208 
About eight o’clock in the evening we reached Camden, a 
flourishing place, where we found a very good abode. The 
nights were very clear; some time since I saw quite new con¬ 
stellations, whilst the old ones disappeared by degrees. 
On the 7th of December, at three o’clock in the morning, we 
set out in severe cold weather for Columbia. The road was as on 
the preceding days, but the country grew more hilly, the sand 
more yellow, and mingled with clay. We crossed the Wateree 
river in a small boat with much difficulty. We reached the river 
by break of day. The driver often blew his horn, nevertheless 
we had to wait about half an hour for the ferry-boat. At last it 
came, manned by two negroes. But scarcely was the carriage 
in it when another misery began. We were sitting on a bench, 
and the negroes were obliged to work for half an hour before 
we were again afloat. Finally, we reached the opposite shore, 
but the negroes were so awkward, that they took more than a 
quarter of an hour, to place the boat in such a situation as to 
permit the carriage to get out. We reached Columbia about one 
o’clock in the 'afternoon, and took lodgings at Clark’s hotel, a 
large but merely tolerable house. We were obliged to content our¬ 
selves with the narrowness of our lodgings, for the legislature of 
the state was just assembled in that place, and all the houses were 
full. It is only forty years since the city was laid out; it con¬ 
tains four hundred inhabitants, is situated very pleasantly upon 
ap eminence, below the confluence of Saluda and Broad rivers 
which form the Congaree by their junction. The town is 
built very regularly, contains a great number of brick houses, 
and its streets, crossing each other at right angles, are one 
hundred feet broad; though not paved, they are provided with 
large side-walks, and rows of pride of China trees. In the sur¬ 
rounding gardens of many elegant private houses, I saw a great 
number of evergreen trees, mostly laurels, and also some pretty 
high yucca gloriosa , which they call here palmetto. In Colum¬ 
bia there are many well-provisioned stores, and there seemed to 
be a great deal of life in the place. At the common table where 
many of the deputies were dining, I made acquaintance with a 
Mr. Washington, from Charleston, to whom I had letters from 
Baltimore. He made me immediately acquainted with several 
of the members of the legislature. The governor of the state, 
Mr. Manning, sent me his compliments by Mr. Butler, his aid, 
and invited me to an evening party. Towards the evening Mr. 
Washington, a distant relation of the president, and son of Colo¬ 
nel Washington, distinguished in the revolutionary war, accom¬ 
panied me to see Judge Desaussure, one of the principal men of 
this city and state, to whom also, I had letters, and found in him 
a respectable old gentleman. His father was a native of Lausanne, 
