4 
| 
i 
808 Obfervations made during a Tour in the United States. [June 1, 
It is fix miles from the foot of Mount Dal. 
Jas to Bedford. As we approached the 
town, the barren mountains retreated from 
the fides of the road, and the Jumiatta he- 
came fkirted with wide and rich meadows. 
We croffed this river en a good ftron 
bridge, about a mile eaft of Bediord, and 
enjoyed a beautiful [cenery. 
fituated in a very rich bottom, and the firft 
fettler’s houfe is yet landing near the foot 
ef the bridge, and appears to be flrong, 
convenient, and comfortable. 
This little town was long a frontier, 
and confequently fortified ; yet it frequent- 
ly fuffered feverely by Indian inroads, 
previous to the treaty of peace in 1783, 
between the Umiied States and the King 
of Great Britain and his allies. 
Bedford contains about fifty houfes, 
fome of which are handfomely built with 
_ brick. Thefe houfes are fupplied with 
water by wooden pipes, which condud& it’ 
from a refervcir in the center of the town. 
Lots are 240 feet deep, and 60 wide, and 
fell for about fifty pounds currency each : 
the adjoining Jand fells from ten to thirty 
dollars an acre. 
As the day was unpromifing, and a 
meeting of the county-magifiraces was to 
be held at the tavern at which we put up, 
we proceeded no further, but dined off 
boiled chickens, roalt loin of veal with egg 
fauce, roak-beef, ham, potatoes, cabbages, 
&c., for which we paid half a dollar each; 
and the next morning ftarted for Somerfer, 
thirty-four miles wek of Bedford. The 
road was good, though mountainous, and 
eccafionally we faw good Jand, though ge- 
neraily {peaking it was very bad. This 
road had not been laid cut more than fve 
years; but in confequence of the number 
of emigrasts who pals along it, it is every 
where fiudded with paltry taverns, fuch as 
in England would be cailed hedge-ale- 
houles ; for it may be cbferved, few emi- 
grants require more of taverns than whif- 
key, cyder, ard bread, for themfelves, and 
corn for their horfes, providing themfelves 
with all the other neceflaries for the jour- 
ney. The confequence of meeting fo ma- 
ny taverns was, that we found none good. 
We topped, exp<éting to dine, at about 
twenty miles from Bedford ; but bread 
and cyder were all we could procure, at 
Jeaft ail we deemed eatabie or drinkable : 
thele however were very good. 
Af.er this re'refhrent we afcended the 
fummit of the far famed and majeitic Al- 
l-ghany, the highelt point of land in the 
The town is » 
United States, from whence the waters 
run eat and weft. In its vicinity we faw 
the effects of thofe dreadful hurricanes 
which fo frequently afflict thefe lofty re. 
gions, and bid jometimes defiance to the 
utmof fpeed of the traveller to efcape 
them. We faw many large trees lying 
uprooted, and by acres together they lye 
in horrible confufion, or ftiipped of their 
limbs, and covered with a long grey coat 
of mofs, aod give a compleat idea of de- 
firudction and defolation. The viciffitudes 
of weather are here wonderfully frequent ; 
it is even faid a0 man has ever pafied the 
Alleghany without aflorm. As it was 
very ffne when we approached its fum- 
mit, confident in our own good luck, 
we expected to form an exception to the 
rule; but hope is delufive; and before we 
had fairly paffed, we experienced almoft 
every pofiible variety of weather. Now 
the {now beat in our faces, and the cold 
was intenfe ; foon the fun fhone fo as to 
render a great coat uncomiortable ; then ~ 
the wind whiftled through the foreit, and 
the hail beat mo unmercifully in our 
faces; anon facceeded a fhower of rain, 
which drove us into a good tavern at So- 
merfet ; where [. at leaft was heartily re- 
joiced to fee a handfomely papered.and 
carpeted roam, a large fire, and a good 
-bottle of old Madeira. 3 
We had this day pafled about twenty 
emigrants for Ohio. Thefe were all Ger- 
mans, lately arrived on this continent, one 
of whom could fpeak Englith. He faid 
they were going to purchafe of Dr. Mile 
Jer. This tsa celebrated German, who 
arrived in the United States about the 
clofe of the year 1802, and purchafed a 
large track in Chio. Since that period 
two or three hundred of his countrymen 
have followed bim, to whom he feils 
his land, I am told, on the following 
terms, viz., ten dollars an acre; but 
they pay him nothing during the fir 
three years, and afterwards the balance 
is payable in feven annxal intalments. 
This isan enormous profit, for he paid 
the United States only at the ufual rate of 
two collars an acre, payable in four years. 
The Do¢ter feems to know how to make 
afortuae of his countrymen. I believe 
he is from Anfpach, and has confiderable 
connections there, who forward emigrants 
_to America, and thus promote his views 
here. ‘Iremain, Sir, your's, &es 
R. Dinmore, 
Mlexandria, 24tb Deer 1805. 
For 
