At four o’clock we passed the lower end of Massey’s island, rowed over to the right shore, and landed at Manchester, a quarter of a mile lower down.
This town has been settled twelve years, but contains only ten dwelling houses, most delightfully situated on a high plain, commanding charming prospects of the river both above and below. It is a post town, and is only three miles distant from the great state road through the state of Ohio to Lexington in Kentucky; but it is a poor place, and not likely to improve, as its vicinity to Maysville, which is only twelve miles lower where the road crosses the river, prevents its being frequented by travellers.
We delayed but a few minutes at Manchester, and then proceeding, we passed Isaac creek with a wooden bridge over it, on the right, a mile below. A mile lower we saw on the left a very handsome farm house, an orchard and a fine farm; opposite to which on the right, the river hills approach close to the bank.
Two miles further we passed Crooked creek on the left, the hills now approaching on that side, and receding on the right, leaving a fine extensive bottom between them and the river.
Cabin creek on the left is a mile and a half below Crooked creek, and has a good farm and handsome farm house at its mouth.
Three miles lower, on the left, is William Brookes’s creek, below which is a floating mill, and Brookes’s good house and fine farm on a very pleasant point, where a bottom commences, which extends to Limestone, while the same ridge of hills which we passed below Isaac creek, after semicircularly {148} bounding a deep, long and well settled bottom, again approach the right bank of the Ohio opposite Brookes’s.
It may be proper to remark here, that in general, when the river hills approach the river on one side, they recede on the other, so that hills on one side are opposite to bottoms on the other.
From just below Brookes’s, we had a fine view down a reach, about three miles, with Limestone or Maysville in sight at the end of it, and passing the straggling but pleasant village of Madison on the left, Limestone creek, and two gun boats at anchor, we landed there a little before eight o’clock.
We got a good supper and beds at Mr. S. January’s, who keeps an excellent house, and is a polite, well informed and attentive landlord.
Next morning Thursday the 30th July, we walked, accompanied by our host to the scite of a formerly intended glass house, on the bank about three quarters of a mile above the town; which failed of being erected in consequence of the glass blowers who were engaged not having arrived to perform their contract.