52 
prospect of the surrounding country, without being exposed to the 
sun. 
We left the hospitable city of Boston with grateful hearts, and 
rode over the Mill-dam into the interior of the country. The 
horses were changed four times, generally in small villages; 
Farmingham and Westborough appeared to be the only ones 
of any importance. The country sometimes seemed wild, and 
but thinly settled, though the state of Massachusetts is said to 
be the most populous in North America. We saw no grain,* 
though in some places we observed Indian corn, and now and 
then some millet. Apple orchards were abundant—the trees hung 
so full of fruit that many of the boughs were broken. The apples 
are small and yellow, and are employed in preparing the favourite 
beverage called cider. We gradually approached forests, consist¬ 
ing of oak, chesnut, and elm trees. Sumach also occurs in some 
places, the bark of which is said to be excellent for tanning 
leather. There are evidently no forest regulations here, and the 
timber is very much neglected. The road was for the greatest 
part a good turnpike, and made in the German manner. We 
crossed several small rivers and rivulets on wooden bridges, which 
are very slight, though they are built with a great waste of timber. 
The planks are not even nailed upon the beams, so that I began 
to be somewhat fearful, especially as the carriage drove rapidly 
over. About two miles from Worcester we crossed a lake call¬ 
ed Guansiganog-pond, on a wooden bridge one-fourth of a mile 
in length. The banks of this lake are covered with wood, and 
present a very handsome appearance. On our way, we were 
overtaken by a considerable thunder-storm, which settled the dust, 
and procured us a pleasant evening. We arrived at Worcester 
about 7 o’clock, and alighted at an excellent tavern. This town 
contains about four thousand inhabitants, and consists of a princi¬ 
pal street, with an avenue shaded with old elm trees, and of seve¬ 
ral bye-streets, which, like the preceding, are altogether unpaved. 
The houses, generally built of wood, and but few of brick, are all 
surrounded with gardens, and stand at a considerable distance 
from each other, so that the town appears like a village. It has 
four churches, a bank, and three printing-offices, each of which 
furnishes a newspaper. There are also printing-offices in many 
of the villages through which we passed, as well as a fire-engine 
in each. In the evening we paid a visit to the governor of Mas¬ 
sachusetts, Mr. Levi Lincoln, who resides at this place. We 
found this worthy man, who is universally esteemed by his fel¬ 
low-citizens, at home with his wife and sister-in-law, and were 
received by him in the most friendly manner. We spent a very 
[* The harvest having' occurred in July.]— Trans, 
