in the English fashion. We beg pardon, we forget that he rode a-gallop back to dinner, through a hard rain.

In this journey the marquis vifited the feveral fields of battle. His obfervations on thefe fubjects are frequently curious; but, if we are well informed, not always important. His partiality to the Americans is unbounded; and we think it incumbent on fome of the British officers in that fervice, to contradict his various mifreprefentations. In general, however, he walks over martial ground with the addrefs and dignity of a foldier; his descriptions are animated, and difplay the ardor, the enthusiasm of the author.

'Juvat ire et Dorica Caftra

Defertofque videre locos, littufque relictum,

Hic Dolopum manus, hic fævus tendebat Achilles, Claffibus, hic locus: hic acies certare folebant.' Virg. His fecond tour is from Williamsburgh to the north-west, over the Blue Mountains; then to the fouthward, over JamesRiver, at Greenly-Ferry: from thence he diverges fomewhat more towards the fouth, to Petersburgh, returns to the river, which he croffes at Richmond, and arrives at Williamsburg.

In every step he fees men who have contributed to the revolution: he finds fome of them cool and referved; others open-hearted and free; but all are well-informed and fenfible. To be an American, and a friend to the cause of liberty, is a fufficient recommendation. Let us first felect a description of the population of America; it occurs early, and is fufficiently clear.

The 15th I fet out from Voluntown at eight in the morning. I travelled five miles in the mountains, after which I faw the horizon expand itself, and my eye very foon had its full fcope. On defcending the hills, and before we reach the valley, is the town or hamlet of Plainfield; for what is called in America, a town or township, is only a certain number of houses, difperfed over a great fpace, but which belong to the fame incorporation, and fend deputies to the general affembly of the ftate. The centre or head-quarters of thefe towns, is the meeting-house or church. This church ftands fometimes fingle, and is fometimes furrounded by four or five houses only; whence it happens, that when a traveller asks the question: How far is it to fuch a town? He is answered, You are there already; but when he specifies the place he wishes to be at, whether it be the meeting, or fuch a tavern, he not unfrequently is told, You are feven or eight miles from it. Plainfield is a fmall town, but a large district, for there are full thirty houfes within reach of the meeting."

This is the fource of the various towns which we fee on the maps; and this diffused population condemns the inhabitants,

for

for a long period, to folitude. The marquis and his tranflator tell us of the increase of plantations within a few years; but in other places they have taken care to inform us, that the people have only changed their habitations, by removing from the coaft, instead of increafing."

The marquis gives a good account of the manner of building and clearing: we shall felect it. In a fubfequent paffage he fpeaks of neighbours, but this term is only comparative. In many fpots, the nearest are ten miles afunder.

Any man who is able to procure a capital of five or fix hundred livres of our money, or about twenty-five pounds sterling, and who has ftrength and inclination to work, may go into the woods and purchase a portion of one hundred and fifty or two hundred acres of land, which feldom costs him more than a dollar, or four fhillings and fix pence an acre, a small part of which only he pays in ready money. There he conducts a cow, fome pigs, or a full fow, and two indifferent horfes, which do not coft him more than four guineas each. To thefe precautions he adds that of having a provifion of flour and cyder. Provided with this firft capital, he begins by felling all the fmaller trees, and fome strong branches of the large ones: thefe he makes ufe of as fences to the first field he wishes to clear; he next boldly -attacks thofe immenfe oaks, or pines, which one would take for the ancient lords of the territory he is ufurping: he trips them of their bark, or lays them open all round with his axes Thefe trees, mortally wounded, are the next fpring robbed of their honors; their leaves no longer fpring, their branches fall, and their trunk becomes a hideous fkeleton. This trunk ftill feems to brave the efforts of the new colonift; but where there are the smallest chinks or crevices, it is furrounded by fire, and the flames confume what the iron was unable to destroy. But it is enough for the fmall trees to be felled, and the great ones to lofe their fap. This object completed, the ground is cleared the air and the fun begin to operate upon that earth which is wholly formed of rotten vegetables, and teems with the latent principles of production. The grafs grows rapidly; there is pafturage for the cattle the very first year; after which they are left to increafe, or fresh ones are brought, and they are employed in tilling a piece of ground, which yields the enormous increase of twenty or thirty fold. The next year the fame courfe is repeated; when, at the end of two years, the planter has wherewithal to fubfift, and even to fend fome articles to market at the end of four or five years, he completes the payment of his land, and finds himself a comfortable planter. Then his dwelling, which at firft was no better than a large hut formed by a fquare of the trunks of trees, placed one upon another, with the intervals filled by mud, changes into a handfome wooden houfe, where he contrives more convenient, and cer tainly much cleaner apartments than thofe in the greatest part Vol. LXIII. March, 1787. N

of

in the English fashion. We beg pardon, we forget t rode a-gallop back to dinner, through a hard rain.

In this journey the marquis vifited the feveral fi battle. His obfervations on thefe fubjects are frequent rious; but, if we are well informed, not always im His partiality to the Americans is unbounded; and it incumbent on fome of the British officers in that fei contradict his various mifreprefentations. In general, he walks over martial ground with the addrefs and c a foldier; his descriptions are animated, and display · the enthufiafm of the author.

sy fhail 'Juvat ire et Dorica Caftra fequently where the Defertofque videre locos, litt ufque relictum, Hic Dolopum manus, hic fævus tendebat Ach an egotist Claffibus, hic locus: hic acies certare folebant of the unies that fland His fecond tour is from Williamsburgh to the credited, that over the Blue Mountains; then to the fouthward, nhabitant of River, at Greenly-Ferry: from thence he divergth, fhould more towards the fouth, to Petersburgh, return nd 400,000l. which he croffes at Richmond, and arrives at Wines that great In every step he fees men who have contrieveral ships, revolution he finds fome of them cool and rete cave increased open-hearted and free; but all are well-inform、nd his wishes. Jis privateers, To be an American, and a friend to the caufa

:

a fufficient recommendation. Let us firft fel ore ferious than of the population of America; it occurs end in the preficiently clear.

The 15th I fet out from Voluntown at ing. I travelled five miles in the mountains, the horizon expand itself, and my eye very scope. On defcending the hills, and before w is the town or hamlet of Plainfield; for wha rica, a town or township, is only a certain difperfed over a great space, but which bec corporation, and fend deputies to the gene ftate. The centre or head-quarters of meeting-house or church. This church fta. and is fometimes furrounded by four or five. it happens, that when a traveller afks the it to fuch a town? He is answered, You when he specifies the place he wishes to meeting, or fuch a tavern, he not unfre feven or eight miles from it. Plainfield Jarge district, for there are full thirty. the meeting."

This is the fource of the various to..... maps; and this diffused plation co

10 accompanied

a wood, as the Yas houfe, where fecx. We found cod part of the a child of fix med a real faChaween thirty and - amiable eer at Boston, Cooks in his he acquired ver Ence for the

he was enhas turned Sas. It was

pil, and who

e for M. du Sauyikill, ra

ther

179

as engaged mifchief. veral general ad an oppor ral Waine; he .can army, and gh he is yet but is agreeable and gained him much igadier-general!' afperfion of a mean it he dealt in various books; but we are nimfelf more to read. clofely questioned, he good hand, fometimes law-deeds; but that he his own amufement; or eering, becaufe, happily, be ftigmatized as a horfe

natural hiftorian, we find es erroneous. He remarks, birds from their colours, or icientific names. This evinces e has made in that country;

the infancy of this fcience in nts of New England did not onvenience, by fubftituting Hethe marquis informs us, was once

republicans were not probably for a king in that and every other language only that we difcern the in fcience: the marquis's remarks on e, and their profeffors, vol. i. p. 228, knowlege, and particularly naturalfinall progrefs in the new world. The ft them; for they have established a ew York, as a depôt of the vegetable the fine arts, we have the translator's equally deficient. But to return. ed confufedly one upon another, oblige mounting and defcending, without your guish, in this wild region, the fummit, the reft, announces to you a conclusion ta is diforder of Nature reminded me of the n fhe has chofen for her confidant and interpretera

N 2

of our fmall towns. This is the work of three weeks or a month. His firft habitation, that of eight and forty hours. I fhall be asked, perhaps, how one man, or one family, can be fo quickly lodged? I answer, that in America a man is never alone, never an ifolated being. The neighbours, for they are every where to be found, make it a point of hofpitality to aid the new farmer. A cafk of cyder drank in common, and with gaiety, or a gallon of rum, are the only recompence for these fervices.'

Of the people, we shall select some accounts, and they shall be the shorteft that we can find.

Mr. Morris is a very rich merchant, and confequently a man of every country, for commerce bears every where the fame character. Under monarchies it is free; it is an egotift in republics; a ftranger, or if you will, a citizen of the univerfe, it excludes alike the virtues and the prejudices that stand in the way of its intereft. It is fcarcely to be credited, that amidst the difafters of America, Mr. Morris, the inhabitant of a town just emancipated from the hands of the English, should poffefs a fortune of eight millions (between 3 and 400,000l. fterling). It is, however, in the moft critical times that great fortunes are acquired. The fortunate return of feveral ships," the ftill more fuccessful cruizes of his privateers, have increased his riches beyond his expectations, if not beyond his wifhes. He is, in fact, fo accustomed to the fuccefs of his privateers, that when he is obferved on a Sunday to be more ferious than ufual, the conclufion is, that no prize has arrived in the preceding week.'

Again,

• General Knox, whom we had met, and who accompanied us, brought us back to head quarters, through a wood, as the fhortest way, and to fall into a road leading to his house, where we wished to pay our compliments to Mrs. Knox. We found her fettled in a little farm, where he had paffed part of the campaign, for he never quits her husband. A child of fix months, and a little girl of three years old, formed a real family for the general. As for himself, he is between thirty and forty, very fat, but very active, and of a gay and amiable character. Previous to the war, he was a bookfeller at Boston, and used to amufe himfelf in reading fome military books in his fhop. Such was the origin and the first knowlege he acquired of the art of war, and of the tafte he has had ever fince for the profeffion of arms. From the very first campaign, he was entrufted with the command of the artillery, and it has turned out that it could not have been placed in better hands. It was he whom M. du Coudray endeavoured to fupplant, and who had no difficulty in removing him. It was fortunate for M. du Coudray, perhaps, that he was drowned in the Schuylkill, ra