262 JouBNAL. [Part III. 



constructed vehicles, and the capital old English horses, 

 overcome every thing. We were rather singularly for- 

 tunate in not breaking down or upsetting ; I certainly 

 should not have been surprized if the whole thing, horses 

 and all, had gone off the road and been dashed to 

 pieces. A new road is making, hovvever, and when 

 that is completed, the journey will be shorter in point 

 of time, just one half. A fine even country we get into 

 immediately on descending the Allegany, with very 

 little appearance of unevenness or of barrenness all the 

 way to Pittsburgh ; the evidence of good land in the 

 crops, and the country beautified by a various mixture 

 of woods and fields. 



473. Very good accommodations for travellers the 

 whole of the way. The stage stops to breakfast and to 

 dine, and sleeps where it sups. They literally feasted 

 us every where, at every meal^ with venison and good 

 meat of all sorts: every thing in profusion. In one 

 point, however, I must make an exception, with regard 

 to some houses : at night I was surprized, in taverns so 

 well kept in other respects, to find bugs in the beds ! 

 I am sorry to say I observed (or, reLther, felt,) this too 

 often. Always good eating and drinking, but not al- 

 ways good sleeping. 



474. June 4th and hth. — Took a view of Pittsburgh. 

 It is situated between the mouths of the rivers Allegany 

 and Monongahela, at the point where thej meet and 

 begin the Ohio, and is laid out in a triangular form, so 

 that two sides of it lie contiguous to the water. Called 

 upon Mr. Bakewell, to whom we were introduced by 

 letter, and who very obligingly satisfied our curiosity to 

 see every thing of importance. After showing us through 

 his extensive and well conducted glass works, he rowed 

 us across the Monongahela to see the mines from which 

 the fine coals we had seen burning were brought. These 

 coals are taken out from the side of a steep hill, very 

 near to the river, and brought from thence and laid 

 down in any part of the town for 7 cents the bushel, 

 weighing, perhaps, 80 lbs. Better coals I never saw. 

 A bridge is now building over the river, by which they 

 will most probably be brought still cheaper. 



475. This place surpasses even my expectations, 



