Travels Through North America 



their nature, appear here with more stiffness and 

 reserve than in the other colonies. They are formed 

 with symmetry, are handsome, and have fair and 

 delicate complections; but are said universally, and 

 even proverbially, to have very indifferent teeth. 



The lower class of the people are more in the ex- 

 treme of this character; and, which is constantly 

 mentioned as singularly peculiar to them, are im- 

 pertinently curious and inquisitive. I was told of a 

 gentleman of Philadelphia, who, in travelling through 

 the provinces of New England, having met with 

 many impertinences from this extraordinary turn 

 of character, at length fell upon an expedient almost 

 as extraordinary, to get rid of them. He had ob- 

 served, when he went into an ordinary,* that every 

 individual of the family had a question or two to 

 propose to him relative to his history; and that, till 

 each was satisfied, and they had conferred and com- 

 pared together their information, there was no pos- 

 sibility of procuring any refreshment. He, there- 

 fore, the moment he went into any of these places, 

 inquired for the master, the mistress, the sons, the 

 daughters, the men-servants and the maid-servants; 

 and having assembled them all together, he began 

 in this manner: "Worthy people, I am B. F.f of 



"Philadelphia, by trade a , and a bachelor; 



"I have some relations at Boston, to whom I am 



* Inns are so called in America, 

 f Benjamin Franklin. 



[140] 



