No wise man will, unless prompted by a sense of duty, arising from the perils of the times, ever wish [178] for the toils, and the responsibilities of office; or ever expose himself to the caprice of the multitude. But there may be seasons when, owing to the corrupt practices incident to party spirit, the jargon of ignorance, and the pretended patriotism of villainy, shall have usurped the management of public concerns, and have cypherised the community, it would be the indispensable obligation of the true patriot to tender his services to his country, to discountenance existing systems of political traffic, and thereby to restore to the people their consequence, their security, and their reputation.
After being sometime in Kentucky, I crossed the Ohio and entered Indiana.
This state lies on the river Ohio, from the Great Miami to the Wabash. On the east is the state of Ohio, on the west Illinois; and on the north-west Michigan. The form of Indiana is that of an oblong. The sinuosities of the Ohio, however, render its boundary here very uneven. The length of the state is about 270 miles, and its breadth 130.
The soil, climate, face of the country, and productions of this state resemble those of Ohio. Salt springs, coal pits, lime, free stone, and valuable clays of various kinds abound in Indiana; and on the Wabash, it is said there is a silver mine.
The salt springs of the west generally produce a bushel of salt from about one hundred gallons of the water. This water is frequently obtained by boring, from sixty to two hundred feet, through solid rock. There is, in the west, springs of salt petre; and in Indiana there are very valuable salt springs, which belong to the United States, and which are profitably managed by the government.[[164]]
The Prairie in Indiana, called Pilkawa, is a high level ground, seven miles long and three broad. Its [179] soil is very rich, and upon it there was never known to be a tree.
Vincennes, the capital of Indiana, lies on the Wabash.[[165]] Here the commerce of the state principally centres. Goods from Canada pass into this state down the Illinois river. From New-Orleans they proceed up the Mississippi, Ohio, and Wabash; and from the eastern and southern states by the way of the Ohio and last mentioned river.
In this state, on the river Ohio, is the celebrated Swiss settlement.[[166]] The situation does not present a very favorable appearance, and I apprehend that much success is not experienced in the making of wine there. It appears to me that a more favorable tract for this business might be found in Kentucky. The soil of this state is lighter and warmer than that of Indiana.
Near the Swiss settlement I met with many trees and bushes quite new to me. The thorn bush here produces thorns, which would answer the purpose of nails. They are three inches long, and so sharp and hard that they can be pressed, with the hand, through an inch board. The buck eye, of which I have spoken, is, probably, the horse chesnut of Europe. The magnolia bears blossoms very beautiful and fragrant. The coffee tree resembles the black oak, and bears a pod enclosing a seed, of which a drink is made, not unlike coffee. The papaw resembles the locust, or custard apple tree, and bears a pod, containing several very rich kernels, of the size and colour of a tamarind.[[167]]
The principal river in Indiana is the Wabash. The banks of this river are high and fertile, and its aspect very beautiful. It is navigable, at certain seasons of the year, upwards of six hundred miles. White, Theakiki and Calumet rivers are its greatest tributaries.[[168]]