222 
common ‘with us, than for pecple of 
property, of refpectable character, and 
of cultivated manners, to fix them- 
felves on a traét of mere woodland, and to 
erect cabins for their families to refide in, 
and then to fet about clearing and culti- 
vating the land, not by digging the trees 
up by the roots, as Englifhmen always 
talk of doing, but never accomplifh, but 
by cutting down a part of the timber, 
deadening the remainder, grubbing up the 
bufhes, burning the timber that is cut 
down, and raking the ground clean to ren- 
der it fit for the plough. Cabins are 
houfes built of whole trees, without being 
_ hewed, the interftices between the logs 
being ttopped with rails, and daubed with 
mud, and the houfes covered with boards 
fplit out of afh or oak, about half an inch 
thick, and four feet long, which are faf- 
tened by heavy poles being laid upon 
them. If thelogs be hewed, if the inter- 
ftices be flopped with ftone, and neatly 
plaitered, and the roof compofed of fhin- 
gles, nicely nailed on, it is called a log- 
houfe. A log-houfe has glafs windows, 
a cabin has commonly no window at all, 
The new fettler, after living ina cabin a 
few years, and having opened a. conve- 
nient plantation, turns his attention to- 
wards building a houfe, which he provides 
either of wood, brick, or ftone. Strange 
incongruities frequently prefent themfelves 
to the obfervation of an European. You 
will fometimes fee a man who has the 
manners of a gentleman, who is perhaps 
either a colonel ora general, dwelling in a 
habitation inferior probably, in external 
appearance, to that of an Englifh labourer. 
‘You will fometimes fee a man refiding in 
a good houfe, who has feveral fervants, 
a quantity of valuable horfes, and ftock 
of every kind, and an abundant fupply of 
all the neceffaries of life, who cannot com- 
mand a fingle dojlar. You will fee the 
children of a man who keeps his carriage: 
running about without fhoes and ftock- 
ings, or a traveller riding a horfe of his 
own worth fifty pounds, with a wallet on 
his faddle, containing victuals for himfelf, 
and corn for his horfe, that he may not be 
expofed to charges. Incongruities of this 
kind are not noticed here; but they na- 
turally arife out of the fituation of the 
country, and habit reconciles us to them ; 
but a man without a horfe is viewed in 
nearly the fame light, as a man would be 
with you without a pair of fhoes. I mea- 
tion thefe little things, both tu give youa 
true idea of the country, and more efpe- 
cially to guard you againft mifreprefen- 
tations; for it will now be very clear to 
Parallel between Bonaparte and Augufius Cafar. [Ofober Ig 
you, that it is very poffible, by partial 
and garbled reprefentations, which pre= — 
cipitancy and prejudice are always ready 
to make, to give to an inhabitant of an 
old country a very inadequate and delu- 
five idea of this part of the world, and 
that, even though the faéts narrated may 
be literally true. = _ "9 
I believe you will agree with me, that, 
it is high time for me to finifh this long 
letter, which, if it affords any fatisfa€tion 
to yourfelf and your: friends, will have an- 
{wered the objet of your moft obedient 
Servant, Harry TouLMIN. 
Frankfort, Kentucky, 
Feb. 8, 1802. 
Ee 
To the Editor of the Monthly 
SIR, 
| ie Cavallo’s Hiftory of Aéroftation 
_ (London, 1784), p. 26, is the fallow- 
ing paflage (quoted from ** Recherches fur 
L Art de Voler,” by D.Bourgeois):—*It is 
faid, that in the year 1736 De Gufman 
made a wicker bafket of about feven or 
eight feet in diameter, and covered with 
paper, which bafket elevated itfelf as high 
as the tower of Lifbon, which is about 
200 feet high.” 
As it certainly is poffible, and not im- 
probable, there may now be living perfons 
who were eye-witneiles to this remark- 
able event (if it did happen), it is hoped 
fome of them will communicate fuch par- 
ticulars as they remember to your Maga- 
zine, as the account has the appearance of 
recording an event much like the afcenfion 
of an air-balloon. 
A ConsTANT READER 
Aug. 16; 18026 | ¥ 
— eS 
For the Monthly Magazine. 
PARALLEL Jdefween BONAPARTE aad 
AUGUSTUS CAESAR. 
HE late rapid fucceflions of revolu- 
tions and conftitutions in Frances 
fhews, that the Frenchare in a ftate fimilar 
to that of the Romans, defcribed by Ta- 
citus. Corrupted by luxury, yer. till 
breathing a proud recollection of what 
was due to acitizen of Rome, ‘* the Ro- 
mans were incapable of bearing either un- 
qualified flavery or perfeét freedom.”” In 
fuch circumftances, it was neceflary for | 
the new fovereign to reftrain and cons 
troul fuch a people by the firmeft nerves 
of power, while, at the fame time, he gra 
tified them by the forms of liberty. . 
Having lately retired from the town to 
the country, I amufe my leifure; now and 
then, 
Magazine. 
