face of the country. ' 133 
ing town., and carries on a brisk inland trade. 
The arsenal of the state of Maryland is placed 
here, the situation being secure and central. 
From Frederic I proceeded in a southerly 
course through Montgomery county in Mary¬ 
land. In this direction the soil changes to a 
yellowish sort of day mixed with gravel, and 
continues much the same until you come to. 
the federal city, beyond which, as I have before 
mentioned, it becomes more and more sandy 
as you approach the sea coast. The change 
in the face of the country after leaving Fre¬ 
deric is gradual, but at the end of a day's jour¬ 
ney a striking difference is perceptible. Instead 
of well cultivated fields, green with wheat, 
such as are met with along that rich track 
which runs contiguous to the mountains, large 
pieces of land, which have been worn out with 
the culture of tobacco, are here seen lying 
waste, with scarcely an herb to cover them. 
Instead of the furrows of the plough, the 
marks of the hoe appear on the ground; the 
fields are overspread with little hillocks for 
the reception of tobacco plants, and the eye is 
assailed in every direction with the unpleasant 
sight of gangs of male and female slaves toil¬ 
ing under the harsh commands of the overseer. 
The difference in the manners of the inha¬ 
bitants is also great. Instead of being amongst 
the'phlegmatic Germans, a traveller finds him- 
