208 TRAVELS IN THE CONFEDERATION 



ing-stones are got out. They make a distinction here 

 between a red and a black iron-stone, these differing 

 in magnitude and the layers breaking out differently. 

 Grubb possesses such a store of iron in these hills that 

 he supplies other establishments at a price. The 

 wooded hills adjacent, for 6-8 miles around, belong to 

 him. An Irishman, just recently come out from 

 Europe, was the only one polite enough to show us 

 the place where the ore was dug and roasted. He 

 seemed very dissatisfied, deceived in his expectations 

 af America; 50 shillings a month and keep hardly 

 seemed to him worth the trouble of exchanging dear 

 Ireland for America. There lay about numbers of 12 

 and 24 pounders, and a quantity of iron ovens. At 

 times there is a lack of water, and the works are often 

 long interrupted on that account. Very near is to be 

 found also the red foundation-stone, as about Reading. 

 -Another iron mine, + on one of the hills near-by, 

 contains copper besides, which is often a great hind- 

 rance in smelting, unless every care be taken, spoiling 

 the iron. Many other of the American iron-mines con- 

 tain copper, it is said, and several of them lead. 



Three miles from here, at Orth's Tavern, we found 

 quarters for the night. The whole family and neigh- 

 bors willing to help, all of them Germans, were occu- 

 pied in peeling and cutting the fallen apples, (mostly 

 green), so as to dry them; the English country-people 

 have not so generally adopted this means of using their 

 superfluous fruit. For the entertainment of the nu- 

 merous company a humorous old Irishman was retail- 

 ing his jests. He was 65 years old, drank every day 

 his allowance, and more, of brandy, and worked em- 

 ulously along with any young man. His trade was 



