$8 TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMERICA : 
roads; for they were in such a state, that even 
the public stages were prevented from plying 
for the space of ten or twelve days. The frost 
soon dried them, and rendered them as good as 
in summer. I set out when it was most severe. 
At day break, the morning after I left Balti¬ 
more, the thermometer, according to Fahrenheit, 
stood at 7°. I never observed it so low during 
any other part of the winter. 
Several travellers had stopped at the same 
house that I did the first night I was on the 
road, and we all breakfasted together prepara¬ 
tory to setting out the next morning. The 
American travellers,, before they pursued their 
journey, took a hearty draught each, according 
to custom, of egg-nog, a mixture composed of 
new milk, eggs, rum, and sugar, beat up toge¬ 
ther; they appeared to be at no small pains 
also in fortifying themselves against the se¬ 
verity of the w r eather with great coats and 
wrappers over each other, woollen socks and 
trowsers over their boots, woollen mittens over 
their gloves, and silk handkerchiefs tied over 
their ears and mouths, &c. so that nothing 
could be seen excepting their noses and their 
eyes. It was absolutely a subject of diversion 
to me, and to a young gentleman just arrived 
from the West Indies, who accompanied me 
from Baltimore, to see the great care with 
which they wrapped themselves up, for we 
