Travels In The United States Of America; Commencing In The Year 1793, And Ending In 1797. With The Author's Journals Of His Two Voyages Across The Atlantic By William Priest
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He Left A
Paper On The Table, Informing His Friends, That His Only Motive For
Committing This Rash Action Was To Rescue His Family From A Situation,
Which He Himself Found Insupportable.
_Sept. 21st._ - We this afternoon entered the state of Massachusetts.
I found New England very different from any part
Of America I had before
seen; the soil but very indifferent, rocky, and mountainous, interspersed
with some rich tracts of land in the valleys; the up lands are divided by
means of stone walls, as in Derbyshire, and some other parts of Great
Britain.
They have few negroes, or european emigrants; so far from wanting the
latter, as in the South, they send great numbers every year to the new
settlements in the South-west.
When we made any stay at a tavern on the road, I observed one of my
fellow travellers (who was very eloquent upon this subject) take every
opportunity of singing forth the praises of _New Virginia_[Footnote: A
rich tract of country, west of the Allegany Mountains.]. - The north-west
wind continuing, the morning of the 22d was very cold; and we breakfasted
with a number of strangers. Our orator did not lose this opportunity of
holding forth on his favourite topic. I recollect the latter part of his
harangue was to the following effect: - _"There,"_ says he, (while the New
Englanders were staring with their _mouths open_,) "when I clear a fresh
lot of land on any of my plantations, I am obliged to plant it six or
seven years with hemp, or tobacco, before it is sufficiently _poor_ to
bear wheat! My indian corn grows twelve or thirteen feet high; I'll dig
four feet deep on my best land, and it shall then be sufficiently rich to
_manure_ your barren hills; and as to the climate, there is no comparison:
this cursed cold north-west wind loses all it's severity before it reaches
us; our winters are so mild, that our cattle requite no fodder, but range
the woods all winter; and our summers are more moderate than on your side
the Allegany; and as to - - " Here the stage-driver put an end to his
oration, by informing us, all was ready to proceed on our journey.
We must not be surprised, that numbers, who cultivate an ungrateful soil
in this cold climate, should be induced, by such descriptions as the
above, to emigrate to our orator's land of promise, I am informed ten
thousand persons emigrated from these states to Kentucky _alone_, in
one year. I have lately seen a flattering description of this country,
published in London: that the accounts are exaggerated, I have no doubt,
as it is said to be written by a speculator; deeply interested in the sale
of lands in the new settlements. I had a strong suspicion our fellow
traveller was of this description, and took every opportunity to
cross-examine him on this subject; he stuck true to his text, insisted
that all he advanced was literally true, but acknowledged he was going to
receive a sum of money for land he had sold to some emigrants from the
province of Main, and that he expected to sell a considerable tract before
his return.
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