceafed and the tide was ebbing. The depth of the river is twelve fathoms here. THE Between New Tork and Albany. 237 THE fire-flies pafled the river in num- bers, at night, and fometimes fettled upon the rigging. June the I2th. THIS morning we pro- ceeded with the tide, bnt againft the wind. The river was here a mufket-fhot broad. The country m general is low on both fides, " confifting of low rocks, and ftony fields, which are however covered with woods. It is fo rocky, ftony, and poor, that nobody can fettle in it, or inhabit it, there being no fpot of ground fit for a corn-field. The country continued to have the fame appearance for the fpace of fonre miles, and we never perceived one fettle- ment. At eleven o'clock this morning we came to a little ifland, which lies in the middle of the river, and is faid to be half-way between New Tork and Albany. The fhores are ftill low, ftony, and rocky, as before. But at a greater diftance we faw high mountains, covered with woods, chiefly arvthe weftcrn fliore, railing their tops above the reft of the country : and ftill further off", the Blue Mountains rofe up above them. Towards noon it was quite calm, and we went on very flow. Here, the land is well cultivated, efpecial- ly on the eaftern fhore, and full of great corn-fields 5 yet the foil feemed fandy. Several 238 June 1749. Several villages lay on the eaftern fide, and one of them, called Strajburg, was inhabited by a number of Germans. To the Weft we faw feveral cultivated places. The Blue Mountains are very plainly to be feen here. They appear through the clouds, and tower above all other mountains. The river is full an EngUJh mile broad oppofite Strajburg. THEY make ufe of a yellow Agaricus, or mufhroom, which grows on maple- trees, for tinder ; that which is found on the red-flowering maple (Acer rubrum) is reckoned the beft, and next in goodnefs is that of the Sugar-maple (Acerfaccarinum), which is fometimes reckoned as good as the former. RHINBECK is a place at fome diftance from Strajburghy further off from the ri- ver. It is inhabited by many Germans, who have a church there. Their clergyman at prefent was the Rev. Mr. Harfwtg, who knew fome Swedijb, having been at Gothen- burg for fome time. This little town is not vifible from the river-fide. AT two in the afternoon it began again to blow from the fouth, which enabled us to proceed. The country on the eaftern fide is high, and confifts of a well culti- vated foil. We had fine corn-fields, pret- Between New York and Albany. 239 ty farms, and good orchards, in view. The weftern more is likewife fomewhat high, but ftill covered with woods, and we now and then, though feldom, faw one or two little fettlements. The river is above an Engll/h mile broad in moft places, and comes in a ftrait line from the North, fo that we could not fometimes follow it with our eye. June the i3th. THE wind favoured our voyage during the whole night, fo that I had no opportunity of obferving the na- ture of the country. This morning at five o'clock we were but nine Engltfh milqs from Albany. The country on both fides the river is low, and covered with woods, excepting a few little fcattered fettlements. Under the higher Chores of the river are wet meadows, covered with fvvord-grafs ; (Carex)y and they formed feveral little I iflands. We faw no mountains ; and haf- tened towards Albany. The land on both j fides of the river is chiefly low, and more carefully cultivated as we came nearer to it .Albany. As to the houfes, which we faw, fome .1 were of wood, others of ftone. The river :j is feldom above a mufket-fhot broadband ', in feveral parts of it are fands, which I require great experience for governing the yachts. 240 June 1749. yachts. At eight o'clock in the morning we arrived at Albany. ALL the yachts which ply between Al-> lany and New Tork, belong to Albany. They go up and down the river Hudfon, as long as it is open and free from ice They bring from Albany boards or planks, and all forts of timber, flour, peafe, and furs, which they get from the Indians, or which are fmuggled from the French. They come home almoft empty, and only bring a few merchandizes with them, among which rum is the chief. This laft is absolutely neceffary to the inhabitants of Albany ; they cheat the Indians in the fur trade with it ; for when the Indians are drunk, they will leave it to the Albanians to fix the price of the furs. The yachts are pretty large, and have a good cabbin, in which the paf- fengers can be very commodioufly lodged. They are commonly built of red Ce- dar, or of white Oak. Frequently, the bottom confifls of white oak, and the fides of red cedar, becaufe the latter with- ftands putrefaction much longer than the former. The red cedar is like wife apt to fplit, when it hits againft any thing, and the river Hudfon is in many parts full of fands and rocks, againft which the keel of the yacht fometimes hits ; therefore they 'Albany. $4* they choofe white oak for the bottom, as being the fofter wood, and not fplitting ftf cafily : and the bottom being continually Under water, is not fo much expofed to putrefadion, and holds out longer. THE Canoes which the yachts have along with them, are made of a fingle piece of wood, hollowed out j they are {harp on both ends, frequently three or four fathoms long, and as broad as the thicknefs of the wood will allow. The people in it do not row fitting, but com- monly a fellow ftands at each end, with a Chort oar in his hand, with which he go- verns and brings the canoe forwards. Thofe which are made here at Albany, are commonly of the 'white Pine ; they can do fervice for eight or twelve years, efpecially if they be tarred and painted. At Albany they make them of the white pine, fincc there is no other wood fit for them \ at New York they are made of the tulip-tree, and in other parts they are made of red or white cedars : but both thefe trees are fo fmall, in the neighbourhood of Albany, that they are unfit for canoes *y there are no feats in the canoes, for if they had any, they would be more liable to be overfet, as one could not keep the equilibrium fo well. VOL. II, Q BATTOES 242 June 1749. BAT TOES * are another kind of boats, which are much in ufe in Albany : they are made of boards of white pine ; the bot- tom is flat, that they may row the better in ihallow water j they are {harp at both ends, and fome,what higher towards the end than in the middle. They have feats in them, and are rowed as common boats. They are long, yet not all alike, common- ly three, and fometimes four fathoms long. The height from the bottom to the top of the board (for the fides ftand almoft per- pendicular) is from twenty inches to two feet, and the breadth in the middle about a yard and fix inches. They are chiefly made ufe of for carrying goods, by means of the rivers, to the Indians ; that is, when thofe rivers are open enough for the battoes to pafs through, and when they need not be carried by land a great way. The boats made of the bark of trees, break eafily by knocking againft a flone, and the canoes cannot carry a great cargo, and are eafily overfet ; the battoes are therefore prefer- able to them both. I faw no boats here like thofe in Sweden, and other parts of Europe. THE froft does frequently a great deal of . damage * From the French Bateaux (Seats}. Albany^ 243 damage at Albany. There is hardly a month in fummer during which a frofl does not happen. The fpring comes very late, and in April and May are numerous cold nights, which frequently kill the flowers of trees and kitchen- herbs. It was feared that the blofToms of the apple-trees had been fo feverely damaged by the froft, laft May, that next autumn there would be but very few apples. The oak-blof- foms are very often killed by the froft in the woods. The autumn here is of long continuance, with warm days and nights. However, the cold nights commonly com- mence towards the end of September, and are frequent in October. The people are forced to keep their cattle in ftables, from the middle of November, till March or April, and muft find them hay during that time *. DURING fummer, the wind blows com- monly from the South, and brings a great drought along with it. Sometimes it rains a little, and as foon as it has rained the wind veers to North Weft, blowing for feveral days from that point, and then re- turning to the South. I have had fre- quent * The reader muft reckon all this according to the old tilt. 244 nt 1749- quent opportunities of feeing this change of wind happen very exactly, both this year and the following. "June the I5th. The enclofures were made of boards of fir-wood, of which there is abundance in the extenfive woods, and many faw-mills to cut it into boards. THE feveral forts of apple-trees grow very well here, and bear as fine fruit as in any other part of North America. Each farm has a large orchard. They have fome apples here, which are very large, and very palatable ; they are fent to New York, and other places as a rarity. They make excellent cyder, in autumn, in the country round Albany. ALL the kinds of cherry-trees, which have been planted here, fucceed very well. PEAR-TREES do not fucceed here. This was complained of in many other parts of North America. But I fear that they do not take fufficient care in the ma- nagement and planting of them ; for 1 have feen fine pears in feveral parts of North America. PEACH-TREES have often been planted here, and never would fucceed well. This was attributed to a worm which lives in the ground, and eats through the root, fo that Albany. 245 that the tree dies. Perhaps the fe verity of the winter contributes much to it. THEY plant no other fruit-trees at Al- bany befides thefe I have mentioned. THEY fow as much hemp and flax here, as they want for home consumption. THEY fbw maize in great abundance : A loofe foil is reckoned the beft for this pur- pofe ; for it will not grow in clay. From half a bufhel they reap a hundred bufhels. They reckon maize a very good kind of corn, becaufe the (hoot recovers after be- ing hurt by the froft. They have had ex- amples here of the fhoots^ dying twice in fpring, to the very ground, and yet they mot up again afterwards, and afforded an excellent crop. Maize has likewife the ad- vantage of (landing much longer againft a drought, than wheat. The larger fort of maize which is commonly fown here, ripens in September. THEY fow wheat in the neighbourhood of Albany, with great advantage. From one bufhel they get twelve fometimes ; if the foil be good, they get twenty bufhels. If their crop amounts only to ten bufhels from one, they think it very trifling. The inhabitants of the country round Albany, are Dutch and Germans. The Germans live in feveral great villages, and fow great quantities 246 June 1749. quantities of wheat, which is brought to Albany -, and from thence they fend many yachts Jaden with flour to New York. The wheat-flour ftom Albany is reckoned the beft in ail North America* except that from Sopus or Kings Town, a place between Albany and New York. All the bread in Albany is made of wheat. At New York they pay the Albany flour with feveral /hillings more per hundred weight, than that from other places. RYE is like wife fown here, but not fo generally as wheat. THEY do not fow much barley here, be- caufe they do not reckon the profits very great. Wheat is fo plentiful that they make malt of it. In the neighbourhood of New York, I faw great fields fown with barley. THEY do not fow more oats than are ne- ceflary for their horfes. THE Dutch and Germans who live here- abouts, fow peafe in great abundance ; they fucceed very well, and are annually carried to New York, in great quantities. They have been free from infects for a confider- able time. But of late years the fame beetles which deftroy the peafe in Penfyl- vtrttia, New Jerfey, and the lower parts of the province of New York *, have likewife appeared f J have mentioned them before. See vol. i. p. 1 76, 177. Albany. 247 appeared abundant among the peafe here. It is a real lofs to this town, and to the other parts of North America, which ufed to get peafe from hence for their own consumption, and that of their failors. It had been found that if they procured good peafe from Albany* and fowed them near King's Town, or the lower part of the pro- vince of New York, they fucceeded very well trie firft year, but were fo full of worms the fecond, and following years, that nobody could or would eat them. Some people put ames into the pot, among the peafe, when they will not boil, or foften well ; but whether this is wholefome and agreeable to the palate, I do not know. POTATOES are generally planted. Some people preferred afhes to fand for keeping them in during winter. THE Bermuda Potatoes (Convolvulus Ba- tatas) have likewife been planted here, and fucceed pretty well. The greateft diffi- culty is to keep them during winter -y for they generally rot in that feafon. THE Humming-bird (Trocbilus Colubris) comes to this place fometimes ; but is ra- ther a fcarce bird. THE fhingles with which the houfes are covered are made of the White Pine, which is 548 JUKI 1749, is reckoned as good and as durable, andfome- times better, thin the. White Cedar ( Cit^ freffus tbvoidesj. The White Pine, is found abundant here, in fuch places where corn^ mon pines grow in Europe. I have never feen them in the lower parts of the province of New York, nor in New yerfey and Pen- fdvania. They faw a vaft quantity of deal from the White Pine on this fide of Albany, which are brought down to New York, and from thence exported. THE woods abound with vines, which likewife grow on the fteep banks of the river Jn furprifing quantities. They climbed to the tops of trees on the bank, and bent them by their weight. But where they found no trees, they hung down along the fteep mores, and covered them entirely. The grapes are eaten after the froft has at-r tacked them •, for they are too four before. They are not much ufed any other way. THE vaft woods and uninhabited grounds, between Albany and Canada, contain im- menfe fwarms of gnats, which annoy the travellers. To be in fome meafure fecured againft thefe infedls, fpme befmear theirface with butter or greafe ; for the gnats do not Jike to fettle on greafy places. The great Jieat makes boots very uneafy j but to pre-r vent the gnats from flinging the legs, they \vrap ferae paper round them, under the (lockings. Albany. 249 ftockings. Some travellers wear caps which cover the whole face, and have fome gauze before the eyes, At night they lie in tents, if they can carry any with them ; and make a great fire at the entrance, by the fmoke of which the gnats are driven away. THE porpeffes feldom go higher up the river Hudfon than the fait water goes ; after that, the fturgeons fill their place. It has however fometimes happened, that por- pefles have gone quite up to Albany. THERE is a report, that a whale once came up the river quite to this town. THE Fireflies (Lampyris) which are the fame that are fo common in Penfylvania during fummer, are feen here in abundance every night. They fly up and down in the ftreets of this town. They come into the houfes, if the doors and windows are open. SEVERAL of the Penfyhanian trees arp not to be met with in thefe woods ; viz. Magnolia glauca, the Beaver-free. Nyffa aquatica, the Tupelo-tree. Liquidamhar Jlyraciflua, the Sweet-gum tree. Diofpyrcs Virginiana* the Perjimon* Liriodendron tulipiferay the Tulip-tret. Juglansnigra, the black Walnut-tree. Quercus , the Swamp Oak. Ctrch Canadenfis, the Sallad-tree. Robinia pfiudacacia, the Locuft-tree. Gleditjta 250 June 1749. Gleditfia triacanthos, the Honey -hcujl tree. Annona muric&ta, the Papaw-tree. Celtis occidentalis, the Nettle-tree. And a number of fhrubs, which are never found here. THE more northerly fituation of the place, the height of the Blue Mountains, and the courfe of the rivers, which flow here fouthward into the fea, and according- ly carry the feeds of plants from north to fouth, and not the contrary way, are chiefly the caufes that feveral plants which grow in Penfyhania cannot be found here. THIS afternoon I went to fee an iiland which lies in the middle of the river, about a mile below the town. This iiland is an Englifh mile long, and not above a quarter of a mile broad. It is almoft entirely turn- ed into corn-fields ; and is inhabited by a {ingle planter, who, befides pofleffing this ifland, is the owner of two more. Here we faw no woods, except a few trees which were left round the ifland on the more, and formed as it were a tall and great hedge. The Red Maple (Acer rubrum) grows in abundance in feveral places. Its leaves are white or filvery on the under fides, and, when agitated by the wind, they make the tree appear as if it was full of white flowers. The Water-beech (Platanus grows to a great height, and is one Albany. . 251 one of the moft fhady trees here. The Water-poplar* is the moft common tree hereabouts, grows exceedingly well on the ihores of the river, and is as tall as the tall- eft of our afps. In fummer it affords the beft {Lade for men and cattle againft the fcorching heat. On the banks of rivers and lakes it is one of the moft ufeful trees, be- caufe it holds the foil by its extenfive branched roots, and prevents the. water from wafliing it away The Water-beech and the Elm-tree (Ulmus) ferve the fame pur- pofe. The wild Prune-trees were plentiful here, and were full of unripe fruit. Its wood is not made ufe of; but its fruit is eaten. Sumach (Rbus glabra) is plentiful here ; as alfo the wild vines, which climb up the trees, and creep along the high fhores of the river. I was told, that the grapes ripen very late, though they were already pretty large. THE American Elm- tree (Ulmus Ameri- cana) formed feveral high hedges. The foil of this ifland is a rich mould, mixed with fand, which is chiefly employed in maize plantations. There were likewife large fields of potatoes. The whole ifland was * Popuius glandulit \ikewife got a great pain in his breaft,. and a fenfation as from a fwelling, after drinking water with Moncculi in it : but whether thefe infects occafioned it, or whe- ther it came from fome other caufe, I can- not afcertain. However, I have always endeavoured, as much as pofiible, to do without fuch water as had Monoculi in it. I have found Monoculi in very cold water, taken from the deepeft wells, in different parts of this country. Perhaps many of our difeafes arife from waters of this kind, which we do not fufficiently examine* I have frequently Albany. 255 frequently obferved abundance of minute in- ledts in water, which has been remarkable for its clearnefs. Almoft eachhoufein^f/^^j/ha§ its well, the water of which is applied to com- mon ufe ; but for tea, brewing, and wafli- ing, they commonly take the water of the river Hud/on, which flows clofe by the town. This water is generally quite mud- dy, and very warm in fummer ; and, on that account, it is kept in cellars, in order that the flime may fubfide, and that the water may cool a little. WE lodged with a gunfmith, who told us, that the beft charcoals for the forge were made of the Black Pine. The next in goodnefs, in his opinion, were charcoals, made of the Beech-tree. THE beft and deareft flocks for his muf- kets were made of the wood of the wild Cherry-tree ; and next to thefe he valued thofe of the Red Maple moft. They fcarce make ufe of any other wood for this purpofe. The black Walnut-tree affords excellent wood for flocks ; but it does not grow in the neighbourhood of Albany. "June the 2 1 ft. NEXT to the town of New Tork^ Albany is the principal town, or at leaft the moft wealthy, in the province of New Tork. It is fituated on the declivity of a hill, clofe to the weftern fhore of the river 256 June 1749. * river Hudfon, about one hundred and forty- fix Englijh miles from New Tork. The town extends along the river, which flows here from N. N. E. to S. S. W. The high mountains in the weft, above the town, bound the profpe6t on that fide. There are two churches in Albany, an Englijh one and a Dutch one. The Dutch church ftands at fome diftance from the river, on the eaft fide of the market. It is built of ftone; and in the middle ithas afmallfteeple, with a bell. It has but one minifter, who preaches twice every Sunday. The Englijh church is fituated on the hill, at the weft end of the market, directly under the fort. It is likewife built of ftone, but has no ftee- ple. There was no fervice at this church at this time, becaufe they had no minifter ; and all the people underftood 'Dutch, the garrifon excepted. The minifter of this church has a fettled income of one hundred pounds fterling, which he gets from Eng- land. The town-hall lies to the fouthward of the Dutch church, clofe by the river fide. It is a fine building of ftone, three ftories high. It has a fmall tower orfteeple, with a bell, and a gilt ball and vane at the top of it. THE houfes in this town are very neat , and partly built with ftones covered with Ihin* gles Jill any. gles of the White Pint. Some are flated with tiles from Holland, becaufe the clay of this neighbourhood is not reckoned fit for tiles. Moft of thehoufes are built in the old way; with the gable- end towards the ftreet ; a few Cxcepted, which were lately built in the manner now ufed. A great number of houfes were built like thofe of New Brunfwkk, which I have defcribed * ; the gable-end being built, towards the flreet; of bricks, and all the other walls of planks. The outfide of the houfes is never covered with fc lime or mortar, nor have I feien it practifed in any North- American towns which I have Vifited ; and the walls do not feem to be damaged by the air. The gutters on the roofs reach almoft to the middle of the ftreet. This preferves the walls from being damaged by the rain j but is extremely difagreeable ih rainy weather for the people in the frfeets, there being hardly any means of avoiding the water from the gutters; The ftreet-doors are generally in the mid^ die of the houfes ; and on both fides are feats, on which, during fair weather, the people fpend almolt the whole day, efpe-* cially cm thofe which are in the ihadow of the houfes. In the evening thefe feats are covered with people of both fexes ; but this VOL. II. R is * See Vol. I. p. 228, &c,. 258 June 1749. is rather troublefome, as thofe who pafs by are obliged to greet every body, unlefs they will (hock the politenefs of the inhabitants of this town. The ftreets are broad, and fome of them are paved ; in fome parts they are lined with trees ; the long ftreets are almoft parallel to the river, and the others interfecl: them at right angles. The ftreet which goes between the two churches, is five times broader than the others, and ferves as a market-place. The ftreets upon the whole are very dirty, becaufe the peo- ple leave their cattle in them, during the fummer nights. There are two market- places in the town, to which the country people refort twice a week. THE fort lies higher than any other building, on a high ileep hill on the weft lide of the town. It is a great building of ftone, furrounded with high and thick walls ; its fituation is very bad, as it can only ferve to keep oft' plundering parties, without being able to fuftain a fiege. There are numerous high hills to the weft of the fort, which command it, and from whence one may fee all that is done within it. There is commonly an officer and a num- ber of foldiers quartered in it. They fay the fort contains a fpring of water. THE fituation ^Albany is very advan- tageous 259 tageous in regard to trade; The fiver Hud- Jon, which flows clofe by if, is from twelve to twenty feet deep. There is not yet any quay made for the better lading of the yachts, becaufe the people feared it would fuffer greatly* or be entirely carried away in fpring by the ice, which then comes down- the river ; the veilels Which are in ufe here* may come pretty near the fhore in order to be laden, and heavy goods are brought to them upon canoes tied together. Albany carries on a confiderable commerce with New York, chiefly in furs, boards, wheat, flour, peafe, feveral kinds of timber, &c. There is not a place in all the Briti/h colo- nies, the Hudfon's Bay fettlements excepted, where fuch quantities of furs and fkins are bought of the Indians, as at Albany. Moft of the merchants in this town fend a clerk or agent to OJwego, an Eng/t/b trading town, upon the lake Ontario, to which the Indians refort with their furs. I intend to give a more minute account of this place in my Journal for the year 1750. The merchants from Albany fpend the whole fummer at OfwegOy and trade with many tribes of In- dians who come to them with their goods. Many people have affured me, that the ///- dians are frequently cheated in difpoiing of their goods, elpecially when they aie in R 2 liquor, 260 June 1749. liquor, and that fometimes they do not get one half or even one tenth of the value of their goods. I have been a witnefs to feve- fal tranfadions of this kind. The mer- chants of Albany glory in thefe tricks, and are highly pleafed when they have given a poor Indian a greater portion of brandy than he can bear, and when they can after that get all his goods for mere trifles. The //;- dians often find when they are fober again, that they have been cheated, they grumble fomewhat, but are foon fatisfied when they reflect that they have for once drank as much as they are able, of a liquor which they value beyond any thing elfe in the whole world, and they are quite infenfible to their lofs, if they again get a draught of this nec- tar. Belides this trade at Ofwego, a num- ber of Indians come to Albany from feveral parts, efpecially from Canada ; but from this latter place, they hardly bring any thing but beaver-fkins. There is a great penalty in Canada for carrying furs to the Engtifo, that trade belonging to the French Weji India Company ;. notwithstanding vvhich the French merchants in Canada carry on a confiderable fmuggling trade. They fend their furs, by means of the In" dians, to their correfpondents at Albany* who purchafe it at the price which they have Albany. 261 have fixed upon with the French merchants. The Indians take in return feveral kinds of cloth, and other goods, which may be got here at a lower rate than thofe which arc fent to Canada from France. THE greater part of the merchants at Albany have extenfive eftates in the coun- try, and a great deal of wood. If their eftates have a little brook, they do not fail to ered: a fa w- mill upon it for fawing boards and planks, with which commodity many yachts go during the whole fummer to New Tork, having fcarce any other lad- ing than boards. Many people at Albany make the wam- pum of the Indians, which is their orna- ment and their money, by grinding fomc kinds of (hells and mufcles ; this is a con- fiderable profit to the inhabitants. I (hall fpeak of this kind of money in the fequel. The extenfive trade which the inhabitants of Albany carry on, and their fparing manner of life, in the Dutch way, contribute to the con^ fiderable wealth which many of them acquire. THE inhabitants of Albany and its en- virons are almoft all Dutchmen. They fpeak Dutch, have Dutch preachers, and divine fervice is performed in that language : their manners are likewife quite Dutch ; their drefs is however like that of the It is well known that the firft R 3 Europeans June 1749, Europeans who fettled in the province of New York were Dutchmen. During the time that they were the matters of this province, they poffefled themfelves of New Sweden*, of which they were jealous. How-r ever the pleafure of poffeffing this conquered land and their own, was but of fhort dura- tion ; for towards the end of 1664, Sir P^obert Carre, by order of King Charles the fecond, went to New fork, then New Amjlerdam, and took it. Soon after Colonel Nichols went to Albany, which then bore the name of Fort Orange, and upon taking it, named it Albany, from the Duke of Yortis Scotch title. The Dutch inhabitants were allowed either to continue where they were, and, under the prote<5lion of the Englijh, to enjoy all their former privileges, or to leave the country. The greater part of them chofe to ftay, and from them the Dutch- men are defcended, who now live in the province of New York, and who po fiefs the greateft and beft eftates in that province. THE avarice and felfifhnefs of the inha- bitants of Albany are very well known throughout all North America, by the Eng- Itjh, by the French, and even by the Dutch, in the lower part of New York province. If a Jew, who underftands the art of getting forward * Nenv Jerfey and part of Fenjylvania were formerly comprized under this name. Albany. 263 forward perfeftly well, fhould fettle amongft them, they would not fail to ruin him. For this reafon nobody comes to this place without the moft prefling neceffity j and therefore I was afked in feveral places, what induced me to go to it, two years one after another. I likewife found that the judg- ment, which people formed of them, was not without foundation. For though they feldom fee any Grangers, (except thofe who go from the BHtifo colonies to Canada and back again) and one might therefore ex- pect to find victuals and accommodation for travellers cheaper than in places, where travellers always refort to j yet I experienc- ed the contrary. I was here obliged to pay for every thing twice, thrice, and four times as dear as in any part of North America which I have paffed through. If I wanted their afliftance, I was obliged to pay them very well for it, and when 1 wanted to pur- chafe any thing, or to be helped in fome cafe or other, I could prefently fee what kind of blood ran in their veins; for they either fixed exorbitant prices for their fer- vices, or were very backward to affift me. Such was this people in general. How- ever, there were fome amongft them who equalled any in North America, or any where elfe, in politenefs, equity, gocdnefs, R 4 and June i and readinefs to ferve and to oblige ; but their number fell far fhort of that of the former. If I may be allowed to declare my conjectures, the origin of the inhabi- tants of Albany and its neighbourhood feems to me to be as follows. Whilft the Dutch poflefled this country, and intended to peo- ple it, the government took up a pack of vagabonds, of which they intended to clear the country, and fent them along with a number of other fettlers to this province. The vagabonds were fent far from the other polonifts, upon the borders towards the Indians and other enemies, and a few honeft families were perfuaded to go with them, in order to keep them in bounds. I can- -not any other way account for the difference between the inhabitants of Albany, and the other defcendants of fo refpeftable a nation as the Dutch, who are fettled in the lower part of New York province. The latter are civil, obliging, juft in the prices, and fincere ; and though they are not ceremo- nious, yet they are well meaning and honeft, and their promifes are to be relied on. THE behaviour of the inhabitants of Al- bany, during the war between England and prance, which was ended with the peace of Aix la Cbapelk, has, among feveral other caufes, contributed to make them the Albany. 265 the object of hatred in all the Rritifh co lonies, but more efpecially in New England. For at the beginning of that war, when the Indians of both parties had received .orders to commence hostilities, the French engaged theirs to attack the inhabitants of New England ; which they faithfully exe- cuted, killing every body they met with, and carrying off whatever they found. During this time the people of Albany re- mained neutral, and carried on a great trade with the very Indians who murdered the inhabitants of New England. The plate, fuch as filv.er fpoons, bowls, cups,* &c. of which the Indians robbed the houfes in New England, was carried to Al- bany, for fale. The people of that town bought up thefe filver veffels, though the names of the owners were graved on many of them, and encouraged the In- dians to get more of them, promifing to pay them well, and whatever they would demand. This was afterwards interpreted by the inhabitants of New England^ as if the Albanians encouraged the Indians, to kill more' of the pep^ pie, who were in a manner their bro- thers,' and who were fubjedls of the fame crown. Upon the firft news of this be- haviour, which the Indians themfelves Jpread 266 June 1749. fpread in New England, the inhabitants of the latter province were greatly incenfed, and threatened, that the firft ftep they would take in another war, would be to burn Albany, and the adjacent parts. In the prefent war it will fufticiently appear how backward the other Britifh provinces in America are in affifling Albany ', and the neighbouring places, in cafe of an attack from the French or Indians *. The hatred which the Englijh bear againft the peo- ple, at Albany, is very great, but that of the Albanians againft the Englifh is carried to a ten times higher degree. TYJs hatred has fubfifted ever fince the time when the Englijh conquered this country, and is not yet extinguifhed, though they could never have got fuch advantages un- der the Dutch government, as they have obtained under that of the Englijh. For in a manner, their privileges arc greater than thofe of Engtifhmen. THE inhabitants of Albany are much more fparing than the Englijh. The meat which is ferved up is often infufficient to fatisfy the ftomach, and the bowl does not cir- * Mr. Kalm publifhed his third volume ju (I during the time of the laft war. F. Albany. 267 i circulate fo freely as amongft the Englijb. The women are perfectly well acquainted with ceconomy ; they rife early, go to deep very late, and are almoft over nice and cleanly, in regard to the floor, which is frequently fcoured feveral times in the week. The iervants in the town are chiefly negroes. Some of the inhabitants wear their own hair, but it is very fhort, with- out a hag or queue, which are looked upon as the charadteriftics of Frenchmen ; and as I wore my hair in a bag the firft day I came here from Canada* I was fur- rounded with children, who called me Frenchman* and fome of the bolaeft of- fered to pull at my French drefs. THEIR meat, and manner of drefling it, is very different from that of the Engli/b. Their breakfaft is tea, commonly without milk. About thirty or forty years ago, tea was unknown to them, and they break- faded either upon bread and butter, or bread and milk. They never putfugar in- to the cup, but tike a fmall bit of it into their mouths whilft they drink. Along with the tra they eat bread and butter, with flices of hung beef. Coffee is nof ufualhere; they break fad generally about leven. Their dinner is butter-milk, and bread, to which they fometimes add fugar, then 268 June 1749. then it is a delicious dim for them ; or frefh milk and bread ; or boiled or roafted flefh. They fometimes make ufe of but- ter-milk inftead of frefh milk, to boil a thin kind of porridge with, which taftes very four, but not difagreeable in hot weather. To each dinner they have a great fallad, prepared with abundance of vinegar, and very little or no oil. They frequently eat butter-milk, bread, and fallad, one mouth- ful after another. Their fupper is generally bread and butter, and milk and bread. They fometimes eat cheefe at brcakfaft, and at dinner j it is not in flices, but fcraped or rafped, fo as to referable coarfe flour, which they pretend adds to the good tafte of cheefe. They commonly drink very fmall beer, or pure water. THE governor of New York often confers at Albany, with the Indians of the Five Na- tions, or the Iroquefe, (Mohawks, Senekas, Cayugau-Sy Onondagots, and Onidoctj efpe- cially when they intend either to make war upon, or to continue a war againft the French. Sometimes their deliberations likewife turn upon their converfion to the chriftian religion, and it appears by the an- fwer of one of the Indian chiefs, or Sa- chems, to governor Hunter, at a conference in this town, that the Englifi do not pay fo Albany. 269 fo much attention to a work of fo much confequence, as the French do, and that they do not fend fuch able men to inftrudl the Indians, as they ought to do *. For after governor Hunter had prefented thefe Indians, by order of Queen Anne, with many clothes, and other prefents, of which they were fond, he intended to convince them ftill more of her Majefty's good-will, and care for them, by adding, that their good mother, the Queen, had not only gene- roujly provided them with fine clothes for their bodies, but likewife intended to adorn their * Mr. Kalm is, I believe, not right informed. The JWwo&ecclefiaftics have allured fome few wretched Indian? to their religion and intereft, and fettled them in fmall vil- lages; but by the accounts of their behaviour, in the fevc- ral wars of the/Viw£ and Englijk* they were always guihy of the greatcft cruelties and brutalities ; and more fo than, their heathen countrymen ; and therefore it feems that the/ have been rather perverted than converted. On the other hand, the Englijh have tranflated the bible into the lan- guage of the Virginian Indians, and converted many of them to the true knowledge of God ; and at this prefent time, the Indian charity fchools, and miflions, condu&ad by the Rev. Mr. Eleazar Wheelock, have brought numbers of the Indians to the knowledge of the true God. The fo» ciety for propagating the gofpel in foreign parts, fends every year many miflionaries, at their own expence, among the Indians. And the Moravian Brethren ~sre alfo very aftive in the converfion of Gentiles ; fo that if Mr. Kalm had confidered all thefe circumftances, he would have* judged otherwife of the zeal of the Britijb nation, in pro- jpagating the gofpel among the Indiant. F. 270 June 1749. their fouls, by tie preaching of tt:e gofpel $ and that to this purpofe fome minifters Jhould be fent to tbefn, to injiruft them. The go- vernor had fcarce ended, when one of the old eft Sachems got up, and anfwered, that in the name of all the Indians, he thanked their gracions good queen and mother for the Jine clothes fhe had fent them j but that in re- gard to the mimjlers, they had already bad feme among them, (whom helikewife named) •who injlead of preaching the holy gofpel to them, had taught them to drink to excefs, to cheat, and to quarrel among themfches. He then entreated the governor to take from them thefe preachers, and a number of Europeans who refided amongft them -, for before they were come among, them, the Indians had been an honeft, lober, and in- nocent people, but moft of them became rogues now. That they had formerly hsd the fear of God, but that they hardly be- lieved his exiftence at prefent, That if he (the governor) would do them any favour, he fhould fend two or three blackfmlths amongft them, to teach them to forge iron, in which they were unexperienced. The governor could not forbear laughing at this extraordinary fpeech. I think the words of St. Paul not wholly unapplicable on this Between Albany and Saratoga. 271 this occafion : For the name of God is blaf- phemed among ft the Gentiles, through you -f*. June the 21 ft. About five o'clock in the afternoon we left Albany, and pro- ceeded towards Canada. We had two men with us, who were to accompany us to the firft French place, which is Fort St. Frederick, or, as the Englifo call it, Crown Point. For this fervice each of them was to receive five pounds of New York currency, befides which I was to provide them with victuals. This is the common price here, and he that does not choofe to conform to it, is obliged to travel alone. We were forced to take up with a canoe *, as we could get neither battoes, nor boats of bark ; and as there was a good road along the weft fide of the river Hudfon, we left the men to row forwards, in the canoe, and we went along it on the more, that we might be better able to examine it, and its curiofities, with greater accuracy. It is very incommodious to row in thefe canoes ; for one ftands at each end and puihes the boat forwards. They commonly keep to the flaore, ,that they may be able to Romans ii. 24. Sec the defcription of it, p. 241, 2 271 June 1749; to reach the ground eafily. Thus tfid rowers are forced to ftand upright, whilft they row in a canoe. We kept along the' fhore all the evening, towards the river, it confifted of great hills, and next to the water grew the trees, which I have above mentioned *, and which likewife are to be met with on the fhores of the ifle, in the river, fituate below Albany. The eafterly fhore of the river is uncultivated, woody, and hilly ; but the weftern is flat, culti- vated, and chiefly turned into corn-fields, which had no drains, though they wanted them in fome places. It appeared very plainly here, that the river had formerly been broader. For there is a Hoping bank on the corn-fields, at about thirty yards diftance from the river, witb which it al- ways runs parallel. From this it fuffici- ently appears, that the rifing ground for- merly was the flhore of the river, and the corn-fields its bed. As a further proof, it may be added, that the fame {hells which abound on the prefent fhore of the river, and are not applied to any ufe by the in- habitants, ly plentifully fcattered on thefe fields. I cannot fay whether this change was occafioned by the diminishing of the water * See paga 251* Between Albany and Saratoga. 273 water in the river, or by its wafliing fome €irth down the river, and carrying it to its fides, or by the river's cutting deeper ii> on the fides. ALL the grounds were ploughed very even, as is ufual in the Swedifh province of Upland. Some were fown with yellow,, and others with white Wheat. Now and then we faw great fields of flax, which was now beginning to flower. In fome parts it grows very well, and in others it was but indifferent. The exceflive drought which had continued throughout this fpring, had parched all the grafs and plants on hills and high grounds, leaving no other green plant than the common Mullein (Verbaf- cum T'hapfus Linn.) which I faw in feve- ral places, on the drieft and higheft hills, growing in fpite of the parching heat of the fun, and though the paftures and mea- dows were exceffively poor, and afforded fcarce any food at .all, yet the cattle never touched the Mullein, Now and then I found fields with peafe, but the Charlock, fSinapis arvenjis Linn.) kept them quite under. The foil in moft of thefe fields is a fine mould, which goes pretty deep. THE wild vines cover all the hills along the rivers, on which no other plants grow, and on thofe which are covered with trees, VOL. II. S they June 1749. they climb to the tops of them, and wholly cover them, making them bend down with, their weight. They had already largo grapes ; we faw them abundant all this day, and during all the time that we kept to the river Hudfon, on the hills, along the ihores, and on fome little iflands in the river. THE white-b ck d Maize-thieves appeared now and then, flying amongft the bufhes : their note is fine, and they are not fo large as the black maize-thieves, (Oriolus Phce- nlcens). We faw them near New Tork, for the firfl" time. WE found a Water-beech tree (Platanm Occident alls) cut down near the road, rnea- luring about five feet in diameter. THIS day, and for fome days afterwards, we met with iflands in the river. The, larger ones were cultivated, and turned into corn-fields and meadows. WE walked about five Englifh miles along the river to-day, and found the ground, during that time, very uniform, and confift- ing of pure earth. I did not meet with 3, fingle ftone on. the fields. The Red Maple, the Water-beech, the Water-afp, the wild Prune-tree, the Sumach, the Elm, the wild Vines, and fome fpecics of Willows, were A - th« Between Albany and Saratoga. 275 the trees which we met with on the rifing fliores of the river, where fome Afparagus (Afparagus qfficinalis) grew wild. WE paiTed the night about fix miles from Albany, in a countryman's cottage. On the weft fide of the river we faw feveral houfes, one after another, inhabited by the descendants of the firft Dutch fettlers, who lived by cultivating their grounds. About half an Englijh mile beyond our lodgings, was the place where the tide ftops in the river Hudfon, there being only ftnall and (hallow ft reams above it. At that place they catch a good many forts of fifh in the river. THE barns were generally built in the Dutch way, as I have before defcribed them * ; for in the middle was the threfh- ing-floor, above it a place for the hay and ftraw, and on each fide ftables for horfes, cows, and other animals. The barn itfelf was very large. Sometimes the buildings in the court-yard confift only of a room, and a garret above it, together with a barn upon the above plan. June the 2 ad. THIS morning I followed one of our guides to the water-fall near Co- hoes, in the river Mohawk, before it falls S 2 into * See in the firft Volume, p. 223, 224. ir-tri : : - . ;".; .:- &*£&*. He fiad, that he had gear lliSL rtie :: - ' 5: BnEcar drrp hafcs Bdnr tn tfit& ^"^ : T 1^.1 T IIC^L __ abcraFBofa IIL the mi - " • ^niL n^?> smd fmalT iliiiilcw ones. We iar ntErra" ficre tfie Scczc: il» \ wacr? iiiiLntitv, diercwataL cKd&mei ;m die vesper itinng "jfl^ Jird wer^ c . i 276 June 1749. into the nvtrHudfon. This fall is about three Engli/h miles from the place where I patted the night. The country till the fall is a plain, and only hilly about the fall itfelf. The wood is cleared in moft places, and the ground cultivated, and interfperfed with farm-houfes. THE Cohoes Fa// is one of the greateft in North America. It is in the river JMobawk, before it unites with the river Hud/on. Above and below the fall, the fides and the bottom of the river confift of hard rock. The river is three hundred yards broad here. At the fall there is a rock crofsways in the river, running every where equally high, and croffing in a ftrait line with the fide which forms the fall. It reprefents, as it were, a wall towards the lower fide, which is not quite perpendicular, wanting about four yards. The height of this wall, over which the water rolls, appeared to me about twenty or twenty-four yards. I had marked this height in my pocket-book ; and after- wards found it agreed pretty well with the. account which that ingenious engineer, Mr. Lewis Evans, communicated to me at Pbi+ ladelphia. He faid, that he had geometri- cally meafured the breadth and height of the fall, and found it nine hundred Englljh fee£ 2 broad, Between Albany and Saratoga. 277 broad, and feventy-five feet high. The repre- fentation of this fall, which is here joined, has been made by Mr. Evans. There was very little water in the river at prefent, and it only ran over the fall in a few places. In fuch places where the water had rolled down before, it had cut deep holes below into the rock, fometimes to the depth of two or three fathoms. The bed of the river, below the fall, was of rock, and quite dry, there being only a channel in the middle fourteen feet broad, and a fathom or fomewhat more deep, through which the water pafled which came over the fall. We faw a number of holes in the rock, b^- low the fall, which bore a perfect refem- blance to thofe in Sweden which we call Giants Pots, or Mountain Kettles. They differed in fi'ze -, there being large deep ones, and fmall {hallow ones. We had clear uninterrupted fun-mine, not a cloud above the horizon, and no wind at alk However, clofe to this fall, where the water was in fuch a fmall quantity, there was a continual drizzling rain, occafioned by the vapours which rofe from the water during its fall, and were carried about by the wind. Therefore, in corning within a mufket-fhot of the fall, againft the wind, our cloaths were S 3 wettecl 278 June 1749. wetted at once, as from a rain. The whirl*- pools, which were in the water below the fall, contained feveral kinds of fifh; and they were caught by fome people, who amufed them- felves with angling. The rocks hereabouts coniift of the fame black ftone which forms the hills about Albany. When expofed to the air, it is apt to fliiver into horizontal flakes, as ilate does. AT noon we continued our journey to Canada in the canoe, which was pretty long, and made out of a white pine. Somewhat beyond the farm where we lay at night, the river became fo mallow that the men could reach the ground every where with their oars ; it being in fome parts not above two feet, and fometimes but one foot deep. The fhore and bed of the river confifled of fand and pebbles. The river was very rapid, and ggainft us ; fo that our rowers found it har4 work to get forward again ft the ftream. The hills along the fhore confided merely of foil ; and were very high and fteep in fome parts. The breadth of the river was generally near two mufket-fhot. STURGEONS abound in the river Hudfon. We faw them for feveral days together leap high up into the air, efpecially in the even - ing ; our guides, and the people who lived Jiereabouts, afler ted that they never fee any ihiFgecns Between Albany and Saratoga. 279 fturgeons in winter time, becaufe thefe fifti go into the fea late in autumn, but come up again in fpring and ftay in the river all the fummer. They are faid to pre- fer the /halloweft places in the river, which agreed pretty well with our obfervations ; for we never faw them leap out of the wa- ter but in mallows. Their food is faid to be fever al kinds of confervte, which grow in plenty in fome places at ths bottom of the river; for thefe weeds are found in their bellies when they are opened. The Dutch who are fettled here, and the Indians t fim for fturgeons, and every night of our voy- age upon this river, we obferved feveral boats with people who ftruck them with harpoons. The torches which they em- ployed were made of that kind of pine, which they call the black pine here. The nights were exceedingly dark, though they were now fhorteft, and though we were in a country fo much to the South of Sweden. The mores of the river lay covered with dead fturgeons, which had been wounded with the harpoon, but efcaped, and died afterwards ; they occafioned an infupport- able ftench curing the exceffive heat of the weather. As we went further up the river we faw an Indian woman and her boy fitting in a S 4 boat 280 June 1749. boat of bark, and an Indian wading through the river, with a great cap of bark on his head. Near them was an iiland on whi"h there were a number of Indians at prefent, on account of the fturgeon fifhery, We went to their huts to try if we cou!4 get one of them to accompany us to Fort St. Frederic. On our arrival we found that all the men were gone into the woods •a hunting this morning, and we were forced to engage their boys to go and look for them. They demanded bread for payment, and we gave them twenty little round loaves ; for as they found that it was of great importance to us to fpeak with the Indians* they raifed difficulties, and would not go till \*e gave them what they wanted. The ifland belonged to the Dutch, who had turned it into corn-fields. But at prefent they had leafed it to the Indians* who planted their maize and feveral kinds of melons on it. They built their huts or wigwams on this ifland, on a very fimple plan. Four pofts were put into the ground perpendicularly, over which they had placed poles, and made a roof of bark upon them. They had either no walls at all, or they eonfift- ed of branches with leaves, wrhich were fixed to the poles. Their beds confifted of deer- fkins which were fpread on the ground. Their ptenfils were a couple of fmall kettles, and two Between Albany and Saratoga. 281 twoladles, and abucket or two of bark, made fo clofeas to keep water. The fturgeons were cut into long flices, and hung up in the fun- fliine to dry, and to be ready again ft winter. The India?! women were fitting at their work on the hill, upon deer-Huns. They never make uie of chairs, but fit on the ground : however, they do nojt fit crofs- legged, as theTi/r&f do, but between their feet, which, though they be turned back- wards, are not croffed, but bent outwards. The women wear no head-drefs, and have black hair. They have a fhort blue petti- coat, which reaches to their knees, and the brim of which is bordered with red or other ribbands. They wear their fhifts over their petticoats. They have large ear-rings : and their hair is tied behind, and wrapped in ribbands. Their Wampum^ or Pearls, and their money, which is made of (hells, are tied round the neck, and hang down on the breaft. This is their whole drefs. They were now making feveral kinds of work of fkins, to which they fowed the quills of the American Porcupines, having dyed them black or red, or left them in their original colour. TOWARDS evening, we went from hence to a farm clofe to the river, where we found only one man, looking after the maize and the fields ; the inhabitants being not yet returned fince the end of the war. THE •282 June 1749. THE little brooks here contain Crawfifh, which are exadly the fame with ours*, with this difference only, that they are fomewhat lefs ; however, the Dutch in- habitants will not eat them. Jtmeihe 2%d. WE waited a good while for the Indians, who had promifed to corns home, in order to {hew us the way to Fort St. Ann, and to aflift us in making a boat of bark, to continue our voyage. About eight o'clock three of the men arrived. Their hair was black, and cut fhort ; they wore rough pieces of woollen cloth, of a bright green colour, on their moulders, a fhirt which covers their thighs, and pieces of cloth, or fkins, which they wrap round the legs and part of the thighs. They had neither hats, caps, nor breeches. Two of them had painted the upper part of their foreheads, and their cheeks, with vermi- lion. Round their neck was a ribband, from which hung a bag down to the breaft, containing their knives. They promifed to accompany us for thirty fhillings -, but foon after changed their minds, and went with an Ehglijhman, who gave them more. Thus we were obliged to make this journey quite alone. The Indians, however, were honeft enough to return us fifteen millings,, which we had paid them before-hand. OUR * Cancer dftacas Linn, Between Albany and Saratoga. 383 OUR laft night's lodging was about ten Englijh miles from Albany. During the laft war, which was juft now ended, the in- habitants had all retreated from thence to Albany, becaufe the French Indians had taken or killed all the people they met with, fet the houfes on fire, and cut down the trees. Therefore, when the inhabitants re» turned, they found no houfes, and were forced to ly under a few boards which were huddled together. TH-E river was almoft a mufket-fhot broad, and the ground on both fides culti- vated. The hills near the river werefteep, gnd the earth of a pale colour, THE American Elder (Sambucus occidefita- /is*J grows in incredible quantities along fhofe hills, which appear quite white, from the abundance of flowers on the Elder. ALL this day along, we had one current after another, full of ftones, which were great obftacles to our getting forward. The water in the river was very clear, and gene- rally mallow, being only from two to four feet deep, running very violently againft us in moft places. The more was covered with pebbles, and a grey fand. The hills confifted of earth, were high, and flood per- pendicular towards the river, which wa$ near Qanadenfis Linn, 284 June 1749. near two mufket-fhot broad. Sometimes the land was cultivated, andfometimes it was covered with woods. THE hills near the river abound with red and white clover. We found both thefe kinds plentiful in the woods. It is there- fore difficult to determine whether they were brought over by the Europeans, as fome people think ; or whether they were originally in America, which the Indians deny. WE found Purflane (Portulaca oleracea) growing plentifully in a fandy foil. In gardens it was one of the worft weeds. WE found people returning every where to their habitations, which they had been forced to leave during the war. THE farms were commonly built clofc to the river, on the hills. Each houfe has a little kitchen-garden, and a dill lefler or- chard. Some farms, however, had large gardens. The kitchen-gardens afford fe- veral kinds of gourds, water-melons, and kidney-beans. The orchards are full of apple-trees. This year the trees had few or no apples, on account of the frofty nights which had happened in May, and the drought which had continued throughout this fummer. Between Albany and Saratoga. 285 THE houfes hereabouts are generally built of beams of wood, and of unburnt bricka dried by the fun and the air. The beams are firft erected, and upon them a gable with two walls, and the fpars. The wall on the gable is made of boards. The roof is covered with mingles of fir. They make the walls of unburnt bricks, between the beams, to keep the rooms warmer ; and that they might not ealily be deftroyed by rain and air, they are covered with boards on the outride. The cellar is below the houfe. THE farms are either built clofe to the river-fide, or on the high grounds ; and around them are large fields with maize. WK faw great numbers of MuJk-Rats (Cciftor Zibetbicus Linn.) on the mores of the river, where they had many holes, fome on a level with the furface of the water. Thefe holes were large enough to admit a kitten. Before and in the entrance to the holes, lay a quantity of empty {hells, the: animals of which had been eaten by the fifvfe-Rzts*. They are caught in traps placed along the water-fide, and baited with fome maize or apples. THE •* This appears to be a new obfervation, as Linnaus, De 'RttffoKt ami .Sarrq/in pretend, they only feed on ihe.j/cvrust •r 'Reed s, and other roots. F. June 1749. THE Saflaffas-trees abound here, buf never grow to any confiderable height. CHESTNUT-TREES appear no\v and therK THE Cockfpur Hawthorn (Cratagus Crus Galli Linn.) grows in the pooreft foil, and has very long fpines -, which {hews, that it may be very advantageoufly planted in hedges, especially in a poor foil. THIS night we lodged with a farmer, who had returned to his farm after the war was over. All his buildings, except the- great barn, were burnt. June the 24th. THE farm where we panned the night was the laft in the pro- vince of New York) towards Canada, which had been left Handing, and which was now inhabited. Further on, we met ftill with inhabitants : but they had no houfes, and lived in huts of boards ; the houfes being burnt during the war. As we continued our journey, we ob- ferved the country on both fides of the river to be generally flat, but fometimes hilly ; and large trails of it are covered with woods of fir-trees. Now and thetv we found fome parts turned into corn- fields and meadows ; however, the greater part was covered with woods. Ever fines we left Albany, alnioft half-way to Saratoga* the river runs very rapid ; and it coft us a deal Between Albany find Saratoga. deal of pains to get upwards. But afterwards it becomes very deep, for the fpace of feverai miles ; and the water moves very flowly. The mores are very fteep, though they are not very high. The river is two mufket- fhot broad. In the afternoon it changed its diredtion ; for hitherto its direction wa» from North to South, but now it came from N. N. E. to S. S. W. and fometimes from N. E. to S. W. ANTHILLS are very fcarce in America ; and I do not remember feeing a fingle one before I came to the Coboes Fall. We ob- ferved a few in the woods to-day. The Ants were the fame with our common red ones (Formica rufa Linn.) The Ant-hills confift chiefly of the Hate-like mouldered ftone which abounds here, there being nothing elfe for them. CHESTNUT-TREES grew fcattered in the woods. We were told, that Mulberry-* trees (Morus rubra Linn.) like wile grow wild here, but rather fcarce ; and this is the moft northerly place where they grow in Ajnerica; at leaft, they have not been obferved further to the north. We met with wild parfneps every day ; but commonly in fuch places where the land was or had been cultivated. Hemp grows fpontanc* 290 June 1749. Indians, concealed themfelves one night in a thicket near the fort. In the morning fome of their Indians* as they had .previoufly refolved, went to have a nearer view of the fort. The Englijh fired upon them, as foon as they faw them at a diftance ; the Indians pretended to be wounded, fell down, got up again, ran a little way, and dropped again. A- bove half the garrifon rufhed out to take them prifoners ; but as foon as they were come up with them, the French and the remaining Indians came out of the buihes, betwixt the fortrefs and the .Englifo, furrounded them, and took them prifoners. Thofe who remained in the fort had hardly time to mut the gates, nor could they fire upon the enemy, becaufe they equally expofed their countrymen to danger, and they were vexed to fee their enemies take and carry them off in their fight and under their cannon. Such French artifices as thefe made the Englijh weary of their ill-planned fort. We faw fome of the palifades ftill in the ground. There was an ifland in the river, near Saratoga, much better fituated for a fortification. The country is flat on both fides of the river near Saratoga, and its foil good. The wood round about was gene- rally cut down. The mores of the river are high,fteep, and confiil of earth. We law .fome hills Between Saratoga and Ntc&olfcn. 291 hills in the north, beyond the diftant forefts; The inhabitants are Dutch, and bear an in- veterate hatred to all Englifbmeh. WE lay over night in a little hut of boards erefted by the people who were come to live here. June the 25th. SEVERAL few-mills wen? built here before the war, which were very profitable to the inhabitants, on account of the abundance of wood which grows here. THE boards were eafily brought to Alba- ny^ and from thence to New Tork, in rafts every fpring with the high water ; but all the mills were burnt at prefent. THIS morning we proceeded up the river, but after we had advanced about an Engltfo mile, we fell in with a water-fall* which coft us a deal of pains before we could get our canoe over it. The water was very deep juft below the fall, owing to its hollowing the rock out by the fall. In every place where we met with rocks in the river, we found the water very deep, from two to four fathoms and upwards ; becaufe by finding a refiftance it had worked a deeper channel into the ground. Above the fall, the river is very deep again, the water flides along filently, and increafes fuddenly near the fhores. On both fides till you come to Fort A7/- the (hore is covered with tall T 2 trees. 292 June 1749. trees. After rowing feveral miles, we paffcd another water-fall, which is longer and more dangerous than the preceding one. GIANTS-POTS *, which I have defcribed in the memoirs of the Royal Sivedifh Aca- demy of Sciences, are abundant near the fall of the rock which extends acrofs the river. The rock was almoft dry at prefent, the river containing very little water at this fea- fon of the year. Some of the giants-pots were round, but in general they were ob- long. At the bottom of moft of them lay either ftones or grit, in abundance. Some were fifteen inches in diameter, but fome were lefs. Their depth was likewife diffe- rent, and fome that I obferved were above two foot deep. It is plain that they owed their origin to the whirling of the water round a pebble, which by that means was put in motion, together with the fand. WE intended to have gone quite up to Fort Nicholfm in the canoe, which would have been a great convenience to us ; but we found it impoffible to get over the upper fall, the canoe being heavy, and fcarce any water in the river, except in one place where it flowed over the rock, and where it was imjoffible to get up, on account of the fteep- * This is the literal meaning of the S--weJrfl> grjtor. See the memoirs of the Swed. A cad. of Sciences for the year 1743, p. «22.^ and Kalm's vol. j. p. izi» Fort Nlckolfin. 295 fteepnefs,and the violence of the fall. We were accordingly obliged to leave our canoe here, and to carry our baggage through unfrequented woods to Fort Anne, on the river Woodcreek, which is a fpace from, forty-three to fifty Englijh miles, during which we were quite fpent, through the cxcefs of heat. Sometimes we had no other way of crofting deep rivers, than by cutting down tall trees, which flood on their banks, and throwing them acrofs the water. All the land we paffed over this afternoon was almoft level, without hills and ftones, and entirely covered with a tall and thick foreft, in which we continually met- with trees which were fallen down, becaufe no one made the leaft ufe of the woods. We pafled the next night in the midft of the foreft, plagued with mufkitoes, gnats, and wood- lice, and in fear of all kinds of makes. June the 26th. EARLY this morning we continued our journey through the wood, along the river Hudfon. There was an old path leading to Fort Nicbolfon, but it was fo overgrown with grafs, that we difcovered it with great difficulty. In fome places we found plenty of rafpberriesy fome of which were already ripe. FORT Nicholfon is the place on the eaf- tcrn flipre of the river Hudfon, where a T 3 wooden 294 une 1749. wooden fortification formerly flood. We arrived here fome time before noon, and refted a while. Colonel Lydius refided here till the -beginning of the laft war, chiefly with a view of carrying on a greater trade with the French Indians -, but during the war, they burnt his houie, and took his fon priibner. The fort was fituated on a plain, but at prefent the place is all over- grown with a thicket. It was built in the year 1709, during the war which Queen •Anne carried on againft the French* and it was named after the brave Evgliflj general Nicbolfon. It was not fo much a fort, as a magazine to Fort Anne. In the year 1711, when the Englijh naval attempt upon Cana- da mifcarriecU the Englijh thernfelves fet fire to this place. The foil hereabouts feems to be pretty fertile. The river Hud- fon paffed clofe by here. SOME time in the afternoon, we conti- nued our journey. We had hitherto followed the eaftern fhore of the river Hudfon* and gone almoft due North •, but now we left it, and went E. N. E. or N. E. acrofs the woods, in order to come to the up- per end of the river Woodcreek, which flows to Fort St. Frederic, where we Plight go in a boat from the former place. The ground we paffed over this *•• «-«. -; . . , , W .>..»-,*•.-- r •• 3 af- Between Nlchglfon ana Anne* 295 afternoon was generally flat, and fomewhat low. Now and then we met with rivulets, which were generally dried up during this feafon. Sometimes we £aw a little hill, but neither mountains nor ftones, and the country was every where covered with tall and thick foreits. The trees flood clofe, and afforded a fine made ; hut the plea- fure which we enjoyed from it was leffen- ed by the incredible quantity of gnats which fill the woods. We found feveral plants here; but they were far from each other, (as in our woods where the cattle have deftroyed them,) though no cattle ever came here. The ground was every where thick covered with leaves of the laft au- tumn. In ibme places we found the ground over-grown with great quantities of mofs. The foil was generally very good, confift- ing of a deep mould, in which the plants thrive very well. Therefore it feems that it would anfwer very well if it were culti- vated : however, flowing waters were very fcarce hereabouts ; and if the woods were cleared, how great would be the effects of the parching heat of the fun, which might then act with its full force ! WE lodged this night near a brook, in or- der to be fufficiently fupplied with water, T 4 which 1749. which was not every where at hand dur-«> ing this feafon. The mufkitoes, punchins or gnats, and the woodlice, were very trou- blefome, Our fear of fnakes, and of the Indians, rendered this night's reft very pre-r carious and unfecure. PUNCH INS, as the Dutch call them, arc the little gnats (Culcxpulicarh Linn.) wh^ch abound here. They are very minute, and their wings grey, with black fpots. They are ten times worfe than the larger ones, (Qitlex pipiens Linn.) or mufkitoes ; for £heir iize renders them next to impercep- tible 5 they are every where carelefs of their lives, fuck their fill of blood, and caufe a burning pain. WE heard feveral great trees fall of them- felves in the night, though it was fo calm, that not a leaf ftirred. They made a Dreadful cracking. June the 27th. WE continued our jour- ney in the morning. We found the coun- try like that which we pafled over yefter- jday, except meeting with a few hills. Early this morning we plainly hear4 a fall in the river Hudfon. IN every part of the foreft we found frees thrown down either by ftorrns, or age; but none were cut down, there being pip inhabitants 5 and though the wood is very Fort Anne. 297 very fine, yet nobody makes ufe of it. We found it very difficult to get over fuch trees, becaufe they had flopped up almoft all the paflages, and clofe to them was the chief refidence of rattle-fnakes, during the in- tenfenefs of the heat. ABOUT two o'clock this afternoon we arrived at Fort Anne. It lies upon the river Woodcreek, which is here at its origin no bigger than a little brook. We flayed here all this day, and next, in order to make a new boat of bark, becaufe there was no poffibility to go down the river to Fort St. Frederic, without it. We arrived in time, for one of our guides fell ill this morning, and could not have gone any fur- ther with his burthen. If he had been worfe, we fhould have been obliged to ftop on his account, which would have put us under great difficulties, as our provifions would foon have been exhaufted, and from the defart place where we were, we could not have arrived at any inhabited place in. lefs than three or four days. Happily we reached the wifh'd-for place, and the fick tnan had time to reft and recover. ABOUT Fort Anne we found a number of mice, of the common kind. They were probably the offspring of thofe which were Brought to .the fort in the foldier's provi- June 1749. fions, at the time when it was kept in a ftate of defence. WE met with fame apple and plumb- trees, which were certainly planted when the fort was in a good condition. June the 28th. THE American Elm, (Wmus Americana Linn.) grows in abun- dance, in the forefts hereabouts. There are two kinds of it. One was called the White Elmy on account of the infide of the tree being white. It was more plentiful than the other fpecies, which was called the Kef/ Elm, becaufe the colour of the wood was reddifh. Of the .bark of the former the boats made ufe of here are commonly made, it being tougher than the bark of any other tree. With the bark of hiccory, which is employed as baft, they fow the elm-bark together, and with 'the bark of the red elm they join the ends of the boat fo clofe as to keep the water out. They beat the bark between two ftones ; or for want of them, between two pieces of wood. THE making of the boat took up half yefterday, and all this day. To make fuch a boat, they pick out a thick tall elm, with a fmooth bark, and with as few branches as poflible. This tree is cut down, and great care is taken to prevent the bark from being hurt by falling againft other trees, or Fort Anne. 299 or againft the ground. With this view fo-me people do not fell the trees, but climb to the top of them, fplit the bark, and ftrip it off, which was the method our car- penter took. The bark is fplit on one fide, in a ftrait line along the tree, as long as Jthe boat is intended to be ; at the fame time, the bark is carefully cut from the ftem a little way on both fides of the flit, that it may more eafily feparate ; the bark is then peeled off very carefully, and parti- cular care is taken not to make any holes into it ; this is eafy when the fap is in the trees, and at other feafons the tree is heated by the fire, for that purpofe. The bark thus ftript off is fpread on the ground, in a fmooth place, turning the infide down- wards, and the rough outfide upwards, and to ftretch it better, fome logs of wood or ftones are carefully put on it, which prefs it down. Then the fides of the bark arc gently bent upwards, in order to form the fides of the boat ; fome flicks are then fixed into the ground, at the diftance of three or four feet from each other, in the curve line, in which the fides of the boat are intended to be, fupporting the bark intended for the fides ; the fides of the bark are then bent in the form which the boat is to have, and ac- cording to that the Hicks are either put nearer or June 1749. or further off. The ribs of the boat are made of thick branches of hiccory, they being tough and pliable. They are cut into feve- ral flat pieces, about an inch thick, and bent into the form which the ribs require, according to their places in the broader or narrower part of the boat. Being thus bent, they are put acrofs the boat, upon the back, or its bottom, pretty clofe, about a fpan, or ten inches from each other. The upper edge on each fide of the boat is made of two thin poles, of the length of the boat, which are put clofe together, on the fide of the boat, being flat, where they are to be joined. The edge of the bark is put between thefe two poles, and fewed up with threads of baft, of the moufe-wood, or other tough bark, or with roots. But before it is thus fewed up, the ends of the ribs are likewife put between the two poles on each fide, taking care to keep them at fome diftance from each other. After that is done, the poles are fewed to- gether, and being bent properly, both their ends join at each end of the boat, where they are tied together with ropes. To prevent the widening of the boat at the top, three or four tranfverfe bands are put acrofs it, from one edge to the other, at the diftance of thirty or forty inches from each Fort Anne. 301 each other. Thefe bands are commonly made of hiccory, on account of its tough- nefs and flexibility, and have a good length. Their extremities are put through the bark on both fides, juft below the poles, which make the edges; they are bent up above thofe poles, and twifted round the middle part of the bands, where they are carefully tied by ropes. As the bark at the two ends of the boat cannot be put fo clofe together as to keep the water out, the crevices are flopped up with the cruflied or pounded bark of the red elm, which in that ftate looks like oakum. Some pieces of bark are put upon the ribs in the boat, without which the foot would eafily pierce the thin and weak bark below, which forms the bottom of the boat, for the better fecurity of which, fome thin boards are commonly laid at the bottom, which may be trod upon with more fafety. The fide of the bark which has been upon the wood, thus becomes the outfide of the boat, becaufe it is fmooth and flippy, and cuts the water with lefs difficulty than the other. The building of thefe boats is not always quick; for fometimes it happens that after peeling the bark off an elm, and carefully examining it, it is found pierced with holes and fplits, or it is too thin to venture 302 June 1749. venture one's life in. In fuch a cafe ano- ther elm muft be looked out ; and it fome- times happens that feveral elms muft be ftripped of their bark, before one is found fit for a boat. That which we made was big enough to bear four perfbns, with our baggage, which weighed fomewhat more than a man. ALL poffible precautions muft be taken in rowing on the rivers and lakes of thefe parts with a boat of bark. For as the rivers, and even the lakes, contain numbers of broken trees, which are commonly hid- den under the water, the boat may eafily run againft a marp branch, which would tear half the boat away, if one rowed on very faft, expofing the people in it to great danger, where the water is very deep, efpecially if fuch a branch held the boat. To get into fuch a dangerous vefiel, rnuft be done with great care5 and for the greater fafety, without flioes. For with the (hoes on, and ftill more with a fudden leap in- to the boat, the heels may eafily pierce through the bottom of the boat, which might fometimes be attended with very difagreeable eircumftances, efpecially when the boat is fo near a rock, and cloie to that a fudden depth of water ; and fuch places arc common in the lakes and rivers here. 5 I never Fort Anne. 303 I never faw the mufkitoes (Culex pi- puns) more plentiful in any part of Ame- rica than they are here. They were fo eager for our blood, that we could not reft all the night, though we had furround- ed ourfelves with fire. WOOD-LICE (Acarus Americans Linn.) abound here, and are more plentiful than on any part of the journey. Scarcely any one of us fat down but a whole army of them crept upon his clothes. They caufed us as much inconvenience as the gnats, during the laft night, and the fhort time we flayed here. Their bite is very difa- greeable, and they would prove very dange- rous, if any one of them fhould creep into a man's ear, from whence it is difficult to extract them. There are examples of peo- ple whofe ears were fwelled to the fize of the fift, on account of one of thefe infeds creeping into them, and biting them. More is faid about them in the defcrip- tion which I have given to the Royal SwediJJj Academy of Sciences *. THE Whipperiwilly or Whip-poor -Will cried all night on every fide. The Fire- flies flew in numbers through the woods at night. FORT * See the Memoirs of the Royal. Academy for the year 3°4 7™* 1749- FORT Anne derives its name from 'Queen Anne ; for in her time it ferved as £ fortification againft the French. It lies on the weftern fide of the river Woodcreek, which is here as inconliderable as a brook, of a fathom's breadth, and may be waded through in any part, during this feafon. The fort is built in the fame manner as the forts Saratoga and Nicbolfon, that is to fay, of palifades, within which the fol- diers were quartered, and at the corners of which were the lodgings of the officers. The whole confifted of wood, becaufe it was erected only with a view to refift ir- regular troops. It is built on a little riling ground which runs obliquely to the river Woodcreek. The country round about it is partly flat, partly hilly, and partly marfhy, but it confifts merely of earth, and no ftones are to be met with, though ever fo carefully fought for. General Nichcl/on built this fort in the year 1709 ; but at the conclufion of the war, then carrying on againft the French* it fliared the fame fate with Saratoga and Fort Nicbolfon, being burnt by the Englijh in 1711. This hap- pened with the following circumftance : In 1711 the Englifo refolved to attack Ca- nada, by land and by fea, at the fame time- A powerful Englijh fleet failed up the river Fort Anne. 305 St. Lawrence to befiege Quebec, and General Nicholfon, who was the greateft promoter of this expedition, headed a numerous army to this place by land, to attack Montreal, at the fame time from hence $ but a great part of the Englifh fleet was fhipwrecked in the river St. Lawrence, and obliged to return to New England. The news of this mif- fortune was immediately communicated to General Nicbolfon, who was advifed to re- treat. Captain Butler who commanded Fort Mohawk, during my flay in America, told me that he had been at Fort Anne in 1711, and thatGeneral Nlcholfon was about to leave it, and go down the river Wood- creek, in boats ready for that purpofe* when he received the accounts of the dif- after which befel the fleet. He was fo enraged, that he endeavoured to tear his wig, but it being too ftrong for him, he flung itr to the ground, and trampled on it, crying out Roguery, treachery. He then fet fire to the fort, and returned. We faw the remains of the burnt palifades in the ground; and I alked my guides, Why the Engli/h had been at fo great an expence in creeling the fort, and why they after- wards burnt it without any previous con- fideration ? They replied, that it was done to get money from the government once VOL, II. U more, 306 June 1749. more, for the rebuilding of the fort, which money coming into fome people's hands, they would appropriate a great part of it to themfelves, and eredl: again a wretched, ittconfiderable fort. They further told met that fome of the richeft people in Albany had promoted their poor relations to the places for fupplying the army with bread, &c. with a view to patch up their broken fortunes ; and that they had acquired fuch fortunes as rendered them equal to the richeft inhabitants of Albany. THE heat was exceiiive to-day, efpe- cially in the afternoon, when it was quite calm. We were on the very fpot where Fort Anne formerly ftood ; it was a little place free from trees, but furrounded with them on every fide, where the fun had full liberty to heat the air. After noon it grew as warm as in a hot bath *, and I never felt a greater * In Sweden and in Raffia it is ufual for people of all ranks to bathe every week at leaft one time ; this is done in a Hoy* heated by an oven, to a furprifing degree, and \vhich is enough to llifle people who are not uied to it : for commonly the heat is encreafed by the hot fteam, caufed by throwing red hot ftones into water. In theie baths, in Ruffia, the lower fort of people, men and wo- men, bathe promifcuoufly, as the Romans did, and from whom, as Plutarch obferves, in his Life of Cato, the Greeks adopted this indelicate and indecent cuftom, and which fpread ib much, that the Emperor Adrian, and Marcus Fort Anne. 307 . greater heat. I found a difficulty of breath- ing, and it feemed to me as if my lungs could not draw in a fufficient quantity of air. I was more eafed when I went down into the vallies, and efpecially along the Wood-creek. I tried to fan the air to me with my hat, but it only encreafed the difficulty of breath- ing, and I received the greateft relief when I went to the water, and in a fhady place fre- quently fprinkled fonie water in the air. My companions were all very much weak- ened, but they did not find fuch difficulty in breathing, as I had done ; however towards evening the air became fomewhat cooler. June the 2gth. HAVING compleated our boat, after a great deal of trouble, we continued our journey this morning. Our provifions, which were much diminished, obliged us to make great haftej for by U 2 being Marcus Antoninus were obliged to make laws againft it, but neither were they long obferved, for we find foon the Council cfLaodicea obliged to prefcribe a canon againlt this brutal cuftom, and notwithftanding this we find foon after that not only perfons of all ranks, but even clergymen and monks bathed promifcuoufly with women, in the fame baths ; and from thence, it is probable, this cuftom pafTed among the Ruffians, when chrillianity took place among them. Near the bath, in Rujfia, is commonly a pond, where the people plunge in, when quiie hot, and in win. ter they welter in the fnow ; and Saturdays it is common to fee before the bath naked men and women, each having a bundle of rods in their hand, with which they gently beat one another, when in the bath. F. 3o8 'June 1749. being obliged to carry every thing on our backs, through the woods to Fort Anne* we could not take a great quantity of pro- vificns with us, having feveral other 'very ncceffary things with us ; and we did al- ways eat very heartily. As there was very little water in the river, and feveral trees were fallen acrofs it, which frequently flop- ped the boat, I left the men in the boat, and went along the fhore with Yungjlroem. The ground on both fides of the river was fo low, that it muft be under water in fpring and autumn. The fhores were co- vered with feveral forts of trees, which jftood at moderate diftances from each other, and a great deal of grafs grew between them. The trees afforded a fine made, very neceffary and agreeable in this hot fea- fon ; but the pleafure it gave was confi- derably leffened by the numbers of gnats which we met with. The foil was ex- tremely rich. As we came lower down the river, the dykes, which the beavers had made in it, produced new difficulties, Thefe labori- ous animals had carried together all forts of boughs and branches, and placed them acrofs the river, putting mud and clay in betwixt them, to flop the water. They had bit off the ends of the branches as neatly Between Forts Anne and St. Frederic. 30,9 neatly as if they had been chopped off with a hatchet. The grafs about thefe places was trod down by them, and in the neighbourhood of the dykes we fometimes met with paths in the grafs, where the beavers probably carried trees along. We found a row of dykes before us, which flopped us a confiderable while, as we could not get forwards with the boat, till we had cut through them. As foon as the river was more open, we got into the boat again, and continued our journey in it. The breadth of the river, however, did not exceed eight or nine yards, and frequently it was not above three or four yards broad, and generally fo mallow, that our boat got on with dif- ficulty. Sometimes it acquired fuch a fud- den depth, that we could not reach the ground with fticks of feven feet length. The ftream was very rapid in fome places, and very flow in others. The mores were low at firft, but afterwards re- markably high and fteep, and now and then a rock projected into the water, which always caufed a great depth in fuch places. The rocks confifted here of a grey quartz, mixed with a grey limeftone, lying in ftra- ta. The water in the river was very clear and tranfparent, and we faw feveral little U 3 paths 310 Juxe 174.9. paths leading to it from the woods, faid to be made by beavers, and other animals, which reforted here to drink. After go- ing a little more than three Eriglifo miles, we came to a place, where a fire was yet burning, and then we little thought that we had narrowly efcaped death laft night, as we heard this evening. Now and then we met with feveral trees lying acrois the river, and fome dykes of beavers, which were troublefome to us. TOWARDS night we met with a French ierjeant, and fix French foldiers, who were fent by the commander of Fort St. Frede- ric, to accompany three Engltfomen to Sa- ratoga, and to defend them in cafe of ne- ceffity, againft fix French Indians, who were gone to be revenged on the for killing the brother of one of them the laft war. The peace was already con- cluded at that time, but as it had not yet been proclaimed in Canada, the Indians thought they could take this ftep ; there- fore they filently got away, contrary to the order of the Governor of Montreal, and went towards the Eng/t/h plantations. We here had occafion to admire the care of Providence for us, in efcaping thefe bar- barians. We found the grais trod down all the day along, but had no thoughts of dan- ger* Between Forts Anne and St. Frederic. 311 ger, as we believed that, every thing was quiet and peaceable. We were afterwards informed, that thefe Indians had trod the grafs down, and pafled the lafl night in the place where we found the burning brands in the morning. The ufual road which they were to take, was by Fort Anne, but to fhorten their journey they had gone an un- frequented road. If they had gone on to- wards Fort Anne, they would have met us without doubt, and looking upon us all as Englijhmen, for whofe blood they were gone out, they could eafily have furprifed and (hot us all, and by that means have been rid of the trouble of going any further to fatisfy their cruelty. We were greatly ftruck when the Frenchmen told us how near death we had been to -day. We -pafled the night7 here, and though the Frv&ch repeatedly advifed and delired me not to venture any further with my com- pany, but to follow them to the firft Eng- lijh fettlement, and then back to Fort St\ Frederic^ yet I refolved, with the protection of the Almighty, to continue my journey the next day. WE faw immenfe numbers of thofe wild pigeons flying in the woods, which fometimes come in incredible flocks to the fouthe?n Englifo colonies, moft of the in- U 4 habitants 312 June 174.9. bitants not knowing where they come from. They have their nefts in the trees here ; and almoft all the night make a great noife and cooing in the trees, where they rooft. The Frenchmen fhot a great number of them, and gave us fome, in which we found a great quantity of the feeds of the elm, which evidently demonftrated the care of Providence in fupplying them with food ; for in May the feeds of the red maple, which abounds here, are ripe, and drop from the trees, and are eaten by the pigeons during that time : afterwards, the feeds of the elm ripen, which then become their food, till other feeds ripen for them. Their flefh is the moft palatable of any bird's flefh I ever tafted, ALMOST every night, we heard fome trees crack and fall, whilft we lay here in the wood, though the air wasfo calm that not a leaf ftirred. The reafon of this breaking I am totally unacquainted with, Perhaps the dew loofens the roots of trees at night 5 or, perhaps there arc too many branches on one fide of the tree. It may be> that the above-mentioned wild pigeons fettle in fuch quantities on one tree as to weigh it down ; or perhaps the tree begins to bend more and more to one fide, from its center of gravity, making the weight always greater Between Forts Anne and St. Frederic. 3 1 3 for the roots to fupport, till it comes to the point, when it can no longer be kept up- right, which may as well happen in the midft of a calm night as at any other time. When the wind blows hard, it is reckoned very dangerous to ileep or walk in the woods, on account of the many trees which fall in them; and even when it is very calm, there is fome danger in paffing under very great and old trees. I was told, in feveral parts of America, that the ftorms or hurricanes fometimes only pafs over a fmall part of the woods, and tear down the trees in it ; and I have had op- portunities of confirming the truth of this obfervation, by finding places in the forefts, where almoft all the trees were thrown, down, and lay all in one direction. TEA is differently efteemed by different people -y and I think we would be as well, and our purfes much better, if we were both without tea and coffee. However, I muft be impartial, and mention in praife of tea, that if it be ufeful, it muft certainly be fo in fummer, on fuch journeys as mine, through a defart country, where one cannot carry wine or other liquors, and where the water is generally unfit for ufe, as being full ofinfefts. In fuch cafes, it is very relim- jng when boiled, and tea is drunk with it ; and 314 June 1749. and I cannot diffidently defcribe the fine tafte it has in fuch circumftances. It re- lieves a weary traveller more than can be imagined, as I have myfelf experienced, to- gether with a great many others who have travelled through the defart forefts of Ame- rica ; on fuch journeys, tea is found to be almoft as neceffary as victuals w. June the joth. THIS morning we left our boat to the Frenchmen* who made ufe of it to carry their provifions ; for we could not make any further ufe of it, on account of the number of trees which the French had -thrown acrofs the river during the laft war, to prevent the attacks of the Englifo upon Canada. The Frenchmen gave us leave to make ufe of one of their boats, which they had .left behind them, about fix miles from the place where we pafied the laft night. Thus we continued our journey on foot, along the river ; and found the country flat, with fome little vales here and there. It W7as every where covered with tall trees, of the deciduous kind -, among which the beech, the elm, the American lime-tree, and the fugar-maple, were the moil * On my travels through the 'defart plains, beyond the river Volga ^ I have had fcveral opportunities of making the fame obiervations on Tea ; and every traveller, in the fame circumftances, will readily allow them to be very juil. F. Between Forts Anne and St. Frederic. 3 1 5 moft numerous. The trees ftand at feme 4iftance from each other -y and the foil in which they grow is extremely rich. AFTER we had walked about a Swedi/h mile, or fix Englifh miles, we came to the place where the fix Frenchmen had left their bark boats, of which we took one, and rowed down the river, which was now be- tween nineteen and twenty yards broad. The ground on both fides was very fmooth, and not very high. Sometimes we found a hill confifting of grey quartz, mixed with fmall fine grains of grey fpar. We like wife ob- ferved black ftripes in it 5 but they were fmall, that I could not determine whe- ther they were of glimmer, or of another kind of ftone. The hills were frequently divided into ftrata, lying one above another, of the thicknefs of five inches. The ftrata went from north to fouth j and were not quite horizontal, but dipping to the north. As we went further on, we faw high and fteep hills on the river-fide, partly covered with trees ; but in other parts, the banks confift of a fwampy turf ground, which gave way when it was walked upon, and had fome fimilarity to the fides pf our tnarfhes, which my countrymen are now about to drain. In thofe parts where the ground was low and flat, we did not fee any ftones - 316 June 1749. ftones either on the ground, or on the fofter fhore ; and both fides of the river when they were not hilly, were covered with tall elms, American lime-trees, fugar- maples, beeches, hiccory-trees, fome water- beeches, and white walnut-trees. ON our left we faw an old fortification of ftones laid above one another ; but nobody could tell me whether the Indians or the ns^A. built it. WE had rowed very fail all the afternoon, in order to get forward \ and we thought that we were upon the true road, but found our- felves greatly miftaken : for towards night we obferved, that the reeds in the river bent towards us, which was a mark that the river likewife flowed towards us ; whereas, if we had been on the true river, it mould have gone with us. We likewife obferved, from the trees which lay acrofs the river, that nobody had lately paffed that way, though we mould have feen the fteps of the Frenchmen in the grafs along the fhore, when they brought their boat over thefe trees, At laft, we plainly faw that the river flowed againft us, by feveral pieces of wood which floated ilowly towards us j and we were con- vinced, that we had gone twelve Englifo miles, and upwards, upon a wrong river, which obliged us to return, and to row till very Between Forts Anne and St. Frederic. 3 17 very late at night. We fometimes thought, through fear, that the Indians, who were gone to murder fome Englifb, would una- voidably meet with us. Though we rowed very faft, yet we were not able to-day to get half-way back to the place where we firft left the true river. THE moft odoriferous effluvia fometimes came from the banks of the river, towards night , but we could not determine what flowers diffufed them. However, we fup- pofed they chiefly arofe from the Afc/epzas Syriaca, and the Apocynum androfcemifo- lium. THE MuJk-Rats could likewife be fmelled at night. They had many holes in the fhores, even with the furface of the water. WE pafled the night in an ifland, where we could not fleep on account of the gnats. We did not venture to make a fire, for fear the Indians fhould find us out, and kill us. We heard feveral of their dogs barking in the woods, at a great diftance from us, which added to our uneafinefs. METEORO- METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. ADVERTISEMENT. IN the firft column of thefe tables, the Reader will find the days of the month ; in the fecond, the time or hour of the day, when the obfervations were made j in the third, the rifing and falling of the ther- mometer; in the fourth, the wind ; and in the fifth, the weather in general, fuch as rainy, fair, cloudt, &c. THE thermometer which I have made ufe of is that of Mr. Celfius, or the Swedifo thermometer fo called, as I have already pointed out in the preface. To diftinguifti the degrees above freezing -point from thofe below it, I have exprefled the freezing- point itfelf by oo, and prefixed o to every 4 degree Meteorological Qbfervations. 319 degree below it. The numbers therefore which have no o before them, iignify the upper degrees. Some examples will make this ftill more intelligible. On the ijth of December it is remarked, that the ther- mometer, at eight o'clock in the morn- ing, was at 02.5. It was therefore at 2 degrees and TSO-, or half a degree, below the freezing-point ; but at two in the af- ternoon, it was at oo.o, or exactly upon the freezing-point. If it had been 00.3, it v/ould have iignified that the thermometer was fallen iV of a degree below the freezing- point ; but 0.3 would fignify, that it was rifen T3-o- of a degree above the freezing- point. Thus likewife 03.0. is three de- grees below the freezing-point; and 4.0. four degrees above it. THE numbers in the columns of the winds fignify as follows : o, is a calm ; i, a gentle breeze ; 2, a frelh gale ; 3, a ftrong gale ; and 4, a violent ftorm or bur-* ricane. When, in fome of the laft tables, the winds are only marked once a day, it fignifies that they have not changed that day. Thus, on the 2 ifl of December, ftands N. o fair. This {hews that the weather- cocks have turned to the north all day; but that no wind has been felt, and the fky has been clear all the day long. BEFORE 320 Meteorological Obfervations. BEFORE I went to Canada in fummer 1749, I defired Mr. John Bartram to make fome meteorological obfervations in Pen^ Jyfoania, during my abfence, in order to afcertain the fummer-heat of that pro^ vince. For that purpofe, I left him a thermometer, and inftrudred him in the proper ufe of it ; and he was fo kind as to write down his obfervations at his farm, about four Englijh miles to the fouth of Philadelphia. He is very excufable for not putting down the hour, the degree of wind, &c. for being employed in bufmefs of greater confequence, that of cultivating his grounds, he could not allow much time for this. What he has done, is how- ever fufficient to give an idea of the Pen- Jyhanian fummer. Augu}t H. Ther A Wind. uguft 1748. 321 The Weather in general. 5 m 20. o E SE 2 Fair. z a 24.5 E2 5 m 22. 0 E 2 2 a 24.5 E 2 5 m 22.6 E i 2 a 25.5 SSWi Cloudy with fome rain. 5 m 22.0 Si Alternately fair, cloudy and rainy all i a 21.0 S i day. 5 m I7.O SSW i Chiefly rainy. 7 m I7.0 Sz Cloudy. 2 a IQ.O Sz Somewhat cloudy, but chiefly fair. 5 m '5-5 S S W z Alternately fair and cloudy. 5 m 18,0 S SW0 Fair all day. 3 a 19.0 SS Wo 6 m i?-5 WN Wo 4 a 21. 0 WN Wi 6 m 18.5 E i Fair. 3 a 20.5 E i 6 m 47.0 E NE i Somewhat cloudy. 1 a I8.S S W i Fair. 4 22 0 SW i 6 22'O W 3 6 m 16.0 N W i Cloudy with fome drizzl. rain at ten. 4 a 19.0 N W i Cloudy, fair, fome drizzl. rain altern. 6 m 17.0 WNW2 Cloudy with fome rain ; foggy, fome- 2 a 18.5 WNW2 times fair. 5 m 18.0 WS Wo Somewhat cloudy, fair from 1 1 m* 1033, 4 a 20.0 WS Wo Cloudy. 5 m 18.0 W S Wo Cloudy ; fometimes fair ; at ten 2 a 19.5 NE 2 o'clock fell a thin fog. 6 m 18.3 NNE2 Somewhat cloudy ; fometime fair. 2 a 18.5 Dark ; rainy at night. 6 m 18.5 ENE2 Dark, with fome drizzling rain. 2 a 19.5 Drizzling rain all the afternoon. 6 m 19.0 E2 Drizzling rain all the day. 2 a 20.5 6 m »9-S Cloudy. 2 a 20,0 Scattered clouds. VOL. II. 20 32 D. 2 H. X Ther Wind. luguft 1748. The Weather in general. 20 6 m 19.5 Fair. 2 a 21.5 Scattered clouds : fometimes rain. 21 6 m 2Q.H E i Somewhat cloudy, fair at nine z a 21 3 Thin clouds. 22 5 m 21. 0 Fair ; about twelve it became cloudy. !J a 23-5 E SE i Cloudy. 23 5 m 22.2 Scattered clouds. 7 SE2 2 a 24.2 Scattered clouds, dark towards eve. *4 $ m 23*5 W S W2 Violent rain. 6 W 2 7 W N W i About feven it cleared up. 9 N W-i 2 a Scattered clouds. 25 6 m 24.5 W i Scattered clouds. 10 WNW3 2 a 23-5 26 6 m 24.0 W2 Fair. At night a great halo appeared round the fun. 2 a 24.5 S W 2 Dark. A ftrong redncfs at fun-fetting. WS W i Cloudy. At ten it began to rain, and 27 6 m 24.5 SE2 it rained all day. 11 E 3 i a N E 4 Rain. 4 2T.C N i Scattered clouds. fti 7 m 23.0 2 a 23.; S W i [lightning. 29 6 m S W 3 Towards evening dnzzl. rain and 2. a *$'* N W 2 Scattered clouds; air very cool. 3° 6 m 2 a 21.5 S W i Fair : in the morning it began to grow 3' 6 m 22. i cloudy ; at night lightning, hard rain, and fome thunder. September 1748. 323 b. H. The Wind. The Weather In general. i ;m 20.0 N W2 Scattered clouds. 2 21. 5 Clouds paiTing by. Rain and ftrong winds all the afternoon. 2 6m 19.0 N W i Scattered clouds all day. 2 a 20. 5 N Wo At night a great halo round the moon. 3 6 m 21. 5 W S W o Scattered clouds. 2 a 23.0 Si It became more cloudy. In the even- ing appeared a great halo round th« fun. 4 6m 23.3 E i Scattered clouds. iz n 27.5 E S E i 2 a 24.0 S 6m 24.5 SE 3 Scattered clouds. 12 n 26.5 6 6m 27.0 S E 2 Scattered clouds, i a 28.5 At night a great halo round the moon, and the fky very red. 7 6m 27'5, E3 Dark fometimes. The fun ihone through the clouds. S 12 n 28.5 NE 2 Scattered clouds. 8 6m 26.0 N N E 2 Scattered clouds all day. I a 26.5 9 6 m .) 24. 5 N i Sca'fcered clouds all day. i a 24.5 lo 5m 24.0 NN Wi Fair. i a 24.5 1 1 6 m 23.2 WNWi 7air. 2 a 25.0 At night a halo round the moori* 12 6 m 4.0 A Calm. 7air, and very hot. i a 6.0 *3 5m 5-5 SE i Fair. i a 6^ H 6 m S E i Fair; but a cool wind all the morning. i a 6. 5 15 5 m 3. o S E i Scattered clouds. i a 27.5 t grew mbre cloudy. In the evening and enfuing night, violent rain and winds. 16 5m '•5 NNE i t rained hard all day. 2 a 1.5 '7 X 2 September 1748. D. H. Ther Wind. The Weather in general. J7 5 m 2i5'5 N Wi Cloudy. i a 21.0 Scattered clouds. 18 6 m 13.0 Calm. Fair. J9 i a 24.5 N N E i Fair all day. 20 6 m 14.0 NE i Scattered clonds. 21 6 m I I.O N Eo Scattered clouds. i a 23.0 22 7 m 10.5 NEi Fair. i a 25.0 *3 6 m I I.O NNE i Fair. 2 a 28.0 24 6 m 14.0 NE i Fair. z a 28.0 It grew dark. At night came rain, which continued late. 25 6 m 18.0 N W i Dark. At 8, fcattered clouds. 2 a 28.0 NE i Scattered clouds. 26 6 m '5-5 NNE i Fair. 2 a 27.5 27 6 m 17.0 NE i Cloudy. Fair at 8, ami all the morning. 2 a 27.0 Cloudy. 28 6 m 14.0 NE i Fair and cloudy alternately. z a 2-.O 29 7 m *5-5 NE i Cloudy. 2 a 20.5 Fine drizxling rain. 3C 7 » 16. o NEo Alternately fair and cloudy. Oftober 1748. 325 D. H. Ther Wind. The Weather in general. i 6 m 19.0 S i Fair. Scattered clouds at 8. 2 a 18.5 Scattered clouds. Dark towards night. 2 6 m ,8.5 S W o Cloudy. 3 6 m 15.0 N W i Cloudy. i a 18.0 Scattered clouds. Late at night a great halo round the moon. 4 7 m 6.0 N W i Fair. i a 16.0 5 7 m 2.O N i Fair. 6 7 m 2.0 NE i Fair. i a 1 8.0 At night a great halo round the moon. 7 6 m 7.0 E N E i Cloudy. Fair at 9, and all day. 8 6 m 14.0 E N E i Cloudy. Scattered clouds at 8. 9 6 rn 1 8.0 S S E i Rain all the morning. 3 a 23.0 Cloudy. 10 6 m 20.0 S W o Fog, and a drizzling rain. 2 a 23.0 Fair. 1 1 7 m 20. o S W i Fog, which fell down. Fair at 8. 2 a 26.0 Fair. 12 6 m 8.0 WNW i Fair all day. 8 W i 2 a 20. 0 WS W i *3 6 m 2.0 WNWi In the morning, hoary froft on the plants. 2 a 17.0 W S Wo Pair all day. H 6 m 5.0 S S W o Fair. 2 a 21.0 15 6 m 4-5 S S E o Fair. 2 a 24.0 16 6 m 1 I.O E NE o Cloudy. 17 6 m 8.0 NE i Cloudy. 2 a 18.0 Cloudy. Violent rain all night. 18 6 m 12.0 NW0 Cloudy. 5 a 4.0 S W o 19 6 m oo.o WSW i Scattered clouds. 2 a 9.0 20 5 m 01. 0 WN Wi Fair. 2 a 9.0 21 7 m oo.o W o In the morning ice on {landing water, i a 15.0 white hoary froft on the ground ; fair all day. X 3 a* ^26 Ottober 1748. D. H. Thei Wind. The Weather in general. 22 6 m OQ.O W o ?air. ..... 23 6 m 4-5 NNE i ^air. i a 16.0 , 24 6 m 4-5 N o Fair. 2 a 18.0 25 6 m 4-5 S W i Fair. Air very much condenfed in the afternoon. 26 6 m 4.0 S Wo Fair, 3 a 19.0 *7 6 m I.O S Wo Fair, 3 a 17.0 a 8 6 m 9.0 E 2 Heavy rain all day. 29 6 m 14.0 W i Fair. i a 20. o At night I faw a meteor, commonly called the mooting of a ftar, goir^g far from N, W. to S. E. 3C 6 m 3-o N W i Fair. 31 7 m 4-0 W i Fair. i a 1 8.0 $w ember November 1748. 327 D •MM . H. • ____ The — Wind. The* Weather in general. I 7m 3° S i Fair. 2 6m 4.0 N o Fair. 3 a 18.0 3 7m 7-° N W i Fair. i a 14.0 S E o 4 7*« 1.0 S W o In the morning the fields were co- i vered with white froii. 12 n 190 A fair day. 5 7m 4.0 S W i Fair. I a 17.0 6 7m 4-5 NE i Fair. 7 i a 7m I 2.0 7-0 E NE i Towards evening fomewhat cloudy. Cloudy. 4 a 1 1.5 S 7m r. - E NE 2 E S E 3 Drizzling rain. Heavy rain. 9 7m 9m 7.0 15.0 S E i S S W i Drizzling rain. At eight it cleared up. i a 7.0 Scattered clouds. 10 7m o.o S S W 2 Fair. T a 3-o WN w 2 ii 7m 4.0 WSW j I Cloudy. 4 a 2.0 Scattered clouds. 12 6m 3.0 S W i Fair. 2 a ••'5 N W 2 Cloudy. 4 5.0 '3 7m 0.0 NNE i This morning ice on the water* 2 a 5*5 Fair. 14 7m N 3 Fair. i a 8.0 N 2 15 7m 3-o S 2 A ftrong red aurora. i a 8.0 Cloudy, and continual drizzling rain. 16 7m 4-5 W , Fair. 17 701 OJ.O W j Fair and cloudy alternately, j i a 8.0 Sometimes drizzling rain. 18 7m 4.0 S i Fair. 3 a 6.c N W 2 '9 7 m (03.0 W o Fair. 2 a ir.5 « 328 November 1748. D- H. Ther Wind. The Weather in general. 20 7 m Ol.O NNE i Fair. 2 a S i 21 7 m 15.0 S W 2 Fair. i a 19.0 22 7 m 20 0 E i Rain all day. 2 a 1O.O 23 8 m 16.0 S i Cloudy, foggy, and rain now and 8 a S W 4 then. 24 7 00.0 WNW 3 Fair. [to-day. 25 T / m NW o It was very cold laft night, and fair 26 N W o Alternately fair and fomewhat cloudy, and always pretty cold. 27 Fair ; fcattered clouds : pretty warm, in the air. 28 Cloudy, foggy, and quite calm. 29 Somewhat cloudy. * 30 N i Fair, and a little cold. December 1748. 529 £>r H. Ther Wind. The Weather in general. , N i Fair. 2 WSW i Fair, and cold ; a great halo round the moon at night. 3 WSW i A pretty red aurora, however a fair day. 4 7 m 6.0 S S W o Fair. 3 a 18.0 5 7 m 5-5 NNE i 4 a 9-5 6 7 m 6.5 S S W i Cloudy. 3 a 14.0 Somewhat fairer : hard rain in the next night. 7 7 m '3-5 SW i Cloudy. 2 A 19.0 Fair. 8 7 m 5.0 S i Cloudy. 2 a '3-5 Rain and wind next night ; thick, but 9 7 m 12.0 SW 2 fcattered clouds. 2 a IO.O WNWz 10 WNW2 Scattered clouds. 11 7 m 2.0 S S W i Fair. 2 a 12.5 ?2 7 m 0.5 NE i Cloudy, rain, and fog all day from 2 a 10.$ nine o'clock. '3 8 m 7-5 S W o Foggy, and cloudy. 2 a IO.O Mext night a ftrong N. W. wind. *4 8 m I.O NW 2 Scattered clouds. 2 a 2.0 IS 8 m 07.0 WNW i Fair and cloudy alternately. 2 a OI.O 16 8 m OI.O W i ^air- 2 a '•5 ift I? 8 m 02.5 N W i Cloudy, fome fnow, the firft this win* 2 a oo.o ter. IB 8 m 03.0 W j. 7 air. 2 a 4.0 '9 8 m I.O W i Cloudy. 2 a 8.0 Fair. 20 8 m 01.5 WSW 2 Scattered clouds : about fix at night 2 a 7-5 WSW i were quite red flripes on the flcy, to the North, 11 33° December 1748. D. H. Ther '7ind. The Weather in genera). 21 8 mj 07.0 No Fair. 2 a 2.O 22 8 m' 04.5 S E o I Fair. 2 a 13.0 jjt grew cloudy in the afternoon. 23 8 m J3.0 S S W oi Heavy rain. 2 a 1 8.0 Foggy and cloudy. *-1 8 ni 13.0 WSW o Thick fog. ; 2 *a 17.0 S W i Fair ; but late in the evening a hard fliov/er of rain. 25 8 m 18.0 S 3 Laft night was a ftorm, rain, thun- der, and lightning. 2 a 18.5 SSE 2 Heavy rain all day. 26 8 m 3-° W 3 Laft night a violent ftorm from W. and S. and heavy rain. The morning was cloudy, and fona* fnow feil. 2 a 3-5 WNV/3 Clears up. 27 3 m 04.0 W N W 3 Fair. 38 8 m 07.0 W o Fair. 2 a 8.0 2-9 8 m 3.0 N N E i Somewhat cloudy, and interiniitfnt 2 a 13.0 — c 30 8 m 8.0 N N E . Cloudy and foggy all day. z a ic.o — c 31 8 m 6.0 W 3 Fair. ^ 2 a 4.0 N W i [A\ night a halo round the nioog. January p. H. Ther Jam Wind. '*y I749- 33' The Weather in general. I 7*m 07.0 NW o Fair. 2 2 a 7lm 4.0 Q4- 5 WNW i Alternately fair and cloudy. 3 z a 7lm 5-5 2.C N W i Cloudy. 2 a 2.0 — i 4 7*m 02. o W i Fair. 2 a II. O — i c 7£m O3.O W o Fair. 6 7|m \J J . W 03.0 W o Fair, but darkened towards nighl, 2 a 14.5 — o with fome fnow. 5 a I4.c N W 3 7 7^01 • T- J oi.o WNW Somewhat cloudy^ 2 a 3.0 __ 8 7im 04.0 WNW Fair. 2 a 8.0 — 9 7sm 03.0 WNW Aurora, cloudy, heavy rains at 2 a 8.0 — night. 10 71 m 15.0 S 2 Cloudy, and fhowers, fome fnow at 2 a 2.0 W4 night; at 9 morn. W. S. W. 3 ; at 4 a ii. m. S. W. 43 at 2 aft. W. 4. ii 7*m 03.0 WNW3 Cloudy. 2 a O^.O j /] 12 7*m 04.0 WNW^ Fair. 2 a 01.5 NN W2 13 7im 07.5 WNW2 Fair. i a 03.0 — • 2 Cloudy. H 7*m 05.5 WN wi Cloudy, and fnows all day ; it lay i a 02. 0 — i above two inches thick. ls 7 m 07.0 WNWo Fair. 2 a 3-° — o 16 7 m 08.9 NW 3 All the laft night W N W 4. 8 m 09.0 Fair all day. 2 a 08.0 — i 17 7 m OII.O NNE c Cloudy ; fnows all day, and the en- 7 a 09.0 •-— 0 fuing night. 18 7 m C12.0 NW i Cloudy, and fnows in the morning, lom OII.O — i fair all the afternoon, and the ther. t at 01 i.o: fnow lay five inches deep. 33 D. 2 H, Ther. Jan Wind. uary 1749. The Weather in general. *9 7m 015.5 W i Fair. i a 010.5 — I 20 7m 012.5 W i Fair. 2 a 07.0 21 7m 022.0 WNWo Fair. 2 a 03.0 W i 22 7m 05.0 W , Fair. 2 a oi.r W i Cloudy. 23 7m OIO.C WNW i Fair ; a great halo round the moon at 7 a 3-° — i night. 24 7 m oi.o NNE o Cloudy, fnows all day. 2 a 4.0 N E o . 25 7 m oo.o W-NWo Fair. 2 a 4.0 W o 26 7m 013.0 WNW i Fair. 2 a J.O — i Cloudy ; at three in the afternoon it began to fnow. 27 7m 07.0 W i Fair j halo round the m**n at night. 2 a oo.o f— I 28 7m oi.o WNW Cloudy ; fnows almoft all day. 3 a 4.0 — *9 7m 05.0 NNE Fair. 3 a 03.0 — 3° 7m 013.0 WNW Fair ; halo round the moon at night. 3 a 4.0 — 3' 7 m 04.0 WNW Fair ; halo round the moon at night 3 a< 8.0 — i February 1749. 333 H. Ther Wind. The Weather in general. 7 m 03.0 WNW i Fair ; a halo round the moon at night. I a 11. 0 W i 7 m 5.0 WNWo Fair. 2 a 60 W o 7 m 00.0 W o Fair. 2 a 19.5 0 7 m 5-5 W o Cloudy ; at ten at night wind 2 a II.04a.NNE2 N -N E 3. fnow. 7 m o6.0 NNW2 Fair. i a 03 o N W 2 7 m 010.5 N W o A cracking noife was heard in all 2 a 3.0 WS W i houfes the night before. Aurora.— Fair all day, — at 7 in the morn. N W o— at 9, W N W i— at 11, W i — at 2 in the afternoon, WSW i. 7 m - oi.oJNNE i Cloudy — fair — at 7 in the morn. 2 a I.O N W i N N E i— at 9, N i_at 10, WNW i— at 12, N W i. 7 m c9.o N W o Fair. 2 a 7.0 W i 7 m 03.0 W i Fair. 3 a 1 6.0 — I 7 m 7-° W i Pretty clear ; a violent dorm with i a 7 m I I.O 9.0 S S W 4 S S W 2 rain all the enfuing night. Fair; rain towards night ; at night a i a II. 0 light iimilar to an Aurora Borealis in S. W. 7 m 4.0 SSW 3 Fair ; about nine at night a faint Au- i a IO.O rora Borealis in S W. 7 m 2.0 WN^ 2 Cloudy. 3 '.« 5.0 N W 2 Pair. 7 m 06.0 N W i Pair. 3 » 02.5 WNW2 Plying clouds. 6J m 010.5 N W , Pair ; at eight in the evening an Au- 2 a 03.0 WNWo rora B or tails. 6»m 013.0 WNWo Fair. 2 a 00.0 NW i 6| m 02. o WNWi Cloudy and fnow ; wind all the after- 2 a qo.o W i noon long. it 334 Febru ary D. H. Ther Wind. The Weather in general. 18 61 m 2.0 WNW , Cloudy. 2 a CO.O 19 T 03.0 N N E 2 Cloudy ; rain all day, mixed with 2 a oi-o fnow and hail. 20 61 m '•5 N W i Cloudy. 2 a 4*? 21 61 m 00.8 N W o Cloudy ; at 5 in the morn, we heard 4 a 4.0 N N E i a waterfall near a mill, about a mile S S of us making a ftronger noife than common, tho' the aif was very calnv — at 10 began a rain which continued the whole day. *2 6^ m 1 ° WNW 2 Fair. 2 a 3-5 23 6» m 06.0 W 2 Fair. 4 a 4.0 Some clouds gathered round the fun.. 24 65 m 40 s s w i Cloudy. 3 a IO.O W i 25 6 m 3.0 WNWo Alternately fair and cloudy i 2 a I 26 6 m 012.0 NN W i Fair ; cloudy at night; at eight in the 3 02.0 evening was a halo round the moon^ and the clouds in S. quite red. 27 6 m 04.0 N 2 Cloudy, and fnow in the morning ; 3 a 01. 0 but fair at 4 in the afternooa. 18 6 m 04.5 N W 4 ?lying clouds. 3 a °3-5 WNW 4 Jferir* H. Ther || Wind. arch 1749. 335 The Weather rn general. 6 m 09.0 W N W 2 Fair. A great halo round the moon 3 a 01.5 at night. 6 m 06.0 N W 2 Fair. A faint halo round the moon 4 a 2 5 at night. 6 m 04.0 N W i Fair. Cloudy afternoon. About 8 2 a 6.5 S i at night the clouds in S. W. were quite red. At 9 it began to fnow. 6 m 0.5 E S E i Cloudy. Heavy rain at night. 2 a 7.0 S i 6 m 4.0 W i Alternately fair and cloudy. The 2 a I I.O Wj next night calm. 6 m 4.0 W 2 Fair. 6 m oo.o WSW i Alternately fair and cloudy in the 2 a 8.0 morning. In the afternoon cloudy, with intermittent rain and thunder. 6 m 2.0 WNWo Fair. About 8 at night we fa\v what 3 a 2O.O WSW 2 is called a fnowfire to theS.W.— See Vol. If. p. 81. 6 m 5-° N i Fair 3 a 13.5 / Cloudy. Snowfire in S. W. about 8 at night. 6^ m q.O S S E i Cloudy. Snow and rain all day, and 2 a 6.5 SE i next night. 6 m 9.0 S S E i Cloudy and heavy rain in the morit- 3 a 14.0 Wi ing. Clears up in the afternoon. 6 m 9.0 NNW o Cloudy in the morning. Clears up 3 a 15.0 E N E o at 10. Towards night cloudy, with rain. 6 m 9-5 NNE 2 Cloudy, with heavy rain. Fair at 4 2 a 8.0 •om. N 3 in the afternoon. 6 m 4.0 WNW2 Fair. 2 a 10. 0 3 m o-^.o WSW o Fair. Cloudy towards night. 3 a 13.0 W 2 1 6 m 2-5 N NE 3 Snow violently blown about all day. 3 a OI.O 6 m 01,0 NW 2 Cloudy. Clears up at 8 in the 3 a |6 H. Ther A Wind. larch *749« • The Weather fn general. IP 6 m 02.0 WNW i Fair. 3 a 6.0 NW2 20 6 m 05.5 Wo Fair. Cloudy towards night. 3 a 11.5 S W i Cloudy. 21 6-1 m 2.O S S E o Cloudy. Intermittent fhoweri. 3 .a 14.5 22 6 m IO.O S S E o Cloudy* 3 a 19.5 23 6 m 15.0 S S E i Heavy rain. 3 a 19.0 24 6 m 8.0 S W i Fair* 3 a 15.0 25 6.5 WNW3 Fair. 3 a I 1 O Flying clouds. 26 6 m co.o WNW 2 Fair. r a 1 II.O SW2 Flying clouds. About 8 at night a fnowfire on the horizon in S. W. 27 6 m 3.0 WNWi Fair. 3 a 90 28 dim S I Rain all the day, and the next night. 3 a 12-0 ii a.NNW^ 29 6 m 1.0 N-N W 2 Fair. 2 a 60 3° 6 m 03.0 E , Fair. Cloudy at noon : begins to 2 4 4-° S Ei fnow, which continues till night, when it turned into rain. 31 6J m 5.0 Ni Cloudy. 3 * 14.0 April H. Ther 4 Wind. ^71749; 337 The Weather iu general. 6 m 5-5 NNE i Rain in the morning, — afternoon,— and in the night. 3 a 3-5 Ei Snow, with much thunder and light- ning. 6 rri °5 NNE i Sno'w almoft the whole day. 6 m 0.5 02. o NW i Fair. 3 a 9.0 6 m 02.0 W i Fair. 3 a 16.0 6 m oc-S N i Fair. 3 a !£.€> S W i Sun very red at fetting. 6 m- 4.0 S W i Fair. 3 a 23.0 6 m 13.0 S 2 Fair. Cloudy afternoon. 3 a 24.0 About 7 in the evening it begari to rain, and continued till late at night: 7 m 9.0 N W 3 Flying clouds. 3 a 13.0 6 m 1.0 N i Alternately fair and cloudy. Sribwi 3 a 7.0 in the evening, and at night. 7 m 2.5 NE i Cloudy. Began to rain at ten, and 3 a 6.5 continued all day till night. 6 m 5.0 NE i Rain almoft the Whole day. 3 a 9.0 6 in 2.O WN W2 Fair. Afternoon cloudy, With hail 2 a 13.0 and rain. 6 m NW 2 Fair. 2 a S W i Cloudy. 6 m E i Cloudy j fair at ei^ht. Cloudy to- 2 a wards night. 6 m E i Almoft quite fair. 2 a 6 m 6.5 WNW*2 Fair. 2 a 13.5 -— i 6 m 7.0 S i Alternately fair arid cloady. 3 a 16.0 SW i Rain. 7 m 6.0 No Fair. 3 a 18.0 N W 3 VOL. II. V , l< 338 April 1749, D H. Ther Wind. The Weather in general. 19 j|m 2.0 NNW o Fair. 3 a 20. o W 2 20 6 m 3 a 2.0 S W o A hoar froft this morning. Fair and very hot all day. 21 S W i Fair ; with hot vapours raifed by the fun. 22 5 m 13.0 So Alrnoft fair. 5 a 23.0 . 22 5^m I I.O W i Fair. 3 a 25.5 24 6 m I 2.O S i Cloudy, intermittent drizzl. ihowers. 3 a 22.0 25 6 m 3 a 18.0 24.0 S o Rain the preceding night, and now and then this day. At night thui*- 26 6 jn 28.0 W i der and lightning- Fair. 3 a 3O.O 27 6 m 17-0 W 2 Fair. 28 6 m 7.0 W o Fair. ; a 24.0 * 29 6 m 7.0 N 2 Fair. 30 a m a I7.0 3.0 I5.5I E 2 E i S i Flying clouds. - D H. Ther Wind. May 1749. The Weather in general. 339 | 4 m 01.5 S o Hoar froft this morning,— fair. ^ 3 a 18.5 S W i 2 5 m I.O W i Fair. 3 a 23.0- 3 5* m 40 W i Fair. 3 a 27.5 4 5 m i6.c W i Fair. 55m 13.0 S 3 FJying clouds* - / 3 a 27.0 ' 6 !> 14.5 N o Fair. 7 5 ^ 13.0 N o Somewhat cloudy* 8 5 m 4.0 N o Fair. 9 '6 m 14.0 S i Rain almoft the whole day. 3 a 14.0 10 6 m 13-0 S S Wo Intermittent mowers. «^ 16.0 1 1 6 m 12.0 WS We 7air. 3 a 28.0 • ^: " -y Iz 6 m 13.0 WNWz Fair, 3 a 2C.O '3 j m 90 N W i Fair* 3 a I8.5 ' ' »4 5 m OO-5 N W0 Fair. - 15 5 m 9.0 S S W 2 Cloudy. 3 a 20.? Rain. 16 5 m r7.o Cloudy. 4 a 23.0 17 5 *** 20. o S i Rains intermittently all day ; and 3 a 24.0 lightens very much a.t nipht. 18 5 m 13.0 Fair. '9 5 m 17.0 W 2 Fair. 20 5 ^ 19.0 W 4 Fair. 3 m 24.0 21 6 m 20. o Fair. 22 S W i Fair. Very hot. 23 5 m 17,0 S W i Fair. 24!i2 ml 320 S W i Fair. Y 2 '*$ 340 May 1749. D H. Thcr Wind. The Weather in general. 25 8 m 23.0 S W i ?air, and veny warm. 2 a 28.0 26 8 m 21.0 WNW2 Flying clouds ; at night thick clouds^ 3 a 25.0 with ftftrm and rain. 27 7 m 17.0 W 2 Thick, fcattered clouds. 2 a 25.0 Pretty cool. 28 7 m IS.0 W i Flying clouds. 2 a 2C. 0 *9 7 m ,6.0 W 2 , Flying clouds. 2 a 25.0 30 5 m '3-° WNW i Fair. — a 25.0 W i Cloudy. 3'iS m '3° S W i Somewhat cloudy* 1* * 27.0 Fair. Juns D. H. Ther Wiud. June 1749. The Weather in general. 34' i 5 m 23.0 SW i Rain the preceding night. 2 S E i Morning cloudy, — clears up at ten,— flying clouds. 3 7 m 24.0 SW j Flying clouds ; afternoon, thunder- clouds, with rain from the N W. 4 3 a 26,0 N W i Flying clouds. 5 ST m '5-5 S i Fair. 3 a 22.0 6 5 m 18,5 S W i Alternately fair and cloudy. 3 a 23.0 7 Alld 2O.Q Cloudy and rainy. 8 6 m X5'S NWo Cloudy. 3 a 23.0 — i Flying clouds. 9 S m 13.0 Fair. 10 5 m 11,0 S W i Fair. 3 a 22.5 H 7 ^ 2O.O N i Flying clouds. 2 a 33.0 S W i Thunder-ftorm, with rain. 12 6 m 23.0 N o Fair. 3 a 32.0 S 2 Somewhat cloudy. '3 5 m 19.0 S E 2 A I moil fair. 3 a 27.0 14 6 m 26.O S i Fair. 3 a 25.0 Thunder- clouds, wkh rain. Ig 6 m I 8.0; No Fair. 3 a 26.5' 16 6 m 20.O NN E i fair. 2 a 28.0 '7 Sim 18.0 N o Fair. 3 a 27.5 18 5 m 21.0 ESE i Fair. 3 a 32.0 NE i Thunder, with heavy (bowers. '9 6 m 2O.O NN W i Fair. 3 a 27.0 v 20 c in T8.0 S i Fair. 3 a 26.O Cloudy. 21 5 m 23.C SW o Cloudv, with forrc (ho.vers. 22 9.0 W 5 Fair. 23 6 m 17.0 S i Fair. — a N W i Cloudy. V 3 34 D. N* H. jther e/ Wind. June 174.9. The Weather in general. 24 6 m 20 •5 S i Cloudy, afterwards fair. — a S W i Thunder and rain. 25 5 in 23 ^rj S i Fair. z a 32 .0 26 5 rn •o N i Fair. 27 6 m l-i • o Fair. 28 6 m 18 .0 S i Fair. ( a 35 0 * 20 7 m 6 -0 Fair. 30 5 n) 11 0 S i Fair. a 31 ,o W i 1 ' ^..i.: • wvtt'K X3:ji*K< i ' k ' " "July 1749. 343 D H. Ther Wind. The Weather in general. N 3 Flying clouds. $ m 7-5 N 2 Fair. 8 m 26.0 N Fair. 2 28.0 — Thunder-ftorm, and rain at night. t 6 m 20.0 S Cloudy ; intermittent mowers in the — c N afternoon. i W Fair. 4 a 26.0 — . Cloudy ; rain at night. 6 rl m 18.0 S W i Rain all the preceding night ; fair ia day-time. „ . i m 17-0 N W o Fair. 6 6 m 1 6,0 No Alternately fair and cloudy. A halo round the fun, in the forenoon. 9 7 m 21.0 S W o [lain the preceding night. In day- *r i ^ 22.0 time, cloudy, with fome mowers. 10 .v m 18.0 S W o Fair ; fometimes flying clouds and a 24.5 -«• i mowers. ii m 17.0 S S E i Fair. 2 a 26.O — i 12 m 22.0 W i Fair. m 20. o S S W i Fair, a 33.0 ~- I »4 m 21. 0 WS Wi Fair. a 28.0 — I J r m 26.0 NNE i Pair. a 28.C — i 16 m I4.0 S o Fair; fometimes cloudy. o m S S E i 17 m 19.0 S i Fair. v / a 24.0 — I Cloudy. 18 m 15.0 N NE o Fair. a 25.0 0 ,p m 19.0 SS W i Dloudy ; rain. — a Pretty fair. 20 m I9.O S i Fair. a 24.0 — i Cloudy ; fome rain. 21 S o 7air. 22 a m 27.0 10. 0 0 S W 2 flying clouds. ?air. a 27.0 S W 2 Y 4. 21 344 July 1749. p. H. Ther Wind. The Weather in general. 25 6 m 19.0 S S W i Alternately fair and cloudy. 5 28.5 — i 24 5 in 2O.O S Wi Fair. 3 a 29.0 — I v 25 ^ in 2O. O WS W o Fair. 3 a 29.5 — o ' 26 5 m 21.0 S p Fair. 3 a 30.0 ^ j » 27 5 m 22.0 W i Cloudy ; intermittent (bowers. 3 a 2I.S — I 28 6 m 17.0 W i Fair. 3 a 27.0 — I 5? 6 m 16.0 N W 4 Fair; flying d^uds at night, and 2 a 24.0 — i fhovvers. 3° 6 m 14-0 WNW i Fair. 2 a 26.0 — i 31 6 m 16.0 E i Cloudy ; rain almoft all day. 3 a 22.0 •— *• i V ' - • ^ • Auguft 1749. 345. D. H. Ther Wind. The Weather in general. , 6 m 22.0 NE i Cloudy. Some mowers. 3 a 28.0 — - i 2 16.0 N E i Fair. a S E i Cloudy. Fafr towards night. 3 5 m 13.0 SW 2 Fair. 4 m N E 2 Cloudy. Some mowers. 2 a 21.0 2 5 m N E i ?air. a SW i 6 5 m 1 6.0 N E 3 FJeavy rain all day. 3 a 16.0 — 3 Some thunder. 7 6 m 13.0 E S E i Cloudy. Frequent mowers. 3 a 1 6.0 — i 8 6 m 16.0 SW i Cloudy. Some mowers. 3 a 27.0 — 1 9 6 m 14.0 S W i Flying clouds. i a 2O.O — I Rain at night. 10 6 m 14.0 S W i Flying clouds. 3 a 24.0 — I 1 1 6 m '5*5 W i Cloudy. 12 6 m 14.0 W i Flying clouds. 2 a 25.0 — I 13 7 m '5-5 NW i Fair. 2 a 30.0 — *i , .14 6 m 16.0 N E 2 Fair. 2 a 26.0 2 15 6 m 14.0 N E i Fair. 2 a 28.0 — i 16 5 m 14-0 S E i Fair. At night thunder and rain. 3 a 26.0 — i '7 S ro 14.5 S o Flying Clouds. 3 a 27.0 — o 18 ^ jn 16.0 W i Thunder and rain in the morning. At '9 3 a 6 m 29.0 17.0 W i ten in the morning flying clouds. Fair. 3 a 30.0 -— - i 20 5 "* 16.5 S W o Fair. 3 a 28.0 — o 21 c in 17.0 S W i Fair. Bancroft t 2 a 29.0 •"— ] 5 a 27.0 — ? J 346 Augujl 1749. D. H. The Wind. The Weather in genera!. 22 5 m 19.0 N E 2 Rain all day. 3 a «7-5 23 5 m 16.5 SW 3 Rain early in the morning. At 10 m. 2 a 22.5 — j flying clouds. 24 6 m '3-5 S W 2 Flying clouds. 2 a 22. 0 •— 2 25 5 m 7.0 S W 2 Fair. 4 a 20.5 • — 2 26 5 m 3 a 13.0 18.0 N E i Alternately fair and cloudy* Much rain this afternoon. 27 C Jft 10.5 S W r Plying clouds. 2 a 23.0 — i 28 5 m IO.O S W i Fair. 2 a 20.0 — — I 29 5 m 13.0 N E 2 Fair. 5 4 m II.O N E 2 " ?air. 3' 6 m 13.6 S i ^air and cloudy alternately. 3 a 18.5 — i Intermittent fhowers. J September September 1749. 347 H. Ther Wind. The Weather in general, 5^m 14.5 NNW i Fair. 3 a 30.0 — i 5 T m Q.O N i Fair. 2 -a 18.0 S S W i 5-1 m 7.5 S i Somewhat cloudy. Now and then fair. 2 a 2O.O — I 6 m 14.-C S i Now and then a fhower ; and in the 2 a T 17.5 — I intervals fair. 6 m ioim I4.O N E 2 N E 2 Fog. Rain all day. Now and thenthund. Fog, and drizzling rain all day. i o- a I5.O — — 2 7*m 17.0 S W i Fog and rain. 3 a 22.0 — I Fair. 15,0 S S W i Fair. 4 a 28.0 — I • S m '7-5 E NE 2 Fair. 3 a 25.0 — - 2 16.0 N E 2 Fair. 3 a 26.0 — 2 i 15.0 ENE o Fair. 3 a 25.0 0 7 m 14.5 NNE i Fair. , a S W i 1* o 14.0 t A r N E i Fair. X 24.3 ' c m !5.0 N E 2 Fair. i a 22.5 2 5lra 16.0 N N E 3 Fair. Forenoon, a halo round the fun, 2 a 19.0 — 3 5im 8.5 NNE i Fair. 3 a 20.5 — i 5 m 12-0 S W o Fair. 6 m I7.O S W Fair. 3 a 27.0 — 6 m 14.0 S W Fair. 3 a 26.0 —* 6 m 19.0 S W Fair. 3 a 26.0 — Cloudy. Rain towards night. 6 m «5.0 Fair. 3 a 19.5 6 m 13.0 E o Somewhat cloudy. 3 a 22.0 — 0 September 1748. r>. H. Ther Wind. The Weather in general. 23 6 m 14.0 S W o Fair. 24 6 m 18.0 S W 2 Fair. Rain at noon. 2 a 26.0 2 Flying clouds in the afternoon. 25 7 m 16.0 W I , Alternately clear and cloudy. 2 a 17.0 I 26 8 m 12.5 N E i Fair. 3 a 11.5 — i Cloudy and rainy. 27 6 m 9-3 N i Rain all day. 3 a 14.0 — i 28 6 m 8.0 S W i Heavy rain all day. 3 a 14.0 — i 29 6 m 8.0 S i Fog. i a 13.0 — I Flying clouds. 3° 8 m 14.0 S W 2 Drizzling rain. 2 a 1 8.0 — 2 Somewhat clear. October 1749. D, H. Thei Wind. The Weather in general. i 7y m 9.0 NwT Rain. n __ i Somewhat fairer. 2 .-7 m 2.0 W i Hoarfroft this morning. Fair all day. 3 6 m 3-5 S W j Fair. i a 12.0 — 1 4 6 m II. 0 S i Rain. 5 6 m I0.5 N E i Cloudy. a II. O — i 6 61m »o o EN E i Rain all day. 3 a 1 2.O — i 7 6^m IO.O EN E i Flying clouds. 2 a 14.0 S 61 m 7.0 S i Fair. 3 a »8.o S i METEORO- METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS, Made by Mr. JOHN BARTRAM, near Philadelphia^ During my Abfence, in the Summer of the Year 1749. D. Ther Ther * Wind. fune 1749. The Weather in general. Morn' Aft. i 22 25 W Cloudy. 2 20 27 W Cloudy. 3 23 28 W Showers. 4 22 28 W ?air. 5 18 25 W Pair. 6 it 2S W Cloudy. 7 22 22 N E Cloudy. 8 21 N E • 9 21 N 10 '4 22 E ii 22 23 E 12 25 25 E '3 23 25 E "4 25 27 E 3 '5 24 28 E Fair. 16 22 26 E 17 23 27 E 18 25 27 E 19 23 24 NW 20 '7 26 W 21 24 26 W 22 18 27 W 23 '5 29 W 24 22 30 W 25 22 3' W 26 23 30 N 27 19 32 W 28 24 36 W x 29 25 37 W 3° 36 =N July 3^ i>. ;° ther The c Wind. fu/y 1749. The Weather in general. Morn Aft. i 21 3° W 2 1 8 27 NW 3 26 28 S W E^eavy fhowers. —4- H 36 NW 5 22 32 W 6 22 34- NW Rain. 7 2O 35 W Hard fhowers. 8 2O 35 N E Rain. 9 20 29 N Fair. 10 16 29 N Fair. li i? 33 NW Pair. 12 20 35 W Pair. Rain at nigh^ *3 22 33 W Fair. i 14 26 30 W Hard fhowers. J5 20 29 N Fair. i6 21 3° E Rain. 17 29 29 N E . Cloudy. 18 IX J9 N E Rain. ^ 19 18 33 W Fair. 20 19 33 W Fair. 21 22 3i W Fair. 22 2* n W Heavy fhoyvers. 23 23 25 W Heavy {howers* 24 2O 36 W Fair. 25 27 36 W 26 28 S2 W 27 24 3° W Fair. ' 28 *9 27 W Fair. 29 23 30 W Raifc. 3° 3° 34 3i 21 34 Juguft 1749- 35 l n iner i ner rvinu. A Jlw Vr VAlllVl liJ tl w IA »-•••*•**• Morn Aft. I ,2 18 32 3 '7 3° 4 18 33 22 39 W i> 18 37 N2 7 17 27" W 8 H 25 N W 9 12 24 N W 10 Ij 24 N W 1 1 II 25 N W 12 Hi 30 NW *3 1 8 31 N W H IS 18 «S 23 30 35 W W N Rain. 17 34 N W - • 18 id 37 W '9 20 18 20 S W N E Rain. 21 20 25 N W 22 23 34 N W 23 34 W 24 .8 3° W 25 20 32 NWbyW 26 IO 24 N W Pair. 27 12 20 N W Fair. 28 13 23 NW ?air. 29 22 24 W Fair. 3° 17 25 E 2O 29 E 35 H. 2 Ther Ther Sep Wind, t ember 1749- The Weather in general. Morn Aft. i 19 3° E Hard ftiowers. 2 18 20 E Rain. 3 '9 25 E Rain. 4 22 2S E Foggy. 5 23 21 N E Cloudy. 6 23 37 N E Cloudy. 7 24 34 N E . Cloudy. 8 H 32 N E ' Cloudy. 9 23 33 N E Rain. 10 23 32 W Rain. ii '9 25 N E 12 •3 25 N E '3 20 N E '4 12 33 N E '5 13 27 N E 16 2O 26 N E '7 '7 27 E 18 16 34 S E • ^ *9 12 3° S W ' 20 17 26 21 »7 . 25 W 22 '5 3° - E 23 20 29 E 24 21 29 W 23 28 W 3 26 J 20 i5 EbyN Th«nder-ftorrn. 27 1^ 19 ' NW • 28 10 20 NW 29 3° i 26 W October 1749. D. Ther. Tber. Wind. D. Ther. Then Wind. — •» "M? "Aft! , M. "Aft. i *3 25 W 5 17 30 E 2 i 3 4 H 8 «3 29 »5 29 NW N W 6 8 18 16 it 3° 21 22 E NW NW End of VOL. II.