18. Wednesday 24. To judge Potter's by the post road along the Canandaigua to the Crooked Lake. The road on the other side of the Crooked Lake by which I came from Bath to Snell's town, was not a good one: this is a worse. Mrs. Potter was so good as to provide me dinner. Old Mr. Potter was stirring about, cheerful, and with all his faculties good at the age of eighty-six. The house is one of the most respectable in appearance both within and witho ut of any I have seen on this journey. Mrs. Potter recommended me to Brown's, four miles off. She told me Jemima Wilkinson lived not more than a mile from Brown's, who was generally glad to see strangers. I went to Brown's, one of those uncomfortable half public half private houses, where you are received as if it were a great favour done to you.Brown himself was not at home at first, but his wife was cold, careless, dirty, vulgar and disobliging. I found however good hay for my horse. I walked toward Jemima Wilkinson's, who lives at the end of a long descending lane. At the top of the lanc, I met a woman and inquired civilly where about Jemima Wilkinson's house was. She replied she knew no such person; "the friend" lived a little piece below. I went to her house, nearly at the foot of a mountain. Externally it is a mean looking frame building; but clean and comfortable within. I sent up my name by a miss Willan or Millan, aged about thirty or thirty-two, who with her sister six years younger, has long lived with the "Friend." They seemed sensible and well behaved. In about half an hour the friend herself made her appearance: a corpulent woman, masculine featured, her hair (nearly gray) combed back, her age fifty-nine, dressed in a kind of minister's gown or cassock of dark coloured jean, neither her tone of voice nor manner bespoke much intercourse with the world, and nothing with the polite part of it. I inquired how long she had lived there, what was the religious description and extent of the society over which she presided, &c. To all this she readily answered. She said she had no more connexion with the quakers, than with other denominations; her society consisted of persons of almost all persuasions; that she stood with them in the character of universal friend. She had no particular place of worship, but generally preached every seventh and every first

day at home; occasionally too, but not regularly, at other houses of appointed meeting. She had family prayer at home every evening, at which, any who chose might attend. She said her doctrine was no other than what was contained in the scriptures, and she allowed the necessity of being called by the Spirit of God from sin to holiness. I suggested that this was the old Calvinistic doctrine of the 17th article of the church of England, and the modern doctrine of the methodists, particularly of the Calvinistic denomination: and that it occasioned some doubt whether being called or not depended on any goodness of disposition or rectitude of conduct of the man himself. She said these were deep subjects which she should be glad to discuss with me by and by; but that much harm had been done by atheistical writers such as Dr. Priestley and Thomas Paine. I endeavoured to explain to her, that Paine was not an atheist but a deist; and that Dr. Priestley was a strenuous defender of Christianity, and one of that sect of Christians, who were called Socinians or Unitarians; but who rested their faith upon the scriptures according to the sense it seemed to bear to them, full as much as she did. She pressed me to spend the evening at her house which I declined. Her conversation at length became unpleasantly parenetic and didactic, abounding with scripture phraseology applied somewhat at random, and strongly savouring of what seemed to me affected mysticism. I rose, and took my leave.

Her people are not numerous, but they seem much attached. In the year 1794 they bought a township on the Seneca Lake, where they made what was called the "Friend's" settlement. Much of this she claims as her own; though the part of it she claims, as well as all bequests made to her, she will not consent to hold or to be made under any other denomination of herself, than "The universal Friend." But as some doubts have been lately made, whether the law is likely to know any such person, they are now made in all cases to the elder miss Willan or Millan, who also transacts her temporal concerns.

Brown, who was many years at law with her, furnished me with some of the above particulars. He says she is an ambitious, troublesome and litigious, but a good moral woman in all her conduct. She was originally a quaker, born in Connecticut ¿

but aspiring to more power, and becoming more forward than the meeting approved, she pretended at one time to faint, to have died, and to have risen again with a commission from God to preach as the universal friend of mankind. She is evidently a woman of strong features, mental and bodily; fanatically religi ous and ambitious. By no means well read, or well informed, or of manners exhibiting either the exterior of politeness, or knowledge of the world. On the other hand there is good reason to believe that she is sincerely religious; her moral conduct is irreproachable, and she is remarked as being habitually civil and hospitable toward strangers. The district over which she presides is called Jerusalem; Snell's town, or Pen Yang, at the outlet of the Crooked Lake, formerly belonged to her community; but that filling up with persons not of her persuasion, she quitted that place, as she had done the friend's settlement near Hopetown on the Geneva or Seneca Lake.

27. Thursday, May 25. From Brown's to Bath along a rough dreary road.

7. Friday 26. To judge Falkner's at Mud Creek.

12. To Irwin's the Painted Post.

4.

To Bonham's near the Canisteo or Canistier.

8. To judge Linby's, whose house and farm viewed out of his windows, are Big Tree in miniature.

Much hellebore in the ground, hence to the next stage: after that much wild garlic.

81. Saturday 27. To widow Berry's on the Tioga.

19. To Bloss's at Peters's camp. Rain. Examined again the specimens of his coal and iron ore: but the latter is not rich, and the vein of coal is not more as yet than sixteen inches thick. 10. To Higley's at the Block House. The road extremely wet and difficult. Sunday, May 28th.

15. To Reynolds's. Much thunder, lightning and heavy rain, attended with a most violent gust of wind, so that I was compelled to stay all night.

13. Monday, 29th May. To Williamsport, whence I set out. The wind had thrown down a very great number of trees. I counted thirty across the road, within about five miles from Reynold's. I was detained till some of them were cut through.

miles

56

Table of stages from Philadelphia to the Falls of Niagara.

From Philadelphia to Reading

To Mrs. Berry's at Hartford

12

To major Smith's

4

To Marvin's

12

Fo Higley's at the Block House

15

To Bloss's at Peters's camp

10

To Vandeewinder's

18

The Cape, Island of Hayti, December, 1803. MORTIFICATION at their disappointment in this attempt to reduce the city of St. Domingo, provoked in the Haytien officers and soldiers all the evil passions to which the human breast is a habitation. Rage, vengeance and fury seized upon them all, and as their prospects of rioting in the blood of the French, and their pleasing anticipations of pillage, had both proved abortive, they were resolved to display their savage barbarity upon the inhabitants and country of the surrounding departments. The two armies were directed to return by the routes on which they had advanced, and had orders to pursue the line of conduct, which is described as having been faithfully execu ted, in the following words translated from the journal of the campaign; "In pursuance of the last instructions of his majesty to the different generals, they drove before them the residue of the inhabitants, animals and beasts, which could be found in the

country, reduced to ashes the towns, villages and houses, carried devastation with fire and sword, far and wide, and spared none but the individuals destined by his majesty to be brought away as prisoners."

The army of the north under Christophe, upon its march to the city, had a severe engagement on the twenty-fifth of February at the river of St. Iago. The French and Spaniards were fortified in a redoubt upon the opposite bank of this river, where they were stationed under the impression that they could defend its passage, and make such effective opposition to the advance of the black army, as to discourage and perhaps repulse it. This stream, like most of the rivers of the island, is narrow and shallow, being easily fordable, except after heavy rains, but excessively rapid. As there was no bridge, and the water at this time was dangerously high, it was a hazardous undertaking, but Christophe made his dispositions for the attempt, and was resolved to try it, notwithstanding that his troops would be exposed to the constant fire of the enemy. After he had sent a Spaniard to demand the surrender of the fortifications, and had received a refusal to comply with his demand, he ordered the passage of the river to be effected at a quick step, which was immediately commenced by the chef de battaillon Jason with four battalions, protected by the continual fire of two demibrigades. The attempt succeeded, the passage was forced, and after a sanguinary conflict of about one hour, during which the defence was made with great obstinacy, the allies were put to the rout. A regiment of cavalry under general Brave intercepted their flight to the town of St. Iago, which was not far distant, and those who were not sufficiently expeditious to escape into the woods, which comprised nearly all, were cut into pieces. The town was carried and pillaged, and all the white inhabitants, except a few who concealed themselves or escaped, were immediately put to the sword. I have been told by an officer who was present at this transaction, that the destruction of the inhabitants was not intended by the general, but that he found it entirely impossible to restrain the impetuous vengeance of his soldiers. The number of men engaged upon either side I have not ascertained, neither the loss of the French and Spaniards, which