There is a ferry across the Ohio about the middle of Graham’s station, which connects a road from Big to Little Kenhawa, sixteen miles to the former and thirty to the latter.[96]
Nine miles below Wolfe’s, Jones’s rocks, on a hill on the right have a striking appearance. They are of freestone, bare, and heaped upon each other, resembling some of the old Turkish fortifications so numerous in the Levant.
On a small bottom between them and the river, in a very romantick situation, is a farm, seven years old, belonging to a Mr. Jones, who informed us that there is a vein of good coal about a quarter of a mile from his house.
This was the first house we had observed for the last eight miles, though the land on the Virginia side, owned by one Waggoner, seems to be of the first quality.
FOOTNOTES:
[95] This indeed is a most lamentable picture of the depravity of human nature, and might have applied better fifteen or twenty years ago than at present. But our author ought to have confined it to a particular frontier, and to a few individuals; for it is by no means the character of all our backwoodsmen, nor are such ferocious and more than beast-like battles customary on the borders of all our frontier settlements. Nor can we believe even the more profligate among the class here spoken of, would purposely meet (unless indeed in an actual state of warfare) to fight, to gouge, and to tear each others flesh to pieces in the manner described; but that fighting, gouging, &c. might be the consequence of such meetings and carousings, we have little doubt, especially where whiskey is the common drink of the country. There are always a few diabolically wicked in all societies of men, rude or civilized; but it would be unjust to libel a whole community because of the wickedness and profligacy of a few.
It is observable that European travellers frequently misrepresent us by giving for a general character, that which is particular; hence they mislead their readers into the most monstrous blunders as respects the true features of our national character, while they do us a greater piece of injustice than they might have intended. As an instance of this the following quotation from “Volney’s View of the United States,” will suffice: Speaking of the Philadelphia mode of eating and drinking, he observes:
“At breakfast they deluge the stomach with a pint of hot water, slightly impregnated with tea, or slightly tinctured, or rather coloured, with coffee; and they swallow, almost without mastication, hot bread, half baked, soaked in melted butter, with the grossest cheese, and salt or hung beef, pickled pork or fish, all which can with difficulty be dissolved.
“At dinner they devour boiled pastes, called, absurdly, puddings, garnished with the most luscious sauces. Their turnips and other vegetables are floated in lard or butter. Their pastry is nothing but a greasy paste, imperfectly baked. To digest these various substances, they take tea, immediately after dinner, so strong that it is bitter to the taste, as well as utterly destructive of the nervous system. Supper presently follows, with salt meat and shell fish in its train. Thus passes the whole day, in heaping one indigestive mass upon another. To brace the exhausted stomach, wine, rum, gin, malt spirits, or beer, are used with dreadful prodigality.”
I am a native American, have passed through most of the American states, and never drank, nor saw drunk, at either publick or private table, “tea immediately after dinner,” nor never heard of a practice of the kind in any of the states, hence I think I have reason to conclude Mr. Volney erroneous in giving this as the general custom of a people; and think it probable he drew his conclusions from the particular practice of a few families, in which he might have lodged; and which might have altered their usual mode of eating and drinking, in order to accommodate the supposed habits of this great traveller, he being a native of France, where it is well-known coffee is much used after dinner. How much more would the publick be benefitted by the remarks of travellers on the manners and customs of countries, would they divest themselves of their prejudices, passions, and partialities, and confine themselves to the relation of simple truths. Methinks a traveller who intends to publish his travels, ought to be a philosopher, in the true sense of the word.—Cramer.