Vol. III. MifcelUne^Curiofa. j 



there. The Colonel told me likewife, that 

 the common Notion of the Lak^ of Canada^ 

 he was .aJTured was a Miftake, for the River 

 fuppofed to come out of it, had no Com- 

 munication with any of the Lakes, nor the 

 Lakes one with another, but were diftinft. 

 But not to ramble after hear-lay, and other 

 matters ^ but to return to the Parts of 

 Virginia inhabited by the Englijh^ which in 

 general is a very Fertile Soil, far furpafling 

 England^ for there Englijh Wheat (as they 

 call it, to diftinguifh it from Maz.e^ com- 

 monly called Virginia Wheat) yields'^ gene- 

 rally 'twixt Fifteen and Thirty fold, the 

 Ground only once plow'd ^ whereas 'tis a 

 good Crop in England that yields above 

 Eight fold, after all their Toil and Labour. 

 And yet in truth 'tis only the barrenneft 

 Farts that they have cultivated. Til- 

 ling and Planting only the High-Lands, 

 leaving the Richer Vales unftirr'd, becaule 

 they underftand not any thing of Draining- 

 So that the Richeft Meadow-Lands, which 

 is on.e third of the Country, is Boggy, 

 Marfh, and Swamp, whereof they make 

 little Advantage, but loofe in them abun- 

 dance of their Cattle, efpecially at the firft 

 of the Spring, when the Cattle are weak, 

 and venture too far after young Grafs. 

 Whereas vaft Improvements might be made 

 thereof-, for the generality of Virginia is a- 

 Sandy Land with a (hallow Soil. So that af- 

 ter they have cleared a frefli piece of Ground 

 out of the Woods, it will not bear Tobacco 

 paft two or three Years, unlefs Cow-pen'd ; 

 for they jVIauure their Ground by keeping 



their 



