Chapter 6

Sometimes they sit at a good distance from the pond; but as soon as they suspect any danger, they hasten with great leaps into the water. They are very expert at hopping. A full-grownBullfrogtakes near three yards at one hop. I have often been told the following story by the oldSwedes, which happened here, at the time when theIndianslived with theSwedes. It is well known, that theIndiansare excellent runners; I have seen them, at GovernorJohnson’s, equal the best horse in its swiftest[173]course, and almost pass by it. Therefore, in order to try how well the bull-frogs could leap, some of theSwedeslaid a wager with a youngIndian, that he could not overtake the frog, provided it had two leaps before hand. They carried a bull-frog, which they had caught in a pond, upon a field, and burnt his back-side; the fire, and theIndian, who endeavoured to be closely up with the frog, had such an effect upon the animal, that it made its long hops across the field, as fast as it could. TheIndianbegan to pursue the frog with all his might at the proper time: the noise he made in running frightened the poor frog; probably it was afraid of being tortured with fire again, and therefore it redoubled its leaps, and by that means it reached the pond before theIndiancould over-take it.In some years they are more numerous than in others: nobody could tell, whether the snakes had ever ventured to eat them, though they eat all the lesser kinds of frogs. The women are no friends to these frogs, because they kill and eat young ducklings and goslings: sometimes they carry off chickens that come too near the ponds. I have not observed that they bite when they are held in the hands, though they have little teeth; when they are beaten, they cry[174]out almost like children. I was told that some eat the thighs of the hind legs, and that they are very palatable.A tree which grows in the swamps here, and in other parts ofAmerica, goes by the name ofWhite Juniper-tree. Its stem indeed looks like one of our old tall and strait juniper-trees inSweden: but the leaves are different, and the wood is white. TheEnglishcall itWhite Cedar, because the boards which are made of the wood, are like those made of cedar. But neither of these names are just, for the tree is of the cypress kind44. It always grows in wet ground or swamps: it is therefore difficult to come to them, because the ground between the little hillocks is full of water. The trees stand both on the hillocks and in the water: they grow very close together, and have strait, thick, and tall stems; but they were greatly reduced in number to what they have been before. In such places where they are left to grow up, they grow as tall and as thick as the tallest fir-trees; they preserve their green leaves both in winter and summer; the tall ones have no branches on the lower part of the stem.The marshes where these trees grow are calledCedar Swamps. These cedar swamps[175]are numerous inNew Jersey, and likewise in some parts ofPensylvaniaandNew York. The most northerly place, where it has been hitherto found, is nearGosheninNew York, under forty-one degrees and twenty-live minutes of north latitude, as I am informed by Dr.Colden. For to the North ofGoshen, it has not been found in the woods. The white cedar is one of the trees, which resist the most to putrefaction; and when it is put above ground, it will last longer than under ground: therefore it is employed for many purposes; it makes good fences, and posts which are to be put into the ground; but in this point, the red cedar is still preferable to the white; it likewise makes good canoes. The young trees are employed for hoops,round barrels, tuns, &c. because they are thin and pliable; the thick and tall trees afford timber, and wood for cooper’s work. The houses which are built of it, surpass in duration, those which are built ofAmericanoak. Many of the houses inRapaapowere made of this white cedar wood; but the chief thing which the white cedar affords is the best kind of shingles. The white cedar shingles are preferred to all others for several reasons; first, they are more durable than any others made ofAmericanwood, the red cedar shingles[176]excepted; secondly, they are very light, so that no strong beams are requisite to support the roof. For the same reason it is unnecessary to build thick walls, because they are not pressed by heavy roofs. When fires break out, it is less dangerous to go under or along the roofs, because the shingles being very light can do little hurt by falling; they suck the water, being somewhat spungy, so that the roofs can easily be wetted in case of a fire: however, their fatness occasions that the water does not hurt them, but evaporates easily. When they burn and are carried about by the wind, they have commonly what is called a dead coal, which does not easily set fire where it alights. The roofs made of these shingles can easily be cut through, if required, because they are thin, and not very hard; for these qualities the people in the country, and in the towns, are very desirous of having their houses covered with white cedar shingles, if the wood can be got. Therefore all churches, and the houses of the more substantial inhabitants of the towns, have shingle roofs. In many parts ofNew Yorkprovince, where the white cedar does not grow, the people, however, have their houses roofed with cedar shingles, which they get from other parts. To that purpose great quantities of shingles are annually exported fromEggharbourand[177]other parts ofNew Jersey, to the town ofNew York, from whence they are distributed throughout the province. A quantity of white cedar wood is likewise exported every year to theWest Indies, for shingles, pipe staves, &c. Thus the inhabitants are very busy here, not only to lessen the number of these trees, but even to extirpate them entirely. They are here (and in many other places) in regard to wood, bent only upon their own present advantage, utterly regardless of posterity. By this means many cedar swamps are already quite destitute of cedars, having only young shoots left; and I plainly observed, by counting the circles round the stem, that they do not grow up very quickly, but require a great deal of time before they can be cut for timber. It is well known that a tree gets only one circle every year; a stem, eighteen inches in diameter, had one hundred and eight circles round the thicker end; another, seventeen inches in diameter, had a hundred and sixteen; and another, two feet in diameter, had one hundred and forty-two circles upon it. Thus near eighty years growth is required, before a White cedar raised from seed can be used for timber. Among the advantages which the white cedar shingles have over others, the[178]people reckon their lightness. But this good and useful quality may in future times turn out very disadvantageous toPhiladelphia, and other places where the houses are rooted with cedar shingles; for as the roofs made of these shingles are very light, and bear but a trifling weight on the walls, so the people have made the walls but very thin. I measured the thickness of the walls of several houses here, of three stories high (cellar and garret not included), and found most of them nine inches and a half, and some ten inches thick; therefore it is by no means surprising, that violent hurricanes sometimes make the brick gable-ends to vibrate apparently, especially on such houses as have a very open situation. And since the cedar-trees will soon be wanting in this country, and the present roofs when rotten must be supplied with heavier ones, of tiles, or of other wood, it is more than probable, that the thin walls will not be able to bear such an additional weight, and will either break, or require to be supported by props: or else the whole house must be pulled down and rebuilt with thicker walls. This observation has already been made by others. Some of the people here make use of the chips of white cedar instead of tea, alluring me that they preferred it in[179]regard to its wholesomeness to all foreign tea. All the inhabitants here were of opinion, that the water in the cedar swamps is wholesomer than any other drink: it creates a great appetite, which they endeavoured to prove by several examples. They ascribed this quality to the water itself, which is filled with the rosin of the trees, and to the exhalations which came from the trees, and can easily be smelled. The people likewise thought that the yellowish colour of the water, which stands between the cedar trees, was owing to the rosin, which comes out of the roots of these trees. They likewise all agreed, that this water is always very cold in the hottest season, which may be partly owing to the continual shade it is in. I knew several people who were resolved to go to these cedar swamps, and use the waters for the recovery of their appetite. Mr.Bartramplanted a white cedar in a dry soil, but it could not succeed there: he then put it into a swampy ground, where it got as it were new life, and came on very well; and though it was not taller than a man, yet it was full of cones. Another thing is very remarkable, with regard to the propagation of this tree: Mr.Bartramcut its branches in spring two years successively, and put them into the swampy soil,[180]where they struck roots, and succeeded very well. I have seen them myself.Thered Juniper-treeis another tree which I have mentioned very frequently in the course of my account. TheSwedeshave given it the name of red Juniper, because the wood is very red and fine within. TheEnglishcall itred Cedar, and theFrenchCedre rouge. However, theSwedishname is the most proper, as the tree belongs to theJunipers45. At its first growth it has a deal of similarity to theSwedish Juniper46, but after it is grown up it gets quite different leaves. The berry exactly resembles that of theSwedish Juniper, in regard to its colour and shape; however, they are not so big, though the redCedargrows very tall. AtRaccoonthese trees stood single, and were not very tall. But at other places I have seen them standing together in clusters; they like the same ground as the commonSwedish Juniper, especially on the rising banks of rivers, and on other rising grounds, in a dry, and frequently in a poor soil. I have seen them growing in abundance, as thick and tall as the tallest fir-trees, on poor dry and sandy heaths. TowardsCanada, or in[181]the most northerly places, where I have seen them, they commonly choose the steep sides of the mountains, and there they grow promiscuously with the commonJuniper. The most northerly places where I have found them wild in the woods, is inCanada, eighteenFrenchmiles to the southward of the FortSaint Jean, orSt. John, in about 44° 35′ North Latitude. I have likewise seen it growing very well in a garden, on the island ofMagdalene47, belonging to the then governor ofMontreal,Monsieur le Baron de Longueuil. But it had been got at more southerly places, and was transplanted here. Of all the woods in this country, this is without exception the most durable, and withstands putrefaction longer than any other; it is therefore employed in all such cases where it is most liable to rot, especially for all kinds of posts which are to be put into the ground. Some people say, that if an iron be put into the ground along with a pole of cedar, the iron would be half corroded by rust in the same time that the wood would be rotten. In many places both the fences, and the posts belonging to them, are made[182]of red cedar. The best canoes, consisting of a single piece of wood, are made of red cedar; for they last longer than any others, and are very light. InNew YorkI have seen pretty large yachts build of red cedar. Several yachts which go fromNew YorktoAlbany, up the riverHudson, are built in a different manner, as I have mentioned in the first volume48. InPhiladelphiathey cannot make any yachts or other boats of red cedar, because the quantity and the size of the trees will not allow of it. For the same reason they do not roof their houses with red cedar shingles; but in such places where it is plentiful, it makes excellent good roofs. The heart of this cedar is of a fine red colour, and whatever is made of it looks very fine, and has a very agreeable and wholesome smell. But the colour fades by degrees, or else the wood would be exceedingly proper for cabinet work. I saw a parlour in the country seat of Mr.Norris, one of the Members of thePensylvanianHouse of Assembly, wainscotted many years ago with boards of red cedar. Mr.Norrisassured me that the[183]cedar looked exceedingly well in the beginning, but it was quite faded when I saw it, and the boards looked very shabby, especially the boards near the window had entirely lost their colour; so that Mr.Norrishad been obliged to put mahogany in their stead: however, I was told, that the wood will keep its colour if a thin varnish is put upon it whilst it is fresh, and just after it has been planed, and if care is taken that the wood is not afterwards rubbed or hurt. At least it makes the wood keep its colour much longer than commonly. Since it has a very pleasant smell, when fresh, some people put the shavings and chips of it among their linen to secure it against being worm-eaten. Some likewise get bureaus, &c. made of red cedar, with the same view. But it is only useful for this purpose as long as it is fresh, for it loses its smell after some time, and is then no longer good for keeping off insects. It is sometimes sent toEngland, as timber, and sells very well. In many places roundPhiladelphia, in the seats of the gentry, there was commonly an avenue, with a row of these trees planted on both sides, leading from the high road to the house. The lower branches were cut, and only a fine crown left. In winter,[184]when most other trees have losttheirleaves, this looks very fine. This tree has likewise a very slow growth; for a stem, thirteen inches and a quarter in diameter, had one hundred and eighty-eight rings, or annual circles and another, eighteen inches in diameter, had at least two hundred and fifty, for a great number of the rings were so fine that they could not be counted. This tree is propagated in the same manner as the common Juniper-tree is inSweden, viz. chiefly by birds, which eat the berries and emit the seeds entire. To encourage the planting of this useful tree, a description of the method of doing it, written by Mr.Bartram, was inserted in aPensylvaniaalmanack, calledPoor Richard Improved, for the year 1749. In it was explained the manner of planting and augmenting the number of these trees, and mention is made of some of the purposes to which they may be employed.In the evening I returned toRaccoon.Maythe 6th. The Mulberry-trees (Morus rubra) about this time began to blossom, but their leaves were yet very small.The people divided them into male and female trees or flowers; and said that those which never bore any fruit were males, and those which did, females.[185]Smilax laurifoliawas superabundant in all the swamps near this place. Its leaves were now beginning to come out, for it sheds them all every winter; it climbs up along trees and shrubs, and runs across from one tree or bush to another: by this means it shuts up the passage between the trees, fastening itself every where with its cirrhi or tendrils, and even on people, so that it is with the utmost difficulty one must force a passage in the swamps and woods, where it is plentiful; the stalk towards the bottom is full of long spines, which are as strong as the spines of a rose-bush, and catch hold of the clothes, and tear them: this troublesome plant may sometimes bring you into imminent danger, when botanizing or going into the woods, for, not to mention that the cloaths must be absolutely ruined by its numberless spines, it occasions a deep shade in the woods, by crossing from tree to tree so often; this forces you to stoop, and even to creep on all fours through the little passages which are left close to the ground, and then you cannot be careful enough to prevent a snake (of which there are numbers here) from darting into your face. The stalk of the plant has the same colour as the young rose-bushes. It is quite green[186]and smooth between the spines, so that a stranger would take it to be a kind of thorn-bush, in winter, when it is destitute of leaves.Maythe 8th. The trees hereabouts were now stocked with innumerableCaterpillars; one kind especially was observable, which is worse than all the others. They immediately formed great white webs, between the branches of the trees, so that they were perceptible, even at a distance; in each of these webs were thousands ofCaterpillars, which crept out of them afterwards, and spread chiefly upon the apple-trees. They consumed the leaves, and often left not one on a whole branch. I was told, that some years ago they did so much damage, that the apple-trees and peach-trees hardly bore any fruit at all; because they had consumed all the leaves, and exposed the naked trees to the intense heat of the sun, by which means several of the trees died. The people took the following method of killing theseCaterpillars: They fixed some straw or flax on a pole, set it on fire, and held it under the webs or nests; by which a part was burnt, and a part fell to the ground. However, numbers of theCaterpillarscrept up the trees again, which could have been prevented, if they had been[187]trod upon, or killed any other way. I called chickens to such places where they crept on the ground in numbers; but they would not eat them. Nor did the wild birds like them; for the trees were full of these webs, though whole flights of little birds had their nests in the gardens and orchards.Maythe 18th. Though it was already pretty late inMay, yet the nights were very dark here. About an hour after sun-set, it was so dark, that it was impossible to read in a book, though the type was ever so large. About ten o’clock, on a clear night, the dark was so much increased, that it looked like one of the darkest star-light nights in autumn, inSweden. It likewise seemed to me, that though the nights were clear, yet the stars did not give so great a light as they do inSweden. And as, about this time, the nights are commonly dark, and the sky covered with clouds; so I would compare them only to dark and cloudySwedishwinter nights. It was therefore, at this time of the year, very difficult to travel in such cloudy nights; for neither man nor horse could find their way. The nights, in general, seem very disagreeable to me, in comparison to the light and glorious, summer nights ofSweden. Ignorance sometimes makes us think slightly of[188]our country. If other countries have their advantages,Swedenis not destitute of matter to boast of on this head: it likewise has its peculiar advantages; and upon weighing the advantages and inconveniencies of different places,Swedenwill be found to be not inferior to any of them.I will briefly mention in what points I thinkSwedenis preferable to this part ofAmerica; and why I preferOld SwedentoNew Sweden.The nights are very dark here all the summer; and in winter, they are quite as dark, if not darker, than the winter nights inSweden; for here is no kind ofAurora Borealis, and the stars give a very faint light. It is very remarkable if anAurora Borealisappears once or twice a year. The winters here bring no snow, to make the nights clear, and to make travelling more safe and easy. The cold is, however, frequently as intense as inOld Sweden. The snow which falls lies only a few days, and always goes off with a great deal of wet. TheRattle-snakes,Horned-snakes,red-bellied,green, and other poisonousSnakes, against whose bite there is frequently no remedy, are in great plenty here. To these I must add the wood-lice, with which the forests are so pestered, that it is impossible to pass through a bush without[189]having a whole army of them on your cloaths, or to sit down, though the place be ever so pleasant. The inconvenience and trouble they cause, both to man and beast, I have described in theMemoirs of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. The weather is so inconstant here, that when a day is most excessively hot, the next is often sensibly cold. This sudden change often happens in one day; and few people can suffer these changes, without impairing their health. The heat in summer is excessive, and the cold in winter often very piercing. However, one can always secure one’s self against the cold; but when the great heat is of any duration, there is hardly any remedy against it. It tires one so, that one does not know which way to turn. It has frequently happened, that people who walked into the fields, dropped down dead, on account of the violence of the heat. Several distempers prevail here; and they increase every year. Nobody is left unattacked by the intermitting fever; and many people are forced to suffer it every year, together with other diseases. Pease cannot be sown, on account of the insects which consume them49. There are worms in the grains of rye, and numbers of them are in the cherry-trees.[190]The caterpillars often eat all the leaves from the trees, so that they cannot bear fruit in that year; and numbers die every year, both of fruit-trees and forest-trees. The grass in the meadows is likewise consumed by a kind of worms, and another species cause the plumbs to drop, before they are half ripe. The oak here affords not near so good timber as theEuropeanoak. The fences cannot stand above eighteen years. The houses are of no long duration. The meadows are poor, and what grass they have is bad. The pasture for cattle in the forests, consists of such plants as they do not like, and which they are compelled to eat by necessity; for it is difficult to find a single grass in great forests, where the trees stand far asunder, and where the soil is excellent. For this reason, the cattle are forced, during almost the whole winter and part of the summer, to live upon the young shoots and branches of trees, which sometimes have no leaves: therefore, the cows give very little milk, and decrease in size every generation. The houses are extremely unfit for winter habitations. Hurricanes are frequent, which overthrow trees, carry away roofs, and sometimes houses, and do a great deal of damage. Some of these inconveniencies might be remedied by art;[191]but others will either admit of no alteration, or they will at least cost vast trouble. Thus every country has its advantages, and its defects: happy is he who can content himself with his own.The rye grows very ill in most of the fields, which is chiefly owing to the carelessness in agriculture, and to the poorness of the fields, which are seldom or never manured. After the inhabitants have converted a tract of land into fields, which had been a forest for many centuries together, and which consequently had a very fine soil, they use it as such, as long as it will bear any corn; and when it ceases to bear any, they turn it into pastures for the cattle, and take new corn fields in another place, where a fine soil can be met with, and where it has never been made use of for this purpose. This kind of agriculture will do for some time; but it will afterwards have bad consequences, as every one may clearly see. A few of the inhabitants, however, treated their fields a little better: theEnglishin general have carried agriculture to a higher degree of perfection than any other nation. But the depth and richness of the soil, which those found here who came over fromEngland, (as they were preparing land for ploughing which had been covered[192]with woods from times immemorial) misled them, and made them careless husbandmen. It is well known, that theIndianslived in this country for several centuries before theEuropeanscame into it; but it is likewise known, that they lived chiefly by hunting and fishing, and had hardly any fields. They planted maize, and some species of beans and gourds; and at the same time it is certain, that a plantation of such vegetables as serve anIndianfamily during one year, take up no more ground than a farmer in our country takes to plant cabbage for his family upon; at least, a farmer’s cabbage and turnep ground, taken together, is always as extensive, if not more so, than the corn-fields and kitchen-gardens of anIndianfamily. Therefore, theIndianscould hardly subsist for one month upon the produce of their gardens and fields. Commonly, the little villages ofIndiansare about twelve or eighteen miles distant from each other. From hence one may judge, how little ground was formerly employed for corn-fields; and the rest was overgrown with thick and tall trees. And though they cleared (as is yet usual) new ground, as soon as the old one had quite lost its fertility; yet such little pieces as they made use of were very inconsiderable, when compared[193]to the vast forests which remained. Thus the upper fertile soil increased considerably, for centuries together; and theEuropeanscoming toAmericafound a rich and fine soil before them, lying as loose between the trees as the best bed in a garden. They had nothing to do but to cut down the wood, put it up in heaps, and to clear the dead leaves away. They could then immediately proceed to ploughing, which in such loose ground is very easy; and having sown their corn, they got a most plentiful harvest. This easy method of getting a rich crop has spoiled theEnglishand otherEuropeaninhabitants, and induced them to adopt the same method of agriculture which theIndiansmake use of; that is, to sow uncultivated grounds, as long as they will produce a crop without manuring, but to turn them into pastures as soon as they can bear no more, and to take in hand new spots of ground, covered since time immemorial with woods, which have been spared by the fire or the hatchet ever since the creation. This is likewise the reason why agriculture, and the knowledge of this useful branch, is so imperfect here, that one can learn nothing on a great tract of land, neither of theEnglish, nor of theSwedes,Germans,Dutch, andFrench; except that, from their gross mistakes[194]and carelessness for futurity, one finds opportunities every day of making all sorts of observations, and of growing wise at the expence of other people. In a word, the corn-fields, the meadows, the forests, the cattle, &c. are treated with equal carelessness; and theEnglishnation, so well skilled in these branches of husbandry, is with difficulty found out here. We can hardly be more lavish of our woods inSwedenandFinlandthan they are here: their eyes are fixed upon the present gain, and they are blind to futurity. Every day their cattle are harassed by labour, and each generation decreases in goodness and size, by being kept short of food, as I have before mentioned. On my travels in this country I observed several plants, which the horses and cows preferred to all others. They were wild in this country, and likewise grew well on the driest and poorest ground, where no other plants would succeed. But the inhabitants did not know how to turn this to their advantage; owing to the little account made of Natural History, that science being here (as in other parts of the world) looked upon as a mere trifle, and the pastime of fools. I am certain, and my certainty is founded upon experience, that by means of these plants, in the space of a few years, I have[195]been able to turn the poorest ground, which would hardly afford food for a cow, into the richest and most fertile meadow, where great flocks of cattle have found superfluous food, and are grown fat upon. I own, that these useful plants were not to be found on the grounds of every planter: but with a small share of natural knowledge, a man would easily collect them in the places where they were to be got. I was astonished, when I heard the country people complaining of the badness of the pastures; but I likewise perceived their negligence, and often saw excellent plants growing on their own grounds, which only required a little more attention and assistance from their unexperienced owners. I found every where the wisdom and goodness of the Creator; but too seldom saw any acknowledgment, or adequate estimation of it, among men.O fortunatos nimium sua si bona norint,Agricolas!Virg.Georgic.I have been led to these reflections, which may perhaps seem foreign to my purpose, by the bad and neglected state of agriculture in every part of this continent. I likewise intended to shew the reason why this journal is so thinly stocked with œconomical advantages in the several branches of husbandry. I do not however deny, that I have sometimes found[196]one or two skilful œconomists, but they were very scarce.Birds of prey which pursue the poultry are found in abundance here, and if possible more plentiful than inSweden. They enjoy great liberty here, as there are still great forests in many places, from whence they can come unawares upon chickens and ducks. To the birds of prey it is quite indifferent whether the woods consist of good or bad trees, provided they are in shade. At night the owls, which are very numerous, endanger the safety of the tame fowls. They live chiefly in marshes, give a disagreeable shriek at night, and attack the chickens, which commonly roost at night in the apple-trees, peach-trees, and cherry-trees, in the garden. But since they are very busy in clearing this country of woods, as we are inSwedenandFinland, it may be of use for exposing the birds of prey, more than they are now, and for depriving them of the opportunities of doing mischief with so much ease.The thick forests ofAmericacontain numbers of stags; they do not seem to be a different species from theEuropeanstags. AnEnglishmanwas possessed of a tame hind. It is observable that though these creatures are very shy when wild in the[197]woods and the cedar swamps, which are very much frequented by them, yet they can be tamed to such a degree, if taken young, that they will come of their own accord to people, and even to strangers: This hind was caught when it was but very little; the colour of the whole body was a dirty reddish brown, the belly and the under side of the tail excepted, which were white; the ears were grey; the head, towards the snout, was very narrow, but upon the whole the creature looked very fine. The hair lay close together, and was quite short; the tail reached almost to the bend of the knee, near which, on the inside of each hind-foot, was aknoborcallus. The possessor of the hind said, that he had tamed several stags, by catching them whilst they were very young. It was now big with young ones. It had a little bell hung about its neck, that by walking in the woods, the people might know it to be tame, and take care not to shoot it. It was at liberty to go where it pleased, and to keep it confined would have been a pretty hard task, as it could leap over the highest enclosures. Sometimes it went far into the woods, and frequently staid away a night or two, but afterwards returned home like other cattle.[198]When it went into the woods, it was often accompanied by wild stags, and decoyed them even into the very houses, especially in rutting time, giving its master numerous opportunities of shooting the wild stags, almost at his door. Its scent was excellent, and when it was turned towards the wind, I often saw it rising and looking towards that part, though I did not see any people on the road, but they commonly appeared about an hour after. As soon as the wild stags have the scent of a man, they make off. In winter the man fed the hind with corn and hay; but in summer it went out into the woods and meadows, seeking its own food, eating both grass and other plants: it was now kept in a meadow; it did chiefly eat clover, the leaves of hiccory, of theAndromeda paniculata, and theGeranium maculatum. It was likewise contented with the leaves of the common plantane, orPlantaga, grasses, and several other plants. The possessor of this hind sold stags to people inPhiladelphia, who sent them as curiosities to other places. He got twenty-five, thirty, and forty shillings a-piece for them. The food of the wild stags in summer is grass and several plants; but in winter, when they are not to be got, they eat the shoots and young[199]sprigs of branches. I have already mentioned50that they eat without any danger the spoon-tree, orKalmia latifolia, which is poison to other animals. In the long and severe winter, which commenced here upon the tenth ofDecember, 1740, and continued to the thirteenth ofMarch, old stile, during the course of which there fell a great quantity of snow, the stags were found dead in the snow, but chiefly higher up the country, where the snow was deeper. Nobody could determine whether their death was the consequence of the great quantity and depth of snow, which hindered their getting out, or whether the frost had been too severe, and of too long duration, or whether they were short of food. The old people likewise relate, that vast numbers of stags came down in the year 1705, when there was a heavy fall of snow, near a yard deep, and that they were afterwards found dead in the woods, in great numbers, because the snow was deeper than they could pass through. Numbers of birds were likewise found dead at that time. In that same winter, a stag came toMatsonginto the stables, and ate hay together with the cattle. It was so pinched by hunger, that it grew tame immediately, and did not run away[200]from people. It afterwards continued in the house, as another tame creature. All aged persons asserted, that formerly this country abounded more with stags than it does at present. It was formerly not uncommon to see thirty or forty of them in a flock together. The reason of their decrease is chiefly owing to the increase of population, the destruction of the woods, and the number of people who kill and frighten the stags at present. However, high up in the country, in great forests and desarts, there are yet great numbers of them. Among their enemies is theLynxof this country, which is the same with theSwedishone51. They climb up the trees, and when the stags pass by, they dart down upon him, get fast hold, bite, and suck the blood, and never give over till they have killed it.I saw several holes in the ground, both on hills and on fields, and fallow grounds; they were round, and commonly[201]about an inch wide; they went almost perpendicularly into the earth, and were made by dung-beetles, or by great worms, which are made use of for angling. The dung-beetles had dug very deep into the ground, thro’ horse-dung, tho’ it lay on the hardest road, so that a great heap of earth lay near it. These holes were afterwards occupied by other insects, especially grasshoppers, (Grylli) andCicadæ; for by digging these holes up, I commonly found one or more young ones of these insects, which had not yet got their perfect size.Maythe 19th. This morning I leftRaccoon, a parish in the country calledNew Sweden, and which is yet chiefly inhabited bySwedes, in order to proceed in my travels to the North. I first intended to set out with the beginning ofApril, but for several reasons this was not adviseble. No leaves were come out at that time, and hardly any flowers appeared. I did not know what flowers grew here in spring; for the autumnal plants are different from the vernal ones. TheSwedeshad this winter told me the œconomical and medical uses of many plants, to which they gave names unknown to me: they could not then shew me those plants on account of the season, and by their deficient and erroneous descriptions,[202]I was not able to guess what plants they meant. By going away so early as the beginning ofApril, I would have remained in uncertainty in regard to these things. It was therefore fit, that I should spend a part of the spring atRaccoon, especially as I had still time enough left for my tour to the North.On the road we saw aBlack Snake, which we killed, and found just five foot long.Catesbyhas described it and its qualities, and also drawn it52. The full-grown Black Snakes are commonly about five feet long, but very slender; the thickest I ever saw was in the broadest part hardly three inches thick; the back is black, shining, and smooth; the chin white and smooth; the belly whitish turning into blue, shining, and very smooth; I believe there are some varieties of this snake. One which was nineteen inches long, had a hundred and eighty-six scales on the belly, (Scuta Abdominalia) and ninety-two half scales on the tail (Squamæ subcaudales), which I found to be true, by a repeated counting of the scales. Another, which was seventeen inches and a half in length, had a hundred and eighty-four scales on the belly, and only sixty-four half scales on the tail; this[203]I likewise assured myself of, by counting the scales over again. It is possible that the end of this last snake’s tail was cut off, and the wound healed up again53.The country abounds with Black Snakes. They are among the first that come out in spring, and often appear very early if warm weather happens; but if it grows cold again after that, they are quite frozen, and lie stiff and torpid on the ground or on the ice; when taken in this state and put before a fire, they revive in less than an hour’s time. It has sometimes happened, when the beginning ofJanuaryis very warm, that they come out of their winter habitations. They commonly appear about the end ofMarch, old style.[204]This is the swiftest of all the snakes which are to be found here, for it moves so quick, that a dog can hardly catch it. It is therefore almost impossible for a man to escape it if pursued: but happily its bite is neither poisonous nor any way dangerous; many people have been bit by it in the woods, and have scarce felt any more inconvenience than if they had been wounded by a knife; the wounded place only remains painful for some time. The Black Snakes seldom do any harm, except in spring, when they copulate; but if any body comes in their way at that time, they are so much vexed, as to pursue him as fast as they can. If they meet with a person who is afraid of them, he is in great distress. I am acquainted with several people, who have on such an occasion run so hard as to be quite out of breath, in endeavouring to escape the snake, which moved with the swiftness of an arrow after them. If a person thus pursued can muster up courage enough to oppose the snake with a stick or any thing else, when it is either passed by him, or when he steps aside to avoid it, it will turn back again, and seek a refuge in its swiftness. It is, however, sometimes bold enough to run directly upon a man, and not to depart before[205]it has received a good stroke. I have been assured by several, that when it overtakes a person, who has tried to escape it, and who has not courage enough to oppose it, it winds round his feet, so as to make him fall down; it then bites him several times in the leg, or whatever part it can get hold of, and goes off again. I shall mention two circumstances, which confirm what I have said. During my stay inNew York, Dr.Coldentold me, that in the spring, 1748, he had several workmen at his country seat, and among them one lately arrived fromEurope, who of course knew very little of the qualities of the Black Snake. The other workmen seeing a great Black Snake copulating with its female, engaged the new comer to go and kill it, which he intended to do with a little stick. But on approaching the place where the snakes lay, they perceived him, and the male in great wrath leaves his pleasure to pursue the fellow with amazing swiftness; he little expected such courage in the snake, and flinging away his stick, began to run as fast as he was able. The snake pursued him, overtook him, and twisting several times round his feet, threw him down, and frightened him almost out of his senses; he could not get rid of the snake, till he[206]took a knife and cut it through in two of three places. The other Workmen were rejoiced at this sight, and laughed at it, without offering to help their companion. Many people atAlbanytold me of an accident which happened to a young lady, who went out of town in summer, together with many other girls, attended by her negro. She sat down in the wood, in a place where the others were running about, and before she was aware, a Black Snake being disturbed in its amours, ran under her petticoats, and twisted round her waist, so that she fell backwards in a swoon occasioned by her fright, or by the compression which the snake caused. The negro came up to her, and suspecting that a Black Snake might have hurt her, on making use of a remedy to bring his lady to herself again, he lifted up her cloaths, and really found the snake wound about her body as close as possible; the negro was not able to tear it away, and therefore cut it, and the girl came to herself again; but she conceived so great an aversion to the negro, that she could not bear the sight of him afterwards, and died of a consumption. At other times of the year this snake is more apt to run away, than to attack people. However I have heard it asserted frequently, that even in summer[207]when its time of copulation is past, it pursues people, especially children, if it finds that they are afraid and run from her. Several people likewise assured me from their own experience, that it may be provoked to pursue people, if they throw at it, and then run away. I cannot well doubt of this, as I have heard it said by numbers of creditable people; but I could never succeed in provoking them. I ran always away on perceiving it, or flung something at it, and then took to my heels, but I could never bring the snakes to pursue me: I know not for what reason they shunned me, unless they took me for an artful seducer.Most of the people in this country ascribed to this snake a power of fascinating birds and squirrels, as I have described in several parts of my Journal54. When the snake lies under a tree, and has fixed his eyes on a bird or squirrel above; it obliges them to come down, and to go directly into its mouth. I cannot account for this, for I never saw it done. However, I have a list of more than twenty persons, among which are some of the most creditable people, who have all unanimously, though[208]living far distant from each other, asserted the same thing; they allured me upon their honor, that they have seen (at several times) these Black Snakes fascinating squirrels and birds which sat on the tops of trees, the snake lying at the foot of the tree, with its eyes fixed upon the bird or squirrel, which sits above it, and utters a doleful note; from which it is easy to conclude with certainty that it is about to be fascinated, though you cannot see it. The bird or squirrel runs up and down along the tree continuing its plaintive song, and always comes nearer the snake, whose eyes are unalterably fixed upon it. It should seem as if these poor creatures endeavoured to escape the snake, by hopping or running up the tree; but there appears to be a power which withholds them: they are forced downwards, and each time that they turn back, they approach nearer their enemy, till they are at last forced to leap into its mouth, which stands wide open for that purpose. Numbers of squirrels and birds are continually running and hopping fearless in the woods on the ground, where the snakes ly in wait for them, and can easily give these poor creatures a mortal bite. Therefore it seems that this fascination might be thus interpreted, that the[209]creature has first got a mortal wound from the snake, which is sure of her bite, and lies quiet, being assured that the wounded creature has been poisoned with the bite, or at least feels pain from the violence of the bite, and that it will at last be obliged to come down into its mouth. The plaintive note is perhaps occasioned by the acuteness of the pain which the wound gives the creature. But to this it may be objected, that the bite of the Black Snake is not poisonous; it may further be objected, that if the snake could come near enough to a bird or squirrel to give it a mortal bite, it might as easily keep hold of it, or, as it sometimes does with poultry, twist round and strangle or stifle it. But the chief objection which lies against this interpretation, is the following account, which I received from the most creditable people, who have assured me of it. The squirrel being upon the point of running into the snake’s mouth, the spectators have not been able to let it come to that pitch, but killed the snake, and as soon as it had got a mortal blow, the squirrel or bird destined for destruction, flew away, and left off their moanful note, as if they had broke loose from a net. Some say, that if they only touched the snake, so as to draw off[210]its attention from the squirrel, it went off quickly, not stopping till it had got to a great distance. Why do the squirrels or birds go away so suddenly, and why no sooner? If they had been poisoned or bitten by the snake before, so as not to be able to get from the tree, and to be forced to approach the snake always more and more, they could however not get new strength by the snake being killed or diverted. Therefore, it seems that they are onlyenchanted, whilst the snake has its eyes fixed on them. However, this looks odd and unaccountable, though many of the worthiest and most reputable people have related it, and though it is so universally believed here, that to doubt it would be to expose one’s self to general laughter.The black snakes kill the smaller species of frogs, and eat them. If they get at eggs of poultry, or of other birds, they make holes in them, and suck the contents. When the hens are sitting on the eggs, they creep into the nest, wind round the birds, stifle them, and suck the eggs. Mr.Bartramasserted, that he had often seen this snake creep up into the tallest trees, after bird’s eggs, or young birds, always with the head foremost, when descending. ASwedetold me, that a black[211]snake had once got the head of one of his hens in its mouth, and was wound several times round the body, when he came and killed the snake. The hen was afterwards as well as ever.This snake is very greedy of milk, and it is difficult to keep it out, when it is once used to go into a cellar where milk is kept. It has been seen eating milk out of the same dish with children, without biting them, though they often gave it blows with the spoon upon the head, when it was overgreedy. I never heard it hissing. It can raise more than one half of its body from the ground, in order to look about her. It skins every year; and its skin is said to be a remedy against the cramp, if continually worn about the body.The rye was now beginning to flower.I have often observed with astonishment, on my travels, the great difference between the plants and the soil, on the two opposite banks of brooks. Sometimes a brook, which one can stride over, has plants on one bank widely different from those on the opposite bank. Therefore, whenever I came to a great brook or a river, I expected to find plants which I had not met with before. Their seeds are carried down[212]with the stream from distant parts. The soil is likewise very often different on the different sides of a rivulet, being rich and fertile on the one, and dry, barren, and sandy on the other. But a great river can make still greater differences. Thus we see the great disparity between the province ofPensylvania, andNew Jersey, which are only divided by the riverDelaware. InPensylvaniathe soil consists of a mould mixed with sand and clay, and is very rich and fertile: and in the woods which are higher in the country, the ground is mountainous and stony. On the other hand, in the province ofNew Jersey, the soil is poor and dry, and not very fertile, some parts excepted. You can hardly find a stone inNew Jersey, and much less mountains. InPensylvaniayou scarce ever see a fir-tree, and inNew Jerseyare whole woods of it.This evening I arrived atPhiladelphia.Maythe 22d. The locusts began to creep out of their holes in the ground last night, and continued to do so to-day. As soon as their wings were dry, they began their song, which is almost sufficient to make one deaf, when travelling through the woods. This year there was an immense number of them. I have given a[213]minute account of them, of their food, qualities, &c. in theMemoirs of the Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences55; it is therefore needless to repeat it here, and I refer the reader to the quoted place.Maythe 25th. The tulip-tree (Liriodendron tulipifera) was now in full blossom. The flowers have a resemblance to tulips, and look very fine, and though they have not a very agreeable smell, yet the eye is pleased to see trees as tall as full-grown oaks, covered with tulip-like flowers.On the flowers of the tulip-tree was an olive-colouredChafer(Scarabæus) without horns (muticus), the future and borders of his wing-shells (Elytræ) were black, and his thighs brown. I cannot with certainty say whether they collected the pollen of the flower, or whether they coupled. Later in summer, I saw the same kind of beetles make deep holes into the ripe mulberries, either to eat them, or to lay their eggs in them. I likewise found them abundant in the leaves of theMagnolia glauca, or beaver-tree.Thestrawberrieswere now ripe on the hills.[214]The country people already brought ripe cherries up to town; but they were only a few to satisfy curiosity, yet we may form a judgment of the climate from hence.Maythe 26th. A peculiar kind of storm called aTravat, orTravado, happened to-day. In the evening about ten o’clock, when the sky was quite clear, a thick, black cloud came rushing from the south-west, with a wind. The air was quite calm, and we could not feel any breeze. But the approach of this cloud was perceived from the strong rushing noise in the woods to the south-west, and which encreased in proportion as the cloud came nearer. As soon as it was come up to us, it was attended by a violent gust of wind, which in its course threw down the weaker enclosures, carried them a good way along with it, and broke down several trees. It was then followed by a hard shower of rain, which put an end to the storm, and every thing was calm as before. These travadoes are frequent in summer, and have the quality of cooling the air. However, they often do a deal of damage. They are commonly attended by thunder and lightning; as soon as they are passed over, the sky is as clear as it was before.Maythe 28th. TheMagnolia glauca[215]was now in full bloom. Its flowers have a very pleasant fragrancy, which refreshes the travellers in the woods, especially towards the evening. The flowers of the wild vine afterwards supplied the place of those of the Magnolia. Several other flowers contribute likewise towards perfuming the ambient air.TheKalmia angustifoliawas now every where in flower. It grows chiefly on sandy heaths, or on dry poor grounds, which few other plants will agree with; it is common inPensylvania, but particularly inNew Jersey, and the province ofNew York, it is scarce inCanada; its leaves stay the winter; the flowers are a real ornament to the woods; they grow in bunches like crowns, and are of a fine lively purple colour; at the bottom is a circle of deep purple, and within it a greyish or whitish colour. The flowers grow as aforesaid, in bunches, round the extremity of the stalk, and make it look like a decorated pyramid. TheEnglishatNew Yorkcall this plant theDwarf Laurel. Its qualities are the same with those of theKalmia latifolia, viz. that it kills sheep and other lesser animals, when they eat plentifully of it. I do not know whether it is noxious to the greater cattle. It is not of[216]any known use, and only serves to attract the eye whilst in flower.TheKalmia latifoliawas likewise in full blossom at present. It rivals the preceding one, in the beauty of its colour; yet though they are conspicuous in regard to the colours and shape of theirflowers, they are no ways remarkable for smell, such as theMagnoliais; for they have little or no smell at all. So equally and justly does nature distribute her gifts; no part of the creation has them all, each has its own, and none is absolutely without a share of them.Maythe 30th. TheMoravian Brethren, who arrived in great numbers fromEurope, atNew York, inMay, brought two convertedGreenlanderswith them. TheMoravianswho were already settled inAmerica, immediately sent some of their brethren fromPhiladelphiato the new comers, in order to welcome them. Among these deputies were twoNorth American Indians, who had been converted to their doctrine, and likewise twoSouth American Indians, fromSurinam. These three kinds of convertedIndiansaccordingly met atNew York. I had no opportunity of seeing them; but all those who had seen them, and whom I conversed with, thought that[217]they had plainly perceived a similarity in their features and shape, theGreenlandersbeing only somewhat smaller. They concluded from hence, that all these three kinds ofAmericanswere the posterity of one and the same descendant ofNoah, or that they were perhaps yet more nearly related. How far their guesses are to be relied upon, I cannot determine.Ripe cherries were now already pretty common, and consequently cheap.Yams are a species of roots, which are cultivated in the hottest parts ofAmerica, for eating, as we do potatoes. It has not yet been attempted to plant them here, and they are brought from theWest Indiesin ships; therefore they are reckoned a rarity here, and as such I ate them at Dr.Franklin’s to-day. They are white, and taste like common potatoes, but not quite so agreeable; and I think it would not be worth while to plant them inSweden, though they might bear the climate. The plant these roots belong to is theDioscorea alata.The inhabitants make plenty of cheese. They are not reckoned so good asEnglishcheese: however, some take them to be full as good when old; and so they seemed to me. A man fromBostoninNew-Englandtold me, that they made very good[218]cheese there: but they take care to keep the cattle from salt water, especially those who live near the sea-coasts; for it has been found, that the cheese will not become so good when the cows graze near salt water, as it will when they have fresh water. This, however, wants nearer examination, in my opinion.Maythe 31st. About noon I leftPhiladelphia, and went on board a small yacht, which sails continually up and down upon the riverDelaware, betweenTrentonandPhiladelphia. We sailed up the river with fair wind and weather.Sturgeonsleaped often a fathom into the air. We saw them continuing this exercise all day, till we came toTrenton. The banks on thePensylvanianside were low; and those on theNew Jerseyside steep and sandy, but not very high. On both sides we perceived forests of tall trees, withdeciduousleaves.During the course of this month, the forenoon was always calm; but immediately after noon it began to blow gently, and sometimes pretty strongly. This morning was likewise fair; and in the afternoon it was cloudy, but did not rain.The banks of the river were sometimes high, and sometimes low. We saw some small houses near the shore, in the woods;[219]and, now and then, a good house built of stone. The river now decreased visibly in breadth. About three o’clock this afternoon we passedBurlington.Burlington, the chief town in the province ofNew Jersey, and the residence of the governor, is but a small town, about twenty miles fromPhiladelphia, on the eastern side of theDelaware. The houses were chiefly built of stone, though they stood far distant from each other. The town has a good situation, since ships of considerable burden can sail close up to it: butPhiladelphiaprevents its carrying on an extensive trade; for the proprietors of that place56have granted it great immunities, by which it is increased so as to swallow all the trade of the adjacent towns. The house of the governor atBurlingtonis but a small one: it is built of stone, close by the river side, and is the first building in the town as you come fromPhiladelphia. It is observed, that about the full moons, when the tides are highest, and the high water atCape Hinlopencomes at nine o’clock in the morning, it will be atChester, on the riverDelaware, about ten minutes after one o’clock; atPhiladelphia, about ten minutes after two o’clock; and atBurlington,[220]about ten minutes after three o’clock; for the tide in the riverDelawarecomes quite up toTrenton. These observations were communicated to me by Mr.Lewis Evans.The banks of the river were now chiefly high and steep on the side ofNew Jersey, consisting of a pale brick-coloured soil. On thePensylvanianside, they were gently sloping, and consisted of a blackish rich mould, mixed with particles of Glimmer (Mica). On theNew Jerseyside appeared some firs; but seldom on the other, except in a few places where they were accidentally brought over fromNew Jersey.Towards night, after the tide had begun to ebb and the wind was quite subsided, we could not proceed, but dropped our anchor about seven miles fromTrenton, and passed the night there. The woods were full ofFireflies, (Lampyris) which flew like sparks of fire between the trees, and sometimes across the river. In the marshes, theBullfrogsnow and then began their hideous roaring; and more than a hundred of them roared together. TheWhip-poor-will, orGoatsucker, was likewise heard every where.Junethe 1st. We continued our voyage this morning, after the rain was over. The[221]riverDelawarewas very narrow here, and the banks the same as we found them yesterday, after we had passedBurlington. About eight o’clock in the morning we arrived atTrenton57.Junethe 2d. This morning we leftTrenton, and proceeded towardsNew York. The country I have described before58. The fields were sown with wheat, rye, maize, oats, hemp, and flax. In several places, we saw very large pieces of ground with hemp.We saw abundance of chesnut-trees in the woods. They often stood in excessive poor ground, which was neither too dry nor too wet.Tulip-treesdid not appear on the road; but the people said there were some in the woods.TheBeaver-tree(Magnolia glauca) grows in the swamps. It was now in flower, and the fragrancy of its blossoms had so perfumed the air, that one could enjoy it before one approached the swamps; and this fine smell likewise shewed that a beaver-tree was near us, though we often happened not to see it.[222]ThePhlox Glaberrimagrows abundantly in the woods, and cuts a fine figure with its red flowers. It grows in such soil here as inEuropeis occupied by theLychnis viscariaandLychnis dioica, or red Catchfly and Campion. ThePhlox maculatagrows abundantly in wet ground, and has fine red and odoriferous flowers. It grows on low meadows, where inEuropethe Meadow-pinks, orLychnis flos cuculi, would be met with. By adding to these flowers theBartsia coccinea, theLobelia cardinalis, and theMonarda didyma, which grow wild in this country, they are undoubtedly altogether adorned with the finest red imaginable.TheSassafras-treewas abundant in the woods, and near the inclosures.The houses which we passed by were most of them wooden. In one place, I saw the people building a house with walls of mere clay, which is likewise employed in making ovens for baking.Buckwheatwas already coming up in several places. We saw single plants of it all day in the woods, and in the fields, but always by the side of the road; from whence it may be concluded, that they spring up from lost and scattered seeds.[223]Late this evening we arrived atNew Brunswick59.Junethe 3d. At noon we went on board a yacht bound forNew York, and sailed down the river, which had at first pretty high and steep banks, of red sandstone, on each side, which I have mentioned before.60Now and then, there was a farm-house on the high shore. As we came lower down, we saw on both sides great fields and meadows, close up to the water. We could not sail at random with the yacht; for the river was often shallow in some places, and sometimes in the very middle. For that purpose, the course which we were to take was marked out by branches with leaves on them. At last we got into the sea, which bounded our prospect on the south; but on the other side, we were continually in sight of land at some distance. On coming to the mouth of the river, we had a choice of two roads toNew York;viz.either within theStaten Island, or without it. The inhabitants are determined in their choice by the weather; for when itisstormy and cloudy, or dark, they do not venture to sail without, where the sea itself communicates. We took that course[224]now, it being very pleasant weather; and though we struck on the sands once or twice, yet we got loose again, and arrived atNew Yorkabout nine o’clock. Of this town I have given an account in the preceding volume61.Junethe 4th. I found vines in several gardens, got from the old countries. They bear annually a quantity of excellent grapes. When the winters are very severe, they are killed by the frost, and die quite to the ground; but the next spring new shoots spring up from the root.Strawberrieswere now sold in abundance about the town every day. AnEnglishmanfromJamaicaasserted, that in that island there were no strawberries. The snakes are very fond of strawberries. Those which they had here were not so good as theSwedishandFinlandones.Red Cloverwas sown in several places on the hills without the town. The country people were now employed in mowing the meadows. Some were already mown; and the dry clover was put under cover, in order to be carried away the first opportunity.Cherry-treeswere planted in great quantities before the farm-houses, and along[225]the high-roads, fromPhiladelphiatoNew Brunswick; but behind that place they became more scarce. On coming toStaten Island, in the province ofNew York, I found them very common again, near the gardens. Here are not so many varieties of cherries as there are inPensylvania. I seldom saw any of the black sweet cherries62atNew York; but commonly the sour red ones. All travellers are allowed to pluck ripe fruit in any garden which they pass by; and not even the most covetous farmer can hinder them from so doing. BetweenNew BrunswickandStaten Island, are a few cherry-gardens; but proportionably more orchards, with apple-trees.Junethe 6th. Several gentlemen and merchants, between fifty and sixty years of age, asserted, that during their life they had plainly found several kinds of fish decrease in number every year; and that they could not get near so many fish now as they could formerly.Rum, a brandy prepared from the sugar-canes, and in great use with all theEnglish North Americancolonies, is reckoned much wholesomer than brandy, made from wine or corn63. In confirmation of this[226]opinion, they say, that if you put a piece of fresh meat into rum, and another into brandy, and leave them there for some months; that in the rum will keep as it was, but that in the brandy will be quite eaten, and full of holes. But this experiment does not seem a very accurate one to me. MajorRoderforttold me, that being upon theCanadaexpedition, he had observed, that such of his men as drank brandy for some time died of it; but those who drank rum were not hurt, though they got drunk with it every day, and oftener than the others.Long-Islandis the name of an island opposite the town ofNew York, in the sea. The northern part of the island is much more fertile than the southern. Formerly there lived a number ofIndianson this island; and there are yet some, which however decrease in number every year, because they leave the island. The soil of the southern part of the island is very poor;[227]but this deficiency is made up by a vast quantity of oysters, lobsters, crabs, several kinds of fish, and numbers of water fowl, all which are there far more abundant than on the northern shores of the Island. Therefore theIndiansformerly chose the southern part to live in, because they subsisted on oysters, and other productions of the sea. When the tide is out, it is very easy to fill a whole cart with oysters, which have been driven on shore by one flood. The Island is strewed with oystershells and other shells, which theIndiansleft there; these shells serve now for good manure for the fields. The southern part of the Island is turned into meadows, and the northern part into fields. The winter is more constant on the northern part, and the snow in spring lies longer there than on the southern part. The people are very fertile here, and commonly tall and strong.

Sometimes they sit at a good distance from the pond; but as soon as they suspect any danger, they hasten with great leaps into the water. They are very expert at hopping. A full-grownBullfrogtakes near three yards at one hop. I have often been told the following story by the oldSwedes, which happened here, at the time when theIndianslived with theSwedes. It is well known, that theIndiansare excellent runners; I have seen them, at GovernorJohnson’s, equal the best horse in its swiftest[173]course, and almost pass by it. Therefore, in order to try how well the bull-frogs could leap, some of theSwedeslaid a wager with a youngIndian, that he could not overtake the frog, provided it had two leaps before hand. They carried a bull-frog, which they had caught in a pond, upon a field, and burnt his back-side; the fire, and theIndian, who endeavoured to be closely up with the frog, had such an effect upon the animal, that it made its long hops across the field, as fast as it could. TheIndianbegan to pursue the frog with all his might at the proper time: the noise he made in running frightened the poor frog; probably it was afraid of being tortured with fire again, and therefore it redoubled its leaps, and by that means it reached the pond before theIndiancould over-take it.In some years they are more numerous than in others: nobody could tell, whether the snakes had ever ventured to eat them, though they eat all the lesser kinds of frogs. The women are no friends to these frogs, because they kill and eat young ducklings and goslings: sometimes they carry off chickens that come too near the ponds. I have not observed that they bite when they are held in the hands, though they have little teeth; when they are beaten, they cry[174]out almost like children. I was told that some eat the thighs of the hind legs, and that they are very palatable.A tree which grows in the swamps here, and in other parts ofAmerica, goes by the name ofWhite Juniper-tree. Its stem indeed looks like one of our old tall and strait juniper-trees inSweden: but the leaves are different, and the wood is white. TheEnglishcall itWhite Cedar, because the boards which are made of the wood, are like those made of cedar. But neither of these names are just, for the tree is of the cypress kind44. It always grows in wet ground or swamps: it is therefore difficult to come to them, because the ground between the little hillocks is full of water. The trees stand both on the hillocks and in the water: they grow very close together, and have strait, thick, and tall stems; but they were greatly reduced in number to what they have been before. In such places where they are left to grow up, they grow as tall and as thick as the tallest fir-trees; they preserve their green leaves both in winter and summer; the tall ones have no branches on the lower part of the stem.The marshes where these trees grow are calledCedar Swamps. These cedar swamps[175]are numerous inNew Jersey, and likewise in some parts ofPensylvaniaandNew York. The most northerly place, where it has been hitherto found, is nearGosheninNew York, under forty-one degrees and twenty-live minutes of north latitude, as I am informed by Dr.Colden. For to the North ofGoshen, it has not been found in the woods. The white cedar is one of the trees, which resist the most to putrefaction; and when it is put above ground, it will last longer than under ground: therefore it is employed for many purposes; it makes good fences, and posts which are to be put into the ground; but in this point, the red cedar is still preferable to the white; it likewise makes good canoes. The young trees are employed for hoops,round barrels, tuns, &c. because they are thin and pliable; the thick and tall trees afford timber, and wood for cooper’s work. The houses which are built of it, surpass in duration, those which are built ofAmericanoak. Many of the houses inRapaapowere made of this white cedar wood; but the chief thing which the white cedar affords is the best kind of shingles. The white cedar shingles are preferred to all others for several reasons; first, they are more durable than any others made ofAmericanwood, the red cedar shingles[176]excepted; secondly, they are very light, so that no strong beams are requisite to support the roof. For the same reason it is unnecessary to build thick walls, because they are not pressed by heavy roofs. When fires break out, it is less dangerous to go under or along the roofs, because the shingles being very light can do little hurt by falling; they suck the water, being somewhat spungy, so that the roofs can easily be wetted in case of a fire: however, their fatness occasions that the water does not hurt them, but evaporates easily. When they burn and are carried about by the wind, they have commonly what is called a dead coal, which does not easily set fire where it alights. The roofs made of these shingles can easily be cut through, if required, because they are thin, and not very hard; for these qualities the people in the country, and in the towns, are very desirous of having their houses covered with white cedar shingles, if the wood can be got. Therefore all churches, and the houses of the more substantial inhabitants of the towns, have shingle roofs. In many parts ofNew Yorkprovince, where the white cedar does not grow, the people, however, have their houses roofed with cedar shingles, which they get from other parts. To that purpose great quantities of shingles are annually exported fromEggharbourand[177]other parts ofNew Jersey, to the town ofNew York, from whence they are distributed throughout the province. A quantity of white cedar wood is likewise exported every year to theWest Indies, for shingles, pipe staves, &c. Thus the inhabitants are very busy here, not only to lessen the number of these trees, but even to extirpate them entirely. They are here (and in many other places) in regard to wood, bent only upon their own present advantage, utterly regardless of posterity. By this means many cedar swamps are already quite destitute of cedars, having only young shoots left; and I plainly observed, by counting the circles round the stem, that they do not grow up very quickly, but require a great deal of time before they can be cut for timber. It is well known that a tree gets only one circle every year; a stem, eighteen inches in diameter, had one hundred and eight circles round the thicker end; another, seventeen inches in diameter, had a hundred and sixteen; and another, two feet in diameter, had one hundred and forty-two circles upon it. Thus near eighty years growth is required, before a White cedar raised from seed can be used for timber. Among the advantages which the white cedar shingles have over others, the[178]people reckon their lightness. But this good and useful quality may in future times turn out very disadvantageous toPhiladelphia, and other places where the houses are rooted with cedar shingles; for as the roofs made of these shingles are very light, and bear but a trifling weight on the walls, so the people have made the walls but very thin. I measured the thickness of the walls of several houses here, of three stories high (cellar and garret not included), and found most of them nine inches and a half, and some ten inches thick; therefore it is by no means surprising, that violent hurricanes sometimes make the brick gable-ends to vibrate apparently, especially on such houses as have a very open situation. And since the cedar-trees will soon be wanting in this country, and the present roofs when rotten must be supplied with heavier ones, of tiles, or of other wood, it is more than probable, that the thin walls will not be able to bear such an additional weight, and will either break, or require to be supported by props: or else the whole house must be pulled down and rebuilt with thicker walls. This observation has already been made by others. Some of the people here make use of the chips of white cedar instead of tea, alluring me that they preferred it in[179]regard to its wholesomeness to all foreign tea. All the inhabitants here were of opinion, that the water in the cedar swamps is wholesomer than any other drink: it creates a great appetite, which they endeavoured to prove by several examples. They ascribed this quality to the water itself, which is filled with the rosin of the trees, and to the exhalations which came from the trees, and can easily be smelled. The people likewise thought that the yellowish colour of the water, which stands between the cedar trees, was owing to the rosin, which comes out of the roots of these trees. They likewise all agreed, that this water is always very cold in the hottest season, which may be partly owing to the continual shade it is in. I knew several people who were resolved to go to these cedar swamps, and use the waters for the recovery of their appetite. Mr.Bartramplanted a white cedar in a dry soil, but it could not succeed there: he then put it into a swampy ground, where it got as it were new life, and came on very well; and though it was not taller than a man, yet it was full of cones. Another thing is very remarkable, with regard to the propagation of this tree: Mr.Bartramcut its branches in spring two years successively, and put them into the swampy soil,[180]where they struck roots, and succeeded very well. I have seen them myself.Thered Juniper-treeis another tree which I have mentioned very frequently in the course of my account. TheSwedeshave given it the name of red Juniper, because the wood is very red and fine within. TheEnglishcall itred Cedar, and theFrenchCedre rouge. However, theSwedishname is the most proper, as the tree belongs to theJunipers45. At its first growth it has a deal of similarity to theSwedish Juniper46, but after it is grown up it gets quite different leaves. The berry exactly resembles that of theSwedish Juniper, in regard to its colour and shape; however, they are not so big, though the redCedargrows very tall. AtRaccoonthese trees stood single, and were not very tall. But at other places I have seen them standing together in clusters; they like the same ground as the commonSwedish Juniper, especially on the rising banks of rivers, and on other rising grounds, in a dry, and frequently in a poor soil. I have seen them growing in abundance, as thick and tall as the tallest fir-trees, on poor dry and sandy heaths. TowardsCanada, or in[181]the most northerly places, where I have seen them, they commonly choose the steep sides of the mountains, and there they grow promiscuously with the commonJuniper. The most northerly places where I have found them wild in the woods, is inCanada, eighteenFrenchmiles to the southward of the FortSaint Jean, orSt. John, in about 44° 35′ North Latitude. I have likewise seen it growing very well in a garden, on the island ofMagdalene47, belonging to the then governor ofMontreal,Monsieur le Baron de Longueuil. But it had been got at more southerly places, and was transplanted here. Of all the woods in this country, this is without exception the most durable, and withstands putrefaction longer than any other; it is therefore employed in all such cases where it is most liable to rot, especially for all kinds of posts which are to be put into the ground. Some people say, that if an iron be put into the ground along with a pole of cedar, the iron would be half corroded by rust in the same time that the wood would be rotten. In many places both the fences, and the posts belonging to them, are made[182]of red cedar. The best canoes, consisting of a single piece of wood, are made of red cedar; for they last longer than any others, and are very light. InNew YorkI have seen pretty large yachts build of red cedar. Several yachts which go fromNew YorktoAlbany, up the riverHudson, are built in a different manner, as I have mentioned in the first volume48. InPhiladelphiathey cannot make any yachts or other boats of red cedar, because the quantity and the size of the trees will not allow of it. For the same reason they do not roof their houses with red cedar shingles; but in such places where it is plentiful, it makes excellent good roofs. The heart of this cedar is of a fine red colour, and whatever is made of it looks very fine, and has a very agreeable and wholesome smell. But the colour fades by degrees, or else the wood would be exceedingly proper for cabinet work. I saw a parlour in the country seat of Mr.Norris, one of the Members of thePensylvanianHouse of Assembly, wainscotted many years ago with boards of red cedar. Mr.Norrisassured me that the[183]cedar looked exceedingly well in the beginning, but it was quite faded when I saw it, and the boards looked very shabby, especially the boards near the window had entirely lost their colour; so that Mr.Norrishad been obliged to put mahogany in their stead: however, I was told, that the wood will keep its colour if a thin varnish is put upon it whilst it is fresh, and just after it has been planed, and if care is taken that the wood is not afterwards rubbed or hurt. At least it makes the wood keep its colour much longer than commonly. Since it has a very pleasant smell, when fresh, some people put the shavings and chips of it among their linen to secure it against being worm-eaten. Some likewise get bureaus, &c. made of red cedar, with the same view. But it is only useful for this purpose as long as it is fresh, for it loses its smell after some time, and is then no longer good for keeping off insects. It is sometimes sent toEngland, as timber, and sells very well. In many places roundPhiladelphia, in the seats of the gentry, there was commonly an avenue, with a row of these trees planted on both sides, leading from the high road to the house. The lower branches were cut, and only a fine crown left. In winter,[184]when most other trees have losttheirleaves, this looks very fine. This tree has likewise a very slow growth; for a stem, thirteen inches and a quarter in diameter, had one hundred and eighty-eight rings, or annual circles and another, eighteen inches in diameter, had at least two hundred and fifty, for a great number of the rings were so fine that they could not be counted. This tree is propagated in the same manner as the common Juniper-tree is inSweden, viz. chiefly by birds, which eat the berries and emit the seeds entire. To encourage the planting of this useful tree, a description of the method of doing it, written by Mr.Bartram, was inserted in aPensylvaniaalmanack, calledPoor Richard Improved, for the year 1749. In it was explained the manner of planting and augmenting the number of these trees, and mention is made of some of the purposes to which they may be employed.In the evening I returned toRaccoon.Maythe 6th. The Mulberry-trees (Morus rubra) about this time began to blossom, but their leaves were yet very small.The people divided them into male and female trees or flowers; and said that those which never bore any fruit were males, and those which did, females.[185]Smilax laurifoliawas superabundant in all the swamps near this place. Its leaves were now beginning to come out, for it sheds them all every winter; it climbs up along trees and shrubs, and runs across from one tree or bush to another: by this means it shuts up the passage between the trees, fastening itself every where with its cirrhi or tendrils, and even on people, so that it is with the utmost difficulty one must force a passage in the swamps and woods, where it is plentiful; the stalk towards the bottom is full of long spines, which are as strong as the spines of a rose-bush, and catch hold of the clothes, and tear them: this troublesome plant may sometimes bring you into imminent danger, when botanizing or going into the woods, for, not to mention that the cloaths must be absolutely ruined by its numberless spines, it occasions a deep shade in the woods, by crossing from tree to tree so often; this forces you to stoop, and even to creep on all fours through the little passages which are left close to the ground, and then you cannot be careful enough to prevent a snake (of which there are numbers here) from darting into your face. The stalk of the plant has the same colour as the young rose-bushes. It is quite green[186]and smooth between the spines, so that a stranger would take it to be a kind of thorn-bush, in winter, when it is destitute of leaves.Maythe 8th. The trees hereabouts were now stocked with innumerableCaterpillars; one kind especially was observable, which is worse than all the others. They immediately formed great white webs, between the branches of the trees, so that they were perceptible, even at a distance; in each of these webs were thousands ofCaterpillars, which crept out of them afterwards, and spread chiefly upon the apple-trees. They consumed the leaves, and often left not one on a whole branch. I was told, that some years ago they did so much damage, that the apple-trees and peach-trees hardly bore any fruit at all; because they had consumed all the leaves, and exposed the naked trees to the intense heat of the sun, by which means several of the trees died. The people took the following method of killing theseCaterpillars: They fixed some straw or flax on a pole, set it on fire, and held it under the webs or nests; by which a part was burnt, and a part fell to the ground. However, numbers of theCaterpillarscrept up the trees again, which could have been prevented, if they had been[187]trod upon, or killed any other way. I called chickens to such places where they crept on the ground in numbers; but they would not eat them. Nor did the wild birds like them; for the trees were full of these webs, though whole flights of little birds had their nests in the gardens and orchards.Maythe 18th. Though it was already pretty late inMay, yet the nights were very dark here. About an hour after sun-set, it was so dark, that it was impossible to read in a book, though the type was ever so large. About ten o’clock, on a clear night, the dark was so much increased, that it looked like one of the darkest star-light nights in autumn, inSweden. It likewise seemed to me, that though the nights were clear, yet the stars did not give so great a light as they do inSweden. And as, about this time, the nights are commonly dark, and the sky covered with clouds; so I would compare them only to dark and cloudySwedishwinter nights. It was therefore, at this time of the year, very difficult to travel in such cloudy nights; for neither man nor horse could find their way. The nights, in general, seem very disagreeable to me, in comparison to the light and glorious, summer nights ofSweden. Ignorance sometimes makes us think slightly of[188]our country. If other countries have their advantages,Swedenis not destitute of matter to boast of on this head: it likewise has its peculiar advantages; and upon weighing the advantages and inconveniencies of different places,Swedenwill be found to be not inferior to any of them.I will briefly mention in what points I thinkSwedenis preferable to this part ofAmerica; and why I preferOld SwedentoNew Sweden.The nights are very dark here all the summer; and in winter, they are quite as dark, if not darker, than the winter nights inSweden; for here is no kind ofAurora Borealis, and the stars give a very faint light. It is very remarkable if anAurora Borealisappears once or twice a year. The winters here bring no snow, to make the nights clear, and to make travelling more safe and easy. The cold is, however, frequently as intense as inOld Sweden. The snow which falls lies only a few days, and always goes off with a great deal of wet. TheRattle-snakes,Horned-snakes,red-bellied,green, and other poisonousSnakes, against whose bite there is frequently no remedy, are in great plenty here. To these I must add the wood-lice, with which the forests are so pestered, that it is impossible to pass through a bush without[189]having a whole army of them on your cloaths, or to sit down, though the place be ever so pleasant. The inconvenience and trouble they cause, both to man and beast, I have described in theMemoirs of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. The weather is so inconstant here, that when a day is most excessively hot, the next is often sensibly cold. This sudden change often happens in one day; and few people can suffer these changes, without impairing their health. The heat in summer is excessive, and the cold in winter often very piercing. However, one can always secure one’s self against the cold; but when the great heat is of any duration, there is hardly any remedy against it. It tires one so, that one does not know which way to turn. It has frequently happened, that people who walked into the fields, dropped down dead, on account of the violence of the heat. Several distempers prevail here; and they increase every year. Nobody is left unattacked by the intermitting fever; and many people are forced to suffer it every year, together with other diseases. Pease cannot be sown, on account of the insects which consume them49. There are worms in the grains of rye, and numbers of them are in the cherry-trees.[190]The caterpillars often eat all the leaves from the trees, so that they cannot bear fruit in that year; and numbers die every year, both of fruit-trees and forest-trees. The grass in the meadows is likewise consumed by a kind of worms, and another species cause the plumbs to drop, before they are half ripe. The oak here affords not near so good timber as theEuropeanoak. The fences cannot stand above eighteen years. The houses are of no long duration. The meadows are poor, and what grass they have is bad. The pasture for cattle in the forests, consists of such plants as they do not like, and which they are compelled to eat by necessity; for it is difficult to find a single grass in great forests, where the trees stand far asunder, and where the soil is excellent. For this reason, the cattle are forced, during almost the whole winter and part of the summer, to live upon the young shoots and branches of trees, which sometimes have no leaves: therefore, the cows give very little milk, and decrease in size every generation. The houses are extremely unfit for winter habitations. Hurricanes are frequent, which overthrow trees, carry away roofs, and sometimes houses, and do a great deal of damage. Some of these inconveniencies might be remedied by art;[191]but others will either admit of no alteration, or they will at least cost vast trouble. Thus every country has its advantages, and its defects: happy is he who can content himself with his own.The rye grows very ill in most of the fields, which is chiefly owing to the carelessness in agriculture, and to the poorness of the fields, which are seldom or never manured. After the inhabitants have converted a tract of land into fields, which had been a forest for many centuries together, and which consequently had a very fine soil, they use it as such, as long as it will bear any corn; and when it ceases to bear any, they turn it into pastures for the cattle, and take new corn fields in another place, where a fine soil can be met with, and where it has never been made use of for this purpose. This kind of agriculture will do for some time; but it will afterwards have bad consequences, as every one may clearly see. A few of the inhabitants, however, treated their fields a little better: theEnglishin general have carried agriculture to a higher degree of perfection than any other nation. But the depth and richness of the soil, which those found here who came over fromEngland, (as they were preparing land for ploughing which had been covered[192]with woods from times immemorial) misled them, and made them careless husbandmen. It is well known, that theIndianslived in this country for several centuries before theEuropeanscame into it; but it is likewise known, that they lived chiefly by hunting and fishing, and had hardly any fields. They planted maize, and some species of beans and gourds; and at the same time it is certain, that a plantation of such vegetables as serve anIndianfamily during one year, take up no more ground than a farmer in our country takes to plant cabbage for his family upon; at least, a farmer’s cabbage and turnep ground, taken together, is always as extensive, if not more so, than the corn-fields and kitchen-gardens of anIndianfamily. Therefore, theIndianscould hardly subsist for one month upon the produce of their gardens and fields. Commonly, the little villages ofIndiansare about twelve or eighteen miles distant from each other. From hence one may judge, how little ground was formerly employed for corn-fields; and the rest was overgrown with thick and tall trees. And though they cleared (as is yet usual) new ground, as soon as the old one had quite lost its fertility; yet such little pieces as they made use of were very inconsiderable, when compared[193]to the vast forests which remained. Thus the upper fertile soil increased considerably, for centuries together; and theEuropeanscoming toAmericafound a rich and fine soil before them, lying as loose between the trees as the best bed in a garden. They had nothing to do but to cut down the wood, put it up in heaps, and to clear the dead leaves away. They could then immediately proceed to ploughing, which in such loose ground is very easy; and having sown their corn, they got a most plentiful harvest. This easy method of getting a rich crop has spoiled theEnglishand otherEuropeaninhabitants, and induced them to adopt the same method of agriculture which theIndiansmake use of; that is, to sow uncultivated grounds, as long as they will produce a crop without manuring, but to turn them into pastures as soon as they can bear no more, and to take in hand new spots of ground, covered since time immemorial with woods, which have been spared by the fire or the hatchet ever since the creation. This is likewise the reason why agriculture, and the knowledge of this useful branch, is so imperfect here, that one can learn nothing on a great tract of land, neither of theEnglish, nor of theSwedes,Germans,Dutch, andFrench; except that, from their gross mistakes[194]and carelessness for futurity, one finds opportunities every day of making all sorts of observations, and of growing wise at the expence of other people. In a word, the corn-fields, the meadows, the forests, the cattle, &c. are treated with equal carelessness; and theEnglishnation, so well skilled in these branches of husbandry, is with difficulty found out here. We can hardly be more lavish of our woods inSwedenandFinlandthan they are here: their eyes are fixed upon the present gain, and they are blind to futurity. Every day their cattle are harassed by labour, and each generation decreases in goodness and size, by being kept short of food, as I have before mentioned. On my travels in this country I observed several plants, which the horses and cows preferred to all others. They were wild in this country, and likewise grew well on the driest and poorest ground, where no other plants would succeed. But the inhabitants did not know how to turn this to their advantage; owing to the little account made of Natural History, that science being here (as in other parts of the world) looked upon as a mere trifle, and the pastime of fools. I am certain, and my certainty is founded upon experience, that by means of these plants, in the space of a few years, I have[195]been able to turn the poorest ground, which would hardly afford food for a cow, into the richest and most fertile meadow, where great flocks of cattle have found superfluous food, and are grown fat upon. I own, that these useful plants were not to be found on the grounds of every planter: but with a small share of natural knowledge, a man would easily collect them in the places where they were to be got. I was astonished, when I heard the country people complaining of the badness of the pastures; but I likewise perceived their negligence, and often saw excellent plants growing on their own grounds, which only required a little more attention and assistance from their unexperienced owners. I found every where the wisdom and goodness of the Creator; but too seldom saw any acknowledgment, or adequate estimation of it, among men.O fortunatos nimium sua si bona norint,Agricolas!Virg.Georgic.I have been led to these reflections, which may perhaps seem foreign to my purpose, by the bad and neglected state of agriculture in every part of this continent. I likewise intended to shew the reason why this journal is so thinly stocked with œconomical advantages in the several branches of husbandry. I do not however deny, that I have sometimes found[196]one or two skilful œconomists, but they were very scarce.Birds of prey which pursue the poultry are found in abundance here, and if possible more plentiful than inSweden. They enjoy great liberty here, as there are still great forests in many places, from whence they can come unawares upon chickens and ducks. To the birds of prey it is quite indifferent whether the woods consist of good or bad trees, provided they are in shade. At night the owls, which are very numerous, endanger the safety of the tame fowls. They live chiefly in marshes, give a disagreeable shriek at night, and attack the chickens, which commonly roost at night in the apple-trees, peach-trees, and cherry-trees, in the garden. But since they are very busy in clearing this country of woods, as we are inSwedenandFinland, it may be of use for exposing the birds of prey, more than they are now, and for depriving them of the opportunities of doing mischief with so much ease.The thick forests ofAmericacontain numbers of stags; they do not seem to be a different species from theEuropeanstags. AnEnglishmanwas possessed of a tame hind. It is observable that though these creatures are very shy when wild in the[197]woods and the cedar swamps, which are very much frequented by them, yet they can be tamed to such a degree, if taken young, that they will come of their own accord to people, and even to strangers: This hind was caught when it was but very little; the colour of the whole body was a dirty reddish brown, the belly and the under side of the tail excepted, which were white; the ears were grey; the head, towards the snout, was very narrow, but upon the whole the creature looked very fine. The hair lay close together, and was quite short; the tail reached almost to the bend of the knee, near which, on the inside of each hind-foot, was aknoborcallus. The possessor of the hind said, that he had tamed several stags, by catching them whilst they were very young. It was now big with young ones. It had a little bell hung about its neck, that by walking in the woods, the people might know it to be tame, and take care not to shoot it. It was at liberty to go where it pleased, and to keep it confined would have been a pretty hard task, as it could leap over the highest enclosures. Sometimes it went far into the woods, and frequently staid away a night or two, but afterwards returned home like other cattle.[198]When it went into the woods, it was often accompanied by wild stags, and decoyed them even into the very houses, especially in rutting time, giving its master numerous opportunities of shooting the wild stags, almost at his door. Its scent was excellent, and when it was turned towards the wind, I often saw it rising and looking towards that part, though I did not see any people on the road, but they commonly appeared about an hour after. As soon as the wild stags have the scent of a man, they make off. In winter the man fed the hind with corn and hay; but in summer it went out into the woods and meadows, seeking its own food, eating both grass and other plants: it was now kept in a meadow; it did chiefly eat clover, the leaves of hiccory, of theAndromeda paniculata, and theGeranium maculatum. It was likewise contented with the leaves of the common plantane, orPlantaga, grasses, and several other plants. The possessor of this hind sold stags to people inPhiladelphia, who sent them as curiosities to other places. He got twenty-five, thirty, and forty shillings a-piece for them. The food of the wild stags in summer is grass and several plants; but in winter, when they are not to be got, they eat the shoots and young[199]sprigs of branches. I have already mentioned50that they eat without any danger the spoon-tree, orKalmia latifolia, which is poison to other animals. In the long and severe winter, which commenced here upon the tenth ofDecember, 1740, and continued to the thirteenth ofMarch, old stile, during the course of which there fell a great quantity of snow, the stags were found dead in the snow, but chiefly higher up the country, where the snow was deeper. Nobody could determine whether their death was the consequence of the great quantity and depth of snow, which hindered their getting out, or whether the frost had been too severe, and of too long duration, or whether they were short of food. The old people likewise relate, that vast numbers of stags came down in the year 1705, when there was a heavy fall of snow, near a yard deep, and that they were afterwards found dead in the woods, in great numbers, because the snow was deeper than they could pass through. Numbers of birds were likewise found dead at that time. In that same winter, a stag came toMatsonginto the stables, and ate hay together with the cattle. It was so pinched by hunger, that it grew tame immediately, and did not run away[200]from people. It afterwards continued in the house, as another tame creature. All aged persons asserted, that formerly this country abounded more with stags than it does at present. It was formerly not uncommon to see thirty or forty of them in a flock together. The reason of their decrease is chiefly owing to the increase of population, the destruction of the woods, and the number of people who kill and frighten the stags at present. However, high up in the country, in great forests and desarts, there are yet great numbers of them. Among their enemies is theLynxof this country, which is the same with theSwedishone51. They climb up the trees, and when the stags pass by, they dart down upon him, get fast hold, bite, and suck the blood, and never give over till they have killed it.I saw several holes in the ground, both on hills and on fields, and fallow grounds; they were round, and commonly[201]about an inch wide; they went almost perpendicularly into the earth, and were made by dung-beetles, or by great worms, which are made use of for angling. The dung-beetles had dug very deep into the ground, thro’ horse-dung, tho’ it lay on the hardest road, so that a great heap of earth lay near it. These holes were afterwards occupied by other insects, especially grasshoppers, (Grylli) andCicadæ; for by digging these holes up, I commonly found one or more young ones of these insects, which had not yet got their perfect size.Maythe 19th. This morning I leftRaccoon, a parish in the country calledNew Sweden, and which is yet chiefly inhabited bySwedes, in order to proceed in my travels to the North. I first intended to set out with the beginning ofApril, but for several reasons this was not adviseble. No leaves were come out at that time, and hardly any flowers appeared. I did not know what flowers grew here in spring; for the autumnal plants are different from the vernal ones. TheSwedeshad this winter told me the œconomical and medical uses of many plants, to which they gave names unknown to me: they could not then shew me those plants on account of the season, and by their deficient and erroneous descriptions,[202]I was not able to guess what plants they meant. By going away so early as the beginning ofApril, I would have remained in uncertainty in regard to these things. It was therefore fit, that I should spend a part of the spring atRaccoon, especially as I had still time enough left for my tour to the North.On the road we saw aBlack Snake, which we killed, and found just five foot long.Catesbyhas described it and its qualities, and also drawn it52. The full-grown Black Snakes are commonly about five feet long, but very slender; the thickest I ever saw was in the broadest part hardly three inches thick; the back is black, shining, and smooth; the chin white and smooth; the belly whitish turning into blue, shining, and very smooth; I believe there are some varieties of this snake. One which was nineteen inches long, had a hundred and eighty-six scales on the belly, (Scuta Abdominalia) and ninety-two half scales on the tail (Squamæ subcaudales), which I found to be true, by a repeated counting of the scales. Another, which was seventeen inches and a half in length, had a hundred and eighty-four scales on the belly, and only sixty-four half scales on the tail; this[203]I likewise assured myself of, by counting the scales over again. It is possible that the end of this last snake’s tail was cut off, and the wound healed up again53.The country abounds with Black Snakes. They are among the first that come out in spring, and often appear very early if warm weather happens; but if it grows cold again after that, they are quite frozen, and lie stiff and torpid on the ground or on the ice; when taken in this state and put before a fire, they revive in less than an hour’s time. It has sometimes happened, when the beginning ofJanuaryis very warm, that they come out of their winter habitations. They commonly appear about the end ofMarch, old style.[204]This is the swiftest of all the snakes which are to be found here, for it moves so quick, that a dog can hardly catch it. It is therefore almost impossible for a man to escape it if pursued: but happily its bite is neither poisonous nor any way dangerous; many people have been bit by it in the woods, and have scarce felt any more inconvenience than if they had been wounded by a knife; the wounded place only remains painful for some time. The Black Snakes seldom do any harm, except in spring, when they copulate; but if any body comes in their way at that time, they are so much vexed, as to pursue him as fast as they can. If they meet with a person who is afraid of them, he is in great distress. I am acquainted with several people, who have on such an occasion run so hard as to be quite out of breath, in endeavouring to escape the snake, which moved with the swiftness of an arrow after them. If a person thus pursued can muster up courage enough to oppose the snake with a stick or any thing else, when it is either passed by him, or when he steps aside to avoid it, it will turn back again, and seek a refuge in its swiftness. It is, however, sometimes bold enough to run directly upon a man, and not to depart before[205]it has received a good stroke. I have been assured by several, that when it overtakes a person, who has tried to escape it, and who has not courage enough to oppose it, it winds round his feet, so as to make him fall down; it then bites him several times in the leg, or whatever part it can get hold of, and goes off again. I shall mention two circumstances, which confirm what I have said. During my stay inNew York, Dr.Coldentold me, that in the spring, 1748, he had several workmen at his country seat, and among them one lately arrived fromEurope, who of course knew very little of the qualities of the Black Snake. The other workmen seeing a great Black Snake copulating with its female, engaged the new comer to go and kill it, which he intended to do with a little stick. But on approaching the place where the snakes lay, they perceived him, and the male in great wrath leaves his pleasure to pursue the fellow with amazing swiftness; he little expected such courage in the snake, and flinging away his stick, began to run as fast as he was able. The snake pursued him, overtook him, and twisting several times round his feet, threw him down, and frightened him almost out of his senses; he could not get rid of the snake, till he[206]took a knife and cut it through in two of three places. The other Workmen were rejoiced at this sight, and laughed at it, without offering to help their companion. Many people atAlbanytold me of an accident which happened to a young lady, who went out of town in summer, together with many other girls, attended by her negro. She sat down in the wood, in a place where the others were running about, and before she was aware, a Black Snake being disturbed in its amours, ran under her petticoats, and twisted round her waist, so that she fell backwards in a swoon occasioned by her fright, or by the compression which the snake caused. The negro came up to her, and suspecting that a Black Snake might have hurt her, on making use of a remedy to bring his lady to herself again, he lifted up her cloaths, and really found the snake wound about her body as close as possible; the negro was not able to tear it away, and therefore cut it, and the girl came to herself again; but she conceived so great an aversion to the negro, that she could not bear the sight of him afterwards, and died of a consumption. At other times of the year this snake is more apt to run away, than to attack people. However I have heard it asserted frequently, that even in summer[207]when its time of copulation is past, it pursues people, especially children, if it finds that they are afraid and run from her. Several people likewise assured me from their own experience, that it may be provoked to pursue people, if they throw at it, and then run away. I cannot well doubt of this, as I have heard it said by numbers of creditable people; but I could never succeed in provoking them. I ran always away on perceiving it, or flung something at it, and then took to my heels, but I could never bring the snakes to pursue me: I know not for what reason they shunned me, unless they took me for an artful seducer.Most of the people in this country ascribed to this snake a power of fascinating birds and squirrels, as I have described in several parts of my Journal54. When the snake lies under a tree, and has fixed his eyes on a bird or squirrel above; it obliges them to come down, and to go directly into its mouth. I cannot account for this, for I never saw it done. However, I have a list of more than twenty persons, among which are some of the most creditable people, who have all unanimously, though[208]living far distant from each other, asserted the same thing; they allured me upon their honor, that they have seen (at several times) these Black Snakes fascinating squirrels and birds which sat on the tops of trees, the snake lying at the foot of the tree, with its eyes fixed upon the bird or squirrel, which sits above it, and utters a doleful note; from which it is easy to conclude with certainty that it is about to be fascinated, though you cannot see it. The bird or squirrel runs up and down along the tree continuing its plaintive song, and always comes nearer the snake, whose eyes are unalterably fixed upon it. It should seem as if these poor creatures endeavoured to escape the snake, by hopping or running up the tree; but there appears to be a power which withholds them: they are forced downwards, and each time that they turn back, they approach nearer their enemy, till they are at last forced to leap into its mouth, which stands wide open for that purpose. Numbers of squirrels and birds are continually running and hopping fearless in the woods on the ground, where the snakes ly in wait for them, and can easily give these poor creatures a mortal bite. Therefore it seems that this fascination might be thus interpreted, that the[209]creature has first got a mortal wound from the snake, which is sure of her bite, and lies quiet, being assured that the wounded creature has been poisoned with the bite, or at least feels pain from the violence of the bite, and that it will at last be obliged to come down into its mouth. The plaintive note is perhaps occasioned by the acuteness of the pain which the wound gives the creature. But to this it may be objected, that the bite of the Black Snake is not poisonous; it may further be objected, that if the snake could come near enough to a bird or squirrel to give it a mortal bite, it might as easily keep hold of it, or, as it sometimes does with poultry, twist round and strangle or stifle it. But the chief objection which lies against this interpretation, is the following account, which I received from the most creditable people, who have assured me of it. The squirrel being upon the point of running into the snake’s mouth, the spectators have not been able to let it come to that pitch, but killed the snake, and as soon as it had got a mortal blow, the squirrel or bird destined for destruction, flew away, and left off their moanful note, as if they had broke loose from a net. Some say, that if they only touched the snake, so as to draw off[210]its attention from the squirrel, it went off quickly, not stopping till it had got to a great distance. Why do the squirrels or birds go away so suddenly, and why no sooner? If they had been poisoned or bitten by the snake before, so as not to be able to get from the tree, and to be forced to approach the snake always more and more, they could however not get new strength by the snake being killed or diverted. Therefore, it seems that they are onlyenchanted, whilst the snake has its eyes fixed on them. However, this looks odd and unaccountable, though many of the worthiest and most reputable people have related it, and though it is so universally believed here, that to doubt it would be to expose one’s self to general laughter.The black snakes kill the smaller species of frogs, and eat them. If they get at eggs of poultry, or of other birds, they make holes in them, and suck the contents. When the hens are sitting on the eggs, they creep into the nest, wind round the birds, stifle them, and suck the eggs. Mr.Bartramasserted, that he had often seen this snake creep up into the tallest trees, after bird’s eggs, or young birds, always with the head foremost, when descending. ASwedetold me, that a black[211]snake had once got the head of one of his hens in its mouth, and was wound several times round the body, when he came and killed the snake. The hen was afterwards as well as ever.This snake is very greedy of milk, and it is difficult to keep it out, when it is once used to go into a cellar where milk is kept. It has been seen eating milk out of the same dish with children, without biting them, though they often gave it blows with the spoon upon the head, when it was overgreedy. I never heard it hissing. It can raise more than one half of its body from the ground, in order to look about her. It skins every year; and its skin is said to be a remedy against the cramp, if continually worn about the body.The rye was now beginning to flower.I have often observed with astonishment, on my travels, the great difference between the plants and the soil, on the two opposite banks of brooks. Sometimes a brook, which one can stride over, has plants on one bank widely different from those on the opposite bank. Therefore, whenever I came to a great brook or a river, I expected to find plants which I had not met with before. Their seeds are carried down[212]with the stream from distant parts. The soil is likewise very often different on the different sides of a rivulet, being rich and fertile on the one, and dry, barren, and sandy on the other. But a great river can make still greater differences. Thus we see the great disparity between the province ofPensylvania, andNew Jersey, which are only divided by the riverDelaware. InPensylvaniathe soil consists of a mould mixed with sand and clay, and is very rich and fertile: and in the woods which are higher in the country, the ground is mountainous and stony. On the other hand, in the province ofNew Jersey, the soil is poor and dry, and not very fertile, some parts excepted. You can hardly find a stone inNew Jersey, and much less mountains. InPensylvaniayou scarce ever see a fir-tree, and inNew Jerseyare whole woods of it.This evening I arrived atPhiladelphia.Maythe 22d. The locusts began to creep out of their holes in the ground last night, and continued to do so to-day. As soon as their wings were dry, they began their song, which is almost sufficient to make one deaf, when travelling through the woods. This year there was an immense number of them. I have given a[213]minute account of them, of their food, qualities, &c. in theMemoirs of the Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences55; it is therefore needless to repeat it here, and I refer the reader to the quoted place.Maythe 25th. The tulip-tree (Liriodendron tulipifera) was now in full blossom. The flowers have a resemblance to tulips, and look very fine, and though they have not a very agreeable smell, yet the eye is pleased to see trees as tall as full-grown oaks, covered with tulip-like flowers.On the flowers of the tulip-tree was an olive-colouredChafer(Scarabæus) without horns (muticus), the future and borders of his wing-shells (Elytræ) were black, and his thighs brown. I cannot with certainty say whether they collected the pollen of the flower, or whether they coupled. Later in summer, I saw the same kind of beetles make deep holes into the ripe mulberries, either to eat them, or to lay their eggs in them. I likewise found them abundant in the leaves of theMagnolia glauca, or beaver-tree.Thestrawberrieswere now ripe on the hills.[214]The country people already brought ripe cherries up to town; but they were only a few to satisfy curiosity, yet we may form a judgment of the climate from hence.Maythe 26th. A peculiar kind of storm called aTravat, orTravado, happened to-day. In the evening about ten o’clock, when the sky was quite clear, a thick, black cloud came rushing from the south-west, with a wind. The air was quite calm, and we could not feel any breeze. But the approach of this cloud was perceived from the strong rushing noise in the woods to the south-west, and which encreased in proportion as the cloud came nearer. As soon as it was come up to us, it was attended by a violent gust of wind, which in its course threw down the weaker enclosures, carried them a good way along with it, and broke down several trees. It was then followed by a hard shower of rain, which put an end to the storm, and every thing was calm as before. These travadoes are frequent in summer, and have the quality of cooling the air. However, they often do a deal of damage. They are commonly attended by thunder and lightning; as soon as they are passed over, the sky is as clear as it was before.Maythe 28th. TheMagnolia glauca[215]was now in full bloom. Its flowers have a very pleasant fragrancy, which refreshes the travellers in the woods, especially towards the evening. The flowers of the wild vine afterwards supplied the place of those of the Magnolia. Several other flowers contribute likewise towards perfuming the ambient air.TheKalmia angustifoliawas now every where in flower. It grows chiefly on sandy heaths, or on dry poor grounds, which few other plants will agree with; it is common inPensylvania, but particularly inNew Jersey, and the province ofNew York, it is scarce inCanada; its leaves stay the winter; the flowers are a real ornament to the woods; they grow in bunches like crowns, and are of a fine lively purple colour; at the bottom is a circle of deep purple, and within it a greyish or whitish colour. The flowers grow as aforesaid, in bunches, round the extremity of the stalk, and make it look like a decorated pyramid. TheEnglishatNew Yorkcall this plant theDwarf Laurel. Its qualities are the same with those of theKalmia latifolia, viz. that it kills sheep and other lesser animals, when they eat plentifully of it. I do not know whether it is noxious to the greater cattle. It is not of[216]any known use, and only serves to attract the eye whilst in flower.TheKalmia latifoliawas likewise in full blossom at present. It rivals the preceding one, in the beauty of its colour; yet though they are conspicuous in regard to the colours and shape of theirflowers, they are no ways remarkable for smell, such as theMagnoliais; for they have little or no smell at all. So equally and justly does nature distribute her gifts; no part of the creation has them all, each has its own, and none is absolutely without a share of them.Maythe 30th. TheMoravian Brethren, who arrived in great numbers fromEurope, atNew York, inMay, brought two convertedGreenlanderswith them. TheMoravianswho were already settled inAmerica, immediately sent some of their brethren fromPhiladelphiato the new comers, in order to welcome them. Among these deputies were twoNorth American Indians, who had been converted to their doctrine, and likewise twoSouth American Indians, fromSurinam. These three kinds of convertedIndiansaccordingly met atNew York. I had no opportunity of seeing them; but all those who had seen them, and whom I conversed with, thought that[217]they had plainly perceived a similarity in their features and shape, theGreenlandersbeing only somewhat smaller. They concluded from hence, that all these three kinds ofAmericanswere the posterity of one and the same descendant ofNoah, or that they were perhaps yet more nearly related. How far their guesses are to be relied upon, I cannot determine.Ripe cherries were now already pretty common, and consequently cheap.Yams are a species of roots, which are cultivated in the hottest parts ofAmerica, for eating, as we do potatoes. It has not yet been attempted to plant them here, and they are brought from theWest Indiesin ships; therefore they are reckoned a rarity here, and as such I ate them at Dr.Franklin’s to-day. They are white, and taste like common potatoes, but not quite so agreeable; and I think it would not be worth while to plant them inSweden, though they might bear the climate. The plant these roots belong to is theDioscorea alata.The inhabitants make plenty of cheese. They are not reckoned so good asEnglishcheese: however, some take them to be full as good when old; and so they seemed to me. A man fromBostoninNew-Englandtold me, that they made very good[218]cheese there: but they take care to keep the cattle from salt water, especially those who live near the sea-coasts; for it has been found, that the cheese will not become so good when the cows graze near salt water, as it will when they have fresh water. This, however, wants nearer examination, in my opinion.Maythe 31st. About noon I leftPhiladelphia, and went on board a small yacht, which sails continually up and down upon the riverDelaware, betweenTrentonandPhiladelphia. We sailed up the river with fair wind and weather.Sturgeonsleaped often a fathom into the air. We saw them continuing this exercise all day, till we came toTrenton. The banks on thePensylvanianside were low; and those on theNew Jerseyside steep and sandy, but not very high. On both sides we perceived forests of tall trees, withdeciduousleaves.During the course of this month, the forenoon was always calm; but immediately after noon it began to blow gently, and sometimes pretty strongly. This morning was likewise fair; and in the afternoon it was cloudy, but did not rain.The banks of the river were sometimes high, and sometimes low. We saw some small houses near the shore, in the woods;[219]and, now and then, a good house built of stone. The river now decreased visibly in breadth. About three o’clock this afternoon we passedBurlington.Burlington, the chief town in the province ofNew Jersey, and the residence of the governor, is but a small town, about twenty miles fromPhiladelphia, on the eastern side of theDelaware. The houses were chiefly built of stone, though they stood far distant from each other. The town has a good situation, since ships of considerable burden can sail close up to it: butPhiladelphiaprevents its carrying on an extensive trade; for the proprietors of that place56have granted it great immunities, by which it is increased so as to swallow all the trade of the adjacent towns. The house of the governor atBurlingtonis but a small one: it is built of stone, close by the river side, and is the first building in the town as you come fromPhiladelphia. It is observed, that about the full moons, when the tides are highest, and the high water atCape Hinlopencomes at nine o’clock in the morning, it will be atChester, on the riverDelaware, about ten minutes after one o’clock; atPhiladelphia, about ten minutes after two o’clock; and atBurlington,[220]about ten minutes after three o’clock; for the tide in the riverDelawarecomes quite up toTrenton. These observations were communicated to me by Mr.Lewis Evans.The banks of the river were now chiefly high and steep on the side ofNew Jersey, consisting of a pale brick-coloured soil. On thePensylvanianside, they were gently sloping, and consisted of a blackish rich mould, mixed with particles of Glimmer (Mica). On theNew Jerseyside appeared some firs; but seldom on the other, except in a few places where they were accidentally brought over fromNew Jersey.Towards night, after the tide had begun to ebb and the wind was quite subsided, we could not proceed, but dropped our anchor about seven miles fromTrenton, and passed the night there. The woods were full ofFireflies, (Lampyris) which flew like sparks of fire between the trees, and sometimes across the river. In the marshes, theBullfrogsnow and then began their hideous roaring; and more than a hundred of them roared together. TheWhip-poor-will, orGoatsucker, was likewise heard every where.Junethe 1st. We continued our voyage this morning, after the rain was over. The[221]riverDelawarewas very narrow here, and the banks the same as we found them yesterday, after we had passedBurlington. About eight o’clock in the morning we arrived atTrenton57.Junethe 2d. This morning we leftTrenton, and proceeded towardsNew York. The country I have described before58. The fields were sown with wheat, rye, maize, oats, hemp, and flax. In several places, we saw very large pieces of ground with hemp.We saw abundance of chesnut-trees in the woods. They often stood in excessive poor ground, which was neither too dry nor too wet.Tulip-treesdid not appear on the road; but the people said there were some in the woods.TheBeaver-tree(Magnolia glauca) grows in the swamps. It was now in flower, and the fragrancy of its blossoms had so perfumed the air, that one could enjoy it before one approached the swamps; and this fine smell likewise shewed that a beaver-tree was near us, though we often happened not to see it.[222]ThePhlox Glaberrimagrows abundantly in the woods, and cuts a fine figure with its red flowers. It grows in such soil here as inEuropeis occupied by theLychnis viscariaandLychnis dioica, or red Catchfly and Campion. ThePhlox maculatagrows abundantly in wet ground, and has fine red and odoriferous flowers. It grows on low meadows, where inEuropethe Meadow-pinks, orLychnis flos cuculi, would be met with. By adding to these flowers theBartsia coccinea, theLobelia cardinalis, and theMonarda didyma, which grow wild in this country, they are undoubtedly altogether adorned with the finest red imaginable.TheSassafras-treewas abundant in the woods, and near the inclosures.The houses which we passed by were most of them wooden. In one place, I saw the people building a house with walls of mere clay, which is likewise employed in making ovens for baking.Buckwheatwas already coming up in several places. We saw single plants of it all day in the woods, and in the fields, but always by the side of the road; from whence it may be concluded, that they spring up from lost and scattered seeds.[223]Late this evening we arrived atNew Brunswick59.Junethe 3d. At noon we went on board a yacht bound forNew York, and sailed down the river, which had at first pretty high and steep banks, of red sandstone, on each side, which I have mentioned before.60Now and then, there was a farm-house on the high shore. As we came lower down, we saw on both sides great fields and meadows, close up to the water. We could not sail at random with the yacht; for the river was often shallow in some places, and sometimes in the very middle. For that purpose, the course which we were to take was marked out by branches with leaves on them. At last we got into the sea, which bounded our prospect on the south; but on the other side, we were continually in sight of land at some distance. On coming to the mouth of the river, we had a choice of two roads toNew York;viz.either within theStaten Island, or without it. The inhabitants are determined in their choice by the weather; for when itisstormy and cloudy, or dark, they do not venture to sail without, where the sea itself communicates. We took that course[224]now, it being very pleasant weather; and though we struck on the sands once or twice, yet we got loose again, and arrived atNew Yorkabout nine o’clock. Of this town I have given an account in the preceding volume61.Junethe 4th. I found vines in several gardens, got from the old countries. They bear annually a quantity of excellent grapes. When the winters are very severe, they are killed by the frost, and die quite to the ground; but the next spring new shoots spring up from the root.Strawberrieswere now sold in abundance about the town every day. AnEnglishmanfromJamaicaasserted, that in that island there were no strawberries. The snakes are very fond of strawberries. Those which they had here were not so good as theSwedishandFinlandones.Red Cloverwas sown in several places on the hills without the town. The country people were now employed in mowing the meadows. Some were already mown; and the dry clover was put under cover, in order to be carried away the first opportunity.Cherry-treeswere planted in great quantities before the farm-houses, and along[225]the high-roads, fromPhiladelphiatoNew Brunswick; but behind that place they became more scarce. On coming toStaten Island, in the province ofNew York, I found them very common again, near the gardens. Here are not so many varieties of cherries as there are inPensylvania. I seldom saw any of the black sweet cherries62atNew York; but commonly the sour red ones. All travellers are allowed to pluck ripe fruit in any garden which they pass by; and not even the most covetous farmer can hinder them from so doing. BetweenNew BrunswickandStaten Island, are a few cherry-gardens; but proportionably more orchards, with apple-trees.Junethe 6th. Several gentlemen and merchants, between fifty and sixty years of age, asserted, that during their life they had plainly found several kinds of fish decrease in number every year; and that they could not get near so many fish now as they could formerly.Rum, a brandy prepared from the sugar-canes, and in great use with all theEnglish North Americancolonies, is reckoned much wholesomer than brandy, made from wine or corn63. In confirmation of this[226]opinion, they say, that if you put a piece of fresh meat into rum, and another into brandy, and leave them there for some months; that in the rum will keep as it was, but that in the brandy will be quite eaten, and full of holes. But this experiment does not seem a very accurate one to me. MajorRoderforttold me, that being upon theCanadaexpedition, he had observed, that such of his men as drank brandy for some time died of it; but those who drank rum were not hurt, though they got drunk with it every day, and oftener than the others.Long-Islandis the name of an island opposite the town ofNew York, in the sea. The northern part of the island is much more fertile than the southern. Formerly there lived a number ofIndianson this island; and there are yet some, which however decrease in number every year, because they leave the island. The soil of the southern part of the island is very poor;[227]but this deficiency is made up by a vast quantity of oysters, lobsters, crabs, several kinds of fish, and numbers of water fowl, all which are there far more abundant than on the northern shores of the Island. Therefore theIndiansformerly chose the southern part to live in, because they subsisted on oysters, and other productions of the sea. When the tide is out, it is very easy to fill a whole cart with oysters, which have been driven on shore by one flood. The Island is strewed with oystershells and other shells, which theIndiansleft there; these shells serve now for good manure for the fields. The southern part of the Island is turned into meadows, and the northern part into fields. The winter is more constant on the northern part, and the snow in spring lies longer there than on the southern part. The people are very fertile here, and commonly tall and strong.

Sometimes they sit at a good distance from the pond; but as soon as they suspect any danger, they hasten with great leaps into the water. They are very expert at hopping. A full-grownBullfrogtakes near three yards at one hop. I have often been told the following story by the oldSwedes, which happened here, at the time when theIndianslived with theSwedes. It is well known, that theIndiansare excellent runners; I have seen them, at GovernorJohnson’s, equal the best horse in its swiftest[173]course, and almost pass by it. Therefore, in order to try how well the bull-frogs could leap, some of theSwedeslaid a wager with a youngIndian, that he could not overtake the frog, provided it had two leaps before hand. They carried a bull-frog, which they had caught in a pond, upon a field, and burnt his back-side; the fire, and theIndian, who endeavoured to be closely up with the frog, had such an effect upon the animal, that it made its long hops across the field, as fast as it could. TheIndianbegan to pursue the frog with all his might at the proper time: the noise he made in running frightened the poor frog; probably it was afraid of being tortured with fire again, and therefore it redoubled its leaps, and by that means it reached the pond before theIndiancould over-take it.In some years they are more numerous than in others: nobody could tell, whether the snakes had ever ventured to eat them, though they eat all the lesser kinds of frogs. The women are no friends to these frogs, because they kill and eat young ducklings and goslings: sometimes they carry off chickens that come too near the ponds. I have not observed that they bite when they are held in the hands, though they have little teeth; when they are beaten, they cry[174]out almost like children. I was told that some eat the thighs of the hind legs, and that they are very palatable.A tree which grows in the swamps here, and in other parts ofAmerica, goes by the name ofWhite Juniper-tree. Its stem indeed looks like one of our old tall and strait juniper-trees inSweden: but the leaves are different, and the wood is white. TheEnglishcall itWhite Cedar, because the boards which are made of the wood, are like those made of cedar. But neither of these names are just, for the tree is of the cypress kind44. It always grows in wet ground or swamps: it is therefore difficult to come to them, because the ground between the little hillocks is full of water. The trees stand both on the hillocks and in the water: they grow very close together, and have strait, thick, and tall stems; but they were greatly reduced in number to what they have been before. In such places where they are left to grow up, they grow as tall and as thick as the tallest fir-trees; they preserve their green leaves both in winter and summer; the tall ones have no branches on the lower part of the stem.The marshes where these trees grow are calledCedar Swamps. These cedar swamps[175]are numerous inNew Jersey, and likewise in some parts ofPensylvaniaandNew York. The most northerly place, where it has been hitherto found, is nearGosheninNew York, under forty-one degrees and twenty-live minutes of north latitude, as I am informed by Dr.Colden. For to the North ofGoshen, it has not been found in the woods. The white cedar is one of the trees, which resist the most to putrefaction; and when it is put above ground, it will last longer than under ground: therefore it is employed for many purposes; it makes good fences, and posts which are to be put into the ground; but in this point, the red cedar is still preferable to the white; it likewise makes good canoes. The young trees are employed for hoops,round barrels, tuns, &c. because they are thin and pliable; the thick and tall trees afford timber, and wood for cooper’s work. The houses which are built of it, surpass in duration, those which are built ofAmericanoak. Many of the houses inRapaapowere made of this white cedar wood; but the chief thing which the white cedar affords is the best kind of shingles. The white cedar shingles are preferred to all others for several reasons; first, they are more durable than any others made ofAmericanwood, the red cedar shingles[176]excepted; secondly, they are very light, so that no strong beams are requisite to support the roof. For the same reason it is unnecessary to build thick walls, because they are not pressed by heavy roofs. When fires break out, it is less dangerous to go under or along the roofs, because the shingles being very light can do little hurt by falling; they suck the water, being somewhat spungy, so that the roofs can easily be wetted in case of a fire: however, their fatness occasions that the water does not hurt them, but evaporates easily. When they burn and are carried about by the wind, they have commonly what is called a dead coal, which does not easily set fire where it alights. The roofs made of these shingles can easily be cut through, if required, because they are thin, and not very hard; for these qualities the people in the country, and in the towns, are very desirous of having their houses covered with white cedar shingles, if the wood can be got. Therefore all churches, and the houses of the more substantial inhabitants of the towns, have shingle roofs. In many parts ofNew Yorkprovince, where the white cedar does not grow, the people, however, have their houses roofed with cedar shingles, which they get from other parts. To that purpose great quantities of shingles are annually exported fromEggharbourand[177]other parts ofNew Jersey, to the town ofNew York, from whence they are distributed throughout the province. A quantity of white cedar wood is likewise exported every year to theWest Indies, for shingles, pipe staves, &c. Thus the inhabitants are very busy here, not only to lessen the number of these trees, but even to extirpate them entirely. They are here (and in many other places) in regard to wood, bent only upon their own present advantage, utterly regardless of posterity. By this means many cedar swamps are already quite destitute of cedars, having only young shoots left; and I plainly observed, by counting the circles round the stem, that they do not grow up very quickly, but require a great deal of time before they can be cut for timber. It is well known that a tree gets only one circle every year; a stem, eighteen inches in diameter, had one hundred and eight circles round the thicker end; another, seventeen inches in diameter, had a hundred and sixteen; and another, two feet in diameter, had one hundred and forty-two circles upon it. Thus near eighty years growth is required, before a White cedar raised from seed can be used for timber. Among the advantages which the white cedar shingles have over others, the[178]people reckon their lightness. But this good and useful quality may in future times turn out very disadvantageous toPhiladelphia, and other places where the houses are rooted with cedar shingles; for as the roofs made of these shingles are very light, and bear but a trifling weight on the walls, so the people have made the walls but very thin. I measured the thickness of the walls of several houses here, of three stories high (cellar and garret not included), and found most of them nine inches and a half, and some ten inches thick; therefore it is by no means surprising, that violent hurricanes sometimes make the brick gable-ends to vibrate apparently, especially on such houses as have a very open situation. And since the cedar-trees will soon be wanting in this country, and the present roofs when rotten must be supplied with heavier ones, of tiles, or of other wood, it is more than probable, that the thin walls will not be able to bear such an additional weight, and will either break, or require to be supported by props: or else the whole house must be pulled down and rebuilt with thicker walls. This observation has already been made by others. Some of the people here make use of the chips of white cedar instead of tea, alluring me that they preferred it in[179]regard to its wholesomeness to all foreign tea. All the inhabitants here were of opinion, that the water in the cedar swamps is wholesomer than any other drink: it creates a great appetite, which they endeavoured to prove by several examples. They ascribed this quality to the water itself, which is filled with the rosin of the trees, and to the exhalations which came from the trees, and can easily be smelled. The people likewise thought that the yellowish colour of the water, which stands between the cedar trees, was owing to the rosin, which comes out of the roots of these trees. They likewise all agreed, that this water is always very cold in the hottest season, which may be partly owing to the continual shade it is in. I knew several people who were resolved to go to these cedar swamps, and use the waters for the recovery of their appetite. Mr.Bartramplanted a white cedar in a dry soil, but it could not succeed there: he then put it into a swampy ground, where it got as it were new life, and came on very well; and though it was not taller than a man, yet it was full of cones. Another thing is very remarkable, with regard to the propagation of this tree: Mr.Bartramcut its branches in spring two years successively, and put them into the swampy soil,[180]where they struck roots, and succeeded very well. I have seen them myself.Thered Juniper-treeis another tree which I have mentioned very frequently in the course of my account. TheSwedeshave given it the name of red Juniper, because the wood is very red and fine within. TheEnglishcall itred Cedar, and theFrenchCedre rouge. However, theSwedishname is the most proper, as the tree belongs to theJunipers45. At its first growth it has a deal of similarity to theSwedish Juniper46, but after it is grown up it gets quite different leaves. The berry exactly resembles that of theSwedish Juniper, in regard to its colour and shape; however, they are not so big, though the redCedargrows very tall. AtRaccoonthese trees stood single, and were not very tall. But at other places I have seen them standing together in clusters; they like the same ground as the commonSwedish Juniper, especially on the rising banks of rivers, and on other rising grounds, in a dry, and frequently in a poor soil. I have seen them growing in abundance, as thick and tall as the tallest fir-trees, on poor dry and sandy heaths. TowardsCanada, or in[181]the most northerly places, where I have seen them, they commonly choose the steep sides of the mountains, and there they grow promiscuously with the commonJuniper. The most northerly places where I have found them wild in the woods, is inCanada, eighteenFrenchmiles to the southward of the FortSaint Jean, orSt. John, in about 44° 35′ North Latitude. I have likewise seen it growing very well in a garden, on the island ofMagdalene47, belonging to the then governor ofMontreal,Monsieur le Baron de Longueuil. But it had been got at more southerly places, and was transplanted here. Of all the woods in this country, this is without exception the most durable, and withstands putrefaction longer than any other; it is therefore employed in all such cases where it is most liable to rot, especially for all kinds of posts which are to be put into the ground. Some people say, that if an iron be put into the ground along with a pole of cedar, the iron would be half corroded by rust in the same time that the wood would be rotten. In many places both the fences, and the posts belonging to them, are made[182]of red cedar. The best canoes, consisting of a single piece of wood, are made of red cedar; for they last longer than any others, and are very light. InNew YorkI have seen pretty large yachts build of red cedar. Several yachts which go fromNew YorktoAlbany, up the riverHudson, are built in a different manner, as I have mentioned in the first volume48. InPhiladelphiathey cannot make any yachts or other boats of red cedar, because the quantity and the size of the trees will not allow of it. For the same reason they do not roof their houses with red cedar shingles; but in such places where it is plentiful, it makes excellent good roofs. The heart of this cedar is of a fine red colour, and whatever is made of it looks very fine, and has a very agreeable and wholesome smell. But the colour fades by degrees, or else the wood would be exceedingly proper for cabinet work. I saw a parlour in the country seat of Mr.Norris, one of the Members of thePensylvanianHouse of Assembly, wainscotted many years ago with boards of red cedar. Mr.Norrisassured me that the[183]cedar looked exceedingly well in the beginning, but it was quite faded when I saw it, and the boards looked very shabby, especially the boards near the window had entirely lost their colour; so that Mr.Norrishad been obliged to put mahogany in their stead: however, I was told, that the wood will keep its colour if a thin varnish is put upon it whilst it is fresh, and just after it has been planed, and if care is taken that the wood is not afterwards rubbed or hurt. At least it makes the wood keep its colour much longer than commonly. Since it has a very pleasant smell, when fresh, some people put the shavings and chips of it among their linen to secure it against being worm-eaten. Some likewise get bureaus, &c. made of red cedar, with the same view. But it is only useful for this purpose as long as it is fresh, for it loses its smell after some time, and is then no longer good for keeping off insects. It is sometimes sent toEngland, as timber, and sells very well. In many places roundPhiladelphia, in the seats of the gentry, there was commonly an avenue, with a row of these trees planted on both sides, leading from the high road to the house. The lower branches were cut, and only a fine crown left. In winter,[184]when most other trees have losttheirleaves, this looks very fine. This tree has likewise a very slow growth; for a stem, thirteen inches and a quarter in diameter, had one hundred and eighty-eight rings, or annual circles and another, eighteen inches in diameter, had at least two hundred and fifty, for a great number of the rings were so fine that they could not be counted. This tree is propagated in the same manner as the common Juniper-tree is inSweden, viz. chiefly by birds, which eat the berries and emit the seeds entire. To encourage the planting of this useful tree, a description of the method of doing it, written by Mr.Bartram, was inserted in aPensylvaniaalmanack, calledPoor Richard Improved, for the year 1749. In it was explained the manner of planting and augmenting the number of these trees, and mention is made of some of the purposes to which they may be employed.In the evening I returned toRaccoon.Maythe 6th. The Mulberry-trees (Morus rubra) about this time began to blossom, but their leaves were yet very small.The people divided them into male and female trees or flowers; and said that those which never bore any fruit were males, and those which did, females.[185]Smilax laurifoliawas superabundant in all the swamps near this place. Its leaves were now beginning to come out, for it sheds them all every winter; it climbs up along trees and shrubs, and runs across from one tree or bush to another: by this means it shuts up the passage between the trees, fastening itself every where with its cirrhi or tendrils, and even on people, so that it is with the utmost difficulty one must force a passage in the swamps and woods, where it is plentiful; the stalk towards the bottom is full of long spines, which are as strong as the spines of a rose-bush, and catch hold of the clothes, and tear them: this troublesome plant may sometimes bring you into imminent danger, when botanizing or going into the woods, for, not to mention that the cloaths must be absolutely ruined by its numberless spines, it occasions a deep shade in the woods, by crossing from tree to tree so often; this forces you to stoop, and even to creep on all fours through the little passages which are left close to the ground, and then you cannot be careful enough to prevent a snake (of which there are numbers here) from darting into your face. The stalk of the plant has the same colour as the young rose-bushes. It is quite green[186]and smooth between the spines, so that a stranger would take it to be a kind of thorn-bush, in winter, when it is destitute of leaves.Maythe 8th. The trees hereabouts were now stocked with innumerableCaterpillars; one kind especially was observable, which is worse than all the others. They immediately formed great white webs, between the branches of the trees, so that they were perceptible, even at a distance; in each of these webs were thousands ofCaterpillars, which crept out of them afterwards, and spread chiefly upon the apple-trees. They consumed the leaves, and often left not one on a whole branch. I was told, that some years ago they did so much damage, that the apple-trees and peach-trees hardly bore any fruit at all; because they had consumed all the leaves, and exposed the naked trees to the intense heat of the sun, by which means several of the trees died. The people took the following method of killing theseCaterpillars: They fixed some straw or flax on a pole, set it on fire, and held it under the webs or nests; by which a part was burnt, and a part fell to the ground. However, numbers of theCaterpillarscrept up the trees again, which could have been prevented, if they had been[187]trod upon, or killed any other way. I called chickens to such places where they crept on the ground in numbers; but they would not eat them. Nor did the wild birds like them; for the trees were full of these webs, though whole flights of little birds had their nests in the gardens and orchards.Maythe 18th. Though it was already pretty late inMay, yet the nights were very dark here. About an hour after sun-set, it was so dark, that it was impossible to read in a book, though the type was ever so large. About ten o’clock, on a clear night, the dark was so much increased, that it looked like one of the darkest star-light nights in autumn, inSweden. It likewise seemed to me, that though the nights were clear, yet the stars did not give so great a light as they do inSweden. And as, about this time, the nights are commonly dark, and the sky covered with clouds; so I would compare them only to dark and cloudySwedishwinter nights. It was therefore, at this time of the year, very difficult to travel in such cloudy nights; for neither man nor horse could find their way. The nights, in general, seem very disagreeable to me, in comparison to the light and glorious, summer nights ofSweden. Ignorance sometimes makes us think slightly of[188]our country. If other countries have their advantages,Swedenis not destitute of matter to boast of on this head: it likewise has its peculiar advantages; and upon weighing the advantages and inconveniencies of different places,Swedenwill be found to be not inferior to any of them.I will briefly mention in what points I thinkSwedenis preferable to this part ofAmerica; and why I preferOld SwedentoNew Sweden.The nights are very dark here all the summer; and in winter, they are quite as dark, if not darker, than the winter nights inSweden; for here is no kind ofAurora Borealis, and the stars give a very faint light. It is very remarkable if anAurora Borealisappears once or twice a year. The winters here bring no snow, to make the nights clear, and to make travelling more safe and easy. The cold is, however, frequently as intense as inOld Sweden. The snow which falls lies only a few days, and always goes off with a great deal of wet. TheRattle-snakes,Horned-snakes,red-bellied,green, and other poisonousSnakes, against whose bite there is frequently no remedy, are in great plenty here. To these I must add the wood-lice, with which the forests are so pestered, that it is impossible to pass through a bush without[189]having a whole army of them on your cloaths, or to sit down, though the place be ever so pleasant. The inconvenience and trouble they cause, both to man and beast, I have described in theMemoirs of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. The weather is so inconstant here, that when a day is most excessively hot, the next is often sensibly cold. This sudden change often happens in one day; and few people can suffer these changes, without impairing their health. The heat in summer is excessive, and the cold in winter often very piercing. However, one can always secure one’s self against the cold; but when the great heat is of any duration, there is hardly any remedy against it. It tires one so, that one does not know which way to turn. It has frequently happened, that people who walked into the fields, dropped down dead, on account of the violence of the heat. Several distempers prevail here; and they increase every year. Nobody is left unattacked by the intermitting fever; and many people are forced to suffer it every year, together with other diseases. Pease cannot be sown, on account of the insects which consume them49. There are worms in the grains of rye, and numbers of them are in the cherry-trees.[190]The caterpillars often eat all the leaves from the trees, so that they cannot bear fruit in that year; and numbers die every year, both of fruit-trees and forest-trees. The grass in the meadows is likewise consumed by a kind of worms, and another species cause the plumbs to drop, before they are half ripe. The oak here affords not near so good timber as theEuropeanoak. The fences cannot stand above eighteen years. The houses are of no long duration. The meadows are poor, and what grass they have is bad. The pasture for cattle in the forests, consists of such plants as they do not like, and which they are compelled to eat by necessity; for it is difficult to find a single grass in great forests, where the trees stand far asunder, and where the soil is excellent. For this reason, the cattle are forced, during almost the whole winter and part of the summer, to live upon the young shoots and branches of trees, which sometimes have no leaves: therefore, the cows give very little milk, and decrease in size every generation. The houses are extremely unfit for winter habitations. Hurricanes are frequent, which overthrow trees, carry away roofs, and sometimes houses, and do a great deal of damage. Some of these inconveniencies might be remedied by art;[191]but others will either admit of no alteration, or they will at least cost vast trouble. Thus every country has its advantages, and its defects: happy is he who can content himself with his own.The rye grows very ill in most of the fields, which is chiefly owing to the carelessness in agriculture, and to the poorness of the fields, which are seldom or never manured. After the inhabitants have converted a tract of land into fields, which had been a forest for many centuries together, and which consequently had a very fine soil, they use it as such, as long as it will bear any corn; and when it ceases to bear any, they turn it into pastures for the cattle, and take new corn fields in another place, where a fine soil can be met with, and where it has never been made use of for this purpose. This kind of agriculture will do for some time; but it will afterwards have bad consequences, as every one may clearly see. A few of the inhabitants, however, treated their fields a little better: theEnglishin general have carried agriculture to a higher degree of perfection than any other nation. But the depth and richness of the soil, which those found here who came over fromEngland, (as they were preparing land for ploughing which had been covered[192]with woods from times immemorial) misled them, and made them careless husbandmen. It is well known, that theIndianslived in this country for several centuries before theEuropeanscame into it; but it is likewise known, that they lived chiefly by hunting and fishing, and had hardly any fields. They planted maize, and some species of beans and gourds; and at the same time it is certain, that a plantation of such vegetables as serve anIndianfamily during one year, take up no more ground than a farmer in our country takes to plant cabbage for his family upon; at least, a farmer’s cabbage and turnep ground, taken together, is always as extensive, if not more so, than the corn-fields and kitchen-gardens of anIndianfamily. Therefore, theIndianscould hardly subsist for one month upon the produce of their gardens and fields. Commonly, the little villages ofIndiansare about twelve or eighteen miles distant from each other. From hence one may judge, how little ground was formerly employed for corn-fields; and the rest was overgrown with thick and tall trees. And though they cleared (as is yet usual) new ground, as soon as the old one had quite lost its fertility; yet such little pieces as they made use of were very inconsiderable, when compared[193]to the vast forests which remained. Thus the upper fertile soil increased considerably, for centuries together; and theEuropeanscoming toAmericafound a rich and fine soil before them, lying as loose between the trees as the best bed in a garden. They had nothing to do but to cut down the wood, put it up in heaps, and to clear the dead leaves away. They could then immediately proceed to ploughing, which in such loose ground is very easy; and having sown their corn, they got a most plentiful harvest. This easy method of getting a rich crop has spoiled theEnglishand otherEuropeaninhabitants, and induced them to adopt the same method of agriculture which theIndiansmake use of; that is, to sow uncultivated grounds, as long as they will produce a crop without manuring, but to turn them into pastures as soon as they can bear no more, and to take in hand new spots of ground, covered since time immemorial with woods, which have been spared by the fire or the hatchet ever since the creation. This is likewise the reason why agriculture, and the knowledge of this useful branch, is so imperfect here, that one can learn nothing on a great tract of land, neither of theEnglish, nor of theSwedes,Germans,Dutch, andFrench; except that, from their gross mistakes[194]and carelessness for futurity, one finds opportunities every day of making all sorts of observations, and of growing wise at the expence of other people. In a word, the corn-fields, the meadows, the forests, the cattle, &c. are treated with equal carelessness; and theEnglishnation, so well skilled in these branches of husbandry, is with difficulty found out here. We can hardly be more lavish of our woods inSwedenandFinlandthan they are here: their eyes are fixed upon the present gain, and they are blind to futurity. Every day their cattle are harassed by labour, and each generation decreases in goodness and size, by being kept short of food, as I have before mentioned. On my travels in this country I observed several plants, which the horses and cows preferred to all others. They were wild in this country, and likewise grew well on the driest and poorest ground, where no other plants would succeed. But the inhabitants did not know how to turn this to their advantage; owing to the little account made of Natural History, that science being here (as in other parts of the world) looked upon as a mere trifle, and the pastime of fools. I am certain, and my certainty is founded upon experience, that by means of these plants, in the space of a few years, I have[195]been able to turn the poorest ground, which would hardly afford food for a cow, into the richest and most fertile meadow, where great flocks of cattle have found superfluous food, and are grown fat upon. I own, that these useful plants were not to be found on the grounds of every planter: but with a small share of natural knowledge, a man would easily collect them in the places where they were to be got. I was astonished, when I heard the country people complaining of the badness of the pastures; but I likewise perceived their negligence, and often saw excellent plants growing on their own grounds, which only required a little more attention and assistance from their unexperienced owners. I found every where the wisdom and goodness of the Creator; but too seldom saw any acknowledgment, or adequate estimation of it, among men.O fortunatos nimium sua si bona norint,Agricolas!Virg.Georgic.I have been led to these reflections, which may perhaps seem foreign to my purpose, by the bad and neglected state of agriculture in every part of this continent. I likewise intended to shew the reason why this journal is so thinly stocked with œconomical advantages in the several branches of husbandry. I do not however deny, that I have sometimes found[196]one or two skilful œconomists, but they were very scarce.Birds of prey which pursue the poultry are found in abundance here, and if possible more plentiful than inSweden. They enjoy great liberty here, as there are still great forests in many places, from whence they can come unawares upon chickens and ducks. To the birds of prey it is quite indifferent whether the woods consist of good or bad trees, provided they are in shade. At night the owls, which are very numerous, endanger the safety of the tame fowls. They live chiefly in marshes, give a disagreeable shriek at night, and attack the chickens, which commonly roost at night in the apple-trees, peach-trees, and cherry-trees, in the garden. But since they are very busy in clearing this country of woods, as we are inSwedenandFinland, it may be of use for exposing the birds of prey, more than they are now, and for depriving them of the opportunities of doing mischief with so much ease.The thick forests ofAmericacontain numbers of stags; they do not seem to be a different species from theEuropeanstags. AnEnglishmanwas possessed of a tame hind. It is observable that though these creatures are very shy when wild in the[197]woods and the cedar swamps, which are very much frequented by them, yet they can be tamed to such a degree, if taken young, that they will come of their own accord to people, and even to strangers: This hind was caught when it was but very little; the colour of the whole body was a dirty reddish brown, the belly and the under side of the tail excepted, which were white; the ears were grey; the head, towards the snout, was very narrow, but upon the whole the creature looked very fine. The hair lay close together, and was quite short; the tail reached almost to the bend of the knee, near which, on the inside of each hind-foot, was aknoborcallus. The possessor of the hind said, that he had tamed several stags, by catching them whilst they were very young. It was now big with young ones. It had a little bell hung about its neck, that by walking in the woods, the people might know it to be tame, and take care not to shoot it. It was at liberty to go where it pleased, and to keep it confined would have been a pretty hard task, as it could leap over the highest enclosures. Sometimes it went far into the woods, and frequently staid away a night or two, but afterwards returned home like other cattle.[198]When it went into the woods, it was often accompanied by wild stags, and decoyed them even into the very houses, especially in rutting time, giving its master numerous opportunities of shooting the wild stags, almost at his door. Its scent was excellent, and when it was turned towards the wind, I often saw it rising and looking towards that part, though I did not see any people on the road, but they commonly appeared about an hour after. As soon as the wild stags have the scent of a man, they make off. In winter the man fed the hind with corn and hay; but in summer it went out into the woods and meadows, seeking its own food, eating both grass and other plants: it was now kept in a meadow; it did chiefly eat clover, the leaves of hiccory, of theAndromeda paniculata, and theGeranium maculatum. It was likewise contented with the leaves of the common plantane, orPlantaga, grasses, and several other plants. The possessor of this hind sold stags to people inPhiladelphia, who sent them as curiosities to other places. He got twenty-five, thirty, and forty shillings a-piece for them. The food of the wild stags in summer is grass and several plants; but in winter, when they are not to be got, they eat the shoots and young[199]sprigs of branches. I have already mentioned50that they eat without any danger the spoon-tree, orKalmia latifolia, which is poison to other animals. In the long and severe winter, which commenced here upon the tenth ofDecember, 1740, and continued to the thirteenth ofMarch, old stile, during the course of which there fell a great quantity of snow, the stags were found dead in the snow, but chiefly higher up the country, where the snow was deeper. Nobody could determine whether their death was the consequence of the great quantity and depth of snow, which hindered their getting out, or whether the frost had been too severe, and of too long duration, or whether they were short of food. The old people likewise relate, that vast numbers of stags came down in the year 1705, when there was a heavy fall of snow, near a yard deep, and that they were afterwards found dead in the woods, in great numbers, because the snow was deeper than they could pass through. Numbers of birds were likewise found dead at that time. In that same winter, a stag came toMatsonginto the stables, and ate hay together with the cattle. It was so pinched by hunger, that it grew tame immediately, and did not run away[200]from people. It afterwards continued in the house, as another tame creature. All aged persons asserted, that formerly this country abounded more with stags than it does at present. It was formerly not uncommon to see thirty or forty of them in a flock together. The reason of their decrease is chiefly owing to the increase of population, the destruction of the woods, and the number of people who kill and frighten the stags at present. However, high up in the country, in great forests and desarts, there are yet great numbers of them. Among their enemies is theLynxof this country, which is the same with theSwedishone51. They climb up the trees, and when the stags pass by, they dart down upon him, get fast hold, bite, and suck the blood, and never give over till they have killed it.I saw several holes in the ground, both on hills and on fields, and fallow grounds; they were round, and commonly[201]about an inch wide; they went almost perpendicularly into the earth, and were made by dung-beetles, or by great worms, which are made use of for angling. The dung-beetles had dug very deep into the ground, thro’ horse-dung, tho’ it lay on the hardest road, so that a great heap of earth lay near it. These holes were afterwards occupied by other insects, especially grasshoppers, (Grylli) andCicadæ; for by digging these holes up, I commonly found one or more young ones of these insects, which had not yet got their perfect size.Maythe 19th. This morning I leftRaccoon, a parish in the country calledNew Sweden, and which is yet chiefly inhabited bySwedes, in order to proceed in my travels to the North. I first intended to set out with the beginning ofApril, but for several reasons this was not adviseble. No leaves were come out at that time, and hardly any flowers appeared. I did not know what flowers grew here in spring; for the autumnal plants are different from the vernal ones. TheSwedeshad this winter told me the œconomical and medical uses of many plants, to which they gave names unknown to me: they could not then shew me those plants on account of the season, and by their deficient and erroneous descriptions,[202]I was not able to guess what plants they meant. By going away so early as the beginning ofApril, I would have remained in uncertainty in regard to these things. It was therefore fit, that I should spend a part of the spring atRaccoon, especially as I had still time enough left for my tour to the North.On the road we saw aBlack Snake, which we killed, and found just five foot long.Catesbyhas described it and its qualities, and also drawn it52. The full-grown Black Snakes are commonly about five feet long, but very slender; the thickest I ever saw was in the broadest part hardly three inches thick; the back is black, shining, and smooth; the chin white and smooth; the belly whitish turning into blue, shining, and very smooth; I believe there are some varieties of this snake. One which was nineteen inches long, had a hundred and eighty-six scales on the belly, (Scuta Abdominalia) and ninety-two half scales on the tail (Squamæ subcaudales), which I found to be true, by a repeated counting of the scales. Another, which was seventeen inches and a half in length, had a hundred and eighty-four scales on the belly, and only sixty-four half scales on the tail; this[203]I likewise assured myself of, by counting the scales over again. It is possible that the end of this last snake’s tail was cut off, and the wound healed up again53.The country abounds with Black Snakes. They are among the first that come out in spring, and often appear very early if warm weather happens; but if it grows cold again after that, they are quite frozen, and lie stiff and torpid on the ground or on the ice; when taken in this state and put before a fire, they revive in less than an hour’s time. It has sometimes happened, when the beginning ofJanuaryis very warm, that they come out of their winter habitations. They commonly appear about the end ofMarch, old style.[204]This is the swiftest of all the snakes which are to be found here, for it moves so quick, that a dog can hardly catch it. It is therefore almost impossible for a man to escape it if pursued: but happily its bite is neither poisonous nor any way dangerous; many people have been bit by it in the woods, and have scarce felt any more inconvenience than if they had been wounded by a knife; the wounded place only remains painful for some time. The Black Snakes seldom do any harm, except in spring, when they copulate; but if any body comes in their way at that time, they are so much vexed, as to pursue him as fast as they can. If they meet with a person who is afraid of them, he is in great distress. I am acquainted with several people, who have on such an occasion run so hard as to be quite out of breath, in endeavouring to escape the snake, which moved with the swiftness of an arrow after them. If a person thus pursued can muster up courage enough to oppose the snake with a stick or any thing else, when it is either passed by him, or when he steps aside to avoid it, it will turn back again, and seek a refuge in its swiftness. It is, however, sometimes bold enough to run directly upon a man, and not to depart before[205]it has received a good stroke. I have been assured by several, that when it overtakes a person, who has tried to escape it, and who has not courage enough to oppose it, it winds round his feet, so as to make him fall down; it then bites him several times in the leg, or whatever part it can get hold of, and goes off again. I shall mention two circumstances, which confirm what I have said. During my stay inNew York, Dr.Coldentold me, that in the spring, 1748, he had several workmen at his country seat, and among them one lately arrived fromEurope, who of course knew very little of the qualities of the Black Snake. The other workmen seeing a great Black Snake copulating with its female, engaged the new comer to go and kill it, which he intended to do with a little stick. But on approaching the place where the snakes lay, they perceived him, and the male in great wrath leaves his pleasure to pursue the fellow with amazing swiftness; he little expected such courage in the snake, and flinging away his stick, began to run as fast as he was able. The snake pursued him, overtook him, and twisting several times round his feet, threw him down, and frightened him almost out of his senses; he could not get rid of the snake, till he[206]took a knife and cut it through in two of three places. The other Workmen were rejoiced at this sight, and laughed at it, without offering to help their companion. Many people atAlbanytold me of an accident which happened to a young lady, who went out of town in summer, together with many other girls, attended by her negro. She sat down in the wood, in a place where the others were running about, and before she was aware, a Black Snake being disturbed in its amours, ran under her petticoats, and twisted round her waist, so that she fell backwards in a swoon occasioned by her fright, or by the compression which the snake caused. The negro came up to her, and suspecting that a Black Snake might have hurt her, on making use of a remedy to bring his lady to herself again, he lifted up her cloaths, and really found the snake wound about her body as close as possible; the negro was not able to tear it away, and therefore cut it, and the girl came to herself again; but she conceived so great an aversion to the negro, that she could not bear the sight of him afterwards, and died of a consumption. At other times of the year this snake is more apt to run away, than to attack people. However I have heard it asserted frequently, that even in summer[207]when its time of copulation is past, it pursues people, especially children, if it finds that they are afraid and run from her. Several people likewise assured me from their own experience, that it may be provoked to pursue people, if they throw at it, and then run away. I cannot well doubt of this, as I have heard it said by numbers of creditable people; but I could never succeed in provoking them. I ran always away on perceiving it, or flung something at it, and then took to my heels, but I could never bring the snakes to pursue me: I know not for what reason they shunned me, unless they took me for an artful seducer.Most of the people in this country ascribed to this snake a power of fascinating birds and squirrels, as I have described in several parts of my Journal54. When the snake lies under a tree, and has fixed his eyes on a bird or squirrel above; it obliges them to come down, and to go directly into its mouth. I cannot account for this, for I never saw it done. However, I have a list of more than twenty persons, among which are some of the most creditable people, who have all unanimously, though[208]living far distant from each other, asserted the same thing; they allured me upon their honor, that they have seen (at several times) these Black Snakes fascinating squirrels and birds which sat on the tops of trees, the snake lying at the foot of the tree, with its eyes fixed upon the bird or squirrel, which sits above it, and utters a doleful note; from which it is easy to conclude with certainty that it is about to be fascinated, though you cannot see it. The bird or squirrel runs up and down along the tree continuing its plaintive song, and always comes nearer the snake, whose eyes are unalterably fixed upon it. It should seem as if these poor creatures endeavoured to escape the snake, by hopping or running up the tree; but there appears to be a power which withholds them: they are forced downwards, and each time that they turn back, they approach nearer their enemy, till they are at last forced to leap into its mouth, which stands wide open for that purpose. Numbers of squirrels and birds are continually running and hopping fearless in the woods on the ground, where the snakes ly in wait for them, and can easily give these poor creatures a mortal bite. Therefore it seems that this fascination might be thus interpreted, that the[209]creature has first got a mortal wound from the snake, which is sure of her bite, and lies quiet, being assured that the wounded creature has been poisoned with the bite, or at least feels pain from the violence of the bite, and that it will at last be obliged to come down into its mouth. The plaintive note is perhaps occasioned by the acuteness of the pain which the wound gives the creature. But to this it may be objected, that the bite of the Black Snake is not poisonous; it may further be objected, that if the snake could come near enough to a bird or squirrel to give it a mortal bite, it might as easily keep hold of it, or, as it sometimes does with poultry, twist round and strangle or stifle it. But the chief objection which lies against this interpretation, is the following account, which I received from the most creditable people, who have assured me of it. The squirrel being upon the point of running into the snake’s mouth, the spectators have not been able to let it come to that pitch, but killed the snake, and as soon as it had got a mortal blow, the squirrel or bird destined for destruction, flew away, and left off their moanful note, as if they had broke loose from a net. Some say, that if they only touched the snake, so as to draw off[210]its attention from the squirrel, it went off quickly, not stopping till it had got to a great distance. Why do the squirrels or birds go away so suddenly, and why no sooner? If they had been poisoned or bitten by the snake before, so as not to be able to get from the tree, and to be forced to approach the snake always more and more, they could however not get new strength by the snake being killed or diverted. Therefore, it seems that they are onlyenchanted, whilst the snake has its eyes fixed on them. However, this looks odd and unaccountable, though many of the worthiest and most reputable people have related it, and though it is so universally believed here, that to doubt it would be to expose one’s self to general laughter.The black snakes kill the smaller species of frogs, and eat them. If they get at eggs of poultry, or of other birds, they make holes in them, and suck the contents. When the hens are sitting on the eggs, they creep into the nest, wind round the birds, stifle them, and suck the eggs. Mr.Bartramasserted, that he had often seen this snake creep up into the tallest trees, after bird’s eggs, or young birds, always with the head foremost, when descending. ASwedetold me, that a black[211]snake had once got the head of one of his hens in its mouth, and was wound several times round the body, when he came and killed the snake. The hen was afterwards as well as ever.This snake is very greedy of milk, and it is difficult to keep it out, when it is once used to go into a cellar where milk is kept. It has been seen eating milk out of the same dish with children, without biting them, though they often gave it blows with the spoon upon the head, when it was overgreedy. I never heard it hissing. It can raise more than one half of its body from the ground, in order to look about her. It skins every year; and its skin is said to be a remedy against the cramp, if continually worn about the body.The rye was now beginning to flower.I have often observed with astonishment, on my travels, the great difference between the plants and the soil, on the two opposite banks of brooks. Sometimes a brook, which one can stride over, has plants on one bank widely different from those on the opposite bank. Therefore, whenever I came to a great brook or a river, I expected to find plants which I had not met with before. Their seeds are carried down[212]with the stream from distant parts. The soil is likewise very often different on the different sides of a rivulet, being rich and fertile on the one, and dry, barren, and sandy on the other. But a great river can make still greater differences. Thus we see the great disparity between the province ofPensylvania, andNew Jersey, which are only divided by the riverDelaware. InPensylvaniathe soil consists of a mould mixed with sand and clay, and is very rich and fertile: and in the woods which are higher in the country, the ground is mountainous and stony. On the other hand, in the province ofNew Jersey, the soil is poor and dry, and not very fertile, some parts excepted. You can hardly find a stone inNew Jersey, and much less mountains. InPensylvaniayou scarce ever see a fir-tree, and inNew Jerseyare whole woods of it.This evening I arrived atPhiladelphia.Maythe 22d. The locusts began to creep out of their holes in the ground last night, and continued to do so to-day. As soon as their wings were dry, they began their song, which is almost sufficient to make one deaf, when travelling through the woods. This year there was an immense number of them. I have given a[213]minute account of them, of their food, qualities, &c. in theMemoirs of the Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences55; it is therefore needless to repeat it here, and I refer the reader to the quoted place.Maythe 25th. The tulip-tree (Liriodendron tulipifera) was now in full blossom. The flowers have a resemblance to tulips, and look very fine, and though they have not a very agreeable smell, yet the eye is pleased to see trees as tall as full-grown oaks, covered with tulip-like flowers.On the flowers of the tulip-tree was an olive-colouredChafer(Scarabæus) without horns (muticus), the future and borders of his wing-shells (Elytræ) were black, and his thighs brown. I cannot with certainty say whether they collected the pollen of the flower, or whether they coupled. Later in summer, I saw the same kind of beetles make deep holes into the ripe mulberries, either to eat them, or to lay their eggs in them. I likewise found them abundant in the leaves of theMagnolia glauca, or beaver-tree.Thestrawberrieswere now ripe on the hills.[214]The country people already brought ripe cherries up to town; but they were only a few to satisfy curiosity, yet we may form a judgment of the climate from hence.Maythe 26th. A peculiar kind of storm called aTravat, orTravado, happened to-day. In the evening about ten o’clock, when the sky was quite clear, a thick, black cloud came rushing from the south-west, with a wind. The air was quite calm, and we could not feel any breeze. But the approach of this cloud was perceived from the strong rushing noise in the woods to the south-west, and which encreased in proportion as the cloud came nearer. As soon as it was come up to us, it was attended by a violent gust of wind, which in its course threw down the weaker enclosures, carried them a good way along with it, and broke down several trees. It was then followed by a hard shower of rain, which put an end to the storm, and every thing was calm as before. These travadoes are frequent in summer, and have the quality of cooling the air. However, they often do a deal of damage. They are commonly attended by thunder and lightning; as soon as they are passed over, the sky is as clear as it was before.Maythe 28th. TheMagnolia glauca[215]was now in full bloom. Its flowers have a very pleasant fragrancy, which refreshes the travellers in the woods, especially towards the evening. The flowers of the wild vine afterwards supplied the place of those of the Magnolia. Several other flowers contribute likewise towards perfuming the ambient air.TheKalmia angustifoliawas now every where in flower. It grows chiefly on sandy heaths, or on dry poor grounds, which few other plants will agree with; it is common inPensylvania, but particularly inNew Jersey, and the province ofNew York, it is scarce inCanada; its leaves stay the winter; the flowers are a real ornament to the woods; they grow in bunches like crowns, and are of a fine lively purple colour; at the bottom is a circle of deep purple, and within it a greyish or whitish colour. The flowers grow as aforesaid, in bunches, round the extremity of the stalk, and make it look like a decorated pyramid. TheEnglishatNew Yorkcall this plant theDwarf Laurel. Its qualities are the same with those of theKalmia latifolia, viz. that it kills sheep and other lesser animals, when they eat plentifully of it. I do not know whether it is noxious to the greater cattle. It is not of[216]any known use, and only serves to attract the eye whilst in flower.TheKalmia latifoliawas likewise in full blossom at present. It rivals the preceding one, in the beauty of its colour; yet though they are conspicuous in regard to the colours and shape of theirflowers, they are no ways remarkable for smell, such as theMagnoliais; for they have little or no smell at all. So equally and justly does nature distribute her gifts; no part of the creation has them all, each has its own, and none is absolutely without a share of them.Maythe 30th. TheMoravian Brethren, who arrived in great numbers fromEurope, atNew York, inMay, brought two convertedGreenlanderswith them. TheMoravianswho were already settled inAmerica, immediately sent some of their brethren fromPhiladelphiato the new comers, in order to welcome them. Among these deputies were twoNorth American Indians, who had been converted to their doctrine, and likewise twoSouth American Indians, fromSurinam. These three kinds of convertedIndiansaccordingly met atNew York. I had no opportunity of seeing them; but all those who had seen them, and whom I conversed with, thought that[217]they had plainly perceived a similarity in their features and shape, theGreenlandersbeing only somewhat smaller. They concluded from hence, that all these three kinds ofAmericanswere the posterity of one and the same descendant ofNoah, or that they were perhaps yet more nearly related. How far their guesses are to be relied upon, I cannot determine.Ripe cherries were now already pretty common, and consequently cheap.Yams are a species of roots, which are cultivated in the hottest parts ofAmerica, for eating, as we do potatoes. It has not yet been attempted to plant them here, and they are brought from theWest Indiesin ships; therefore they are reckoned a rarity here, and as such I ate them at Dr.Franklin’s to-day. They are white, and taste like common potatoes, but not quite so agreeable; and I think it would not be worth while to plant them inSweden, though they might bear the climate. The plant these roots belong to is theDioscorea alata.The inhabitants make plenty of cheese. They are not reckoned so good asEnglishcheese: however, some take them to be full as good when old; and so they seemed to me. A man fromBostoninNew-Englandtold me, that they made very good[218]cheese there: but they take care to keep the cattle from salt water, especially those who live near the sea-coasts; for it has been found, that the cheese will not become so good when the cows graze near salt water, as it will when they have fresh water. This, however, wants nearer examination, in my opinion.Maythe 31st. About noon I leftPhiladelphia, and went on board a small yacht, which sails continually up and down upon the riverDelaware, betweenTrentonandPhiladelphia. We sailed up the river with fair wind and weather.Sturgeonsleaped often a fathom into the air. We saw them continuing this exercise all day, till we came toTrenton. The banks on thePensylvanianside were low; and those on theNew Jerseyside steep and sandy, but not very high. On both sides we perceived forests of tall trees, withdeciduousleaves.During the course of this month, the forenoon was always calm; but immediately after noon it began to blow gently, and sometimes pretty strongly. This morning was likewise fair; and in the afternoon it was cloudy, but did not rain.The banks of the river were sometimes high, and sometimes low. We saw some small houses near the shore, in the woods;[219]and, now and then, a good house built of stone. The river now decreased visibly in breadth. About three o’clock this afternoon we passedBurlington.Burlington, the chief town in the province ofNew Jersey, and the residence of the governor, is but a small town, about twenty miles fromPhiladelphia, on the eastern side of theDelaware. The houses were chiefly built of stone, though they stood far distant from each other. The town has a good situation, since ships of considerable burden can sail close up to it: butPhiladelphiaprevents its carrying on an extensive trade; for the proprietors of that place56have granted it great immunities, by which it is increased so as to swallow all the trade of the adjacent towns. The house of the governor atBurlingtonis but a small one: it is built of stone, close by the river side, and is the first building in the town as you come fromPhiladelphia. It is observed, that about the full moons, when the tides are highest, and the high water atCape Hinlopencomes at nine o’clock in the morning, it will be atChester, on the riverDelaware, about ten minutes after one o’clock; atPhiladelphia, about ten minutes after two o’clock; and atBurlington,[220]about ten minutes after three o’clock; for the tide in the riverDelawarecomes quite up toTrenton. These observations were communicated to me by Mr.Lewis Evans.The banks of the river were now chiefly high and steep on the side ofNew Jersey, consisting of a pale brick-coloured soil. On thePensylvanianside, they were gently sloping, and consisted of a blackish rich mould, mixed with particles of Glimmer (Mica). On theNew Jerseyside appeared some firs; but seldom on the other, except in a few places where they were accidentally brought over fromNew Jersey.Towards night, after the tide had begun to ebb and the wind was quite subsided, we could not proceed, but dropped our anchor about seven miles fromTrenton, and passed the night there. The woods were full ofFireflies, (Lampyris) which flew like sparks of fire between the trees, and sometimes across the river. In the marshes, theBullfrogsnow and then began their hideous roaring; and more than a hundred of them roared together. TheWhip-poor-will, orGoatsucker, was likewise heard every where.Junethe 1st. We continued our voyage this morning, after the rain was over. The[221]riverDelawarewas very narrow here, and the banks the same as we found them yesterday, after we had passedBurlington. About eight o’clock in the morning we arrived atTrenton57.Junethe 2d. This morning we leftTrenton, and proceeded towardsNew York. The country I have described before58. The fields were sown with wheat, rye, maize, oats, hemp, and flax. In several places, we saw very large pieces of ground with hemp.We saw abundance of chesnut-trees in the woods. They often stood in excessive poor ground, which was neither too dry nor too wet.Tulip-treesdid not appear on the road; but the people said there were some in the woods.TheBeaver-tree(Magnolia glauca) grows in the swamps. It was now in flower, and the fragrancy of its blossoms had so perfumed the air, that one could enjoy it before one approached the swamps; and this fine smell likewise shewed that a beaver-tree was near us, though we often happened not to see it.[222]ThePhlox Glaberrimagrows abundantly in the woods, and cuts a fine figure with its red flowers. It grows in such soil here as inEuropeis occupied by theLychnis viscariaandLychnis dioica, or red Catchfly and Campion. ThePhlox maculatagrows abundantly in wet ground, and has fine red and odoriferous flowers. It grows on low meadows, where inEuropethe Meadow-pinks, orLychnis flos cuculi, would be met with. By adding to these flowers theBartsia coccinea, theLobelia cardinalis, and theMonarda didyma, which grow wild in this country, they are undoubtedly altogether adorned with the finest red imaginable.TheSassafras-treewas abundant in the woods, and near the inclosures.The houses which we passed by were most of them wooden. In one place, I saw the people building a house with walls of mere clay, which is likewise employed in making ovens for baking.Buckwheatwas already coming up in several places. We saw single plants of it all day in the woods, and in the fields, but always by the side of the road; from whence it may be concluded, that they spring up from lost and scattered seeds.[223]Late this evening we arrived atNew Brunswick59.Junethe 3d. At noon we went on board a yacht bound forNew York, and sailed down the river, which had at first pretty high and steep banks, of red sandstone, on each side, which I have mentioned before.60Now and then, there was a farm-house on the high shore. As we came lower down, we saw on both sides great fields and meadows, close up to the water. We could not sail at random with the yacht; for the river was often shallow in some places, and sometimes in the very middle. For that purpose, the course which we were to take was marked out by branches with leaves on them. At last we got into the sea, which bounded our prospect on the south; but on the other side, we were continually in sight of land at some distance. On coming to the mouth of the river, we had a choice of two roads toNew York;viz.either within theStaten Island, or without it. The inhabitants are determined in their choice by the weather; for when itisstormy and cloudy, or dark, they do not venture to sail without, where the sea itself communicates. We took that course[224]now, it being very pleasant weather; and though we struck on the sands once or twice, yet we got loose again, and arrived atNew Yorkabout nine o’clock. Of this town I have given an account in the preceding volume61.Junethe 4th. I found vines in several gardens, got from the old countries. They bear annually a quantity of excellent grapes. When the winters are very severe, they are killed by the frost, and die quite to the ground; but the next spring new shoots spring up from the root.Strawberrieswere now sold in abundance about the town every day. AnEnglishmanfromJamaicaasserted, that in that island there were no strawberries. The snakes are very fond of strawberries. Those which they had here were not so good as theSwedishandFinlandones.Red Cloverwas sown in several places on the hills without the town. The country people were now employed in mowing the meadows. Some were already mown; and the dry clover was put under cover, in order to be carried away the first opportunity.Cherry-treeswere planted in great quantities before the farm-houses, and along[225]the high-roads, fromPhiladelphiatoNew Brunswick; but behind that place they became more scarce. On coming toStaten Island, in the province ofNew York, I found them very common again, near the gardens. Here are not so many varieties of cherries as there are inPensylvania. I seldom saw any of the black sweet cherries62atNew York; but commonly the sour red ones. All travellers are allowed to pluck ripe fruit in any garden which they pass by; and not even the most covetous farmer can hinder them from so doing. BetweenNew BrunswickandStaten Island, are a few cherry-gardens; but proportionably more orchards, with apple-trees.Junethe 6th. Several gentlemen and merchants, between fifty and sixty years of age, asserted, that during their life they had plainly found several kinds of fish decrease in number every year; and that they could not get near so many fish now as they could formerly.Rum, a brandy prepared from the sugar-canes, and in great use with all theEnglish North Americancolonies, is reckoned much wholesomer than brandy, made from wine or corn63. In confirmation of this[226]opinion, they say, that if you put a piece of fresh meat into rum, and another into brandy, and leave them there for some months; that in the rum will keep as it was, but that in the brandy will be quite eaten, and full of holes. But this experiment does not seem a very accurate one to me. MajorRoderforttold me, that being upon theCanadaexpedition, he had observed, that such of his men as drank brandy for some time died of it; but those who drank rum were not hurt, though they got drunk with it every day, and oftener than the others.Long-Islandis the name of an island opposite the town ofNew York, in the sea. The northern part of the island is much more fertile than the southern. Formerly there lived a number ofIndianson this island; and there are yet some, which however decrease in number every year, because they leave the island. The soil of the southern part of the island is very poor;[227]but this deficiency is made up by a vast quantity of oysters, lobsters, crabs, several kinds of fish, and numbers of water fowl, all which are there far more abundant than on the northern shores of the Island. Therefore theIndiansformerly chose the southern part to live in, because they subsisted on oysters, and other productions of the sea. When the tide is out, it is very easy to fill a whole cart with oysters, which have been driven on shore by one flood. The Island is strewed with oystershells and other shells, which theIndiansleft there; these shells serve now for good manure for the fields. The southern part of the Island is turned into meadows, and the northern part into fields. The winter is more constant on the northern part, and the snow in spring lies longer there than on the southern part. The people are very fertile here, and commonly tall and strong.

Sometimes they sit at a good distance from the pond; but as soon as they suspect any danger, they hasten with great leaps into the water. They are very expert at hopping. A full-grownBullfrogtakes near three yards at one hop. I have often been told the following story by the oldSwedes, which happened here, at the time when theIndianslived with theSwedes. It is well known, that theIndiansare excellent runners; I have seen them, at GovernorJohnson’s, equal the best horse in its swiftest[173]course, and almost pass by it. Therefore, in order to try how well the bull-frogs could leap, some of theSwedeslaid a wager with a youngIndian, that he could not overtake the frog, provided it had two leaps before hand. They carried a bull-frog, which they had caught in a pond, upon a field, and burnt his back-side; the fire, and theIndian, who endeavoured to be closely up with the frog, had such an effect upon the animal, that it made its long hops across the field, as fast as it could. TheIndianbegan to pursue the frog with all his might at the proper time: the noise he made in running frightened the poor frog; probably it was afraid of being tortured with fire again, and therefore it redoubled its leaps, and by that means it reached the pond before theIndiancould over-take it.

In some years they are more numerous than in others: nobody could tell, whether the snakes had ever ventured to eat them, though they eat all the lesser kinds of frogs. The women are no friends to these frogs, because they kill and eat young ducklings and goslings: sometimes they carry off chickens that come too near the ponds. I have not observed that they bite when they are held in the hands, though they have little teeth; when they are beaten, they cry[174]out almost like children. I was told that some eat the thighs of the hind legs, and that they are very palatable.

A tree which grows in the swamps here, and in other parts ofAmerica, goes by the name ofWhite Juniper-tree. Its stem indeed looks like one of our old tall and strait juniper-trees inSweden: but the leaves are different, and the wood is white. TheEnglishcall itWhite Cedar, because the boards which are made of the wood, are like those made of cedar. But neither of these names are just, for the tree is of the cypress kind44. It always grows in wet ground or swamps: it is therefore difficult to come to them, because the ground between the little hillocks is full of water. The trees stand both on the hillocks and in the water: they grow very close together, and have strait, thick, and tall stems; but they were greatly reduced in number to what they have been before. In such places where they are left to grow up, they grow as tall and as thick as the tallest fir-trees; they preserve their green leaves both in winter and summer; the tall ones have no branches on the lower part of the stem.

The marshes where these trees grow are calledCedar Swamps. These cedar swamps[175]are numerous inNew Jersey, and likewise in some parts ofPensylvaniaandNew York. The most northerly place, where it has been hitherto found, is nearGosheninNew York, under forty-one degrees and twenty-live minutes of north latitude, as I am informed by Dr.Colden. For to the North ofGoshen, it has not been found in the woods. The white cedar is one of the trees, which resist the most to putrefaction; and when it is put above ground, it will last longer than under ground: therefore it is employed for many purposes; it makes good fences, and posts which are to be put into the ground; but in this point, the red cedar is still preferable to the white; it likewise makes good canoes. The young trees are employed for hoops,round barrels, tuns, &c. because they are thin and pliable; the thick and tall trees afford timber, and wood for cooper’s work. The houses which are built of it, surpass in duration, those which are built ofAmericanoak. Many of the houses inRapaapowere made of this white cedar wood; but the chief thing which the white cedar affords is the best kind of shingles. The white cedar shingles are preferred to all others for several reasons; first, they are more durable than any others made ofAmericanwood, the red cedar shingles[176]excepted; secondly, they are very light, so that no strong beams are requisite to support the roof. For the same reason it is unnecessary to build thick walls, because they are not pressed by heavy roofs. When fires break out, it is less dangerous to go under or along the roofs, because the shingles being very light can do little hurt by falling; they suck the water, being somewhat spungy, so that the roofs can easily be wetted in case of a fire: however, their fatness occasions that the water does not hurt them, but evaporates easily. When they burn and are carried about by the wind, they have commonly what is called a dead coal, which does not easily set fire where it alights. The roofs made of these shingles can easily be cut through, if required, because they are thin, and not very hard; for these qualities the people in the country, and in the towns, are very desirous of having their houses covered with white cedar shingles, if the wood can be got. Therefore all churches, and the houses of the more substantial inhabitants of the towns, have shingle roofs. In many parts ofNew Yorkprovince, where the white cedar does not grow, the people, however, have their houses roofed with cedar shingles, which they get from other parts. To that purpose great quantities of shingles are annually exported fromEggharbourand[177]other parts ofNew Jersey, to the town ofNew York, from whence they are distributed throughout the province. A quantity of white cedar wood is likewise exported every year to theWest Indies, for shingles, pipe staves, &c. Thus the inhabitants are very busy here, not only to lessen the number of these trees, but even to extirpate them entirely. They are here (and in many other places) in regard to wood, bent only upon their own present advantage, utterly regardless of posterity. By this means many cedar swamps are already quite destitute of cedars, having only young shoots left; and I plainly observed, by counting the circles round the stem, that they do not grow up very quickly, but require a great deal of time before they can be cut for timber. It is well known that a tree gets only one circle every year; a stem, eighteen inches in diameter, had one hundred and eight circles round the thicker end; another, seventeen inches in diameter, had a hundred and sixteen; and another, two feet in diameter, had one hundred and forty-two circles upon it. Thus near eighty years growth is required, before a White cedar raised from seed can be used for timber. Among the advantages which the white cedar shingles have over others, the[178]people reckon their lightness. But this good and useful quality may in future times turn out very disadvantageous toPhiladelphia, and other places where the houses are rooted with cedar shingles; for as the roofs made of these shingles are very light, and bear but a trifling weight on the walls, so the people have made the walls but very thin. I measured the thickness of the walls of several houses here, of three stories high (cellar and garret not included), and found most of them nine inches and a half, and some ten inches thick; therefore it is by no means surprising, that violent hurricanes sometimes make the brick gable-ends to vibrate apparently, especially on such houses as have a very open situation. And since the cedar-trees will soon be wanting in this country, and the present roofs when rotten must be supplied with heavier ones, of tiles, or of other wood, it is more than probable, that the thin walls will not be able to bear such an additional weight, and will either break, or require to be supported by props: or else the whole house must be pulled down and rebuilt with thicker walls. This observation has already been made by others. Some of the people here make use of the chips of white cedar instead of tea, alluring me that they preferred it in[179]regard to its wholesomeness to all foreign tea. All the inhabitants here were of opinion, that the water in the cedar swamps is wholesomer than any other drink: it creates a great appetite, which they endeavoured to prove by several examples. They ascribed this quality to the water itself, which is filled with the rosin of the trees, and to the exhalations which came from the trees, and can easily be smelled. The people likewise thought that the yellowish colour of the water, which stands between the cedar trees, was owing to the rosin, which comes out of the roots of these trees. They likewise all agreed, that this water is always very cold in the hottest season, which may be partly owing to the continual shade it is in. I knew several people who were resolved to go to these cedar swamps, and use the waters for the recovery of their appetite. Mr.Bartramplanted a white cedar in a dry soil, but it could not succeed there: he then put it into a swampy ground, where it got as it were new life, and came on very well; and though it was not taller than a man, yet it was full of cones. Another thing is very remarkable, with regard to the propagation of this tree: Mr.Bartramcut its branches in spring two years successively, and put them into the swampy soil,[180]where they struck roots, and succeeded very well. I have seen them myself.

Thered Juniper-treeis another tree which I have mentioned very frequently in the course of my account. TheSwedeshave given it the name of red Juniper, because the wood is very red and fine within. TheEnglishcall itred Cedar, and theFrenchCedre rouge. However, theSwedishname is the most proper, as the tree belongs to theJunipers45. At its first growth it has a deal of similarity to theSwedish Juniper46, but after it is grown up it gets quite different leaves. The berry exactly resembles that of theSwedish Juniper, in regard to its colour and shape; however, they are not so big, though the redCedargrows very tall. AtRaccoonthese trees stood single, and were not very tall. But at other places I have seen them standing together in clusters; they like the same ground as the commonSwedish Juniper, especially on the rising banks of rivers, and on other rising grounds, in a dry, and frequently in a poor soil. I have seen them growing in abundance, as thick and tall as the tallest fir-trees, on poor dry and sandy heaths. TowardsCanada, or in[181]the most northerly places, where I have seen them, they commonly choose the steep sides of the mountains, and there they grow promiscuously with the commonJuniper. The most northerly places where I have found them wild in the woods, is inCanada, eighteenFrenchmiles to the southward of the FortSaint Jean, orSt. John, in about 44° 35′ North Latitude. I have likewise seen it growing very well in a garden, on the island ofMagdalene47, belonging to the then governor ofMontreal,Monsieur le Baron de Longueuil. But it had been got at more southerly places, and was transplanted here. Of all the woods in this country, this is without exception the most durable, and withstands putrefaction longer than any other; it is therefore employed in all such cases where it is most liable to rot, especially for all kinds of posts which are to be put into the ground. Some people say, that if an iron be put into the ground along with a pole of cedar, the iron would be half corroded by rust in the same time that the wood would be rotten. In many places both the fences, and the posts belonging to them, are made[182]of red cedar. The best canoes, consisting of a single piece of wood, are made of red cedar; for they last longer than any others, and are very light. InNew YorkI have seen pretty large yachts build of red cedar. Several yachts which go fromNew YorktoAlbany, up the riverHudson, are built in a different manner, as I have mentioned in the first volume48. InPhiladelphiathey cannot make any yachts or other boats of red cedar, because the quantity and the size of the trees will not allow of it. For the same reason they do not roof their houses with red cedar shingles; but in such places where it is plentiful, it makes excellent good roofs. The heart of this cedar is of a fine red colour, and whatever is made of it looks very fine, and has a very agreeable and wholesome smell. But the colour fades by degrees, or else the wood would be exceedingly proper for cabinet work. I saw a parlour in the country seat of Mr.Norris, one of the Members of thePensylvanianHouse of Assembly, wainscotted many years ago with boards of red cedar. Mr.Norrisassured me that the[183]cedar looked exceedingly well in the beginning, but it was quite faded when I saw it, and the boards looked very shabby, especially the boards near the window had entirely lost their colour; so that Mr.Norrishad been obliged to put mahogany in their stead: however, I was told, that the wood will keep its colour if a thin varnish is put upon it whilst it is fresh, and just after it has been planed, and if care is taken that the wood is not afterwards rubbed or hurt. At least it makes the wood keep its colour much longer than commonly. Since it has a very pleasant smell, when fresh, some people put the shavings and chips of it among their linen to secure it against being worm-eaten. Some likewise get bureaus, &c. made of red cedar, with the same view. But it is only useful for this purpose as long as it is fresh, for it loses its smell after some time, and is then no longer good for keeping off insects. It is sometimes sent toEngland, as timber, and sells very well. In many places roundPhiladelphia, in the seats of the gentry, there was commonly an avenue, with a row of these trees planted on both sides, leading from the high road to the house. The lower branches were cut, and only a fine crown left. In winter,[184]when most other trees have losttheirleaves, this looks very fine. This tree has likewise a very slow growth; for a stem, thirteen inches and a quarter in diameter, had one hundred and eighty-eight rings, or annual circles and another, eighteen inches in diameter, had at least two hundred and fifty, for a great number of the rings were so fine that they could not be counted. This tree is propagated in the same manner as the common Juniper-tree is inSweden, viz. chiefly by birds, which eat the berries and emit the seeds entire. To encourage the planting of this useful tree, a description of the method of doing it, written by Mr.Bartram, was inserted in aPensylvaniaalmanack, calledPoor Richard Improved, for the year 1749. In it was explained the manner of planting and augmenting the number of these trees, and mention is made of some of the purposes to which they may be employed.

In the evening I returned toRaccoon.

Maythe 6th. The Mulberry-trees (Morus rubra) about this time began to blossom, but their leaves were yet very small.The people divided them into male and female trees or flowers; and said that those which never bore any fruit were males, and those which did, females.[185]

Smilax laurifoliawas superabundant in all the swamps near this place. Its leaves were now beginning to come out, for it sheds them all every winter; it climbs up along trees and shrubs, and runs across from one tree or bush to another: by this means it shuts up the passage between the trees, fastening itself every where with its cirrhi or tendrils, and even on people, so that it is with the utmost difficulty one must force a passage in the swamps and woods, where it is plentiful; the stalk towards the bottom is full of long spines, which are as strong as the spines of a rose-bush, and catch hold of the clothes, and tear them: this troublesome plant may sometimes bring you into imminent danger, when botanizing or going into the woods, for, not to mention that the cloaths must be absolutely ruined by its numberless spines, it occasions a deep shade in the woods, by crossing from tree to tree so often; this forces you to stoop, and even to creep on all fours through the little passages which are left close to the ground, and then you cannot be careful enough to prevent a snake (of which there are numbers here) from darting into your face. The stalk of the plant has the same colour as the young rose-bushes. It is quite green[186]and smooth between the spines, so that a stranger would take it to be a kind of thorn-bush, in winter, when it is destitute of leaves.

Maythe 8th. The trees hereabouts were now stocked with innumerableCaterpillars; one kind especially was observable, which is worse than all the others. They immediately formed great white webs, between the branches of the trees, so that they were perceptible, even at a distance; in each of these webs were thousands ofCaterpillars, which crept out of them afterwards, and spread chiefly upon the apple-trees. They consumed the leaves, and often left not one on a whole branch. I was told, that some years ago they did so much damage, that the apple-trees and peach-trees hardly bore any fruit at all; because they had consumed all the leaves, and exposed the naked trees to the intense heat of the sun, by which means several of the trees died. The people took the following method of killing theseCaterpillars: They fixed some straw or flax on a pole, set it on fire, and held it under the webs or nests; by which a part was burnt, and a part fell to the ground. However, numbers of theCaterpillarscrept up the trees again, which could have been prevented, if they had been[187]trod upon, or killed any other way. I called chickens to such places where they crept on the ground in numbers; but they would not eat them. Nor did the wild birds like them; for the trees were full of these webs, though whole flights of little birds had their nests in the gardens and orchards.

Maythe 18th. Though it was already pretty late inMay, yet the nights were very dark here. About an hour after sun-set, it was so dark, that it was impossible to read in a book, though the type was ever so large. About ten o’clock, on a clear night, the dark was so much increased, that it looked like one of the darkest star-light nights in autumn, inSweden. It likewise seemed to me, that though the nights were clear, yet the stars did not give so great a light as they do inSweden. And as, about this time, the nights are commonly dark, and the sky covered with clouds; so I would compare them only to dark and cloudySwedishwinter nights. It was therefore, at this time of the year, very difficult to travel in such cloudy nights; for neither man nor horse could find their way. The nights, in general, seem very disagreeable to me, in comparison to the light and glorious, summer nights ofSweden. Ignorance sometimes makes us think slightly of[188]our country. If other countries have their advantages,Swedenis not destitute of matter to boast of on this head: it likewise has its peculiar advantages; and upon weighing the advantages and inconveniencies of different places,Swedenwill be found to be not inferior to any of them.

I will briefly mention in what points I thinkSwedenis preferable to this part ofAmerica; and why I preferOld SwedentoNew Sweden.

The nights are very dark here all the summer; and in winter, they are quite as dark, if not darker, than the winter nights inSweden; for here is no kind ofAurora Borealis, and the stars give a very faint light. It is very remarkable if anAurora Borealisappears once or twice a year. The winters here bring no snow, to make the nights clear, and to make travelling more safe and easy. The cold is, however, frequently as intense as inOld Sweden. The snow which falls lies only a few days, and always goes off with a great deal of wet. TheRattle-snakes,Horned-snakes,red-bellied,green, and other poisonousSnakes, against whose bite there is frequently no remedy, are in great plenty here. To these I must add the wood-lice, with which the forests are so pestered, that it is impossible to pass through a bush without[189]having a whole army of them on your cloaths, or to sit down, though the place be ever so pleasant. The inconvenience and trouble they cause, both to man and beast, I have described in theMemoirs of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. The weather is so inconstant here, that when a day is most excessively hot, the next is often sensibly cold. This sudden change often happens in one day; and few people can suffer these changes, without impairing their health. The heat in summer is excessive, and the cold in winter often very piercing. However, one can always secure one’s self against the cold; but when the great heat is of any duration, there is hardly any remedy against it. It tires one so, that one does not know which way to turn. It has frequently happened, that people who walked into the fields, dropped down dead, on account of the violence of the heat. Several distempers prevail here; and they increase every year. Nobody is left unattacked by the intermitting fever; and many people are forced to suffer it every year, together with other diseases. Pease cannot be sown, on account of the insects which consume them49. There are worms in the grains of rye, and numbers of them are in the cherry-trees.[190]The caterpillars often eat all the leaves from the trees, so that they cannot bear fruit in that year; and numbers die every year, both of fruit-trees and forest-trees. The grass in the meadows is likewise consumed by a kind of worms, and another species cause the plumbs to drop, before they are half ripe. The oak here affords not near so good timber as theEuropeanoak. The fences cannot stand above eighteen years. The houses are of no long duration. The meadows are poor, and what grass they have is bad. The pasture for cattle in the forests, consists of such plants as they do not like, and which they are compelled to eat by necessity; for it is difficult to find a single grass in great forests, where the trees stand far asunder, and where the soil is excellent. For this reason, the cattle are forced, during almost the whole winter and part of the summer, to live upon the young shoots and branches of trees, which sometimes have no leaves: therefore, the cows give very little milk, and decrease in size every generation. The houses are extremely unfit for winter habitations. Hurricanes are frequent, which overthrow trees, carry away roofs, and sometimes houses, and do a great deal of damage. Some of these inconveniencies might be remedied by art;[191]but others will either admit of no alteration, or they will at least cost vast trouble. Thus every country has its advantages, and its defects: happy is he who can content himself with his own.

The rye grows very ill in most of the fields, which is chiefly owing to the carelessness in agriculture, and to the poorness of the fields, which are seldom or never manured. After the inhabitants have converted a tract of land into fields, which had been a forest for many centuries together, and which consequently had a very fine soil, they use it as such, as long as it will bear any corn; and when it ceases to bear any, they turn it into pastures for the cattle, and take new corn fields in another place, where a fine soil can be met with, and where it has never been made use of for this purpose. This kind of agriculture will do for some time; but it will afterwards have bad consequences, as every one may clearly see. A few of the inhabitants, however, treated their fields a little better: theEnglishin general have carried agriculture to a higher degree of perfection than any other nation. But the depth and richness of the soil, which those found here who came over fromEngland, (as they were preparing land for ploughing which had been covered[192]with woods from times immemorial) misled them, and made them careless husbandmen. It is well known, that theIndianslived in this country for several centuries before theEuropeanscame into it; but it is likewise known, that they lived chiefly by hunting and fishing, and had hardly any fields. They planted maize, and some species of beans and gourds; and at the same time it is certain, that a plantation of such vegetables as serve anIndianfamily during one year, take up no more ground than a farmer in our country takes to plant cabbage for his family upon; at least, a farmer’s cabbage and turnep ground, taken together, is always as extensive, if not more so, than the corn-fields and kitchen-gardens of anIndianfamily. Therefore, theIndianscould hardly subsist for one month upon the produce of their gardens and fields. Commonly, the little villages ofIndiansare about twelve or eighteen miles distant from each other. From hence one may judge, how little ground was formerly employed for corn-fields; and the rest was overgrown with thick and tall trees. And though they cleared (as is yet usual) new ground, as soon as the old one had quite lost its fertility; yet such little pieces as they made use of were very inconsiderable, when compared[193]to the vast forests which remained. Thus the upper fertile soil increased considerably, for centuries together; and theEuropeanscoming toAmericafound a rich and fine soil before them, lying as loose between the trees as the best bed in a garden. They had nothing to do but to cut down the wood, put it up in heaps, and to clear the dead leaves away. They could then immediately proceed to ploughing, which in such loose ground is very easy; and having sown their corn, they got a most plentiful harvest. This easy method of getting a rich crop has spoiled theEnglishand otherEuropeaninhabitants, and induced them to adopt the same method of agriculture which theIndiansmake use of; that is, to sow uncultivated grounds, as long as they will produce a crop without manuring, but to turn them into pastures as soon as they can bear no more, and to take in hand new spots of ground, covered since time immemorial with woods, which have been spared by the fire or the hatchet ever since the creation. This is likewise the reason why agriculture, and the knowledge of this useful branch, is so imperfect here, that one can learn nothing on a great tract of land, neither of theEnglish, nor of theSwedes,Germans,Dutch, andFrench; except that, from their gross mistakes[194]and carelessness for futurity, one finds opportunities every day of making all sorts of observations, and of growing wise at the expence of other people. In a word, the corn-fields, the meadows, the forests, the cattle, &c. are treated with equal carelessness; and theEnglishnation, so well skilled in these branches of husbandry, is with difficulty found out here. We can hardly be more lavish of our woods inSwedenandFinlandthan they are here: their eyes are fixed upon the present gain, and they are blind to futurity. Every day their cattle are harassed by labour, and each generation decreases in goodness and size, by being kept short of food, as I have before mentioned. On my travels in this country I observed several plants, which the horses and cows preferred to all others. They were wild in this country, and likewise grew well on the driest and poorest ground, where no other plants would succeed. But the inhabitants did not know how to turn this to their advantage; owing to the little account made of Natural History, that science being here (as in other parts of the world) looked upon as a mere trifle, and the pastime of fools. I am certain, and my certainty is founded upon experience, that by means of these plants, in the space of a few years, I have[195]been able to turn the poorest ground, which would hardly afford food for a cow, into the richest and most fertile meadow, where great flocks of cattle have found superfluous food, and are grown fat upon. I own, that these useful plants were not to be found on the grounds of every planter: but with a small share of natural knowledge, a man would easily collect them in the places where they were to be got. I was astonished, when I heard the country people complaining of the badness of the pastures; but I likewise perceived their negligence, and often saw excellent plants growing on their own grounds, which only required a little more attention and assistance from their unexperienced owners. I found every where the wisdom and goodness of the Creator; but too seldom saw any acknowledgment, or adequate estimation of it, among men.

O fortunatos nimium sua si bona norint,Agricolas!

O fortunatos nimium sua si bona norint,

Agricolas!

Virg.Georgic.

I have been led to these reflections, which may perhaps seem foreign to my purpose, by the bad and neglected state of agriculture in every part of this continent. I likewise intended to shew the reason why this journal is so thinly stocked with œconomical advantages in the several branches of husbandry. I do not however deny, that I have sometimes found[196]one or two skilful œconomists, but they were very scarce.

Birds of prey which pursue the poultry are found in abundance here, and if possible more plentiful than inSweden. They enjoy great liberty here, as there are still great forests in many places, from whence they can come unawares upon chickens and ducks. To the birds of prey it is quite indifferent whether the woods consist of good or bad trees, provided they are in shade. At night the owls, which are very numerous, endanger the safety of the tame fowls. They live chiefly in marshes, give a disagreeable shriek at night, and attack the chickens, which commonly roost at night in the apple-trees, peach-trees, and cherry-trees, in the garden. But since they are very busy in clearing this country of woods, as we are inSwedenandFinland, it may be of use for exposing the birds of prey, more than they are now, and for depriving them of the opportunities of doing mischief with so much ease.

The thick forests ofAmericacontain numbers of stags; they do not seem to be a different species from theEuropeanstags. AnEnglishmanwas possessed of a tame hind. It is observable that though these creatures are very shy when wild in the[197]woods and the cedar swamps, which are very much frequented by them, yet they can be tamed to such a degree, if taken young, that they will come of their own accord to people, and even to strangers: This hind was caught when it was but very little; the colour of the whole body was a dirty reddish brown, the belly and the under side of the tail excepted, which were white; the ears were grey; the head, towards the snout, was very narrow, but upon the whole the creature looked very fine. The hair lay close together, and was quite short; the tail reached almost to the bend of the knee, near which, on the inside of each hind-foot, was aknoborcallus. The possessor of the hind said, that he had tamed several stags, by catching them whilst they were very young. It was now big with young ones. It had a little bell hung about its neck, that by walking in the woods, the people might know it to be tame, and take care not to shoot it. It was at liberty to go where it pleased, and to keep it confined would have been a pretty hard task, as it could leap over the highest enclosures. Sometimes it went far into the woods, and frequently staid away a night or two, but afterwards returned home like other cattle.[198]When it went into the woods, it was often accompanied by wild stags, and decoyed them even into the very houses, especially in rutting time, giving its master numerous opportunities of shooting the wild stags, almost at his door. Its scent was excellent, and when it was turned towards the wind, I often saw it rising and looking towards that part, though I did not see any people on the road, but they commonly appeared about an hour after. As soon as the wild stags have the scent of a man, they make off. In winter the man fed the hind with corn and hay; but in summer it went out into the woods and meadows, seeking its own food, eating both grass and other plants: it was now kept in a meadow; it did chiefly eat clover, the leaves of hiccory, of theAndromeda paniculata, and theGeranium maculatum. It was likewise contented with the leaves of the common plantane, orPlantaga, grasses, and several other plants. The possessor of this hind sold stags to people inPhiladelphia, who sent them as curiosities to other places. He got twenty-five, thirty, and forty shillings a-piece for them. The food of the wild stags in summer is grass and several plants; but in winter, when they are not to be got, they eat the shoots and young[199]sprigs of branches. I have already mentioned50that they eat without any danger the spoon-tree, orKalmia latifolia, which is poison to other animals. In the long and severe winter, which commenced here upon the tenth ofDecember, 1740, and continued to the thirteenth ofMarch, old stile, during the course of which there fell a great quantity of snow, the stags were found dead in the snow, but chiefly higher up the country, where the snow was deeper. Nobody could determine whether their death was the consequence of the great quantity and depth of snow, which hindered their getting out, or whether the frost had been too severe, and of too long duration, or whether they were short of food. The old people likewise relate, that vast numbers of stags came down in the year 1705, when there was a heavy fall of snow, near a yard deep, and that they were afterwards found dead in the woods, in great numbers, because the snow was deeper than they could pass through. Numbers of birds were likewise found dead at that time. In that same winter, a stag came toMatsonginto the stables, and ate hay together with the cattle. It was so pinched by hunger, that it grew tame immediately, and did not run away[200]from people. It afterwards continued in the house, as another tame creature. All aged persons asserted, that formerly this country abounded more with stags than it does at present. It was formerly not uncommon to see thirty or forty of them in a flock together. The reason of their decrease is chiefly owing to the increase of population, the destruction of the woods, and the number of people who kill and frighten the stags at present. However, high up in the country, in great forests and desarts, there are yet great numbers of them. Among their enemies is theLynxof this country, which is the same with theSwedishone51. They climb up the trees, and when the stags pass by, they dart down upon him, get fast hold, bite, and suck the blood, and never give over till they have killed it.

I saw several holes in the ground, both on hills and on fields, and fallow grounds; they were round, and commonly[201]about an inch wide; they went almost perpendicularly into the earth, and were made by dung-beetles, or by great worms, which are made use of for angling. The dung-beetles had dug very deep into the ground, thro’ horse-dung, tho’ it lay on the hardest road, so that a great heap of earth lay near it. These holes were afterwards occupied by other insects, especially grasshoppers, (Grylli) andCicadæ; for by digging these holes up, I commonly found one or more young ones of these insects, which had not yet got their perfect size.

Maythe 19th. This morning I leftRaccoon, a parish in the country calledNew Sweden, and which is yet chiefly inhabited bySwedes, in order to proceed in my travels to the North. I first intended to set out with the beginning ofApril, but for several reasons this was not adviseble. No leaves were come out at that time, and hardly any flowers appeared. I did not know what flowers grew here in spring; for the autumnal plants are different from the vernal ones. TheSwedeshad this winter told me the œconomical and medical uses of many plants, to which they gave names unknown to me: they could not then shew me those plants on account of the season, and by their deficient and erroneous descriptions,[202]I was not able to guess what plants they meant. By going away so early as the beginning ofApril, I would have remained in uncertainty in regard to these things. It was therefore fit, that I should spend a part of the spring atRaccoon, especially as I had still time enough left for my tour to the North.

On the road we saw aBlack Snake, which we killed, and found just five foot long.Catesbyhas described it and its qualities, and also drawn it52. The full-grown Black Snakes are commonly about five feet long, but very slender; the thickest I ever saw was in the broadest part hardly three inches thick; the back is black, shining, and smooth; the chin white and smooth; the belly whitish turning into blue, shining, and very smooth; I believe there are some varieties of this snake. One which was nineteen inches long, had a hundred and eighty-six scales on the belly, (Scuta Abdominalia) and ninety-two half scales on the tail (Squamæ subcaudales), which I found to be true, by a repeated counting of the scales. Another, which was seventeen inches and a half in length, had a hundred and eighty-four scales on the belly, and only sixty-four half scales on the tail; this[203]I likewise assured myself of, by counting the scales over again. It is possible that the end of this last snake’s tail was cut off, and the wound healed up again53.

The country abounds with Black Snakes. They are among the first that come out in spring, and often appear very early if warm weather happens; but if it grows cold again after that, they are quite frozen, and lie stiff and torpid on the ground or on the ice; when taken in this state and put before a fire, they revive in less than an hour’s time. It has sometimes happened, when the beginning ofJanuaryis very warm, that they come out of their winter habitations. They commonly appear about the end ofMarch, old style.[204]

This is the swiftest of all the snakes which are to be found here, for it moves so quick, that a dog can hardly catch it. It is therefore almost impossible for a man to escape it if pursued: but happily its bite is neither poisonous nor any way dangerous; many people have been bit by it in the woods, and have scarce felt any more inconvenience than if they had been wounded by a knife; the wounded place only remains painful for some time. The Black Snakes seldom do any harm, except in spring, when they copulate; but if any body comes in their way at that time, they are so much vexed, as to pursue him as fast as they can. If they meet with a person who is afraid of them, he is in great distress. I am acquainted with several people, who have on such an occasion run so hard as to be quite out of breath, in endeavouring to escape the snake, which moved with the swiftness of an arrow after them. If a person thus pursued can muster up courage enough to oppose the snake with a stick or any thing else, when it is either passed by him, or when he steps aside to avoid it, it will turn back again, and seek a refuge in its swiftness. It is, however, sometimes bold enough to run directly upon a man, and not to depart before[205]it has received a good stroke. I have been assured by several, that when it overtakes a person, who has tried to escape it, and who has not courage enough to oppose it, it winds round his feet, so as to make him fall down; it then bites him several times in the leg, or whatever part it can get hold of, and goes off again. I shall mention two circumstances, which confirm what I have said. During my stay inNew York, Dr.Coldentold me, that in the spring, 1748, he had several workmen at his country seat, and among them one lately arrived fromEurope, who of course knew very little of the qualities of the Black Snake. The other workmen seeing a great Black Snake copulating with its female, engaged the new comer to go and kill it, which he intended to do with a little stick. But on approaching the place where the snakes lay, they perceived him, and the male in great wrath leaves his pleasure to pursue the fellow with amazing swiftness; he little expected such courage in the snake, and flinging away his stick, began to run as fast as he was able. The snake pursued him, overtook him, and twisting several times round his feet, threw him down, and frightened him almost out of his senses; he could not get rid of the snake, till he[206]took a knife and cut it through in two of three places. The other Workmen were rejoiced at this sight, and laughed at it, without offering to help their companion. Many people atAlbanytold me of an accident which happened to a young lady, who went out of town in summer, together with many other girls, attended by her negro. She sat down in the wood, in a place where the others were running about, and before she was aware, a Black Snake being disturbed in its amours, ran under her petticoats, and twisted round her waist, so that she fell backwards in a swoon occasioned by her fright, or by the compression which the snake caused. The negro came up to her, and suspecting that a Black Snake might have hurt her, on making use of a remedy to bring his lady to herself again, he lifted up her cloaths, and really found the snake wound about her body as close as possible; the negro was not able to tear it away, and therefore cut it, and the girl came to herself again; but she conceived so great an aversion to the negro, that she could not bear the sight of him afterwards, and died of a consumption. At other times of the year this snake is more apt to run away, than to attack people. However I have heard it asserted frequently, that even in summer[207]when its time of copulation is past, it pursues people, especially children, if it finds that they are afraid and run from her. Several people likewise assured me from their own experience, that it may be provoked to pursue people, if they throw at it, and then run away. I cannot well doubt of this, as I have heard it said by numbers of creditable people; but I could never succeed in provoking them. I ran always away on perceiving it, or flung something at it, and then took to my heels, but I could never bring the snakes to pursue me: I know not for what reason they shunned me, unless they took me for an artful seducer.

Most of the people in this country ascribed to this snake a power of fascinating birds and squirrels, as I have described in several parts of my Journal54. When the snake lies under a tree, and has fixed his eyes on a bird or squirrel above; it obliges them to come down, and to go directly into its mouth. I cannot account for this, for I never saw it done. However, I have a list of more than twenty persons, among which are some of the most creditable people, who have all unanimously, though[208]living far distant from each other, asserted the same thing; they allured me upon their honor, that they have seen (at several times) these Black Snakes fascinating squirrels and birds which sat on the tops of trees, the snake lying at the foot of the tree, with its eyes fixed upon the bird or squirrel, which sits above it, and utters a doleful note; from which it is easy to conclude with certainty that it is about to be fascinated, though you cannot see it. The bird or squirrel runs up and down along the tree continuing its plaintive song, and always comes nearer the snake, whose eyes are unalterably fixed upon it. It should seem as if these poor creatures endeavoured to escape the snake, by hopping or running up the tree; but there appears to be a power which withholds them: they are forced downwards, and each time that they turn back, they approach nearer their enemy, till they are at last forced to leap into its mouth, which stands wide open for that purpose. Numbers of squirrels and birds are continually running and hopping fearless in the woods on the ground, where the snakes ly in wait for them, and can easily give these poor creatures a mortal bite. Therefore it seems that this fascination might be thus interpreted, that the[209]creature has first got a mortal wound from the snake, which is sure of her bite, and lies quiet, being assured that the wounded creature has been poisoned with the bite, or at least feels pain from the violence of the bite, and that it will at last be obliged to come down into its mouth. The plaintive note is perhaps occasioned by the acuteness of the pain which the wound gives the creature. But to this it may be objected, that the bite of the Black Snake is not poisonous; it may further be objected, that if the snake could come near enough to a bird or squirrel to give it a mortal bite, it might as easily keep hold of it, or, as it sometimes does with poultry, twist round and strangle or stifle it. But the chief objection which lies against this interpretation, is the following account, which I received from the most creditable people, who have assured me of it. The squirrel being upon the point of running into the snake’s mouth, the spectators have not been able to let it come to that pitch, but killed the snake, and as soon as it had got a mortal blow, the squirrel or bird destined for destruction, flew away, and left off their moanful note, as if they had broke loose from a net. Some say, that if they only touched the snake, so as to draw off[210]its attention from the squirrel, it went off quickly, not stopping till it had got to a great distance. Why do the squirrels or birds go away so suddenly, and why no sooner? If they had been poisoned or bitten by the snake before, so as not to be able to get from the tree, and to be forced to approach the snake always more and more, they could however not get new strength by the snake being killed or diverted. Therefore, it seems that they are onlyenchanted, whilst the snake has its eyes fixed on them. However, this looks odd and unaccountable, though many of the worthiest and most reputable people have related it, and though it is so universally believed here, that to doubt it would be to expose one’s self to general laughter.

The black snakes kill the smaller species of frogs, and eat them. If they get at eggs of poultry, or of other birds, they make holes in them, and suck the contents. When the hens are sitting on the eggs, they creep into the nest, wind round the birds, stifle them, and suck the eggs. Mr.Bartramasserted, that he had often seen this snake creep up into the tallest trees, after bird’s eggs, or young birds, always with the head foremost, when descending. ASwedetold me, that a black[211]snake had once got the head of one of his hens in its mouth, and was wound several times round the body, when he came and killed the snake. The hen was afterwards as well as ever.

This snake is very greedy of milk, and it is difficult to keep it out, when it is once used to go into a cellar where milk is kept. It has been seen eating milk out of the same dish with children, without biting them, though they often gave it blows with the spoon upon the head, when it was overgreedy. I never heard it hissing. It can raise more than one half of its body from the ground, in order to look about her. It skins every year; and its skin is said to be a remedy against the cramp, if continually worn about the body.

The rye was now beginning to flower.

I have often observed with astonishment, on my travels, the great difference between the plants and the soil, on the two opposite banks of brooks. Sometimes a brook, which one can stride over, has plants on one bank widely different from those on the opposite bank. Therefore, whenever I came to a great brook or a river, I expected to find plants which I had not met with before. Their seeds are carried down[212]with the stream from distant parts. The soil is likewise very often different on the different sides of a rivulet, being rich and fertile on the one, and dry, barren, and sandy on the other. But a great river can make still greater differences. Thus we see the great disparity between the province ofPensylvania, andNew Jersey, which are only divided by the riverDelaware. InPensylvaniathe soil consists of a mould mixed with sand and clay, and is very rich and fertile: and in the woods which are higher in the country, the ground is mountainous and stony. On the other hand, in the province ofNew Jersey, the soil is poor and dry, and not very fertile, some parts excepted. You can hardly find a stone inNew Jersey, and much less mountains. InPensylvaniayou scarce ever see a fir-tree, and inNew Jerseyare whole woods of it.

This evening I arrived atPhiladelphia.

Maythe 22d. The locusts began to creep out of their holes in the ground last night, and continued to do so to-day. As soon as their wings were dry, they began their song, which is almost sufficient to make one deaf, when travelling through the woods. This year there was an immense number of them. I have given a[213]minute account of them, of their food, qualities, &c. in theMemoirs of the Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences55; it is therefore needless to repeat it here, and I refer the reader to the quoted place.

Maythe 25th. The tulip-tree (Liriodendron tulipifera) was now in full blossom. The flowers have a resemblance to tulips, and look very fine, and though they have not a very agreeable smell, yet the eye is pleased to see trees as tall as full-grown oaks, covered with tulip-like flowers.

On the flowers of the tulip-tree was an olive-colouredChafer(Scarabæus) without horns (muticus), the future and borders of his wing-shells (Elytræ) were black, and his thighs brown. I cannot with certainty say whether they collected the pollen of the flower, or whether they coupled. Later in summer, I saw the same kind of beetles make deep holes into the ripe mulberries, either to eat them, or to lay their eggs in them. I likewise found them abundant in the leaves of theMagnolia glauca, or beaver-tree.

Thestrawberrieswere now ripe on the hills.[214]

The country people already brought ripe cherries up to town; but they were only a few to satisfy curiosity, yet we may form a judgment of the climate from hence.

Maythe 26th. A peculiar kind of storm called aTravat, orTravado, happened to-day. In the evening about ten o’clock, when the sky was quite clear, a thick, black cloud came rushing from the south-west, with a wind. The air was quite calm, and we could not feel any breeze. But the approach of this cloud was perceived from the strong rushing noise in the woods to the south-west, and which encreased in proportion as the cloud came nearer. As soon as it was come up to us, it was attended by a violent gust of wind, which in its course threw down the weaker enclosures, carried them a good way along with it, and broke down several trees. It was then followed by a hard shower of rain, which put an end to the storm, and every thing was calm as before. These travadoes are frequent in summer, and have the quality of cooling the air. However, they often do a deal of damage. They are commonly attended by thunder and lightning; as soon as they are passed over, the sky is as clear as it was before.

Maythe 28th. TheMagnolia glauca[215]was now in full bloom. Its flowers have a very pleasant fragrancy, which refreshes the travellers in the woods, especially towards the evening. The flowers of the wild vine afterwards supplied the place of those of the Magnolia. Several other flowers contribute likewise towards perfuming the ambient air.

TheKalmia angustifoliawas now every where in flower. It grows chiefly on sandy heaths, or on dry poor grounds, which few other plants will agree with; it is common inPensylvania, but particularly inNew Jersey, and the province ofNew York, it is scarce inCanada; its leaves stay the winter; the flowers are a real ornament to the woods; they grow in bunches like crowns, and are of a fine lively purple colour; at the bottom is a circle of deep purple, and within it a greyish or whitish colour. The flowers grow as aforesaid, in bunches, round the extremity of the stalk, and make it look like a decorated pyramid. TheEnglishatNew Yorkcall this plant theDwarf Laurel. Its qualities are the same with those of theKalmia latifolia, viz. that it kills sheep and other lesser animals, when they eat plentifully of it. I do not know whether it is noxious to the greater cattle. It is not of[216]any known use, and only serves to attract the eye whilst in flower.

TheKalmia latifoliawas likewise in full blossom at present. It rivals the preceding one, in the beauty of its colour; yet though they are conspicuous in regard to the colours and shape of theirflowers, they are no ways remarkable for smell, such as theMagnoliais; for they have little or no smell at all. So equally and justly does nature distribute her gifts; no part of the creation has them all, each has its own, and none is absolutely without a share of them.

Maythe 30th. TheMoravian Brethren, who arrived in great numbers fromEurope, atNew York, inMay, brought two convertedGreenlanderswith them. TheMoravianswho were already settled inAmerica, immediately sent some of their brethren fromPhiladelphiato the new comers, in order to welcome them. Among these deputies were twoNorth American Indians, who had been converted to their doctrine, and likewise twoSouth American Indians, fromSurinam. These three kinds of convertedIndiansaccordingly met atNew York. I had no opportunity of seeing them; but all those who had seen them, and whom I conversed with, thought that[217]they had plainly perceived a similarity in their features and shape, theGreenlandersbeing only somewhat smaller. They concluded from hence, that all these three kinds ofAmericanswere the posterity of one and the same descendant ofNoah, or that they were perhaps yet more nearly related. How far their guesses are to be relied upon, I cannot determine.

Ripe cherries were now already pretty common, and consequently cheap.

Yams are a species of roots, which are cultivated in the hottest parts ofAmerica, for eating, as we do potatoes. It has not yet been attempted to plant them here, and they are brought from theWest Indiesin ships; therefore they are reckoned a rarity here, and as such I ate them at Dr.Franklin’s to-day. They are white, and taste like common potatoes, but not quite so agreeable; and I think it would not be worth while to plant them inSweden, though they might bear the climate. The plant these roots belong to is theDioscorea alata.

The inhabitants make plenty of cheese. They are not reckoned so good asEnglishcheese: however, some take them to be full as good when old; and so they seemed to me. A man fromBostoninNew-Englandtold me, that they made very good[218]cheese there: but they take care to keep the cattle from salt water, especially those who live near the sea-coasts; for it has been found, that the cheese will not become so good when the cows graze near salt water, as it will when they have fresh water. This, however, wants nearer examination, in my opinion.

Maythe 31st. About noon I leftPhiladelphia, and went on board a small yacht, which sails continually up and down upon the riverDelaware, betweenTrentonandPhiladelphia. We sailed up the river with fair wind and weather.Sturgeonsleaped often a fathom into the air. We saw them continuing this exercise all day, till we came toTrenton. The banks on thePensylvanianside were low; and those on theNew Jerseyside steep and sandy, but not very high. On both sides we perceived forests of tall trees, withdeciduousleaves.

During the course of this month, the forenoon was always calm; but immediately after noon it began to blow gently, and sometimes pretty strongly. This morning was likewise fair; and in the afternoon it was cloudy, but did not rain.

The banks of the river were sometimes high, and sometimes low. We saw some small houses near the shore, in the woods;[219]and, now and then, a good house built of stone. The river now decreased visibly in breadth. About three o’clock this afternoon we passedBurlington.

Burlington, the chief town in the province ofNew Jersey, and the residence of the governor, is but a small town, about twenty miles fromPhiladelphia, on the eastern side of theDelaware. The houses were chiefly built of stone, though they stood far distant from each other. The town has a good situation, since ships of considerable burden can sail close up to it: butPhiladelphiaprevents its carrying on an extensive trade; for the proprietors of that place56have granted it great immunities, by which it is increased so as to swallow all the trade of the adjacent towns. The house of the governor atBurlingtonis but a small one: it is built of stone, close by the river side, and is the first building in the town as you come fromPhiladelphia. It is observed, that about the full moons, when the tides are highest, and the high water atCape Hinlopencomes at nine o’clock in the morning, it will be atChester, on the riverDelaware, about ten minutes after one o’clock; atPhiladelphia, about ten minutes after two o’clock; and atBurlington,[220]about ten minutes after three o’clock; for the tide in the riverDelawarecomes quite up toTrenton. These observations were communicated to me by Mr.Lewis Evans.

The banks of the river were now chiefly high and steep on the side ofNew Jersey, consisting of a pale brick-coloured soil. On thePensylvanianside, they were gently sloping, and consisted of a blackish rich mould, mixed with particles of Glimmer (Mica). On theNew Jerseyside appeared some firs; but seldom on the other, except in a few places where they were accidentally brought over fromNew Jersey.

Towards night, after the tide had begun to ebb and the wind was quite subsided, we could not proceed, but dropped our anchor about seven miles fromTrenton, and passed the night there. The woods were full ofFireflies, (Lampyris) which flew like sparks of fire between the trees, and sometimes across the river. In the marshes, theBullfrogsnow and then began their hideous roaring; and more than a hundred of them roared together. TheWhip-poor-will, orGoatsucker, was likewise heard every where.

Junethe 1st. We continued our voyage this morning, after the rain was over. The[221]riverDelawarewas very narrow here, and the banks the same as we found them yesterday, after we had passedBurlington. About eight o’clock in the morning we arrived atTrenton57.

Junethe 2d. This morning we leftTrenton, and proceeded towardsNew York. The country I have described before58. The fields were sown with wheat, rye, maize, oats, hemp, and flax. In several places, we saw very large pieces of ground with hemp.

We saw abundance of chesnut-trees in the woods. They often stood in excessive poor ground, which was neither too dry nor too wet.

Tulip-treesdid not appear on the road; but the people said there were some in the woods.

TheBeaver-tree(Magnolia glauca) grows in the swamps. It was now in flower, and the fragrancy of its blossoms had so perfumed the air, that one could enjoy it before one approached the swamps; and this fine smell likewise shewed that a beaver-tree was near us, though we often happened not to see it.[222]

ThePhlox Glaberrimagrows abundantly in the woods, and cuts a fine figure with its red flowers. It grows in such soil here as inEuropeis occupied by theLychnis viscariaandLychnis dioica, or red Catchfly and Campion. ThePhlox maculatagrows abundantly in wet ground, and has fine red and odoriferous flowers. It grows on low meadows, where inEuropethe Meadow-pinks, orLychnis flos cuculi, would be met with. By adding to these flowers theBartsia coccinea, theLobelia cardinalis, and theMonarda didyma, which grow wild in this country, they are undoubtedly altogether adorned with the finest red imaginable.

TheSassafras-treewas abundant in the woods, and near the inclosures.

The houses which we passed by were most of them wooden. In one place, I saw the people building a house with walls of mere clay, which is likewise employed in making ovens for baking.

Buckwheatwas already coming up in several places. We saw single plants of it all day in the woods, and in the fields, but always by the side of the road; from whence it may be concluded, that they spring up from lost and scattered seeds.[223]

Late this evening we arrived atNew Brunswick59.

Junethe 3d. At noon we went on board a yacht bound forNew York, and sailed down the river, which had at first pretty high and steep banks, of red sandstone, on each side, which I have mentioned before.60Now and then, there was a farm-house on the high shore. As we came lower down, we saw on both sides great fields and meadows, close up to the water. We could not sail at random with the yacht; for the river was often shallow in some places, and sometimes in the very middle. For that purpose, the course which we were to take was marked out by branches with leaves on them. At last we got into the sea, which bounded our prospect on the south; but on the other side, we were continually in sight of land at some distance. On coming to the mouth of the river, we had a choice of two roads toNew York;viz.either within theStaten Island, or without it. The inhabitants are determined in their choice by the weather; for when itisstormy and cloudy, or dark, they do not venture to sail without, where the sea itself communicates. We took that course[224]now, it being very pleasant weather; and though we struck on the sands once or twice, yet we got loose again, and arrived atNew Yorkabout nine o’clock. Of this town I have given an account in the preceding volume61.

Junethe 4th. I found vines in several gardens, got from the old countries. They bear annually a quantity of excellent grapes. When the winters are very severe, they are killed by the frost, and die quite to the ground; but the next spring new shoots spring up from the root.

Strawberrieswere now sold in abundance about the town every day. AnEnglishmanfromJamaicaasserted, that in that island there were no strawberries. The snakes are very fond of strawberries. Those which they had here were not so good as theSwedishandFinlandones.

Red Cloverwas sown in several places on the hills without the town. The country people were now employed in mowing the meadows. Some were already mown; and the dry clover was put under cover, in order to be carried away the first opportunity.

Cherry-treeswere planted in great quantities before the farm-houses, and along[225]the high-roads, fromPhiladelphiatoNew Brunswick; but behind that place they became more scarce. On coming toStaten Island, in the province ofNew York, I found them very common again, near the gardens. Here are not so many varieties of cherries as there are inPensylvania. I seldom saw any of the black sweet cherries62atNew York; but commonly the sour red ones. All travellers are allowed to pluck ripe fruit in any garden which they pass by; and not even the most covetous farmer can hinder them from so doing. BetweenNew BrunswickandStaten Island, are a few cherry-gardens; but proportionably more orchards, with apple-trees.

Junethe 6th. Several gentlemen and merchants, between fifty and sixty years of age, asserted, that during their life they had plainly found several kinds of fish decrease in number every year; and that they could not get near so many fish now as they could formerly.

Rum, a brandy prepared from the sugar-canes, and in great use with all theEnglish North Americancolonies, is reckoned much wholesomer than brandy, made from wine or corn63. In confirmation of this[226]opinion, they say, that if you put a piece of fresh meat into rum, and another into brandy, and leave them there for some months; that in the rum will keep as it was, but that in the brandy will be quite eaten, and full of holes. But this experiment does not seem a very accurate one to me. MajorRoderforttold me, that being upon theCanadaexpedition, he had observed, that such of his men as drank brandy for some time died of it; but those who drank rum were not hurt, though they got drunk with it every day, and oftener than the others.

Long-Islandis the name of an island opposite the town ofNew York, in the sea. The northern part of the island is much more fertile than the southern. Formerly there lived a number ofIndianson this island; and there are yet some, which however decrease in number every year, because they leave the island. The soil of the southern part of the island is very poor;[227]but this deficiency is made up by a vast quantity of oysters, lobsters, crabs, several kinds of fish, and numbers of water fowl, all which are there far more abundant than on the northern shores of the Island. Therefore theIndiansformerly chose the southern part to live in, because they subsisted on oysters, and other productions of the sea. When the tide is out, it is very easy to fill a whole cart with oysters, which have been driven on shore by one flood. The Island is strewed with oystershells and other shells, which theIndiansleft there; these shells serve now for good manure for the fields. The southern part of the Island is turned into meadows, and the northern part into fields. The winter is more constant on the northern part, and the snow in spring lies longer there than on the southern part. The people are very fertile here, and commonly tall and strong.

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