INTRODUCTION. 9 



land." I thought that if every old woman 

 in the country knew this, my speculation 

 would answer very ill : as I perfectly 

 agreed with Mrs. Washington in sentiment ; 

 and wondered much, from the poverty 

 of the land, to see the cattle so good as 

 they were. 



It may be said, " But the author has not 

 been in Kentucky, or among the back 

 woods." No : I have not. I soon found 

 those countries to be much worse than the 

 parts nearer the cities ; for as money was 

 my object, and I found it very scarce even 

 in the cities, I concluded it would be much 

 scarcer there. Of this I wanted no stronger 

 proof than that the inhabitants being a sen- 

 sible, sharp, enterprising people, as any in the 

 world, if any thing valuable was to be had 

 in that country they would be glad to secure 

 it for themselves. If a man wants wit, he 



