128 TRAVELS IN THE CONFEDERATION 



tending to be escaped prisoners, asked assistance on 

 their way to New York. And whoever was induced 

 by such methods to show his principles was informed 

 against and sorely mishandled. The Congress suc- 

 ceeded in arousing a general distrust among the people, 

 suspicious of each other and of strangers, and all this 

 was vastly useful in the furtherance of their designs. 



Since the beginning of August the people in this tract 

 of country had been busy with their second hay-crop. 

 The first is got in generally about the middle or to- 

 wards the end of June. Nowhere is a third mowing 

 thought of, even on the best of meadows ; whatever 

 grows after the second cutting is pastured by the cattle. 

 The hay is nowhere kept under cover, but after the 

 English fashion in stacks standing out. The soil of 

 this region is of still less fertility than that about Phila- 

 delphia or Chesnut-hill. But red earth lies every- 

 where at a small depth beneath the surface, and could 

 be turned up with little difficulty. Although it is well 

 known from the experience of other regions that this 

 red earth exposed to the air makes good land, it is let 

 lie where it is undisturbed. The value of land rose 

 here unwontedly during the war, from 5 Pd. Pensylv. 

 Current to 8 Pd. the acre. The reason was that many 

 people thought to employ their money more safely, 

 whether already invested or not ; and also because of the 

 increased price of living due to the war. Our host, who 

 really is only a tenant, pays 25 Pd. Pensylv. Current 

 land-rent for 146 acres, and has the taxes to pay as 

 well, 15 Pd., in all 40 Pd. a year. Before the war his 

 taxes were only some twenty-odd shillings. Formerly 

 the usual basis of the land-tax was 6 pence to I or 1^2 

 shillings for every pound of land-rent. This farm 



