352 TRAVELS fN THE UNITED STATES : 
victims retired to defend themselves, on being? 
refused all quarter, are still standing, perforated 
in every part with balls; the remains of others 
that were set on lire are also still to be seen, 
and the inhabitants will on no account suffer 
them to be repaired. The Americans are 
equally tenacious of the ruins in the neigh¬ 
bourhood of Philadelphia. 
It was our intention at first to have pro¬ 
ceeded down the river from hence as far as 
Sunburg, or Harrisburgh; but the weather 
being now so cold as to render a water con¬ 
veyance, especially a canoe, where you are al¬ 
ways obliged to sit very still, extremely dis¬ 
agreeable, we determined to crosss the Blue 
Mountains to Bethlehem in Pennsjdvania, 
situated about sixty-five miles to the south-east 
of Wilkesbarre; we accordingly hired horses, 
as we had done on a former occasion, to carry 
©ur baggage, and proceeded ourselves on foot 
We set out in the afternoon, the day after that 
on which we terminated our voyage, and before 
evening crossed the ridge of mountains which 
bounds the plain of Wilkesbarre. These 
mountains, which are extremely rugged and 
stony, abound with iron ore and coal; for the 
manufacture of the former several forges have 
been established, but no use is made of the coal, 
there being plenty of wood as yet in the coun¬ 
try, which is esteemed much more agreeable 
i 
