measure, otherwise, doubtless, General Washington would have shewn the
glorious example. Perhaps he thought it more for the general good,
that the first step for the emancipation of slaves should be taken by
the legislative assembly; or perhaps there was reason to apprehend,
that the enfranchisement of his own slaves might be the cause of
insurrections amongst others who were not liberated, a matter which
could not but be attended with evil consequences in a country where
the number of slaves exceeded that of freemen; however, it does not
appear that any measures have been pursued, either by private
individuals or by the legislature in Virginia, for the abolition of
slavery; neither have any steps been taken for the purpose in
Maryland, much less in the more southern states; but in Pennsylvania
and the rest, laws have passed for its gradual abolition. In these
states the number of slaves, it is true, was very small, and the
measure was therefore easily carried into effect; in the others then
it will require more consideration. The plan, however, which has been
adopted for the liberation of the few has succeeded well; why then not
try it with a larger number? If it does not answer, still I cannot but
suppose that it might be so modified as to be rendered applicable to
the enfranchisement of the number of ill-fated beings who are enslaved
in the southern parts of the country, let it be ever so large.
However, that there will be an end to slavery in the United States, on
some day or other, cannot be doubted; negroes will not remain deaf to
the inviting call of liberty for ever; and if their avaricious
oppressors do not free them from the galling yoke, they will liberate
themselves with a vengeance.
[Sidenote: MOUNT VERNON.]
The rooms in the house are very small, excepting one, which has been
built since the close of the war for the purpose of entertainments. All
of these are very plainly furnished, and in many of them the furniture
is dropping to pieces. Indeed, the close attention which General
Washington has ever paid to public affairs having obliged him to reside
principally at Philadelphia, Mount Vernon has consequently suffered very
materially. The house and offices, with every other part of the place,
are out of repair, and the old part of the building is in such a
perishable state, that I have been told he wishes he had pulled it
entirely down at first, and built a new house, instead of making any
addition to the old one. The grounds in the neighbourhood are
cultivated, but the principal farms are at the distance of two or three
miles.
As almost every stranger going through the country makes a point of
visiting Mount Vernon, a person is kept at the house during General
Washington’s absence, whose sole business it is to attend to strangers.
Immediately on our arrival every care was taken of our horses, beds were
prepared, and an excellent supper provided for us, with claret and other
wine, &c.
As the season was now too far advanced to see the country to advantage,
I proceeded no farther in Virginia than Mount Vernon, but returned again
to the city of Washington.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
+LETTER + VI.
_Arrival at Philadelphia.—Some Observations on the Climate of the Middle
States.—Public Carriages prevented from plying between Baltimore and
Philadelphia by the Badness of the Roads.—Left Baltimore during
Frost.—Met with American Travellers on the Road.—Their Behaviour
preparatory to setting off from an Inn.—Arrival on the Banks of the
Susquehannah.—Passage of that River when frozen over.—Dangerous
Situation of the Passengers.—American Travellers at the Tavern on the
opposite Side of the River.—Their noisy Disputations._
MY DEAR SIR, Philadelphia, February.
AFTER having spent some weeks in Washington, George Town, and Baltimore,
I set out for this city, where I arrived four days ago.
The months of October and November are the most agreeable, in the middle
and southern states, of any in the year; the changes in the weather are
then less frequent, and for the most part the air is temperate and the
sky serene. During this year the air was so mild, that when I was at
George Town, even as late as the second week in December, it was found
pleasant to keep the windows up during dinner time. This, however, was
an unusual circumstance.
[Sidenote: WINDS.]
In Maryland, before December was over, there were a few cold days, and
during January we had two or three different falls of snow; but for the
most part the weather remained very mild until the latter end of
January, when a sharp north-west wind set in. The keenness of this wind
in winter is prodigious, and surpasses every thing of the kind which we
have an idea of in England. Whenever it blows, during the winter months,
a frost immediately takes place. In the course of three days, in the
present instance, the Susquehannah and Delaware rivers were frozen over;
a fall of snow took place, which remained on the ground about two feet
deep, and there was every appearance of a severe and tedious winter.
Before five days, however, were over, the wind again changed, and so
sudden was the thaw that the snow disappeared entirely on the second
day, and not a vestige of the frost was to be seen, excepting in the
rivers, where large pieces of ice remained floating about.
It was about the middle of December when I reached Baltimore; but I was
deterred from going on to Philadelphia until the frosty weather should
set in, by the badness of the roads; for they were in such a state, that
even the public stages were prevented from plying for the space of ten
or twelve days. The frost soon dried them, and rendered them as good as
in summer. I set out when it was most severe. At day-break, the morning
after I left Baltimore, the thermometer, according to Fahrenheit, stood
at 7°. I never observed it so low during any other part of the winter.
[Sidenote: INTENSE COLD.]
Several travellers had stopped at the same house that I did the first
night I was on the road, and we all breakfasted together preparatory to
setting out the next morning. The American travellers, before they
pursued their journey, took a hearty draught each, according to custom,
of egg-nog, a mixture composed of new milk, eggs, rum, and sugar, beat
up together; they appeared to be at no small pains also in fortifying
themselves against the severity of the weather with great coats and
wrappers over each other, woollen socks and trowsers over their boots,
woollen mittens over their gloves, and silk handkerchiefs tied over
their ears and mouths, &c. so that nothing could be seen excepting their
noses and their eyes. It was absolutely a subject of diversion to me,
and to a young gentleman just arrived from the West Indies, who
accompanied me from Baltimore, to see the great care with which they
wrapped themselves up, for we both found ourselves sufficiently warm in
common clothing. It seems, however, to be a matter generally allowed,
that strangers, even from the West Indies, unaccustomed to intense cold,
do not suffer so much from the severity of the winter, the first year of
their arrival in America, as the white people who have been born in the
country. Every person that we met upon the road was wrapped up much in
the same manner as the travellers who breakfasted with us, and had silk
handkerchiefs tied round their heads, so as to cover their mouths and
ears.
About the middle of the day we arrived at the Susquehannah, and, as we
expected to find it, the river was frozen entirely over. In what manner
we were to get across was now the question. The people at the
ferry-house were of opinion that the ice was not sufficiently strong to
bear in every part of the river; at the same time they said, it was so
very thick near the shores, that it would be impracticable to cut a
passage through it before the day was over; however, as a great number
of travellers desirous of getting across was collected together, and as
all of them were much averse to remaining at the ferry-house till the
next morning, by which time it was supposed that the ice would be strong
enough to bear in every part, the people were at last over-ruled, and
every thing was prepared for cutting a way across the river.
[Sidenote: THE SUSQUEHANNAH.]
The passengers were about twelve in number, with four horses; the boat’s
crew consisted of seven blacks; three of whom, with large clubs, stood
upon the bow of the boat, and broke the ice, whilst the others, with
iron-headed poles, pushed the boat forwards. So very laborious was the
task which the men at the bow had to perform, that it was necessary for
the others to relieve them every ten minutes. At the end of half an hour
their hands, arms, faces, and hats, were glazed entirely over with a
thick coat of ice, formed from the water which was dashed up by the
reiterated strokes of their clubs. Two hours elapsed before one half of
the way was broken; the ice was found much thicker than had been
imagined; the clubs were shivered to pieces; the men were quite
exhausted; and having suffered the boat to remain stationary for a
minute or two in a part where the ice was remarkably thick, it was
frozen up, so that the utmost exertions of the crew and passengers
united were unable to extricate it. In this predicament a council was
held; it was impossible to move either backward or forward; the boat was
half a mile from the shore; no one would attempt to walk there on the
ice; to remain all night in the boat would be death. Luckily I had a
pair of pistols in my holsters, and having fired a few signals, the
attention of the people on shore was attracted towards us, and a small
batteau, which is a light boat with a flat bottom, was dispatched for
our relief. This was not sent, however, for the purpose of bringing a
single person back again, but to assist us in getting to the opposite
shore. It was slipped along a-head of the large boat, and two or three
men having stepped into it, rocked it about from side to side until the
ice was sufficiently broken for the large boat to follow. The batteau
was now in the water, and the men seating themselves as much as possible
towards the stern, by so doing raised the bow of it considerably above
the ice; by means of boat hooks it was then pulled on the ice again, and
by rocking it about as before a passage was as easily opened. In this
manner we got on, and at the end of three hours and ten minutes found
ourselves again upon dry land, fully prepared for enjoying the pleasures
of a bright fireside and a good dinner. The people at the tavern had
seen us coming across, and had accordingly prepared for our reception;
and as each individual thought he had travelled quite far enough that
day, the passengers remained together till the next morning.
[Sidenote: DISPUTATIONS.]
At the American taverns, as I before mentioned, all sorts of people,
just as they happen to arrive, are crammed together into the one room,
where they must reconcile themselves to each other the best way they
can. On the present occasion, the company consisted of about thirteen
people, amongst whom were some eminent lawyers from Virginia and the
southward, together with a judge of the supreme court, who were going to
Philadelphia against the approaching sessions: it was not, however, till
after I quitted their company that I heard who they were; for these kind
of gentlemen in America are so very plain, both in their appearance and
manners, that a stranger would not suspect that they were persons of the
consequence which they really are in the country. There were also in the
company two or three of the neighbouring farmers, boorish, ignorant, and
obtrusive fellows. It is scarcely possible for a dozen Americans to sit
together without quarrelling about politics, and the British treaty,
which had just been ratified, now gave rise to a long and acrimonious
debate. The farmers were of one opinion, and gabbled away for a long
time; the lawyers and the judge were of another, and in turns they rose
to answer their opponents with all the power of rhetoric which they
possessed. Neither party could say any thing to change the sentiments of
the other one; the noisy contest lasted till late at night, when getting
heartily tired they withdrew, not to their respective chambers, but to
the general one that held five or six beds, and in which they laid down
in pairs. Here the conversation was again revived, and pursued with as
much noise as below, till at last sleep closed their eyes, and happily
their mouths at the same time; for could they have talked in their
sleep, I verily believe they would have prated on until morning. Thanks
to our stars! my friend and I got the only two-bedded room in the house
to ourselves. The next morning I left the banks of the Susquehannah, and
the succeeding day reached Philadelphia.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
+LETTER + VII.
_Philadelphia gayer in the Winter than at any other Season.—Celebration
in that City of General Washington’s Birth Day.—Some Account of
General Washington’s Person and of his Character.—Americans
dissatisfied with his Conduct as President.—A Spirit of
Dissatisfaction common amongst them._
MY DEAR SIR, Philadelphia, February.
[Sidenote: GENERAL WASHINGTON.]
PHILADELPHIA now wears a very different aspect to what it did when I
landed there in the month of November. Both congress and the state
assembly are sitting, as well as the supreme federal court. The city is
full of strangers; the theatres are open; and a variety of public and
private amusements are going forward. On General Washington’s birth day,
which was a few days ago, this city was unusually gay[15]; every person
of consequence in it, Quakers alone excepted, made it a point to visit
the General on this day. As early as eleven o’clock in the morning he
was prepared to receive them, and the audience lasted till three in the
afternoon. The society of the Cincinnati, the clergy, the officers of
the militia, and several others, who formed a distinct body of citizens,
came by themselves separately. The foreign ministers attended in their
richest dresses and most splendid equipages. Two large parlours were
open for the reception of the gentlemen, the windows of one of which
towards the street were crowded with spectators on the outside. The
sideboard was furnished with cake and wines, whereof the visitors
partook. I never observed so much cheerfulness before in the countenance
of General Washington; but it was impossible for him to remain
insensible to the attention and the compliments paid to him on this
occasion.
Footnote 15:
On this day General Washington terminated his sixty-fourth year; but
though not an unhealthy man, he seemed considerably older. The
innumerable vexations he has met with in his different public
capacities have very sensibly impaired the vigour of his constitution,
and given him an aged appearance. There is a very material difference,
however, in his looks when seen in private and when he appears in
public full drest; in the latter case the hand of art makes up for the
ravages of time, and he seems many years younger.
Few persons find themselves for the first time in the presence of
General Washington, a man so renowned in the present day for his
wisdom and moderation, and whose name will be transmitted with such
honour to posterity, without being impressed with a certain degree of
veneration and awe; nor do these emotions subside on a closer
acquaintance; on the contrary, his person and deportment are such as
rather tend to augment them. There is something very austere in his
countenance, and in his manners he is uncommonly reserved. I have
heard some officers, that served immediately under his command during
the American war, say, that they never saw him smile during all the
time that they were with him. No man has ever yet been connected with
him by the reciprocal and unconstrained ties of friendship; and but a
few can boast even of having been on an easy and familiar footing with
him.
The height of his person is about five feet eleven; his chest is full;
and his limbs, though rather slender, well shaped and muscular. His
head is small, in which respect he resembles the make of a great
number of his countrymen. His eyes are of a light grey colour; and, in
proportion to the length of his face, his nose is long. Mr. Stewart,
the eminent portrait painter, told me, that there are features in his
face totally different from what he ever observed in that of any other
human being; the sockets for the eyes, for instance, are larger than
what he ever met with before, and the upper part of the nose broader.
All his features, he observed, were indicative of the strongest and
most ungovernable passions, and had he been born in the forests, it
was his opinion that he would have been the fiercest man amongst the
savage tribes. In this Mr. Stewart has given a proof of his great
discernment and intimate knowledge of the human countenance; for
although General Washington has been extolled for his great moderation
and calmness, during the very trying situations in which he has so
often been placed, yet those who have been acquainted with him the
longest and most intimately say, that he is by nature a man of a
fierce and irritable disposition, but that, like Socrates, his
judgment and great self-command have always made him appear a man of a
different cast in the eyes of the world. He speaks with great
diffidence, and sometimes hesitates for a word; but it is always to
find one particularly well adapted to his meaning. His language is
manly and expressive. At levee, his discourse with strangers turns
principally upon the subject of America; and if they have been through
any remarkable places, his conversation is free and particularly
interesting, as he is intimately acquainted with every part of the
country. He is much more open and free in his behaviour at levee than
in private, and in the company of ladies still more so than when
solely with men.
General Washington gives no public dinners or other entertainments,
except to those who are in diplomatic capacities, and to a few
families on terms of intimacy with Mrs. Washington. Strangers, with
whom he wishes to have some conversation about agriculture, or any
such subject, are sometimes invited to tea. This by many is attributed
to his saving disposition; but it is more just to ascribe it to his
prudence and foresight; for as the salary of the president, as I have
before observed, is very small, and totally inadequate by itself to
support an expensive style of life, were he to give numerous and
splendid entertainments, the same might possibly be expected from
subsequent presidents, who, if their private fortunes were not
considerable, would be unable to live in the same style, and might be
exposed to many ill-natured observations, from the relinquishment of
what the people had been accustomed to; it is most likely also that
General Washington has been actuated by these motives, because in his
private capacity at Mount Vernon every stranger meets with a
hospitable reception from him.
General Washington’s self-moderation is well known to the world
already. It is a remarkable circumstance, which redounds to his
eternal honour, that while president of the United States he never
appointed one of his own relations to any office of trust or
emolument, although he has several that are men of abilities, and well
qualified to fill the most important stations in the government.
The ladies of the city, equally attentive, paid their respects to Mrs.
Washington, who received them in the drawing room up stairs. After
having visited the General, most of the gentlemen also waited upon her.
A public ball and supper terminated the rejoicings of the day.
Not one town of any importance was there in the whole union, where some
meeting did not take place in honour of this day; yet singular as it may
appear, there are people in the country, Americans too, foremost in
boasting to other nations of that constitution which has been raised for
them by his valour and wisdom, who are either so insensible to his
merit, or so totally devoid of every generous sentiment, that they can
refuse to join in commendations of those talents to which they are so
much indebted; indeed to such a length has this perverse spirit been
carried, that I have myself seen numbers of men, in all other points men
of respectability, that have peremptorily refused even to pay him the
small compliment of drinking to his health after dinner; it is true
indeed, that they qualify their conduct partly by asserting, that it is
only as president of the United States, and not as General Washington,
that they have a dislike to him; but this is only a mean subterfuge,
which they are forced to have recourse to, lest their conduct should
appear too strongly marked with ingratitude. During the war there were
many, and not loyalists either, who were doing all in their power to
remove him from that command whereby he so eminently distinguished
himself. It is the spirit of dissatisfaction which forms a leading trait
in the character of the Americans as a people, which produces this
malevolence at present, just as it did formerly; and if their public
affairs were regulated by a person sent from heaven, I firmly believe
his acts, instead of meeting with universal approbation, would by many
be considered as deceitful and flagitious.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
+LETTER + VIII.
_Singular Mildness of the Winter of 1795-6.—Set out for
Lancaster.—Turnpike Road between that Place and Philadelphia.—Summary
View of the State of Pennsylvania.—Description of the Farms between
Lancaster and Philadelphia.—The Farmers live in a penurious
Style.—Greatly inferior to English Farmers.—Bad Taverns on this
Road.—Waggons and Waggoners.—Customs of the latter.—Description of
Lancaster.—Lately made the Seat of the State Government.—Manufactures
carried on there.—Rifle Guns.—Great Dexterity with which the Americans
use them.—Anecdote of Two Virginian Soldiers belonging to a Rifle
Regiment._
MY DEAR SIR, Lancaster, March.
THIS winter has proved one of the mildest that has ever been experienced
in the country. During the last month there were two or three slight
falls of snow, but in no one instance did it remain two days on the
ground. A smart frost sat in the first week of this month, and snow fell
to the depth of six or seven inches; but on the third day a sudden thaw
came on, and it quickly disappeared: since then the weather has remained
uncommonly mild. The season being so fine, and so favourable for
travelling, I was unwilling to stay at Philadelphia; accordingly I set
out for this place on horseback, and arrived here last night, at the end
of the second day’s journey. From hence I intend to proceed towards the
south, to meet the approaching spring.
The road between Philadelphia and Lancaster has lately undergone a
thorough repair, and tolls are levied upon it, to keep it in order,
under the direction of a company. Whenever these tolls afford a profit
of more than fifteen per cent. on the stock originally subscribed for
making the road, the company is bound, by an act of assembly, to lessen
them. This is the first attempt to have a turnpike road in Pennsylvania,
and it is by no means relished by the people at large, particularly by
the waggoners, who go in great numbers by this route to Philadelphia
from the back parts of the state.
[Sidenote: ROADS.]
The state of Pennsylvania lies nearly in the form of a parallelogram,
whose greatest length is from east to west. This parallelogram is
crossed diagonally from the north-east to the south-west by several
different ridges of mountains, which are about one hundred miles in
breadth. The valleys between these ridges contain a rich black soil, and
in the south-west and north-east angles also, at the outside of the
mountains, the soil is very good. The northern parts of this state are
but very thinly inhabited as yet, but towards the south, the whole way
from Philadelphia to Pittsburg, it is well settled. The most populous
part of it is the south-east corner, which lies between the mountains
and the river Delaware; through this part the turnpike road passes which
leads to Lancaster. The country on each side of the road is pleasingly
diversified with hill and dale. Cultivation is chiefly confined to the
low lands, which are the richest; the hills are all left covered with
wood, and afford a pleasing variety to the eye. The further you go from
Philadelphia the more fertile is the country, and the more picturesque
at the same time.
[Sidenote: FARMS.]