Tour én Peunfylvania. 
fintly fated on the Delaware, and com- 
manding 2 fine view of Burlington (the 
capital of New-Jerfey) on the oppofite 
fide of the river; om’ whofe expanfive 
watersy and fertile banks enriched-with a 
variety of vegetation, the eye awelt with 
pleafure!/For it is fatisfaétory to behold 
the induftriows hand of man fertilizing 
all around him, and thus feconding the 
bountectis imtentions of nature. 
_ morning air, as ufual at this feafon, was 
very chilly, but towards noon it became 
temperately warm, the tky unclouded, 
with a moft refrefhing breeze blowing 
from the Delaware. is 
On entering the powerful and flourifh- 
ing State of Pennlylvania, the alteration 
in the face of the country and appearance 
of the people, was cvidently for the bet- 
ter; particularly in the condition of the. 
arable lands, and the fub{lantial goodnefs 
of the farm-houtes, folidly built of ftone, 
with capacious barns and. out-oflices : 
the whole apparently not inferior to the 
generality im the mother-country. The 
bridges were better, but the fences 
not fo good as in the fifter-fate we had 
Jeft. Immortal Penn! I could almoft 
fancy I difcerned thy’ venerable fhade 
hovering over the placid ftream of the 
Delaware, and pointing to the. fair me- 
tropolis, indebted to thee for its founda- 
tion! Thy tutelary genius, even at this 
hour; difpeniing wifdom and benevolence 
fo the numerous and peaceable fraternity, 
peopling thy fertile colony! Sage and 
Virtuous legiflator, true father of thy 
race! How pre-eminent is thy nimé, com- 
pared! with thofe proud f{poilers faltely. 
dendminated heroes — wretches, whofe 
hands; imbrned in human gore, lead the 
fools’ around them to flaughter and-de- 
vaftation, with the infidious lure of glory 
and renown! But let us revert’ to the 
more alluring contemplation of nature, 
and her never-ceafing variety. The coun- 
try we pafled through feemed tolerably 
covered with farms and cottages, and 
profufely with woods, copfes, and or- 
chards, Inthe former, the odk, thethick- 
ory, and the maple, appeared. to predo- 
minate. Inthe latter; the apple and the 
peach-tree, which not unfrequently are 
feen planted along-tide the roads, and ‘in 
the fields and fences. To my regret,’ the 
time of blofloming was over ; not that 
the vernal feafon commehces earlier there 
than in England, but the progrefs of ve- 
getation in the American climate is in- 
finitely more rapid: it burfts as it were 
by enchantment from the icy chains of 
Winter, towards the lattey end of March, 
The - 
338 
or ‘beginning’ of April, when the whole 
country fuddenly aflumes the vivid hues 
of f{pring; and-gives a glad promife of ~ 
plenty; but the  fubfequent nipping’ 
frotts, and keen north-welters, too often, © - 
blaft the flattering profpedt..iisi. oo ines 
~ T.was not.a littleentertainedat the: - 
motley groupe in the carriage, which cons’ 
fitted of a member of .congrefs (General. ” 
Freylinghuyfen, one of the fenators: of" « 
New-Jerfey), two ladies, a young white 
woman, a negro-girl, a French emigrant, 
a Philadelphian, a couple of New-Eng- 
landers, and myfelf... The general, a>: 
fenfible, affable man, of mild and polite. 
demeanour, was not inattentive to’ tha: ~ 
reft,of his fellow-travellers;- no fuper= 
cilious air did he affume, to difcredit that: 
rational equality the Americans alone are 
acquainted with, and judicioufly know 
hew to realize and prattife. -The: New- 
Englanders having {een much’ of | their’ 
own country, contributed, by their com : 
municative turn and liberality “of opi-' : 
nions; largely to my amufement and in- 
formation, and to beguile the paffing’ 
time: whilft poor Yavico, contented with 
her neighbours, looked perfe&ily happy, 
though filence humbly dwelt on her lips. 
Durie this, and other excurfions in the 
midland-ftates, I noticed feveral kinds of 
birds, of various and beautiful plumage, 
peculiar to the North-American cons 
tinent, viz. the Virginian nightingale; 
the little yellow-bird, refembling the ca- 
nary; the humming-bird, well known in 
the cabinets of our naturalilts for its mi- 
nute form, and for the rich dyes! and 
gloffy texture of its ‘feathers; the mock- 
bird, celebrated for its wonderful imita- 
tive powers of fone; the cat-bird, fe 
termed trom the fimilarity of its fhrill, and 
plaintive cry, to the domeitic animal of 
that name; the American robin, larger 
than ours; and the blue variegated jay. 
‘The beautiful red-headed woodpecker ts: 
common to both countries. Inrambling 
through the woods of America at this 
feafon, I was confirmed .in the popular 
opinion,’ that their feathery fongfters are 
neither fo numerous nor fo melodious, as 
in our more temperate clime; I had pre- 
vioully fiuppofed this a mere national pre- 
judice. “Lheir cattle are inferior, in fize 
and beauty, ‘to their’ refpective kinds in 
England, but they are faid to be much 
finer in the northern than in the other - 
States; however, in Lancafter, and fome 
other counties of Penniyivania, where the 
German and Irifh farmers are fettled 
(accounted the moft induftrious and ex- 
pert in the Union), confiderable improve. 
ments 
