1807.] Observations made during a Tour in the United States. §33 
we left the country. Vessels of one hun- 
alred tons burthen bad then been built in 
this town, and sent into the lake. At 
Windsor, land averaged at three dollars 
per acre: ia Trumbull township, which 
is between Windsor and Harpersfield, 
but on which there were then no resi- 
dents, it was not more than twe dollars; 
whilst at Harpersfield, without improve- 
ments, five dollars was asked, and more 
for that which was cleared, in proportion 
to the nature and extent of the improve- 
ments. ‘Trambull township is stony ; but 
the stones appear as if spread on the 
earth; are generally round, and vary in 
size from a man’s head to a hogshead. 
At Harpersfield we met with a very in- 
teresting man: his name was M‘Dougall ; 
he is a native of the State of New York, 
about forty years of age, and korn blind; 
he resided with his sister, who had lately 
emigrated. His blindness appeared con- 
sequent on a turbid whitish fluud, which 
seemed to be contained between the 
wis and the cornea, which appeared for 
ever in motion, and therehy prevented 
the rays of light from operating on the 
retina; but what rendered M<Dougail 
most remarkable, was the intelligence he 
possessed, and the vigour of mind he dis- 
played. He was not only conversant 
with the history of his own country, but 
of that of Great Britain, the late revolu- 
tion in France, and the defects which 
induced the fall of the ancient republics, 
He well understood the principles of law 
as established by Blackstone, and the 
improvements .in chemistry introduced 
by the French philosophers. Of mild 
and modest manners, happy in good and 
kind relations, esteemed and beloved by 
his neighbours, he seemed little to re- 
gret the loss of sight.” Most blind people 
are cheerful; he was peculiariy so; and 
the few hours I passed with him were 
not only entertaming, but. instructing, 
He did not, however, I was told, depend 
upon his retentive powers for bringing a 
person a second time to his recollection, 
where the voice was not familiar, but qn 
feeling of the hand: of this I had after- 
wards a proof; for meeting him when 
he was unprepared for such a rencounter, 
although he recoilected having before 
heard my voice, he could not recall my 
name, or where we met, but on shaking 
hands, immediately remembered both. 
Proceeding from Harpersfield to Aus- 
tenburgh, about nine miles, we found the 
road imost horridly muddy, often ob- 
structed by the falling across it of timber 
of most enormous length, These we had 
to leap our horses over, to the no smalf 
hazard of our necks, more especially when 
on the other side the horses’. feet were 
received by a soft, slouehy soil, to the 
eye apparently firma, but from which i¢ 
was often dithcult to disengage the ani- 
mal, Nature appears to have supplied 
the lands on the banks of Grand-River 
with a most valuable and inexhaustible 
manure. As I had no test by which to 
ascertain its chemical qualities, i shall 
only observe that the lofty banks of the 
Guaga (Grand-River) seem altogether 
composed of a bluish marl, which, when 
rubbed between the fingers, feels oily, 
and dissolves very readily, and almosé 
entirely, in the mouth. Sucha soil may, 
probably, one day be in as much demand 
for mechanical as for agricultural pur- 
poses. In a new country like this, mo- 
ney may be supposed scarce: simple and _ 
hospitable manners therefore prevail ; no 
ostentatious display of wealih depresses 
honest industry on the oue hand, no po- 
sitive poverty compells unmanly submis- 
sion on the other. If, however, the tra- 
veller sees not much either of gold or sil- 
ver, he has plenty to eat, most hospitably 
tendered, as well as of spirits of different 
kinds and milk, with good beds and bad 
pillows, in very comfortable log-houses, 
warmed in winter by immense fires, at 
any of which, when night comes on, he 
has a hearty weicome to all le receives, 
It is true, their fried bacon is to me an 
unsavoury mess; but if nothing else of 
fers, 1ts constant attendants, chickens and 
eggs, may surely satisfy any man: if not, 
venison and bear-meat, both of which are 
very sweet and good, wild turkey, and 
various kinds of fish, may easily be pro- 
cured. Perhaps it is a subject of just 
regret, that the day is so rapidly advan- 
cing when luxury will extend the effects 
of its baneful influence to this happy 
country; when manners, no longer sim- 
ples must give way to odstentation and 
pomp, and the frippery and veweaws of 
foreign nations be preferred to the neat, 
the homely, manufactures of domestic 
industry. May, however, the day be far 
distant when the honest yeomanry of the 
Connecticut,Reserve exchange the solid 
blessings of equality, benevolence, and 
urbanity, for the splendid nothings which 
avarice toils for, and the spirit of liberty 
detests. 
“Arrived at Austenburgh, we stopped 
at a house of a ‘puritan, of the true old 
Cromwell breed. We were very hungry, 
and dinner, consisting of chickens, egos, 
bacon, and custards, was presently, and 
neatly, 
