Cxlviii LIFE OF WILSON. 







place I have ever been in. The respect due to the fatigues and 

 privations of travellers is no where given, because every one 

 has met with as much, and thinks he has seen more than any 

 other. No one listens to the adventures of another, without 

 interrupting the narrative with his own ; so that, instead of an 

 auditor, he becomes a competitor in adventure-telling. So 

 many adventurers, also, continually wandering about here, in- 

 jure the manners of the people, for avarice and knavery prey 

 most freely and safely upon passengers whom they may never 

 meet again. 



" These few observations are written in Salter White's gar- 

 ret, with little or no fire, wood being a scarce article here the 

 forests being a full half mile distant. 



" April 9. Court held to-day, large concourse of people; not 

 less than one thousand horses in town, hitched to the side-posts 

 no food for them all day. Horses selling by auction. Ne- 

 gro woman sold same way: my reflections while standing by 

 and hearing her cried: ' three hundred and twenty-five dol- 

 lars for this woman and boy! going! going!' Woman and boy 

 afterwards weep. Damned damned slavery! this is one infer- 

 nal custom which the Virginians have brought into this coun- 

 try. Rude and barbarous appearance of the crowd. Hopkins's 

 double cutters much wanted here. 



" April 10. Was introduced to several young ladies this af- 

 ternoon, whose agreeable society formed a most welcome con- 

 trast to that of the lower orders of the other sex. Mrs. * * *, 

 an amiable, excellent lady; think that savage ignorance, rude- 

 ness and boorishnes.s, were never so contrasted by female sweet- 

 ness, affability and intelligence. 



" April 12. Went this evening to drink tea with Mr. 

 * * *; was introduced to Mrs. * * *, a most lovely, accom- 

 plished and interesting woman. Her good sense and lively in- 

 telligence of a cast far superior to that of almost any woman I 

 have ever seen. She is most unfortunately unwell with a ner- 

 vous complaint, which affects her head. She told me, most 



