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make good butter, and particularly good cheese, great quantities 
of which they sell. Their hogs are remarkably handsome, and 
cleanliness is also extended to them. It is a rare pleasure to walk 
about in a Shaker pig-sty! they have a large kitchen garden be¬ 
hind the church, where they raise vegetables, principally for the 
sake of seed, which is said to be here of a remarkably good kind. 
Medicinal herbs, roots, and berries, which they cultivate very 
carefully in a separate garden, and which, as I heard in Albany, 
are of a remarkably good quality, form a principal part of their 
commerce. 
The governor’s letter every where procured me a good recep¬ 
tion, as they generally lead strangers about the settlement with 
reluctance. The few men with whom I spoke, and who accom¬ 
panied me, were elderly people, and had long ago become Sha¬ 
kers with their parents. An old man told me, that he had been one 
of the first adherents of mother Ann at her arrival in America. 
They were very polite to me, and appear to be somewhat monk¬ 
ish. They showed me also their church, which they do not ge¬ 
nerally do, Sundays excepted, as every body can attend their 
worship. My travelling plan did not allow me to pass a Sunday 
with them. The hall, which serves as their church, is about 
eighty feet long, and above fifty broad. On one side stand 
benches in form of an amphitheatre, for spectators and old mem¬ 
bers, to whom the dancing has become difficult. The floor con¬ 
sists of handsome cedar wood, which is well polished; the boards 
are attached to each other without nails. Service commences, as 
I was told, with a speech, which the congregation hear in a stand¬ 
ing position, the sexes being again divided. Occasionally the 
spirit comes upon one or the other; they are so moved by the 
speech, that they begin to shake, and to make strange contortions. 
Then begin the prayers, which are sung, and during which, they 
dance. Every member has a spot about four feet square for jump¬ 
ing, and I was assured this service was done with such a zeal, 
that the vaulters sometimes fainted away. 
We delayed too long with the Shakers to follow our plan 
of previously visiting Lebanon springs, and reach Albany the 
same day. We consequently gave up this design and returned to 
Albany; we were overtaken by the night, and a storm. It was 
so dark, that the driver could scarcely find the way; he therefore 
took a lantern against my advice. This was extinguished, and 
we were in a still worse situation. Two miles from Greenbush 
the driver left the road, went to the right towards a slope, and 
almost threw the stage entirely over; it fell on the right side, and 
my head and arm were injured, though but slightly. On my 
right side I was much more hurt, and one of my ribs was actually 
broken, as it was afterwards discovered, Mr. Tromp had his 
