Journal of Cyrus P. Bradley. 211
'Society to him,
Is blithe society, who fills the air,
With gladness and involuntary song.'
Of his evenings at home, he also quotes
lines from Wads-
worth strangely and beautifully
coincident with his own experi-
ence of the howling wind outside.
"But let him range round; he does
not harm,
We build up the fire; we're snug and
warm;
Untouch'd by his breath, see the candle
shines bright,
And burns with a clear and steady light;
Books have we to read; hush, that
half-stifled knell
Methinks 'tis the sound of the eight
o'clock bell."
"Many times I have been told how
ridiculous it was to come
from the society of antiquarians and
politicians and play ball with
boys of six. But it is natural to me,
infected by their mood, by
my early life."
These brief touches tell the whole story
of his boyhood up to
twelve years of age.
Active political efforts among the rural
population, in the
exigencies of politics under the
leadership of Isaac Hill in New
Hampshire, in 1829, brought to his
father an appointment as State
librarian and the removal of his family
to Concord. Here Cyrus
finds access to books and congenial work
in assisting his father.
The lad's quickly acquired knowledge of
the resources of the
library and his methodical
classification of the books, attracted the
attention of the patrons of the library
in the Capital City. They
found him thirsting for a classical
education, his father too poor
to aid and no friend to assist.
The literary citizens of Concord,
thereupon, united in secur-
ing for him, admission to Exeter Academy
as a "charity scholar,"
which he entered in the fall of 1830. He
completes his prepara-
tory course in one year, enters
Dartmouth College and goes
through the Freshman and Sophomore
course in the required two
years. A breaking down in his health
-but especially from lack
of funds to continue - led him to decide
to drop out for one year,
and by teaching and literary work to
endeavor to secure the means
to return and complete his course.
212 Ohio Arch. and Hist.
Society Publications.
He is given a position as a teacher in a
private school in his
home city. He enlists with him Moody
Currier, afterwards Gov-
ernor of the State, and Asa Fowler, also
subsequently eminent
in State affairs, in organizing a
venture of a periodical to be
known as the "Literary
Gazette," the editorial work principally
devolving on him. Actively engaging in
all reform movements,
delivering addresses, writing for the
local papers and keeping up
an active correspondence with the
leading reformers, conducting
historical and antiquarian
investigations, he breaks down com-
pletely. At this juncture, Mr. Fletcher,
a Trustee of the College,
came to him with a proposition to join
him in the trip outlined
in the "Extracts." From his
work in teaching he had barely laid
aside twelve dollars. This his father,
somehow, contrived to sup-
plement with enough to make it even one
hundred dollars. The
good mother "with great anxiety
concerning the perils of steam-
boats and Indians he will
encounter," helps him to prepare his
scrupulously clean, but scanty wardrobe,
which he decides ample
for him to undertake this journey.
This journey completed, he returns to
college greatly im-
proved in health and spirits, takes a
front rank in his class in
everything except mathematics, writes
leading editorials for the
"Herald of Freedom" and
"Newport Argus," sends for publica-
tion historical and antiquarian matter
to literary journals, under-
takes and completes by the latter part
of October for publication
this same year, a "Biography of
Hon. Isaac Hill," which Parton,
in his "Life of Andrew
Jackson," refers to as "the best and most
authoritative life that has been
written" of that leading supporter
and confidential adviser of Jackson.
In connection with his regular college
duties, he plunges into
the study of Spanish and French, reads,
comments upon and crit-
icises their literature, races with
canoes on the river, fights it out
on the foot-ball grounds, nerves himself
to be present at critical
surgical operations by the celebrated
Dr. Mussey, carefully noting
the effect on the patient and diagraming
the incision in detail, ran-
sacking the fields for botanical and
geological specimens and
every day entering in his Journal
comments on the instructors and
the instruction of the day.
In his Senior year he was invited to
deliver a public address
Journal of Cyrus P. Bradley. 213
before the whole college. Concerning
this address, his college-
mate, Judge Dana, writes:
"The most marked event that I
recollect in regard to him"
(Bradley) "was the lengthy speech
which he delivered without
notes before the whole College and which
was a masterly produc-
tion, which with other achievements,
established his reputation as
one of the only two real geniuses
connected with the college dur-
ing my day."
Rev. Rockwood says: "In his
lawyer-like address, he stood
easily at the front in the class for
intellectual endowments, schol-
arly taste and the power of moving
public assemblies."
From all that can be gathered it is
evident that he ranked in
college life as the peer of three
distinguished men, Daniel Web-
ster, Rufus Choate, and Salmon P. Chase,
preceding him in three
regular decades. The environments,
experiences, struggles and
limitations in early life of Webster and
Bradley were the same,
and educated at the same Academy and
College, the biography
of the life of the one could be
exchanged for the other without
material modification up to the date of
graduation. Webster ex-
celled perhaps in weighty mental
endowments, surely in physical
constitution, but Bradley outmatched him
in rapier intellect,
stood and worked on a higher plane of
moral tone and purpose
and with far greater industry and
method. Bradley's career ended
with graduation. What it might have
been, had life continued,
can only be conjectured.
He graduated in July, 1837, and returned
to his home only to
arrange for a surrender to his fatal
disease.
"His large collection of
autographs, rare and curious pamph-
lets, and specimens of minerals he
arranged and bequeathed to the
New Hampshire Historical Society."
His Journals were placed
in the hands of a chosen friend for
preservation. Then "with an
unfaltering trust he folded the drapery
of his couch about him and
laid down to pleasant dreams," July
6th, 1838, aged 19 years and
9 months.
To-day, one bends over a little leaning
slab, brushes off the
dust and scratches away the moss to
decipher a name, date of
birth and death and that is all. No, not
all! So long as men shall
struggle for freedom, plead for the weak
and unfortunate, pro-
214 Ohio Arch. and
Hist. Society Publications
test against penal revenge and judicial
manslaughter by the State,
or strive for the rights of man, we
shall catch echoes of his voice:
wherever and whenever the people are
aroused to slay a giant
wrong, effective arrows will be shot
over again, fashioned by
Bradley's hand; -picked up from his grave.
ON THE OHIO.- HORSE BOAT.
JUNE, 1835.
1. MON. Was glad to escape from a dirty
town and a dirty bed
on board a steamboat. It was the Free
Trader from Pittsburg, bound to
St. Louis. We left Wheeling at eight
o'clock, and they tell us will be
at Cincinnati on Wednesday morning. How we shall get from there we
do not know. It is very differently
constructed from the eastern boats;
the accommodations by no means so good.
The engine is very different,
adapted to the river. The cabin is
small, only sixteen berths, gentlemen.
They make their trips solely for
freight. We have many tons on board,
chiefly goods and merchandise which have
come from New York by the
way of the Erie canal, and are now
approaching the Western market.
All the passengers they can get in
addition to this is clear gain. There
were just two berths uningaged, and we
of course secured them, and well
we did so, for so many passengers have
since come on board, who will
have to sleep on couches upon the floor.
The steamer Majestic, we
have just heard, exploded its boiler a
few days since, down the Missis-
sippi and shockingly wounded ninety
persons, many mortally. They were
all deck passengers-those in the cabin
escaped uninjuired. The fare
from Wheeling to Cincinnati is eight
dollars-me half price; the dis-
tance is 363 miles-all found.
This is reasonable. As we left the town
I noticed a square-built
craft plying up the river, at a
respectable pace, per force of a somewhat
sluggish water wheel at the stern. I
could perceive no other indications
of a steam engine, and on inquiring
learned that it was a horse-boat. A
low, circular shed on deck enclose four
or six horses, who turn the wheel
as a horse does a turning lathe. This
saves a great amount of labor,
required to force up the river those
barbarous built square things, which,
before the introduction of steamboats,
were the only means of communi-
cation on the western waters. What a
vast change has been caused by
this noble invention - it has been the
making of this Western world. I
have now before me a letter published in
a newspaper in 1813, in which
the writer congratulates himself upon a
passage from Pittsburg to Cin-
cinnati in only twelve days.
The singular and unique race of men who
formerly navigated these
boats are now nearly extinct. Some
continue on the river, however. I
noticed one close to the shore; the
boatmen laboriously pushing it up
Journal of Cyrus P. Bradley. 215
the stream, with their faces almost
touching the footboard. I sat some
time in the stern of the boat, watching
the ever-varying scenery which
our rapid course presented. A voyage
down the Ohio probably presents
a view of the finest country in the
known world, and the rapid pace with
which we are whisked by gives the whole
an appearance of enchantment.
THE OHIO- SCENERY. FACE OF
COUNTRY. FANNY KEMBLE.
The shores of the river are very
precipitous, running into bluffs
and cliffs, frequently to the height of
300 feet. But these banks are not
sand-heaps; no - from base to summit
they are covered with the
deepest verdure; thick forests; gigantic
trees give them an air of rich-
ness and grandeur nowhere met with but
in this region. Between these
bluffs and the river there is usually a
strip of level land called bottoms,
varying in width from a few rods to an
eighth or even a quarter of a
mile, and corresponding to our
intervals. These bottoms have the richest
soil in the world, and on them are
placed the villages and habitations
of the dwellers in this land. The great
number and variety of verdant
and richly cultivated lands add much to
the beauty of the scene.
From Pittsburg to the mouth there are
one hundred of respectable
size, and as many tributary rivers and
creeks. There cannot be imagined
anything more pleasant than a steamboat
voyage down a navigable
river. The Ohio disappointed me in one
respect-I expected to find it
broader. * * * Had a lunch about an hour
before dinner--good
policy to blunt the appetite; our table
is decently provided, that is all;
river water doesn't taste so bad as it
looks, though, and, after all, one
must swallow his peck, and he may as
well do it without grumbling. Our
company is small, comparatively
speaking, and I have made several pleas-
ant acquaintances. After dinner, I went
to my berth and had a good
sleep. Mine is a second-story one; there
being two, one over another.
Each pair is furnished with a long
curtain, which affords a recess for
dressing, etc., and a sort of closet for
our baggage under the lower berth.
Wrote till I was tired. Then read the first
volume of Fanny Kemble,
which a gentleman lent me. I really
admire the book. It displays a
good deal of cleverness. There are many
faults; much affectation, small
talk, egotism and vanity, but I have
absolutely found nothing worse, and
all this is more than redeemed by her
graphic descriptions. She lodged
at the American Hotel in New York and at
the Philadelphia; so did Mr.
Bradley. She finds fault with the first
and praises the last; so did
Mr. Bradley. Really, I must publish my
journal as a supplement, we
agree so well -"Dear, good little
me."
Became acquainted with a young officer
in the army - name Allen -
very sociable. He furnished me with an
excellent steel pen, to take the
place of my miserable quills.
216 Ohio Arch. and Hist.
Society Publications.
MARIETTA. BLANNERHASSET ISLAND. WOODING-PLACE. JUNE.
We passed Marietta in the middle
of the afternoon, situated near
the mouth of the Muskingum, the oldest
town, I believe, in the State.
It was settled by Gen. Rufus Putnam,
John C. Symms and others,
in '88. It was once the most important
town in Ohio, but has not
increased very fast, owing to the
inundations to which it is exposed and
which it has often experienced. It
contains about 1,200 inhabitants, and
is 82 miles from Wheeling. About 14
miles below, we passed the cele-
brated Blannerhasset's Island. I walked on the upper deck as we went
by. It is beautiful, even for the Ohio,
and studded with trees along
the water's edge. It is narrow, but
several miles in length. It is in a
high state of cultivation and there are
upon it several dwelling houses,
one a very handsome one of brick.
Blannerhasset's splendid mansion is
nothing but a heap of ruins;
what was once the abode of beauty, taste
and hospitality, is now a sad
monument of the folly of human ambition.
Coming down, I peeped into
the place where are stowed the deck
passengers. I was astonished at
their number-black and white, men, women
and children lolling about
on the floor, the trunks, couches, etc.
They carry their own supplies
with them, and feast or starve as they
choose. My throat being quite
sore, I applied to the waiter for some
ginger tea - no ginger on board.
He, however, recommended stewed vinegar
and the barkeeper told me
to tie my stocking round my throat--both
certain cures. With the
greatest docility I followed both
prescriptions, and retired early to
my berth.
2. TUES. Slept some, and but some. Rose
very early-left every-
body snoring and went on the upper deck
to walk. Everything was
concealed by a thick fog, on which
account the boat lay still about four
hours last night. Passed a little town
which stands in the corner between
Virginia and Kentucky. Henceforth, we
shall have Ohio on the right
and old Kentuck on the left. When I
descended into the cabin, the
passengers were just crawling out of
their berths and couches, looking
for all the world as if they had been
dragged through so many knot
holes. My throat is about the same as
yesterday, despite the negro and
the bartender, and in the morning was
very hoarse. Hearing the boom-
ing noise of the escape-steam, I
ascertained that we were approaching the
Kentucky shore, and, going out,
discovered it was what is called a
wooding place. These they have arranged at convenient distances
along
the banks, and it saves much
transportation. The price is one dollar
a cord. While loading the wood, I
eagerly availed myself of the oppor-
tunity to press the soil of Kentucky- it
being probably my only chance.
Read in Maj. Downing's letters and wrote
journal. Have been queried
and quizzed a good deal about my book,
but was prepared for that.
Journal of Cyrus P. Bradley. 217
GREAT OHIO CANAL. CINCINNATI.
Said my negro doctor, as he cleared the
table for lunch, "I do
begrudge your education," and
to-night, "I would steal your learning, if
I could." Poor fellow--there is
little opportunity for one of his color,
however disposed. One characteristic of
the Ohio is its numerous wind-
ings and meanderings. To-day we passed
one, 17 miles round and 200
yards across. Being fatigued with
writing and a hot day, I was tempted
to try a glass of lemonade. Charge, a
levy or ninepence - 100 per cent.
more than I ever before paid. Mr.
Fletcher thought it best to have
some washing done here. We did so, and
paid at the rate of 4/6 the
dozen. This is the way they extort from
strangers, who can have no
appeal from the decision. We passed,
this afternoon, the thriving town
of Portsmouth, where the Ohio canal
enters the river. This connects
the waters of Erie with the Mississippi,
and there is a good amount of
transportation upon it. The waters of
the Mississippi, the Onisconsin,
the Illinois, the Missouri, with all its
navigable tributaries; the Arkansas,
Red River, Ohio, the Tennessee, the
Cumberland, the Wabash, the Ken-
tucky, the Miami, the Scioto, the Kenhawa,
the Alleghany and the Monon-
gahela, all great navigable rivers, with
many others of note, may be
made to communicate with the canal,
forming an inland navigation of
above 8,000 miles. The trade and
productions of this immense country,
watered by these rivers, extending from
the Alleghany to the Rocky
Mountains and from the Lakes to the Gulf
of Mexico, floating from dif-
ferent directions and even different
climates, can all concentrate at the
mouth of the Ohio canal at Portsmouth.
And much of it undoubtedly
will. A vast amount of commission
business must, in consequence, be
done here. It is also well situated for
the internal commerce of the
State.
Its growth must be rapid, to keep pace with the business
which must naturally accumulate here. It
now has over 1,200 inhab-
itants. * * *
3. WED. NOON. Have just returned from a
perambulation about
the streets of Cincinnati. Yes, I am
actually writing in a tavern in
this queen of the West. The steamboat
arrived here about midnight, but
I did not know it till morning.
I slept very soundly, and, having
repeated my dose and application,
I think my throat is somewhat, though
but little, better. We took in
a very large additonal number of
passengers at Portsmouth and Mays-
ville, and were crowded. I was told that
they were fuller yet on deck-
stowed in like negroes on board a
slaver. Everybody knows something
about Cincinnati; how it is the largest
town in the West: how it has
grown up from the very beginning, within
the memory of the present
generation. Settlements were commenced
here in 1790.
218 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
CINCINNATI, ITS STREETS,
CHURCHES, BUILDINGS, ETC.
John Cleaves Symmes, one of the first
settlers of the State, was
the original grantee. He had been a
judge in New Jersey and a member
of Congress, and was the father of the
noted Capt. J. C. Symmes, of
Bung Hole memory. All the property in
the city is held by land titles
from him. The town is laid out partly
low upon the bottom or first
bank, and partly higher upon the second
bank. The streets are, how-
ever graduated so as to render the
ascent perfectly easy. We put up at
the Broadway House, for they have a
Broadway here, too. It is rather
dirty, though the table is respectably
served. A stranger labors under
great disadvantages in regard to a
choice of public houses-he is not
always recommended to the one really
preferable, and discovers his mis-
take only too late. I met here an old
classmate of mine, Hunt, who
left college the same year with myself.
He has been here a few days.
and left this morning for St. Louis.
Have been strongly advised to go
there, thence up the Illinois, across to
Chicago, and round to Detroit.
Should admire it much, but time does not
admit. Besides, they are
expecting the cholera there soon; it is
raging dreadfully down the river
at Memphis, New Orleans, and Natchez.
Noticing a communication of Dr. Daniel
Drake, in the Whig of this
morning, in relation to the subject, and
passing by the office I called in
and rescued it from the grate for my
autograph book. Called on Josiah
Drake, a bookseller here, formerly of
Northwood, but whose connections
now live in Concord, and informed him of
the welfare of his friends. He
is to call at the tavern at half-past
two. The streets of Cincinnati are
broad, and intersect at right angles.
Those from the river north are
called by miscellaneous names, those
running east and west are num-
bered-First, Second, Third, etc. Went
into the Episcopal Church, a
new and richly finished building, but
somewhat fantastical in its style
of architecture. The pews are all lined
and cushioned uniformly and the
doors are furnished with plates, on
which are inscribed the owners'
names. The paving stones used here are a
novelty-they are not round,
but are thin and long and are laid in
strait lines across the streets and
make a somewhat tasty appearance. Passed
a large Roman Catholic
Church-there are many professing this
religion in Cincinnati. The
population is of a heterogeneous
character, very few, comparatively speak-
ing, of the inhabitants being natives of
this region. The buildings here
are all modern in appearance; they are
chiefly of brick, and some of
very pale, miserable quality. They are
very generally dated, the year of
their erection being placed close to the
waterspouts, near the roof. They
range from 1827 to 1835 -most
appear to be in 1830 and 1831.
Journal of Cyrus P. Bradley. 219
CINCINNATI SWINE. M. T. WILLIAMS, ESQ.
CANAL. TROLLOPE'S.
I am told that there has been much less
building here for two years
last past than during the same time
before, but that this season very
considerable improvements will be made.
Indeed, I noticed a great
deal of building; where stone is used,
it is freestone, of a grayish color,
soft and easy to be worked, but I am
told durable. Passed through one
of the markets; there are several here.
The inside is engrossed by the
butchers; along the outside, under a
portico, were ranged the vegetables -
an abundance of fine, tempting
strawberries. It is a hot day here - as
hot as at Washington; indeed, the
latitude is about the same. There is
a good deal, far too much, of mud and
dirt and stagnant water about the
streets; if the cholera approaches, it
will set them a scrubbing. Swine
are here in abundance - to be expected
in this vast pork market. Remem-
bered Mrs. Trollope's amusing
descriptions of her adventures with the
hogs in the streets of Cincinnati.
Perhaps they are not much exagger-
ated-for the beasts are impudent.
They know enough to give way to
a carriage, but as to a foot passenger
he must always turn out; they won't
budge an inch for a whole regiment, and
no one wishes to come in con-
tact with their filthiness. Presented a
letter from Mr. Hill to Micajah
T. Williams, Esq., president of a trust
company, alias a bank, and sur-
veyor-general of the State. He promises
me letters to Michigan, also
another autograph promise; but a faint
one, very. I am to call again
at three, and be introduced to his boys.
Mr. W. was at the bank and
very busy. He thinks we had better
return to Portsmouth, and take the
canal to Cleveland. There have been
incessant rains for the last three
weeks, and the roads along the state are
in a horrible condition. Besides,
we shall be obliged to travel in the
night. I should prefer the canal,
although it is doubtless tedious, but
Mr. Fletchehr is for the stage coach,
and I suppose I shall have to take it.
P. M. -Walked down to the bank
and was introduced by Mr. Williams to
his two boys; likely, intelligent
youths of fifteen and sixteen.
We walked up to the canal-the Miami
canal-which comes up in
the northerly part of the city, and here
are furnished with seven locks,
excellent specimens of durable
workmanship. Only freight boats come
up through the locks, the packets
remaining below. The canal was
crowded with boats. We looked in upon
the celebrated Buckeye fire
engine, owned and manned by lads. They
are very proud of it, and it
is the most effective engine in the
city-the earliest on the ground.
Passed Mrs. Trollope's folly-her
celebrated Bazaar-which she planned
and built, but failed before it was
quite finished, and never paid for it.
The profits of her book doubtless
compensated her for her disappointment.
220 Ohio Arch. and
Hist. Society Publications.
BAZAR. FERRYBOATS. COVINGTON. COAL.
FOUNDRIES.
It is a handsome building, of a
fantastical style of architecture,
with a sort of a dome on the top and a
cupola surmounting it. The
front is Gothic, and elegant. It is
divided into wine rooms, ball room,
etc. I forget the name of the present
occupant. Then we walked down
to the river, and took passage in a
steam ferryboat for the Kentucky
shore. There are two of these
ferryboats, square built, curiously con-
structed things, continually plying
between Cincinnati and the opposite
side of the river. The Ohio is
narrow--they cross in a few minutes,
turn out and take in passengers and
immediately return, and so on.
Price for a foot passenger, six cents;
and a great many horses and car-
riages are transported. There is no
bridge and all the communication is
through these boats; they are, it is
said, excellent property. The dollars
must count up fast. We landed in
Covington, a flourishing village,
founded in 1815. Hard by, a little above
it, is Newport. Both these
towns make pretty appearance from
opposite side of the river.
There are very many handsome houses,
which stand, as it were, in
tiers, on the slope of a beautiful hill.
This hill rises behind the village
to a great height, and the eminence is
crowned with magnificent forest
trees and fresh verdure. This is a
fashionable resort, and the place is
furnished with shady seats, at convenient
distances. Here Mrs. Trollope
delighted to come, and sleep and dream
away the day, and hither we
directed our steps. The streets of
Covington are regular, and so, laid
out as to appear a continuation of
Cincinnati. Indeed, though under
a different government and different
laws, it is a mere suburb of that
city, and one might easily fancy that
some mighty rush of waters had
lately broken in and separated it from
the rest. It does not appear quite
so favorable on a near view as from the
other shore-there are too manly
manufactories and too much coal smoke
and coal smell, for the latter its
more offensive to me than the former.
Indeed, this bituminous coal is
villainous stuff. It contaminates
everything-air, earth, dwellings and
inhabitants.
COVINGTON IRON WORKS.
We entered one of the rolling mills, an
extensive, open shed, under
whose roof were going on all sorts of
manufacture of iron. It was indeed
a curious scene. The laborers were
almost in a state of nudity, their
brawny limbs covered with a glowing
perspiration and their blackened
features and hideous, naked deformity
reflected from the raging furnaces
and the white-hot masses of hissing
steel; combined with the curious
operations they were engaged in
performing, the oaths and imprecations
so freely employed, and the suspicious
looking instruments which they
handled, gave this much the appearance
of a portion of the kingdom of
the Arch Fiend, populous with devils,
imps and the paraphernalia of tor-
ment. I watched many of their operations
with great interest. * * *
Journal of Cyrus P. Bradley. 221
There were many very little boys
employed in this horrible business,
whom I pitied exceedingly. They nearly
forfeited all claim to my com-
miseration, however, by their impudence,
amusing themselves in the
intervals of their occupation by
throwing lumps of coal at the strangers.
I suppose they knew no better. The huts
of these workmen of course
add little to the beauty of the villege.
HAPPINESS OF HOGS.
In our way to the hill, we crossed a
deep ravine or gully, which
was almost literally full of mud, clayey
mud, at the bottom. This was
full of swine, who here presented a
picture of perfect happiness, real
unalloyed enjoyment. Indeed, a hog is a
lucky animal. No work, no
trouble, no torment, no sickness, no politics,
nothing to disturb the smooth
current of his imaginings-he lives on a
life of pleasurable forebodings
of the transmutation of things, anxious
about no futurity, tormented by
no knowledge of the inducement which
operates upon mankind to afford
him such undisturbed ease.
The monarch of Macedonia might have
exclaimed, with more reason,
"Were I not Alexander, I would be a
hog."
But apropos of swine, it is giving them
a grain too much liberty to
allow of their running at large in the
streets. In a morning paper I saw
a notice of one of these ravenous beasts
seizing a young child by the
arm, tearing him from his mother's
doorstep into the gutter, where, had
it not been for the child's screams and
the interference of a gentleman,
he would inevitably have devoured it.
This was a little too bold. We
passed by an extensive rope walk and a
spot where a college is to be
built, to the foot of the hill. I was so
tired we did not ascend it, but
gained the blasted trunk of some fallen
vegetable giant, whence we had
an excellent view of the opposite shore,
of Cincinnati and its environs.
STEAMBOATING.
A prominent object is the great number
of steamboats constantly at
the landing, arriving and departing at
all times of the day, some bound
for Louisville, St. Louis, Natchez, New
Orleans, others for Portsmouth,
Maysville, Wheeling, Pittsburg. The pale
color of the brick used in the
construction of the buildings gives the
city a poor appearance. I am told
they have no brickyards; that is the
soil being everywhere clay, the
builder digs his cellar and fashions the
dirt therefrom into brick for the
superstructure. From our log-observatory
I noticed a man fishing in a
way to me novel and curious. He had at
some previous period sunk a
long line, extending several rods,
crosswise of the river, to which are
attached baited hooks of different
sizes, in great numbers and at small
distances. He then leaves his line to
take care of itself, and was now
paddling along in a boat, drawing up the
lines, clearing it from weeds,
mud and game, and letting it drop again
into the water. His luck was
222 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
not remarkable on this occasion- a
sturgeon and a smaller fish were
all. I am told the fish market is
supplied chiefly from the Miami, the
Ohio not being very productive. Returned
from our jaunt, and were fer-
ried back to Ohio about eight o'clock,
having escaped the perils by water
and by steam, the dangers from the coal
boys and the hogs. In Coving-
ton are raised a large part of the swine
which render Cincinnati so cele-
brated as a pork market.
MR.
WILLIAMS. SLAVERY HERE. TAKEN SICK.
I drank tea at Mr. Williams', and
promised to call again in the
morning before I start; he is to give me
letters of introduction to Col.
Mack, Mayor of Detroit, and Hon. Mr.
Lyon, the Michigan delegate
in Congress. Mr. W. is one of the old
citizens of Cincinnati, one of
the canal commissioners, has been a
member of both branches of the
Legislature and was the unsuccessful
candidate for the United States
Senate, beaten by Tom Ewing. He is a
zealous friend of the administra-
tion, a handsome man, large, portly, and
of florid complexion, about
forty-five years of age. He tells me
that a great many of the family
servants here are slaves, hired out by
their masters on the other side
of the river, who receive the wages of
their toil. I was shocked at the
existence of this sort of slavery; there
can be no more harm, no more
guilt, no more shame, in purchasing
human flesh outright and for life than
in hiring its use for a limited time,
yet is slavery forever prohibited north
of the Ohio. There is something in this
I do not understand; it strikes
me the laws should have cognizance of
the subject, but if they have, who
is to administer them in behalf of the
poor negro.
There are many blacks here; though
compared with Baltimore or
Washington, the population one meets in
the street is seventy shades
whiter.
Returning to my lodgings by a circuitous
route, I passed near a
section of the town inhabited almost
solely by blacks, and called Green
Town-locus a non lucendo, I suppose. Also visited Mrs. Trollope's
celebrated Bazaar again; it should be
called Madame Trollope's Folly.
The good lady could not pay for it in
money, so she made it up in
abuse. Tired enough.
"To bed, to bed, ye sleepy
head."
* * * * * * * * * *
PROF. STOWE. INFLUENCE OF DRESS.
LANE SEMINARY.
In the forenoon Mr. Fletcher rode out to
Lane Seminary, about
two miles from the city, to visit
President Beacher and Prof. Stowe, with
whom he is acquainted. He describes the
building as of brick, not very
Journal of Cyrus P. Bradley. 223
handsome, but surrounded by a genuine
noble old forest, which they are
improving to the best advantage.
P. M. Just after dinner, Prof. Stowe
called on me, at my room;
luckily, he found me up-just dressed.
Old Snyder, as we used to call
him at old Dartmouth, looks just as he
used to when he superintended
the extraction of Greek roots by our
wise sophomores (all but bachelors
now), except that he is thinner- dresses
rather shabbily-an affectation
of independence which I believe they
have at Lane, but which I do not
like; a man in authority ought to dress
well, properly, because he feels
better. I have seen manuscript letters
of Carter to his brother, in which
he advises him to heed not his dress,
anything will answer to wear -
only cultivate the mind. But he was
wrong. I can study better and do
anything better in a new jacket and
clean shirt than with my arms out
at the elbows and my outer man begrimed
with dirt. I wonder whether
Prof. Stowe is popular here.
He has ways about him, a stiffness, and
not exactly stiffness either,
a sort of tare and tret, firebrand
disposition, which was continually making
him hiss in hot water at Hanover. He
informs me there are only forty
students at Lane - it doesn't seem to
thrive - they were not politic in
suppressing the discussion of the
slavery question among the students: this
measure has given the institution a
blow, from which it will be long
ere it recovers. At half-past four I went
on board the steamboat. I
was not fit to go, so said the doctor,
and so felt I, but I did not wish
to stay at Cincinnati any longer. I was
sorry not to be able to see
Mr. Williams, agreeably to engagement,
or let him know the reason I
failed. The steamer was large, and much
more commodious than the
one we came down in, with more airy
cabins. Her name is appropriate-
the Velocipede. She is a new boat, this
being her second trip only -the
first up the river. It takes much longer
to go up than down, the current
of the Ohio being strong; on the
Mississippi it takes twice as long.
From Cincinnati to New Orleans they
frequently go in eight days; they
used to be months. The Velocipede was
advertised to start precisely
at five. She did start at eight.
However, Mr. Fletcher obtained for me
a berth, on first going aboard, where I
lay as much at my ease as the
state of my inward man and my aching
bones would admit. * * *
There is one bad fault (by the way, was
there ever such a thing as
a good fault?) about this boat-she shakes dreadfully.
CINCINNATI. CHOLERA. GAMBLING AND
DRUNKENNESS.
As I lay in my berth, waiting for the
good-bye, I heard two gen-
tlemen conversing about the cholera and
received the pleasant intelligence
that there were yesterday four cases in
Maysville, Ky., all of which
terminated fatally in a few hours.
That place is between this and
Portsmouth, the place of our des-
tination, and the boat stops there some
time. * *
224 Ohio Arch. and Hist.
Society Publications.
6. SAT. We stopped this morning two
hours at Maysville, landing
and taking in passengers, freight, etc.
Those who join us report five new
cases of cholera. Some of the deaths
happened in a shockingly brief
period after the first attack. Yet,
although surrounded in this way by
disease and death, the center of our
cabin supports a gambling table,
around which sit four respectable
looking men, with cards in their hands,
oaths on their lips, cigars in their
mouth, liquor on the table, and heaps
of silver before them. How long would
such a sight be allowed on board
an eastern steamboat, even though some
wretch should by any mis-
chance find himself in such respectable
company, sufficiently abandoned to
all sense of shame to attempt it.
Intemperance, too, that great pre-
vailing sinking sin of the west,
prevails to the same extent as though such
a thing as sickness and death did not
exist.
FANNY KEMBLE'S JOURNAL. ARRIVE AT
PORTSMOUTH.
Almost every other face, even in what is
called good society, exhibits
the devotion of its owner to the mint
julip, sangaree and toddy. On
board the stages and boats I have found
a majority of the passengers,
even lads, openely and shamelessly call
for their bitters before breakfast,
as well as their numerous draughts
during the day. As usual, our boat
is crowded with passengers--how many
there are in motion on these
western waters. My health is better
to-day.
This forenoon finished reading Fanny
Kemble's Journal. This book
I believe I have seen in every steamboat
I have traveled in. I am really
pleased with it. There are no coarse and
vulgar aspersions of men and
manners as in Mrs. Trollope, Col.
Hamilton, Capt. Hall, et id omne genus;
it is merely a lively gossiping
transcript of the first novel impressions of
a young, imaginative, giddy, much
flattered, spoiled girl and amid all the
shoal water of nonsense and affectation
there are many pithy observa-
tions, much excellent humor and very
many fine descriptions and touching
solilloquies. It is easy to perceive in
what respect she erred and thereby
drawn upon her head ridicule and
malediction. It is her personalities.
Every day she alludes to some individual
with whom she chanced to
come in contact, and sets off her
allusion with some pointed remark. Now,
although she gives no names, but an
abundance of dashes, the person
himself and a few others can but
understand the references, of course are
disgusted and vent their spleen upon the
work and its witty author by
denying them any merit. As to those
cases in which she has ventured
to ridicule particular customs, in
almost every instance her observations
are just, agree with my own preconceived
opinions and, I think, must be
acknowledged correct by every
unprejudiced mind.
There are exceptions. Played a few games
of backgammon with
Mr. F.; also with a loquacious
foreigner. P. M. At two o'clock arrived
at Portsmouth; were immediately assailed
by an officious landlord, who
would insist upon giving it as his
decided opinion that his house was the
Journal of Cyrus P. Bradley. 225
best in the place. Finally went there,
and obtained some dinner. As yet,
I have drank no raw Ohio water
since I left Cincinnati; when I couldn't
obtain tea, I went dry.
PORTSMOUTH, OHIO. FILTH AND DRUNKENNESS.
We hope to have found a canalboat about
starting, which would
have taken us up to Piketon or some
other pleasant inland village, where
we might spend the Sabbath in quiet; but
there are none going till
to-morrow, so we shall probably pass
Sunday here. I am sorry for it;
it is a vile place, or its looks belie
it.
7. SUNDAY. What a horrid hot night we
had last night-the sultri-
ness seems to increase here at night.
Our tavern is internally arranged
with a strained affectation of city
accommodations, but externally, in its
back yards and buildings, it is truly
abominable. I am thoroughly dis-
gusted with it and with the town. There
are few New Englanders here,
and there is nothing Yankee about the
place.
The Front street, facing the river, is
the business street; here every
other door is a tavern or a grocery; the
character of the population is
that of a community of drunkards, at
least that part of it which has
fallen under my observation, and the whole
town seems to be contam-
inated with it. Then, the back streets -
they are nothing but lanes - and
every house, whether stone, brick or
wood, bear symptoms of decay. But
this isn't the worse feature- the filth,
the nastiness, is perfectly disgust-
ing. The soil is hard clay, impervious
to everything. Pools of stagnant
water, and swine, their hides encrusted
inch deep with putrefaction, infest
the ways-the yard or lane under our
winder (private, too) is a stinking
nursery of pestilence. No wonder the
cholera makes dreadful havoc
when it enters such a place. The wonder
is, they escape so well. What
a contrast between this and one of our
pleasant New England villages, with
its neat, painted frame houses, its
pretty enclosures, flourishing farms,
cleanly outhouses, its church and its
school-house.
Yes, that village school-house, which a
traveler meets in New Eng-
land every mile of his journey and whose
purpose he cannot mistake, I
have seen none these 500 miles. The population
is of a mixed character,
and a large portion of them do not
separate Sabbath from the rest of
the week. This morning the Rufus Putnam,
a handsome new boat, came
gallantly down the river, on her first
trip, full to the brim. Boats are
continually increasing, but there is no
diminution of patronage. Walked
out to the canal, where it crosses the
Scioto River, to see them force a
canalboat across. The river is much
swollen by the recent rains, and the
current is very rapid. The operation of
getting a boat across was well
worth seeing, but hardly worth
describing. There are here a Methodist,
a Presbyterian and an Episcopalian
Church, all small; this is not a
church-going place.
Vol. XV -15.
226 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
PORTSMOUTH. BEAUTIFUL SCENE. CANAL AND
FERRY.
The Methodists have the largest society.
There were no services in
the Presbyterian, so we attended at the
Episcopalian. Listened to the
reading of their long, formal prayers
and to a very brief rhetorical flourish
by way of a sermon, from Revelations 22,
17. Came home not much
edified. In the afternoon had some
little showers, which did the atmos-
phere some service. They are short and
frequent in this country. Spent
the afternoon in writing journal, also a
letter to Concord. Took a short
walk along the river. I presume I have
seen more drunken men to-day
than for the last six years in New
England. The whole character of
the place seems to be dissipation.
Directly opposite Portsmouth is one
of the loveliest spots I ever set my
eyes upon. A rich, narrow bottom
rises behind into a noble hill, which
for a great height is covered with
noble forest trees.
This hill, towards the top, becomes
perpendicular, and you look over
the tops and through crannies of the
branches, against a rough, rocky
precipice, apparently smooth as a wall,
rising to a very considerable height
and its summit crowned with trees. The proprietor
of this beautiful
territory has it in his power to render
it one of the most enchanting spots
in the world. Towards evening the
captain of the canalboat, the Indiana,
in which we proposed to voyage toward
Cleveland, called at the hotel
and gave us the welcome intelligence
that he should leave to-night. At
the appointed time we went to the spot
where the canal crosses the Scioto,
about a half a mile from our lodgings,
having previously sent on board
our baggage.
On our arrival, to our inexpressible
mortification, the ferryman
obstinately refused to take us across
the river that night, alleging it was
too late, there were not enough men,
etc. The captain, a very clever,
gentlemanly man, said it was of no use
to try to drive him- he had too
much of the mule in his composition. The
Scioto is now ten feet above
its usual level, and its current is very
swift at this particular point. A ferry
is established, and every boat is
obliged to submit to the ferryman's
caprices for his passage. If the canal
had been carried across the river,
some miles farther up, it would have
saved considerable lockage and
expense and been far better in other
respects.
ON BOARD CANAL BOAT. OUR CABIN. OUR
COMPANY.
The depot might then have been made at
the other end of the town,
and Portsmouth would doubtless be the
gainer thereby. At present
it reaps very little advantage from the
canal. Freight is scarce here, a
greater part of the produce of the
country being carried toward Cleve-
land, and by the way of the Erie Canal,
to the New York market. The
boats come down not more than half
loaded, and back again with hardly
Journal of Cyrus P. Bradley. 227
any freight at all for the first hundred
miles. They have more passengers
down than up, by far, however. They have
here no packet boats exclu-
sively for passengers. The forward part
of the boat is the gentlemen's
cabin, about 10 feet by 12; next, the
ladies' cabin, about 10 by 5; then
the main part of the boat for the
freight, where are also stowed the mid-
ship passengers; then, in the after part
of the boat, the dining room, per-
haps 10 feet square, with a kitchen
closet adjoining. Had we started
to-night, we should have been five and
twenty miles on our journey; as
it was, we submitted with the best grace
we could, although our mortifi-
cation was proportioned in extent to the
joy we experienced when we
first learned our intended departure.
The maid of all work, a very
decent looking woman, soon transformed
the cushioned seats into respect-
able couches, and we prepared for bed,
preferring this little airy cabin
to our confined stinking hole in the
inn. * * *
8. MONDAY. Slept middling. Rose very
early, walked round near
to the river, returned, then walked into
town and back again.
Several steamboats arrived last night
and this morning, and brought
several more passengers, so that we are
sufficiently crowded for all good
purposes. Indeed, I began to suspect
that the captain, having no freight,
was not particularly anxious to cast off
last night, but was willing to
add to the number of his passengers.
This little cabin, in which I am
at this moment writing, would have been
a fine, comfortable room, did we
have it all to ourselves.
LOCKS. WANT OF BRIDGES. COUNTRY ON THE
CANAL.
One of the company is the Rev. Mr.
Potter, the clergyman who
officiated yesterday at the Episcopal
Church. While at breakfast, the fer-
ryman got us under way and across the
dreadful passage--could have
been done just as well last evening. Our
breakfast was plain enough, a
piece of bacon, a piece of mackeral,
both salt as the Atlantic, baker's
bread and butter. We have, however, one
luxury--decent spring water.
Close to Portsmuth are a number of
locks, and we were a long time
getting fairly started. At one place we
had to go ashore and assist them
in opening the gate. This kind of
traveling is undoubtedly pleasant
enough for a short time, when one
doesn't feel in a hurry, so as to be
impatient at the delay of the plaguey
locks. There are a great many
of them on this canal in its whole
extent-no long levels, as in the great
New Yorker. They go very slow, advancing
about sixty miles a day.
Were the roads decent, we should have
tried the stage, but they are hor-
rible. The mail has been due many hours
at Portsmouth, but cannot
cross Beaver Creek. Why? exclaims a New
Englander. Because, friend,
they have no bridges in the south and
west over fordable streams, and this
fact explains what I have wondered
at--newspaper notices of the
failures of mails because they cannot
cross such and such a stream, or
creek, as they call them here. It is now
about ten o'clock. We have
228 Ohio Arch. and
Hist. Society Publications.
passed five locks, and have advanced
perhaps a dozen miles. The sun is
not oppressive and the deck is a
pleasant spot.
On one side of us is the exceedingly
fertile bottom--the Scioto
by a short distance beyond--and the
canal defended from extraordinary
freshes by a high embankment, or levy,
as they call it. On this bottom
are many well cultivated spots, Indian
corn in abundance and well
advanced, they must reap a heavy crop.
On the left hand is an occa-
sional settlement; rich land in much of
its extent, richly wooded. The
beautiful sycamore is a prominent tree.
The banks are covered with
wild camomile, cotton-wood shrubs and
other bushes I know not of.
Freestone is quarried in this neighborhood
to a great extent, and is used
for every purpose to which stone is
applied.
They speak highly of its durability,
etc., but they have never known
New Hampshire granite. Establishments
for working it are frequent;
they cut it into blocks, gravestones,
etc., the canal locks are made of it.
Iron is found in this region in
abundance and is extensively worked.
Several mills are in operation near
Portsmuth. A wealthy man, con-
cerned in this manufacture, died a short
time since, and, agreeably to his
injunction, was enclosed in an
air-tight, cast-iron coffin and placed near
his house, on the surface of the ground,
to remain there forever. We
frequently pass under bridges, over
which crosses the road, and which
are built so low as to drive us from our
stations on deck or oblige
us to stretch ourselves out on its
surface. Horrid work, this traveling
is, for one's clothing.
DUTCHMEN. SLAVES. COLONIZATION SCHEME.
We have one midship passenger on board,
who amuses me exceed-
ingly. He is a genuine old Dutchman, and
is on his way to Europe, the
only real specimen of the Knickerbocker
I have seen. He carries con-
tinually in his mouth a long Dutch pipe,
and is very sociable, but it
would puzzle Dr. Percival with his
twenty different languages to under-
stand his lingo. I was just now in the
midships, to open my trunk, and
found him perched on the baggage,
munching his bread, cheese and bacon
with great gusto, washing down his
mouthfuls occasionly by a resort
to his cup and sweetening them ever and
anon by a whiff at his insep-
arable companion, the long-handle pipe.
But I have written enough; I'll
go on deck again. The gentleman whom I
took to be Rev. Mr. Potter,
is, in fact, a resident of Mississippi;
he is a strong colonizationist; not,
he says, because the society can bona
fida transport by their own exer-
tions all the blacks in the country, or
even one-third of the increase, but
their efforts will demonstrate the
feasibility of the plan, the practica-
bility of establishing a colony where
the negroes shall enjoy their
political rights. In
Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, Kentucky, etc.,
the slaves are unprofitable; in the
sugar and cotton countries, far other-
wise. The consequence will be slavery
will cease in those states, the
Journal of Cyrus P. Bradley. 229
slaveholders either selling them to the
South or taking them with them,
where they can be made profitable. This
will confine slavery to a small
portion of the country, and that portion
will be so much overstocked as
to reduce the value of the property.
Then, the masters will combine
to colonize the unprofitable portion of
them, and the rest-something will
be done with them. This was the whole
amount of his reasoning. He
informs me that the value of this
species of property in Mississippi is
enormous, that every negro, or boy as
they call them, will cultivate ten
acres of cotton, and that the revenue of
many of the planters exceeds
$50,000 a year.
FERTILITY OF SOIL. IGNORANCE OF
INHABITANTS. HUTS.
The soil on the bottom is remarkably
fertile, and the climate is good,
particularly for those predisposed to
pulmonary disorders. He advises
me to go there, says there is a great
demand for private tutors among
the planters, and that such situations
are exceedingly pleasant. It is now
four o'clock, the country we have passed
through is somewhat diversified
and uninteresting, but preserving a uniform
character. On the right,
highly fertile and generally cultivated
bottoms separate the canal from the
Scioto, which sometimes, however,
approaches close to the towpath.
On these bottoms corn is raised fifty
years in succession, with no
other manure than the annual sediment
which the river deposits.
Such land is worth about thirty dollars
the acre. Occasionally we
pass a log hut or two, sometimes
situated on a road, frequently surrounded
only by rocks and stumps, but all alike
in one particular - the abundance
of little tow-heads which lay sunning
about the door..
At one of these houses, where is a fine
spring and where the boat
stopped for water, we landed and
obtained a glass of milk, or rather a
dipper of milk. We asked the woman what
was the name of the township
or the county in which she lived. She
giggled, hardly seemed to under-
stand the question, but at length
replied that it was "an out-in-the-woods
place, she reckoned." That was all
the name she knew, and that was
enough for her purposes. But these
children, they are growing up in
ignorance, perfect darkness,
intellectually. They seem to have in the
West no New England pride about their
houses; all the scattered build-
ings on the great national road and in
this region are built of rough logs,
notched at the ends, and the best of
them, with the interstices filled with
mud, sticks and stones and their roofs
shingled or thatched. We have
this day passed no villages.
Many of the houses are embellished with
the trophies of the hun-
ter-the hides and horns of the deer,
etc. Deer and wild turkeys are
abundant here, sheltered by the thick
forests which crown the swells, and
which afford a refuge for thousands of
warblers whose notes generally
sounded strange in my ear. Taking my
station on the prow of the boat,
I have sat for hours watching the ever
varying scene and listening to
their changing notes.
230 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society
Publications.
ILLINOIS SPECULATIONS. CHICAGO. ALTON,
ETC.
Very often, the canal widens and forms
reservoirs at convenient
places. Frequently pools of stagnant
water are formed near, carrion often
floats on the surface, miasmata are
generated, all which must render a
residence near the bank unhealthy. It is
in fact a nursery of fever and
ague. Yet fish live in considerable
abundance in this water; doubtless
the poor creatures are subject to
bilious complaints. Water snakes,
huge, vile looking monsters are
frequently seen on the shore, basking
in the sun. One of our fellow-passengers
made a good hit at one with a
pole. We passed a high, shed-like
looking building, rising like a shattered
light-house, under which some
unsuccessful experimenter had been boring
for salt, which is found in abundance in
many parts of the state and
in this neighborhood. Everybody is
advising me to travel farther West,
if I wish to see a full display of the
energies of the country. We have
an Illinois man aboard, who speaks with
rapture of the extensive and
fertile prairies of his adopted state.
There the corn grows from 12 to 20 feet
in height, and in the valley
of the Kaskaskia it yields 100 bushels
an acre, with no other care than the
labor of ploughing.
Chicago is doubtless going to be one of
the greatset places in the
country, a vast city; at present, an
excellent place for emigration. Alton
is a promising place; it is the general
opinion that it will become a great
city, on account of its situation, being
so near the confluence of the Mis-
souri with the Mississippi. It will be
the great depot of the productions
of the Missouri valley.
Many think, however, it can never increase,
against the influence of
its overgrown rival, St. Louis, which
has such a start of it. There are
also natural disadvantages. The shore is
precipitous, and there is no place
to put their buildings except in the
ravines. They have an excellent land-
ing, and in case the Missouri trade
should be turned to Chicago and
New York it must be a great place. There
is another location, which
Ohio folks think is destined for a
thriving settlement and vast city - the
Maumee country, on the disputed
territory - with Michigan. By the way,
Governor Lucas' extra session of the
Legislature meets to-day at Colum-
bus to blow the Michiganders sky high.
But as to the Maumee country,
our Illinois man says there is one
insuperable objection to its advance-
ment-the citizens must be manufactured
and raised on the spot-emi-
grants cannot live there.
BRUTE OF A DRIVER. SCENES ON THE
CANAL.
If that is the case, it is not a
possession worth a harder war than
that of words and of ink. I am told the
notion that the Catholics are
gaining possession of this western
country is all nonsense, that there are
none but foreigners; no priests or
churches except in a few large cities,
Journal of Cyrus P. Bradley. 231
and they make no converts. For want of
any other book, I read to-day
that old but universally popular story,
the "Vicar of Wakefield," which
I found on board. I had read it two or three times before, but
several
years since, and it interested me much.
We are just stopping at a lock, having
traversed since the last one,
a level of ten miles, in just three
hours, wanting ten minutes.
Part of the way we had a brutal driver,
who, in spite of our remon-
strances, would insist upon making it
his amusement to torment with his
long lash the forward horse, a noble
animal, though under such man-
agement, of course a little restive. We
are drawn by two horses, tan-
dem, who are changed about once in
twelve or fourteen miles. They
seldom trot. The hind horse is ridden by
the driver, generally a youth,
and a rough, hardy, tough-swearing,
nondescript animal, totally inde-
pendent of the captain, who has no
control over him or his horses.
This one, after exercising his little,
brief authority over the poor beast
till he had almost worried the animal to
death, turned upon every luckless
sheep or pig, who trusting to his tender
mercies, might remain within
reach of his whip. At length, we were
all excessively delighted to see
an old bellweather carry off, at a
sudden jerk, wound round his neck,
the cruel lash, which was not recovered
till after a hearty race on the
part of the boy and a hearty laugh on
the part of the passengers. Towards
evening in company with most of the
passengers, went ashore at one
of the locks and walked to the next one,
about a mile, where we waited
for the boat. Here about a dozen
Irishmen were at work digging and
filling up an excavation, which the
water had worn around the gate. Two
old canalboats, their dwelling house,
were moored near. Noticing rather
an inviting room in one of them, I went,
in company with another, and
entered it, making an errand for a glass
of water. An Irish girl, very
comely and neat in her appearance, was
busily engaged in baking two
tempting loaves of bread in a commodious
cookstove. Everything had an
air of cleanliness and comfort which one
would hardly expect to find in
such a place.
MOUND. CHILLICOTHE. BUILDINGS. DUTCH.
The bank here was covered with
horehound, boneset and camomile,
all growing wild and luxuriating in
great abundance. Take it all in all,
we have had a very pleasant time -a
good company and good weather -
it having been hazy and occasionally a
slight sprinkle; in this way we
were enabled to avoid the heat which, at
this season, is generally exceed-
ingly troublesome on the canal. Had a
very respectable dinner, too.
Towards evening, wrote journal. Passed a
large, conical mound, as steep
as the earth could be made to lie, like
a section of an egg. It had no
appearance of having been opened.
9. TUES. Our little cabin was fitted
most ingeniously with berths,
for ten persons, but so contracted were
the limits appropriated for each
232 Ohio Arch. and
Hist. Society Publications.
that he could only draw himself onto his
shelf lengthwise and there lie,
without stirring for fear of a fall or a
broken head. We did not wish the
windows open on account of the unhealthy
miasms from the canal, and
of course were uncomfortably hot. I had
a good nap, on first crawling
in, and a late one in the morning; the
body of the night I lay and chewed
the cud of reflection with about as much
elbow room as a man might
find in his coffin.
Awoke. Looked out of my window upon a
block of stores, which it
seemed I could almost touch. I jumped
out upon the floor, all dressed,
and found myself, with one exception,
the last of the Mohicans. We
were in Chillicothe, the ancient seat of
government of the Ohio, and the
canal runs directly through it and is
lined on either side with shops and
stores. Took a long walk round the town,
and am much pleased with it,
but there is displayed much of the same
negligence in building and the
outskirts are filthy. In fact, all the
towns in this State are defiled by
swine. The streets have the smell and
appearance of a pig-yard. Some
of the streets are broad, and furnished
with handsome brick blocks and
convenient public houses; are high,
pleasant and airy. There are many
old looking, small frame houses,
however, and some log huts. Their
houses are put together in such a
slovenly manner in the West that
twenty years are amply sufficient to
clothe them in a garb of antiquity. A
long rope-walk at one extremity of the
town I noticed converted into
a block of dwellings. Here live the
Dutch, of which there are a great
many here, as happy as kings. The
churches here look no more than
respectable, for so large a place,
hardly that. Business, which had been
declining, has received a new start in
this place, from the grand canal.
CHILLICOTHE. THE WORD
"TOWNSHIP." TAKE A HACK.
Chillicothe is situated on the Scioto
River, in Scioto Township, for
it is to be understood that in Ohio a
town is what we call a village,
while what we call a town is here called
a township and the village or
town has very seldom the same name with
the township in which it is
situated. Then again the word township
has two distinct meanings. The
whole county is surveyed into districts
of six miles square, called town-
ships, or, for the sake of distinctin,
land townships, but they do not
often correspond to the civil township
or government, which sometimes
includes parts of two or three,
sometimes not a whole one, as suits the
convenience of the inhabitants.
This, together with the fact that there
are some dozens of town-
ships of the same name in different counties,
such as Hancock, Jefferson,
etc., creates among strangers and
inhabitants great confusion.
The townships are surveyed and named by
the county commis-
sioners, who are independent of each
other and of course often pitch
upon the same name. Chillicothe is
situated on the western border of a
vast alluvial plain, and in its site and
plan somewhat resembles Philadel-
Journal of Cyrus P. Bradley. 233
phia, the Scioto and Paint Creek
corresponding to the Delaware and
Schuylkill Rivers. At this place our
captain, having a load to take in,
and there being no prospect of getting
off before noon, we concluded to
leave him and trust ourselves to the
mercy of Providence and the roads
for a swifter, if not a safer,
conveyance. The stage having left at two
o'clock, we chartered a hack, with two
seats and four horses, and put
off about eight. There were four of us,
all old friends; that is, we had been
thrown together in the same canalboat
for twenty-four hours, and he must
have an abundance of sourkrout in his
composition who does not get
acquainted with his shipmates under such
circumstances. The road we
passed through from Chillicothe to
Circleville was indeed poor, but the
country was splendid.
THE COUNTRY AND ITS PRODUCTIONS, ANIMAL
AND VEGETABLE.
One extent of rich, fertile bottom, and
such glorious farms, 'twould
make a New Englander farmer's mouth
water to see them. They raise
a vast quantity of beef and pork of the
finest quality in this region.
They mow comparatively very little hay
and raise no potatoes for their
stock, barely enough for culinary
purposes. Their grass is timothy and
clover, no other kinds. Their
pastures-we saw many head of cattle
in them which would at this moment yield
a heavier swath than many
fields, when mowed, in New Hampshire.
Wheat is raised in very con-
siderable quantities, and looks
beautifully; their harvest time is usually
the last of June; they will have a great
crop, though I see by the papers
a very poor one in Virginia and
Maryland. But the chief production of
the soil is the Indian corn. Fields are
not uncommon containing some
hundreds and even thousands of acres in
one unbroken extent, which will
yield from fifty to seventy bushels per
acre. They have no labor of
manuring; in the spring, one ploughs,
another drops after him and
another covers; they put from four to
six corns to the hill. Twice or
thrice a year they plough between the
rows, with a single horse and what
they call a shovel plough, a mere light
spade fixed to a plough-shaft or
frame. The ear has twelve rows, is short
and thick. If it be asked what
they do with these great crops of corn,
I answer they fatten their stock on
them instead of hay, conceiving it more
profitable. Their cattle are all
raised for market on corn, and their
swine consume a great deal also.
They have a way, too, of fattening their
hogs in clover; immense droves
of them are seen on either side, rioting
in the richest clover fields, their
flanks almost concealed in the verdure
and blossoms. They find this
exceedingly profitable, pork in the fall
of the year commanding a great
price. "As happy as pigs in
clover" is a proverb which we here find
illustrated. They have an unfortunate
breed of swine in Ohio, thin-sided
things, and all black or speckled. Their
hams seldom weigh more than
eight or ten pounds. I have heard this
much lamented, but it is difficult
to remedy the evil. They have fine
orchards here, and a prospect of an
234 Ohio Arch. and
Hist. Society Publications.
abundant supply of fruit the present
season. Peaches will not flourish,
apples and pears abound. Last year, as
in New England, there was no
fruit at all. A great part of these
fertile plains is still covered with the
primeval forests. When a clearing is
commenced, they burn out the
underbrush, girdle the great monsters
and leave them gradually to decay
and fall. Many cultivated farms are
covered in this way with naked
shafts, with their larger branches
scattered hither and thither, many
scathed with the thunderbolt and all
bearing the marks of hard usage,
looking like the ghosts of the ancient
forests, the seared monuments of
aboriginal grandeur. They make a
melancholy appearance amid the sur-
rounding cultivation and remind one of
the old warrior, sitting among the
ruins of ancient Carthage.
FOREST
TREES. BUCKEYE. POISON VINE, ETC.
The woods are nearly all strangers to
me. Among the principal are
the burr oak, a noble, endurable tree;
the sycamore, which frequently
attains an enormous circumference; the
black and white walnut and the
numerous varieties of hickory. The
latter has a shag bark, and resembles
in fruit also our walnut; the white
walnut is similar to our butternut
or oilnut. The sugar tree is a handsome
tree; sugar orchards are fre-
quent, and the fine molasses from them
is found on every table d'hote.
They have the sugar maple, but not in
abundance; the ash and white
oak, as with us, but no pines or cedar.
The black locust attains a
great size and is a handsome tree, but
in beauty is exceeded by the honey-
locust, which bears a long pod, filled
with such wild honey as John the
Baptist lived upon in the wilderness. Both
these species of acacia are
common here. The papaw is a small-sized
tree, and bears a beautiful
leaf. It also produces a fruit half as
large as a cocoa nut, soft, pulpy
and sickish-sweet to the palate of a
stranger. The natives love it, but
there is no animal, not even the hog,
that will touch it, except the o'pos-
sum, another instance of the omniverous
nature of the human species.
We were shown many specimens of the
buckeye, the shrub or tree
from
which the inhabitants of Ohio derive their national soubriquet.
It bears a round nut, which is covered
with an outer rind or shell,
and on whose surface appears a white,
circular spot, like the pupil of the
eye. Cattle are very fond of it and eat
it whenever they can obtain
access to it, but it is extremely
poisonous and unless relief be speedily
procured invariably produces death.
Grape vines are plenty, but the fruit
is small and sour; sassafras trees I saw
as large as a man's thigh.
There is also a vine, which grows at the
base to an enormous size and
which often includes in its parasitical
embrace the tops of a whole grove
of noble trees, many of whom die under
the weight of its branches and
from its noxious qualities. Our
cicerone, an intelligent farmer, one of
the original settlers of this region,
knew no other name for it than the
poison vine. It much resembled, except
in its larger size, a vine that
Journal of Cyrus P. Bradley. 235
flourishes between Exeter and Newmarket,
and which we used to call
Jacob's Ladder. These are the principal
trees of the native growth of
the Scioto valley. To make the catalogue
complete, the elm should
be added.
PICKAWAY PLAINS. SLOVENLY MANNER OF
BUILDING.
Pickaway county, through which we
passed, is one of the best for
farming in the State. There is the
woodland for timber, the barren for
pastures, the plain for wheat, yielding
forty-five bushels the acre, and
the prairies for corn and grass. We
passed through the whole extent
of the celebrated Pickaway Plains, the
best wheat ground in the western
country. Our farmer described with great
enthusiasm the appearance of
these plains, when he first pitched his
tent upon its borders. A natural
plain of from three to seven miles in
extent, covered with a low, wild
plum, producing a luscious fruit, and
without a single tree in its whole
extent to obstruct the view.
I could see a deer, said he, for miles.
There are now houses and
clumps of trees, introduced since its
settlement, and of considerable size.
Many of the farmers of this fine country
are not the owners of the
soil, but pay a rent of one-half the
produce. Reckoned in money, they
call their corn worth from 12 to 15
cents per bushel. We passed through
Jefferson, a small town in the township
of Pickaway, and forming the seat
of justice of the county of
Pickaway. It is now all in ruins, their decline
entirely brought about by intemperance
and dissipation, for which it was
long notorious.
The dilapidated state of the houses is
truly deplorable. "Somehow,"
said the drunken landlord of a tottering
tavern, "the people seem to
have all moved off to Circleville."
Their frame houses here, when they
build such, are poor things; the
clapboards are nailed directly upon the
studs, they are wider and thicker than
ours and of the same thickness
throughout, of course one edge only
touches the studs or uprights and
must be weak. Hence, without constant
repairing, and that is not
bestowed upon them, they fall to pieces
like a child's cob-house. Their
shingles, if shingles they can be
called, are slips of thin board, about
twenty inches long, six wide and
three-quarters thick and lap over each
other lengthwise, both of the shingle
and the building, about ten inches
or half the whole length of each tier
being covered by the next. Then
there are two layers of thicknesses of
these, the outside one sloping the
other way from the inner, and this is
all the boarding they have on their
roof, the shingles being nailed directly
upon the rafters, which are placed
ten inches apart. But most of the
farmer's houses are meaner still,
built of logs, with the crannies
sometimes plastered with mud.
The chimney is placed outside the
building, is sometimes all of
brick; in other cases the upper part is
of staves, laid precisely like a
cob-house. These chimneys often lean at
an awful angle from the build-
236 Ohio
Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
ing, and assist in giving the whole an
appearance of reeling and drunk-
enness, with which the occupants too
often coincide. Many wealthy farm-
ers, who are worth fifty thousand
dollars and who both occupy and rent
vast tracts of rich and profitable
territory, are content to live and die
without comfort and without self-respect
in these wretched hovels.
CIRCLEVILLE. IGNORANCE OF BARKEEPER.
ANCIENT.
We took dinner at Circleville. While it
was preparing, we asked
the barkeeper in what direction were
those relics of antiquity which have
rendered this place so celebrated. He
pointed to a mound opposite, and,
in spite of all my doubts, assured us it
was all. We visited it; it is high
and gradual in its ascent, and has been
half carried away for gravel. I
picked up half of an Indian tomahawk,
much worn, however. There are
indications of animal matter; a black,
strong-smelling mould visible in
the excavations, the remains of human
bodies. It is supposed that this
mound is in part natural, as there
appears to be two sorts of earth
employed in its formation. When the town
was settled it was covered
with trees. As I knew the barkeeper's
story could not be correct, we
made further inquiries, and were soon
directed to the ancient fortifica-
tions. This fellow could not help seeing
the mound, which is situated
directly before his nose, and that was
as far as he ever troubled himself
to learn about them, a striking example
of the want of curiosity observ-
able in relation to objects in our
immediate vicinity. The principal fort
is an exact circle, and includes a great
part of the village, which has
received from it its name, and which has
several circular streets, corre-
sponding to the fort. The circle is one
mile in circumference and con-
sists of two parallel walls, the tops
about three rods asunder and the
inner one forty-seven rods in
diameter. Between these walls is a
fosse or ditch, sufficiently large and
no more so to have afforded earth
enough for the exterior wall, and this
wall is in fact composed of gravel,
the soil of the adjacent country. But
the materials of the inner wall
were evidently brought from a great distance.
It is composed of clay,
which is nowhere else found in the whole
neighborhood, and has between
it and the ditch a level footpath about
four feet wide.
FORTIFICATIONS OF CIRCLEVILLE. PLAN.
At the east side of the circle is
another fort, a perfect square, whose
sides exactly face the four cardinal
points of the compass and whose
western side is a tangent to the circle,
geometrically speaking; that is,
just touches the exterior wall and
becomes incorporated with it at one
point.
At this spot is the only gateway or
opening into the circular fort;
that is, the circle had no opening,
except into the square, but the square
has, including this, eight different
avenues, one at each corner and one
Journal of Cyrus P. Bradley. 237
at the center of each side. These
avenues are about 12 feet wide and
the wall rises to its usual height,
which is about 20 feet. The square
may be 40 feet each way, or about as
large, I think it is exactly, as to
set into the circle. We noticed many
vast stumps remaining on the
summit, and the trees found here at the
settlement of the town in 1810,
both standing and prostrate, no way
differed from those in the sur-
rounding forest. It is easy to imagine
what a vast alteration such a
period of time must have produced in the
external appearance of these
works, what a filling up of the ditch
and a reduction of the height of
the wall. The square fort has only a
single wall, which appears higher
in the inside than on the exterior face,
as though the dirt was taken
from the interior. As it at present
appears, the bank is about twenty feet
in breadth at its base. But time is not
the worst enemy these venerable
ruins of an unknown age have
encountered. The ruthless hand of man,
in twenty short years, has done more to
blot them from existence than
the old destroyer in twice as many
centuries. Our descendants of the
second generation will know nought of
them, except from description.
About one-half of the circle has been
leveled and the ditch filled, and
the ground covered with streets and
buildings. The interior wall, too,
is of clay and all the brick in the
place is manufactured from it; the
present generation making use of the
labor of transportation of a people
whose name is not known.
This clay will shortly be all used up
for this purpose and one wall
demolished. The square, being farther from
the village, has escaped far
better- in many parts as perfect as when
the eye of civilized man first
rested upon its proportions. A road cuts
through at one side of it
and a few negroes have the honor of
dwelling in that area, which doubt-
less once resounded with the measured
tread of disciplined armies, the
pomp and circumstance of war. At a
little distance south is a very steep
and high cemetery or mound, which has
never been opened, but is yearly
ploughed and cultivated. A very large
one, which stood in the center
of Chillicothe, and which had for forty
years been spared, was a short
time since removed and its site sold for
house lots. This destruction of
these interesting relics for the sake of
lucre will surely be regretted at
some future period. The relics which
have been found at Circleville have
been numerous. This town itself is very
pretty, well situated, and were
it not for the swine would look and smell
like a New England village.
There are 1,500 inhabitants, some
handsome buildings, and extensive
warehouses on the canal.
SYCAMORES. BAD ROAD. LOSE MY HEAD-PIECE.
COLUMBUS.
We left at two o'clock; it was a sultry
day, and our poor horses,
for we had no change, were very tired.
The road grew worse and for
six miles was absolutely abominable. It
lay through a dense, murky, damp
forest, abounding in water, mud, moss
and mosquitoes. There were some
238 Ohio
Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
of the largest sycamores I have yet
seen, many were eight feet in diam-
eter. The wheels sunk several inches
into the black mud, and at some
spots the prospect was absolutely
deplorable. However, we worked along,
though at a snail's pace. They might do
better did they work their road
property, but their road tax system is
both foolish and unjust in the
extreme. Every citizen, rich or poor
alike, is obliged to give two days'
work. We passed the town of Bloomfield,
a little village with about
150 inhabitants and-a market house!
Every little squad of buildings apes the
city in this respect. Now
for a specimen of my luck. After dark,
being tired and sleepy and
having a seat to myself, I wrapped
myself up in my cloak, stretched
myself out and went to sleep. I awoke a
few miles below Columbus, and
came fully to my senses in about half an
hour, when it occurred to me
that I was bareheaded. My cap had worked
off and out of the window.
It was an excellent light broadcloth
cap, which my father bought in
Boston just before I started on purpose
for the journey and which I
much admired. But it was past all
redemption and I very philosophically
tied my head up in my handkerchief and
resigned myself to circum-
stances. Should I lose my head off
before I get home again, I am resolved
to endure the infliction with becoming
fortitude. We arrived at Columbus
between nine and ten; could not get
admitted at the first tavern, and
where we were received, found the house
overflowing with the crowds
of legislators and strangers, whom the
exciting question of the northern
boundary dispute has brought together.
COLUMBUS. STATE HOUSE. DEAF AND DUMB
ASYLUM.
10 Wed. Were lodged in a
temporary bed in the gentlemen's public
sitting room. Should complain of the
accommodations, if I thought they
could do better. Read Gov. Lucas'
message with a portion of the volumi-
nous documents annexed, and tried to
obtain one for preservation, but
without success- a few only have been
printed as yet, and they are not
to be obtained. There is great
excitement in relation to the subject, but
we are disappointed in our expectations
of hearing any specimens of
Buckeye eloquence, as the whole matter
is in the hands of a committee
and the legislature hold sessions only
of half an hour a day, waiting for
the report. It will then be handled
pretty decisively, and I should judge
from what I can gather, that the
majority are for bold measures. I went
over the capitol. It is a small, square,
temporary, brick building, with
two entrances, and surmounted with a
patriotic extract from Barlow--a
thing which struck me as in bad taste--a
few energetic words might
have answered -but twenty or thirty
lines make an undignified appear-
ance.
They will, however, ere long, erect a
building more consonant with
the wealth and power of the state. The
Representative Hall occupies the
ground floor and the outer doors open
directly into it, a situation very
Journal of Cyrus P. Bradley. 239
unsuitable for silence, deliberation or convenience. The floor is well carpeted, the members, seventy-two in number, have moveable desks, and a little more elbow room than our poor fellows in New Hampshire, al- though in so small a room. The speaker's chair is a perfect pulpit. The senate chamber is above and similar, the number half as great as in the other branch. Near the State House is a long building, containing the public offices and state library, and directly beyond is the court house, surmounted with a handsome dome. The State House has a church-like steeple with a small bell. These buildings form one side of Capitol square, a public reservation, containing ten acres of fine clover, in which were rioting at pleasure some- body's pigs, perhaps the State's. We walked towards the Deaf and Dumb |
|
Asylum, recently established and situated at the eastern extremity of the town, about three-fourths of a mile from the square. A man we met pointed to us the road which led to the "dumb school," as he called it. It is a plain looking, three story brick building, situated in a large green or square, with gardens in the rear. The front has pillars and steps of their miserable freestone, soft, crumbling and streaked with iron rust. We were met at the door, having clambered over a zigzag by a crazy stile; (they will have a paling this season), by the principal of the insti- tution, Mr. Hubbell, a good natured, fat, frank man, careless in dress and manners, and whom we both at first supposed to be a steward or doorkeeper. We conversed a while in the sitting room till recitation hours and then went to the school rooms. |
240 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
DEAF AND DUMB. MR. CUSHING. BUCKEYE LEGISLATORS.
There are 40 pupils, 17 of them females,
and from 10 to 30 years of
age. At twelve or fourteen, they are
most susceptible of improvement.
There appeared to be few younger than
14. They have four schools, or
rather classes, and as many teachers,
Mr. Hubbell and three assistants,
two of them mutes and graduates of the
Hartford Asylum. The other
is a son of Hon. Senator Morris. They
had been classmates of the
fellow who was committed, for a rape at
Concord last summer, to prison
for life, and expressed great interest
in the circumstance. They said
he was a bad fellow at Hartford.
We visited each room and watched the
operations of the classes.
They did exceedingly well, many,
particularly among the females, appear-
ing very intelligent. We were introduced
to the teachers and held conver-
sation with them on the state. One in
particular was a fine looking fellow,
young, active, well shaped, handsome,
with a noble, intellectual forehead
and remarkably quick with the pencil.
Mr. F. obtained from him a
promise to correspond with him. Became
acquainted with one of the
Representatives, Mr. Cushing, a man of
considerable talent, but who
bears, in common with a large proportion
of the members, upon his
person, indications of loose and
dissipated habits. One man, Mr. R- ,
formerly a member of congress, and one
of the most talented men in
Ohio, but who latterly made himself a
brute, was elected for this session
to fill a vacancy. Not having been drunk
for a fortnight, he was nomi-
nated to encourage him in his good
resolutions, and succeeded in opposi-
tion to an exceedingly popular man,
Ex-Governor - . No sooner
elected than he got himself dead drunk,
and has been intoxicated ever
since he has been here. To-day he reeled into the house and
undertook
to say something, but was pulled down by
his friends. There is a care-
lessness of manner, a levity of
appearance, an unfitness of expressions, a
profanity in common conversation, in
short a conduct, both in and out
of the House, which a New Englander can
hardly consider proper in
legislators. With Mr. Cushing we visited
the new penitentiary.
OHIO PENITENTIARY. MARBLE AND
PETRIFACTIONS.
This building is truly a noble
structure, an ornament to the city and
an honor to the state, and when
completed will probably be second to
none in the country. The centre and one
wing are complete, the rest in a
state of forwardness, the prisoners
being busily engaged in preparing their
own accommodations. It seems almost a
refinement of punishment to
oblige a man to build his own dungeon.
The area enclosed is about
twenty acres, the building of hammered
freestone, the centre of four
stories and the wings three. It is on
the plan of the Auburn prison and
like the new one in New Hampshire, the
wings enclosing an interior
building of five stories of cells, each
cell measuring seven feet by three
Journal of Cyrus P. Bradley. 241
and one-half, and seven feet high. The centre is for the warden's dwell- ing, and in the rear is the guard room, from whence can be seen the whole extent of the several corridors leading round the cells. There will be cells for 700 convicts, at present there are 208, and many blacks. The female prison is to be a separate building. The whole is well ventilated, and the discipline is excellent. The warden is a New England man - I have forgotten his name. Much praise is due to the Prison Discipline Society for the general diffusion of enlarged ideas and correct information on a subject so intimately connected with the welfare, safety and moral character of the community., The people at large are becoming satisfied of the fact that the old method of building and of governing prisons was unwise and calculated not to tame the tiger, but to cage up for a while |
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the enraged beast, to again let him loose upon the community, sevenfold more the child of the devil than at first. The old penitentiary at Columbus was a sink of corruption, a nuisance to the community, an expense to the state, a hotbed of villany. Insurrections were frequent, no subordina- tion, no obedience. We visited the several manufacturies as yet in opera- tion. About half the convicts have been farmed out to an enterprising firm in New York, for the manufacture of saddle-trees, harness, furniture, etc. At the hospital, we found many sick, of the scurvey. The physician is himself a convict, and an acquaintance of Mr. Cushing. He was a man of liberal education, profound learning and extensive practice, but was tempted to embark in forgery of pension certificates, for which he is now obliged to associate with rascals of every grade-himself as bad. The justice of the peace, his partner in the business, and its penalty, was Vol. XV - 16. |
242 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
pointed out to me. In the stone shop, I was shown specimens of a species of marble, found in this region, which receives a most elegant polish and makes beautiful ornaments and mantle-pieces. It is full of petrifactions, principally marine, and these give it a splendid variegated appearance, some like the pudding-stone of which the pillars in the Representatives Hall at Washington are composed, but far more delicate. These petrifac- tions frequently drop out, whole and perfect. I succeeded in procuring a large and very crooked horn, apparently of some creature of the ox kind, and a number of shells. A bank which they are leveling in the yard formed an ancient cemetery. The earth is black, fat, greasy and very attractive to insects when first laid open, and bones partly decomposed are met with. The face of the bank is a thick strata of animal matter. We shall leave town tomorrow.
OHIO LEGISLATURE. BOUNDERY TROUBLE. GOVERNOR LUCAS. 11. Thursday. Were disappointed in our expectations of leaving Columbus today. The stage came in full from the south and we were obliged to give way, although we had engaged and paid for our passage. There being no opposition, the proprietors are perfect tyrants, absolutely |
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uncivil in speech - they do not care to accommodate-if the stage is full, you must wait, even if it be a case of life and death -"we have no extras here, sir." I visited the legislature. They had a short session and did nothing. The speaker, Mr. Creed, is a very young man, rather feminine in his appearance. He votes on all questions taken by yea and nay. There is but one clerk, who reads the acts and resolutions as well as keep the records. Strangers are admitted upon the floor and within the bar of the house-a very bad regulation in no wise conducing to the preservation of good order. Many of the members were smoking, and a great portion rested their legs and part of their bodies on the desks before them. Oh, |
for the pen of Mrs. Trollope! A communication signed by one John Biddle, as the Governor rather irreverently terms him, proposing, as presi- dent of the Convention of Michigan and in behalf of the people of that territory to consent to Ohio's running the line, provided she attempts no jurisdiction over the territory, was indefinitely postponed. P. M. This afternoon, I had the honor of waiting upon his Excel- lency, Gov. Lucas. I found him in his office with one other gentleman, a Mr. Lawler, a land agent. Gov. Lucas is an exceedingly plain man; plain |
Journal of Cyrus P. Bradley. 243
in his personal appearance, in his
dress, his habits, his manners, his speech.
He is an old Buckeye farmer and resides
on the Scioto, at the village of
Piketon. About 30 years since he
emigrated from Virginia to this state,
where he was for many years a member of
the legislature and has been
presiding officer of both branches. His
wife, he told me, was a native of
Haverhill, N. H. Gov. Lucas is very
tall-I should think over six feet-
a spare, gaunt, bony man, much
resembling in his form Senator Bell of
New Hampshire. He has a small head,
sharp features, a low, retreating
forehead and large self-esteem. His skin
is dark, and browned by expos-
ure and labor; in short, his whole
exterior is that of a rough country
farmer. His eyes are grey, small but
keen--his head greyish and he is
about 60 years of age.
The Governor has much of the old Hickory
in his composition;
when his purpose is fixed, the resolute
perseverance with which he executes
it, is nearly allied to mulish
obstinacy. He was a soldier in the late war
under Hull and others, and performed
some hazardous services, it is said,
as a spy. Indeed, he boasted to me in
conversation that he had his horse
shot under him in this very disputed
territory, at a period when Gov.
Mason of Michigan, if born at all, was
an infant at his mother's breast.
He is very much excited in relation to
this boundary question: he had
hardly laid aside my letter of
introduction before he began to enlighten
me on the subject. On the whole, I was
very much gratified with this my
call on Gov. Lucas, for which I am
indebted to Mr. Hill's kind offices.
COLUMBUS STATE LIBRARY. THE CITY OF COLUMBUS.
In the evening I visited the State
Library, which tho' small, is far
superior in numbers and selection, to
ours. Many of the best periodicals
and newspapers are here regularly
received. The old limping Librarian,
having discovered that I was from the
same section of the country with
himself, was quite attentive.
12. FRI. Bid adieu with some regret, to
this pleasant little village,
or city, as the inhabitants in
anticipation, persist in terming it. Columbus
was founded in 1812. In that year, when
the whole of its present limits
was covered with the original forest, it
was constituted the seat of govern-
ment by an act of the legislature and
named after the adventurer of Genoa.
It was laid out immediately, and many of
the lots sold for 2,000 dollars,
while covered with primeval timber.
Indeed, everything goes by antici-
pation in the west-the spirit of
speculation is the heart's blood of the
country. This would be a cleanly place,
were it not for the pigs- as it is,
it is an improvement on other places I
have visited. Its streets are broad
and laid out in right angles. One, the
main street, on which are the public
buildings, forms a part of the National
Road and will be macadamized this
season. The roads in the neighborhood
are so bad, that one sees no car-
riages, but heavy baggage wagons. The
old family chaise, the elfish gig,
the farmer's wagon, the light dearbon,
are here unknown--everybody,
244 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
males and females, market people and all, use the saddle. As we left the village, we called at the jail and took on board the jailor, who is also high sheriff of the county. Here we saw through the window the handsome face of that wholesale deceiver, Mr. - , who was taken in the midst of his forgeries and his crime, just as he was about being united in marriage to an unsuspecting, amiable lady. |
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By the way, it has been recently disclosed that he is the self-same Rev. Mr. W--, of Massachusetts, who was pardoned out of jail by the Exe- cutive of that state, some years ago. Since that period he has been acting under another name and in a different sphere. We had in our company three Virginians, profane, vile, coarse, repulsive men -also the land agent who was in company with Gov. Lucas.
THE SEASON. THE SYCAMORE. THE DELAWARE SULPHUR SPRINGS. We had a horrible tedious drive this day; the late rains have rendered this rich clayey soil a perfect quagmire. Usually, at this season of the year, the roads are bad, but this has been an extraordinary season. The country above Columbus, and indeed throughout the whole extent of this day's ride, is for farming, equal to anything on this our globe. Yet, why should these wealthy cultivators be so perfectly indifferent to every consideration of decency and comfort about their dwellings? Poor, miserable cabins and log-huts, with roofs and clapboards, by no means impervious to water, are the best you find, unless in some village. They all complain bitterly of the season, their corn, on ground usually dry, is now drowned- the fur- rows so many ditches of water, -the ground saturated till it can hold no |
Journal of Cyrus P. Bradley. 245
more. With a rich soil like this, and a
new road, under the circumstances,
the state of traveling may be readily
imagined.
However, we wallowed on, occasionally
passing through patches of
excellent timber-land. The sycamore
tree, the button-wood of the east,
here grows to an almost incredible size.
The large ones are usually
hollow, with a shell some four inches in
thickness, which continually in-
creases in circumference. When cut at
convenient lengths, the trunk is
found very useful. Casks, vats,
cisterns, well-curbs, bee hives, pigstyes,
etc., are constructed of it.
At Delaware, a very pleasant and
thriving village, we tarried about
an hour. This is the seat of the
celebrated White Sulphur Springs, said
to be fully equal to the noted Sulphurs
of Virginia. We visited the princi-
pal spring. Near it, is erecting a most
splendid hotel for the accommoda-
tion of visitors, whose convenience
demands it and whose number it will
doubtless greatly increase. The spring
issues forth from the side of the
hill; is enclosed in an excellent curb
of marble and the water is itself
clear as crystal. But not so that with
which it comes in contact. The
pebbles which line the bottom and sides of
the spring and of the brook
which conducts the water away, are
covered to the depth of an eighth of
an inch, with a slimy coat of white
sulphur. The water is exceedingly
cool and grateful to the sight, of a
warm day -but phaugh! the taste!
I have it on my tongue at this moment--I
did swallow a dipper full.
If any one wishes to obtain a faint idea
of its flavor, let him break under
his nose an addled egg-the resemblance
is striking.
SUCH TRAVELING! COONING THE FENCE !
The road in the afternoon was, if
possible, worse than before dinner.
Besides the usual depth of mud, we would
occasionally, without warning,
dive into a hole of unknown depth,
filled with black mud, whose murky
consistency effectually concealed the
mysteries of the interior -and there
stick. This they call being stalled -
and on such occasions we were obliged
to take a fence rail and help along.
At one of these "swales," we
broke our main tug, and most of us
concluded to walk on, while it was
repairing. We soon arrived at a deep
and broad pit, floating on whose surface
lay several logs, by whose help
we hoped to cross. We all succeeded in
passing with feet, but two - one
turned back discouraged-the other, poor
fellow, after he had put his
hand to the plough, endeavored to
return, but the log slipped from under
him, and he was completely soused in a
liquid about the consistency of
cream. He bore it very philosophically,
and afterwards had the advantage
of the rest of us, wading with perfect
nonchalance through every puddle
that crossed his path.
Where the fences were not covered up or
carried away, we usually
crossed these places by an interesting
process which these fellows signifi-
cantly term "cooning the
fence" - that is by clinging to the fence-rails with
246 Ohio Arch. and
Hist. Society Publications.
fingers and toes and worming along in
the best manner the case will admit
of. As the fences in this country are
invariably of the kind we call Vir-
ginia fence or zigzag, this is really no
trifling operation, and for inducing
a general perspiration, I know nothing
which surpasses it. But the gro-
tesque figures, the grimaces and the
reluctance which some of our grave old
gentlemen displayed at this undignified
and laborious way of traveling, was
truly amusing. Being rather active, I
generally got over first and then
had a fine time laughing at their
awkward manoeuvres and occasional
faux pas.
13. SAT. Last evening, at half past 11
o'clock, we arrived at a mis-
erable inn in the village of Marion, and
passed there the rest of the night.
Some slept on benches and some in chairs
- for myself, I procured half a
very comfortable bed, in a room which
contained only two more. This
morning we progressed, tho' very slowly.
The roads grew worse as we
proceeded and the accounts which we
received from every individual we
met, would have deprived us of our
senses, had we not become perfectly
hardened to anything and everything we
might encounter.
Low PRAIRIES. NIGHT COMES. THE LOG
HOUSE.
Our road lay most of the day through low
prairies and wet of course.
It is to be understood that prairie land
is not necessarily low or wet - but
signifies only a level or perhaps
undulating plain destitute of timber and
covered with a sweet grass. Such land is
often dry and capable of every
variety of cultivation. But the prairies
we passed over today are what we
might call meadows; very low and wet,
incapable of being drained, in a
state of nature, unsusceptible of
improvement. They are used for grazing
and are exceedingly profitable. We saw
immense herds of noble cattle
appearing in the distance like a waving
grove, and reminding one of the
description of a herd of buffalo, as
they are seen congregating in their un-
curbed freedom on the prairie of the
Missouri, and as they once were on
this very spot. Each drove is attended
by a herdsman and his dogs, who
keep them from straying, who remain with
them by day and lodge within
a pound or fold by night. There is no
fence here but dog-fence- stone
and wood being alike strangers to this
species of ground. There are
occasional huts located in these
unhealthy situations, and here and there
an open log-shed adjoins one of these
cabins, in which is kept a fresh
team of horses for "the
stage." We entered one house - 'twas a new one
-properly a log-house-the logs being
roughly hewn and notched at
the ends and a place being left for a
window sash. It was all in one
room, about two-thirds of which has a
raised floor, of timber chopped
down to about three inches in thickness.
At one end, was a large fire-
place, on the bare ground and the
kitchen utensils were hung around it.
The chimney, as is invariably the case,
was outside of the building, of
sticks of wood built cob-house fashion
and plastered with clay-the oven
Journal of Cyrus P. Bradley. 247
of clay and brick is a separate
structure, out doors, and erected upon
wooden blocks.
As is invariably the case, the room was
stocked with little children, ris-
ing to an unmentionable number, with the
greatest regularity, like the
steps of a stair-case, from the chubby
little infant, who is playing with
papa's ramrod, to the half simpering,
awkward girl, who sits sewing patch-
work at the extreme end of the room.
Several of the young 'uns were only
not in a state of nudity and the old
lady, like almost every female I have
met in this part of the country, was
bare-legged and bare-footed. We took
the liberty to peep into the first
structure, the "old house," for this which
I have been describing is the second
step towards grandeur, and one more
than most of these settlers make, which
looked rather forlorn in its dis-
mantled, inglorious condition. Two or
three beds have been left standing
for the accommodation of some of the
dozens who make up the family.
This structure is called the cabin and
is the settlers' primitive residence -
composed of rough, unbarked logs, heaped
up as we build log fence, with
a hole to crawl in, and perhaps another
for a window. First in the scale,
is the cabin, then the log-house, then
the frame building, and then brick-
stone is out of the question here,
entirely. Specimens of all these, as they
have been in turn occupied and deserted,
may be occasionally seen on the
farms of some industrious and
enterprising farmer. The roads on this
prairie land are always on a level or
below the level of the surface, and
are of course a perfect reservoir for
the water.
MUDDY ROADS.
No attempt to cover the natural shaky,
sticky black soil with any-
thing of a firmer nature has ever been
made, and where there was once a
ditch at the side of the road, it is now
obliterated. In one instance we
turned from the road and waded through
the long grass of the prairie
for miles, prefering a foot of
unadulterated water, for it stood to that
depth on the surface of the ground, to a
great or greater depth of mud.
In another, we walked three long miles
at one stretch, each one with his
boots filled with water and holding up
his pantaloons with both hands, as
boys play in the puddles, and this
because the state of the road was such
the horses could not draw us. How one of
the Virginians did swear ! and
I may add, how uncomfortable it made
him. The best part of our party
kept ourselves perfectly good-tempered,
nay almost boisterous, and man-
aged to extract amusement, often at each
other's expense, out of every
circumstance which occurred, or
adventure which we met with. This was
the only true way- we were in for it and
must go through; grumbling
could only add to our misfortune.
SLAVE CATCHING AND SLAVE DRIVING.
By the way, I have found out who our
three Virginians are-they
are slave-hunters, and are now after
three poor fugitives, who have fled
248 Ohio
Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
from that happy condition (?) -a state
of slavery. At first they spoke of
them as their property, but I soon
discovered that slave catching for others
was their business and that they were
well experienced in it, too. The
three negroes were all, they said, first
rate - one a good scholar, and re-
markably intelligent. His master was
then very sick, and could not live.
Not long since, he expected to die immediately,
having had a relapse, and
sent for this slave, who had been hired
out on another plantation. The
faithful negro came, watched upon his
master, and for a week never left
his bedside except on his business and
at his bidding. Yet this master, in
expectation of a speedy departure, must
rob this poor slave of his liberty
that he may leave a larger inheritance
to his children. These runaways
went by stage to Chillicothe, and were
so unwise as to enter their usual
names on the waybills. At Chillicothe,
the keeper of the principal house
sent them to the negro tavern and this
is the last they have been heard of.
The hunters did not dare to go to the
negroes on such an errand, but they
are confident they have steered for
Canada, as the runaways invariably do,
and they expect to find them on the
lake, detained by certain men they
have stationed at the prominent places
to watch or capture suspected
negroes. They did not dare to make any
inquiries on the road, because they
say, they never get any satisfaction,
and complain bitterly of the disposition
the Ohio people show to cheat them out
of their inalienable rights. They
say, if they find a constable and point
out their negro to him, he will give
the fellow a chance to escape before he
will move in the business.
I did not know of the shifts to which
they are obliged to resort to
conceal their disreputable employment.
Thus, they enter on the waybills
an assumed name, that the negroes may
not learn that they are in the
country and be on their guard, and as
the poor fellows have only two
days the start, I tremble for them and
told the hunters I hoped they would
get away. They grinned and said they
would take care of that. From
their conversation, I doubt not they
would swear to anything, and to the
ownership of any negro, if they imagined
they could do it securely, and
spoke very coolly of the propriety of
kidnapping two or three likely fellows,
should they be unsuccessful in their
present search. They said, a vast many
free blacks are annually stolen and
taken to the south- that they were
knowing to many such cases. From them I
learned that Mr. Macpherson,
one of our passengers, then on the
driver's box, and the identical man who
came across the mountains with us from
Frederic, Md., and who represented
himself as a wealthy slaveholder, about
to move to Mississippi, is an
internal slave trader and does business
very extensively, annually driving
large coffles of negroes from Maryland,
Virginia, etc., to the south. They
have traded with him in that capacity
and say they never knew one of these
merchants but represented himself as
about to settle with a gang of slaves
upon a cotton plantation at the south.
He is now on an errand similar to
their own - is a very genteel man in
dress, address and appearance. I
learned that there is quite a village of
blacks in Canada, to which the run-
aways direct their efforts, where they
find a kind asylum, if they are so
Journal of Cyrus P. Bradley. 249
fortunate as to reach it and whence they
cannot be legally removed. The
hunters had often visited it for
purposes best known to themselves. One
of them followed a black, who had
escaped on horseback, and found him
there a few months ago. He immediately
lodged a complaint against him
for the theft of a horse, had him put in
gaol and applied for a warrant
for his removal as a culprit. He
complained bitterly of the delays to which
he was subjected by the Judge, (who is a
brother of Commodore Elliott,
and a renagade to the British in the
late war), and was obliged to return
without his prisoner. He will, on this
occasion, visit that place and thinks
he shall meet with better success. I
asked with as much simplicity as I
could assume, "What would be the
punishment for his crime, if they should
get him back?" Oh, said one
laughing, if we get him home, that's all we
want of him; we don't care anything about
the theft - that's all humbug.
I became perfectly disgusted with the
conversation of these wretches, yet
I gathered from it much interesting
information - a great deal of it of too
revolting nature to be transcribed here.
14. SUN. Last evening, the agent assured
us we should be in San-
dusky. But it rained all the afternoon;
there was a violent thunderstorm
and the aspect of affairs became really
discouraging. About 9 o'clock, we
stopped at a log hut to exchange our
horses, when our new driver, (for
we change drivers here with the teams),
a great, strapping, bare-legged
loon came out and declared with many
emphatic asseverations, that it
would be absolutely impossible to get
across the prairie that night, but if
we persisted in going on, he would drive
us till we stopped. As we saw
he was determined not to proceed, we
gave up the case, more especially
as a gentleman appeared, one of the
party, who filled yesterday's stage, and
excluded us from going the day we
expected to. There were ten in the
party and they were obliged to leave all
their baggage behind some miles
with this gentleman to attend it, the
driver assuring him that a baggage
wagon would follow and take it on. A
wagon did follow and brought the
luggage as far as this place, where the
driver, probably discouraged, left
it, deceiving him by assuring him that
another wagon would appear and
take it on. Here he has remained since
yesterday, and is likely to remain,
till he proceeds by his own exertions.
Yet, be it remarked, that his own
passage, with an extra fee for the
baggage, were paid by him at Columbus
to Sandusky and here he is left 25 miles
below. Meantime, the coach, with
the ladies and the rest of the party,
proceeded, struck into the prairie, got
stalled and broken and the driver
unhitched the team and returned. The
next morning, he went on with a wagon,
and carried them forward- they
are now at Sandusky, and not an article
of wearing apparel except what
they have on their backs. They were obliged
to pass the night in a broken
carriage, on that wet and lonely prairie
and exposed to the attacks of the
mosquitoes, who exceed in numbers and
size anything I have ever seen.
No wonder, the gentleman threatened to
prosecute.
The log-hut, where we found ourselves,
we knew not for how long a
time located, was called a tavern; a bar
well stocked with whiskey. At
250 Ohio Arch. and Hist.
Society Publications.
one end was a generous fire in a
fireplace of true primitive capacity and
here we sat and laughed at the
awkwardness of our situation and poured
maledictions upon those whose
lies had been instrumental in bringing us
here. Better had we not left the canal.
Our boat doubtless arrived at
Cleveland on Friday or Saturday.
However, we forgot our cares over a good
supper of roast venison,
corn bread and fresh butter, and then
enquired for lodging. There were
many awkward grimaces made, as we all,
one by one, poked up the crazy
ladder into a dark hole of undefined
dimensions, called par eminence, the
chamber. Here in the garret of a log
hut, about a dozen persons passed
the night - the day had been rainy and
the floor and the beds flowed with
water. I managed to obtain a dry couch,
and as I lay on my back, could
contemplate the beauties of the starry
creation, or calculate an almanac,
through the chinks of the massive,
rough-fitted logs which formed the roof
and walls of the house.
However, I slept soundly, and at 5
o'clock, we, by common consent
emerged. The light of day gave us an
opportunity of observing more crit-
ically the positions each other had
occupied during the night, and a general
burst of laughter at the grotesque
absurdity of our situation was the con-
sequence of our examination. The scene
would have been worthy of a
Hogarth's pallet or a Cruikshank's
pencil.
The road, after we left the scene of our
last night's adventures, was
for some miles no worse than before and
we began to think we had egre-
giously cheated. But not so.
PRAIRIE TRAVELING. ARRIVE AT SANDUSKY
CITY.
We had a low prairie to cross, worse
than anything we had previously
experienced. We left the turnpike, for
the aggravation of this miserable
track, (a road it was not) was greatly
enhanced by the sight of a gate with
the rates of toll in glaring black paint,
every ten miles, and took the old
road, about a mile longer, and our
driver hoped, better. We proceeded,
occasionally getting out and pushing.
When about half across, we espied
before us two heavy wagons, stalled,
fast in the mire, the very tops of their
wheels concealed in the mud and the poor
beasts standing with drooping
countenances and submissive look,
before. We could not pass them - the
same hole would add our misfortune to
theirs, and as if a warning to us,
across the prairie, we could see in the
turnpike, the indistinct form of the
broken coach, in which we would have
gone if we could. The driver spoke
of returning, but we persuaded him to
turn off, try to cross the ditch into
the deep grass, and wallow along till he
gained higher ground, which was
in sight. He did so, whipping up and
encouraging his poor beasts at every
deep hole or ditch, and we following,
wading and jumping behind. We
got out safe, but the heavy plunges the
coach had made had broken one of
our thorough braces and bent to an awful
angle, the axle of the hind wheel.
Most preferred walking to trusting
themselves to this crazy vehicle; for
Journal of Cyrus P. Bradley. 251
myself, I was very tired and rode,
bracing myself up on the highest side
of the coach, and at every hole we
crossed, expecting a catastrophe. We
finally arrived at the land of rail
fences again, and having propped up the
broken strap and axletree, for both were
broken, we all jumped in and
proceeded. We changed horses at a very
respectable frame tavern, ten
miles from Sandusky, the landlord of
which was a native of Dunbarton,
N. H., exchanged our used-up vehicle for
a lighter coach, and proceeded
over a good road and for a novelty, at a
good round trot to Sandusky
City. Near that place we passed over a
high, level plain, which was abso-
lutely sandy. There were swells, too,
several gravel banks, small pebbles
and even large stones, all comely sights
to see, most surely.
SANDUSKY CITY ALIAS PORTLAND.
GALLINIPPERS.
We arrived at Sandusky about two o'clock
and put up at the principal
house, kept by a namesake of my own. I
shall never forget my ride across
those gloomy, unhealthy prairies, which
produce nothing but long grass,
horned cattle, disease, mosquitoes and
rattlesnakes. One species of meadow
grass was shown me, to which is given
the singular cognomen of Roman
Catholic grass. Why, I did not learn.
Sandusky is not so large a place as
I had anticipated, judging from its
early settlement and notoriety. The
insalubrity of its climate, rendering it
almost impossible for a stranger to
live there, is, without doubt the
principal obstacle in its way. As a gentle-
man very significantly observed to me,
"A great part of the inhabitants are
over the other side of the hill,"
for there is their cemetery. Other settle-
ments, such as Cleveland, etc., have been
at first nearly as unhealthy, but
have improved in process of time. The
fever and ague formerly infested
the centre of New York, much as it now
does Ohio, and was not uncommon
in the valley of the Connecticut, within
the memory of the present genera-
tion. But in this respect, Sandusky does
not improve. The village is not
quarter so large or populous as Concord,
but was full of business, for the
Sabbath day. There is, in fact, to a
majority of the inhabitants, no Sab-
bath. I was struck with one singularity-the
air was filled and every
sunny wall or building was covered with
myriads of a disgusting fly, about
an inch long, with large wings and
feelers. They are sluggish in their
movements and perfectly harmless -
nobody seemed to notice them. When
flying, if they strike an object, they
either cling to it or fall, and 24 hours is
the extent of their brief existence.
Like mosquitoes, they breed on the
water and generation daily follows
generation in inconceivable numbers.
The inhabitants did not appear to notice
them, and gentlemen and ladies
as they passed the streets were covered
with these reptiles. They find their
way into the houses and infest
everything; even the table where we dined
swarmed with them. A gentleman assured
me, that he was on board a
steamboat last week which ran aground at
the mouth of the Detroit river
in the night, and they were obliged to
remain till daylight. In the morning,
vast heaps of these vermin were found on
deck, particularly congregated
252 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
about the funnels, being either dead or
nearly so, and that the quantity
shoveled overboard was variously
estimated by the passengers at from 6
to 8 bushels. Similar accounts have been
given me by others, and from
what I myself have seen, I do not doubt
their truth. They are considered
as certain forerunners of the cholera,
and were never known here till just
before the arrival of that disease. They
are called, improperly, gallinippers,
that being the name of a fly which, in
common with other species, oddly
enough called pontiacs, from the
old chief of that name, are exceedingly
troublesome to horses. We ate our dinner
in haste and hurried on board
a steamboat which had just touched on
her way from Buffalo to take in
wood and passengers.
LAKE ERIE. ITS BEAUTIES. STEAMBOATS.
I soon found myself on board the
Michigan, the finest boat, as is uni-
versally acknowledged, on the lakes.
Capt. Chas. Blake is her captain, an
experienced navigator but hard-swearing
man. It is an extremely difficult
passage into the mouth of Sandusky
harbor and much time is necessarily
consumed in working ingress and egress
to the bosom of the fair lake. It
requires, perhaps, as much skill to
manage a vessel on these waters as on
the broad bosom of the salt water ocean
- for in good truth, they are
inland oceans. The lake I am now on--how
small it is compared with
Huron or Superior, or yet with these United
States, is nevertheless big
enough to swallow in its bosom the whole
of Britain's fast anchored isle.
I could with difficulty reconcile it to
my imagination that I was indeed sail-
ing on the surface of a pond, a body of
water, as the geographies have it,
entirely surrounded by land. Yet so it
is.
In one direction, as far as the eye
could reach, looking towards the
dominions of King William, with the
exception of an occasional verdant
thickly wooded little island, land could
no more be discerned than in look-
ing towards the dominions proper of the
same prince from the promontory
at Hampton Beach. More than half the
apparent horizon was blended
by the water's edge, and the deep blue
wave was thickly studded with craft
of every description from the fishing
smack to the brig and schooner, from
a pleasure boat to a steam packet.
These last are not such delightful
objects to the sight, as we cast
our glance over the surface of the
water, as are the whitened sails filled
with the wind, and urging along the
vessel as if endowed with vital pow-
ers. The steamboat's lofty and blackened
chimneys, the pump working
up and down, above the deck-these
objects which we cannot avoid tak-
ing into view seem misplaced on the
bosom of the ocean. There is too
much appearance of utility - too much of
a sort of grossness, a look of
factory about it to be connected with
such beautiful scenery. I had heard
an anecdote of the inhabitants of a
certain place, who, when they, for the
first time, saw a steamboat navigating a
stream, which for many years
glided by their dwellings, undisturbed
save by the light bark-canoe or still
Journal of Cyrus P. Bradley. 253
frailer dug-out, took it from the up and
down movement of the pump, to be
a floating sawmill, nor do I doubt its
correctness. The lake was calm as
an unruffled temper, after we had fairly
disentangled ourselves from the
harbor--but it is not always so. Violent
storms frequently arise, which
are more particularly dangerous on Lake
Erie, which is of much less depth
than the rest of the chain. Shipwrecks
are very frequent - vessels, prop-
erty and lives are every season
destroyed. Even steamboats, which can in
speed almost outstrip the winds, are
often very roughly handled, as the
appearance of many will testify and are
with difficulty secured in some
safe haven.
PERRY'S VICTORY. THE POOR BOY AND
DRUNKEN FATHER.
As we left Sandusky, we kept near the
American shore, passing in
sight of the little town of Venice,
swiftly distancing many beautiful little
islands, almost grazing the group called
the Three Sisters, and sailing
probably over the very spot which once
resounded with the din and smoke
and distress of that great naval battle,
which ended in a triumph of Ameri-
can bravery over British insolence
sufficient to teach John Bull that his
old underling had become saucy enough to
whip him as well on the inland
lakes as the outer ocean, and to redound
to the glory of the victors and the
honor of our country. As if by a
singular coincidence, we soon after met
the Commodore Perry, a new and elegant
steamer on her way from Detroit
to the Maumee Bay, and hauled alongside
to put on board some passengers
for that new land of promise, the
disputed valley of the Maumee.
15. MONDAY. We arrived at Detroit about
two o'clok at night. We
found the two principal public houses
full, but had our luggage taken to
the American, and engaged the first
vacant lodging place, if one should
occur before night. Such myriads of
emigrants and strangers as now
crowd this city, are, as they say here,
a caution. Many are here with
their families, having improvidently
left their homes without knowing for
whither of for what; many are here on
business; many to look on and
catch a spark of the general glow of
life which seems to animate every-
thing and everybody in the place. I am
favorably disappointed with
Detroit; I knew it was a very old place,
it having been founded by the
French about the time of the landing of
William Penn, and I expected to
see a small, dirty, Frenchified town,
with a sprinkling of soldiers, Indians,
Irish and Yankee. But Yankee blood,
Yankee taste, Yankee spirit pre-
dominates and Detroit is in effect a new
city. Several destructive fires
have swept away almost every remnant of
antiquity, even the old fort is
entirely removed, and the stranger is
surprised to find the principal street
called Jefferson Avenue, a perfect
epitome of Broadway, a picture of
business, a condensation of life, hurry
and tumult. On either side are
rows of splendid brick blocks, filled with
every variety of goods and
mechanical trades, where, in 1830, only
five years ago, but one brick build-
ing was in the whole place, and that our
hotel. Now they are removing
254 Ohio Arch. and
Hist. Society Publications.
many of these brick stores, some three
or four years old, and erecting
others of greater elegance, uniformity
and durability. The street is very
wide and perfectly straight, but is
rough from the recent rains; it is, how-
ever, soon to be paved and Detroit will
then be a city in appearance as
well as in fact. I had imagined it about
as large as Concord, but I learn
it contains at least 7,000 inhabitants,
having trebled in four years. Of
course anybody will presume that here
are no Southrons to infect the
moral atmosphere with their slothfulness
and indolence-no slaves to
compete with the labor of the free and
render the pursuits of an indus-
trious mechanic a reproach to his
character.
With the exception of the Aborigines and
the French, both of whom
remain within their own limits, except
as they mingle with each other,
careful that they be not defiled by
contact with the Yankees, the inhab-
itants of Michigan are all either from
New England or New York, and
from the latter state only those of New
England blood. The land of
promise, the Far West, some thirty years
ago, lay in New York - the
Genesee country, I can myself remember,
was the destination of many
an emigrant; now, this same blood, the
same families, and often the
identical individuals, are taking
another move to Michigan. The descend-
ants of the earlier settlers here
cannot, of course, be expected to remain
satisfied with what they have found-they
are going to Illinois -the
next jump of the Yankee-New York
families will be to some unnamed
territory in the region of the Rocky
Mountains. "Westward the star
of empire takes its way," sung
Bishop Berkley a century ago.
BOUNDARY TROUBLES. B. F. STICKNEY.
LUCIUS LYON.
There is not here apparently so much
excitement on the Boundary
question as exists in Ohio; though
coming direct from Columbus, I was
addressed by several individuals on the
subject. Michigan doesn't make
so much fuss about it; apparently secure
of the co-operation of the gen-
eral government, they go ahead without
parley. A word and a blow is
with them the order of the day. They
catch and imprison every inhab-
itant of the disputed territory who
accepts a commission under the Ohio
Executive. A short time since they
seized Maj. B. F. Stickney, an old
and wealthy citizen, and put him in jail
for this offence. To vex him the
more and force him to give bonds, thus
acknowledging jurisdiction, they
put him in the same room where lay on
his straw an old, filthy, ragged
Frenchman, confined for debt, covered
with dirt and vermin. Stickney
inspected his room-mate with cautious
curiosity, when, careful to get to
windward and holding his nose, he hailed
him. "What are you here for?"
"Because I can't pay my
debts." "How much do you owe?" "Twenty
dollars." "Well, here it is,
take up your duds and cut dirt quick." And
thus did Stickney secure an unincumbered
possession and gladdened the
heart of the poor jailbird. Stickney is
an eccentric man; his wonderful
letter from this gaol is very
conspicuous among the documents accom-
Journal of Cyrus P. Bradley. 255
panying Governor Lucas' message; he is
from Pembroke, N. H., whence
he moved here some thirty years since,
where he kept tavern and named
his children One, Two, Three, etc., in
the order of birth. I found at the
tavern Mr. Walker, from Peterboro, N.
H., late representative, and his
lady, a niece of Judge Smith, with whom,
being well acquainted with sonic
of her friends, I became very familiar;
she is an exceedingly pleasant
woman. I was introduced to Hon. Lucius
Lyon, a delegate to the Con-
vention now in session for the formation
of a Constitution for the future
state of Michigan, and who is also her
delegate in the National Council
and already spoken of as Senator in
Congress. He is a man of middling
stature, about thirty-five years old,
well-shaped, good head; has a coun-
tenance exceedingly handsome, but the
features are without expression -
perfectly immovable. He is indeed of
lethargic temperament - lazy as
Sam Hyde. I was also introduced to Gen.
McNiel, who is here on his
way to Fort Gratiot. He is a man of an
extraordinary frame, but I should
judge of rather small mind. Self-esteem
is his prominent characteristic.
I have often heard him talk, but never
ten minutes, without some, not
always the most ingeniously contrived,
allusion to his own great deeds
and vast importance. His stiff knee he
probably wouldn't cure for a
fortune.
The Englishman who fired that ball has
much to answer for in
atonement of the lies and boasts it has
caused. McNeil is about six feet
seven inches in height, and well
proportioned. Great land speculations are
daily made here; Governor Cass, who is
out of town at present, has
realized a handsome plum. His large
farm, at the lower end of town,
which extends from the river back and
intersected by the main street and
several others, cost him some years ago
about $7,000. When he was
appointed Secretary of War he contracted
to sell it to Major Forsyth, for
$34,000. Soon after, he received an
offer of $50,000, which, as was natu-
ral, absolutely frightened him. He went
to Forsyth, who was somewhat
dependent upon him, and told him the
offer, saying, "You don't want to
make $16,000 out of me." Forsyth
gave up the bargain, and Cass, grown
wiser, kept his land. He has now sold
about one-fourth of it for $100,000.
and the remainder will bring him as much
more. He may, therefore, be
considered a wealthy man. Cass is almost
idolized here--the only por-
trait in the legislative chamber is one
of him, drawn at full length-no
ordinary honor to be done to a man
during his life, and while actively
engaged in business. Nor do I approve
it.
After Aaron Burr's treason many a
vessel's proprietors swept his
name from their ships and substituted
that of some one whose patriotism
death had proved to be lasting. Had the
Congress of '76 adorned their
hall with the portraits of the
successful leaders of her armies, Benedict
Arnold's must in justice have occupied a
prominent place. I attended
the session of the convention. It is
held in the room of the legislative
256 Ohio Arch. and
Hist. Society Publications.
council of the territory, the lower
floor of a brick building, the chamber
of which is occupied as a court room.
In the convention there are about
seventy members: they are, as a
whole, a body of fine-looking men--far
superior in external appearance
to the Ohio Legislature. They seemed to
be, however, very irregular in
their mode of doing business: careless,
hasty, and full of mistakes -each
engaged in correcting his neighbor, and making
himself blunders enough
for the criticism of the next who arose.
They were not deliberating on the
Constitution but on a matter which
they doubtless considered of paramount
importance, the report of the
committee on their own compensation. I
was much amused with a sug-
gestion which fell from one speaker. The
question was, whether the
members of the convention should receive
for their services three dollars
per diem or but two. One gentleman
considerately and seriously remarked
that, with him, it depended on the
solution of the question. From whom is
this money to come? If from the general
government, he thought three
dollars none too much, but if the people
of the territory were to be taxed
for it he was in favor of two dollars. A
gentleman, in reply, probably
proceeding on the principle that what's
sauce for the goose is sauce for
the gander, ventured to reply that if
their work was worth three dollars
of Uncle Sam's money, it was of the
territory's, and they finally, as might
have been foreseen, fixed it at that
price without settling the point who
were their employers or who they must
look to for their wages. But I
am told the principle they follow in
regard to the general government is
much according to the gentleman's
doctrine-get all they can--have
their roads made, their officers paid,
etc., by the whole people. When their
state government gets into operation the
people will begin to feel its
burthens; all seem to favor the
establishment of small salaries.
Major Biddle, "one John
Biddle," is the President of the conven-
tion. He is a Jacksonian, as are the
whole of them, nearly, and brother
of Nicholas, autocrat of the bank. He
has represented the territory in
Congress. He owns the American Hotel and
boards there, with all his
family. He is a gouty old don, of good
height, fleshy and slow in motion
and speech. He has a high, retreating
forehead, sandy hair and com-
plexion, deep blue eyes and a voice slow
of utterance and very feminine.
He is not a very good presiding officer.
I called on Governor Mason, to
whom I had a letter from Mr. Hill, but
did not find him at home. The
beds at our tavern were full, so I was
obliged to go to the Mansion House,
the other great house, rented by
Griswold, the same who rents the Amer-
ican. There I found a good bed. In going
there I met one of my old
friends, the slave catchers. They have
separated in different routes, and
I was glad to learn had as yet no luck.
Mr. Fletcher's brother, the Judge,
is holding court at Pontiac, a county
town, twenty-five miles from this,
and Mr. F. will go there to-morrow to
visit him. Having no objection to
Journal of Cyrus P. Bradley. 257
see a little of the interior I shall
accompany him. The Judge lives at
Ann Arbor, and held his court there last
week, where we expected to find
him.
We should have done so had we not been so grievously delayed
in Ohio.
16. TUES. At eight o'clock the stage for
Pontiac called at the tav-
ern and we put ourselves aboard. This
stage is neither more nor less
than a very long wagon; the body placed
directly upon the axletrees and
covered with a screen or oilcloth. This
is the only species of coach that
the horses can draw over this road. The
distance is twenty-five miles,
and we were from 8 A. M. to 4 P. M.
in traveling it. The road is a perfect
dead level till you get within a quarter
of a mile of Pontiac, where you
meet with swell, stones and sandbanks.
RIDE TO PONTIAC. KILLED RATTLESNAKE.
COURTHOUSE.
It was through a great extent of thickly
wooded timber land, but
the trees were generally not of the
largest kind. There is a little tavern
every four miles and occasionally a
dwelling, but no village. The road
over the low meadows, and for much of
the distance, is built of logs laid
side by side and is christened a corduroy
turnpike. The sun shines on
it only when at the zenith--hence we
find the road muddy and full of
deep holes, but a real Christian highway
compared with Ohio turnpikes,
though from the representations we
received of it at Detroit we hardly
expected to find it passable.
We were not obliged to get out during
the whole distance, though
I did walk some, through choice. Once, I
was some distance ahead of
the coach, and spying a singular flower
in the border of the wood, I
leaped over a log to get it. Just as I
jumped I saw a snake coiled up in
the rotten wood under my feet, and after
some difficulty found a stick,
attacked him and killed him. Just then
the stage came up and stopped
and from the driver I learned that my
conquered enemy was the massas-
sagua, the Michigan rattlesnake. This
reptile is short but thick-from
the accounts, I should think him not so
venemous as our own rattlesnake.
His bite is often death, but if properly
treated not usually so; his fang
is exceedingly short and sharp and the
wound is small. He cannot
bite through a boot, nor often through
woolen cloth, nor can he strike
higher than the knee. Surveyors and
woodmen usually tie some kind
of sack-cloth about their legs, and are
thus secure. This snake does
not always give warning. Little
barefooted children, while picking ber-
ries, etc., often suffer severely; the
Indians are said to make no account
of the bite at all.
Near Pontiac are some very valuable mill
privileges, situate on a
small river, to which has been given the
name of Clinton. The village is
itself neat, New England like. Handsome
painted houses, with green
blinds, neat stores and shops give it a
distinctive character. It is, of
Vol. XV -17.
258 Ohio Arch. and
Hist. Society Publications.
course, a new place, and as yet small,
but by anticipation a city. Well
situated lots of land are nearly as high
as in Concord. There are two
taverns, both were full, it being court
time; but the landlord, learning
that the applicant was a brother of
"the Judge," who was a boarder of
his, concluded that he would find room
for us. Here I met with Mr.
Dunklee, of Concord, late graduate at
Dartmouth, a moderate scholar,
who, having studied divinity till he was
sick of it or till it was sick of
him, has finally concluded to turn
merchant and astonish the natives of
Pontiac.
Judge LeRoy, the great man here, one of
the county judges, is a
silent partner. We went to the court
house. It is situated on a beautiful
eminence and combines, within one
moderate building, court room, jury
rooms, jail and jailor's dwelling house.
The court room is a little, long,
crowded hole.
PONTIAC. JUDGE FLETCHER. LAKES AND
OAK-OPENINGS.
I had almost written it hell, where
judges, jury, lawyers, sheriff,
criminal and spectators are all crowded
together into a space little larger
than the lawyers' bar at Concord. It is
but justice to say that a new court
house is soon to be erected. I was
introduced to 'Squire Draper, a law-
yer here, late of Concord, Mass., and to
'Squire Talbot, formerly of New
York City and later still of Kentucky.
He is an old fellow, will talk as
long as you'll listen, is a monomaniac
almost. He is a son of Commodore
Talbot and his wife a daughter of
Commodore Truxton. Judges Fletcher
and LeRoy were on the bench; the other
judge is sick of the fever and
ague, which everybody must have on
coming here, and some don't get
rid of it for years. The poor fellows
look miserable, just sick enough
to make themselves and everybody near
them uncomfortable- wrapped
up in overcoats and flannels, with the
thermometer at 90 -sweltering over
the kitchen fire and growling and
swearing at everything that crosses their
path. Judge Fletcher does not resemble
his brother in the least - he pos-
sesses a far more lively temperament-is
active and quick in his motions.
He recognized his brother in court, but
did not speak to him till after
adjournment. Dunklee and I called at Mr.
Draper's and made an arrange-
ment with his youngest son, James, an
active youth of fifteen, for a fishing
excursion on the morrow.
There are several elder sons, all here
in business, professional or
mercantile, and two very fine,
intelligent daughters. Went home and
to bed.
17. WED. Awoke with a very violent sick
headache; fortunately, was
enabled to provoke my stomach to yield
-after which had a fine nap and
was well. So, about ten o'clock, jumped
into a wagon with Draper &
Dunklee and started. We had fishing
tackle and guns for the whole party;
so we anticipated sport. They call here
every little pond a lake, an affecta-
tion which is peculiarly displaced in a
territory surrounded by the largest
Journal of Cyrus P. Bradley. 259
sheets of inland water in the known
world. Pontiac is situated directly
among about a dozen of these lakes, and
to one of them, Pine Lake, we
directed our horse. Why called Pine, I know not, as there is no pine in
this region. The lake is about four
miles distant-the road, a private
carriage track through the opening.
FISHING EXPEDITION. INDIANS. SUSPICION.
WILLIAMS LAKE.
Pontiac, where there is no clearing, is
entirely covered with what is
called "oak opening," and so
is a great part of the territory. The oaks
are noble trees and stand like apple
trees in an orchard, from one to three
rods asunder. The intervening part is
covered with a sort of scrub oak,
some four or five feet high, and you may
ride for miles here without seeing
a tree or bush that is not an oak. The
labor of cutting a road over such
land is of course trifling-the soil is
first rate for grain and makes good
roads without labor. Even on the public
highways, nothing is more com-
mon than to see a tree blown across the
road and turning the path round it
-each traveler preferring to ride round
the tree through the underbrush
to making any exertions to remove the obstacle.
Judge Fletcher informs
me that he has driven his two-horse
carriage forty miles in succession
through these openings, where there was
no path or trace of wheels, the
horses perfectly accustomed to the
underbrush. At Pine Lake there is a
handsomely situated farmhouse, the owner
of which, a trader in Pontiac,
gave us permission to use his boat, but
the keeper, a surly, suspicious fool,
fancying that there was something
supercilious in Dunklee's manner, swore,
like an independent man as he was, that if
he were worth millions and he
a poor farmer, he'd be damned if he'd be
trodden upon and we might
whistle for the boat. Our spokesman
returned him as good as he got and
we set off, retraced our steps, passed
directly thro' the village and to
Williams Lake, about eight miles, over a
good road. We met a large party
of Indians, men, women and children, on
their way to Detroit and Fort
Maiden on the British side; to the
former place to receive a payment from
our government in return for their land;
to the latter for their British
presents. That government, in return for
their services during the war,
agreed to pay them annually five dollars
a head for a certain number of
years. That time has expired, but they cannot
now get rid of them. The
squaws carry as many polls as they can-
all their own children and all
they can borrow. The presents are
usually in blankets or trinkets, which,
however, they will often pawn for a
canteen of grog-"more whiske" is
the invariable demand. The men are
stout, fine looking fellows and many
of the women and children handsome. They
wear blankets, many of them
leggings, but most of them have their
legs entirely bare.
They have an abundance of silver bands,
collars, bracelets and
broaches, and the women, pendants in
their ears. The children are gen-
erally barefoot; the adults usually wear
deerskin moccasins. Crowds of
260 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
these fellows we have met, from Detroit
in Pontiac, going in either direc-
tion. At Williams Lake, a most beautiful
little sheet of water, we found a
handsome farmhouse inhabited too by
civilized people, and in a most
delightful situation. The house has a
large front yard and faced the
street - from the rear, there was a
gradual descent to the pond, beyond
which many settlers' houses were visible
in the distance. Mr. Williams
was from old Concord and settled here
about 17 years ago. He died last
fall, having raised a large family of
children, most of whom he established
near him. The old lady and the youngest
son, the only native of Michi-
gan in the family, were at home and my
companions being acquainted with
them, we were handsomely treated.
A FINE FARM; AND FARMER'S COMFORTS.
FISHING. THE COURTS.
They have an extensive apiary and noble
garden. The orchard is fine,
and the fruit in great abundance
-particularly the plums, of which they
have every variety and in great
quantity. We took the boat, a light, fragile
dug-out, and sailed over the surface of
this delightful little lake -then
returned. A dinner was ready for us--hot
bread, fresh butter, fresh
honey and new milk. It was late, we were
hungry and did full justice to
this delicious repast. This was indeed a
land flowing with milk and honey.
After dinner we prepared to fish. I
caught the first; we had excellent luck
and returned home just at night-- in
season for my tea, very much pleased
with my excursion. Indeed, how much
better it is to live as do the Wil-
liams family than in the style of their
brother farmers in Ohio. There is
something by Roscoe which just speaks my
mind on the subject. "Surely,"
he says, "man is the most foolish
of all animals, and civilized man the most
foolish of all men. Anticipation is his
curse; and to prevent the con-
tingency of evil, he makes life one
continual evil. Health, wisdom, peace of
mind, conscience-all are sacrificed to
the absurd purpose of heaping up
for the use of life more than life can
employ, under the flimsy pretext of
providing for his children, till
practice becomes habit and we labor on till
we are obliged to take our departure, as
tired of this world as we are un-
prepared for the rational happiness of
the next."
18. THURS. Soon after breakfast, Squire
Fletcher and I took the
Judge's horses and carriage for a ride.
The Judge is obliged to have his
private carriage, for there are no
public conveyances through which to
travel his circuit. He has a handsome
pair of horses, sports a splendid
gold watch and is a very great man. His
duties are, however, very arduous
and were it not for waiting to see what
may be the aspect of affairs on
the formation of a state constitution,
he would resign and return to the
practice. He is obliged to hold a court
in each county -this occupies him
eight months of the year. His usual
session hours here are from eight to
eight, with one hour's intermission. His
associates are mere cyphers, like
our own county judges in New Hampshire,
and we can see from this judge
Journal of Cyrus P. Bradley. 261
how great are his opportunities for
study and reflection on the causes which
occur. His jurisdiction is over civil
and criminal cases-the highest court
of the territory.
There is a Superior Court, the judges of
which receive their appoint-
ment from the General Government, and
who have cognizance of questions
of law. Judge F.'s salary is 1,500
dollars. We rode to a village about four
miles distant; I forgot its name.
PONTIAC LAWYERS. GUNNING. QUAILS. INDIAN
CARAVANS.
Returning we took a different and longer
road and passed through
some of the finest of the country. After
our return, I visited the court.
The way they do business here is
amusing. There are no lawbooks-the
Judge is obliged to carry such as he may
wish for reference with him.
The lawyers come into the court without
any previous preparation and
enter upon the case helter skelter,
without consideration and often beaten
by the evidence of his own witnesses.
A good lawyer amongst these asses would
thrive. I met with Mr.
Cleland, of Detroit, a very good lawyer
and fine man, who was extremely
sociable and made me promise to call on
him on my return. Droves of
Indians continually passing through town
this day.
P. M. I called at Mr. Draper's with
Dunklee. From the parlor, I
could hear Mr. Talbot with his
stentorian lungs pleading a case with great
earnestness and zeal. He is very prolix -Mr.
Fletcher said that his plea
combined a great deal of legal learning
with much that was extraneous and
idle. He is a strange man. Jimmie
Dunklee and I took a walk into the
wood. Shot a few quails, who are
remarkably thick in these parts. They
are usually in pairs, either on the
ground picking their grubs, or on some
stump or log, making their peculiar
double whistle which you can easily
imitate, and by so doing can always get
near enough for a shot. We found
a plenty of strawberries, and I ate as
many as I dared to. My late difficul-
ties, however, admonished me of the
necessity of prudence. Returning to
Mr. Draper's, we took tea there with
their pleasant family, after which
I returned home.
19. FRI. This morning I was awoke by a
very violent clap of thunder
which to shake the house to its very
foundation. After this, it rained,
thundered and lightened all day. From
'Squire Talbot I procured old
Commodore Truxton's autograph. His own
father's he could not find. A
very large caravan of Indians came into
town about midday. Many of the
women and children were mounted on small,
tough, ragged ponies, which
they were taking down to dispose of. On
one of these horses, by a sort
of wooden machine, half saddle, half
panniers, were often stuck a woman
with four children, beside a papoose on
her back, suspended by a band
round her forehead. All these, with the
exception of one or two men who
had hair-seal caps, were perfectly
bareheaded. The rain was literally pour-
ing down in sheets, but they did not
offer to go in or seemed to mind it,
262 Ohio
Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
but huddled up, for no earthly purpose
that I could discover, near to the
tavern. I thought, however, many of them
seemed to shiver, although
there was no complaint, for it was very
cold. The beasts stood patient
and crestfallen, as though they were
aware that they cut but a sorry figure,
their ears lopped down and their hides
smoking in the torrent.
INDIANS. STAGE COACHING. FACE OF
COUNTRY. AN OLD SETTLER.
There were several old men, who must
have been active warriors at a
period when all this country was their
undisputed property-when they
were at liberty to range abroad at
pleasure, each under his own vine and
fig tree and none to molest him or make
him afraid. At present, how
changed is their degraded condition. One
of these ancients, a venerable
looking old man, with bald head, gray
hairs and a scarred and wrinkled
visage, came up to a gentleman on the
piazza, and presenting a wooden
ladle and spoon, humbly begged for
"some whisk." These are nearly the
only English words they will speak, even
those who know how, but there
are several white men who knew them and
conversed with them in their
own language. I asked one of the men, if
he were Saginaw. "No, Shiawas-
see." That was the name of the
tribe. In the afternoon, talked with Mr.
Cleland, attended court, wrote journal
and called at Mr. Draper's to bid
farewell- a very clever family. In the
evening, Dunklee and I attended
an itinerant book auction. The books
sold very high and well. The pur-
chasers were eager-one would suppose
there existed quite a literary taste
in these regions. Dunklee promised to
correspond with me and I pre-
pared for my departure tomorrow and went
to bed.
20. SAT. Started early. It did not rain,
but yesterday's storm had
by no means improved the quality of the
road. Our coach was this time
an open wagon and we the only
passengers. There were no springs to the
carriage, the seats were boards placed
on the top of the box, and what with
the jolts of the vehicle, the holes in
the road and our efforts at balancing,
no exercise of the gymnasium could have
been more salutary. I have read
somewhere the question, Who ever heard
of a dyspeptic stage driver? I
would defy all the attacks of
indigestion, even if I shared the food of the
ostrich, and as to the hypo -the
blue devils would have their little souls
jolted out of them by a ride from
Pontiac to Detroit. Our driver was
sociable and we did very well. The flats
for a mile or so were entirely
drowned and we waded in the water where
it stood over the road perhaps
two feet deep. At the edge of the flats,
we found a woman and her
daughter waiting for us to take them
across-they were going for straw-
berries. The woman had lived here for
five years, had last moved from
Ohio, said she felt lonely and reckoned
it was about time to move off-
all her children had left her but five!
As we proceeded I noticed every
log of the causeway, that happened to
rise above the surface, was crowned
with a villainous rattlesnake -probably
driven out of his nest by the
deluge.
Journal of Cyrus P. Bradley. 263
RATTLESNAKES. INDIANS, BUGS, RAIN, ETC.
RAILROAD.
The driver said, whenever he saw a very
large one, he jumped out
and killed him, but the little ones, he
never disturbed. One of his leaders
had been bitten by one, a strange
conformation of the nose was the conse-
quence. It looked as if sliced off
literally with an axe. He was with diffi-
culty cured. We passed several camps of
the Indians on their road and
met and overtook a great number. Two
stout fellows, whom I remembered
seeing at Pontiac, kept abreast of us
several miles. They beguiled the
tedium of the way by a pipe which served
them both, amicably dividing
between them its use and the time.
Occasionally, when opposite a wood,
one would take up a sort of wooden pipe
hung at his girdle, and whistle
upon it-making a perfect imitation of
the bleating of a young fawn, by
which they often bring up to them a
deer, and gain a shot at her -they
both carried guns. A little girl of the
party, yesterday in Pontiac, led a
beautiful tame fawn. Several violent
showers made our way extremely
tedious, in our exposed situation, and
the aggravation was increased by the
sloth-like pace at which we were obliged
to progress. Oh! when they get
the railroad finished, what a difference
it will make. Ten miles of it will
be finished next year. This is the
finest country in the world for a railroad
-a perfect level, no deep cuts, no
inclined planes, no high banks, no
ledges. To be sure, there is no stone,
but then they can do without it. At
the depth of three feet there is a solid
pan. The intention is to cut sticks of
timber - say, eight feet long and drive
these piles into the ground; on
the butts of the sticks lay the rails,
and all agree that such a road will
be far more cheaply constructed than any
other good road could possibly be,
over this route. Being hungry, at about
one o'clock, we stopped at a tavern
and ordered a dish of milk. The milk was
sweet, but the bread was dry
and stale and as it began to saturate,
the little red bugs rose, kicking most
lustily, to the surface, where they were
immediately skimmed off and most
barbarously committed to the flames.
After our repast, we found the road
lined on both sides with Indians,
returning with their loads - men, women,
and even little children, toiled on with
their faces bent to the ground, their
backs loaded with blankets, bundles,
kettles, frying pans, spinning wheels,
guns, etc., among which motley burden
the black eyes of some happy little
pappoose not infrequently glared out
with a brilliancy which might have
put a massassagua to the blush. A man in
a wagon ahead of us, at sight
of this caravan, jumped out, left his
companions and began to return on
foot.
HIGHLANDERS. GOV. MASON. MR. NORVELL.
THEATRE.
He was three miles from home on his way
to Detroit, but was obliged
to return, for, says he, "My wife
is not used to these fellows, as we have
lately come into the country, and I know
if they go into the house, as
they likely will, and see she's scared,
they'll act just as they are a mind to."
We arrived at Detroit about half past
two and I spent the afternoon in
264 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
walking around the city. We put up at
the American. Here I saw a High-
lander in full national dress, cap,
dirk, etc. His plaid, his trappings, his
leggings, with his handsome features and
brawny frame, gave him an ex-
ceedingly picturque appearance, but I
should think his bare knees would be
cold. He is a Scotch gentleman's
servant. After tea, I called on Gov.
Mason and at length found him at home. I
was prepared to see a young
man, but not such a boy in appearance.
He was, however, a perfect gentle-
man in manners. He is short and
thick-set, of dark complexion, hand-
some square features, high forehead and
large head. He has black hair
and black eyes, dresses in showy style,
wore a broadcloth surtout and is
much of an exquisite. He has been, they
say, very dissipated, and now
uses tobacco - he is a sort of a pet of
the government. His father, John
T. Mason, resides here; he has several
sisters, whom I saw. He came
here in 1830 and was soon after
appointed secretary. I well recollect the
hue and cry made about such an
appointment in the papers. Gov. Mason
introduced me to Mr. Norvell, the
postmaster here, an ambitious, crafty
man, humorous, and himself a cause of
humor to others, waddling about
with an air and gait truly ludicrous.
They were all preparing to go to the
theatre, to benefit of the great star
here, one Mrs. McClure. By Gov.
M.'s invitation I accompanied them. The
play was Sheridan Knowles'
drama, "The Wife."
My old acquaintance, Trowbridge, the
manager of the Concord The-
ater that was, I recognized in one of
the characters. Mrs. McClure and
one or two besides played well; the
minor parts were most miserably
performed. I found the theater was
patronized by the first people here.
Judges and grave convention men
surrounded me. I did not stop to the
afterpiece, but returned home and to
bed. Saw a paper this afternoon
alluding to the organization of the N.
H. Legislature--by which it
appears Friend Fowler has been appointed
Clerk of the Senate. I know
how it was done.
MR. CLELAND. SOCIETY IN DETROIT. REV.
MR. CLEVELAND.
21. SUNDAY. A. M. Called on Governor
Mason and accompanied
him and his sister to the Episcopal
Church. This is a very large, hand-
some house, but they have not yet got
any settled preacher. One Mr.
Lister preached a very able sermon.
Governor Mason, on our return,
gave me a very strong invitation to go
up to the upper lakes and Chicago
with their party, in the steamboat
Michigan, which starts on the trip
to-morrow night. Governor Cass and his
daughter (to whom Mr. Mason
is playing the agreeable) are going.
'Twould be exceedingly pleasant, but
it would take a fortnight, and I can't
spare the time. I want to be at home
at least a few weeks before
commencement, if possible, P. M. I attended
at the Presbyterian Church, with Mr.
Fletcher and Mr. Cleland. Mr.
Cleveland, the regular preacher, I was
introduced to by Mr. Cleland. I
took tea with the latter, at his friend,
Mrs. Larned's. She is the widow
Journal of Cyrus P. Bradley. 265
of the late General Larned, who died
last season of the cholera. She is
a very fine woman, and has a fine
family. The only son, Sylvester, named
after his uncle, the celebrated
clergyman of that name of New Orleans, is
about my own age and a fine boy.
Mr. Pitts, the partner of Mr. Cleland,
boards here. He is a fine
man and a good lawyer; late a graduate
of Harvard. After tea, hap-
pening to mention my acquaintance with
Sam Chandler, who died here
this spring of consumption, Mr. Cleland
insisted upon my going with him
to his sister's, Mrs. Moore, who would
be so glad to see any acquaint-
ance of her deceased brother. Her
husband and a brother are in partner-
ship--in trade. They all are natives of
Bedford, N. H. We met young
Chandler just before entering the house,
who returned with us and intro-
duced us to his brother-in-law and
sister. They all appeared glad to see
me on account of their brother, who was
indeed a fine fellow. In the
evening Mr. Chandler, Mr. Cleland and
myself returned to the Presby-
terian Church to listen to a discourse
from Mr. Cleveland. Passing the
old market, which is nearly dismantled,
I noticed that the crowd of men
and boys, who had been there all day,
making riot and confusion, was
little diminished. They were engaged in
the delectable employment of
killing rats, of whose dead carcasses
they had collected several bushels.
Mr. Cleveland delivered his sermon
extempore, in a curious off-hand man-
ner, but rendering himself intelligible
to every hearer. In the midst of
some of his most powerful exhortations
he would frequently break in
with, "Gentlemen, you will find
plenty of seats here at the right hand of
the desk"--"Mr. Brown, please
sit along close, so as to leave the end of
the seat empty for others," or
"Mr. Lewis, be so kind as to raise that
window, we shall all suffocate
here," which had rather an odd effect. He
is very devoted, however, and popular.
There is no appearance of priest-
craft in his daily walk and
conversation, but he makes himself free with
all. He is a brother of Prof. Cleveland,
and formerly preached at Exeter,
boarding at Capt. Chamberlain's. He is a
short, large man, exceedingly
active, of lightish hair and sandy
complexion, and his hurried, business-
like gait, snuff-colored coat, black
neckstock and white hat, give him an
external appearance the very reverse of
ministerial.
FRENCH INHABITANTS. THE CONVENTION.
JUDGE WOODBRIDGE.
22. MON. We expected to leave Detroit
this morning, in the morn-
ing boat for Buffalo, but several of the
passengers in her, the Chas.
Townsend, among whom was one gentleman, Mr. Merrill, of
Boston,
bookseller, whom I knew, give such a
discouraging account of her that
we finally resolved to wait till evening
and take the Sandusky. After
breakfast, took a long walk along the
river with young Chandler.
He is a very fine fellow, much resembles
his brother, he is a grand-
son of old Robert Orr. On the little
narrow street, near the river, or
rather of which the river formed one
side, is settled by the French, the
266 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
descendants of the original proprietors.
They are a singular people--
hate the Yankees -will
not mix with them, will not suffer their children
to learn the language or have any
intercourse with them. Their lots are
very narrow, but run back from the
river, many of them three or four
miles into the country. This happened,
as each of the original settlers
wished a situation for his dwelling on
their dear river as well as a farm -
this gave rise to the inconvenient shape
of their farms. These lots, in
running back, cross the main street, and
make four or five building spots,
but their jealous owners will not sell
these spots though they do not
improve them themselves, except in
cultivation, and though many of them
would command almost any price that
could be named. They have no
part nor lot in the improvements of the
times, but are entirely under the
dominion of the priests, they own a very
large cathedral. We walked
by Governor Cass' farm, and to his
ancient mansion, an old, rough-looking,
one-story, wooden building, but
capacious.
Afterwards, I called on Mr. Cleland;
with him I went to the court
house. The superior court was just
concluding its session above. One of
the judges I have been introduced to,
Judge Wilkins. He is a man of
great genius--almost insane--a young
man, inclined to intemperance,
and too much of a jockey in his external
appearance for the bench. He
possesses exhalted but eccentric
talents. The presiding judge, Sibley, is
a rosy-cheeked, white-haired old man,
about sixty-five years old. I sat
some time in the convention. They were
debating on the mode of carry-
ing the constitution into operation, and
there was much of the irregularity
visible which I have before noticed.
GOVERNOR CASS. THE INDIANS. ON BOARD
STEAMBOAT.
Judge Woodbridge, the son-in-law of
McFingal, and formerly a
delegate in Congress, takes a prominent
stand in the debates of the con-
vention. Although in the minority, he is
listened to with great deference
and has done much good by cooling the
ardor of those who, in the pride
of their authority, are inclined to crowd
too much into their pattern of a
constitution, and bind the hands of
future legislatures. He is a man of
acknowledged talents and parliamentary
experience, having commenced
his career in the legislatures of Ohio.
He speaks with great earnestness
and effect and with forcible
enunciation, though his voice is harsh and
cracked. He is tall and bony, apparently
about sixty years of age; he
has a gray head, rigid features, a
round, good forehead, and is exceed-
ingly nervous. Governor Cass was
present, among the spectators. Return-
ing, I peeped into the justice's court,
where Mr. Cleland had some busi-