MR. JEDEDTAH IRISH. 165 



drink. I heard Some movement in the room below, and again 

 the same tall person walked towards the mills and stores, a few 

 hundred yards from the house. In America, business is the 

 first object in view at all times, and right it should be so. 

 Soon after, my hostess entered my room, accompanied by the 

 fine-looking woodsman, to whom, as Mr. Jedediah Irish, I was 

 introduced. Reader, to describe to you the qualities of that 

 excellent man, were vain; you should know him as I do, to 

 estimate the value of such men in our sequestered forests. 

 He not only made me welcome, but promised all his assistance 

 in forwarding my views. The long walks and long talks we 

 have had together I never can forget, nor the many beautiful 

 birds which we pursued, shot, and admired. The juicy venison, 

 excellent bear's flesh, and delightful trout that daily formed my 

 food, methinks I can still enjoy. And then what pleasure I 

 had in listening to him, as he read his favourite poems ol 

 Burns, while my pencil was occupied in smoothing and softening 

 the drawing of the bird before me. Was not this enough to 

 recall to my mind the early impressions that had been made 

 upon it by the description of the golden age, which I here found 

 realized ? The Lehigh about this place forms numerous short 

 turns between the mountains, and affords frequent falls, as well 

 as, below the falls, deep pools, which render this stream a most 

 valuable one for mills of any kind. Not many years before this 

 date my host was chosen by the agent of the Lehigh Coal 

 Company as their millwright, and manager for cutting down 

 the fine trees which covered the mountains around. He was 

 young, robust, active, industrious, and persevering. He marched 

 to the spot where his abode now is, with some workmen, and by 

 dint of hard labour first cleared the road mentioned above, and 

 reached the river at the centre of a bend, where he fixed on 

 erecting various mills. The pass here is so narrow that it looks 

 as if formed by the bursting asunder of the mountain, both 

 sides ascending abruptly, so that the place where the settlement 

 was made is in many parts difficult of access, and the road then 

 newly cut was only sufficient to permit men and horses to come 

 to the spot where Jedediah and his men were at work. So great 

 in fact were the difficulties. of access, that, as he told me, point- 

 ing to a spot about 150 feet above us, they for many months 



