Rose half past three; dressed without a glass. On the road observed two
little bears chained; they are fed one or two years and then eaten;
these were about two months old. Also saw a quantity of pigs. A
beautiful drive along the Kanawha. Indians farm on this side; mountains
of fine timber on the other. Breakfasted 16 miles from the Falls, on
good coffee and honey. Plenty of bucks' horns hung in the yard. Another
young bear chained in a yard to be fed and eaten. 65,000 pigs driven
last year through one turnpike gate. Large salt-works, the brine is
pumped up and evaporated. Good coals are drawn out of the mountains on
both sides of the valley, fine springs of gas escaping out of the
surface which ignited on applying a live coal. The negroes said it would
continue burning a week or two unless put out by rain.
Waited at Charleston nearly an hour and then found the coach filled with
passengers, my seat particularly hot and disagreeable, so that I got
outside; the driver refused to have more than one with him. I insisted
on the seat, at length the other person went upon the roof, and I had a
pleasant ride through hilly country covered with forest trees. On
descending the hills one of the horses ran the coach wheel a little on
the bank, so as nearly to throw it down the precipice. Again we forded
the river in consequence of the bridge being washed away. Arrived at
Guyandotte on the Ohio at half past eleven, got some coffee and entered
the mail steamboat, where I slept pretty well notwithstanding the
lightning and the shaking of the vessel.