146 The Winning of the West 



produce as was usual. 14 The prime furs were mink, 

 coon, muskrat, wildcat, and beaver. Besides this 

 the stores advertised that they would take for their 

 articles cash, beeswax, and country produce or tal- 

 low, hogs' lard in white walnut kegs, butter, pork, 

 new feathers, good horses, and also corn, rye, oats, 

 flax, and "old Congress money," the old Congress 

 money being that issued by the Continental Con- 

 gress, which had depreciated wonderfully in value. 

 They also took certificates of indebtedness either 

 from the State or the nation because of services 

 performed against the Indians, and certificates of 

 land claimed under various rights. The value of 

 some of these commodities was evidently mainly 

 speculative. The storekeepers often felt that where 

 they had to accept such dubious substitutes for cash 

 they desired to give no credit, and some of the ad- 

 vertisements run : "Cheap, ready money store, where 

 no credit whatever will be given," and then proceed 

 to describe what ready money was, cash, furs, 

 bacon, etc. The stores sold salt, iron-mongery, 

 pewterware, corduroys, rum, brandy, whiskey, wine, 

 ribbons, linen, calamancos, and in fact generally 

 what would be found at that day in any store in the 

 smaller towns of the older States. The best eight 

 by ten crown glass "was regularly imported," and 

 also "beautiful assortments of fashionable coat and 

 vest buttons," as well as "brown and loaf sugar, 

 coffee, chocolate, tea, and spices." In the towns the 

 families had ceased to kill their own meat, and beef 



14 "Knoxville Gazette," June i, 1793. 



