JOURNAL OF TRAVELS IN THE United States OF NORTH AMERICA, AND IN LOWER CANADA, PERFORMED IN THE YEAR 1817; CONTAINING PARTICULARS RELATING TO THE PRICES OF LAND AND PROVISIONS, REMARKS ON THE COUNTRY AND PEOPLE, INTERESTING ANECDOTES, AND AN ACCOUNT OF THE Commerce, Trade, and Present State OF WASHINGTON, NEW YORK, PHILADELPHIA, TO WHICH Are added, A Description of OHIO, INDIANA, ILLINOIS, and MISSOURI, and a Variety WITH A NEW COLOURED MAR DELINEATING ALL THE STATES AND TERRITORIES. BY JOHN PALMER. London: PRINTED FOR SHERWOOD, NEELY, AND JONES, PATERNOSTER-ROW. 1818. 50 Checked PREFACE. I AM aware, that numerous writers have preceded me in a description of the UNITED STATES, Some of whom have been professed authors; but I am not acquainted with any work that gives a full account of any part of them as they now exist. "Morse's Gazet teer," "Winterbotham's America," and "Brissot on the United States," although valuable works, convey but a faint, and often, incorrect account of the present situation of America. Most of the travels I have seen, are full of prejudice and inveotive against America and Americans, which, in some instances, the authors could scarely feel; and who, perhaps, inserted them from no worse motive, than to make their publications palatable to their readers. This is particularly the case in "Janson," "Parkinson," and "Ashe." Some travels in the UNITED STATES, however, are free from prejudice, such as "Mi"Lambert's," chaux's," and "Wansey's;" "Bradbury's" also, of more recent date, is a valuable work. But if the works published a few years ago, do give correct and valuable information of what the UNITED STATES were then, and I readily admit some do; the rapid changes that have occurred in the sudden and prosperous rise of literally hundreds of villages, towns, and cities, the formation of new districts, territorial governments, and independent States, with the consequent improvement and changes in society, all bear me out in the propriety of publishing |