58 
agreeable evening in his company. A proof of the public esteem 
which he enjoys, is, that at the last election, there was not a sin¬ 
gle vote against him, an example almost unparalleled in the 
United States. The governor is styled “his excellency.” On 
the following morning the governor conducted us to a recently 
established museum, which is designed chiefly for the collection 
of American antiquities. It is yet in its infancy, and contains 
but few interesting specimens; the library also is of small extent, 
notwithstanding we must render full justice to the inhabitants for 
their laudable zeal in the cause of natural science. We rode around 
the town in company with the governor, passed the court-house 
and prison, which unfortunately we had not time to visit, and re¬ 
turned to our inn. The gardens we passed had rather a wild ap¬ 
pearance. They cultivate kitchen vegetables, a few watermelons, 
and fruit; we saw no flowers excepting the sunflower. 
At 10 o’clock we departed in the Worcester stage for Northamp¬ 
ton, distant forty-seven miles. Our company in the stage-coach 
consisted of two gentlemen and ladies from the state of Missis¬ 
sippi, who had undertaken a tour to the northern states on account of 
the unhealthy climate in their own country, and who entertained 
us very agreeably with an account of their estates. The road was 
worse than yesterday, sometimes sandy, and the horses generally 
bad, so that on the whole, our progress was slow. The country 
is less populous, as well as less cultivated, though there is more 
timber, which, however, is also very much neglected. We ob¬ 
served the cypress and a few large cedars. As there are no graz¬ 
ing laws in force, they are obliged on account of the cattle, and 
particularly on account of the sheep which graze in these woods 
at large, to make fences of young chesnut trees which are split into 
four pieces. These fences generally consist of six rails placed upon 
each other, with an interspace of several inches. They are placed 
in an angular form, and at the point where the rails meet, they are 
placed one upon the other, and usually supported upon a large 
stone. Such a waste of timber and land is only pardonable in a 
country wheredhe inhabitants are few, and where timber is abun¬ 
dant. A large extent of wood-land has been cleared only within 
a short time, and the trunks of the trees which remained have 
been destroyed by fire. The soil is not particularly fertile. We 
observed numerous blocks of granite, which may be hereafter 
usefully employed, the large for building, and the small upon the 
roads. The villages which we passed on our way are Leicester, 
seven, Spencer, five, Brookfield, seven, Ware, eight, Belcher- 
town, nine, and Madley, ten miles. They are most of them 
small places, consisting generally of frame houses, standing at a 
distance from each other, which are very neat and comfortable; 
each village has a frame church and a school-house. Stores are 
