In our journey thus far, we had seen but {56} few gardens, and those indifferently kept; they contained a few peas, parsnips, carrots, onions, shalots, sweet, and other potatoes, lettuce, and a large flat sort of cabbage, with a few sorts of herbs. Our landlord, Mr. Carter, had a farm of 700 acres; 100 cleared, the rest in a state of nature.
31st. We proceeded, by the turnpike road, up a valley of the mountains; the road good. As we ascended, we found vegetation much later; the blackberries not ripe, a little rye not cut, oats quite green, no wheat or Indian corn to be seen. A few gooseberry-bushes, no fruit on them; some strawberry-plants; I had noticed a few raspberry-bushes, the fruit small and hard, of a dark red colour. A great variety of wild flowers, almost all new to me. Much timber in the hollows of the mountains, oak, chesnut, and pine; the pines of an immense height. I measured one that was cut in making the turnpike; it was 102 feet to the broken top, and there it was seven inches in diameter. {57} Some that were standing appeared much longer; I thought the highest, at least, 140 feet high. The oaks and chesnuts were also very high, but they grew too close together to be very large, but many of them might contain from 50 to 150 feet of solid timber. Many thousands of trees, that were cut for making the turnpike, lay rotting by the sides of it, besides the vast quantities of dead trees in the woods. This day only, we passed some thousand loads of timber, thus decaying. I believe I have seen more timber in this wasting state, than all the growing timber I ever saw in my life in England. We saw no heath on the mountains, nor have I ever seen or heard of any in America.
In the forenoon, we passed a village of good houses, most part of them lately built: a flour and saw mill, and a noble tavern, the Globe; it equalled many English inns in outward appearance. We stopped to dinner at a poor log-tavern, but the landlord was building a new log one, on a large scale. Here we saw a poor little negro {58} boy, he was a cripple; the landlord had bought him some months before, out of a drove of negroes going westward for sale. The landlord treated him with great humanity, and the child seemed as much attached to him, as he could have been to his own relations. I was much pleased to see a poor negro child so well treated, but as to buying or selling human beings, I utterly abhor it. In the evening, we arrived at Mr. Kimberley's tavern; here we took our supper, our provisions being now exhausted. In the forenoon, it was extremely hot; in the afternoon, a little thunder and rain, and afterwards much colder: we travelled seventeen miles, mostly up hill, the road good, but rough, the stones being laid on rather large.
August 1st. Having breakfasted, and paid five dollars, we set out and crossed the little Yougany or Cressing river,[86] by a new stone bridge of one arch of 76 feet span, and very high. We passed many ridges and small valleys; but little cultivated land, a small quantity of rye cut; only one piece {59} of wheat, nearly ripe. Oats here form the chief crop, some nearly ripe, others just coming out in haw. A little Indian corn, but we were told the summers on the mountains were too short for it to ripen; and, therefore, they only planted a little to cut green. Some healthy-looking apple trees in the valleys, but with little fruit on them, owing to the spring frosts being later than usual. Some new land bringing into cultivation, potatoes or fallows first. The oats and potatoes, much better on the mountains, than those seen between them and Baltimore; indeed, the land in the hollows of the mountains was much better than a great deal of that we had passed before we arrived at the foot of them, but backward, the winters being severe, and the springs late.
We called at a cabin, to get some bread, where we found a woman with six small children; she said her husband worked 40 miles off, and only came home once in two or three weeks; they lived in this place {60} before the turnpike was begun, four years since; no stores nearer than six or seven miles. They procured most of their tea, coffee, whiskey, and other necessaries from the waggons, that traded to, and from Baltimore, to the westward. She said, she had never been molested in this lonely situation. She was born in the state of Jersey, but near Philadelphia. Her great grandfather of the name of Wood, emigrated from England, being oppressed with tithes, he being a Quaker; he founded a small town in the state of Jersey, and called it Woodbury, after his own name, and the place he left in England, which was Bury. But whether it was a town, village, or farm, she did not know, only, that it was in Gloucestershire.
Sixteen miles from the Little Cressing or Yougany, we came to the Big Cressing, and the small town of Smithfield, placed in a very romantic situation.[87] It had three taverns, viz. a stone house, the Globe; a frame one, the Rising Sun; and a good {61} log one, the Yougany; and about twenty other houses, mostly of logs. A noble stone bridge over the river, the centre arch ninety feet span, said to be the largest in the United States. The Yougany is one of the head streams of the Monongahela. Leaving the river, we followed the course of a small stream, to the Elephant tavern, kept by Major Paul, (late in the American service), where we slept. This town is noted as a waggon house; there were eight stopped there at the time we were there, mostly drawn by six horses each, and none less than five.
At noon this day, we passed the line between the states of Pennsylvania and Maryland,[88] and found ourselves in a state where slavery is not admitted; but still negroes were treated with much contempt, as we witnessed at Major Paul's. A negro drove one of the waggons, that stopped for the night; he was not allowed to sit at table with any one, but had a table to himself: I believe he was a free negro, but of this I am not certain. We had come seventeen {62} miles, weather very hot, with much thunder at a distance, but no rain. Mr. Paul's house was surrounded by some of the best meadows we had then seen in America;[89] the hills inclosed them on both sides, and the valleys were narrow.
2d. We advanced up a valley for a great distance, and passed a mine of coal; it lay twelve or fifteen feet below the surface of the earth; the veins about three feet thick; several hundred bushels lay dug; it had a strong sulphureous smell. We afterwards passed over a large flat, of thin, weak, black, wettish soil, covered with dwarf alders and large weeds; a little of this land cleared and planted with potatoes, they looked well. What little timber there was, was short and scrubby.
We now again ascended, and at length reached the top of Laurel Hill, the last ridge of the mountains. Much laurel on this eminence, resembling the Portugal laurel. Here we had the first, and a most extensive view of the west side of the mountains. {63} As the air was clear, we could see objects distinctly; much cleared land in sight, and many fine springs; indeed, they were numerous all over the mountains, but there were but few houses. This day we descended gently down the hill; the road was steep and winding. As we advanced, the timber increased in size, mostly oak, and towards the bottom it was immensely large. From the summit to the town of Monroe,[90] at the foot of the hill, is full three miles, most of the way very steep. Monroe was two years old, named in honour of the president of the United States. It contains two large stone taverns, and about twenty log houses, and a saw mill on a small stream near it. Much land cleared of timber and laid down to grass, of a better sward than any I saw east of the mountains. From Monroe to Union town, two miles; here we stopped for the night.[91] I passed a meadow between these towns, it was of timothy grass, and higher than any I ever saw before; it was not so thick on the ground as {64} I have seen English meadow grass, but a most productive crop. This day our waggons were separated a considerable distance, the first reached Union at sunset, the other not till two hours after. We came twenty-one miles.
3d. We had now entered the western country, but we were still in the old settled part of it, Union town having been built more than thirty years. It is a large place, mostly of brick buildings; it has a bank, twelve or fourteen taverns, a flour, a saw, and a carding mill, on a small stream near the town. On this stream there were some good meadows, but in a bad state, there being many docks and other weeds in them. The Indian corn luxuriant; a great many orchards, with a good show of apples in them. Paid charges for supper, beds, and breakfast, 4 dollars 75 cents, (1l. 1s. 4½d. sterling.)