Travels 'Through North America 



innumerable porpoises playing about the bow of the 

 ship; and naturally fell into a train of the most pleas- 

 ing reflections, on observing the mouths of the many 

 noble rivers as we passed along. On the western 

 shore, besides those great rivers of Virginia, which 

 I have already described, there are ten or eleven 

 others, large and capacious, some of them navigable 

 a considerable way up into the country.* "The 

 Patuxent, which we have left behind us," said the 

 master of the schooner, as we were sailing over this 

 beautiful bay, " is navigable near fifty miles for vessels 

 of three hundred ton burthen. Yonder," he added, 

 *' are South, Severn, and Magotty rivers, navigable 

 about ten miles. A little farther is the Patapsico, 

 a large and noble river; where I have gone up fifteen 

 miles. Back, Middle, Gunpowder, and Bush rivers 

 admit only sloops and schooners, and these only for 

 six or seven miles. The Susquehanna, though so 

 majestic, and superior in appearance, has only a 

 short, and that a bad navigation; but it rises an im- 

 mense way off in unknown and inhospitable regions, 

 is exceedingly large and beautiful, and affords great 

 variety of fish. The next, or North river, is navi- 

 gable about ten miles. On the eastern shore," he 

 concluded, " are Elk, Bahama, Sassafras, Chester, 

 Wye, Miles, Great Choptank, Little Choptank, Nan- 



* By some error or oversight the names of several rivers here 

 mentioned, though particularly specified in the original manu- 

 script, were omitted in the first and second editions of this work. 

 They are now inserted, and the account is correct. 



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