Towards three o’clock, P. M. we reached Union Village, and as the Shakers do not allow any taverns nor public houses, we were received with great hospitality into one of their private dwellings; we had a clean and very nice apartment. Soon after our arrival, we were visited by a great number of the brothers, who looked at us in a very scrutinizing manner, and asked us a great many questions. The inquisitiveness of these people resembles very much that of the monks, to whom they bear a strong resemblance. I remarked among them two old persons named M‘Naman and Houston, on account of their sensible conversation; they had formerly been Presbyterian clergymen, and are now a sort of church-wardens to the congregation. This sect consists of six hundred members, and is of more recent origin than the one in the state of New York, containing mostly people of limited fortune. It had to contend in the commencement with great difficulties, and was not in so flourishing a condition as the one in New Lebanon. The produce of their labours is scarcely sufficient for their wants, they have therefore not been able as yet to establish stores, which are so productive to their fellow believers in New Lebanon. Their houses are good and clean, they are almost all of brick, and distant from each other. Each house has a stone staircase leading to two doors, separated only by a window. The right one is for the men, and the left for the females or sisters, and so the right side of the house is destined for the brothers and the left for the sisters. In the rear of the dwelling-houses, some of which contain sixty members, there is a separate building for the kitchen and dining-room, and for the workshops. The houses are surrounded with sods, over these boards are laid leading to the pumps, stables, wash-houses, &c.; along the side-walk and the road through the village, there are also boards for the pedestrian. At six o’clock in the evening, the members take supper in the adjacent refectories; I was permitted to look at them. Two long tables were covered on each side of the room, behind the tables were benches, in the midst of the room was a cupboard. At a signal given with a horn, the brothers entered the door to the right, and the sisters the one to the left, marching two and two to the table. The sisters in waiting, to the number of six, came at the same time from the kitchen and ranged themselves in one file opposite the table of the sisters. After which they all fell on their knees making a silent prayer, then arose, took hold of the benches behind them, sat down and took their meal in the greatest silence. I was told this manner was observed at all their daily meals. They eat bread, butter and cakes, and drank tea. Each member found his cup filled before him—the serving sisters filling them when required. One of the sisters was standing at the cupboard to pour out the tea—the meal was very short, the whole society rose at once, the benches were put back, they fell again on their knees, rose again, and wheeling to the right, left the room with a quick step. I remarked among the females some very pretty faces, but they were all without exception of a pale and sickly hue. They were disfigured by their ugly costume, which consists of a white starched bonnet. The men likewise had bad complexions. During the whole evening I was visited by the brothers, by whom I was completely examined; among them were two Frenchmen of the name of Conchon, father and son, who told me they were very well satisfied. The son had perfectly adopted the humble manner of the monks, did not open his eyes, and in explaining the principles of their sect according to the bible, he maintained that they were the only Christian sect who followed the true spirit of the gospel. Respecting their political regulations, they are entirely founded on perfect community of goods, and renunciation of all private property; they live in a perfect equality. It will be found that Mr. Owen has borrowed the greater part of the laws of his new social system from the Shakers, with this difference, that the Shakers are united by the tie of religion, and the hope of a better life, which is entirely disbelieved by Owen.
It is known that a part of the worship of the believers in mother Ann Lee, as the Shakers call themselves, consists in dancing. The bible gives us several examples of worship by dancing—king David danced before the ark. Mother Ann Lee, founder of this sect, taught that God should not only be worshipped with the tongue but with the whole body, and in consequence she introduced jumping and dancing in her divine service. This is practised publicly in church, accompanied by the singing of hymns composed for the purpose—strangers are admitted as spectators. Their church consists of a plain and spacious room, but not near so large as the church at New Lebanon. On the mornings and evenings during the week, there are private dancing prayers in the dwelling houses. The walls of the rooms of the brothers and sisters consists of large folding doors, which, when opened, form with the corridor one large room, in which they dance and jump. Our presence putting them under some restraint, there was no dancing in the evening, which was a great disappointment to us. Delicacy prevented my inquiring after the dance. At nine o’clock in the evening every one retired. I was shown to a very good and clean room.
The following day, 5th May, several brothers called upon me. Among them was a German, the only one belonging to this sect. His name was Christian Bockholder, a native of Neuwied on the Rhine. He is a small, weakly man, who was converted to this sect but six years ago, and who seemed much pleased, particularly with the good order, tranquillity, and peace, which reigns among them; but he observed that this life not suiting every one, it was necessary to try it carefully before becoming a member; he had lived six months among them before being received. Finally he remarked, that notwithstanding every one was free to leave the society when he thought proper, it would be very wrong to do so, as when once accustomed to it he would be utterly unfit for the world. At nine o’clock, when we left Union Village, they, to our surprise, refused to receive either pay or presents, and nothing now remained but to return verbal thanks for their hospitality, after which we parted. We rode twenty-six miles to Xenia, a small country town, where we arrived after five o’clock, P. M.
We rode through a very fine and cultivated country, which originally consisted of woods. We saw at least every five hundred paces with an habitation or some fields. Those forests which still remain, are chiefly composed of oak, ash, sugar-maple, plane, shumac, and dogwood trees; the latter bears handsome white flowers. I did not find the vegetation so much advanced as in the states of Indiana and Kentucky. We suffered very much from the bad roads, a greater part of which were log causeways. I walked a great part of the way. We forded several little rivulets and creeks, among them the Little Miami; we found a tree laid across without a rail, intended as a bridge. At several of these we saw some flour and saw-mills, and passed several small and new settlements, with neat brick houses and large barns. The handsomest is Bellbrook. Xenia, where we found a good tavern, is situated very agreeably. The streets are large, and cross each other at right angles: most of the houses are of brick, and are situated at a certain distance from each other. The number of inhabitants is about eight hundred, who farm and carry on different trades. This little place has two printing-offices, a Latin school, and several stores. In the centre of the town is the court-house, built of brick. Xenia is the chief town of Green county. Next to it is a massive jail. In an excursion we made the following day, May 6th, I remarked one of the machines for preparing flax, of which I bought a copyright at the patent-office in Washington. It was worked by a single horse, and did the work of five men, besides which the flax does not require any rotting. After nine o’clock we departed, and rode eighteen miles to Springfield. We stopped on our way at a small village, Yellow Springs, to see the spring from which this place derives its name. The village occupies a woody elevation on the shore of the Little Miami, rushing through a deep rocky valley. The place is small, and was bought by a society of twelve gentlemen, under the direction of Mr. Lowndes, a friend of Mr. M‘Clure. These gentlemen intended to found a sect upon Owen’s system; there had been one established here previously, but dissolved on account of the majority of them being worthless creatures, who had brought neither capital, nor inclination to work. Mr. Lowndes, whose acquaintance I made, said that he expected new and better members. The locality is healthy and favourable for such an establishment. The spring originates in a limestone rock, the water has a little taste of iron, and deposits a great quantity of ochre, from which it takes its name. The spring is said to give one hundred and ten gallons of water per minute, which is received in a basin, surrounded with cedar trees. The yellow stream which comes from the basin, runs a short distance over a bed of limestone and is afterwards precipitated into the valley. These limestone rocks form very singular figures on the edge of this valley; the detached pieces resemble the Devil’s Wall of the Hartz.
They had no baths fitted up, as yet there is only a shower-bath. The former will most probably be established, when it becomes a place of public resort. Mr. Lowndes told me that it was their intention to take more water in, and to have some walks established in the vicinity, to which the surrounding country is very favourable. Following Mr. Lowndes’ advice, we took a roundabout way of one mile and rode to a saw-mill called Patterson’s mill, to see the lesser falls of the Little Miami. I had no reason to repent it, as I was richly rewarded with one of the finest prospects I ever beheld. The Little Miami forces itself for the length of a mile with most singular windings through a rocky dale at least fifty feet deep, which in many places is but eighteen feet wide, it forms little cataracts, and suddenly disappears for a short distance. Large cedar trees shade this precipice, which makes it very gloomy, and contribute in a great measure to the peculiarity of this imposing scene of nature. The rocks are very steep, and are connected by a bridge, on which one looks from the dizzy precipice into a real abyss. Following a narrow path, I went down to the water and found myself almost in obscurity. I felt entirely separated from the world, and was scarcely able to preserve the consciousness of my own existence. I experienced a peculiar feeling on again perceiving the day-light. Following the course of the rushing waters I reached Patterson’s saw-mill, where the men working for their daily bread, recalled me to human life. Near the saw-mill a dam forms an artificial waterfall, making a very handsome effect, being about twenty feet high. The saw-mill has a horizontal water-mill of the same description as those which I had previously seen in the United States. With a strong fall of water these wheels have more effect, and are cheaper than those used in other countries. The road from the mill to Springfield was bad, mostly by causeways, and I was again compelled to walk a greater part of the way. Springfield is the chief town of Clark county, and lies partly at the foot of a hill and partly upon it, at the confluence of two creeks, the shores are so marshy that I believe it would be possible to cut turf there. The town contains fifteen hundred inhabitants, nearly all the houses are built of brick, the streets are wide and right-angled, they are not paved; the principal street has a side-walk of brick. In the centre of this little town is a court-house built of brick, and having the form of an octagon; next to it stands a jail. The place is surrounded with orchards, meadows and well cultivated fenced fields. A chain of hills end in a point behind the town, not far from the confluence of both creeks. On this point are four insulated hills, which are said to be Indian mounds, three stand on the edge of one of the creeks, and at some distance is the fourth, which is quite detached from the others. The latter is the highest, its elevation is more than one hundred feet above the level of the valley; from this hill the eye commands a view over Springfield, the whole surrounding valley, the union of both valleys and the woody heights encircling the whole, there are clusters of blooming and high black thorn bushes growing in the meadows, which produce a good effect. This place seems to be opulent, it contains several good stores, and depends chiefly on the breeding of cattle and agriculture. We were very comfortably lodged at the inn at which we stopped.
On the 7th of May, at nine o’clock, we left Springfield on a beautiful Sunday morning, and curiosity had assembled a crowd of people before our inn, to gaze at such wonders as we were. We went twenty-three miles on the road to Columbus, until we arrived at a single tavern, called Pike’s. The country was less cultivated than we had seen since leaving Cincinnati; we saw however, several fine orchards and fields; all the settlements are new, and the habitations mostly consist of log-houses; we met several carts filled with well-dressed country people and several of both sexes on horseback, they were all going to church at Springfield. The road was generally very bad, and over many log causeways, kept in bad order. Beyond the woods, we saw vast tracts of meadow ground, on which only a few trees could be seen, but there were very handsome black thorns in flower. On the meadows numerous cattle were grazing, we passed two with a great number of sheep, and hogs were always plenty; the breeding of cattle is carried on to a great extent; quantities of cheese and butter are made here for sale; the cattle are drove to the eastern states, or the meat is salted and sent to New Orleans. We observed a great many partridges of a large kind, which they call pheasants[II.26] here; the forests abound with wild pigeons. We reached our lodging place, Pike’s tavern, about four o’clock in the afternoon. It is situated amidst meadows[II.27] and consists of two log-houses erected close behind each other, they resemble those of the state of Georgia, differing only in being better suited for a colder climate, as the crevices are filled with clay. Our landlord only began his establishment five years ago; he came from Massachusetts. Towards evening we saw a fine drove of cattle belonging to him, and in which his fortune chiefly consisted. Next morning we left our abode where we had been better lodged than we had expected, and went twenty miles farther to Columbus. The road was worse than any I had ever met with, consisting generally of log causeways, which are badly assorted and have large holes between them. We were barbarously jolted about, and therefore I went more than half the way on foot; the soil principally consists of a black meadow ground, marshy, with little wood and less cultivated. It is said to be unwholesome during the summer; the houses are scattered and in a bad condition. At one mile from Columbus, is a small place called Franklinton, having several brick houses and a court-house. Its increase was at one time promising, but Columbus prevents its future advancement. Columbus is situated on the high left bank of the Sciota; we forded this river, which was perilous, as the water ran into our carriage; there was a wooden bridge formerly between Franklinton and Columbus, but it was broken down a year ago; trees are growing very fast in the woods in the vicinity, but the wood is without strength and becomes rotten as soon as it attains its growth, which makes it impossible to depend on the duration of wooden buildings. Columbus is the chief town of the state of Ohio, and contains about one thousand eight hundred inhabitants, and three churches; one Presbyterian, one Lutheran, and one Methodist. In the year 1812, there were nothing but forests, and in the same year the lots of the city with the wood were sold, upon which they immediately commenced building. It is astonishing how this place has since increased, and still continues to improve—the streets are wide, and cross each other at right angles. The principal street running parallel with the Sciota, is about one hundred feet wide, having side-walks, and a considerable number of brick houses—the adjoining streets are not yet much occupied. In building the principal streets, one of the Indian mounds has been opened, and nearly destroyed. A great number of human bones were found, remains of urns, and an owl carved in stone, but very clumsy; with the clay of which the mound was made, bricks were burned which served for the construction of the state-house; this building contains the offices of the state, and the United States court. These three buildings stand near each other at one end of the principal street, each of them having two stories—the state-house as well as the court, are situated at the sides of these long offices, which gives them the appearance of barracks; they have steeples and galleries, from which the course of the Sciota, receiving a mile above the town the Whetstone river, can be followed with the eye to a great distance over the fertile plain on the right shore of the Sciota, where Franklinton is situated, and is a very handsome sight. The Sciota originates in the state of Ohio, runs one hundred and eighty-two miles, and flows in the Ohio between Portsmouth and Alexandria, its mouth is one hundred and fifty yards wide; it is navigable one hundred and thirty miles and upwards. The Whetstone, which it receives above Columbus, is at certain times navigable for nine miles. About five miles above Columbus, on the left shore of the Sciota, is a quarry of white sandstone, which resembles marble until polished, after which it turns grey. Columbus contains three printing-offices, each of which issues a newspaper. There are also bookstores, one of them belongs to Mr. Kilbourn, author of the Ohio Gazetteer; this book having been of great use to me, during my journey through this state, I wished to see the author of so useful a work, an attention with which he appeared much pleased. Respecting the three newspapers, I found their number great for so small a place, but I heard that only one, which is in some measure the official paper of the state, was much read, and had many subscribers; the other two having but fifty, and could only maintain themselves by advertisements, &c. I met in Columbus with a Mr. Doherty, whose acquaintance I had made in Cincinnati, and who conducted me to see the town. There is nothing remarkable in the public buildings above mentioned; the state penitentiary interested me much more; it is well situated, appears to be well arranged, and contains one hundred and fifty-two convicts; the principal building is on a rising ground; in the rear are several yards where the workshops of the prisoners are situated, they are clothed in a dress part grey and part white, and sleep two together, in airy but narrow cells, on straw mattresses; during the day they are employed in the workshops, or in the work of the house. They have a large refectory, where their meals, consisting of meat and vegetables are served up in wooden plates; each prisoner is obliged to work at the trade which he understands, and he who is acquainted with none is obliged to learn one, being permitted to choose which he prefers. All the clothing used in the house, as well as the cotton cloth, are made by the prisoners, who receive no payment; there is also a wheelwright shop in operation, as well as blacksmiths, coopers, cabinet-makers, comb-makers, saddlers, and gunsmiths, who make very good rifles: the articles manufactured by the coopers consist chiefly of buckets and barrels, made of white and red cedar wood; there is a store attached to the prison, where all these articles are exposed for sale. I understand that the prison maintains itself, and causes but a trifling expense to the state. The favourite solitary confinement in dark and subterraneous cells is used as a capital punishment. A couple of prisoners who had tried to escape and were retaken, wore an iron collar with a horn attached to it; the prison has been in use ten years, during which time, ten men only had escaped, nearly all of whom had been retaken: the prisoners are so well treated, that I was assured that several of them stole again, after having served their time out, in order to return to their prison. It is worthy of notice that during ten years, two white females only, were committed to this prison; the yards are surrounded by a large and high wall, where sentries keep watch day and night with loaded muskets. We left Columbus on the 9th of May, at eight o’clock in the morning, and rode to Circleville, a distance of twenty-six miles. The road passes along the left shore of the Sciota, through a woody and rather uncultivated country, two days of rain had softened the ground considerably; fortunately we met with very few log causeways; we forded two small rivers which flow into the Sciota, called Big-Belly creek, and Lower Walnut creek. We passed a small place, Bloomfield, consisting of small frame houses, and reached Circleville towards two o’clock, P. M. Circleville is built in one of the old Indian forts, whose origin, as well as that of the nation which erected it, is buried in utter darkness. The circular part immediately joins the square, and communicates with it by means of a single outlet. The square fort has eight outlets, and in the rear of each of them there is a little mound, which appears to have served as traverses for the defence of the entries; the round fort has two parallel ramparts separated by a ditch. The quadrangular fort has but a single one, where there are no traces of a trench; the diameter of the circular fort, taken between the exterior ramparts, is one hundred and ninety-six rods; both of them are twenty feet high, taken from the base of the ditch; the inner one is filled up, and the exterior is dug from the ground; the fortress consists of clay, the latter of sand and flintstone; the rampart of the square fort is ten feet higher, and of clay; the length of one side of the square is fifty-four rods; the town, containing six hundred inhabitants, is for the greatest part built inside of the round and square fort, of which it occupies the fourth part of the surface. In its centre is a round space, in the midst of which stands a court-house of brick in the shape of an octagon. Circleville is the chief town of Pickaway county. From this circular place four principal streets run towards the north, south, east, and west; in order to open them, the double round wall has unfortunately been partly demolished; the selfishness of the inhabitants goes so far that they take the clay of the inner wall and the square fort to burn bricks of it; this little town was founded in 1812, at the same time with Columbus, but has not increased much since; the houses are generally of wood. The prison alone is of solid construction, built of free-stone.
On the outside of the circular fort, on the hill opposite the quadrangular fort, is another hill ninety feet high, that commands all the neighbouring parts, which appear to have been a burying-ground—a great number of human skeletons of all sizes having been found there; they were all in a horizontal position, the heads being turned towards the centre of the hill. With the skeletons were several stone axes, and oval, polished black stones, having a hole in their centre, probably to fix them on a string, to be worn as ornaments or talismans.
In the centre of the circular fort, where the court-house now stands, there was formerly another hill, on the eastern side of which are the remains of a semicircular pavement, made of pebble-stones, the same which are found in the bed of the Sciota; the top of the hill is of thirty feet diameter, and has a flight of steps leading to it; two human skeletons were found there. At the natural level of the ground a great number of stone arrow-heads, which were so strong that they must have belonged to lances. A great quantity of wood ashes and hard burnt bricks induce the belief that the bodies were burnt; there was a looking-glass made of mica membranacea. More minute details of these antiquities, as well as all the others which have been found in this state, are described in Mr. Caleb Atwater’s Archaelogia Americana. I paid a visit to this gentleman, who resides here; he is a great antiquarian, and exists more in the antiquities of Ohio, than in the present world. I spent the evening with this interesting man, and was very agreeably entertained; he possesses a collection of objects which were found in different mounds; it contains fragments of urns, arrow-heads of a large size, battle-axes made of flintstone, and several human bones. Mr. Atwater likewise possesses a very handsome collection of minerals, among which I found some interesting petrifactions of wood and plants, in particular, the whortleberry plant. He offered to send to the university of Jena a collection of these petrifactions which are found near Zanesville, in this state, and for which he desired to obtain some German minerals. I must not omit to mention, that on the hill, outside of the circular fort, is a small wooden house nearly destroyed by storms, which commands a view of all the surrounding country. It had been a house of ill fame, but being visited one night by a violent storm, it was abandoned by its inhabitants, to the great edification of the whole town.
The 10th of May we rode nineteen miles, from Circleville to Chillicothe, formerly the capital of Ohio, situated on the right shore of the Sciota. Our way led us through a handsome and very well cultivated country; we saw fine fields, good dwelling-houses, orchards, and gardens; also several mills, turned by the water of the Sciota, and several other little creeks; some of these mills are at the same time fulling, flour, and saw-mills.
The forests are chiefly of sugar maple, plane, and different kinds of nut trees: the road was tolerably good, the weather fine and warm; there is a covered wooden bridge which crosses the Sciota not far from Chillicothe; this bridge runs at least five hundred paces on piers, over a meadow which is sometimes inundated by the Sciota. We were comfortably lodged at Watson’s hotel, in Chillicothe. This town, like Philadelphia, lies between two rivers—the Sciota may be considered as the Delaware, and Paint creek rivulet takes place of the Schuylkill: the streets are large, at right angles, and without pavement, but have side-walks: a great part of the houses are built of brick; there are several fine stores. Over the whole prosperity and liveliness appears to reign. Chillicothe is the chief town of Ross county; it contains a court-house, built of freestone, which, at the time it was the seat of the state government, was used for the senate house; the representatives met in the building now used for the court offices: there is also in this city a jail, and a market-house of brick. I received visits from several of the most distinguished inhabitants, among them was a lawyer, Mr. Leonard, Dr. Vethake and Colonel King, son of the celebrated Rufus King, the American minister to London, and son-in-law of the former governor of this state, Mr. Worthington: the latter lived at a country-seat two miles from Chillicothe, where he enjoyed his rents and the revenue of his considerable property, in the midst of an amiable family and an agreeable old age, free from cares. His son-in-law invited us to his father’s house; we accepted his invitation and rode in Messrs. Leonard and Vethake’s company, towards evening, to the country-seat; our road led us through a beautiful and well cultivated valley, near a little Indian mound, and through a forest of beach, maple, chesnut and hickory trees; finally we rode through handsome fields, where here and there we saw groups of white thorn. The governor’s house is surrounded with Lombardy poplars; it is constructed in the style of an Italian villa, of free stone, with stone steps on the exterior, is two stories high, and has two wings, having a court in front of the centre building containing honeysuckles and roses: on one side of the house is a terrace with flowers and kitchen vegetables; this garden was arranged by German gardeners who keep it in very good order: behind the house are large clover fields, and to the right the farm buildings. Governor Worthington occupies himself with the raising of cattle, particularly sheep; he had a flock of one hundred and fifty merinos. I understood that they were numerous in the state of Ohio. Colonel King and his highly accomplished lady, came to meet us; the governor and his lady soon appeared: he has travelled a great deal, has been a long time in public offices, and was for several years a member of the United States’ senate; his eldest son was travelling in Europe, another son was in the military academy at West Point. He has ten children, on whom he expended a great deal for their education; the evening passed rapidly in instructive and interesting conversation, the hospitable governor insisted on our passing the night at his house; the house is very commodious, the furniture plain, but testifies the good taste and easy circumstances of the owner. I arose early next morning and took a walk in the governor’s garden, I ascended to a platform on the roof to take a view of the surrounding lands, but there is as yet nothing but woods covering the greater part of the country. Fires, which were burning in some places, were proofs, that new settlers were clearing the woods; from this platform the governor can overlook the greater part of his property, containing twenty-five thousand acres of land; by this means he has the greater part of his workmen under his control; the ground consists of low hills, and it is only towards the east in the direction of Zanesville, that more considerable elevations are perceived. I took breakfast with the worthy governor and his family, and found here, as at Governor Morrow’s, that the father of the family, observed the laudable custom of making a prayer before sitting down. After breakfast we took leave of this respectable family, whose acquaintance I consider as one of the most interesting I made in the United States, and returned to town. Chillicothe contains from two to three thousand inhabitants, who subsist chiefly by farming, raising of cattle and retail commerce; they had also commenced establishing woollen factories, and possessed a bank; it was formerly a branch of the United States Bank, but doing too little business, was suppressed by the mother bank in Philadelphia. We visited two churches, one Methodist and one Episcopalian, the former was rather large, both of them were very plain and contained nothing worthy of remark. We paid a visit to Mr. Hufnagel, a native of Würzburg, an elderly man who had experienced misfortune, and who is now established as a butcher and trader in cattle, and finds himself in easy circumstances; he appeared to be very much delighted at my visit, and received us very heartily in his well arranged house, situated in an orchard. Between two and three o’clock, the stage took us to Colonel King’s house, where we dined, in order to drive us eighteen miles to Tarleton; we took leave of him with grateful hearts; the road ran through a well cultivated country, which is very hilly and presents several picturesque situations; ten miles from Chillicothe on a hill, is a small village, Kingston, with farms of a good appearance, and several mills. Towards sunset we reached Tarleton, a handsome little spot of about twenty houses, and took our lodgings at a very good tavern, kept by a Pennsylvanian German. I had lost my pocket-book, probably by one of the hard jolts which our stage had received; it contained several papers of importance. It was found one mile from Chillicothe, and by its contents I was known to be the owner; a man set out in the night to bring it to me; at midnight this man arrived in Tarleton, had me called up, and safely returned me my pocket-book. I was so much delighted to recover it, that I expressed my thankfulness in every way I could. On the 12th of May, we left Tarleton at two o’clock in the morning, and rode to New Lancaster, which is sixteen miles; we arrived between seven and eight o’clock, and took our lodgings at Steinman’s hotel; the mail stage which went that day to Zanesville, had only two horses and took no passengers, I therefore resolved to stay until the following day, as it was said there would be a stage with four horses, and I found no cause to repent it. New Lancaster has its name from the city of Lancaster in Pennsylvania, and was founded by Pennsylvanian Germans, who were joined by many German emigrants, particularly Wurtembergers, and some Switzers, all of whom were pleased with the good climate, the fertile soil, which requires but little cultivation and manure, and above all, by the cheap living and profitable earnings. New Lancaster is the principal town of Fairfield county, and is handsomely situated on the side of a hill on the Hockhocking river, not far distant from its source; it contains nearly two thousand inhabitants, living by retail commerce, farming, and cattle raising. Since 1822, the culture of tobacco has also been introduced; this tobacco is called yellow, and is esteemed; I understand that it sells very well in Holland. The streets of the town are wide and rectangular; the court-house is a brick building; there is also a market-house of brick, and above it a lodge for freemasons. Shortly after my arrival, I received the visits of several of the German and half German inhabitants, among the latter I remarked Judge Dietrich, a native of Philadelphia, an agreeable, plain and well-informed man; he offered to be my guide through the town, which I thankfully accepted. He introduced me to several of the merchants, whose well-furnished stores I visited. Such a store in America contains a great variety of articles: all kinds of dry-goods, porcelain, earthenware, glasses, stationary, implements of husbandry, iron wares, saddlery, and spirits; the latter are only by wholesale; also school-books, bibles, and psalm-books. I observed in almost all the cities in the state of Ohio, that German translations were affixed to all the signs over the stores, in large golden letters, which is not only a proof that a great many Germans inhabit the state, but also that they are good customers. We saw an English and German printing-office; the latter was under the direction of a German, Mr. Herrman, who publishes a German newspaper under the title of Der Ohio Adler,[II.28] the English printing-office likewise publishes a paper; the type for the German paper is from the foundry in Philadelphia, and cannot be said to be elegant; it is true there is generally but little elegance to be observed in German type. I read in Mr. Herrman’s office about twelve different German papers, published in the United States; they were mostly written in a corrupted German; the only well written one, was edited in Philadelphia, by Mr. Ritter.