sm 



Lt-Hfra ji'cm B.uhiinorf! ami Ihf J/hnijia Cuunliy. jJiilyi. 



Wh«!liug, however, is (lie nciinist way. 

 At the latter place I could for twenty 

 «lollais have purchased au ark, or flat- 

 bottomed boat, capable of containing 

 my family, bagfiiige, horses and wajj- 

 gon. liut as it was the laud we wanted 

 to look at, and not the watei-, we pro- 

 ceeded westward. We thought so little 

 of Wheeling, that we rested there only 

 one day. By this time we had travel- 

 led thiough Maryland, part of Penn- 

 sylvania and A'irginia; we then pro- 

 ceeded throiigh the istate of Ohio: the 

 roads h(!re are very uneven. The eastern 

 part of this state is hill and dale, but 

 the western is tine level land. The wag- 

 gons used here are very narrow, but T had 

 mine made six feet wide within, with 

 a tilt or covering over the laids, so that 

 it held a bed the cross way of the wag- 

 gon, and we had two beds for the tent, 

 which was sutHcieut for all the family. 

 We always looked out for a pleasant 

 spot towards night, in oider to pitch 

 our tent, and I assure you I never 

 rested better nor <!njoyed better health 

 in my life, and it was the same with 

 my family whilst travelling in this 

 manner. We never lodged in a tavern 

 hut one night all the way, and that was 

 the worst night's rest I had during the 

 whole journey. As for the stories of 

 wild beasts an<l other deadly animals, 

 tliey are mere farces. We only saw 

 three common snakes each about three 

 feet long; these we killed: we also 

 saw a rattle snal^e abinit four feet long 

 and four inches round ; a gentleman 

 was- killing it as we came up. I opened 

 it and found in its belly a squirrel per- 

 fectly whole. Provisions are always to 

 lie had on the road : and at farm-houses 

 we bought butter, eggs, poultry and 

 meat : as for Irams and milk, we often 

 had them as a gift. Bread was the most 

 difficult article to procure, as everj' one 

 here bakes their own, and only in 

 quantities sufficient for their families. 

 We could get flour in abundance, which 

 we found very useful, as with the help 

 of our frying-pan, we could bake crum- 

 pets or cakes. Our large tea-kettle 

 and camp-kettle, Ave also found very 

 useful, and our little table was particu- 

 larly serviceable, and only wanted 

 folding feet to have rendered it more 

 portable. 



It is impossible to give yon an ade- 

 quate idea of our adventures on the 

 road, as that would require a volume: 

 suffice it to say we all enjoyed the lark. 

 You may well think it was a sweetening 

 to us who had so long been smoke-dried 



in London. We liad .many ofTcr;^ of 

 land on the road, and these wlio had if 

 to sell, always told us theirs was the 

 finest and the climate the best iu (he 

 United States; but that the westward 

 was a very sickly country. However we 

 persevered (ill we came to Richmond, 

 and found the situation delightful and 

 j)leasan(. It is upon (he eastern edge of 

 Indiana, sixty miles north of (llincin- 

 nati, thirty-five fiom Brookville (liere 

 is the Land office for the State,) (Iirre 

 from Salisbuiy, six from ("enterville, 

 sixteen from Eaton, ami thirty-six from 

 Dayton. I have beini twice to Cincin- 

 nati, sixty miles from my own liome ; 

 it is a smart place with good markets, 

 and is well suj)i)li{'d with meat of all 

 sorts at three halfpence |H'r pound ; 

 butter sixpence, twelve chickens for a 

 dollar, \-alue 4s. Gd ; eggs ;i(l. per do- 

 zen ; coft'ee is Sd. per pouud : mois( 

 sugar l{)d. Te.i at Uichmond is two 

 dollars the pound, but the same sort 

 may be purchased at Baltimore lia' 

 three quarters of a dollar. 



The land 1 have bought consists of 

 eigh(y acres, as fine soil as ever was 

 seen, wi(h plenty of good water, a log- 

 house, a stable, cow-house, barn, coru- 

 cribs, smoke-house, &c. About tliirfy 

 acres of this landare ready cleared, ami 

 the whole cost me six hundred d<dlars : 

 we have every thing necessary for hu- 

 man life, as the stock I bought on (he 

 farm consisted of one cow, a year «)ld* 

 a calf or heifer, c'.glit pigs, two ewe». 

 fifty fowls, one hundred Imshels of 

 Indian corn, and about ten hundred of 

 hay: the whole lot cost me fifty duilavK. 

 1 have since purchased another cow for 

 eigli( dollars. and I (liink (his is cer(aiuly 

 (hecheapes( and m<)S( plen(iful coun(ry 

 in (he world ; we liave fine beef and 

 pork a( Richmond for a i)enny j>er lb. 

 My whole travelling expen<;es from 

 Baltimore to Richmond did not exceed 

 two hundred and twenty dollars. 



There is no turnpike after vve pa«s 

 AVheeling, but the roads are tolerably 

 good. The road is made through tlie 

 woods; (he trees are cut down to the 

 width of about thirty feet, but the 

 stumps are left about two feet above 

 the ground, which are a very great 

 nuisance, and requires much caution 

 in driving. There are a great many 

 towns on the road from Baltimore to 

 the western country, and a tavern at the 

 distance of every two or three miles. 

 The general jirice of breakfast, dinner, 

 and supper, is a quarter of a dollar, and 

 for childreu half price; through the 

 whole 



