Several strata of lead ore, parallel to the surface, and from three inches to a foot in thickness, have been discovered in the town, and neighbourhood; and about a year ago, a Mr. Elliot, erected a furnace and made sixteen tons of pure lead, but for want of funds to prosecute the business to effect, he was obliged to cease exertions, which, with proper encouragement, might have been a source of very extensive traffick to {158} this state, independent of the keeping in it a considerable sum of the circulating medium which is now paid for that useful metal, with which it is supplied from St. Genevieve in Upper Louisiana, at a profit of one hundred per cent.[121]
From Millersburgh we travelled about seven miles, over a fine soil, but not much improved on account of the uncertainty of titles. We then turned out of the main road into a path through the woods, which we were informed would shorten our road two miles to Baylor’s mills, where Mr. A—— had business, but after losing ourselves in a labyrinth of cross paths, and riding five miles instead of two, we at last found ourselves at Col. Garret’s fine stone house and extensive farm,[122] where a young lady from an upper window, gave us directions, by the aid of which we soon found Mr. Baylor’s.
We had to regret the absence from home of young Mr. and Mrs. Baylor,[123] as Mr. A. was personally acquainted with them, and we had promised ourselves a musical feast, from the performance of Mrs. B. on the piano forte, on which instrument she is said particularly to excel. They not being at home, we declined the invitation of a younger Mr. B. to alight, but taking a glass of milk and water on horseback, we proceeded across Stoner’s fork of the Licking, towards Lexington, leaving the town of Paris about three miles on the left.[124]
Our ride now was on a charming road finely shaded by woods, with now and then a good farm, five miles to Johnston’s tavern, where we fed our horses and got some refreshment. Capt. Johnston is most comfortably settled on a fine farm, having a son married and settled on an equally good one, on one side, and a daughter equally well situated on the other. He and his wife are good looking, middle aged people, {159} and both in their persons, and in every thing around them, have the appearance of being possessed of the happy otium of life. He had a quantity of last year’s produce in his granaries, and his wheat, his corn and tobacco fields, with a large tract of meadow, were smiling in luxuriant abundance around him.
The country continued fine, and more cultivated for the next six miles, hill and dale alternately, but the hills only gentle slopes: we then ascending a chain of rather higher hills than we had lately crossed, called Ash ridge, we passed a small meeting-house on the right, and Mr. Robert Carter Harrison’s large house, fine farm and improvements on the left, separated by the north branch of Elkhorn river from Jamison’s mill. We then crossed that river, and soon after, on a fine elevated situation, we passed general Russel’s house on the right, with a small lawn in front of it, and two small turrets at the corners of the lawn next the road. The tout ensemble wanting only the vineyards to resemble many of the country habitations of Languedoc and Provence. I have little doubt, but at some future period, that feature will also be added to it, as in this climate and soil grapes would grow most luxuriantly; when therefore the population of this country becomes adequate to the culture of the vine, it will assuredly not be neglected.
Overtaking a gentleman on horseback, who had been overseeing some mowers in a meadow, he joined company with, and civilly entered into conversation with us. It was general Russel who had been riding round his farm. We discussed various topicks respecting the natural and improved state of the country, and the present state of political affairs. He had just returned from Richmond in Virginia, where he had been during the examination of Col. Burr, before the grand jury. He evinced much good sense, intelligence, candour and liberality in his opinions, {160} not only with regard to that extraordinary man, who has caused such a ferment throughout the union, but on the various other subjects which we conversed on. He obligingly accompanied us about five miles, as an afternoon’s ride, and at parting, he gave us a friendly and polite invitation to visit him at his cottage, on our return.[125]
He described the well where he has his spring house, as a great natural curiosity; there being a grotto under it which terminates in a cavern in the limestone rock, which has been explored nearly a hundred yards without finding the termination.
FOOTNOTES:
[118] For sketch of Millersburgh, see F. A. Michaux’s Travels, vol. iii of this series, p. 198, note 38.—Ed.
[119] Captain John Waller was one of the party from Virginia who were associated with Simon Kenton (1775-76) in laying out a station near Maysville, which later was abandoned because of danger from Indians. He had been a noted border-fighter and frontiersman during the early history of Kentucky. In 1792 he represented Bourbon County in the first legislature.—Ed.