Ten Days in Ohio. 223 



ters in his house, and preferred it to wood, which grew in plenty near 

 his door. Directly after crossing the creek vve ascend a long slope 

 of a hill side, to the uplands. 



Channels of Creeks and Rivers. 



The beds of the creeks in the hilly parts of Ohio, being invariably 

 found from fifty feet to two hundred feet below the general level 

 of the country, increasing in depth as they approach the large streams, 

 and diminishing towards their head branches, until they terminate 

 near the top of some ridge, afford strong support to the opinion that 

 this was once a level region, and gradually brought into its pres- 

 ent broken and confused state by the wash and abrasion of the streams 

 during the long succession of ages, since its emersion from that an- 

 cient ocean, which once covered the region now called " the Val- 

 ley of the Ohio. 



After the ocean left it, many ages must have passed before it was 

 covered with forest trees, and during this period, it is probable most 

 of the water courses and rivers were formed and abrasions took place. 

 Changes equally interesting have occurred in our forests. Large 

 tracts of country were once covered with pine timber, where now 

 not a solitary tree is to be found for many miles around. Its place 

 is supplied by the different species of oak and other trees. We have 

 all the proof we can ask of the fact in the thousands of pine knots 

 which lie mouldering under the leaves ; and the spots most favorable 

 and most used for the manufacture of Tar, are now covered with a 

 heavy growth of oak. Another proof of pine, once having been the 

 prevailing timber amongst the forests of the hills, is found in the char- 

 coal taken from mounds and tumuli, being almost invariably the pro- 

 duct of pine wood. Four miles beyond Meigs's creek, and thirty two 

 from Marietta, we passed the night with a very hospitable and kind 

 innkeeper. In the course of the day, observed many wild flowers 

 beside the road. The Prunus Virginiana and Ribes villosa in full 

 bloom. Podophyllum peltalum nearly out of bloom. The root of 

 the latter affords an excellent cathartic, and the fruit of the former, 

 a delicious food and valuable medicine in bowel complaints. 



May 23J. — The morning was cloudy and rainy, took an Ohio 

 breakfast of bacon, coffee and good bread and butter, before start- 

 ing. The road for about twenty miles, passes along the dividing ridge 

 between the east and west branches of Meigs's creek, forming a nat- 

 ural turnpike, in some places, of only a rod or two in breadth. On 

 the more elevated portions of the ridge, many fine views of the adja- 



