RETURN FROM PITTSBURG 371 



place, Baltimore, St. Mary, Charles, Kent, Frederick, 

 Prince George, Somerset, Dorchester, Worcester, Tal- 

 bot, Cecil, Calvert, Queen Anne and two other new 

 ones, the names of which escape me. Those counties 

 which have as yet no particular or aptly placed towns 

 fix their Court-houses at some convenient place in the 

 middle of the county, often in the midst of the forest, 

 where at the appointed times numerous assemblies 

 come together to transact business, as well as out of 

 curiosity and the desire of company. 



The country between Annapolis and Baltimore is 

 for the most part flat and sandy ; having gone 9 miles 

 of the road, one notices a grey quarry-stone protruding 

 from the soil and farther on much breccia composed 

 of iron-bearing sand. The extensive woods consisted, 

 throughout, of the twi-blade Jersey pine, and there 

 were only a few scattered farms to be seen. A few 

 miles this side Baltimore the Ferry-branch of the 

 Patapsco must be crossed, near two miles wide, and 

 the passage not agreeable as we made it, at night in 

 a rain-storm and with drunken negroes. But it was 

 far more unpleasant to learn that, of our collections 

 made in the mountains and ordered hither, nothing as 

 yet had arrived. We could no nothing but consign 

 them, with the rest of our store, to the care of a friend 

 here, for later expedition, and we left Baltimore 

 troubled at having been at fruitless pains. 



On the road to Philadelphia the first 10 miles are 

 through a sandy clay soil, showing numerous frag- 

 ments of iron-bearing stone. We put up for the night 

 at a tavern standing alone by the road. A man from 

 the Eastern Shore entertained us with many anecdotes 

 regarding the ' dam'nd English dogs/ that is, the 

 soldiers. Of all he laid to their charge nothing vexed 



