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others do not follow his example; and when they find America contrary to their sanguine notions, return to their native home. I reply that they either want means, or are deficient in strength of mind; that they either involve their fortunes in vague speculations from which they cannot retire, or fear to encounter the contempt and derision of their former acquaintance. Some are even so base as to write, in the midst of their disappointment, flattering letters for the purpose of enticing others to follow their steps (which must inevitably lead them into the same errors and calamities) only for the sake of having companions in misfortune and ridicule.

But a more powerful cause producing emigration is, that it becomes the business of those who make large purchases of land, to exert all their eloquence and other means for inviting people to settle on it. The first explorer of Kentucky hired an author, residing in Philadelphia, to write an animated and embellished description of that country. The narrative was in a florid, beautiful, and almost poetical style in short, the work possessed every merit except truth. However, the land-speculator succeeded in the course of seven years, the book drew forty thousand inhabitants into that State; but this instrument of their delusion is now read only as a romance. Such were the views also which accomplished lord Selkirk's extensive colonizations: yet the first settlers nearly perished from want, owing to the general devastation of vermin destroying the seed before it took root in the ground; and the next fell victims to the flux and fevers, generated in the immense swamps on the lakes of the west. Priestley, under the same delusive influence, strengthened by his peculiar political and religious principles, settled in another inhospitable region; but he was soon obliged to draw a sad contrast between this and his native land he fell into a deep melancholy, and died of a broken heart.

I cannot think it necessary to say much after this detail of facts. I ask you, could you dream of coming to this: country, from so gloomy yet so true a representation of it? Though many of these facts do not operate against this town and its neighbourhood, still there are enough to deter me from encouraging any person to remove hither. But I do not hesitate however to declare, that if a friend of mine were resolved on emigration, I would recommend

these waters in preference to any place that I have seen east of the mountains; and as I have carefully travelled from Georgia to the district of Maine, you may depend on my opinion as possessing the advantages of experience.

LETTER V.

Morgantown. The Monongahela river, Cheat river, and George's-creek. New Geneva, and Greensburg. Brownsville, Williams-port. Elizabeth-town. Mackee's-port, and Braddock's-defeat. An Indian fortified camp described, and interesting object discovered near it. Ancient Indian barrows, or burial-places. Remains of arms, utensils, and instruments.

Morgantown, Pennsylvania, November, 1806.

THIS, which is a flourishing town pleasantly situated on the east bank of the Monongahela river, contains about sixty dwellings; and is a county-town for the counties of Harrison, Monongahela, and Randolph. As it may be considered as at the, head of the Monongahela navigation, I shall here give you a sketch of that river.

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The Monongahela takes its rise from the foot of the Laurel-mountain, in Virginia: thence meandering in à direction west by east, it passes into Pennsylvania; receiving in its course Cheat and Yougheogheny rivers from the south south-east, and many other small streams. It unites with the Alleghany at Pittsburg; and the two rivers, as I have before remarked, form the Ohio. The settlements on each side of it are extensive, and much of the land is good and well cultivated. The appearance of the rising towns and the regularly disposed farms on its banks, is truly delightful to passengers. In autumn and spring it is generally covered with what are here called trading and family boats; the former loaded with flour, whiskey, cy-. der, apples, peach-brandy, bacon, iron, glass, earthern ware, cabinet work, &c. all being the produce and manufacture of the country, and destined for Kentucky and New-Orleans and the latter carrying furniture, utensils,

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and tools for the cultivation of the soil. No scene can be more pleasing to a philosophic mind than this; which presents to view a floating town, as it were, on the face of a river, whose gentle rapidity and flowered banks add sublimity to cheerfulness; and the sweet harmony of the songsters of the woods, to the hoarseness of the falling cataract or the murmur of the quiet stream.

Eight miles below this town is Cheat river, the mouth of which is obstructed by a long and difficult shoal; pilot should always be taken to guide a stranger through this. Twelve miles from this shoal, and on the east side, is George's-creek; below the mouth of which is situated New Geneva a thriving town, and distinguished for extensive manufactories in its vicinity, which make and export large quantities of good glass. Kentucky and other boats are built here. A little below, and on the opposite side of the river, lies Greensburg; a small village, of which nothing favourable can be said.

Thirty-one miles from this last place is Brownsville, formerly called Redstone. This town is well known to those who migrate down the rivers, It is handsomely sit◄ uated, but somewhat divided; a part lying on the first bank, but more on a second and higher one; both the banks being formed by the gradual subsidence of the wa ter. It is a place of much business, and contains about a hundred houses and six hundred souls. The settlement round it is excellent; having some of the best mills to be found in the country; and among them an extensive papermill, which is the only one at this side of the mountains, except that lately erected in Kentucky. A variety of boats are built here; and an extensive rope-walk is carried on, with various other valuable manufactories. The inhabitants are principally German and Dutch; and this accounts at once for the wealth, morals, and industry of the place,

William's-port lies nineteen miles below Brownsville, The town is small, but well situated; and is increasing in business; as it has a fine settlement, and lies on the direct road from Philadelphia to Whulan on the Ohio, and other places of conveyance.

Beautifully situated, eleven miles further down the stream, stands Elizabeth-town; where considerable business is done in the boat and ship-building way. A ship called the Monongahela Farmer, and several other vessels of conside

mable burthen, were built here; and, loaded with the produce of the adjacent country, passed from the midst of the mountains to the bosom of the sea, through circuitous fresh water streams that enrich provinces for an extent of nearly 2,400 miles.

Mackee's-port, also pleasantly situated, lies eight miles still lower, and just beyond the junction of the Yougheogheny and the Monongahela. Many boats are built here; and on that account, migrators to the lower country generally choose this place for embarking. It is increasing in business, and indicates a likelihood to rise to some importance. A spot on the east side of the river, and eight miles from Mackee's-port, is called Braddock's-defeat, in commemoration of the melancholy destruction of that British general and his force by the Indians in the American war. Nine miles further down stands Pittsburg, which I have already described.

As I did not stop to interrupt my rapid sketch of this river by mentioning a variety of interesting particulars which occur on its banks, I shall now return to a few of them.

The neighbourhood of Brownsville, or Redstone, abounds with monuments of Indian antiquity. They consist of fortified camps, barrows for the dead, images and utensils, military appointments, &c.

A fortified camp (which is a fortification of a very complete nature, on whose ramparts timber of five feet in diameter now grows) commands the town of Brownsville, which undoubtedly was once an Indian settlement. This camp contains about thirteen acres, enclosed in a circle, the elevation of which is seven feet above the adjoining ground. Within the eircle, a pentagon is accurately des cribed; having its sides four feet high, and its angles uniformly three feet from the circumference of the circle, thus leaving an unbroken communication all round. Each side of the pentagon has a postern, opening into the passage between it and the circle; but the circle itself has only one grand gateway, which directly faces the town. Exactly in the centre stands a mound, about thirty feet high, hitherto considered as a repository of the dead; and which any correct observer can perceive to have been a place of look-out. I confess that I examined these remains of the former power of man with much care and venera

tion; nor could I resist reproaching those writers who have ignorantly asserted, "We know of no such thing existing as an Indian monument of respectability; for we would not honour with that name arrow points, stone hatchets, stone pipes, half shapen images, &c." I ask those writers, what opinion they entertain of the object which I now describe; and I request them, when they are again disposed to enlighten the world with their lucubrations, to visit the countries which they profess to delineate; and diligently search for materials there, before they presume to tell us that such have no existence.

At an inconsiderable distance from the fortification, was a small rising ground; on the side of which I perceived a large projecting stone, a portion of the upper surface of which was not entirely concealed in the bank. If the perceptible portion of it had been marked with the irregular traces that distinguish the hand of Nature, I might have sat on this stone in silent meditation on the objects which it immediately commanded; but I conceived that the surface had that uniform and even character which exhibits the result of industry and art.

Animated by a variety of conjectures, I hastened to the town to engage assistance; and quickly returned to clear away the earth; which bore strong indications of having fallen on the stone, and not having primitively engendered it. In proportion as I removed the obstruction, I paused to dwell on the nature of the discovery; my heart beat as I proceeded, and my imagination traced various symbols which vanished before minute investigation. The stone was finally cleared in a rough manner, and represented to our view a polygon with a smooth surface of eight feet by five. I could not immediately form any conclusion, yet I persisted in the opinion that the hand of man had been busy in the formation of this object; nor was I diverted from this idea by the discouragement of the persons whom I employed, and the laughter of the multitude that followed me from the town to gaze on my labour and delight in my disappointment. Though the earth was now cleaned from the general surface of the stone, small quantities of it remained in certain irregular traces: and this I determined to remove before abandoning expectations. which I entertained with so much zeal. I accordingly commenced his operation, to the no small amusement of the

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