Penfylvania, Journey to Wilmington. 149 



OBober the 3d. In the morning I fet 

 out for Wilmington, which was formerly- 

 called Chrifiina by the Swedes, and is thirty 

 Engli/b miles to the fouth weft of Phila- 

 delphia. Three miles behind Philadelphia 

 I pafled the river Skulkill'm a ferry, beyond 

 which the country appears almoft a conti- 

 nual chain of mountains and vallies. The 

 mountains have an eafy Hope on all fides, 

 and the vallies are commonly crofTed by 

 brooks, with cryftal ftreams. The greater 

 part of the country is covered with feveral 

 kinds of deciduous trees ; for I fcarcely faw a 

 lingle tree of the fir kind, if I except a few 

 red cedars. The foreft was high, but open 

 below, fo that it left a free profpecl: to the 

 eye, and no under- wood obstructed the paf- 

 fage between the trees. It would have 

 been eafy in fome places to have gone un- 

 der the branches with a carriage for a quar- 

 ter of a mile, the trees landing at great 

 diftances from each other, and the ground 

 being very level. In fome places little 

 glades opened, which were either meadows, 

 paflures, or corn-fields ; of which latter 

 fome were cultivated and others not. In a 

 few places, feveral houfes were built clofe 

 to each other. But for the greatefl part 

 they were fingle. In part of the fields the 

 ^ wheat was already fown, in the Englifi 



K 7 manner 



