Fenfylvaniat journey to Wilmington. 149 



OSlober the 3d. In the morning I fet 

 out for Wilmington^ which was formerly 

 <:alled Chrifiina by the Swedes^ and is thirty 

 Englijh miles to the fouth weft of Phila- 

 delphia. ' Three miles behind Philadelphia 

 I paiTed the river Skulkill in a ferry, beyond 

 which the country appears almoft a conti- 

 nual chain of mountains and vallies. The 

 mountains have an eafy flope on all fide&, 

 and the vallies are commonly crofted by 

 brooks, with cryftal ftreams. The greater 

 part of the country is covered with feveral 

 kinds of deciduous trees; for I fcarcely faw a 

 fingle tree of the fir kind, if I except a few 

 red cedars. The foreft was high, but open 

 below, fo that it left a free profped: to the 

 eye, and no under-wood obftrud:ed the paf- 

 fage between the trees. It wokH haye 

 been eafy in fome places to have gonb un^ 

 der the branches with a carriage for a quar- 

 ter of a mile, the trees ftanding at great 

 diftances from each other, and the ground 

 being very level. In fome places little 

 glade^ opened, which were either meadows, 

 paftures, or corn-fields j of which latter 

 fome were cultivated and others not. In a 

 few places, feveral houfes were built clof@ 

 to each other. But for the greateft part 

 they were fingle. In part of the fields the 

 wheat was already fown, in the Englijh 

 K 3 manner 



