1805.] 



Olfervatlons during a Tour in America. 



4r7 



mm poflsto have been a public atccmmo- 

 dation Imperial Rome hcrielf coulJ ne- 

 ver equil. 



The great diftinguiftiing chars^eriftic 

 of the UnieJ Siates i;. tr.e I'Dmcnfity, 

 the :'pp^ien'lv \nten..inabili.y ot liie fo- 

 lefts. Every thing, whethe hoiiirs. fitlils, -jr 

 cities, are iniul<ued by .utroiinriiiig wooJs. 

 Tlie iHelKcying axe of fel'i-incrcaliiif; itiii- 

 liors is;.owcver rapidJv pen.ng the coun- 

 try. The effedi tt.is may i. -ve on our a.i- 

 tumn-1 diftales I (liill not a t ni.t to iu^- 

 ge:t i i: may nr' however fc- impropci to 

 remark, 'hai !b imm.nle aq;3:tiiy (A ve- 

 getable marier ii: .> ftate ot rtcoiiipofiiion, 

 evolving CH.'onic t;3s, car.notl?,! t») pro- 

 duce very be etic^al <.fFeds. This gas 

 bcino.a* IS well k-novvn, irref.uable, and 

 heaviti -rh-.p atm.fpi ric air, rolh from 

 the highe- o the io^^e^ counti;, com- 

 bines vitn the h)drf'£;er.e, alio an irrt.pir- 

 able ail, viich *• emi;ted bytiie mar/hes, 

 and eitv-.ted l»y the hear of a burniiig 

 fur, is a' forben by rit lungs, and may 

 p.:!ribly bepr C liliv;. .f our bilious in!er- 

 mitient an! r^iuit ent revers. I he great 

 affi(;ity b..ween iref'e clii'talrs and the ycl- 

 loA fever, althoug; the lL!t ;r is, infinitely 

 njo.e tatal, wcuivl feem to jiiftify an opi 

 nion thav it n produced by ii.nilar vapouis, 

 heightcntii hi azote emitted in ihedccom- 

 poiiiion ot a;.',m .1 nutier, which .n the 

 autuii ns is fuffired too frequently in our 

 cities. My oah txpeiience in tnis cruel 

 difea^e, when at Alexandria, apper.rs to 

 jult.fy this opinion. In 180,3 'f- built out 

 in the lower parts ot the t.vyn, n^-ar the 

 inar(h-s, and the dilea'cd parts thereof 

 migi.t have been fuirotinJed by a ribband. 

 If was '.ot contagicus, for in that ciii the 

 afFeftii n wculd have been geiitval. It 

 only .'.tTefted th fe who either lived in or 

 cccifjoiially v filed that part of t!ie town 

 which it iiffi'iled. There is, however, 

 one difficulty, viz., that tl.e qi amity of 

 oxy?trne did not appear, by the cxpeti- 

 tnents which were maJe, to be Lfs tlian i.* 

 ufusl in atmofphtric air, B'lt that it did 

 con;ain an iiicr.;aud quantity cf azo.e, 

 is, I th-nk, proved by the 'oliowiig (n6t. 

 The ftore of the Britifli C nful at Alexan- 

 dria, being in thiidileiied parts of the 

 town, was r.ot opened <!ui uig tliecontinu 

 ante t<f the fevei, »nd con ain-.d Icvcial 

 calk' of li I.e. When the town was le- 

 Rorrd to health, and the (lore opntd, the 

 ciflcs v»cre found burtt by the fwclling of 

 the lime, which had aMbrbtd fo much 

 azote as evidently to poffiris the tartc of 

 ialtpetre. 



Monthly Mag, No. 136. 



It is 42 miles fiom Waftiington to 

 Fix-denc- Town, Maryland ■■, the road ra- 

 ther hily. Afer travelling about three 

 miles we amended a pieuy fleep hill, 

 wtiich cocr.manded an extenfive ar.d beau- 

 tifi.i! view of the Potomak, and the cities 

 of Alexandria, George-Town, and Wafti- 

 ington, v.'ith the Amiacofta, or ea'>ern 

 branch, on which are the-priocipal naval de- 

 p6 s of the United States ; nor could I here 

 avo:d indulging in thoie melancholy ideas 

 winch prtiled on my mind, v/hen at one 

 vi;w con:eii,piatif)g the relidence of my 

 living chid, and the depofit of the facred 

 afhi:^of my beloved family. The load to 

 Fr.d'ric Town is through Muntg.niery 

 cour.ty in Maryland ; the court-houfe, 

 or feat of juftice, being about f urteen 

 mile-i from W.-.lhlngton. The foil is very 

 indifFe:e-;t. In tiMth, theie is very little 

 good hnd in the n=iglibjurhood of the. 

 leat of the gcneial guvernvnent, an evil. 

 Dia'cria'ly heightened by Have culture, 

 whicii IS uniiap nly prevalent in Mary- 

 land. Some hcaiities were however dif- 

 ccverable. The hawthorn and apple- 

 trees were in iheir glory. Tie dog-wood, 

 whole baik h .s been u led in intermittents 

 with fuccef', expKi'iled its maiden-bloU 

 fom, the iTiilky whicnel'j of which is con- 

 traited with the I'gl'it pi-rple blufh which 

 tinge>. its extremity. The peach here had 

 nearly loft its i;eauiy ; hut the cherry 

 ftill added its blofibm to the charms cf 

 fpring. We could not help admiiing the 

 lupeiicr eleganc- of i'everal of thefe trees, 

 as v.ell as two of ihe moft umbrageous 

 Babi Ionian willow* I ever faw. We 

 breaktalted at Montgcmeiy court houfe, 

 where we had the ufuid American break- 

 falf, viz. betf-fteaks, eggs, boiled ham (a 

 ti n.iant difli evcrv where), bread, cakes, 

 tea, .^-nd c ffce, for which we were charged 

 foity cents each. As we approached 

 Freiieiic, the country improved. We law 

 but few good farnis early in our journey, 

 but they became more numerous as we 

 approached Frederic ; and after we got 

 into the lin.elfone-counny, which com- 

 menced abr.ut twelve miles betore «e got 

 to that own, we law a great deal of good 

 landcle.ired and covered wiih fine wheat ; 

 the iimclfone being as uleful to the far- 

 nieis in this neighu :uihcod as niarle is to 

 thoie of Noifolk in England. By the 

 Hex; you will probably hear again fVoin 

 your obedient fervant, 



Richard Dinmore. 

 Cli'velanJ, Trumbull Counij, Ohio, 

 zolh Muj, lioi^. 



3G 



To 



