BY EDWARD DOUCLEDAY. 208 



magnificent prospect before me, and above mc the sun, such a 

 sun ! in the clear and cloudless sky, I felt — 



" Wliat I can ne'er express yet cannot all conceal." 



I spent the time I was at Cincinnati very agreeably. I was 

 just preparing to leave for Springfield, &c. when behold — 

 Robert Foster arrived at the hotel ; we had written to each 

 other, but our letters had miscarried. We are now going to 

 Shawnee Town, and thence to Deborah Prichard's, at Wan- 

 borough, in the Illinois. 



Louisville, the next place of much importance, is a large town, 

 not so clean as Cincinnati, fewer churches, far worse markets, 

 and far dirtier streets. The brand of slavery is upon it, though 

 not to a vast extent. In fact, the Kentuckians want to get rid of 

 slavery. The Unitarians have a very pretty church at Louisville, 

 as also the Catholics ; there is a fine town-hall now buildinsf. 



I have taken more Coleoptera here in three walks than I 

 had previously done in three weeks, but they are only just 

 coming out; on the sea coast, at Vv'ilmington> for instance, 

 they are earlier. Many butterflies are also out. The land 

 here needs no manure ; it is easily ploughed, and requires little 

 other labour. The pastures are the richest and most verdant 

 that I ever saw. The whole country, where it has not been 

 ploughed, is like an English park, excepting that the trees are 

 much finer. You see on all sides fine hills clothed with 

 gigantic trees, valleys with rich meadows, green as emeralds, 

 but studded with patches of Lobelia^ especially the fine blue 

 one. Delphinium, Aster, &c. ; the fences are hidden by tall 

 Helianthus, Rudheckia, Solidago, &c. ; in the middle are Gle- 

 ditsias, Acacias, Planes, Walnuts, &c. Catalpas and Tidip-trees 

 stand in clusters of five or six, or it may be singly ; these are 

 clothed to their very summits with Bignonia radicans, wild 

 vines, &c. The banks of the streams are now, in places, 

 masses of flowers ; the corn is just browning, and drooping its 

 ripening ears. I never saw such beautiful scenery : more 

 romantic I have seen; but, as for calm tranquil beauty, I 

 never saw the like. Such a sky ! Such a sun ! Such sun- 

 sets ! You in England do not know what these things are. 



October 22, 1837. — The map will show our course from 

 Louisville to Shawnee Town. The character of the Ohio 

 continues the same throughout its entire course. Shawnee 



