1806.] 
upwards of three hundred houfes. It is 
faid that its population averages feven toa 
houfe. This to an European appears 
high ; but I find it the general calcula- 
tion in the back parts of America. It is 
the capital of Franklin county, and fituate 
on the Conegocheague, which is navigable 
into the Potomak. The Wathington, 
Baltimore, and Philadelphia mail-coach 
roads to the weltern country all meet here. 
Chamberfburgh contains two hand{cme 
churches, a market and a court houfe, 
a paper-mill, a merchant-mill, and iron- 
works, the property of Colonel Chambers’s 
defcendants, who make very good bar- 
iron, fome of which comes to Alexandria, 
by the Potemak, for fale. Thefe gentle- 
men live in great aflluence ia this neigh- 
bourhood. When their anceftor took up 
his property, the practice was as follows. 
A petition was prefented to the Colonies 
Houle of Delegates for a warrant autho- 
rizing the petitioner to take up one hun- 
dred acres of Jand, for which ten pounds 
Pennfylvania currency was paid. But, 
through connivance and defign in all par- 
ties, generally a much larger quantity of 
land was furveyed and taken up, for which 
two dollars per one hundred acres was to 
be paid to the proprietor as a quit-rent. 
Chambers by this means took up about 
twelve hundred acres, a part of which 
Chamberfburgh now ftands on. This is 
now extremely valuable property. A lot 
in this town, containing about one fixth of 
an acre, was lately fold for feventeen hun- 
dred dollars. The common price, how- 
ever, does not average more than tweive 
hundred dollars, © The  farming-land 
around it felis at about twenty pounds 
Pennfylvania currency an acre. 
As we had determined not to leave 
Chamberfburgh till the Monday morning, 
we dined at the houfe at which the ftages 
put up. In an American tavern, except 
very particular cafes, the company at the 
-houfe all dine at the fame table with the 
mafter of the inn and his family. This 
is certainly not fo pleafant as the Englith 
mode of feparate tables to feparate parties. 
As I did not, I find, item the particular 
articles we had for dinner, I can only fay 
that the table was heaping full of animal 
and vegetable’ fubftances, neither of which 
were fo weil cooked as we had been accuf- 
tomed to, for which we: were - charged 
half a dollar each. The Americans are 
prodigious devourers of -meat three times 
a-day. It ought to be obferved, that in 
the back-countries of America the ta- 
vern-keepers are in general among the 
moil wealthy inhabitants. ‘“i/his isnot to 
Obfervations during a Tour in the United States. 
217 
be wondered at, when the profit is confi- 
dered, and the little expence or trouble the 
tavern-keeper is at to pleafe his guefts, 
Mr. C.,* hearing of Mr. G.’s arrival, 
very politely called to invite us to tea. 
We found him living pretty much in the 
ftyle of a gentleman in an Englith county- 
town of about feven or eight hundred a- 
year. Before tea, we walked over. his 
clover and wheat, which were thriving. 
His houfe appeared very commodious, and 
was handf{omely built of brick. The ved- 
tibule was f{pacious, and the tea-room 
large and elegant. One remark holds 
good in every gentleman’s houfe I have 
feen in the’ United States, and that is, the 
profufion of filver with which the fide. 
board, tea-table, &c., &c., are loaded. 
This predilection for filver ornaments is 
faid to pervade the whole of the United 
Staies, and that owing thereto your coun- 
try was firt led to think of taxing us. 
Report fays, that General (atterwards 
Lord) Amherft, pafliog through the New- 
England colonies, fometime about the year_ 
1753, was hofpitably received by the gen- 
tlemen on the road, and, furprifed at the. 
quantity of plate he faw at their houfes, 
deemed a country whofe inhabitants dif- 
played fo much wealth very proper objects 
on whom to throw a portion of Britith 
taxation. Perhaps his Lordfhip did not 
know, that in America the man who is 
taxed without having a mediate or imme- 
diate voice in making the law which fub- 
jects him thereto, is deemed a flave.- Be 
‘this as it may, it is certain that the rath 
and unfortunate Braddock wrote, about 
the year 1753, from this town (Aiexan-~ 
dria,) to tue Englifl’ Government, recom- 
mending this very wife project, which 
bowever they were then too prudent ta 
adopt. The fuccefs of the attempt when 
nadeis well known. 
Having received from Mr. C. and fami- 
ly all the attention which hofpitality com- 
bined with gentiemanly manners and good 
fenfe could afford, we retired to our ta- 
vern ; and about ten o'clock én the Mon- 
day mornirg flarted for Connelfburgh, 
(twenty.two miles.) Our party confitted 
* Not Mr. Chambers. 
+ So long ago as the y-ar 1713, the dele. 
gates of the colony of New-York determin- 
ed, that taxation was unconftitutional, and 
a grievance, except when impofed by the 
immediate reprefentatives of the people ;—~a 
itrong proof of the fteady attachment of our 
citizens to the principles of that glorious re 
volution which has made them great and 
happy and confirmed them free, 
of 
