consisted of a light waggon, drawn by a Yankee mare. The animal was
spirited, but at the same time docile, and obedient to the rein; and
the roads, though rough in some parts, and covered with dust, were such
as are in this country called good. The atmosphere was clear, without a
single speck of cloud, and the temperature of the air agreeable. I got
forward with a degree of ease and good spirit, that might well become a
ride undertaken for pleasure.
Reading is a small town with a good tavern, twelve miles north-east of
Cincinnati.[147]
I lodged for the night with a tavern-keeper, who has, within these four
years past, cleared a good farm on which he lives. He is a penetrating
and intelligent old man. Without being told, he was able to discover my
native country, and attempted to make himself agreeable by dilating on
the histories of Wallace and Bruce. His son, who is arrived at manhood,
asked if Wallace was an American? The father is a native of the eastern
country, and has had better opportunities of being educated than the
son seems to have met with in this newly settled country. Closely
adjoining to this place is Union or Shakertown,[148] the settlement of
a remarkable society called Shakers, I suppose from dancing forming a
principal part of their worship. They have established a community
of goods, and prohibited marriage and the propagation of the species.
Although this restriction is in general religiously observed, it
is said that several of their daughters have been carried off from
the settlement by young men of the neighbourhood. In the Session of
1810-1811, the legislature found it proper to interfere, in causing
the society to provide for some families {274} that were deserted by
their husbands. The people in the vicinity admit that the Shakers are
characterized by sobriety, a peaceable disposition, (and, what appears
to be surprising,) industry, frugality, and cleanliness.
_Sept. 27._ Passed through Lebanon,[149] a small town composed partly
of brick houses. It is, however, the seat of justice for a county, and
has a newspaper printing-office, and a bank. The number of two and four
horse waggons which pass along the road would indicate much business;
but a deduction is to be made for the smallness of the loads. Farmers
were engaged in carrying home their crops of maize, or in piling them
up in the fields, and some in preparing the ground for sowing their
wheat. The orchards were nearly cleared of their fruit. Cyder is here
made in considerable quantities.
The country between the two rivers Miamis is said to be one of the
most fertile in America, but the part of it that I have seen is not
the best watered. Many of the people have to draw water from wells for
themselves and their cattle, happy at the present time, if the springs
do not fail altogether.
Crossed the little Miami, a name that is now perfectly descriptive
of the river.[150] The bottom land is rich, and the banks on both
sides steep. On the top of the east bank the remains of an ancient
fortification stand. The wall, which is about fourteen feet high, is
overgrown with large timber, and incloses a considerable space of land.
Much of the road in the east side of the little Miami is over wet clay
land. Logs are split, and laid side by side across the road, as a way
for carriages. The jolting over these is disagreeable, and the progress
slow. At this dry season, the soil would serve the purpose better, but
would be impassable in wet weather.
{275} The woods abound in pigeons, a small species of fowls which
migrates to the southward in winter, and return to the north in spring.
Their numbers are so immense that they sometimes move in clouds,
upwards of a mile in length. At the time when they are passing, the
people have good sport in shooting them, as one flock frequently
succeeds another before the gun can be reloaded. The parts of the woods
where they roost, are distinguished by the trees having their branches
broken off, and many of them deadened by the pressure of the myriads
that alight upon them.
The number of grasshoppers is amazingly great. A swarm of them rises
from amongst the grass or weeds, at every footstep of the pedestrian.
Some large species are winged, and can fly to the distance of twelve,
and even twenty yards. This remark applies to every part of America
which I have seen. The country abounds with a multitude of insects,
much diversified in species, colours, and habits. Wasps and hornets are
extremely numerous. I have not suffered from mosquitoes in the degree
that I had been taught to expect.
_Sept. 28._ Clarkville and Leesburg are two very small towns. Passed
a young man who was lame, I believe, from a rheumatic affection, a
complaint that is pretty frequent in this country, from the quick
transitions in the temperature of the climate. This traveller told me
that he was on his return from New Orleans, having gone down the river
in the capacity of boatman, and that he had travelled most of the way
homeward on foot. On my suggesting that he should remain with a farmer
for a few days, where he might work at the harvest, a kind of labour
which does not require much locomotion, he told me that he had applied
to several, but they refused to give him employment.
{276} The road between Leesburg and Munro is over high ridges and deep
ravines. The country here (Highland County) is allowed to be healthy,
but a dense population must be accumulated before the natural obstacles
to communication can be surmounted. The bridges here, as in other new
settlements, are nothing more than two long trees thrown over the
stream, about eight feet apart, with split or round pieces of timber
laid across these, side by side. In the case of a deep ravine, the road
is directly down the bank to the end of the bridge.
_Sept. 29._ Greenfield and Oldtown are two small towns. The former has
made considerable progress of late. The woods were assuming the colours
of autumn. This change was accelerated by slight frosts which occurred
on two mornings, about the time of the equinox. The sugar-maple, the
dogwood, and the beech, were the most forward.
I remained for the night with an old tavern-keeper, who had been
a soldier in the revolutionary service. He is proprietor of a good
farm, which is occupied by his son-in-law, who, last year, raised nine
hundred bushels, including corn and wheat, by his individual exertions.
I had previously heard of a negro from Kentucky, who, in the same
year, settled on a prairie near Vincennes, and there raised a thousand
bushels of corn. The last of these quantities may be assumed as a full
maximum of the produce that may be raised by one man, even where great
fertility of soil, industry, and health, conspire together. But as
this quantity of grain would now sell for only two hundred and fifty
dollars, without deducting the expense of carrying it to market, or
allowing any thing for the provender of a horse, while the wages of
a labourer may be {277} now fairly stated at three hundred and fifty
dollars for a year, it is evident that farmers, from such a small
return, cannot hire the labour of other people.
On the 30th I crossed the Great Sciota, a river that is great indeed
in times of wet weather; but the ford, which is at the head of a
stream, was not then more than eight or nine inches deep. The river,
notwithstanding, retains a grandeur that is not unbecoming its name.
The stream is broad, covering nearly the whole of its capacious bed.
The water is limpid, and the banks are covered with a growth of
stupendous sycamores and other large trees.
Pickaway Plains consist of flat land.[151] The clear part is a prairie,
entirely destitute of trees, and is about seven miles long and five
broad. To a European, who has been upwards of two years immersed in
the woods, such a clear space is truly exhilarating. It was while
proceeding along a fine smooth road, at a brisk trot, that I suddenly
discovered I was making my _entrée_ into the plain.--The air was
still, clear, and admitted of the most distinct vision, so that I
could see a distant blue ridge of high land, which I supposed to be
in Kentucky. After having advanced about half a mile into the open
space, I observed a long cloud of dust over the road. The fore part of
this train seemed at my horse’s feet, and under my vehicle, and the
other end of it was in that part of the wood from whence I emerged.
Possibly a native of the American woods might be more surprised on his
first entering a prairie than I was, but I have a doubt whether his
sensations would be as pleasant as mine _were_.
The soil is of a dark coloured earth, apparently mixed with a large
portion of vegetable matter, and {278} lies on a gravelly subsoil. When
extremely rich lands are spoken of in this part of the country, they
are apt to be compared with Pickaway. The inhabitants of the plain are
occasionally visited by agues.
I believe that I have not heretofore mentioned any particulars
respecting the dust of the roads of this country. The clothes of
travellers are frequently covered with it, and it passes through the
smallest crevices, into trunks and packing boxes. This may probably
arise from the heat of the climate, which dries the mud very much, or
from the fine division of the earthy particles, and perhaps from the
abundance of vegetable matters intermixed.
I lodged at a tavern about two miles west of New Lancaster. The
landlord removed from Pennsylvania to this neighbourhood about twenty
years ago. The site of the house in which he now lives, is the
third that he has cleared of the timber with his own hands, since
his arrival. His buildings and farm, by their neatness, bespeak his
industry, and he seems to enjoy the comforts of affluence as the
reward of his labours. In the neighbourhood of this place are some
high ridges of a coarse-grained sandstone, with some small pine trees
on their summits. The lower lands are rich. The landlord showed me a
pumpkin that weighed a hundred and sixty pounds.
_Monday, Oct. 2._ On the morning of this day, and on the afternoon of
the 30th ultimo, I passed through several low prairies of small size;
the soil is of a black vegetable matter, that is somewhat bituminous,
and appears to be imperfectly decomposed. Some chinks of two or three
inches wide, that are to be seen in the surface, show, that at other
seasons of the year, this ground is wet. Except for the heat of the
climate, it is probable that {279} these prairies would have been
mosses similar to the peat earth of Europe.
New Lancaster is a county town,[152] with a court-house and a bank. The
situation is pleasant, and the town contains some good brick houses.
Neatness and comfort are apparent there.
Lebanon is a small place, situated on high ground. It is entirely built
of wood. Several persons affirmed to me, that the ague is not prevalent
in this place.
Newark[153] is a county town of a pleasant aspect. Some parts of the
lands adjoining are moist, and naturally fitted for being converted
into meadows. Good iron is made in the neighbourhood, and sold at four
cents per pound. There was a young man in the tavern there, who said,
that he had come directly from Philadelphia, and that he had seen a
considerable number of families on their journey to the eastward,
after finding themselves dissatisfied with their prospects in the
western country.
On the evening of the 2d and on the 3d, much rain fell. On the 4th, I
resumed my journey.--I observed much land well adapted for meadow, and
a few small patches actually occupied in that way; and noticed that
the ground in general yields more grass, and has preserved its verdure
better than that in the lower parts of the State. I halted for the
night at Mount Vernon,[154] which is another county town, and the place
of the Owl Creek Bank, well known among the paper manufactories of this
country.
Owl Creek is one of the head waters of Muskingum River, and is a
copious stream of clear water. It is crossed by a large wooden bridge,
and turns an extensive mill, which is in sight of the road.
{280} On the 5th, I travelled over some high, rugged land, where
chesnut trees are numerous and of a large size. The presence of this
kind of timber, is understood to be an indication of the poverty of the
soil on which it grows; but it is valued principally on account of its
resisting the effects of the weather for a great length of time. In the
afternoon a heavy shower of rain fell, which obliged me to stop at a
tavern at the Clear Fork, which is only fifteen miles from Mount Vernon.
The Clear Fork is another head branch of Muskingum River, and has
a plentiful run of water. It seems that the river Ohio derives the
greater part of its waters, in dry seasons, from the springs which
rise in the high lands at a considerable distance from it. I have, at
various times, observed that most of the streams that originate in the
lower country are either entirely dried up, or are very small runs in
summer, while the tributaries in the higher parts of the country run
copiously. This fact is corroborated by the present superior verdure
of the high country, in showing, that the quantity of rain is greater
than in the lower parts. A lower temperature, and the intermixture of
breezes from the valleys of the Mississippi and the Ohio, with those
from the lakes and the river St. Lawrence, are to be inferred as the
most probable causes.
_Oct. 6._ Between the Clear Fork and Mansfield (9¹⁄₂ miles) the
ground is hilly, and part of it, like that travelled over on the 5th,
abounding with chesnut trees. Except for the strength and spirit of my
horse, I had not succeeded in carrying my baggage over this rugged part
of the country. The roads are not laid out under proper supervision,
but pass over steep land, or round the fences of inclosed fields, at
the will of interested persons. {281} They calculate badly, however,
who disregard utility.
Mansfield is another county town,[155] and is favoured as the seat
of a bank. I lodged at Trucksville, a new town, consisting of about
half a dozen of frame-houses. The lands of the neighbourhood appeared
excellent.
On the 7th, I passed through a part of the country with a surface
which is gently undulated. The little intervales seem to be nearly
horizontal in their bottoms. This, with the woods that obstruct the
view everywhere, imposes the aspect of a low flat country, an illusion
that I could only dispel by recollecting that throughout my journey I
had travelled in a direction contrary to the motion of the rivers, and
by observing that the waters run in different directions, part towards
the Ohio, and part towards Lake Erie.
It might be difficult to form a conception of any topographical inquiry
more interesting to the State of Ohio, and some other parts, than the
structure and conditions of the high grounds which separate between the
waters of the river Ohio and Lake Erie. It remains to be ascertained,
whether a sufficient quantity of water can be found for supplying
the summit level of the contemplated canal between the river and the
lake, and through what point in the ridge the lowest, or otherwise
most eligible line may be drawn. When the first of these questions is
solved, it will be easy to say whether New Orleans or New York will be
the future emporium of this part of the country. I believe the only
specific information on the subject, that has been published, is in a
paper by Governor Brown,[156] of the State of Ohio, who has repeatedly
recommended that the legislature should pass an act for causing the
necessary surveys to be made, {282} but without effect. It is curious
that it was the legislature of the same State (Ohio) that, a few years
ago, made an overture to the Congress, for ascertaining whether it is
practicable to make a canal between the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific
Ocean.
The country between New Lancaster and the heads of the waters that fall
into Lake Erie (about a hundred miles) is high, fertile, well watered,
and comparatively exempt from the endemical sicknesses which annoy the
inhabitants of lower lands.
The country over which I travelled on the 8th, is intermixed with
flat lands. The great holes and ruts in the roads showed that they
are occasionally drenched with water. If my olfactory organs did not
deceive me, the air was somewhat tainted.
At Munro, a small branch of Huron River, I had some difficulty in
procuring breakfast. All the family in the tavern were either sick, or
so much emaciated by recent disease, that they were scarcely able to do
any thing. Every person in the town, old and young, had been attacked,
two individuals being only excepted. For two years past, the place
has been more unhealthy than formerly; and the people believe that
the change has been occasioned by the erection of a mill-dam in the
creek. The surmise is probably just, as the dam is now dry, and both
the mud and vegetable matters are exposed to the heat and consequent
decomposition, evolving hydrogen gas, which is understood to be
deleterious.
At the distance of about fourteen miles from Portland, the road enters
the great prairie that stretches along the south side of the lake. It
is covered with coarse grass, of a luxuriant growth, and an immense
variety of weeds. Some slight eminences are wooded, and resemble
islands or {283} peninsulas in the plain. In passing along, I perceived
openings which seemed to extend to the distance of twelve or fourteen
miles.
For several miles the road is over a ridge, sixty or eighty feet in
breadth, about eight feet higher than the plain, and five or six feet
higher than the flat ground immediately to the southward. This ridge
or step runs in a winding line, forming a convexity towards the lake,
where it crosses the higher parts of the prairie, and recedes to the
southward, forming a concave curve round hollows in the ground, thus
preserving a horizontal position. A doubt of this having been once the
margin of the lake can scarcely be entertained.
The ridge just mentioned is dry and of a gravelly soil. It is preferred
by the settlers for the sites of their houses. Some patches of the
prairie are inclosed by worn fences, and produce large crops of maize.
Cattle range in the prairies, and are larger and fatter than those
reared by the Ohio River. A few stacks of coarse natural hay stand on
the ground that produced them.
Bloomingtown is a town consisting of about ten houses, and is situated
on a sandy eminence in the edge of the prairie:--a small place, but
deserving of notice from its abortive Bank. A company was formed,
plates engraved, and the bank notes brought to the spot. At the time
when this happened, the people had just become jealous of unchartered
banks. The company applied to the Legislature of the State for a
charter, which was refused. The bankers not venturing to sign the
pictures, but unwilling to lose the expense of manufacturing them,
sold them by auction. They were afterwards subscribed by a fictitious
president and cashier, and fraudulently put into circulation.
{284} Near the lake the shell limestone appears. This seems to be
the base on which the strata of the higher country rests. The higher
country, near Pittsburg, the Muskingum, and Sciota rivers, the
Silver-Creek hills, and the high land, over which I have recently come,
has strata of sandstone, slate-clay, bituminous shale, and, in various
places, coal.
Portland is a town situated on the shore of the indenture in the
south-western extremity of Lake Erie, called Sandusky Bay.[157] It is
only three years since it was founded, and contains thirty dwelling
houses, four warehouses, and has four temporary wharfs. At present
the trade is in salt, brought from Onondago in New York State, and in
imported goods. There is a boat at one of the wharfs, which carries
ten and a half tons; it was built in Connecticut, and was carried by
land over several portages in the way; and I have been told that there
is a vessel of fifty feet keel on the lake, that was carried over the
same obstructions, which lie between Hudson River and Lake Erie. A
steam-boat which sails between Detroit and Buffalo touches at this
place.
Portland has had a share of the sickness of the season, a number of
persons being now confined to bed, and many meagre convalescents are
to be seen walking about the street. In addition to the fevers and the
ague, so prevalent, some have been afflicted by an influenza, and are
wearing shades over their faces on account of sore eyes.
Venice is another new town, which stands about three miles farther west
the bay. It has more houses than Portland, but has now only one family
in it, a mortal sickness having carried off a considerable part of the
population, which caused the survivors to desert the place. The bay
no doubt contributes {285} to disease, as the water is shallow, and
out of the course of the principal current of the lake, and produces
grasses and confervæ that are washed ashore in times of wind, and emit
a disagreeable effluvia.
Although I have been in the country possessed by the Indians during
the two last days of my journey, I did not happen to see any of these
people by the way. Since coming to Portland, I have seen a few of them
in town. One party had brought for sale a few pots of honey, which they
had taken out of hollow trees, and some mats, fabricated from dyed
rushes, which were beautifully divided into compartments of different
colours. Most of them were clothed with a piece of blanket wrapped
round them, and with leather mocasins, or shoes, on their feet, and the
habiliments of others approached very near to the form of clothing worn
by civilized people. Some of the men are sprightly and well formed in
their persons, displaying an energy and frankness in their countenances
which indicate the absence of suspicion and fear.
My journey has been, on the whole, more pleasant than I could have
anticipated. The principal obstructions in the way were the stumps and
roots of trees, which obliged me to drive with much caution, and often
restricted my horse to a walk. At taverns I sometimes found that the
landlord was from home, and that no hostler was kept, and found it
necessary to feed and water my horse, and to yoke or unyoke as occasion
required; but every landlord that I met with acted in an obliging
manner, and of some of them I conceived the most favourable opinion.
In the last hundred and fifty miles which I travelled, I met with
few travellers, but several {286} of these few were well dressed
and polite men. I have also seen some elegant ladies by the way.
Indeed, I have often seen among the inhabitants of the log-houses of
America, females with dresses composed of the muslins of Britain,
the silks of India, and the crapes of China. During the journey just
detailed, I must confess that I never saw a people more exclusively
devoted to agriculture, and proportionally fewer idle men lounging
in taverns, than I did in the more populous parts of the country.
The most disagreeable quality that I discovered, was the inquisitive
dispositions of some of them.--“What are you loaded with?” was
reiterated almost every day; and, “Where are you going? Where are you
come from? Are you pedling? Is it goods or plunder that you have
got?”[158] were also questions asked. In justice to them, I must say,
that they do not seem to be sensible of the indecorum of such conduct;
and I believe that when similar interrogations are put to them, they
answer without hesitation.
FOOTNOTES:
[143] Dr. Drake, who is a native of the western country, after
noticing the effects of a dry summer, adds, “But, fortunately, such
extraordinary droughts occur too seldom, and are too limited in
their extent, to be regarded as any great calamity.”--_Picture of
Cincinnati_, p. 105.--FLINT.
[144] A series of lively sketches of Edinburgh society by John Gibson
Lockhart (1794-1854), published in _Blackwood’s Magazine_ during
1819.--ED.
[145] Scott’s novel, _The Monastery_, was published in 1820.--ED.