Part 26

THE passage down the river was extremely entertaining, exhibiting at every bend a change of scenery. Sometimes we were in the vicinity of dark forests, which threw a solemn shade over us as we glided by; sometimes we passed along overhanging {51} banks, decorated with blooming shrubs which timidly bent their light boughs to sweep the passing stream; and sometimes around the shore of an island which tinged the water with a reflected landscape. The lively carols of the birds, which “sung among the branches,” entertained us exceedingly, and gave life and pleasure to the woodland scene. The flocks of wild geese and ducks which swam upon the stream, the vast number of turkies, partridges, and quails we saw upon the shore, and the herds of deer or some other animals of the forest darting through the thickets, afforded us constant amusement.

FROM Fish Creek, on the Virginia shore,[37] the country is flat on the banks of the river; and, on the opposite side, generally broken and rough, without much bottom-land; the mountains and hills mostly rising contiguous to the edge of the river. But, below the islands called “The Three Brothers,” the bottom-lands on the N. W. side are extensive and rich.

[Illustration: MAP _of the State of_ OHIO by _Rufus I. Putnam_ _Surveyor General of the United States_ ]

HERE fine cultivated plains and rising settlements charm the eye amidst the boundless prospect of desolate wilds. When we see the land cleared of those enormous trees {52} with which it was overgrown, and the cliffs and quarries converted into materials for building, we cannot help dwelling upon the industry and art of man, which by dint of toil and perseverance can change the desert into a fruitful field, and shape the rough rock to use and elegance. When the solitary waste is peopled, and convenient habitations arise amidst the former retreats of wild beasts; when the silence of nature is succeeded by the buzz of employment, the congratulations of society, and the voice of joy; in fine, when we behold competence and plenty springing from the bosom of dreary forests,--what a lesson is afforded of the benevolent intentions of Providence!

HAVING been part of three days upon the river, we arrived at MARIETTA, in the State of Ohio, on Saturday morning, April 23d.

THE second week after our arrival, in consequence of three or four rainy days, the water in the Ohio rose fifteen feet, and gave opportunity for several vessels, which were waiting for a flood, to set sail. Accordingly on May 4th the schooner “Dorcas and Sally,” of 70 tons, built at Wheeling and rigged at Marietta, dropped down the {53} river. The following day there passed down the schooner “Amity,” of 103 tons, from Pittsburg, and the ship “Pittsburg,” of 275 tons burden, from the same place, laden with seventeen hundred barrels of flour, with the rest of her cargo in flat-bottomed boats. In the evening the brig “Mary Avery,” of 130 tons, built at Marietta, set sail.[38]

THESE afforded an interesting spectacle to the inhabitants of this place, who saluted the vessels as they passed with three cheers, and by firing a small piece of ordnance from the banks.

WHILE at this place I collected several particulars respecting the History and Geography of the State of Ohio, from General PUTNAM, Judge GILMAN, Judge WOODBRIDGE, and others, who obligingly answered my many inquiries.[39] The information thus obtained, together with that which resulted from various visits to neighbouring towns and excursions into the interior country, I have arranged by itself.

PART II

RETURNING

“What an excellent remedy, or, at least, what a palliative, for the sufferings of the head and heart, is TRAVELLING. Alternate weariness and rest leave no room for any train of ideas, and every thing conspires to render us as happy as if our sufferings were ended.”

DUKE DE LA ROCHEFAUCALT LIANCOURT’S _Travels_. Vol. I. p. 173.

JOURNAL

MARIETTA

I SOON found that the genial influences of a mild and salubrious climate, aided by habitual exercise, daily improved my bodily strength; while my mind, relieved of its cares, was constantly occupied and amused with the new and interesting scenery and the wonderful antiquities in this neighbourhood; and my spirits were soothed and cheered by the kind attentions of hospitality and friendship.

THUS led to indulge some encouraging prospects of restoration to health, my thoughts turned towards my distant home, which I had never expected to revisit. Taking an affectionate leave of my brother, who inclined to settle in the State of Ohio, and of my much esteemed friends at Marietta, accompanied by Mr. ADAMS, I set out homewards on Monday morning, June 6th.

{58} I QUITTED with regret a place where I had passed a few weeks so pleasantly. I shall ever retain a grateful sense of the hospitality with which I was received, and of the respect and attention with which I was honored by the inhabitants of MARIETTA and BELLE PRÉ.

AS we preferred traversing the woods to ascending the river in a boat, we returned to Wheeling on horseback.

THE industrious habits and neat improvements of the people on the west side of the river, are strikingly contrasted with those on the east. _Here_, in Ohio, they are intelligent, industrious, and thriving; _there_, on the back skirts of Virginia, ignorant, lazy, and poor. _Here_ the buildings are neat, though small, and furnished in many instances with brick chimnies and glass windows; _there_ the habitations are miserable cabins. _Here_ the grounds are laid out in a regular manner, and inclosed by strong posts and rails; _there_ the fields are surrounded by a rough zigzag log fence. _Here_ are thrifty young apple orchards; _there_ the only fruit that is raised is the peach, _from which a good brandy is distilled_!

{59} I HAD often heard a degrading character of the BACK SETTLERS; and had now an opportunity of seeing it exhibited. The abundance of wild game allures them to be huntsmen. They not only find sport in this pursuit, but supply of provisions, together with considerable profit from the peltry. They neglect, of course, the cultivation of the land. They acquire rough and savage manners. Sloth and independence are prominent traits in their character; to indulge the former is their principal enjoyment, and to protect the latter their chief ambition.

ANOTHER cause of the difference may be that, in the back counties of Virginia, every planter depends upon his NEGROES for the cultivation of his lands; but in the State of Ohio, _where slavery is not allowed_, every farmer tills his ground HIMSELF. To all this may be added, that most of the “Back-wood’s men,” as they are called, are emigrants from foreign countries, but the State of Ohio was settled by people from NEW-ENGLAND, THE REGION OF INDUSTRY, ECONOMY, AND STEADY HABITS.

{60} THE wilderness through which we rode often presented most delightful prospects, particularly as we approached the bank of the river, which opened and enlarged the view.

WE frequently remarked that the banks are higher at the margin, than at a little distance back. I account for it in this manner. Large trees, which are brought down the river by the inundations, are lodged upon the borders of the bank; but cannot be floated far upon the champaign, because obstructed by the growth of wood. Retaining their situation when the waters subside, they obstruct and detain the leaves and mud, which would else recoil into the stream, and thus, in process of time, form a bank higher than the interior flats.

TUESDAY, _June 7_

THERE is something which impresses the mind with awe in the shade and silence of these vast forests. In deep solitude, alone with nature, we converse with GOD.

OUR course through the woods was directed by marked trees. As yet there is no road cut.

THERE is but little underwood; but on the sides of the creeks, and near the river, {61} the papaw (_Annona glabra_,) the spice bush, or wild pimento (_Laurus benzoin_,) and the dogberry (_cornus Florida_,) grow in the greatest abundance.

WE often stopped to admire the grapevines in these forests, which twine among and spread a canopy over the summits of the highest trees. Some are nine inches in diameter. They stretch from the root, which is often thirty and forty feet from the trunk of the tree, and ascend in a straight line to the first high limb, thirty and even sixty feet from the ground. How they have reached such an height, without the help of intermediate branches, is unaccountable.

ON the upper beach of one of the islands we saw a large flock of Turkey Buzzards, attracted there by a dead carcass that had floated down the river, and lodged upon the bar. These birds did not fly upon our approach.

WE reached TOMLINSON, a small settlement near Grave Creek, to lodge.[40] We propose spending tomorrow here in viewing the surprizing forts and the “Big Mound,” in this vicinity.

{62} WEDNESDAY, _June 8_

“Behind me rises huge a reverend pile Sole on this desert heath, a place of tombs, Waste, desolate; where Ruin dreary dwells, Brooding o’er sightless skulls and crumbling bones.”

WE went out this morning to examine the antient monuments about Grave Creek. The town of Tomlinson is partly built upon one of the square forts. Several mounds are to be seen. I think there are nine within a mile. Three of them, which stand adjoining each other, are of superior height and magnitude to those which are most commonly to be met with. In digging away the side of one of these, in order to build a stable, many curious stone implements were found; one resembled a syringe; there were, also, a pestle, some copper beads of an oval shape, and several other articles. One of the mounds in Col. Bygg’s garden was excavated in order to make an ice-house.[41] It contained a vast number of human bones, a variety of stone tools, and a kind of stone signet of an oval shape, two inches in length, with a figure in relievo resembling a note of admiration, surrounded by two raised rims. Capt. Wilson, who presented the stone to my companion Mr. Adams, observed that it was exactly the figure of {63} the brand with which the Mexican horses were marked.[42] One of the mounds was surrounded by a regular ditch and parapet, with only one entrance. The tumulus was about twelve feet high, and the parapet five.

THE “_Big grave_,” as it is called, is a most astonishing mound. We measured the perpendicular height, and it was sixty-seven feet and a half. By the measurement of George Millar, Esq.[43] of Wheeling, it is sixty-eight feet. Its sides are quite steep. The diameter of the top is fifty-five feet: but the apex seems to have caved in; for the present summit forms a bason, three or four feet in depth. Not having a surveyor’s chain, we could not take the circumference, but judged that its base covered more than half an acre. It is overgrown with large trees on all sides. Near the top is a white oak of three feet diameter; one still larger grows on the eastern side about half way down. The mound sounds hollow. Undoubtedly its contents will be numerous, curious, and calculated to develop in a farther degree the history of the antiquities which abound in this part of our country.

{64} AS there are no excavations near the mound, and no hills or banks of earth, we infer that it must have been principally formed of sods skimmed from the surface, or of earth brought from a great distance. The labour of collecting such a prodigious quantity must have been inconceivably great. And when we consider the multitude of workmen, the length of time, and the expense, requisite to form such a stupendous mound; when we reflect upon the spirit of ambition which suggested the idea of this monument, of great but simple magnificence, to the memory of some renowned prince or warrior, we cannot but regret that the name and the glory it was designed to perpetuate are gone--LOST IN THE DARKNESS OF THE GRAVE![44]

THURSDAY, _June 9_

THE route from Tomlinson to Wheeling was very romantic. Sometimes we passed through shaded vales of towering trees, and sometimes on a winding road along the steep sides of a precipice, at the bottom of which flowed the beautiful Ohio. The passage is circuitous and narrow, and guarded from the steep descent to the river by a slight parapet of logs or stones. If {65} you look below, you fear that the stumbling horse will precipitate you among crags and trees to the river’s edge; while from above, loosened rocks seem to threaten to crush you by a fall.

ON these declivities grow the mountain raspberry (_Rubus montanus floridus_,) in great plenty. It is a handsome bush; and the flower, which is of a pale pink colour, and of the size and appearance of that of the sweet-briar, or hedge rose, gives it a very ornamental appearance. We were told that the fruit is large, and exceedingly delicious.

FRIDAY, _June 10_

LEAVE Wheeling, and proceed homewards in our carriage. Lodge at DONEGALA, in Washington County, Pennsylvania.[45]

SATURDAY, _June 11_

PASS through Washington and arrived at BROWNSVILLE to spend the Sabbath. The remarks I made upon the situation of this place have been transferred to the preceding account of the settlements on the Monongahela river.

{66} MONDAY, _June 13_

DINED, and spent the afternoon at UNIONTOWN, in company with the worthy Judge ADDISON, Judge ROBERTS, and the Judges, lawyers, and gentlemen of the circuit Court of Fayette County.[46]

UNIONTOWN is the shire town of the County. It is a very pleasant and thriving place, situated near Redstone Creek, and principally built upon one straight street, the side walks of which are neatly paved with large flat stones. It contains about one hundred and twenty houses, many of them well built, and some quite handsome. The public buildings are a meeting-house, and a stone Gaol. There is a printing-office in the town which issues a weekly newspaper. Several manufactures are carried on in the place, and much business done in the mercantile line to very great advantage. Though the town has been settled but fifteen years, it is, next to Pittsburg and Wheeling, the most flourishing town through which we passed on the western side of the mountains. Near it are some valuable merchant-mills; and in the county are eighteen furnaces and iron works, and several distilleries.[47]

{67} TOWARDS evening we pursued our journey as far as CONNELSVILLE, where we slept. This town has been settled eight years. It is pleasantly situated on the Yohiogany; and contains about eighty houses, and four hundred inhabitants.[48]

TUESDAY, _June 14_

THROUGH woody and rugged ways we passed the CHESNUT RIDGE, and LAUREL HILL, and reached SOMERSET to lodge: a distance of thirty-three miles. This is a pretty place, the shire town of the County of the same name. It has been settled eight years; contains about fifty houses, several of them well built; some merchants’ stores, shops of artists, a meeting-house, and a handsome Court-house and Gaol built with stone.

FINDING the afternoon too far spent to admit of another stage, we concluded to pass the night here. After a repast at the inn, we walked out to view the place, and inhale the cool breezes of declining day. The sun was just sinking below the western mountains, and fringed their tops with a rich variety of fiery hues, which died away into the most delicate tints of purple. We stood contemplating this scene of admirable {68} beauty, till the grey shades of evening shut it out from the view.

WEDNESDAY, _June 15_

BEGINNING now to ascend the steep sides of the ALLEGHANY, the road is rough and tiresome, and the prospect assumes a wilder and more romantic appearance at every step we advance.

WE crossed a considerable stream which dashes over the rocks from the declivity of the mountain, and makes the fourth fork of _Buffalo-lick Creek_; one of the principal branches of the Yohiogany river. It issues from a spring near the top of the mountain. The indistinct echoes of the distant waterfall, and the plaintive murmurs of the breeze breaking in upon the stillness of the desert region, constitute an accompaniment corresponding with the solemnity and grandeur of the whole scene.

WE dined at Seybour’s on the top of the mountain. We then visited the beautiful spring, near the house, on the easterly brow of the mountain, which is the source of _Caicutuck_, or _Will’s Creek_, whose waters enter the Potomack at Fort Cumberland, an outer post built by General Braddock in 1755.[49]

{69} NEXT we walked up to the higher ground, to enjoy the prospect afforded by this stupendous elevation.

FROM this summit a sweep of hundreds of miles is visible, except where remote intervening mountains break the line of the horizon, which in other parts is lost in the interminable azure wherewith the heaven and the earth are blended. Ideas of immensity swelled and exalted our minds as we contemplated a prospect partaking so much of infinitude; and we felt some wonderful relations to an universe without boundary or end.

DESCENDING the mountain, we reached Metzker’s, an obscure inn, to lodge.

THURSDAY, _June 16_

WE rose early in the morning and pursued our journey. For several miles we had an excellent road on the top of DRY RIDGE. The sky was clear. The stars shone brightly. All was solemn and still, as if “nature felt a pause.” For some time we but dimly discerned our way; but, as the twilight became brighter, the prospect opened before us. The increasing light of dawning day extended the stretch of picturesque scenery. The horizon assumed a {70} hue of tawny red, which gradually heightened into ruddy tints, and formed a glowing tiara to encircle the splendors of the rising sun. The orb of day rose with uncommon grandeur among clouds of purple, red, and gold, which mingling with the serene azure of the upper sky, composed a richness and harmony of colouring which we never saw surpassed. The vapours of the night rested in the vallies below, and seemed to the view one vast ocean, through which the projecting peaks and summits of mountains looked like clusters of islands. The whole scene was novel and interesting in the highest degree. But we soon had to descend, and were immersed in fog and vapour, and shut out from the pleasant light of the sun for nearly half the day. The next mountain, however, raised us above these low clouds, and presented us with a view of the clear and unveiled sky.

MAKING a journey of twenty-eight miles this day, we arrived at Martin’s, by the crossings of the Juniata, and put up for the night.

FRIDAY, _June 17_

PASSING the SIDELING HILLS, we reach MCCONNEL’S TOWN, a delightful, {71} well-watered village in Bedford County, Pennsylvania, to dine. It is situated in the valley, or, as it is called “the Cove,” between SIDELING and NORTH MOUNTAIN. It has been built eight years; contains about eighty houses, several of them handsomely built with brick or stone, a number of stores and shops, and a small Dutch meeting-house.

QUITTING this sequestered place, we ascended the NORTH MOUNTAIN, and enjoyed from its top a variegated and magnificent prospect. Deep below we saw the town and beautiful vale we had passed, with the meandering stream which runs through it. Scattered houses, and rich cultivated farms, formed an interesting contrast with the rugged mountains with which they were environed. On the north and west the prospect is circumscribed by ranges of mountains; but on the east and south a prodigious expanse of country is laid open to the eye, and the senses are almost bewildered in contemplating the vastness of the scene.

TO wander through the shady grove, to contemplate the verdant pasture and the field of ripening grain, or to admire the {72} flowery beauties of the garden, may afford a pleasant recreation; but the majestic features of the uncultivated wilderness, and the extensive views of nature gained from the brows of a lofty mountain, produce an expansion of fancy and an elevation of thought more dignified and noble. When these great scenes of creation open upon the view, they rouse an admiration exalting as it is delightful: and while the eye surveys at a glance the immensity of heaven and earth, the mind is rendered conscious of its innate dignity, and recognises those great and comprehensive powers with which it is endowed. THE SUBLIME IN NATURE, which, in its effect is equally solemn and pleasing, captivates while it awes, and charms while it elevates and expands the soul.

SATURDAY, _June 18_

WE tarried last night at Campbell’s at the _Cold Springs_, where we met with the most excellent accommodations, and lodging peculiarly refreshing to weary wayworn travellers; and rose this morning with renovated strength and spirits to resume our journey.

{73} WE stopped at CHAMBERSBURG to breakfast. This is a fine town, situated on Conogocheague Creek, through which might be opened an easy communication with the Potomack. It is a post-town, and the capital of Franklin County, in Pennsylvania; and is principally built on two large streets which intersect each other at right angles, leaving a public square in the centre. It contains about two hundred and fifty houses, handsomely built of brick or stone; two Presbyterian churches; a Court-house of brick, and a stone Gaol. There is a printing-office in the place, and a paper-mill in the vicinity. It is a situation favourable to trade and manufactures, and every thing looks lively and thriving. The land in the neighbourhood appears rich and fertile, and is highly cultivated.[50]

WE dined at Horne’s on the top of the SOUTH MOUNTAIN, and slept at OXFORD, a small town which has been built nine years, but does not appear to much advantage.[51]

LORD’S DAY, _June 19_

WISHING to attend public worship at Yorktown, we rose early this morning and arrived there by nine o’clock; having passed {74} through ABBOT’S TOWN, a pretty flourishing village, the chief town of Adams County.[52]

MONDAY, _June 20_

YORKTOWN is a fine place, in pleasantness vying with Lancaster, in neatness exceeding it. It is a post-town, and capital of the county of York. It is situated on the east side of Codorus Creek, which empties into the Susquehannah. It is regularly laid out, principally on two main streets which cross each other at right angles. It contains more than five hundred houses, several of which are handsomely built of brick, and some of stone. The public buildings are a German Lutheran, a German Calvinist, a Presbyterian, a Roman Catholic, and a Moravian Church; a Quaker meeting-house; a Court house; a stone Gaol; a Record office, and an Academy.

HENCE our journey was through _Lancaster_, _Reading_, and _Bethlehem_, in Pennsylvania; _Warwick_ and _Fishkill_, in New York; and _Farmington_ and _Hartford_ in Connecticut.

We reached home the beginning of July.

--“O quid solutis est beatius curis, Cum mens onus reponit, ac peregrino Labore fessi, venimus Larem ad nostrum!”

{75} ITINERARY

THE following directory of the Roads and Distances over the mountains, from Lancaster in Pennsylvania, may be of use to explain some particulars in the preceding Journal, and prove of service to those who may have occasion to make the same tour.[53]

Towns Inns Distances in miles