Virginia currency, which is reduced to sterling by deducting one fourth from the fum mentioned:

Fifh falted,-fhad 30s. herrings 24s. falmon 60s. per barrel of 200lb. weight, oysters, when in feafon, 3s. per bufhel..

Apples in autumn is. per bufhel: at Christmas Is. 6d. to 2s.

Peaches from 2s. to 4s. per bufhel.

Currants 35. per bufhel, but few raised for sale. Wild fowl and pigeons, few for fale; pheasants 6d. each, partridges 1s. to 15d. a dozen.

Cloathing at Winchester about dearer than in England.

Cafks, oak of 30 gallons 5s.-Tierces 7s. 6d. Barrels 9s.

Building materials.

Logs trimmed on both fides, and delivered at the place of building, 1d. per foot.

Scantlings 1d. per foot, measured fide and edge at the faw mill.

Flooring planks 14 inch, 7s. 6d. per 100 feet.

Laths on which the covering is nailed 2s. 6d.

per 100 feet, running measure.

Wooden fhingles.-Cyprefs from 3 to 4 dollars per 1000, delivered at the place of building: each fhingle covering 4 by 6 inches.-Oak fhingles 28s, per 1000, covering 10 by 4 inches.

Chefnut

Chefnut shingles 16s. per 1000, covering 6 by

4 inches.

Lime 6d. a bufhel.

Bricks delivered 24s. per 1000.

Window glass 8 by 10 inches 72s. a box, containing 100 feet.

Wages 20d. to 2s, per perch, when the work is complete when found with provifions. Plaisterers 4d. per each fquare yard, when found.

Glaziers id. per light, when found.

Paper hangings, American, 3s. to 12s. per piece of 12 yards.

Lodging and board in town 151. to 30l. in the country 121. to 201. per annum.

Such are the facts which I have felected for your ufe from Mr. Toulmin's account; from which you will be pretty well able to judge of fome material circumftances refpecting the country through which they lead you. I fhall fend you my notes in my next.*

I am, &c.

T. C.

Mr. Toulmin has returned from Kentucky, as I have heard fince writing the above. He confirms the accounts of the beauty of the country, the fertility of the foil, and the pleafantnefs of the climate, which, however, he fays, in winter is very rainy. The fociety he is pleafed with. I much wish he would publish the whole of his journals. The few extracts I have made contain a small part only of the interesting facts he has noted. T. C.

LETTER IV.

I

MY DEAR SIR,

Left Philadelphia on December 14, 1793, in company with three friends, for the purpose of going as far northward as the boundary line of New York ftate (the line of latitude 42,) if the weather permitted. We had previously experienced two fucceffions of fnows and thaws at Philadelphia, but the fnow had not yet fallen fo thick, or fo permanently, as to admit of the amufement of fleighing; i. e. parties of ladies and gentlemen riding through the ftreets in fledges, or as they are there called, fleighs.

The neighbourhood of Philadelphia is flat and unpicturesque; the foil barren, the ftrata are mould 6 inches, fand and clay 8 feet, fand and quartrofe pebbles 1 foot, then a thick, ftratum of brick coloured clay with a little fand. The land about the town has a great deal of micaceous ftone in it.

I have already mentioned that house-rent is much the fame in Philadelphia, but provifions a little cheaper than in the large provincial towns of England. Board and lodging is from five to feven dollars a week, and half that price for children and fervants.

The

The country from Philadelphia to Reading, 56 miles, preferves in a general view the fame barren uninteresting character, excepting near the falls of the Skuilkyl, which afford fome beautiful scenery. At Reading, land fells in an improved state, with house and out-housing at from 8 to 10l. currency an acre.

I wish you to remark, that in this letter I speak of money and prices in the language of the country; meaning the currency of Pennsylvania: this is reduced to fterling by multiplying by 3 and dividing by 5. Thus, 10l. currency is 61. fterling.

From Reading we went on to Hamburg, or Carter's Town, through a country presenting nothing remarkable, 16 miles, i. e. 72 from Philadelphia.

On leaving Hamburg, the mountain scenery begins, and continues for 60 miles to Sunbury; all this is a fucceffion of mountain and valley; the former covered to the very top with trees and fhrubs; white, black and chefnut oak, pines, beech, hiccory, &c.-The valleys interfected by large ftreams rolling at the foot of the mountains, and breaking out here and there amid the foreft which covers their banks. Here and there (at every three or four miles, for instance, on the average) log-houfes, mills, and plantations, give relief to the grand, uncultivated

mass of forest, and altogether form a fcene more picturesque than any thing I had ever experienced. The roads, all circumftances confidered, though not equal to the turnpike roads of England, are much better than I expected to have found, and are in a daily ftate of improvement. The general character of the ftones of which the mountains are compofed feemed of the argillaceous genus, and indicated in feveral places appearances of iron, &c.

The accommodations through these fixty miles of mountain were not comfortable. There are indeed five places of entertainment between Hamburg and Sunbury, but they are very indifferent. From Philadelphia to Hamburg they are very good.

Although the maffes of wood are large and grand, yet the trees fell much short of my expectations: I recollect none from Philadelphia to Sunbury, of any kind, that would measure 18 inches diameter. Indeed they grow so close and fo tall, that there is no reason to expect much dimenfion of breadth, but they certainly appear flender and feeble to an Englishman, who has vifited the park and foreft fcenery of his own country. It is impoffible however to pass this part of the journey, without being struck with the perpetual fucceffion of beautiful and romantic fituations, numerous and diverfified beyond what