Chap. I. CLIMATE SEASONS, kc, 13 



perience a want of water. A large rain water cis- 

 tern to take the run from the house, and a duck 

 pond to take that from the barn, afford an ample 

 supply ; and, I can truly say, that, as to the article 

 of water, I never was situated to please me so well 

 in my life before. The rains come about once in 

 fifteen daj^s ; they come in abundance for about 

 twenty-four hours ; and then all is fair and all is 

 dry again immediately. Yet here and there, espe- 

 cially on the hills^ there are ponds, as they call them 

 here ; but, in England, they would be called lakes 

 from their extent as well as from their depth. 

 These, with the various trees which surround them, 

 are very beautiful indeed. 



15. The farms are so many plots originally 

 scooped out of woods ; though in King's and Queen's 

 counties the land is generally pretty much depriv- 

 ed of the woods, which, as in every other part of 

 America that I have seen, are beautiful beyond all 

 description. The Walnut of two or three sorts ; 

 the Plane ; the Hickory, Chestnut, Tulip Tree, Ce- 

 dar, Sassafras, Wild Cherry (sometimes 60 feet 

 high) ; more than fifty sorts of Oaks ; and many 

 other trees, but especially the Flowering Locust, 

 or Accasia, which, in my opinion, surpasses all 

 other trees, and some of which, in this Island, are 

 of a very great height and girt. The orchards 

 constitute a feature of great beauty. Every firm 

 has its orchard, and, in general, of cherries as well 

 as of apples and pears. Of the cultivation and crops 

 of these, 1 shall speak in another Part of the work. 



16. There is one great draw-back to all these 

 beauties; namely, the /ences; and, indeed, there is 

 another with us South of England people ; namel}'-, 

 the general (for there are many exceptions) slo- 

 venliness about the homesteads and particularly 

 about the dzivellings of labourers. Mr. Birkbeck 

 complains of this ; and, indeed, what a contrast 

 with the homesteads and cottages, which he left be- 



2 



