ALEXANDER WILSON. XXV ii 



am persuaded that these will not be neglected. In this neighbour- 

 hood, I found the columbo plant in great abundance, and collected 

 some of the seeds. Many of the old stalks were more than five feet 

 high. I have since found it in various other parts of this country. 

 In the afternoon of the next day, I returned to my boat, replaced 

 my baggage, and rowed twenty miles to the Swiss settlement, where 

 I spent the night. These hardy and industrious people have now 

 twelve acres closely and cleanly planted with vines from the Cape 

 of Good Hope. They last year made seven hundred gallons of wine, 

 and expect to make three times as much the ensuing season. Their 

 houses are neat and comfortable. They have orchards of peach and 

 apple-trees, besides a great number of figs, cherries, and other fruit 

 trees, of which they are very curious. They are of opinion, that this 

 part of the Indiana territory is as well suited as any part of France 

 to the cultivation of the vine ; but the vines, they say, require 

 different management here from what they are accustomed to in 

 Switzerland. I purchased a bottle of their last vintage, and drank 

 to all your healths, as long as it lasted, in going down the river. 

 Seven miles below this, I passed the mouth of Kentucky river, which 

 has a formidable appearance. I observed twenty or thirty scattered 

 houses on its upper side, and a few below ; many of the former 

 seemingly in a state of decay. It rained on me almost the whole 

 of this day, and I was obliged to row hard and drink healths to keep 

 myself comfortable. My birds' skins were wrapt up in my greatcoat, 

 and my own skin had to sustain a complete drenching, which, how- 

 ever, had no bad effects. This evening I lodged at the most wretched 

 hovel I had yet seen. The owner, a meagre, diminutive wretch, 

 soon began to let me know of how much consequence he had for- 

 merly been ; that he had gone through the war with General 

 Washington — had become one of his life-guards— and had sent many 

 a British soldier to his long home. As I answered him with indif- 

 ference, to interest me the more, he began to detail anecdotes of his 

 wonderful exploits. 'One grenadier,' said he, 'had the impudence 

 to get on the works, and to wave his cap in defiance. My com- 

 mander (General Washington, I suppose) says to me, Dick, says he, 

 can't you pepper that there fellow 1 says he. Please your honour, 

 says I, I'll try at it ; so I took a fair, cool, and steady aim, and 

 touched my trigger; up went his heels like a turkey! down he turn- 



