47 § TRAVELS IN NbRTti AMERICA. 
banks of the Patowmac, about the 26th of Decern^ 
ber, having had excellent roads, and pieafant, mo- 
derate weather, neither fnow nor ice to be feen, ex- 
cept a Hight fall of fnow from a flying cloud, the 
day before I reached this place ; but this evening 
it clouded up from the Weft, the wind North- eaft 
and cold. Next morning the fnow was eight or 
ten inches deep on the ground, and the wind drifting 
to North- weft, cleared up intenfely cold : I however 
fat off and crofted the river juft below the falls, 
and landed at George-town in Maryland. The 
fnow was now deep every where around, the air 
cold to an extreme, and the roads deep under fnow 
or llippery with ice, rendered the travelling uncom- 
fortable. 
Being now arrived at Wright’s ferry, on the 
Sufquehanna, I began anxioufty to look towards 
home, but here I found almoft infuperable embar- 
raftments : the river being but half frozen over, 
there was no poftibility of crofting here 5 but hear- 
ing that people crofted at Anderfon’s, about five 
miles above, early next morning I fat off again up 
the river, in company with feveral travellers, fome 
for Philadelphia : arriving at the ferry, we were joined 
by a number of traders, with their pack-horfes loaded 
with leather and furs, where we all agreed to venture 
over together; and keeping at a moderate diftance 
from each other, examining well our icy bridge, and 
being careful of our fteps, we landed fafe on the 
oppofite fiacre, got to Lancafter in the evening, and 
next morning fat forward again towards Philadel- 
phia, and in two days more arrived at my father’s 
houfe on the banks of the river Schuylkill, withi& 
four miles of the city, January 1778. 
