[26] For Fort Fayette, see Michaux’s Travels, vol. iii of this series, p. 32, note 12.—Ed.
CHAPTER VIII
Unprepossessing appearance of Pittsburgh—Causes—Comfortable situation—Abundance of coal—M’Cullough’s inn—Confinement there by indisposition—Attention of some of the inhabitants—Memoirs of an uncommon character—Apollonian society—Dramatick societies—Lawyers—Clergymen—State of society injured by politicks and other causes—Physicians.
The appearance of Pittsburgh in the winter, is by no means pleasing, notwithstanding its fine situation, as, none of the streets being paved except Market street,[27] they are so extremely miry, that it is impossible to walk them without wading over the ankle, except during frosty weather, which rarely continues many days successively, from its lying so low, and being so well sheltered, by the surrounding hills. This, though unpleasant now, is in reality in favour of the place, as when the streets are all paved, that inconvenience will be obviated, and the advantage of shelter from the bleak wintry winds will still remain, without its being followed by an exclusion of fresh air during the summer, as the rivers, at that season act as ventilators, a refreshing breeze always drawing up or down one of them, increasing {62} with the elevation of the sun until noon, and then gradually subsiding into a calm towards sunset; while at a little distance from those air conductors (the rivers) even in high situations, an oppressive heat not rarified by the most gentle zephyr, prevails during the same time.
Another cause of the unprepossessing appearance of Pittsburgh, proceeds from the effect of one of the most useful conveniences and necessaries of life, which it enjoys in a pre-eminent degree; namely, fuel, consisting of as fine coal as any in the world, in such plenty, so easily wrought, and so near the town, that it is delivered in wagons drawn by four horses, at the doors of the inhabitants, at the rate of five cents per bushel.
A load of forty bushels which costs only two dollars, will keep two fires in a house a month, and in consequence, there are few houses, even amongst the poorest of the inhabitants, where at least two fires are not used—one for cooking, and another for the family to sit at. This great consumption of a coal abounding in sulphur, and its smoke condensing into a vast quantity of lampblack, gives the outside of the houses a dirty and disagreeable appearance—even more so than in the most populous towns of Great Britain, where a proportionably great quantity of coal is used; which must be caused by a difference of quality, which appears in the grate to be in favour of the coal of this country.
The winter being too far advanced for boats to descend the Ohio, I preferred remaining in Pittsburgh, until I should have an opportunity of continuing my journey to the westward by water, to going on immediately by land, as I wished to see the banks of that celebrated river, as far as it lay in my route.
I therefore became a weekly boarder and lodger at M’Cullough’s, which though an inn much frequented by travellers, I found to be as quiet, as regular, {63} and as orderly, as any private lodging house; the beds equally cleanly, the table more plentiful, and the charge as moderate. As M’Cullough lays himself out to accommodate travellers, or regular lodgers, he applies himself solely to that, and discourages every thing which might subject his house to the noise, revelry, and confusion of a tavern. His wife an amiable and obliging woman, and three daughters, fine and good girls just grown up, attend to the business of the house, and the accommodation of their guests, so well, that a man must be fastidious to a fault, who would not be perfectly satisfied with such quarters.
The streets being extremely dirty, and my foot still paining me much from the consequence of its being blistered on my journey between Lancaster and Middleton, I confined myself to the house for several days after my arrival, going out only once during that time, to call on general O’Hara[28] and Mr. Abner Barker on business. Confinement is at any time unpleasant; but at an inn, however good the accommodation, in a strange place, without a single acquaintance, and suffering continued torture from an inflammation in a limb, the pain of which would have prevented my enjoying a book, even had there been a library within my reach, was to me excessively so.
A few neighbouring gentlemen hearing that a stranger was at M’Cullough’s confined by indisposition, did me the favour of calling on me, and the attentions of doctor Andrew Richardson, Mr. James Mountain, a learned practitioner at the bar, and Messrs. Anthony Beelen and Nicholas Cunningham respectable merchants, prevented my being able to charge Pittsburgh with an absolute want of hospitality. The two former offered me the use of their judiciously selected libraries, when I should become sufficiently convalescent to go out, and the perusal of any of their books in the interim, and the first supplied {64} me with the Philadelphia and Baltimore newspapers as they arrived by post, twice weekly.