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in question, or are there any who have recently visited 

 it? If so, it may gratify them to hear a brief descrip- 

 tion of the country, by the memorable Rittenhouse at 



In a letter to his wife, dated August, 1786, he says, — 

 " It is six long weeks since I have had the happiness of 

 seeing you or hearing from you, and this is the first op- 

 portunity I have had of conveying a letter to you since I 

 left Wyoming. As I cannot hope to receive a line from 

 you until we approach nearer to the habitable world, my 

 next greatest pleasure is to inform you of the favorable 

 state of my health. This seems a different climate from 

 that you are in; the weather is constantly cool, but not 

 cold. We are at present situated on a pleasant bank of 

 the Susquehannah, about fifteen miles above the mouth of 

 the Chenango, one of the principal branches of this river. 

 From this place to Middletown in Lancaster county, is by 

 estimation, 270 miles along the river; much of the road is 

 very bad, so that we had a tedious journey. At Chenango 

 there are a few Indian families settled, amounting to forty 

 souls. Some of these people frequently visit us and bring 

 us fish and venison ; in return for which they are very desi-" 

 sirous to have flour or salted provisions, and we live in the 

 greatest harmony with them. Five or six days ago, one of 

 the Onondaga sachems, with his family, came up in three 

 canoes, and encamped in the evening, just below us. 

 General Clinton having prudently brought an interpreter 

 with him, we are enabled to converse, as, although cheer- 

 ful and agreeable, they cannot or will not speak a word of 

 English." He then adds, that Mr. De Witt was taking 

 a likeness of the daughter of the sachem, which he 

 hoped to have the pleasure to show her in a few weeks. 



Thus, in a tent for their only shelter during several 

 months, were these gentlemen engaged in this then un- 

 cultivated region, in assigning the metes and bounds of 

 the respective republics. 



It is unnecessary for me to dwell on the routine duties 

 of the office he was now holding. They were laborious 



