a farmer is to be as near a market as possible; hence it becomes so necessary for an emigrant to settle as near to a sea port as the nature of his circumstances will permit. One great objection to the western states is, their remoteness from market; in consequence of which the prices of all articles of farm produce must be comparatively low: as the mere expense of taking them to a market is sometimes known to be greater than the actual value when offered for sale. At present grain will not bear the cost of exportation, and the distance being so great from Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri, that a drove of cattle would consume its own value, in travelling from thence to Baltimore, Philadelphia, or New York; a distance of from ten to fifteen hundred miles. Another great and strong objection is the unhealthiness of the situation on most of the western waters, owing to the flatness of the land which subjects them to the annual overflowing of the rivers, in this extensive section of the Union. Indeed the Americans themselves acknowledge, that on the Mississippi, from the mouth of the Ohio till you arrive at New Orleans, a distance of a thousand miles, there is scarcely a spot where you will be out of reach of the overflowing of the river, and no place where you will be able to escape the annual fevers of the country. These situations are certainly to be avoided; not merely by the farmer, but by every other person. The vale of the Ohio is reckoned among the most delightful of these western elysiums; but it is not without its drawbacks. I will relate to you an instance of the unhealthiness of this valley, which I transcribe from Mr. Cumming's journey down the river. The only doctor in the vicinity being sick, he proceeds thus; "prompted by humanity we walked to the cabin occupied by Mr. Hunt's family, where we beheld a truly distressing scene. In an Indian grass hammock lay Mr. Hunt in a desperate and hopeless stage of the yellow fever; his skin and eyes of a deep yellow, and he in a state of apparent stupor, but still sensible. His house-keeper looking almost as ill, and groaning piteously on a bed near him. One of of his men seated on a chair in a feeble state of convalescence, and another standing by almost recovered, but still looking wretchedly. On the floor were travelling trunks, cases, books, furniture, and house utensils, promiscuously jumbled together, but all clean, as was the cabin itself. I could not help contrasting in my mind Mr. Hunt's present condition, at so great a distance from his connexions, from cultivated society, and from medical aid, with what it was when he represented his native state of New Hampshire in congress, or during his travels in Europe. Such are some of the hardships and inconveniences attending the first settlers in a new country." I might mention another objection, and one of the greatest evils that is ever likely to befal the western states. Having no outlet but the Mississippi river, what would be the consequence in case of a war between this country and any other power possessing a navy superior to that of the United States? I can easily solve the question for you; - a fleet would be stationed off the mouth of the river, and the whole of this immense country would be placed under an absolute embargo and blockade. You will naturally ask where is the difference between a strict blockade, and a free communication with all the world, if the produce to be exported will not bear the expense of transportation? I would beg to be excused from attempting an answer, but refer you to Mr. Birkbeck for a solution of the query. I think, that with Mr. Birkbeck's discernment he might have selected a better situation, even if he was resolved to wean himself from all civilized society, and to immerse himself and family in these far away western countries. Why not select a residence on the borders of some navigable river, in the neighbourhood of some thriving town or village instead of locating himself at the distance of ten or twelve miles from any stream of consequence, and that but a branch of the Ohio. Mr. Birkbeck's two earlier publications were completed before he had been in the country seven months. He discourses of the seasons, summer and winter, with the most perfect familiarity; but from my own personal experience I am well convinced how little we ought to depend on others for information of this nature. So it is on all other subjects; he tells us what he intends to do; how much grain he will raise per acre, &c. but let him tell us what he has done, and then we shall know how far he deserves our confidence. By prairies, you are to understand large tracts of level land without timber, being a sort of meadows covered with a tall, coarse grass. Here, then you may look in vain for limpid mountain streams, and bubbling crystal springs; for where water is found at all, the quality is in general very bad. The smaller rivers, and rivulets are called creeks, and afford the only water to be met with in the prairies, without resorting to the laborious operation of sinking deep wells. Many of the creeks are dried up in summer, and in others the waters become stagnant and putrid. It is not uncommon in those parts for a traveller to meet with no water for the distance of thirty or forty miles; and in all that distance exposed to the almost perpendicular rays of a burning sun. Mr. B. cares little for the absence of this equally necessary and valuable element. He does not sufficiently prize the enjoyment of health, else he would value more highly this great promoter-good and wholesome water. He cares nothing for the absence of streams affording eligible situations for grist mills, fulling mills, saw mills, &c. for he intends to subject the winds to his control. He allows the country to be a little unhealthy, for says he, "all Europeans undergo a seasoning;" and he warns families, emigrating to his settlement to be sure to bring their medicine chests along with them. Do not these simple hints speak broad facts of the unhealthiness of the situation? And from all that I have been able to learn among experienced Americans, not a shadow of doubt, on this head, remains on my mind. And now for situation with regard to market. Every person must allow that there is but one outlet, and that at the distance of one thousand three hundred miles from this garden of Eden, alias " English Prairie." New Orleans being the only market for the produce of all the country west of the Alleghany mountains, the obvious consequence is, that the market must always be overstocked; for allowing the insignificant quantity of one barrel of flour to every hundred acres of land, for the exports of this vast country, the sum total would exceed sixty-five millions of bushels of wheat! Having no manufactures they are necessarily all farmers, and are, or ought to be, all sellers, but no buyers. Since Mr. Birkbeck made his calculations in 1817, the prices of grain have declined full fifty per cent. Wheat, he says, sold for seventy-five cents, or 3s. 4 1-2d. English; and Indian corn (Maize) at twentyfive cents or 13 1-2d. per bushel; so that at present wheat will sell for 1s. 8 1-4d. and Indian corn for 6 3-4d. But this is not all; money is scarcely ever seen, for every thing is transacted by way of barter, which is here called trade. Now suppose A. and B., two of Mr. Birkbeck's neighbours, wishing to transact business, the mode would be this: A. has a cow which he values at fifteen dollars, and B. has wheat worth thirty-seven and a half cents per bushel, B. gives A. forty bushels for his cow, and so the bargain is closed. You hinted at the eligibility which prairies possess over timbered lands, as regards the first expense of cultivation. In part you are correct, but what signifies clearing or cultivating the soil, beyond what is necessary for family consumption, where there is no market? Would you not consider the enjoyment of health, and a comparative proximity to the cities and sea ports, more than balancing a little extra labour, in subduing the original wilderness? The timber growing near the upland prairies (where timber is found at all) is principally white oak, which certainly is not among the most valuable of American forest trees. Maple, so abundant and useful in some parts eastward of the Alleghany mountains, is not to be met with among the prairies. In the early part of the spring a juice or sap is extracted from this tree, which yields a considerable quantity of sugar, of a good quality, and very agreeable flavour. A good sized tree will yield from four to eight pounds in the season, which commonly lasts for three or four weeks; and an honest quaker informed me the other day, that he made four hundred and twenty pounds of sugar from forty-seven trees, in the early part of this present spring, which gives an average of ten pounds to each tree. (To be continued.) 325 ART. IV. Description of Wier's cave in Augusta county, Virginia, in a letter from General Calvin Jones, of Raleigh, to his Excellency William Hawkins, governor of North Carolina, dated Botetourt county, Virginia, 17th March, 1815. MY DEAR SIR, SINCE my last from Winchester, I have visited the cave in Augusta, and the Natural bridge in the county to which it has given a name. The former exceeded, but the latter did not equal, my expectations. I saw the bridge, I presume, under circumstances that were not favourable to the emotions of the sublime. I had a little before seen the grand romantic scenery around Harper's ferry, where the Potomac passes through the Blue ridge. I had just beheld the wondrous subterranean palaces in Augusta: every step as I advanced up the rich and beautiful valley of Shenandoah, bounded on one side by the blue ridge, and on the other by the North mountains, presented objects, calculated to keep the sublime emotions in a constant state of excitement. Besides, my expectations concerning the bridge had been too highly raised by Mr. Jefferson's splendid and fanciful description of it. When I saw it I felt disappointment. I walked to the edge and looked down withoutany feeling of terror-I went below and looked up and was not astonished. It indeed possesses in a great degree grandeur and sublimity. But Weir's Cave is much more worthy the attention of the traveller. There, every thing that the mind can conceive of grand and beautiful is realized. The bridge affords only two or three views the cave a thousand. |