JOURNAL 



banks of the great Wabash, which is here about half a mile broad, 

 and as the ferryboat was crossing over with us I amused myself 

 by washing my dirty boots. Before we mounted again we hap 

 pened to meet with a neighbour of Mr. Birkbeck s, who was 

 returning home ; we accompanied him, and soon entered into the 

 prairie lands, up to our horses bellies in fine grass. These 

 prairies, which are surrounded with lofty woods, put me in mind 

 of immense noblemen s parks in England. Some of those we 

 passed over are called wet prairies, but, they are dry at this time 

 of the year ; and, as they are none of them flat, they need but very 

 simple draining to carry off the water all the year round. Our 

 horses were very much tormented with flies, some as large as the 

 English horse-fly and some as large as the wasp ; these flies infest 

 the prairies that are unimproved about three months in the year, 

 but go away altogether as soon as cultivation begins. 



907. Mr. Birkbeck s settlement is situated between the two 

 Wabashes, and is about ten miles from the nearest navigable water ; 

 we arrived there about sun-set, and met with a welcome which 

 amply repaid us for our day s toil. We found that gentleman with 

 his two sons perfectly healthy and in high spirits : his daughters 

 were at Henderson (a town in Kentucky, on the Ohio) on a visit. 

 At present his habitation is a cabin, the building of which cost only 

 20 dollars ; this little hutch is near the spot where he is about to 

 build his house, which he intends to have in the most eligible 

 situation in the prairie for convenience to fuel and for shelter in 

 winter, as well as for breezes in summer, and will, when that is 

 completed, make one of its appurtenances. I like this plan of 

 keeping the old log-house ; it reminds the grand children and 

 their children s children of what their ancestor has done for their 

 sake. 



908. Few settlers had as yet joined Mr. Birkbeck ; that is to 

 say, settlers likely to become &quot; society &quot; ; he has labourers enough 

 near him, either in his own houses or on land of their own joining 

 his estate. He was in daily expectation of his friends Mr. 

 Flower s family, however, with a large party besides ; they had 

 just landed at Shawnee Town, about 20 miles distant. Mr. 



Birkbeck informs me he has made entry of a large tract of land, 

 lying, part of it, all the way from his residence to the great Wabash ; 

 this he will re-sell again in lots to any of his friends, they taking 

 as much of it and wherever they choose (provided it be no more 

 than they can cultivate), at an advance which I think very fair 

 and liberal. 



909. The whole of his operations had been directed hitherto 

 (and wisely in my opinion) to building, fencing, and other 

 important preparations. He had done nothing in the cultivating 

 way but make a good garden, which supplies him with the only 

 things that he cannot purchase, and, at present, perhaps, with 

 more economy than he could grow them. He is within twenty 

 miles of Harmony, in Indiana, where he gets his flour and^all 



