148 Ottober 1748. 



of are pounded, mixed with mortar, and put 

 into the holes ; the places thus filled up, are after- 

 wards fmcothed, and when they are dry, they are 

 hardly diftinguifhable from the reft, at fome dif- 

 tance. At laft they draw, on the outfide of the 

 wall, ftrokes of mortar, which crofs each other 

 perpendicularly, fo that it looks as if the wall 

 confifted wholly of equal fquare ftones, and as 

 if the white ftrokes were the places where they 

 were joined with mortar. Theinfideof the wall is 

 made fmooth, covered with mortar, and white- 

 wafhed. It has not been obferved that this kind 

 of ftone attracts the moifture in a rainy or wet 

 feafon. In Philadelphia^^ its environs, you find 

 feveral houfes built of this kind of ftone. 



THE houfes here arc commonly built in the 

 manner. 



ONE of Mr. Cock's negroes fhewed me the 

 fkin of a badger (Urfus Me/esJ which he had 

 killed a few days ago, and which convinced me 

 that the American badger is the fame with the 

 Swedijh one. It was here called Ground Hog. 



TOWARDS night I returned to Philadelphia. 



Q5t. 1 2th. IN the morning we went to the 

 river Skulkill, partly to gather feeds, partly to 

 collect plants for the herbal, and to make all forts 

 of obfervations. The -Skulkill is a narrow river, 

 which falls into the Delaware > about four miles 

 from Philadelphia to the fouth ; but narrow as it 

 is, it rifes on the weft fide of thofe high moun- 

 tains, commonly called the blue mountains, and 

 runs two hundred Englijh miles, and perhaps- 

 more. It is a great difadvantage to this country, 

 that there are feveral cataracts in this river as low 

 * as 



