JOURNAL 



conduct us some part of the way through the woods. In about 

 a mile he brought us to a track, which was marked out by slips 

 of bark being stripped off the trees, once in about 40 yards ; he 

 then left us, and told us we could not mistake if we followed that 

 track. We soon lost all appearance of the track, however, and of 

 the &quot; blazing &quot; of the trees, as they call it ; but, as it was useless 

 to go back again for another guide, our only way was to keep 

 straight on in the same direction, bring us where it would. Having 

 no compass, this nearly cost us our sight, for it was just mid-day, 

 and we had to gaze at the sun a long time before we discovered 

 what was our course. After this we soon, to our great joy, found 

 ourselves in a large corn field ; rode round it, and came to John 

 son s Ferry, a place where a Bayou (Boyaii) of the Wabash is 

 crossed. This Bayou is a run out of the main river, round a flat 

 portion of land, which is sometimes overflowed : it is part of the 

 same river, and the land encompassed by it, an island. Crossed 

 this ferry in a canoe, and got a ferry-man to swim our horses after 

 us. Mounted again and followed a track which brought us to 

 Black River, which we forded without getting w r et, by holding 

 our feet up. After crossing the river we found a man who was 

 kind enough to shew us about half a mile through the woods, by 

 which our journey was shortened five or six miles. He put us into 

 a direct track to Harmony, through lands as rich as a dung-hill, 

 and covered with immense timber ; we thanked him, and pushed 

 on our horses with eager curiosity to see this far-famed Harmonist 

 Society. 



913. On coming within the precincts of the Harmonites we 

 found ourselves at the side of the Wabash again ; the river on 

 our right hand, and their lands on our left. Our road now lay 

 across a field of Indian corn, of, at the very least, a mile in width, 

 and bordering the town on the side we entered ; I wanted nothing 

 more than to behold this immense field of most beautiful corn to 

 be at once convinced of all I had heard of the industry of this 

 society of Germans, and I found, on proceeding a little farther, 

 that the progress they had made exceeded all my idea of it. 



914. The town is methodically laid out in a situation well 

 chosen in all respects ; the houses are good and clean, and have, 

 each one, a nice garden well stocked with all vegetables and tastily 

 ornamented with flowers. I observe that these people are very 

 fond of flowers, by the bye ; the cultivation of them, and musick, 

 are their chief amusements. I am sorry to see this, as it is to me 

 a strong symptom of simplicity and ignorance, if not a badge of 

 their German slavery. Perhaps the pains they take with them 

 is the cause of their flowers being finer than any I have hitherto 

 seen in America, but, most probably, the climate here is more 

 favourable. Having refreshed ourselves at the Tavern, where 

 we found every thing we wanted for ourselves and our horses, 

 and all very clean and nice, besides many good things we did not 

 expect, such as beer, porter, and even wine, all made within the 



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