142 
pointment to us. Delicacy prevented my inquiring after the 
dance. At nine o’clock in the evening every one retired. I was 
shown to a very good and clean room. 
The following day, 5th May, several brothers called upon me. 
Among them was a German, the only one belonging to this sect. 
His name was Christian Bockholder, a native of Neuwied on the 
Rhine. He is a small, weakly man, who was converted to this 
sect but six years ago, and who seemed much pleased, particu¬ 
larly with the good order, tranquillity, and peace, which reigns 
among them; but he observed that this life not suiting every one, 
it was necessary to try it carefully before becoming a member: 
he had lived six months among them before being received. Fi¬ 
nally he remarked, that notwithstanding every one was free to 
leave the society when he thought proper, it would be very wrong 
to do so, as when once accustomed to it he would be utterly unfit 
for the world. At nine o’clock, when we left Union Village, they, 
to our surprise, refused to receive either pay or presents, and no¬ 
thing now remained but to return verbal thanks for their hospi¬ 
tality, after which we parted. We rode twenty-six miles to Xenia, 
a small country town, where we arrived after five o’clock, P. M. 
We rode through a very fine and cultivated country, which 
originally consisted of woods. We saw at least every five 
hundred paces with an habitation or some fields. Those forests 
which still remain, are chiefly composed of oak, ash, sugar-maple, 
plane, shumac, and dogwood trees; the latter bears handsome 
white flowers. I did not find the vegetation so much advanced 
as in the states of Indiana and Kentucky. We suffered very much 
from the bad roads, a greater part of which were log causeways. I 
walked a great part of the way. We forded several little rivulets 
and creeks, among them the Little Miami; we found a tree laid 
across without a rail, intended as a bridge. At several of these we 
saw some flour and saw-mills, and passed several small and new 
settlements, with neat brick houses and large barns. The hand¬ 
somest is Bellbrook. Xenia, where we found a good tavern, is 
situated very agreeably. The streets are large, and cross each 
other at right angles: most of the houses are of brick, and are 
situated at a certain distance from each other. The number of 
inhabitants is about eight hundred, who farm and carry on dif¬ 
ferent trades. This little place has two printing-offices, a Latin 
school, and several stores. In the centre of the town is the court¬ 
house, built of brick. Xenia is the chief town of Green county. 
Next to it is a massive jail. In an excursion we made the fol¬ 
lowing day, May 6th, I remarked one of the machines for pre¬ 
paring flax, of which I bought a copyright at the patent-office in 
Washington. It was worked by a single horse, and did the work 
of five men, besides which the flax does not require any rotting. 
