1306.] Mr. Touhnins Advice to Settlers in Kentucki/. 427 



But if you go into the foutheni, or ra- 

 ther wefterrT, part of the ftate, I fuppofe 

 yoU mi£;ht obtain fuch a tra6t for leis 

 tlian 300 dollars. Indeed, there are ftill 

 fonie vacant lands, wliich are fold to 

 fettlers by the public at 20 dollars per 

 hundred acres ; but there is not much left 

 w-liich has any timber upon it, though 

 otherwife very good laud ; but, being de- 

 flitute of tiniber, that kind of land is 

 called Barrens. 



However, let me advife you, when 

 you come to the ftate, to be very cauti- 

 ous about buying ; or, rather, not to buy 

 at all till you have been Ibme time in the 

 country ; or, at leaft, not v\ itliout the 

 advice of fome friends, in whom you 

 can confide : for Euri*peans wiio bring 

 money, and lay it out immediately, are 

 alraolt furc to be impofed upon. 



The ceneral object of farming here is 

 not the lame it is in England. Here a 

 man propofes to live by his farm dircclly; 

 there it is indlrcElij : that is, he raifes 

 wheat, barley, ftock, ike. for fale, con- 

 fumiug but a fniall proportion in his own 

 family ; here he raifes almoft every thing 

 with a view to family confuniption, even 

 his clotiiing is made at home, and he fells 

 no more than what v.ill fer\e liim to buy 

 fidt and a few other articles. 



Having travelled fome little time in 

 America, you have probably learnt fome- 

 thing of our mode of travelling. Eng- 

 liihmen, Iwwever, frequently do not learn 

 it till they have fpent all their money. 

 Buta Kentucky man, if lie is alone, and 

 much more if he takes all his family 

 with liini, carries his own provifious along 

 with him, or buys them from time to 

 time at private houfes, in order to fave 

 tavern ciiarges. Nay, they will often 

 lleep in the woods, to avoid the expence 

 of beds: and I know from experience, 

 that a blanket before a good fire out of 

 doors, is much better than an indifferent 

 bed ill a dirty houfc. The route to this 

 place is to Redfione ; then down the 

 Ohio river to tlie mouth of the Kentucky 

 river, about 40 miles from which, on 

 the bank of the river, is the town of 

 Frankfort. Goods from the mouth of 

 the river can be brou;j;lit to this place, 

 either by water or on hoifeback. 



The prices of fundry articles are as 

 follows : Wheat, \ a dollar per hufliel ; 

 oalb, 5 a dollar ditto ; potatoes, \ a dol- 

 lar ditto ; beef, 2| to 8§ dollars per hun- 

 dred weight, or 2f d. or 3d. per pound, 

 Virginia money; jjork, 2 dollars or 'Z\ 

 per hundred wei<^liti fiuuaktid bacou, 



from 4d. to 6d. per pound ; fait, from l^^ 

 of a dollar to 3 dollars per buihel; 

 country fugar, from ^ to -f of a dollar 

 per pound, according to the feafon. Tea 

 about the fame as in England. 



Englilh and other European manu- 

 factories are very dear ; at lead 50 per 

 cent., in general, more than at the retail 

 fliops in F.ngland. Bricks now at 5 dol- 

 lars |)er thoufaud -. foaie have lately beca 

 fold at 3^. Tiiere are fcveral brick- 

 makers here, but every mau will coioe 

 in for his ihare. There are no tile- 

 makers ; indeed, tiles are not kiiowa 

 with us ; thougli, I think, they would 

 be better than ihingles for many kinds ^ 

 buildings. 



Now for a perfon with 300/. to make 

 a comfortable living, mull depend alto- 

 gether upon his wants, and upon hi« 

 qualifications. The mere intcrcfi of 300/- 

 though it would go farther here tliau 

 perhaps elfewhcrc, would not enable a 

 man to live in J'tich a manner as it maj 

 be fuppofed that a mau who has SOOZ. 

 has been accuilomcd to. But if he caa 

 plough, and do other things appertain- 

 ing to a farm ; and if his w ife or his 

 daughter can fpin either flax or wool, or 

 cotton, enough to cloihe the family, 

 unqueftionably he may have an abund- 

 ance. I fuppofe you mean 300/. fierJ- 

 ing, which is 400/. of this money. We 

 mav fuppofe it is to be laid out as meit- 

 tioned underneath : 



Yirgiiila 



currency. Sterling. 

 80 acres of land, with £. s. £. s. d. 



decent cabbins, and 



30 cleared - - - 120 0-90 

 2 plough horfes - - 30 - 22 10 O 



2 cows and calves - 6 0- 4100 

 10 iheep - - - 6 - 4 10 Hi 

 1 plough ---- 116-17-0 

 Geers and faddle - 6 - 4 10 

 A one-horfe cart - 10 - 7 10 

 Houfehold furniture 20 0-15 

 One year's provifious, 



viz. 1000 wt. of pork 6 0- 4 10 O 

 300 weight of beef 2 14 - 2 6 



3 bunicis of fait - 1 16 - 1 7 

 40 ditto of wheat - 6 - 4 10 

 80 ditto of Indian 



c„rn ----- 4 16 -3 12 O 

 2000 weight of hay 2 - 1 10 

 20 bufli. of potatoes 1 10 - 1 2 6 

 Sundries ---- 6 0-4 10 



230 12 172 19 



VVhich will leave lOl. Us. for contin- 

 gencies. 



